Ch44.1 - Cherish

Wang Chao waited impatiently outside Duan Yikun’s office for Xie Zhuxing to come out.

Xiao Xie didn’t answer him when he had asked him whether they could still be friends after they broke up. Since then, he has begun to wear a cold expression; obviously, he was angry.

Relationships are so fucking difficult. If they were friends, how would this happen? Xiao Xie had such a good temper before, but recently, it’s as if he’s changed into a whole other person. His emotions are unstable, and at any given moment a scowl may appear on his face.

Two girls walked toward him from the other end of the corridor. Once they spotted him, they paused in their track hesitantly.

Since they seemed familiar to him, he asked: “What are you two up to?”

One of the girls answered: “Hi, Leo shixiong. I’m here to look for Xie shixiong.”

He recalled instantly. Isn’t this Xiao Xie’s shimei, the one from the same school, Taotao? The other one also belonged to Fruit Girls. He remembers that her name was Mango and that lil Chubby Cheeks has a crush on her.

“What’re you looking for him for?” He also remembers that Taotao had subtle feelings toward Xiao Xie and commanded hostility: “If you have anything, just tell me.”

Taotao was not observant at all and confessed honestly: “That won’t do. I wanted to ask him to teach me a segment of that popping dance that he demonstrated in a variety show last time. Ever since I did an impression of him, whenever I’m on a variety show, the director would tell me to imitate him.”

Mango chimed in: “That segment of the dance is a bit difficult. Taotao spent half a day watching videos on it, but still couldn’t perform it. She was shy, and was too embarassed to look for Xie shixiong on her own. She insisted on dragging me over to accompany her.”

If she didn’t have feelings for Xiao Xie, why would she be shy? Wang Chao wanted to roll his eyes at her but recalled that Xiao Xie despised him for showing any disrespect toward girls. Thus, he suppressed that desire when he opened his mouth again: “He’s busy too, and won’t have time. If you really can’t learn it after imitating the videos, just ask Instructor Li to review the fundamentals.”

Taotao felt a bit embarrassed and wanted to leave, but Mango continued to approach Wang Chao confidently. Though Taotao was confused, since they had come together, she had to follow the latter’s footsteps.

This Mango is a typical girl, pretty and well-endowed. She’s a skilled flirt and has tons of side guys around her. Ji Jie, from ID, is one of them. She has long heard that Wang Chao was loaded and wanted to ride on his coattails. Yet, she never had the opportunity to interact with him alone and was worried that it may be worse to approach him without any pretext and annoy him. Yet, since this man’s philandering nature has been now exposed, and she caught him alone – a rare occasion – there was no better time than the present to lure him to her.

She came over and feigned interest in discussing ID’s fan meet and even told him that she was from the Northeastern region too. She was trying her best to chummy up with him.

Wang Chao was oblivious and dumb, but he was surprisingly skilled at identifying bitchiness. Immediately, he knew what the girl was up to. He didn’t want to hook up with her. He was in a bad mood today, and he had just slept with Xiao Xie yesterday. He was tired.

But Mango’s breasts were huge, and they seemed soft and squishy to the touch. He hasn’t touched a girl in a long time. He struggled to avert his eyes from staring at her breasts.

Mango instantly perceived his sight. Chuckling, she playfully knocked on his shoulder and said: “Shixiong, where are you looking at?”

Wang Chao asked her: “Any plastic in there?” He hadn’t seen boobs in a long time and could not tell whether they were real or fake.

Mango answered: “Of course not, they are all natural.”

Wang Chao was eager and said: “I don’t believe it. Lemme touch them. If they are real, I will gift you a handbag.”

Mango was generous: “Then go ahead.”

Wang Chao then put his hand on her breasts and squeezed them.

Taotao, the witness to this whole scene, was flushed with embarrassment: So the leak online was all real! Leo shixiong really does say “gift you a handbag” all the time!

She was truly innocent and was quite embarrassed by this scene. Her eyes scanned left to right, unsure where to land. When she spotted Xie Zhuxing leaving the office, it was as if she had spotted her savior; hurriedly, she yelled: “Xiao Xie Ge!”

The instant Wang Chao heard her yell, he retracted his hand. Yet, it was too late. His new boyfriend witnessed him touching a girl’s breast, and left with his face darkened.

He didn’t have time to bother with these two shimeis, and hastily caught up with the other man’s footsteps.

Xie Zhuxing was so mad that his head had begun to spin. Not wanting to interact with the other man at all, he walked away at a rapid pace.

Wang Chao chased after him and whispered an explanation: “I really didn’t do anything. I only touched her breast – I wanted to see if it had any plastic in it.”

Xie Zhuxing almost laughed. If he had admitted that he couldn’t stay away from girls, it would still be ten thousand times better than coming up with this bullshit excuse.

Wang Chao’s legs began to feel sore from chasing him. He yelled: “Walk slower! I can’t catch up with you anymore!”

Xie Zhuxing abruptly stopped in his tracks. Wang Chao didn’t pause in time, and he crashed right into the other man’s back. As soon as he did, he shamelessly extended his arms and wrapped them around the latter’s waist and said: “Don’t be angry anymore. We agreed that we won’t fool around with anyone else, I remember that. I really didn’t want to do anything with her.”

Since they are often glued to each other – not unlike conjoined twins – they weren’t afraid of being seen as such by their colleagues.

Hearing him bringing up their agreement such nonchalantly, he felt even worse in his heart, and asked: “Do you think that touching a girl’s breast means nothing?”

Wang Chao truly thought that it meant nothing. He said: “Yeah, it doesn’t. You have such a bad temper. Given your temper, it won’t even be when I do anything before we break up.”

Xie Zhuxing clenched his jaw. The taste of blood filled his mouth.

He thought he was becoming numb. Anger and jealousy, attraction and love, everything became nothing in this one instant.

There’s no point to this at all.

Wang Chao had an ominous feeling about what would happen next. Tentatively, he called: “Xiao Xie?”

Xie Zhuxing said quietly: “Then let’s break up now.”

Wang Chao: “…What?”

Xie Zhuxing peeled the fingers that wrapped around his waist off, and dismissed him icily: “Don’t come and chummy up to me anymore, I’m tired of it.”

Wang Chao: “…”

As Xie Zhuxing left, all he could do was chase after him in a haste. His brain was a complete mess.

Only yesterday did he propose that they be in a relationship, and they had already broken up today? Based on Xiao Xie’s words, it seemed that he didn’t even want to be friends anymore?

Why? Just because he touched a girl’s breast once?

His teammates hadn’t left and were chatting in the break room. When they noticed those two entering the room one after another, they didn’t even perceive that there was something wrong. They all hurriedly asked Xie Zhuxing: “Xiao Xie Ge, did Kun Ge talk to you about the movie?”

Xie Zhuxing answered: “It’s a guest performance for a minor role. The movie is not a major production either. This isn’t as outrageous as the internet painted it to be.”

Cheng Yao asked curiously: “Then do you really have to play the piano?”

Ji Jie gave him a warning shove and said: “Don’t believe in everything the internet says.”

Xie Zhuxing replied: “Kun Ge didn’t tell me anything about playing the piano, so I don’t know either.”

His teammates then asked who the lead actor and actress are, as well as his salary. One by one, Xie Zhuxing answered all of them.

Wang Chao leaned against the door on the side, watching Xiao Xie chat with everyone else with a normal expression as if nothing had happened. He’s confused again; he said let’s break up only minutes ago, and found him annoying. Was that only a joke, then?

A while into their chat, Yang Xiaomu grinned and proposed: “Guys, tomorrow’ll be my birthday. I had wanted to celebrate it with you, but my parents’ll be here tomorrow to celebrate with me. How about I invite you guys out tonight, are you free?”

The other teammates all responded yes. Yang Xiaomu then asked: “How about you, Captain? Will you come?”

Wang Chao mumbled: “I’m free too.”

As soon as he said that, Xie Zhuxing stated: “I won’t go.”

Wang Chao stared at him as if he couldn’t believe it. Yet, the other man averted his gaze, his expression cold and indifferent.

Silence fell. It’s obvious that something was going on between these two.

Within this group, the member with the greatest team spirit was Yang Xiaomu. Immediately, he volunteered to mediate between the two. With a smile, he said: “Xiao Xie Ge, if you have anything, just leave it for tomorrow. We don’t have much work these few days anyways.”

Xiao Zhuxing refused: “No, I…”

Yang Xiaomu interrupted him brusquely: “Even if no one comes, you have to come.”

Xiao Zhuxing stopped speaking.

Yang Xiaomu even winked at Wang Chao.

Wang Chao understood his intention, but he couldn’t squeeze out a smile.

Xiao Xie is actually serious.

Evening, the six of them went to a bar above that garden.

The members saved two adjacent seats, as usual, for Xie and Wang.

Without a word, Xie Zhuxing sat down.

Wang Chao hurriedly sat down right next to him.

The other four teammates began to play the poker game

Xie Zhuxing did not speak. He only grabbed a bottle of beer and sipped it little by little.

Though Wang Chao was normally a chatty “bb machine” with no filter, he couldn’t think of anything to say at this moment. He brewed over his thoughts for a while before squeezing a sentence out: “What did you do this afternoon?”

Xie Zhuxing answered: “Practice dancing at the company.”

Wang Chao continued: “By yourself?”

Xie Zhuxing replied: “No, I was teaching Taotao popping.”

Wang Chao was a bit peeved, but he paused for a long while again before he opened his mouth: “Your phone charger is still at my place. After this is over, why don’t you come with me back to my place and pick it up?”

Xie Zhuxing replied: “No need. I’m looking to get a new phone anyways.”

Wang Chao felt bitter. How come Xiao Xie loves the new and loathes the old so much?

Below the table, he carefully nudged Xie Zhuxing’s leg with his knee. Seeing that the latter did not object, he then nudged the other man’s thigh with his own.

He went back home and changed into his favorite outfit this afternoon and wore flashy leopard-print underwear on purpose. Before he left, he even sprayed himself with Chanel Antaeus perfume.

He didn’t know how to mend the relationship with the ever-so-serious Xiao Xie. The best option, he thought, was to let Xiao Xie release his anger by pounding into him. Since both of them were men, this type of thing is perhaps the most exciting to them.

He only nudged a few times before Xie Zhuxing dodged his advances.

“Don’t mess around,” Xie Zhuxing whispered, “We already broke up.”

Wang Chao thought it was unfair and retorted: “You are the one who needs to not mess around! What else do you want from me?”

Xie Zhuxing said: “Sit there, be quiet, and don’t bother me.”

Wang Chao was as anxious as he was furious: “You can never let this go, can you?”

Xie Zhuxing lowered his eyes and said: “I did. Everything.”

Wang Chao: “…”

He didn’t quite understand the reason, but he understood the meaning of this sentence.

Xie Zhuxing said he’s let go of their relationship. They’ve broken up, so there was no more romantic relationship, nor did they need to be friends anymore. Every kind of relationship between them has all been let go.

Why is that?!

The other man’s words suffocated him. No longer did he want to mend their relationship. He had never been this subservient to anyone in his life. Even when his dad or his brother had wanted to beat him up, he had never groveled to them as such before.

He glared at Xie Zhuxing for a moment. Then, he stood up and exclaimed: “I’m going back!”

His teammates, who were playing “tractor,” were stunned right in their spots. They haven’t made up after this long? What happened today?

But Wang Chao only stood there and hasn’t moved. He had some expectation in his heart, hoping that Xiao Xie would make him stay, hoping that Xiao Xie would suddenly explain that his whole reaction today was only a prank by him and their teammates and that every single hurtful word he has said to him today were fake.

Yet, right at this moment, Xie Zhuxing’s phone that had been sitting on the table lit up. Someone was calling.

Wang Chao stood there and glanced over. The name “Taotao” flickered on the screen.

Xie Zhuxing picked up his phone and said: “I’ll take this call.” And left.

Wang Chao: “…”

Yang Xiaomu: “…Captain, how about you sit down first.”

Wang Chao was so embarrassed, yet he refused to back down, physically or verbally: “I’m really leaving! I mean it!”

Teammates: “…”

He walked away from the table, but he was unwilling to actually leave. He sneakily cast a glance at Xie Zhuxing, who had gone to a corner to answer the call. Not sure what the conversation was about, but he was somehow grinning from ear to ear.

Wang Chao was so angry his hands were shaky. He had danced with Taotao for only one afternoon, and now he is grinning from ear to ear from only a call. How come he could appear as if his mother had just passed away when it’s with him instead.

Xie Zhuxing, you’ve got a lot of balls.

Fine, since they had broken up anyways, he could find anyone he wanted now. That Mango is great. He will call her when he gets out.

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Hey, my lovely, lovely readers! Thank you for filling out the survey. We have a total of 58 responses, 8 more than the threshold that I had promised an extra chapter for!!! As I said before, I will use the survey responses to pick up additional projects and find the best way to fund myself.

Since this chapter is twice as long as the chapters before, though, I will need more time to post the entire chapter. This is half of the chapter (sorry for leaving you on a cliffhanger! though, every single chapter of this story kinda ends in a cliffhanger ?_?). I promise promise the other half will be released next week along with the usual weekly update.

If you like the extra update, I’ve set up a Ko-fi goal (at your suggestions, thank you again) for extra chapters. Whenever the donation goal ($10 for now), I will release an extra chapter along with the regular one at the end of the week. Check it out if you’re interested (but please please please don’t feel like you have to, I’m a broke student too and understand the struggle…)!