Chapter 40: Confession Part 1

The night grew deep and quiet, the air in the room thick with silence.

He Siheng sat there, utterly at a loss, cradling the phone in the stillness.

Tan Jing’s phone wallpaper was a photo of the two of them from when they were kids at the arcade.

For a moment, He Siheng couldn’t decide whether to be shocked first that Tan Jing used this photo as his wallpaper, or that his own birthday had actually unlocked Tan Jing’s phone.

He hadn’t intended to snoop through Tan Jing’s phone; he’d just tested it on a one-in-ten-thousand hunch, and it had actually worked?

The person on the bed suddenly stirred. The faint movement amplified in He Siheng’s ears a hundredfold. Like a startled cat, he immediately tossed the phone back onto the bed, retreated several steps, and fled the room.

He Siheng spent his birthday in a whirlwind of complicated emotions.

In a daze, he didn’t even know when the party ended. That entire night, he tossed and turned in bed, wondering: Could Tan Jing really like him?

But that didn’t make sense. The guy was always acting cheap and provoking him, mocking him—where was there any sign that he liked him?

But if Tan Jing didn’t like him, then why had he kissed him? Why use his birthday as the phone PIN?

It seemed like a straightforward yes-or-no question, but He Siheng flip-flopped all night long, unable to reach a final conclusion.

He holed up at home for two days. Even Shu Qiu and He Yunlang were surprised that he wasn’t going out to party during the holiday. His excuse was that he’d overdone it on his birthday night and needed to catch up on sleep. If anyone came looking for him, tell them he wasn’t seeing visitors.

That “if anyone came looking,” naturally, was aimed at Tan Jing.

Over those two days, Tan Jing sent several messages—asking if he’d gotten drunk too, or inviting him out to dinner on New Year’s Eve. He Siheng didn’t reply to a single one.

He had stumbled upon a secret. Though he wasn’t sure if it was real, he inevitably felt an awkward sense of displacement.

Meanwhile, Tan Jing—the owner of the secret—remained completely oblivious.

He Siheng had no idea how to face him with what he knew now, so he decided to muddle through and avoid him for the time being.

But things rarely went as planned.

On the afternoon of the 31st, He Siheng was holed up in his room playing games when Shu Qiu suddenly knocked on his door.

He opened it, and she shoved the phone into his hands before hurrying off to watch TV. “Here, your call.”

Bewildered, He Siheng took the phone and glanced at the caller ID. He froze.

It was Tan Jing.

Shu Qiu had already answered it, so He Siheng had no choice but to pick it up. “What do you want?”

“I messaged you but no reply. Thought you lost your phone.”

Tan Jing’s tone sounded normal. He Siheng scrutinized it closely; he seemed genuinely worried something had happened.

Feeling a bit guilty, He Siheng made up an excuse. “I’m in World of Warcraft. Didn’t see them.”

His heart pounded. Luckily, Tan Jing didn’t seem suspicious. He just chuckled. “How about coming to the real world for a visit? Dinner at West Street tonight?”

West Street.

He Siheng suddenly remembered what Zhou Yu had said—West Street was a holy land for couples on dates.

He burst into a fit of coughing, as if trying to hack up a lung. “Cough cough cough, I think I caught a chill. Gotta take meds and sleep early tonight. Won’t make it, cough cough…”

Tan Jing went silent on the other end for a moment. “Alright, rest up.”

He Siheng let out a breath of relief after hanging up.

His mind was a mess; he even lost several games in a row.

While he was stewing in frustration, his phone rang—Zhou Yu. “Heng Bro, there’s a new viral barbecue spot on West Street. Wanna hit it up tonight?”

West Street again.

He Siheng was starting to get twitchy about the place. “Didn’t you say that’s a couples’ dating spot? Why go there?”

“Others can date; we can eat,” Zhou Yu said carelessly. He’d been craving that barbecue for ages. “No rule saying single dogs can’t eat there.”

He Siheng fell silent.

Earlier, when Tan Jing mentioned West Street, he’d immediately assumed it was a date invite. Had he misunderstood?

But he’d already turned Tan Jing down, so he might as well stick to it.

“Fine, let’s go tonight.”

He was too restless to stay home anyway. Might as well go out and subtly ask Zhou Yu for advice on handling this situation. Among his gamer friends, Zhou Yu was the only one with any dating experience—even if it was with a scumbag. Better than nothing.

But he couldn’t ask directly. Zhou Yu was a blabbermouth; if he knew, the whole world would. Luckily, he was easy to fool—just start with “I have a friend…”

However, that night at the barbecue restaurant, Zhou Yu wasn’t alone at the table.

The place had two floors. The first-floor dining hall was for big groups, while the second-floor terrace—semi-outdoor—was for romantic couples or germaphobes who didn’t want to smell like grilled meat.

He Siheng got stuck in traffic and arrived late. He went up to the second floor with the seat number Zhou Yu sent and paused at the sight of the people there.

Zhou Yu sat with his back to him, an empty seat beside him for He Siheng. Across from it, a guy leaned back in his chair, eyes down on his phone.

The terrace lights were dimmer than indoors, but they sculpted his features into sharp relief. His black down jacket blended into the night behind him, giving off a faint air of aloofness.

“He Siheng, over here!” Wang Yizhou, scouting around, spotted him first and waved vigorously in his hoarse, duck-like voice from all the singing.

At the shout, the guy next to him looked up from his phone.

Their eyes met, and He Siheng unconsciously clenched his fingers.

Done for. Caught in the lie.

He Siheng gave Tan Jing an awkward half-smile. The other man’s brows lifted slightly, a hint of amusement in his eyes that softened his aloofness.

Steel himself, He Siheng walked over and sat in the empty seat across from him.

Tan Jing pocketed his phone and watched him settle in. “Cold better?”

He Siheng fake-coughed twice, trying to salvage the lie. “Took some meds. Much better.”

Tan Jing smiled. “Good.”

He didn’t press further, seemingly buying it.

He Siheng breathed a silent sigh of relief.

“Heng Bro, you caught a cold? No fever?” Zhou Yu reached to feel his forehead, relaxed at the normal temperature. “No fever, good.”

He Siheng slapped away his cold hand and hissed through gritted teeth. “This your idea of treating me to dinner?”

Zhou Yu looked innocent. “I never said I’d pay. It’s Jing Bro treating us.”

He Siheng: “…”

So this was Tan Jing’s trap. Believed my cold excuse my ass.

It finally clicked. He shot a glare at the schemer, who smiled innocently back.

More exasperated than awkward now, He Siheng wanted nothing to do with this honeycomb-brained guy.

But when he saw Tan Jing reaching for the beer Wang Yizhou offered, his hand shot out faster than his brain to block it. “You’re pouring that much booze and still drinking?”

His tone was sharp. Wang Yizhou jumped in. “It’s pineapple beer, low alcohol.”

He Siheng snapped back. “Who’ll carry you if you pass out?”

Wang Yizhou recalled Tan Jing’s drunken state that night and quietly withdrew the drink.

Tan Jing didn’t insist. He said casually, “Did I cause you guys a lot of trouble last time I got drunk?”

Everyone looked at him.

Wang Yizhou was most shocked. Blackout drunk from that little bit? Jing Bro’s tolerance is dangerous out there!

He Siheng was surprised too at the blackout. No wonder Tan Jing had been so chill—no embarrassment if he didn’t remember. In a way, that was good.

Just as He Siheng started feeling relieved, he noticed all eyes shifting to him, waiting for him to speak.

“…Why stare at me?” He Siheng asked, baffled.

Zhou Yu said matter-of-factly, “Weren’t you the one taking care of Jing Bro the night before last?”

Song Lin added meaningfully, “You two were in the room over an hour. You know best what drunk antics he pulled.”

He Siheng instinctively glanced at Tan Jing, who was staring right back. Those dark eyes fixed on him intently.

His heart skipped. He looked away uncomfortably, fumbling out, “H-he just slept. N-no drunk antics.”

Tan Jing made an “oh” sound, eyes dropping. “Good as long as nothing extra happened.”

The light remark hit He Siheng with guilt.

He ate the barbecue in unusual silence.