For the sake of the contestants’ privacy, the production team did not film the segments where they made phone calls, so Zhan Zhiqing had no worries about being monitored.
Almost instantly, he thought of the man he had encountered on the plane. Their voices were exactly the same. He felt his heart leap into his throat. This was the first time he had met someone who so perfectly suited his tastes and inspired such a strong urge to be near.
He was afraid of disappointment, so he answered cautiously, almost timidly. “Hello.” He fell silent for a moment before following up with the next sentence. “Is it you?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt they were ridiculous. In fact, they had never even been formally introduced, and he had never even seen the face of the man on the plane. Perhaps it was all just his imagination. Zhan Zhiqing’s racing heart began to level out, and his soaring emotions started to plummet.
However, the person on the other end gave a light chuckle. “If you mean the one who accompanied you all the way on the plane, the one who sat in the center of the front row at the Yu Garden show, and the one who took you to the hospital when you were sick, then yes, it is me.”
It was indeed Ying Yuan on the other end of the line. Ever since he learned that contestants could make phone calls in this episode, he had harbored this intention, even arguing with He Yu about it for a long time. He had invested in the show solely to follow Zhan Zhiqing. Seeing that he was not disrupting the fairness of the competition, He Yu finally agreed to the request.
Ying Yuan wanted to contact Zhan Zhiqing for two main reasons. When joining China’s Next Top Model, contestants had to provide information about their parents. Zhan Zhiqing had written “deceased” in both columns, and in the emergency contact line, he had actually filled in “110.”
When Ying Yuan saw this information, he could not help but feel a pang of heartache. It meant that Zhan Zhiqing had not only lost his parents but seemingly did not even have a single friend. If Zhan Zhiqing were to sit blankly to the side while the other contestants enthusiastically called their loved ones, Ying Yuan found the mere thought of such a scene unacceptable.
The other reason was that he could no longer restrain himself. Although he had initially decided to wait for Zhan Zhiqing to grow, watching the daily footage caused his affection to intensify rather than fade with the distance. He loved his calm thinking, his rational concessions, his sharp counterattacks, his posture while cooking, and the look in his eyes during shoots. Everything about him made Ying Yuan feel that Zhan Zhiqing was born for him.
Such an outstanding person should be secured early on. As Zhan Zhiqing gained more fans and followers on the platform, Ying Yuan even felt a sense of fear whenever he saw people confessing their love for him online. This was a first for him. Even skiing down high mountain peaks had never caused his heart rate to fluctuate.
Zhan Zhiqing’s fans included wealthy heirs and attractive individuals of all genders, which made Ying Yuan anxious. Even if his own conditions placed him in the top 0.1% of the world, what if Zhan Zhiqing simply did not want to accept him? Perhaps Zhan Zhiqing would want an equal relationship in the future rather than waiting for his favor. So, he decided to start contacting Zhan Zhiqing now.
He was not sure if Zhan Zhiqing could decipher the code he had sent, so he had been waiting all evening. He refused to admit that his anxiety was born from this. He answered the phone almost instantly when it rang.
When Zhan Zhiqing asked, “Is it you?” all of Ying Yuan’s anxiety and worry were soothed. His confidence was restored, and he felt a telepathic connection with the boy. He recounted the several times they had met, and hearing the increasingly heavy breathing on the other end, his heart softened completely. He confirmed once again: Zhan Zhiqing was born for him.
In the cabin, Zhan Zhiqing’s eyes were wide, and his pulse quickened again. He was so nervous he could barely speak. There were so many things he wanted to ask: like how he had liked the man since the first time they met, how he regretted not getting his contact information on the plane, how he had stolen a glance at him during the show, and whether he had really held him in the hospital.
However, all those questions piled up in his mind, and he could only manage a few dry, low words. “It really is you. I am glad it is you.”
Two transparent tears escaped his eyes. Zhan Zhiqing could not describe his thoughts. Having witnessed his parents’ unhappy, quarrelsome marriage, his longing for love had remained unchanged. He appeared rational on the surface, but he harbored a burning sensibility. Especially after learning he suffered from skin hunger, his desire for a partner had deepened daily. He never expected their first formal conversation to unfold in such a dramatic and unusual way.
He had a premonition that he might entrust the rest of his life to the man on the other end. It was a crazy thought, but he had never been an ordinary person. When he realized a moment later that the man might have been monitoring him all along, his body trembled uncontrollably. It was not fear, but pleasure.
Zhan Zhiqing’s words made it clear that he had also noticed Ying Yuan long ago and harbored good feelings toward him. Ying Yuan felt a surge of pride and gave a low laugh before introducing himself. “Hello, my name is Ying Yuan. I am currently the President of the MA Group. I noticed you from the moment we met on the plane. The reason I am contacting you now is to ask: are you willing to be my lover?”
The difference in their status was vast, and Ying Yuan’s words unconsciously carried a hint of arrogance, feeling that his favor should make Zhan Zhiqing proud. Countless people in the fashion world wanted to climb into his bed, not even for resources but just for a night with him. Yet Ying Yuan had rejected them all. He felt that choosing Zhan Zhiqing out of millions was the boy’s good fortune.
Zhan Zhiqing was stunned by the bluntness of the question. He felt a wave of joy followed by a sting of sadness. He noted that the gentleman was the heir to the MA Group, but he also noted that he said “lover” rather than “partner” or “beloved.”
He remained silent for a long time before replying, “Can we talk about this after we meet in person?”
Ying Yuan would never admit his heart rate quickened while listening to the breathing on the other end. When he heard Zhan Zhiqing suggest talking after they met, he felt a flicker of relief: at least it was not a rejection. He agreed.
The time was up. Zhan Zhiqing hung up the phone and walked out of the cabin in a daze. He did not even hear Zhou Xing greeting him, heading straight upstairs to lie on the large bed. The memory of their first meeting on the plane echoed in his mind, followed by every subsequent encounter. Immersed in his memories, he even forgot to exercise, only realizing two hours later that it was past ten o’clock. He went to the closet to get clothes and saw the neatly arranged items again. Now that he was certain the person who sent them was the one he had been secretly thinking about, even these clothes became special.
On the other side, Ying Yuan leaned back on the sofa with his eyes closed. After a while, he let out a laugh that sounded a bit strange in the empty house. He took out his phone, found Ying Cheng on social media, and sent a message.
“I just spoke with Zhiqing.”
“???? Brother, weren’t you going to play the long game? You exposed yourself already?”
Ying Yuan raised an eyebrow. “The two are not in conflict.”
“Then why are you messaging me?”
“Do you know what he likes to eat?” Ying Yuan sent back. He wanted to find a quiet restaurant to have a proper talk with Zhan Zhiqing about this matter.
Ying Cheng sent back six dots. “……”