Regarding Teng Yizheng’s matter, Xu Tang heard about it from Yue Yan. Yue Yan was one of Zong Xuan’s very few friends in the industry, and the two would occasionally go out to meet and had frequent interactions.
Yue Yan was one year younger than Zong Xuan, and they had already collaborated several times. However, he was not an actor, but a producer, and also currently the youngest gold-medal producer in the industry. If Zong Xuan was roguish, then Yue Yan was wicked. The two who both looked not very proper together were unexpectedly very compatible—perhaps this was called birds of a feather flock together.
Yue Yan worked in film and television dramas. Logically speaking, he should not have much connection with Xu Tang. But with He Xin’s relationship, he could be considered He Xin’s family member.
Yes, Yue Yan and He Xin were a couple. The two of them had gotten married three months earlier than Xu Tang and Zong Xuan. This was not a secret, and fans mostly accepted it with blessings. After marriage, their public interactions were not many, but they were very loving, considered a model couple in the industry. Because of He Xin’s connection, Xu Tang got closer to Yue Yan, and Yue Yan also knew about his matters, so regarding Zong Xuan’s situation, Yue Yan told Xu Tang everything that could be told.
Zong Xuan had always liked Teng Yizheng, the kind of liking that was love. But Teng Yizheng was heterosexual, so he could not respond to Zong Xuan’s feelings. However, although it was said he did not respond, their relationship was clearly more intimate than ordinary friends.
Yue Yan said that at that time when Zong Xuan told him about the reason Teng Yizheng rejected him, it was that Teng Yizheng was not without feelings for Zong Xuan, but he had never liked men, and had no interest in other men either. In other words, even if he somewhat liked Zong Xuan, he was still heterosexual and only liked Zong Xuan alone. But this kind of liking that went against his original orientation, he could not guarantee would last. If one day the feeling changed, and he no longer had this kind of liking for Zong Xuan, then if they broke up, they would not even be able to remain friends. Moreover, Teng Yizheng’s family was very traditional; even though same-sex marriage had been legal for many years, his family still could not accept it. If he were together with Zong Xuan, he would inevitably face resistance from his family, which would be very hurtful to love. So after comprehensive consideration, he felt it was better to continue being friends with Zong Xuan, so their relationship would be more stable and they would not lose each other.
Zong Xuan understood Teng Yizheng and also accepted his request. So their current relationship was more intimate than friends, but not lovers.
And in the year before Xu Tang and Zong Xuan got married, Teng Yizheng married his university junior. The two of them seemed to have a stable relationship and were almost ready to have a child.
Xu Tang understood very well the principle that “what cannot be obtained is the best,” so toward Teng Yizheng, he felt some envy and jealousy.
However, after he married Zong Xuan, Teng Yizheng went abroad with his wife for further study. After the wedding, he never saw Teng Yizheng again. As for how Zong Xuan contacted Teng Yizheng in private, he did not know.
“Then what are you going to do?” He Xin asked.
Xu Tang gave a bitter smile. “What can I do?”
He Xin was also unable to answer. He wanted Xu Tang to leave Zong Xuan, because Zong Xuan had not shown any affection toward Xu Tang, so he felt there was no need for Xu Tang to waste time on him. But now that Teng Yizheng had returned, if Xu Tang just left like this, he also felt unwilling—why was it that Zong Xuan treated that unattainable Teng Yizheng so wholeheartedly, yet showed no response to someone who liked him so much?
Logically speaking, even if Zong Xuan and Xu Tang were an arranged marriage, there was no agreement on when the marriage would end. Since Zong Xuan was willing to enter this marriage, shouldn’t they try to understand each other after marriage? If it eventually became a case of feelings growing over time, wouldn’t that be perfect? But what was Zong Xuan doing? Busy all day and not coming home. Finally having free time, he caused that scandal. Now the scandal had not even settled, still at the center of attention, and he ran off to see Teng Yizheng again.
The more he thought, the angrier He Xin became. “Do you know I’m speaking up for you? You should also know I’ve always been on your side. Yes, I shouldn’t be provoking you at this time. But as a friend, I want to ask you—can you let go of Zong Xuan and live your own life?”
He Xin was doing it for his good; Xu Tang of course knew that. But the words of gratitude reached his throat, yet because of the sourness there, he could not say them. At that moment, he really thought a lot, and had many things he wanted to say and talk to He Xin about. But at the same time, because of overwhelming helplessness, he no longer wanted to say anything or talk about anything. He felt that sometimes he was like a coward—thinking too much, worrying too much, unable to move forward, and in the end suffering both ways…
After a long while, He Xin sighed. “Forget it, don’t make things hard for yourself. Just pretend I didn’t say anything earlier.”
“He Xin…” Xu Tang’s voice was hoarse. “I know everything you said is right. I also understand that if I keep stagnating, no one has the obligation to keep persuading me. I will think about it properly.”
He Xin fell silent for a while, then said, “Xu Tang, you have only loved others, but have never been loved in return, so you don’t understand how happy it is to love someone while also being loved back by that person. I have obtained such happiness, so I hope you can be as happy as I am.”
“Okay.” Xu Tang responded. He had always envied He Xin and Yue Yan’s relationship. Before, he thought maybe one day he and Zong Xuan could also be like that, but now it seemed… too difficult…
In the private room, Zong Xuan and Teng Yizheng were chatting happily.
The two of them did not mention Xu Tang, nor did they mention Teng Yizheng’s wife. They only talked about things between them.
Teng Yizheng spoke a lot about App planning. He said the App would be named “You Nian”—having someone to miss, and wanting to send that person a satisfactory gift.
While speaking, Teng Yizheng’s eyes kept looking at Zong Xuan, bright and shining, as if this name was specially created for Zong Xuan.
After finishing the name, Teng Yizheng also took out a gift and placed it on the table, saying: “For you. When I smelled it at that time, I thought of you.”
This gift had no fancy packaging. One could tell at a glance what it was—a bottle of perfume. A very niche kind, and precisely because it was niche, it felt special, or rather carried a sense of “possession.”
Zong Xuan had never used this brand, but had heard of it. The brand founder and perfumer was a gay man, and all his perfumes were made for his lover—each bottle was a memory of their love…
“Thank you.” Zong Xuan accepted the gift.
Teng Yizheng smiled and shifted the topic back to the App.
“I plan to invite some well-known celebrities to shoot ads for us. That way, the influence will be stronger.” As he spoke, his eyes looked toward Zong Xuan.
Zong Xuan was still looking at the perfume bottle and did not notice his gaze.
Teng Yizheng was very clear that if he directly approached Wen Hui to talk about endorsement for the App, Wen Hui would definitely not agree, because first, with his current ability, he could not afford such endorsement fees, and second, it did not match Zong Xuan’s usual positioning. So he wanted to directly persuade Zong Xuan; that way, even if Wen Hui was unwilling, there would be nothing she could do.
However, he could not say it directly. If Zong Xuan felt he was being used, that would be bad. So he had to be roundabout, preferably letting Zong Xuan bring it up himself.
“You know, since it’s a startup, my funding is also tight. It’s really not easy to find a suitable spokesperson.” Teng Yizheng’s smile faded slightly, showing a bit of worry.
However, before Zong Xuan could see his expression of distress, his phone rang.
“Sorry, I’ll take a call.” Zong Xuan said, then answered, “What is it?”
“You need to leave the Hundred Life Club immediately and go home right now.” Wen Hui’s serious voice came through.
Zong Xuan frowned. “What happened?”
Wen Hui did not say anything extra and directly said, “Someone leaked your presence at the Hundred Life Club. Now five or six media outlets are rushing there. Hurry and leave, don’t get blocked.”
“I understand.” Zong Xuan knew very well that being chased by reporters at night was very dangerous. After hanging up, he said to Teng Yizheng, “I have to leave first. The reporters somehow found out I’m here and are coming over.”
Teng Yizheng’s eyes moved slightly. “Then hurry back. I’ve finished eating too. I’ll leave with you; I’ll only feel at ease after seeing you get into the car.”
“Okay.” Zong Xuan smiled and nodded.
After paying the bill, the two of them left. The driver had already brought the car over.
“I’ll find you for dinner again after this matter is resolved.” Zong Xuan said.
“Okay. I’m not leaving anyway, I’m available anytime.” As he spoke, Teng Yizheng reached out and adjusted his collar for him.
Zong Xuan nodded. “Drive safely.”
“Got it, go quickly.” Teng Yizheng waved at him.
Zong Xuan did not say more, turned and got into the car.
The driver did not linger even for a second and stepped on the accelerator, driving onto the main road.
Xu Tang hung up the phone, then sat in a daze for a while before going upstairs to take a bath.
While bathing, he usually lit calming aromatherapy candles so he could settle his mind and think, or simply relax.
Halfway through the bath, his phone rang. It was a message from Kang Duo, or more precisely, a screenshot of Weibo. It was a post from someone called “Wen Feng Er Dong”:
[#Zong Xuan cheating# This afternoon, Xu Tang was absent-minded and forgot lyrics during rehearsal, and tonight Zong Xuan met a man at a club. Their parting was intimate, and he looked in a very good mood. Their relationship does not seem ordinary. What does Xu Tang think? Is their marriage really coming to an end?]
The attached photo was fairly clear. In the photo, Teng Yizheng was adjusting Zong Xuan’s collar.
At that moment, Xu Tang, whose mood was already not good and whose thoughts were already chaotic, felt as if he had been slapped twice. It was as if all his disguises about the marriage had been completely stripped away in this moment.
He had been blaming himself here for causing unnecessary news due to his performance mistake, while over there, Zong Xuan was calmly having dinner with Teng Yizheng. Even though he knew that once he had already fallen, he should accept it, the bitterness in his heart still could not be smoothed away.
Xu Tang replied “I understand,” then put the phone aside. Although it was only a photo, he felt he had already lost—lost even before standing face to face with Teng Yizheng. Or rather, he had never even had the qualification to compete from the beginning; he had always been the loser.
After he got out of the bathtub and put on his bathrobe, the phone rang again.
This time it was not Kang Duo, but Zong Xuan.
Zong Xuan: Are you asleep?
Xu Tang looked at the time and replied: Not yet.
Zong Xuan: Come to my room.
Xu Tang held the phone for a long time before replying: Okay.
If it were usual, if Zong Xuan told him to come to his room, he would have been very nervous and excited, then carefully choose the best-looking clothes, tidy himself up a bit, maybe spray some perfume, and then go downstairs.
But now, he was very calm. He only put on sleepwear and went downstairs—this was the first time in three years he had stepped into any part of the second floor other than the stairs. Although he saw it every day, it now felt very unfamiliar, as if it was not part of the house at all.
Standing on the second floor, Xu Tang did not even know which room was Zong Xuan’s. He did not even know what each of the three rooms was for.
Xu Tang: Which room are you in?
A few seconds later, one of the doors opened from inside.
Zong Xuan saw him and said, “Come in.”
Xu Tang followed him inside.
This was Zong Xuan’s home theater. It was very comfortably arranged. When Zong Xuan was free, he would watch movies here, read scripts, go online, or play games.
“Sit.” Zong Xuan pointed at the fabric sofa.
Xu Tang sat down. Zong Xuan handed him a bottle of water.
Xu Tang took it but did not open it.
“Did you see the news?” Zong Xuan asked. He was referring to the report about him and Teng Yizheng.
The one called “Wen Feng Er Dong” was once part of “Zhou Yi Jian,” but later went independent and had reported many industry news.
“I saw it.” Xu Tang said.
Zong Xuan said somewhat helplessly, “Sorry, I didn’t expect to be photographed. Wen Hui already notified me in advance, and I left early. But I didn’t expect there were still people waiting there.”
Xu Tang no longer wanted to know the cause or process. He only asked, “What do you want me to do?”
Zong Xuan frowned slightly and looked at him. After a moment, he asked, “Are you angry?”
Xu Tang shook his head.
“Then what is it?” Zong Xuan did not understand him, but it was clear he was not happy.
Xu Tang looked up at him as if making a huge decision. “After this matter is resolved, let’s get a divorce.”