Chapter 21: Prepare to Fall Off the Horse!

Jian Mingzhou was shocked by his shamelessness!

This Xia Ye is unexpectedly pulling a switcheroo! He was clearly talking about the popular protagonist in the overbearing CEO comics.

He turned to look at Xie Jing, explaining, “Xiao Jing, listen to me; I didn’t—”

Xie Jing said, “I did.”

Jian Mingzhou didn’t react. “… What?”

Xie Jing calmly looked at him and said, “Maserati.”

A profound silence fell in front of the car door. After a moment, the sound of an engine starting echoed, “Vroom—”!

The BYD, carrying a load of resentment, disappeared in the dust.

It wasn’t until they entered the building that Jian Mingzhou’s mind cleared a bit.

He slowly pulled back his thoughts and glanced at the calm Xie Jing beside him. “You were just kidding, right?”

Was it just to shut Xia Ye up perfectly?

Xie Jing replied, “Yes.”

Jian Mingzhou’s state of mind calmed down. Xie Jing corrected himself: “To be precise, it belongs to my family.”

He glanced sideways. That’s not the same thing!

His gaze was too direct, causing Xie Jing to stop. He jokingly said, half-serious and half-playful, “Uncle, if you want to sit in the Maserati and laugh heartily, I can go back and bring the car out for you.”

“!” Jian Mingzhou withdrew his gaze. “… No need.”

He didn’t dare to imagine what a beautiful scene that would be.

“Maybe it will become a check-in spot.

Beside him, there was a rustling sound in the pocket, and Xie Jing took out a beef pastry wrapped in oiled paper and handed it over. “Want to eat?”

The topic shifted lightly, and Jian Mingzhou took a bite after taking it. Then he remembered, “Did you get your driver’s license?”

“Yeah, I took it casually during the holidays. Did your uncle take it?”

“I prefer to stay still and let others do the moving.” After all, he had the attributes of a homebody.

As they spoke, they happened to reach the doorstep.

Xie Jing took out the keys, and the sound of the door opening mixed with clattering. “Okay.”

…

Friday was the last day before the fan event.

The deadline had not passed, and the editorial department was still in chaos.

After submitting his manuscript for review, Jian Mingzhou finally couldn’t help but stand up and prepare to take a breath in the tea room.

The tea room was at the end of the corridor on the same floor.

As he turned the corner, he saw a familiar figure.

He Luchen was standing in front of the spacious and bright French window, holding a coffee cup, casting a beautiful silhouette.

The scene was too elegant, and Jian Mingzhou blurted out casually, “Hey, Lusen.”

“… ” He finished speaking and felt embarrassed!

But He Luchen seemed completely unaware. In response to the greeting, he turned around very smoothly and even replied, “Hey, Jamy.”

“…”

Jian Mingzhou took a deep breath. Who is Jamy?

And who uses only the first two letters of their name as an English name? How impolite!!

But just as he met He Luchen, he thought of acquaintances he might encounter at the fan event tomorrow, so he went over and asked casually:

“Editor He, have you made up with Xiao Yu? Do you want to hang out together this weekend?”

He Luchen coldly sneered, “Humph! I don’t know, I don’t care.”

After saying that, he arrogantly walked away with his coffee cup.

“…”

Jian Mingzhou got no information, so he had to open WeChat and ask the person directly. As he scrolled down, he saw an entry for “Sad Xiao Yu.”

Jian Mingzhou:…

A perfectly fitting WeChat name.

[Mingzhou]: Xiao Yu, I took some fan merchandise from the editorial department. Do you want it this weekend? (*^▽^*)

The message quickly received a joyful and sorrowful reply.

[Sad Xiao Yu]: That’s great! But I have to attend cram school this weekend; I can’t go anywhere! T▽T Ahhhh… [Sad girl punching]

Oh, attending cram school.

Jian Mingzhou replied with “Next time then” and added a comforting emoji.

As he was typing the message, a cold voice suddenly came from his ear:

“What are you doing…”

Jian Mingzhou’s hand trembled! He almost threw his phone away.

He turned around to see Xia Ye holding a cup, almost sticking her face out, her gaze sharp behind her glasses. “I just saw He Luchen floating by. Are you plotting with the enemy in front of the French window?”

Jian Mingzhou, sneakily provoking, said, “You should complain to Editor He next time with such words.”

“Hehe, don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to.”

The forbidden topic was lightly passed over.

Xia Ye brought up tomorrow’s fan event again:

“I kindly remind you that this is a BL-focused event this time. Remember to keep a low profile. Don’t attract attention like last time and end up being photographed.”

Jian Mingzhou, skilled at this, said, “Don’t worry, there will be many cosplayers, as well as people wearing Hanfu and Lolita outfits, drawing most of the attention. I’ll wear a mask, and nobody will notice me.”

Xia Ye said, “Just as long as you’re aware. Also…”

He paused, and Xiaolu suddenly appeared at the door of the tea room, surrounded by a dark aura.

“Editor, Deputy Editor! The office phones are all unreachable, and you two are having a private meeting here!!!”

Both of them said, “…”

Jian Mingzhou observed the scene in the tea room and felt a bit surreal; considering the people who appeared here, it seemed like each of them had entirely different mental scripts.

In the scene of a Shura-like confrontation, Xia Ye was cold.

“What are you here for?”

Xiaolu hesitated for a second, blushing, and said, “I’m here to fetch some water for myself.”

Jian Mingzhou, side-eyed: So, you’re here to procrastinate too!

–

Saturday quickly arrived amidst tension and anticipation.

The fan event started at ten in the morning, but the autograph session was at two in the afternoon.

Jian Mingzhou was awakened early by his vibrating phone. When he opened it, he saw a message from the ever-young Xia Ye.

[Editor]: Are you awake? Excited to the point of insomnia, huh? [A smile that sees through everything]

… He felt that Xia Ye was even more excited.

[Jian Mingzhou]: I wasn’t awake yet. ^_^

[Editor]: Reminding you again, remember to keep a low profile.

Jian Mingzhou chose the most low-key emoji: [Gradually disappearing in the pouring rain].

[Editor]: … ^_^ That’s being low-key, not disappearing.

[Editor]: By the way, what about that kid from your house?

Don’t come back carrying a bag of explosive BL18x and run into someone unexpectedly, or you’ll have no way to explain. [A mischievous smile]

“…” Damn!

Jian Mingzhou suddenly felt sensitive. Poisoned milk! Retreat, retreat, retreat!

He sent an emoji back: [Guna La’s Dark Seal!]

After sealing Xia Ye’s Mickey Mouse mouth, Jian Mingzhou stood up to pick out an outfit.

Low-key yet not neglectful.

After all, he was going to meet a manga author he liked.

He picked two outfits and compared them in front of the dressing mirror outside the foyer.

At that moment, Xie Jing was about to leave and stopped when he saw Jian Mingzhou.

Jian Mingzhou, who was usually casual, had a somewhat serious look at the moment. He was choosing a low-key outfit in front of the mirror when an extra figure appeared in the reflection.

Xie Jing leaned against the wall outside the foyer, eyes half-closed.

“Going on a date today?”

“…” Jian Mingzhou met his gaze in the mirror, turned, and said, “No, just going out casually.” Then he asked, “Xiao Jing, which of these two sets looks less conspicuous to you?”

“Uncle, where are you going into hiding?”

“… No, hurry up and choose.”

At this moment, Xie Jing looked up.

His features were gentle, his facial features were clear, and his eyes seemed unusually moist, with a special captivating force.

Xie Jing looked for a few seconds and said, “Just pick any set.”

He said, “And cover your face.”

“…” Jian Mingzhou’s heart slightly condensed. It seemed like he was praised, but there was no feeling of happiness at all. He reasoned, “Covering it up might make it more noticeable.”

Because it was an eye-catching cover.

Xie Jing smiled and pointed to a white T-shirt with a beige jacket. “This one.”

Jian Mingzhou gladly accepted, “Okay.”

After Xie Jing made his choice, he was ready to leave. Jian Mingzhou, thinking of Xia Ye’s ominous mouth, cautiously asked,

“Are you also training until the afternoon today?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Nothing.” Jian Mingzhou put his mind at ease.

After seeing off Xie Jing, he went out to Chunming Pavilion after lunch.

…

In the afternoon, under the scorching sun.

F University’s playground was heated, and the flipping jersey numbers shone brightly in the sunlight.

The track and field training had just ended.

He Yi was still arranging to play games with Zhou Xuyang today.

He walked to the rest area to pack up his things and checked his phone. Suddenly, he shouted, “Ah, ah, ah!”

Zhou Xuyang was almost deafened. “What’s with the noise?”

“My sister is asking for help again!”

He Yi showed his phone to him and said, “She’s going to attend a cram school this weekend and can’t go to the fan event. She wants to find a manga artist for a to-sign!”

Zhou Xuyang glanced at it and saw the chat box almost submerged in tears, leaving a line:

[Sad Xiao Yu]: You’re my only brother now!

Zhou Xuyang: “What about Brother He?”

“He’s cut off.”

“…”

Zhou Xuyang said, “Then go help her.”

He Yi went crazy. “You don’t understand! It’s that kind of manga from last time. If I, a guy, queue up, I’ll attract so much attention!” He grabbed Zhou Xuyang, his gaze fixed. “You accompany me.”

Zhou Xuyang also went crazy: “Wouldn’t it be even stranger if the two of us went together?”

They stared at each other for a few seconds, then turned their heads in unison and said, “Xie Jing!”

Xie Jing, drinking water on the other side, glanced casually and said, “Not going.”

“Why don’t the two of us guys queue up together? It’ll be too weird. If you join, it’ll look more like a team-building activity.”

“What team-building, a BL enthusiast club?”

“Uh, college summer camp?”

A cold snort was Xie Jing’s response.

Zhou Xuyang lamented, “It’s a pity Mingzhou brother isn’t here; otherwise, we could have fooled Xie Jing over.”

He Yi also felt regret. “Indeed.”

After they finished speaking, they didn’t feel that there was any problem. Zhou Xuyang asked about the time and place, and He Yi lowered his head to check. “Let me see… Chunming Pavilion, huh?”

He hesitated and looked at Xie Jing.

Xie Jing’s actions stopped. Not sure what he was thinking, he twisted the bottle cap and said, “I’ll accompany you guys to queue, but I have other things afterward.”

He Yi, hearing his agreement, became lively. “No problem!”

Xie Jing slung his bag and said casually, “Let’s go.”