Chapter 84: Ye Zeqian
Back when Xu Chaoyan was in high school, he only mingled with a few childhood friends. Among the younger generation of A City’s upper-class circle, very few actually knew him, and even fewer had any real friendship with him.
Those who did were limited to hearing his name, not meeting him in person.
Now that Xu Chaoyan had suddenly returned to the country, he became A City’s most sought-after diamond bachelor overnight.
The city’s wealthy madams were all wracking their brains for ways to secure their sons or daughters a chance to meet him, any chance at all.
Ye Zeqian’s mother, Madam Bai, chairwoman of Ye Corporation, happened to be a university alumna of Xu Chaoyan’s eldest aunt, Xu Jing. The two had once worked together on a project, maintaining a friendly connection.
“Chairwoman,” Linda reported over the phone, “the general manager says he’s unavailable this afternoon.”
Madam Bai, cigarette in hand, sighed. “Then let him be,” she said.
The whole blind-date idea had been Xu Jing’s suggestion anyway. If it were up to Madam Bai, she never would’ve agreed.
No one knew Ye Zeqian better than his own mother.
And besides, the gap between the two families was vast.
She didn’t want her son marrying into a family so powerful that he’d have to bow and scrape. She’d rather he find someone from a humbler background.
So the match was impossible. She called Xu Jing to explain the situation.
“Zeqian just broke up with someone. He’s not in the right headspace… not ready to date again… yes…”
“Then don’t force him,” said Xu Jing, and turned to call her nephew. “Chaoyan, the blind date’s off this afternoon.”
“Alright,” Li Dong said with a nod.
In truth, this whole setup wasn’t his own doing, it was simply a scene that existed in the original novel, and things were unfolding exactly as expected.
The next few days passed quietly. Li Dong took his time adjusting to his new identity and life.
Having spent hundreds of years drifting between worlds, he was an old hand at this sort of thing. Settling in came easily; there was hardly any challenge left in it.
His state of mind was steady now, unless something truly bizarre happened, nothing could shake him much.
On Friday evening, his old friend He Yunkai called. “Chaoyan, remember I said I’d throw you a welcome-back party? When’s good for you?”
Li Dong had completely forgotten. Glancing at the calendar, he realized it was already Friday. “Who’s invited? You know I’m not into big crowds. They’re hard to handle.”
His identity drew too much attention as it was. If not for helping Ye Zeqian save face that night at the hotel, he never would’ve shown up in front of so many people.
“No one special, just our usual circle,” said He Yunkai. “You think I’d let any random cat or dog into your presence?”
A City wasn’t exactly small, but the number of people who could show up to an elite event was limited.
Each of them had their own social circles, and unless someone truly impressive called the shots, getting everyone together was hard.
He Yunkai came from a good family, but he’d never hosted a party that drew everyone in before.
This time, with the Xu family name attached, even he wasn’t sure how many would show. After all, Xu Chaoyan was more a legend than a face in A City’s upper-crust circles.
“Mm. Saturday night. You pick the venue.” Li Dong lounged comfortably on the sofa, one leg crossed over the other.
“Done,” said He Yunkai, hanging up.
That same night, invitations spread through A City’s young elite circles:
Welcome reception for Xu Chaoyan, recently returned from overseas.
Xu Chaoyan?
Xu Chaoyan.
The name flooded A City overnight like a quiet viral trend.
And it wasn’t ordinary people talking, only those born into privilege even heard about it. Everyone else was out of the loop entirely.
Ye Zeqian also received an invitation. He didn’t know He Yunkai personally, but Zhang Buzhuo did and their relationship was decent.
If the name on that card hadn’t been Xu Chaoyan’s, Ye Zeqian would’ve tossed it straight into the trash.
Zhang Buzhuo asked, “I told you to treat Xu Xiansheng to dinner, did you?”
Ye Zeqian said, “I called, but he was busy.”
He kept his mouth shut about the real sequence that he’d only let the phone ring once, and Xu Chaoyan had been the one to call back.
Zhang Buzhuo said, “He just got back; being busy’s normal. You’ll see him Saturday night. Think ahead about what to say. I bet Gao Zhen will show up too. You know his temper, he won’t let you off easily. What’ll you do then?”
“Cold salad,” Ye Zeqian said drily.
“Yeah, yeah, fine, Your Majesty, no need for this eunuch to worry,” Zhang Buzhuo muttered.
Ye Zeqian ignored him.
He soaked in the bathtub, letting his mind go blank, then reached for his phone again. He found the number he’d saved days ago. Calling first was impossible; he’d never initiate anything with a man.
So he sent a message instead: “Good evening. Are you there?”
Half-watching TV with a glass of red wine, Li Dong almost spat it out laughing when he saw the text.
Who the f*ck’s message was this, exuding an eighties-nineties vibe?
He hadn’t saved Ye Zeqian’s number after that first call, so all he saw now was an unknown contact.
Xu Chaoyan: “Who’s this?”
He didn’t realize how much those two words and a question mark caused how much damage to the male lead soaking in the bathtub.
Simply like June snow falling, making one’s heart cold through.
Ye Zeqian: “Young Master Xu, forgetting people so soon? I’m Ye Zeqian.”
He hadn’t planned to reply again. He should’ve deleted the number, declined the party invitation, and gone on being his cool, restrained self.
But something unseen nudged him to answer.
Xu Chaoyan: “Oh, Zeqian! Sorry, I was rushing to a meeting and forgot to label the number. I’ll save it now.”
A perfectly polite sentence, yet somehow it made Ye Zeqian feel better.
Ye Zeqian: “So you remembered to send me an invitation but not to save my number?”
What did that mean?
Was he important or just an afterthought?
Xu Chaoyan: “You received the invitation? Actually the party was my childhood friend He Yunkai's idea. He organized the invitations.”
“…”
Heat flooded Ye Zeqian’s cheeks. He hadn’t felt this embarrassed in ages.
Xu Chaoyan: “I’ll ask if he sent one to your ex. If he did, I’ll see if we can retract it.”
That one line cleared the clouds. Even if Ye Zeqian didn’t think he deserved such consideration, his chest still warmed.
Ye Zeqian: “If it’s sent, forget it. No need to avoid him.”
Did the other saying this mean he thought he still had feelings for Gao Zhen? Had entangling thoughts?
Annoyance prickled. He fired off another text. “Do you really think people should hide from their exes after breaking up?”
Xu Chaoyan: “Of course not. I just thought you might mind. If you don’t, then I won’t interfere. It’s your personal matter.”
Hot one moment, cold the next, the mix of tones had Ye Zeqian restless and frustrated, a feeling he hadn’t experienced in years.
Xu Chaoyan: “Then I’ll see you Saturday night.”
The long reply Ye Zeqian had been typing was deleted until only three words remained: “See you then.”
He wasn’t exactly chasing friendship, but he had to admit, the opening had been perfect. For now, Xu Chaoyan left the best impression of any peer he’d met.
The next day, an unfamiliar number flashed on Ye Zeqian’s phone.
He answered curtly. “Who?”
Hearing Gao Zhen’s voice on the other end, he wanted to hang up.
“Wait, wait, just a few words,” Gao Zhen said quickly. He knew the other man probably found him revolting right now. “Cheating was my fault, yeah. But come on, after all these years, do we have to be like this?”
They’d known each other since their teens, long before they started dating.
“So you do know what ‘after all these years’ means? You knew it and still cheated on me?” Ye Zeqian snapped. “Gao Zhen, you’re scum. Trash. I must’ve been blind to ever like you.”
“…” Gao Zhen stayed silent.
When the tirade ended, he said quietly, “So now you’ve found someone better, and all your flaws just vanished?”
Anyone would choke on that one unless they weren’t a man at all.
“My flaws?” Ye Zeqian shot back. “And what about you? Moral scum or lack of character?”
The line went dead silent.
“Do we really have to talk morality? You’re nearly thirty, stop being naïve. How many men these days don’t pay for sex?” Gao Zhen argued. “Aside from that, what did I do wrong? I always gave in when we fought, did what you wanted, never pushed. You expected me to stay a virgin forever, like some monk. Don’t you think that’s cruel?”
“Oh? So I’m not a man now? Is Uncle Gao not a man either?” Ye Zeqian shot back. “You made a mistake and now you’re dragging every man on earth into your excuse. What you’ve lost isn’t your virtue, it’s your humanity.”
If he couldn’t handle a platonic relationship, he could’ve said so directly. No one would’ve stopped him from breaking up cleanly.
After breaking up, going to whore, would you die?
“I’m saying most men are like that, including your perfect Xu Chaoyan. You really think his private life’s clean?” Gao Zhen sneered. “Any guy who’s lived abroad, if he hasn’t joined a group orgy, he’s already exceptional. Strip them down and they’re all beasts. Put them in suits, and they look civilized.”
“Keep your filth to yourself,” Ye Zeqian said coldly. “Just because you’re dirty doesn’t mean every man’s like you.”
“You’ll see,” Gao Zhen said. “You’ll regret it.”
“Save it. When that day comes, brag all you want,” Ye Zeqian snapped. “In the meantime, stop harassing me. It’s pathetic. Hope you get that.”
Gao Zhen had even changed numbers just to make this call, truly scraping bottom.
“What now?” Gao Zhen mocked. “Gonna scrub yourself clean and spread your legs for Xu Chaoyan?”
Seeing a man with higher status, shamelessly going forward to bootlick, wasn’t that a btch?
“Whether I let him sleep with me or not, what’s it to you?” Ye Zeqian’s voice turned glacial. “Your brain’s so full of cum that ‘f*ck’ is the only word left in it.”
The call ended there.
In the original story, Gao Zhen never stooped this low. Ye Zeqian’s impression of him had stayed at “decent guy who couldn’t control his lower body.”
After all, the original’s Xu Chaoyan didn’t perform as excellently and outstandingly as Li Dong, at most just a wealthy family young master with very good family background but not much personal charm. Li Dong’s Xu Chaoyan had driven Gao Zhen into a corner, and he’d lost what little dignity he had left.
All he managed was to sink even lower in Ye Zeqian’s eyes.
Still, one line stuck with him: Gao Zhen’s jab about Xu Chaoyan’s private life.
Could it be true?
Possible, sure but not his business, Ye Zeqian told himself.
It shouldn’t matter, yet the thought lingered, faintly sour and irritating.
A man in his twenties having a sex life was perfectly normal. As long as it wasn’t excessive, it wasn’t even a stain.
“Ugh.” Ye Zeqian muttered, “Why do I even care whether his private life’s clean?” The guy wasn’t his boyfriend, why meddle?
And yet, he kept thinking about it, scowling at his own reflection while trying on outfit after outfit, cursing himself for being dramatic.
In the end, he chose something understated and proper: neat, nothing attention-grabbing.
Author’s Note:
【I’m dead. Second update at 5 p.m.】
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