Chapter 62: Back to Square One
Xi Leng, Ye Nan, and Rong Xingyi arrived at the restaurant and chatted about recent events, but he felt uneasy, suspecting Min Zhi might come over.
Fortunately, Rong Xingyi excitedly recounted his and his brother’s experiences with their neighbor in detail. If Min Zhi did show up uninvited, it shouldn’t be too shocking for Ye Nan.
Ye Nan was used to being frugal. Compared to this cliché “My Neighbor is a Big Star” scenario, she was more concerned about practical matters.
“I glanced at it at the entrance last time, it looked like a very high-end, luxurious complex.” The corners of Ye Nan’s eyes and mouth drooped slightly. “And the neighbor is a celebrity? Such a famous celebrity? Then… how much is the rent? Can Xiao Leng even afford it?”
Rong Xingyi, having gotten used to the luxurious duplex apartment, wasn’t fazed, only now realizing after being reminded by his mother: “…That’s true. We’ve been living there for over three months, right? How much is the rent, ge?”
Xi Leng said perfunctorily: “That’s not something you should be concerned about, eat your food.”
The first time he visited Cloudtop One, Rong Xingyi suspected his brother was involved in illegal activities to earn money. A few days later, after discovering his brother’s participation in a variety show through Weibo, thinking that celebrities earned a lot of money, he didn’t dwell on it.
But time flew by, and the apartment was still next door to Min Zhi’s, a place even most minor celebrities couldn’t afford.
After seeing Ye Nan off, the brothers returned to Cloudtop One.
“Ge.” Rong Xingyi finally spoke, seeming to have matured overnight. “I know you can definitely afford a few months’ rent, but isn’t it a bit wasteful to live there long-term? Month after month, the rent is probably enough to buy my mom’s apartment, isn’t it?”
Xi Leng chuckled: “You even researched housing prices?”
“Mm-hmm.” Rong Xingyi nodded vigorously. “I’ll be leaving for filming soon, and you’ll be bored living alone in such a big apartment, won’t you? I’ll be gone for three months!”
“Hey…” Xi Leng was slightly speechless, but a faint smile appeared on his lips, “So I’m spending money to live in a big apartment for you? I can just make do on my own, right?”
Rong Xingyi pretended to yawn, grinning mischievously at him.
The taxi happened to be passing by an intersection. The red light from a billboard stretched and distorted, falling across Xi Leng’s pale, high nose bridge.
He took out his phone, the screen’s cool light reflecting in his hazel eyes.
The last message.
“Zhengzhu (Idol)” poked you.
Min Zhi would always poke him after he ended their conversations, preventing his messages from being buried.
But he had misjudged Min Zhi’s intentions this time, he hadn’t shown up at the restaurant. Perhaps something more urgent came up? Even if he had nothing better to do, Min Zhi wouldn’t necessarily go out of his way to see him.
They spent two hours eating and chatting. He hesitated, wondering if he should send another message to inform Min Zhi.
But reporting everything, making his whereabouts known, that would be too strange.
“I still hope to continue being neighbors with Min Zhi-gege.” Rong Xingyi suddenly said, “Although you’re earning money now, the entertainment industry is unstable, you should save more… don’t you plan to buy a house, get married in the future? Well, it’s okay if you don’t get married, raising children is too expensive, you might as well just raise me… just wait until I become a star on ‘Shining Boys’, I’ll have endorsements lined up, I’ll repay you double.”
Xi Leng was speechless, unable to find an opportunity to interrupt, waiting for his brother’s daydream to end.
“Don’t worry, the rent is very cheap.” Xi Leng thought for a moment, then told him the truth, “The landlord is someone you also know.”
Rong Xingyi tilted his head.
Xi Leng said: “It’s Min Zhi’s apartment. He rented it to us through a friend, at a discounted price. He even made up a fake landlord, probably to avoid making us feel awkward.”
“…”
Although he had known Min Zhi for a while now and they got along very well, Rong Xingyi was still suspicious of this act that went far beyond “fan service.”
“Ge, tell me the truth,” Rong Xingyi looked at Xi Leng’s indifferent face, “You didn’t really… sell your body, did you?”
“…Don’t talk nonsense.” Xi Leng tried to deny it, not realizing how ridiculous his words sounded. “Does Min Zhi need to buy anyone’s… favors?”
Thankfully, Rong Xingyi didn’t catch it, letting out a puzzled “huh?”.
Xi Leng hurriedly added: “I mean, we’re friends now, and he’s always generous with his friends. I signed a one-year lease, we’ll talk about it when it expires. Moving out now would upset him.”
Rong Xingyi, however, was even more worried, his expression serious as he lowered his voice: “Although you’re on good terms now… but it’s because you’re his fan that he invited you on the show, that you became friends, then neighbors, closer and closer, right?”
Xi Leng’s heart skipped a beat, realizing his didi’s concerns.
As expected, Rong Xingyi continued: “If he finds out you lied to him from the beginning… will he kick us out?”
Moving out of the luxury apartment that didn’t belong to them wasn’t a big deal. It was just…
Rong Xingyi frowned, biting his lip and saying: “I was thinking, although I’ll be stuck in the training camp for three months, at least he’ll be there as a vocal mentor… It’s been so long already, a few more months should be fine, right?”
Xi Leng’s heart raced, and he quickly covered Rong Xingyi’s mouth: “Don’t overthink it.”
In the world of novels, raising flags was a dangerous game.
Before going upstairs, Xi Leng deliberately took a detour, standing below Min Zhi’s apartment and looking up, noticing that the lights weren’t on.
Not home yet, probably busy with work?
Rong Xingyi would be leaving for Nandao next week for three months of closed filming, he needed to prepare a lot of things, ask for a leave of absence from school, and have his teachers assign him some homework. Two months of leave, plus winter break, he couldn’t completely abandon his studies, or he would turn into an idiot.
The two brothers were both busy these past few days and hadn’t seen their elusive neighbor.
And that day, when Xi Leng and his family were out for dinner, Min Zhi, after casually glancing at Xi Leng’s Weibo fan account while waiting at a red light, sensing something wrong, suddenly changed direction and went to Zhu Minglang’s place.
Zhu Minglang was puzzled, preparing to have dinner with his wife and daughter.
Min Zhi stood at the door, not entering, just asking: “Lao Zhu, where did you put the letters I received at the airport that day?”
To prevent Zhu Minglang from misremembering, he specifically emphasized, “In June, the first time I met Xi Leng, I gave you the letter he gave me in the car.”
Except for occasions like birthday live streams, Min Zhi usually didn’t read the letters fans sent him. This was also one of his criticisms.
However, although he always casually handed the task of collecting letters to his manager and assistant, he hadn’t thrown away a single one of the mountains of letters he received over the past seven years, most of them stored in a villa in the suburbs.
After a while, Zhu Minglang was still trying to recall: “It should be at the Xishan villa, right? …Hey, wait.”
Seeing Min Zhi about to leave after just those few words, he hurriedly called out to him.
“I remember not receiving many letters that day, thanks to your disappearing act.” Zhu Minglang quickly changed his words. “I probably thought there weren’t many, so I put them in the bookshelf at the company.”
Min Zhi immediately turned around again.
“Hey…”
This time, Zhu Minglang couldn’t stop him. Seeing his hurried and determined movements, and a faint hint of… menace?
He stopped, his mind filled with questions, waiting for tomorrow’s work.
After waking up, as a professional manager, Zhu Minglang suddenly realized, letting out a surprised “ah!” that startled his wife and daughter. Without explaining, he rushed out.
Min Zhi was already at the office. This difficult boss hadn’t even used the break room, sleeping directly on the guest sofa.
Zhu Minglang didn’t disturb him, cautiously closing the door and walking towards his messy desk, covered with envelopes and letters.
Min Zhi had opened all the recent fan mail from the bookshelf, scattering them everywhere. He remembered that the letter Min Zhi casually handed him that day was pink, sent by Xi Leng, a pink letter?
It seemed rather incongruous with Xi Leng’s personality.
His manager’s intuition made him sense something strange. He looked at the sleeping Min Zhi on the sofa, then at the letters in his hand.
The pink envelope and the letter inside had matching patterns, like a set. He picked up the letter.
Like most fan mail, this letter, several hundred words long, expressed admiration and well wishes to the idol in a reserved yet sincere tone.
Signed: Xiao Nuan.
Some fans, after watching “Unlimited Escape Room,” said Xi Leng was cold on the outside, warm on the inside, and gave him the nickname Nuannuan.
If Xi Leng called himself Xiao Nuan a few months ago, that would make sense?
However, the handwriting in this letter, each character neat and carefully written, seemed a bit childish, not really matching Xi Leng’s image.
Zhu Minglang carefully read the content.
Most of it was normal, like a template, except for the way Min Zhi was addressed… My dearest baby?
Hm?
Just then, a chill ran down his spine.
Zhu Minglang slowly turned around, meeting a pair of cold, dark eyes.
Zhu Minglang held the letter, asking hesitantly: “…Is this… Xi Leng’s handwriting?”
Min Zhi had just woken up, his eyes still bloodshot, his voice slightly hoarse, “No.”
“Then perhaps he delivered it for someone else, some fans can’t attend offline events.” Zhu Minglang, the detached observer, said casually, “He’s quite kind, it’s just a small favor.”
“He’s probably short of money.” Min Zhi’s lips twitched, a seemingly amused expression, “Like getting paid to deliver letters for others.”
“Offline events are so expensive, you know that.” Zhu Minglang sighed. “Spending an entire day at the airport just to earn a small delivery fee, he might as well get a part-time job, that would make more money, why bother? He was probably just doing a favor.”
Min Zhi asked: “Then why do you think he went to the airport to… wait for me?”
Was that even a question? Zhu Minglang didn’t hesitate: “Because he’s your fan!”
Xi Leng’s outrageous girlfriend-fan comments on his Weibo fan account, how excited they made him at the time, even driving him to kiss Xi Leng, now only made him silent.
Zhu Minglang sensed danger and tried to find an excuse to leave.
“Wait.” Min Zhi stopped him.
Zhu Minglang reluctantly returned, putting on a wise and experienced expression, saying persuasively: “What’s wrong? Had a fight? Relationships are like that, they make people paranoid and irrational! But this is too much… Don’t tell me you think Xi Leng isn’t your fan? How is that possible? He couldn’t have anticipated you joining a variety show, and his attitude was so indifferent before, he didn’t even reply to my messages, don’t overthink it.”
Min Zhi unconsciously rubbed his thumb against his index finger. After a long while, he finally spoke, “Isn’t Luo Jiayan also my fan? You even recommended him to me.”
Zhu Minglang nodded: “So what?”
“I asked him.” Min Zhi said. “He’s also liked me for years, but Xi Leng only started chasing stars with him this year, after his debut.”
“He wanted to attend one of my promotional events, but his agency wouldn’t let him. Xi Leng said he was free, and he could also take photos for him. Xi Leng worked almost every day and didn’t have much money, Luo Jiayan naturally didn’t want to burden him.”
Zhu Minglang, as he listened, his legs unconsciously moving, wanting to immediately escape this office where a storm was brewing.
Min Zhi suddenly looked up at him, his dark eyes unreadable, his silver earrings gleaming sharply.
After a long while, Min Zhi spoke again, his voice calm,
“To reassure Luo Jiayan, he told him that he was also my fan.”
Zhu Minglang: “…”
If he could turn back time, he would never have come here, listening to this terrifying love triangle story.
Xi Leng still didn’t see his neighbor, Min Zhi, for the next few days.
Before going to bed, he petted the cat, put on his jacket, went downstairs, and looked up at his neighbor’s windows.
Darkness.
Min Zhi wasn’t home?
He frowned, opening his phone, there were no new messages from Min Zhi, the annoying guy had suddenly changed.
And another strange thing, the landlord, “A1,” had deleted his account, his profile picture now gray.
After thinking for a while, he opened the chat window with “Zhengzhu (Idol)” and sent a message.
Leng: 【Are you very busy recently, haven’t been home?】
Just as he was about to put away his phone and go upstairs, it vibrated in his hand.
Min Zhi replied instantly.
Zhengzhu: 【Mm-hmm, staying at the company】
Zhengzhu: 【You’re taking Xiao Yi to Nandao, right? Which hotel are you staying at?】
Xi Leng replied with the hotel name and departure time.
Zhengzhu: 【See you then】
Leng: 【Okay】
The conversation ended, and Xi Leng held his phone, waiting, he wasn’t even sure what he was waiting for.
After five minutes.
“Zhengzhu (Idol)” poked you.
Two days later, Xi Leng personally took Rong Xingyi to Nandao, where “Shining Boys” would be filming for three months.
It was Xi Leng’s first time in a tropical region. The island was warm and sunny, the sea and sky blending seamlessly in the distance, dotted with sailboats, reminding him of his last experience by the sea.
That memory, also related to Min Zhi.
His lie had been going on for almost half a year now. He hadn’t gotten used to it, it was like a ticking time bomb, constantly reminding him of its presence whenever he relaxed.
They stayed at the hotel Xi Leng booked for a night. The next morning, Xi Leng sent his still teary-eyed 15-year-old didi to the hotel arranged by the program team.
Returning to his own hotel, Xi Leng was alone again.
Min Zhi soon sent a message, asking: 【What’s your room number?】
They hadn’t seen each other for a few days, and Min Zhi would start filming tomorrow, he didn’t have much free time except for tonight.
He replied with his room number, then asked, 【Having dinner together tonight?】
Zhengzhu: 【Okay】
Zhengzhu: 【Let’s order room service to your room】
Min Zhi wasn’t joking around today, his messages straightforward and concise, maintaining a perfectly aloof image.
But when Min Zhi arrived, Xi Leng noticed his fatigue at a glance. His hair was styled, his profile sharp and handsome, he was probably even wearing concealer, but the bloodshot vessels in his eyes couldn’t escape Xi Leng’s notice.
Xi Leng asked him: “Have you been busy recently?”
After a moment of silent eye contact, Min Zhi lowered his gaze slightly and hummed in agreement.
Xi Leng picked up a glass of water. Min Zhi’s sudden, sharp, and direct question almost made him choke.
“Do you like Luo Jiayan?”
“Cough…” Xi Leng wiped his mouth, not hesitating, and said, “I had a crush on him before, it couldn’t really be called liking…”
He looked at the person sitting beside him. His previously uncertain feelings, compared to his current ones, were now crystal clear.
So, shaking his head, he said again with more certainty: “It wasn’t really liking. Just some qualities I lacked, which I found attractive.”
“We’re just friends now.”
This answer was unexpected, yet reasonable.
Xi Leng’s heart pounded in his chest. After a long while, Min Zhi’s expression relaxed slightly, his tone also softening, “So honest, aren’t you afraid I’ll be angry?”
Xi Leng, however, rubbed his pants leg uncomfortably, sighing almost inaudibly: “…I don’t want to lie to you.”
Who knew how many unspoken words were hidden within that sigh.
Min Zhi suddenly smiled, changing the subject with a lighthearted tone, “Right, I found a few more screenshots.”
Xi Leng had a bad feeling, frowning slightly, but seeing Min Zhi’s usual cheerful demeanor, he couldn’t help but smile as well, “What screenshots?”
“I just realized you cleared out your fan account.” Min Zhi said. “Thankfully, I had already taken screenshots of all the evidence. I even found a few I didn’t send you before.”
Xi Leng: “…”
Before he could stop him, Min Zhi had already started reading from his phone: “Min Zhi-gege is so amazing…”
Impossible.
He had specifically filtered by the keyword “gege” and deleted them all the night he gave Min Zhi his fan account.
Xi Leng paused slightly, saying with certainty, “I don’t usually call you that.”
“mzgg, isn’t that Min Zhi gege?” Min Zhi teased, his lips curving upwards. “Missed a few when you were deleting?”
“…” Xi Leng took a deep breath, forced to accept the blame for those Weibo posts, “Stop reading… when I gave you my account, I didn’t expect you to go through all my old online ramblings.”
“That won’t do.”
Min Zhi quickly hid his phone.
Then, he continued reciting dramatically, filled with emotion: “My back hurts so much, it’s so painful, I’ll bear all this pain alone, to spare you from this suffering.”
“…………”
Xi Leng rushed forward, instinctively reaching out, trying to snatch Min Zhi’s phone.
Min Zhi, prepared for this, nimbly dodged his attack. The distance between them instantly shortened, their warm breaths mingling.
Xi Leng froze.
Min Zhi’s deep, dark eyes stared at him, a playful smile on his lips, his voice a little hoarse as he continued reading, “Perhaps I’m too sexy, I get pregnant just by looking at Min Zhi-gege…”
Min Zhi, his face unchanged, read the outrageous words from his phone screen, while Xi Leng, the listener, his expression shifting rapidly.
“So what now?” Min Zhi, smiling at him, asked, “I’m already in your room.”
Even Xi Leng, who had experienced so much, couldn’t help but stammer, “I… Min Zhi, listen to me…”
“Listen to you say what?”
“Those were just… online excitement… not real.”
“Is that so?” Min Zhi smiled. “All of them?”
The smile carried a hint of something unreadable, and Xi Leng had a bad feeling.
But he couldn’t seize this last opportunity, remaining silent, waiting for Min Zhi to continue, planning to respond after he finished.
Min Zhi smiled again.
“But these sentences…”
Min Zhi paused.
“I made them up.”
Xi Leng’s eyes widened, losing control of his expression.
He still had time, he could still explain that he didn’t remember his old Weibo posts, he had too many, it was understandable not to remember everything.
“I…”
But his throat was as if choked by a piece of ice, cold and constricted, he couldn’t utter a word of explanation.
The smile on Min Zhi’s lips vanished as he asked, word by word: “What do you want me to hear?”
He was giving him another chance, but Xi Leng still couldn’t speak, only looking at him.
That gaze, conflicted, regretful, sad, so complex and indescribable, making it seem like Xi Leng was the victim, forced into this situation, deceiving someone’s feelings against his will.
Min Zhi laughed again, but his eyes were cold.
Xi Leng remained silent, his already limited vocabulary as if sealed shut. During their time together, Xi Leng had gradually opened up to him, becoming more talkative. They were like old friends, comfortable and at ease, even the occasional silence a shared pleasure.
But now, everything was back to square one.
“Ha, haha…”
Min Zhi could only laugh.
This was absurd.
So, it was all a lie?
Xi Leng did have moments of guilt, hinting at it with phrases like “don’t believe me.” But he, like a fool, always took the blame, satisfied with just a fake smile in return.
He was so cheap, so pathetic.
Gradually, his laughter faded, his eyes reddening.
Xi Leng’s throat tightened, finally managing to utter, “You… know everything?”
“Know what?” Min Zhi said self-deprecatingly. “Know that you attended my offline event for Luo Jiayan, delivered a letter for someone else, pretended to like me for three years on your fan account, and joined a variety show with me just for the money.”
“Or perhaps, playing hard to get, flirting with me, just to live in my apartment, to make me willingly spend money on you, support your brother, and solve all your problems?”
Min Zhi paused, his cold gaze as if looking at a stranger.
His accusations, sharp as knives, continued one after another,
“Do you think you’ve made a huge sacrifice?”
“Do you feel disgusted? Compromising, selling your body…”
“No,” Xi Leng hurriedly interrupted, “that’s not it.”
But besides “no,” he didn’t know how to explain.
Min Zhi stopped, waiting to see what else he would say.
Xi Leng, for the first time, hated his limited vocabulary.
“…Min Zhi.”
After a long while, he only uttered these two words.
Min Zhi had to urge him, “Say something, Xi Leng.”
Xi Leng looked at him directly with his beautiful hazel eyes, clear and bright, not a hint of guilt or regret, but an earnest sincerity.
“I’m sorry.”
I’m sorry.
Min Zhi used to scoff at the cliché lines in movies and dramas, like, “If ‘sorry’ worked, then what’s the point of the police?”
He never imagined he would feel this way himself.
He let out a humorless laugh, shaking his head as he asked: “I’m sorry?”
Xi Leng’s eyelashes trembled, and he choked out a soft “mm-hmm.”
“I’m sorry, you deserve better.”
helpp que va a pasar!!! Aaaaaaa