Cen Wei stared at the account with a system avatar and default ID for a long time.

Chu Lai walked ahead, holding the dog leash. Noticing Cen Wei frowning, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

Cen Wei shook his head and glanced at the group barbecuing on the other side, feeling that a couple of people looked familiar.

On Friday, Shen Yangxu mentioned that a team from the sub-brand downstairs was having a weekend team-building event. Just now, he was pulled into a group chat. After checking the work app messages, he realized that the team-building location was also at Xunxi.

It was clear that the person who sent the message was hinting at something intentionally. But why?

Could Chu Lai’s ex-boyfriend be an employee of the company?

Thinking about how the account @mentioned him with malicious intent last time, Cen Wei felt particularly alert now.

After all, he and Chu Lai weren’t actually a couple, so this kind of provocation wouldn’t affect him.

Was this person trying to provoke a fight between him and Chu Lai?

With that in mind, Cen Wei typed, “Are you his ex-boyfriend?” then casually put his phone away, catching up to Chu Lai. “Let me hold the dog.”

Dacai hadn’t had outdoor activities in a while and was bouncing around joyfully. Chu Lai’s mood had visibly improved, a smile hanging on his lips. Cen Wei couldn’t help but glance at him a few more times.

On the other side, Shen Quanzhang had been keeping an eye on them, watching as their group disappeared down a small path, feeling even more frustrated.

He couldn’t even focus on flirting with the overseas-returnee intern, so he walked to the side and opened his phone.

Cen Wei’s account didn’t have many followers. He rarely posted pictures, and his avatar was just the logo of Lianxin San. Combined with the official certification under his ID, it gave off a very “old-fashioned” vibe.

The few followers he had were mostly from official Weibo events @mentioning him or sub-brand product launches. Most of his followers looked like bots, completely lifeless.

Most of Cen Wei’s personal life updates were posted on his overseas account from his study-abroad days, which had many followers and was linked to his handcrafted umbrella sub-brand, giving it a high-end image.

Thanks to the influence of his ex, luxury brand designer Shen Ke, his follower count was quite impressive.

However, Cen Wei still didn’t like posting pictures of himself. Some curious netizens would dig through Shen Ke’s account to learn about their relationship, finding plenty of drama, including ties to a certain rich young master from S City who was rumored to be Cen Wei’s childhood friend. After reading all this, people could only think: “Rich circles are such a mess.”

@Cee: “Are you his ex-boyfriend?”

Shen Quanzhang was startled by the private message reply, almost dropping his phone.

At that moment, a colleague next to him asked, “What are you doing? Didn’t you say you liked the overseas returnee downstairs? Why are you playing with your phone alone?”

Shen Quanzhang gave an “oh” and glanced over at the other side again.

The colleague said, “I heard the boss is here to take wedding photos. There’s an abandoned school halfway up the mountain. I wonder what kind of pictures they’re taking.”

“I really want to see.”

“Boss Cen always dresses so formally. If he wore a school uniform, he’d totally be school-heartthrob material. I’m dying to know how someone like him got ‘taken down’.”

Shen Quanzhang was just as curious, but he didn’t dare reply to the message and quickly logged out of the account.

He couldn’t stand seeing Chu Lai doing well and wished he’d get dumped again.

But since Cen Wei was his boss, Shen Quanzhang feared that if things got out, he’d be in trouble at the company.

Chu Lai didn’t care too much about Shen Quanzhang being in the same place.

Though he had lamented the wasted time in the past, after waking up, he wasn’t as dejected. After all, he still had his dog, though he hadn’t expected the photographer to ask for the dog to be in the photos.

Xunxi was a large area, and camping had become a popular outdoor activity in recent years. There were signs of camping everywhere.

Shen Quanzhang had invited Chu Lai to go camping before, but at that time, Chu Lai had been busy working overtime on a project, so it never happened.

That became another point of attack for Shen Quanzhang, saying Chu Lai was a hopeless homebody.

Chu Lai found it funny every time he thought about the “charges” Shen Quanzhang had sent him.

At the moment, they were at an abandoned elementary school. The basketball hoops were bare, and the lines on the court had faded.

The photographer was discussing angles with Cen Wei, while Chu Lai crouched down to chat with the dog.

Cen Wei didn’t know that Chu Lai did this until he discovered it one night while he was working, and Chu Lai sat in the living room watching TV.

He would say things like, “Dacai, say something” “The dog in the movie isn’t as cute as you” or “What do you think?” It was as if the dog could really respond. Chu Lai asked seriously, perhaps treating the dog like a little kid, and his tone would soften significantly.

It was hard for Cen Wei to hold back his laughter, so he had to bow his head slightly, using the computer screen to hide the smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Now, Chu Lai was once again talking to the dog, gently squeezing its ears and cheeks, and at first glance, it looked like they were having a proper conversation.

Cen Wei’s attention was completely drawn to him, until the photographer called out, “Mr. Cen, are you listening?”

The man snapped back to reality, and even Chu Lai glanced over, raising an eyebrow as if teasing him.

The man in the white shirt turned his face away, clearing his throat.

The photographer chuckled, “You two have a great relationship.”

“I think candid shots would work well. I’ll give it a try, feel free to walk around.”

Xuan Rongqing’s team charged high rates, and the team that had shot for celebrities was extremely professional, providing excellent service.

Both Chu Lai and Cen Wei weren’t used to taking photos, but they didn’t feel uncomfortable. They wandered around the abandoned school, then stood in the corridor admiring the view.

Even though it was winter, the green mountains and clear water were stunning. The only issue was that they were wearing spring uniforms, and it was quite cold.

The photographer was in another building, and Chu Lai sighed, “Look how happy Dacai is.”

They were on the second floor, and the mint-green walls had lost much of their paint. Cen Wei glanced down and saw the Shiba Inu circling around the assistant holding a sausage.

Chu Lai chuckled as he watched the dog nearly climb on top of the assistant, “How embarrassing.”

The awkwardness from earlier in the morning had melted away. Perhaps it was the beautiful scenery, or maybe the quiet surroundings that made it feel like they were the only two people around.

Not far away, the photographer looked at the photos he had taken and commented, “They really match well.”

Xuan Rongqing’s assistant stood nearby, remembering how Xuan Rongqing had once complained that her son might never get married. She hadn’t expected young master Cen to come this far.

Although Cen Wei had a cold demeanor, he was deeply emotional. The blow from his father’s incident had been severe. Even as an adult, though he tried to save himself, it was hard to let go completely, and he often spiraled into a dead end.

In the photos, the two of them, wearing matching outfits, looked exceptionally compatible.

Chu Lai, being quite slender, fit perfectly into the school uniform. He could easily blend in with high school students, and his carefully styled hair gave him the fresh, youthful look that was trending.

He smiled at the dog in the distance, and Cen Wei gazed at him. The photographer had taken pictures of many couples before, but rarely did their appearances match so well, and it was even rarer for them to rival celebrities.

But Chu Lai was freezing. He nearly had a runny nose and sniffled, saying, “I should’ve chosen something warmer.”

His voice was muffled, “Wearing fur would’ve been warmer.”

Cen Wei thought for a moment and smiled, “In that case, we wouldn’t be shooting here. We’d be at a club.”

He said “club” so naturally that Chu Lai, taking the tissue pack from Cen Wei, curiously asked, “Are you a regular?”

The question made Cen Wei choke. The young man in front of him wiped his nose so casually, without a hint of embarrassment, and even sounded content.

Chu Lai’s nose was already red from all the wiping. Taking the coat handed over by the assistant, Cen Wei draped it over him and couldn’t help but ask, “Do I really look like a regular?”

He knew that Chu Lai wasn’t completely satisfied with his appearance, but he hadn’t realized the extent of it. For a moment, he even felt a little wronged.

Chu Lai slipped into the long down coat, closed his eyes as the makeup artist touched up his face, and said, “Weren’t you the one who mentioned it?”

“But you do look like the VIP type, the kind with exclusive services.”

The remark could be taken as a compliment, or perhaps not.

The makeup artist stifled a laugh, her hands nearly shaking.

Cen Wei: “…”

He rarely looked in the mirror, but now, turning to the photographer, he asked, “Do I really?”

The photographer nodded, “Mr. Cen, you’d be more qualified to play a domineering CEO than many of the popular actors nowadays.”

He gave Cen Wei a quick once-over, and his expression said it all.

Chu Lai nodded in agreement, letting out a couple of hums.

The photographer added, “You two must have a great relationship. Even talking about things like this feels so natural.”

The two glanced at each other, then quickly looked away. Of course, it felt natural because they weren’t actually a couple.

Chu Lai joked easily, but deep down, he knew Cen Wei wasn’t that kind of person.

When they first met, Cen Wei had gotten so drunk that Chu Lai couldn’t help but wonder if anyone had ever taken advantage of him in that state.

Meanwhile, Cen Wei felt frustrated. It wasn’t his fault he looked like this.

He wished he looked more refined, with a softer voice.

To be… Chu Lai’s ideal type.

After one night, certain things he had been avoiding became much clearer, so much so that it was hard for him to look away. Even when they were changing into their second outfits with just a curtain between them, he felt unsatisfied.

The stylist helped Chu Lai change into his next outfit. Xuan Rongqing had selected a wide range of wedding photos, from school uniforms to traditional Hanfu, making it feel like Chu Lai was switching professions.

He asked Cen Wei from the other side of the curtain, “Has Auntie never taken photos like this herself?”

Xuan Rongqing’s WeChat Moments were filled with too much content, and Chu Lai had never gone through it all.

Since he was the type who rarely posted to Moments himself, he didn’t really know.

Cen Wei responded with a hum, “She took some with Grandma in a ‘Queen and Empress Dowager’ series.”

Chu Lai fell silent for a while, thinking about the fiery enthusiasm of the “Red Grandma” and squeezed out, “Your family atmosphere is really…”

He wanted to say “scary” but with so many people around, including Xuan Rongqing’s assistant, he chose a different word, “special.”

After finishing the first set of photos, they moved to the other side, where the team had already scouted the location.

It was almost noon by then, and Liu Yuan finally replied to Chu Lai’s WeChat message: “Got hard, huh? Based on your description of that kiss, anyone would’ve had a reaction.”

“You even held hands? My god, Chu Lai, I underestimated you. You two should apologize to the concept of being ‘cold-hearted’! Flirting with such give-and-take.”

“You were just held back by Shen Quanzhang, like a rusty lock and key. Let me send you some oil (wink).”

“Anyway, I’m off to my team-building event.”

“I hate hiking.”

[Image]

Chu Lai was relieved Liu Yuan didn’t send a voice message. It would’ve been super awkward without headphones. But even the text made his face flush.

What key, what lock, what oil?

He opened the picture Liu Yuan sent, and sure enough, it was the same location.

Liu Yuan had seen the location Chu Lai shared and immediately called.

“You’re at Xunxi too?”

It was Chu Lai’s first time wearing something like this, and walking in the outfit made him feel as clumsy as a dog wearing clothes for the first time. On the other hand, Cen Wei seemed to be doing fine, as the photographer taught him how to use the fan, and he was picking it up quickly.

Chu Lai responded with a hum, “I’m taking wedding photos.”

Liu Yuan thought he had gone deaf, “How could you not tell me something this big?! Let me see how far we are from each other. Do you see the temple halfway up the mountain? I’m there. I’ve gotta see you taking wedding photos.”

Liu Yuan’s loud voice was so clear that even Cen Wei heard it.

Chu Lai glanced at Cen Wei and quietly said to Liu Yuan, “Aren’t you supposed to be at a team-building event? Isn’t that kind of awkward?”

Liu Yuan got irritated just thinking about it, “If I hadn’t paid, I wouldn’t be here. What, you don’t want me to see your husband?”

The words “your husband” were so loud that Cen Wei turned around, his eyebrows slightly raised.

Chu Lai didn’t blush. His nose was still red from sniffling.

The cloak he wore with this outfit was thick and heavy, so he wasn’t cold—if anything, he was a little hot. He lowered his voice and said, “Don’t say that.”

Cen Wei could tell who Chu Lai was talking to and casually asked, “Where’s your friend? We can have lunch together. The restaurant’s already booked.”

On the other end, Liu Yuan, recognizing Cen Wei’s voice, cheered, “Thanks to Chu Lai’s husband!”

Chu Lai couldn’t take it anymore and quickly hung up.

Cen Wei was thoughtful, “Your friend is very lively.”

Chu Lai always seemed so isolated, and although anyone could have friends, it was hard for Cen Wei to imagine how he got along with someone as chatty and energetic as Liu Yuan.

Once feelings are involved, it’s hard to resist the urge to learn more about Chu Lai’s past. Perhaps having lunch with Liu Yuan would offer some useful insight.

Chu Lai glanced at him, and Cen Wei’s earlier frown from the morning had disappeared, clearly showing his improved mood.

The reason for his good mood was easy to guess. Right at that moment, the assistant was giving a progress report to Xuan Rongqing over the phone, with the speaker on.

Seizing the moment, Chu Lai decided to play along, raising his gaze slightly toward the person in front of him—

“Husband, you seem really happy?”