The online shop had finally settled into a stable rhythm and a new host had already been recruited for the livestream channel. With nothing pressing to do these days, Su Yi’an gathered with Yang Jiayang and Song Xiangchen, the three of them huddled together to play mahjong and eat barbecue.
“Five of Wan.” Yang Jiayang tossed out a tile. Noticing his friend’s lack of enthusiasm, he asked, “An’an, what’s wrong? You seem to be in a bad mood.”
Song Xiangchen nodded in agreement. “I think so too. Is something bothering you?”
After losing another round of mahjong, Su Yi’an set down his phone and muttered in a low voice, “Teacher Bai has been avoiding me lately.”
“Teacher Bai is avoiding you?”
The two exchanged glances, their faces filled with disbelief.
Yang Jiayang said, “Are you sure? Why would Teacher Bai avoid you? Maybe he’s just been busy recently and you’re misunderstanding things.”
Su Yi’an shook his head. “I’m sure. Even when he was busy before, he’d still send a few messages late at night after work, sometimes at eleven or twelve. We’d chat a bit and we often went to the park together to buy glutinous rice cakes but these past few days, we hardly talk. Even when we meet, it’s just a simple greeting.”
He grabbed a cushion and buried his chin into it, his voice muffled.
“He doesn’t invite me over for meals anymore either. When he sees me, he treats me like an ordinary neighbor. It feels so distant.”
Song Xiangchen, simple in nature, didn’t know how to comfort him. He merely furrowed his brows, looking at Su Yi’an with concern written all over his face.
Yang Jiayang, however, stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment before speaking. “If something unusual happens, there must be a reason. If Teacher Bai suddenly became distant, there has to be a cause.”
Su Yi’an straightened up. “What reason?”
Yang Jiayang shrugged. “If you don’t know, how would I?”
Su Yi’an’s shoulders slumped again.
But Yang Jiayang quickly changed the subject. “Even if we don’t know the reason, we can look at the result directly. National Day is coming up in a few days. Xie Chengye is visiting our city for a trip, we can have An’an be his guide. If the two of you go in and out together, let’s see whether Teacher Bai can stay calm.”
It was a good plan but Su Yi’an felt a little guilty about using someone else like that.
Sensing his hesitation, Yang Jiayang added, “Don’t worry. Xie Chengye knows you already like someone and he has someone he likes too. This trip is purely for sightseeing, nothing else.”
Thinking of how they had exchanged contact information and the conversations they’d had, Su Yi’an asked, “You’re closer to Xie Chengye than I am. Why don’t you be his guide instead?”
Yang Jiayang winked at him. “I have a date to go to. Besides, isn’t this the perfect chance to test Teacher Bai?”
He turned to Song Xiangchen. “Xiao Chen will be in charge of passing along information, reporting Teacher Bai’s movements at all times. I’ll handle off site command. Once Xie Chengye, our NPC, is in position, we can begin the operation.”
Song Xiangchen nodded eagerly, looking excited.
Su Yi’an was still a little hesitant at first but seeing both of them staring at him, waiting for his decision, he struggled for a moment before finally deciding to give it a try.
It hadn’t been easy for him to finally like someone; he couldn’t just let it go in a muddled haze like this. At the very least, he needed to know what the other person truly felt.
If Teacher Bai really had no feelings for him at all, then there would be nothing worth clinging to. From then on, he would treat him only as a neighbor and a business partner, never allowing himself to entertain even the slightest extra thought.
Three days later would be October first. On the night before Xie Chengye arrived in Liao’an City, the two spoke on the phone and agreed that Su Yi’an would pick him up at the airport the next day.
The following morning, Su Yi’an woke up early. He sent Bai Yunchi a message saying that he would be accompanying a friend today and wouldn’t be able to help make glutinous rice cakes.
【Bai Yunchi: Okay. Hope you have fun.】
The man’s reply was as cold as ever, not a trace of concern detectable.
Su Yi’an felt a flicker of disappointment but he quickly lifted his spirits again.
Yang Jiayang had joked that Xie Chengye was just an NPC yet Su Yi’an couldn’t possibly treat him like a mere tool. He was sincerely grateful that Xie Chengye was willing to help. Besides, the man had come here originally for travel and as the host, Su Yi’an felt obligated to fulfill his role as a guide.
The plane was scheduled to land at eight twenty. Su Yi’an arrived at the airport before eight. After sitting off to the side for a short while, he noticed people beginning to emerge and hurried forward, holding up his phone and carefully comparing each face with the photo.
“Hello, are you Su Yi’an?”
Just as he was standing on tiptoe, scanning the crowd, a tall man wearing sunglasses stepped forward and asked.
Su Yi’an nodded, a hint of confusion in his eyes as he looked at the newcomer.
“You are… Brother Xie?”
Xie Chengye removed his sunglasses and flashed a bright, white toothed grin. “It’s me. What, don’t I look like my photo?”
Su Yi’an glanced at the photo, then at the man in front of him.
“You do.”
Aside from the face, however, everything else looked nothing alike. In the photo, the man had been thin, his collarbones sharply defined. The person standing before him now was all solid muscle. Even through his clothes, the fullness of his chest muscles was unmistakable.
Su Yi’an snuck another look at him before finally saying, “Let’s go. I’ll take you to the hotel first so you can get settled.”
“Then I’ll be troubling you.”
Su Yi’an rubbed the tip of his nose. “It’s no trouble. If anything, I should be thanking you.”
Xie Chengye tilted his head to look at him. “No need to thank me. Let’s call it a win win.”
Remembering the conversation they had shared on WeChat, Su Yi’an smiled and nodded.
“Oh right, you mentioned he’s going on a date these next couple of days? Did he get himself a new boyfriend again?”
“Don’t worry, Brother Xie. He doesn’t have a boyfriend right now.”
Xie Chengye still couldn’t quite relax. If anything, a trace of self doubt crept into his thoughts.
Seeing his reaction, Su Yi’an said, “He talks about you in front of me all the time. Just based on that alone, I think you still have a chance, Brother Xie. Not to mention you’ve been working out and have become exactly his type.”
Xie Chengye let out a breath, his confidence growing a little.
The hotel was some distance from the airport; it took forty minutes by taxi to arrive. After settling Xie Chengye in, Su Yi’an booked a room for himself as well, planning to catch up on some sleep.
He hadn’t slept well the night before, so it was the perfect opportunity to rest for a bit.
“An’an, did you pick him up?”
No sooner had he lain down than a group voice call from Yang Jiayang came through.
“Yeah, I did. He’s resting next door right now,” Su Yi’an replied, looking at his friend with a mysterious tone. “Do you know what Xie Chengye looks like now?”
Yang Jiayang sucked on a popsicle. “Of course I do. Tall and skinny, barely any flesh on him. He used to joke that he could lift two of me with one hand. I didn’t believe it, looking at that scrawny frame of his, he’d probably struggle to carry even one of me.”
“That was before. He doesn’t look like that anymore.”
Yang Jiayang’s curiosity was instantly piqued. “What do you mean? If he doesn’t look like that, then what does he look like?”
Su Yi’an tossed a photo into the group chat. “See for yourself.”
Curious, Yang Jiayang opened the picture on his pad.
“Th… This is Xie Chengye?!”
The small preview alone was shocking enough. When he tapped to enlarge it, his eyes widened even further in disbelief.
Pointing at the muscular man in the photo, he asked incredulously, “You’re sure this guy is Xie Chengye?”
His friend’s reaction completely chased away Su Yi’an’s drowsiness. Curling his lips into a grin, he said, “I’m sure. His face hasn’t changed.”
“No but it hasn’t been that long, how did he get this buff?” Yang Jiayang stared at the photo over and over, still unable to believe it. “We even video called a few days ago.”
Su Yi’an said, “You couldn’t see anything through his clothes anyway.”
“That’s true.” Yang Jiayang clutched his pad, unable to tear his gaze away.
Su Yi’an deliberately asked, “Weren’t you supposed to go on a date? Why aren’t you getting ready to head out?”
“What date? I’ve been behaving myself these past few days,” Yang Jiayang said, tossing the pad aside with a sigh. “I’ve come to realize something, men are completely unreliable. When it really matters, you can only rely on yourself.”
“What, did things fall apart with your new fling?”
“They did. He talks a good game but yesterday a lightbulb at my place burned out. I asked him to come help me change it and he kept making excuses. If he can’t even handle something that small, what’s the point of having him around?”
The more Yang Jiayang spoke, the more worked up he became, launching into full complaint mode.
“He’s been buttering me up for over half a month now yet aside from good morning and good night messages, there’s been nothing of substance. At first, I figured he’d just started a business and didn’t have much money, so I didn’t think much of it but the more I think about it, the more something feels off. That bastard is clearly trying to get something for nothing!”
He might have had many relationships but he had always taken each one seriously. Children who grew up in orphanages rarely escaped the fear of loneliness.
“You’ve already called him a bastard, so why keep thinking about him? You might as well think more about Xie Chengye.”
Yang Jiayang looked baffled. “Why would I think about him?”
“What do you mean why? He came all the way to Liao’an just to see you. You can’t not even give him a chance to meet.”
Yang Jiayang’s face was blank with confusion. “For me? Didn’t he come here to travel?”
Su Yi’an clicked his tongue, imitating the way Yang Jiayang used to speak. “Didn’t you call yourself a love guru? Could it be you really haven’t noticed that Xie Chengye likes you?”
✦ ✧ ✦
Fleurveil
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
This is your completely normal and non-suspicious request to buy coffee.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
← PreviousNext →
ChaptersChapter 1 · New neighborsChapter 2 · Let’s just wash it.Chapter 3 · Pretty little girlChapter 4 · It’s impossible for us.Chapter 5 · Not as handsome as Teacher BaiChapter 6 · Happy cooperationChapter 7 · Making breakfastChapter 8 · LostChapter 9 · He’s hopelessly in love.Chapter 10 · Three CloudChapter 11 · Am I Old?Chapter 12 · Victory celebration banquetChapter 13 · Power outrageChapter 14 · Online dating meetupChapter 15 · Am I really that bad?Chapter 16 · Boyfriend?Chapter 17 · ConcertChapter 18 · Use Privileges.Chapter 19 · A night AloneChapter 20 · Do You Like me?Chapter 21 · The End