It wasn’t long before replies started pouring in.
[??? OP, are you serious?]
[You want to renew the contract, continue living together, and worry about making him uncomfortable? Doesn’t that answer your question right there?!]
[Damn! Trap the guy! Kick him out! Angry at OP!]
[So you lived together when he pretended to be your boyfriend?]
[Yep.] Lan Xingchen replied.
[And now you want to keep the same lifestyle?]
[Exactly.]
[Then why don’t you just make him your real boyfriend?!]
Lan Xingchen: ???
[Yeah, OP, this is obvious. You like him, want to live together, and are afraid to renew the contract in case it makes him uncomfortable. Then just pursue him! Turn the fake boyfriend into the real boyfriend!]
Lan Xingchen: ???
He felt they completely misunderstood him.
[I just want to restore our previous lifestyle. We weren’t dating before; living together was just part of the contract.]
Netizens: ???
[Wow, OP, you’re such a slowpoke!]
[OP, just tell us—did you kiss, hug, or get intimate with him before?]
[Yes! OP, now tell us—do you want to continue kissing, hugging, and being intimate?]
[Of course! I’ve been dreaming about it!]
[And how long do you want to renew the contract? Ten years? Twenty years? A lifetime?]
[What if during the renewed contract, your fake boyfriend meets someone new—would you let him date that person?]
[Haha, these replies are so brutally honest. They’re basically saying: renew the contract for three to five years, and when your boyfriend runs off with someone else, you’ll cry [dog head emoji]]
Lan Xingchen: !!!
He felt their advice was full of malice.
His boyfriend just ran off with someone?!
Their little “kept” companion… damn, he wasn’t theirs anymore. He was free—a wild, free companion!
Lan Xingchen immediately felt gloomy.
Other forum users continued posting.
[OP, let me ask one thing: during the renewed contract, can the other person date anyone else?]
Of course not, Lan Xingchen thought. Who keeps a companion while dating someone else?
[If not, how long do you plan to renew? Too long and you stop him from dating; too short, like a year or two, can you promise you won’t renew again after it ends?]
Lan Xingchen: … He really couldn’t guarantee that.
[If you can’t guarantee, why not just cancel the contract and turn the fake boyfriend into the real boyfriend? Then you’ll have a lifelong contract!]
Lan Xingchen: !!! Ah, this… this…
He read more posts.
[OP, just answer: did you kiss, hug, and be intimate before?] —Yes.
[Do you want to continue kissing, hugging, being intimate?] —Of course! He even dreamed about it!
[OMG, why does such a slowpoke have a boyfriend, while I don’t?! OP, the difference between fake and real boyfriend is simple—do you truly like him? Are you emotionally invested? Do you desire him? Ask yourself if you like him, if you want to… you know, have fun with him. If you like him, want that, and have feelings, why not marry him?]
Lan Xingchen: !!!
He… he… he realized… he actually did like him. And he did want to… indulge in those desires.
Lan Xingchen suddenly panicked.
He liked Pei Qingjian?
Of course he liked Pei Qingjian!
But… was it the kind of liking meant for dating?
What exactly did dating-like affection feel like?
Just thinking about it made him feel a little off.
Even a slowpoke like him had seen other people in relationships.
It was nothing complicated—kissing, hugging, doing intimate things.
It was talking about each other constantly, thinking about the other when apart, and only wanting to see them when they were together.
Wasn’t that exactly how he felt about Pei Qingjian?!
B-but… their contract had explicitly said they couldn’t fall for each other!
Wait a second—Lan Xingchen realized with delight—the contract was over!
Now that he liked Pei Qingjian, it didn’t violate anything!
So… did he really like Pei Qingjian? Lan Xingchen pondered carefully.
Should he not be renewing the contract but pursuing him instead?
As he was thinking, he noticed a particularly blunt comment on the forum:
[I’m just saying, OP, you better act fast. Otherwise, if your boyfriend originally liked you, and now that the contract is over you show no interest, someone else might take the opportunity to swoop in. By the time you want to chase him, he could already be with someone else!]
Lan Xingchen: !!!
Damn! How could he have forgotten this?
He immediately thought of Xiao Jin.
Even when he was still by Pei Qingjian’s side, Xiao Jin could casually joke around and get a little physical. Now, the moment he steps away, Xiao Jin could move in!
So… what kind of “friends” nonsense was this?
He and Pei Qingjian could be friends, sure, but Xiao Jin was also in the picture!
Both standing on the same scale? That’s not right! That’s not okay!
At that moment, Lan Xingchen finally understood what he had been upset and worried about since last night.
Being friends was fine, but friendship didn’t come with exclusivity.
He could be Pei Qingjian’s friend, but so could others.
Pei Qingjian could spend time with him, but also with others.
Even if Pei Qingjian said they were best friends, he would still have to share that status with others—it wasn’t special, it couldn’t cross boundaries.
That’s why he couldn’t even make Pei Qingjian continue living with him.
Because friends can live together or apart. Friends have independent living rights. Friends can stay at your place, but also at other friends’ places.
Friendship was never meant to take priority over intimacy.
From the beginning, he and Pei Qingjian hadn’t interacted as mere friends, and now he couldn’t adapt to the so-called “friend” relationship.
Lan Xingchen quickly replied to the forum: [Got it, thank you everyone!]
Netizens rejoiced:
[Wow! OP finally got it!]
[Thank you? No, go chase your boyfriend!]
[Report back when you succeed!]
[You got this, sis!]
Lan Xingchen: ???
[Sis? I’m a guy!]
Netizens: [DAMN!!! There’s no way a girl could be this slow!]
[Seriously, OP, why are you still replying? Go chase your wife!]
[Praying you fail, I can’t be the only one without a wife!]
Lan Xingchen: !!!
“Wife,” huh… he whispered it in his heart, and immediately felt refreshed—every trace of gloom vanished.
Both were two-word phrases, yet “friend” and “wife” felt completely different!
Shao Kang came back with lunch, and when he opened the door, he saw Lan Xingchen looking completely at ease.
Shao Kang: ???
“What’s wrong? Not all forlorn anymore?”
Lan Xingchen glanced at him and smiled. “You’re right. I’ve decided to reconcile with Qingjian.”
“Exactly!” Shao Kang placed the lunch on the table. “Then what are you waiting for? Go now.”
“Wait, wait,” Lan Xingchen said.
He was worried this might be an impulsive decision, too headstrong, so he wanted to calm himself first.
Also, Pei Qingjian had always lived with him before, and Lan Xingchen had forgotten about He Liangyu, a potential problem. Now that Pei Qingjian was moving back, he remembered—what was He Liangyu doing?
Did he know his “son” had become famous? Would he try to do something that could harm Pei Qingjian’s career?
Lan Xingchen wanted to neutralize that risk first.
—Regardless of whether he and Pei Qingjian interacted as friends or as a boyfriend, he would handle this.
“I’ll take care of some business first and go see him after work.”
Shao Kang: ???
“You can actually sit still?”
He couldn’t help it. Previously, he hadn’t realized, so it was fine. Now that he did, he couldn’t stop worrying.
Four or five hours wouldn’t affect his relationship with Pei Qingjian.
But he couldn’t gamble with Pei Qingjian’s future in that time.
Lan Xingchen signaled Shao Kang to leave and started working.
By six in the evening, after checking He Liangyu’s movements and securing everything, he confirmed he wasn’t acting on impulse. He genuinely wanted to see Pei Qingjian and live with him.
Finally, he left the office and headed to Pei Qingjian’s home.
To his surprise, Pei Qingjian wasn’t home.
Lan Xingchen took out his phone and called him.
Pei Qingjian answered. “What’s up?”
“You’re not home?”
“Mm,” Pei Qingjian nodded. “I went out.”
He remembered that during filming, Xiao Jin had told him a temple in the southern city was very auspicious. When he was a child, he’d been having a streak of bad luck, so his mother went to get a talisman for him. Since then, his bad luck had disappeared completely.
Back then, Pei Qingjian had planned to have Xiao Jin take him to that temple to get a talisman for Lan Xingchen.
But when he finished filming, Lan Xingchen arrived too quickly and too early. He didn’t even have time to go with Xiao Jin to get the talisman before being whisked home by Lan Xingchen.
The next three days, he was still caught up in feelings of reluctance and attachment. By the time Xiao Jin remembered and called him about it, Lan Xingchen was coughing furiously, as if desperately trying to prevent him from going.
So it kept getting postponed until today.
Fortunately, Xiao Jin was patient and good-natured, and had no complaints, walking him through the temple visit calmly.
“When will you be back?” Lan Xingchen asked.
Pei Qingjian had just finished the temple’s vegetarian meal with Xiao Jin and was on the way home.
“Soon, about forty minutes.”
“Good,” Lan Xingchen agreed.
Pei Qingjian suddenly realized something. “You’re not waiting at my door, are you?”
Lan Xingchen didn’t deny it. “Mm.”
“Have you eaten?”
“Not yet.”
“You should eat first,” Pei Qingjian advised. “When I get back, I’ll come find you.”
Lan Xingchen wasn’t in the mood to eat. “It’s okay, I’ll wait for you.”
“Then go inside and wait. The code for my door is…” Pei Qingjian paused mid-sentence.
Lan Xingchen frowned. “What is it?”
Pei Qingjian felt a little embarrassed. “519627.”
Lan Xingchen: !!!
He froze—his birthday, and the date their contract ended.
“I’ll hang up now,” Pei Qingjian said, a bit embarrassed.
He held the phone, thinking: what should he do?
Lan Xingchen wouldn’t overthink this, would he?
Pei Qingjian felt uneasy. When he set the code, he only thought that using his own birthday would be unsafe, and he needed a number he wouldn’t forget. Then he thought of this combination: Lan Xingchen’s birthday plus the contract end date. It was something no one, not even Lan Xingchen himself, could guess.
But now… Lan Xingchen had guessed it immediately.
Would he think Pei Qingjian had impure intentions?
And… and… then they wouldn’t even be able to remain friends.
The thought made Pei Qingjian slightly sad.
He cherished Lan Xingchen deeply—he was the closest person to him in this world. So even as friends, he wanted to keep him close.
“What’s wrong?” Xiao Jin saw him suddenly frowning after taking a call and asked with concern, “Is your good friend upset?”
“Nothing,” Pei Qingjian replied. “Can you go a little faster? Someone’s waiting at home.”
“Sure,” Xiao Jin agreed with a smile.
Lan Xingchen entered the code Pei Qingjian had given him, and sure enough, the door unlocked.
He stepped inside and looked around Pei Qingjian’s new home, feeling as if he was glimpsing his heart.
He must like him too, right?
That’s why he used his birthday and the contract end date as the code?
Lan Xingchen’s lips couldn’t help but curl into a smile.
He sat quietly on the sofa, waiting for Pei Qingjian.
As he thought about Pei Qingjian’s arrival, he sent a message: [Where are you?]
Pei Qingjian: [Waiting at a red light, almost there.]
Lan Xingchen quickly stood, closed the door, and took the elevator down, arriving at the gate of the complex.
Then he saw Pei Qingjian step out of a car he didn’t recognize.
The window rolled down, revealing the familiar face of Xiao Jin, seemingly talking and laughing with Pei Qingjian—acting very close and intimate!
Lan Xingchen: !!!
He hurried over, asserting his presence.
He knew if he hadn’t come, that sly fox Xiao Jin would take advantage of the situation in minutes.
Hmph! Luckily, he had reacted quickly!