After two full days of affection with Lan Xingchen, Pei Qingjian received a call from Zhou Pengyue, reminding him that he would soon need to shoot product endorsement photos and advertisements.
Pei Qingjian was surprised. “Already?”
“Not really,” Zhou Pengyue replied. “Didn’t I tell you before?”
Pei Qingjian: …
He had been told, but he had been so immersed in the sweetness of romance that work had temporarily slipped his mind.
He sheepishly lowered his head. “Got it. I’ll arrange my schedule properly.”
Besides managing time, he also had to plan for Lan Xingchen.
During dinner that evening, he told Lan Xingchen about it. As expected, Lan Xingchen’s face showed shock. “You’ve only had a few days off and already have to work again?”
Pei Qingjian comforted him, “It’ll be quick. I’ll be back after the shoot.”
Lan Xingchen nodded. His reluctance was simple—it was just that he didn’t want to be apart from Pei Qingjian, not that he actually wanted him to avoid work.
“Then come back early.”
“Mm,” Pei Qingjian smiled.
As before, Zhou Pengyue came to pick him up.
Lan Xingchen watched Pei Qingjian leave, unable to resist giving him a hug before letting him go.
Inside the car, Zhou Pengyue kept his eyes straight ahead, pretending not to notice anything.
But once seated, after parting with Lan Xingchen, Pei Qingjian leaned toward Zhou Pengyue and said, “Zhou-ge, I need to report something to you.”
“What is it?” Zhou Pengyue assumed it was work-related, asking casually.
“Uh…” Pei Qingjian leaned closer, speaking quietly, “I’m dating someone.”
Then he smiled. “Although I think you might have already noticed, I wanted to formally tell you.”
Zhou Pengyue: !!!
He hadn’t expected Pei Qingjian to be so direct, without any prelude.
Wasn’t this the kind of news that needed some warning first?
Luckily, he had already guessed, or he might have frozen on the spot.
“Well… okay,” Zhou Pengyue said helplessly.
What else could he say?
Was he really going to try to break up Lan Xingchen?
Pei Qingjian blinked. “Aren’t you going to ask who I’m dating?”
Zhou Pengyue: …Is that even necessary?
Pei Qingjian nodded. “See? You already knew.”
“Mainly because it was pretty obvious between you two,” Zhou Pengyue said.
After all, which friend visits every filming set!
They came to visit the set every month!
Sometimes, when nearby, even every week!
They even stayed in the same room, eating and sleeping together.
He wasn’t stupid.
Not really—he was quite perceptive. It was Xiao Jin who was a bit clueless.
When Xiao Jin was chatting casually with Pei Qingjian over WeChat again, Pei Qingjian mentioned the matter in passing.
Xiao Jin froze for a moment, then exclaimed, “Qingjian… you like men?!”
Pei Qingjian: …
He felt that wasn’t entirely accurate.
Before Lan Xingchen, he had never been in a relationship, nor had he developed feelings for anyone. So it wasn’t really a question of liking men or women.
Still, he didn’t bother to refute it—after all, Lan Xingchen was a man.
Xiao Jin continued to be surprised: “When did you two start? Weren’t you just friends?”
Pei Qingjian: …
He took a screenshot of this message and sent it to Lan Xingchen: “See? This is a real straight guy!”
So from now on, there was no need to be so cautious.
Lan Xingchen didn’t really care whether Xiao Jin was straight—no, wait, thinking about it, he actually did care a little!
Being straight was good. Being a straight guy was perfect—because he was straight, he could say things like “I don’t care if Xiao Jin is straight.”
If Xiao Jin weren’t straight, Lan Xingchen’s mood would probably be… complicated.
Of course, more than Xiao Jin’s orientation, Lan Xingchen cared more about Pei Qingjian’s words in the screenshot: “I have a boyfriend.”
Lan Xingchen: “So you admit I’m your boyfriend?”
Pei Qingjian: ???
Pei Qingjian: “Didn’t I already say you passed the assessment?”
Lan Xingchen remembered, of course. But this was the first time he had seen Pei Qingjian acknowledge his status to others.
To the outside world! Haha, Lan Xingchen couldn’t contain his joy.
“Who else have you told?” he asked curiously.
Pei Qingjian: “Just Zhou-ge and Xiao Jin.”
He hadn’t found the right opportunity to tell Song Ye yet.
Ah! Pei Qingjian suddenly remembered that “Married?” would soon start airing, and he would inevitably encounter Ning Rong during the promotions.
…
Pei Qingjian felt a little at a loss: “Should I tell Ning Rong about this?”
Telling Ning Rong wasn’t a big deal, but if she found out and accidentally let it slip… it could be troublesome.
Lan Xingchen felt it wasn’t a problem. He wasn’t going to break up with Pei Qingjian, so meeting family was just a matter of time.
However, considering they had just confirmed their relationship, Pei Qingjian might feel a bit shy or nervous meeting family right away. So Lan Xingchen decided to delay it slightly to take care of his feelings.
“Then don’t tell her yet,” Lan Xingchen said. “Wait until you’re ready and willing to meet my family. Then you can tell them all at once.”
Meet… meet… meet the family?!
Pei Qingjian’s heart raced at those three words.
They had just transitioned from patron-and-companion to boyfriend and boyfriend, and now he had to meet the family? Too soon!
Pei Qingjian: “Okay, I won’t tell her yet. I’ll tell her later.”
“Mm.” Lan Xingchen agreed.
Then, teasing him, he asked: “So, when do you plan to meet my family?”
Pei Qingjian: …
He didn’t feel any urgency at all!
Although he had been to Lan Xingchen’s home during the New Year visit as a friend and found his family warm and approachable, this time he was his boyfriend.
One word difference, a world apart!
“Does your uncle even allow you to have a boyfriend?” Pei Qingjian asked.
What if Lan Xingchen’s uncle preferred him to date a girl?
Lan Xingchen hadn’t discussed this with Wen Yuan before. Mainly because he hadn’t had romantic intentions before Pei Qingjian, and Wen Yuan had experienced a long single period. He didn’t like being pressured about marriage or relationships, so he naturally wouldn’t trouble Lan Xingchen with such things.
So Lan Xingchen wasn’t entirely sure how Wen Yuan would feel about his dating.
“It should be fine,” Lan Xingchen considered. “My uncle can accept even staying single himself. Compared to that, having a boyfriend is just a minor matter. It shouldn’t be a problem.”
Pei Qingjian: “I don’t know.”
Lan Xingchen, with a firm tone: “Don’t worry. You’re so charming, even if he doesn’t like others, he’ll like you.”
Pei Qingjian smiled, thinking he really knew how to comfort someone.
“Before meeting the family, you should meet my friends first.” Lan Xingchen suggested.
Pei Qingjian: ???
He felt Lan Xingchen must be out of his mind at work: “I’ve already met them.”
Lan Xingchen: “That’s different.”
Pei Qingjian: “How is it different? I’ve met your friends, they know I’m your boyfriend. If I meet them again, they might think it’s strange.”
Words aside, Lan Xingchen felt it really was different.
“Before, we called ourselves boyfriend and boyfriend, but it wasn’t really true. Now it is,” Lan Xingchen explained after work, discussing the topic with Pei Qingjian again. “So this time, we’re going as a real couple.”
Pei Qingjian smiled lightly. “So, what will you say then?”
Lan Xingchen thought for a moment. “We’ll just say everyone is welcome to celebrate our first anniversary with us.”
“The words don’t matter. What matters is that now you really are my boyfriend,” Lan Xingchen said, taking Pei Qingjian’s hand and kissing it.
“Fine,” Pei Qingjian agreed. Since he wanted it, they’d meet them again as a genuine couple—even though they already knew each other.
Lan Xingchen was thrilled, eagerly setting the time and place with everyone.
At first, Shao Kang didn’t take it seriously when Lan Xingchen mentioned dinner. But when they arrived and saw not just him and Xiao Yi, but also Fang Junhao and the others, he was puzzled: “What’s going on with this dinner? Why such a big deal?”
“I don’t know,” Fang Junhao shrugged. “I thought it would just be the two of us having dinner. Didn’t expect you and Xiao Yi to show up too.”
Shao Kang looked around. “Where is everyone else?”
“Here.”
At that moment, Lan Xingchen pushed open the door, walking in with Pei Qingjian. “There was some traffic, so we’re a little late.”
“No problem,” Fang Junhao replied calmly. “Chang Le and the others haven’t arrived yet either.”
“So why did you make such a big deal just to have dinner?” Shao Kang asked.
Lan Xingchen smiled. “Of course, it’s to celebrate Qingqing and me being together for one year~”
As he spoke, he wrapped an arm around Pei Qingjian. “Let me introduce you all—this is my boyfriend, Pei Qingjian.”
Shao Kang: ???
Xie Siqi: ???
Xiao Yi: …
Fang Junhao raised his hand and clapped. “Nice.”
Shao Kang couldn’t understand it. Who celebrates a one-year anniversary with friends instead of keeping it private?!
Then again, maybe it showed how much Lan Xingchen valued them. Even a private celebration like a one-year anniversary, he wanted to share it with friends.
Shao Kang felt a little touched.
Although his brother had been handing out love-soaked “dog food” frequently these past few days, it was clearly because of him—otherwise, why not share it with anyone else?
Shao Kang, now successfully PUA’d by his brother, joined in the applause. “Not bad. Keep it up.”
Xie Siqi clicked his tongue. “Before we knew it, you and little Pei have already been together for a year.”
Fang Junhao also felt time had flown. Last year, Lan Xingchen had to find ways to get them to send red envelopes in the group so Pei Qingjian could “accidentally” have a bit more pocket money. Now Pei Qingjian had become famous; there was no need for extra allowances.
Fang Junhao laughed. “Alright, celebrate the one-year anniversary first, then the engagement, and finally the wedding.”
Lan Xingchen: !!!
He… he… they had just started dating!
How could they be talking about marriage already?!
Lan Xingchen felt a little embarrassed but couldn’t help sneak a glance at Pei Qingjian.
Pei Qingjian looked up, catching him red-handed.
Lan Xingchen: !!!
He quickly looked away and helped Pei Qingjian to their seats.
Pei Qingjian looked puzzled. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Lan Xingchen said, trying to cover it up.
Then he glanced at Pei Qingjian again, his eyes filled with obvious joy. “It’s great… now everyone knows you’re my boyfriend.”
Pei Qingjian smiled inwardly. They already knew, of course.
But he hadn’t said it aloud before. Lan Xingchen had gone through all that trouble just to formally and seriously introduce him: “This is my boyfriend, Pei Qingjian.”
The first time he had introduced him to his friends, they weren’t truly a couple, so the introduction was casual, and any mention of “boyfriend” was just words—not reality.
Pei Qingjian had never been one to fuss over such things. Whether it was before he knew Lan Xingchen, or when he gradually started to like him, or now, after they had officially become a couple, he never cared about appearances.
But he hadn’t expected Lan Xingchen to care, which was why Lan Xingchen wanted to introduce him seriously, sincerely, and truly as his boyfriend this time.
It might seem trivial, but it was full of earnestness and sincerity.
Pei Qingjian tilted his head, looking at his boyfriend. It’s so good… he’s my boyfriend.
It’s so good… we’re truly each other’s boyfriend now.