Chapter 38
When Lu Zhiyue came out of the shower, he looked up and saw Chi Suinian sitting cross-legged on the edge of the bed, looking furious.
He instinctively paused mid-step. “…What’s wrong?”
He had just taken a shower. That couldn’t have upset him, right?
The bedroom was quiet. Chi Suinian raised his eyelids slightly, and the wall lamp to the side cast a cold glow over his face. He narrowed his eyes and said in a low voice, “Lu Zhiyue, are you messing with me again?”
Lu Zhiyue had no idea how he came to that conclusion. His mind was a little dazed. “How did I mess with you?”
Chi Suinian froze.
…How was he supposed to say it?
Should he say, “Your confession to me was fake, you were just playing me the whole time?” That made him sound pathetic.
But if he didn’t do something about it, he really couldn’t swallow the anger.
Chi Suinian pressed his lips together and stayed silent for a moment before stating flatly, “Lu Zhiyue, you actually have someone you like, don’t you?”
Lu Zhiyue realized what was going on and couldn’t help the slight curve of his lips. “Mm.”
Chi Suinian had been caught up all day in the smoke bombs Lu Zhiyue had thrown at him. When he heard that confirmed, the sparks of anger in his chest turned into a full-blown wildfire. He threw off the blanket and jumped off the bed, fiercely grabbing Lu Zhiyue’s collar.
“Then why the hell did you confess to me? And you’re saying you weren’t messing with me?”
After living under the same roof for so long, Chi Suinian had thought they’d finally managed a barely peaceful coexistence. But what happened today felt like a slap in the face.
Lu Zhiyue was still the same—taking joy in messing with people. Worse yet, his wicked sense of humor had evolved. Now he was using emotions as a toy.
Bastard.
Needs a beating.
Lu Zhiyue didn’t fight back when his collar was grabbed. Afraid the other might fall, he even supported Chi Suinian by the waist. “I didn’t lie to you.”
Bullshit.
Chi Suinian was fuming, his grip tightening. “You think I’m deaf? You clearly said in the restaurant that you liked someone. Now you’re pretending to forget? Today I swear I’m going to beat you—”
“I was talking about you.”
“…”
Chi Suinian froze in place, completely stunned. His grip loosened slightly, and in a daze, he heard Lu Zhiyue say, “I confessed to you back in middle school. You forgot?”
Chi Suinian instinctively retorted, “When the hell did you ever—”
…Wait, he had.
High school. In the cafeteria. In front of everyone. Lu Zhiyue had once said he liked him.
He and Lu Zhiyue had always clashed like fire and ice. There were very few peaceful moments between them. So recalling an odd event like that wasn’t too hard.
Chi Suinian remembered it had been a stifling hot afternoon. They were punished to clean the pond together. In the cafeteria, during an argument, he had said something thoughtless, and Lu Zhiyue, being Lu Zhiyue, had taken it and run with it, humiliating him thoroughly.
“You’re always chirping around me, following me everywhere—Lu Zhiyue, are you fucking crushing on me?”
“How’d you know? Was I that obvious?”
“……”
Flashback over, Chi Suinian’s face turned pitch-black.
That was the moment he was calling a confession???
Who the hell confesses like that??
Lu Zhiyue was a dumbass.
Maybe it was because his expression was so shocked, Lu Zhiyue furrowed his brows. “You didn’t understand me back then?”
Then his face showed a bit of realization. “No wonder you ignored me for so long after that. I thought you were rejecting me.”
Chi Suinian: “…………”
If I had known that was a confession, I would’ve smashed you into the wall right then and there!
Wouldn’t have let you live till now!
“So, now you know,” Lu Zhiyue said, looking at the face right in front of him. “What do you think?”
“…I think nothing!”
Lu Zhiyue’s gaze swept across him. “But your ears are red.”
“…”
Chi Suinian suddenly shoved him away and instinctively rubbed his ears. “It’s hot in here!”
Lu Zhiyue casually glanced at the wall-mounted thermostat. Indoor temperature: 19°C. Yup, pretty warm.
Chi Suinian was almost frozen in place. His heart thudded wildly in his chest with nowhere to go.
Lu Zhiyue liked him?
And had liked him since high school?
Could that even be real?
Chi Suinian closed his eyes and quickly recalled their years of interaction.
Fighting, arguing, chaos—total disaster.
…Like, my ass!
He let out a silent snort.
Who treats someone they like like that? Always pissing them off just to feel good? What a load of crap.
Lu Zhiyue was messing with him again.
Chi Suinian rolled under the blanket, covered himself entirely, and wanted nothing to do with the conversation. “Go sleep somewhere else.”
“Where?”
Chi Suinian turned over and buried his face in the pillow. “Downstairs, the sofa, the carpet, the garden… sleep wherever. Just get out.”
“So heartless?” Lu Zhiyue’s voice came closer, like he was right at the bedside. “Is this how you treat all your admirers?”
Over the years, Chi Suinian had indeed been pursued by many—both men and women—but he had turned them all down.
His attitude couldn’t be called cruel, just… indifferent.
“Yeah, I enjoy torturing people. So you’d better leave.”
He thought that being this vicious would scare Lu Zhiyue off. But just two seconds later, he felt the mattress dip slightly, and someone reached out and gently patted his head through the blanket.
“Then chase everyone else away, and torture me.”
·
“What do you mean someone confessed to you?” Lu Heng was so shocked he accidentally jabbed the cue ball into the neighboring table.
Next to them, a couple had been doing some flirty pool lesson, and the sudden interruption ruined the vibe. The girl blushed and insisted on playing solo.
The guy looked up with a face full of resentment.
“Sorry, bro,” Lu Heng smiled and nodded. “My bad today. Hope you two stay lovey-dovey.”
Then he grabbed his cue and rushed to Chi Suinian’s side. “Tell me everything—was it a guy or girl? Who was it? How did they confess? Did you say yes?”
“It wasn’t me… it was… a friend.” Chi Suinian frowned slightly, wondering if confiding in Lu Heng was a mistake.
But compared to Tang Jin, Lu Heng had more relationship experience and might give him the answer he needed.
“What friend do you have that I don’t know about?” Lu Heng clicked his tongue. “Come on, man, the old ‘I have a friend’ line? That’s so outdated.”
“……”
“When someone confesses to you…” Chi Suinian carefully chose his words, “How do you deal with them?”
He paused, then added, “The really persistent kind.”
Chi Suinian had rejected plenty of people, but usually one cold look and a direct “no” was enough to send them packing.
Lu Zhiyue was different—he couldn’t chase him away or scare him off.
And he could always make Chi Suinian more furious instead.
Lu Heng was momentarily stunned, then laughed, “Who got you wrapped around their finger like this? You look totally helpless.”
Chi Suinian gave him a blank look. Lu Heng instantly wiped the smile off his face.
“Ahem, not joking anymore. But seriously, your description is way too vague—I can’t give you any advice like this.”
Chi Suinian: “Then ask.”
Lu Heng sat up straighter. “How do you feel about him?”
Chi Suinian blinked, his hand twitching with the urge to punch someone. “Nothing special.”
Lu Heng: “Then it’s easy. Just reject him.”
“What if I can’t?”
Lu Heng: “How can that be? Unless… you don’t actually want to reject him.”
“…”
Chi Suinian frowned. “I’ve rejected him already. It didn’t work.”
Lu Zhiyue’s skin must be made of armor or something—it was thicker than a city wall and immune to all attacks. No matter what Chi Suinian did, it had zero effect.
Last night, while he was asleep, the shameless bastard even snuck into his bed again…
Damn it.
Lu Heng said, “Then I get it.”
Chi Suinian snapped out of his thoughts. “Get what?”
“Knowing you, there’s no such thing as a rejection that doesn’t work.” Lu Heng raised an eyebrow and smiled. “But if you’re this torn up over it, then maybe—just maybe—you’ve caught feelings for the guy.”
Chi Suinian glared. “Who the hell caught feelings?!”
Lu Heng rephrased, “You want to end things, but can’t bring yourself to—am I right?”
“Like hell—”
“Simple,” Lu Heng clapped the table confidently. “You two should just sleep together. After that, you’ll know. If you like him, stay. If you don’t, walk away. Easy.”
“…”
Yep. Talking to Lu Heng was officially the worst decision he’d ever made.
Chi Suinian got up without a word and walked out.
Lu Heng, confused, called after him, “Hey! Where are you going? Did you even hear what I said?”
Didn’t hear a thing.
Totally deaf.
Chi Suinian sped up and left the billiards room.
Once he was gone, Lu Heng dropped his joking expression and sat there for a moment before pulling out his phone to send Lu Zhiyue a heads-up.
[Let’s call it off early. I’m done playing. Chi Suinian’s got someone he likes. You’ve got no shot.]
The reply came quickly:
[Who does he like?]
[Don’t know. Someone confessed to him yesterday, and he’s conflicted. That means he’s at least a little moved. You should give up.]
[Oh.]
Oh?
Lu Heng stared at the screen, wide-eyed.
Was this guy not even bothered? Not even a little anxious? Or was he just putting on a cool front while freaking out behind the scenes?
With the ruse wrapping up, Lu Heng finally felt a weight lift from his shoulders.
He whistled a tune and went off to figure out how to apologize to Tang Jin.
···
After leaving the pool room, Chi Suinian stood for a moment outside by a pillar.
It was still early, and he wasn’t ready to go home and stare at Lu Zhiyue just yet. He was wondering where else to go when his phone rang—Qin Suitian.
“Where are you? I’ll come find you,” Qin Suitian said. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.”
His voice was unusually serious—more so than any of the times they’d hit a financial crisis before. Chi Suinian thought about it and replied, “I’ll come to you. I’m nearby anyway.”
“Alright.”
Just as he started the car, his phone vibrated, and the screen lit up.
[Lu-the Dog is inviting you to a video call.]
What the hell?
“…”
Bad luck.
Chi Suinian clicked his tongue and glared at the screen expressionlessly.
What was Lu Zhiyue up to now?
After half a minute, the call timed out. Then it rang again. Apparently, Lu Zhiyue had developed a passion for harassing him.
Did this man not have a job? Didn’t his huge company need managing?
A few seconds later, the video call came through a third time.
Chi Suinian cursed under his breath, shoved the phone into the holder next to the steering wheel, and hastily ran a hand through his wind-blown hair…
But just as he finished, he froze.
It was just a video call. Why did he care about how he looked?
It’d be better if he looked awful—Lu Zhiyue might finally get lost for good.
Chi Suinian quickly composed his face and answered coldly, voice full of impatience. “What do you want?”
Lu Zhiyue’s background showed an office with a sleek, cold palette and a view from a hundred floors up.
His phone was probably set on the desk, with a few documents nearby. As the call connected, he happened to lower his eyes and glance at the screen.
“I thought you weren’t going to pick up.”
“…”
Then why the hell did you keep calling?
“If you’ve got nothing to say, hang up.”
“No, I’ve got something.”
Chi Suinian pressed his lips together, waiting for whatever nonsense was coming next.
“Where are you?” Lu Zhiyue asked.
Chi Suinian frowned coldly. “Say what you need to say.”
Lu Zhiyue looked at him and said, “Do you have time later? I wanted to have lunch with you.”
Chi Suinian scoffed, “What are you, five? Need someone to eat with you?”
“I’m in a good mood today,” Lu Zhiyue said, lips curling slightly. “Felt like celebrating.”
“…”
“Not having lunch.”
“Dinner then?”
“No! Stop calling me. One more time and I’m blocking you.”
He hung up the call, and Jiang Ying finally let out a relieved breath.
She had come in with a few internal documents for the boss, only to find him on a video call… goofing off.
The other party hadn’t even picked up at first.
She saw with her own eyes how Lu Zhiyue kept calling over and over again, relentlessly, until finally, someone picked up and immediately launched into a tirade.
Jiang Ying carefully placed the documents on the desk and peeked at the boss. Lu Zhiyue could be terrifying when he was angry. His cold face had an intimidating aura that shut people up instantly. After getting cursed out like that, his mood must’ve been horrible.
She wasn’t about to get caught in the crossfire. No, thank you.
Just as she was about to leave, she glanced up—and froze.
Lu Zhiyue’s face had softened. Though the call had ended, he was still holding the phone… and there was a faint, unmistakable smile on his lips.
“……”
“Anything else?” Lu Zhiyue looked up in confusion when he noticed Jiang Ying hadn’t left yet.
“No, nothing.” Jiang Ying blinked. “The files you asked for this morning are all here. Then, President Lu, I’ll get going.”
Lu Zhiyue nodded, and just as Jiang Ying was about to walk out the door, he called out, “Wait.”
Jiang Ying froze and turned around. “President Lu, do you have any other instructions?”
“Order some afternoon tea for everyone. It’s on me.”
“…Ah, okay.” Jiang Ying smiled slightly.
She got it now—it must’ve been Young Master Chi on the phone.
He got scolded by his wife and was still this happy? Could it be their President Lu had some masochistic tendencies?
After Jiang Ying left, Lu Zhiyue tried to focus on the documents but found that he couldn’t read a single word.
Normally, he could skim through documents at lightning speed, but now he couldn’t even finish the first line.
Unable to hold back, Lu Zhiyue rubbed his forehead and laughed softly, his mind drifting, completely unable to work.
He sat in his office, smiling like a fool for a while, and decided to share his joy with someone.
“What is it, calling me in the middle of the day? Are you finally treating me to lunch?” Xu Lingtang asked lazily on the other end.
“Soon. In a few days, I’ll treat you to drinks,” Lu Zhiyue replied.
Xu Lingtang said critically, “What kind of drinks? If it’s not the good stuff, I’m not drinking. You know how picky I am.”
Lu Zhiyue suddenly said, “Wedding wine.”
“……”
Xu Lingtang was shocked. “It’s happening? Damn, why so sudden? I wasn’t prepared at all.”
The pace was too fast. He hadn’t even had time to prepare a gift.
Lu Zhiyue’s face relaxed with a smile. “Soon.”
“Tell me everything, come on, come on, I’m dying of curiosity here,” Xu Lingtang urged excitedly.
Lu Zhiyue took a breath, still feeling excited. After a moment, under Xu Lingtang’s repeated urging, he said, “Chi Suinian… he probably likes me.”
“……………??”
An awkward silence.
Just as Lu Zhiyue thought the signal might’ve cut out, he finally heard from the other end, “Are you joking?”
Lu Zhiyue frowned. “No.”
He never joked.
“……”
Xu Lingtang fell silent again, unsure of what to say.
Was this what love did to people? Lu Zhiyue, a business elite, had been reduced to this?
All it took was a “probably likes” and he was already joyfully dreaming of a wedding banquet.
Thank god Chi Suinian was a man—if he were a woman, Lu Zhiyue would probably have picked out baby names by now.
Who’d believe this?
Well, he certainly didn’t.
Lu Zhiyue wasn’t here to argue.
He had put aside a mountain of work to make this call—not to send out invites just yet.
That decision had to be made with Chi Suinian.
Leaning back into the plush chair, Lu Zhiyue tapped his fingers lightly on the desk. “I remember your sister got married three months ago.”
“…Yeah. Why?”
“Her wedding planning company was pretty good. What was it called again?”
“………” His friend was beyond saving.
In the afternoon, Chi Suinian arrived at a downtown apartment complex. Qin Suitian wasn’t there. The door was opened by a young man.
The guy had a handsome baby face and wore an oversized dress shirt with a few buttons undone. His face was still wet, like he’d just washed up after getting out of bed.
“Who are you looking for?”
As soon as he spoke, Chi Suinian recognized the voice—it was the one who had cussed and broken things at Qin Suitian’s place the other day.
Given the situation, Chi Suinian wasn’t sure whether he should enter. While he hesitated, the young man opened the door wider and said, “Ah, I remember you now. You’re Qin Suitian’s boss. He told me to let you in. He should be back soon.”
Inside, the young man headed to the kitchen. “I just woke up, making breakfast. Want some? Hmm… or afternoon tea?”
“No need.” Chi Suinian sat on the sofa and pulled out his phone. “I’m not hungry.”
The young man didn’t insist and started fussing around in the kitchen.
Just as Chi Suinian was about to text Qin Suitian to ask when he’d be back, the door opened with a click and in walked Qin Suitian. “Sorry, traffic was bad. I got back later than expected.”
“I just got here too,” Chi Suinian said, glancing toward the kitchen. He wanted to get straight to the point. “Let’s talk in your study.”
In the study.
Qin Suitian laid out the suspicious activities he’d discovered recently, intentionally leaving out Lu Zhiyue’s involvement.
“For the past two months, Chi Mingyao has been aggressively buying up shares—mostly minor ones with little weight—but added up, it’s quite a significant number. On top of the 10% he already holds in Chihao, I suspect he’s trying to join forces with outsiders to make a move.”
Chi Suinian frowned as he studied the documents. “Chi Mingyao’s not that smart. You think someone’s guiding him?”
“Definitely.” Qin Suitian pulled out a manila folder and handed over some blurry photographs. “My people saw him going in and out of a villa in Pingcheng over the last few days, having secret meetings with someone.”
The photos showed Chi Mingyao and his lawyer from various angles entering and exiting the villa, but the person inside never appeared.
“Any idea who he’s meeting?”
“No clue.” Qin Suitian frowned. “The guy never comes out, doesn’t socialize, and has a nanny bringing him meals. My people staked out for days and still couldn’t get a picture of him.”
“Chi Mingyao hates you, and I think he’s planning something big. Be careful when you’re out—he might just try to ambush you.”
That did sound like something Chi Mingyao would do. Chi Suinian snorted coldly. “Let him try.”
Let’s see whose fists are harder.
The two of them buried themselves in files and worked straight through until dusk. Then there was a knock at the door.
“It’s almost seven. Aren’t you two going to eat?” a familiar voice called from outside.
Chi Suinian looked up.
“Oh, right, forgot to introduce you.” Qin Suitian stood up and opened the door. “This is Ning Chen, my boyfriend. Xiao Chen, this is Chi Suinian, my boss.”
“Hi, Boss Chi!” Ning Chen waved with a bright smile, showing an adorably distinctive fang.
“No need for that. Just call me by my name,” Chi Suinian said, standing up. “I should get going.”
“You’re not staying for dinner?” Qin Suitian asked.
“No, it’s fine…”
“Don’t go. I made enough for three. If you don’t eat, it’ll go to waste,” Ning Chen said sweetly. His voice had a naturally soft tone, like he was whining, but not annoyingly so.
“…Alright.” Qin Suitian looked helplessly at Chi Suinian. “Just stay and eat.”
At the table, five dishes and one soup were set up neatly. The place was filled with the delicious smell of home-cooked food. Ning Chen was quite the cook.
“Chi-ge,” Ning Chen suddenly said. “Try my cooking. If you like it, come by more often. And when we have time, we can go out—looking like you, you’ll definitely attract lots of great–mmm?”
Ning Chen’s mouth was stuffed with a cola chicken wing.
“Eat first, talk later,” Qin Suitian said flatly.
What, trying to drag Chi Suinian to some nightclub? Tired of living?
“Mind your own business!” Ning Chen shot back. “Chi-ge, you’ll come, right?”
Chi Suinian was getting a headache. He could tell Qin Suitian’s boyfriend was a handful—and he wasn’t equipped to deal with it. He needed an excuse to leave.
Right then, as if on cue, his phone rang.
Relieved, Chi Suinian answered without even checking the screen. “What is it?”
“When are you coming back?” came the familiar voice on the other end.
Chi Suinian blinked and glanced at the screen.
Ah, it was Lu Zhiyue.
He paused, then said in a low voice, “I’m not coming back.”
Lu Zhiyue ignored that and continued, “Should I come pick you up? It’s about to rain.”
Chi Suinian looked out the window—it was calm and full of stars, not a cloud in sight. No way it was going to rain.
“…”
“Are you coming back for dinner? Aunt Chen made your favorite seafood.”
“…”
“Niannian? Are you still listening?”
“…”
Niannian, your ass.
Chi Suinian lost his patience and snapped, gritting his teeth, “Lu Zhiyue, can you give it a rest? If you keep being annoying, I’m blocking you.”
The dinner table fell into a stunned silence. Ning Chen looked at him, startled. “Chi-ge, are you okay?”
Lu Zhiyue heard that soft, gentle voice loud and clear on the other end—and his face immediately turned dark.
“You’re not coming back this late… because you’ve got a new lover?”
Chi Suinian: “…”
The hell is wrong with you?!
Sia- Hi Readers!!! Sometime I get confused about translating the names, I try to keep it as neutral as possible but if you guys find any problem do let me know. I’ll appreciate it. Happy Reading ( •̀ ω •́ )✧
