The album was filled with photos of Zhi Zhi.
Some were screenshots from the livestream, some were photos of Zhi Zhi himself, and others were snippets of his daily life that he had sent over.
Fu Qingyang sneaked a few glances and confirmed they were all Zhi Zhi-related.
Fu Qingyang: “…”
It even had a password. He had thought they were some intimate private shots and had been on edge earlier, dying to peek but too scared to try.
Fu Huixu was intimately familiar with these photos—he had pored over them countless times in private—so he quickly located the ones from that day.
Those photos were the ones Zhi Zhi had sent as a heads-up beforehand, taken on the very day Fu Qingyang claimed to have run into him.
Fu Huixu remembered Zhi Zhi mentioning he was at the mall, with shots of some desserts.
Fu Qingyang took a look and spoke with conviction. “She was absolutely in A City then.”
“That dessert is exclusive to that mall. My girlfriend and I had some that day too…”
Fu Huixu had no interest in visiting malls. He had everything delivered and had never wandered through one himself, so he was naturally unaware.
Fu Qingyang said, “Looks like she didn’t tell you…”
His words cut off abruptly when he saw Fu Huixu’s expression. He instinctively backed up a few steps, fearing he might get caught in the blast of Fu Huixu’s rage.
Fu Huixu’s habitually aloof face was now overlaid with a thin frost. The shadows beneath his brow bones deepened, the faint mole at the corner of his eye nearly vanishing under his lowered lashes. His pitch-black pupils held a layer of ice.
At that moment, even Fu Huixu’s breathing seemed deliberately restrained. His elegant jawline was clenched tight, his lips pressed into a thin line, and even that mole took on a cold, lonely air.
A single thought dominated Fu Huixu’s mind—
Zhi Zhi had kept this from him?
Why?
He had clearly told him he was in A City. So if Zhi Zhi had come there too, why not seek him out?
Fu Huixu’s grip on the phone tightened unconsciously. Just as Fu Qingyang worried the screen might crack, the display lit up for both of them, followed by the chime of a new message.
Fu Huixu’s fingers unlocked the phone before his mind could catch up—
【Baby: That’s good】
【Baby: I was worried you’d get snatched away】
【Baby: So really none?】
Messages from Zhi Zhi.
Fu Qingyang glanced over. “…Still checking up on you?”
It looked like Fu Huixu had already explained, but he was asking again? Talk about clingy. If it were him, he’d have moved on to someone new ages ago.
He eyed Fu Huixu, expecting the messages to fuel his anger further. Instead, Fu Huixu froze, showing none of the irritation Fu Qingyang had anticipated.
Those words from Zhi Zhi stalled Fu Huixu’s churning emotions, as if the casual “checking up” had smoothed them over for the moment.
Zhi Zhi clearly cared about him. So why the deception?
Fu Huixu lowered his gaze. Rather than typing a reply, he dialed directly.
Ji Zhi had just seen Chen Xingwen off with the takeout trash when Fu Huixu’s call came in.
Spotting the top fan’s name on the screen, Ji Zhi paused in surprise.
Fu Huixu usually asked what he was up to first before calling. Why so abrupt this time?
Had his earlier message actually worked?
But he had only parroted something Fu Huixu had said before…
Though puzzled, Ji Zhi picked up, forcing down his doubts and nerves to sound calm. “What’s up?”
Fu Huixu’s deep voice came through from the other end. “Baby, on November 9th, you were in A City.”
Having confirmed the truth already, Fu Huixu’s tone left no room for questions.
Ji Zhi picked up on that, and his heart lurched.
How did Fu Huixu know he had been in A City?
No—he had specified November 9th…
Ji Zhi scrambled to remember. Finally, it clicked: that was the day he had met Duan Zhao and gone to the mall.
The realization made his pulse race even harder.
Why bring up that date out of nowhere and state he had been in A City?
As he racked his brain for where he might have slipped up, Ji Zhi started to protest. “What do you…”
Before he could finish, an unfamiliar male voice cut in from the phone. “What did he say?”
“That person I greeted that day was him, right? I knew I wasn’t wrong…”
Ji Zhi didn’t recognize the voice, but the mention of the greeting jogged his memory. A stranger had called his name back then. He had assumed it was a fan and bolted to avoid Duan Zhao spotting him.
So this was that guy?
Ji Zhi asked, “Who is this?”
Fu Huixu replied, “My cousin. Blood-related.”
Ji Zhi: “…”
Why would Fu Qingyang’s cousin remember him? And why stress the blood relation?
Fu Qingyang’s impatient interjection cleared things up for Ji Zhi.
Fu Qingyang: “Even now, she’s still checking up?”
“She lied to you!”
Ji Zhi had been about to deny the checking-up bit, but the second half snapped him back to reality.
Fu Huixu had verified it with a witness, so denying his presence in A City was futile. Better to lean into it.
At least Fu Huixu had called him directly this time, unlike before when he suspected cheating and phoned the housekeeper instead. That left some wiggle room…
With that in mind, Ji Zhi steadied himself. “Sorry, I was in A City then. I saw a post about the latest clothes there and thought I’d check for something suitable to wear when we meet later. But nothing fit right…”
“I didn’t tell you because I worried you’d come looking. For one, you’ve been so busy; I didn’t want to drag you away from work or school over me. And for another, I…”
He paused, then pressed on. “I was scared you’d see me in person and feel let down compared to how I look on camera…”
Ji Zhi marveled at how crisis sharpened the mind—he hadn’t realized he had so many excuses ready. But would Fu Huixu buy it?
He waited anxiously for Fu Huixu’s reply from the other end.
A glance at the clock showed Fu Huixu had only been quiet for a few seconds, but to Ji Zhi, it dragged on forever.
Fortunately, Fu Huixu’s voice soon returned. “When do we meet?”
Ji Zhi:！！！
Fu Huixu was still fixated on that!
Ji Zhi had planned to deflect as usual, but Chen Xingwen’s advice made him hesitate.
How long would it take online to shake him off?
Maybe give offline a shot?
After all, those who had confessed to Fu Huixu and failed had done so in person…
Ji Zhi fell into thought.
Fu Huixu’s voice came again. “Baby, my cousin saw you first, but we still haven’t met.”
“The family birthday banquet is done. I’m free next week. Can you come then?”
“I know you only stream once. Or if you’re worried about that, I have a quiet place here. You could bring your setup and stream from there…”
Ji Zhi felt like he had a choice—but really, he didn’t.
After a moment’s hesitation, he agreed. “But I pick the meeting spot.”
Elated that Baby had agreed to meet, Fu Huixu promised without delay.
Fu Qingyang watched from the side as Fu Huixu returned to his normal composure after just one call.
His curiosity about how Fu Huixu would punish him had kept Fu Qingyang there.
Although Fu Huixu hadn’t turned on the speakerphone, Fu Qingyang couldn’t hear what Zhi Zhi was saying on the other end. Still, from the way Fu Huixu’s expression shifted, he could tell that the other man had definitely been successfully coaxed. After that, the topic of the deception never came up again. Instead, they started talking about Fu Qingyang himself, sending a chill straight through his heart.
Fu Qingyang: “……”
Was this the power of first love?
Did Fu Huixu even remember why he’d called in the first place?
Though he desperately wanted to remind his brother, Fu Qingyang held back upon seeing how thoroughly soothed Fu Huixu already was. His rational side warned him to stay silent.
Otherwise, once the sister-in-law was brought home, things would get awfully awkward between him and Zhi Zhi.
Fu Qingyang was just about to turn and slip away when Fu Huixu called out to him.
His heart clenched. He assumed Fu Huixu was still stewing over the fact that he’d met Zhi Zhi first. “Actually, I think she only heard my voice back then—she hadn’t actually seen me…”
Fu Huixu cut him off without hesitation. “We’re meeting up.”
“What should I wear?”
After hanging up with Fu Huixu, Ji Zhi plunged into a flurry of activity.
He filled Chen Xingwen in on the situation. While Chen Xingwen broke into a cold sweat on his behalf, he also saw it as the perfect chance for Fu Huixu to lose interest and finally shake him off.
Chen Xingwen suggested that Ji Zhi switch up his usual style.
Chen Xingwen: 【I remember you saying your Top Fan loves seeing you in long skirts. So go with a short one instead. Your whole pure-yet-tempting vibe is catnip for guys.】
Ji Zhi: 【He won’t allow it.】
Chen Xingwen: 【He doesn’t allow you to be straight either. Did that stop you?】
Ji Zhi: “……”
Fair point.
He mulled it over. He really shouldn’t play into Fu Huixu’s tastes anyway.
Ji Zhi recalled that he’d once bought a short skirt specifically for his streams early on. But after getting reported during one, his channel was banned for a few days, forcing him to stash it away at the bottom of his closet.
He and Chen Xingwen were deep in heated discussion when the dorm supervisor arrived for bed check. Only then did Ji Zhi realize Fu Huixu still hadn’t returned.
The counselor looked a bit stunned and hesitated over whether to mark Fu Huixu down as absent.
Luckily, after a short wait, Fu Huixu strolled back in.
The sight made Ji Zhi freeze for a moment.
Their last contact had been an hour and a half before check-in—he should’ve been back ages ago. Yet here Fu Huixu was, cutting it right to the wire. Who knew what he’d been up to in the meantime.
On top of that, Fu Huixu seemed to be in high spirits. He even gave the counselor a polite nod, leaving the man momentarily dumbfounded.
Ji Zhi, who could guess the reason: “……”
The thought of how eagerly Fu Huixu was anticipating their meetup only ratcheted up Ji Zhi’s tension.
Come Monday, Fu Huixu had moved out.
He hadn’t bothered telling Ji Zhi. It was only after Ji Zhi got a message from his Top Fan and returned to the dorm to find the bed empty and Fu Huixu’s luggage gone that the realization hit.
A wave of relief washed over Ji Zhi. At last, he could ditch his black-rimmed glasses whenever he wanted.
But those Fu Huixu-free days didn’t last. Before he knew it, the day of their arranged meeting arrived.
Ji Zhi had deliberately scheduled it for the day before his next stream, giving him an excuse to head back early and prep.
As for the spot, he’d picked the foot of a mountain in the suburbs.
Hiking would wear them out physically, and it’d eat up a full day—no time or energy left for anything else at a hotel. It was about as safe as it got.
Fu Huixu didn’t object.
He’d originally planned to pick Ji Zhi up at the station, but since Ji Zhi wasn’t traveling from out of town, they settled on meeting directly at the mountain base.
Ji Zhi had already donned his wig back in the dorm. After that close call at the mall where someone recognized him, he’d learned his lesson and added a face mask for good measure.
He took a cab and arrived early.
In his head, he repeated his goal for the day:
He had to be so aggressively proactive that Fu Huixu got fed up with him.
Ji Zhi was just pulling out his phone to text Fu Huixu that he’d arrived when he felt a light touch on his shoulder.
At first, he thought it was just a falling leaf. But in the next instant, an arm wrapped firmly around his waist.
He jolted in surprise and whipped his head around. Seeing that it was Fu Huixu, he let out a small breath of relief. “You’re here.”
His gaze landed on Fu Huixu, and he couldn’t help but pause.
In his mind, Fu Huixu always favored crisp white button-downs, fastened all the way to the collar—mature beyond his years.
But today, the man looked downright casual, every strand of hair artfully styled. He finally matched his age.
Why had Fu Huixu gone straight for the hug?
Ji Zhi’s emotions churned. He felt like his chance to take the lead had been snatched away.
