On the other end, He Xiaoyuan crouched on the floor, holding his phone close, face buried in his arm.
Too—embarrassing!
He had only just returned to the apartment.
On the way back, he had tried to stay calm, rational, and think through his response carefully.
But upon entering, he saw the decorative glass vase that Xu Ruomeng had given him earlier, placed on the stone pillar by the stairs. He went over, stared at it, and suddenly found he couldn’t step away.
There’s a joke, slightly suggestive, that men have always been particularly fascinated by holes and openings.
At that moment, He Xiaoyuan stood before the vase, staring at its opening. Pure instinct made him raise his hand. Before he realized it, the flower was already in the vase. Seeing it there, he recognized something and couldn’t bear to look directly—he truly did have feelings for Lu Chen!
Truly!
He Xiaoyuan’s expressions that day were unlike anything he had ever experienced: eyebrows furrowed, face scrunched, sighing, features twitching as if in mild pain.
He Xiaoyuan, well done.
And he still dared to call himself straight?
Since when?
For how long?
Hadn’t he noticed before?
He Xiaoyuan stood before the rose, silently processing.
Before he could recall exactly when he started liking Lu Chen, Xu Ruomeng sent a message: 【?】
He Xiaoyuan, standing at the stairway, lowered his head to hold his phone: 【?】
Xu Ruomeng: 【How’s it going?】
He Xiaoyuan thought for a moment, didn’t type, lifted the phone, and took a photo of the rose in front of him, sending it: 【Photo.】
Xu Ruomeng: 【?】
Xu Ruomeng: 【You’re back at the apartment.】
Xu Ruomeng: 【Lu Ge left, you’re alone.】
He Xiaoyuan pressed the voice button and whispered the arrangement he and Lu Chen had agreed on regarding the rose in the vase.
Xu Ruomeng: 【!!!】
Xu Ruomeng: 【You placed it!!!】
Xu Ruomeng: 【You really placed it!!!】
Xu Ruomeng: 【So you agreed?】
She immediately called.
As soon as He Xiaoyuan picked up, Xu Ruomeng shrieked: “You agreed!!!!? Did you really agree!!!?”
The noise was so loud He Xiaoyuan had to hold the phone farther away.
Xu Ruomeng: “Say it quickly!”
He Xiaoyuan replied truthfully: “I put the flower in the vase. He doesn’t know yet.”
Xu Ruomeng immediately yelled, completely forgetting any image of grace: “Then let him know quickly! I know already—how could he not know? You don’t get it! You sent me a photo but didn’t send it to him. Before it hits midnight, hurry!”
He Xiaoyuan: “What’s with midnight?”
Xu Ruomeng had never seen someone this clueless:
“Before midnight, if you agree, then today—Valentine’s Day—you’re together! Next Valentine’s Day is your anniversary!”
He Xiaoyuan: “……”
Xu Ruomeng, exasperated: “Hang up, hang up, hang up. Hurry!”
The call ended, and the apartment instantly fell quiet.
He Xiaoyuan held his phone, staring at the rose in the vase, eyes fixed.
Now… send it?
Send it?
He did.
He Xiaoyuan calmly sent the photo, and immediately realized—once Lu Chen saw it, it would be “settled.” His heart flared again—does this count as agreeing? Does this mean they’re basically together? Does this mean he’s no longer alone?
Dating?
Having a boyfriend?
He Xiaoyuan crouched on the floor, face red.
After a while, he checked his phone—silent. Lu Chen hadn’t replied.
Hadn’t seen it?
Not home yet?
Should have arrived by now.
Still no reply?
Wait a little longer.
He held the phone tightly and buried his face again.
Not long after, the phone vibrated.
He had to mentally prepare before looking at the screen—it was Xu Ruomeng.
Xu Ruomeng: 【Did you send it?】
Xu Ruomeng: 【Don’t be shy, you have to send it now!】
Xu Ruomeng: 【You can’t delay responding to a confession. Yes or no, that’s it.】
He Xiaoyuan, still crouched, pressed the phone: 【I already sent it.】
Xu Ruomeng: 【!!!】
Xu Ruomeng: 【Well done!】
Xu Ruomeng: 【Confetti.jpg】【Spinning.jpg】
Xu Ruomeng: 【Got the big golden turtle!】
He Xiaoyuan: “……”
He Xiaoyuan: 【I saw that—you called him the big golden turtle.】
Xu Ruomeng: 【Laughing-crying.jpg】
Xu Ruomeng: 【Isn’t he exactly a big golden turtle?】
Xu Ruomeng: 【A senior exec at a big company, not just anyone.】
Xu Ruomeng: 【I heard he’s filthy rich.】
He Xiaoyuan didn’t care about wealth. He knew his own feelings for Lu Chen weren’t influenced by money.
He checked the chat again—still no reply from Lu Chen.
?
Maybe he’s in the shower?
Switching back to Xu Ruomeng:
Xu Ruomeng: 【But don’t celebrate too early.】
Xu Ruomeng: 【You have a problem now.】
Xu Ruomeng: 【With the big golden turtle, are you the top, or is he the top?】
Xu Ruomeng: 【If he wants you to be the top, can you handle it?】
Xu Ruomeng: 【You need to figure out roles first.】
Xu Ruomeng: 【Ah, I love this topic.】
Xu Ruomeng: 【Other girls have gay besties—I finally have one too.】
Xu Ruomeng: 【Who’s 1, who’s 0? I can finally join this discussion.】
Xu Ruomeng: 【Shy-shy.jpg】
Xu Ruomeng: 【Starry-eyed happy.jpg】
He Xiaoyuan: “……………………”
Xu Ruomeng: 【Hello? Why so quiet?】
Xu Ruomeng: 【I think you shouldn’t be top. Your big golden turtle’s aura—clearly top of tops.】
Xu Ruomeng: 【But I heard being 0 can cause back pain + sore butt.】
He Xiaoyuan: …………………………????
He Xiaoyuan pressed the phone and sent a voice message: “Behave yourself.”
Xu Ruomeng replied with a voice message: “How am I not behaving? I’m just talking about practical things, okay?
“If you don’t clarify roles, are you just going to be all heart and no action?”
“….”
This kind of risqué conversation hadn’t happened in a long time. He Xiaoyuan almost forgot that Xu Ruomeng wasn’t exactly a goody-two-shoes.
He remembered the last time they talked this openly—it was in college. Xu Ruomeng had been curious about what a guy’s foreskin looked like.
Now, Xu Ruomeng sent another voice message: “I’ll buy some condoms for you later. Also… you remember, it’s best to get your big golden turtle to take care of that foreskin thing. I’ve always heard that too long can trap dirt… don’t…”
He Xiaoyuan didn’t dare listen to the whole thing—he immediately ended the voice message.
He was crouched, already flushed from embarrassment, and after hearing all that from Xu Ruomeng, his face turned even redder.
After calming himself, he sent a voice reply: “Okay, enough. Stop talking.”
Let’s just keep things within limits, friend.
Xu Ruomeng: “How can I stop? We’re good friends—I have to remind you.
“You’ve never dated before, especially a guy, so your knowledge of these things isn’t complete. As a friend, I’m giving you lessons.”
“….”
He Xiaoyuan: “Thanks.”
Switching chats again, he noticed Lu Chen still hadn’t replied. He began to feel concerned.
?
So long, still no reply?
Maybe he dropped his phone and went to sleep?
At that moment, the electronic door lock beeped “di-du.”
He Xiaoyuan, surprised, turned around—Lu Chen had arrived.
He ignored Xu Ruomeng’s new messages, immediately stood up, but having been crouched too long, his legs went numb. He couldn’t support himself, and his body pitched forward with a “thud,” hitting the floor.
The apartment door was open, but since He Xiaoyuan had latched the chain when he got home, it only opened a narrow crack.
Lu Chen didn’t push the door. Hearing the loud thud, he quickly asked: “Xiao Yuan? Are you okay?”
He Xiaoyuan picked himself up, wincing from the pain in his arm, grabbing his phone: “It’s fine.”
Lu Chen, calm: “Open the door.”
He Xiaoyuan rubbed his elbow and walked toward the entryway. He reached for the chain, then let it go, standing by the door. Tilting his head, he peeked through the opening, revealing just his eyes, blinking, clearly shy: “Why are you here?”
Lu Chen, still in his evening clothes, didn’t urge him to open the door. He already understood why the door wasn’t fully opened—the photo had been sent, and He Xiaoyuan was embarrassed.
With the answer already in hand, Lu Chen wasn’t in a hurry. He spoke gently: “Already asleep?”
He Xiaoyuan hid behind the door, voice small and muffled, obedient: “Not yet.”
Lu Chen patiently: “Showered?”
He Xiaoyuan: “No.”
Lu Chen coaxed: “If you’re not going to sleep, can I come in and sit for a bit?”
He Xiaoyuan didn’t respond, just revealed a pair of deep, clear eyes—black, dark, almost bottomless.
Lu Chen looked at those eyes and finally said: “I saw the photo.”
A quiet “oh” came from inside, tone unreadable.
Lu Chen, smiling: “Even though it’s not the 11th-floor terrace at the office, placing it in the vase counts, right?”
He added: “Did you decide so quickly?”
No response from inside.
Lu Chen: “Are you shy? Blushing?”
He Xiaoyuan, peeking from behind the door, face flushed: “…”
He muttered: “I just drank some wine, that’s all.”
Lu Chen, a little impatient, pushed the door gently: “Xiao Yuan, let me in.”
The door didn’t move. He Xiaoyuan spoke slowly from behind it: “Maybe you should go back today… it’s late.”
“I—I want to sleep.”
“Tomorrow, then?”
Tomorrow. One night might give him the courage to face his answer to Lu Chen, to being no longer single, to dating, to having a boyfriend.
He Xiaoyuan emphasized again: “Tomorrow.”
Lu Chen: “Tomorrow?”
“Mm.”
He Xiaoyuan nodded.
Lu Chen: “Are you sure?”
He Xiaoyuan wasn’t entirely certain, but he disliked dragging things out. He had already agreed to Lu Chen—surely he wouldn’t nod and then refuse afterward.
From behind the door, he nodded again.
Lu Chen didn’t press it, speaking warmly: “Alright, I’ll head back first. You get some rest.”
He added a suggestion: “Lunch together tomorrow?”
He Xiaoyuan: “We’ll see.”
They normally didn’t have lunch together; He Xiaoyuan usually ate in the company cafeteria, and Lu Chen seemed never to go there.
Lu Chen didn’t say more: “Okay, I’m leaving. You close the door.”
He Xiaoyuan blinked: “Good night.”
Lu Chen: “Good night.”
Lu Chen closed the door. Once it shut, He Xiaoyuan could no longer hear anything outside.
He thought he heard faint footsteps—then silence. Probably gone, he guessed.
He Xiaoyuan rubbed his forehead, facial features twisting: Really, huh? Didn’t reply for ages, then sends the photo so quickly… and when you show up in person, you don’t just come in? Coward!
He cursed himself silently, looked at the door chain, finally reached up to unlock it, slowly turned the knob, and carefully poked his head, neck, and body out, then turned to glance down the hallway toward the elevator.
The corridor was empty.
Alright.
What he didn’t realize was that Lu Chen hadn’t gone anywhere. He was standing against the wall on the other side of the door, watching He Xiaoyuan poke his head out like a little turtle. Seeing this, Lu Chen smiled to himself.
Just as He Xiaoyuan was about to retreat, Lu Chen spoke: “Looking for me, boyfriend?”
Stepping forward, he pushed the door open effortlessly and came up to the now-upright He Xiaoyuan, chest to chest, face to face, repeating: “Looking for me, boyfriend?”
Immediately, a heat shot from He Xiaoyuan’s feet straight to his face.