Chapter 53: Love at Third Sight
Soft music flowed gently through the quiet bar, the air filled with the scent of woodsy incense and a hint of alcohol, creating a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere.
This quiet and elegant bar didn’t suit Min Zhi’s temperament at all, but at least there wouldn’t be any sudden rock music, which he had abandoned like a worn-out shoe.
Min Zhi chose the location.
He also called Qiao Yusen out.
To be precise, Qiao Yusen, who was enjoying a bath at home, suddenly received a message with the address and a commanding “Come here,” and half an hour later, he arrived.
Min Zhi glanced at him, asking first: “Not playing around outside recently?”
Qiao Yusen naturally knew what he meant by “playing,” smoothing out the wrinkles on his jacket, and chuckling as he made an excuse: “I just rushed over from a… meeting.”
Min Zhi: “Heh.”
He obviously didn’t believe him.
But Qiao Yusen’s private life had nothing to do with him, so he didn’t care much, ordering the most expensive wine for the person who came for their late-night meeting, then getting straight to the point: “Xi Leng is acting strange.”
“Before you tell me how he’s acting strange,” Qiao Yusen, knowing his old friend very well, his fox-like eyes sharp, said, “tell me what you did.”
Min Zhi paused: “Perhaps, it could be considered a confession?”
Then Xi Leng softly apologized, as if he had done something wrong, completely ruining the romantic atmosphere.
Min Zhi frowned and corrected himself: “No, he was already acting strange before the confession, so it has nothing to do with me. Perhaps it’s related to his family, his childhood…”
He stopped abruptly, not wanting to share Xi Leng’s hidden past with Qiao Yusen yet, even if it was just his speculation.
A confession?
Qiao Yusen was still trying to process these words.
Although he had suspected Min Zhi might not be as straight as he claimed, this was too sudden, wasn’t it? It had only been a month since Xi Leng moved next door to Min Zhi.
He himself hadn’t found a partner yet, what was Min Zhi thinking, heh.
Skeptical, he continued to ask: “What did you do before confessing? Don’t tell me you… skipped a few steps?”
He could casually tell Zhu Minglang about the forced kiss, but Qiao Yusen? Heh. This person had a history of taking advantage of Xi Leng, even if it was under the guise of helping him, it was still unacceptable, a beating would be the least of his worries.
Min Zhi didn’t answer, and Qiao Yusen could roughly guess, it was probably something outrageous. Xiao Leng had a good temper, but he also had strong principles, it wasn’t surprising for him to clash with the domineering Min Zhi.
Qiao Yusen said with certainty: “You were interested in him the first time you met, weren’t you?”
“If it was curiosity, then yes. I’ve never felt that before.” Min Zhi was honest, not needing to think back, saying it all in one breath, “The second time we met, I drove him home. The third time, I suddenly felt… he was very cute.”
Actually, the encounter at the parking garage, catching the little fan reselling his autograph, was their second meeting, but that was a consequence of the airport incident, and also a bit embarrassing, so Min Zhi didn’t count it, merging it with their first meeting.
“Look at you, remembering it so clearly.” Qiao Yusen swayed the chain of his glasses, sighing repeatedly. “Tsk, tsk, tsk, and playing the love-at-first-sight game? Oh, no, love at third sight?”
It was fourth sight.
Min Zhi, unfazed by his teasing, as if possessed by someone else, said logically: “Just like making friends, meeting once, chatting a bit, you can tell if you’re compatible, right?”
Qiao Yusen was noncommittal: “But the first time we met, we had a fight, didn’t we?”
Min Zhi scoffed: “Aren’t we doing the same now?”
“Fine, whatever you say.” Qiao Yusen didn’t argue with him, the bar’s lights reflecting off his glasses as he swirled his drink, then slowly added, “But… Xiao Leng is different.”
Min Zhi closed his mouth, surprisingly patient, waiting for him to continue.
“If he’s making friends, he’ll definitely observe for a long time. I heard from Jiayan that he’s always been quite solitary, only Jiayan as a friend. It’s the same in university. He’d rather work part-time jobs at night than live in the dorms with his classmates, he never lived in the dorms, not even for a day.”
“He’s slow to warm up, it’s hard for him to open up to others.” Qiao Yusen lowered his gaze, looking at the shimmering liquid swirling in his glass. “If he likes someone, for now… it seems like Jiayan is the only option.”
Min Zhi suppressed his irritation, forcing out a cold laugh: “Say that again?”
“That’s why I tested it for you before. During the photo shoot, I noticed he didn’t have those kinds of feelings for Jiayan.”
Qiao Yusen smiled casually, then stood up and headed towards the restroom, suddenly turning back halfway.
“What a coincidence.” After a pause, Qiao Yusen said, feigning a lighthearted tone, “Guess who I saw?”
Min Zhi didn’t even bother with a single syllable.
Qiao Yusen continued on his own: “I saw Xiao Jiayan, drinking alone, looking dejected.”
He glanced towards the booth where Luo Jiayan was, so engrossed that he missed his mouth with his glass.
Luo Jiayan was good-looking, the kind of approachable and harmlessly handsome type, and his popularity had recently soared because of “Unlimited Escape Room.” He was sitting there alone, wallowing in self-pity, unaware that several pairs of predatory eyes were fixed on him.
Not long after, someone approached him with a drink.
“Hey, have you noticed…” Qiao Yusen didn’t seem worried, continuing his one-sided conversation with Min Zhi. “You and Xiao Jiayan seem to have quite the fate? You randomly choose a bar, and you still run into him?”
Min Zhi paused slightly, his gaze towards Qiao Yusen deep and meaningful.
“Do you believe in fate?”
Quite a sudden and philosophical question.
Qiao Yusen wasn’t the type to trouble himself with philosophical questions, smiling casually, “Depends on whether fate is on my side.”
Min Zhi continued: “What if all coincidences are arranged by fate? You think you have a strong connection with someone, so you keep running into them. If you naturally develop feelings, that’s great, but if not, fate will force you to be together. That kind of fate.”
Qiao Yusen’s unchanging, practiced smile slowly faded.
“But the person I’m talking about isn’t you.” Min Zhi continued. “You fell in love with the person fate arranged for you, but because of fate, you can’t, and you won’t be able to be with him.”
Qiao Yusen’s smile completely vanished.
Min Zhi finished his vague and poetic words, silently drinking his wine, occasionally glancing at Qiao Yusen.
“…I swear to god, I have no other intentions towards Xiao Leng.” Qiao Yusen, realizing what Min Zhi was implying, hurriedly made a promise. “Firstly, he’s not my type, I simply appreciate him aesthetically. Secondly, we…”
We’re both tops.
But he dragged out his words, not finishing his sentence.
Min Zhi didn’t ask, cold and aloof, seemingly unaware of what he had just missed.
Heh.
Qiao Yusen’s mood brightened considerably, he loved seeing Min Zhi’s overly confident and possessive demeanor.
After finishing his drink, Min Zhi looked up, his eyes dark in the dim light. He pressed his fingers against his temples, anticipating the pain, then said: “Didn’t I tell you to pursue Luo Jiayan?”
As expected.
The familiar headache.
Qiao Yusen’s expression froze.
Min Zhi, realizing this, his headache quickly subsiding, it seemed like this could be overcome with willpower, the more resolute he was, the less effective the pain became.
“You like Luo Jiayan, don’t you?” Min Zhi said with certainty. “I’ve never seen you so charitable before, stop making excuses. Your feelings for him are different.”
Qiao Yusen, having his feelings analyzed by a lifelong bachelor, chuckled: “…How are they different?”
Min Zhi said: “Have you ever been so cautious with anyone before?”
Qiao Yusen was momentarily stunned.
Min Zhi suddenly stood up, seemingly preparing to leave. Only then did he glance at Luo Jiayan, who was clearly troubled by the person hitting on him. The more polite and subtle Luo Jiayan was, the more aggressive the shameless person became.
Min Zhi, however, was unconcerned, casually glancing over before turning to leave: “I’m leaving, no need to see me off.”
Qiao Yusen sat on the barstool, motionless, watching him leave, slowly sipping his drink.
Until Min Zhi left the bar.
Qiao Yusen sighed with a smile, pushed his glasses up, and finally walked towards Luo Jiayan.
—Stairwell renovation scheduled for today, please use the elevators. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Bright red notices were posted at the entrance of the underground parking garage and the first floor.
But this notice was clearly redundant. Except for the rare power outages, Min Zhi had never seen anyone else use the stairs.
Except for Xi Leng.
Min Zhi stared at the insignificant notice, lost in thought.
These past few days, Xi Leng had been busy with the exhibition preparations, going to film the third episode of “Unlimited Escape Room” in between, then returning to continue his work.
He had been busy all day, only returning from Guizhen Art Museum in the evening.
And the news of him entering the complex, his face scanned by the gate security, reached Min Zhi, the true owner, immediately.
Xi Leng, oblivious, walked to the residential building, entered as usual, and was stopped at the entrance of the stairwell.
A worker was sitting on a ladder, painting the ceiling. Plastic sheets covered the floor, the air filled with a pungent smell, paint splattered everywhere.
The worker noticed him and called out loudly: “Hey! Don’t come over here! Stairwell renovation, young man, take the elevator, be careful not to get your clothes dirty.”
Xi Leng could only retreat.
The renovation would eventually be finished, if he just waited. It was dinnertime now, the workers should be almost done. They wouldn’t work overtime just to renovate a stairwell, would they?
Xi Leng hesitated for a long time.
He always went to great lengths to avoid his dreaded past.
But the more he avoided it, the more persistently the nightmare followed, offering no escape.
He had already died once and was now reborn.
Thinking of this, after so many years, Xi Leng took the elevator for the first time, quickly closing his eyes and pressing the close button, preventing himself from changing his mind.
The elevator slowly ascended, the floor numbers changing, 1, 2, 3…
His throat tightened as he repeatedly told himself that the elevator would open at his door, his current home, the home he shared with his brother and Ban Li, safe and comfortable…
And a neighbor, bad-tempered, but very kind to him, and also to his brother.
There was nothing else outside. No tall and strong father from his memories, no violence, no blood.
Ding.
But he still couldn’t help it, staring intently at the slowly opening elevator doors, on high alert.
His tense and guarded expression, like dust blown away by a gentle breeze, instantly vanished.
Min Zhi was standing outside the door, so close he was almost leaning against it, also blocking Xi Leng’s way.
Just like Rong Haigao used to do. Calculating the time his eldest son would return home from school, waiting in ambush at the elevator entrance.
The elevator in that old building was slow. Sometimes, when Xi Leng tried to escape by taking the elevator, Rong Haigao, chasing after him from the stairs, would always reach the bottom first, stopping the elevator and blocking the door.
He had nowhere to run.
If he couldn’t rush out before the elevator doors closed, what awaited him was a true hell, with no escape.
Sometimes, other residents in the elevator would see it, only exclaiming in shock before turning and running away, afraid of getting involved.
The nightmare of the past trapped Xi Leng, making him unable to react when facing Min Zhi, standing there blankly, unsure how to move.
Min Zhi looked at him and suddenly said: “This should be considered desensitization therapy, right?”
Xi Leng’s pupils constricted.
As he spoke, Min Zhi’s kiss forcefully arrived, covering the fear of the past.
All shadows, all fears, shattered by those strong hands.
The hand holding the back of his neck was firm, preventing him from retreating or dodging, only gradually relaxing as the kiss deepened, the entanglement of their lips and tongues, the caress of his fingertips on Xi Leng’s neck, all filled with unconcealed tenderness.
The elevator doors, closing, stopped a few centimeters away from them, sensing their body heat, as if encountering an invisible barrier, then retreating.
Closing and opening repeatedly.
Until both of them were breathless.
Xi Leng’s mind felt slightly oxygen-deprived. He instinctively remembered not to obstruct public facilities, although less than twenty people using one elevator was more than enough, he still pulled Min Zhi, making way for the elevator they had occupied for several minutes.
Min Zhi leaned against his shoulder like a drunkard, sniffing.
…You smell so good.
The moment this thought appeared, Min Zhi suddenly regained a sliver of reason, figuring that this beastly thought was probably beyond Xi Leng’s acceptance. He gulped, forcing it down.
So he simply nuzzled against Xi Leng’s shoulder and said reservedly: “Mint-scented.”
Xi Leng seemed puzzled: “…I didn’t have any mints, and I didn’t smoke.”
Min Zhi also found it strange: “But you smell like mint, is it your shampoo, or body wash?”
“Neither.” Xi Leng said. “I use unscented products.”
Unscented, that was indeed in line with his personality.
But this was strange.
Then was this a mint scent only he could smell? This was even more baffling.
Min Zhi took the opportunity to sniff a few more times.
Xi Leng hesitated, in the end, not pushing him away, only gently pressing his fist against Min Zhi’s left chest, hinting that it was enough.
However, Min Zhi’s reaction was incredibly dramatic, it was hard to tell how much of it was an act.
“…It hurts!” He frowned, his handsome face contorted. “For kissing you, I’ve made such a huge sacrifice.”
Xi Leng was stunned: “Really?”
“Mm-hmm.” Min Zhi nodded. “Your fist.”
Xi Leng was speechless, saying helplessly: “Let’s go home.”
Then adding, “Okay?”
Min Zhi, satisfied, leaned closer, pushing his luck: “Mm-hmm, to your place.”
Xi Leng walked ahead, his back to Min Zhi, and suddenly said: “Strawberry-scented.”
“What?” Min Zhi was stunned, then, before fully processing it, blurted out, “You also think I smell good?”
Xi Leng was silent for a few seconds, a bit confused.
Until his scarf was tugged on, and he had no choice but to turn around.
“…It’s the cigarettes, right?” His eyes lowered, his gaze falling on the man’s lips. “Strawberry Double Burst.”
Min Zhi: “…”
Oh.
Two months ago, Xi Leng wouldn’t have dreamed that his scarf would become a childish adult’s toy, the target of a shameless thief.
“We’re home, what are you still hiding?”
“It’s not like I haven’t seen it before.”
He couldn’t argue with the unreasonable landlord, and there was no reason to hide it now. He untied the scarf, glanced at Min Zhi, and carefully put it in his pocket.
“Don’t worry, I won’t steal it again.”
Min Zhi smiled, his words not very convincing.
“…”
Xi Leng looked up, asking, “Right, is there something you needed?”
It was just a casual question, but Min Zhi suddenly became serious: “Lao Zhu told me that what I did to you was like an idol collapsing…”
A huge question mark appeared in Xi Leng’s mind, but his expression remained unchanged as he waited for Min Zhi to continue.
“But you should be able to tell that I only treat you like this, not my other fans, just you. It’s not that I have a character flaw, you can search online, I’ve always told them to be safe, not to chase after me offline, to focus on their real lives, not to fantasize about me, I would never date them. I oppose idols sleeping with fans more than anyone.”
These words were a bit crude.
Xi Leng didn’t know how to respond, opening his mouth, but not making a sound.
Min Zhi, observing his expression, thought that Zhu Minglang was indeed talking nonsense.
After a moment of thought, he rephrased his words: “Is it because I’ve been too good to you that you don’t know how to reciprocate?”
“It’s not a problem, reciprocate if you want, don’t if you don’t. You can take your time, find other ways, I’m not in a hurry.”
Xi Leng was even more at a loss for words now. The lie in his stomach fermented and expanded, rising to his throat, choking him.
He could only remain silent.
“Didn’t I say I like quiet ones?” Min Zhi looked at him, a smile in his eyes, “I can’t be solely blamed for this, if you talked more, I wouldn’t be so persistent.”
Of course, if Xi Leng was talkative, he could have used a completely different set of arguments.
Xi Leng smiled wryly and finally spoke: “I… I don’t know what to say.”
“Then don’t say anything. Anyway, you can continue living here.” Min Zhi made the decision for him. “If you’re not unhappy with me as your neighbor, but feeling guilty, then just indulge me more, how about that?”
Indulge.
Xi Leng’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, revealing a hint of unease and helplessness.
Min Zhi deliberately paused for a long time, carefully observing his reaction.
After a long while, he made a surprisingly simple request: “I want a portrait of you.”
Xi Leng, snapping out of his daze, readily agreed: “Okay.”
But things wouldn’t be that simple, Min Zhi added: “But I want to draw it myself, you teach me.”
“…”
This person’s domineering nature was truly consistent.
Rong Xingyi wasn’t home, and Ban Li’s little legs couldn’t keep up, so only the two of them went to the studio in the loft.
Xi Leng suddenly felt a slight regret, he shouldn’t have set up the studio in the loft above his master bedroom.
The loft was secluded and quiet, seemingly isolated from downstairs, but looking down from the railing, his private bedroom was fully visible, he could even see the locked bedroom door.
It inexplicably gave one the illusion of a secret rendezvous.
“Have a seat.”
Xi Leng pointed at the chair behind the easel, letting Min Zhi sit down.
He then removed the canvas, replacing it with a wooden drawing board, a clean sheet of drawing paper attached to it, for beginners to practice.
“Use the pencil, lightly, you can erase any mistakes with this eraser.”
Min Zhi took the pencil and eraser. The two stared at each other in silence for more than ten seconds, then Min Zhi suddenly frowned and instructed matter-of-factly: “Then you go sit over there, you’re the model. Shouldn’t you know more about this than I do?”
“…” Xi Leng paused. “Aren’t you asking me to teach you?”
“You can’t be in two places at once.” Min Zhi smiled, confidently holding up the pencil and gesturing. “I watched a few tutorial videos, I’ll try drawing first, shouldn’t you assess my basics first?”
His logic was impeccable.
Xi Leng was speechless, sitting down on the sofa opposite him, picking up a book as a prop, both to ease the awkwardness and to pass the time as a model.
“I’m starting now, don’t move.”
He looked quite professional, but if this weren’t Xi Leng’s area of expertise, he probably wouldn’t be able to see through his bluff.
He squinted one eye, dramatically raising the pencil, gesturing towards Xi Leng.
Xi Leng glanced over, keenly noticing that he was just pretending, holding the end of the pencil, measuring him from two meters away, horizontally and vertically, who knew what he was measuring.
Xi Leng kindly reminded him: “That’s not how you measure.”
Min Zhi was full of confidence: “The art teachers in the tutorial videos all do it like this.”
Xi Leng was speechless, about to stand up: “Let me see.”
“The model can’t move.” Min Zhi immediately stopped him. “And no talking either, you’re the professional, how can you make such a mistake?”
Xi Leng sat back down and kept quiet.
Min Zhi scribbled on the paper, a smile playing on his lips, his expression excited.
Xi Leng had often been a model at the art studio, but being a model for one person was a first, being stared at by those eyes felt even more uncomfortable than being the focus of countless gazes.
He could only lower his head and pretend to read.
And that gaze, incredibly intense, as if tracing the outline of his hair, his facial features, sliding down his neck…
“Xi Leng.”
Min Zhi suddenly called out softly.
Xi Leng looked up.
Min Zhi stopped drawing, looking at him seriously: “I know you’re good-looking, very handsome, tall, and incredibly aloof. But I just find you… cute. I find you very cute. Inexplicably.”
Xi Leng’s eyes flickered slightly, not responding.
“Shouldn’t you ask me now?” Min Zhi raised an eyebrow. “Ask me what I find cute about you?”
This time, Xi Leng knew how to respond.
He raised a hand, making a zipping motion across his mouth, then put a finger to his lips, a “shh.”
So, the model wasn’t allowed to speak, Min Zhi’s rule, which Xi Leng obediently followed.
Min Zhi chuckled, his body shaking with laughter, forgetting all about drawing.
Thinking, you’re incredibly cute like this.
