Xuan Congnan hurried into the residential complex.
On the sixth floor, a pair of hands pulled the curtains shut, leaving not a single ray of light to leak through, as though the apartment’s owner had turned off the lights and gone out. Only then did Shen Qian snap back to his senses and search for Xuan Congnan.
Gone. He had left.
Shen Qian raised his head again to look at the window he had just been staring at.
Was that person really up there?
He couldn’t possibly have been mistaken.
How could that even be possible?
Why would Xuan Congnan have any connection to him?
Lately, Shen Qian had been completely exhausted by Xuan Congnan’s stubborn insistence on breaking up and his absolute refusal to reconcile, leaving him with no energy to pay attention to that person for a long time. He had no idea what his current schedule looked like.
Xuan Congnan was like an oyster; when he decided to care for someone, he would voluntarily crack open a small gap just to make Shen Qian feel special. But now that oyster was sealed shut, and Shen Qian could find no way back in, leaving him thoroughly distressed.
He pulled out his phone and searched for a name.
The top result on Weibo was the promotional campaign for a recent advertisement endorsement, and the comment section had already completely collapsed.
“I honestly don’t get what’s wrong with Gu Shi these past two months. Why did he suddenly lose all ambition for his career?”
“Are paparazzi really this useless? Can they seriously not find out where he goes when he’s not busy with work?”
“The facts prove that they really can’t. Every time he finishes working, cars are tailing him both front and back, but unfortunately, he shakes them off every single time.”
“Will you people get a grip? You’re stalking someone and acting so righteous about it. If he doesn’t want to work, then he doesn’t want to work. He isn’t doing anything illegal or unprincipled, he can do whatever he wants.”
“Pardon my frankness, but if Gu Shi’s current state isn’t because he’s in a relationship, I’ll live-stream myself eating shit.”
“What?! A relationship? Who?! Gu Shi is in a relationship?! Ahhhhh no, no, no! Who on earth could make Gu Shi’s heart flutter?!”
“All of us in the ‘Storybook’ fandom are about to have our hearts broken. Damn it, I’ve idolized him for over ten years! When this home-wrecker shows up, I swear I’m going to curse her straight to hell!”
“What kind of hardcore fan pretends to be a lover? Get lost, will you? We don’t want Gu Shi to date either, but he only debuted eight years ago, was blacklisted for a year when he was eighteen, and has only spent seven years working like a madman around the clock. How on earth have you been a fan for ten years? At least make your lies believable… Oh, clicking on her profile reveals she’s a rival fan. Pathetic!”
“Waaah, please don’t date. I don’t want my heart broken, waaah!”
“Are you kidding me? Gu Shi is already twenty-six years old. What’s wrong with dating? If he were someone who married early, his kid would already be three years old by now!”
“Wake up. As a public figure, it’s impossible for him to marry early. Why should idols get married?”
“Who’s talking about idols? Gu Shi debuted as an actor, not as some idol group member who relies on fans charting and voting for him, thank you very much!”
“So I’d like to ask, who on earth is this woman? Are the paparazzi dead or what?”
“While we shouldn’t pay excessive attention to artists’ personal lives, I honestly really want to know about this mystery partner. Could the paparazzi please step up their game, thanks.”
“How can you be so sure it’s a girlfriend? Couldn’t it be a boyfriend?”
“Being gay in the entertainment industry? Are you out of your mind, or is the whole world crazy?”
“Huh? What?! What?!! You can’t be serious upstairs. Are there really that few gay people in the entertainment industry? Same-sex marriage was legalized ages ago, what dynasty do you think you’re living in?!”
Rumors regarding whether Gu Shi was in a relationship had hit the trending searches a month ago, but neither Gu Shi nor his studio had ever issued a response.
In the past, whenever minor scandals popped up, Gu Shi would disregard everyone’s feelings and post on Weibo within half an hour, always shutting things down coldly with a single phrase: “No publicity stunts.” His studio would immediately retweet it, concluding with, “Please focus on the artist’s work.”
Yet this romantic storm had been brewing for over two months now, and Gu Shi hadn’t said a single word.
Years ago, the Gu family had hosted a grand banquet, and the Shen family was among those invited.
Shen Qian loathed those kinds of pretentious occasions where he had to rub elbows with crowds of strangers, but attendance was mandatory.
While drinking alone, he noticed someone else who looked just as cold and seemingly miserable at the party, and he ended up observing him for a long time.
Gu Shi was twenty-two that year.
It was his first time appearing publicly alongside the Gu couple.
At the time, Shen Qian knew he was an actor, but inwardly he assumed Gu Shi had only been invited by the Gu family because of his modest fame.
To his surprise, Gu Shi turned out to be the eldest son of the Gu family, someone the Shen family couldn’t hope to compare to. The urge Shen Qian had felt to go over and strike up a conversation instantly chilled. Before he could make a move, someone else did: a middle-aged man brought his daughter over to speak with Mrs. Gu, secretly intending to introduce her to Gu Shi so the two families could forge a marital alliance.
Meng Xiaozhu smiled and said, “Yishang and I don’t interfere in the children’s affairs. Whatever he likes matters more than anything else. Come to think of it, Gu Shi probably already has someone he fancies, she’s got the longest, prettiest hair.”
Long hair, a woman. That was the only thought running through Shen Qian’s mind. He was twenty-four at the time and well aware of his own sexuality; the fact that Gu Shi preferred women dealt him a second heavy blow.
Long hair… Having spent a year in a relationship with Xuan Congnan, Shen Qian felt as though he were only just realizing that Xuan Congnan had long hair, too.
Men could have long hair as well. He suddenly broke into a grin, his eyes bloodshot.
Whether the figure inside that apartment truly was Gu Shi remained up for debate, and Shen Qian simply refused to believe it.
“Why were you standing by the balcony window just now?” Xuan Congnan asked the moment he walked through the door. “It’s so dangerous. Did you forget our three-chapter pact?”
“I didn’t,” Gu Shi said, taking Xuan Congnan’s backpack and setting it on the corner of the sofa. “From that distance, he couldn’t tell who I was.”
“We can’t do that next time,” Xuan Congnan said, then muttered at a normal conversational volume, “He might not have seen you, but you have so many fans out there. Who knows if one of them might have noticed.”
“Mhm,” Gu Shi accepted the reprimand. “Got it.”
He headed toward the kitchen first. “Come wash your hands and eat.”
A small cake sat in the middle of the dining table. Xuan Congnan washed his hands and stepped closer.
“When did you buy this?” he asked.
“Around dusk,” Gu Shi replied.
“Can we cut it now?” Xuan Congnan asked.
“Of course,” Gu Shi said as he brought out the dishes. “I bought it to be eaten.”
The sweet fragrance of the cake wafted through the air. Xuan Congnan tore open the plastic wrapping of the fork and immediately carved out a bite.
“Don’t eat too much yet,” Gu Shi warned. “Eat your meal first.”
“Okay,” Xuan Congnan agreed.
His hand refused to listen, digging out a second and third bite.
Just as he was about to make a fourth attempt, Gu Shi caught him by the wrist to stop him, using his other hand to pick up the cake and carry it over to the living room coffee table.
“Did Shen Qian come looking for you?” Gu Shi asked casually upon returning.
Mentioning Shen Qian dampened Xuan Congnan’s mood a little.
“Yeah. He was downstairs.” His voice trailed off as his eyes suddenly sharpened. “Did I ever tell you his name was Shen Qian?”
Gu Shi handed Xuan Congnan a pair of chopsticks, a minuscule hesitation showing in his movements.
“You did,” Gu Shi said with absolute certainty.
Xuan Congnan doubted him. “Did I?”
“You did,” Gu Shi nodded.
“Fair enough,” Xuan Congnan muttered.
“What did you two talk about?” Gu Shi asked.
As if trying to sound polite, he added, “Am I allowed to ask?”
If the topic had been anything else, he wouldn’t mind sharing. But Shen Qian had specifically been speaking ill of Gu Shi, and Xuan Congnan didn’t know how to bring that up.
“You can ask,” he stammered. “Though there’s not much to tell. He just spouted a bunch of nonsense.”
Gu Shi lowered his gaze. “Oh,” he said, his voice dropping despondently. “Sounds like that means I’m not allowed to ask.”
He quietly resumed eating, muttering to himself at a volume meant to sound like internal monologue, though it was clearly intended for Xuan Congnan to hear: “Xuan Congnan’s love life, whatever he says to his ex, what business is it of yours? A cohabitating roommate can never compare to an ex-boyfriend, even if they’re in a contractual marriage.”
Xuan Congnan: “・”
Gu Shi set his bowl down, looking as though he had lost his appetite.
“Eat your food,” Xuan Congnan said.
“I have no appetite,” Gu Shi replied.
Xuan Congnan: “・”
“He was talking trash about me, and I didn’t want to tell you, but you insisted on asking,” Xuan Congnan said, tapping the bottom of his bowl with a sharp, crisp clink.
“Was he just talking trash about me?” Gu Shi asked.
“Yeah,” Xuan Congnan said.
“Nothing else?” Gu Shi pressed.
“We barely started talking when you called,” Xuan Congnan said, finding it rather absurd.
Gu Shi nodded. “Good call.”
“Are you praising yourself right now?” Xuan Congnan found it somewhat amusing.
“Yes,” Gu Shi said.
“Well, it was a good call,” Xuan Congnan conceded, not opposed to praising him alongside himself. “Saved me from wasting my breath on him.”
Gu Shi picked his bowl back up. “Mhm.”
Xuan Congnan glanced sideways at him and deliberately asked, “I thought you didn’t have an appetite?”
“It came back,” Gu Shi said. “I’m starved. I waited at home for you all day.”
Reminded of why he had fled the house and stayed away all day, Xuan Congnan wisely shut his mouth and said nothing more.
Since his stomach wasn’t full after dinner, Xuan Congnan wandered over to the cake. “Was this cake delivered by a food courier? The delivery person didn’t see your face, did they?”
“It wasn’t delivery,” Gu Shi said, picking up a small fork. “I bought it myself.”
Xuan Congnan looked up to confirm. “You went out and bought it?”
Gu Shi poked his fork into the spot Xuan Congnan had previously excavated. “Mhm.”
“Why did you go out yourself? What if someone recognized you?” Xuan Congnan worriedly asked. “Did anyone spot you?”
“No,” Gu Shi said. “Having someone else do it lacks sincerity. I was afraid you wouldn’t forgive me.”
“Huh? What are you talking about?” Xuan Congnan asked strangely. “I’m not mad at you. Why would I need to forgive you?”
“I hugged you,” Gu Shi said.
Xuan Congnan: “…”
Xuan Congnan bit down on the tip of his fork, lowering his gaze unnaturally before replying magnanimously, “It’s no big deal. Two grown men, it’s fine.”
“Right,” Gu Shi asked. “Can I still sleep in the same bed as you from now on?”
Xuan Congnan: “…”
Before expressing how broad-minded he was, saying no would have been easy. But Gu Shi asked right after he had finished claiming to be broad-minded; if he said no now, he’d practically be slapping himself across the face.
“You.” Xuan Congnan started.
“Gu Jian will definitely come over again in the future, and moving back and forth like that every time is a hassle,” Gu Shi said.
“Right, yeah,” Xuan Congnan conceded.
“I hate dealing with hassles,” Gu Shi said earnestly.
Xuan Congnan resonated with that. “Honestly, I hate hassle, too.”
Gu Shi hummed. “I know.”
Then he asked again, “So we can sleep in the same bed, right?”
Xuan Congnan gave up the fight and decided to be genuinely generous this time. “Yes.”
Gu Shi polished off the rest of the cake in one go. Thinking he was about to swallow it whole like last time, Xuan Congnan reached out to stop him, only to watch Gu Shi extend the fork toward his mouth instead.
The gesture was far too ambiguous. Xuan Congnan froze, completely dumbfounded.
“Since we’re sharing a bed anyway,” Gu Shi said, holding his hand steady while gazing intently into Xuan Congnan’s eyes.
“Right. What about it?” Xuan Congnan asked.
Gu Shi replied, “Let’s get our marriage certificate.”