Chapter 7

South Boundary had always been known as the city that never sleeps.

Even at night, the ubiquitous LED advertising screens, the headlights, and the lights of storefronts outshone the streetlamps, stars, and moon, forming an earthly galaxy upon the mundane roads.

On this overpass, someone stuck and impatient had rolled down their Car window, blasting music.

The singer from the Car speakers was a sudden breakout star, just barely eighteen, famous for his heartbreak ballads.

Jiang Mian knew this singer. After all, they went to the same university—a prominent figure from the neighboring music academy.

But that clearly wasn’t the main point right now.

Amidst the excessively tragic melody, he met Chen Gu’s gaze.

Chen Gu was looking at him, head slightly tilted, expression still as innocent as ever. It seemed like a casual question, implying that all the danger Jiang Mian sensed and his sudden heightened vigilance were just Jiang Mian being overly tense and cautious.

But Jiang Mian trusted his intuition, the way a religious follower has faith in their creed.

So Jiang Mian said slowly, “No.”

He still carefully chose his words. “I’m just a bit…”

“Slow to warm up, right?” Chen Gu curved his eyes. “Chen Yishen told me.”

Jiang Mian paused, trying hard to make himself seem just like any ordinary person. “That’s right.”

Jiang Mian had wondered why exactly Chen Gu had targeted him.

Maybe because he could distinguish between him and Chen Yishen… but he and Chen Yishen were indeed completely different.

Maybe because he seemed too out of place amidst the crowd, standing out too much.

But no matter what it was, he needed to kill Chen Gu’s interest in him.

Someone like Chen Gu was dangerous; he had to keep his distance.

Chen Gu chuckled softly. He didn’t know if Jiang Mian was aware, but he was truly terrible at lying. “It’s okay. I’m also a bit not good with people, so sometimes I might overstep or make you uncomfortable… You can just tell me directly.”

Jiang Mian was stunned. “What?”

Chen Gu blinked. “You’re the first person my age I’ve met since arriving here, and you’re my little brother’s good friend. I want to be friends with you too. Are you unwilling?”

…But you really don’t look like someone who just wants to be friends.

This was something Jiang Mian didn’t dare say out loud.

Because he still didn’t know what Chen Gu wanted.

He was silent for a moment, then finally said, “If it’s just as friends, sure.”

Jiang Mian didn’t mind having one more friend, but he didn’t want to become someone’s target, a toy to be teased and played with.

Chen Gu raised an eyebrow slightly. Internally updating his evaluation of Jiang Mian, he outwardly acted as if he didn’t understand. “What else would it be?”

Jiang Mian shook his head, looking out at the stream of traffic. “It’s nothing.”

Jiang Mian’s luck wasn’t too bad. The cars began moving again not long after.

Chen Gu naturally started a conversation. “The Agritainment Farm, are you going?”

“Depends.” Jiang Mian gave an honest answer. “Depends on if I’m busy or not.”

Chen Gu nodded. “If you’re not going, could you let me know in advance?”

Jiang Mian looked at him. Chen Gu openly hinted, in another way, “You don’t go, I don’t go”: “After all, Chen Yishen only invited the two of us and his girlfriend. If you’re not there, it’ll be a bit awkward for me being the Third Wheel.”

That was true.

Jiang Mian nodded. “Okay.”

Along the way, Chen Gu chatted with Jiang Mian about quite a few topics, keeping the conversation going now and then.

He was very skilled at conversation. Knowing Jiang Mian was overly wary of him, he didn’t ask any questions about Jiang Mian himself. Instead, he centered topics around Chen Yishen, coming across as an older brother concerned about his younger sibling.

He didn’t even use the kind of follow-up “What about you?” that could have smoothly and naturally turned the conversation back onto Jiang Mian.

When they reached the entrance to Jiang Mian’s apartment complex, Jiang Mian called for him to stop. “This is fine.”

Afraid Chen Gu would still fuss, Jiang Mian said, “I need to drop off my suit at the dry cleaner’s.”

Chen Gu nodded, pulled over to the side of the road, unlocked the Car, and said, “Stay safe. Message me when you get home so I know you’re safe.”

Jiang Mian paused, then swallowed the slightly too familiar retort “I’m a guy” and replaced it with a polite but cold, “Thanks.”

After getting out of Chen Gu’s Car, Jiang Mian breathed half a sigh of relief. The other half came only after Chen Gu, with no hesitation, started the Car and drove away right after he shut the door.

Jiang Mian first brought his suit to the dry cleaner’s. The Boss Lady smiled brightly as she accepted it. “Handsome Boy, did you take everything out of your pockets?”

Her reminder made Jiang Mian remember that Hair Tie.

He pulled out the pink bunny Hair Tie. “Thank you.”

The Boss Lady was a bit surprised. “You’re dating someone?”

“No.” Jiang Mian answered honestly. “This was a gift from a guy.”

The Boss Lady: “…”

Her gaze toward Jiang Mian gradually became strange.

Jiang Mian paid no attention and scanned to pay.

As he typed in his password, he paused.

…He seemed to know why Chen Gu had driven off without a second thought.

Because that Wrist Guard was still on his hand.

From playing basketball, he’d gotten used to it and forgotten it was there.

After paying, Jiang Mian took off the Wrist Guard, hesitated, and ultimately decided not to hand it to the Boss Lady for dry cleaning, instead putting it in his pocket.

He went to the convenience store next door, walking while lowering his head to send Chen Gu the first message since they’d added each other as friends.

He knew Chen Gu was probably deliberately waiting for this, but he couldn’t just keep someone else’s item without saying a word.

[Jiang Mian: Your Wrist Guard got left with me.]

Chen Gu didn’t reply immediately, as expected since he was driving.

Jiang Mian wasn’t in a hurry. He put away his phone and went into the convenience store first to buy a cup of Oden.

The basketball game had completely drained him; he was a bit hungry now.

——

After driving out of Jiang Mian’s sight, Chen Gu stopped the Car.

He waited patiently, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, until his phone chimed with a “DingDong” notification.

Chen Gu glanced down at his phone. After confirming it was from Jiang Mian, and that the content was practically exactly what he’d imagined, a slight smile curved his lips.

Chen Gu didn’t reply. Instead, he absently spun his phone in his hand. The expression between his brows was no longer that harmless, innocent look. It merged with the night, becoming one with it.

Truly beautiful.

But also full of hidden dangers.

Like a poison pill coated in sugar.

Chen Gu drove towards home. After arriving at the underground parking garage, he first got out and tossed the empty boxes from the back seat into the recycling station.

After all, next time, even if he used the same trick, he’d have to switch up the contents.

Jiang Mian was very smart.

Beautiful, smart, and vigilant enough.

Chen Gu hadn’t imagined the good friend Chen Yishen often talked about would be someone like this.

If he’d known, he might have listened more intently during Chen Yishen’s chatter.

Because he was very interesting.

Chen Gu took out his phone and opened a web page. The first thing that appeared was the South Boundary University Campus Forum.

The post he’d stopped at read: “Jiang Mian always likes to drink sports drinks rather than water or other beverages after exercising.” Below it was: “Sob, last time Jiang Mian hurt his wrist playing basketball, now he always wears Wrist Guards when he plays. Must have hurt so much, my heart aches.”

And the title of this entire thread was: “Building a special high-rise for the Law School’s campus heartthrob Jiang Mian to chat about all the little secrets everyone’s discovered—”

Chen Gu cleared all his browsing history and thought nonchalantly: So far, it’s been pretty accurate.

He entered his home before replying to Jiang Mian. [No worries. Keep it, it’s nothing valuable.]

[Chen Gu: Home yet?]

Jiang Mian, still slowly eating a fish roe pouch from his Oden, took out his phone. “I’ll return it next time. I’m home.”

Chen Gu didn’t linger on this point. After all, whether Jiang Mian actually brought the Wrist Guard next time was anyone’s guess. “Okay, goodnight.”

Jiang Mian bit his skewer stick and paused. After hesitating a moment, he ultimately replied with a polite, “Goodnight.”

On the other end, Chen Gu watched the “Typing…” indicator for a full minute before those two words appeared and softly curved his eyes.

Being too polite, also very easy to lead into a trap.

——

The next day, on his way to work, Jiang Mian received a message from Chen Yishen. It said the Agritainment Farm trip planned for this weekend was rescheduled to next weekend, and he absolutely had to come.

Chen Yishen rarely used this kind of insistent tone… It was now late July, almost August.

Jiang Mian suddenly remembered something. He opened his calendar app and checked.

Next Sunday was Chen Yishen’s birthday. No wonder he was so set on the farm trip.

Chen Yishen loved celebrating his birthday, but he didn’t like big crowds, just good friends.

Last year, it had been Jiang Mian, him, Zhou Yuhui, and Zuo Yao, a friend who’d gone to the mainland as an exchange student during sophomore year.

It looked like he absolutely had to go next weekend.

But, Chen Gu and Chen Yishen were Twins. Next Sunday should also be Chen Gu’s birthday.

Jiang Mian had already started planning to buy gifts after work.

During lunch break, while everyone ate together, Jiang Mian had ordered takeout pan-fried buns.

He sat next to Li Yue, while Lawyer Luo sat opposite Li Yue. It looked like they’d ordered a white-cut chicken to share.

Li Yue said to him, “Little Jiang, you’re just eating that little? Come have some chicken.”

“It’s fine.” Jiang Mian answered honestly. “That breakfast sandwich was a bit too filling.”

He paused and looked at Li Yue. “Partner Li, are we working overtime next weekend?”

Li Yue said, “Hang on, let me check my schedule. What’s up?”

“A friend’s birthday.”

“Sunday afternoon next week, there’s a client to meet.”

Usually, if meeting a client fell on a weekend, Jiang Mian would join the overtime.

He got overtime pay anyway.

Hearing this, Jiang Mian pursed his lips slightly.

Li Yue had heard from Partner Wang, the firm’s founder, that Jiang Mian didn’t have many friends. So he patted his shoulder. “No worries, this case isn’t big, just a bit unusual. If you have plans, go ahead. Don’t worry about it.”

Jiang Mian didn’t hesitate further. “Thank you.”

Li Yue smiled. “Have fun in advance.”

Jiang Mian nodded, lowered his head, and continued eating, not paying attention to Lawyer Luo across from him, who silently rolled his eyes.

Nothing much was happening today. Thinking about looking at birthday gifts, Jiang Mian didn’t stay late at the firm to work overtime again.

But just as he was coming out of Li Yue’s office and heading to the front desk to clock out, he first spotted someone wearing a hat, dressed youthfully and flashily—very much in Chen Yishen’s style.

Jiang Mian paused, about to silently and stealthily retreat, when the other person tilted his head, curved his eyes, and called out with a smile, “Jiang Mian.”

His voice, unlike his usual drawl, was very bright and clear, his tone almost exactly like Chen Yishen’s. You could even say it was identical.

But Jiang Mian knew exactly who he was.

He fell silent for a moment, then heard the receptionist hesitantly ask him, “Lawyer Jiang, is this gentleman a friend of yours? He says he’s looking for you.”

Jiang Mian hummed, clocked out, put his name badge in his bag, and looked at Chen Gu.

Chen Gu grinned brilliantly, his words crisp and brisk. “What’s up? Have you had dinner yet? I saw a new Korean BBQ place opened on the way here. Want to go eat?”

Even the degree of chattiness was perfectly mimicked.

Jiang Mian walked out, and Chen Gu followed him.

He lowered his lashes, wondering if he should expose Chen Gu. But pretending not to recognize him might make Chen Gu think, “Ah, so Jiang Mian is just like that,” thereby killing his interest.

Yet after Jiang Mian pressed the elevator button and looked up, the expression between Chen Gu’s brows shifted.

It returned to its usual lazy, enigmatic amusement. Even his voice and tone reverted. “Jiang Mian.”

He drawled lazily, “You recognized me.”

Jiang Mian was silent for a beat, then nodded anyway. “Yeah.”

Chen Gu was genuinely curious now. “Why?”

He’d even worn a hat—because Chen Yishen himself loved wearing hats anyway—and his clothing style was identical to Chen Yishen’s. Just the week before last, he and Chen Yishen had gone like this to see their biological mother, and she hadn’t even been able to tell who was who between him and Chen Yishen.

She’d chosen Chen Yishen, but she couldn’t tell them apart.

If even their own mother couldn’t, how did Jiang Mian manage to recognize them at a single glance?