Xia Yandong searched high and low before finding his nearly lost phone wedged in the crevices of the sofa. He stared at the caller ID, walked off to the side alone, and answered the call. "Xiaojia, what's up?"
"Aren't you moving into your new place? I have the day off today. Send me the address, and I'll come find you now."
Hearing this, Xia Yan was taken aback. His gaze involuntarily drifted to the man on the sofa cutting cake for Xiaohan. He covered the receiver and whispered, "I'm a bit busy today. Let's do it another time."
"That doesn't sound right. You should be off today too, shouldn't you? You're not hiding someone away and worried I'll find out, are you?"
"How could that be!"
"Fine, if you say so." Lin Xujia hesitated, phone in hand, then shifted the topic. "Xia Yan, that night at the bar, did anything happen to you?"
"..."
"Xia Yan, I had no idea I'd run into Yang Jinkuan there that night. I was in such a terrible mood that I just wanted to drink at the bar. I..."
"Don't worry about it. Nothing happened to me that night either. By the way, where did Yang Jinkuan take you that night?"
"I don't know. When I woke up the next day, I was in a hotel, and nothing had happened."
"That's good." Xia Yan nodded to himself, sensing Lu Zhengting's probing gaze sweep over him. He exchanged a few quick words with Lin Xujia and hung up, but less than a minute later, the phone rang again.
He liked Xi Xi, so his ringtone was one of Xi Xi's songs.
Lu Zhengting, upon hearing it, furrowed his brow tightly but continued cutting the cake as if nothing was wrong.
This time, it was Ye Yunchen calling. Ever since Ye Yunchen had sent him a bouquet of roses at the company, Xia Yan had been subtly keeping his distance, maintaining a normal friendship. He vaguely sensed something was off.
Xia Yan walked to the balcony this time before answering. The sunlight outside was intense, carrying a strong burning sensation. He rested one hand on the railing, gazing at the shimmering river in the distance. "Brother Ye."
"Xia Yan, I'm at the supermarket now. I've bought a lot of things you like. If it's convenient, send me the address, and I'll bring them over since I have the time."
"What?" Xia Yan's voice rose in surprise. It seemed like everyone was especially busy today, all picking the same time.
"Is it inconvenient for you now?"
Xia Yan rubbed his forehead. With Lu Zhengting here, a living, breathing person, if anyone found out, who knew what rumors would spread. And Ye Yunchen didn't even know he and Lu Zhengting were acquainted. Today, he was destined to tell countless lies because of Lu Zhengting.
"Yeah, I'm not home right now, so it's not convenient."
"Then let me know when you're free, and I'll come over."
"Brother Ye, there's no need to go to all this trouble..."
"Xia Yan, you don't have to be so polite with me." Ye Yunchen stood at the supermarket exit, looking at the items in his shopping cart, and spoke softly.
As soon as he said that, Xia Yan felt the air grow still. He was silent, at a loss for words, until a faint sigh came from the other end of the line. He looked down at the ant-like crowd and the endless stream of cars below, suddenly feeling a strange sensation.
Maybe the topic had become too heavy, plunging them both into awkwardness. Ye Yunchen seemed to notice Xia Yan's shift and considerately changed the subject, offering a few reminders before hanging up.
Xia Yan stood on the balcony for a long time, phone in hand. He wasn't unaware of Ye Yunchen's feelings for him, but he couldn't control someone else's emotions or stop them. He had tried to respond with coldness before, only to realize later that Ye Yunchen seemed to treat every woman the same way, leading him to think he was overthinking it.
But now, Xia Yan couldn't pretend anymore. He knew Lin Xujia had always liked Ye Yunchen, and he was clear that his own feelings for Ye Yunchen were purely platonic, not romantic. He pondered for a long time, a hint of frustration creeping in.
Xia Yan let out a soft sigh. When he turned around, he saw Lu Zhengting standing cold-faced behind the curtain, his sharp gaze fixed on him. He nearly jumped out of his skin, quickly patting his chest and staring wide-eyed at Lu Zhengting. "Do you have to walk so silently!"
"You were too focused."
"Then if you knew I was on the phone, why were you eavesdropping from behind!"
"Eavesdropping?" Lu Zhengting let out a scornful laugh, glancing at Xia Yan dismissively. Eavesdrop? He was listening openly!
Xia Yan rolled his eyes. "If you weren't eavesdropping, why didn't you say something? Forget it, I can't reason with you."
"Who was that?"
"A friend."
"A boyfriend?"
The moment those three words came out of Lu Zhengting's mouth, Xia Yan felt the hot air around him instantly drop to a chilly breeze, sweeping over him in waves. He instinctively shrugged his shoulders. "Why are you asking so much? It's hot out here; I'm going inside."
Hearing this, Lu Zhengting frowned and said coldly, "I think you've forgotten the company's rules."
"What did I forget? Go on, tell me. Ban on office romances? I'm not dating anyone from work."
"No suitors either," Lu Zhengting said seriously.
Xia Yan pursed his lips. "President Lu, from what I've observed, there are more male employees than female ones at the company. Are you sure this rule isn't just you playing matchmaker breaker?"
"Are you one of them?"
"Of course not. Actually, I don't really like office romances either. It feels weird." Xia Yan frowned, speaking casually, like back in school when a classmate confessed to him—he'd always refuse seriously and sternly, even if he had feelings too. This behavior stemmed from his inner aversion, a rejection of anything that could create awkward situations.
It was the same now. He disliked this kind of thing, maybe for other reasons too, like his extreme sensitivity to gossip. Though he often did his own thing, he understood that baseless rumors could sometimes break a person's weakness.
More often than not, he didn't like to magnify his weaknesses.
Hearing Xia Yan's words, Lu Zhengting nodded approvingly, unaware that he was digging a hole for himself.
Xia Yan had no good mood to deal with Lu Zhengting. As far as he was concerned, given the current situation, he needed to keep his distance not only from Ye Yunchen but also from this man in front of him. Otherwise, the consequences would be far more serious than the former.
The women Lu Zhengting met all seemed eager to wear their affections on their sleeves, their thoughts so obvious he didn't need to guess. But with Xia Yan, he found this little one's thinking a bit unconventional, sometimes not playing by the rules, often catching him off guard. He didn't know whether to say she played her cards well or if she truly didn't care, as she appeared.
Back in the living room, Xiaohan had already eaten most of the cake, his belly round and full as he lay flat on the sofa, watching cartoons on TV. Seeing this, Xia Yan couldn't help but smile. He walked over to Xiaohan. "After eating so much, can you still manage dinner?"
"Sister Yan, my stomach feels so uncomfortable." Xiaohan pouted, looking at Xia Yan pitifully. He'd only had a few extra bites—why did his stomach have to hurt so much!
Hearing this, Xia Yan placed his hand on Xiaohan's bloated belly and rubbed it gently. Then an idea struck him. "Want some medicine to help with digestion?"
"No, I don't want to take medicine." Xiaohan turned his head away, staring at Lu Zhengting with a pitiful look.
Xia Yan swallowed the scolding words that were on the tip of his tongue. Lu Zhengting, on the other hand, remained expressionless. After a moment, he suddenly bent down and scooped Xiaohan into his arms.
That evening, after Lu Zhengting left with Xiaohan, Xia Yan collapsed onto the sofa like a boneless mess, too tired to move. The TV was on, playing a variety show featuring Xi Xi. This episode had several popular celebrities as guests, and among them, he spotted a familiar face—Ning Nan.
The flashy guy suddenly turned serious. The host kept the energy up, and Xi Xi and Ning Nan were grouped together for the next game. Xia Yan watched with great interest, his eyes glued to Xi Xi. After the show ended, there was a behind-the-scenes interview with Xi Xi. One question from the host touched on his contract termination with his former company. He deftly sidestepped it, and then Ning Nan suddenly barged in.
After watching TV for a while, Xia Yan felt drowsiness creeping in. He stretched, yawned, and headed to his room. He'd been in bed for less than half an hour when his sleepiness inexplicably vanished. Bored, he pulled out his phone to browse Weibo, checked the trending news, and visited Xi Xi's page, only to find it hadn't been updated since last week. He closed Weibo and opened WeChat to scroll around.
Ye Yunchen had left him another message. Xia Yan tapped the voice note, listened, and froze. He tossed his phone aside in frustration. Ye Yunchen's words were calm, considerate, and gentle, but they left him at a loss. For the first time, Ye Yunchen had expressed his feelings so directly, and it made Xia Yan uncomfortable.
He ran his hands through his hair in frustration, lying face down on the bed, unsure what to say, so he simply didn't reply.
The next day, Xia Yan was jolted awake by the ringing of his phone. Eyes still closed, he fumbled around for it and answered without looking.
It was Ye Yunchen. He said he was already at the door.
Xia Yan mumbled a response, but half a minute later, his eyes flew open. "What did you say?"
"I'm at the door."
"No, wait—how did you get here?" Xia Yan glanced at his spaghetti-strap nightgown, the neckline revealing far too much. He sat up abruptly and quickly threw on a cover-up.
When Xia Yan opened the door, he saw Ye Yunchen smiling at him, both hands full of two heavy bags. He was stunned. "Brother Ye, how did you find this place?"
"I ran into your colleague at the supermarket yesterday. She told me."