Chapter 9

Lin Yu put down his phone.

The surrounding office area was quiet, but his mind was in turmoil. The comments in the comment section kept swirling in his mind, like a complex and difficult problem entering its final countdown.

If you were a girl, would you accept him?

—Kunkun, you're really tempted.

—Let's arrange to meet at the same time and see if he chooses that other guy or you.

He subconsciously looked at the person to his left.

Yue Qianwen sat at his workstation, his fingers flying across the keyboard. He sat upright, his expression calm. His dark gray shirt was as neatly pressed and wrinkle-free as ever, the hem tucked into his black trousers. When he raised his hand, the muscles in his back became visible.

Lin Yu was stunned by what he saw, and suddenly remembered that last month Yue Qianwen had taught him how to wrap wontons, his chest pressed against his back, and when he reached for something, he could feel the changes in his muscles.

He didn't care at the time.

His gaze remained fixed on Yue Qianwen for a long time until he saw Yue Qianwen pick up his phone.

It was as if a bubble had burst in an instant.

Lin Yu subconsciously lowered his head, then involuntarily raised it again, staring intently at Yue Qianwen's fingers. The top left corner was WeChat; he seemed to have opened the friend list, then tapped the middle section, indicating it wasn't pinned. He opened the message, but instead of replying, he went back…

What on earth is he ordering?!

Lin Yu was like an ant on a hot pan, anxiously pacing around, wishing he could have a pair of farsighted eyes so he could see Yue Qianwen's phone screen clearly.

But the next second, Yue Qianwen looked over.

Their eyes met from afar, and Lin Yu trembled with fright, nearly knocking over the water glass beside him with a loud clatter.

He vaguely sensed that Yue Qianwen seemed to have curved the corners of his mouth slightly, but he was too far away to see clearly.

Before he could even confirm, Yue Qianwen had already turned around.

The phrase popped into Lin Yu's mind again—"You've really fallen for me."

Is this what it means to be moved? Why isn't it as romantic as described in novels and anime? He could only feel anxious and uneasy.

He mustered his courage, opened Yue Qianwen's WeChat, and typed a message: "Do you have any plans for the weekend?"

As soon as the results were sent out, Yue Qianwen got up and went to his supervisor's office without even glancing at them.

Lin Yu craned his neck in anxiety.

After waiting for a full ten minutes, Yue Qianwen finally came out. Lin Yu began to feel uneasy. However, Yue Qianwen passed by the workstation, glanced at the desktop, picked up a folder, and went back to the supervisor's office.

"..."

Lin Yu couldn't bear the psychological torment. He wanted to retract the message, but the time had passed. After hesitating for a long time, he rushed to Yue Qianwen's table, picked up his phone, and prepared to delete it for him.

He knew Yue Qianwen's screen saver password, so he opened it skillfully, then opened WeChat, trying to find his own name, but he couldn't find it even after scrolling down two pages.

Strange, he only posted the message twenty minutes ago, so it should be at the top of the list.

Did Yue Qianwen block me?

This thought left his mind blank.

Did they... block me?

I?

Lin Yu was lost in thought when a familiar, faint fragrance suddenly wafted into his nostrils. Before he could react, Yue Qianwen was already standing behind him. Instead of taking the phone away, Yue Qianwen used Lin Yu's hand to open their chat history.

"Do you have any plans for the weekend?" Yue Qianwen read aloud softly.

Lin Yu was stunned.

Yue Qianwen didn't answer, but instead asked in his ear, "What's wrong? Do you need my help?"

Lin Yu hurriedly said, "No, what could be wrong with me? I... I was just bored, nothing, nothing at all."

Yue Qianwen moved closer, and his perfume became more pronounced, almost wafting into Lin Yu's nose, causing Lin Yu's gaze to involuntarily drift to Yue Qianwen's slightly open shirt collar.

"Bored? Didn't you make plans to play a murder mystery game with your friends?"

Last month, Yue Qianwen promised to come to Lin Yu's house to cook, and he even bought all the ingredients. However, Lin Yu was called away by a friend to play a murder mystery game all night and fell asleep until the next day before remembering Yue Qianwen.

Thinking of this, Lin Yu's face felt a little hot.

“No,” he said.

Yue Qianwen glanced briefly at his face without saying anything, but when he noticed the small piece of clothing label sticking out from the back of his hoodie, he reached out and tucked it back in for him.

His fingertips were a little cool, and he brushed against Lin Yu's skin almost imperceptibly, making Lin Yu feel very uncomfortable.

"So...do you have any plans for the weekend?"

"have."

Lin Yu felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave in an instant.

"Where are we going?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

Yue Qianwen put down the folder and smiled at him, "Why are you suddenly interested in my itinerary?"

Lin Yu couldn't tell whether he was losing face or overwhelmed with grief. He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word.

Yue Qianwen rolled up his shirt sleeves slightly, his expression not showing impatience, but his actions already hinted at something. After all, it was work time, and Lin Yu was just occupying his workstation and phone like that.

"Where to?" Lin Yu asked in a very low voice.

"I haven't decided yet. I checked the reviews for that restaurant you mentioned, and some people said it gets very crowded and noisy on weekends."

"Why should we be quiet?" Lin Yu insisted.

Yue Qianwen smiled but did not answer.

Lin Yu felt his heart pounding. A winter night six months ago inexplicably flashed before his eyes. He had worked overtime and it was already dark when he left the company. He was walking alone on the snow-covered sidewalk. It was so cold that half his face was covered by a scarf, making it almost impossible to see. The subway station was still a ten-minute walk away. He felt so miserable and pathetic. Just then, he heard a beeping sound. Yue Qianwen had parked his Pajero on the side of the road, rolled down the window, and asked, "Xiao Yu, need a ride?"

When the car window rolled down, half of the streetlight shone on Yue Qianwen's face, making his already handsome features even more alluring. Lin Yu was momentarily stunned, blinked, and walked over.

That was the beginning of the story.

Lin Yu thought they could be best friends for life, but now their relationship has changed, and they can't go back to the way things were and are stuck at a loss.

He tossed his phone into Yue Qianwen's arms and turned to go to the bathroom.

My heart feels blocked and astringent.

An indescribable feeling.

The lemon scented air freshener in the bathroom made him feel even worse, so he hurriedly came out and bumped into Yue Qianwen again.

Yue Qianwen held his phone, swiping the screen with his fingertip as he walked.

He rarely looks at his phone while walking.

He must be texting that guy.

No, Lin Yu thought, I won't allow him to do that.

I don't want to be gay, but I don't want Yue Qianwen to be kind to others. His patience, gentleness, and thoughtfulness shouldn't be given to others.

He knew it was unreasonable, but he still blurted out, "Can you come to my house tonight? I want to eat braised beef brisket."

Today is Friday.

Yue Qianwen raised an eyebrow, looking somewhat surprised, and said, "But I have an appointment for Saturday—"

"I want to eat!"

Lin Yu suddenly raised his voice and said urgently, "You haven't been to my house in a long time. Aren't we friends anymore?"

He was unaware that his eyes were already red, nor that the way he looked up at Yue Qianwen was reflected by the bathroom ceiling light as tiny, bright spots, like tears of grievance.

"If you go on a date, does that mean we're not friends anymore?" he said angrily. "I told you last month that I wanted to have braised beef brisket."

Yue Qianwen smiled, as if he couldn't do anything about it, and said, "Okay, I'll go over tonight."