Xu Tang did not go to attend the Zong family’s anniversary banquet, but he was not idle either.
He Xin had invited him out for dinner. The location was a grilled fish restaurant that was part-time opened by a makeup artist.
This newly opened grilled fish shop did not have many customers yet. He Xin was someone who particularly liked this kind of food, and after a recommendation from a colleague, he invited Xu Tang to go together.
However, unfortunately, as soon as the two entered, they ran into the director of the web drama that Yue Yan was participating in and that He Xin was going to act as the second male lead in. This director was about their age, and his father was a well-known director, so he could be considered someone who inherited the profession from his father.
With this director were five or six young people. After introductions, they turned out to be supporting actors in the same web drama. They were signing contracts today, so they came out together for dinner.
The web drama was scheduled to start filming after the Spring Festival, but He Xin had already met the director many times. He had also given some opinions on casting, which the director agreed with, so their relationship was quite pleasant.
The director suggested that Xu Tang and He Xin eat together with them. The more people, the livelier it would be, and He Xin could also get familiar with these supporting actors. Among them, there were also people who liked Xu Tang and were eager to eat with him.
Xu Tang had never worked with this director before and was not familiar with him, but he had worked with the director’s father before and had sung theme songs for his father’s films twice. Plus He Xin’s face, so he did not refuse.
He Xin also thought that it would only take about an hour for this meal, and after finishing they could go somewhere else to continue drinking, so it would not delay anything.
So the two-person dinner turned into a group gathering.
During the meal, there was a young male actor named Fu Yi, also a newcomer, who seemed to particularly like Xu Tang and kept leaning toward him. He spoke politely, giving a good impression.
After the meal, Xu Tang and He Xin did not stay long. He Xin drove Xu Tang to his usual club, booked a small private room, ordered some snacks and beer, and prepared to chat, relax a bit, and also probe for information.
There was no one else in the room. There was no glass on the door, so no one could see inside. The two of them relaxed and lay on the sofa.
“How are things between you and Zong Xuan?” He Xin asked. This was the main reason he invited Xu Tang out today.
“Not much…” Xu Tang said lightly.
“What do you mean not much?” He did not believe nothing had happened.
“He said he wants to pursue me,” Xu Tang’s tone remained calm.
He Xin immediately sat up. “Alright Xue Xiao Tang, this is your turning point?”
Xu Tang lay there and said, “I rejected him.”
He Xin’s smile froze. “Why?” Zong Xuan had realized it, Xu Tang had gotten what he wanted, wasn’t this supposed to be a good outcome? Why did it suddenly turn like this?
Xu Tang took a sip of beer and said, “Before, I liked him and thought if I tried hard enough to be present in his life, he would like me too. So even with Teng Yizheng around, I didn’t feel much. I was a bit bothered, but I didn’t really have the chance to meet him often, so I could tolerate it. But now I realize I can’t ignore Teng Yizheng anymore. When I see Zong Xuan, I think of the look Teng Yizheng gave me. I’ve already been laughed at by Teng Yizheng for so many years, do I still have to continue being laughed at?”
“Will Zong Xuan break off contact with Teng Yizheng for me? He won’t. So between me and Zong Xuan, it’s like a dead knot that cannot be untied. There’s no way to continue. Also, I’m a bit tired now, like I suddenly lost the ability to love. So it’s better to leave something beautiful and let go.”
He Xin fell silent.
He had originally thought that if Zong Xuan and Xu Tang liked each other, a good ending would be fine. But now he realized it was not that simple. If he switched perspectives, if Yue Yan’s ex still kept in contact with him, would he feel comfortable? Definitely not. Even if there was no contact, just having the phone number stored would already be annoying, let alone frequent contact.
“Alright, if you don’t want to be with him, then forget it. I’ll introduce someone better for you later.” He Xin leaned closer, resting his head beside Xu Tang’s, “What kind do you like? Tell me and I’ll help you look.”
Xu Tang smiled faintly. “Wait another half year. We agreed on a half-year delay before divorcing. During this time we’ll both handle public relations to minimize reputation loss. So you can start looking, but don’t do anything now. If I get photographed, Kang Jie will explode.”
“Alright, got it. Cheers!”
They clinked bottles.
To make Xu Tang feel better, He Xin chatted randomly about everything under the sun and even exposed a lot of gossip.
However, Xu Tang’s alcohol tolerance was not good to begin with, and combined with drinking without restraint due to a bad mood, he quickly became drowsy and almost fell asleep, not remembering any of the gossip.
He Xin was slightly better in alcohol tolerance, but not by much. He kept talking to make Xu Tang happy and did not notice how much he had drunk. By the time Xu Tang was already half-asleep, he was also somewhat drunk.
So he took out his phone to call Yue Yan to come pick them up. But for some reason, the signal in the private room was not good. He staggered out, walked around the corner to the window where the signal was better, and made the call.
When he returned to the room, he unexpectedly saw Fu Yi.
Even though he was drunk, He Xin was not familiar with Fu Yi, so he instinctively tried to act sober and asked, “Why are you here?”
Fu Yi smiled. “Brother Xin, I was just wondering where you went. I came here with friends. Your door wasn’t fully closed, and I happened to see Brother Xue lying here asleep, so I came in to check.”
Seeing nothing unusual and Xu Tang sleeping peacefully, He Xin nodded. “It’s nothing. I just went out to make a call. Go do your thing.”
Fu Yi nodded. “Then I’ll leave first.”
After that, he left the room.
He Xin still stayed alert and secretly watched where Fu Yi went. He saw Fu Yi enter the innermost private room in the corridor. It did look like he had an appointment. Only then did He Xin feel relieved and closed the door, waiting for Yue Yan to come pick them up.
Half an hour later, Yue Yan arrived, and with him was Zong Xuan.
Yue Yan called Zong Xuan mainly because Xu Tang was drunk, and He Xin was also tipsy. Bringing Xu Tang back would require someone to take care of him, but in his mind, Xu Tang was his good brother’s wife, so it felt inappropriate for him to personally handle it.
When Zong Xuan received the call, the banquet was almost over.
Upon hearing that Xu Tang was drunk, he immediately found an excuse to leave early. He was worried that if he went too late, someone strange might take advantage of Xu Tang. After all, He Xin was drunk too and unreliable.
When he arrived at the club, Zong Xuan went straight to the private room sent by Yue Yan. As soon as he entered, he saw Xu Tang sleeping soundly on the sofa. On the other side, He Xin, who was very drunk, was lying on Yue Yan’s lap, hugging his waist and muttering incoherently.
Seeing Zong Xuan arrive, Yue Yan smiled. “Alright, I’ll leave Xu Tang to you. I’ll take He Xin back first.”
Zong Xuan nodded and walked toward Xu Tang.
Yue Yan carried He Xin, who was clinging to him like glue, and left.
Zong Xuan took off his coat and covered Xu Tang with it, then crouched down and called softly, “Tang Tang, wake up.”
Xu Tang did not respond at all, clearly in a deep sleep.
Zong Xuan touched his face. It was red and hot. He was worried he might catch a cold once he went outside into the wind.
Looking at Xu Tang sleeping so obediently, Zong Xuan really wanted to kiss him, but he restrained himself. After all, Xu Tang was not his boyfriend; he did not have the right to kiss him.
After looking for a long while, Zong Xuan picked up Xu Tang’s coat, wrapped him again, pulled up the hood to cover his head and most of his face, leaving only enough space to breathe properly. Then he lifted Xu Tang and left the club.
With Xu Tang like this, he definitely could not be sent back to his current residence, so it was better to go back to the villa.
The next morning when Xu Tang woke up, he felt slightly confused. After seeing the room layout, he realized he was in his bedroom at the villa.
—Why was he back here?
It definitely was not his own decision, nor could it have been He Xin, so there was only one possibility: Zong Xuan brought him back.
He had let loose the night before to release his recent frustrations, so he drank quite a lot. He originally thought He Xin would send him back to his place, but instead he woke up here.
He sat up and rubbed his face. It was already almost nine in the morning.
He was wearing sleepwear. It must have been changed by Zong Xuan, and since his thick pajamas probably could not be found, he was wearing an autumn set.
After washing up, he went downstairs and heard the sound of pots and pans clattering.
When he reached the kitchen, he saw Zong Xuan making breakfast. The pan was smoking from high heat, oil splattering everywhere, and whatever was inside was crackling loudly. Zong Xuan kept shaking his arm, apparently burned by oil splashes.
Hearing movement, Zong Xuan turned and saw him.
Xu Tang’s expression was not good, likely from the hangover.
“I made breakfast. Let’s eat together,” Zong Xuan said.
“I’m leaving,” Xu Tang replied.
“Don’t…” Zong Xuan quickly stopped him. “It snowed outside. The road is slippery. You drank so much last night. Your stomach will hurt if you don’t eat.”
Xu Tang looked outside. There really was a layer of snow.
The roads had been cleared, but the surface was still icy. Driving was unsafe, and taking a taxi might cause trouble if recognized.
Zong Xuan was very grateful for the snow, because it gave him an excuse to keep Xu Tang there.
“Eat first,” Zong Xuan said with a smile.
After some hesitation, Xu Tang sat down.
The toast was fine, but the fried eggs and sausages were almost inedible—too salty.
After breakfast, Zong Xuan said, “Tang Tang, I’ll go back to filming next week. Move back here.”
“Let’s talk about it,” Xu Tang said.
Zong Xuan looked at him. “Can we talk properly?”
“About what?” Xu Tang felt uncomfortable.
He finally said, “I can’t accept you still being in contact with Teng Yizheng.”
Zong Xuan took his hand. “It’s not like that. I did like him before, but that’s in the past. There’s nothing between us now. Please believe me. I’ll keep distance from him from now on so you won’t be uncomfortable.”
“Zong Xuan, do you believe it?” Xu Tang smiled faintly. “There is no pure friendship between two people who once had ambiguity. I didn’t believe it before, but now I do.”
Zong Xuan fell silent.
He could confirm he had no feelings left for Teng Yizheng. If Teng Yizheng needed help, he would help as a friend. But he would not allow him to use his name for investment schemes like before.
But what about Teng Yizheng? What did he think of him? From their past ambiguity, frequent contact, the perfume, the hospital care, and now the investment rumors… who gave Teng Yizheng that confidence?
—It was him.
His unclear attitude. His indulgence. His warmth. All of it had given the wrong signals.
“I’m sorry. I will pay attention from now on,” Zong Xuan said sincerely.
Xu Tang did not respond.
After breakfast, Xu Tang had Yuan Shang pick him up.
Zong Xuan did not stop him this time. Instead of forcing him to stay, he chose to reflect on his actions.
That day, Xu Tang went to the company to record songs. After leaving the recording room, Kang Duo handed him a red envelope.
“What is this? A red packet? It’s not Spring Festival yet,” Xu Tang laughed.
“It’s not. Just read it,” Kang Duo said.
Inside was a card and a note:
Tang Tang, I went back to filming. I’ll be back before Spring Festival. Use this card if you want to buy anything. The password is written below. I will reflect properly on what you said. Wait for me, okay?
Xu Tang sighed deeply. He planned to return the card along with the divorce agreement when he got home.
Half a month passed.
Xu Tang had switched back to his original phone, but still did not reply to any messages or answer calls from Zong Xuan.
During this time, he once went to a café near his company and saw Teng Yizheng sitting with a man by the window. They seemed to be discussing something, but the other party suddenly got angry and left. Teng Yizheng tried to smile and apologize, but failed to keep him.
The man left angrily, and Teng Yizheng sat back down, looking exhausted before leaving later.
Xu Tang only observed. He did not feel happy about it; it had nothing to do with him.
He continued living in his own place while Zong Xuan was away filming, and fewer reporters came to dig up news.
One evening, just as he was about to eat, Kang Duo called urgently.
“What is your relationship with Fu Yi?” she asked directly, clearly angry.
“Fu Yi?” Xu Tang thought for a while and remembered. “Not really anything. We just ate together once when I was out with He Xin. We happened to meet the director, and he was one of the supporting actors.”
“That’s it?”
“Yes. Why?”
Kang Duo gritted her teeth. “Go online and look at the Weibo account ‘Weekly See’. I’m f***ing furious!”
Xu Tang quickly opened his computer and checked Weibo.
A pinned post read: [#Xu Tang cheating# Recently, the relationship issues between Xu Tang and Zong Xuan have been under attention. Xu Tang previously clarified the separation rumor, but during Zong Xuan’s filming period, Xu Tang was seen having an ambiguous relationship with a new actor, Fu Yi. What does Film Emperor Zong think about this? How much truth is there in the earlier clarification of separation?]