Art Performance

40.
With less than a week left until the cultural festival of the club, Xing Ye, who just became the president, has to take on the responsibility of planning the event, promoting the theme, and preparing the facilities. Every step requires him, the new president, to check and confirm repeatedly. In addition, he still has to "manage love" from a busy schedule. He has been busy all week and feels exhausted.
But what no one expected was that, before the busy week had even ended, a video started to go viral on the internet.
The angle of the video was a bit tricky, and at the beginning the picture shook for a moment, then suddenly focused on a thin and fair face. The boy being filmed had long and narrow eyes, but they were dull, with slightly trembling eyelashes. His gaze was evasive, and his face wore an expression of extreme terror, making it clear that he was very resistant to the camera.
The screen slowly stabilizes, and the person holding the phone walks around the narrow iron cage, pulling the lens back to get a clear view of the boy inside the cage.
The boy is curled up in the small black iron cage, unable to stand up. A thick iron chain is tied around his neck, the chain is short, and the other end is locked at the bottom of the cage. In order to ensure smooth breathing, he can only hunch his body, hang his neck down and twist his body into a very distorted and bizarre posture.
The surroundings were very quiet, and the people gathered around the cage, unintentionally caught on camera, were all holding their breath and watching the boy.
The boy's jet-black long hair draped messily over his shoulders, and although he was not completely naked, there was not much fabric covering his body. The torn black garment revealed his snow-white skin, which was covered with gruesome bruises and whip marks.
A figure wearing a bear head mask appeared on the screen at this moment. He held a thin whip in his hand, fiercely lashing it against the iron cage. The sound of the whipping and the deafening noise of the cage shook the boy's ears, causing him to shudder in fear. The boy inside the cage was suddenly startled, trembling in fear and panic, and involuntarily crouched back on the ground.
The bear-headed man whipped the iron cage again, without saying a word. The boy quickly understood his meaning and obediently bent his slender waist, pressing his small abdomen against the cold floor. He stuck out his tongue and licked the muddy water in the porcelain bowl in the cage.
After licking a few mouthfuls, the boy suddenly raised his head and, amid the tense or puzzled gazes of the onlookers, spat out a pearl from his mouth.
The expression on his face couldn't hold back, and he bent over and laughed on the ground, "Damn, I can tolerate diluted milk tea, but can you at least strain out the pearls for me?"
"Hahahaha—"
The video stopped amidst the laughter coming from all around.
The web media that released this video titled it very prominently: #Risque Performance Art# Exhibition at a Famous University in China: Is it Promoting Art or Seeking Publicity?
The comments are also very dirty.
Some people indignantly expressed their hope that universities should strengthen the moral education of students. Some people expressed doubt and asked what is going on? Don't understand, feel very sorry. But soon someone retorted, what's so pathetic about it, can't you see how much he's enjoying it, and he's even laughing so happily in the end. There are also people insinuating that bedroom hobbies should be kept at home, why bring them to the table? When someone asked below, that person mysteriously replied, I'm just doing a task, you guys don't understand.
The manager of the publicity department looked at the man whose eyes suddenly darkened in the office, hesitating to ask, "Mr. Wen, the posters for our fall and winter new product line were originally scheduled to be put up in offline stores this Monday. Now that this unexpected situation has arisen, will it have a negative impact on our brand image?"
Wen Cheng knit his brows tightly, pursed his lips, and stared at the video screen playing repeatedly. When the video played again with Xing Ye bending over to drink water, he frowned and clicked the mouse to close the screen.
"Not yet." Wen Chengshu's voice turned cold, his face looking unpleasant. "Let's push another series first."
"Alright." The manager of the publicity department glanced cautiously at Wen Chengshu's sudden change in demeanor. "Do we still need to use his pictures for the online promotion?"
"This series will not be released for now."
"... The whole series won't be released?" The manager of the publicity department looked surprised.
"Understood."
Wen Chengshu frowned at his phone, Xing Ye sent him a message in the morning, saying that the campus cultural festival was opening today, and he might be very busy, telling Wen Chengshu not to miss him too much.
- Is that what you are busy with?
At noon, Wen Yinan posted a moment on her WeChat Moments. It was a photo of her wearing a black bear headgear, with a pair of big and round eyes peeking out from the mouth of the bear. It was obvious that she was smiling happily.
Wen Chengshu closed his phone, closed his eyes, leaned back in the chair, and rubbed the small green veins bulging from his forehead.
-
"What the hell is all this nonsense?" Hao Fei argued with brainless netizens for half an hour, angrily locked his phone screen and threw it on the table.
"Superficial!" Xing Ye took out a bottle of beer from the ice bucket, knocked the bottle cap on the edge of the table, and the cap popped out with a sound. He poured a big mouthful into his mouth, feeling unsatisfied, and called the waiter, "Hey, open a bottle of spades A."
"Right! Superficial!" Li Miaomiao was also annoyed. She casually took the half-filled cup of wine from Wen Yini's hands, took a drag from the unlit cigarette in her mouth, and mumbled, "Let's just not bother with making any more promotional brochures in the future. In the end, people just post a few photos or videos, and that's all that matters."
Wang Chen, who was forced to stop drinking, boredly picked at the newly made nude colored nails on the side, while clicking his tongue: "Damn. We worked so hard to plan for almost half a month, and we only planned a large s-m performance. If I had known, I would have just squatted at the door and collected tickets."
"I support you in charging admission." Li Miaomiao turned to look at him and said fiercely, "Next time we'll charge. You want to watch, right? Twenty bucks each, and for extra money, you can even personally experience the thrill of being whipped."
"Alas. So annoying." Wang Chen stood up from the sofa, looking at them with resentment, "I can't even have a drink at the bar, sister is dancing. Want to go with me, cutie?"
Wen Yini quickly waved his hand, "I'm not going, I can't."
Li Miaomiao hooked her arm around his neck, "What's there that you can't do? Come on, let's go, you'll figure it out once we're there."
After the few of them left, the private room suddenly became quiet.
“Hao Fei nudged Xing Ye with his elbow: "Aren't you going?"
“Not going.” Xing Ye took out his phone from his pocket, unlocked it, and realized that Wen Chengshu had not contacted him all day, which made his already gloomy mood sink even further. He threw his phone on the table, finished the drink in his cup, grabbed the cigarette pack, and stood up, "I'm going to the bathroom."
"Understood," Hao Fei glanced at him and then looked back at the female mc with dirty braids on the DJ stage.
At the entrance of the restroom, two people were standing there. Xing Ye leaned against the wall while waiting in line, and only then did he realize that he was smoking Li Miaomiao's cigarette.
She held a slender cigarette with a filter in her mouth, and there was a hint of sweetness. She lit the cigarette and took a puff, then bit into the burst beads embedded in the filter, causing a strong, sour and sweet fruity aroma to mix with the slight bitterness of nicotine and spread in her mouth.
Wen Chengshu didn't reply to his messages, which made him feel a little disheartened. Being maliciously misinterpreted by the media and netizens time and time again also made him feel frustrated. With a heavy heart, a hand was placed on his shoulder, and a familiar voice said, "Xing Ye?"
The bar is not far from the school. The regulars here are either from the Fine Arts College or the Music College next door. It's not unusual to be recognized by others, but Xing Ye has no impression of him and is not in the mood to deal with him.
Xing Ye exhaled a thick white smoke from his mouth, with a faint fragrance lingering in the dispersing mist. He raised his eyelids slightly and glanced at the hand resting on his shoulder, coldly saying, "Get lost."
"So fierce?" The boy not only did not let go, but instead playfully smiled, leaning over to blow a breath in his ear, "Little bitch, where is your master?"
If the overly intimate behavior of the other party just made him feel disgusted, then this sentence completely hit Xing Ye's minefield.
His eyes instantly turned cold, with a slight squint.
The boy, seeing his silence, obviously misunderstood something. The hand on his shoulder slowly slid down, rubbing his waist through a thin line of clothing, while raising an eyebrow and looking at him with interest, "Did the little puppy get abandoned by its owner? Do you want to call me daddy, and I'll take you home tonight?"
Xingye handed the cigarette to his mouth and took a deep puff, then turned his head to hook his finger towards him.
The boy quickly laughed, hooked his waist and pulled him into his arms, while bringing his ear closer.
Xing Ye chuckled softly in his ear and said, word by word, "Your, mother, is, dead."
The smile on the guy's face froze instantly, and his expression changed abruptly. Before he could turn his face, Xing Ye had already grabbed the hand on his waist and pulled him in front of him, then bent his knees and fiercely pressed them against the guy's crotch.
The boy let out a roar, bent over in pain and collapsed on the ground, his lower abdomen in intense pain, forcing his face to turn pale. In a weak voice tinged with trembling, he said, "I... damn... your mother!"
Xing Ye reached into a beer crate placed on the side and took out a bottle, then walked over and squatted down next to him. The boy glared at him fiercely, raised his leg and kicked towards his lower abdomen.
Xing Ye shifted his body to the side, easily avoiding with a slight curl of his lips. Then, the beer bottle in his hand grazed the boy's cheek and shattered on the ground, tiny shards of glass creating a faint blood mark on the boy's face.
The person who was originally standing in line next to the bathroom came out and stood by the door, crossing their arms and watching the commotion: "Wow, which table are you guys at? Do you need help getting someone?"
The guy's booth was not far away, and before he could speak, his friend had already heard the voice and come over.
Xing Ye was still squatting beside, holding a half broken bottle of wine in his hand, still dripping foam. He glanced faintly at the few people blocking the corridor, and the broken bottom of the beer bottle slowly moved towards the neck of the boy. His eyebrows raised slightly, "What's the matter?"
A few people hesitated, and the girl in the middle quickly lowered her head and dialed 110.
"Tsk, calling the police, huh," Xing Ye looked down at the pale-faced boy and tucked the fallen hair behind her ears, saying a little regretfully, "Kid, remember to give the police uncle a banner in the future, and write: Diligent police officer, saved my dog's life."
-
The police station is not far away, so the police arrived very quickly.
Last time I came to the police station, it was the same old police officer who dealt with the exhibitionist incident. But this time, Xing Ye, who was sitting in front of the table last time, was now crouching in the corner with his head in his hands.
“Uncle, why are you on night duty again?” Xing Ye squatted down, feeling sore in his ankles. He decided to sit cross-legged on the ground and chatted with the old police officer in front of him, who was not much older than his father. "At your age, staying up late every day is not good for your heart."
"Why do you have so much to say? Sit quietly for me." The old policeman tapped the notebook with the tip of his ballpoint pen, made a sound of disapproval, and said, "Quickly call your family."
“I am from out of town, I can't come over.” Xing Ye said.
The old police officer didn't even bat an eyelid: “Don't talk nonsense with me, I can look up your identity information here.”
Xing Ye chuckled twice, "Then you might as well detain me first. Wait until my dad wakes up tomorrow morning and call him. He has high blood pressure. I'm afraid something might happen to him in the middle of the night..."
"You can just arrest me if you want, do you think the police station is your family's property?" The young police officer next to him finished his instant noodles and stood up, kicking him twice on the foot. "Sit down."
"Then let me go, this is self-defense." Xing Ye propped himself up from the floor, stamped his numb feet, and quickly crouched down again under the stern gaze of the young police officer's warning.
"What kind of legitimate defense is this? You are just unilaterally beating someone." The young police officer said impatiently, "Luckily the other party is fine and is not going to pursue this with you."
"So if he sexually harasses me, I can only stand still and let him do it?" Xing Ye said, "He doesn't argue with me because he's in the wrong. If we really go to court to sue each other, who knows who will lose face."
"He harassing you? He's a man, and you're a man too......"
"Uncle policeman, aren't you victim-blaming? Instead of analyzing the perverted mentality, why don't you analyze why I was harassed? Did I dress provocatively or put a sign on my face inviting harassment?"
"You always on the internet..."
"Xiaoliu." The old police officer stopped the young police officer with his eyes.
The young police officer pursed his lips, turned to Xingye and said, "Hurry up and call your family to come over."
Just as he was speaking, the door of the police station's lobby was pushed open from outside.
A man in a suit and leather shoes walked in, looking dusty and tired. He gently pushed up the frame of his glasses, exuding a gentle and poised demeanor. "Sorry, I'm late," he said with a polite tone.
Just now, the "little hedgehog" who was still beaming with joy, heard a sound and looked up with a surprised expression, quickly shrinking into a quail in the gaze of the other person.
Wen Chengshu looked him up and down, and seeing that there were no obvious injuries on his face and body, he finally heaved a sigh of relief.
Xing Ye silently followed behind him, watching as he signed the document and handed over the deposit, then listlessly followed him out of the police station.
The wind blowing towards them instantly seeped through Xing Ye's thin shirt, causing him to instinctively shrug his shoulders and lightly sniffle. He hugged himself and looked at the figure in front of him, finally weakly asking, "...Why did you come?"
Wen Chengshu listened to the slightly trembling voice behind him, slowly exhaled, raised his hand to take off the suit jacket on his body, and turned around to lightly drape it on him, saying, "Xiaonian called me."
Wrapping Xingye's freezing body in a coat with body temperature, the warmth made him feel dizzy. He subconsciously grabbed the smooth and neat fabric of the coat, bowed his head and said, "I'm sorry, did I disturb your rest?"
When Wen Chengshu looked at the pitiful child in front of him, most of the anger in his heart dissipated.
"Let's go."