After Chu Lai said that, he didn’t bother to privately message Cen Wei. He let the chat explode in excitement and immersed himself back into the game.

The new viewers were surprised to see so many people interacting live in the chat, and with Chu Lai’s strong sense of immersion in his streams, the retention rate of his audience was quite high. Besides the user named “Cee,” there were also two other people occasionally sending top-tier rewards.

Chu Lai could directly call out Cen Wei because they lived together, and Cen Wei did spend too much. But he couldn’t do the same with Shen Quanzhang, whom he found kind of odd—after their breakup, Shen Quanzhang suddenly started acting all generous.

Could it be that he felt guilty for taking my microwave after we broke up?

If that’s the case, the guilt is way too late.

After clearing a level, Chu Lai ended his stream. The amount of rewards today was astonishing, catapulting his account to the trending charts, and he even gained quite a few new followers on Weibo.

It was Sunday night, around 11 p.m., and Chu Lai had work the next day. Cen Wei still wasn’t home.

Having napped a lot in the car during the day, Chu Lai wasn’t sleepy. He opened the WeChat chat with Cen Wei and, after thinking for a long time, typed “You said you’d be home soon, so why aren’t you back yet?” He kept editing and changing it, and eventually, he wrote, “You haven’t fulfilled your promise today.” But before he could send it, a message came from the other side—

“I’m almost home.”

Bored, Chu Lai opened Cen Wei’s WeChat profile.

Note: Blue Pepper

Nickname: Cee

WeChat ID: Cee03021_1

He had never really paid attention to Cen Wei’s account before, thinking that since the guy used the same nickname on video apps, maybe it was his username everywhere?

Curious, Chu Lai searched for “Cee” on Weibo.

There were quite a few results: musicians, fashion bloggers, people with various certifications, and even a food company.

Sorting by follower count, Chu Lai scrolled down and found an account certified to “Lian Xin San.”

This account didn’t have a single original Weibo post. The profile picture was the default system one, and all the content was reposts from corporate Weibo accounts. The whole profile looked like something a middle-aged businessman would have set up on a whim rather than a less-than-30-year-old elite.

How could someone prefer using thumbs-up emojis when reposting but never do that on WeChat?

Chu Lai found it hard to associate this account with Cen Wei.

He didn’t follow it, just browsed briefly before closing the app. Unintentionally, while quickly scrolling through Weibo, he accidentally liked a post. With the algorithm, this meant that Cen Wei’s Weibo was pushed to Chu Lai’s followers, who promptly noticed.

Tonight’s stream had already drawn a lot of attention; Chu Lai’s voice was distinct among male streamers, and then there was the surprise appearance of his real-life partner. Long-time fans had been curious about who Chu Lai’s “husband” was, and once they saw the post, they quickly connected the dots to the top contributor, Cee. After the stream ended, some even commented on Chu Lai’s Weibo to ask. New followers joined the conversation, chatting with long-time fans in the comments.

“Is this the top contributor, the streamer’s partner? But they look much older?”

“I’ve seen the marriage certificate the streamer posted. Doesn’t seem that old, and even with the face covered, I bet they’re good-looking (though it could be a case of body fraud). They look like someone with broad shoulders and a lot of security.”

“Isn’t this an old domestic brand? Their owner must be pretty old, right?”

“Probably the son or grandson of the owner! Let me check their company’s website. I heard their umbrellas sell for a fortune abroad.”

“Wait, does this count as a rich family?”

“This is a rich family? Isn’t it just a big company that sells umbrellas?”

“I found this account’s Instagram! [Image] Not a domineering CEO at all, I’ll eat my keyboard if they are.”

“Now I’m really curious about what the streamer looks like. I found out the name of their partner!! Oh my god, an elite and an overseas returnee!”

Chu Lai had no idea how skilled netizens were at digging up info. Not feeling sleepy, he snuggled into his new bed to check out the latest manga updates. Before long, Cen Wei came home.

It was pouring outside, and when Cen Wei came in, the little dog greeted him enthusiastically. He asked the dog, “Where’s your dad?”

The dog wagged its tail and motioned toward the slightly ajar small room.

Chu Lai heard a knock at the door. When he opened it, Cen Wei was standing there, asking, “Already asleep?”

Wearing loose pajamas, Chu Lai shook his head just in time to get pulled into a tight hug.

The wind and rain raged outside, but Cen Wei had a car for his travels, and he sold umbrellas for a living, so Chu Lai never worried about him getting wet.

But in this tight hug, Chu Lai caught the scent of wood, and he could even tell what kind of wood it was. Childhood memories of helping his father with wood carving surfaced.

A minute later, it was Cen Wei who let go first. “Goodnight then.”

He said nothing about the stream or the rewards, turned around, and headed for the shower.

Chu Lai stood in place for a long time before closing the door. He flopped onto the bed, where the dog had already jumped up, and he pulled it into a hug.

“I miss Dad, Da Cai,” Chu Lai said.

He closed his eyes, but his mind was filled with thoughts of Cen Wei. It wasn’t hard to guess where he had been.

It must have been the workshop he’d mentioned before. Handmade umbrellas require wood. Had he been making umbrellas all night?

Was he watching my stream while doing it?

In the days that followed, Chu Lai and Cen Wei maintained this sort of routine. Living together, they would hug once a day. Even though Cen Wei was the boss of a big company, he woke up much earlier than Chu Lai, who worked at a regular company.

He would go jogging and walk the dog, giving Chu Lai time to sleep in.

Sometimes, if he was running late and didn’t prepare breakfast, he would leave a note. The handwriting was sharp and forceful, matching the sharpness in his eyes.

In the evenings, Chu Lai would often get home earlier than Cen Wei. Sometimes, he’d eat at the company; other times, he’d cook something simple.

Cen Wei usually came home just as Chu Lai was about to go to bed, like clockwork, bringing with him a dusty embrace that precisely quelled the longing that had built up in Chu Lai during the day.

By Friday, they had an important matter to deal with—visiting the Cen family over the weekend.

Initially, Cen Wei had planned to pick up Chu Lai after work, but since Chu Lai finished earlier, he offered to take a car to Cen Wei’s office and wait for him there. Then, they’d head to the Cen family’s home together.

Friday was packed with meetings for Cen Wei. The high-end line of handmade umbrellas was selling well abroad, but progress in the domestic workshop was slow. The integration of craftsmanship and innovation still wasn’t going smoothly, and the team had been locked in a heated debate all afternoon, something even the staff could sense.

“Wow, I feel like we’re going to have to work overtime again. We might even have to redo all our previous products.”

“I just passed by the big conference room to grab coffee, and when I peeked in, I felt a chill. President Cen was just sitting there, coldly staring at the proposal on the screen. Our team leader looked like he was about to wet his pants.”

“I want to transfer to the traditional department downstairs. I’d rather be an assistant in the livestream department, or maybe even the flagship store.”

Shen Quanzhang took his coffee and said, “Thanks.”

A colleague asked, “Did you break up with that guy downstairs?”

He had been wanting to ask this since Monday, but things had been so busy this week that no one had had time to gossip, even about something this juicy.

The rumor mill downstairs had been in overdrive, with everyone saying that the new employee in the upstairs workshop had an ex who was now married to the company boss.

The young man sitting at his desk silently sipped his coffee and nodded.

Shen Quanzhang had dark circles under his eyes from nights of staying up late.

He specialized in product design, and the proposal had been scrapped and redone several times. As a new hire, he had been assigned the most tasks, and he had been revising design after design.

The team leader had even gone out of their way to tell him it wasn’t personal.

As if that’s something you can just say!

Shen Quanzhang suspected that Cen Wei was doing this on purpose.

He was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open. Leaning back in his chair, he swiveled in place twice, nodding his head again.

The colleague said, “Alright, I’m off.”

Shen Quanzhang nodded again.

Then, the colleague asked, “You and President Cen’s partner…is that true?”

His voice was very low, but the conversation nearby suddenly fell silent, making it seem like everyone was waiting for Shen Quanzhang to answer.

There were a lot of new hires in the workshop, and while Shen Quanzhang’s resume was impressive, no one expected him to be entangled in a relationship with the company’s headquarters boss, let alone in such a messy way.

Last week’s team-building event in Xunxi had been retold with all sorts of embellishments, like how even the dog recognized the ex at the event and how Shen Quanzhang had called himself the dog’s dad right in front of his ex and their new partner.

Who wouldn’t be dying to know the details? It was like missing out on a year-end bonus!

Shen Quanzhang had spent the entire week enduring curious stares, and his head throbbed from it all. He gave a noncommittal grunt in response.

Chu Lai had been streaming a lot this week, shaking off the silence of the previous period. Even Shen Quanzhang wondered if it was because Cen Wei was working so late that Chu Lai was deliberately streaming to pass the time.

This idea was probably fueled by the comments on the stream. Viewers kept saying the streamer was putting on a show for his husband.

Some even @’d the top contributor.

Then others joined in, egging on the second-highest contributor to catch up.

As the third-highest contributor, Shen Quanzhang felt humiliated for the first time.

Even if he used his entire annual salary, he couldn’t compete with the top spot.

Cen Wei, the CEO, had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He had local residency, a car, a house, and assets worth billions. The most extravagant gifts were pocket change to him. Instead, many viewers were just watching for fun and had started shipping the couple.

Shen Quanzhang couldn’t swallow the bitterness. Why had Chu Lai’s entire personality changed just because he was with Cen Wei?

And the internet loved Chu Lai so much. People were even calling him “baby.”

Shen Quanzhang couldn’t deny that whenever he stared at the small image of Chu Lai in the bottom-right corner of the stream, he could imagine exactly how Chu Lai looked sitting in front of the computer.

After three years and countless yesterdays, he had hugged Chu Lai from behind and held the hand that gripped the mouse, but he hadn’t valued those moments at the time.

And what about now?

Would Chu Lai, as viewers suggested, sit calmly in front of the computer, being held by Cen Wei as he streamed horror games?

Or would Cen Wei break through Chu Lai’s calm exterior, and after the stream, they’d…?

Maybe Shen Quanzhang’s face gave away his thoughts because his colleague stopped asking, while others resumed their discussions in hushed voices.

It was almost the end of the workday, and people were getting ready to leave.

Shen Quanzhang still hadn’t finished his work. He rested his face in his hands, staring at the screen, when suddenly a girl ran over to talk to the intern sitting across from him.

“Do you know who I just saw?”

“Who?”

“I was downstairs picking something up, and in the elevator with me was the boss’s wife! Our great CEO’s husband.”

“The CEO’s husband? You’re going to make me laugh! Are you serious? I didn’t get a good look at him last time, but I heard he’s really good-looking. Oh, did you know…”

Their voices suddenly lowered, but even through the partition, Shen Quanzhang knew they were talking about him.

So, Chu Lai came?

Why was Chu Lai always going to see Cen Wei?

Was it because of the money? The looks?

He never came to see me when I was studying.

Unable to help himself, Shen Quanzhang glanced toward the elevator, but it was going up, and he couldn’t see who was inside.

Cen Wei had given Chu Lai an access card, allowing him free access to all floors of the company headquarters.

Chu Lai went straight to the top floor but forgot that he could have used the VIP elevator. He could clearly feel the excited gazes from others in the elevator.

When he got out, Cen Wei’s office was empty. He sent him a message: “I’m waiting for you in your office.”

In the middle of answering questions from the other high-ups, Cen Wei glanced at the message and stepped out.

Shen Yangxu knew that Cen Wei had plans that night, so he told the others, “Let’s continue.”

Cen Wei was a good boss, but he could be very intimidating at work. The moment he left, everyone visibly relaxed.

At the same time, the employees who had been secretly chatting watched wide-eyed as their boss walked briskly out of the meeting room, his long strides suggesting he was in a hurry. Yet even so, Cen Wei’s figure was still pleasing to the eye.

“No matter how many times I see it, it’s still so important to be good-looking…”

“Have you guys seen President Cen’s partner? Is he good-looking?”

“He looks like one of those guys from a manga. You know, the kind you run into on the train…”

“What kind of description is that…”

“He’s easy on the eyes. But I don’t really know what he looks like exactly.”

……

When Cen Wei arrived upstairs, Chu Lai was sitting on the couch, playing on his phone. The secretary was out on a business trip, so he had helped himself to a bottle of mineral water.

Hearing the door open, the young man looked up slightly. “Didn’t you say you had a meeting?”

Cen Wei replied, “No one was taking care of you. I had to come take a look.”

Most of Chu Lai’s winter clothes were conveniently gray, with the occasional splash of light green. His favorite pale yellow was hidden in the collar and sleeves of his sweater, only visible when he took off his coat.

He shook his head. “I can manage on my own.”

“How much longer? You don’t mind playing a game while I finish, right?”

Cen Wei gave a quiet hum.

There were a few steps between them. If someone didn’t know better, they might think Chu Lai was the boss and Cen Wei was the employee.

Chu Lai thought the scene was weird too. “Why are you just standing there?”

Cen Wei shook his head. “It’s nothing.”

It wasn’t yet the end of the workday, but downstairs, Shen Quanzhang was feeling restless, with memories of his time with Chu Lai swirling in his mind.

He was only now realizing that his unwillingness to let go was practically oozing out of him. The more coffee he drank, the more bitter it tasted, so he used the excuse of going to the restroom to head upstairs.

The blinds in the CEO’s office weren’t fully drawn, giving Shen Quanzhang just enough of a view to see inside.

At that moment, Chu Lai looked up and spotted the unwelcome figure outside. He was sick of Shen Quanzhang’s constant interference in his streams, and when he mentioned it to Liu Yuan, she said that the guy clearly wanted to rekindle their relationship.

Chu Lai had responded, “But I’m already married to Cen Wei.”

Liu Yuan had said, “So what? Haven’t you heard of divorce?

You know better than anyone, don’t you?

Shen Quanzhang doesn’t have any moral boundaries. He’s definitely trying to win you back.”

That thought disgusted him. He didn’t like the memories of Shen Quanzhang’s forced embraces.

In contrast, the scheduled hugs with Cen Wei were a relief. People always tend to gravitate toward what makes them happy. Cen Wei never pushed Chu Lai too much, but he was slowly becoming part of his life, like a frog in warm water, waiting for the day when Chu Lai would finally respond.

In that moment, Chu Lai’s body moved faster than his thoughts. He stood up and walked over to Cen Wei, standing on tiptoes to give him a hug.

Cen Wei naturally rested his hands on Chu Lai’s waist, surprised, “Why so early?”

Chu Lai muttered into his shoulder, “Didn’t you say you’d be at my beck and call? What’s with the questions?”

His breath tickled Cen Wei’s ear, and although Cen Wei wanted to kiss him, he held back the desire that had been so easily ignited and closed his eyes, responding with a soft, “Mm.”

Through the glass, Chu Lai made eye contact with his ex outside and then quickly looked away, snuggling against Cen Wei’s shoulder.

Sensing the subtle shift in Chu Lai’s mood, Cen Wei couldn’t quite put his finger on it, so he softly asked, “Is this pressure okay?”

Chu Lai let out a quiet “Mm.”

Cen Wei’s adam’s apple bobbed. Whatever crossed his mind, he closed his eyes briefly and asked—

“How about we try walking while hugging?”