Chapter 44

After Xu Chu learned how Song Wenzhou and Mu Chi got together, he felt very happy for Song Wenzhou and was deeply envious of their relationship.

He knew in his heart that he probably wouldn’t find someone like them, someone who would stay by his side forever. Although he often said that Song Wenzhou was too biased towards Mu Chi, he actually always hoped that the two of them would be happy together for a lifetime.

That way, his ideal wouldn’t just be a fantasy—it could become reality. Two people of the same sex could also stay together until the end.

Maybe he couldn’t achieve it, but he had seen it with his own eyes.

For six years, Song Wenzhou and Mu Chi had stayed together exactly as he had hoped, never causing any trouble.

So, when he returned to the country and heard that Song Wenzhou had broken up with Mu Chi, Xu Chu was shocked and, despite always advocating for breakups over reconciliation, spoke up in support of Mu Chi.

Of course, he stood unconditionally on Song Wenzhou’s side. There were more than three billion men in the world—if Song Wenzhou truly broke up with Mu Chi, it wouldn’t matter. He could introduce him to plenty of others the next day.

But when Song Wenzhou told him that he and Mu Chi had gotten back together, Xu Chu couldn’t help but feel… what kind of breakup was this? It clearly wasn’t a breakup at all—it was just a playful argument!

Forget it, as long as they were happy.

—

Song Wenzhou had to go to work in the afternoon. After lunch with Xu Chu, he took the two tickets and left.

Once he got into the car, he noticed Mu Chi had sent him a few messages earlier.

The top message was a photo of a dish that Song Wenzhou really liked.

Mu Chi had written in the caption: “The consequence of not inviting me to lunch is missing out on delicious garlic golden rings and scallop rolls.”

From the angle of the photo, Song Wenzhou vaguely saw the shadow of someone else, likely a round table with several people seated around it.

Mu Chi probably had a lunch meeting and wanted to bring him along, but it hadn’t worked out.

Perhaps he didn’t receive a reply, or maybe Mu Chi was busy socializing. After sending the picture, Mu Chi had been quiet for a while. Ten minutes ago, he sent several more messages in a row:

【Mu Chi: Eating with them is so boring】

【Mu Chi: Don’t want to drink】

【Mu Chi: I finished all the scallops by myself】

【Mu Chi: Why do they only drink and not eat any food in the middle of the day?】

—

Song Wenzhou chuckled for a while and replied to each message:

【Song Wenzhou: What a pity, but it’s good that you ate for me】

【Song Wenzhou: You can tell me when you’re bored, I’ll chat with you】

【Song Wenzhou: Don’t force yourself to drink if you don’t want to, we don’t need to force it, we’re not lacking money】

【Song Wenzhou: Great!】

【Song Wenzhou: Don’t be like them, eat more】

Mu Chi had started his business before he even graduated from university. In just a few years, he turned “Musong Media” into a company with a real presence. Now, the company was still expanding rapidly.

These achievements were certainly due to his business acumen, but they were also inseparable from years of frequent business socializing.

Mu Chi must have long been accustomed to gatherings and social events where business interests were at the forefront, but he had never complained like he did today during a meal. Normally, after drinking, when Song Wenzhou came to pick him up, he would quickly try to escape, not wanting to waste a single second longer in such events.

In a private room of a restaurant.

Mu Chi’s phone vibrated several times in his pocket. Taking advantage of the moment when no one was talking to him, he pulled it out and immediately smiled when he saw the messages.

However, before he had a chance to reply, someone called his name.

“Mr. Mu,” a middle-aged man wearing glasses smiled and looked at him, “Is there something urgent? I’ve seen you checking your phone a few times.”

“It’s nothing,” Mu Chi quickly put his phone away, “Mr. Wang, please continue.”

The man called Mr. Wang chuckled, “I’ve been meaning to tell you, the models from ‘Musong Media’ are really dedicated.”

“Mr. Wang, you flatter me,” Mu Chi replied with a smile, “But what do you mean by that?”

Mr. Wang sighed, saying, “Last night, a contestant had an issue with their piece and had to switch two outfits last minute. Coincidentally, the two models sent by ‘Musong Media’ were the ones. You know, the outfits and styles had been set beforehand, so switching outfits meant the styling had to be redone. Our stylists and models were working until midnight, redoing makeup and removing it, until early this morning before everything was finally settled. I was exhausted just listening to it, but those two models of yours didn’t complain at all, and kept working well with the stylists.”

Mu Chi understood and humbly replied, “That’s to be expected. Since we’ve taken on this job, we naturally follow Mr. Wang’s arrangements.”

Mr. Wang, the organizer of this fashion design competition, had been busy throughout the evening, greeting one person after another. He especially stood out today, wearing a brightly colored shirt that made him look like a busy butterfly.

Hearing Mu Chi’s words, Mr. Wang waved his hand, saying, “If only everyone were like them, I’d have an easier time.”

Mu Chi tactfully praised him, “Mr. Wang, you’re still young and ambitious. You probably don’t just seek an easy path. As they say, with greater ability comes greater responsibility.”

“Hahaha…” Mr. Wang laughed heartily, “Mr. Mu, you’re the young and talented one. We’ll definitely have more opportunities to cooperate in the future.”

As he spoke, he raised his glass to Mu Chi.

“It would be my honor. I look forward to Mr. Wang bringing even bigger and broader opportunities,” Mu Chi replied with the same gesture.

The model team at “Musong Media” had only been established recently, as part of Mu Chi’s initial expansion of the company. The models signed with the agency were all newcomers selected from a model competition.

This fashion show, organized as a design competition, was the first commercial performance the models had received since joining “Musong Media,” so everyone took it especially seriously.

The establishment of the model team was seen as a test of their potential. In addition to this, Mu Chi was continuously scouting for talented individual singers to bring under his wing and was even considering branching into the film industry.

To achieve these goals, networking with people from all walks of life was essential as they represented valuable resources.

However, Mu Chi wasn’t in a hurry—one couldn’t achieve everything at once.

And besides, hadn’t Song Wenzhou just said, “We’re not lacking money”?

So, when Mr. Wang raised his glass for another toast, Mu Chi blocked the offer and declined, “Sorry, Mr. Wang, I still need to go back to the company later, I can’t drink any more.”

“Back to the company?” Mr. Wang didn’t press him, instead smiling, “Mr. Mu, you’re so dedicated, no wonder your staff are like this.”

The people present were either bosses or senior executives, all with flexible schedules. Attending this dinner was essentially their work for the afternoon, with immeasurable benefits. After the gathering, no one would have to return to the office like Mu Chi.

“It’s not that,” Mu Chi couldn’t resist feeling proud and said, “My partner is coming to pick me up from work. I’m worried that if I don’t go back to the office, he might be waiting and get worried.”

“Uh…” Mr. Wang was caught off guard by the sudden “dog food,” and after a few seconds of silence, he responded, “Well, in that case, you really should head back. Mr. Mu and your partner are really sweet, haha.”

Mu Chi nodded happily, then corrected, “Not my partner, he’s a man.”

He often called Song Wenzhou “wifey” in private as an affectionate term, but he never viewed Song Wenzhou as the female role in a relationship, nor could he accept others misunderstanding their relationship.

Maybe others didn’t care whether his partner was a man or a woman, but he always made a point to correct it.

Mr. Wang, being from the fashion industry, was quite accepting of a same-sex couple. However, to avoid being fed more “dog food,” he quickly changed the topic.

“By the way,” Mr. Wang handed Mu Chi a carefully designed invitation card from his assistant, “If you have no other plans on Sunday, you can bring your partner along to a small show. It’s casual, just for fun.”

Mu Chi took the card with both hands. “Definitely, definitely.”

The dinner lasted until four in the afternoon.

As the event concluded, the secretary was already waiting outside with the car. After Mu Chi bid farewell to everyone, he got into the backseat, just as he had when he arrived.

“Back to the office,” Mu Chi loosened his tie. “Thanks for your hard work today.”

The secretary smiled and replied, “It’s not hard at all.”

In fact, it really wasn’t difficult. The secretary didn’t need to accompany Mu Chi to the dinner, he had spent the afternoon at a nearby café, enjoying a relaxed time.

Working with such a high-paying, low-workload boss on business trips was much easier than being in the office, as all he had to do was drive the boss around.

He had heard that the boss’s car had been requisitioned by the second boss, so for the past few days, he had been in charge of picking up and dropping off the boss for his work-related trips. He quite liked this job.

He hoped the second boss would continue using the car for a while and that the big boss wouldn’t suddenly hire a dedicated driver.

With very few cars on the road, the drive back to the office was smooth, and Mu Chi went straight to the CEO’s lounge to change his clothes.

The outfit he had worn earlier carried a strong smell of alcohol, and he was worried that Song Wenzhou might find him smelly if he got too close.

As he put on his watch, Mu Chi quickly calculated the time:

It was now 4:32 in the afternoon, and it would take him twelve minutes to drive to Song Wenzhou’s company. However, since he drove cautiously, he gave himself a fifteen-minute buffer.

Song Wenzhou finished work at five o’clock. It would take two to three minutes to get to the underground parking lot, passing five traffic lights along the way, with an expected wait time of four minutes.

So, as long as he waited outside the office building early, he would see Song Wenzhou in fifty minutes.

Just thinking about it… felt so hard to endure.

Mu Chi sighed and took out his phone to send a message to Song Wenzhou to ease his longing.

【Mu Chi: Be a good boy and wait for wifey jpg.】

This meme was made using a photo of himself. He used to send it to Song Wenzhou frequently, but hadn’t had the chance recently. Today, he finally got to use it.

At this moment, Song Wenzhou was reviewing the day’s work with his team. As the phone screen lit up on the table, he caught a glimpse of a message from Mu Chi. He suddenly froze, repeating the same sentence twice before continuing.

After the team members left the office following the review, Song Wenzhou was finally able to reply to Mu Chi.

【Song Wenzhou: ^_^】

【Song Wenzhou: By the way, do you have any plans for the weekend? Want to make an appointment?】

【Mu Chi: No.】

He had other plans but had canceled them.

Mu Chi glanced at the invitation on his desk and felt sorry for Mr. Wang. No matter what, his partner came first.

With time still on his hands, Mu Chi decided to wander around the office to see what everyone was up to.

“Musong Media” still mainly focused on influencer cultivation, and Mu Chi generally took a hands-off approach to managing the influencers in the company.

Apart from mandatory events everyone had to attend, they were free to do whatever they wanted with their time.

Simply put, as long as it wasn’t illegal, if someone wanted to sleep, play games, go crazy, or even ask the boss to accompany them in performing a skit, Mu Chi would try to accommodate, of course, as long as there was traffic and money to be made.

After walking around, he saw three groups filming videos, two people live streaming and chatting, one person live streaming while eating, and two teams brainstorming skits…

Mu Chi felt pleased. Everyone was working hard.

It’s important to note that most influencers under “Musong Media” were nocturnal creatures, with few following normal daytime schedules. Even those who occasionally did stick to a regular routine were often out on activities. It was rare to see such a vibrant atmosphere in the office during the day.

Finally, when he reached an office in the corner, Mu Chi stopped.

Through the slightly ajar door, he saw a young man tugging at his hair in frustration.

Tap, tap, tap. Mu Chi lightly knocked on the wooden door, pushing the gap a little wider. He asked, “Can I come in?”

The young man immediately stood up, adjusting his glasses, and called out, “Mr. Mu.”

Mu Chi nodded, scanning the office. Some papers were scattered across the desk, and there were quite a few crumpled balls of paper on the floor. It was easy to tell that the young man was troubled.

“Am I disturbing you?” Mu Chi chuckled, looking at his messy hair. “You look like you’re in pain.”

“I’m preparing a new song,” the young man scratched his head awkwardly. “But I haven’t had any inspiration.”

The young man’s stage name was Shi Mu. He was a recent addition to Mu Chi’s roster and was currently the only original singer under “Musong Media.”

Considering that songwriters need peace and quiet, Mu Chi had specially arranged for him to work in the office at the farthest corner.

“Don’t worry, relax,” Mu Chi reassured him. “I saw the others brainstorming outside. If you need help, you can ask them.”

“Okay,” Shi Mu nodded.

Mu Chi noticed his unease and asked, “Are you not familiar with them?”

“No,” Shi Mu quickly shook his head, “Everyone is very friendly.”

It was just that he was used to working alone and wasn’t quite adjusted to this environment yet.

“Alright,” Mu Chi glanced at his watch and noticed it was about time to go downstairs and wait for Song Wenzhou. “I’ll head out now. You… take good care of your hair.”

Shi Mu bid him farewell.

As Mu Chi walked to the door, he turned back and pulled out an invitation, placing it on the desk. “Here, take this. It’s for the fashion show on Sunday. The location is on there. I won’t be able to make it due to some matters, but if you have time, you can check it out and see if it sparks any inspiration.”

“Thank you, Mr. Mu,” Shi Mu quickly responded.

“It’s nothing,” Mu Chi shook his head. “You should thank someone else, not me.”

That someone was Song Wenzhou.

“Is… it the second boss?” Shi Mu seemed to have heard his thoughts.

Mu Chi was slightly surprised and laughed, “You know him too?”

Shi Mu had only just joined a few days ago, and Mu Chi was sure he hadn’t had the chance to show off his husband in front of him yet.

“I saw him once at ‘Bai Jiayao,’” Shi Mu said. “I heard colleagues mention him a few times these days, so I finally realized he’s the second boss.”

“Oh, right, you’ve seen him. I forgot.” Mu Chi waved his hand casually. “Oh no, I’m running out of time. I’ll go now.”

Without waiting for Shi Mu to say goodbye again, Mu Chi quickly hurried downstairs.

Song Wenzhou slowly parked the car in front of “Musong Media,” rolled down the window, and watched Mu Chi talking with several employees outside the revolving door.

He wasn’t sure what Mu Chi was saying over there, but everyone turned to look at Song Wenzhou at the same time, all with friendly smiles on their faces.

Afterward, Mu Chi walked toward the Audi car with steady steps under everyone’s watchful eyes, but the smile on his face didn’t hide the fact that his inner calm had vanished.

Song Wenzhou should have gotten out of the car to greet him and open the passenger door, but with so many curious eyes around, he thought for a moment and decided to stay seated.

Fortunately, Mu Chi didn’t mind. He first bent down and mischievously winked at Song Wenzhou through the car window before straightening up and opening the door.

Song Wenzhou arrived three minutes later than expected. As Mu Chi grasped the car handle, he thought to himself, but the next moment, his eyes widened in surprise.

“Zhouzhou…” Mu Chi was at a loss for words.

There, on the passenger seat, was an enormous bouquet of bright red roses.