RTCBM 51

Even though Mu Yuan hadn’t given him a clear answer, Wen Shang was still in an unusually good mood that night. Before heading back to his own place, he made a quick stop at the family home.

He had just walked in when he noticed an unfamiliar pair of shoes at the door. Luo Yi was there too.

Tan Ya, happy to see her son drop by for once, greeted him with a warm smile. “Xiao Shang, have you had dinner yet? If not, there’s still food in the kitchen. I can heat it up for you.”

“No need, Mom. I already ate.”

“Then have some soup. I made ginseng soup tonight. I’ll warm it up for you.”

She turned and headed into the kitchen. In the living room, Luo Yi was chatting with Wen Yuan. When he saw Wen Shang come in, he smiled and said, “Ah Shang, home late tonight. Were you out eating with a client?”

“No. I had dinner with Mu Yuan.”

Both Luo Yi and Wen Yuan reacted, but in completely different ways. Luo Yi looked pleased and relieved. Wen Yuan, on the other hand, looked surprised and taken aback.

Luo Yi had noticed that ever since the fire at the charity gala, Wen Shang’s attitude toward Mu Yuan had shifted. They were no longer locked in the constant tension and hostility they once had. He could clearly see the distance between them shrinking, step by step. It wasn’t an act. The way they let go of their past resentment felt genuine. This was exactly what he had hoped to see.

Wen Yuan, however, couldn’t make sense of it at all. Hadn’t his son always despised that vulgar nouveau riche? Why was his attitude now completely different? He kept his confusion to himself for the moment, since Luo Yi was still present, but the questions lingered in his mind.

Wen Shang didn’t stay long at his parents’ place. Just as he was about to leave, Tan Ya pulled him aside and said with a smile, “Son, you really did take your mother’s advice to heart. Looks like things are going pretty well between you and that Mu Yuan. Just look at how happy your uncle was earlier.”

Wen Shang wanted to say something, but in the end, he held it in.

Tan Ya then asked, “By the way, are you busy these days?”

“It’s manageable. Not too bad.”

She clapped her hands together. “There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

“What is it?”

“Well, you’re single right now. And your father has a friend whose daughter is also single. I’ve seen her photo before. She’s really pretty. Got her master’s abroad too. Her family background is solid, very well matched with ours…”

Wen Shang had already guessed where this was going and cut her off. “Mom, it’s not like we’re still living in the last century. People don’t do arranged dates like this anymore.”

“Just let me finish,” Tan Ya continued. “Your father and I aren’t forcing you to meet up or anything. You two could just add each other on WeChat, talk a bit if you’re free. If it clicks, take it from there. If not, then at least you’ve made a new friend.”

Wen Shang’s reply was immediate. Just three words: “Not interested.”

Tan Ya, surprised by how firm he was, couldn’t help asking, “Don’t tell me you already like someone?”

Wen Shang opened his mouth slightly and paused for a second, but said nothing in the end.

Tan Ya smiled and gave his shoulder a gentle pat. “If there really is someone you like, bring her home one day. Let your dad and I meet her over dinner.”

“We’ll see.”

Setting aside the fact that the person he liked was a man, the real problem was that the man happened to be Mu Yuan. Wen Shang knew exactly how much prejudice his parents had against him. If the two of them really ended up together, there would be plenty to face down the line. Was he ready for all that?

He didn’t want to think about it anymore. When the time comes, he’d deal with it.

—

After parting ways with Wen Shang, Mu Yuan returned to Sixth House. He hadn’t even stepped inside yet when a crowd of his underlings were already lined up at the door grinning at him like they’d been waiting. The moment they saw him show up, they all shouted in unison, “Congratulations, Boss!”

“What the hell are you congratulating me for?” Mu Yuan was completely lost, couldn’t begin to guess what these idiots were up to.

“Boss, no need to play dumb. We all know about you and Wen-ge.” A Zhi was the first to speak up, and the others quickly chimed in.

“Yeah, whoever you’re with is your business. We’ve got your back no matter what.”

Mu Yuan still didn’t get it, until someone told him to check the group chat. That was when he saw the photo of him and Wen Shang that had been posted in the Sixth House WeChat group. He didn’t even have to think to know it was that bastard Uncle Zhong who leaked it.

In the picture, Wen Shang had his arm around Mu Yuan’s shoulder. The two of them were standing really close. To make it worse, the photo had been printed on pink heart-framed film. No regular guy would ever take a photo like that with another man, not unless there was something going on. No wonder A Zhi and the others got the wrong idea.

That was Uncle Zhong’s specialty. The man had a gift for stirring up shit. Anything he spread flew through the air like a virus, impossible to contain once it got out. Mu Yuan hadn’t expected him to pull this move.

What was strange, though, was that Mu Yuan didn’t get angry. Not this time. Normally, he’d be pissed off beyond reason. But right now, he felt surprisingly calm, like it was something he had already come to terms with.

Later that night, lying in bed, Mu Yuan thought back to what Wen Shang had asked him. He pulled out his phone, saved that photo into his gallery, then opened it up again to look at it. He had seen Wen Shang in a suit plenty of times before. But tonight was the first time he ever thought this guy really looks good in one.

That change in how he saw things made him recognize something he’d been slow to admit. It wasn’t until now that he realized he actually liked Wen Shang.

Mu Yuan had always been the type to take the lead. Even when it came to love, he wanted to be the one to make the first move and let Wen Shang know how he felt.

“A Zhi, come here. I need to ask you something,” Mu Yuan waved him over.

“What’s up, Boss?”

“Do you know any good restaurants around here?” Mu Yuan got straight to the point. “I want something special. Romantic. I’m planning to invite Wen-ge out for dinner.”

“I heard there’s this new French place that’s been getting a lot of attention. The atmosphere is great, and the food is supposed to be really good. The online reviews are top-rated,” A Zhi said. “But the reservation system’s a pain. They only take a limited number of guests each day, and you have to call at least a day in advance. Even then, the line’s always busy. It’s hard to get through.”

Mu Yuan was the type who acted fast once he made up his mind. As soon as he decided, he pulled together everyone from Sixth House. They timed it exactly. At noon sharp, when the reservation hotline opened, the whole crew jumped into action like a goddamn emergency response team. Everyone had their phones out, dialing as fast as they could. A hundred people fighting to get through the same number. It was a miracle the phone lines didn’t crash.

Once the reservation was secured, Mu Yuan gave out a few more orders. With help from the crew, he stayed busy the entire day getting everything set up just right.

By five thirty in the afternoon, it was all done. He took his time putting on a suit and polished shoes, tied a neat Windsor knot at the collar, and made his way to Wen Shang’s office building right on schedule.

Wen Shang was used to Mu Yuan showing up unannounced, but the sight of him dressed in full formal wear still caught him off guard.

“What’s with the outfit?” Wen Shang’s eyes swept up and down.

“I felt like wearing it. No reason.”

Every time Mu Yuan put on that smug, mysterious smile, Wen Shang’s instincts kicked in. It meant something unexpected was about to happen. He was used to Mu Yuan’s unpredictable moves, but still, he silently prayed this wouldn’t be one of those days that ended with him wanting to cough up blood from frustration.

Things weren’t the same anymore. Back then, if Mu Yuan pissed him off, he could take it out on him with a few punches. Now, he couldn’t bring himself to lift a hand. He didn’t have the heart to.

Mu Yuan had no clue about table manners. Before, he wouldn’t have cared in the slightest what others thought. But tonight, for Wen Shang’s sake, he made the effort. He clumsily picked up the knife and fork, struggling to cut the foie gras on his plate.

“If you’re not used to using a knife and fork, then stop struggling,” Wen Shang said as he waved a server over and asked for a pair of chopsticks.

Mu Yuan stopped him. “Who the hell eats Western food with chopsticks?”

Wen Shang gave him a sideways look. “Eat however you’re comfortable. It’s not like anyone here knows you.”

Mu Yuan still refused to use them.

“If you want to suffer that much, we might as well go to a food stall. You could show up shirtless and no one would give a shit.”

“That’s not the same.”

“What’s not the same about it?”

“It just isn’t.” Mu Yuan pouted and stubbornly kept poking at his foie gras with the knife and fork. No way was he going to tell Wen Shang that today wasn’t like any other day. He needed this dinner to feel formal, like it actually meant something.

The mangled mess of foie gras in front of him was suddenly taken away. Wen Shang swapped his own perfectly cut plate with Mu Yuan’s.

“What are you staring at? Eat.”

“Oh.” Mu Yuan grinned like an idiot, face full of joy, practically glowing like some love-struck fool. Deep down, he couldn’t stop thinking about how considerate Wen-ge was.

Wen Shang couldn’t shake the feeling that Mu Yuan was acting way off today. First, he showed up in a suit and invited him out for dinner. Then he drove them all the way up a mountain, saying he wanted to show him the night view. In Wen Shang’s eyes, this brain-dead bastard had probably filled his stomach just so he could drag him up here to fuck in the wild.

He sat in his seat and kept turning to glance at Mu Yuan. The guy looked like he was in a great mood, driving and humming to himself like a fool.

The car followed the winding mountain road until it reached an open platform. Everything around them was pitch black. Mu Yuan stepped out cheerfully, walked around the front of the car, and opened the passenger-side door. He grinned as he looked straight at Wen Shang.

“We’re here. Come on out.”

Were they really about to fuck on the mountaintop? Wen Shang was suspicious but didn’t say anything. He quietly followed Mu Yuan, wanting to see what this bastard was trying to pull this time.

Suddenly, a loud boom erupted from the sky overhead. A burst of brilliant fireworks exploded in the dark night, lighting up the sky in a splash of color. More fireworks followed, one after another, blooming across the sky. The dazzling lights illuminated Wen Shang’s sharp features. His face, like the ever-changing fireworks above, flickered with layers of emotion. Surprise, confusion, disbelief, and joy.

Wen Shang suddenly felt a tight grip at his waist. Mu Yuan pulled him in, held him close, and looked him straight in the eyes with that cocky grin still plastered on his face.

“Do you want to date me? I’m pretty damn good. Think about it.”

Wen Shang blinked slowly. “What did you just say?”

Thinking he hadn’t heard clearly, Mu Yuan repeated himself.

“I said, you want to be with me or not?”

Wen Shang had heard him the first time. He just thought the moment was supposed to be romantic, but Mu Yuan had to go and ruin it with that crude bullshit. Couldn’t the guy stop sounding like some street thug for once?

Wen Shang let out a sigh. Fuck it. Crude or not, he liked this bastard way too much.