Song Zhiyuan was certain he hadn’t seen incorrectly; that was Fu Hangnian’s car. He had sat in that very vehicle the last time they met, and the license plate was the same.
Instinctively, Song Zhiyuan backed away, putting a step of distance between himself and Xu Huai. He didn’t know when Fu Hangnian had arrived or if he had witnessed the accidental embrace. Although Song Zhiyuan knew there was nothing between him and Xu Huai, he feared Fu Hangnian might misunderstand; after all, he truly had fallen into Xu Huai’s arms.
Song Zhiyuan turned to Xu Huai and said, “I just remembered I have something to take care of. You go on ahead.”
“Do you want me to come with you?” Xu Huai asked.
“No, no need. Thank you,” Song Zhiyuan replied quickly.
Seeing that Song Zhiyuan didn’t want to tell him where he was going or have him follow, Xu Huai didn’t press further and headed into the school.
Inside the car, Chu Wei had watched as Song Zhiyuan held a boy in an intimate embrace. He couldn’t see Mr. Fu’s expression, but he could feel the atmosphere in the vehicle grow stiflingly stern. Fortunately, he then saw Song Zhiyuan put some distance between himself and the boy. Chu Wei guessed that Song Zhiyuan had spotted the car.
He watched as the boy next to Song Zhiyuan left first, and Song Zhiyuan began walking toward them, albeit slowly. Chu Wei breathed a quiet sigh of relief. On previous occasions when Mr. Fu was angry, Song Zhiyuan always seemed to find a way to soothe him. He hoped this time would be no different.
However, just as Song Zhiyuan was a few steps away, Chu Wei heard Mr. Fu’s emotionless voice: “Drive.”
Song Zhiyuan watched as Fu Hangnian’s car drove away. He blinked, wondering if the lighting was too poor for Fu Hangnian to see him, or perhaps Fu Hangnian hadn’t come here to see him at all.
After a moment’s thought, Song Zhiyuan took out his phone. After seven or eight rings, the other side finally picked up.
Song Zhiyuan smiled and said, “Mr. Fu, I just saw you at our school gate.”
Fu Hangnian’s voice was as cold as ever. “Oh.”
Song Zhiyuan’s voice took on a slightly aggrieved tone. “Did you not see me? I even walked over, but then the car drove away.”
Fu Hangnian replied, “Song Zhiyuan, surely you don’t think you’re the only person by my side?”
Song Zhiyuan froze, then whispered, “Mr. Fu, then I won’t disturb you. Goodbye.”
Fu Hangnian stared at the hung-up phone, the corners of his mouth curling upward. Those who knew him well would recognize this as being “laughed into a rage.” Excellent—Song Zhiyuan was so “considerate,” hanging up without a second thought for fear of disturbing him. Truly “obedient,” wasn’t he?
Fu Hangnian gritted his teeth. He had expected Song Zhiyuan to offer an explanation, but instead, the boy simply cut the call. Fu Hangnian returned home, his face grim.
On the other side, Song Zhiyuan put his phone away and returned to his dorm as if nothing had happened. After showering, he played games with his roommates. He figured Fu Hangnian was definitely angry, and approaching him now would only make it worse.
Years of experience had taught Song Zhiyuan that one should never appear in front of an angry person. When he was young, he had often been beaten by Song Tianlai for making that mistake. Eventually, whenever he saw Song Tianlai was in a bad mood, little Song Zhiyuan would hide in a corner or wait until midnight when Song Tianlai was asleep or out gambling before daring to go home.
That night, Song Zhiyuan received no calls or messages from Fu Hangnian. He opened WeChat and looked at Fu Hangnian’s profile picture but eventually exited the app. Forget it—if Fu Hangnian didn’t want to contact him, why should he bother? Fu Hangnian had said he didn’t like clingy people.
Song Zhiyuan put down his phone and went to sleep. When he woke up, there were still no missed calls or unread messages.
Fu Hangnian didn’t contact Song Zhiyuan, and Song Zhiyuan didn’t contact Fu Hangnian. Life went on with classes and club activities.
On an ordinary weekend, Gu Yi organized a social gathering and invited his friends. Naturally, knowing the preferences of Fu Hangnian and the others, he also invited several celebrities and artists.
Among them was a popular young actor who was immediately drawn to Fu Hangnian. Whether in looks or stature, Fu Hangnian was outstanding, but his status in City H was the real draw.
The artist sitting next to Fu Hangnian was twenty-two years old, handsome and delicate. From the side, he actually bore a slight resemblance to Song Zhiyuan, particularly in the way his eyelashes looked. However, the actor’s beauty was the result of meticulous grooming and makeup, whereas Song Zhiyuan’s was pure and natural.
The young actor felt his luck was good today. Fu Hangnian seemed to have a favorable impression of him, allowing him to sit nearby, so he worked even harder to please him.
Gu Yi watched the interaction and understood. He knew Fu Hangnian wouldn’t stay interested in that little waiter for long. As expected, no one stayed by Fu Hangnian’s side for very long, and the waiter was no exception.
When Fu Hangnian had rescued Song Zhiyuan from the private room and draped his coat over him, Gu Yi and the others had all seen it. They had thought Song Zhiyuan might last a bit longer, but it hadn’t even been six months.
During the party, everyone drank and had a great time, all of it serving as a prelude for the night ahead. When it was time to leave, everyone took their chosen companions.
The young actor was invited into the car by Chu Wei. Since Chu Wei’s words represented Fu Hangnian’s intentions, the actor was thrilled. Inside the car, the light was dim, leaving Fu Hangnian’s silhouette in half-shadow. He was truly handsome, and the actor’s heart skipped a beat.
Fu Hangnian had a high tolerance for alcohol; despite drinking quite a bit, he showed no signs of intoxication. The young actor sat beside him and called out, “Mr. Fu.”
Knowing that not just anyone could be near Fu Hangnian, the boy was proactive and passionate, determined to seize this opportunity. He leaned in close, affectionately taking Fu Hangnian’s arm. “Mr. Fu, you’re so amazing. You drank so much and aren’t drunk at all.”
As the boy clung to him, Fu Hangnian’s brow furrowed. If it were Song Zhiyuan acting this way, he would be more than happy to watch him act spoiled. But when someone else did it, it felt hypocritical, affected, and repulsive.
Seeing the frown, the boy thought Fu Hangnian was looking at him, so he lowered his eyes in a bashful pose. The actor’s skills had always been criticized, and his “shy” act was transparently fake.
The boy was currently competing with another actor for the lead role in a TV drama adapted from a popular IP. If he could win Fu Hangnian’s favor, the role would surely be his, and his status in the industry would skyrocket.
As he tried to lean in even more passionately, Fu Hangnian spoke: “Get out.”
The young actor: “????”
After a long, busy day, Song Zhiyuan finally finished repairing the damage in his house. As for the destroyed appliances and furniture, he planned to buy new ones from the furniture mall the next day. Once replaced, the home would look exactly as it did before.
The reason he wanted to restore the place was out of fear that his grandmother might visit. If she saw the house had been trashed, she would be terribly worried, and the doctor said she couldn’t handle any major shocks. Song Tianlai was a scoundrel, but surely he had a shred of filial piety left.
By the time the repairs were mostly done, it was completely dark. Tired and hungry, Song Zhiyuan didn’t want to cook, and his supply of instant noodles was gone. He headed out to find something to eat but ended up buying supplies to bring back.
The community where he lived was old, and many facilities were dilapidated. Two streetlights near his building had been broken for a while, leaving the area in dim shadow. However, Song Zhiyuan had lived here for over a decade; he was so familiar with it that he could find his door with his eyes closed.
He didn’t turn on his phone’s flashlight. Wearing a black hoodie, he walked quietly through the darkness like a black cat.
Just as he entered the stairwell, his intuition told him a dark figure was approaching. Because it was so dark, he couldn’t see who it was, but he smelled alcohol and assumed it was that man from downstairs again.
Without hesitation, Song Zhiyuan raised his arm and slammed his elbow toward the shadow.
The figure was agile, quickly dodging the attack. Using a height advantage, the shadow successfully pinned Song Zhiyuan down. The bag in Song Zhiyuan’s hand dropped to the floor.
Song Zhiyuan wasn’t one to be easily subdued and was about to kick out when the figure spoke: “Song Zhiyuan.”
The voice was low, almost a growl through gritted teeth.
Hearing the voice, Song Zhiyuan froze.
The shadow was Fu Hangnian.
Fu Hangnian held Song Zhiyuan tightly in his arms. “Song Zhiyuan, you certainly have a lot of nerve.”