Chapter 84: I Have a Boyfriend Now

Chapter 84: I Have a Boyfriend Now

After standing up from her wheelchair, Yang Shu walked around the park for the latter half of their outing. Chen Yiwan, who had overplayed during the first part and was now drowsy, was placed back in the wheelchair due to the strain on Chen Bai's arms from carrying his hefty weight for too long.

They covered most of the park by mid-morning. After having lunch with Brother White Moonlight, Chen Bai took Ye home. Collapsing onto the sofa upon arrival, he casually posted the Weibo update he had promised earlier.

"Chen Yibai V: Check out Yiwan [Image] [Image]"

The language was simple and direct, the images clear and self-explanatory.

As soon as the post went live, comments flooded in at lightning speed.

"So abstract photos! Turns out your abstract photography isn't limited to humans; you abstract all living beings indiscriminately!"

"I can tell this was posted by you this time. Such abstract photos would never pass muster with Sister Agent [Nodding.jpg]."

"A species that's a hundred times more expensive than a hundred has appeared!"

"But wait, is this the same dog? [Retweet Weibo]"

The retweeted post came from an ordinary user sharing an ordinary update.

"Wants Chen Yibai as Wife: Met such an adorable little dog in the park today! The owner's voice was nice too; Mom, I'm melting [Image] [Image]..."

The puppy wore a blue-and-white knitted bib, its large ears perked up, smiling happily at the camera.

An ordinary post about daily life garnered a few likes and comments, all praising the cuteness of the puppy. The background matched, the bib matched, even the toy matched, but the only thing that didn't match was Ye's appearance.

"Not exactly identical, but let's just say they're two peas in a pod. Chen Yibai, reflect on why there are so many comments, yet not a single one compliments its cuteness (pointing fingers)."

"The voice was of course nice! Because it's Chen Yibai! Where did you meet him, wail wail wail."

"Wife is right in front of you, see how much she resembles the past (not really)."

"Haha, the person you like is right in front of you, yet you snap pictures of the dog instead, model behavior (thumbs up)."

The comment section was soon filled with the netizen who wanted Chen Yibai as a wife's anguished cries and writhing in agony.

Wringing and rolling wouldn't bring another chance encounter. Someone spent several days strolling through the park but didn't run into the certain Bai walking his dog again.

That certain Bai rested for two days before returning to work.

While discreetly eavesdropping on gossip during his break, he heard from someone in the industry that during a dinner party these past two days, the Great God of Wealth was kicked into the pool for a couple of laps.

Unfortunately, no one present at the gossip session had been at the dinner party, so they couldn't reveal more details. Before he could learn more, he was whisked away abroad by his agent.

EV was an international brand, headquartered overseas. There was a major fashion show and dinner party coming up, and the brand invited him to attend.

The social genius remained a social genius abroad. By the time photos from the dinner party were sent back to China, Chen Moubai was already shoulder-to-shoulder with the headquarters' staff and other invited endorsers, all flashing peace signs.

In a week, he had his fill of fun, while his agent enjoyed the networking. Satisfied after securing a big deal, they returned home contentedly.

It was sunny when they left, but upon their return, they were met with rainy weather.

The driver was already waiting outside the airport, ready for them to board the car as soon as they exited the terminal. Despite the rain, the airport was crowded. After weaving through the dense crowd, the group finally got into the car and greeted the driver.

Inside the car, shielded from the rain outside, Chen Yibai could finally remove his suffocating mask and breathe in some fresh air.

His agent turned to ask him about his plans.

What plans referred to whether he was going back to the manor or the apartment complex.

"Let's go to the apartment first," Chen Yibai said, removing his hat to fan himself. "I have something to take care of there. I'll find Aunt Jiang myself tonight."

Ms. Jiang and Mr. Xu now basically assumed that whenever he went out to work, he wouldn't eat well. They always made plans to dine together immediately after his work ended, seemingly trying to make up for lost calories in this way. Today's dinner was already arranged, agreed upon days ago.

The driver then started navigating.

Back home, after bidding farewell to the assistant who helped carry the luggage, Chen Bai quickly showered and refreshed himself before beginning to sort through the contents of several large suitcases.

The items were varied, ranging from everything imaginable. It wasn't necessary to handle them immediately, but he wanted to adjust his body clock and stay awake until nightfall. Having something to do made it less likely for him to feel sleepy.

Just as he finished categorizing a few small items, his phone, which was set aside, lit up.

Lazy as he was, he hadn't turned on the lights in the living room, relying on the light from the floor-to-ceiling windows. Not particularly bright, it made the glow from the phone stand out even more.

It was a call. He picked up the phone and glanced at it, his eyebrows twitching slightly upon seeing the name. He answered the call without hesitation.

It was a call from the God of Wealth.

Having not been in contact for a long time, the voice sounded unfamiliar. He carefully listened for a moment before recognizing that it indeed seemed to be the God of Wealth's voice.

Setting the phone aside, he acknowledged the call and continued sorting through his belongings.

The person on the other end asked, "Do you have time this afternoon?"

One wouldn't inquire about availability unless there was something specific. Chen Bai held back his response momentarily before asking, "Is there something you need?"

The God of Wealth confirmed that there was something he wanted to discuss. His voice was lower than Chen Bai remembered, each word spoken clearly, sounding unusually serious.

It seemed to be a matter of importance, unrelated to the discontinued body double business. Chen Bai thus replied, "I'm available until six o'clock tonight."

Considering their previous client-vendor relationship, and out of respect for the gold coins earned, if it wouldn't take too long, the considerate and highly customer-focused Master Chen could accommodate.

Primarily, if possible, he also wanted to hear more details about the incident involving swimming a couple of laps, satisfying his small curiosity.

The person on the other end mentioned the meeting location and assured that it wouldn't take long, promising to wrap up before six o'clock.

Given that it wouldn't last long, Chen Bai estimated he wouldn't hear about the swimming incident. He checked the time and simply agreed that it was fine.

As if surprised by his straightforward agreement, the other side fell silent for a moment before uncommonly expressing gratitude, their voice soft.

His brows twitched at this unexpected thank you, giving his phone an extra glance before politely responding that it was no trouble at all.

Already feeling a bit drowsy, his brain naturally began drifting into sleep mode. He spoke less than usual, automatically going quiet after saying "you're welcome."

Confronted with his politeness and few words, the other side fell silent again, whispering a "see you later."

The call ended, and the phone screen dimmed.

Having packed his luggage and finished his business, Chen Bai felt it was about time. It was cold, so he found a neighbor's coat that fit perfectly to wear over his clothes from the wardrobe before heading out.

There wasn't much difference between the afternoon and evening under the overcast sky. The city's streetlights had already lit up early, reflecting the raindrops.

The accompanying services were quite thorough, with a driver coming to pick him up. After leaving his residential area and getting in the car, he could set off directly.

The place they had arranged to meet was the same restaurant where they first met, also the place where he had worked part-time for a while. It was relatively close, and they arrived quickly.

Based on his previous part-time work experience, there should have been guests gradually arriving at the restaurant around this time. However, perhaps due to the rain, there were unusually few people. He was the only one in the elevator going upstairs, accompanied by his personal assistant waiting downstairs to join him.

The building was tall, requiring some time for the elevator to ascend. He struggled against his body clock, attempting to chat with the personal assistant to stay awake. The personal assistant conversed with him, but unlike before, they seemed oddly nervous, their gaze repeatedly flickering towards the elevator floor indicators.

Chen Bai slightly lifted his cap brim and asked, "What's wrong?"

The personal assistant retracted their gaze, quickly replying that nothing was amiss.

Chen Bai sensed that something didn't seem right, but since the person didn't want to talk about it, he considerately refrained from pressing further.

" Ding—"

The elevator reached the top floor, slowly stopping after ascending. Just as Chen Moubai was about to step out of the elevator, he turned back and noticed that the personal assistant remained inside, showing no intention of following.

Upon seeing him look over, the personal assistant immediately indicated that they still had matters to attend to downstairs, saying, "President Huo has already arrived. You'll see him if you walk straight ahead."

Fair enough. As the elevator doors opened, Chen Bai waved his hand, politely bidding farewell before stepping out. The personal assistant mimicked his gesture with a smile, and the elevator doors closed.

"…Huh."

Watching the personal assistant's figure disappear, the person who had exited the elevator turned around, only to be suddenly greeted by a sea of pink and white.

Pausing in his steps, he looked back to confirm the elevator's floor number and the restaurant's sign.

It was indeed the same restaurant where he had previously worked, although its appearance had changed significantly, the basic layout remained unchanged. The large floor-to-ceiling windows were still there, allowing him to see the gloomy weather outside through the glass.

—Only from these details could one tell that this was the same restaurant.

The store was empty, with pink and white petals scattered across the floor, forming a path leading to the other end of the store.

It resembled a star-studded red carpet 3.0.

On both sides of the petal-covered path were vast bouquets of flowers, not just roses, but other floral arrangements as well.

The air was filled with the scent of flowers, and the store's lights shone brightly. Chen Bai pondered, ultimately deciding to abandon any thoughts of whether this was a store event or a guest's doing. He politely avoided the petal-covered path, carefully walking along the edges without stepping on a single petal.

Though he didn't understand the situation, he could tell that someone had specially prepared this, and the law-abiding and courteous Bai tried his best not to disrupt the scene.

Most of the aisle was covered with flowers, with flower seas at the edges, leaving little space for him to walk. It was quite a technical challenge to navigate.

In a rather awkward posture, he managed to maneuver around the flower arrangements, finally crossing the dining area and stepping onto a wider, flatter path.

The store had a greenhouse garden, which was lush with greenery and blooming flowers throughout the year. It was prepared for guests who needed it. Since he had only worked there, he had no interest in such things and had never visited it, only hearing from former colleagues that the view there was quite nice.

Following this path inward, the only destination was the greenhouse garden.

No one was around in the areas he had passed through, so the former god of wealth must be inside the garden.

He had walked quite a distance, unsure if the god of wealth had also crossed these flowers in a contorted manner like him.

After working there for so long, he was finally seeing the restaurant's greenhouse garden for the first time.

The garden was spacious, surrounded by glass windows. He could clearly see the thick cloud cover overhead and the city's high-rise buildings enveloped in the rain curtain. With the help of the lights, he could even see raindrops landing on the glass above and then sliding down along the curve.

Even here, everything was covered in flowers.

Having walked to the entrance of the garden without spotting anyone, not only was the former god of wealth nowhere to be seen, but there were no other people in the store either. Chen Bai paused in his steps, seriously considering whether to retreat and make a phone call first or continue walking forward.

Before he could take a step back, amidst the quiet space, a sound other than the rain suddenly echoed.

It was piano music, emanating from within the greenhouse. It started with two tentative notes, followed by continuous sounds.

Chen Bai recognized the tune—it was a nocturne.

It wasn't particularly beautiful, but every note hit the mark. Some tones were slightly off, but most people would find it hard to notice.

When he heard a certain note being unintentionally elongated, he finally realized that it was the former god of wealth playing the piano.

The deafening nocturne from before still reverberated in his mind, and he had memorized that distinctive tone, knowing that the person had a habit of prolonging a particular note in the first half.

Flowers, private venue, piano—no matter how wooden Chen Moubai's brain might be, he now realized that this seemed to be a confession scene.

He finally understood why he had been called here.

—If they had told him earlier that the former god of wealth needed an audience for a confession, he would have definitely rushed over right after hanging up the phone.

No wonder it was so extravagant; it made sense if it was the god of wealth. Whether he could join the excitement in the front line was secondary; primarily, he was confident in his role as the leader of the atmosphere group, believing he was destined to win the title of today's best audience member.

With no one else in the store, he estimated that he had reached the greenhouse. Not wanting to lag behind and slow down progress, he boldly moved forward.

Boldly advancing, yet cautiously avoiding the petal-strewn pathways.

Lowering his head, Kuku walked a considerable distance until the piano legs came into view, at which point he finally stopped, conveniently finding a spot to stand. He lifted his head.

Under the vast curtain of rain, by the glass window, the entire space was occupied only by the man seated on the piano stool.

His fingers landed on the black and white keys. The man wore a simple shirt with a neatly tied tie, and a silver-gray tie clip firmly secured it in place. Under the light, it shimmered slightly, casting a cold gleam.

"…"

Chen Bai felt something was off.

Firstly, he didn't see any other audience members. Secondly, the man played with such dedication that it didn't seem like mere rehearsal as Chen Bai had initially thought.

The last time someone played a nocturne, it had an overwhelming, mountain-swallowing aura. This time, although it sounded somewhat strange, there was a noticeable improvement.

Given this person's artistic talent, achieving this level must have taken significant effort, repeated practice over and over again.

But he couldn't understand why they would practice a nocturne. Long ago, when he had part-time work playing the piano for confession or proposal scenes, Chen Moubai remembered that most people chose Liszt's Liebestraum or the Variations on Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, suitable for such occasions. This was the first time he'd seen someone play a nocturne.

Something about the atmosphere felt off, but leaving now seemed impolite. Between leaving and staying, Chen Bai decided to wait for other audience members.

The rain continued outside. When the piano piece ended, he still hadn't waited for any fellow supporters.

Standing was tiring, and next to him was a newly laid white cashmere carpet. He swept away the petals on it and sat down.

"Thump—"

The final note of the nocturne fell, and the fingers left the keys. Huochuan let out an imperceptible breath, turning to look at the brightly lit path covered in flowers.

He didn't see the expected person.

The greenhouse was empty, devoid of any figures or sounds.

His hand hanging by his side moved slightly, and he stood up from the stool, sweeping his gaze across the space once more.

Something moved in the corner.

Behind a pile of bouquets was a silhouette. Just the head was visible, with a black brim.

The person turned around, slightly shifting their body. Lifting the black brim, a pair of pale gray eyes appeared, saying, "Finished playing?"

Air returned to his chest, and the lights flickered back to brightness. Huochuan looked down, unconsciously loosening his grip on his hand.

He bent down to pick up the bouquet placed beside the piano and stepped towards the silhouette, responding, "Finished playing."

Unlike the surrounding pink and white petals, this was a red bouquet, perfectly matching the black piano.

The person showed no intention of leaving where they were standing. So, he approached them. As the distance closed, he finally saw the parts of the person hidden behind the flowers.

Today, the other party wore a pink hoodie under a large black coat, with the cuffs rolled up twice, revealing the pale wrists supporting themselves on the ground. It looked warm and comfortable, a sign that they took good care of themselves.

Completely different from what he had imagined, the person wasn't in the middle of the flowers, nor did they display any of the emotions he had guessed. They remained in the corner, relaxed.

The plan changed in an instant.

All previous arrangements were altered. Without any trace of the usual demeanor of President Huo, he sat down on the carpeted steps, saying, "Long time no see."

Then he asked, "Why are you sitting here?"

Indeed, it had been quite some time since they last met. Chen Bai acknowledged it, saying, "Your setup is strangely beautiful; I wouldn't fit stepping onto it."

There was none of the expected atmosphere. They chatted as if it were any other day.

For the first time, Huochuan voluntarily brought up Yang Shu and recounted the events that had occurred.

Although confused about why they weren't focusing on preparations and instead started chatting, seeing that the person genuinely wanted to talk, out of basic courtesy, Chen Moubai didn't interrupt, listening quietly.

Hearing the events from years ago from another party involved, he found that, objectively speaking, both parties were quite honest. There was no exaggeration or intentional avoidance of facts unfavorable to themselves. The accounts given were largely consistent.

When the accident happened, there was no chance for redemption. Unable to offer any other assistance, the former god of wealth could only provide money and time, visiting to check on the other's health when their mood was decent.

Zhang had privately mentioned that his feelings towards Brother White Moonlight were complicated. Chen Bai agreed.

It was not purely guilt. Indeed, the result was due to his own mistake, and one should take responsibility for their actions. This person had already prepared to maintain this state for life.

Huochuan said, "Do you remember the key you helped me pick up before? That was the yacht's key."

It was the thing he least wanted to see in his life, yet he carried it around like he had a sickness. He said, "The key is gone. When I fell into the water, it was drained away along with the water."

The knot was untied, and the key was lost.

He felt he could pursue what he truly desired. Yang Shu was right; at the core, he was fundamentally selfish.

He also wanted to be selfish once.

Caught off guard by the details of the drowning incident, Master Chen, the professional melon eater, became more alert, roughly guessing who had pushed someone into the water based on the available information.

Brother White Moonlight really acted on his words.

After hearing the story, he could finally ask questions, steering the conversation back to the obvious confession scene. Checking the time on his phone, he realized it was almost six o'clock, promptly reminding, "So, where are the others?"

"The others?" Huochuan paused, then said, "There are no others."

"Huh?"

The feeling that something was amiss grew stronger. Chen Moubai's hand froze as he was about to turn off his phone screen.

Then he heard the person beside him speak.

"I don't have many strengths. My piano playing is terrible, and I can't draw well either."

Huochuan lowered his head to look at the flower in his hand and said, "But I want to practice."

He continued, "I want to play music and paint with you, without any purpose or expectation of growth. I just enjoy being together."

For the first time, he understood what it meant to smile when someone else did, experienced the helplessness of wanting to care for someone who was sick but not having the right to do so, and realized that even getting caught in the rain together could bring joy.

Chen Bai picked up on the undertone. Although he hadn't truly experienced such things himself, his previous busy schedule left him no time for anything else. But during his recent work, which involved watching a wide range of films, he had seen similar scenes.

...This development was unexpected.

Sitting up slightly straighter, he subconsciously touched the oversized coat on his body, tapping his fingers on the carpet beside him twice.

Amidst the continuous yet prominent sound of rain, he heard the man next to him say those three words.

Truly and accurately, he said 'I like you' to him.

"..."

"Not so fast, buddy."

No kidding, Chen Bai nearly tore through the carpet in his hand. Before the man could continue, he interrupted, reminding him, "I'm Chen Bai, Chen of Chen Bai, Bai of Chen Bai. My surname isn't Yang."

He privately believed that his acting skills weren't good enough to make this financial god so deeply engrossed in the role that he couldn't snap out of it. But clearly, the man had mistaken him for someone else.

"I know, very clearly."

Huochuan looked down at him, enunciating each syllable as he called out his name, bending over to offer the flower in his hand. "I hope you can give me another chance."

Again, a garden, and again, strangely familiar words.

His brain, flooded with information, suddenly became clear but also froze. Chen Yibai's mind was left with only one thought.

He must be naturally at odds with gardens.

Meeting the gaze directed at him, locking eyes with the serious black pupils, his brain restarted and quickly began to cool itself down. He exhaled.

Recalling all the films he had watched, he reached out to stop the flower coming towards him, giving a faintly polite smile. "Sorry, I already have a boyfriend."

Lying through his teeth, but as a professional actor, his voice didn't waver. Looking down at the coat on his body, he said, "This is my boyfriend's coat."

Sorry, Comrade Old Xu.