Chapter 19
The next day at the office, Lu Xun, who rarely discussed his personal life, surprised Liu Mo by asking about his family.
Liu Mo, always eager to talk about his wife and children, readily launched into a description of his busy home life. “My wife works hard taking care of our two kids. They’re so energetic!”
“Don’t you have any time alone together?” Lu Xun asked casually.
“Of course,” Liu Mo replied. “I like fishing, so on weekends, we leave the kids with our parents and go fishing together. She helps me prepare the bait and tackle. We also go to the movies and shopping sometimes.”
Lu Xun listened attentively.
“You must be very happy with Liang Xusheng,” Liu Mo said. “Marrying your childhood sweetheart, such a grand wedding…” He paused, curious. “When did you two start dating? I never noticed anything in college.”
“You said it yourself, childhood sweethearts,” Lu Xun replied calmly.
“Oh, right,” Liu Mo chuckled. “That’s why you never dated anyone. You were saving yourself for Liang Xusheng.”
Lu Xun didn’t object to that statement.
Liang Xusheng was spending his days at the new apartment, too lazy to go back to his old studio. He was busy sorting through wedding photos and videos, contacting the photography team to get the raw footage for his Douyin account.
Lulu messaged him: Poke poke, you there?
Liang Xusheng: Yes.
Lulu: [Link] [Link] [Rewind‘s 1.314 yuan skins are trending! It even reached number six on the hot search! Did you know?*]
Liang Xusheng clicked the links, seeing discussions about the cheap skins and Xunsheng’s CEO’s wedding.
Liang Xusheng: I know now.
Lulu: [Giggling emoji] [No one knows it’s you!] [How’s married life?]
Liang Xusheng: Same as usual.
Lulu: Seriously? After such a grand wedding? Hundreds of guests, a huge estate, a garden ceremony, fireworks… and it’s just “same as usual”?
Liang Xusheng: [Shrugging emoji] [No big deal. Standard procedure for our families.]
Lulu: I knew you were rich, but I didn’t know you were this rich. Bowing down emoji. I’ll send you some photos and videos I took. [Photo] [Photo] [Video] …
Liang Xusheng’s phone buzzed incessantly with notifications. He finally put down his computer and looked through the photos. He smiled, enjoying Lulu’s perspective of the wedding.
Then he saw a photo that made his eyes widen: him and Lu Xun kissing on the terrace under the fireworks.
Liang Xusheng: “……………” The memory flooded back, making him cringe. He hadn’t forgotten; he had deliberately suppressed the memory. They had both tacitly agreed to pretend it never happened. What else could they do? Dwell on it? Discuss it awkwardly? Some things were better left unsaid, a silent understanding between men.
But Lulu had captured the moment and sent him the evidence.
Lulu: [Holding out a microphone emoji] [I have a question for you, Feather-sensei. How can you claim this is a fake marriage while making out with your “bro” under the fireworks?]
Liang Xusheng: “…” Can we please pretend this never happened?
Lulu: Nope. Waving hand emoji. I’m curious. Blinking eyes emoji.
Liang Xusheng: “……………” The atmosphere was just right.
Lulu: So? And then?
Liang Xusheng: Don’t ask.
Lulu: I saw everything. You initiated the kiss. Was it because… ? Microphone in your face emoji. Tell me your thought process.
Liang Xusheng: “…”
Lulu: If you don’t tell me, I’ll assume you’re in love with him.
Liang Xusheng almost fell out of his chair. I was drunk, and the atmosphere was romantic. It felt like the right moment for a kiss. I just went for it. He added, You saw wrong. We didn’t kiss. I had my finger between our lips. I kissed my own hand.
Lulu: [Screenshot] [Does that sound believable, even to you?]
Liang Xusheng: “…” Believe what you want.
Lulu: Just kidding, I saw your finger.
Liang Xusheng: Then why…?
Lulu: But I also saw Lu Xun’s kiss very clearly. He didn’t use his finger. He kissed you directly on the lips. Was his thought process also “romantic atmosphere, might as well kiss my bro”?
Liang Xusheng: “……………………” He had never realized Lulu was so persistent.
Liang Xusheng: Please, let it go. Praying hands emoji.
Lulu: [Innocent blinking eyes emoji] [I’m just curious. Is this how straight guys express their bromance?]
Liang Xusheng thought she was making a fuss over nothing. Straight guys, especially close friends, sometimes crossed boundaries that others found surprising. He didn’t think their kiss was a big deal. They were both drunk, and they had done much more questionable things in the past… He remembered, during their teenage years, driven by hormones, they had…
Stop!, he thought, shaking his head, pushing those memories away.
Liang Xusheng: We’re just bros. Good bros.
Lulu: [Confused scratching head emoji] [I don’t understand you men.] She changed the subject. Did you buy all the new Rewind outfits?
Liang Xusheng: I cleared out the entire store.
Lulu: Impressive. She then asked, Are you going to post a wedding video? I want to make one too. I’ll show it to you first and edit out anything you don’t want me to post.
Liang Xusheng: Sure, go ahead. I’m planning to post one too, but I’m waiting for the photographers to send me the footage.
However, videos and photos of the wedding were already circulating online. Many guests had taken photos and videos and shared them on social media. Initially, the videos attracted attention because of the couple’s good looks and the impressive display of cash and jewelry.
So much money!, netizens exclaimed. I’m so poor it’s funny. Someone counted. Each stack is 10,000 yuan. There are at least six boxes of cash, plus several boxes of jade and gold. Whose wedding is this?
Guests who attended the wedding quickly revealed the identities of the grooms: The only sons of Kunzhao Group and Langyue Holdings. They’re childhood sweethearts. The wedding was held at Xianyue Estate last Saturday.
Someone else connected the dots: That’s why there were so many anime decorations. The son of Langyue Holdings is the CEO of Xunsheng Interactive!
Rewind players flocked to the news:
The CEO of Rewind got married?!
There were Rewind character standees at the wedding!
I live near Xianyue Estate! The fireworks were amazing!
I didn’t know the CEO of Rewind was rich! Now I feel bad for not spending enough on the game.
The CEO of Xunsheng is so handsome!
He’s gorgeous! He could be a movie star!
Rewind and Xunsheng started trending again, boosting sales of the 1.314 yuan skins.
Rewind players noticed something in the videos: there were twelve character standees at the wedding, even though there were only eleven main characters in the game. The twelfth standee, placed in the center, was unfamiliar. Players speculated about a new character, but the official Rewind account replied:
[This was the first character designed for Rewind 6066 before the game’s official launch. It’s based on our CEO’s partner. Unfortunately, it was never used in the game. His name is Liang Yu, a play on our CEO’s partner’s name.]
Players: Childhood sweethearts, the inspiration for the first character, placed in the center of the wedding decorations… the CEO is so in love! This is so cute!
Chapter 20
Liang Xusheng wasn’t surprised by the online discussions about their “true love.” With such an extravagant wedding and the coinciding 1314 event in Rewind, it was understandable that people would assume they were deeply in love.
He sent Lu Xun screenshots of some comments: [It sounds plausible, except it’s not true. It’s trending. You should extend the 1314 event.]
He received many teasing messages from friends, to which he replied cheerfully: [Yup, we’re truly in love.]
A pleasant side effect of their “marriage” was the surge in both families’ company stocks. Liang Xusheng, after receiving calls from both Fu Shu and Yang Yue, who were ecstatic, thought this fake marriage was benefiting everyone. He was even more convinced it was a brilliant idea.
A few days later, he posted his wedding video on Douyin, and it instantly went viral:
[Isn’t this the wedding of the sons of Kunzhao and Langyue?]
[This footage is from the wedding photographers!]
[Wait… Feather-sensei… you…?]
[Is it…? No way…]
Liang Xusheng replied to a familiar ID: [Yes, it’s my wedding.]
His followers: !!!!!!!!!! Shocked beyond words.
[Feather-sensei, you’re one of the grooms?!]
[You married the CEO of Xunsheng? The one who made Rewind?]
[The 1314 event was for you?!]
[You’re the inspiration for Liang Yu?!]
[You? CEO of Rewind? Childhood sweethearts? Married?]
[This is insane! You’re so secretive!]
[You’re so handsome! No wonder they used you as the model for Liang Yu!]
[As a fan of the CEO’s wife, can I get free gacha pulls?]
…
Liang Xusheng, reading the comments, grinned from ear to ear. Someone even went to Rewind‘s official Douyin account and complained: Feather-sensei is your boss’s wife! Why haven’t you followed him back? Are you blind?
Rewind‘s official account quickly followed him back, posting a facepalm emoji and commenting: Boss’s wife~ We’re here~
Liang Xusheng replied with a patting head emoji, laughing and sending a screenshot to Lu Xun: [Your company finally followed me back. Took them long enough.]
Lu Xun: [I yelled at them.]
Liang Xusheng laughed, knowing he was teasing him.
Lu Xun smiled too. He considered Liang Xusheng his lucky charm. The 1314 event had generated significant revenue, silencing the investors who had been questioning the company’s high costs. Zhao Bin was still a nuisance, but Lu Xun was too happy to care.
During a meeting, Zhao Bin proposed a new card with a romantic storyline involving the player character. The room fell silent. Rewind wasn’t a romance game; this was clearly an attempt to exploit female players. Normally, Lu Xun would have ignored such a suggestion, but in his current blissful state, he simply looked up and said coldly, “If you don’t want to work here, you can leave.” He twisted his wedding ring as he spoke.
After the meeting, Liu Mo followed Lu Xun, trying to reason with him. “Zhao Bin is connected to Mr. Chen. You should at least try to tolerate him.”
“Did I insult him?” Lu Xun asked calmly.
“It would have been better if you had,” Liu Mo said, exasperated. He noticed Lu Xun wasn’t going back to his office. “Where are you going?”
“Home,” Lu Xun replied, without turning back.
“You’ve been leaving early lately,” Liu Mo commented, surprised.
Lu Xun turned and looked at him. “Don’t you have a wife?” His wife was waiting for him at home. He had been enjoying going home lately. He loved the warm atmosphere of their apartment and spending time with Liang Xusheng. He hadn’t analyzed why he was so eager to go home every day; he just knew that seeing the warm lights and Liang Xusheng greeting him at the door made him happy. Even a simple bowl of instant noodles tasted delicious when shared with Liang Xusheng.
Before, when he lived alone, he would work late, come home, and go straight to bed after a quick shower. Now, they would chat before bed, discuss random topics, or play games. Time flew by, and he would fall asleep feeling relaxed and content.
That night, before bed, Lu Xun went to the kitchen for water and checked his work emails.
“Where’s my game console?” Liang Xusheng muttered, emerging from the bedroom. “Lu Xun, have you seen it?” He started searching behind the sofa.
“No, look around,” Lu Xun replied, still focused on his phone.
He took a sip of water, then looked up and nearly choked. Liang Xusheng, either about to take a shower or just finished, was wearing only an oversized t-shirt and black boxer briefs, revealing his long, fair legs. Despite their close friendship, Lu Xun hadn’t seen Liang Xusheng’s legs in years. Even if he had seen them as children, he had forgotten. Now, seeing them so unexpectedly, as Liang Xusheng bent over the sofa, his smooth, pale legs on full display, Lu Xun was stunned. He coughed, averting his gaze, his heart pounding.
For straight men, there was always a particular physical feature they found attractive. For Lu Xun, besides the face, it was the legs. He liked long, fair, and slender legs, rarely seen in real life, mostly in certain restricted videos. He had always known he liked pretty faces and pretty legs, but he had never imagined Liang Xusheng, who already had a beautiful face, would also have such legs. He stared, mesmerized, his heart skipping a beat.
“Found it!” Liang Xusheng exclaimed, straightening up, his t-shirt falling back to cover his hips, revealing his legs again.
Lu Xun quickly looked away, taking another sip of water to compose himself.
“Don’t drink too much water before bed,” Liang Xusheng said casually, walking towards his room.
“Mm,” Lu Xun replied, putting down his glass, his gaze following Liang Xusheng, lingering on his legs. How come I never noticed how fair and slender his legs are?, he wondered. Then he remembered the last time they had gone swimming together was years ago. Now, with his busy work schedule and Liang Xusheng’s homebody lifestyle, they rarely did such activities together anymore.
So fair, he thought, admiring Liang Xusheng’s legs. They’re practically glowing.
Bro is falling deeper