Chapter 405 Three Questions (Xiao Xi, Pei Liang, Zhong Yan)
Four hundred and five:
"Right? You find it hard to believe too, don't you?!" Zhong Yan looked incredulous.
Ye Qingxi nodded, indeed... it's quite unbelievable.
"He...likes you?"
Zhong Yan nodded, her face filled with despair.
Ye Qingxi: ...
Silence, silence, silence is Ye Qingxi tonight.
"No, why does he suddenly like you?" Ye Qingxi simply couldn't understand it.
Aren't they good friends?
Aren't they childhood friends?
How did it become that Pei Liang likes Zhong Yan, or that it's his father and stepfather who like him?
etc……
Ye Qingxi suddenly realized that his father and his stepfather had gone from being friends to lovers.
And his uncle and uncle-in-law.
My aunt and uncle.
If either Zhong Yan or Pei Liang were a girl, wouldn't they be just like his aunt and uncle?
Childhood sweethearts, having known each other since childhood, and being well-matched in social standing, it's not easy for feelings to develop between them!
He was wondering why Pei Liang was suddenly avoiding Zhong Yan, not letting them pick her up at the airport, and not meeting with Zhong Yan. So that's why!
Ye Qingxi understood now.
It must have been after they returned from abroad during the May Day holiday that Pei Liang unexpectedly realized his feelings and discovered his thoughts about Zhong Yan.
That's why he started saying he was busy and began avoiding Zhong Yan.
He wasn't without his own internal struggles in this relationship, but in the end, he couldn't resist his inner desires, which is why he told Zhong Yan.
Ye Qingxi sighed. Well, he was practically a dock for gay men; all the gay men had gathered at his dock.
"You..." Ye Qingxi looked at her friend, whose face was filled with despair, "What are you thinking?"
Zhong Yan: ...
Zhong Yan honestly replied, "I don't know."
Among the people Zhong Yan rejected, there were some boys.
He never liked boys liking him.
So I always refused very decisively.
Sometimes, some suitors would be unwilling to accept his rejection and would try to pester him relentlessly. At those times, Zhong Yan would even feel disgusted.
It can be said that apart from the two homosexual couples, Mu Shaowu and Feng Que, and Mu Shaoyan and Duan Yi, who were viewed through a thick filter by Ye Qingxi, Zhong Yan generally didn't like other homosexual couples that much.
He respects it, but he doesn't like it.
But now, Pei Liang says he likes him.
Zhong Yan refused without even thinking.
Pei Liang showed no surprise whatsoever.
He seemed to have anticipated this answer, saying, "I knew it."
He said, "I've always known, so I never wanted to tell you. That's why I didn't want to see you, I didn't dare to see you. I tried to suppress my feelings for you and go back to being friends, or I could pretend that we were just friends and that I only saw you as a friend."
“I’ve been trying so hard, really, Zhong Yan, I’ve tried so hard, but I still can’t do it.”
"Let's not see each other for now."
Pei Liang looked at him with a complicated expression, his tone almost pleading, "Give me some time, let me be your friend again, just your friend, okay?"
Zhong Yan nodded and said, "Okay."
He hurriedly left the private room in the restaurant, but felt completely disoriented.
Pei Liang likes him? He actually likes him?
How is that possible?
How could this happen?
"I don't know." Zhong Yan looked at Ye Qingxi helplessly.
He leaned on Ye Qingxi's shoulder.
He didn't know what to do.
He can treat the boys who like him with indifference and even hope that they stay far away from him.
However, he couldn't treat Pei Liang that way.
He still wanted to be friends with Pei Liang, to be good friends.
He's the kind of good friend who'll come running at the drop of a hat, who'll cheer him up when he's unhappy, and who'll stay by his side and patiently teach him whenever he doesn't want to study.
He didn't want Pei Liang to be far away from him, and he didn't want them to be in the same place but never see each other.
But at the same time, he only wanted to be Pei Liang's good friend, not her boyfriend.
On this day, Zhong Yan felt lost and helpless.
So he sought help from his best, smartest, and most trusted friend, but Ye Qingxi, looking into his inquisitive eyes, could not offer any answers.
Falling in love is not a simple matter, especially when the person you like is the same gender as you.
Just because her own father, stepfather, uncle, and aunt's husband all went from friends to lovers, Ye Qingxi can't expect Zhong Yan to accept Pei Liang and become his lover as well.
The prerequisite for lovers is love.
Does Ke Zhongyan love Pei Liang?
Ye Qingxi didn't know.
So he simply told him, "Just follow your own ideas."
"If you love him, or you are willing to love him, then respond to his feelings."
"But if you don't love him and only want to be friends with him, then just treat him as a friend."
"Love is something that directly affects marriage; it's a major life event, so you should just follow your own thoughts."
"Then what should he do?" Zhong Yan asked him.
Ye Qingxi: ...
Ye Qingxi didn't know what to say.
This is truly a cruel thing.
If Pei Liang isn't the type to hold onto love for long, that would be for the best. He would quickly end this unrequited love and then, at the right time, start a new relationship, fall in love with someone new, and live happily ever after with that person.
But if Pei Liang happens to be a person who is loyal and devoted, then...
"This is none of your business." Ye Qingxi looked at Zhong Yan and said, "Relationships are never just about one person liking you, so you don't need to put yourself in shackles and worry about him."
"This is something he needs to overcome himself. He has developed feelings for you that he shouldn't have, so naturally he should find a way to forget these feelings, rather than you going along with his inexplicable feelings."
“But…” Zhong Yan felt that what he said was wrong.
If it were someone else, it wouldn't matter, and he wouldn't need to worry about it.
But……
“But he is Pei Liang,” Zhong Yan said softly.
They've been best friends since they were little.
They grew up together from a young age, sharing the same joys and sorrows.
How could he possibly ignore it?
“But you can’t compromise your love for him,” Ye Qingxi lectured him. “Zhong Yan, you either like someone or you don’t. You can’t ignore your own feelings just because he’s Pei Liang. If you do that, he’ll find out you don’t love him, and you don’t love him either. If you break up then, you’ll both be in more pain.”
Zhong Yan listened and silently lowered her head.
Ye Qingxi took his hand and comforted him, saying, "It's alright."
"Maybe soon, Pei Liang will stop liking you and redefine you as a friend. Give him some time, and give yourself some time too. Take it slow, and you'll eventually resolve it."
Zhong Yan nodded without saying anything.
Ye Qingxi put her arm around his shoulder and said gently, "No matter what, please, please don't do anything against your own will."
He emphasized, "It's not your fault if someone likes you; you don't have to like them back; if someone likes you and you feel bad because you don't like them, you don't need to pay for that. Just live your own life well, and everything else is their business, it has nothing to do with you."
Zhong Yan nodded again.
He looked at Ye Qingxi and said, "Don't tell anyone about this yet, including Kang Cong."
Being rejected after confessing his feelings is not something to be proud of, and Zhong Yan didn't want anyone else around him to know, fearing it would embarrass Pei Liang.
Ye Qingxi nodded.
He could certainly understand Zhong Yan's concerns and feelings. "Don't worry, I won't even tell my dad or my brother."
Zhong Yan hummed in agreement, relieved.
After comforting the person, Ye Qingxi let Zhong Yan take a bath.
"Go to sleep," he said. "When you wake up, it will be a new day."
Zhong Yan nodded and lay down on the bed with him.
That night, the two didn't gossip; they simply lay quietly together.
Ye Qingxi was unusually sleepless.
He wondered, did Pei Liang actually like Zhong Yan?
So, how is he feeling now?
He must be feeling terrible.
Ye Qingxi wanted to talk to him and comfort him, but she was afraid that Pei Liang would feel awkward if he knew that she knew about him and Zhong Yan.
Both Pei Liang and Zhong Yan are his dear friends; they are both his flesh and blood.
Although he said "it's none of your business" when he was advising Zhong Yan, he knew very well in his heart that neither he nor Zhong Yan could truly say "it's none of your business."
Pei Liang was not a stranger; he was their friend of twenty years. How could they not consider his joys and sorrows?
No wonder Zhong Yan was at a loss and confused.
If it were him, he would probably have done the same.
Ye Qingxi glanced at Zhong Yan, who was clearly not asleep beside her, and said softly, "Good night."
"Good night," Zhong Yan said.
The next morning, Feng Que came to wake Ye Qingxi up on time.
Ye Qingxi had intended to let Zhong Yan sleep a little longer, but Zhong Yan felt a little embarrassed and got up with him. After washing up, Feng Que took them to school.
He was still a little sleepy. Seeing that he clearly hadn't slept enough, Ye Qingxi gave him the key to her house near No. 1 Middle School so he could catch up on his sleep, while she continued filming in front of the monitor.
He didn't tell anyone about it, and just pretended he didn't know.
Zhong Yan continued to come over every few days as if nothing had happened, but Ye Qingxi felt that he seemed less relaxed and at ease than before.
Two days later, Zhong Yan came again.
This time, he looked relaxed and walked briskly, bringing drinks for everyone as soon as he arrived.
Chen Xiang took a cup of fruit tea, looked at him and said, "Do you know what I look forward to most every day on set? It's you coming. When you come, our lives improve."
Zhong Yan: ? ? ?
Zhong Yancai didn't believe him. "You're short of this drink?"
"Isn't it only fragrant because someone else treated me to it?" Chen Xiang shook the fruit tea in his hand. "Thanks."
The others, unaware of the details, thanked Ye Qingxi as they passed by, saying, "Thank you, Director."
"Thank you, Director Ye."
"Director Ye, you've gone to so much trouble. You're too generous."
Ye Qingxi: ...
Ye Qingxi could only smile and nod, accepting the favor her friend had done for her.
"What good thing happened to you?" After everyone had finished getting their drinks, Ye Qingxi calmly opened her milk tea cup and asked.
"No."
"You seem quite happy?"
You should know that ever since Pei Liang confessed to Zhong Yan, every time he saw Zhong Yan, she seemed relaxed on the surface, unlike now, when she exudes a lightheartedness from the inside out.
"Really?" Zhong Yan muttered.
"That's amazing!" Ye Qingxi looked at him. "Tell me, what's the good news?"
Zhong Yan thought for a moment and then pulled him into the RV.
He looked at his friend and preemptively warned him, "If I tell you, you're not allowed to get angry."
Ye Qingxi: ? ? ?
What did you do?
"And you're not allowed to ignore me either."
Ye Qingxi: ? ? ? ?
Ye Qingxi was even more curious, "Is it that serious?"
Zhong Yan nodded. "Anyway, you have to promise me first. I'll only talk to you after you promise."
“Okay.” Ye Qingxi said generously, “I definitely won’t be angry, and I certainly won’t ignore you.”
"Just because you treat me to meals every day and put them under my name to build up my goodwill, I can't ignore you~" he reassured Zhong Yan.
Zhong Yan was relieved, and then cautiously and somewhat nervously said to Ye Qingxi, "I... I agreed to Pei Liang's request."
Ye Qingxi: !!
Ye Qingxi almost choked on a mouthful of pearls.
"What did you say?!" He looked at his friend. "What do you mean you agreed to Pei Liang's request?"
"Well..." Zhong Yan said a little shyly, "I think we can give it a try first. I'll try dating him and see how it goes. If it works out, then..."
Zhong Yan's voice grew softer and softer until it disappeared completely.
Ye Qingxi: ? ? ?
Ye Qingxi couldn't believe it.
He was shocked and confused. "Did I miss something in the plot?"
"Didn't you say before that you didn't like him and only considered him a friend? How come you're now trying to date him?!"
Zhong Yan: ...
Zhong Yan guessed that he would be very surprised, which is why he felt guilty, afraid that Ye Qingxi would think that he did not listen to him and that he did something wrong.
He explained to Ye Qingxi, "I've had a pretty rough week. Whenever I have a moment to myself, I think about Pei Liang and what's going on between us. So, I went to see Kang Cong and asked him three questions."
Zhong Yan said, "I asked him, if you like someone but they don't like you back, will they be upset? Kang Cong said of course. I then asked him, how long does it take to let go of a relationship? Kang Cong said it varies; some people let go quickly, while others never do. Then I asked him which type he thought Pei Liang was, and Kang Cong said he didn't know, but he didn't think it was the first type."
"Of course, I didn't ask so obviously. I just asked him under the guise of being concerned about his relationship, so he didn't suspect anything."
"After I got back, I asked myself three more questions."
"I asked myself, can I really stay far away from him, and try my best not to see him or talk to him in the future? I don't think I can. Then I asked myself, what kind of person do I think Pei Liang is? Is he fickle or sentimental? Can he treat me as a friend again in three to five months, or will he be unable to completely let go of me in three to five years? I don't know, but I'm afraid he's the second type. Finally, I asked myself, if I only need to make a little effort and take a step forward, and it can make Pei Liang not suffer, or even live a happy life, would I be willing?"
My answer is, yes.
Zhong Yan looked at Ye Qingxi with a calm expression. He said, "Xiaoxi, I think you're right. It's not my fault that someone likes me, and it has nothing to do with me. I shouldn't be forced to pay for their feelings. That's always been my thought. So I don't care if others like me. Whether they're happy or sad, whether they'll continue to like me or like someone else after I reject them, I don't care."
“But Pei Liang is different. He’s not just anyone; he’s Pei Liang. I can’t just say ‘it’s none of my business.’ If I could, I would still really want him to be happy. So I’ve decided to change my mindset a little and give him a chance. Maybe I can even fall for him?”
As Ye Qingxi listened, she felt that he was truly kind-hearted and rare.
He always knew that Zhong Yan had a soft heart. On the surface, he was arrogant, picky, and acted like a young master. He even had to choose the temperature of the water he drank, making him seem difficult to get along with.
In reality, however, his heart was much softer than most people's.
So when he was a child, he worried that he would be bullied if he went on a variety show alone, and he wanted to go with him.
He would actively organize set visits when he was filming, and have his father bring everyone to see him.
When they traveled abroad together, they would set aside time specifically for him and Qin Cheng, so that Qin Cheng could spend time alone with him.
He never says anything touching, but he cares deeply about everyone he cares about.
Ye Qingxi smiled and said gently, "Pei Liang is really lucky. He actually reserved such a good partner in advance."
Zhong Yan was pleasantly surprised, "You're not angry?"
"Why would I be angry? You've thought it through and made your decision, so naturally I support you," Ye Qingxi said.
He said those things to Zhong Yan before because Zhong Yan was confused and didn't know what to do. He hoped that Zhong Yan wouldn't compromise herself for the sake of friendship and that he could be happy.
But now that Zhong Yan has thought it through and made his decision, he, as a friend, naturally supports him.
Besides, Pei Liang was also his friend.
Now that Zhong Yan has taken a step forward, Pei Liang can also find happiness.
As their mutual friend, Ye Qingxi was naturally happy to see it happen.
"No wonder you're so happy today, it turns out the big weight on your heart has been lifted."
Zhong Yan nodded, "That's right. From the day I rejected him until now, every day, even though the weather is fine, I feel depressed and annoyed. Now that I've agreed to give it a try with him, he's happy, and I feel like the sky has suddenly cleared up, and I'm no longer depressed or annoyed."
Ye Qingxi smiled and said, "As long as you're happy."
“But you shouldn’t tell your dad and the others about this yet,” Zhong Yan said. “I don’t want my family to know.”
"no problem."
"But I can tell Qin Cheng that when I go to see Kang Cong tomorrow, I will also tell him about this. Otherwise, it would be inappropriate if the three of us knew but he didn't."
"Okay," Ye Qingxi agreed. "I'll definitely make sure my brother doesn't tell anyone else."
“He definitely won’t,” Zhong Yan said. “Given his personality, he might not even tell you if someone asks him.”
Ye Qingxi smiled and said, "That's true."
The two chatted for a long time until Chen Xiang knocked on the car window to remind Ye Qingxi that it was time to go to work. Only then did Ye Qingxi and Zhong Yan get out of the car.
With nothing else to do, Zhong Yan watched the surveillance footage with Ye Qingxi for a while until around 5 p.m. when Pei Liang came to pick them up.
Ye Qingxi said sarcastically, "Oh, not busy today?"
Pei Liang: ...
Isn't this a rhetorical question?
"Would you like to have dinner with us?" Pei Liang asked.
"Is this us?" Ye Qingxi looked at him. "It sounds like I'm superfluous."
Pei Liang simply couldn't do anything about him.
He opened the car door. "Get in, Director Ye. How could you be superfluous? If one of these three people has to be superfluous, it has to be me."
Zhong Yan nodded, "That's right."
Pei Liang: ...How about that? He knew it.
The three of them ate together, and Ye Qingxi filmed for a while longer, until about 11 o'clock, before wrapping up and taking Chen Xiang's car home.
Chen Xiang drove him home and then headed towards his own house.
After talking to Mu Shaowu and taking a shower, Ye Qingxi lay on the bed and made a phone call to Qin Cheng.
"Do you know why Pei Liang has been avoiding Zhong Yan all this time?" he asked mysteriously.
"Why?" Qin Cheng asked him.
"Because Pei Liang likes Zhong Yan, not as a friend, but as a boyfriend."
Qin Cheng: !!!
In an instant, Qin Cheng understood everything.
No wonder...
His grip on the phone tightened unconsciously. "How did you know?"
“He confessed his feelings to Zhong Yan, and Zhong Yan told me.”
Qin Cheng: ...
At this moment, Qin Cheng felt inexplicably tense.
What did Zhong Yan say?
If it were any other time, if the person opposite him wasn't Ye Qingxi, and if his feelings for Ye Qingxi weren't just those of a brother, then with his intelligence, he should have already guessed the answer written in Ye Qingxi's cheerful tone.
Unfortunately, he felt guilty and, even when facing Ye Qingxi on the other end of the phone, he didn't dare to draw a conclusion about this simple guess.
“Zhong Yan didn’t agree at first, but later she felt that she could give Pei Liang a try, so Pei Liang is now her intern boyfriend.”
That's a really good result.
At that moment, Qin Cheng felt a little shaken.
He wanted to tell Ye Qingxi his feelings, to let her know, and thought that perhaps Ye Qingxi would be willing to give him a chance to try.
But he hesitated to speak, feeling uneasy.
Ye Qingxi was completely unaware of his inner turmoil and said to herself, "I never expected that Pei Liang would like Zhong Yan. I always thought he only considered Zhong Yan a good friend."
"When it comes to matters of the heart, the boundaries are sometimes very blurry," Qin Cheng said. "If you're not careful, you might cross the line."
Ye Qingxi nodded, agreeing with what he said.
"But I have too many gay people around me. I'm practically living like a gay pier now."
Wanzi Qin Cheng: ...
"And almost all of them turned from friends into lovers." Ye Qingxi rested her chin on her hand. "It made me think about it in my head when I got home tonight."
"Planning?" Qin Cheng was puzzled. Planning what?
“Yes,” Ye Qingxi said, “The probability of my friends turning into lovers is too high, so I specifically made a list to see if I would unknowingly become the object of a friend’s affections and end up becoming lovers with that friend.”
Qin Cheng, who was thinking about it: ...
“But probably not,” Ye Qingxi concluded. “Kang Cong has a girlfriend, and Chen Xiang also liked girls in college, although it didn’t work out, but he definitely likes girls. As for Huo Zinan, although he cares about me quite a bit, I think it’s just friendly concern, nothing more.”
Qin Cheng, who had other ideas: ...
"So I should still be safe." Ye Qingxi breathed a sigh of relief.
Qin Cheng listened quietly for a while before saying, "Are you scared?"
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