Chapter 26
Having readily agreed to bring his boyfriend to Yang Manman’s wedding, it dawned on Murong Cheng, as the weekend approached, that he hadn’t actually asked Murong Yan.
He could sense that Murong Yan had been busy since returning from Europe.
Four out of the five workdays, Murong Yan had been out of the office all day. On the remaining day, although present, he had been in back-to-back meetings, leaving no time for them to see each other.
For urgent matters, Murong Yan always took Duan Shao with him. Murong Cheng spent the entire week alone on the deserted 28th floor, a stark contrast to the usual bustling atmosphere.
He assumed Murong Yan was dealing with the fallout from the recent incident.
Although the investigation was over, there were likely internal matters to address, and company policies to revise.
While the incident hadn’t significantly impacted Guangyu’s operations, news of the investigation had somehow leaked, causing the company’s stock price to decline steadily throughout the week.
The decline was minor, but for a company whose stock price usually only went up, it was a worrying sign.
Finally, on Friday evening, he managed to speak with Murong Yan on the phone, casually mentioning the wedding just before hanging up.
“Oh, by the way, Yan-ge, a high school friend is getting married tomorrow, here in A City. Are you free?”
Murong Yan hesitated. “Tomorrow?”
“It’s fine if you’re busy. I can go with Chi Yu. It’s just my high school classmates. You’d be bored,” Murong Cheng said quickly.
Murong Yan’s voice softened. “I have a prior engagement, but I’ll try to join you later.”
“No need, I won’t bring you then. Focus on your meeting. Your work is more important,” Murong Cheng said quickly.
Although he had expected this, hearing the confirmation still disappointed him. He had mentioned going with Chi Yu, but Chi Yu would be with his boyfriend. He didn’t want to be a third wheel.
The next morning, Murong Cheng left his apartment at the calculated time. The hotel was quite far from the city center, a forty-minute subway ride or a twenty-minute taxi ride, but the taxi fare was steep. He left forty-five minutes early to allow for travel time.
With Murong Yan not attending, he didn’t bother dressing up, simply throwing on a sweater and his down jacket. As he walked towards the subway station, he heard a car honking behind him.
He instinctively moved to the side of the sidewalk, assuming it wasn’t for him, and continued walking. But the honking persisted. He turned around and saw Murong Yan’s car. Xia Jie, in the driver’s seat, waved at him.
“CEO Murong asked me to pick you up,” Xia Jie grinned, checking the rearview mirror after Murong Cheng got into the back seat.
“Really? It wasn’t necessary… thank you, Xia-ge,” Murong Cheng said, feeling slightly embarrassed.
Murong Yan was so busy, yet he had still arranged a ride for him.
Xia Jie: “Where are we going? Send me the address.”
Murong Cheng nodded.
Being chauffeured around felt good, especially when he arrived at the hotel and ran into a former classmate.
“Xia-ge, you don’t need to wait. You can go now,” he said to Xia Jie, just as a familiar voice called out behind him.
“Murong Cheng? Is that you? You have a Rolls-Royce now?!”
It was Mao Yaxuan, his former classmate and deskmate.
She looked even more beautiful than he remembered, despite wearing a thin coat in the cold winter, her makeup meticulously applied.
“Mao Yaxuan?” he asked tentatively, recognizing her after a moment.
“Yes! Just four years, and you don’t recognize me anymore?” she chuckled, glancing at the departing Rolls-Royce. “What business are you in now? You’ve struck it rich!”
“No, no, I just started working at Guangyu,” he waved his hand dismissively.
“Then this…?” she asked, her eyes wide.
He hesitated, unsure whether to tell her it was his boyfriend’s car or pretend he had called a premium taxi service.
Just then, Chi Yu arrived, also stepping out of a sports car, a bright pink one.
Mao Yaxuan’s jaw dropped. “What’s going on with you two? Did you rob a bank?”
“He’s a famous artist,” Murong Cheng said, his eyes fixed on the driver’s seat of the pink car.
The car drove off towards the back of the hotel.
Chi Yu, noticing his gaze, explained, “My boyfriend’s car. He’s parking. He’ll be here soon.”
“Wow, your boyfriend is impressive!” Mao Yaxuan exclaimed, walking towards the hotel entrance.
Chi Yu and Murong Cheng followed.
Inside, Chi Yu whispered, “Is Murong Yan also parking?”
Murong Cheng shook his head. “He’s not coming.”
Chi Yu: “Why not?”
Murong Cheng: “He just got back from a business trip. He’s busy with work.”
Mao Yaxuan turned around. “What are you two whispering about?”
Chi Yu grinned. “We’re saying how beautiful you look! So, are you seeing anyone?”
Mao Yaxuan shrugged. “Nope, focusing on my career.”
They chatted and laughed as they walked towards the ballroom where the wedding was being held. They signed the guest book at the entrance, and just as they finished, Chi Yu’s boyfriend arrived.
“Babe,” a tall, handsome young man walked past Murong Cheng, taking Chi Yu’s hand.
Mao Yaxuan turned around, her expression clearly saying, Your boyfriend is hot.
Murong Cheng looked up and froze.
He couldn’t believe it.
Chi Yu’s boyfriend was Murong Jing? Murong Yan’s younger brother?
Murong Jing, in a shimmering silver suit, looked striking next to Chi Yu, who was wearing a black turtleneck sweater. They looked good together.
He pretended not to recognize Murong Cheng, smiling politely and waiting for introductions.
“This is my boyfriend, Jared,” Chi Yu said, intertwining their fingers.
He used Murong Jing’s English name and looked at Murong Cheng with a clear, untroubled gaze, as if unaware of his boyfriend’s Chinese name.
Murong Cheng was stunned, not even noticing Murong Jing extending his hand until Chi Yu nudged him.
“Oh, hello,” he said, forcing himself to act as if they were meeting for the first time, and shook Murong Jing’s hand.
A jolt, like static electricity, shot through him, and he quickly withdrew his hand.
A flicker of amusement crossed Murong Jing’s face, but he quickly replaced it with a polite smile.
A chill ran down Murong Cheng’s spine.
He suddenly had a bad feeling.
Was Murong Jing’s relationship with Chi Yu a coincidence?
Had he known about their connection before today?
Or…
Had he intentionally approached Chi Yu, knowing he was Murong Cheng’s friend?
His face paled.
He looked up and saw Chi Yu’s concerned expression.
“What’s wrong?” he whispered.
“I…” Should he tell Chi Yu? Tell him that his boyfriend was Murong Yan’s brother, that they had a hostile relationship, that Murong Jing had tried to sabotage him?
What would Chi Yu do if he knew?
Having grown up together, he knew Chi Yu would believe him and break up with Murong Jing.
But what if it was just a coincidence? He couldn’t bear to cause a breakup over a misunderstanding.
And this was the first time Chi Yu had introduced a boyfriend to him. He seemed genuinely in love.
He was torn, unsure what to do.
“Let’s go, babe,” Murong Jing interrupted them, stepping between them and taking Chi Yu’s hand.
Chi Yu hesitated, glancing at Murong Cheng with concern, then followed Murong Jing into the ballroom.
Throughout the wedding banquet, Murong Cheng was distracted and barely touched his food.
Chi Yu, noticing his unusual behavior, tried to talk to him several times, but Murong Jing always intervened, diverting his attention.
If he didn’t tell Chi Yu…
He glanced at his friend, who was gazing at Murong Jing with adoration, and sighed inwardly.
He felt a growing sense of unease, but he couldn’t explain why.
He pulled out his phone and messaged Murong Yan.
[Cheng: I saw your brother at the wedding.]
He deleted the message, not wanting to worry him.
[Cheng: Are you done with your meeting? I miss you.]
But that sounded even more suspicious. He rarely sent such messages.
[Cheng: You…]
He was still trying to formulate a message when he saw the “typing” indicator above Murong Yan’s name.
Murong Cheng: !
Was this what it felt like to be thinking of someone at the same time they were thinking of you?
He held his breath, waiting for the message.
One second, two seconds, three seconds…
Almost half a minute passed.
[Y: Are you done there? I’ll come get you.]
He couldn’t help but smile.
[Cheng: Okay.]
“What are you smiling about?” Chi Yu’s head suddenly appeared above his phone.
Murong Cheng jumped, almost dropping his phone.
“Am I that scary?” Chi Yu raised an eyebrow.
He instinctively glanced around for Murong Jing.
“Jared had to leave for work,” Chi Yu explained, as if reading his mind.
He left just like that? Murong Cheng frowned.
Murong Jing had left as soon as Murong Yan was coming. He had been worried about Chi Yu finding out about their connection.
“What’s wrong? You’ve been distracted since we arrived,” Chi Yu asked, looking at him intently. “Is it because Murong Yan isn’t here?”
“Of course not,” he smiled and shook his head.
“Then what is it?”
Still unsure whether to tell him about Murong Jing, he said, “I didn’t sleep well last night. I’m a bit tired.”
“Oh, what were you doing that kept you up all night?” Chi Yu asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
“Nothing like that!” Murong Cheng’s face burned.
Chi Yu chuckled. “I didn’t say anything. Why are you blushing?”
Murong Cheng took a sip of water, waiting for his blush to subside.
“Your boyfriend left. Aren’t you leaving?”
Chi Yu: “I’m keeping you company.”
Murong Cheng: “But my boyfriend is coming.”
Chi Yu: “His meeting is over?”
Murong Cheng nodded. “Yes.”
“But the banquet is almost over,” Chi Yu glanced at the leftover food on the table. “Is your CEO going to eat leftovers?”
The steamed fish in the center of the table had been picked apart, and the other dishes were also mostly gone.
“Is it almost over?” Murong Cheng looked around for the bride, spotting her and the groom toasting the last few tables.
Chi Yu also looked. “Seems like it.”
Murong Cheng grabbed his jacket. “Okay, I’ll be going then. Going to have dinner with my boyfriend. I barely ate anything here.”
Chi Yu rolled his eyes. “Can’t eat without your man, huh? So pathetic. Go on, then. I’ll tell Manman you left.”
