Chapter 3
Jian Huayi was a man of action. The next morning, he went to Lu Yang’s apartment. He needed to talk to Lu Yang—about what happened last night. Jian Luo Jia’s words alone weren’t enough proof to end their relationship.
What if it was just a coincidence? Even if it was just a possibility.
Jian Huayi understood this, but he still wanted to give Lu Yang a chance to explain.
Jian Huayi had bought this apartment for Lu Yang. Lu Yang wasn’t a local. When they first got together, Lu Yang would often ride his motorcycle for hundreds of kilometers to see him in City A.
Jian Huayi wasn’t heartless. Every time he left the company and saw Lu Yang suddenly appear, his stubble growing from the overnight journey, looking haggard, but still smiling at him, his heart wasn’t untouched. So Jian Huayi bought this apartment so Lu Yang wouldn’t lack a place to rest when he came to City A.
The GP race was being held in City A recently, so Lu Yang was staying in the apartment.
There were only two keys, one with Lu Yang and one with Jian Huayi.
Turning the key, Jian Huayi opened the door. The first thing he saw were a pair of red and black basketball shoes, kicked off in a hurry, one of them leaning against the wall. Looking further inside, the shoe cabinet appeared to have been knocked over, the shoes on top having fallen to the floor, scattered in a mess.
Jian Huayi frowned, a guess forming in his mind. Coldness flickered in his light brown eyes. He walked around the pile of shoes and continued inside.
“Lu Yang.” Jian Huayi didn’t go into the bedroom, calling out at the door.
He didn’t want to make a scene. Catching someone in the act was satisfying for onlookers, but for those involved, disappointment often far outweighed the momentary pleasure of finally finding evidence.
In the bedroom, a crack in the curtains let in the harsh sunlight. Lu Yang’s eyebrows furrowed as he slowly woke up. He had drunk a lot last night and his head still wasn’t completely clear after a night’s sleep. It felt like a needle was piercing his temples, a throbbing pain. He rubbed his temples, sat up in bed, the covers sliding down, revealing his bare upper body.
He had vaguely heard someone calling him. Lu Yang got out of bed to open the door, catching sight of a white back in his peripheral vision, his heart sinking.
“…Brother Lu.” Fang Chengyi also woke up, turning to face Lu Yang, the red marks on his chest particularly glaring.
Lu Yang’s heart sank, as if falling into an abyss. His brows were tightly furrowed, staring at Fang Chengyi, “What are you doing in my house!”
They had stayed up late last night. Fang Chengyi yawned lazily, his fair little face flushed.
“Didn’t you ask me to stay?” He said, putting his arm around Lu Yang’s firm waist muscles.
Lu Yang’s head throbbed. He recalled what happened last night. He had asked him to stay, that much was true, but he thought Fang Chengyi was his wife.
Fang Chengyi had seduced him.
His face was dark, as if ink could drip from it. The arm around his waist was covered in kiss marks, showing the intensity of their encounter. His vision went dark, and he violently threw Fang Chengyi’s arm away, growling at him to get out.
Things had gone too far; he couldn’t let Jian Huayi find out.
Fang Chengyi pouted, hurt by Lu Yang’s sudden aggression. They had been cuddling last night, yet now he was like this.
“Brother Lu, we slept together; you don’t want to take responsibility?”
“Get out!”
The words were practically squeezed out from between his teeth. Lu Yang was like an enraged lion, wanting to drive the intruder out of his territory.
Jian Huayi waited for a long time without a reply, took a deep breath, stood up from the sofa, and opened the door.
Sure enough, two naked people were lying on the big bed in the bedroom. Lu Yang suddenly raised his eyes, meeting Jian Huayi’s icy gaze. His rage turned into endless panic.
“Wife!” Lu Yang hastily pulled the covers off and got out of bed. He was only wearing underwear, and in his haste, he accidentally stepped on the clothes on the floor, his feet slipping, and he knelt directly in front of Jian Huayi.
Although he had expected it, the shock of seeing his boyfriend naked in bed with another person was still considerable.
It seemed no explanation was needed. Jian Huayi gripped the doorknob, his palm unconsciously tightening.
“Get dressed, then let’s talk about the breakup.”
Then Jian Huayi turned and left, closing the door behind him with a muffled thud.
It had started raining outside. Liang Xun got out of the car, opened a black umbrella, and walked into the community.
A large truck was parked at the entrance to the villa. The truck bed was covered with a transparent cover, and the Eustoma inside could be vaguely seen.
The driver in the driver’s seat saw the person standing next to him through the rearview mirror. The man held an umbrella, his gaze piercing the rain, falling on the flowers in the back of the truck.
The driver got out of the car. The rain was getting heavier. He put on a plastic raincoat and ran to Liang Xun’s side, asking, “Sir, are you Mr. Liang who ordered the flowers?”
Raindrops pattered against the plastic cover, and the Eustoma inside, carefully selected, each in full bloom, were beautiful.
“Yes, it’s me.” Liang Xun paused, his thin lips slightly pursed, as if considering where the flowers should go.
The driver was talkative, obviously experienced. Seeing Liang Xun’s expression, he skillfully guessed, “Sir, you must be giving them to your boyfriend. It’s not easy to transport such a large amount of flowers. Your boyfriend will definitely be very moved.”
Hearing this, Liang Xun chuckled softly, his eyebrows relaxing slightly, a casual light in his usually cold eyes.
“I hope so.”
The driver laughed heartily, “Then I’ll unload the flowers for you now.”
Liang Xun didn’t refuse, nor did he tell the driver that the flowers were originally meant to be sent elsewhere, but an accident had occurred, suddenly depriving them of their destination.
It wasn’t too bad, though. He remembered that there was a greenhouse in the back yard of the villa, which had been empty and unused. Now, it had a purpose.
“Move all the flowers to the greenhouse in the back.”
“Okay.”
In the heavy rain, the driver, wearing a raincoat, carried the flowers to the back yard one by one. The high-quality Eustoma, even with their petals falling from the rain, were still beautiful, a kind of decadent beauty.
He didn’t know how long they would last in the greenhouse, but a little while was better than nothing.
During the rainy season, it rained for many days in a row. Jian Huayi didn’t want to go out and stayed home, not even going to work.
Anyway, the company didn’t need him as long as they had Jian Luo Jia, who was a genius capable of being scammed when buying insurance.
Staying home in the gloomy weather was very comfortable, except that he was sometimes scolded by his father. But because he had almost been used as a “chip” to be sold off by Old Master Jian some time ago, Old Master Jian’s attitude towards him had improved recently, and his scolding was bland. Even the blackest of hearts could have a few flecks of white.
His phone rang. Jian Huayi put down a plate of cherry tomatoes and reached for his phone to answer it.
“Jian’er!”
His hand slipped, accidentally hitting the speakerphone. A loud voice came from the phone, jarring his eardrums.
Jian Huayi frowned, almost hanging up.
“What is it?”
Zhao Tingyan’s voice was still excited, and Jian Huayi moved the phone away from his ear.
“Jian’er, I heard you broke up?”
Jian Huayi:…
That kid Jian Luo Jia.
“We did. So what?”
“Gosh! Jian’er, you’re so disloyal! You didn’t tell us about something like a breakup. Are you still my brother?” Zhao Tingyan, legs crossed, continued incessantly, “Jian’er, this time I have to say this. If it weren’t for Luo Jia mentioning it, we would have been kept in the dark. Even Jiang Yue told us about his boyfriend buying pink underwear for him. You, Jian’er, didn’t tell us about such a big deal.”
Zhao Tingyan cleared his throat and continued, “I formally represent the number one in our City A F4 and bring charges against you for intentional deception.”
Jian Huayi remained silent for a moment, untangling Zhao Tingyan’s roundabout speech and getting straight to the point, “What are you doing again?”
Zhao Tingyan chuckled, “Jiang Yue is treating tonight, so are you coming for drinks?”
“What time?”
“Nine o’clock. I’ve sent the address to your phone.”
Nine o’clock, the bar was just starting to get lively. Jian Huayi was dressed casually, a light-colored shirt and jeans, out of place among the people in the bar. But handsome people look good in anything. As soon as he entered the bar, he attracted some attention.
“Jian’er, over here!” Zhao Tingyan waved from the doorway.
Jian Huayi walked over. A small black leather sofa was empty, and he sat down. Zhao Tingyan put down his highball glass and squeezed next to Jian Huayi. The small sofa, originally meant for one person, instantly became crowded. Fortunately, Jian Huayi’s frame was small, so the sofa wasn’t about to burst.
Zhao Tingyan, however, didn’t seem to notice. He brotherly put his arm around Jian Huayi’s shoulder, raising an eyebrow, “Jian’er, did you put on perfume?” He even leaned closer to Jian Huayi’s neck to sniff.
If Jian Huayi didn’t know Zhao Tingyan was a genuine straight man, he might have suspected he was doing it on purpose. But as brothers, this distance was a bit too close. Jian Huayi pushed Zhao Tingyan’s shoulder away, his voice clear and smooth, “No. Go back to your seat.”
Liang Xun and Jiang Yue, who had just entered, happened to see this scene and stopped simultaneously.
Jiang Yue awkwardly laughed, “Haha, this kid Yan Ting is still so clingy to Huayi.”
Liang Xun didn’t answer, calmly walking forward and sitting on the sofa opposite Jian Huayi.
Zhao Tingyan shifted his attention to Liang Xun and Jiang Yue, squinting, “Why are you two together?”
The waiter brought over the whiskey that Jiang Yue had ordered. Jiang Yue picked up the glass and gestured to Zhao Tingyan, “You guess.”
As soon as he spoke, Zhao Tingyan stood up from the small sofa and rushed towards Jiang Yue, quickly grabbing the untouched drink from Jiang Yue’s hand and taking a sip from the glass.
Jiang Yue smiled, “Good.”
“Two glasses of brandy.” Liang Xun brought over two glasses of brandy, putting one in front of Jian Huayi.
“When are you leaving?” Jian Huayi asked, remembering what Liang Xun had said earlier.
“The day after tomorrow,” Liang Xun replied.
Jian Huayi picked up the brandy, his tongue touching the light brown liquid, the woody aroma spreading from his tongue. Among all the drinks, he loved brandy the most.
“Okay! Quiet!” Zhao Tingyan, holding a small microphone he had snatched from someone else, stood in the middle of the sofa and said to the remaining three, “Do you know why we’re gathered here today?”
The three remained silent, only Jiang Yue, unable to bear it, perfunctorily replied, “I don’t know.”
Zhao Tingyan nodded contentedly, “As expected of my defeated opponent, you’re quick-witted.”
Jiang Yue: Your grandpa.
“Okay, since that’s the case, let me announce the purpose of our gathering today. First, to see off Liang Xun, Mr. Liang.”
The microphone was passed to him, and Liang Xun cooperatively took a sip of his drink.
Zhao Tingyan wasn’t afraid of awkward silence, and directly took back the microphone, continuing, “Second, to celebrate our Jian Huayi finally waking up and breaking up with that scumbag.”
Jian Huayi:…
“Let’s have Young Master Jian give a farewell speech.”
With that, he passed the microphone to Jian Huayi.
Jian Huayi:…
He also cooperatively took a sip of brandy. As he put down the glass, he met Liang Xun’s gaze. It looked calm, but he felt that beneath the calm surface lay incomprehensible emotions.
Jian Huayi was stunned. Soon, Liang Xun returned to his usual cold and profound expression.
After Zhao Tingyan finished his antics, Liang Xun said in a low voice, “Jian Huayi, you broke up.”
Jian Huayi nodded, just about to speak, when Zhao Tingyan came over and wanted to drink with him.
“Jian’er, don’t be too sad. Lu Yang only has a good face, but he’s not as handsome as our Mr. Liang. There’s a saying, ‘There are plenty more fish in the sea’. I know some brothers in your circle. I’ll… I’ll have them introduce you to a few later.”
Zhao Tingyan couldn’t hold his liquor; after three glasses, his tongue started to loosen.
Jian Huayi found it funny, “Then… thank you.”
“Don’t mention it! We’re brothers!” Zhao Tingyan grabbed another drink from the table and handed it to Jian Huayi, and the two clinked glasses and drank it down.
Jian Huayi was kept drinking by Zhao Tingyan and unknowingly got drunk. Zhao Tingyan, needless to say, was already babbling while leaning on the sofa leg.
Only Liang Xun and Jiang Yue remained relatively sober.
Jiang Yue rubbed his forehead, looking at Jian Huayi, who was quietly fiddling with his fingers, and Zhao Tingyan, who was lying on the floor, and said to Liang Xun, “One each?”
Liang Xun nodded, and directly stepped forward, taking Jian Huayi’s arm and leading him away. Only Zhao Tingyan remained, hugging the sofa leg and calling for his dad.
Jiang Yue smiled: Excellent.