Chapter 46

I want to meet him.

But Fang Xu could never do it: barge up to the other person, stare wide-eyed like a fool, and say with a grin, "What a coincidence! You're here too!"

So he tossed and turned in bed, thinking it over and over, and decided that it might be better to get to know the older man's new boyfriend, so that he could learn more about the older man from him.

Jingyao scoffed at the idea and almost cursed him into believing he was an idiot, but she couldn't resist Fang Xu's insistence on doing so.

Moreover, it was incredibly easy for him to find out about someone. He learned about Beihai's hobbies and the places he frequented outside of work without much effort.

Approaching stealthily, then pretending to bump into each other and exchanging greetings, is incredibly easy.

Beihai is the manager of a private home appliance company. He is usually very busy, but when he has free time, he likes to go to a Go club and occasionally joins a cycling tour around the city. He is a fitness enthusiast and has a good reputation in his circle.

Fang Xu didn't have to put in much effort to get close to him. He had excellent social skills, a handsome face that wouldn't make anyone feel offended, and he was very tactful in his interactions, never making Bei Hai feel offended.

Therefore, just by having coffee a few times, the two people can sit together and chat happily.

Upon getting to know him, Fang Xu discovered that Bei Hai's personality was not as gentle and refined as it seemed.

This man was about the same age as the older man, but compared to the older man who was cold on the outside but gentle on the inside, Bei Hai had a slippery feel to him, and was a guy who was friendly on the surface but cold on the inside.

But perhaps because he got along well with Fang Xu, he became familiar with Fang Xu at an astonishing speed and never tried to hide anything about Fang Xu.

Fang Xu was initially puzzled, but with his abilities, he couldn't detect any malice hidden in Bei Hai, and could only conclude that the two of them got along well.

He wasn't a bad person to begin with, and he didn't have any ulterior motives for contacting Beihai. On the contrary, because he ran a bar and had a wide network of connections, he helped the other party a few times.

After a while, they actually started to think the other person was quite nice.

Bei Hai knew that Fang Xu came from a well-off family, had little financial pressure, owned several trendy bars, and was a laid-back, fun-loving person in the entertainment industry. Therefore, when Bei Hai needed to socialize for work, he would also go to Fang Xu's place, specifically looking after Fang Xu's businesses, indirectly opening up several channels for him.

Refined, mature, and courteous.

He has his own goals in his career, and while he is outwardly warm but inwardly reserved in his interactions with others, he never makes anyone feel embarrassed. He is an outstanding and respectable man.

She seemed more suitable for that person than Fang Xu, and after getting to know her, I had even less desire to compare.

Fang Xu never took that step. He increasingly felt that whether he wanted to meet Nan Fei or not was completely unimportant. It was all in the past, and there was no need to think about it.

He was just a passerby in the other person's life, so he had to be prepared to become a stranger. Therefore, the plan was repeatedly delayed. He would only feel a little touched when he occasionally heard Beihai mention the person he liked.

But Beihai rarely talks about it. He is not the kind of enthusiastic person; he keeps his feelings very deep inside, only letting those who want to see them see them.

Fang Xu had been staying in the shop all this time, unsure whether he was waiting for Bei Hai, or for Bei Hai to bring news of another person when he appeared.

Everything had been fine until the last few days when Fang Xu noticed that Bei Hai's mood was off; he was often silent and would sometimes space out.

I never drink unless it's for work, but these past few nights I've been coming to bars to drink alone much more often.

Fang Xu didn't want to ask, but Bei Hai once got drunk and saw the cigarette Fang Xu was smoking. Suddenly, he reached out, grabbed it, and examined it over and over in his hand.

Fang Xu was a little surprised. He poured him a glass of water, still with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, and casually asked, "What, you want to smoke? This cigarette isn't very good. I have some better ones here."

Beihai rubbed her temples and, unusually, brought up her love life: "I've seen this brand at my boyfriend's place. It's hard to buy, isn't it?"

Fang Xu paused for a moment, then stiffened slightly, before twitching his lips and saying, "No, these cigarettes are cheap, and hardly anyone wants to smoke them anymore."

Beihai suddenly realized something, but then felt a little strange. He rubbed his fingers against the cigarette box, seemingly lost in thought, lost in memories.

Fang Xu wiped the icy wine bottle and coughed, "I have special connections. If you like, I can send you a few."

Bei Hai shook his head upon hearing this, resting his brow on his hand: "No need, I don't smoke. This... is a cigarette my boyfriend likes to smoke. In three years, I haven't seen him switch to any other brand."

Fang Xu was silent for a moment, then smiled, but his voice unconsciously lowered: "Are you still smoking now?"

"No, I haven't seen him smoke since we got together."

"I see."

Another silence fell. The usually gentle and kind man looked slightly disappointed, holding his wine glass, and seemed somewhat sad and lost.

“I pursued him for a long time. At that time, I felt that he might still love someone else. If I hadn’t been so persistent, there would have been absolutely no chance for us to be together.”

After listening to Bei Hai's words, Fang Xu keenly noticed: "Why do you sound a bit anxious and uncertain in your tone right now?"

Beihai waved his hand, staring blankly at the wine glass, lost in thought.

"When it comes to relationships, mutual consent is more important. Forcing yourself to stay together will only lead to exhaustion if one person is constantly giving."

Fang Xu said carefully, "But you said that your boyfriend is not an irresponsible person, and that you must have thought it through before getting together with him."

Beihai drank a few beers, his lips pressed tightly together. After a long while, he suddenly blurted out, "I don't actually feel tired at all, but I'm afraid he will get tired."

Bei Hai had drunk quite a bit and was tipsy. Such an occasional breakdown in a mature man is extremely rare. He remembered that he needed to go home after sobering up, so he asked Fang Xu to set an alarm to wake him up.

Fang Xu asked someone to take care of Bei Hai and help him to a secluded spot to lie down.

About ten minutes later, he was seeing his friend off when someone came in.

The clock has struck December.

The cool breeze, carrying damp mist, felt like a cold, long-awaited embrace.

Fang Xu subconsciously held his breath. The neon lights of the tower briefly trapped him and the other person in one place, just like the bar where they first met. He spotted the man in the crowd at a glance, his heart pounding. He opened the "People Nearby" feature and scrolled through it, actually finding him. However, the other person never accepted his friend request, and that was the end of it.

We brushed past each other.

Fang Xu subconsciously turned around and saw the other person walking straight towards Beihai.

At such close range, almost face to face, yet he was not even noticed by the other person.

After that, Fang Xu was depressed for a few days. He attributed his depression to a bad cold and would lie in his room smoking in silence.

Holding the cigarette pack, Fang Xu thought that perhaps that person wasn't unmoved by sadness or indifferent; they were simply good at saying goodbye.

He parted from his loving mother, old friends, and lover of eight years. Each of them left a deeper scar on Nanfei than Fang Xu had. Similarly, because they had also given Nanfei a lot of love, even if a piece of his heart was knocked out, he was willing to leave that scar. Fang Xu was not one of them.