Chapter 29
Murong Yan ended up booking Murong Cheng’s flight home. Knowing Murong Cheng didn’t want Duan Shao to know about their relationship, he personally downloaded a booking app, likely sacrificing his first online flight booking experience for Murong Cheng.
He booked a first-class ticket.
This was partly due to Murong Cheng’s procrastination.
He had waited for a price drop, but the prices only went up, and by the 27th day of the lunar month, only first-class tickets remained. With the company already on holiday, and Murong Cheng still without a ticket, Murong Yan took matters into his own hands.
A five-figure sum.
The joys of Chinese New Year travel.
Although it wasn’t his money, Murong Cheng still winced at the price.
He didn’t actually have to go home…
“Wouldn’t it be nice if I stayed in A City with you for the holidays?” he asked softly, peering at Murong Yan’s phone.
“No,” Murong Yan said firmly, turning off his phone screen.
Murong Cheng looked at him, tilting his head. “Why? Don’t you want to spend the holidays with me?”
“I do,” Murong Yan replied instantly. “But I can’t be selfish and keep you here. You want to go home.”
He was right.
A month ago, in Europe, even earlier, he had been looking forward to going home and checking flight prices.
His luggage was packed. All he needed was an affordable ticket.
“Okay, go to bed. I’ll take you to the airport tomorrow morning,” Murong Yan said, stroking his hair.
“Won’t you miss me, seeing me off like this?” Murong Cheng asked, batting his eyelashes playfully.
“I will,” Murong Yan’s voice deepened. “So—”
He paused, leaving Murong Cheng hanging.
“So?”
“Since you’re not sleepy, let’s not rush to bed.”
Unable to resist the young man’s captivating gaze, Murong Yan turned off the lights and pulled him onto the bed.
Murong Cheng thought, I shouldn’t have said anything.
But perhaps mindful of his early flight, Murong Yan was relatively gentle. The next morning, Murong Cheng only felt a slight discomfort, barely noticeable.
Worried about traffic congestion during the holiday rush, they left for the airport three hours before his flight.
“Yan-ge, will you miss me?” Murong Cheng asked at the security checkpoint, clutching his boarding pass, reluctant to leave.
“Of course,” Murong Yan’s voice was low and warm.
“You have to message me. Every day,” Murong Cheng said, looking into his dark eyes.
Murong Yan nodded. “Okay.”
Murong Cheng: “And if you have time, we’ll video chat.”
Murong Yan nodded again. “Okay.”
Murong Cheng: “Remember to miss me.”
Murong Cheng: “Don’t forget me.”
Their relationship felt so surreal that he sometimes worried it was all a dream.
Murong Yan chuckled. “Silly.”
He pulled Murong Cheng closer and kissed his lips.
“Okay, go now. Take care of yourself.”
He stood there, watching him, his tall figure accentuated by his black wool coat, his presence captivating.
Murong Cheng reluctantly walked through the gate, looking back several times before disappearing into the security area.
Money truly made a difference. First class was far superior to economy.
He slept soundly on the plane and arrived in H City feeling refreshed.
His family ran a homestay business, their busiest time of year being the Chinese New Year holidays. His parents were too busy to pick him up, so Chi Yu offered to drive him from the airport. Not bound by office hours, Chi Yu had returned to H City last week.
“Can’t bear to leave Murong Yan? It’s the 28th already. I thought you weren’t coming back,” Chi Yu said, waiting at a cafe near the airport exit, sipping iced coffee.
“It’s a holiday, and you’re still drinking that stuff?” Murong Cheng said, wrinkling his nose.
Chi Yu swirled the ice in his glass. “Unlike you, my work and personal life aren’t so clearly defined.”
Murong Cheng: “So you’ve been working?”
Chi Yu yawned. “Not really. I had a burst of inspiration last night and pulled an all-nighter.”
They walked to the parking lot. “When are you going back to A City?” Murong Cheng asked.
Chi Yu: “Soon. After the fourth day of the New Year.”
Murong Cheng was surprised. “So early? Do you have something to do?”
“Not really,” Chi Yu replied vaguely. “I’ve been here for over a week. Staying at home too long gets annoying.”
“Eager to see your boyfriend?” Murong Cheng asked, trying to remember Murong Jing’s English name.
Chi Yu raised an eyebrow, a slight smile playing on his lips, and didn’t answer.
He had been meaning to talk to Chi Yu about Murong Jing since the wedding, but after moving in with Murong Yan, he hadn’t had the time.
Now he had time, but—
It was the New Year holiday. He would bring it up later.
Unlike the congested streets of A City, even during peak season, H City’s roads were clear. The sky was a brilliant blue, the air humid and mild, the wind gentle.
But A City was also nice. Although cold outside, the apartments were warm and cozy. And most importantly, Murong Yan was there.
He had only been away for a few hours, and he already missed him.
He sent Murong Yan a message.
[Cheng: Arrived in H City.]
[Cheng: Chi Yu picked me up.]
[Y: Good. Enjoy your holiday.]
[Cheng: Are you busy?]
[Y: Yes.]
The CEO’s reply was brief. He must be busy. Murong Cheng turned off his phone.
“When are you planning to go back?” Chi Yu asked, glancing at him. “You seem eager to leave already.”
“No, not at all,” Murong Cheng denied quickly. “I bought my ticket last minute. Haven’t even thought about returning yet. I need to check the prices.”
He checked his phone.
A moment later, he sighed and tossed it aside.
The return flights were either fully booked or exorbitantly priced. There was one economy class ticket available for the fifth day of the New Year, but it was full price.
Why were the tickets still so expensive after so many days?
He wasn’t buying it.
“I’ll wait,” he sighed. “I can always take a few days off later.”
He would have annual leave in the new year. And even without it, he could always take unpaid leave. After all, his boyfriend was the CEO.
New Year’s Eve used to feel long, the festivities seemingly endless. But this year, time seemed to fly by. They had dinner, chatted, played mahjong, and suddenly, the New Year’s Eve countdown began.
Fireworks lit up the sky, and firecrackers crackled, filling the air with noise and excitement.
He helped his mother cook dumplings, served them to his family, and then took a bowl to Chi Yu’s apartment next door.
Chi Yu opened the door, also holding a bowl of dumplings. They exchanged smiles and the food.
As he walked back, he saw children playing with small firework trees, the sparks cascading downwards in a beautiful display.
He took a photo and sent it to Murong Yan.
[Cheng: Happy New Year!]
[Cheng: Did you set off any fireworks?]
Murong Yan replied quickly.
[Y: Happy New Year!]
[Y: Fireworks are banned in A City.]
That sounded boring. He took more photos: sparklers, colorful fireworks exploding in the sky, a teenager lighting firecrackers.
He sent them all to Murong Yan.
[Cheng: I’ll show you some then.]
[Y: Beautiful.]
Murong Cheng smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
His mother called out from the window upstairs.
“Xiao Cheng, what are you doing down there? Come on up!”
“Coming!” he replied, hurrying upstairs with the dumplings.
He slept in on New Year’s Day, then accompanied his parents to their homestay in the afternoon.
The next two days were spent visiting relatives.
On the fourth day, he finally had some free time. He and Chi Yu met up with a few high school classmates, some of whom he had seen at Yang Manman’s wedding. Yang Manman hadn’t returned to H City for the New Year, having gone to her in-laws’ place with her husband.
After catching up on each other’s lives, the conversation inevitably turned to relationships.
Half of them were single, half were in relationships. The ones who were dating had all met their partners in college, except for him and Chi Yu.
“Chi Yu met his boyfriend at a bar? What about you, Ah Cheng?” Mao Yaxuan asked, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.
“I…” he licked his lips, feeling slightly embarrassed under their gazes, “met him at work.”
“A colleague! Nice! From Guangyu? Both of you working at good companies!”
They all exclaimed. Someone pulled out their phone and started scrolling through Murong Cheng’s Moments.
“Ah Cheng, I didn’t even notice you were dating. Did you post anything?”
“No,” he shook his head.
Mao Yaxuan looked at him intently. “Is he handsome?”
Murong Cheng swallowed. “He’s okay.”
That piqued their interest even more. They all demanded to see a photo.
He tried to deflect their requests, then reluctantly opened his photo album.
He suddenly realized he didn’t have any photos of Murong Yan.
They had been dating for weeks, and he didn’t have a single photo of him, not even a selfie together.
They had gone out together in Germany, but he had been too preoccupied with the lingering soreness to think about taking photos. And even when the thought had crossed his mind, he hadn’t dared to suggest it. He still subconsciously treated Murong Yan as his boss. It wasn’t his place to initiate a photo.
“I don’t have any photos,” he said sheepishly.
“How can you not have any photos?” “Fine, fine, keep your precious boyfriend to yourself.”
Seeing his reluctance, they didn’t press further.
After lunch, they went to a board game cafe. Chi Yu, busy packing for his return to A City, left early.
The cafe wasn’t far from his apartment. He walked home slowly, feeling a pang of sadness.
Not having a single photo of his boyfriend was unbelievable.
But it was true.
He opened his browser and searched for Murong Yan online. As before, there were no photos.
He remembered his post on the job forum, when he had just become Murong Yan’s assistant, and how someone had asked for photos. He had even considered selling photos of the young entrepreneur if he got fired.
That felt like a lifetime ago.
He opened the forum app and was greeted by a glaring red “999+” notification.
What was this? Had he gone viral?
It wasn’t him, but his post, “#What to do when mistaken for the CEO’s brother because you share the same last name?”
Last time he checked, there were only a few replies. Now, it had become a hot topic with thousands of replies.
He scrolled through the messages, catching up on the past two months.
Someone had identified him as the CEO’s new assistant, Murong Cheng. Many commented on his elegant name, saying it sounded like he really was Murong Yan’s brother.
There wasn’t much substantial content, and he hadn’t even posted any photos of Murong Yan. But the name “Murong Yan” seemed to be enough to generate buzz.
Lost in his phone, he reached his apartment complex.
He rarely came home and didn’t have a key. He wasn’t sure if his parents were home or at their homestay.
He was about to call them when a message popped up from Murong Yan.
[Y: Turn around.]
Turn around?
Was it a wrong number?
Did “turn around” have some hidden meaning he wasn’t aware of? A typo? What was he trying to say?
He replied, confused.
[Cheng: Huh?]
There was no “typing” indicator. He shrugged it off and called his mother.
“Mom, I’m downstairs. Are you home?”
“Oh, Xiao Cheng, your gathering is over? Your father and I are on our way back. About ten minutes. Can you wait downstairs?”
“Okay.”
Someone tapped him on the shoulder. He frowned, turning around absently, still talking to his mother.
He saw Murong Yan.
Standing right there, at the entrance of his apartment complex, in a dark gray suit, looking at him intently.
“Or you can go to the supermarket and buy some seasonings. We’re out of vinegar. You know which brand, right?” his mother’s voice continued from the phone.
But the world seemed to quiet down, his focus narrowing to Murong Yan, his gentle gaze.
“Hello?” his mother asked. “Xiao Cheng? Are you still there?”
Murong Yan smiled. “Forgotten me already?”
“Yes, Mom, I’m here,” he said quickly, snapping back to reality. “Okay, I’ll go now.”
He hung up and looked at Murong Yan, his heart pounding.
Torn between “Yan-ge” and “What are you doing here?”, he simply threw himself into Murong Yan’s arms.
The warmth of his embrace, his familiar scent, enveloped him. He buried his face in his neck, murmuring softly, “I missed you so much.”
