Chapter 32

“Huh?” Chi Xiting was stunned, staring blankly at Chu Yu for a moment before turning to look at Xiao Hu, who was watching the scene from the driver’s seat.

When Xiao Hu noticed Chi Xiting looking over, he immediately wiped the gossiping expression off his face and flashed a big grin at him.

Chu Yu opened the car door without changing his expression and said, “Didn’t you post that on your Moments?”

Chi Xiting watched Chu Yu’s actions, and when Chu Yu lifted his eyes to look at him, his brain suddenly went blank. He instinctively followed Chu Yu’s movements and bent down to get into the car.

As the car door closed with a thud, Chi Xiting muttered under his breath, “I just posted it randomly.”

It was meant to be a late-night emo post, just a moment of venting, but he didn’t expect it to be posted using his work account.

And then Chu Yu saw it.

The worst part was, Chu Yu took it seriously.

“Did something happen?” Chu Yu glanced at Chi Xiting, his eyes darkening slightly, as if he vaguely guessed there had been some conflict at home.

Chi Xiting pressed his lips together in frustration and briefly told Chu Yu everything that had happened.

Chu Yu furrowed his brows.

Before Chu Yu could speak, Xiao Hu, sensing something, spoke up to Chi Xiting, “It’s unavoidable. After all, people grow up in different environments, and there will definitely be conflicts when sharing a house.”

Chi Xiting replied, “The problem is, his behavior was just outrageous.”

—-

In his past life, Chi Xiting had shared a house once. Although his roommate had some quirks, they were both workaholics, leaving early and returning late, so they barely saw each other throughout the year. The only issue was when the roommate occasionally forgot his keys, making Chi Xiting get up to let him in.

But living with someone who you weren’t close to always caused friction and inconvenience, no matter how well you controlled yourself.

Once Chi Xiting’s job stabilized and his finances became a bit more comfortable, he found a new place and lived alone.

“That’s true,” Xiao Hu said. “I’m currently sharing a house with someone as well, over in Jing Shen neighborhood. The place has a good location and convenient transport, but the soundproofing is terrible. My roommate doesn’t care about others, and the noise is unbearable…”

It was so exhausting.

Especially since Xiao Hu’s work hours were irregular, and when he had free time, he would try to sleep at home, only to be woken up by his roommate’s noise.

Chi Xiting looked at Xiao Hu sympathetically.

The two exchanged looks through the rearview mirror, and they both saw a bit of bitterness and sadness in each other’s eyes.

Chu Yu, who had never experienced sharing a house, remained silent.

“Aren’t there any one-bedroom apartments near the company?” Chu Yu asked.

Mentioning this made Chi Xiting even more depressed. He said, “There are, but since it’s a commercial area, the rent is outrageous. The ones that are a bit more affordable are usually government-provided housing.”

They were either in alleyways or urban villages, with commercial water and electricity charges. The utilities alone could cost as much as half a month’s rent.

At least with house sharing, you could pick a unit in a residential community, which would be safer and more convenient.

Chi Xiting was quite satisfied with the place he had chosen.

It had many windows, a balcony, and great ventilation.

The problem was the roommate.

Chi Xiting could tolerate Yuan Yin’s petty habits, but what really disgusted him was that Yuan Yin had allowed someone else to move into his room without his permission.

Xiao Hu sharply commented, “This person just loves to take advantage. What’s that saying? Even when they fall, they’ll still pick up some dirt while getting up.”

Chi Xiting: “…Pfft.”

That was pretty sharp.

Chu Yu cast a faint glance over at them.

Realizing that his boss was watching, Xiao Hu shut his mouth and stopped speaking freely.

Chu Yu didn’t bring up the house issue again either. After all, it was a private matter for Chi Xiting, and as a… leader, it wasn’t really his place to interfere.

The fact that he had come all the way to take Chi Xiting in felt like he had overstepped.

Realizing the boundary was getting blurred, Chu Yu turned his gaze to the window, and his fingers, resting on his thigh, subtly curled.

Chi Xiting noticed that neither Chu Yu nor Xiao Hu were speaking, so he scratched his chin, then took out his phone and opened WeChat.

He had indeed accidentally sent that message from his work account.

Now, there were quite a few likes and comments.

【Li Yang】: What’s wrong?

【Fang Ben】: Huh? No place to stay? You can come to my place.

【Xing Panpan】: Are there no hotels nearby?

Chi Xiting scrolled through, replying to each comment.

The last one was from Shen Zhizhe.

【Shen Zhizhe】: ? Kicked out of your house? Thinking/

Chi Xiting: “……”

Just reading the text made him feel Shen Zhizhe’s schadenfreude.

Troublemaker boss.

As a successful “water carrier,” Chi Xiting also replied to Shen Zhizhe.

Just as the comment was sent, Shen Zhizhe came to check on him.

【Shen Zhizhe】: What’s going on, Xiao Chi?

Chi Xiting typed slowly.

【Chi Xiting】: A thief broke into my house.

Shen Zhizhe replied quickly.

【Shen Zhizhe】: Did it threaten your safety?

【Chi Xiting】: Not yet.

【Shen Zhizhe】: Good. It won’t affect your work tomorrow.

Chi Xiting: “……”

Damn.

There was a powerless feeling like his palm couldn’t reach through the screen.

Chi Xiting didn’t want to reply and was about to lock the screen, but then Shen Zhizhe sent another message.

【Shen Zhizhe】: Do you really have no place to stay? Are there hotels nearby? Or you can come to my place. I have an empty house in Xihu District. I’ll send you the address and the password.

Chi Xiting paused his action of turning off the phone.

Shen Zhizhe wasn’t joking. After sending the message, he immediately shared the address and a string of numbers.

【Shen Zhizhe】: I haven’t really used this house since I bought it. It might be a bit dusty. You can clean up a bit and stay there for the night.

Chi Xiting’s heart stirred slightly. He was a little touched.

Although Shen Zhizhe exploited people, in some ways, he could still be considered a good leader, someone who cared for his subordinates.

【Chi Xiting】: Thanks, Manager Shen, but my friend is coming to pick me up.

Chi Xiting hesitated when typing the word “friend,” glanced at Chu Yu, typed it, deleted it, then typed it again. After some hesitation, he finally sent the message.

Before Shen Zhizhe could reply, Chu Yu noticed Chi Xiting’s gaze. He glanced over and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Chi Xiting turned his phone slightly toward Chu Yu and said, “Nothing, Manager Shen was just checking in on me.”

Chi Xiting’s movement was quick, as if he just wanted to prove that it was really Shen Zhizhe on the other side, but Chu Yu still noticed the two words.

“Friend?” Chu Yu asked.

Chi Xiting paused, turned to look at Chu Yu, and silently stared at him for a while.

What else could it be?

If he didn’t say “friend,” would he say his boss came to pick him up?

Just hearing that would make people think differently.

Besides, it was Shen Zhizhe, who knew what stories he might come up with about their “pure” relationship.

Chi Xiting’s mind was racing, but he only said, “Aren’t we friends?”

Chu Yu raised an eyebrow slightly, nodded his head, and casually said, “I guess so.”

“Why does it sound so reluctant when you say that?” Chi Xiting boldly questioned.

Xiao Hu in the front seat couldn’t help but glance up.

Chu Yu also looked over, his fingers on his thigh curling slightly. “Is it?”

Chi Xiting examined Chu Yu for a moment, and when he saw that Chu Yu wasn’t trying to hide anything and his expression remained unchanged, he looked away. His eyes shifted slightly, and he said, “Do you know what’s most important between friends?”

Chu Yu asked with an open mind, “What?”

Chi Xiting: “The most important thing is providing emotional value.”

Chu Yu’s gaze landed on Chi Xiting’s face. He keenly noticed Chi Xiting’s slightly raised lips and the faint dimple on his left cheek.

Was he trying to push his luck?

Chu Yu chuckled softly, responding, “For example?”

“For example, when I’m sad, you throw money at me.” Chi Xiting smiled shyly, speaking politely but with a hint of teasing, “When you’re happy, I’ll help you spend money.”

Chu Yu: “……”