022
Xu Yu temporarily suppressed his suspicions that something was amiss. Wang Li had rented the car, and there was still an untorn advertisement behind the seat. If he wasn't showing off and bringing a girl, there was no need to worry.
Wang Li smoked a cigarette, the window rolled down, occasionally blowing circles out of his mouth. He drove a short circuit without saying a word the entire time. When the traffic light turned red, Wang Li turned on the music: "When I went to your community today, I mentioned your appearance and wanted to ask the security guard if it had any impact. He remembered you and said he left with a man last night."
Xu Yu leaned back in the back seat and listened attentively.
"I don't mind you dating, but aren't you afraid of being discovered by Xi Jiang? I'm really afraid he'll rush over and chop you into pieces."
"So how did you find me?"
"I didn't mean to look for you. My friend lives in your neighborhood. I was there last night. He just came downstairs and was driving on the roadside. I said the person on the bench in the neighborhood looked familiar. It turned out to be you. Are you hiding here with your partner?"
Wang Li put another cigarette in his mouth and took a deep puff.
"Yes, I have a boyfriend." Xu Yu admitted, "I was with him last night."
Wang Li turned around and said, "Have you really thought it through? What if Xi Jiang gets rid of him?"
"He can't take care of me." Xu Yu said, "He's busy right now."
The family dispute had been circulating for a while since the eldest son's return, with more unpleasant news than pleasant ones. Furthermore, Wei Pei'er had informed Xu Yu, and the news had also been pushed. To gain his parents' approval and further the family's development, Xi Jiang was trying to find a way to buy the land in the northern suburbs of the city.
His brother's competition with him also attracted other people who wanted to share the pie. As a result, the prices there doubled. He should be trying to stop it at this moment. Just like when he drank for a month in a row in order to obtain cooperation with the best foreign brands two years ago, people would call him and act crazy when drunk, but now it seems that the target has changed to Wei Pei'er.
Wang Li sighed, "I know he can't take care of it, but I'm afraid he might suddenly go crazy. What if he comes looking for you?"
Xu Yu was not in a hurry: "It's okay, we'll talk about it when it really comes."
He always had a calm expression on his face. Since we met, he never seemed to lose his temper over anything. It seemed as if nothing mattered, as long as he was fine.
A stable mentality is the key reason why Wang Li likes him as a journalist.
"Come to Shuitian, I'll take you to the hot spring buffet there." He didn't want to say he was unhappy, "I'll pay, don't fight with me."
The location they went to was completely different from the one in Tingfeng City. The interior was decorated like a hotel, with the hot springs on the second floor and the food area on the third. Wang Li and he went to take a bath, but there were too many people and the space was full. It was a bit awkward for a grown man to be shirtless. After less than half an hour, they went up to the third floor.
"I saw the popular recommendations online, and they say this buffet is the best in Qingying. Fu Wa, the guy you met yesterday, also said it's a good place. He and his ex-girlfriend were there before, so I wanted to take you there to enjoy it before we leave."
Xu Yu: "Are you leaving?"
"Tomorrow I'm going to a county here to shoot a documentary with a TV crew. It's going to take five days, and then I'm going to Tibet to shoot another set of modeling photos."
"Aren't you a private investigator?"
"I've already offended those two uncles, how can I still be a paparazzi? It's just bad luck, otherwise I wouldn't have to give up my old skills to become a brick. Do you want to try the suggestion I made to you last time? Our station can protect you. The leaders are eager to recruit new blood right now."
Wang Li talked about this endlessly. He had been in the industry for many years and was very optimistic about his own vision. He kept saying that Xu Yu was a good seedling and asked Xu Yu to think carefully about getting an internship after passing the exam, joining the external department, and becoming a staff member based on his performance.
This model sounds outrageous, but it is quite reasonable from Wang Li's mouth.
Xu Yu nodded intermittently until they entered the buffet area, where the noise died down. There was a lot of food, with many different styles, all cooked, and it didn't take long to prepare. The only problem was that the food was scarce, and since it was spa nap time, the tables were mostly empty.
He took the meat, the vegetables, and a portion of cooked vermicelli noodles. Wang Li took more, as he was burning out quickly and ate only the meat.
"It tastes okay. If it wasn't, I'd definitely curse this place to death." Wang Li took a bite. "I wrote a bad review for a restaurant that was both awful and expensive, and the one I wrote about went bankrupt."
Xu Yu took a bite of the dish and said, "It's not only unpalatable but also expensive? The ones downstairs in the Oasis complex are not good at all. I just don't think I'm that good at cooking."
"How many times has Xi Jiang taken you to high-end restaurants?"
Xu Yu has a vague definition of high-end. Xi Jiang will not go to a restaurant that costs less than five figures, but he also often looks down on five-figure restaurants. Xu Yu has heard of restaurants with prices above that but has never been to one.
"How much do you know about Xi Jiang?" Xu Yu skipped the topic, "For example, his past?"
"You ask me now... um, um, I need to think about it..."
Wang Li buried his head in a large mouthful of cumin pork belly. "...I remember when I first came out, this guy had just graduated, no different from any other kid. The negative information about him seems to have been locked away, but I do know one thing."
Xu Yu looked up: "What?"
"He seemed to have a crush on someone in high school, but was rejected. He's been girlfriends all the time since then. A former colleague of mine interviewed a bankrupt young woman, and she revealed this privately," Wang Li said. "He's quite open about that, but he's never really had any serious contact with women. I think he's probably gay."
"Probably not." Xu Yu was determined.
"So you're just a stand-in, aren't you?" Wang Li said, "I think he just wants to wait for Zhu Wenxu to come back and be with him. Did you see the photo I sent you? If it's exposed, the two of them will get into trouble, but I don't dare to do that right now."
Xu Yu was sure that Xi Jiang was bisexual because when he was with Xi Jiang, he was often treated with hot and cold attention. Among them, there was a girl who had been with Xi Jiang for two years and was the only person Xi Jiang brought home to spend the night.
The girl had big eyes, long hair, and straight bangs like a Barbie doll. She had a sweet smile, but spoke very loudly. Every night there was a lot of noise upstairs, and she gasped constantly, making it almost impossible for Xu Yu to fall asleep.
Later they broke up inexplicably. The girl came several times and cried in front of the door every day. Once, in order to make Xi Jiang change her mind, she wanted to take off all her clothes at the door. Xi Jiang took her into the house, and the two kissed in front of Xu Yu who was cooking in the kitchen.
After coaxing her and giving her money, the girl left. Xi Jiang's tie was loose, there was still lipstick on the corners of his mouth, and there were red nail marks on his collarbone from the intense hug just now. He raised his nonchalant eyes and glanced at Xu Yu.
Xu Yu didn't know why, but he asked impulsively: "Brother, you actually like girls, right?"
Xi Jiang wiped her lipstick and blew on her index finger: "Me? As long as they are good-looking, I like both men and women."
“…”
"Let's not talk about Xi Jiang anymore, let's talk about Zhu Wenxu." Wang Li said, "I got the news today that he came to Qingying."
"You only know this now?" Xu Yu took a sip of Sprite.
"What do you mean by now? It's harder than climbing to the sky to get any information about him now. It's not easy for me to check. It was my colleague who told me." After Wang Li finished speaking, he was stunned and turned away immediately.
Xu Yu looked at him puzzled and glanced back. A young man behind him was holding a tray and a notebook. His eyes stopped at Xu Yu, then moved over to Wang Li.
"Hey, I can meet you here? Have you replied to Qingying?"
Seeing Wang Li's embarrassment, Xu Yu, perhaps not wanting to be discovered, turned to the young man and said, "You might have made a mistake."
The young man was stunned for two seconds, then smiled and sat down next to Wang Li with a bowl of meat. He introduced himself to Xu Yu and said, "My name is Bai Jing. Don't get me wrong, Wang Li and I were college classmates. I would recognize him even if he turned into ashes."
Unable to hide the truth, Wang Li gave an awkward yet polite smile: "What a coincidence! I can even run into this."
Bai Jing was speechless: "Why can't I be here? This is my husband's investment. I have a lot of coupons. Can I give them to you two?"
Take out a bunch of free trial coupons.
Wang Li said disdainfully: "Oh my, oh my, husband, husband, you keep calling me husband, husband, husband all the time, and you don't think it's corny."
"Don't be jealous or envious. Is this your friend or your husband?"
Xu Yu almost spit out a mouthful of Sprite.
"Don't spread rumors. This is my friend. I'm straight, 100 percent straight. Don't confuse me with you."
Then he added, "Oh, his name is Xu Yu, and he's gay like you."
Xu Yu: “…”
Bai Jing was a little excited: "Oh, so we are the same type of people. I see you are fair and tender, and look younger than me. Are you a college student?"
Xu Yu: "No, I'm already 27 years old."
"Are you the same age as me?" Bai Jing was surprised. "You are a little too young. How do you maintain your appearance? You seem to be a low-class person. Can you tell me?"
Wang Li: “…”
Xu Yu: "...Eat more vegetables."
He didn't know why he looked so much younger than his peers, and people would believe him if he told others that he was a high school student.
"Forget it, this youthful formula is not for me."
Xu Yu realized it later and asked, "You just said it was all below, what did you mean?"
"It's just a submissive. I just want to vent my feelings for my husband." Bai Jing asked, "Haven't you ever had sex?"
Xu Yu seemed to have opened up a new world: "..."
Wang Li was speechless and helpless: "He just started talking, it's his first time, don't scare him, can you please stop making such shocking statements?"
"If you haven't been in a relationship, you should take care of yourself. After all, falling in love and committing oneself to someone is a common occurrence, both between men and women, not to mention gay men like us, especially since we're all adults. You should lift your buttocks more, exercise more, drink some soup, and ask your husband to exercise more, otherwise your happy life won't last long."
Wang Li: “…”
Xu Yu: “…”
It is indeed shocking.
"If you don't understand anything further, you can contact me. I usually don't say these things to people I'm traveling with. I'm truly destined to be with you, and I promise to tell you unconditionally. By the way, do you have any other plans? Do you want to have dinner with me at the Greek Hotel later? Okay, I'll wait for you downstairs."
Wang Li: “…”
Xu Yu looked at Bai Jingyuan's back and asked, "Are you going? If you don't want to go, then don't go."
"Let's go, let's go. I went to the Greek Hotel with him once before. The cheapest dish was 9,800. Hehe, let's go have a good meal."
After all, Wang Li knew the man, and since Wang Li wanted to go, there was no need for Xu Yu to refuse. He could just treat it as a way to see the world.
Xu Yu changed his clothes while dragging Bai Jing's clothes. The hot spring buffet was free. He listened to Wang Li, who was putting on his shoes next to him, complaining: "Bai Jing is an artist and can paint. Her husband is the youngest son of Qingying's richest man. He and her opened a cafe and flower shop. The couple is very happy."
Xu Yu put on a short-sleeved shirt, and the first thing that came to his mind was Zhu Wenxu. Before he longed for freedom, he had thought about finding a job, renting a house, and living slowly. It seemed that he had never considered what kind of future he wanted.
If I were with Zhu Wenxu and opened a flower shop, would I be able to live as happily as Bai Jing and the others?
This thought quickly interrupted Xu Yu's conjecture. It was still uncertain whether he and Zhu Wenxu would have a future. After changing his shoes, Xu Yu took out his phone. Zhu Wenxu had texted him an hour ago.
[I have a client meeting and will be back later.]
Xu Yu replied with an emoji and followed Wang Li out of the hotel. The weather was cool and looked like it was going to rain. Bai Jing stood by the road, flipping through his sketchbook. "Wang Li, hurry up! It's going to be hard to walk if it rains."
"You didn't drive?"
Bai Jing said: "I drove a limited edition pink small battery, I don't want it to be damaged by the rain."
Wang Li sighed and drove off. When the car reached a fork in the road, it suddenly began to rain heavily, forcing him to slow down.
Bai Jing was on the phone in the car: "Okay, I know, you should eat more too... Of course I'm happy."
Wang Li drove the car into the underground parking lot of the Greek Hotel. Bai Jing hung up the phone and found the elevator as if he was familiar with the route. The three of them went up to the second floor.
"Help yourself later."
Xu Yu: "I will."
Arriving at the second floor, the hollow metal elevator opened, and Xu Yu's expression froze for a moment. The structure was magnificent, with gradient metal wall reliefs, stained glass windows, and a ceiling painted like brushstrokes. The air was filled with lilies. A harp stood in the center of the second-floor platform. An artistic, middle-aged man in a suit bent his head, playing the piano. Behind him, violins and cellos approached, creating a cozy and natural atmosphere.
They were sitting next to the glass railing, with a hollow circle next to it. A tall goddess statue was stuck in the gap. Rain circulated from bottom to top on both sides like water, and was lighter than the rain outside.
"Is this Aphrodite?"
"Yes." Bai Jing said, "How did you guess? Many people mistakenly think she is Hera at first sight, like me."
Wang Li was puzzled: "I thought it was Artemis."
“…”
Xu Yu didn't know who they were talking about, and he also forgot how he knew about Artemis. It seemed like someone told him. Who?
He couldn't remember.
The meal was eaten leisurely. Because the portions were small, Wang Li, who was a big eater, was so reserved that he chewed a few more bites. The music kept changing and the rain outside never stopped.
Xu Yu did not drink the red wine, but only took a sip of ice water and slowly ate the piece of salmon with mustard. He lowered his head to wipe his mouth, and when he glanced to the side, he saw a very familiar figure walking by.
Bai Jing, who was asking about his taste, also looked over, and Wang Li did the same.
The distance was not far, and for some unknown reason, the person walking below suddenly stopped, looked up, and looked at Xu Yu through the blinding crystal ceiling.
Xu Yu dodged in a hurry, and the mustard in her throat choked her, causing her tears to fall.
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