As a super Tier-1 city, Shen City hosted a dazzling array of events every day, drawing plenty of young people to join in the fun. Many organizers thought of Shen City first when choosing a location, and the client who had commissioned Bai Ying’s company to plan the roadshow was no exception. This was good news for Bai Ying—no need for a business trip.
His commute coincided with the morning rush hour, and Bai Ying felt like he was about to be squished into a snake pancake. He finally got off near the meeting spot, half his life squeezed out of him.
“Little Bai, over here!” From far away, Bai Ying spotted Duan Yunjin waving at him in front of Mall A. He hurried over, and she reached out to pat his head, smoothing down a stray hair that had been messed up on the subway.
The two headed to the nearby Golden Arches and picked a seat facing the street. They ate breakfast while waiting for Xiao Lu, who was stuck in traffic. It was nearly nine when Lu Changjun finally parked in the underground lot and joined them.
“So many people today,” Lu Changjun grumbled.
“It’s the weekend, after all.” The working stiffs who had to clock in on weekends sighed. “The roadshow is next Saturday and Sunday. Once it’s done, we’ll take three days off in a row!”
Three days of vacation dangled like a carrot in front of him, and Bai Ying perked up a bit.
He pushed an extra breakfast portion toward Lu Changjun. Xiao Lu had always been the one feeding him treats; now he could finally return the favor a little. Lu Changjun was flattered and couldn’t help wondering if he’d answered that question from last night correctly.
He really wanted to ask Bai Ying face-to-face, but with Duan Yunjin there, it wasn’t the right time.
Young guys ate fast. Lu Changjun wolfed down his breakfast in a few bites, and the three went to meet the mall manager. Local malls were much easier to deal with than out-of-town clients. Their company had collaborated with this one several times before, and they quickly settled on the venue.
Duan Yunjin, who had nearly been driven to a heart attack by clients before, clutched her chest. “This went so smoothly, I feel like I’m dreaming…”
Bai Ying leaned on the second-floor railing and looked down. “Yunjin-jie, aren’t those Qixing people down there?”
Duan Yunjin poked her head out too. “Looks like it. Come on, let’s say hi!”
Qixing was another ad agency, and the people below were colleagues in the field. The mall had a gold store celebrating its anniversary today, and it seemed Qixing had taken that gig.
Back when Qixing shared the same office building with them on different floors, the two companies didn’t compete much despite being in the same line of work. Qixing mostly handled retail clients, while Zhonghe’s business was largely tied to the entertainment industry. As two of the bottom-feeders in Shen City’s ad scene, they often teamed up for support.
Several familiar faces bustled below. A woman in work pants spotted them and came up, slinging an arm around Duan Yunjin’s neck. “What brings you here? With Little Bai too… company business?”
Duan Yunjin gritted her teeth. “Does seeing me with a guy mean it has to be work?”
“With anyone else, maybe not. But with Little Bai? Definitely.” The woman beckoned with a finger. “Little Bai, come here and let sis get a look at you.”
Lu Changjun felt a twinge of irritation, but Bai Ying clearly knew her. He walked over obediently and called out, “Chen-jie.”
“Good boy, good boy.” Chen Jie couldn’t resist pinching Bai Ying’s cheek.
Lu Changjun: “…”
He hadn’t even gotten to pinch it yet!
It was just that Bai Ying seemed so harmless, and with his good looks, older women always wanted to pinch his cheeks. He never refused.
“Little Bai-didi is still as pretty as ever.” Chen Jie withdrew her hand contentedly. Bai Ying and Duan Yunjin had switched out of their near-permanent suit skins for an offline client meeting. He wore a light blue hoodie printed with a chubby shark, making him look even younger—like a student.
One who seemed smaller than the actual student next to him.
“And this is?” Chen Jie eyed Lu Changjun.
“Xiao Lu, our intern,” Duan Yunjin said, pulling him over.
“No wonder Zhonghe always works with entertainment circles—one of you looks like a celeb.” Chen Jie laughed. “What are you here for today? Scouting the venue?”
“Yep, yep.” Duan Yunjin casually revealed her real goal in coming down to chat—Qixing had just run an event here, so they could snag some data straight from them.
Chen Jie had nothing going on, so she dragged Duan Yunjin to a corner to share stats while Bai Ying took notes nearby. With nothing to do, Lu Changjun stood guard like a door god, looking every bit the good student.
But their booth setup differed from Qixing’s, so they still had to measure some data themselves. The easygoing phase didn’t last; soon the three were busy, occasionally coordinating with the design colleagues back at the office. Compared to the past few days, though, it was a huge improvement. On-site prep wore the body down; online haggling with picky clients drained the soul.
“Sound system here… lights there… those decorations should be ready the day after tomorrow… the layout looks solid,” Duan Yunjin scribbled on her tablet.
Bai Ying handled his own tasks, leaving intern Xiao Lu the most idle. When he had a moment, he bought snacks from a nearby store and sneaked feeds to his seniors while they were deep in work. Bai Ying barely registered what Xiao Lu offered before popping it into his mouth.
Bai Ying ate slowly and silently, just chew chew chew. Lu Changjun thought he resembled a kid reminded by the teacher to chew thoroughly—mashing food to bits before swallowing.
In truth, Bai Ying was great at swallowing whole—he was a snake, after all.
Back when he first turned human, he still gulped things down whole without chewing, nearly choking to death. One time was so bad he almost ended up in the hospital. The teacher at the orphanage who cared for him cried in fright. After several scares, the dummy little snake finally got it: humans chewed their food. Those tears taught him the habit of thorough chewing, which he kept to this day.
Unnoticed by them, night had fallen outside. Immersed in the brightly lit mall, they hadn’t realized.
Only when wrapping up did they see it was already seven p.m.
“Early today,” Duan Yunjin remarked subconsciously, then smacked her forehead hard.
Damn it—their normal off time was five, and now seven felt early! They’d been totally PUA’d!
“That’s it for today. Let’s eat—your Yunjin-jie is treating!” Duan Yunjin rallied them. They didn’t go far; the mall’s fourth floor was all dining, so they picked a hotpot spot nearby.
Dinner wrapped at eight. They didn’t need to return tomorrow, but still had fieldwork ahead: hiring booth builders, renting gear, chasing factory timelines… endless tasks.
Duan Yunjin assigned duties and declared official end of shift.
Lu Changjun seized the chance. “I’ll drive you both home—I brought the car.”
“No need.” Duan Yunjin waved it off casually. “I live nearby; ten-minute walk.”
As a Shen City local, Duan Yunjin had property bought by her parents’ generation. Even among wage slaves, homeowners carried themselves with extra poise.
Lu Changjun’s target wasn’t her anyway. He turned eager eyes to Bai Ying. “Senior…”
Bai Ying thought it too much trouble, but his slight hesitation dimmed those usually bright, enthusiastic eyes—like a big family dog rejected for cuddles.
“Fine,” Bai Ying relented helplessly. “Sorry for the hassle.”
The eyes lit up instantly. Bai Ying followed Lu Changjun to the parking lot… great, another car he couldn’t afford.
Suddenly, melancholy hit Bai Ying. Never mind his boss—his colleagues were a local homeowner and what looked like a rich kid slumming it as a commoner. Weren’t they all wage slaves? Why was he the only real poor one?
Design colleague, design colleague, where are you?
Then he remembered the design colleague had a car too—even if a secondhand VW, it was still a car.
Carless, homeless little white snake lost all hope.
Lu Changjun asked for Bai Ying’s address and was shocked. “Didn’t see that coming, senior. That’s a high-end complex.”
Bai Ying wasn’t new to the misconception. Once, the design colleague drove him home and shot him a “you betrayed the working class” glare at the gates. Bai Ying sighed. “I rented a super haunted house where nine people died across the unit and opposite—only a grand a month.”
Lu Changjun was stunned. “Senior, aren’t you scared?”
Bai Ying switched to a supremely confident expression. “Not scared at all!”
…Like hell!
The little white snake who couldn’t even watch horror movies had been terrified when he first moved in—leaving lights on for three nights. When he finally braved turning them off, a thunderstorm hit: flashes bleaching the room white, wind battering the windows. Frightened, Bai Ying reverted to snake form, curling entirely into the blanket fortress.
He’d never tell Lu Changjun that embarrassing story.
His expression screamed senior poise. Yes, not scared at all—that was the truth!
Evening traffic in Shen City sucked; gridlock was the norm. Lu Changjun’s car crawled like everyone else’s soon after starting. Normally, he’d be furious, but trapped in close quarters with Bai Ying, he wished it would last forever.
The car diffuser gave off a familiar scent, now laced with a milky freshness.
From the milk bath salts lingering on Bai Ying.
First time he’d smelled it, Lu Changjun thought Bai Ying had spilled milk on himself. Turned out to be a mix-up. Bai Ying tried other bath salts, but they turned bathwater weird colors like witch’s brew, with him as the ingredient. So he stuck to the innocently white milk ones, turning himself into a milky little snake.
Smelled delicious.
Lu Changjun kept a straight face, mind in the gutter.
Bai Ying had no clue, staring at the stalled traffic outside. “Sorry for wasting your time—didn’t expect this jam.”
“No worries. If senior feels bad…” Lu Changjun finally voiced what he’d long wanted. “Invite me up for a bit?”
Lu Changjun wasn’t content with just coworker, senior-junior ties. That question last night felt like a sign they’d grown closer. Moving from office to private space? Major progress.
“Sure, as long as you don’t get bored.” Bai Ying said.
Lu Changjun thought: As long as you’re there, impossible to be bored.
An hour later—half of it crawling—they parked in Bai Ying’s complex underground garage. His rental came with a spot, unused so far.
In the elevator, Bai Ying reiterated his place was bare and boring. Lu Changjun brushed it off; they chatted amiably exiting.
Bai Ying never expected to see Tan Ming again.
“…Tan Ming?” Bai Ying said uncertainly. “You just got back too?”
What were the odds? Yesterday he’d arrived home to Tan Ming just returning; today too?
Of course not coincidence. But Tan Ming didn’t answer. His focus was on the guy practically glued to Bai Ying. Waiting for his crush was sweet torment, but now it felt like an ice-water douse. He wasn’t sure what mood fueled his words: “Who’s this?”
Bai Ying blinked. “…My colleague.”
Tan Ming noted the guy lagged half a step behind, their bodies slightly overlapping—a possessive stance, like marking territory.
Bai Ying sensed Tan Ming’s off tone but couldn’t place why. Lu Changjun, however, clocked the hostility clear as day. He flashed a chill smile and asked in an overly chummy tone, “Senior, who’s this?”
“My neighbor—he looks after me a lot.” Only Bai Ying’s smile was genuine. He asked again, “Tan Ming, you just got back?”
Suddenly, Tan Ming didn’t want Bai Ying thinking it mere coincidence.
“I’m waiting for you,” Tan Ming said, ignoring Lu Changjun’s provocation as he stared fixedly at Bai Ying. “Waiting to have dinner together with you.”
“I’ve already eaten outside,” Bai Ying said apologetically. “You don’t need to wait for me in the future. I often work overtime and eat out.”
“Yeah,” Lu Changjun’s tone sounded cheerful as he patted Bai Ying’s shoulder. “Today, when my senior and I got off work, we ate together along the way.”
There had actually been Duan Yunjin too.
But to Tan Ming’s ears, it sounded like Lu Changjun was bragging about a romantic dinner for two with Bai Ying.
Tan Ming sneered inwardly, though his expression softened as he restrained his earlier lapse in composure. He said warmly to Bai Ying, “Food from outside isn’t very healthy. Home-cooked meals are always better. If you don’t mind, I’ll pack some for you in a thermos from now on. I happen to want to make a few extra dishes, but I can’t finish them alone—it’s such a waste.”
He looked genuinely troubled, and Bai Ying hesitated.
What an act. Lu Changjun gritted his teeth and murmured to Bai Ying in a voice loud enough for Tan Ming to hear, “Senior, I’m a bit thirsty. Didn’t you say you’d invite me in to sit for a while?”
Bai Ying wasn’t sure how the conversation had dragged on for so long. He hurriedly unlocked the door, twisting his head back toward Tan Ming as he pressed down the handle. “We can talk about it later. Thanks.”
Lu Changjun deliberately cut in. “Senior, should I wear your slippers? Or use shoe covers?”
Tan Ming chimed in too. “I’m planning to bake some egg tarts later. I’ll bring a few over to you in a bit.”
For some reason, Bai Ying felt incredibly busy.
