When Liu Yuan found Chu Lai, he was still in the middle of his photo shoot. Liu Yuan stood just outside the photography area, watching intently. This part of Xunxi was known for its many temples, and most tourists came here because of that. The temple the photography team had chosen wasn’t particularly famous, so even though it was the weekend, there weren’t many people around, making it convenient for the shoot.

Leaning against the railing, Liu Yuan watched with great interest. In his memory, Chu Lai had always been someone particularly indifferent, except for a bit of competitive spirit when it came to games. As long as he passed his exams, he never cared about his rank. During the university physical tests, especially, Chu Lai always ran at a leisurely pace while others bolted off from the start. He would be the one trailing behind as if he were out for a casual stroll. According to their classmates, this guy just had an incredibly calm mindset.

Even though Liu Yuan considered himself to understand Chu Lai fairly well, he was still surprised by the audacity of his friend to marry someone after meeting them only twice. Compared to the sudden marriage, it wasn’t all that shocking that Chu Lai was now taking wedding photos. If Liu Yuan hadn’t known of Cen Wei’s situation beforehand, he wouldn’t have teased Chu Lai on WeChat, encouraging him to give it a real shot.

Chu Lai was never the type to enjoy taking selfies. Over the years, the only photos Liu Yuan had of Chu Lai were either graduation photos or some selfies Liu Yuan had stubbornly insisted on taking. Yet, despite this, Chu Lai’s phone album had thousands of pictures, with a third of them being nearly indistinguishable photos of his dog.

While Liu Yuan was watching, other tourists—mostly young men and women—were also standing around to watch the photo shoot.

“Are they doing a photoshoot over there? A cosplayer?”

“What a perfect couple!”

“Why are they shooting outdoors? Indoor scenes look better.”

“They turned around. Wow, they look amazing! Now I want to have a photoshoot too!”

Liu Yuan couldn’t help but take a picture and post it on his WeChat Moments, captioning it: Our Lai Lai is taking wedding photos. So enviable!

Since most of his contacts were old classmates, it wasn’t long before his post was flooded with comments. A few months ago, Jiang Liyong, who had added Liu Yuan on WeChat because of a friend’s sudden marriage, saw the picture. Recognizing both Cen Wei and Chu Lai, he gave it a like. After noticing that Liu Yuan’s location was close to where his team-building event was, Jiang Liyong sent a WeChat message to Cen Wei:

“Did you go back to sleep after we talked yesterday?”

“And now you’re already out taking wedding photos together. Have you guys had a heart-to-heart yet?”

For this set of photos, there wasn’t much posing required—just standing close to each other would do. The mountain wind was chilly, and their cloaks were thick, which made Chu Lai feel content. The photographer suggested, “Can you two stand a little closer? Maybe hold hands… oh, wait, the angle isn’t quite right.”

An assistant on the side came over to adjust the pose for the couple, but it became clear that whenever they posed, they were stiff. So, the assistant changed tactics: “Just take a casual walk, and we’ll snap some pictures as you go.”

The mountain wind was biting cold, and it was clear that Chu Lai and Cen Wei were dressed in matching couple outfits. The temple visitors couldn’t help but steal a glance at them. However, there were also other couples having photoshoots nearby, so they didn’t stand out too much.

Chu Lai asked, “Do you not like taking pictures?”

Even though he had been added to the Cen family’s group chat, where the grandmother constantly posted selfies, there were few pictures of Cen Wei himself. Once, when Chu Lai was invited to the Cen family’s house for a meal, the grandmother even had Xuan Rongqing search for childhood photos of Cen Wei, planning to show Chu Lai. But the mother said that all the albums had been secretly hidden by Cen Wei, leaving her only with a one-inch photo of him.

Chu Lai wasn’t particularly interested in family photos, and at the time, he hadn’t expected that he would one day be taking wedding pictures with Cen Wei. He thought to himself: Grandma loves making short videos so much, I just hope she doesn’t turn our wedding photos into a PowerPoint presentation and post them online. That would be horrifying.

Cen Wei made a small sound of acknowledgment and then curiously asked, “What about you?”

“In the past… you must’ve taken some photos when you were dating, right?”

Chu Lai quickly replied, “Not really.”

“The most I ever took were food pics when eating together, but I have way more pictures of Da Cai.”

Cen Wei nodded, “Same here.”

Chu Lai glanced at him, “Did you secretly take pictures of my dog?”

Cen Wei smiled, “Da Cai didn’t reject me, so how could it be considered ‘secret’?”

He was more than pleased with the identity of being called “Da Cai’s dad” by other dog owners in the neighborhood. It was an identity that inflated his ego, just like now, when their wide sleeves brushed together. As they walked, their hands naturally drifted toward each other, clasping tightly, fitting together like when they kissed the night before.

Chu Lai didn’t pull away—perhaps it was because the camera was rolling, or perhaps because he was trying to convince himself.

The one holding his hand didn’t say anything, so Cen Wei added, “Da Cai sees me as his dad.”

Sometimes, Chu Lai and Cen Wei would walk the dog together; other times, only one of them would go. Chu Lai wasn’t much of a talker, usually sitting on the side while the dog socialized. Even so, there were other dog owners who would chat with him, often saying things like, “Your dog really loves tugging on your boyfriend’s pants,” or, “One time, Cen Wei almost tripped, but luckily, he didn’t fall.” Some even thanked his “husband” for sharing a raincoat for the dog, saying it was really useful.

They always praised Cen Wei, and if Chu Lai hadn’t seen the footage from the security camera, where Da Cai scared him into rolling off the couch, he might’ve doubted that the “boyfriend” and “husband” they were talking about were the same person.

Over time, the dog had gained quite a bit of weight, entirely thanks to Cen Wei spoiling him.

“You’re more like…” Chu Lai paused, “…Da Cai’s godfather.”

Cen Wei frowned slightly, “Why?”

Chu Lai raised his eyes a bit, a hint of mischief in his gaze that softened his usual aloofness. “What do you think?”

At that moment, both Chu Lai and Cen Wei heard a whistle. When Chu Lai turned, he saw Liu Yuan standing at the railing above them.

In an instant, he recalled Liu Yuan’s teasing and Cen Wei’s subtle cover-up from just moments ago.

Cen Wei noticed Liu Yuan too and asked, “Do you want to talk to him?”

Chu Lai looked down at their clasped hands. “But aren’t we not done taking photos yet?”

He didn’t say those two words out loud, but when he raised his eyes, his lips clearly mouthed them: “my husband.” It was the same deliberate term he’d used earlier to convince Xuan Rongqing of their strong relationship.

Cen Wei turned his head away, coughing lightly. “Don’t do that.”

Chu Lai gave their intertwined hands a little shake, his eyes full of teasing. “Aren’t you happy?”

Cen Wei shook his head, “No, I’m not.”

Earlier, he had avoided the question, using the excuse that they were nearing the end of the path. But now, they were standing at the finish line, and the midday sun had dispelled the cold in the wind.

There was no avoiding it. With a resigned look, Cen Wei lowered his eyes and looked at Chu Lai. “Do we really need to talk about this?”

Obviously, if I say forever, you’ll reject it.

His gaze was serious, and he leaned in closer. The pressure from his height and build was already strong, and now, as he moved nearer, it felt like their noses might even touch. This made Liu Yuan, watching from above, click his tongue in disapproval. He thought back to Chu Lai’s late-night phone call, realizing that the tone of that call was unmistakably filled with affection. It was clear that Chu Lai felt much more for Cen Wei than he had for Shen Quanzhang.

As someone who had witnessed the only two relationships in Chu Lai’s life, Liu Yuan couldn’t help but feel that the reason Chu Lai had ended up with Shen Quanzhang was simply out of laziness—why not date someone who came to him rather than putting in effort to find someone? Out of all the people chasing him, he had picked someone who he thought had the best “value for money.”

But this approach wasn’t much different from shopping for groceries. Chu Lai wasn’t proactive; he preferred people who liked him a bit more than he liked them. Nowadays, many relationships start this way—pursue someone long enough, and feelings will develop. Confirm the relationship first, then nurture the emotions.

However, Chu Lai was like a stone or an eraser—on the surface, he seemed hard and unyielding, but a little rubbing would reveal the hidden emotions underneath.

Under the sunlight, as the two of them stared at each other, they looked perfectly matched in both height and build. Even if Liu Yuan didn’t know them personally, he would’ve thought they were a pleasing sight to behold, and the nearby tourists clearly felt the same.

Liu Yuan shouted, “Kiss him!”

Chu Lai quickly lifted his head, but in doing so, he accidentally bumped into Cen Wei’s nose. The other man took a small step back, immediately wrapping an arm around his waist.

There was no kiss, but there was a hug.

Chu Lai was easily satisfied. From hard to soft, all it took was a hug to make the transition.

The photographer captured the moment, clearly very pleased with the result.

After the shoot, Chu Lai was still rubbing his nose. Cen Wei asked, “Do you want to see a doctor?”

After changing out of his clothes, Chu Lai went to find Liu Yuan, not even sparing a glance at Cen Wei. The unresolved issue between them still floated in the air, but Chu Lai wasn’t in the mood to discuss it at that moment.

Not knowing how to handle it either, Cen Wei could only watch as Chu Lai ran off toward Liu Yuan.

Liu Yuan, still lazily leaning against the railing, grinned as he saw Chu Lai approaching. His gaze then shifted to the handsome man in the distance, who had changed into a new outfit. He stared intently at Chu Lai.

With a teasing smile, Liu Yuan said, “You call this a marriage of convenience? If that’s the case, then my parents’ marriage was even more casual than this!”

Even from afar, Cen Wei was eye-catching, and his gaze from a distance was unmistakably affectionate.

This type was something even high-end bars couldn’t offer, and Liu Yuan continued, “Didn’t you guys talk this morning?”

Chu Lai really wished he could erase the things he had told Liu Yuan from his mind.

But since that wasn’t possible, he could only shake his head and say, “We were too busy with the photo shoot. No time to talk.”

Liu Yuan teased, “But he’s been staring at you the whole time.”

Chu Lai glanced at Cen Wei, who had lowered his head, seemingly replying to a message.

Liu Yuan loved stirring things up and, on the way to the restaurant, even asked Chu Lai about his first love.

The photographer’s team had gone to another restaurant, and Liu Yuan asked, “Can I join you guys? Wouldn’t it be awkward to be a third wheel?”

It had been a while since he had seen Da Cai, and he was holding the dog, unwilling to let go. He said, “I might as well take Da Cai and eat somewhere else.”

At that moment, Cen Wei, who had just taken a phone call and was walking on the other side in a long coat, overheard Liu Yuan and said, “It’s fine, Mr. Liu can join us for the meal.”

Liu Yuan chewed on the word “us” and then winked at Chu Lai.

Still on the phone, Cen Wei said, “Are you at this restaurant too? I’m in the ‘Jiang Yue’ private room on the first floor. Where are you?”

“Who is it?” Chu Lai asked.

“Cen Wei replied, “Jiang Liyong.”

After a pause, he added, “You’ve met him before, the doctor.”

Liu Yuan’s scalp tingled at the mention of the name. Although he and Jiang Liyong occasionally exchanged information on WeChat and liked each other’s posts, meeting in person was still awkward for him. He turned to Chu Lai and said, “Maybe I shouldn’t go.”

Chu Lai, knowing the history between Liu Yuan and Jiang Liyong, explained the situation to Cen Wei. But just as they reached the restaurant, they saw Jiang Liyong.

Last night, Dr. Jiang had been up late providing emotional support for Cen Wei, and now he looked exhausted. When he saw Chu Lai, standing there seemingly with no barriers between him and Cen Wei, Jiang felt as though all his heartfelt advice had been wasted. His gaze landed on Liu Yuan, who had failed to make a timely exit, but there was no visible reaction.

In the end, the four of them ended up sitting together in a private room on the first floor.

The building, which could be considered both a farmhouse and a teahouse, was situated halfway up the mountain, offering a view of Xunxi and the people barbecuing by the stream below. The private room on the first floor was semi-open, and Da Cai was playing outside with other pets brought by the tourists. In the distance, a group of visitors had just climbed the mountain.

Jiang Liyong had a scholarly air about him, wearing silver-framed glasses, and though his outfit was casual, he exuded an odd intellectual charm.

Originally, Cen Wei hadn’t noticed this about him, but when he saw Chu Lai glance at Jiang a couple more times, he realized: Isn’t this exactly Chu Lai’s type?

Lost in thought, he didn’t realize that his cup was empty, yet he continued drinking from it.

Sitting next to him, Chu Lai asked, “Are you really that thirsty?”

Cen Wei shook his head.

Noticing how distracted he seemed today, Chu Lai assumed it was because of the kiss last night. He also knew there was an unresolved issue between them that hadn’t been addressed.

But now wasn’t the right time. Chu Lai poured him another cup of tea and said, “I feel like you didn’t sleep well.”

He asked, “What time did you get to your grandfather’s house last night?”

Across the table, Liu Yuan and Jiang Liyong sat in awkward silence. The last time they had spoken was months ago, and although they had added each other on WeChat, aside from discussing the true nature of the couple sitting across from them, they weren’t exactly close “relatives.”

Calling them “relatives” would be too generous.

To make matters worse, the two lovebirds sitting opposite them were openly whispering sweet nothings, completely ignoring their presence.

As Cen Wei’s deep voice confirmed that he hadn’t gotten much sleep, Jiang Liyong finally couldn’t hold back anymore and said, “You didn’t sleep well? I’m the one who didn’t sleep well!”

“I was looking forward to taking some time off, but you dragged me out. Then, after a cup of coffee, I was wide awake until five in the morning and had to get up at seven to climb the mountain.”

His tone was filled with resentment, and his once refined intellectual aura now had a touch of ghost-story vibes to it. Chu Lai glanced at him again, thinking that Jiang Liyong didn’t look anything like Liu Yuan’s boyfriend.

Was it really possible for half-siblings to be so completely different?

Noticing Chu Lai’s gaze drifting toward Jiang Liyong once again, Cen Wei couldn’t help but tug at his sleeve under the table, reminding him, “Jiang Liyong likes students.”

His voice wasn’t exactly quiet, and Liu Yuan let out a loud “ah,” turning to look at his supposed “big brother” with disdain.

Jiang Liyong felt that Cen Wei was doing this on purpose. Since he couldn’t win the heart of the one he liked, he resorted to teasing him instead. “Stop making things up. That’s just my junior. He’s still in grad school and hasn’t even graduated yet. And besides, I don’t like him.”

Chu Lai raised an eyebrow and said, “But grad students are still students.”

He caught the hidden meaning behind Cen Wei’s words but didn’t call him out on it, instead smiling as he said, “If Liu Yuan and I went to grad school, we’d have just graduated by now.”

The dishes in this restaurant were elegant, and each private room needed to be reserved in advance. Jiang Liyong’s department had organized a team-building event upstairs. Although his sexual orientation wasn’t public knowledge, the event had an awkward blind date vibe to it, and he was eager to find an excuse to escape.

Even though he suspected he might be a third wheel here, the presence of Liu Yuan changed the dynamics entirely.

Outside, some tourists passed by, marveling at the restaurant’s appearance, with many stopping to take pictures at the entrance.

At that moment, Shen Quanzhang was hiking with a group of overseas returnee interns, having just finished a barbecue by the river. They all agreed to visit the temple at the top of the mountain.

Shen had never visited Xunxi during his time as an undergraduate or a graduate student. In fact, he had never traveled with Chu Lai during their relationship.

Part of it was because he was busy with his studies, and part of it was because Chu Lai was busy with work. Whenever the company organized a trip and invited Shen as a family member, Shen’s schedule never matched up.

The overseas returnee intern was a fresh-faced young man, with bright red lips and white teeth. Rumor had it his parents were small business owners, which fit Shen Quanzhang’s ideal partner profile: a local, with a house, a car, and a dual-income family.

The intern asked, “Shen-ge, didn’t you go to university here? Have you ever been to this temple?”

Just as Shen Quanzhang was about to say no, a dog suddenly rushed toward them.

It was a black Shiba Inu, sniffing at Shen’s pants.

The overseas returnee exclaimed, “What a cute dog! It’s so friendly.”

Instinctively, Shen looked toward the restaurant, but instead of Chu Lai noticing, it was Liu Yuan who spotted him first.

Liu Yuan cursed, “Chu Lai, your dog… ahhhhh!!”

The other three turned to look, but Jiang Liyong, confused, asked, “What’s wrong with the dog?”

The Shiba Inu, named Da Cai, leaped at a man in a baseball jacket.

Jiang Liyong, unfamiliar with Shen, commented, “I thought Shiba Inus were aggressive, but this one seems quite friendly.”

Liu Yuan glanced at Cen Wei, who was also seeing Da Cai this excited for the first time.

He stood up and said, “I’ll go get the dog.”

Chu Lai, not wanting Cen Wei to run into Shen, quickly said, “I’ll go.”

Liu Yuan immediately stood up to join him, saying, “I’ll go with you.”

The way the two of them acted only made the man in question seem even more suspicious. Just then, the team leader, who had been hiking with Shen, approached and noticed Shen staring at the restaurant. Following his gaze, he looked inside and instantly recognized the man at the table, thanks to the weekly meetings where he had been called out by name.

“Isn’t that President Cen?”

Now that they had been spotted, it would’ve been rude not to say hello.

Chu Lai chose to go out alone, but Cen Wei followed him.

Liu Yuan had intended to go as well, but Jiang Liyong held him back and asked, “Why do you need to go?”

In a tone filled with anguish, Liu Yuan groaned, “That man is Chu Lai’s ex-boyfriend.”

Jiang Liyong: …

This world is way too small. Did Xunxi’s tourist spot get an online marketing boost this year? Why are there so many people?!

As Chu Lai walked over, he told the man behind him, “You don’t need to come. I’ll handle it myself.”

He obviously knew who the man was—there weren’t many people Da Cai was this enthusiastic about, especially not his former owner.

Chu Lai’s rejection was clear. In the past, Cen Wei would’ve tactfully nodded and stepped back. But at that moment, he recalled the message he had received from the account he had blocked:

“Your spouse’s ex-boyfriend is on site.”

He was almost certain that the person Da Cai was excitedly welcoming was indeed Chu Lai’s ex-boyfriend. The man who had never crossed paths with him, the cheater, the one who had dated Chu Lai for three years.

Chu Lai hadn’t been completely indifferent to him.

Before Chu Lai even reached Shen, Da Cai had already noticed him and happily ran over.

The dog didn’t know anything, but the team leader, seeing his boss on a team-building day, remembered the mix-up in the group chat and greeted Cen Wei warmly, “President Cen! You’re here too. Someone mentioned seeing you on the opposite side during the barbecue.”

Cen Wei responded with a nod, his gaze lingering on the tall man who wasn’t particularly handsome but had a high, prominent nose.

Noticing Cen Wei’s gaze, the team leader introduced, “This is Xiao Shen, who just got promoted to full-time in our product department.”

Standing silently with the dog in his arms, Chu Lai watched as Shen Quanzhang glanced at him before naturally standing next to the man.

The two of them, at first glance, did indeed seem to be the perfect match that company colleagues had described.

For a moment, jealousy and bitterness surged within Shen, and he greeted Cen Wei, “Hello, President Cen.”

“My name is Shen Quanzhang. I’m…”

Before he could finish, Cen Wei cut him off—

“My Lai Lai’s ex-boyfriend?”