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“Boyfriend…”

Hearing those words, the heart in his chest suddenly started beating wildly, so fast it felt like it was about to burst through his skin.

He knew this wasn’t normal.

But he couldn’t find a reason to explain why.

Why was his heart racing?

Why did he feel satisfied hearing those words?

Why wasn’t his first reaction disgust, but instead… joy?

His mind was in chaos. He wanted to hang up immediately, yet just as his finger hovered over the button, he hesitated.

“Ah? I—I see… Sorry for disturbing you. Wishing you both happiness…” The girl said awkwardly before quickly walking away.

Jiang Yuanye watched her back as she left and sighed, “Big cities really are more accepting. If it were someone else, I’d probably be cursed out for being sick.”

He fell silent.

Jiang Yuanye raised his phone higher, looking through the camera with a smile. “You don’t think I’m sick too, do you?”

“No.”

“Then why aren’t you saying anything?”

“I don’t know what to say.”

He paused for a moment before asking, “Jiang Yuanye, are you serious?”

Jiang Yuanye raised an eyebrow. “Hm? Serious about what? That sentence just now?”

“Yeah,” he said.

Jiang Yuanye held up his phone with one hand, his other elbow resting casually on the railing. The river breeze lifted a few strands of his hair, revealing his sharp, amber-colored eyes. “Why do you ask?”

Why…

He wanted to know why too.

“I’m just curious. When you call me your boyfriend, is it just an excuse to reject others, or do you actually mean it?”

Jiang Yuanye chuckled but didn’t answer directly. Instead, he asked in return, “What do you think?”

“I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking you.”

To his surprise, this time, Jiang Yuanye didn’t respond with his usual teasing, ambiguous remarks. Instead, 

“I don’t know either.” He tilted his head slightly, the golden sunset outlining his sharp profile. “I just said it. No reason.”

Suddenly, he couldn’t quite grasp Jiang Yuanye’s motives.

Everything was straying from what he had originally expected.

It was hard to describe, almost like this wasn’t their usual back-and-forth, but rather, he was the only one acting in the play.

Maybe because he had stayed silent for too long, Jiang Yuanye seemed to misunderstand something and spoke up again.

“If you don’t like it, I won’t say it next time.”

“No.” The word slipped out before he could think.

When he realized what he had just said, his head felt like it was about to explode.

“No, that’s not what I meant… I didn’t say anything, so don’t jump to conclusions. What I meant wasn’t ‘yes,’ it was…”

He got stuck.

For the first time, he felt how utterly powerless words could be.

“What was it?” Jiang Yuanye asked softly.

“…It’s just…”

Maybe it was because Jiang Yuanye’s gaze had shifted back to him, or maybe it was the way the fading sunlight blurred his eyes, making his pupils seem impossibly soft.

He averted his gaze, trying to cover it up. “Just do whatever you want. Don’t worry about me.”

“Oh~” Jiang Yuanye dragged out the sound, smiling as he asked, “So, do you want me to say it or not?”

“…Up to you.”

“You still haven’t answered me. Do you want it or not?”

“…I have work to do.”

Hearing those three words, Jiang Yuanye let out a helpless laugh. “You’re so childish, Zhou Chaosheng. Who avoids a question like that?”

His gaze shifted from the contract cover back to the phone screen, locking eyes with Jiang Yuanye. Without blinking, he replied, “I’m not avoiding it.”

“If you’re not, then answer three quick questions to prove it. How about that?”

“…Go ahead.”

Jiang Yuanye held back a laugh. “Huajie or My Company?”

“Huajie.”

“Puppies or kittens?”

“Puppies.”

“Missing you or missing me?”

Since the first two questions had the first answer as correct, he instinctively blurted out, “Missing you…”

The moment he realized what he had just said, the person on the other end was already doubled over laughing, clutching their stomach, shoulders shaking, and even making the phone screen tremble.

As it sank in, his heartbeat picked up again, so fast it felt like it was lodged in his throat, robbing him of words.

Even the skin on his neck, cheeks, and ears felt unbearably hot.

He didn’t know whether he was embarrassed or just frustrated.

Even his usually sharp mind had gone completely blank.

When his consciousness returned, he had already hung up the phone.

Staring at the screen that gradually darkened, he remained silent for a long, long time.. so long that the sky outside deepened, the burning clouds of the sunset poured down the last of their glow, streaming in through the window and pooling in his palm.

He had always thought he knew himself better than most, but only now did he realize he had overestimated himself.

—

Present time,

After finishing the code for blocking and intercepting messages, Zhou Chaosheng sent it to the company's tech department, instructing them to strengthen it a bit more so it could be used directly.

He set his laptop aside and picked up his phone.

Ever since he hung up the call last time, his interactions with Jiang Yuanye seemed to have reverted to when he had first arrived in Luxembourg. Jiang Yuanye would share almost anything interesting or amusing he came across, even down to what he ate for each meal.

Jiang Yuanye: [5.20 Copy this and open Douyin to check out "Fei5 Zao Dian Shu’s video." I don’t know if the drone is good, but I do know the CEO is handsome. #HuaJie https://..]

Jiang Yuanye: [There’s a whole field of green grass above my head right now.]

Jiang Yuanye: [Green hat.jpg]

Lately, aside from teasing him, Jiang Yuanye had been sending many similar links. Every time he clicked on one, he found that it required downloading an app. Now, his phone had several apps he normally wouldn’t use.

Seeing the message, Zhou Chaosheng habitually copied it into Douyin’s search bar. The screen automatically jumped.

The first thing he saw was himself, attending various events. The video creator had used an explosive, hype-inducing BGM, syncing all of his footage to the beats.

The bullet comments on top of the screen were all calling him "gege" and "hubby." Zhou Chaosheng glanced at it once and quickly looked away.

Just then, Jiang Yuanye’s message popped up again: Check the comments.

Zhou Chaosheng remained silent for a while before eventually tapping in.

The top comment, with the most likes, read:

[How did he suddenly become a top-tier idol?]

[CEO Zhou’s skillset is just too comprehensive.]

[CEO Zhou lacks nothing except for me.]

[The elite CEO straight out of a novel has materialized.]

[Forget it, even the bodyguards behind Young Master Zhou are handsome. I won’t be greedy, can I at least get assigned one?]

[AAAAAHHH hubby hubby I declare CEO Zhou as my new husband!!!]

Zhou Chaosheng skimmed over the comments before switching to WeChat.

Jiang Yuanye was still sending messages.

—[Tsk, CEO Zhou is really popular. I feel utterly inferior.]

—[Out here flaunting yourself all day, attracting bees and butterflies. If someone didn’t know better, they’d think you were the top escort of some club.]

Zhou Chaosheng found it both funny and exasperating.

He replied: “Are you jealous?”

Jiang Yuanye responded instantly: [Not only am I jealous, I want to follow the internet cables straight to Luxembourg and put my mark on you!]

Zhou Chaosheng: [What mark?]

Jiang Yuanye: [The bruise I’ll leave after beating you up.]

Zhou Chaosheng: [... Are you a child?]

Jiang Yuanye: [Mind your own business. I enjoy it.]

Zhou Chaosheng stared at the messages, dazed for a brief moment. It wasn’t until Wiesen knocked on the door to bring his lunch that he finally snapped out of his thoughts.

While he was lost in thought, Jiang Yuanye had already sent him a few more messages.

"Boss, should I just leave your lunch here?" Wiesen bent down and placed the hotel meal tray on the glass table.

"Okay, thank you."

"No problem, Boss. I'll head out now?"

Zhou Chaosheng hummed in acknowledgment, lowering his head to look at the messages on his screen, mixed with emojis.

Jiang Yuanye: [Guess what day it is today?]

Zhou Chaosheng, puzzled: [An anniversary?]

Jiang Yuanye seemed pleasantly surprised, sending three consecutive emojis before saying: [You're so smart! Then guess again what anniversary is it?]

Zhou Chaosheng fell silent.

Although he wasn’t someone who browsed the internet often, he at least knew the special meaning of "520."

He pretended not to know and replied: [No idea.]

Jiang Yuanye had lied more than once. Zhou Chaosheng still remembered back at the hospital when Jiang Yuanye, taking advantage of his amnesia, had deceived him into believing they had celebrated countless anniversaries when in reality, there hadn't been a single one.

Jiang Yuanye: [Check your phone calendar. What’s today’s date?]

Zhou Chaosheng refused to fall for it: [My phone’s about to run out of battery and shut down.]

Jiang Yuanye sent a long string of ellipses.

Zhou Chaosheng leaned against the sofa, unhurried and without replying. Time passed, second by second, until finally, Jiang Yuanye lost patience and messaged him again.

Jiang Yuanye: [It’s 520! You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?!]

Zhou Chaosheng: [Do we have to celebrate it?]

Jiang Yuanye: [What kind of dumb question is that? We celebrate it every year, don’t we?]

Seeing this message, the curve of Zhou Chaosheng’s lips slowly faded. The laughter in his eyes disappeared, leaving only an unfathomable coldness.

His thumb lightly rubbed against the phone case, hesitating to type.

For a fleeting moment, he didn’t want to keep playing along.

But if he didn’t, they would return to being what they were before—at each other’s throats, exchanging harsh words like enemies.

And Jiang Yuanye...

Wouldn’t joke around with him like this anymore.

Jiang Yuanye: [Young master, are you flipping through the Xinhua Dictionary just to reply to me, or are you waiting for a prison sentence?]

Zhou Chaosheng lowered his eyes, unwilling to respond, unwilling to type.

His phone vibrated again, another message from Jiang Yuanye.

Jiang Yuanye: [If it’s really that hard, maybe I should just find a new boyfriend who actually replies? What do you think?]

What did he think?

How did Jiang Yuanye even have the audacity to ask him that?

Zhou Chaosheng was so furious that his liver ached. He thought Jiang Yuanye was completely heartless. His fingertips, pressing against the phone, turned slightly pale.

As if venting his frustration, he forcefully typed out.

[You dare?]

[If you do, I’ll block you.]

NOTE

💖 520 Day (五二零, Wǔ’èrlíng) is an unofficial Valentine's Day in China, celebrated on May 20th. 💌 The number 520 sounds like "I love you" (我爱你, Wǒ ài nǐ) in Mandarin. 💕 People confess their love by sending 520 as a money transfer or using it as a hint!

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