Chapter 24
Before deleting each other on WeChat, the last sentence that Xiang Mo sent to Qian Kun was: “Let’s break up.”
At that time, this sentence had a somewhat impulsive tone, as Xiang Mo thought that if he used the breakup as a threat, Qian Kun would change his mind. However, the truth was that Qian Kun was determined to go abroad to pursue his career. Faced with Xiang Mo’s proposal to break up, he only left five words in response: “I will come back.”
In Xiang Mo’s understanding, the breakup was a mutual agreement, without any doubts.
Although he didn’t propose the breakup sincerely at first, Qian Kun’s attitude was equivalent to accepting it. Therefore, Xiang Mo always thought of himself as the one who got dumped and took a long time to move on.
But looking at Qian Kun now, it seemed like he didn’t believe that he and Xiang Mo had broken up.
“I said I will come back, why don’t you believe me?” Qian Kun spoke calmly, exuding an air of confidence.
In the small courtyard of the art studio, Xiang Mo asked Du Chi to take Sanmao upstairs, leaving only the two of them—Xiang Mo and Qian Kun.
After three years, Qian Kun had shed his impatience and became more mature. His casual business shirt highlighted his poised temperament, and his refined leather shoes gave him a dashing and gentlemanly look.
Even though his words carried a hint of questioning, his tone conveyed a sense of composure.
If it were Xiang Mo from three years ago, he might have been more fascinated by the present Qian Kun. However, that was assuming they hadn’t broken up.
“We have already broken up,” Xiang Mo repeated again, his tone flat, as if stating the opening hours of the art studio.
“I never agreed to break up,” Qian Kun scanned the small courtyard, seemingly dissatisfied with the outdoor setting for their conversation. He suggested, “We need to talk about this properly. Let’s go to my car.”
Talking didn’t seem to be getting them anywhere, and Xiang Mo didn’t want to waste time or energy.
Feeling somewhat annoyed, he shifted his gaze away and noticed Sanmao squatting at the door of the art studio, sticking out her tongue and blatantly eavesdropping on their conversation.
“What are you looking at?” Xiang Mo wondered if Sanmao was spying on him for her owner.
“Baobao,” noticing Xiang Mo’s lack of cooperation, Qian Kun frowned and called him again.
“Don’t call me Baobao,” Xiang Mo coolly averted his gaze. “Regardless of what you think, Qian Kun, you are already part of my past here.”
So please don’t linger and save yourself from becoming a spectacle for the person upstairs.
—He didn’t say the latter part of the sentence out loud, as he wasn’t sure if Du Chi was indeed upstairs observing.
“But I told you to wait for me,” Qian Kun’s tone remained resolute, as if he believed that as long as he could reason with Xiang Mo, they could resolve the matter.
Once upon a time, the old Xiang Mo had been drawn to Qian Kun’s confidence, considering him a radiant and glowing little sun that even influenced him to be more positive.
However, with age and experience, confidence was no longer a precious quality for Xiang Mo, as he had become the entire universe for himself, not needing anyone else to shine on him.
“I didn’t wait for you. Is that okay?” Xiang Mo didn’t want to engage in meaningless arguments or revisit the process of their breakup. He gave a straightforward conclusion that any smart person should understand—there’s nothing to discuss.
Qian Kun fell silent for a moment and then suddenly asked, “Is that man just now your boyfriend?”
The conversation inexplicably shifted to Du Chi, and Xiang Mo didn’t follow the lead. “Huh?”
“Who is he to you?” Qian Kun asked again.
The question was difficult to answer.
Everyone’s emotions when facing an ex are delicate, and Xiang Mo is no exception. He could have joked with Tang Song and said that Du Chi was just a fling, but he couldn’t say the same thing to Qian Kun.
The international common rule after a breakup is to let the ex know that you’re doing well. Xiang Mo couldn’t let Qian Kun think that his life had fallen apart after Qian Kun left, that he couldn’t find a decent partner, and that he could only find a casual hookup.
Although that was somewhat true in a certain sense, his life was actually quite perfect, and he didn’t want Qian Kun to misunderstand.
So the easiest way was to say that Du Chi was his boyfriend.
However, Xiang Mo didn’t know what he was avoiding, or if it was because of Sanmao’s watchful eyes, he immediately denied that thought.
After hesitating for a long time, he surprisingly spoke the truth, “He is my neighbor.”
As soon as the words were out, Xiang Mo started to regret it. He could have confidently replied, “It’s none of your business.”
“That’s good,” Qian Kun visibly relaxed. “Since you think we’ve broken up, I’ll start pursuing you again from today.”
Xiang Mo couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on. He instinctively looked up at the third-floor balcony, hoping that someone could come down and help, but Du Chi’s figure was nowhere to be seen at the balcony.
“I used to be able to pursue you, and I can still do it now.”
With that, Qian Kun left before Xiang Mo could say anything else.
Xiang Mo didn’t know who leaked his address to Qian Kun, and it wouldn’t make sense to ask each WeChat friend one by one.
He searched the first and second floors but didn’t find Sanmao. Finally, he went to the third-floor balcony and saw Du Chi sitting comfortably in a recliner, holding Sanmao while enjoying the evening breeze.
The days were getting longer, and even after seven o’clock, one could still see the remnants of the setting sun. The wind was a bit strong at this moment, causing the nearby phoenix trees to rustle.
Xiang Mo took a seat on another vacant recliner, but before he could speak, Du Chi teased, “My little treasure?”
From his tone, it was as if he was saying, “Darling, how many surprises do you have that I don’t know about?”
Xiang Mo wasn’t surprised at all that Du Chi held on to that nickname. If Du Chi didn’t tease him, it would feel unusual.
“Don’t call me that,” Xiang Mo said nonchalantly.
“Ex-boyfriend?” Du Chi asked.
“Yeah.”
“He looks quite handsome.”
Xiang Mo turned his head to look at Du Chi and found him playing with Sanmao in his arms. He couldn’t tell if Du Chi was engaged in a serious conversation or just casually chatting, but the compliment about Qian Kun being handsome sounded insincere no matter how he heard it.
“Oh, do you like him?” Xiang Mo said casually. “I can introduce you to him.”
Du Chi paused in his interactions with Sanmao, raised his eyes nonchalantly, and looked at Xiang Mo, asking, “Are you willing?”
Xiang Mo subconsciously thought Du Chi was referring to his reluctance to let go of his ex-boyfriend. He was about to deny it when he suddenly felt that something wasn’t quite right.
If he wasn’t mistaken, Du Chi seemed to be asking if Xiang Mo was willing to let him go.
The orange sunset was a bit too glaring, causing Xiang Mo’s cheeks to flush slightly. He uncomfortably averted his gaze and looked at the distant high-rise buildings. “You know about Fang He’s Private Art Gallery, right? The one where I held my solo exhibition.”
Since Du Chi had been there before, he must know about it.
Du Chi didn’t deny it and continued playing with Sanmao. “So what?”
“It’s not easy to have a solo exhibition there. It was because of my ex-boyfriend’s family connections that I could hold it there.”
“Is that so?”
“His family is in the real estate business. In recent years, many Chinese have been buying properties overseas, and his family expanded their business to overseas markets.”
“Oh.”
Sanmao, who was lying in Du Chi’s arms, was originally comfortable and purring. However, for some reason, she suddenly jumped out of Du Chi’s arms and disappeared down the hallway.
Despite being pregnant, Sanmao was still agile.
“You’re not interested,” Xiang Mo perceptively noticed that Du Chi was unusually reserved in his response. “Let’s not talk about him then.”
“No,” Du Chi lazily replied, “there are still some interesting aspects.”
“Such as?”
“Why do you like him?” Du Chi asked, posing an utterly unhelpful question.
It felt like a stone tossed into a vast ocean, not causing any significant ripples. The current Xiang Mo looked at love and relationships with a light heart and no longer cared to reminisce about his youth.
Du Chi seemed like he wanted to continue asking, but at that moment, the doorbell downstairs suddenly rang.
Glad to have an interruption to the topic, Xiang Mo stood up and walked to the balcony to look downstairs. He saw Auntie Zhou from the neighboring flower shop standing outside the courtyard, holding a large bouquet of red roses.
“Is she looking for you?” Xiang Mo turned back and asked Du Chi.
Du Chi stood up and joined Xiang Mo at the balcony, noticing the eye-catching red roses downstairs. He raised an eyebrow and asked, “Are you sure it’s not your ex-boyfriend?”
Asking from a higher vantage point seemed a bit impolite. Xiang Mo and Du Chi then went downstairs from the balcony. As Du Chi had anticipated, the bouquet of roses in Auntie Zhou’s hands was indeed from Qian Kun.
“Just a moment ago, a customer ordered 99 roses, and it took quite a while to pack them,” Auntie Zhou, dressed in a plain-colored qipao, handed the large bouquet of roses to Xiang Mo. She then rearranged the silk scarf draped over her elbow and hesitated before saying, “Xiao Xiang, if you encounter a mentally disturbed person, you can choose to call the police.”
For someone from Auntie Zhou’s generation, homosexuality wasn’t considered glamorous. Qian Kun’s blatant gesture of sending roses to Xiang Mo revealed his intentions.
Even though Xiang Mo knew Auntie Zhou meant well and wanted to remind him, he still felt somewhat embarrassed. After all, by Auntie Zhou’s standards, he could be considered “mentally disturbed” as well.
As he hesitated about how to respond, Du Chi suddenly put his arm around Xiang Mo’s shoulder and spoke naturally, “Auntie Zhou, who do you think is mentally disturbed?”
Du Chi’s tone was affectionate, like a younger one playfully teasing an elder, effortlessly diffusing Xiang Mo’s awkwardness.
Any perceptive person could tell that Du Chi was outing himself together with Xiang Mo, implying that they were united in this matter.
Auntie Zhou, being a worldly-wise person, was momentarily taken aback but quickly responded with a slight hint of apology, “Xiao Xiang, I have lived overseas before and seen these kinds of things; it’s very normal. I just thought you weren’t like that, so…”
“It’s okay, Auntie Zhou,” Xiang Mo said, “I don’t mind.”
After Auntie Zhou left, Xiang Mo handed the bouquet of roses to Du Chi and said, “Thanks.”
He didn’t have any ulterior motives; it was just that Auntie Zhou had packaged the roses so nicely, and throwing them away felt wasteful of someone else’s efforts. So he decided to give them to Du Chi instead. Without Du Chi’s help to handle the situation just now, he wouldn’t have known how to respond.
“That’s not very nice,” Du Chi said as he pulled out the small card hidden in the bouquet and casually read, “‘You will forever be my baby.'” After finishing reading it, he wrinkled his brow and clicked his tongue.
Honestly, Xiang Mo was also slightly repulsed. How could he have liked being called that when he was younger?
With a somewhat disgusted tone mimicking Du Chi’s, he said, “So you’re my baby, okay?”
“Okay,” Du Chi smiled and suddenly asked, “Do you need any help?”
“What kind of help?” Xiang Mo asked.
“With this,” Du Chi shook the small card in his hand, “or are you going to handle it yourself?”
The “tool man” came back online, which was exactly what Xiang Mo wanted.
However, Qian Kun was different from Tang Song. At least Tang Song could communicate and compromise, but Qian Kun grew up in a family environment that fostered unwavering self-confidence. He wouldn’t listen to anyone else; he believed in his own judgment.
After thinking for a moment, Xiang Mo said, “This time, I can’t pretend we were bed partners.”
Besides fearing that Qian Kun might think he had a dissolute lifestyle, Xiang Mo was also afraid that Qian Kun would say he didn’t mind and presumptuously try to “save” him. That wouldn’t solve the problem and would only make things more complicated.
“In that case, you’ll save me the trouble of pretending too,” Du Chi said.
The idea of not pretending and making their relationship official was lingering in Xiang Mo’s mind. He couldn’t remember when exactly it happened, but Du Chi had become increasingly casual in their conversations, as if they were always at ease with each other.
Ignoring Du Chi’s earlier remark, Xiang Mo continued, “The point is, the ‘bed partner’ excuse won’t work.”
By now, it was completely dark outside, and the tall plane trees blocked the streetlights, making it difficult to see each other’s faces clearly in the small courtyard.
Xiang Mo turned and headed inside, with Du Chi following closely behind, placing the bouquet of roses on the long table in the art studio.
“Does he really not mind?” Du Chi asked.
“It’s not that he doesn’t mind; he just thinks being bed partners is merely settling and not true love. He believes he’s the one for me.” Xiang Mo paused his steps, turned to look at Du Chi, and thoughtfully said, “You might have to pretend to be my boyfriend.”
A voice-activated light suddenly illuminated the hallway, casting a warm golden glow, and the steps seemed to narrow the height difference between the two, bringing them closer together.
Suddenly, Xiang Mo felt that it was inappropriate to use the term “boyfriend” between two single-minded individuals. So he turned again, continuing upstairs, and said nonchalantly, “Forget it, don’t get involved.”
“Hmm.” Du Chi chuckled from behind, and the next second, he grabbed Xiang Mo’s wrist.
“Since he’s so confident, what if pretending to be your boyfriend doesn’t work either?”
Before Xiang Mo could react, he felt the warmth of Du Chi’s chest against his back.
Du Chi wrapped his arms around Xiang Mo’s waist from behind, lazily resting his chin on Xiang Mo’s shoulder, and leaned closer to his ear, saying, “You agree, my wife?”
A tingling electric current traveled from Xiang Mo’s ear to his heart, as if it were overloaded and then disappeared when it reached his fingertips. He could clearly feel the overwhelming masculine pheromones emanating from the large dog behind him.
Pretending to be a boyfriend might not be thrilling enough. Pretending to be an old married couple directly might stop Qian Kun from bothering him.
His throat felt inexplicably dry, and Xiang Mo lightly licked his lips before turning his head to look at Du Chi, asking, “Do you want to go to my room?”
The arm around his waist tightened slightly, and Du Chi gazed fixedly at Xiang Mo’s lips, replying, “Yes.”
The art gallery where Mo Mo’s exhibition was held belonged to the Du family.
