“Hey, buddy,” Song Zhou shouted into the phone like a street vendor, “Do you need a house?”

Liang Zhen: “???”

“Buddy, our third phase of housing is on sale! Don’t miss out!” Seeing that Liang Zhen hadn’t hung up on his sales pitch, Song Zhou quickly launched into a solo act, “Our housing project is located in the city center on Binjiang Road, yes, the same Binjiang Road as the famous Deer City Plaza. By choosing our development, you can enjoy the night view of the Ou River and be neighbors with the city’s landmark. Do you know what that means? It means you can enjoy the most fashionable shopping mall and a five-star luxury hotel in all of Wenzhou without paying landmark prices. A ten-minute walk gets you to an international top-tier CBD, ending the trouble of commuting.”

“Wow, that’s great,” Liang Zhen actually listened seriously, “And I can be your neighbor too.”

“Bro, you have to think long-term,” Song Zhou sensed a chance, “Let’s talk about schools. By choosing our development, you are choosing Wenzhou Experimental Primary School, Wenzhou No. 12 Middle School, and Wenzhou Foreign Language School—”

“Stop, stop!” Liang Zhen interrupted, “Why are you talking to me about school districts?” He laughed, just about to say that he and Shao Mingyin were just two people, but then a strange thought popped into his mind, like maybe Shao Mingyin could really…

“You might not have kids in the future, but if you need to resell, families with children will definitely care about that,” Song Zhou explained. “Moreover, this development offers a wide range of units, from 40 square meter lofts to 350 square meter luxury river-view apartments. So, are you tempted? How about a small villa with a garden, where you can park your GTC4 in front? How cool would that be?”

“No,” Liang Zhen asked, “is your family running out of cash? Why do you need to push sales so hard?”

“There’s nothing wrong with my family, it’s just—” Song Zhou sighed deeply and briefly explained his seemingly endless journey of pursuing love. Last month, the boss of the shoe factory where Gao Yunge worked ran away, taking his six months’ salary. Song Zhou couldn’t stand idly by when a beauty was in trouble, so he took the opportunity to impress him by introducing him to his family’s sales center. But Gao Yunge was too quiet to be an effective salesperson. He couldn’t charm customers with his words, and even the deals Song Zhou had almost closed were snatched away by others. He couldn’t stand it, but he couldn’t let him know he was helping behind the scenes, so he had to bother his friends to buy houses from Gao Yunge to help him earn commissions.

“So that’s the story,” Liang Zhen marveled, “I’ve never seen you so invested in someone.”

“Of course, love is a strong drink, and whether it makes me drunk depends on whether you buy a house, bro.”

“Now that you mention it, I’m actually quite tempted,” Liang Zhen said seriously, “A house is indeed a necessity. Shao Mingyin and I can’t rent forever; we need a place with our names on it.”

“So what are you waiting for?” Song Zhou was practically rubbing his hands together, “I’ll give you an internal discount!”

“Great. By the way, didn’t you say there’s a 40 square meter loft? Tell me more about that.”

Song Zhou: “…”

“Hello?” Liang Zhen checked the screen; it was still on. “If I buy the loft, will you still give me the internal discount?”

Song Zhou felt like coughing up blood at the mention. How much commission could Gao Yunge get from selling a loft?

“Isn’t your dad investing millions in your fantastic company?” Song Zhou roared, “Buy a villa! A small house with a garden!”

“I can’t misuse public funds,” Liang Zhen remained unmoved. He genuinely had no interest in large units, “Besides, I calculated my own savings, and based on the land prices on Binjiang Road, I can only afford the down payment for a loft.”

“A loft?!” Song Zhou was nearly in despair, “Even with both floors, it’s only 80 square meters. I wouldn’t give a loft as a gift to a lover!”

“Well then, give Gao Yunge a villa with a garden,” Liang Zhen retorted confidently, “See if he’d be willing to be your lover in return?”

Song Zhou fell silent, filled with his friend’s dog food, but even a commission from selling a loft was still a commission. For the sake of love, Song Zhou revived and gave Liang Zhen a limited-time discount. The limited time wasn’t to make things difficult for his friend, but because who ever heard of getting a discount on a loft? He was worried Gao Yunge might find it suspicious, so he added a bit of a twist.

Song Zhou’s call indeed got Liang Zhen thinking. He didn’t expect to ever register for marriage with Shao Mingyin, but signing a house purchase agreement and sharing the same property certificate seemed like being tied together. The more he thought about it, the more delighted he became, often smiling inexplicably, leading Shao Mingyin to suspect he’d gone silly from the recent music festival collaboration. But when asked, Liang Zhen would mysteriously say nothing, only occasionally checking his bank balance. When the final payment from the last performance finally came through, he stopped smiling and instead gave Shao Mingyin an intense look.

Despite looking like a puppy stuck in a cage to Shao Mingyin, he just patted Liang Zhen’s head. Liang Zhen’s hair had grown long enough to braid, and Shao Mingyin loved the way he brushed it back from his forehead.

Liang Zhen asked if he was getting off work on time, and Shao Mingyin said yes. Liang Zhen then mysteriously told him to wait at the police station, and he’d pick him up.

Liang Zhen didn’t have any fancy cars, but the GTC4 was too flashy, so he drove the Lexus LX. The large SUV suited his frame perfectly, making Shao Mingyin feel a bit shy. He forgot to ask where they were going until they arrived at the sales center.

Liang Zhen quickly retrieved a folder from the middle console, with all the necessary documents for both of them. Seeing himself still in uniform, Shao Mingyin thought Liang Zhen was impulsive but couldn’t help smiling at his eager expression.

Inside, Liang Zhen indeed saw Gao Yunge. He had already contacted him and seen the units, but it was Shao Mingyin’s first visit. As soon as they entered the model unit, Liang Zhen’s focus was entirely on Shao Mingyin’s reaction, eager to see if he was satisfied with his choice.

Entering the loft model unit, passing through the entrance, kitchen, and bathroom, Shao Mingyin couldn’t stop smiling at the large bedroom.

“It’s similar to the old apartment’s layout,” Liang Zhen said, moving to the large bay window in the bedroom, sitting down, and unconsciously making a guitar-playing motion before stopping. The main difference was the bay window design, but Liang Zhen liked it. He could already imagine future days where he’d play guitar, and Shao Mingyin would play the accordion by that window.

Shao Mingyin also walked over, looking up at the loft’s second floor, designed as a walk-in closet with a small bed. Liang Zhen suggested putting a piano there.

“Really?” Shao Mingyin asked, “Is the big star going for an artist vibe now?”

“It’s not for me to play,” Liang Zhen leaned over, holding Shao Mingyin’s hand, “When I practice singing at home, I’ll need you to adjust the pitch for me.”

What could be more suitable for two men living together than a 40 square meter loft? Both agreed there was nothing better. They didn’t hesitate and went downstairs to sign the contracts. During the process, Liang Zhen “won a prize” as prompted by Song Zhou, securing a nice discount.

Liang Zhen returned to sit beside Shao Mingyin, wiping his hands on his thighs occasionally, looking quite nervous. He didn’t look at Shao Mingyin because he’d laugh if he did, but Shao Mingyin, seeing his shy demeanor, affectionately patted his head. Then, placing his hand below the table where no one could see, he held Liang Zhen’s hand.

Liang Zhen said, “I feel like we’re registering for marriage.”

“This development will take at least three years to complete; the property certificate is still a long way off,” Shao Mingyin paused, considering Liang Zhen’s loan wasn’t under the first-time homebuyer rate, “It’s not your first time buying a house. Why are you so nervous?”

“Those don’t count. I wasn’t even an adult when my dad put several properties in my name. I wouldn’t have known I owned houses if he hadn’t told me. But this time is different. I’m buying it myself, with my own money,” Liang Zhen tightened his grip, “And it’s putting your name and mine together.” He glanced at the inkpad, “We’ll even press our fingerprints together later.”

Shao Mingyin added, “And we’ll be paying the loan together.”

“Exactly,” Liang Zhen looked forward eagerly, “We’re tied together now!”

At that moment, Gao Yunge and another salesperson approached. Gao Yunge went with Shao Mingyin to discuss some questions about the housing fund, while the other salesperson returned to the front desk.

Liang Zhen remembered this salesperson. Ever since he and Shao Mingyin entered the sales center, this man had been constantly glancing at them, almost as if he had a squint. Now, as he sat there alone, the man didn’t let up, continuing to look in his direction while chatting with a colleague about something, even causing others to look over as well.

Feeling somewhat offended, Liang Zhen decided to confront the man about his behavior. As he approached, he overheard clear words like “cpy” and “gay.”

Liang Zhen was speechless. He was a customer, bringing them business, so what did it matter if he was gay or not? Though annoyed, he didn’t interrupt the conversation and simply said, “Shut up,” in a low voice.

The male salesperson was initially taken aback and indeed fell silent, but he felt humiliated. Adding to his existing conflict with Gao Yunge, and seeing that Liang Zhen was Gao Yunge’s client, he mumbled something under his breath. Liang Zhen, who had been about to leave, felt a surge of anger at the guy’s tone.

“What did you just say?” Liang Zhen slapped the front desk, drawing the attention of other staff and prospective buyers. The male salesperson flinched, clearly intimidated.

“N-nothing…”

“What adjective did you add in front of ‘police’ just now?” Liang Zhen helped him recall. Normally, he had a good temper, but involving Shao Mingyin set him off. Shao Mingyin was precious to him; he never won an argument against him and was content to lose. How could he tolerate others badmouthing Shao Mingyin?

Liang Zhen stood tall, looking coldly at the seated male salesperson, “Apologize.”

But whether out of fear or defiance, the man shrank back, saying nothing. Liang Zhen, both angry and amused, paced back and forth, feeling the need to educate this prejudiced individual. His tall stature and assertive demeanor made him appear quite intimidating, while the male salesperson cowered like a quail, especially when he noticed someone filming with a phone, giving the camera a particularly helpless look.

Liang Zhen, exasperated, exclaimed, “What’s wrong with two men buying a house together? We’re even going to share the same property deed!” As he turned his head, he noticed someone filming and, unable to control his emotions, shouted at the filmer too. When the person continued filming, Liang Zhen moved to take the phone, but someone stepped in to stop him.

“Liang Zhen,” Shao Mingyin blocked him, “don’t be impulsive!”

Liang Zhen could hear the reprimand in Shao Mingyin’s tone, as if his anger was unjustified. Feeling wronged, his eyebrows drooped, and he looked at Shao Mingyin with a particularly aggrieved expression.

Shao Mingyin, recognizing there was more to the story, gently held his shoulder, about to say something, but noticed the increasing number of onlookers and phones being pulled out.

“Let’s go home for now,” Shao Mingyin knew they shouldn’t stay there, “We’ll buy the house another time.”

And so, Shao Mingyin managed to coax Liang Zhen into leaving. On the way home, Liang Zhen explained what had happened, and Shao Mingyin, unsure how to console him, changed the subject to the housing provident fund, mentioning that it could be used for the house purchase in about ten working days. This lifted Liang Zhen’s spirits, and by the time they got home, he had forgotten all about the unpleasant incident at the sales center. He didn’t have notifications on for Weibo, so when he saw the video on Shao Mingyin’s phone, he was probably the last to know it had gone viral.

When he finally opened Weibo, amid the countless messages from unfamiliar IDs, his fan group stood out, expressing maternal-like pride and amazement. They had tirelessly promoted him for two years without success, but a two-minute outburst at the sales center had made him famous.

Liang Zhen went viral through a video of him scolding someone without using any profanity. To his surprise and delight, he effortlessly moved from obscurity into the mainstream public eye.