Write Your Name on Smoke and Inhale It into My Lungs

"Heh, never expected this, never expected this. How amusing, truly amusing!"

Ye Liangchen swayed the beer in his hand, his lips quirking into a bitter smile.

"I think you're nothing special," Xue Shaohua lit a cigarette, tilting his head at a 45-degree angle as he exhaled a slow stream of smoke. Unconsciously, he had leveled up in terms of sheer pretentiousness.

Last time, Ye Liangchen had blamed his poor performance on Long Aotian's presence.

This time, that guy Long Aotian wasn’t even around Hu Yuying and the others. And yet, the result? Heh...

Seeing this, Ye Liangchen confidently flicked his hair back and downed the entire glass in one go, his Adam’s apple bobbing with each gulp.

After finishing, he flicked his hair again with practiced ease and stared at the empty glass. "The wine I drink turns into wisdom when I exhale."

He let out a slow breath laced with alcohol. "Just like that line I once wrote in my QQ space—'The Knight and the Princess.'"

"The princesses have no idea how heavy the burden on this knight’s shoulders is. No one knows. But I do."

Ye Liangchen chuckled softly, pouring himself another glass. He held the golden beer up high. "Through countless trials, all for a single smile from the princess. This glass—it drowns half a lifetime of sobriety, it drowns my madness for love."

And with that, he drained it again.

Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!

Xue Shaohua, inexplicably moved, couldn’t help but applaud. "'Drowning half a lifetime of sobriety, drowning my madness for love'—that’s the most domineering line I’ve ever heard."

"Ye Liangchen, sometimes you really don’t seem like a student. More like a world-weary adult—those melancholic eyes, the carefree way you drink alone, and now these words... it’s all too mature!"

Ye Liangchen waved a dismissive hand. "Mature? No. I’ve just seen through the vanity of this world."

"As for what you call 'pretentiousness,' I don’t even know what that is. Everything I say comes straight from the heart."

"If this is what you call 'pretentiousness,' fine—I’ll take it." A faint smirk curled at the corner of his lips.

With another effortless flick of his hair, he added, "There are things you simply don’t understand. What you see is only what I choose to show you."

Xue Shaohua mirrored the hair flick. "What do you mean?"

"It’s simple. And also complicated. It’s not that I won’t tell you—some truths in life must be realized on your own."

To emphasize his depth, Ye Liangchen tilted his head 45 degrees, raising his beer toward the moon. "Let me put it this way: you’re seeing the first layer. Meanwhile, I’m operating in the stratosphere."

Even if he’d lost ground with Hu Yuying and the others, Ye Liangchen—with his 28-year-old level of pretentiousness—could still effortlessly outclass a college student.

So what if Xue Shaohua was from a top-tier university?

In his dreams, they’d all be working for him anyway.

With that thought, Ye Liangchen downed another glass.

Watching him nearly gag, Xue Shaohua frowned. "You should drink less." The last thing he wanted was to drag Ye Liangchen home.

Ye Liangchen coughed violently but kept his composure. "What’s the point of saving this wine? To reminisce over it later?"

"Xue Shaohua, do you know what life’s redemption is?"

Xue Shaohua shrugged. "What, are you saying you’re some kind of redeemer?"

Snap!

Ye Liangcen pointed at him. "Bingo. You got it."

He let out a self-deprecating laugh. "Yes, I am a redeemer. And the three who need my salvation are Hu Yuying, Li Qingxue, and Lin Wanning."

"Don’t laugh. I know you don’t believe me now." Ye Liangchen took a deep breath. "Time will prove everything."

"For now, let me savor this rare moment of amusement."

With that, he slowly stood, closed his eyes, and spread his arms toward the moon.

This was the peak era of the non-mainstream subculture. To future eyes, Ye Liangchen’s words and gestures might seem absurd. But in this moment, they symbolized a spirit of freedom.

Xue Shaohua couldn’t help but feel a strange reverence. For some reason, every time Ye Liangchen struck this pose, he seemed almost... divine.

Especially now, as he lowered his arms and wrapped them around himself in a self-embrace.

"Even if they’re fooled by Long Aotian now, do I look worried?"

Ye Liangchen flicked his hair again, resting two fingers against the bridge of his nose as he lifted his gaze to meet Xue Shaohua’s.

It was the look of absolute confidence—at least, that’s what Xue Shaohua saw in those eyes.

"So what’s your plan, then?"

"I’ve never liked a girl this much before. Hu Yuying—her face, her figure—everything about her is my ideal. To me, she’s like a beautiful angel."

A trace of regret flashed in Xue Shaohua’s eyes. He didn’t understand. He was undeniably exceptional—even in his class, he ranked among the most handsome.

Yet no matter how hard he tried to catch Hu Yuying’s attention, he always failed.

He’d seen Long Aotian before. Objectively, the guy was rougher around the edges.

Just a bit taller, a bit more muscular. That was the only difference.

Such a tiny gap should’ve been bridged by his own charm, humor, and good looks. So why wouldn’t Hu Yuying even glance his way? Why wouldn’t she grace him with that heart-stopping smile?

It made no sense.

He was clearly the better man.

Ye Liangchen scoffed, shaking his head as he walked toward the bar. "Miss, do you have a pen I could borrow?"

Another hair flick, another smirk oozing confidence.

The bartender’s eye twitched, her toes curling in secondhand embarrassment. But professionalism prevailed, and she handed him a pen with a strained smile.

Ye Liangchen took it, turned to leave—then paused mid-step. Without looking back, he raised the pen dramatically, his voice dripping with practiced smoothness: "Thanks!"

Back at the table, he smirked. "See how she smiled at me?"

Xue Shaohua wasn’t sure where this was going but played along with a nod.

"Can’t help it. That’s just my charm. If I weren’t a redeemer, I’d have girls flocking to me left and right."

He spun the pen deftly, then pulled out a cigarette and carefully wrote three names on it.

Amid Xue Shaohua's bewildered expression, he slowly lit a cigarette: "Writing their names on the smoke, then drawing it into my lungs—isn’t that another twisted way of becoming one with them?"