Chapter 9: The Me You See

Yu Chu stared silently at the iron stand beside the bed. It looked like the kind used to hang IV bags.

This wasn’t his room. It had to be a hospital ward.

He stayed where he was, barely moving. He had only a hazy recollection of what had happened last night.

Hadn’t it been Xie Zhixing…?

Lying in bed, Yu Chu gazed blankly at a point in the empty air. After a while, he remembered something else that mattered.

The game event had ended in the early hours of the morning. He hadn’t logged in at all last night.

His phone was on the cabinet beside him. He reached over, picked it up, and opened the game. Sure enough, the event screen showed [The current event has ended].

What had happened with Xu Chen was obviously far more serious, yet Yu Chu was feeling miserable over missing out on the event rewards.

When people were facing a major crisis, it was easy for some little thing on the side to break them. But Yu Chu’s situation was a little different.

It was a defense mechanism. If he let himself grieve over some trivial thing, he could pretend the looming disaster didn’t exist—at least for a while.

Every debt had someone to answer for it. Whether he’d been drugged or missed the event, it was all that bastard Xu Chen’s fault. If Xu Chen hadn’t pulled that stunt last night, Yu Chu would’ve gotten his rewards without a hitch.

Xu Chen owed him compensation for emotional distress.

Yu Chu clutched his phone and even shed a few tears.

The door opened just then.

Whoever came in did so quietly, and Yu Chu didn’t notice.

The visitor closed the door and walked a few steps into the room. Yu Chu was looking at his phone, drawing in sharp, sniffly breaths that sounded almost like sobs.

Yu Chu had no idea anyone was watching him. He was just mourning the rewards he’d missed.

It took him two minutes to pull himself together. He’d only missed one set of game rewards. There were so many things in life a person could miss out on; a game reward was nothing.

Even if he’d really wanted it, it was already gone. There was no bringing it back.

Yu Chu put his phone away. As he shifted to change position, someone asked, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

It was Xie Zhixing’s voice.

Only then did Yu Chu notice someone else in the room. He sat up and looked toward the voice. Sure enough, it was Xie Zhixing.

Xie Zhixing had probably brought him here last night, so it made sense that he was here now.

Yu Chu couldn’t exactly explain that he was upset over missing some game rewards, so he said, “I’m fine.”

How could he really be fine? The limited-time event was over, and there wouldn’t even be a rerun.

He’d only managed to get himself sorted out after a long pep talk in his head.

But he didn’t think Xie Zhixing would understand. People like them could have anything they wanted. Why would they care about some inconsequential game reward?

Maybe it was because Yu Chu had gone to dinner alone with another man. Xie Zhixing looked a little angry, his whole manner icy, just like when they’d first met.

Yu Chu watched him walk over to the bed. “Are you angry?”

Xie Zhixing didn’t answer directly. “Xu Chen invited you to dinner, and you went?”

Yu Chu was annoyed that Xie Zhixing was glossing over what had happened. He’d only agreed because Xu Chen said he wanted to discuss the variety show. He’d just been trying to hold on to a work opportunity.

If he’d met Xu Chen just to eat a meal like that, he’d have spent the whole day stewing over it. The tofu had cost several hundred yuan and wasn’t even good. He’d have been better off ordering delivery at the dorm for a few dozen yuan.

Xie Zhixing waited for an answer that never came, then turned away.

What a stubborn bastard, Yu Chu thought. Still, Xie Zhixing had helped him last night. He ought to repay the favor.

More importantly, if Xie Zhixing got mad and canceled his Family Card, Yu Chu would lose a hundred grand a month. And Xie Zhixing’s black card was still in his possession.

Yu Chu got out of bed and wrapped his arms around Xie Zhixing from behind, resting his cheek obediently against his back.

Xie Zhixing was as hard as a rock. How could anyone be this solid?

A faint scent of cologne rose from him. Yu Chu smelled it on Xie Zhixing all the time. None of his teammates wore anything like it. He wondered what brand Xie Zhixing used.

Xie Zhixing was tall. Resting his chin on the man’s shoulder was starting to make Yu Chu’s neck ache.

“Are you angry?” he asked.

After a long moment, Xie Zhixing slowly turned around and took Yu Chu’s face in his hand. Then he lowered his head.

Yu Chu reflexively thought Xie Zhixing was going to kiss him, but he didn’t. He only gazed down at Yu Chu, his eyes dark and unreadable.

“There are some things you should’ve figured out a long time ago,” Xie Zhiyuan said. “Like why a director you barely knew invited you to dinner. And the fact that I’m not Xie Zhixing.”

Yu Chu froze. If he wasn’t Xie Zhixing, then he could only be Xie Zhiyuan.

Yu Chu’s method of telling Xie Zhixing and Xie Zhiyuan apart was embarrassingly simple: he checked whether the person in front of him was wearing glasses.

Who knew why Xie Zhiyuan wasn’t wearing his glasses today? Yu Chu had naturally mistaken him for Xie Zhixing.

Yu Chu let go, but Xie Zhiyuan still had a hand on his face.

How could I have made the same mistake twice? The last time I hugged someone, I mistook him for someone else too. You’re not supposed to step into the same river twice, and here I am tripping over the same stone again.

Xie Zhiyuan seemed satisfied by his shocked expression. He let go. “Recognize me now?”

Yu Chu suddenly realized what this meant. If this was Xie Zhiyuan, then last night had been Xie Zhiyuan too.

Not his boyfriend—his boyfriend’s younger brother.

Why hadn’t Xie Zhiyuan pushed him away?

Yu Chu had spent months working out how to handle Xie Zhixing. If the man standing here had been Xie Zhixing, he would’ve known exactly what to do.

But he’d only met Xie Zhiyuan twice. He knew next to nothing about him.

Men as cold as blocks of ice were never easy to deal with. Just because Yu Chu could coax Xie Zhixing didn’t mean he could coax Xie Zhiyuan.

Yu Chu took a step back, lost his balance, and sat down on the bed.

After half a minute of silence, he lowered his voice. “Thank you.”

Xie Zhiyuan looked down at him slightly but said nothing, settling back into his usual taciturn silence.

The assistant knocked and entered the hospital room, then spoke quietly to Xie Zhiyuan.

“Have a doctor examine him,” Xie Zhiyuan said. “If everything’s fine, have someone take him back.”

Then he left.

Yu Chu didn’t get it. Did this guy charge by the word? Surely one more sentence wouldn’t kill him.

Yu Chu told Xie Zhiyuan’s assistant that he was fine and could just take a cab back.

But the assistant was like an AI. He didn’t listen to Yu Chu at all, only following Xie Zhiyuan’s orders to the letter. He called a doctor, waited while Yu Chu was examined, then arranged for a driver to take him back.

When Yu Chu returned to the dorm, he found his teammates chatting away. Their chatter was a comfort. As expected, it was nice to be around people who actually knew how to talk.

He’d spent another night away. His teammates were used to it by now, but they were still curious.

“I went out to dinner, ran into an old classmate on the way, and wandered around with him for a while,” Yu Chu lied without missing a beat. “It got too late, so I just stayed at his place.”

The whole Xu Chen situation was a mess. Yu Chu planned to talk it over with Fang Lin first, then decide whether to tell the others.

Yuan Xiangdi and the rest didn’t doubt a word of it.

Jian Yuyang asked, “What did you eat? Was it good?”

“It was expensive. Just okay.” Yu Chu hadn’t eaten a thing all day. “Is there anything to eat now?”

Hughes generously gave him a sandwich. Qin Yun, watching from beside him, protested, “I asked you for one earlier and you wouldn’t give me any.”

Hughes acted like he hadn’t heard a thing.

As he ate, Yu Chu quietly thought about what might be happening with Xu Chen.

Maybe Xu Chen was cursing him out in a rage right now. Maybe he’d target Yu Chu and try to trip him up later. Yu Chu had been thinking about him the whole way back.

If things got bad, maybe Yu Chu could put in a word with Xie Zhixing. Did Xie Zhixing even know what had happened?

Yu Chu never looked anxious on the outside, no matter how worried he was. He finished the sandwich at an unhurried pace and wiped his mouth with a tissue. “I’m going to make a call.”

He went into the bathroom, shut the door, and took out his phone. He’d meant to call Fang Lin, but couldn’t get through.

When Fang Lin didn’t answer, it usually meant he was in a meeting. Yu Chu didn’t try again. He knew Fang Lin would call back once he was free and saw the missed call.

Yu Chu put his phone down and washed his face carefully, then applied his various skincare products.

He’d washed up in the hospital room before coming back, but there’d been nothing there. He’d have to wash up all over again once he got to the dorm.

Even if the sky fell, skincare came first. His face was too important.

When Yu Chu left the room, he heard Hughes and the others shouting excitedly. Curious, he went over and saw them huddled around a phone.

He walked up. “What are you looking at?”

Yuan Xiangdi handed him the phone. “Look! You have to see this!”

Yu Chu took it in confusion. The screen showed the news that Xu Chen had been arrested.

His hand paused. He slowly scrolled down. The article listed Xu Chen’s offenses: illegal possession of controlled substances, embezzlement, and more. The list was long enough to fill a book.

Xu Chen had always had a good reputation in the industry and had never been caught up in a scandal, so the public had thought well of him. Now that the news had come out, plenty of people felt they’d been conned by the image Xu Chen had carefully cultivated.

People claiming to be industry insiders had started exposing the shady things Xu Chen had done in the past, too.

Just minutes ago, Yu Chu had been wondering how to deal with Xu Chen. As it turned out, the police had taken Xu Chen away that morning.

Yu Chu made no comment on the news. He silently handed the phone back to Yuan Xiangdi.

“Won’t all those shows be affected now that he’s been arrested?” Jian Yuyang leaned back against the sofa. “One guy does awful things and drags so many people down with him. What a bastard.”

Yuan Xiangdi turned toward him. “Looks that way. If they cut ties with him now, they might still be able to save themselves.”

Hughes noticed that Yu Chu looked a little off and moved closer. “What’s wrong?”

Yu Chu furrowed his brow, hesitating. “I had dinner with Xu Chen last night.”

The others stared at him in disbelief. “What?”

Yu Chu checked the live updates on Xu Chen’s trending topic on his own phone. There was no mention at all of him having dinner alone with Xu Chen.

The lack of any mention was so conspicuous that it made Yu Chu suspicious.

Could Xie Zhiyuan have done it? Xu Chen might have powerful connections, but they were nothing compared to the Xie family. It wouldn’t be hard for Xie Zhiyuan to take him down.

Yu Chu quickly dismissed the idea. It seemed unlikely. Xie Zhiyuan was so arrogant that it’d be downright bizarre if he were willing to help.

Xie Zhiyuan had no reason to help him, unless he thought someone drugging his older brother’s boyfriend counted as a family scandal best kept quiet.

Could it have been Xie Zhixing, then? That seemed much more likely. But did Xie Zhixing even know what had happened?

Yu Chu kept thinking it over. Maybe it was all just a coincidence. Xu Chen had happened to get arrested that day, and nobody had recognized him and Xu Chen when they’d had dinner.

The odds were low, but not zero.

Fang Lin called just then.

Yu Chu went into the bathroom again and answered. “Hey, Brother Fang.”

“I was in a meeting at the office. What did you need?”

“I just saw the news. Xu Chen’s in trouble,” Yu Chu said bluntly. “I had dinner with him last night. I don’t know if that’ll affect me.”

“I was just about to talk to you about that,” Fang Lin said. “It won’t affect you. Don’t worry.”