The Little Deaf Man Decided to be Spoiled

14

Chapter 14
"-You went clubbing?"
Inside, colorful lights danced around. With every booming bass note, the ground trembled.
Navigating through the writhing crowd, Ji Ruan managed to move to a safer passage beside the exit, cupping his phone to hear better, "What-did-you-say?!"
Silence lasted for two seconds on the other end. Ji Ruan pulled the phone away to check - it was still connected. Pushing it back to his ear, he inquired, "Hello?!"
Finally, he received a response, "Are you at a nightclub dancing?"
Gu Xiuyi's tone seemed stable, calmly expressing his assumption that Ji Ruan was fooling around at a nightclub and subtly revealing his disapproval.
Ji Ruan: "..."
Ji Ruan, somewhat exasperated, said, "No, not some night...club...It's a party! Party, do you get it? P-A-R-T-Y! Can you understand English? It's a bash!"
"......"
It sounded like Gu Xiuyi said something else, but the music was so deafening that even as Ji Ruan nearly shoved his phone into his ear, he could only vaguely make out a few tones.
A new round of drinking games began in the club, and the volume of music and voices escalated, making Ji Ruan's head throb.
He abruptly ended the call with a "click", then switched to the chat interface with Gu Xiuyi, typing furiously with a frown:
[I can't hear a word you're saying. Can you just text? It's too noisy here!]
A typing indicator appeared immediately, and the next message read: [Get out.]
Ji Ruan's eyes widened in shock. He rubbed them and checked again. Yes, the message unmistakably read, "Get out."
This was the first time he felt such a direct outburst of emotion from Gu Xiuyi.
Most of the time, Gu Xiuyi was incredibly composed. Even during disagreements, he'd resort to sarcasm. This straightforward intensity caught Ji Ruan off guard, and he hesitated, unsure of how to respond.
His phone vibrated again: [Send me your location. I'm coming to get you.]
Shaking off his bewilderment, Ji Ruan, unable to gauge Gu Xiuyi's mood from the texts, quickly shared his location and pocketed his phone, heading inside to grab his bag.
He gulped nervously, muttering, "Why so fierce...?"
His bag was with Han Xiaolin, who sat with two unfamiliar young men in a corner booth, their heads buried over the table, engrossed in something.
Ji Ruan approached and tapped Han Xiaolin on the shoulder: "What are you up to?"
Han Xiaolin looked up excitedly, "I'm watching these two solve physics problems!"
"Physics?" Ji Ruan wondered if there was something wrong with his hearing aid.
"Yeah," Han Xiaolin said earnestly, explaining loudly, "These two got into the renowned university nearby! They're having a problem-solving competition! The loser drinks. If you're slow, you drink beer; if you get it wrong, you take a mixed shot!"
Ji Ruan, astonished, remarked, "Quite a talented crowd at this bar, huh..."
"Absolutely not!" Han Xiaolin proclaimed with pride, "This is a free party - anything goes! If you don't want to solve problems, you can dance. See that person spinning on the floor like a top? Last year's street dance champion!"
The studious man at the table looked up at Ji Ruan and cheerfully invited, "Want to join us? I've got an extra set of questions here."
At the sight of all the complex formulas, Ji Ruan felt nauseous, and he quickly stepped back, "No, no - I'm an arts student!"
However, his faint voice didn't carry over the blaring music. The studious man, holding his pen, paused for a moment, then looked questioningly at Han Xiaolin.
With a voice that cut through the noise, Han Xiaolin clarified, "He said he won't - we're arts students - can't do these problems!"
The studious man nodded in understanding and dove back into his work.
Ji Ruan pulled Han Xiaolin close and whispered, "I'm leaving!"
Han Xiaolin exclaimed, "What? You're leaving so soon?!"
"Gu Xiuyi is picking me up!"
"Oh!" Han Xiaolin's demeanor instantly changed. He grabbed Ji Ruan's bag and ushered him out, "Then hurry up!"
The two were jostled around as they made their way through the swaying dance floor, struggling to find the exit.
As Han Xiaolin dragged him along, Ji Ruan, feeling dizzy, wondered aloud, "Who even studies in a place like this?!"
Han Xiaolin burst through the door onto the sidewalk, the loud noise now muffled behind them. But his excited voice continued unabated, "They say it's to train focus and resistance to distractions under extreme conditions!"