Rushing to make it, Xie Jinghe successfully reached his doorstep before midnight. Along the way, he had sprayed nearly half a bottle of breath freshener into his mouth and kept asking his assistant, Le Yan, who was driving him:

“Do I still smell strongly of alcohol?”

Le Yan wrinkled her nose and muttered:

“Xie Ge, it’s not like you were attending some disreputable banquet; it was just a cast and crew dinner with the investors. Is it really necessary to act like you’re facing a great enemy? Are you some kind of young daughter-in-law living in a feudal household?”

Click.

Xie Jinghe snapped the cap off the breath freshener, stuffed it into the glove box, and said sheepishly: “Linchuan really hates it when I drink.”

Le Yan was efficient and had a sharp personality. She was very close to Xie Jinghe, far exceeding the typical employer-employee relationship, so she immediately spoke bluntly: “Xie Ge, get a grip. Didn’t you guys originally meet at a bar?”

Subtext: How does he even have the gall to say he hates you drinking?

Realizing she had accidentally blurted out a key keyword, Le Yan sensed something was wrong immediately. The next second, the man’s mood did indeed shift; he even let out a small laugh and narrated softly:

“Yeah, that day was truly a coincidence.”

To this day, Xie Jinghe still had a vivid memory of what happened that day.

Three years ago, on his twenty-fourth birthday, Xie Jinghe’s schedule involved shooting the cover for a top-tier magazine. The shoot started at 3:00 PM and didn’t end until past 8:00 PM.

When it finished, the staff had prepared a surprise for Xie Jinghe.

Two people worked together to push out a three-tier birthday cake, while several others gathered around Xie Jinghe, popping party poppers in unison. Their faces were brimming with smiles as they wished him a happy birthday.

Tiny fragments of paper glittered brilliantly under the spotlights, sprinkling onto Xie Jinghe like stars. One piece even landed on his eyelashes, flickering as he blinked.

Xie Jinghe was surrounded by starlight.

Every face wore a sincere and enthusiastic smile as they clapped for the man in the center of the lights and showered him with blessings.

Xie Jinghe laughed heartily, taking the initiative to distribute cake to everyone present.

However, all good things must come to an end.

After the surprise, the people gathered around him left one by one.

Xie Jinghe knew where they were going.

—They were going home.

Xie Jinghe didn’t know where his own home was. The orphanage didn’t count as home, the school dorm didn’t count, the basement he lived in while working part-time didn’t count, and the various luxury mansions he bought after becoming famous didn’t count either.

Those were just “fixed assets.”

Suddenly, an unprecedented sense of loneliness swallowed Xie Jinghe whole.

Perhaps it was the night that amplified this hollow feeling. He didn’t return to his residence; he didn’t even remove his makeup, simply wearing the trendy clothes the brand had gifted him, and wandered the streets.

But Xie Jinghe wasn’t crazy enough to be completely reckless.

He wore a cap and a mask, even pulling up the hoodie of his jacket, wrapping himself up tightly. He found the most desolate corner in the busiest area and sipped his drink alone.

Xie Jinghe still remembered the name of that little bar.

“Night Flame.”

The environment was dim, with red, blue, and purple lights flickering in and out of existence. The hot, dry drumbeats thumped away, and the laughter of men and women was drowned out by the beat, adding a touch of ambiguity.

Xie Jinghe sat in a lonely corner like a weirdo. He didn’t take off his mask the entire time, and he stuck a plastic straw into his glass, drinking by inserting the straw underneath the mask.

Cup after cup.

The more he drank, the blurrier Xie Jinghe’s vision became.

He remained in a tipsy state—conscious, but his body felt slightly numb. It was as if a pressure valve had been opened, and the loneliness had all flown away.

Knock, knock.

Just then, a vigorous, powerful hand entered Xie Jinghe’s line of sight. The knuckles were bent, knocking twice on the glass tabletop with a weight that perfectly synchronized with the rhythm of the drumbeats.

Xie Jinghe didn’t even lift his head, rejecting them in a muffled voice.

“Not looking for company.”

The owner of that hand stood beside him. With his head bowed, Xie Jinghe could only see the other person’s suit trousers and leather shoes. In the hand hanging at his side, the person was holding a dark brown briefcase.

The absolute attire of an office worker.

The next instant, Xie Jinghe heard this office worker call out in a gentle, humble voice, hesitating:

“…Xiao Jing?”

Xie Jinghe was stunned for two seconds before he came back to his senses. He subconsciously reached up to touch the mask on his face while glancing toward the source of the sound.

The man had black hair and black eyes, wearing black-rimmed glasses. The lenses reflected the light, making it difficult to see his expression clearly.

The smile at his lips was refined and gentle.

His outfit of a dress shirt, suit trousers, and briefcase was completely out of place in the bar environment.

Before Xie Jinghe could reply, the man retracted his hand, tilted his head, and confirmed softly:

“It’s Xiao Jing, right?”

“I’m sorry, I seem to be too intrusive…” He paused for a few seconds, suddenly lifting a hand to scratch the back of his head, his smile becoming cramped and awkward, “You probably don’t remember me, right? My name is Shi Linchuan. I lived in the same orphanage as you when we were kids.”

Hearing this name, Xie Jinghe let out an “Ah,” and a term from his childhood memory slipped out: “Xiao Ge?”

Hearing this, the man lowered his head modestly. He gestured to the surrounding noise and said as if changing the subject, “I didn’t expect to see you at this place… I didn’t think…”

“You still remember me.”

Xie Jinghe had always looked up to him as a big brother.

He had been frail as a child and was often bullied; having things stolen from him was a daily occurrence.

Shi Linchuan was different from the others. He would share his food with him and would find those other kids to reason with them, telling them to stop bullying him.

After leaving the orphanage, they had lost contact completely, and Xie Jinghe had secretly cried over it several times.

Reunited after many years.

Xie Jinghe suddenly felt that the old saying was very true—one of the four joys in life is [meeting an old friend in a distant land]. Although it seemed a bit strange to use this phrase to describe the current scene, it was close enough.

The man sat down opposite him. Seeing Xie Jinghe fully armed, he suggested very thoughtfully: “Are you not comfortable? Why don’t we find a place without people and talk?”

But this was a bar; there were people everywhere.

The two looked around and suddenly realized the second floor of the bar was a hotel. They immediately ordered a pile of drinks and went upstairs to catch up.

Xie Jinghe was probably too excited and too happy.

He took off his mask and cap, downing cup after cup of alcohol, forgetting that he hadn’t even eaten dinner. Suddenly, a wave of nausea hit him…

And then, he vomited all over the man.

Xie Jinghe froze after throwing up. He sat there like an idiot, watching the man get up to clean up the mess. A few minutes later, there was a muffled sound at the door, and he came back to his senses.

Shi Linchuan had left.

The man was truly gentle and well-bred; before leaving, he had even cleaned up the vomit on the floor.

Xie Jinghe stared at that spot on the floor, his mind blank for a long time. Slowly, annoyance climbed up his brow like the rising tide of the ocean. He couldn’t help but hug his head and let out a roar, completely lacking in decorum:

“Xie Jinghe, you are such a big idiot!”

As soon as the words fell, a soft chuckle came from the doorway.

The white shirt the man was wearing had a wet patch, clinging to the skin of his waist and vaguely outlining the lines of his obliques. Because he had just finished cleaning the room, his sleeves were still rolled up to his elbows, revealing two slender forearms.

Xie Jinghe noticed he was carrying a shopping bag.

The man walked over with steady steps, sat down beside him, and took out the items from the shopping bag one by one.

Sandwich, hot porridge, anti-hangover drinks, and a bottle of makeup remover and cotton pads… a whole mess of things.

Xie Jinghe drank the entire cup of hot porridge in a daze, then finished a whole bottle of honey water. For some reason, his drunkenness seemed to deepen.

Seeing him dizzy, the man silently unpacked the makeup remover products, used a damp cotton pad to rub away the remaining makeup on his face bit by bit, and said with extreme tenderness,

“You’re a celebrity; you still need to be careful.”

Xie Jinghe couldn’t speak; he could only nod blankly.

After removing the makeup, the man pushed up his glasses, his movements appearing somewhat hesitant.

He seemed very embarrassed to look at Xie Jinghe, lowering his head to stare at the floor, reaching directly into his suit pocket to take out a macaron in a transparent box, and handing it to Xie Jinghe.

He said,

“Xiao Jing, happy birthday.”

The macaron was pink, tiny, and only enough for one bite. It was full of artificial sweetener, cloyingly sweet.

Xie Jinghe struggled to swallow it, quietly glancing at the man who was cleaning up the mess on the table. His sluggish brain spun for a long time, and he only managed to stutter out,

“How about, how about we drink for a while longer?”

Hearing this, the man’s eyes were filled with absolute surprise, but just when Xie Jinghe thought he would refuse, the other party smiled and said: “If that is your wish…”

“…”

“Okay.”

Three years passed, and Xie Jinghe still remembered the tone of the man’s voice back then. He rolled down the car window and, while blowing in the cold wind, patted his burning hot face, saying with heartfelt sincerity:

“Le Yan, you don’t know how good he is to me.”

Le—my-ears-are-about-to-callous—Yan: “…”

Subsequently, Xie Jinghe added worriedly: “Actually, after marrying Linchuan, I’ve always wanted to reduce my work and return to the family, but he is always thinking of me, afraid that I will regret it.”

Le Yan: “…………”

“Linchuan was laid off by his company a few months ago, but even then, he comforted me, telling me not to worry and to focus on filming,” Xie Jinghe continued, “And then those tabloid accounts wrote nonsense, saying I was having an affair with someone on set. He must have no sense of security during this time…”

After he finished speaking, he sighed worriedly.

“Linchuan cares about me too much, that’s why he gets jealous. He is truly very good to me. He lost his job; as his partner, I must take better care of his emotions…”

As Xie Jinghe spoke, he raised his eyes and suddenly realized the car had already stopped downstairs. Le Yan was staring at him, turning her head.

The young woman with the high ponytail held her breath, trying hard to swallow back a bellyful of words, and only suggested: “Xie Ge, why don’t you introduce him to a job? Once he has work, he won’t be letting his imagination run wild.”

Yeah, right, Le Yan thought to herself.

Watching the man’s back as he carried his suitcase upstairs, she couldn’t help but let out a long sigh.

Some things are destined to be clearer to onlookers.

…Anyway, she didn’t think that man was anything good.

Click.

The door was closed gently. The man pulled his suitcase into the living room. Upon entering, he was met with a nose-stinging, thick smell of cigarettes, and the worry and anxiety in his heart climbed to its peak.

Shi Linchuan was sitting upright on the sofa. When he looked up at the sound, he took in the man’s apprehensive expression, a glimmer of interest flashing in the eyes behind his glasses.

However, the corners of his lips were pursed flat, the lines sharp.

“Linchuan, I’m ho…”

The moment the other party opened his mouth to speak, Shi Linchuan pressed the cigarette butt he had already extinguished between his fingers heavily into the ashtray and said coldly: “So you still remember to come back.”

As the words fell.

Shi Linchuan’s mind rang again with the system’s ill-timed voice, “Host, you are really too much of a jerk.”

Shi Linchuan gave a secret “tsk.”

“Mute yourself, don’t come and ruin the mood.”