Chapter 4

"What?!"

"Open relationship."

Tang An was in extreme shock.

The boss seemed to think there was nothing wrong with what he said: "My wife and I have always wanted to find a same-sex couple like us, but it's difficult. Those who come here always drop out for various reasons. My wife is also very distressed, so..."

Tang An stood up suddenly: "Sorry, I have to leave."

He picked up his phone and called Ji Ying.

After a while, the call was connected and a lazy male voice came from the other end: "Hello——"

Tang An suddenly felt aggrieved: "Why didn't you reply to my message?!"

There was a bang on the phone: "What's wrong with you? Who bullied you?"

Tang An put his hand on the door: "I..."

"Tang An, you seem to have some misunderstandings about me."

The boss said behind him.

"I'm serious and earnest in my proposal. This is not a dirty joke."

Tang An opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, a voice in his ear immediately became louder.

"You didn't come home so late because you were messing around with another man?! Tang An, you really have some skills..."

Tang An hung up the phone expressionlessly.

He turned to the boss, and the other's mixed-race face looked even more profound under the light.

Tang An said calmly, "I'm sorry, that guy and I can't possibly consider anyone else. We don't share any common interests. You should look for someone else."

Seeing the person about to leave, the boss hurriedly said, "I still want to explain to you that open relationships are not as dirty as you think. You know Beauvoir and Sartre, they also had this kind of relationship. This kind of undefined, inclusive, great..."

Tang An kept walking forward, and the boss followed him relentlessly.

"Please believe me, this kind of relationship is very common abroad. Two people..."

Tang An stopped and turned around.

It was as if he was getting to know the person in front of him for the first time.

"Boss, you're handsome and rich, and your wife is beautiful and outstanding. Chi Ying and I are just an ordinary couple. We don't understand or want to know about Sartre and Beauvoir's open relationship. We just want to be together for the rest of our lives. Frankly, you've crossed the line."

His boss, with whom he had worked for three years, wanted to invite him and Ji Ying to a group party.

It's magical, all of this.

Tang An sighed as he walked out of the company and was about to press the elevator button, but found that the elevator was already going up. He watched the number change from 1 to 15.

With a warning, the door opened and Chi Ying walked out panting.

He said nothing, took Tang An's hand and walked into the elevator.

"Tang An..."

The boss appeared in front of Chi Ying in such a charming manner.

"you--"

Before the elevator closed, Chi Ying raised his chin to the person and said bluntly, "Wait for the next one."

The elevator goes down.

In the quiet space, neither of them spoke first.

Tang An was led back to the car by Chi Ying holding his hand.

As soon as the car door closed, Chi Ying stepped on the accelerator and drove into the large flat near the company.

The light clicked on.

Chi Ying's dark face was clearly visible under the light.

"Go ahead, I'll listen to your explanation."

Tang An touched the wrist bone that was hurt by the other party's grip and turned his face away: "What did you say?"

Chi Ying frowned and said, "For example, why are you still in the office when it's almost eight o'clock..."

Tang An: "Working overtime."

Chi Ying: "What did they say on the phone about pornography..."

Tang An: "That's what He Chenzhou said."

He Chenzhou is the boss’s Chinese name.

Tang An pinched his brows: "He's a bit weird. After knowing that you and I want to divorce, he still..."

"Damn, I knew it!!"

Tang An's shoulders suddenly tightened, then shook vigorously as Chi Ying delivered his blows: "Is this guy trying to steal my girlfriend?! I knew it the first time I saw this bastard! He just wants to fuck you!!"

His eyes were red and his tone was anxious: "You are so beautiful, with a nice butt, and it feels so good to touch. He is also a gay, and gays like your type, white and tender, with a mouth that is so kissable, especially for eating..."

Tang An expressionlessly pinched the dog's mouth: "Listen to me and finish what I have to say."

Chi Ying: "Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle."

Tang An: "He advised us not to divorce."

Chi Ying hummed twice and blinked rapidly.

Tang An: "And then I want you to..."

He frowned slightly and looked at Chi Ying with a confused and conflicted look.

"Cheating."

Chi Ying took Tang An's hand and said, "What the hell???"

Tang An: "That's about the meaning."

"He got kicked in the head by a donkey?! Let me cheat on you?! What are you going to do then?!"

Tang An touched his nose and said, "I cheated too."

"No!" Chi Ying said immediately, "Who does he think he is? The driver of a locomotive? Who can derail anyone he orders?!"

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He rolled up his sleeves and said, "No, I'm going to beat him up!!!"

Tang An was overwhelmed and grabbed him by the back of his collar: "Wait a minute."

Ji Ying said angrily, "What are you waiting for?! If you wait any longer, we'll cheat!!!"

Tang An's forehead veins popped. "Can you calm down a bit? You're almost thirty and you're still working like this every day."

Chi Ying was unconvinced and said, "This proves that my kidneys are good. Besides, I'm only twenty-seven, how can I be almost thirty? There are still three whole years left. Can you please stop rounding up? Then when I'm thirty-five, will you say I'm forty, and when I'm sixty, just say I'm dying!?"

Tang An: "...That's not the point."

It's always like this. Even when we're talking about A, we always end up talking about B.

He has a headache.

What was I originally going to say?

Seeing that no one was talking, Chi Ying frowned, as if he was thinking about something seriously.

"Hey." He suddenly fell silent, the light falling on his eyebrows and eyes, revealing the emotions hidden in his pupils. "What are you thinking?"

"What?"

"Just cheating or something." Chi Ying said reluctantly, "We've come this far because you're tired of me. You must be looking for someone new."

Sometimes Tang An really wanted to open this pig brain to see what shit was inside. He felt that even if it was shit, it would definitely be the smelliest and hardest piece in the world.

He didn't want to talk to someone with shit in his head, so he pushed him away coldly: "Let's go."

Chi Ying remained motionless: "Where are you going?"

Tang An suppressed his temper and said, "Go home."

Chi Ying said arbitrarily: "This is your home."

Tang An took a deep breath: "That was in the past. Now I don't know you well, and I don't have the habit of staying in a stranger's house."

Chi Ying gritted her teeth and spoke word by word, "We haven't divorced yet."

You were the one who was yelling about leaving, and you were the one who disgusted me with all those stupid words. Chi Ying, what the hell do you want!?

Tang An's eyes were icy as he said, "I'm fucking fed up with you. Why are you still staying here?! Get out of the way!"

Chi Ying had a look on his face that said, "You know what I mean by that." Like a powder keg exploding, he kicked the door hard: "Then leave! Don't come back if you leave!!!"

After saying that, he turned around, and his expression instantly twisted where Tang An couldn't see.

Shit, that was a hard kick.

Chi Ying tried his best to control his legs which were shaking uncontrollably, hoping that Tang An would notice.

Of course you can.

Tang An is a careful person. If there is still affection, he will definitely notice it.

The door lock clicked and Chi Ying's back froze.

He wanted to say, "Don't leave."

The answer to Chi Ying was the sound of the door slamming shut.

As Tang An left, the oxygen around him seemed to be sucked away in an instant. Chi Ying fell to his knees, strangling himself like a drowning fish.

"He really doesn't want me anymore..."

The moonlight grew darker, and Tang An's figure dragged long on the road.

As he was walking, he suddenly squatted down, buried his face in his knees and did not move for a long time.

Can't you just bear with it a little longer?

Tang An had a little idea in his heart.

You know that Chi Ying is good in every way except for her awful mouth.

Go back.

Chi Ying kicked so hard just now, I don’t know if he was injured.

Tang An stood up with the help of the lamppost.

I'm just giving in. Hasn't this always been my behavior?

"We're getting divorced anyway..."

The low whispers dissipated with the wind.

There was a beeping sound of a code being pressed at the door, and after six clicks, it opened from the outside.

Chi Ying, who had been sitting at the entrance since the others left, raised his head.

His lips were covered with bite wounds from himself, and the bangs he had combed up for work had long since fallen down, covering his eyebrows and eyes.

The whole person looks depressed and sad.

Tang An sighed, put down his bag, walked over, squatted in front of the man, and hugged him: "I'm sorry, I said too much."

Chi Ying snorted softly: "Why did you come back? Didn't you say you were tired of me? I'm just a stranger to you, why am I still here?"

Tang An told himself, "I know you're just speaking in anger."

Chi Ying's expression suddenly changed: "Who said that in anger?! Tang An, do you think you understand me so well?!!"

Tang An was pushed away, and Chi Ying stood up by herself, holding on to the wall and limping inside.

"I hate it when you're like this. It's like I'm the one being unreasonable and you're tolerating me. You're always looking down on me from a high position. I don't like that."

"...So what do you want from me?"

Tang An's tone was full of fatigue.

Chi Ying paused: "It wasn't me you liked at that time, was it?"

Tang An was stunned.

Chi Ying's mouth drooped. "You clearly liked Su He at the time, but you were misunderstood by a narcissistic and arrogant person. At first, you thought he was so annoying and thought about pretending, but who knew he would actually take the bait?"

His eyes were full of sarcasm.

"Tang An, it's satisfying to see a straight man who has never considered homosexuality in his life worrying about you, right?"

This unrequited love was suddenly brought up, but what shocked Tang An even more was how the other party knew about it.

He obviously didn't tell anyone.

Tang An's lips trembled: "I..."

The curve of Chi Ying's mouth grew wider and wider: "So I did it on purpose."

He picked up the cigarette box on the table, took out a cigarette and lit it.

The white mist filled the air, blurring the cold words reflected in the pool.

"I didn't like you that much at the time. I just wanted to try a man's butt. You wouldn't get pregnant anyway."

Tang An's face became paler and paler.

Chi Ying: "I know it hurts you, and it might hurt if I put it all in, but I still did it. What do you think it is? Of course it's because I don't care. Did I still hug you and say baby because I love you so much? Haha, I lied to you, I don't care about you at all."

His voice grew louder and louder, finally becoming a little hysterical.

"They're all men anyway, so just have some fun. That's what I think."

Chi Ying's hand holding the cigarette couldn't stop shaking.

He talked to himself, as if trying to convince himself.

"Yes, that's what I thought."