Standing Next To You-Chapter 239: Late nigh phone call

The moon was full tonight. Inside the inconspicuous building of the Fei mansion, Fei Chuan was busy working on his laptop when a call suddenly broke the silence around him.

Fei Chuan let it ring. He had been bombarded with many phone calls ever since the homecoming dance ended. Despite his efforts to keep his contact number private, some resourceful people still managed to obtain it.

Fei Chuan rejected all invitations and kept a low profile after exposing himself to that event. Some understood that he wasn’t interested in expanding his influence and left him after a few tries. However, there were some stubborn people who persisted in trying to contact him.

One of them was his rude cousin, Fei Min. Fortunately, Fei Min was out of the country and could not bother him personally. If he had been here, he would have barged into his place and disturbed his peace.

So, the phone call was either from Fei Min or from those stubborn individuals. Finally, after two rings, the surroundings turned silent.

Then, a notification sounded.

Fei Chuan did not bother about it and continued his work. His client was pressuring him, and he had to fulfill their demands.

Fei Chuan was so focused on what he was doing that he did not notice his phone ’beeping’ with notifications every fifteen minutes. When he finished his work, it was already past two.

Fei Chuan stretched and prepared to sleep.

He still had school tomorrow and needed to wake up early. As he lay on the bed, closing his eyes, a nagging feeling suddenly occurred to him. He seemed to have forgotten something.

His closed eyes suddenly shot open.

Right, tomorrow!

He would meet Bei Sangyun tomorrow!

His sleepiness suddenly flew away. The trouble that he had put off for days came crashing down on him.

Bei Sangyun had given him time to consider. Throughout this past week, she kept her word and did not bother him. Fei Chuan had been sleepless for the first few days, thinking about her bold confession. Despite being confident in his intelligence, Fei Chuan found himself in a quagmire.

He did not know what to do. After being tired of thinking about it, Fei Chuan decided to put it off and worked on other things. Perhaps, the answer would come to him when he wasn’t thinking about it.

But the seven days passed, and he got busy with work, so he forgot about it! Now, he had no time to think more about it!

At this moment, Fei Chuan wished he could put this troublesome problem in the computer and let it solve itself.

Should he have asked someone else for advice? But who to ask?

Fei Chuan took his phone to check his contacts to see if there was someone reliable he could ask.

But then, he saw a bunch of notifications on the screen.

They were from an unverified number, but even without the name, Fei Chuan recognized the sender.

[xxx-6345-xxx: Are you awake? received at 12:15]

[xxx-6345-xxx: It’s already past 12, so I am free to bother you now, right? received at 12:30]

[xxx-6345-xxx: You must be sleeping now. Sleep well, then. received at 12:45]

[xxx-6345-xxx: But I can’t sleep. Hey, Fei Chuan. What do you like? Is there something you want? I promised you a gift, but I can’t decide yet. received at 1:02]

[xxx-6345-xxx: A watch? A car? A bakery? I can’t get you a big land yet, but if you want, I can get it for you in the future. received at 1:23]

[xxx-6345-xxx: Tell me the answer tomorrow. I want you to think about it. It has to be grand and a bit difficult to get. received at 2:01]

The time intervals between the last two messages were quite long. She must have been thinking a lot about what gift to get him.

An indiscernible smile crept onto Fei Chuan’s lips. This was the first time he saw this side of her.

What was so important about the gift that she was thinking about it a lot? She was only giving a return gift for the flower. It shouldn’t be anything grand.

Fei Chuan was saying this in his mind, but inwardly, he felt a bit... happy.

The last message was sent at 2:27.

[xxx-6345-xxx: I also don’t mind if you want ’me’ as your gift. *wink*] The confidence and boldness in this tone were very much like her.

A small laugh escaped from his lips. He could hear her voice in this message. Bei Sangyun must have been smirking arrogantly, filled with confidence and with a hint of teasing in her gaze.

Suddenly, his phone lit up again.

There was a new message from her.

[xxx-6345-xxx: Don’t mind me. I think I just... missed you. I’m really gonna stop texting now. Goodnight.]

Fei Chuan’s gaze lingered on her message, and as if bewitched, he pressed the number and called it.

When he heard the phone ringing, Fei Chuan was jolted awake. He panicked and wanted to end the call, but it was answered.

"Hello? Fei Chuan?" The familiar yet strangely different voice sounded on the phone.

Fei Chuan froze. He did not know what to say. His mind went blank, and he couldn’t find his tongue.

"You are there, right? Why aren’t you asleep yet?" Bei Sangyun asked in a hushed whisper. Her voice was soft and melodious, very unlike her usual calm, collected, and slightly chilly tone. The edges of her words seemed to blur, creating a sweet serenade that wrapped around the listener like a gentle caress.

Fei Chuan’s heartbeat raced like crazy. His breath quickened as he stammered, "...I... I was working."

There was a moment of pause on the other line. Fei Chuan raised the volume. When he thought Bei Sangyun had fallen asleep on the other side, she spoke again.

"....I thought I was just imagining it, but after hearing your voice, I realized how badly I miss you." There was a hint of coquettishness and vulnerability in her voice that tickled Fei Chuan’s heart.

Fei Chuan tightened his grip on his phone. Another long silence hung between them, with only the sound of their breaths reverberating on the phone.

Hearing no response from him for a long time, Bei Sangyun chuckled and finally let him go.

"I am already fine after hearing your voice. So I think I can sleep now. It’s already late. You should sleep as well. We still have school tomorrow."

Fei Chuan bit his lip. "...I haven’t figured it out yet."

Bei Sangyun paused on the other side. Then a smile broke out on her lips, "No hurry. There is still a lifetime for us to figure it out."

Fei Chuan lowered his gaze.

Perhaps because he couldn’t see her, or perhaps it was the sweet and warm night, Fei Chuan spoke his real feelings.

"It’s not that I don’t like you. Rather, I am confused. My mind doesn’t work the way I want it to when it comes to you. So until now, I haven’t figured out what to do. I am cautious and full of doubts about things that seem strange. And right now, you liking me-- is just too unbelievable."

Bei Sangyun remained silent on the other side. But Fei Chuan knew she was listening intently. The walls around him slowly came down. A door that had never been opened before was slowly turning its knob.

Without his knowing, he was opening a door that had never been used.

Fei Chuan’s tight nerves loosened as he continued to pour out his feelings, "I am more in disbelief right now that I can’t process it. When did you start liking me? What do you like about me? Why do you want to continue liking me? Those absurd questions always haunt my mind. Because I was too preoccupied by those thoughts, I couldn’t find the answer to what to do with your confession."

Fei Chuan took a deep breath as he continued, "But I know one thing. I don’t hate it when you say you like me."

...

Additional Scene:

[That moment of silence...]

Bei Sangyun did not expect Fei Chuan to call her. She couldn’t sleep because her thoughts were consumed by him. Frustrated by these strange feelings, Bei Sangyun bombarded him with messages the moment the seventh day ended.

She really believed he was already asleep.

But he called her!

For a moment, Bei Sangyun blanked out before picking up the phone in a hurry.

But there was no response from the other end.

Did he make a mistake? Was he really awake?

Bei Sangyun asked again. And this time, he answered in a deep, sultry voice.

"I...I was working."

Bei Sangyun almost dropped her phone. The speaker’s phone was very near her ears, and Fei Chuan’s magnetic voice was amplified.

Her ears turned red, and her heartbeat quickened.

Bei Sangyun dazedly listened to him as he talked.

His innocent, sincere words and his opening up of his feelings made her feel as if her heart was being embraced by him. His shy and awkward confession caressed her heart embarrassingly.

Ah... why hadn’t she called him at night before? How did she miss such a feast?

She discovered another side of him that Bei Sangyun found so endearing.