WP 4

During the meal, Jiang Yibai didn’t get to sit at the same table as Si Shaorong. He stared at the food in his bowl with resentment, poking at it like it had wronged him.

Because Zhen Zhen had intentionally spread the rumor about the co-rental in advance, some people casually brought it up during dinner. As soon as Jiang Yibai heard it, his ears twitched. He looked like he was about to grow a pair of rabbit ears on the spot.

Si Shaorong barely spoke. Even when people addressed him, he only nodded in response and rarely said a word. Jiang Yibai, with a piece of spicy chicken leg clamped between his chopsticks, froze mid-motion. All his attention was on Si Shaorong.

Beside him, Nian Gao was focused on eating, completely at odds with her sweet, doll-like anime outfit. A female author nearby said with envy, “Nian Gao eats so much but never seems to gain weight.”

Nian Gao smiled and replied, “My job is draining. I’m lucky I haven’t gone bald, let alone put on weight.”

Everyone around the table laughed and the conversation shifted naturally to the topic of hair loss.

The atmosphere was cheerful, but Jiang Yibai felt completely out of place. Nian Gao elbowed him lightly. The chicken leg slipped from his chopsticks and dropped into his bowl. She glanced at him and whispered, “Did you catch anything?”

Jiang Yibai looked heartbroken. Nian Gao didn’t react at all. She had long since grown used to his dramatics.

A second later, he spoke with deep despair. “I didn’t hear a thing.”

Nian Gao rolled her eyes so hard it was a wonder they didn’t get stuck.

Maybe the eye-roll was too much, because the table went quiet for a moment. Then, someone nearby turned to strike up a conversation with Jiang Yibai.

“Xiao Jiang, is Jiang really your surname?”

“It is,” Jiang Yibai replied while eating slowly. Every third sentence seemed to circle back to the master, and he never missed a chance to show his loyalty. “Master’s pen name is Si Ye. The character ‘Si’ is also his original surname. Same as me.”

“…”

Nian Gao looked like she couldn’t bear to watch. “Who cares whether you’re the same as the master or not?”

Jiang Yibai didn’t lower his voice while speaking, and the tables were close together. He nudged his chin in Si Shaorong’s direction.

The man glanced his way.

“We made eye contact!” Jiang Yibai whispered excitedly as he bumped Nian Gao with his elbow.

Nian Gao said nothing. You can eat nonsense, but don’t speak it. Made eye contact? Seriously?

With Si Shaorong present, trying to have a normal conversation with Jiang Yibai was practically impossible. Someone at the table seemed to pick up on what was going on. Not particularly impressed with how high-profile Jiang Yibai was acting, they deliberately said, “You really like the master, huh? Oh right, you write danmei. That explains it.”

There was a clear jab in their tone. If Jiang Yibai had been shy or introverted, he probably wouldn’t have known how to respond and might have wanted to crawl under the table.

But who was Jiang Yibai? He had never known what shame even meant. The moment someone gave him an opening, he immediately lit up.

“That’s right!” He cleared his throat, held up his teacup, and said with a mixture of delight and shyness, “I like Master the most. I love his books too.”

No matter how much the people at the next table tried to pretend they hadn’t heard, it was impossible now. One of them turned around and said, “Xiao Jiang, you’re a diehard fan? That’s perfect. Si Ye rarely shows up at gatherings like this. It’s hard to even catch a glimpse of him. Why don’t you take the chance to ask for an autograph?”

“I’d love to!” Jiang Yibai stood up right away. “Master, could you give me an autograph and take a photo with me?”

That was pushing it, and everyone around them fell silent with the same unspoken thought: Seriously?

But Si Shaorong didn’t seem annoyed. Jiang Yibai spoke bluntly, and his feelings, whether admiration or interest, were all written on his face. For someone like Si Shaorong, who struggled with social interaction, it was actually a relief.

Si Shaorong disliked guessing at people’s intentions. He also had no patience for subtle suggestions hidden between the lines. He found that kind of talk tiring and pointless. Because of this, he had few close friends. Strangely enough, Jiang Yibai’s straightforwardness suited him.

“Sure,” Si Shaorong replied, reaching for his pen.

Jiang Yibai licked his lips. His eyes lit up as he stared between Si Shaorong’s face and his hands. Nian Gao tugged at the hem of his shirt and warned him in a low voice, “Calm down. Everyone’s watching. Have some self-control.”

Jiang Yibai picked up a piece of paper, walked over to Si Shaorong, and took a deep breath.

Si Shaorong glanced at him with a puzzled expression.

There was a faint scent of body wash on him, with a light, refreshing trace of hair conditioner lingering at the tips of his hair.

From this angle, Si Shaorong’s defined features, the way his brow was habitually furrowed, and even his slightly chapped lips all seemed to have a quiet allure.

Jiang Yibai was completely captivated. He watched as Si Shaorong signed his name. The handwriting was messy but powerful, and the joints of his fingers stood out just enough to make Jiang Yibai’s wolfish instincts stir. He had an overwhelming urge to bite each of those ten fingers, one by one.

His brain often short-circuited when he got like this, and his mouth had no filter. But thankfully, his reason was still holding on. He managed to keep his tone polite and said, “Master, there’s something I want to tell you. Can we step outside for a moment?”

Everyone else in the room fell silent.

Si Shaorong had been planning to go to the restroom anyway. He had spent the entire evening dealing with people subtly trying to pry into the shared rental situation, and it was exhausting. More tiring than writing twenty thousand words at home.

He was starting to regret listening to Zhen Zhen’s suggestion to come. There wasn’t a single person here who really matched his vibe.

As he was thinking this, Jiang Yibai’s timing seemed perfect. If he stepped out now, he wouldn’t have to come back. If anyone asked, he could say something came up and brush it off with an excuse.

So, under everyone’s strange stares, Si Shaorong stood up and followed Jiang Yibai toward the door.

As he walked toward the door with Jiang Yibai, Si Shaorong began to notice the strange looks people were giving him. He had no idea why. He didn’t know who Jiang Yibai was, and he didn’t use Weibo, so he had never heard of Jiang Luanyu’s reputation for stirring up trouble all on his own.

To him, the young man actually seemed friendly. And the fact that he liked his books was something that genuinely made him happy.

Si Shaorong’s attitude softened quite a bit in the face of a fan, especially when Jiang Yibai brought up storylines and discussed them seriously. He wasn’t acting like someone just trying to strike up conversation or network. In fact, Jiang Yibai pointed out several plot threads and hidden details with striking clarity. After chatting a bit, most of Si Shaorong’s guard had already come down.

Jiang Yibai grinned like a little fox that had just stolen a bite of something sweet. His eyes and brows were full of spring. Once he felt the timing was right, he shifted the conversation.

“Master, I came here today for two reasons. First, to see you in person and ask for an autograph. Second, because I heard a bit of gossip… I heard you’re looking for a housemate. Do you think I’d be a good fit?”

Si Shaorong paused for a moment. His idea of a co-living arrangement had always involved women only. Hearing this caught him off guard at first. It didn’t quite align with what Zhen Zhen had asked him to do. But then, another thought crossed his mind. Since this was a gathering for writers, then this person standing in front of him must also be a writer. And really, who said that to write romance you had to go out and fall in love yourself? Did horror authors need to meet a ghost in person? Wouldn’t it make just as much sense to get help from someone experienced and let them guide the writing?

Suddenly, a door in his mind opened. He realized that Zhen Zhen’s instructions might have led him down the wrong path and narrowed his thinking. What he didn’t know was that Zhen Zhen had her own intentions from the start. She genuinely hoped he could find someone suitable, someone who could keep an eye on him and help with day-to-day life.

After all, when Si Shaorong got too absorbed in a storyline, he would completely forget about his surroundings, sometimes to the point of putting himself in danger.

But none of the female authors he met tonight had felt like a good match. Besides, there were boundaries between men and women. Suddenly bringing up something like this would be a bit impolite and even disrespectful. Yet if it was a male author, that kind of awkwardness would disappear.

The problem was, he didn’t know Jiang Yibai well. And Jiang Yibai had brought it up so abruptly that even though Si Shaorong appreciated directness, he couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable.

“Uh…” Si Shaorong rubbed the back of his neck, a little embarrassed. “Thank you for the offer. But I don’t really know you, so it might not be the best idea.”

Jiang Yibai had already prepared himself for rejection. But he wasn’t discouraged. He had everything planned out in advance.

Brother Zhao, who helped organize the event, had leaked some inside information earlier. Jiang Yibai already knew the real reason Si Shaorong was looking for a housemate. It was because his assistant wanted him to learn and collect material for writing romance. So the housemate thing was just a cover. What he really needed was a girlfriend.

It was unrealistic for Jiang Yibai to expect a sudden confession to succeed, but starting with the topic of co-living gave him a real opening.

After losing both his parents unexpectedly, Jiang Yibai had come to understand a lot, and the most important thing was to never leave regrets behind.

So he went straight to the point. “I heard you’re trying to practice writing romance scenes, right? Actually, that’s easy to solve. Sure, getting a girlfriend might help, but it takes time and could bring trouble. Master, if you go up to a woman and say, ‘I want to date you for research purposes,’ do you think she won’t beat you until your own mother doesn’t recognize you? Even if she agrees, what if you break up later and she causes drama? What if she goes online and exposes you as a scumbag?”

Si Shaorong thought about it. That actually made a lot of sense.

First, it wasn’t respectful to the woman. Second, even if she agreed, a relationship that starts with an exchange of benefits is already flawed. Sooner or later, it would cause problems.

“And besides,” Jiang Yibai continued with a friendly smile, as if genuinely concerned, “romance is complicated. Can you really gain insight just by picking anyone? Probably not, right? If it doesn’t feel right, how would you find inspiration or learn anything? That part—”

He pointed to Si Shaorong’s chest. “If you can’t feel anything here, then it’s useless. You’re not gaining anything for your writing. Isn’t that just a waste of time?”

Si Shaorong was nearly convinced. He thought for a moment, then raised his hand to signal for a pause and pulled out his phone. He lowered his head and sent a voice message to Zhen Zhen.

“Do you know someone named Jiang Luanyu?”

Jiang Yibai froze.

He hadn’t expected Si Shaorong to consult his assistant first. Tsk. This was a big fish, and he couldn’t afford to scare it off now.

Then he heard the voice message play aloud from the master’s phone. In the quiet hallway, the woman’s voice rang out loud and clear.

“Jiang Luanyu? He’s gay.”

Jiang Yibai thought, Oh, damn.