BXBX NOVEL Chapter 31: Host, help!
Chapter 31: Host, help!
Translator-Rhapsodite
Editor-simpforlife, Proofreader-Ghostie
Initially, Wei Fuyuan had planned to let Bei Quan go back after lunch. His boss, on the other hand, insisted on going for a stroll at his school to digest the food better. He also inquired the two girls at the table regarding several picturesque locations worth seeing around the school. He seemed to be a pretty stubborn person, one who would never leave the place if he didn’t visit all of them.
Young Master Wei was so angry that he didn’t know what to do with the man.
As he furiously chomped down the food in his mouth, he stared at Bei Quan from the corner of his eyes, chatting with two girls he had never met before. He had a sudden urge to pack up and bundle his boss back into the car and drive straight back to Sāntúchuān.
But as soon as they finished lunch, Bei Quan asked him to lead the way to the school’s Nanyuan in advance, Young Master Wei could only take two deep breaths and then stiffly dropped three words.
“Come with me.”
During the lunch break, people came and went around Fengxing University. The road was filled with students, teachers or nearby residents.
Wei Fuyuan had studied here for three years and had long been accustomed to the scenery on the campus.
But he soon noticed that Bei Quan seemed very intrigued by everything around him. He looked around all the way and stopped from time to time to look at the surroundings carefully for a long time.
Mentally, Young Master Wei began to estimate their walking speed. He was worried that by the time they arrived at the Nanyuan, his first lesson of the afternoon would have already begun.
“Hey, don’t dawdle around, will you?”
When Bei Quan stopped for the 101st time and stood by the court watching others play basketball, Wei Fuyuan once again had to urge him to get going, “It’s just a group of guys fooling around. What’s so interesting about that?”
“The level of this match is not that admirable,” he sneered, “But if it were me, I would have already defeated the opponent team and awed the entire audience.”
Bei Quan turned around and smiled, “Because It’s quite fascinating.”
As they were talking, a boy made a three-step layup. The ball hit the rim of the hoop with a ‘bang’ and bounced off the bottom line.
Wei Fuyuan curled his lips in disgust.
“This is fascinating? Huh.”
Bei Quan’s eyes had become crescent-shaped, and his expression was cheerful. “This is my first time seeing the daily life of the current college students.”
Wei Fuyuan: “… ”
He wanted to open his mouth and ask him, “You have never been to a university before??” but decided against it and swallowed back his words immediately.
Afterall, Wei Fuyuan had also followed Bei Quan in investigating five cases. His insight had obviously improved, so he always felt that some of the things his boss said seemed very weird to him.
Wei Fuyuan frowned and pondered over it carefully.
——Ah, right!
He soon figured it out.
The key lies in the term in front of university students —— ‘current’.
If Bei Quan simply didn’t go to a university and hence, felt sentimental about it, then the use of such a word would have been uncalled for.
Wei Fuyuan’s gaze swept back and forth across Bei Quan’s body twice.
Bei Quan was indeed a little older than him but even then, he looked 25 years old or 30 at most, which could be counted as his ‘peer’.
But just now Bei Quan spoke like an elderly man in his 60s or 70s. His tone seemed curious and vaguely nostalgic.
——Shit, how did he make him feel like an entire generation apart?!
Wei Fuyuan felt troubled.
He stretched out his hand, grabbed Bei Quan’s shoulder and dragged him towards the garden.
“Come along, quick, didn’t you want to see the flowers? We haven’t got all day!”
————————–
Nanyuan was Fengxing University’s very own flower garden. It was confined to a limited area, but was well-managed.
The Chinese roses were in their full blooming period in May. The red, yellow and white flowers were flourishing splendidly. Each blossom was about the size of a small bowl. It was rather beautiful.
When Bei Quan and Wei Fuyuan went inside Nanyuan, they saw many couples roaming around hand in hand. As the location was filled with a blissful atmosphere, it proved to be a perfect spot for lovers to meet up.
Wei Fuyuan: “…”
The school spirit of FengXing university was not old-fashioned at all. Young Master Wei had also heard that there were many same-sex couples in his university.
But unfortunately, at the moment, Nanyuan was full heterosexual couples. That being so, the combination of Bei Quan and Wei Fuyuan seemed quite peculiar.
In addition, both of them were really good-looking men. They were over 1.8 meters tall, with wide shoulders, narrow waists and slim long legs. Their temperament was also very different from the rest. The two of them were handsome with a streak of charm and grace, which set them apart from the crowd. They didn’t seem like the people to come for a walk as they were wandering amid the flowers. Rather it seemed as though two models from someplace had come to snap photos on the street.
Wei Fuyuan noticed that no matter where they went, the attention of nearby couples would involuntarily shift from the blooming flowers to them, and their eyes were full of curiosity, scrutiny and gossip.
He felt as if he could clearly hear what these people were thinking: Are they a couple?
——Alright, that’s enough!
Wei Fuyuan fiercely crumpled an innocent rose petal and thought while gritting his teeth.
——What is there to look at? Shoo! He and I are just an ordinary pair of employer and employee or at most, temporary colleagues!
——Besides, there are no adulterous activities involved!
However, Bei Quan was entirely oblivious of Young Master Wei’s predicament. He was quite taken by the beauty of the garden. He wandered about, admiring the view one by one and occasionally remarking on the hues of certain exotic varieties.
The awkward walk lasted for a good twenty minutes.
Wei Fuyuan appeared to be lifeless. He was sure of the fact that after today, the news of him being gay would spread out in the entire university!
Although he was a day student, there was actually no need to lie to his classmates regarding his sexual orientation but the main problem was that Bei Quan was not his boyfriend. Thinking of this, Young Master Wei inexplicably felt that he had suffered a great loss somehow.
Fortunately, he heard a group of people come bounding in noisily, which eased Wei Fuyuan’s embarrassment.
The two people followed the noise and found that it was a group of young students.
Unlike other people who were walking around empty-handed, these people were carrying fairly professional photographic equipment. They yelled ‘viewfinder’ as soon as they entered the Nanyuan. Seven or eight people seperated from the group spread out. They were preoccupied with checking the lighting and handling what looked like a tripod.
When other lovers noticed that this group of individuals was occupying Nanyuan, they became bored and left one after the other.
Only Bei Quan seemed to be interested in it, following them like a tail to observe how they used the camera.
Wei Fuyuan stood next to Bei Quan and said, “These people should be from the Photography Department of our university.”
.
He was a business major student who had little to no contact with the art department but he vaguely remembered that when he passed the billboard today, he saw a poster saying that there would be a photography exhibition in the library next month.
After Bei Quan heard about it, he showed a very inquisitive expression and asked him tentatively whether the photography exhibition was only limited to the teachers and students of their school and whether people outside the school could visit it.
Wei Fuyuan was anxious that Bei Quan would say something like, “I’ll come to visit the exhibition next time.” He immediately escorted the man out of Nanyuan garden under the guise that his afternoon lesson was about to begin and proceeded to haul him out of the school. He finally let out a sigh of relief as he saw his boss get into a taxi.
However, neither Bei Quan nor Wei Fuyuan had known that they would soon be dealing with this very group of individuals of the photography department.
—————————-
A week later. Thursday, June 3, at 11:50 p.m.
It was time for [Thriller Night Talk] to start broadcasting again.
After a month of routine work, Wei Fuyuan had become familiar with his tasks and it became an easy drive on a familiar path. He had quickly prepared the required equipment and was ready on standby.
T/N-An idiom.
At midnight, Bei Quan made a gesture, and Wei Fuyuan immediately pressed the switch to start tonight’s program.
With the faint sound of the electricity buzzing, Bei Quan turned on the microphone.
“Welcome to midnight radio [Thriller Night Talk]. This is the anchor Bei Quan.”
“Please share your story, no matter how strange it is.”
Even after hearing this opening speech for the sixth time, when Bei Quan’s soft and magnetic voice sounded, Young Master Wei still unconsciously raised his hand and touched his slightly hot ears.
Bei Quan chatted casually. Without wasting any more time, he announced that he would be receiving the hotline caller.
[Toot: Toot: ]
The very next second, the phone started ringing abruptly.
“It seems that our audience tonight is very impatient.”
Bei Quan smiled and pressed the accept-call button.
“Without further ado, let us listen to what he or she wants to say to us.”
[Host!]
A young man’s voice sounded from the speaker.
[Host, Help— Help!]
He couldn’t wait to plead for help as soon as he opened his mouth. His tone was agitated, creating the impression that this was not a late-night radio show, but rather a 110 emergency call.
Wei Fuyuan, who was in the outer room, immediately cheered up. His sixth sense told him that they might have a major escapade this time.
“Don’t worry.”
Bei Quan was not affected by the other party’s urgent mood at all. His voice was still mellow, steady and kind.
“You can tell me in detail what trouble you are in.”
[Well, uh— host, what should I do now…]
The caller seemed extremely flustered, spoke rapidly and made vague statements,
[We can’t get out now. Why can’t we get out?? We used to live in the same way every day. It’s still the same every day!]
[On top of it all, we are losing one person each day— the teacher disappeared, and now the students are disappearing one by one too!]
[I want to go home! I don’t want to stay here anymore!]
“Oh?”
Bei Quan interrupted the young man while he was breathing heavily.
“So you’re a student?”
He guessed from the voice of some male student, “Is it a high school student or a college student?”
[I’m a junior university student.]
This time, the caller easily revealed his basic information on the hotline.
Hearing this, Bei Quan raised his eyes slightly.
Right in front of his eyes, another Junior was facing him.
Bei Quan slightly hooked his lips and continued to ask, “Then can you tell me where you, your teachers and classmates are locked up now?”
The person on the other end of the phone went silent.
Bei Quan frowned, concerned that the question was too direct, and inadvertently alarmed the ghost.
Fortunately, the phone did not hang up immediately.
About two seconds later, the young man spoke again.
[By the way, we are in a village now!]
He said eagerly.
[We are locked up in a village and can’t get out!]