RTCBM Extra 1

-The Argument-

The whole thing started because of a candid photo.

That night, Mu Yuan was enjoying himself at a friend’s birthday party when his phone suddenly buzzed. It was a photo sent by Chris. In the picture, Wen Shang was sharing an umbrella with a gorgeous, curvy woman. Judging by the camera angle, the two of them looked uncomfortably close. Their bodies were pressed tightly together, and Wen Shang had his face turned toward the woman, as if they were about to kiss.

Mu Yuan froze for a second before immediately questioning Chris about the origin of the photo.

It turned out the picture had been taken by Xiao Chen, a colleague from Chris’s department. That evening, Xiao Chen happened to be passing by a restaurant when he saw Wen Shang and the beautiful woman walking out together. Everyone at work knew their boss was already “off the market,” but Boss Wen had always been cautious, keeping his lover completely out of sight and never revealing a hint of their relationship. The mystery of what the future boss’s spouse actually looked like had become a frequent topic of gossip. But despite all the speculation, no one had figured anything out.

Now that “the truth” was right in front of him, Xiao Chen reacted as if he’d discovered a new continent. He risked his life to snap the photo and shared the rare catch in the staff group chat.

And just like that, word spread fast. It went from one person to the next until it landed right in front of Mu Yuan’s eyes, leaving him clenching his fists and grinding his teeth so hard they nearly cracked.

Wen Shang, you bastard. You told me you were going to a family dinner, and now here you are, flirting with some busty woman who came out of nowhere? Fine. You wanna play dirty? Let’s see who can play dirtier.

When Wen Shang heard from Wen Yuan on the phone that some relatives were coming over, he had simply planned to go home for dinner. He hadn’t expected to walk straight into a blind date trap set up by his parents. It all happened so suddenly that he couldn’t refuse, not in front of the woman and her parents. As an adult, he had to maintain basic manners. Whether or not he wanted to go on a blind date was one thing, but embarrassing someone else’s family was another. So he went along with it, had a simple meal, and planned to leave it at that.

Wen Shang got home around eight. He took a shower, fed their two pets, then sat on the bed.

It was nearly eleven, and the rain outside hadn’t let up. He picked up his phone to call Mu Yuan, thinking he might offer to pick him up if he was done for the night. But Mu Yuan didn’t answer. He didn’t reply to messages either.

At first, Wen Shang thought maybe he hadn’t checked his phone. But when he opened up his Moments feed, the very first post he saw was a nine-photo collage Mu Yuan had just uploaded, posing all over a bunch of busty women, looking far too cozy. The timestamp said it had been posted only a minute ago. Wen Shang’s teeth ground together as he gripped his phone tight, nearly cracking it in his hand.

His fingers flew across the screen as he fired off messages.

Wen Shang: Pick up the phone. Now.

Wen Shang: When are you coming home?!

Wen Shang: Don’t pretend you didn’t see this. I know you’re online.

Still no reply.

He called again. This time, the line was off. Mu Yuan had shut down his phone.

It wasn’t until noon the next day that Mu Yuan finally strolled in, acting as if nothing had happened. He changed out of his shoes, stepped into the house and met Wen Shang, who had been waiting in the living room for hours.

“Where the hell were you last night?”

“Out partying,” Mu Yuan answered. He yawned as he walked right past him, heading to the bedroom.

Wen Shang grabbed his arm and snapped, “Stop right there!” He pulled out his phone and opened the very post from last night, then thrust the screen in Mu Yuan’s face. His voice was cold as he demanded, “You want to explain this?”

“What’s there to explain? It’s just a party. What’s wrong with getting a little close with some friends?” Mu Yuan shot back.

That kind of response, bold and completely unrepentant, only made Wen Shang angrier.

“Getting a little close? Have you seen your damn photos? You’re all over them! Hugging, touching. What the hell do you think that looks like?!”

Mu Yuan was fed up too. He snapped back, “You were the one being shady first. What right do you have to come at me?!”

“What the fuck do you mean by that? When have I ever been shady? Explain that!”

Mu Yuan sneered. “Big breasts Wen, you went out last night and flirted with some busty beauty. You really thought I wouldn’t find out? Huh?” As he spoke, he threw the secretly taken photo at Wen Shang. “Your company’s group chat has already spread it like wildfire.”

Seeing the photo, Wen Shang was stunned for a moment. Then his expression darkened with anger and immediately lashed out at Mu Yuan. “So this is your excuse to go out hugging and getting cozy with others? You jump to conclusions just because of a photo that doesn’t even show a full face? You believe whatever someone says? You couldn’t just ask me directly? Do you have any brains at all? Can’t you think it through for once?”

Mu Yuan’s temper flared. He already thought Wen Shang was in the wrong, and now he was being lectured in return, which only added fuel to the fire. “Right, you’re the smart one. You’re the one with the degrees and manners. I’m not worthy of you. Sorry.”

Wen Shang didn’t mean it that way. He never said anything like that from the beginning. He had no idea why Mu Yuan would take it that far. Maybe it was just the heat of the moment. Still, hearing Mu Yuan say that, he couldn’t help but respond out of spite. “Yeah, that’s right. Glad you finally figured it out.”

As soon as those words left his mouth, Wen Shang saw that fleeting shadow of sadness on Mu Yuan’s face. He immediately regretted saying it. He wanted to take the words back. He wanted to explain himself properly, but he never got the chance.

Mu Yuan turned and stormed out of the house. Moments later, the deep roar of his motorcycle engine echoed as he sped away, leaving behind a cloud of exhaust for Wen Shang to breathe in on his own.

After that, Mu Yuan’s phone remained powered off. Wen Shang had no way of contacting him. All he could do was visit every place Mu Yuan was known to frequent.

Mu Yuan’s apartment, He Dongying’s house, Xiang Yang’s tattoo shop, the Hongqing troupe, Luo Yi’s place… Wen Shang checked them all, but found nothing. The only person left he could think of was Bai Wei.

When Bai Wei learned from Wen Shang that the two had a fight, he didn’t seem surprised. He took a slow drag from his cigarette, then exhaled a ribbon of smoke into the air. “He hasn’t come here.”

He was telling the truth. Though he was technically Mu Yuan’s third uncle, the two had been estranged for years. Even after reconnecting, their familial bond wasn’t fully mended. Because of that, Mu Yuan would never choose to trouble Bai Wei.

“Don’t be fooled by that kid’s usual carefree attitude. When it comes to this stuff, he actually overthinks everything.” Bai Wei shook his head. Then he turned to look directly at Wen Shang. He raised his hand, cigarette still between his fingers, pointed at him, and asked, “Let me ask you something. Are you serious about him?”

Wen Shang nodded and gave a firm answer. “Yes.”

Bai Wei gave a half-smile. “Oh? How serious are you?”

“The kind where I want to spend the rest of my life with him.” Wen Shang replied without missing a beat. There were countless good men in the world, but he had chosen Mu Yuan. Only Mu Yuan.

On the third day of Mu Yuan’s disappearance, Xiang Yang stopped by Wen Shang’s place intending to borrow his newly bought sports car for a spin. The two of them went down to the garage and were nearly scared stiff by what they saw. All four tires of the car had been slashed. The once pristine, gleaming red body was now covered in scratch marks, and etched across it in crooked, angry lines were a dozen curse words: “Stupid asshole.”

The two of them stared at the wrecked car in stunned silence for a long while. Finally, Xiang Yang turned to Wen Shang and asked, “Did you piss off an enemy recently?”

Wen Shang: “…”

Mu Yuan had come back. Not only had he retaliated by trashing Wen Shang’s new car, but he had also silently taken Yu Yuan away with him.

Wen Shang looked at the now empty pet bed and suddenly had the feeling of a divorced couple splitting custody. The eldest son would live with Dad, and the second son with Mom.

He had searched every possible place but still couldn’t find Mu Yuan. After pondering it for a long time, frustrated and out of ideas, his eyes landed on the painting of the tiger descending the mountain hanging on the study wall. Suddenly, it all clicked. Without wasting another second, he rushed out and headed for the old part of town.

It was scorching in July. Mu Yuan, shirtless under the blistering sun and surrounded by the deafening cries of cicadas, was sweating it out on the basketball court with a bunch of other guys.

At some point, a familiar silhouette had appeared in the empty stands. Mu Yuan froze for a moment when he noticed. That split-second of distraction cost him the ball, and from then on, he couldn’t focus on the game anymore.

After the game, the group dispersed. Mu Yuan walked up the steps to gather his things. A sports drink was handed to him. He glanced up at Wen Shang, then looked away and ignored the gesture. He pulled on his tank top and turned to leave.

Wen Shang followed him silently, trailing him all the way from the court to the old apartment building. Finally, Mu Yuan couldn’t take it anymore. He turned back and snapped, “Why are you following me?!”

Wen Shang stared at him in silence for a long moment before he finally spoke.
“Let’s stop fighting. Come home with me.”

“That’s not my home. This is my home. And from now on, I’m unilaterally declaring that we’re over!”

He turned and bolted up the stairs. The person behind him immediately gave chase, and the two of them broke into a short sprint along the stairwell.

Wen Shang surged forward and caught up just before Mu Yuan could shut himself inside and wedged himself through the doorway.

“Get out.” Mu Yuan grabbed Wen Shang by the collar and tried to shove him outside.

But Wen Shang wasn’t budging. No matter how much Mu Yuan tried to push him out, he clung to him and forced him back against the wall. His brows drew slightly together, and his gaze dropped.

“Baby, don’t throw the word breakup around like that. It’s not something to joke about.”

Wen Shang had always been the dominant one, never the type to back down easily. But he had to admit, in front of Mu Yuan, he was willing to set aside all his pride.

“I’m sorry, baby,” he whispered against Mu Yuan’s ear, trying to soothe him, asking for forgiveness.

“That blind date was a trap. I’m not lying. I don’t even know how they managed to take that photo and make it look like that. But I can tell you with absolute certainty, what you saw and what really happened are two completely different things. There’s nothing between me and that girl, not even a shred.”

Mu Yuan leaned against Wen Shang’s chest, his back pressed to the wall. He lifted his hands and gently tried to push him away, but the man in front of him only held him tighter.

“Baby, listen to me. There’ll definitely be times when we argue or disagree. You can be mad at me, but don’t jump to conclusions. If something happens, come to me right away and ask. Don’t sit there overthinking and making wild guesses.”

Mu Yuan remained quiet. He was listening to every word, but didn’t respond.

“That day, I spoke without thinking and said things I shouldn’t have.” Wen Shang gently cupped Mu Yuan’s face, locking eyes with him. “I’ve never thought there was a gap between us. I’ve never believed you weren’t good enough for me. Not once.”

The collar of his shirt suddenly tightened. Mu Yuan’s face loomed closer, and without warning, he bit Wen Shang’s lips hard as a form of punishment.

“Have you learned your lesson?” Mu Yuan raised his chin proudly, looking every bit like he was in the right.

Wen Shang licked the blood from the corner of his mouth and nodded with an earnest expression. “I have.” Then he took Mu Yuan’s hand. “Let’s go home, alright?”

“Go home? Listen here, Big Breasts Wen, if you don’t let me get my satisfaction today, you’re not walking out that door.”

Mu Yuan threw himself onto the couch.

Wen Shang couldn’t help but laugh. Who begs someone to have sex while acting like a thug?

Still, as long as his baby was back, that was all that mattered. He could play along for now.

“Hold me.”

“As you wish.”