Lu Huai stood silently in place for a long time. After composing his emotions, he stepped out, only to run into an unexpected acquaintance.
Fang Qiming was standing right in front of the door, barely a meter away. Upon seeing Lu Huai emerge, the gaze he leveled at him, previously filled with pure-hearted innocence, was now brimming with shock.
“Lu Huai?!”
Lu Huai pressed his lips together. His hand moved faster than his mind, half-closing the door behind him. He lifted his chin slightly, neither confirming nor denying anything. The initial surprise in his eyes faded instantly, replaced by a coldness that forced Fang Qiming, who had been about to step forward, to recoil.
“Why are you here? Where is Chi Yuan?” Fang Qiming had taken in Lu Huai’s every movement, his expression filled with disbelief. Thinking of a certain possibility, he demanded sharply, “Is Chi Yuan inside? You and Chi Yuan! What is the meaning of you closing that door?”
It was hard to imagine that this person, who had once called him “Senior” with a soft voice upon their first meeting, would one day become this hysterical. Lu Huai looked at him with a complex expression. Fang Qiming had lost a lot of weight; his cheeks, which had once appeared endearing and plump, were now sunken, revealing that he was not in a good state.
Fang Qiming had said the name “Chi Yuan” three times in rapid succession. Even if Lu Huai had wanted to ignore it, the name landed clearly in his ears, leaving no need to speculate on the purpose of Fang’s arrival. Lu Huai’s gaze dimmed, and his fingertips rested on the door handle, rubbing it unnaturally.
He gave a light chuckle, though his eyes were filled with icy mockery. “What does any of this have to do with you?”
“You!” Fang Qiming bit his lip. He stepped forward quickly, attempting to bypass Lu Huai to see the situation inside the room.
“No need to look,” Lu Huai said, raising a hand to block him. He tilted his head, glanced at Fang Qiming, and said nonchalantly, “Do you think he wants to see you?”
Fang Qiming’s momentum vanished instantly. Had he not just stood before that door for a long time, afraid to push it open precisely because he feared Chi Yuan would not want to see him? But he missed him so much. Since the day they broke up, he had not stopped thinking of him. He only wanted Chi Yuan to come back; he could explain everything—he and the man in the photo had done nothing.
Certain that the other man would not dare move, Lu Huai calmly closed the door completely, then lifted his eyes again. “He is asleep. Are you certain you want to disturb his peace?”
Lu Huai controlled his tone, his expression calm while telling a lie, as if Chi Yuan had not just stormed out and as if he and Chi Yuan were truly that close.
Seeing that Fang Qiming remained stunned in place without answering, Lu Huai’s brow furrowed in displeasure. He sneered, “Since you regret it, why didn’t you cherish him back then?”
He was so difficult to obtain.
He swallowed the second half of that thought, which he had spoken with caution, and was suddenly struck by a sense of self-mockery.
Fang Qiming hung his head, his hands clenched tightly. To him, Lu Huai’s voice felt like a persistent irritation that made him want to go mad. Red-eyed, he suddenly looked up and scoffed, “That is right, I did not cherish him. But some people, I fear, have never even possessed him.”
Lu Huai frowned, too lazy to engage further. He stepped forward, but was blocked by the other man.
“Lu Huai, have you forgotten about that bet?”
Fang Qiming’s voice was hoarse, carrying an unknown hatred that forced Lu Huai to stop.
It seemed that love was always this hysterical.
Lu Huai, mindful of Chi Yuan’s concerns, only pressed his lips together and looked at him without a word.
What Fang Qiming hated most about Lu Huai was this high and mighty demeanor. There had been too many unexpected turns today, leaving his already precarious rationality in tatters.
“Lu Huai, why are you still dreaming? Are you delusional enough to think that Chi Yuan would like you?”
His words were laced with malice, and the gaze he fixed on Lu Huai was like a blade, as if trying to slice him open to see if the flesh beneath was rotting from pain. Lu Huai tilted his head, weighing every word Fang Qiming had spoken, only to find them hollow.
But what did that matter? During his two years abroad, he had thought about these things repeatedly. Sometimes he could make sense of them, and sometimes he could not, which was why he could now calmly applaud the other man’s judgment.
“You are right.”
Lu Huai’s clear, glass-like eyes showed no emotion, nor was he surprised that Fang Qiming could see through his thoughts; it seemed like an ordinary, indifferent agreement.
“But I do not care.”
He eyed Fang Qiming, whose smile had frozen, and with a composed demeanor, reached out to straighten the man’s collar. “What about you? Who gave you the right to act so arrogantly in front of me?”
Fang Qiming went stiff, staring at Lu Huai in shock. For a moment, he actually wondered if he had guessed wrong—perhaps Lu Huai did not like Chi Yuan at all. Upon touching the other man’s icy gaze, he instinctively shrank back.
“You…”
“What are you two doing?”
Chi Yuan, rounding the corner, saw the scene before him: Lu Huai was not only standing incredibly close to Fang Qiming but was also intimately adjusting his collar. If he had not left something important in the room, he never would have witnessed such a spectacular sight.
The two who had been pressed close to one another separated immediately at the low question. Fang Qiming’s eyes welled with tears, and he called out weakly, “Chi Yuan…”
Every action spoke of his unwillingness to let go.
Lu Huai withdrew his hand and lowered his lashes. At the moment he saw Chi Yuan, many scenes and images crossed his mind. He felt like a guest actor with a limited role, knowing that if it was not his turn to speak, he should say nothing. Perhaps this was simply the best time to exit the stage.
After all, Fang Qiming had voiced his grievances with such depth and repetition; Lu Huai really had nothing to add.
He rubbed his fingertips nonchalantly, feeling a bit contaminated.
After waiting for a while, Lu Huai’s gaze landed on Chi Yuan, but the other man remained frowning, making no move.
His patience, however, had run out.
Lu Huai attempted to deflect with a joke; perhaps this was fate. He could not stop it; they had already met, so why cause further embarrassment? He stepped forward, intending to leave.
“Not going to explain?”
As he passed by Chi Yuan, Lu Huai heard the man’s indignant query, but he only tilted his head slightly and kept walking.
No need.
However, his wrist was grabbed. Chi Yuan’s palm was warm, pressing against the thinnest skin of his wrist bone. Lu Huai was startled by the sudden contact. His eyelashes flickered imperceptibly, and he looked up with a mocking smile. “What do you want to hear?”
Chi Yuan looked back at him, meeting his eyes.
“Chi Yuan!” Fang Qiming could not stand being ignored. He raised his voice and pointed at Lu Huai, saying, “He lied to me. He lied and told me you were still in the room…”
Due to some hidden concern, Fang Qiming’s words were hesitant and incomplete, entirely omitting the ambiguity Lu Huai had just displayed.
“Oh?” Chi Yuan felt the person in his grip struggle, and his eyes took on a playful, mocking glint. He tightened his hold.
Lu Huai lowered his voice: “Let go.”
“No.”
Chi Yuan accepted Lu Huai’s glare with equanimity, feeling that they had reached a sort of balance: anger could always be redirected. Lu Huai was angry, which made him feel much better.
“Do you two have to pour your hearts out?” Lu Huai looked at them both with disdain. “Why keep me here as an eyesore? And one more thing, Mr. Chi: you should be careful and make sure you are not played for a fool again.”
It was rare to see this side of Lu Huai. Chi Yuan was not angered by the jabs; it was as if he were solving the most difficult problem on an exam. He analyzed the context and weighed the words carefully. Aside from the fact that seeing them close together had been annoying, he could not detect anything special in Lu Huai’s behavior toward Fang Qiming.
His expression cleared slightly, and Chi Yuan released his grip, though his gaze remained fixed entirely on Lu Huai, unwilling to spare even a glance for the third person present.
“I do not think I have such a poor appetite.”
It was an unexpected turn, one that did not fit any of his predictions. Lu Huai’s eyes widened in surprise; he was genuinely confused by the situation.
He looked at the pale-faced Fang Qiming, who had clearly been wounded by Chi Yuan’s words and was standing there, dazed, his lips trembling. “You… you two…”
“Hmm?” Chi Yuan had not heard him clearly. Confirming that Lu Huai was not leaving for a moment, he walked slowly toward Fang Qiming with a polite, superficial smile, as if the other man were a complete stranger. “Mr. Fang, are you not leaving yet?”
A critical blow.
Fang Qiming clenched his fists. He looked at Lu Huai with resentment, only to receive a cold, indifferent smile in return. Not daring to say that “Lu Huai has ulterior motives,” he bit his lip and said pitifully to Chi Yuan, “I can explain. I really…”
“No need.” Chi Yuan interrupted firmly. He was accustomed to being decisive and could not accept constant backtracking. “I do not want to hear it.”
He believed in being decisive, even in matters of the heart. Pestering and dwelling on the past had no meaning. He might feel pain, but he would not convince himself to try again—once was enough.
As the two stood in a stalemate, the third person watched silently.
Lu Huai observed the scene, slowly curling his fingers over the wrist that was still warm.
At this moment, Chi Yuan looked back and locked eyes with him.
“Lu Huai, do you have anything you want to say to Mr. Fang here?”
He wore a smile, concealing the calculation in his eyes. He had thought it through: since he had an inkling of suspicion, he might as well use this opportunity to probe until the end.
Lu Huai felt the threat in Fang Qiming’s gaze perfectly well, but after savoring it for a long moment, he could not feel anything terrifying about it. If it was just repeating the words he had not had the courage to say, he did not care. After all, Chi Yuan might not even believe it.
Thus, meeting Fang Qiming’s gaze, he said word for word: “I want him to get lost.”
Do not attempt to threaten him, and do not linger before his eyes anymore. Lu Huai thought he did not care about the other man’s bragging regarding Chi Yuan; it was just that Fang Qiming had already cheapened their past relationship so much, and Lu Huai did not want his own sincere well wishes to be dirtied.
Insulted like that, Fang Qiming looked at the indifferent Chi Yuan, gritted his teeth, and charged outward.
Lu Huai noticed the man passing him and turned to the side, but found that even with his eyes red to the point of tears, Fang Qiming did not forget to give him a shove.
His shoulder struck the wall from the impact. He steadied himself against the windowsill, only to meet Chi Yuan’s meaningful gaze when he looked up.
His heart trembled.
Chi Yuan walked closer with a meaningful look and chuckled. “I really could not tell that you used to like Fang Qiming.”
“It was just a rumor to begin with.” Lu Huai neither retreated nor avoided him. The look he gave Chi Yuan finally held a hint of warmth, seemingly implying something. “My taste is not that poor.”
“Are you still trying to compete with me at a time like this?” Chi Yuan let out a breath. The questions he had suppressed earlier became increasingly clear. Someone like Lu Huai, if he truly liked someone, likely would not confess his feelings to others after all.
At these words, Lu Huai offered a faint smile without speaking, only to hear the other ask:
“So, what kind of person do you actually like?”