“I don’t understand, why haven’t you two made up yet?” Zhao Xiaohui asked in confusion.
It had taken him quite a bit of time to go from initially not accepting, to being forced to accept, to fully accepting that his bro was gay.
Who would’ve thought that right after he’d finally accepted his bro being with someone he didn’t like, he’d get the news that the two had broken up.
It felt like God was playing a joke on him.
It had already been more than two months since their breakup.
Zhao Xiaohui just felt the two of them breaking up was like a couple playing some emotional game—couldn’t truly break it off, still lingering, always sticking together, even more intimate than during the honeymoon phase. But ask them and they’d say there was absolutely nothing going on.
Zhou Chaosheng swirled the wine glass in his hand, his bangs falling loosely over his forehead, the shadow cast over the bridge of his nose, his eyelashes slightly drooping, making it hard to read the emotions in his eyes.
“I don’t understand either.”
Zhao Xiaohui scoffed, “You’re just pretending.”
Zhou Chaosheng didn’t refute that.
Gu Qingqiu, sitting beside them, suddenly asked, “Chaosheng, do you still mind him lying to you before?”
Zhou Chaosheng shook his head, “I stopped minding a long time ago.”
Gu Qingqiu: “How long ago?”
Zhou Chaosheng: “On the third day after we broke up, he sent me a long message explaining that whole thing.”
Gu Qingqiu and Zhao Xiaohui both showed confused expressions: “If that’s the case, then why haven’t you forgiven him?”
“I already forgave him,” Zhou Chaosheng said.
Zhao Xiaohui and Gu Qingqiu exchanged a look, both seeing bewilderment in each other’s eyes. Then Zhao Xiaohui asked, “Then are you still mad at him?”
This time it was Zhou Chaosheng who looked confused: “I’m not mad. Why would I be mad at him?”
Zhao Xiaohui was now doubly confused: “You’re not mad, and you still like him, so why the hell aren’t you getting back together?”
Zhou Chaosheng lowered his eyes and didn’t speak.
Seeing their childhood friend unwilling to open up, Gu Qingqiu changed tactics: “Chaosheng, don’t you think what you’re doing is kind of scummy? Like you’re stringing him along?”
Zhou Chaosheng still didn’t respond.
Gu Qingqiu continued, “Aren’t you afraid that one day Jiang Yuanye will get tired of being strung along and decide to give up on this relationship?”
Zhou Chaosheng finally reacted: “...I am afraid.”
Gu Qingqiu said seriously, “If you’re afraid, then you shouldn’t be doing this.”
Zhou Chaosheng was silent for a while, then suddenly said, “You guys know about sunk cost, right? Once people have paid the cost for a product or service, they tend to increase their usage frequency of it.”
Zhao Xiaohui was momentarily stunned, not understanding why Zhou Chaosheng suddenly jumped from relationship talk to economics: “What does that have to do with what we’re talking about?”
Zhou Chaosheng didn’t explain Zhao Xiaohui’s confusion.
Instead, Gu Qingqiu seemed to think for a moment and followed the definition Zhou Chaosheng had brought up: “Chaosheng, are you saying that previously invested time, money, or other resources will affect a person’s later decisions?”
In other words, if Jiang Yuanye had spent a lot of time and effort on Zhou Chaosheng, then he’d be more likely to consider the cost of what he’s already given and less likely to end the relationship easily. If another problem came up between them, Jiang Yuanye would first think about how to solve the problem between them, rather than solving Zhou Chaosheng himself.
This is the temporal sunk cost effect. It can explain why a person would take sunk cost into account when making decisions—because people generally don’t want to accept that their prior investments of money or time were wasted.
Zhou Chaosheng nodded but didn’t comment, even though Gu Qingqiu had basically guessed all of his thoughts.
Zhao Xiaohui seemed to understand but also not quite: “But in economics, sunk cost isn’t supposed to affect major decisions.”
“You’re right,” Zhou Chaosheng didn’t deny it, but made a turn, “But relationships and economics can’t be mixed together.”
Zhao Xiaohui: “...”
Gu Qingqiu: “...”
Just as Zhou Chaosheng seemed to be taking the term “plausible nonsense” to its limit, a beautiful woman suddenly walked up and asked if they wanted to move to a booth. Although she was addressing Zhao Xiaohui, her gaze kept drifting toward Zhou Chaosheng.
Zhao Xiaohui: “...”
What, am I not handsome enough?
They were at a quiet bar inside a high-end hotel, peaceful and laid-back, not like a noisy nightclub.
Zhao Xiaohui shook his head and declined, “No thanks, beauty, we’re good here.”
The woman looked a little disappointed but didn’t give up. She turned her body toward Zhou Chaosheng and asked almost directly, “Then can I buy this handsome guy a drink?”
Zhou Chaosheng lifted his eyes and looked at the elegantly dressed woman in front of him, replying just as directly, “Sorry, I already have someone I like.”
The woman was completely disappointed and turned to leave.
“ Tsk, how many is that now? Why don’t any of them notice me or Qingqiu? They’re all going straight for you,” Zhao Xiaohui said, sounding a little sour.
Gu Qingqiu adjusted his glasses: “Thirteenth one, young master. Guess we’re just not charming enough.”
Zhou Chaosheng shook his head and laughed. “You two, stop teasing me.”
The three of them tacitly moved past the previous topic, jumping directly from relationship issues to international politics and economics. They discussed interest rates, inflation, economic recession, then stocks, investments, business management—basically, they covered almost everything going on in society.
But unlike the online joke that “global and domestic economic trends are all under the control of these food-stall bros,” their boasting was genuine, and when they talked about making money, it was real money. In contrast, women were actually one of the topics they brought up the least.
Zhou Chaosheng’s phone vibrated on the table. He paused the conversation and gestured to the other two, then picked up his phone and stepped outside to a quieter spot to answer.
“Chaosheng, where are you now?”
“At a bar.”
“You’ve been drinking?”
“Just a little, not much.”
“Then send me your location. I’ll come pick you up later.”
Zhou Chaosheng didn’t refuse. He replied, “Okay.”
“Let’s leave it at that for now. I’ll message you when I get there.”
Zhou Chaosheng responded with a hum. Then the other party said “bye,” and the call ended.
Just as Zhou Chaosheng was about to return to the bar, he happened to catch a glimpse of a corner of the open-air terrace and paused. His eyes then met those of a man sitting in the corner.
He narrowed his eyes slightly. This man…
“Chaosheng, didn’t expect to run into you here.” The man stood up and walked over slowly, his tone full of cheer.
Besides the hospital room and the Liu family banquet, Zhou Chaosheng had seen this man on several other occasions—the Liu family’s illegitimate son, Liu Huaichuan.
What puzzled Zhou Chaosheng wasn’t just the fact that during his memory loss, this man had pretended to be a close friend, but also the man’s overly familiar and thick-skinned demeanor, as if the things that had happened in the hospital room never existed.
“President Liu, I don’t think our relationship is close enough for this,” Zhou Chaosheng said bluntly.
Hearing this, there was no sign of embarrassment on Liu Huaichuan’s face. He still wore a refined and gentle smile as he replied softly, “President Zhou, that’s a bit hurtful.”
Zhou Chaosheng couldn’t be bothered to engage and was about to walk past him when Liu Huaichuan reached out to block his path.
“Do you need something else?” Zhou Chaosheng asked coldly.
Liu Huaichuan seemed to have just left a banquet hall. He was wearing a light gray suit with a properly knotted tie, silver-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, exuding the aura of a refined scoundrel.
At that moment, the corners of his narrow eyes lifted, and his gaze openly fell on Zhou Chaosheng’s face, as if carefully examining every pore and feature.
For the first time in a long while, Zhou Chaosheng felt goosebumps crawl up his skin. For some reason, he felt that he had seen those eyes somewhere before—earlier than their first meeting in the hospital room.
But that face… He had no impression of it at all.
“Nothing much, just one question,” Liu Huaichuan said with a smile.
Zhou Chaosheng didn’t reply, but his expression clearly showed impatience—“Say it quickly.”
Liu Huaichuan didn’t mind. He asked directly, “Do you like men?”
Zhou Chaosheng frowned. He hadn’t made his feelings for Jiang Yuanye widely known. Where did this man get the information?
“President Liu, you’re crossing a line,” Zhou Chaosheng’s expression turned cold, and there was a trace of wariness in his eyes as he stared at Liu Huaichuan.
“Don’t be nervous.” Liu Huaichuan chuckled lightly. “I’m just asking, nothing else.”
Zhou Chaosheng’s patience was exhausted. He turned his foot and bypassed the arm blocking his path.
“Chaosheng.”
Zhou Chaosheng didn’t stop walking.
“Why is Jiang Yuanye acceptable?”
Zhou Chaosheng stopped and turned back. “What do you mean?”
Standing in the shadows, Liu Huaichuan’s expression was hard to read. His previously gentle lips curled into a strange smile, half crying, half laughing—something about it was unnerving.
“…Nothing.”
Liu Huaichuan’s eyes flickered before he lowered his lashes, concealing all the emotion in his gaze.
But Zhou Chaosheng had still caught that fleeting look—dark, melancholic, obsessive, and a kind of inexplicable… excitement?
Was he seeing things?
Zhou Chaosheng didn’t have time to think more. His phone vibrated again. Looking down, he saw it was a call from Zhao Xiaohui.
As he answered the call, he took one last glance at Liu Huaichuan and turned to leave without asking further.
“Where’d you go? Why were you gone so long?” Zhao Xiaohui asked over the phone.
“Taking a call. I’m on my way back.”
It only took a few steps from the rooftop back to the bar. Once Zhou Chaosheng returned to his seat at the bar, he was immediately teased by his friends.
Gu Qingqiu: “Was it Jiang Yuanye calling?”
Zhou Chaosheng: "Mhmm"
Zhao Xiaohui rested his chin in his hand: “I’m just curious, is he your ex or your boyfriend?”
After being interrupted by Liu Huaichuan earlier, Zhou Chaosheng wasn’t in the mood to joke. He picked up his glass and asked, “Still drinking?”
“Tsk, pulling this move again.” Zhao Xiaohui muttered a few complaints, but eventually still picked up his glass reluctantly and clinked it with Zhou Chaosheng’s. “You better finish it. Don’t make me look down on you.”
Zhou Chaosheng finished the white liquor in his glass in one go, not leaving a drop.
Zhao Xiaohui whistled and poured him another glass. “Having someone to pick you up really is different. Unlike me and Qingqiu, two lonely bachelors…”
Gu Qingqiu interrupted, “Don’t lump me in. I have a fiancée.”
Zhao Xiaohui: “……”
Drinking for the sake of it was boring, so Zhao Xiaohui brought up soccer. Their conversation extended from the World Cup to the Intercontinental Cup, and then on to the upcoming soccer events next year.
After about half an hour of chatting, Zhou Chaosheng received a message from Jiang Yuanye: “I’m downstairs.”
“He’s here?” Zhao Xiaohui asked.
“Yeah, just arrived,” Zhou Chaosheng replied.
Zhao Xiaohui joked, “Anyone who didn’t know would think you have a curfew.”
Zhou Chaosheng gave him a sideways glance and retorted, “At least someone cares about me. Do you have anyone?”
Zhao Xiaohui gave a short laugh and pulled out his phone, showing Zhou Chaosheng his WeChat contacts: “Girl No. 1, Girl No. 2, Girl No. 3…” along with a string of chat messages like: “Brother, where are you?”, “Brother, I miss you so much,” “Come home early,” “Don’t drink too much, tell me if you’re not feeling well,” “Brother, send me your location, I’ll come pick you up.”
Zhou Chaosheng: “……”
Gu Qingqiu: “……”
Zhao Xiaohui raised his eyebrows: “Who says I don’t have anyone?”
Zhou Chaosheng said helplessly, “You win.”
At that moment, three pretty girls came over to strike up a conversation. As soon as they entered the bar, they headed straight for their direction.
“Hi handsome guys, would you mind adding us on WeChat?” the woman with red wavy hair asked boldly.
The three girls were all goddess-level, fair-skinned, beautiful, and long-legged. Zhao Xiaohui usually never said no to women like this.
Gu Qingqiu politely declined. He expected Zhou Chaosheng would do the same, but to his surprise, Zhou Chaosheng actually started talking with one of them, the girl with short hair. Or rather, it wasn’t exactly a conversation, since most of the talking was being done by the girl and Zhou Chaosheng was just listening.
“Brother, you’re so good-looking. I’ve never seen anyone better looking than you, better than those movie stars. Can I buy you a drink? Do you prefer something sweet or something more sour…”
Zhao Xiaohui had probably never seen a girl so chatty either. He glanced over and saw Zhou Chaosheng already accepting the drink the short-haired girl handed him.
Gu Qingqiu also noticed: “……What’s going on?”
Zhao Xiaohui was totally puzzled. Compared to the previous thirteen women, this short-haired girl didn’t seem particularly different, so why didn’t Zhou Chaosheng turn her down?
Gu Qingqiu was wondering whether he should remind the girl that his friend was gay.
Just as the two of them were feeling puzzled and uncertain, there was a clinking sound. The bar’s door was pushed open from the outside.
Zhao Xiaohui and Gu Qingqiu turned their heads and happened to meet eyes with Jiang Yuanye, who had just walked in. Jiang Yuanye’s gaze then slowly shifted to Zhou Chaosheng, who was being chatted up by the girl.
Jiang Yuanye’s face didn’t look great. He seemed to be gritting his teeth. The jealousy was so strong it practically filled the whole bar.
Zhao Xiaohui: “……”
Gu Qingqiu: “……”
So that was it.
Jiang Yuanye strode over and, in front of everyone, put his arm around Zhou Chaosheng’s shoulders like a declaration of ownership. Then, smiling politely at the girl, he said, “Sorry, miss. He’s coming with me now.”
They were all adults. At a glance, the short-haired girl immediately understood. She thought to herself, no wonder that handsome guy had just asked her for a favor.
The short-haired girl showed no sign of embarrassment. She even smiled good-naturedly and waved her hand, saying, “No worries. Take care on the way.”
After the two left, the three girls also found excuses to leave one after another, leaving behind two lonely men sitting in the bar.
Gu Qingqiu: “What do you think?”
Zhao Xiaohui: “Chaosheng’s gotten scheming.”
“And pretty flirtatious.”
Zhao Xiaohui nodded vigorously.
After clinking glasses, Zhao Xiaohui added, “But Jiang Yuanye’s possessiveness is really something. He got that jealous just from a girl talking to him. If it were me, I couldn’t take it.”
As a friend, Gu Qingqiu didn’t intend to comment on that. He just asked, “Then in your opinion, what counts as being possessive?”
“Isn’t that obvious? If a girl interferes too much with my social circle, is very sensitive about me interacting with the opposite sex, insists only she can touch me, and gets upset if someone else does—that’s strong possessiveness. Like just now, with Jiang Yuanye. You can tell from his behavior.”
Gu Qingqiu nodded slightly, then said, “But what if there’s another possibility?”
Zhao Xiaohui raised an eyebrow: “What possibility?”
“For example, another kind of possessiveness,” Gu Qingqiu said slowly, “is hoping someone else will possess you.”
"......"
“What the hell is that?”
“Nothing. Just think of it as me talking nonsense.”
Zhao Xiaohui: “……”
Gu Qingqiu: “Let’s drink.”
Zhao Xiaohui was at a loss for words, so he could only raise his glass. “Fine.”
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