Chapter 52

The amusement park was only a forty-minute drive from Yu Xi’s place.

After spending the afternoon with his heart wide open, playing freely, the irritable and depressed mood that had plagued him was mostly swept away by the surge of adrenaline. Once his brain settled down from the excitement, some things were selectively forgotten, while others slowly filled his mind.

He had played all afternoon, and his mood had improved a lot. After the excitement in his brain returned to calm, some things resurfaced.

For example, Yi Chen.

For example, how they had held hands all afternoon.

They had held hands like this before.

Yi Chen never wanted to let go of him no matter where they went, especially in crowds, always gripping him tightly without a moment’s lapse—and today’s Yi Chen was the same, like a big dog, his gaze firmly fixed on Yu Xi, his tail wagging high behind him, a carefully concealed smugness in the corners of his eyes and brows. They shuttled through the crowds just like before, holding hands amid the flow of people, gazing at each other in the surging throng.

The afternoon had been too intense, and for a moment, Yu Xi forgot about their current relationship.

So, what was their relationship now?

Yu Xi leaned against the car window.

The scenery outside the window flashed by rapidly. The air conditioning in the car was too cold, and he suddenly shivered.

The next second, the AC fan speed was turned down a bit, and soft music played in his ears.

Yu Xi got carsick and didn’t like talking, so Yi Chen didn’t try to chat with him. Yu Xi quietly stared out the window for a while and unknowingly dozed off in a daze.

Yi Chen drove very steadily, encountering few red lights along the way. The trip was smooth and unobstructed, and they soon arrived at Yu Xi’s place.

Looking at the familiar gate, Yu Xi was still a bit dazed.

“Slept silly?” Yi Chen asked.

“Mm.” Yu Xi didn’t deny it. “A bit tired.”

He gathered his wits and reached for the seatbelt buckle. Whether because he was truly groggy from sleep or because of the different position, he fumbled several times without finding it. Just as he was about to look down, there was a “click,” the seatbelt loosened, and a figure leaned over along with it.

Yu Xi looked up and met Yi Chen’s eyes.

He smiled, his eyes curving slightly, and slowly leaned down, planting a gentle kiss on Yu Xi’s forehead.

“Go back and rest well.”

Yu Xi: “!”

His heart pounded wildly. For an instant, past scenes overlapped with the present.

That question he had pondered all the way resurfaced in his mind.

What exactly was his relationship with Yi Chen?

What position did they have to be this intimate now?

Yu Xi wanted to ask, and he planned to ask.

He stared into those eyes, about to open his mouth.

There was another “click” by his ear. Yi Chen, still leaning over, pushed open the car door, gradually squeezing Yu Xi out. Then, he closed the door, buckled his seatbelt, stepped on the gas, and with the roar of the engine, the car drove off directly, leaving only exhaust fumes behind.

Yu Xi: “?”

Ten minutes later, his phone vibrated.

[Yi Chen: Stay any longer and you’ll get tsundere again, find excuses to push me away, ask me questions without planning to give answers.]

[Yi Chen: Strike first.]

[Yi Chen: See you tomorrow.]

[Yi Chen: [Sending flowers.jpg]]

Yu Xi: “…”

“You’re finally back.” Guan Zifan had been at Yu Xi’s place for a while already, working during the wait with his laptop set up on the coffee table. “Was today smooth?”

“Not bad.” Yu Xi was used to Guan Zifan’s workaholic ways and didn’t stand on ceremony. He changed into loungewear and nestled into the soft sofa.

Guan Zifan coming at this hour must mean work talk, so he might as well listen in a comfortable position.

“D·A·Y’s buzz is good lately, and the promo video conversion rates are high. It’s hit several trending searches,” Guan Zifan got straight to the point. “The art director contacted me again today. They want you and Yi Chen to shoot the next quarter’s theme promo together. We need to schedule a time to check it out.”

“Okay.” Yu Xi curled up his knees—this was his thinking pose.

He didn’t know how to describe his feelings.

He had always thought that his relationship with Yi Chen would remain clearly divided forever, like two intersecting lines gradually drifting apart, their intersection point just an insignificant moment in the long expanse of time. He could remember it, he could cherish it, but he never thought of turning back.

But gradually, that boundary had blurred.

He started to enjoy the intimate contact with Yi Chen, enjoy being touched by him, enjoy the time spent together—enjoy the Yi Chen who had never changed.

The feeling of being unable to control his emotions troubled him deeply.

Guan Zifan continued with work: “The contract for The Boundless is signed. Don’t say it, but Director Wang Hui’s terms are really good. The backer behind it seems to think highly of you too. So, let’s pick a time to announce it officially, adjust the later schedule, shoot what we can early, prepare more promo materials to avoid a blank period during the three-month filming.”

The investor for The Boundless was a mysterious backer whose name no one had heard, but they were generous. Previously, when The Boundless fought back, this mystery backer had contributed a lot.

Guan Zifan was very curious about this mystery sugar daddy: “By the way, how exactly did you get the sugar daddy to favor you so much, even giving you all the profits? That’s way more than just a salary.”

Guan Zifan narrowed his eyes: “You didn’t do anything illegal or criminal, right…”

Yu Xi said expressionlessly: “Oh, that person is Yi Chen.”

Guan Zifan: “…”

“Then I’ll continue.” Having gotten the answer, Guan Zifan instantly lost interest. It was normal for a young master of the Yi family to have another identity. He switched back to business mode and talked work.

Yu Xi tried hard to listen attentively.

But what Guan Zifan was telling him was basically just for his information, to give him a heads-up. There wouldn’t be major changes later; it was just for mental preparation.

Right now, Yu Xi’s brain couldn’t hold a single work-related thought.

—It was completely filled with issues related to Yi Chen.

He had been spending a lot of time with Yi Chen lately.

Sometimes, he simply couldn’t restrain his emotions.

Yu Xi couldn’t figure it out and didn’t know what to do, so he turned to the netizens for help.

[Zhen Bu Chi Yumi: Sis.]

[Geng Shang Lou: What’s up, sis?]

[Zhen Bu Chi Yumi: Why do you ship Yu Xi and Yi Chen’s CP? What if they each have their own lives?]

[Geng Shanglou: Impossible!!]

[Geng Shanglou: They are each other’s one and only! Inseparable!!!]

Yu Xi: “…”

His rich sis CP fan soul was ingrained to the bone.

He decided to change the question.

Previously, [Geng Shanglou] had mentioned that her ex seemed to still like her.

[Zhen Bu Chi Yumi: Sis, did you get back together with your ex?]

[Geng Shanglou: ?]

[Geng Shanglou: Sis, your topic jumps fast.]

[Geng Shanglou: Not yet.]

[Geng Shanglou: My ex is a bit tsundere. Even if he realizes his feelings, he won’t tell me outright and finds all sorts of excuses to dodge.]

The unwittingly spot-on remark hit Yu Xi: “…”

[Geng Shanglou: But no worries.]

[Geng Shanglou: Lately, I’ve had lots of chances to get close to him. As long as I interact enough, he’ll slip up eventually.]

[Geng Shanglou: Then I’ll peel back the details bit by bit, lay them out in front of him, and force him to admit when he realized he still likes me…]

[Geng Shanglou: You don’t know, tsunderes hate having their inner thoughts dissected. He’ll be so embarrassed he’ll die, and then I’ll snap a pic to set as my wallpaper to look at every day.]

[Geng Shanglou: [Sinister][Sinister][Sinister][Sinister][Sinister]]

Yu Xi: “………”

Guan Zifan didn’t stop talking, rattling off the work details in one go. Yu Xi wandered off in a daze from the chanting, quietly checking his phone.

Guan Zifan was used to it and continued. The despondent Yu Xi in front of him suddenly looked up: “No.”

Guan Zifan: “?”

Guan Zifan: “What’s no?”

Yu Xi said seriously: “We can’t sell CP with Yi Chen anymore.”

“…” Guan Zifan’s expression froze. “Which word I just said mentioned selling CP?”

He thought and added, not rigorously enough: “When did I even mention Yi Chen?”

Yu Xi tuned out Guan Zifan’s words.

His mind was full of how continuing to sell CP would lead to slipping up eventually, with Yi Chen prying open the details one by one and grilling him. Some things felt fine just thinking them internally, but spelling them out in detail, blow by blow—that wave of shame made his scalp tingle.

And Yi Chen would really do something like that!

Yu Xi said as he tried to climb up from the sofa: “I’ll go talk to the boss.”

“Come back.” Guan Zifan grabbed Yu Xi’s collar. “What’s with you? The boss is on a business trip, not here.”

Yu Xi: “Why is he on a business trip again?”

Guan Zifan said sarcastically: “Not go on a trip and wait for you to show up in the middle of the night to talk about not wanting to do business promo?”

Yu Xi: “…”

Guan Zifan still didn’t understand what was going through Yu Xi’s head, but since Yu Xi was acting up again, he needed to carve out time for a heart-to-heart.

He sat down beside Yu Xi: “Why are you unwilling to do promo?”

“It’s commercial CP selling, not like you actually have to be together. It’s a black-and-white contract; it ends when the term is up. From the current situation, it’s clearly beneficial to you. Why are you always unwilling to cooperate?”

Yu Xi was silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth: “I have a grudge against him.”

Guan Zifan: “I’ve wanted to ask for a while now. What’s the deal?”

From the first time he met Yi Chen, Yu Xi had been off, acting strange only toward Yi Chen.

He had previously thought it was hatred at first sight, but Yu Xi—a guy who kept work and life strictly separate—freaking out repeatedly over Yi Chen-related matters meant there had to be a special reason.

“What grudge?” Guan Zifan pressed.

Yu Xi averted his gaze and didn’t answer.

Guan Zifan crossed his arms.

When he struck this oppressive negotiating pose, it meant he wouldn’t end the conversation easily without a satisfactory answer.

He didn’t even need to speak; just lifting his eyes at Yu Xi made it clear this guy was digging in for the long haul.

Yu Xi scratched his hair, opened his mouth several times, then closed it, not saying a word.

Guan Zifan extended one hand, signaling him to keep holding it in.

Yu Xi thought for a long time, finally took a deep breath: “He… he’s my ex-boyfriend.”

Guan Zifan: “…?”