The Malicious Member is Back! - Chapter 162
Even when Li Ming Shen advanced faster than Liu Wei at the art school, or when the lead role in the school’s first comedy production was taken by someone else.
Liu Wei’s eyes were always cold.
Because, if he just waited a little, Liu Wei could overtake them again.
In the next class, Liu Wei advanced two steps ahead. In the end, it was Liu Wei, who showed better acting, that took on the lead role.
“Congratulations on getting the lead.”
“……”
“Now you’re… number one again.”
Li Ming Shen watched all of it from the sidelines.
There were people supporting and expecting things from Liu Wei, and Liu Wei lived up to it.
That was an unchanging truth and law in the world of Liu Wei, and in the world of Li Ming Shen standing beside him.
But now, it was no longer so.
Starting from the moment he ranked fourth in the interim ranking announcement of Targeting Star.
No, from the very moment he appeared on Targeting Star in the first place.
“Trainee Liu Wei. That’s good, but, hmm… can we make your gaze a little sharper?”
“We need a bit of that sense of emptiness and anxiety here. Ah. It’s a little lacking.”
“Balance… let’s fix it… again.”
‘Besides, this time, he even heard evaluations like that… he probably isn’t feeling great.’
While Li Ming Shen briefly recalled the comments Liu Wei had received during the interim evaluation of the fourth competition round—
“─Ugh!”
“Focus.”
Liu Wei grabbed Li Ming Shen’s shoulder and slammed him hard against the wall of the emergency stairs as he said it.
Those two eyes, always cold and sunken, earning him the nickname “Ice Fairy” from fans, remained unchanged.
“…Let go of me!”
When Li Ming Shen shook off Liu Wei’s arm, their bodies separated with a thud.
Clutching his throbbing shoulder, Li Ming Shen ground his teeth.
‘…No matter what, there’s no reason for me to be treated like this by Liu Wei.’
Just because he tried to perform well on stage, just because he didn’t act as he used to, Liu Wei was behaving so irrationally.
‘I don’t know what kind of friend acts like this.’
There was no glue that could mend a crack once it formed in a relationship.
The moment Li Ming Shen, who had always half-yielded, expressed his will strongly for the first time, the limit of their twisted relationship became clear.
“……”
At that situation, Liu Wei let out a small laugh, ha, and started spitting out words, tapping dust off his slightly crumpled collar.
Li Ming Shen, you….
“I already know you’re planning to side with Kim Chunyong.”
“…What?”
Li Ming Shen couldn’t hide his bewilderment.
Right now, what Liu Wei was saying was. In other words…
‘He’s not upset because I tried to perform well, but because he thinks I’m plotting something with Chunyong?’
Before Li Ming Shen could even begin to explain, Liu Wei pulled his phone out of his pocket and tapped it lightly.
Trailing after that action was a smooth Standard Mandarin pronunciation that could serve as a textbook example.
“I still tried to be considerate of you, thinking about the time we spent together.”
“Wait, Liu Wei. There’s something we need to clear up. You’re misunderstanding─.”
“No. Even if you say it now, I have no intention of listening. That’s something you should’ve said when I called you right after the Mid-term evaluation.”
Pushing Li Ming Shen’s shoulder once more, Liu Wei cut him off with a cold voice.
“The only reason you can act like this is because once Targeting Star ends and you return to China, you’ll be able to prepare for Zhonghua Group.”
If that disappears, your pathetic little schemes would be laughable too.
“…….”
Li Ming Shen had to hold his breath for a moment just to process what Liu Wei had said.
Did he really just….say that?
But even before he could finish that thought, words burst out of his mouth.
“…混蛋 (You bastard).”
Once he spoke, there was no stopping after that.
Li Ming Shen grabbed the much taller Liu Wei by the collar and shook him hard.
“Are you kidding me? Of all things, how could you bring that up?”
Of course, it was unclear whether Liu Wei actually had any influence over Li Ming Shen’s slated entry into Zhonghua Group.
There was no way to know how much the investors backing him cared, or how much weight they would give to Liu Wei’s words.
Still, it was the intent behind Liu Wei bringing it up that mattered.
The utterly selfish intent of, ‘If you cross me, I can destroy your ambitions.’
Regardless of whether Li Ming Shen had truly harmed Liu Wei or not, he said it just to crush him.
And that outright denied all the times Li Ming Shen had endured, thinking of his family back in China, and the bond between their two families.
“Take it back. Say you just said it without thinking.”
Li Ming Shen growled through clenched teeth.
“Say it was because you were emotional, because you were impatient. Say it was a mistake. Tell me that.”
“…….”
But Liu Wei remained the same.
“…Ha ha ha.”
Li Ming Shen slowly let go of Liu Wei’s collar and laughed hollowly.
‘All this time, no matter what others thought, I believed that Liu Wei and I were unbreakable friends or something.’
“…It’s nothing special, right?”
Our relationship, that is.
“If you thought you could treat me however you wanted, I should’ve stopped cleaning up after you a long time ago.”
“…You.”
Liu Wei’s eyebrows lifted sharply, but Li Ming Shen no longer cared.
Eyes gleaming fiercely, Li Ming Shen shoved Liu Wei hard in the shoulder, just like Liu Wei had done to him, and bit out his words.
“I’ll do exactly what you said, okay?”
It’s always been like that, hasn’t it?
Li Ming Shen was smiling brightly as he said it, but there was tension in the muscles under his jaw.
That was the way of someone standing in the awkward transition between adolescence and adulthood.
No matter how much they tried to act rationally, just once.
If they twisted even once, there was no telling where they’d end up.
Would this be Liu Wei’s fatal mistake—acting selfishly and never imagining Li Ming Shen could do the same?
“…I’m not done talking yet.”
“So?”
“What?”
“I don’t think there’s much point in listening anymore.”
Li Ming Shen strode past Liu Wei, who was standing in front of him.
The faster his steps grew, the clearer all the time he had lost because of Liu Wei became.
All the times he had tried not to catch the art school teachers’ eyes on purpose.
All the times he had tried to make others understand Liu Wei, just because his parents asked him to.
Even the fact that he decided to join Targeting Star just to serve as the background for Liu Wei to shine.
“肏你妈 (Fucking bastard)….”
Bang!
Unlike his usual calm and mild nature, Li Ming Shen pounded on a dorm room door with fists full of strength.
kcyfan1000
Liu Wei’s such pos! Good on Ming Shen for cutting him off.
Thanks for the translation <3
Bees
!!!
Thanks for the translation (人 •͈ᴗ•͈)