The next day, a workday, when Cen Wei woke up, Chu Lai had already gotten up and was sitting on the bed, putting on his pants.

The curtains weren’t drawn tightly, and a few rays of light seeped in from outside. Squinting, Cen Wei watched as the young man pulled up his pants.

Yesterday, during the move, Chu Lai’s clothes had been stuffed into Cen Wei’s wardrobe. His underwear, without exception, was all the same color—very minimalist compared to his colorful socks. When Chu Lai was organizing them, Cen Wei happened to walk by. It seemed like the drawers in Cen Wei’s wardrobe were quite spacious, and Chu Lai was even thinking about how to divide them.

At times like this, you’re supposed to pretend you didn’t see anything. At least, that was what Cen Wei planned to do, but then Chu Lai asked, “Can you clear out some of the other drawers for me?”

Glancing at the collection of identical undergarments, Cen Wei commented, “Is it really necessary? Don’t you only have one color?”

He remembered Chu Lai’s fondness for bright colors and thought to himself, His smaller items are so colorful, but his underwear is so normal?

Chu Lai, as if reading his thoughts, said, “I don’t have the habit of wearing fluorescent colors underneath.”

“I didn’t mean that,” Cen Wei replied, feeling a bit innocent.

Chu Lai, too lazy to sort out the drawers further, just piled everything in since Cen Wei didn’t seem to mind, “You totally meant that.”

It sounded like he was annoyed, so Cen Wei tried to explain, “Didn’t you say you liked pale yellow or something?”

Chu Lai had almost finished putting his things away. When he opened the wardrobe, it was perfectly divided from Cen Wei’s side, with no chance of confusion.

“I don’t have such preferences.”

For a moment, Cen Wei didn’t know what to say, eventually blurting out, “It’s kind of cute, though.”

The young man remained silent for a few seconds, and even through his glasses, it seemed like he was calling Cen Wei a pervert with his eyes.

At a loss for words, Cen Wei made a quick escape.

He didn’t know how Chu Lai felt about it, but looking at the wardrobe, it felt like his life, which had always been solitary, had suddenly and without warning been invaded by someone else.

For someone like Cen Wei, who had been living alone for so long, even with all the mental preparation, he couldn’t say he wasn’t affected.

Chu Lai didn’t seem to care about such details. He slowly finished getting dressed, and Cen Wei asked, “Why so early?”

He didn’t usually go for a morning run on Mondays; he had fixed days for that. Chu Lai replied, “I’m taking the dog out for a walk.”

“You could have called me to come with you,” Cen Wei offered.

Chu Lai shook his head, “No need to trouble you. Besides, the class monitor is walking his dog too, and we’re heading to work together afterward.”

There was a long silence from Cen Wei. He felt like he should say something, but in the end, he didn’t know what to say.

He could only watch as Chu Lai left with the dog. After the door closed, the apartment fell into silence again.

Cen Wei’s previously spacious apartment now had Chu Lai’s things scattered everywhere, not just in the wardrobe.

Although Chu Lai dressed simply, his living space was quite maximalist. His rugs were full of intricate patterns, making Cen Wei’s apartment feel much more lived-in.

Unable to fall back asleep, Cen Wei got out of bed and went to the window, only to realize that their floor was too high for him to see anything below.

Thinking about yesterday’s conversation with Chu Lai’s mother, he decided to give Xuan Rongqing a call.

Meanwhile, Chu Lai met Ding Xiulin in the elevator on his way out, and their two dogs eagerly sniffed at each other, making Chu Lai smile.

Ding Xiulin had just gotten a fresh haircut, looking clean and neat. He glanced at Chu Lai and asked, “Is this your dog?”

Chu Lai nodded.

In the elevator mirror, the young man was dressed loosely, and it was obvious his clothes were a size too big. This immediately reminded Ding Xiulin of when they started high school and were choosing sizes for their uniforms. He had double-checked with Chu Lai at the time.

The uniforms were replaced every year, but Chu Lai had asked for the largest size right off the bat. Ding Xiulin had reminded him, “We get new ones every year, you don’t need to buy them so big.”

A classmate nearby, noticing how delicate Chu Lai looked, joked, “Even if you have a growth spurt, you don’t need the biggest size, right? You’re probably an XL at most. XXL? Planning on dancing in it?”

Chu Lai hadn’t felt embarrassed at all and asked Ding Xiulin, “They really replace them every year?”

“Yeah,” Ding Xiulin confirmed.

Chu Lai nodded, “Then I’ll get a smaller size.”

Ding Xiulin couldn’t help but point to the size guide on the wall, saying, “You could just…”

Before he could finish, Chu Lai shook his head, “I like it bigger.”

All these years later, he was still the same.

Ding Xiulin’s hair was cut a bit short, but it didn’t detract from his gentle features. Looking at his own dog, he asked Chu Lai, “What do you usually eat for breakfast before work?”

Chu Lai replied, “There’s breakfast at the company, but I’m often late, so I just grab something from downstairs.”

The elevator doors opened, and the two of them walked out with their dogs. Ding Xiulin had always been taller than Chu Lai, and he noticed that while Chu Lai was still the same, he no longer had the sickly thinness he had in high school.

Chu Lai earnestly offered some suggestions and mentioned a few breakfast options. Ding Xiulin asked, “Do you eat like that every day?”

Chu Lai thought about the times he had stayed over at Cen Wei’s and shook his head, “Not every day. Sometimes Cen—my boyfriend—makes something, and then drives me to work.”

Ding Xiulin hadn’t asked Chu Lai about his marriage on WeChat, but now his smile stiffened slightly before he quickly covered it up. He sounded surprised as he said, “I didn’t expect you to get married so early.”

The neighborhood had a special dog park, and at this time, there weren’t many people there. Chu Lai let the dogs off their leashes, and they played happily together. He watched Dacai and said, “It’s fine. This has always been my goal.”

Marriage, after all, was marriage.

Although it was unlikely they’d grow old together, the longest it might last was a year, and the shortest, a few months.

Still, even if it wasn’t a contractual marriage, Chu Lai hoped Cen Jiansun would live longer. The old man was quite entertaining.

Chu Lai had come to terms with death a long time ago but still wished for the elders in his life to be healthy and live long.

The weather was nice today. The sun was already out, but it was still pretty cold. Ding Xiulin glanced at the person next to him. Chu Lai was wearing a large jacket, and unlike yesterday’s coat, which was obviously someone else’s, this one suited him better. There were faint hints of pale yellow, perhaps on the cuffs or the hem of the jacket.

Chu Lai wasn’t much for conversation, mainly answering questions when asked.

Even though Ding Xiulin had once been his first love, it had been a long time ago. Chu Lai had no intention of chatting much and simply smiled as he watched the dogs playing in the distance.

In this new environment, the dogs didn’t seem to have any trouble adapting, which put Chu Lai in a good mood.

Ding Xiulin didn’t say much either, standing quietly beside him. After a while, he found a topic, starting with the dogs.

Chu Lai answered a few questions and then suddenly remembered something Ding Xiulin had said last night about his ex-boyfriend. So he asked, “We haven’t been in touch, so how did you know I had a boyfriend for several years?”

“Classmates mentioned it,” Ding Xiulin replied. “I figured you wouldn’t have kept up with it, but someone from our university mentioned it at a reunion.”

“Oh,” Chu Lai said, not questioning it. Remembering how Ding Xiulin had mentioned class reunions in his messages, Chu Lai couldn’t help but mutter, “You guys sure love your reunions.”

“It’s not surprising you didn’t come. You’ve always hated group activities, even skipping morning exercises whenever you could,” Ding Xiulin commented.

Chu Lai shrugged, “Too much hassle.”

He had always been a bit of a loner in high school, without any bullying or drama, just quietly going through his school years.

“I was surprised when I heard you liked guys,” Ding Xiulin said, recalling the time when he first heard about Chu Lai’s orientation.

Chu Lai glanced at his phone, responding as he did, “I’ve always liked guys. You’re straight, right?”

There was a pause before Ding Xiulin shook his head, “No.”

Chu Lai didn’t seem surprised, just nodded as if he wasn’t particularly interested.

His personality hadn’t changed at all. After a moment, Ding Xiulin asked, “Besides work, are you still making videos?”

Chu Lai looked up, startled, and nodded. His gaze clearly said, How did you know?

As he had lowered his head earlier, his glasses had slid down slightly, giving him the same look he had when he’d woken up from a nap on his desk in high school. Seeing this, Ding Xiulin quickly turned away and coughed awkwardly. “I came across one of your videos. I recognized your voice.”

Chu Lai chuckled, “I’m not that famous.”

“I recognized your hands. They’re pretty distinct,” Ding Xiulin explained.

Chu Lai had never paid much attention to his hands before, but after hearing this, he looked down at them and asked, “Why?”

“There’s a red mole on one of them,” Ding Xiulin replied.

Looking down at his hand, Chu Lai was a bit surprised, “You remembered that?”

“How could I forget? I’m the one who helped you with pull-ups back in high school,” Ding Xiulin said, a little exasperated.

Chu Lai had never been good at sports, and one of the physical tests in high school involved doing pull-ups. Being able to manage just two would have been a miracle for him.

All the boys struggled with it, and when the gym teacher wasn’t looking, they helped each other out by giving a little push from behind.

Now that he thought about it, it had indeed been Ding Xiulin who helped him out back then.

But that had been so long ago that Chu Lai had forgotten about it. “Thanks, class monitor.”

They chatted for a bit about their high school classmates—who had gotten married, who already had kids, who was working where. Eventually, the conversation circled back to Chu Lai, and Ding Xiulin asked, “How did you meet your… fiancé?”

Chu Lai had answered this question so many times by now that he didn’t bother with a long explanation. “Love at first sight.”

There was a long pause.

“Really, I’ve always liked bigger guys, and he’s great in every way,” Chu Lai added.

It was hard not to read more into that statement.

Thinking about the man’s height, imposing presence, and striking features, Ding Xiulin couldn’t help but feel that he and Chu Lai were complete opposites.

On the other hand, something didn’t seem quite right. The information he had gathered indicated that Chu Lai had recently broken up with his ex-boyfriend, who didn’t even have Chu Lai’s WeChat anymore. Everything he had heard had come secondhand from others.

Knowing that Chu Lai had broken up didn’t stop him from feeling surprised that he was getting married so soon.

For a moment, he didn’t know what to say. He looked at Chu Lai more seriously, recalling the scene from yesterday, with the man standing beside Chu Lai.

Something didn’t feel right—it didn’t seem like they were really about to get married.

Chu Lai’s phone buzzed—it was a message from Cen Wei, asking what he wanted for breakfast.

Knowing that Chu Lai sometimes had trouble deciding, Cen Wei had listed several options, letting Chu Lai choose from A, B, C, or D.

Chu Lai chose E.

Suddenly, he had a craving for hula tang (spicy soup).

Not long after, Dacai suddenly bolted, and Chu Lai heard a familiar male voice, “Aren’t you making things difficult for me?”

After running a few laps around the neighborhood, Cen Wei had come down. The area was big, and he hadn’t planned on coming this way, thinking he shouldn’t disturb Chu Lai’s conversation with his first love.

But he couldn’t resist, his feet moving faster than his brain, and he ended up at the only dog park in the area.

Dacai rushed at him enthusiastically, and while Cen Wei instinctively wanted to dodge, he was afraid of hurting the dog’s feelings, so he had no choice but to brace himself.

Surprised, Chu Lai asked, “Why didn’t you sleep a bit more?”

He paused and added, “Did I wake you up?”

Standing to the side, Ding Xiulin felt increasingly like something was off.

Even if they weren’t married, no couple should be this polite with each other, right?

But at the same time, it didn’t feel like they were strangers either.

Noticing the look in Ding Xiulin’s eyes, Cen Wei greeted him, “Good morning, Mr. Ding.”

There was something mature about Cen Wei, making him look older than both of them, and even in sportswear, he didn’t seem much more approachable.

Ding Xiulin could believe in love at first sight, but he couldn’t quite believe that Chu Lai had fallen for someone like Cen Wei at first sight.

Chu Lai’s sexual orientation wasn’t exactly a secret—he had even turned down a girl in high school because of it. While the boys would chat about girls, they occasionally mentioned homosexuality as well.

When Chu Lai rejected a girl who liked him, he had been upfront about his reasons, never feeling ashamed of his orientation, even when the environment wasn’t that accepting. He would walk confidently through the hallways and continue reading his magazines during break.

Back then, someone had asked, “Class monitor, don’t you think it’s weird for guys to like other guys?”

And another had chimed in, “I mean, Chu Lai does look good—clean and studious—but his grades aren’t even as good as mine.”

“He lives with his grandma, right? Remember that big accident on the east side of town? His dad passed away during that.”

…

There was always something pure about Chu Lai’s demeanor. At first glance, you might overlook him, but by the second glance, he stood out.

And if you kept looking, you’d be hooked.

Back in high school, Ding Xiulin had refused to acknowledge that his extra glances meant he was falling for Chu Lai. He had been ashamed of his feelings, suppressing any desire to get close. It wasn’t until later in college that he came to terms with his orientation.

But by then, it was too late.

Is it still too late now?

He thought back to the ideal type card Chu Lai had written on the back of a magazine in high school.

It clearly described a man who was calm, gentle, with a soft voice, and strong arms for hugging—a regular, ordinary man.

This Mr. Cen—what about him was ordinary?

He wasn’t gentle, and his voice wasn’t soft.

Returning the greeting, Ding Xiulin stood there while Cen Wei turned to Chu Lai, “Can we save hula tang for next time? If we make it now, we’ll both be late.”

Chu Lai nodded, “I was just joking, and yet you still showed up.”

“Then what do you want to eat? The bread’s already toasted,” Cen Wei asked.

Chu Lai put the leash back on the dog, turning his back to Cen Wei, “So, I don’t actually have a choice, huh?”

With a chuckle, Cen Wei replied, “You can still choose what kind of coffee you want.”

Glancing at Ding Xiulin, who was also putting a leash on his dog, Chu Lai was about to say something when Cen Wei suggested, “How about I drive you to the office after breakfast?”

“No need to trouble yourself,” Chu Lai replied. “The class monitor and I can just take the subway together—it’s fast.”

Holding his dog’s leash, Ding Xiulin couldn’t help but steal another glance at them. The two were being suspiciously polite with each other.

“Then how about Mr. Ding joins us?” Cen Wei offered.

Chu Lai felt like this was becoming too much trouble. Their offices were in completely different directions anyway, so he declined, “It’s fine. It’s his first day at work, and we can just grab breakfast together.”

With that, he took the leash and gave Cen Wei a light shove, “Let’s go. We’ll head back first.”

Turning to Ding Xiulin, Chu Lai said, “See you later.”

/

Monday morning was the regular meeting for the Lanxin Umbrella brand at Zhuxianzi.

After the meeting, Cen Wei sat alone in his office. Shen Yangxu came in to hand him the results of the product inspection but noticed that his boss seemed distracted. He asked, “What’s going on with you? You seemed down even during the meeting. Aren’t you supposed to be in the midst of wedding preparations and living together already?”

That comment only reminded Cen Wei of the scene from earlier, watching Chu Lai and Ding Xiulin head into the elevator together.

Even though the guy lived just downstairs, he had gone out of his way to come up and take the elevator with Chu Lai.

Didn’t he know Chu Lai was married?

The thought crossed his mind, and the more he dwelled on it, the more dangerous it seemed. The marriage was fake, after all, so it really didn’t matter.

Leaning back in his chair, Cen Wei spun around, turning the chair in circles until Shen Yangxu started to feel dizzy watching him. He couldn’t help but think that his boss, newly married, seemed more like someone going through a divorce.

After a while, Cen Wei finally signed the document, but he couldn’t help asking the married man, “Does your wife have a first love?”

Understanding dawned on Shen Yangxu—it seemed like Chu Lai’s first love had shown up.

With a laugh, he replied, “My wife’s first love is me. You know that—we went to high school together.”

High school classmates, first loves, married, and now they had two kids.

Spinning his pen, Cen Wei swallowed the bitterness rising in his chest and forced out a “Congratulations.”

After leaving the office, Shen Yangxu was still a bit puzzled, muttering to himself, “What’s with the congratulations? Didn’t he already give me the wedding gift?”