PTBLSI chapter 5

 

Qi Xi looked at the number in shock. It looked exactly like a scam call. He secretly glanced at Fu Yanchuan. With his manga-male-lead face, it was impossible to tell if he was angry or not.

He suddenly smiled, his eyes crinkling, and looked directly at Fu Yanchuan. “I knew it was you, that’s why I hung up. We’re both here; there’s no need to answer. I’ll just save it.”

Fu Yanchuan didn’t mention the “Scammer” that Qi Xi had blurted out earlier. He watched Qi Xi save his number and show it to him as if to confirm it:

—Good Person Handsome Guy.

Seeing the name Qi Xi had saved, Fu Yanchuan’s expressionless manga-male-lead face said nothing, but he said in a tone that brooked no argument, “Change it.”

“Huh?”

“The name.”

Qi Xi tilted his head at Fu Yanchuan in confusion. “Why? You are a good person!”

Fu Yanchuan didn’t reply. Qi Xi continued, “Is it because I called you handsome and you’re embarrassed?”

He rubbed his chin and examined Fu Yanchuan’s face, admiration evident in his expression. “President Fu, you need to have confidence in yourself. I have very high standards. Your face is exactly like the characters in the comics I read—absolutely perfect. You know what? Faces like yours are called ‘a face straight out of a manga.[mfn]撕漫脸 (sī màn liǎn) Literal meaning “a face that looks like it tore its way out of a manga.” This is Chinese internet slang, very common in romance & idol contexts.[/mfn]’”.

Fu Yanchuan had no idea what Qi Xi was talking about. He had never read any comics. He took Qi Xi’s phone directly, quickly changed the name to “Fu Yanchuan,” and returned it as if nothing had happened. “Aren’t you going to eat? Let’s go.”

Qi Xi looked at the changed name, unable to understand what was wrong with “Good Person Handsome Guy.” He was very considerate of others, though. He turned his back, hid the phone under the orange cat, and secretly changed the name back. Then, he turned around, pretended he hadn’t done anything, and said to Fu Yanchuan, “President Fu, I’ve transferred the money I borrowed to you. Hurry and accept it.”

Fu Yanchuan felt that Qi Xi was too easy to read. He silently took out his phone. Qi Xi first transferred five hundred, then another two hundred. Fu Yanchuan wondered if Qi Xi had forgotten to calculate that it totaled seven hundred.

After accepting the money, he asked Qi Xi, “Anything else?”

“Nope.”

Qi Xi seemed to have finished a huge task and was very happy. Hugging the orange cat, he leaned close to Fu Yanchuan, grabbed his arm, and said, “Let’s go. I’ll use all the money I saved from not staying at a hotel to treat you to a meal.”

Fu Yanchuan stared at the hand gripping his arm. His arm stiffened as if frozen. No one had ever touched him like this before, yet today, Qi Xi had casually done it twice.

Qi Xi didn’t feel anything was wrong. He looked at Fu Yanchuan with innocent eyes and asked, “Did I hurt you?”

Fu Yanchuan didn’t answer. Qi Xi hurriedly let go. “Sorry, I didn’t know you were so afraid of pain.”

Fu Yanchuan didn’t explain. He pulled his suitcase and let Qi Xi lead the way. Qi Xi brought him to a 24-hour convenience store.

It wasn’t that he had never been to a convenience store before; he had just never eaten a meal in one.

Qi Xi walked over to the refrigerated section, handed the orange cat to Fu Yanchuan, and asked, “President Fu, what would you like to eat?”

Looking at the frozen ready-made meals, Fu Yanchuan fell silent. Qi Xi kindly offered, “If you don’t know what to choose, I’ll pick something for you.”

Then, he picked two boxes of food that he thought tasted good. “President Fu, wait for me at the table. I’ll heat them up.”

Fu Yanchuan looked toward the table that Qi Xi had pointed to. It was just a long, counter-like table by the window. There were already people there, and the empty boxes from their meals hadn’t been cleared yet.

He walked over quietly, holding the orange cat in one hand and picking up the empty boxes with the other.

The person nearby was shocked to see such a handsome guy clearing the table. Upon closer inspection, the man had an extraordinary aura and didn’t look like someone who would do this kind of thing. Just as he was wondering what the man was doing, he saw him take out an expensive-looking handkerchief and wipe the table.

“Holy shit!”

He blurted out and then pushed a pack of napkins over. “Handsome guy, use these.”

Fu Yanchuan flicked the napkins back as if they had never existed. He continued wiping the table with his handkerchief and threw it into the trash.

While heating up the food, Qi Xi also bought two servings of oden. He had been craving it badly last night, but he hadn’t wanted to buy it. After everything was heated, he brought it all over to Fu Yanchuan.

The person whose kind offer had been rejected remained there, determined to see what was wrong with Fu Yanchuan. The moment Qi Xi arrived, he suddenly understood something.

“President Fu, I also bought oden. There’s spicy and non-spicy. Which do you like?”

Qi Xi’s voice came before he did. As he spoke, he set the food down, took the orange cat back from Fu Yanchuan with his chopsticks, and pushed the pork cutlet rice he thought was the tastiest in front of Fu Yanchuan.

Fu Yanchuan took the chopsticks, glanced at the food, and asked, “Do you often eat at places like this?”

“Not really. Yesterday, when I came to buy instant noodles, I thought it looked good. But I didn’t have the heart to buy it then. Today, you helped me save money, so now I have enough to buy it. Do you eat spicy food?”

Qi Xi picked up an extra-spicy meatball and fed it to Fu Yanchuan. He was too tall, so he had to tiptoe slightly to reach him.

The person next to them almost dropped their eyeballs into the bowl like meatballs. In his heart, he silently cursed: Rich people coming to a place for wage slaves like them just to show off their affection—damn it! He sincerely wished them an early breakup and a head full of green hats.

However, Fu Yanchuan stepped back half a step, lowered his gaze, and said in a deep voice, “You don’t need to care about me.”

Qi Xi thought that Fu Yanchuan didn’t eat spicy food. He put a spicy meatball in his mouth and then switched to a non-spicy one. “Then eat this.”

“Qi Xi, this is very improper.”

Fu Yanchuan’s voice suddenly sank, and even his gaze carried an invisible pressure.

Qi Xi was stunned. He didn’t know what he had done wrong, but he could tell that Fu Yanchuan was angry. He put the meatball back down, afraid that Fu Yanchuan wouldn’t want him as the stand-in for the White Moonlight anymore. If that happened, he’d be homeless again.

He imagined his money running out and living on the streets with Qi Tian Dasheng. He abruptly raised his eyes, which were now misted with tears, and looked at Fu Yanchuan.

“Does what you just promised still count? Do you still want me to be your stand-in lover?”

Stand-in! Lover!

The person eavesdropping nearby almost had a heart attack from the shock. What kind of plot from a domineering CEO novel was this? Could he actually encounter it in real life? Pretending to pick something up, he secretly looked at the two standing together. He suspected that he had somehow transmigrated into a stand-in novel as a random passerby.

Fu Yanchuan sensed the gaze and shot a sharp look over. The person hurriedly picked up a napkin and turned away, not daring to look back.

Fu Yanchuan immediately grabbed Qi Xi and, with his other hand, dragged his suitcase as he left.

Qi Xi still hadn’t figured out whether Fu Yanchuan wanted him as a stand-in or not. Seeing that he was about to be dragged away, he quickly tossed the cat aside, reached back with his free hand to grab a meatball, and was then dragged out of the convenience store by Fu Yanchuan, holding only that one meatball.

Fu Yanchuan stood by the roadside, still holding Qi Xi’s wrist. Qi Xi held up the meatball toward him. Unable to read Fu Yanchuan’s mind, he grinned and asked, “President Fu, why did we come out? We haven’t finished eating yet.”

“These have no nutrition. Don’t eat them in the future.”

Qi Xi hurriedly stuffed the last meatball into his mouth, afraid that Fu Yanchuan would throw it away the next second. After finishing it, he said, “If you don’t like meatballs, can I take the rice out? I bought it with my own money.”

Fu Yanchuan stared silently at Qi Xi for a long while, then asked, “How much do you want?”

“Want what?”

“Money.”

Qi Xi tilted his head. “You’re giving me money?”

“If you be my stand-in, I’ll give you money.”

Qi Xi suddenly became happy. “So, you still want me to be your stand-in lover? But you already let me live at your place. Why are you still giving me money?”

This question stumped Fu Yanchuan. In his circle, it wasn’t rare to keep lovers, and none of those people weren’t after anything but money.

He couldn’t answer, but Qi Xi understood in a new way and suddenly realized something. He said, “I get it. If I live at your place, I’ll mop the floor, wash your clothes, and do whatever else you ask. You won’t need to hire a housekeeper—just hire me. Before, two thousand a month wasn’t really enough for me. Can you give me three thousand a month as a salary?

Fu Yanchuan stayed silent. Qi Xi bargained, “Is three thousand too much? two thousand five hundred is okay, too.”

Still no answer from Fu Yanchuan. Qi Xi was a bit disappointed. “Is two thousand five hundred still too much? Then tell me how much.”

Only then did Fu Yanchuan let go of Qi Xi’s hand. He faced Qi Xi seriously and said, “Qi Xi, this is your chance. No matter what you ask for, I’ll agree.”

“Really?” Qi Xi’s eyes lit up at once. “Is three thousand a month okay? I’ll be your housekeeper. Whatever you ask me to do, I’ll do it.”

Fu Yanchuan suddenly examined Qi Xi seriously. Apart from a slight resemblance in the face, he was completely different from Qiao Ye.

Qiao Ye ran away from home at eighteen to pursue racing. At twenty, he said he wanted to go on adventures. He decisively gave up his excellent studies, slung on a backpack, and went alone into a desolate rainforest.

On the other hand, Qi Xi wasn’t smart. He was forgetful, reckless, slow, and didn’t know how to fight for his own interests. According to the education Fu Yanchuan had received since childhood, he had almost all the flaws that were absolutely unacceptable.

He didn’t reply. Qi Xi continued, “Didn’t you say you’d agree to any amount? Then can we sign a contract first?”

Fu Yanchuan hadn’t expected Qi Xi to remember the contract. He told him, “A contract like that is invalid. Do you understand?”

“How could it be invalid? If we put our fingerprints on it and sign, it’s valid!”

At that moment, a taxi drove by. Fu Yanchuan flagged it down and pushed Qi Xi into the car.

Qi Xi hurriedly shouted, “Dasheng!”

The orange cat immediately sprang onto the car door and jumped onto his lap.

Silently, Fu Yanchuan put the suitcase in the trunk, sat down beside Qi Xi, and told the driver, “Chuanrong Building.”

“What place is that?”

Qi Xi turned toward Fu Yanchuan. He vaguely felt that Fu Yanchuan was still angry with him, but he couldn’t remember what he’d done wrong.

Fu Yanchuan ignored him. Qi Xi hunched over and stretched his head into Fu Yanchuan’s line of sight. Fu Yanchuan was typing on his phone and still ignored him.

With no other choice, Qi Xi returned to his seat and tried to get the orange cat to talk to Fu Yanchuan. The cat refused, so Qi Xi forcibly placed the cat’s paw on the back of Fu Yanchuan’s hand.

Fu Yanchuan finally glanced at him. Qi Xi immediately smiled. “Meow!”

Fu Yanchuan took a deep breath and said, “Sit properly.”

“Meow.”

Qi Xi imitated a cat’s meow and sat up straight like an elementary school student. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Fu Yanchuan pick up his phone and start typing again. An idea flashed through his mind, so he sent Fu Yanchuan, whom he had just added as a friend, a cute cat emoji.

But after waiting a long time, Fu Yanchuan still didn’t reply. Qi Xi checked Fu Yanchuan’s Moments, but there was nothing—no posts, not even a signature. There was only an avatar of a seaside sunset.

He opened the avatar and looked at it carefully. He noticed a very small figure in it. Could this be Fu Yanchuan’s white moonlight? Unfortunately, he couldn’t tell.

The Chuanrong Building was the headquarters of the Chuanrong Group. Fu Yanchuan got out of the car and took Qi Xi into the office area. When they passed the president’s office, everyone was so shocked that their eyes nearly popped out.

Apart from secretaries, assistants, and group executives and partners, no one else had ever appeared beside Fu Yanchuan—until they clearly saw Qi Xi’s face.

Qi Xi had never been to a place like this before. He nervously followed Fu Yanchuan, feeling many gazes on him. He subconsciously hugged the orange cat tighter, lowered his head, and followed closely behind Fu Yanchuan, step by step.

After entering the office, Fu Yanchuan stopped. Qi Xi crashed straight into his back. Fu Yanchuan turned around and asked, “What year are you in?”

Qi Xi looked around and saw that there was no one else in the room. Finally letting out a sigh of relief, he answered, “Third year. Do I need academic qualifications to be your stand-in? Is it not okay that I haven’t graduated from university yet?”

Fu Yanchuan thought that Qi Xi talked too much. He sat down and turned on the computer. “I’ll draw up an internship contract for you. The salary is three thousand a month. You don’t need to clock in for work. Your monthly pay will be issued by the group.”

“Why?”

Qi Xi felt cheated. “Didn’t you promise to take care of my cat and support it until its old age?”

“I said that kind of contract is invalid. If you insist on signing, you can only sign something else.”

“Then will you still take care of me? Will you let me live at your place? Will you not dislike me? Will you not scold me? Will you not get angry at me? Will you support my cat until old age and see it through to the end?”

Qi Xi’s demands were slightly different from last time, except for one thing—supporting his cat until old age and seeing it through to the end never changed.

Fu Yanchuan answered, “I will.”

“Then write it into the contract, and we’ll sign it.”

Fu Yanchuan took off his glasses and tossed them onto the desk. He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes briefly, and looked at Qi Xi. “How many times do you want me to say it? A contract like that has no legal effect and can’t guarantee you anything.”

“Oh.”

Qi Xi softly responded. His eyes were reddened, but he sniffed, held back his tears, and tried to smile at Fu Yanchuan. “If I sign the contract you mentioned, will you take care of my cat until he’s old? Can I live at your place? I don’t want to go back to my dad’s house anymore.”

Fu Yanchuan watched as a tear rolled down from the corner of his eye, which Qi Xi couldn’t hold back. Yet, Qi Xi was still smiling at him with a pleading and ingratiating look.

Ever since he was five, his father had never allowed him to cry. In his mind, nothing was worth crying over. Qi Xi was already twenty—how could such a small matter make him cry?

He didn’t reply. Suddenly, Qi Xi wiped away the tear from the corner of his eye. He smiled even more brightly and said, “I know I’m stupid and can’t do anything well. I’m annoying. It’s normal for someone as capable as you not to like me. But I really like you. You’re the most handsome person I’ve ever seen. I hope you find someone you like next time. Goodbye.”

After speaking, Qi Xi bowed to Fu Yanchuan, hugged the cat, turned around, pushed his suitcase, and walked toward the door.

Fu Yanchuan had no idea what Qi Xi had imagined this time. He abruptly stood up and crossed over in a few steps to block the exit. “I never said I didn’t want you.”

 

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