Chapter 83: Ye Zeqian
Everyone present knew Ye Zeqian had dated Gao Zhen before.
Now that Ye Zeqian suddenly showed up with a boyfriend who outclassed Gao Zhen in every way, you could figure with your toes that Gao Zhen wouldn’t be happy.
Among this crowd that usually hung out together, a few people felt bad for Gao Zhen, and a few were just here for the drama.
“Totally,” said Zhang Buzhuo, very much one of the drama-watchers. “We all know A-Zhen’s magnanimous. After breaking up, he’ll surely give Zeqian his heartfelt blessing.” He raised his glass. “And we hope Zeqian will do the same. Put the past behind him and sincerely wish A-Zhen and his new guy a loving, long-lasting relationship.”
Everyone shot a look at him. F*ck. The “poison tongue” reputation wasn’t for nothing.
“Heh.” Gao Zhen’s face turned green. “Weren’t we toasting Zeqian and Young Master Xu? What’s my thing with Qiao Fei got to do with anything?”
Zhang Buzhuo left it at that.
“Thank you, Mr. Gao.” Li Dong stood and clinked glasses with everyone, one by one. “Meeting is fate. Let’s keep in touch.”
After circling back around, he touched glasses with Ye Zeqian last, then tipped his head and drained the drink.
Clean and decisive that left people blinking.
They’d expected a refined, reserved gentleman; they hadn’t expected that he was actually a straightforward, bold man.
“Mr. Xu, you’re really something.” The others knocked back their drinks too, and a faint collective thought took shape: this Xu family young master might actually be a great guy.
A flicker crossed Ye Zeqian’s eyes. Under everyone’s probing, complicated stares, he slowly finished his own drink.
“Chao Yan, how about a toast, just the two of us?” He set down his empty glass, lifted the wine pot to refill both cups, then, a bit hesitantly, extended the invitation.
“Of course.” Li Dong nodded readily, giving him full face.
Watching this, Gao Zhen bit down hard enough to taste blood, cursing b*tch in his head. When they were together, when had Ye Zeqian ever been this attentive to him?
Forget “attentive,” even when Gao Zhen himself tried to coax him, Ye Zeqian wouldn’t give him the time of day.
“Mr. Xu, I’d like to toast you too.” As soon as the pair finished, Zhang Buzhuo picked up the wine pot to pour for Li Dong, his enthusiasm a total 180 from his usual icy, sharp-tongued demeanor.
Some smiled and watched, thinking it was nothing, perfectly normal.
Others sneered inwardly, convinced Zhang Buzhuo was kissing up and clinging to a thigh.
Not that it was strange. Of everyone here, he was the closest to Ye Zeqian.
“Here’s to smooth sailing.” Li Dong met him halfway, downing one with him, then returning the gesture with a toast of his own, impeccably polite, good breeding shining through.
Seeing how easy he was to approach, the onlookers crowded in to toast as well.
When each one was acknowledged in turn, they all felt genuinely impressed. As expected of old money, his bearing and manners were on another level and he was worth befriending.
Sitting beside this sun-bright man, Ye Zeqian felt… complicated.
First, like everyone else, he admired the Xu family young master. Second, posing is fun for a moment but how was he supposed to end this cleanly later?
He frowned, lost in thought. Gao Zhen mistook it as him fretting over Li Dong being plied with drinks.
“What’s wrong, your man gets toasted a few times and you’re heartaching already?” Gao Zhen thought, In front of me you were an ice-queen. I figured that was just your personality. But put you in front of some other guy and you’re licking boots? Disgusting.
“Shouldn’t I worry?” Ye Zeqian’s gaze was cool as ice. “He’s my boyfriend. If I don’t worry about him, should I worry about you?”
As for what came after, he’d deal with it later. For now, if he didn’t clap back at Gao Zhen, he wasn’t human.
“Tsk.” With Li Dong right there, Gao Zhen didn’t dare say anything too over the line, even if he was 99% sure Ye Zeqian didn’t actually have a boyfriend.
“Zhen-ge, it’s normal to care about your own boyfriend,” Qiao Fei said, nestling into Gao Zhen’s arms. “If people kept toasting you, I’d feel bad too, okay?”
Gao Zhen pinched Qiao Fei’s chin with a smile and planted a kiss right there, not caring who watched. “At least your mouth is sweet. Unlike some people who wouldn’t even let me touch them.”
The last sentence was said quietly, probably for Qiao Fei’s ears alone. Qiao burst out laughing, like Gao had told the world’s funniest joke.
“Tsk…” Arms crossed, Ye Zeqian let out a cold laugh and ignored them.
Gao Zhen glanced at his ex’s elegant profile, his own smile never reaching his eyes.
Truth be told, Ye Zeqian outclassed Qiao Fei by several degrees in looks. Back when they dated, Gao Zhen had tried every trick to get him into bed and failed. Hence the cheating and the breakup.
Even so, Gao Zhen still liked him.
In his mind, Ye Zeqian was a Tianshan snow lotus clinging to a sheer cliff. Qiao Fei, at best, was a roadside wildflower.
One was noble and untouchable, the other common and tacky. Very clear which one was the premium good.
The problem was the snow lotus wouldn’t let him climb, while the wildflower stripped itself bare and begged to be picked. What man could keep standing guard at the snow lotus forever?
Unless he was impotent, that’d be another matter.
So Gao Zhen figured, even if Ye Zeqian really did date someone new, it wouldn’t last. Ye was too “extra.” No one on earth could put up with him.
“Alright, everyone, let’s call it here tonight. If you want to keep drinking, we’ll find another time.” Li Dong put his cup down. He’d been off to the side with a few newly enthusiastic acquaintances, drinking and chatting like a house on fire.
Usually Gao Zhen was the one everyone gathered around. Being upstaged so completely by an unexpected guest made his face stay ugly all night.
So what if he was old money?
Gao Zhen had his own resources. He didn’t need the Xus to put food in his bowl.
Li Dong returned to his seat. “Baby, I’ve had too much to drink. Could you pick out some light dishes to help settle my stomach?”
“Huh?” Ye Zeqian blinked, then scrambled to himself. “Okay. What do you like to eat?” Such a small request, yet it made him nervous.
“I’m not picky. You decide.” Li Dong took a sip of cold tea.
“Alright.” Ye regained his calm quickly. With his long, dexterous fingers, he picked up his chopsticks and methodically set food on Li Dong’s plate. “These are lighter. I think they taste fine.”
“Thanks. You’re thoughtful.” Li Dong praised him, then lifted his chopsticks to eat.
“You’re too polite.” Heat crept up the tips of Ye Zeqian’s ears.
He’d practically forgotten how much he usually kept his place. All his life, people had served him.
If someone else asked him to pick food for them, he’d probably have snapped, “Are your hands broken?”
Whenever he drank, Gao Zhen would have the server bring him a glass of milk to “soak up the alcohol.”
“Waiter…” For the first time, Ye handled it himself. “Bring a glass of hot milk.”
When the milk arrived, he personally lifted it to Li Dong. “Eating won’t do much. Drink some milk to help.”
“…” That was everyone’s reaction, like they’d seen a ghost.
This f*cking… Was this really the same Ye Zeqian who only knew how to be served?
“Thank you, baby.” Li Dong sipped the hot milk from his hand. “You can set it down. I’ll eat a little more.” He kept eating as he spoke. “I’ve been to two events tonight and drank the whole time. There’s nothing in my stomach but alcohol.”
“Okay.” Ye answered mildly. Since Li Dong wanted to eat, he wouldn’t interrupt.
Whenever Li Dong’s plate emptied, he quietly added more.
Watching, Zhang Buzhuo faltered. Was the Xu young master actually Ye’s boyfriend after all?
He wasn’t optimistic.
The miserable meal dragged on for over an hour. When they finally left, nearly everyone had exchanged business cards with Li Dong, arms slung around shoulders, eager to be sworn brothers by morning.
Not Gao Zhen, though. He paid the bill, slung an arm around Qiao Fei, and swaggered out.
Anyone could see he had no interest in befriending the Xu young master. Fair enough. As friends, you couldn’t expect everyone to worship the Xus.
Gao Zhen’s sour face was understandable.
As for everyone else, they had no beef with the Xu heir. Building the relationship was obviously the smart move.
The crowd escorted Li Dong to his car, an ultra-luxury model, of course. Any lingering doubts about his identity evaporated.
“I’ve been drinking. I’ll have my driver come get me.” Li Dong took Ye Zeqian’s hand and called the driver. “Zeqian, you’ve been drinking too. When my driver arrives, he can take you home as well.”
The call connected, and a few of the young men heard Li Dong’s courteous tone as he asked to be picked up.
You had to admire it. The Xu family young master had both a man’s boldness and a gentleman’s manners.
“Done. He’s on the way.” Li Dong pocketed his phone. “You guys should head out. Zeqian and I will wait in the car and chat for a bit.”
“Right.” No fools here. Only an idiot would linger. “Young Master Xu, you two take your time. We’re off.”
“Let’s drink again sometime…”
“Good night.”
People drifted off in twos and threes. Zhang Buzhuo lingered. “Mind if I smoke?” he asked, tapping a cigarette from the pack.
“I don’t mind.” Li Dong opened the car door, tossed his jacket inside, then leaned against the car. “I used to smoke when I was younger. Quit later.”
The lighter halted mid-spark. “Then I won’t,” said Zhang Buzuo, tucking the cigarette away. “Mr. Xu really knows how to joke. You’re still very young.”
He looked mature in bearing, but his face was young. No way he’d hit thirty yet.
“Mm. I was talking about my teens. I was just a brat back then.” Li Dong lazed a smile, bracing one hand on the door. “Right now, I’m only a year or two younger than Zeqian.”
“Cough.” Zhang choked on air.
So did Ye, staring in disbelief. But hold on, “I don’t recall telling you my age,” he said, face darkening. He’d assumed he was younger.
“Do you need to tell me?” Li Dong paused. “I was born in Year X1.”
Zhang Buzuo and Ye Zeqian exchanged glances, both seeing the conviction on each other’s faces. Really was one year younger than them.
“In any case, thank you for tonight…” Ye Zeqian forced the words out, rough in the throat.
It was also a sideways admission in front of his friend that he didn’t actually have a boyfriend.
Surprise flickered over Zhang’s face, feeling it was somewhat expected yet very regretful. He actually would rather believe it was real.
“You’re welcome.” Li Dong appreciated that Ye Zeqian didn’t keep up the act in front of his friend. “Breaking up with someone like your ex is for the best. He’s not your match. I hope you don’t mind me saying so.”
“I don’t.” Ye shook his head.
“Good.” Li Dong thought for a moment. “I’m not sure when my driver will get here. If you’re in a rush, you don’t have to wait with me.”
Ye Zeqian glanced over. “A ride-hailing driver would be faster.” He could tell Li Dong was gently seeing them off, so he tugged his friend away. “We’ll call a driver and head out. Take your time, Mr. Xu.”
“Alright. See you.” said Li Dong.
He watched them walk off, then slid into his car, put on some music, and rested while waiting for his driver.
“Zeqian…” In the dark car, Zhang shut the door and called his name, unsurprised by the silence that followed. “Sigh…”
This was just how Ye Zeqian was, temperamental by nature.
“Still thinking about Gao Zhen?” Zhang asked.
“Please don’t ask disgusting questions.” Ye Zeqian said. “Can’t you tell he set this up on purpose? He brought a new guy to piss me off.”
If he hadn’t run into Xu Chaoyan in the restroom, who knew how the night would’ve gone.
“So you’re down because of Young Master Xu?” Zhang pressed.
Ye paused. “Think about my situation,” he said, curling his lip. “If Xu Chaoyan dumps me or if he was never my boyfriend to begin with and this gets out, where am I supposed to put my face?”
Wouldn’t Gao Zhen die laughing?
Wouldn’t his new toy die laughing?
“True.” Zhang felt a cold sweat for his friend. “Zeqian, you just unlocked Hell Mode. That’s on you…” Of all people, you picked the Xu family young master.
With a status like that, he was going to draw attention, period.
“If I’d known, I wouldn’t have picked him.” Ye folded his arms, tilted his head back against the seat, and exhaled. “No point talking about it now. One step at a time.”
“Why do you think he helped you?” Zhang suddenly asked. “At the very least, he must like you a little…” In which case, could Ye turn Xu into a real boyfriend?
“What’s in that head of yours?” Ye caught the implication at once. “Forget that I’m in no mood to date, he isn’t suitable for me even if I were.”
“How is he not suitable? From what I saw, you two were great tonight.” Zhang sighed. “With Gao Zhen, you were too proud because he couldn’t keep you in check.” This Xu young master was different, status and charisma both. Next to him, Ye hadn’t bared his fangs at all, practically behaved like a little white rabbit.
“Can you not say those two words?” Ye Zeqian asked.
“Fine. Seeing you hate him that much, I’m relieved,” Zhang said. He’d been afraid Ye would go crawling back. “But no matter what, mind your manners. You should treat him to dinner to thank him. Even if you don’t become lovers, you can be friends.”
Afraid his friend would brush it off, Zhang added, “Look at the others. They were scrambling to befriend him. Why do you think that is?” Because there were benefits. There was everything to gain and nothing to lose.
“I know,” Ye said.
A hired driver arrived and took them home one by one.
Li Dong too, he lived alone for the moment, in a single’s apartment downtown.
Not absurdly big, but hardly small.
At least the bedroom held a super-sized bed without feeling crowded.
A housekeeper came by daily to tidy up, keeping the place clean and pleasant.
New to the world, Li Dong still dressed sharp the next morning. He headed to the office without pressure and kept right on with the quarterly meeting.
At the same time, Ye Zeqian was at work too.
After graduation, he joined Ye Corp and now served as a regional general manager, overseeing all the company’s malls and office buildings.
He was based on the 28th floor of a certain tower and Xinyi Co., Ltd. rented offices in that very building.
Once he learned who owned Xinyi, Ye Zeqian was speechless.
The Xu family had their own towers sitting idle, yet they just had to rent someone else’s space.
Still, griping aside, he respected people who built things.
“General Manager.” His thirty-something secretary, Linda, hand-picked by his mother, stepped in. “The Chairman wants to see you for afternoon tea with a guest. Please keep the time free.”
“No time.” Ye refused at once.
Ever since the breakup, his mother had been arranging blind dates for him left and right, and every single candidate was female.
He simply didn’t have the heterosexual gene. Going on dates with women was self-torture.
“Alright, I’ll inform the Chairman,” Linda said.
When the office door closed, Ye Zeqian took out the business card he’d kept in his pocket and entered the number digit by digit. New Contact: Xu Chaoyan then hit call.
“…” While it rang, his mind spun. With so many people collecting that card last night, who else besides him would call today?
Would Xu Chaoyan be annoyed? Not want to pick up?
The proud, reserved male lead hung up the outgoing call at once.
To him, calling just to invite someone to dinner as thanks smacked of boot-licking. He couldn’t do it.
He set down the phone and focused on the reports.
He’d barely picked one up when Xu Chaoyan suddenly lit his screen, making him jump.
He set the report aside, answered with practiced restraint after a few beats. “Chaoyan?”
“Mm, so it’s you?” The voice on the other end recognized him immediately. “Zeqian, what’s up? Why’d you hang up just now?”
Ye Zeqian: “I was saving your number and hit dial by accident.”
“Oh, I see.” Li Dong said, straightforward as ever. “In that case, I’ll hang up.”
“Wait.” Ye Zeqian blurted, then asked, “Are you very busy right now?” He glanced upward. Xinyi was on… the 29th floor.
“Quarterly meeting today, probably busy till noon.” Li Dong’s low laugh traveled through the line. “I stepped out to return your call.”
Which meant, at first, he hadn’t even known whose number it was.
“You really are…” Ye swallowed the rest, refusing to admit that a man younger than himself made him feel inadequate. “I won’t keep you, then. Get back to your meeting.”
“Alright. Let’s connect when we’re free,” Li Dong said politely.
After he hung up, Ye Zeqian stared at his chair in a daze. “… why does the ‘connect when we’re free’ sound like a polite brush-off?”
Author’s Note:
【Dong-ge’s hormones come free today, hahaha. Also, no second update. Rolling out.】
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