Chapter 29: Are You Lovers?

As soon as Duan Zhao finished speaking, Ji Zhi felt his heart pounding furiously.

He forced himself to calm down. The car was deathly quiet at the moment, and he worried that his heartbeat was beating too loudly, prompting the two men to grow suspicious if they heard it.

Fortunately, their attention wasn’t on him right now.

Ji Zhi stole a glance at Duan Zhao with his peripheral vision. The man had spoken with a slight upturn at the corners of his lips, his tone leisurely and unhurried, as if it were just casual small talk.

Fu Huixu, on the other hand, had instinctively frowned, clearly growing impatient with Duan Zhao’s fixation on the topic.

But considering that the man was Ji Zhi’s uncle—and a business partner of the Fu Family—Fu Huixu still spoke up. “People change.”

Duan Zhao replied, “That’s true.”

Ji Zhi had been racking his brains for a way to answer on Fu Huixu’s behalf, but the man had responded himself.

At any rate, the awkward topic had finally come to an end.

Duan Zhao didn’t press further about how Ji Zhi and Fu Huixu had met. Instead, he shifted to asking what Ji Zhi had been up to lately.

Aside from classes, Ji Zhi had spent all his time these days with Fu Huixu. But telling Duan Zhao that would sound too bizarre, so he could only claim that his coursework had been heavy lately, keeping him busy.

As he spoke, he felt Fu Huixu’s gaze land on him. Though the man was clearly displeased that Ji Zhi had essentially erased most of his presence from the description of his daily life, he remembered Ji Zhi’s earlier instructions and held back from speaking up.

Fu Huixu’s eyes soon shifted to Duan Zhao, but he quickly noticed that Duan Zhao was sizing him up as well.

At first, Fu Huixu had been puzzled about how this man could be Ji Zhi’s distant uncle. But Duan Zhao had calmly accepted the “uncle” title, and his conversation carried the genuine concern of an elder, so Fu Huixu let go of his doubts about the man’s identity.

However, after meeting Fu Huixu’s gaze, Duan Zhao’s eyes drifted back to Ji Zhi.

Fu Huixu wasn’t overly curious by nature, so he didn’t ask any questions. He simply pondered in his mind how to wrap things up quickly and take Ji Zhi away.

Duan Zhao had chosen a different restaurant this time.

The private room had been reserved in advance, and as soon as the three arrived, an enthusiastic server led them upstairs.

When handed the menu, Ji Zhi habitually checked the prices first, while Fu Huixu merely flipped through it briefly before selecting his choices. He then looked at Ji Zhi. “These are all dishes you like.”

The butler had packed meals from several restaurants before, and with all their recent shared dinners, Fu Huixu had gotten a good grasp of Ji Zhi’s preferences.

Before Ji Zhi could respond, Duan Zhao spoke up. “I’ve already ordered.”

Knowing Ji Zhi’s reluctance to order due to the prices, Duan Zhao had preemptively selected a few dishes and left the rest to Ji Zhi and Fu Huixu.

He hadn’t expected Fu Huixu to pick the exact same ones.

Fu Huixu eyed Duan Zhao and frowned instinctively, unsure if this was mere coincidence or…

Duan Zhao had ordered them for Ji Zhi.

His relationship with his own parents was average at best, but he’d realized that Duan Zhao and Ji Zhi were closer than he’d imagined—close enough for Duan Zhao to know his tastes.

Ji Zhi hurriedly chimed in. “What a coincidence, haha. I was actually thinking of trying these too…”

Right now, he just hoped the food would arrive quickly, leaving the other two too busy eating to talk.

Fortunately, the dishes came out one after another in short order. Ji Zhi promptly signaled for Duan Zhao and Fu Huixu to dig in.

Sure enough, a brief silence finally settled over the room.

Though the car ride had left Ji Zhi mentally exhausted, the delicious food truly soothed his soul.

Until a sudden phone ring shattered the quiet atmosphere.

Ji Zhi traced the sound and saw Fu Huixu pulling out his phone.

The man glanced at the name on the screen, frowning instinctively. After hesitating for a few seconds, he didn’t hang up. Instead, he turned to Ji Zhi. “It’s my father. I’ll take it outside.”

Ji Zhi nodded.

As Fu Huixu stood and left, the private room was left with just Ji Zhi and Duan Zhao.

Ji Zhi’s gaze lingered on the doorway when Duan Zhao’s voice rang out. “He won’t be back for a while.”

Ji Zhi blinked in confusion.

Duan Zhao had naturally noticed Ji Zhi’s stunned expression and saw no reason to hide it. “I just contacted his father and mentioned an issue with a deal he handled previously. That’s why his father called him.”

“It’ll take him some time to sort out.”

The moment he’d seen Fu Huixu, Duan Zhao had known how to get rid of him and had seized an opportunity to reach out to Fu Huixu’s father.

Originally, Duan Zhao had only wanted some uninterrupted alone time with Ji Zhi. But now, he had questions for the young man.

Ji Zhi’s eyes widened.

He suddenly remembered seeing Duan Zhao on his phone when they got in the car, probably sending that very message.

Ji Zhi hadn’t expected Duan Zhao to resort to such a cunning tactic. He could only marvel inwardly at the man’s slyness.

Fu Huixu’s departure brought Ji Zhi some relief, at least. Now he only had to deal with one person.

But that brief ease lasted only until the second before Duan Zhao spoke.

“You haven’t been streaming lately because it’s inconvenient with Fu Huixu around. After all, he doesn’t know about your streaming.”

Ji Zhi froze.

Wait, how had Duan Zhao guessed so accurately? He didn’t remember letting that slip.

But sensing Duan Zhao’s steady gaze on him, Ji Zhi realized it had probably started as a hunch. The man had watched him closely while speaking, and Ji Zhi’s reaction had confirmed it.

It was too late to backpedal now. The faint smile had faded from Duan Zhao’s lips, and suspicion was clear in his eyes.

“Xiao Zhi,” Duan Zhao said, “what’s your relationship with Fu Huixu?”

Ji Zhi took a lesson from his earlier slip and forced himself to stay composed. “Just roommates and classmates. With only the two of us in the dorm, we’re bound to get along well…”

Oh no, Duan Zhao was suspicious now!

No wonder he’d just explained it, and here came the questions again…

Ji Zhi panicked inwardly, his mind racing.

Fu Huixu hadn’t called him “Baby,” he’d kept his distance, and there’d been hardly any eye contact. So where had he slipped up…

Duan Zhao spoke again. “Fu Huixu isn’t the type to get close to people easily. His father mentioned he’s had almost no friends from childhood to now. Yet here you two are, so chummy.”

Ji Zhi: “…”

Fu Huixu, your reputation is dragging me down again! Can’t you work on your image?

“And most importantly,” Duan Zhao continued, “from the very start, his eyes have been fixed on you. That’s not how normal friends act.”

His words came at his usual unhurried pace, but each one landed like a heavy blow on Ji Zhi’s heart.

Ji Zhi forced himself to respond. “It’s not that bad. I didn’t notice…”

He hadn’t realized Duan Zhao’s attention wasn’t solely on him—that he’d had time to observe Fu Huixu too.

What to do, what to do…

Ji Zhi’s mind spun frantically, but Duan Zhao didn’t give him long to stew before pressing on. “You two are lovers.”

His pace quickened slightly this time, though Ji Zhi was too flustered to notice.

Ji Zhi shot back on pure instinct. “No way! We’re not lovers, and I don’t like him!”

On this point, at least, his tone rang with utter confidence. “If you don’t believe me, hook me up to a lie detector…”

Of course, only for this.

He and Fu Huixu truly weren’t lovers. The man had been relentlessly pursuing him, but Ji Zhi hadn’t figured out how to shake him off yet. So even on a lie detector, he’d pass with flying colors.

Other matters were trickier, since he’d been lying about those.

But Duan Zhao couldn’t just whip out a lie detector on the spot. Ji Zhi recalled that the man had been empty-handed when they went upstairs.

With that in mind, Ji Zhi relaxed a bit. He straightened his back, ready to face Duan Zhao’s scrutiny.

Duan Zhao’s long fingers tapped lightly on the table absentmindedly, his gaze fixed on Ji Zhi as the young man met his eyes with stunned determination.

Ji Zhi’s sudden streaming hiatus had immediately aroused Duan Zhao’s suspicions.

Ever since the streams began, delays were rare, let alone a full break like this—which had never happened before.

He’d asked Ji Zhi about it, and the answers were always the same: heavy coursework. But Duan Zhao didn’t fully buy it.

He’d interacted with foreign language majors who’d graduated from A University and knew that sophomores hit peak busyness with core courses.

These past few days, though, Duan Zhao had been out of town on business and could only rush back after wrapping up his affairs.

Seeing that the classmate Ji Zhi brought was Fu Huixu had deepened his doubts.

He’d collaborated with Fu Huixu’s father several times and heard the man complain—half-boastfully, half-frustratedly—about his son’s aloof personality. Duan Zhao’s few prior encounters with Fu Huixu had confirmed that chilliness.

Ji Zhi had explained how they’d become acquainted, but Duan Zhao’s suspicions lingered. It still felt off.

That’s why he’d kept his focus on Ji Zhi and Fu Huixu. In the car, he’d noticed Fu Huixu’s gaze lingering on Ji Zhi.

At the restaurant, just before sitting, Fu Huixu had pulled out Ji Zhi’s chair first, then taken his own seat. And the dishes he’d ordered matched Ji Zhi’s tastes perfectly…

Duan Zhao had taken it all in.

He hadn’t questioned Fu Huixu directly—the man was as taciturn as ever—so Ji Zhi remained the best way in.

Once Fu Huixu left for the call, with Ji Zhi’s eyes still on the door, Duan Zhao finally spoke, laying out his conclusions.

All the while, he watched Ji Zhi’s reactions closely.

Initially, Ji Zhi’s reaction to his words nearly solidified the suspicions that had been gradually taking shape in Duan Zhao’s mind. It also made his impatience grow ever more intense.

In the end, he still asked that question.

But what Duan Zhao hadn’t expected was Ji Zhi’s swift denial. The other man offered no pause for thought—it seemed like a purely instinctive refusal.