Chapter 24: “Morning. I’m Not Homophobic.” part 1
“Liang Xun, you…” Jian Huaiyi was stunned.
For a moment, he couldn’t form a coherent sentence, feeling like a straight guy who’d just been hit on by a very forward gay man, so shocked he was on the verge of becoming homophobic.
Liang Xun’s fingers paused. His dark eyes were fixed on Jian Huaiyi, taking in his every reaction.
Jian Huaiyi’s long, curly eyelashes fluttered. His clear eyes widened, his pupils dilating in a mixture of disbelief and the kind of stunned joy one feels when a long-held wish finally comes true.
Joy.
A current seemed to shoot through his heart, leaving a tingling vibration in its wake. Something was breaking apart inside him.
Liang Xun curled his palm and parted his lips. “Happy birthday.”
Jian Huaiyi: ?
His tensed shoulders gradually relaxed. He glanced down again at the silver ring in the small box. So, it was a birthday present.
Jian Huaiyi let out a sigh of relief.
For a second there, he really thought this straight-laced guy was about to propose to him.
“Oh.” Jian Huaiyi took the ring without any psychological burden and gave Liang Xun a slight smile. “Thanks.”
If it was a birthday present, he would gladly accept it.
When Liang Xun had a birthday, he would also give him a gift. It was purely a gesture of friendship between brothers.
It was acceptable.
In fact, in the past, whenever one of them had a birthday, they would always give the other a small gift. Nothing expensive, but it was about the ritual.
It was the same with Zhao Yanting and Jiang Yue.
Jian Huaiyi liked to send Liang Xun local specialties from China, maybe a souvenir he picked up while traveling to a certain city, or a collectible he casually bid on at an auction.
Liang Xun, on the other hand, was completely unpredictable. His next gift could be a scarf or a gemstone. But most often, he sent “semi-finished products” that had been tampered with, like a mystery novel with no ending.
Jian Huaiyi had suffered greatly from this.
Every time he received one, he’d silently resolve not to read it, but he could never resist. After pulling two all-nighters to get to the last chapter, his anticipation would be at its peak, the killer finally about to be revealed. He’d eagerly flip to the next page…
And it would end. Abruptly.
Jian Huaiyi: …
That damn Liang Xun.
He would immediately grab his phone and bombard Liang Xun with messages.
Then he’d discover that their last chat had been months ago, right around the time Liang Xun had sent him the previous mystery novel.
“Liang Xun!” Xiao Yuanzhou and Ning Chen returned from their outing. Xiao Yuanzhou placed the snacks he’d brought back on the table. “They were so friendly! They even gave us snacks after we hung out. Want some?”
They had just finished the barbecue, so Liang Xun said, “Let’s leave them for now.”
The night grew thick, and a wind picked up on the mountain.
They went into their tents, Ning Chen and Xiao Yuanzhou in one, Jian Huaiyi and Liang Xun in the other.
In the middle of the night, Xiao Yuanzhou, bundling his clothes around him, came out to get something and happened to lock eyes with Liang Xun, who was emerging from the other tent.
Liang Xun: …
“Bro, you’re really something else!” Xiao Yuanzhou had been holding it in all day and finally had a chance to talk to Liang Xun alone. “You didn’t even say a word about having a boyfriend!”
With that, the two of them clinked their bottles.
Liang Xun tilted the glass bottle back, his Adam’s apple bobbing. The blue cocktail flowed into his stomach, a dense chill spreading through his chest.
“Mm.”
“What do you mean, ‘mm’?” Xiao Yuanzhou bristled, his brow furrowed tightly.
He had told Liang Xun everything, the tellable and the untellable. But Liang Xun hadn’t even told him he had a boyfriend!
Wait… a boyfriend?
A jolt went through Xiao Yuanzhou, his eyes widening. “No, wait, Liang Xun, didn’t you say you were homophobic?!”
Liang Xun looked at Xiao Yuanzhou’s shocked expression and frowned. “Homophobic…?”
He had no memory of it.
At this, Xiao Yuanzhou perked up.
“Yeah, you said it yourself!” Xiao Yuanzhou described the scene from years ago. “And more than once! That’s why everyone, from your dad—me—down to the company employees, knows about it.”
Liang Xun’s jaw tensed, his expression thoughtful. “Does Jian Huaiyi know?”
“Of course…” Xiao Yuanzhou said confidently, then realized something was off. “Wait, how would I know if he knows? Besides, Liang Xun, you’re homophobic and you have a boyfriend?”
Xiao Yuanzhou narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping over Liang Xun from head to toe.
There was no doubt his brother was strikingly handsome. A high-bridged nose, thin lips, and a natural air of a superior. That alone made him very attractive to gay men.
“Ah!” Xiao Yuanzhou figured it out. He placed his hands on Liang Xun’s shoulders and shook him, exclaiming dramatically, “Bro, don’t tell me you sold yourself out to break into the domestic market!”
“Oh my god, Liang Xun! I’ve only been gone for a little while, and you’ve… you’ve already gone astray!” Xiao Yuanzhou was deeply disappointed.
Liang Xun was at a loss for words. He shouldn’t have even asked that last question.
He brushed the hands off his shoulders and said coldly, “No. We’re in a proper relationship.”
Xiao Yuanzhou sheepishly rubbed his nose, the realization dawning on him.
Right. Who would keep a picture of their sugar daddy by their bed for so many years?
“I’m going back,” Liang Xun said, tossing the empty glass bottle into the trash can and heading back to his tent.
He lifted the flap and saw Jian Huaiyi reading a book.
The soft light favored the young man. He was wearing a high-necked sweater, his exceptional features slightly lowered, giving him an air of tranquility.
In his memory, Jian Huaiyi was still that arrogant young master of the Jian family who looked down on everyone. In the blink of an eye, so many years had passed, and he had been polished by time into this person.
Liang Xun curled his fingers. He suddenly realized that even though years had passed, Jian Huaiyi was still only in his early twenties.
He remembered a very cheesy line: “Love makes a person bloom.”
But in all the years they had been together, Jian Huaiyi didn’t seem to have “bloomed.”
And about his supposed homophobia—if even the company employees knew about it, Jian Huaiyi definitely knew too.
How could he possibly be happy, bearing the “disgust” of his lover every day?
A thread connected all the pieces. Liang Xun finally understood. No wonder Jian Huaiyi had been pushing him away.
—It was his fault.
He wasn’t good enough.
Liang Xun lowered his gaze.
Fortunately, there was still a chance to make up for it.
The sun rose from the distant clouds and mist.
Yesterday had been exhausting, and Jian Huaiyi slept until he woke up naturally. He threw off the covers and sat up, his cheeks flushed a faint red, like a peeled lychee. A pleasant ache spread through his bones.
Sunlight streamed through the zipper of the tent flap, illuminating the space.
Jian Huaiyi noticed Liang Xun sitting at the other end, his legs curled up.
The man had superior bone structure. A sliver of light slid down the bridge of his nose and settled on his thin lips.
Liang Xun looked up and met Jian Huaiyi’s gaze.
“Morning,” Jian Huaiyi greeted him.
“Morning.” There were faint dark circles under Liang Xun’s eyes. He thought for a moment, then added, “I’m not homophobic.”
The words came out, and Jian Huaiyi froze. ?
Seeing Jian Huaiyi’s stunned expression, Liang Xun pressed his lips together and added, “I’m not straight. I’m gay.”
He hadn’t slept all night, thinking about many things. The first step he’d decided on was to tell Jian Huaiyi that he wasn’t homophobic and didn’t hate him.
Jian Huaiyi: ???
I must have woken up too fast.
Jian Huaiyi lay back down and closed his eyes, his long eyelashes sweeping down.
Seeing this, Liang Xun became even more certain of his plan.
“Jian Huaiyi,” Liang Xun called to him.
Jian Huaiyi burrowed his head deeper into the pillow.
Waking up to such shocking words must mean he’d gotten up too quickly.
Liang Xun stared at the small lump under the covers for a few seconds, then said nothing, got up, and left the tent to give Jian Huaiyi some space.
He knew he had done too many things wrong. Now, he could only make up for them one step at a time.
He couldn’t go too fast, or he might scare him away.
