Chapter 25: Ultimate Control

Everything happened in an instant.

As the crowd regained their senses, there was only one lonely thing left on the table:

【Comic Editorial Team Gathering】

He Yi also noticed the half-foam board and asked, “Oh! Mingzhou, is your comics department having a gathering?”

Jian Mingzhou held the front half and replied gently, “Yes.”

A faint gaze drifted over from the side.

Other acquaintances also came over to say hello, but Jian Mingzhou calmly sent them away one by one.

The crowd dispersed, leaving only Xie Jing still standing there.

Xie Jing’s gaze fell on the foam board in Jian Mingzhou’s hand, and he smiled with a hint of ambiguity. “Uncle…”

Jian Mingzhou’s finger joints holding the foam board tightened slightly, afraid that someone might say something. As his heart involuntarily sped up, he heard Xie Jing laugh again and say, “I’ll go ahead.”

He breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh.”

Xie Jing turned and walked towards the next table, taking out his phone and tapping it a few times on the way.

Just as Jian Mingzhou withdrew his gaze, his phone on the table vibrated.

【Jing】: Uncle, you’re quite agile ^0^

“…” He knew it!

Jian Mingzhou turned off the phone screen numbly, thinking, But it’s fortunate that it’s Xie Jing.

He had nothing much to lose in front of Xie Jing.

Xie Jing took a seat at the neighboring table. Across the aisle, facing Jian Mingzhou diagonally, as soon as he sat down, Qianqian turned around with excitement and asked,

“Damn… that handsome guy! And those college students, is the deputy editor your acquaintance?”

Jian Mingzhou nodded and warned with a glance, “Keep it low-key.”

Qianqian understood and covered her mouth, nodding vigorously.

Xiao Fu looked sadly at the foam board that carried their dreams of ideals and enthusiasm.

“Our dreams…”

Jian Mingzhou quickly chanted, “Gripped tightly in our hands…”

Xiao Fu’s sorrow was forced back into her eyes in an instant.

Just as they finally settled down at their table, a surprised voice came from the opposite side, “Damn!”

Jian Mingzhou glanced for a moment, only to see He Yi looking at Xie Jing in shock.

And Xie Jing was leisurely unzipping his backpack. The pendant, originally tucked in the side pocket, now slid into plain view on the front of the backpack.

Jian Mingzhou couldn’t help but think, “Damn!”

Xie Jing indeed had the pendant hanging on his backpack!

Qianqian, the closest to them, turned her head and, seeing the familiar pendant, blurted out involuntarily,

“Hey, isn’t this…”

Jian Mingzhou suddenly raised his cup and stood up. “Everyone—”

The conversation halted, and the entire table turned toward him.

Jian Mingzhou rarely took such initiative. Facing the silent yet expectant gazes, he pondered for several seconds.

“Allow me to propose a toast on behalf of the chief editor,” he finally said.

Xia Ye suddenly looked up!

Through the lenses, his gaze seemed incredulous: What are you doing???

Jian Mingzhou quickly turned his gaze back. Save me once, and I won’t blame you. I’ll remove you from the blacklist.

Xia Ye: Hehe, there wasn’t much blame to begin with. But I’ll consider that you owe me a favor.

After the exchange of glances, he cleared his throat and stood up.

“It’s the warmth given by Jin Xia.”

It seemed like the commotion didn’t affect the adjacent table.

On the other side, He Yi stared at the familiar pendant, suppressing his voice to ask Xie Jing, “Isn’t this the one sold at the fan exhibition?! Damn, where did you get it?”

Xie Jing’s gaze seemed to glance sideways, then he pulled up the zipper, saying, “I bought it myself.”

“…This is a peripheral item from a BL manga!”

“So what, isn’t it good-looking?”

He Yi opened his mouth, looking at Xie Jing’s natural expression, not quite understanding the train of thought of this prodigy.

…

The lengthy toast finally ended with some improvisation.

Xia Ye sat down and declared, “Blacklisted.”

Jian Mingzhou promptly opened his phone and slid it once. “Done, released on parole.”

Their table returned to normal, but Xiaolu, seeing the situation, couldn’t resist reverting to an old habit, wriggling and exclaiming:

“Ahh, ahh, ahh! The chief editor and deputy editor are breaking the mirror…”

Qianqian kicked him, and Xiaolu suddenly remembered that the table next to them was acquainted with their deputy editor! He immediately stopped talking, glancing cautiously in that direction.

However, over there, everyone was engrossed in their own discussions, except for the very handsome guy who seemed to glance in their direction.

He solemnly corrected himself, “… Broken mirror and observed the sky.”

Xia Ye coldly said, “Do you have any opinions about your superiors?”

Xiaolu, “…”

Jian Mingzhou mechanically pulled up the screen that Xia Ye had just shaken off: Living is so difficult.

—

The entire dinner was spent almost entirely under extreme control.

Jian Mingzhou didn’t leave his seat for a moment, drank a lot of water, and now wanted to go to the bathroom.

But he was afraid that once he left, it would be like releasing a wild horse.

He sat quietly, holding his breath in his seat. Xia Ye noticed and asked, “Why aren’t you eating?”

“…Don’t talk; I’m managing space.”

“?”

When Jian Mingzhou took his third deep breath, his phone on the table suddenly vibrated. He opened it.

【Jing】: Want to go to the bathroom?

Jian Mingzhou: How did you know?

He looked diagonally across, and their eyes met through the crowded people. Xie Jing curled his lips and then tapped on his phone.

【Jing】: Go ahead; I’ll handle things here.

【Mingzhou】: How will you handle things? 0.0

【Jing】: I’ll have He Yi propose a toast too.

“…”

Well, he did hear it.

Jian Mingzhou lightly pressed his lips and withdrew his gaze, standing up.

At this time, there were still several tables of customers in the restaurant, and there was a queue in front of the bathroom.

Jian Mingzhou waited for quite a while.

When he returned from the bathroom, he saw He Yi standing bewilderedly and saying, “Okay, I’ll propose another toast.”

“…”

He paused in his steps. How out of control was this situation?

Passing by the adjacent table on his way back, he glanced in that direction. Xie Jing was propping his chin and blinked at him, as if saying, “I’m doing a good job, right?”

Jian Mingzhou responded with an affirmative look: He Yi is doing a good job.

Xie Jing: …

As he returned to his seat and just sat down, his phone vibrated again.

【Jing】: [Staring big dog]

Jian Mingzhou looked at his series of emojis and couldn’t help but reply with a [patting the dog’s head].

“Who are you messaging while eating?”

Xia Ye’s voice, cold and close, came to his ear. “Your face is all red.”

Jian Mingzhou almost knocked over his chopsticks! He turned his head and pressed the screen. “It was red a long time ago; it’s the alcohol.”

“The red now is impure.”

“It’s because your thoughts are too muddy.”

They were having this banter when the editors, fueled by alcohol, couldn’t resist their CP instincts. Taking advantage of the fact that the guy from the next table couldn’t understand them, they insinuated subtly:

“Cough, Deputy Editor, are you drunk?”

“Why not let the chief editor send you home?”

“What, Brother Mingzhou is drunk again?”

He Yi’s voice came from the other side, suddenly changing. “Eh? Xie Jing…”

Jian Mingzhou heard it and instinctively raised his head.

At the same time, a figure flashed in front of him. A large hand reached over and covered the mouth of his cup from above.

Xie Jing had already walked over, lowering his eyes and asking, “Are you drunk? Do you want to go home?”

The sounds at the table suddenly stopped, and everyone’s gaze focused.

Jian Mingzhou showed him the half-eaten shrimp shell and said, “Not drunk; let’s go together after your gathering is over.”

Xie Jing silently observed for a moment.

They arrived a little earlier than the others and had already eaten almost everything, preparing to leave.

“It’s okay; I’ll settle the bill over there.”

 After settling the bill, Xie Jing said his goodbyes on his side.

Jian Mingzhou didn’t refuse anymore and turned to pack up.

The thoughts of the entire table slowly recovered from the crash.

Qianqian stammered, “Deputy, Deputy Editor? What does going home together mean?”

“Well, Xiaojing is currently living at my place.”

“…!?”

Xie Jing quickly came back after settling the bill, and Jian Mingzhou also finished packing up. The two of them walked towards the door together.

Qianqian was facing the entrance, and she saw the tall and handsome guy slightly lowering his head, leaning towards their deputy editor.

“Should we walk back, take a cab, or drive after drinking?” Jian Mingzhou responded warmly, “Let’s drive, and we won’t have to cook tomorrow.”

“Why?”

“Because there’s prison food.”

…

The door closed softly, and their figures disappeared outside.

In the quiet restaurant, the people exchanged a few glances and suddenly realized—

Damn! That’s “that” guy!!!

—

After leaving the restaurant, the two of them decided to walk back.

The road home was perfectly aligned with the setting sun, casting layers of an orange-red glow on the road ahead. A warm color spread across their vision.

Looking at the sunset, Xie Jing spoke softly, “You’ve worked hard.”

Jian Mingzhou also spoke softly, “Not hard, I brought it upon myself.”

“…”

The two walked silently for a while.

Jian Mingzhou thought for a moment and asked, “About the pendant, how did you explain it to He Yi?”

Xie Jing casually put his hands in his pockets. “I said it looked good and that I bought it myself.”

Jian Mingzhou looked at him.

He still remembered that Xie Jing said it was the first gift he gave him, and he liked it very much. Hanging it out like this, he couldn’t exactly say he gave it to himself…

Jian Mingzhou softened his heart. “Xiaojing, if there’s anything else you want, Uncle will get it for you.”

Xie Jing turned to him, and their eyes met. In the deep, sunlit pupils, his expression was gentle and bright, “BL manga.”

“…”

They walked home at night, and it was already eight o’clock.

Jian Mingzhou let Xie Jing take a shower first.

While hearing the sound of water splashing in the bathroom, he seriously considered:

It seemed like Xie Jing really wanted to see it.

At his age, the more you try to hide something, the more curious he becomes.

Instead of being secretive and letting Xie Jing discover those explosive doujinshi by himself, it might be better to choose a mild one and let him know, “It’s nothing special.”

Jian Mingzhou thought for a moment and went to the study to find an early “censored version” manga.

…

Half an hour later, Xie Jing finished showering.

Water droplets still clung to the ends of his hair. Jian Mingzhou walked to him, casually pursing his lips, and said,

“Xiaojing, you can borrow and read this one.”

Xie Jing’s hand, holding the towel, paused.

He looked at Jian Mingzhou for a moment, then curled his lips and took it. “Thank you, Uncle. I’ll read it carefully.”

“…” Jian Mingzhou collected himself. “You can read it casually.”

Xie Jing smiled and said, “Okay.”

After handing the manga to Xie Jing, Jian Mingzhou went to take a shower.

He didn’t know if there was still a lingering effect of alcohol.

As he bathed, his face still felt a bit warm. No matter how much you censor it, it’s still BL manga…

A bath was finished in a state of nervousness. Jian Mingzhou pushed open the bathroom door and saw Xie Jing sitting in the living room, attentively enjoying it.

With his long fingers holding the book, he flipped through each page.

He, “…”

Adjusting his mindset, Jian Mingzhou walked over and casually asked, “How is it?”

Xie Jing frowned. “It doesn’t seem right.”

Jian Mingzhou felt a slight relief: If it doesn’t seem right, then it’s right. It seems he still can’t accept this kind of thing…

When Xie Jing pointed to something, he realized, “Under this atmosphere, shouldn’t they be kissing? Why are they giving each other a thumbs up?”

“…” So, that was what was wrong!

“Uncle, do you have any other manga?” Xie Jing asked.

Jian Mingzhou evaded, “Others are also like this.”

Xie Jing simply responded with an “Hmm” and continued reading.

Seeing that he didn’t ask further, Jian Mingzhou turned and returned to his room.

—

The next morning, he went to the company early.

As soon as Jian Mingzhou entered the editorial department, he received a full baptism of everyone’s gaze! A group of people were gossiping.

“How’s it going with your ‘other’ man?”

“Deputy Editor! You didn’t say you were cohabitating with a young and handsome male athlete!!!”

Jian Mingzhou floated back to his seat, pretending not to see anything.

Xia Ye sneered, buffing him with a full stack, “Peeking at BL manga, getting drunk, and being cohabitated by a roommate…”

Jian Mingzhou warned, “Nemesis. Hehe.”

The guy across from him choked for a moment.

After two seconds, Xia Ye left a meaningful sentence hanging on the partition, “It’s better if…”

After a brief pause, he returned to his own desk.

Jian Mingzhou summoned a photo of He Luchen and stood it in front of him as a protective talisman.

Xia Ye, back off.

A day’s work quickly passed in the office.

Returning home in the afternoon, Xie Jing hadn’t come back yet.

Jian Mingzhou saw that the manga he had lent to him yesterday was placed on the coffee table in the living room, with a small note attached:

A simple sketch of a big dog, with “Thank you” and “Returned” written.

 He couldn’t help but smile; Xie Jing was quite cute.

Moreover, Xie Jing seemed to be considerate. Even though he had already lifted the ban last time, Xie Jing didn’t enter the forbidden territory without permission, even when returning the books.

Jian Mingzhou felt relieved: This is good.

After all, some of the manga in the forbidden territory and the one in his hands were not on the same level.

…

Around seven o’clock, Xie Jing finally came back.

Jian Mingzhou looked from the living room and said, “Xiaojing, you’re back. Why are you later than usual today?”

Xie Jing hung his bag and changed shoes. “Sorry, I went to the bookstore.”

“…” Jian Mingzhou froze slightly. “?”
 
Xie Jing walked over and put down his backpack, saying, “The plot of that manga yesterday wasn’t good, and it didn’t quite suit my taste. So, I went to the bookstore to choose one myself.”

Jian Mingzhou was shocked. You have preferences too!

Xie Jing stood in front of him, handsome and outstanding. He couldn’t imagine Xie Jing boldly going to the bookstore and being so eye-catching.

And among the customers passing by…

And the store clerks he had introduced…

Jian Mingzhou was stunned for a moment. “What… What did the clerks think when you bought them?”

“Hmm? I don’t know,” Xie Jing replied casually.

He finished speaking and opened his bag, pouring out a sofa full of manga to display.

“But I bought so many; she should be looking at me with happy eyes.”

“…”