“Can you start at four-thirty this afternoon and work until seven-thirty in the evening?”
“Yes, that works for me. Thank you, boss.”
Liang Zhixia had just stepped out of the coffee shop when a wave of heat hit him.
After parting ways with Jiang Ling and the others, he had spotted their help-wanted sign for a three-day temp gig.
Luckily, the boss didn’t mind that he was a total newbie with zero experience.
Back in the dorm, he pulled out his phone and immediately remembered the milk tea shop fiasco.
He’d only said it offhand, but L had actually sent those abs pics—and followed up asking for his “impressions.”
He’d never dealt with anything like this before, so he’d just awkwardly copy-pasted some random lines from the internet.
He still hadn’t dared check L’s reply.
What if the next message was something like, “Check out my legs”?
In his panic, he hadn’t even read what he’d sent.
Curious now, he dug it up and read it from start to finish. Then he regretted it instantly.
He wished he could claw his eyes out!
Stuff like “I wanna sit on big brother’s abs and slide down like on a playground slide,” and “Big brother, your fingers are so long…”
Liang Zhixia, who spent his days sketching BL comics, flushed bright red as filthy images flooded his mind.
His toes curled in mortification. Total cringe death.
Now he was even more scared to check his phone.
At four-thirty, he arrived ten minutes early, changed into the uniform, and got to work.
His main job was serving customers—taking orders and delivering coffee and pastries.
He picked it up in half an hour flat.
From five onward, the place got busier.
He spun around the shop like a top, finishing one table’s order just in time to greet the next.
After seven, things finally slowed down a bit.
He’d just cracked open a cup for a sip of water when the door chimed. He gulped it down and hurried over.
“This way, please—Senior Lu? Just you today?”
“Mm.”
Cold as ever.
Liang Zhixia led the way, unaware of Lu Quan’s gaze lingering on him. The uniform hugged his frame perfectly, with slim straps tied at his waist—so narrow it seemed like one hand could span it.
Lu Quan looked away casually, placed his order, then buried himself in work on his laptop.
Liang Zhixia didn’t disturb him, just quietly set the coffee down.
Lu Quan glanced up. “Thanks.”
“No problem.”
Hours on the job had trained him to flash a polite smile without thinking. Lu Quan paused, then said, “I’ll be back at the dorm tonight.”
Liang Zhixia blinked. “Got it.”
At the front counter, he puzzled over it. Why tell him?
When his shift ended, he glanced toward the window seat—Lu Quan was still there. After a moment’s hesitation, he approached softly. “Senior Lu, I’m heading out.”
The man looked up from his screen, voice lazy. “Back to the dorm?”
He nodded.
“Let’s go together.”
It was the first time Liang Zhixia had walked alone with Lu Quan. He racked his brain for small talk, but Lu Quan seemed occupied, fielding calls the whole way.
Liang Zhixia breathed a quiet sigh of relief and pulled out his own phone, pretending to be busy too.
After some internal debate, he opened L’s chat.
A barrage of messages popped up.
【L】: Do you say stuff like that to other guys too?
【L】: Hit the nail on the head?
【L】: How many guys have you said it to?
【L】: Don’t say that kind of thing to just anyone.
Three minutes later—
【L】: Only say it to me.
Didn’t L find this awkward at all?
L was putting up with this cringe just for their fake online romance.
Walking made typing tricky, so he glanced at Lu Quan, still on his call, slowed his pace a bit, cupped the mic, and whispered.
“Baby, I’d never say it to anyone else. Only you.”
Whoosh—the voice message sent.
Force of habit; he spoke to L in that saccharine tone. He hesitated—should he unsend?
At first, he’d only needed L to play a quiet, gentle character who didn’t reply constantly, since the comic protags had just moved in together. L nailed it, with perfectly vanilla responses.
He wasn’t sure when it started, but L had gone completely off-script.
He’d gotten enough inspiration for his new comic and planned to cancel after the month, but last night, that shop got reported and shut down.
Whatever. He’d already paid—might as well keep it for bored moments.
Three months tops, then delete.
Snapping out of it, the two-minute recall window had passed.
“…”
Oh well. He pocketed his phone and looked up—straight into a pair of pitch-black eyes, icy and distant.
The streetlights helped, but it was still startling.
“Senior Lu?”
He asked weakly.
Lu Quan seemed to glance over indifferently, then went back to typing, heading toward the dorm.
Liang Zhixia hurried after him. The silence grew awkward.
Near the Emerald Bamboo Garden turnoff, a decent-looking guy suddenly dashed out, blocking their path.
A crowd gathered. Liang Zhixia watched curiously from the back as the guy shyly handed Lu Quan an envelope.
From years at school, he knew: love letter.
Who even wrote those anymore?
He stealthily snapped a few pics.
Under the warm streetlight, two handsome guys gazing intensely, crowd whooping—it’d be perfect with some snowflakes.
Reality? Not quite.
Lu Quan’s expression didn’t flicker. “You’re blocking the way.”
Blushing, the guy blurted, “I like you!”
Lu Quan stepped back coolly. “Thanks, but I don’t like guys.”
Liang Zhixia recalled that forum post about Lu Quan.
Lu Quan was homophobic.
Thanks to his natural chill, the suitor slunk off, dejected.
At the Emerald Bamboo Garden building, another guy stopped Lu Quan.
This one was different—sharp suit, mature vibe.
Liang Zhixia eyed him discreetly as the man called out.
“President Lu.”
Not a suitor, then.
They talked shop—mostly the guy talking, Lu Quan with occasional “mm”s.
Liang Zhixia tucked himself in the elevator corner. He didn’t get it and tuned out, eyelids drooping.
At the dorm door, Lu Quan sent the guy to wait in the study room at the hall’s end.
Liang Zhixia figured he’d grab something quick, but Lu Quan headed straight for the bathroom.
He plopped in a chair, scrolling his new pics. Logging out, he spotted a WeChat notification.
【L】: Zhizhi, remember what you said.
【L】: Don’t let me catch you saying that to other guys.
Staring at the words, something felt off.
Weren’t those his lines?
L was stealing his script.
【Zhizhi】: Those are my lines.
【Zhizhi】: You haven’t been sending your body pics to other people, have you?
【Zhizhi】: Baby, if you get too close to anyone else, I won’t want you anymore.
Right then, Lu Quan emerged from the shower, phone and laptop in hand, and left.
Liang Zhixia relished the alone time, humming as he hit the bathroom.
Steam lingered, mixed with a woody cologne scent.
Lu Quan’s.
His face heated for no reason. He cranked the shower, washing it away.
Meanwhile, in the study room.
The assistant eyed his boss, still damp from the shower. He knew Lu Quan had germaphobia—barely any physical contact.
But this time, Lu Quan stayed even farther, ordering him to report from across the room, voice frosty.
No clue why, but he complied.
After the briefing, Lu Quan dismissed him.
Glancing back, the assistant saw the young man under the light—barely out of college, yet undeniably brilliant. The chairman had mentored him since high school; his ideas were gold. Born for the top.
Just emotionally flat, like a robot.
God giveth, and taketh away.
In the quiet study room, Lu Quan rubbed his thumb, a faint smile in his eyes.
If the assistant saw, he’d freak.
He typed.
【L】: Was just hearing my assistant’s report. Didn’t let him get close.
【L】: I behaved. Reward?
Liang Zhixia sprawled on his bed, surprised. Was L really that obedient?
No way.
【Zhizhi】: No proof. Don’t buy it.
【L】: Pic next time?
【L】: Or video call?
Liang Zhixia had zero interest in video with a stranger, so he brushed it off.
【Zhizhi】: Okay, I believe you.
Stop with the scary talk—L was breaking character more and more.
But L latched on.
【L】: You don’t wanna video? Don’t you like me most? Don’t you wanna watch me every second?
Liang Zhixia had the strange feeling that he and L had swapped personas. L seemed more like the gloomy stalker.
【Zhizhi】: Baby, it’s not that I don’t want to video call with you. I’ve just been a bit busy lately. You know you’re my favorite.
【L】: Then I’ll wait until Zhizhi isn’t busy anymore. If I behave well, can Zhizhi reward me?
【Zhizhi】: Sure.
He was gradually realizing that things were slipping out of his control. He only had a little left to wrap up the comic’s storyline. He should finish it soon and delete this L account.
Unfortunately, the shop had been reported and taken down. He couldn’t even contact customer service to ask what happened.
Meanwhile, Lu Quan stared at the word “Sure” on the screen. The corners of his mouth curved up slightly. The prey had taken the bait.
Zhizhi had better not disappoint him.
He wanted those eyes fixed on him forever.
As long as he dealt with all those other people before he found him, Lu Quan would pretend he knew nothing about it.
Otherwise, he wasn’t sure what he might do.
