Chapter 43

After leaving “Musong Media,” Song Wenzhou drove at the highest speed limit in the city, racing to the company and punching in just before the last minute to avoid being late.

As usual, Qiao Yi knocked on the glass door of his office before Song Wenzhou officially started work. “Team Leader Song, your coffee.”

Song Wenzhou was about to sit down at his desk but stood up, smiling as he said, “Alright, thank you.”

Qiao Yi smiled back, carefully placing the coffee on the desk before heading out.

“Wait a moment,” Song Wenzhou called her back, “I have a question I want to ask you.”

Qiao Yi was slightly surprised but quickly adjusted her expression, politely replying, “Please, go ahead.”

“Well…” Normally eloquent in his work, Team Leader Song seemed somewhat lost for words at this moment. “If someone is pursuing you, besides picking you up and dropping you off from work every day, what other ways would be effective to win your favor?”

Qiao Yi let out a quiet sigh of relief. She was worried Song Wenzhou might suddenly ask about work-related matters.

Relationship advice was fine, though she didn’t have much experience, her best friend often complained about her boyfriend not understanding her, so it should be easy to avoid the things that upset her best friend, right?

“Team Leader Song, how well do you know the person you’re pursuing?”

“Very well,” Song Wenzhou nodded.

Qiao Yi hadn’t expected this answer. She thought he’d give a more vague response and had already planned to say that if he knew the person well, he should do this or that, and if not, he should do something else. But now, it seemed much easier.

“If you understand the other person well enough, then cater to their preferences,” Qiao Yi continued, worried that she might be misunderstood, “Whether it’s gifts or dates, since you’re pursuing them, you should consider what they would actually like, not force something flashy just to ‘show off’… Team Leader Song, since you know her so well, you must know what she likes most, right?”

“He likes…” Song Wenzhou thought carefully. Mu Chi seemed to like many things, but what could be considered his favorite was probably… “Me.”

“…”

Qiao Yi couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.

Song Wenzhou only realized what he had said when he heard her laugh. His ears turned bright red, and his face flushed. Trying to cover it up, he took a sip of coffee.

“Well, that makes things easier,” Qiao Yi said, the smile still in her eyes. “If you both like each other, whatever you do together will be enjoyable. Team Leader Song, you can go all out.”

“Oh, okay, I got it.” Song Wenzhou was no longer paying attention to asking for advice, he just wanted to disappear from her sight. He awkwardly said, “Thank you.”

“No problem,” Qiao Yi said, playfully winking at him. “I’ll head back now.”

“Mm, sorry for the trouble.”

Qiao Yi turned and left the office, but before she left, she kindly closed the door for him. The moment the door shut, she couldn’t hide her mischievous grin, eager to share her feelings with someone at her workstation.

She had always thought that although Song Wenzhou was good-looking and always wore a gentle smile, he wasn’t easy to approach.

Although he didn’t have an intimidating look, and his speech and actions were calm and unhurried, Qiao Yi had always wondered why she felt nervous when talking to him.

After working with him for a while, she finally understood that Team Leader Song had an excellent sense of boundaries, which, ironically, made people feel distant.

But today, her impression of him had changed. He wasn’t hard to approach at all. In fact, he was very down-to-earth and even a little awkward.

In the office, the warmth on Song Wenzhou’s face lingered for a long time, only fading when he finished his coffee.

After processing the materials submitted by his team members the previous day, he went over the various indicators for the projects he was in charge of. Once he confirmed that everything was normal, the work in his hands felt much lighter.

Song Wenzhou held a pen and lightly rested it against his chin, his gaze fixed on the computer in front of him, though it was clear that his focus was not on the screen.

“If two people like each other, anything they do together will make them happy…”

Lost in thought for a moment, Song Wenzhou suddenly picked up his phone and dialed a number from his call history.

The phone rang for quite a while before it was finally answered, and a lazy voice came through: “Honey, what’s up? Miss me?”

Song Wenzhou ignored the greeting and asked with a smile, “Did you get up yet, Designer Xu?”

“I just fell asleep not long ago and was woken up by your call,” Xu Chu’s voice carried a hint of reproach. “So unless you’re calling because you miss me, it better be for something important.”

“It’s actually something important,” Song Wenzhou replied, “The fashion week tickets you mentioned a few days ago—do you still have them?”

“Yeah,” Xu Chu yawned repeatedly, “You want them again?”

“Mm, I’ll come by to pick them up at noon,” Song Wenzhou said, not being polite at all.

“Fine,” Xu Chu didn’t say much more. “Bring something to eat when you come.”

After that, he tossed his phone aside, buried half his head in the blanket, and continued his rendezvous with Zhuang Zhou, not caring whether the call had been disconnected or not.

Song Wenzhou smiled and shook his head, already used to Xu Chu’s style.

The morning work hours passed quickly, and before long, it was time to get off work.

Song Wenzhou had already called ahead to order lunch, so he could pick it up on his way and head to find Xu Chu.

With five minutes left before the end of the workday, Song Wenzhou received a WeChat message from Mu Chi.

It seemed like Mu Chi had been waiting for a while and couldn’t hold back anymore:

【Mu Chi: Aren’t you going to ask me to lunch?】

Song Wenzhou couldn’t help but laugh when he saw the message.

【Song Wenzhou: Ah, I’m going to find Xu Chu for lunch today.】

A heavy hum came from the top-floor office of “Musong Media.”

Mu Chi stared at his phone, feeling dissatisfied: He asked Xu Chu to lunch but not me? How unfun! That damn Xu Chu, what’s he even doing coming back to the country?

But he couldn’t let himself seem so petty.

【Mu Chi: Oh, fine then.】

Song Wenzhou couldn’t tell from those four words what Mu Chi was thinking, but he wasn’t about to let his guard down.

【Song Wenzhou: It was my oversight, I’ll make it up to you next time.】

Mu Chi immediately cheered up and replied with a reserved “No need.”

【Song Wenzhou: There is a need.】

【Mu Chi: Really don’t need.】

—

After several rounds of polite refusal, Mu Chi was finally “persuaded” by Song Wenzhou, agreeing that a small compensation next time would suffice.

Song Wenzhou rang the doorbell while holding the food, waiting for a while before the door finally opened.

Xu Chu, with his messy hair, a crooked collar on his pajama, and slippers on the wrong feet, came to the door, rubbing his eyes which were still half-closed.

“Where did you go messing around again last night?” Song Wenzhou walked past him and put the food box on the dining table.

“What messing around?” Xu Chu retorted while walking into the bathroom to wash up, “I was working. They had to change two sets of outfits over there, and the makeup and hairstyle needed corresponding adjustments. We didn’t finalize the final presentation until early morning.”

“Then I wrongly accused you.”

It wasn’t entirely Song Wenzhou’s fault for thinking that way. After all, Xu Chu had given him the impression of living an extravagant lifestyle, so he often forgot that Xu Chu, as an image designer, also had to work.

“No problem,” Xu Chu said while brushing his teeth, speaking unclearly, “I forgive you.”

After brushing his teeth, washing his face, and fixing his hair, Xu Chu came out looking presentable. By then, Song Wenzhou had already portioned the food onto plates and was serving rice into a bowl.

“Honey, you’re so thoughtful,” Xu Chu spontaneously sat down at the dining table, waiting to eat. “I love you.”

Song Wenzhou’s heart remained unchanged, “Don’t love me, it won’t lead anywhere.”

Xu Chu chuckled for a while, then nodded, “Right, two zeros don’t lead anywhere.”

“By the way,” Song Wenzhou didn’t want to engage in that conversation, “When is the fashion show?”

Xu Chu had returned to the country to participate in a local fashion show as a styling designer. To make it convenient, he had stayed at a hotel for two days and then temporarily rented the apartment he was currently living in. This was Song Wenzhou’s first visit.

The fashion show didn’t sell tickets to the public, but as a collaborator, Xu Chu had a few spare tickets. After hearing that Song Wenzhou had broken up, he was concerned that he might be bored and overthink, so he asked if Song Wenzhou wanted to go.

“Although it’s a small show, the models are good quality. From what I’ve observed, at least one of the male models is quite striking. Would you be interested? I can introduce you.”

Xu Chu had always wanted to introduce various men to Song Wenzhou, but due to Mu Chi’s presence, he only dared to entertain the thought. Now that he had a chance, he was slyly trying to pry into Mu Chi’s territory, asking Song Wenzhou first if he was interested in any attractive men.

Unfortunately, Song Wenzhou wasn’t interested—he was pure-hearted and indifferent. Xu Chu had to keep those men for himself and didn’t care much for the fashion show either, not even paying attention to when it was.

“Sunday,” Xu Chu replied while scraping his rice, “There’s a rehearsal on Saturday. If you want to meet that model I mentioned, you can come with me on Saturday.”

“No need, just give me the ticket,” Song Wenzhou emphasized, “Two tickets.”

Xu Chu stopped eating, looked up at him, “Two tickets? For you and who?”

“Mu Chi.” Song Wenzhou had no intention of hiding it, nor could he.

“Oh,” Xu Chu laughed, “You two made up? I knew it, you were just playing and showing off your love, but wouldn’t admit it.”

He continued, “No wonder I wondered why you changed your mind. Turns out you’re going with him. When I tried to get you to come just as my company, you wouldn’t even budge. Now you’re actively going to ask me for tickets for him. I guess we can never compete with your old partner. I really have no self-awareness…”

“Shut up,” Song Wenzhou shoved a chicken leg into his mouth. “I’m just curious, Mu Chi never did anything to you, why do you have such a problem with him?”

“Hey hey hey,” Xu Chu spat the chicken leg back into the bowl, and defended himself, “I have a problem with him? He has a problem with me! He doesn’t want you hanging out with me.”

“What are you talking about?” Song Wenzhou chuckled, defending Mu Chi, “He just thinks… you’d lead me astray.”

“Do you think that too?” Xu Chu widened his innocent eyes and looked at him.

“Of course not.” Song Wenzhou answered confidently, “When it comes to you, I never listen to him.”

“Now that’s more like it.” Xu Chu was satisfied and grabbed the chicken leg again to eat, “If I could lead you astray, I’d have done it long ago, would he need to worry?”

Song Wenzhou and Xu Chu’s acquaintance dated back to the beginning of university.

Back then, after Song Wenzhou finished a night run, he was resting by the track when a shy-looking boy approached him, quietly asking for a favor.

The boy said he needed a model for his project, but his family was poor, and he couldn’t afford to hire anyone. Desperate, he had turned to alumni for help, and had been rejected several times before coming to Song Wenzhou.

Seeing how pitiful the boy looked, and not sensing anything wrong, Song Wenzhou immediately agreed to help.

Afterward, the boy would come to him from time to time, and with his consent, would apply makeup and do other things on his face.

It was during these sessions that Song Wenzhou learned that their school offered a “image design” program, which included makeup, beauty, hairdressing, and manicures.

The boy explained that real models were needed to better complete his projects, and Song Wenzhou understood why he hadn’t asked more sympathetic, convenient female classmates for help—it was because he was shy.

The boy was so nervous around him that he wouldn’t make eye contact and would apologize profusely every time he accidentally touched him. If the model had been a girl he didn’t know well, it would have been even worse.

—

As time went on, the boy gradually revealed his true self, and Song Wenzhou realized how naïve he had been.

The boy was Xu Chu. The first time Xu Chu saw Song Wenzhou, he vaguely recognized that they were kindred spirits, and a handsome one at that. Especially after the run, when Song Wenzhou’s sweat-covered face looked incredibly attractive, Xu Chu pretended to be innocent and pitiful to get his help.

In reality, Xu Chu didn’t need any project at all. He had just started his first year of university.

This should have been an obvious lie, but Song Wenzhou, being dense, didn’t realize it, and Xu Chu had to continue the act.

In order to verify if his radar was correct, Xu Chu would often pretend to accidentally touch Song Wenzhou’s body during the modeling sessions, then apologize awkwardly afterward.

If his radar was working correctly, Song Wenzhou would pick up on his intentions and understand the signals he was sending.

But Song Wenzhou didn’t pick up on it. Not only did he not realize it, but he also seriously “educated” Xu Chu, telling him not to be so nervous and that he should be more confident.

Xu Chu found it hilarious. In reality, he was far more confident than Song Wenzhou imagined—some might even say overly confident.

After confirming that Song Wenzhou was a straight man, Xu Chu stopped wasting time pretending and slowly dropped the act, no longer hiding his intentions of getting closer to him.

Fortunately, though Song Wenzhou was “straight,” he wasn’t foolish. He quickly realized that he had likely been tricked.

Xu Chu had thought that at that point, Song Wenzhou, being a straight man, would reject him and distance himself, just like the people he knew in high school.

Xu Chu had always been free-spirited and never concealed his sexual orientation. While he didn’t go around proclaiming it, anyone who was interested could easily find out. Because of this, he had often been the subject of gossip in high school.

He couldn’t understand it. No matter how hard he thought about it, he just couldn’t figure out why some so-called straight men felt they had the right to “dislike” him. He liked men, but that didn’t mean he would like just any ^[1]“Tom, Dick, or Harry” is an English phrase that means “just anyone” or “any random person.” It’s often used to express that someone isn’t interested in just … Continue readingTom, Dick, or Harry.

Song Wenzhou had every reason to “disdain” him. After all, it was he who had eagerly tried to get close to Song Wenzhou.

But Song Wenzhou didn’t. Instead, he clearly told Xu Chu that he had no romantic interest in him. Beyond that, everything was normal. Song Wenzhou even said that if he ever needed a model again, Xu Chu could contact him—though in reality, Xu Chu didn’t need the money to hire a model.

Upon hearing this, Xu Chu quickly changed his mind. He wanted to be friends with Song Wenzhou!

The only downside of being friends with Song Wenzhou was that Xu Chu often found himself questioning his own thoughts.

Regarding the question of whether Song Wenzhou was “straight or not,” Xu Chu would find himself contemplating it every now and then, but never getting a clear answer.

If he were to say Song Wenzhou was straight, there were times when he was far too considerate, caring, and even cleaner than Xu Chu, who was gay.

If he were to say he wasn’t straight, Song Wenzhou didn’t seem to fit that label either…

In short, Song Wenzhou seemed like an innocent, easy-to-trick person at first glance. He was open, answering any questions others asked without hesitation, but still, he remained somewhat elusive.

It wasn’t until the winter break during their sophomore year when Xu Chu went home for the New Year. Upon returning to school, Song Wenzhou quietly brought a man back with him. He introduced him as his boyfriend, and that was when Xu Chu finally got the answer to his long-standing question.