After Gu Mingrui left, the dinner party continued.
He Yanzhou was thoroughly drunk, his face flushed red as he grabbed the microphone from Fu Yanshi’s TV setup and began howling like a wolf.
Once he finished his performance, he sat back down and resumed eating. Gazing across the table at Fu Yanshi and Shen Zhinan, his eyes brimmed with contentment. Holding the microphone, he declared, “Old Fu, I’m so happy for you!” Then, raising his glass, he added, “We’re gathered here today to celebrate my good buddy, the eternal virgin Fu Yanshi, finally welcoming his spring Ah!”
Shen Zhinan choked violently, coughing uncontrollably. “Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough!”
Eternal virgin!?
Could it be that he was Fu Yanshi’s first man!?
That couldn’t be right.
Fu Yanshi stomped hard on He Yanzhou’s left foot.
He Yanzhou let out a sharp cry of pain.
Clutching his foot pitifully, he whimpered, “That hurts!”
Zhou Qi’an watched as He Yanzhou held his foot, his chopsticks pausing mid-air. He lowered his gaze and quietly continued eating.
As the meal neared its end, He Yanzhou’s mouth started running again.
Looking at Zhou Qi’an, who sat alone on one side of the rectangular table, he sighed with emotion. “Zhou Zhou, I’m not worried about Old Fu anymore, but now I’m concerned about you.”
He Yanzhou had always believed that these two didn’t know who had corrupted whom both had remained single all these years.
Being in love was wonderful; having someone close by your side was comforting.
And at their age, if they kept this up, He Yanzhou would seriously consider referring them to a men’s health clinic.
What if there was something wrong in that department?
Zhou Qi’an had a cold personality and had spoken very little since childhood. He Yanzhou loved teasing him, calling him “Zhou Zhou.”
Zhou Qi’an looked up and met He Yanzhou’s gaze, remaining silent for a moment before replying calmly, “I haven’t met the right person.”
“You workaholic, shuttling between the office and home every day are you waiting for your future wife to fall from the sky?” He Yanzhou, thoroughly drunk, began speaking with earnest concern. “You need to expand your social circle and meet more people! Here, I’ll introduce you to a few. How will you know if they’re suitable if you don’t give it a try?”
Zhou Qi’an’s lips tightened as he silently watched He Yanzhou, lost in thought.
Seeing Zhou Qi’an’s silence, He Yanzhou took it as tacit agreement and continued, “I’ve always imagined the three of us having a joint wedding! Zhou Zhou, you’ve got to step up your game! I worry that you two will end up alone. Everyone should have a complete and happy life, right?”
He Yanzhou had been spoiled rotten since childhood simple-minded, not particularly athletic, a fragile paramecium of a man.
He treated those he liked with kindness, keeping only a handful of people in his heart, constantly fretting over them. With little else to occupy his time, he loved meddling in others’ affairs.
Though you knew he meant no harm, it was hard not to call him an idiot.
He Yanzhou took Xiao Hong’s hand and held it up for Zhou Qi’an to see. “Look, isn’t it nice to have someone by your side? You can even hold hands!”
Zhou Qi’an’s breath hitched, his face suddenly turning grim.
“Not everyone needs to be in a relationship,” Zhou Qi’an retorted, his breathing heavy and his tone sharp. “What’s wrong with wanting to live alone for the rest of my life? Not everyone is like you, able to ”
Able to what?
You can be heartless, you can do as you please, you can be this oblivious, you can turn a blind eye to a sincere heart that’s waited ten years, you can break someone’s heart so thoroughly, yet there’s no way to blame you in the slightest.
But what fault lies with the one being secretly loved?
Even if He Yanzhou is a habitual flirt, that’s a matter of mutual consent between him and others. He hasn’t wronged anyone, let alone himself.
Zhou Qi’an thought, as a friend, He Yanzhou’s concern for him and his attempts to set him up were perfectly reasonable.
So what grounds did he have to blame him?
Even if He Yanzhou is an idiot, he belongs to others what does it have to do with him?
Hadn’t he long grown accustomed to He Yanzhou changing partners faster than he changed clothes? How was this time any different from before?
As if realizing he’d said something he shouldn’t have, Zhou Qi’an abruptly stopped mid-sentence, pressed his lips together, picked up his jacket from the chair, and stood up. “Sorry, I just remembered I have something to do. I’ll head out first.”
“Hey, you ow!” He Yanzhou tried to say more but was sharply stomped on the right foot by Fu Yanshi.
Fu Yanshi: “Even food can’t shut you up.”
After Zhou Qi’an left, the atmosphere at the table instantly cooled, because the noisiest one, He Yanzhou, hung his head and fell silent.
After a long pause, He Yanzhou suddenly asked Fu Yanshi, “What’s really going on with Zhou Qi’an?”
He Yanzhou felt a bit aggrieved Zhou Qi’an had never raised his voice at him like that before.
What had he done wrong this time?
As an outsider, Fu Yanshi had no intention of revealing what Zhou Qi’an didn’t want to share. He simply said, “Everyone has their own way of living. How one’s life truly is only the person drinking the water knows if it’s warm or cold. Stop worrying needlessly.”
“Don’t worry about me, and definitely don’t worry about Qi’an anymore. We’re both doing just fine.”
He Yanzhou said nothing, dejectedly muttering, “Oh.”
Before He Yanzhou left, Fu Yanshi called out to him.
“Do you know who he is?” Fu Yanshi pointed at Shen Zhinan.
He Yanzhou: “Your wife.”
Shen Zhinan: “…”
Fu Yanshi: .
Tsk, so you want me to give you a big red envelope for the New Year too, huh?
“He’s that Wang Xiaoming,” Fu Yanshi said.
He Yanzhou’s eyes widened: “But isn’t his name Shen Zhinan?!”
“Do you not understand the concept of ‘using an alias when you’re out and about’?” Fu Yanshi retorted. “After that mess you pulled, shouldn’t you apologize to him?”
Earlier, He Yanzhou had thought Fu Yanshi was interested in an omega at the club and asked the manager to see if they’d be willing to spend the night with Fu Yanshi.
But the manager went all out, drugging and tying the person to the bed.
“Oh no! What a mess!” He Yanzhou grabbed Shen Zhinan’s hand. “I’m so sorry, Xiao Nan! I just asked Manager Zhu to check if you were willing I never imagined he’d do something so vicious and put you through such an ordeal!”
The more he spoke, the more He Yanzhou felt like a scumbag. He continued, “Let me treat you to a meal another day and properly apologize. You have to come!”
Shen Zhinan was a bit confused, unsure why Fu Yanshi had brought this up now.
If he’d known earlier, why hadn’t he mentioned it before?
“Okay,” Shen Zhinan nodded blankly. Truthfully, he had almost forgotten about the incident.
After He Yanzhou left with his young boyfriend, only Shen Zhinan and Fu Yanshi remained.
The two of them cleared the dishes from the table and brought them to the kitchen. Shen Zhinan asked, “Why didn’t you say so earlier? I had no idea it was you.”
“I didn’t find the right moment before,” Fu Yanshi replied. “And I wanted to see how long it would take for you to recognize me.”
Shen Zhinan muttered, “The lighting in the club was so dim, and you were wearing a mask how was I supposed to recognize you?” Then, remembering something, he added, “So how did you recognize me?” After all, he had been wearing a mask too, and he had used a fake name.
“Guess.”
Shen Zhinan thought, Guess? Guess my foot. If you don’t want to say it, forget it.
It had been agreed that Shen Zhinan would wash the dishes. He put on an apron and sighed at the sight of the sink full of dishes: A man washing dishes isn’t a crime.
Just as he finished filling the sink with water, Fu Yanshi stood beside him. “Let’s wash them together.”
Shen Zhinan glanced sideways at Fu Yanshi. He had thought the only place he’d hear Fu Yanshi say something like that was in the bathroom.
So conscientious? I thought he hated washing dishes the most.
“With so many dishes, two people will finish faster,” Fu Yanshi said, rolling up his sleeves. “Don’t you have to go to Yun City early tomorrow morning?”
The regional ACM competition was starting the day after tomorrow. Shen Zhinan had made plans with Lin Xunchuan and Gu Yunshen to go a day early to prepare.
Shen Zhinan hadn’t told Fu Yanshi he was going for a competition, only that he had made plans with classmates to visit Yun City for fun.
Fu Yanshi didn’t press for details. Kids these days, it’s normal for them to like running around.
The two of them washed the dishes quietly and then went to the balcony to cool off in the evening breeze and sober up.
The night wind rustled their hair, drying the heat from their faces.
Shen Zhinan suddenly said, “Fu Yanshi, thank you.”
Not every injustice in life receives an apology.
In reality, Shen Zhinan had faced many injustices and grievances, but no one had ever apologized to him.
During his freshman year, while working at a bar, a drunk customer kicked him. Shen Zhinan instinctively punched back, only to be beaten up by the customer’s friends afterward.
When the manager arrived, he made Shen Zhinan apologize to the customer.
At that time, Shen Zhinan desperately needed the job. The back he had bent back then gradually straightened over the years, but the humiliation of that moment stayed with him for a long time.
After experiencing so many injustices, Shen Zhinan grew numb.
It was as if his threshold for anger had been raised.
Even when Manager Zhu had schemed against him, Shen Zhinan had only planned to ambush him with a bag and beat him up.
And in the end, he hadn’t even managed to do that.
Shen Zhinan didn’t specify what he was thanking Fu Yanshi for, but Fu Yanshi understood anyway.
“What’s there to thank me for? Yan Zhou was in the wrong to begin with. It was only right,” Fu Yanshi said, leaning back against the railing and facing Shen Zhinan. “And that so-called Duck Manager or Dog Manager he’s already been gifted a prison package. I put in a word; he’s having a ‘wonderful’ time in there.”
Shen Zhinan burst out laughing. “It’s Pig Manager.”
“That damned, plague-ridden fat pig,” Fu Yanshi snorted coldly. “If it weren’t for him, would I have ended up in the hospital?” He glanced at Shen Zhinan. “Wang Xiaoming, you really went all out with that hit. I almost went to see my mom.”
Shen Zhinan smiled awkwardly. With so many twists and turns behind the scenes, how was he supposed to know back then? He had no choice but to defend himself.
In the end, both Shen Zhinan and Fu Yanshi had their own misfortunes in this matter truly two children chosen by fate.
Shen Zhinan couldn’t help but sigh, “Why is it so dramatic every time we meet?”
“This isn’t drama,” Fu Yanshi said. “This is ‘the stage of fate meticulously setting the scene for our encounters every time.’ This is destiny. The past, present, and future exist simultaneously, so everything that happens is meant to happen. Otherwise, how could we be here enjoying the breeze right now?”
Shen Zhinan remarked, “Well, educated people really do speak differently, huh.”
“Not at all,” Fu Yanshi replied modestly. “I just memorized that last night.”
Shen Zhinan burst into laughter. When he finished laughing, he said “thank you” again, this time with a more sincere tone.
He didn’t know how else to express his gratitude, but it felt as if a ball of cotton was wrapped around his heart warm and slightly ticklish.
“Don’t say thank you. I don’t like hearing that,” Fu Yanshi said, raising an eyebrow as he looked at the omega. “You should continue what you left unfinished.”
Fu Yanshi spoke subtly, but Shen Zhinan understood immediately.
A gentle evening breeze swept by, tousling the alpha’s bangs. The inner corners of his eyes curved slightly downward, while the outer corners lifted just a bit. Even in a relaxed state, his eyes seemed to carry a hint of a smile.
The bright moonlight fell on his face like a soft filter, making his features appear gentle and serene.
Fu Yanshi gazed calmly at Shen Zhinan, but Shen Zhinan felt as if he wasn’t looking into a pair of eyes, but rather a pool of autumn water.
The cotton ball in Shen Zhinan’s heart suddenly expanded, tightly enveloping his entire being. The hidden emotions he had deliberately suppressed and the restless unease he had refused to face seemed to break free from the shackles he had imposed on himself.
Shen Zhinan was a coward, but fortunately, he had drunk tonight, giving him something to blame for his boldness.
Shen Zhinan rose onto his tiptoes and pressed his lips to Fu Yanshi’s cheek, as fleeting as a dragonfly skimming the water.
In the next moment, Fu Yanshi abruptly wrapped an arm around Shen Zhinan’s waist and captured his lips.
Shen Zhinan instinctively struggled, but Fu Yanshi firmly grasped both of his wrists with one hand.
Fu Yanshi’s tongue pushed past his lips with an assertive dominance, recklessly plundering the air in his mouth and stirring everything within.
The scent of cedar and hibiscus intertwined, blending into the fragrance of the wind.
In his dazed state, Shen Zhinan thought: If the past, present, and future truly exist simultaneously, then perhaps his arrival in this world, his encounter with this person, this moonlit night, this evening breeze, and this kiss were all inevitable.
Shen Zhinan grew weak all over from the kiss. If not for the arm still holding his waist, he would have collapsed to the ground.
Sensing that the omega had stopped struggling, Fu Yanshi cupped his face and, unlike his earlier dominance, gently took Shen Zhinan’s lower lip into his mouth.
Fu Yanshi opened his eyes and saw that Shen Zhinan’s eyes were open too, misty and hazy, as if veiled in a layer of moisture.
Fu Yanshi chuckled softly. “Shen Zhinan, did you know? Your heart is beating as fast as mine.”