Chapter 7: Teasing

Song Chunhui slammed on the brakes.

In the dim night, Li Huan noticed the familiar license plate through the car’s headlights. He quickly pushed away the flirtatious person clinging to him. However, he used too much force, and the person fell headfirst into the roadside bushes, landing awkwardly.

“Ouch—”

Li Huan ignored it and quickly walked around the front of the car, noticing Song Chunhui looking down at his phone. He approached the driver’s side of the Mercedes, bent down, and knocked on the window twice.

The sight of two men kissing was too shocking for Song Chunhui. He had never seen such a scene in his life. His first thought was: gay men are promiscuous and a high-risk group for AIDS, better stay away.

These filthy troublemakers are so disgusting.

Then he thought about the meal he had eaten, and he felt nauseous. Could this brat have some infectious disease? Damn it.

Li Huan knocked twice more and was about to speak when the car suddenly sped away, leaving him behind.

His face darkened, and he turned to scold the flirtatious person, “Who the hell told you to kiss me?”

Having witnessed the scene, the flirtatious person rubbed their sore backside and asked Li Huan, “What do you mean? I went through all this trouble to come to this godforsaken place for you, and the GPS almost led me into a ditch. If you had someone, you should have said so.”

“Idiot, that’s my manager,” Li Huan said, frustrated, running a hand through his hair. Now he couldn’t take anyone back to the dorm; who would wash his dirty clothes?

“…” The flirtatious person was momentarily speechless, looked around, and then asked Li Huan, “How about we go to the woods nearby for a quickie?”

Li Huan had lost all interest. He glanced at the motorcycle the flirtatious person had ridden over and, thinking about the hassle of refueling, said, “Transfer me ten thousand, and I’ll come to Beicheng to find you this weekend.”

“So I’m just a client now,” the flirtatious person said, taking out their phone to transfer money to Li Huan. “Can’t you be a little gentler with me? My butt’s gone numb from the fall.”

Li Huan checked his phone and saw he only received three thousand.

“That’s just a deposit; I’ll give you the rest this weekend,” the flirtatious person said, trying to persuade Li Huan to quit his job and let them take care of him.

Once money gets involved in a consensual relationship, it changes everything. Li Huan suddenly found it amusing. He used to have everything he wanted, but now he had to sell his body for a few thousand bucks to get a crappy car.

“Get lost.”

The flirtatious person laughed it off, “Just kidding. I actually want to date you. Don’t worry about losing your job. Be my boyfriend, and I’ll take care of you.”

Worried that the four-eyed guy might gossip, Li Huan was anxious to contact Song Chunhui, growing more frustrated. He threw out, “The three thousand is a deposit for the last time. Remember to transfer the rest.”

Flirtatious person: “…”

Li Huan headed back, thinking about how to explain things to “5A Scenic Spot” on WeChat. He had to shut Song Chunhui up. Losing his job was a small matter; being outed as gay was a big one. If it reached his parents, it would be a disaster.

*

Back in the office, Song Chunhui still felt nauseous, but he couldn’t throw up. He quickly opened a browser to search: What infectious diseases do gay men have?

AIDS was the first result, followed by others that looked dirty and disgusting just from the characters. It scared Song Chunhui, even though he knew the transmission wouldn’t happen through a meal. He was still grossed out.

This little assistant couldn’t stay; he had to find a way to fire him.

His phone suddenly rang with a WeChat message from “Xiao Li.” Song Chunhui had the urge to block him, but since Li Huan was a connected hire, he couldn’t fire him at will.

Xiao Li: [Manager, can we talk?]

What is there to talk about with a damned gay guy? Song Chunhui hadn’t forgotten the terrible blind date experience in Jiangcheng. If the woman hadn’t been messed with by a gay guy, he might have kissed those soft lips by now.

Xiao Li: [It’s not what you think, don’t misunderstand]

Their lips were touching, and he still said don’t misunderstand? At this point, Song Chunhui didn’t think much, simply assuming the assistant was afraid of discrimination and being fired.

When he got back to his rental place at nine and was washing out the hair gel, he suddenly realized. No wonder Li Huan said he smelled good in the morning and couldn’t concentrate. Was he secretly sniffing him?

And in the afternoon, when he argued, saying he was quite strong and wanted to try a different place, was he not referring to work? So he was late on purpose in the morning, showing off his body and big bird, trying to seduce him.

Thinking this through, Song Chunhui got goosebumps, feeling like tiny bugs were crawling all over him, unable to scratch them off. His stomach churned, and he wished he could climb Kongtong Mountain overnight to purify himself.

This brat really needs a lesson, daring to tease him!

*

The next morning, Li Huan finally received a reply from Song Chunhui, instructing him to follow Zhang Cong for business from today and requiring him to make a deal within a month.

He wasn’t too surprised and simply went back to sleep. Cloudy days were perfect for sleeping. When Li Huan woke up again, it was already past ten, and he was annoyed by the pile of dirty clothes on the table.

The most annoying thing now was the four-eyed guy. Song Chunhui’s behavior was strange last night, and this morning too. Who knows how he’ll mess with him?

In the office building, Song Chunhui was busy all morning and didn’t think about the disgusting gay guy. He made his own tea, clean and hygienic.

He liked drinking tea but didn’t dare drink much at the head office, afraid of frequent bathroom trips. The urge to pee came suddenly.

Previously, the entire second floor was the core of “Jinhui,” with finance, HR, and the general manager’s office on the third floor. Song Chunhui was very satisfied with the current work environment; no one disturbed him in the bathroom, and the cleaning staff only cleaned the men’s room in the morning.

He unzipped his trousers, just took out his thing, when suddenly a loud fart “popped” from the stall, breaking the silence. Then came a series of “pfft” and “sizzle,” like a chain of explosions in a frying pan. Anyone who didn’t know might think someone was frying eggplant in the bathroom.

The urge to pee instantly retracted, and Song Chunhui hurriedly zipped up, only to turn around and bump into a solid wall of flesh. His glasses were knocked askew, the frame pinching his nose, making it hard to see. The wall of flesh even hugged him, and he quickly stepped back, adjusted his glasses, and looked up, his face changing as he scolded, “I told you to go do business, what are you doing here!”

Caught off guard by Song Chunhui’s panicked expression, Li Huan was stunned, not having time to speak before Song Chunhui bypassed him and left, leaving a trail of hurried footsteps behind.

Damn, what’s this four-eyed idiot up to?

He was just trying to help, and not only did he not get a thank you, but he wasn’t even allowed to use the bathroom. It was infuriating.

One of the stall doors suddenly opened, and Zhang Cong came out, pulling up his pants. Li Huan didn’t really want to talk, but Song Chunhui’s behavior was too strange.

“Damn, even taking a dump, you can hear him yelling. So he does use the bathroom,” Zhang Cong whispered to comfort Li Huan. “Good thing you didn’t talk back to him. He’s petty and holds grudges. Yesterday morning, Wu Yuliang talked back to him, and by noon, he was scolding him in the group chat in front of us.”

Li Huan only heard the first part, remembering Zhang Cong had told him before that Song Chunhui had a cleanliness obsession.

Clearly, that reaction wasn’t right. The four-eyed guy wasn’t avoiding the bathroom; he was avoiding people. That was even weirder. Why avoid people unless…

“Did he really sexually harass female colleagues?” Li Huan asked Zhang Cong in a low voice. “Where did Sun Wei hear that from?”

Zhang Cong: “It’s definitely true. Sun Wei’s classmate works at the head office. Not only sexual harassment, but he also likes to verbally tease female colleagues. If someone’s skirt is short, he’ll take a few extra glances. Really sleazy, just looks decent.”

Li Huan: “…”

“Damn, my stomach hurts again, didn’t finish,” Zhang Cong said, turning around and letting out another fart.

The fart hit Li Huan, who had never suffered such indignity. He held his breath, face dark, and quickly escaped, wishing he could blow up this crappy company.

The business department was diagonally opposite the bathroom. As he passed by, he paused, knowing Zhang Cong might eavesdrop at any time.

Inside the manager’s office, Song Chunhui, who had been hugged by a gay guy, was going crazy, feeling surrounded by infectious diseases. He paced back and forth, thinking about how to fire the intern who had only been there for three days, mainly because Li Huan hadn’t made any mistakes.

Coincidentally, his junior sent a WeChat message. Anxious, Song Chunhui asked Meng Chunxun for advice, not mentioning the teasing incident, as just thinking about it made him sick.

Chunxun: [Brother Hui, do you discriminate against gay people?]

Song Chunhui: [Gay people are disgusting. They’re mentally abnormal, sick! Who knows when they’ll catch syphilis or AIDS. Isn’t that scary?]

Chunxun: [That’s not a disease. There’s one in my company. He’s clean and ambitious, just happens to like men. Don’t be prejudiced.]

Having a different opinion from his junior, Song Chunhui didn’t want to argue, frowning as he replied: [I don’t care who gay people like, as long as they don’t like me. It’s disgusting.]

Chunxun: [Does the intern like you? Did he confess? What did he say?]

Song Chunhui: [Not exactly, but that’s the implication. This brat hinted at it several times.]

Chunxun: [What kind? Does he want to do it with you?]

Unable to imagine, Song Chunhui sent several “vomit” emojis.

Chunxun: [That’s really disgusting (angry). Brother Hui, wait, I’ll think of a way to deal with him. Wait for my message, I’ll think it over.]

By evening, as people returned to the dorm, Li Huan finally headed to the office building. Passing the parking lot, he specifically checked, and Song Chunhui’s crappy car was still there.

Just as he reached downstairs, a message from the other party came through.

Four-eyed guy: [Come to my office at seven.]

“Four-eyed guy” was Li Huan’s note for Song Chunhui. The message surprised Li Huan. He decided to knock on the manager’s office door early.

Seeing Li Huan, Song Chunhui barely maintained his composure, slightly raising his chin to point at the sofa, indicating for Li Huan to sit.

Li Huan closed the door behind him.

Seeing this, Song Chunhui couldn’t stay calm: “I told you to come at seven, why are you in such a hurry? And why close the door, what do you want to do?”

Li Huan: “…?”

“I’ve eaten more salt than you’ve eaten rice, so put away your little thoughts.” Song Chunhui glared at Li Huan, got up to open the office door, and quickly retreated behind his desk.

What kind of madness is this four-eyed guy on?

Li Huan didn’t even know what little thoughts he supposedly had. He was about to explain when he heard Song Chunhui lower his voice to warn him: “Resign voluntarily, and I’ll let the teasing thing go. I—”

“Wait,” Li Huan immediately interrupted, looking at Song Chunhui in disbelief, “Manager, are you joking? When did I ever tease you?”

“Don’t argue,” Song Chunhui slapped the table, “I don’t even want to repeat the disgusting things you did! Let me make it clear, I discriminate against gay people. Even if all the women in the world died, I wouldn’t consider you. Don’t explain last night’s incident to me. Just leave quietly, and I won’t hold it against you. Out of humanitarianism, I’ll even give you two hundred bucks. Don’t come to work tomorrow.”

After Song Chunhui finished speaking in one breath, Li Huan couldn’t help but laugh. Looking at Song Chunhui with his greasy hair, cheap suit, and old-fashioned black-framed glasses, he couldn’t control his laughter, using his fist to cover his mouth and bowing his head, but still chuckling a few times.

In the quiet business department, only the sound of hearty laughter remained.

Seeing Li Huan laugh so hard his shoulders shook, as if having a fit, Song Chunhui’s face darkened, seriously questioning, “You still have the face to laugh? If you want to mess around, find someone else.”

“Sorry, Manager.” Li Huan looked up, meeting Song Chunhui’s serious, cold face, and couldn’t help but laugh again.

He had never seen such a ridiculous straight guy. Where did he get the confidence to think he had those thoughts? This kind of person, even if given for free, he wouldn’t want. He really thought too highly of himself.

Feeling goosebumps from the way the gay guy looked at him, Song Chunhui quickly stood up, putting on a stern face, warning Li Huan again: “Your problem is quite serious. No matter how big your family connections are, it won’t help. Do you want to resign gracefully, or should I report the situation to General Manager Liu tomorrow and see if he fires you?”

Having laughed enough, Li Huan looked at Song Chunhui and explained frankly, “I’m not gay.”

Song Chunhui didn’t believe it at all: “Who are you trying to fool?”

“Although I don’t know why you think I have those thoughts about you, I’m really not,” Li Huan continued to explain. “Last night, that person was a former colleague from a part-time job. I didn’t expect him to suddenly kiss me, and I was so scared I pushed him away immediately.”

“…” Song Chunhui was skeptical, but he did see Li Huan push the person away last night.

“He heard I found a job and wanted to check it out,” Li Huan took the opportunity to play the victim, saying he urgently needed an electric scooter for business, but his family conditions weren’t good, and he didn’t have much savings after just starting work, so he thought of borrowing some from an old colleague, only to be teased.

“…” Song Chunhui’s gaze locked onto Li Huan’s fair face, not missing any subtle details.

“That’s the whole story,” Li Huan lowered his head, “I laughed earlier to cover my embarrassment. Manager, do you know how scared I was at the time? You appeared like a savior, and I wanted to ask you to take me back, but you misunderstood me, making me so sad. I wanted to explain to you last night, but you didn’t reply.”

The assistant’s voice carried a hint of grievance, and Song Chunhui inexplicably felt like he was bullying a child.

Someone else might have believed it, but Song Chunhui, having been in society for many years and encountered all kinds of people, still didn’t believe it and began to go through everything with Li Huan one by one.

“Explain everything to me clearly.”

The sky outside was completely dark, and Li Huan admired himself, not knowing why he was explaining to an idiot why he slept in just his underwear…

He no longer just wanted to punch Song Chunhui; it was more than that.