Chapter 12: Play-Acting

What did our eyes just accidentally see…

In the chat group created by the executives for shooting the breeze, where they had just been making small talk to avoid Qi Yingzhu and where laughter had filled the air, it now seemed as if they had collectively lost their ability to type.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say their minds went completely blank, because they were utterly unable to accept the current situation. They stared at those two Chinese characters as if reading an incomprehensible heavenly script.

Everyone silently repeated it several times in their heads, their internal tone resounding and forceful. Yet, none of them dared to make a substantive sound, terrified that uttering even a single syllable would get them dragged out and silenced.

There must be some mistake, right? Is this Qi Yingzhu’s device?

They gasped in horror. What suffocated them even more was that the screen before their eyes was undeniably their boss’s computer.

Fuck. Because the visual was too impactful, a director sitting at his workstation couldn’t help but lean back. While deeply feeling the surreal magic of the world, a faint montage of his life even flashed before his eyes.

He seemed to suspect that Qi Yingzhu had been possessed by some unknown creature. Frightened out of his wits, he grabbed his breakfast off his desk and ran out, hurriedly looking for a nearby manager to seek reassurance.

Unfortunately, the manager wasn’t doing much better. The two looked at each other in dismay and asked in unison, “Real or fake?”

No further description was needed; they were talking about the exact same thing.

Ba… Baby??

Blame it on this thing being too lethal. Even though everyone saw it with their own eyes, they were reluctant to believe it, and up until now, no one dared to make a peep.

After a while, someone finally perked up and tacitly asked in the small group chat: [Real or fake?]

This question was like a stone thrown into a river, instantly stirring up a massive splash.

[I think his account got hacked! Quickly CC cybersecurity, protect the emperor! Protect the emperor!]

[I respect Boss Qi very much, but I’ve only ever heard this term of endearment between couples in the passionate phase of love, or from parents to their child (Note: the child’s age must not exceed seven years old).]

[Him having a child? Impossible. During the summer break, I brought my kid over to do homework. The moment he saw us from 800 meters away, he slipped away.]

[Could it be a scam call? Would dialing 110 be useful for rescuing a fallen entrepreneur across the Pacific Ocean?]

Amidst the chaotic chatter, they strategically turned off their computer microphones, worried that the loud clacking of their keyboards would be too conspicuous. If Qi Yingzhu found out, their blood would splatter on his screen.

As the protagonist of the topic, Qi Yingzhu had also seen the caller ID. However, he paused in surprise, thinking it was a prank.

The meeting was starting in seven or eight minutes. He didn’t like wasting time, so he simply answered it.

“Who are you?” Qi Yingzhu asked coldly.

He didn’t deliberately mute the online meeting’s microphone. Doing so at this moment would only be trying to cover things up and making it more obvious, ruining his innocent reputation.

However, he didn’t turn on the speakerphone either, so the other party’s answer wouldn’t be broadcast; only he could hear it by pressing it close to his ear.

“Hubby, my parents picked me up, we’re getting ready to head home now.” A burst of lively chirping sounded in his ear.

Qi Yingzhu’s memory suddenly recovered; it seemed he wasn’t exactly innocent under the Marriage Law either: “…”

He remembered Chu Fuxuan mentioning beforehand that he would share his itinerary with him when the time came. He just didn’t expect it to be such a coincidence.

This time, he turned off everything that needed to be turned off, preventing others from eavesdropping through the network cable.

Chu Fuxuan feigned consideration, sounding exactly like he was putting on a show of affection in front of his parents: “I saw it’s not too late over there, I shouldn’t have woken you up, right?”

Qi Yingzhu rubbed his temples. “Mr. Chu, next time it would be better to send a text message as a warning.”

Chu Fuxuan carried on talking: “Mhm, don’t miss me too much. Remember to take care of yourself over there too.”

Qi Yingzhu: “…………”

He said sincerely, “I suggest you go to Hollywood to develop your career. With this level of determination, you could definitely win Best Actor.”

“Lovesick after only being apart for a few hours? If you can’t bear to be apart, then come over earlier. I can’t even hug you through the phone.” Chu Fuxuan indeed had a lot of determination, seemingly not caring about his own life anymore.

Qi Yingzhu looked at the call screen in disbelief, his expression indescribable for a moment.

“Just wait. I’m in a meeting right now. Once I finish what’s on hand, it’ll be about time to head to the airport,” he said, grinding his back teeth.

The other side instantly misfired, then stiffly said, “Bye-bye.”

Chu Fuxuan took the lead in hanging up the phone. Not even half a minute later, he frantically sent a WeChat message.

[Did I just come out of the closet before even onboarding?]

Qi Yingzhu clarified: [No, they didn’t hear your voice. I switched out of the screen right after asking.]

Chu Fuxuan let out a solid sigh of relief, though he wasn’t too satisfied with his cooperation just now.

[I also expected this. I didn’t put it on speaker and even turned the volume down, afraid you’d say some nonsensical things.]

Qi Yingzhu replied: [There was one sentence that wasn’t nonsense. I am indeed heading back soon, arriving at your side as quickly as possible.]

Chu Fuxuan hesitated: [You value it that much?]

Qi Yingzhu scoffed, digging at him: [Afraid that if lovesickness drags on too long, it won’t be curable in its late stages.]

After sending this sentence, Qi Yingzhu didn’t continue the banter. Seeing that the meeting was starting in two minutes, he cleared out all the software that needed to be closed and lightly returned to the conference room.

It was still dead silent over there. Qi Yingzhu adjusted his equipment and spoke: “Is everyone AFK?”

Coincidentally, the project team Chu Fuxuan was joining was also attending the meeting. The producer was present and was the first to answer.

“Maybe they got scared offline. Boss, who is your baby?” Xie Yu said.

This question was thrown out perfectly, saving others from speculating privately. Qi Yingzhu concisely laid his cards on the table.

“I won’t hide it from everyone, I got married abroad previously.” What they stumbled upon was naturally his spouse.

Qi Yingzhu didn’t spill anything more, even describing the timeline very vaguely.

Everyone looked at their noses and minded their own business. Understanding that he was unwilling to reveal details, they tactfully suppressed their gossip. The atmosphere remained harmonious as they merely offered their congratulations.

However, upon switching back to the small group chat, the others asked in disbelief: [Why did he ask “Who are you”? Playing some roleplay kink here? This guy is acting so calm and collected, is he showing off???]

[Is his spouse male or female? When exactly did this happen? Did the Group secretly assign him one? You guys are making a huge mistake! What era is this to still do arranged marriages!]

[Ninety-nine percent it’s a pure man, otherwise why get the certificate abroad? He actually really became a gay guy!!]

Squeezing out the last bit of free time, the group chat was bombarded wildly until the secretary began to host the agenda. Everyone dizzyingly pulled their thoughts together, each explaining their respective data sources.

Afterward, the secretary announced the meeting’s end. Every single person on the call was at least manager-level and could be considered to have seen big scenes, but after their attention withdrew from the spreadsheets, they still felt unable to digest the information.

They were trembling with fear and didn’t dare to go disturb Qi Yingzhu. Only Xie Yu was closer to him, so he turned around and messaged him privately.

Xie Yu asked faintly: [No wonder signing Chu Fuxuan could drag on for several days. Did you go fool around with your wife halfway through?]

He further extrapolated: [The time it took to issue the contract this time was so long, I suspect you went on a honeymoon before coming back to stamp the electronic seal.]

Qi Yingzhu said: [I didn’t delay, nor did I fool around with anyone, much less go on a honeymoon. HR negotiating the salary and doing background checks took a long time.]

Xie Yu was purely asking casually, and upon finding a conversation starter, cut to the chase.

[Chu Fuxuan is onboarding soon. How did you feel interacting with him? Say a little bit about anything. Since he’ll be working under me, I need to have some idea.]

Qi Yingzhu reminded him: [You interviewed him and gave a pretty good evaluation, right?]

Xie Yu: [At that time, I only made a phone call. Getting along in person is always a bit different. You understand him deeper than I do, and you have more management experience than me.]

Qi Yingzhu pondered for a moment, thinking of how Chu Fuxuan mixed up the blind date and the job interview, accidentally blocked his car, and was exposed several times when doing bad things.

However, with a final flash of memory, what he remembered was Chu Fuxuan making that phone call—clearly struggling terribly, yet stubbornly forcing himself to pretend everything was fine.

Qi Yingzhu said: [If there are any burdens, you can hand them over to him to try carrying. He’s very self-conscious and doesn’t need to be spurred on. Watching him too closely will actually fail to foster trust.]

Sending this over, he glanced at the night scenery outside the window. Thinking that both Xie Yu and Chu Fuxuan had somewhat sharp and aggressive styles, he typed out another instruction.

[Take it easy when he first comes in. Don’t just throw him into a frying pan and forget about him. There’s a high probability he won’t jump out even if he’s being burned, and by the time you fish him out, it’ll be a work injury.]

They chatted about how Chu Fuxuan should be arranged, while Chu Fuxuan was completely unaware of how his path was being planned out. As soon as he entered his home, he was attracted by the aroma of food.

Having lived abroad for so long, his family had hired a new nanny auntie in recent years, whom Chu Fuxuan had never met. Hearing footsteps at this moment, she came out with a smile to greet him.

“Oh, the young master is so handsome? The lady boss usually talks about you all the time. You’ve finally returned.”

After the auntie finished, she added, “We just need to stir-fry an eggplant and we can start eating. Go sit on the sofa for a while. I baked some cookies this morning, you can pad your stomach with them.”

Chu Fuxuan responded politely and asked, “Where is the luggage I mailed back? I think I’ll go take a shower first.”

Mother Chu said, “All the clothes have been washed and hung in your closet. I went shopping a few days ago and bought some more. The floor heating hasn’t been working too well lately, so you need to wear a sweater at home.”

They lived in a single-family villa that had been around for some years. Chu Fuxuan’s bedroom was on the second floor. It hadn’t been lived in for a long time. Even if relatives needed a place to stay, his parents refused to vacate this room.

The furniture inside didn’t look old today; it must have been carefully maintained. The quilt and pillowcases were already laid out on the bed. Chu Fuxuan could smell the scent of the sun, guessing they had just been brought in after sunning.

His bedroom had an en-suite bathroom, which had also been stocked with new daily necessities, the packaging seals all thoughtfully opened.

Having been cooped up in the cabin for over ten hours, Chu Fuxuan took a refreshing shower, then crisply tidied up his carry-on suitcase. He took out two boxes of souvenirs from it, gave them to his parents in Qi Yingzhu’s name, and received a string of supportive praise.

Having eaten instant noodles and frozen vegetables for so long in Silicon Valley, he was now being fed different meals at every sitting. Chu Fuxuan rested for three days, and every day there were fresh dishes steaming hot.

His stomach, which occasionally cramped in pain, stopped acting up as well. Drinking freshly squeezed fruit juice, Chu Fuxuan suddenly reflected on what kind of torturous life he had been living before.

“When do you have to report for your next job? Could it be a little later?” Mother Chu asked.

Chu Fuxuan shook his head: “It took a lot of effort to negotiate it this time. They are also short on manpower over there. I can’t flake out on the agreed-upon time.”

As Qi Yingzhu had said, right around the time he was searching for marriage documents, HR came to discuss his compensation. The two sides haggled back and forth a few times, and the finalized price was higher than expected.

Chu Fuxuan needed this opportunity, but he comforted his mother: “My company is just across the cross-sea bridge from here. I won’t have to endure tossing about like before. Moving forward, I’ll take more time to come back and keep you and Dad company.”

Aside from the family reunion, not long after, local relatives also made plans to come visit him. Hearing that Chu Fuxuan was already married, they were inevitably curious about the other party’s situation.

Chu Fuxuan was pincered from left and right with inquiries, so he simply took out a group photo to show them. Amidst the surrounding gasps of admiration, someone was surprised: “How come you two were photographed looking individually handsome, but it doesn’t look like you’re on the same layer? (Don’t match well)”

Hearing this, Chu Fuxuan immediately denied it, stating that they were as close as glue and paint, and then covertly opened Qi Yingzhu’s chat box.

They didn’t contact each other unless necessary. Their last chat was when Chu Fuxuan called him. Qi Yingzhu had forgotten to share his itinerary when he arrived in Shanghai later; likely because he was used to coming and going alone, he completely lacked this habit.

They had lost contact for over a week. Chu Fuxuan had initially been immersed in being cared for and hadn’t paid attention to where his partner was drifting. Suddenly reacting to this now, he was half-vigilant and half-guilty, choosing to strike preemptively by pretending to be the victim.

Chu Fuxuan appeared vulnerable but actually hid his fangs: [My newlywed husband hasn’t spoken to me in a week, it hurts. I am empathizing with the ancients—what does it mean to regret urging one’s husband to seek a high official title.]

After reciting the poetry, his creative desire burst forth: [Guarding an empty room for a full ten days, why did the husband abandon his wife and children? What kind of feasting and revelry outside made him commit a mistake? Before remarrying, is there a need to publish a bounty in the newspaper—”Where is my damn hubby”?]

About half an hour after sending it, the other party didn’t respond. Surrounded by relatives, Chu Fuxuan nervously squeezed his phone.

“In your transnational relationship, has he always been the one flying over to find you? So devoted, how did you two meet?”

“Why didn’t he come with you? You’ve been home for several days now, right? Your parents were so happy a while ago, saying you settled the major event of your life, and that the guy is very reliable too.”

“You still need to observe the most basic etiquette. He should come to see your mom and dad. Have you talked to him about it?”

With a cacophony of questions in his ears, Chu Fuxuan’s head throbbed. His phone lit up a few times, but he didn’t have the time to look at it, eventually finding an excuse to go help out in the kitchen.

While he was continuously making things worse by trying to help, the doorbell in the courtyard rang. Chu Fuxuan was shooed away to open the door again. He dejectedly spoke into the intercom: “Leave the stuff at the door. Next time my dad orders fried chicken, please don’t deliver it anymore. Please blacklist this address.”

He heard the person on the other end say: “It’s not a food delivery.”

As the voice fell, Chu Fuxuan abruptly raised his head. Across the fence, Qi Yingzhu was standing outside, looking at him.

From the doorbell to right in front of his eyes, the same voice rang out: “Oh, you haven’t remarried yet, so your damn hubby came at just the right time?”