Chapter 12: A Leap in Relationship
Xiahou Qian lowered his head and shielded his eyes, deciding not to dwell on it anymore.
“Have you eaten yet?” Chi Shaochen changed the subject when he saw that Xiahou Qian didn’t speak. In any case, as long as Xiahou Qian had heard those words, it was enough.
“I have.” He went out, ate, and then came to Night Color every day.
Xiahou Qian checked the time and saw it was already 6:30. He turned to Wang Shaoyou behind the bar and said, “Give me the paper and pen.” He hadn’t written his song list for today yet.
“Uh… alright.” Wang Shaoyou finally snapped back to reality and handed him the paper and pen. Xiahou Qian looked at him and only then remembered that while he was kissing and talking with Chi Shaochen, Wang Shaoyou had been right there. In other words, he had seen and heard everything!
Xiahou Qian leaned over the bar to write his song list. Feeling Chi Shaochenâs gaze, he asked in a casual tone, “Have you eaten? The bar has light meals.”
“I haven’t.” He had come here to wait for Xiahou Qian right after work; how could he have had time to eat?
“Shaoyou, give the menu to CEO Chi.” After saying that, he turned to Chi Shaochen and said, “Take a look and see what you like to eat.”
“Call me Shaochen from now on.” Chi Shaochen spoke as he took the menu from Wang Shaoyou, clearly dissatisfied with Xiahou Qianâs distance.
“…Alright.” Xiahou Qian gave a helpless smile and agreed. Although he had loved this man for many, many years, even though they had rolled the sheets and kissed, and even though they had just talked about marriage, Xiahou Qian still didn’t have the actual sensation of being in a relationship with Chi Shaochen.
By the time Xiahou Qian finished the song list and gave it to Wang Shaoyou, Chi Shaochen had finally finished ordering. Wang Shaoyou passed the order to the kitchen.
Most of the time at Night Color, Wang Shaoyou was like a general helper, but his primary job was still as a bartender. Xiahou Qian only found out through chatting with him that the person who taught Wang Shaoyou was Wang Wei himself. Before becoming the manager of Night Color, Wang Wei was a professional bartender. Later, Lu Ke took a liking to him and headhunted him to be the manager.
Even seeing Wang Shaoyouâs serious and dazzling mixing skills with his own eyes couldn’t diminish Xiahou Qianâs sense of contradiction regarding this setup.
Seven o’clock arrived quickly. Not long after Xiahou Qian went on stage, he saw Lu Ke sit down beside Chi Shaochen. Even though he had already confirmed his relationship with Chi Shaochen, and Chi had stated clearly that he had no feelings for Lu Ke and that the rumors from his past life were just rumors, he still felt a bit stifled seeing the two of them together.
He couldn’t tell Chi Shaochen not to associate with Lu Ke. Not only would that look incredibly unreasonable, but more importantly, he suspected that in Chi Shaochenâs heart, he probably wasn’t as important as Lu Ke yet. Even if they were just simple friends, and even if he and Chi were already lovers, he couldn’t micromanage Chi Shaochenâs normal social lifeâjust as he wouldn’t want to have to ask Chi Shaochenâs permission to make a friend of his own.
The advantage he held in their relationship was like a castle in the air; in fact, he currently had no foundation at all.
[Premium Black Horse V: Sob sob, the Male God’s singing is still so beautiful. I’ve become a die-hard fan. My brain might be fried, but nobody save me! PS: It seems the Male God is already taken! But I have to admit, the Male God’s other half is also a Male God. People like us can only bow down in worship!]
Wen Xiao had come specifically to hear Xiahou Qian sing today. Because she had nothing to do, she arrived very early and thus became one of the witnesses to the passionate kiss between Xiahou Qian and Chi Shaochen. However, she only liked to joke around in the 2D world and respected everyone’s 3D privacy. So, while this Weibo post seemed to reveal a lot, it kept the most important information hidden.
Her fans had been curious ever since Yaohuang and Premium Black Horse mentioned the Male God last time. After all, both of them had praised him so heavily that some wondered if they had taken some kind of advertisement deal for an internet celebrity or a 38th-tier starlet.
Premium Black Horseâs real name was Wen Xiaoâa very gender-neutral name. The origin of the name was simple: her fatherâs surname was Wen and her motherâs was Xiao. Thus, her two irresponsible but deeply loving parents gave her this name. However, Wen Xiao felt the name was decent enough.
Wen Xiao was 22 this year, had a “Queen” personality, and was the type of beautiful that felt quite aggressive. Her family was fairly wealthy. She was currently a university student in the photography department. Her hobby was cosplay, which was why she served as the photographer for the school’s cosplay club.
Wen Xiao never chased celebrities; or rather, none of the actors or singers in the entertainment industry ever caught her eye. Compared to those stars, she was more interested in 2D handsome guys. But all that changed after meeting Xiahou Qian.
Wen Xiao felt that although Xiahou Qian didn’t look like those “bishounen” from the 2D world, his looks weren’t inferior at all. The difference was that Xiahou Qian wasn’t as androgynous as 2D boys, but that didn’t stop Wen Xiao from giving him a perfect score. High looks and such a captivating voiceâeven though she wasn’t a “voice-con,” she couldn’t help but fall to her knees under his singing.
She even had the urge to walk over and strike up a conversation with Xiahou Qian. Even if he didn’t give her his phone number, adding him on Weibo or WeChat would be great! As a fan, not even having his Weibo was too painful. Those entertainment companies were really blind; someone like the Male God should be shining brilliantly in the industry, crushing those “little fresh meats” into the dust. Staying in a bar was way too beneath him, wasn’t it?
Wen Xiao glanced at the Male Godâs man. Handsome, yes, but a bit too sharp and fierce. She decided to keep staking him out first. Sheâd wait for a day when the Male Godâs man wasn’t around to quietly make a move. Otherwise, she was truly afraid this man would slap her to death. Thinking back to that feeling when his gaze swept over them while they were peeking at the kiss still left her heart pounding. She considered her psychological threshold quite high, but before this man, she was instantly crushed. Still, only a man like this was barely worthy of her Male God.
She glanced again at the man next to the Male God’s man, who was talking incessantly. He looked like a playboy. Wen Xiao was a bit worriedâcould this guy be trying to steal her Male Godâs man? Fortunately, the Male God’s man wasn’t really paying him much attention. If he dared to mess around behind the Male Godâs back, even at the risk of being slapped to death, she would definitely persuade the Male God to break up with him!
Few knew that deep within Queen Wen Xiaoâs heart, she also hid a “chuunibyou” side. Fortunately, this trait was buried deep; otherwise, her “goddess” persona at school would have completely collapsed.
After Xiahou Qian finished his set, he walked straight to Chi Shaochenâs table.
“CEO Lu.” Xiahou Qian greeted Lu Ke and then sat down in the seat above Chi Shaochen.
Regardless of his relationship with Chi Shaochen, or the relationship between Lu Ke and Chi Shaochen, he and Lu Ke were only in a boss-employee relationship.
“Drink some water.” Chi Shaochen handed a glass of warm water he had prepared long ago to Xiahou Qian.
“Thank you.” Xiahou Qian slowly adjusted to their current status as lovers. He and Chi Shaochen were like an ordinary person who had always admired a high-and-mighty prince, only for the prince to suddenly appear before her one day and promise to make her his princess. Calling it a “dream come true” was perfectly fitting.
Stay calm, stay calm. He was also someone with looks, talent, and a golden finger. Chi Shaochen was just a bit richer and had a better family background. Right, that was it. Oh, and he was a bit more handsome. Nothing else.
Chi Shaochen wasn’t satisfied with Xiahou Qianâs overly polite attitude, but he also knew that it would take time to adjust.
“Iâm going back now,” Xiahou Qian said. In any case, he didn’t know what to say if he stayed here.
“I’ll drive you.”
“No need, I’ll just walk back.” Xiahou Qian felt he needed some time to calm down alone.
Seeing Xiahou Qianâs persistence, Chi Shaochen could only compromise. He had already discovered the stubbornness hidden in Xiahou Qianâs bones.
Xiahou Qian walked on the way home. Although it was already past 8:00 PM, because it was a busy area with many streetlights and shops, the light was sufficient all the way. However, no matter how good the light was, it was still night, and the feeling was completely different from daytime. With the night breeze blowing, Xiahou Qian felt much clearer.
Ever since he stepped into Night Color today, it had felt like a dream. It was exactly what he had always wanted, but after truly getting it, it felt so surreal. Actually, Xiahou Qian understood that at the end of the day, it was because he was too weak and Chi Shaochen was too strong.
Learn to become stronger. Even if he had no other skills, he was at least confident in music. He would work hard to reach higher in the music world. He needed confidence; only with enough confidence could he truly face Chi Shaochen with composure.
Not long after Xiahou Qian left, many patrons in the bar also began to leave. Before, it might have been fine, but now that there was a comparison, many people seemed uninterested in the bands or singers who went on stage after Xiahou Qian. Furthermore, these early patrons had come specifically for Xiahou Qian.
Yesterday, Lu Ke had been too focused on Chi Shaochen and Xiahou Qian to notice this, and once could have been a fluke. But seeing this situation again today, the fact was already very clear. He wondered if Xiahou Qianâs departure a month from now would deal a blow to Night Colorâs business. But now the one poaching the talent was his brother; could he really stop him from leaving?
He could only hope that since Xiahou Qian would be signed under Chi Shaochen, he could occasionally find time to come back to Night Color and sing.
“Qianchen Media will be placed under Xiahou Qianâs name. If you need any materials, just ask him directly.” What Chi Shaochen had said to Xiahou Qian naturally wasn’t a lie.
“Cough, cough!” Lu Ke had just taken a sip of wine when he was choked by Chi Shaochenâs sudden words.
“Why?” Lu Ke felt like he had arrived a bit late today and missed a huge chunk of the plot.
“Itâs better for him this way.” Chi Shaochen felt that doing this was just to show his sincerity. Although he knew a newly established company wasn’t much, it was a statement of his attitude.
Lu Ke felt like he couldn’t keep up with the rhythm. Just one day apartâwhat kind of development had occurred between Chi Shaochen and Xiahou Qian?
“The two of you?” Lu Ke didn’t waste time guessing blindly and asked directly.
“We are dating, with marriage as the premise,” Chi Shaochen said, stating his stance very clearly. His tone even carried a hint of pride and showing off, which made Lu Ke want to roll his eyes. Itâs just getting a boyfriend; whatâs the big deal?
Well, it actually was a big deal. At least for the mysophobic Chi Shaochen, it was.
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