Chapter 82

Chapter 82

Possibly a little dizzy from all the toasts, Qi Yanyu held his glass of juice up and peered into it before asking Xu Yanzhen, “Is this drink alcoholic?”

Xu Yanzhen took the bottle to check. “No alcohol. Why?”

Qi Yanyu felt slightly lightheaded—perhaps the alcohol’s kick had finally caught up with him.

Noticing a faint pink tinge on Qi Yanyu’s cheeks, Xu Yanzhen said, “It might be the *Buddha Jumps Over the Wall*—they usually add a few pounds of rice wine to the broth.”

Qi Yanyu frowned. He hadn’t tasted any alcohol when he drank it earlier.

His face was warming now. Resting his head in his hand, Qi Yanyu heard Xu Yanzhen ask with concern, “Headache?”

“Mm.” He wouldn’t have responded if anyone else had asked, but Xu Yanzhen seemed to treat him with respect, so Qi Yanyu admitted how he felt.

Xu Yanzhen poured him a cup of hot tea. “Take a sip to settle your stomach.”

Qi Yanyu had only taken two mouthfuls of *Buddha Jumps Over the Wall*, yet here he was. He accepted the tea and sipped it lightly. Seeing how easily affected he was by alcohol, Xu Yanzhen found him surprisingly unlike those in wealthy social circles—there was something unexpectedly endearing about him.

“Want me to massage your temples?”

“No need.” This wasn’t necessary. Qi Yanyu would be fine after a short rest, so he just kept his head propped up.

Instead, Xu Yanzhen fetched a folding fan and gently fanned some cool air toward him. Qi Yanyu’s face was flushed, his head still warm. The light breeze brought a welcome relief.

Just then, the minor actor with delicate features who had been sitting beside Qi Yanyu earlier returned and asked Xu Yanzhen, “What’s wrong with Mr. Qi?”

“Just helping settle his stomach,” Xu Yanzhen replied with a smile.

This didn’t look like digestion—was he drunk? The minor actor assumed the juice Qi Yanyu had been drinking was actually alcohol, thinking he might be drinking his feelings away after a recent breakup.

He leaned into Qi Yanyu. “Mr. Qi, give me a male part.”

Before Qi Yanyu could react or even open his eyes, the minor actor pulled him close and kissed him on the cheek.

At that moment, Jiang Tiyan witnessed the scene, his expression shifting subtly—just as Xu Yanzhen noticed. He thought Jiang Tiyan must be sweet on this CEO.

“Give me a role, Mr. Qi,” the minor actor purred, clinging to him. Jiang Tiyan observed Qi Yanyu’s passive yet unprotesting demeanor, his pale face tinged with alcohol as he gazed at the minor actor. It seemed this approach worked well on him.

Jiang Tiyan’s face twisted as if he’d swallowed a fly. “Well? Enjoying yourself, Mr. Qi?”

Though the words were the same as before, they now carried a gritted-teeth edge.

Qi Yanyu deliberately played the part of a flirtatious queer to provoke Jiang Tiyan. “Yes, very much.”

Even as he subtly wiped his cheek, Xu Yanzhen, interpreting Qi Yanyu’s lack of resistance as permission, grew bolder—leaning in to kiss his face and lips.

Who knew if Mr. Qi preferred top or bottom? But kissing was always a safe bet.

However, Jiang Tiyan, who had stepped forward, shoved Xu Yanzhen aside. Caught off guard by the move, Qi Yanyu barely had time to react before Jiang Tiyan, with dark, cold eyes, forcefully pushed Xu Yanzhen away.

As if genuinely repulsed, Jiang Tiyan threw Qi Yanyu a dirty look before pulling out a damp cloth to wipe his face.

Qi Yanyu tossed the cloth aside, putting on a cool, amused act. “What’s it to you?”

Jiang Tiyan still couldn’t stand public displays of homosexuality in front of him. He muttered coldly, “At least practice safe sex.”

Xu Yanzhen, pushed aside, watched the exchange and concluded that Jiang Tiyan must have feelings for Mr. Qi. A thought crossed his mind—even the elite have desires they can’t fulfill.

Seeing Qi Yanyu’s face flushed red, Jiang Tiyan glanced again at his glass—was it beer or something else? Who let him drink like this?

Jiang Tiyan’s gaze landed on Xu Yanzhen, who had been by Qi Yanyu’s side all night. Holding a grudge, Xu smiled faintly: “Mr. Qi isn’t drunk—he hasn’t touched alcohol tonight.”

“I just blush when I see Xiao Xu,” Qi Yanyu replied with a smile, clearly enjoying getting under Jiang Tiyan’s skin—even if both cheeks were streaked with drool marks. But a quick wipe would fix that.

Alright, if he’s not drunk, then let’s get him home. Jiang Tiyan asked, “Did you finalize the male lead?”

“Mm-hmm,” Qi Yanyu hadn’t even discussed casting details yet.

“I’ll drive you home,” Jiang Tiyan finally said, and Qi Yanyu agreed readily, turning down an offer from a young actor to be escorted. Still, the actor handed over a pile of contact cards.

After leaving the restaurant, Qi Yanyu walked slowly. Once outside, he dumped all the name cards into the trash bin.

While flagging down a cab, Jiang Tiyan said, “Aren’t we going home? I know where you live. Get in.”

Qi Yanyu ignored him and kept waiting for a taxi.

“Does Qi Muyao know you’re not only dating but also messing around with actors?” Jiang Tiyan always used that as a threat.

Thinking about their unfinished price haggling, Qi Yanyu got into Jiang Tiyan’s car.

Jiang Tiyan sat behind the wheel, his eyes reflecting the night like pools of darkness. The scenery outside the window whizzed by like a tape on rewind. He heard Qi Yanyu recline the passenger seat and lie down. His voice wasn’t entirely lucid, but what he said made sense: “What exactly do you want?”

“How much did you drink?” Jiang Tiyan knew this guy had touched alcohol. “Did Xu Yanzhen make you drink?”

Like talking to a wall, Qi Yanyu didn’t care. “You want 80 million—I can’t afford that.”

Jiang Tiyan snorted coldly, still staring ahead, his expression as dark as the night.

“Cut me a deal,” Qi Yanyu mumbled lazily from the nearly flat passenger seat, his tone dull and tired. “We were old friends, after all.”

He couldn’t push it—only soften up.

“You should think about it—how much would the Qi family leave someone with no authority?” Qi Yanyu picked up his phone; its glowing white screen lit his face.

Jiang Tiyan glanced at the man lying almost completely flat, tapping on his phone.

Qi Yanyu checked the time and sent a message to Gu Jinglan: [I’ll be back soon. Have you eaten? I want some cantaloupe.] Their code word for safety this week was “cantaloupe.”

Gu Jinglan replied instantly: “Not yet. Bring me something good, Brother Yu.”

Hearing the constant message alerts, Jiang Tiyan sneered, “Texting your room number to some actor?” He assumed Qi Yanyu had just added a bunch of actors and male models.

“Mm-hmm.” Qi Yanyu set his phone aside. “Wake me when we get to school.”

Jiang Tiyan didn’t press him on the money, and Qi Yanyu wasn’t in a rush either. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Jiang Tiyan pressed the gas pedal. The highway was empty at night. Finally, he dropped him off near campus. Watching Qi Yanyu prepare to climb the wall, Jiang Tiyan followed him to the fence. “How will you get into the dorm once you jump over?”

Typical of a rich boy who never set foot in college. Qi Yanyu shot him a look. “Swipe my access card.”

Jiang Tiyan scoffed, “Oh.” After Qi Yanyu climbed over, he walked inside.

Inside for a while, he ordered takeout. When he figured Jiang Tiyan had already left, Qi Yanyu climbed back out through the fence, hailed a cab, and returned to his hotel.

Across the street from the hotel, a new cake shop had opened—one all over their friend group’s feeds.

On his way back, Qi Yanyu stopped by the shop just before closing and picked up several matcha desserts.

He remembered that during student council meetings, the student council president’s office had ordered from this shop before, and Gu Jinglan seemed to like the soy milk cake boxes.

He wasn’t sure, but it seemed right. He bought the last two soy milk cake boxes along with some other desserts, then crossed the street back to the hotel.

When entering the hotel, Qi Yanyu took off his jacket and shook it dozens of times, worried it might carry a hint of perfume.

He also picked up a takeout order in the hotel lobby—the Fujianese restaurant from Kanbei that Xu Yanzhen had mentioned.

Gu Jinglan stared at a photo on his phone sent from Jiang Tiyan’s phone over ten minutes ago, showing Qi Yanyu asleep in the passenger seat.

Though the car’s interior was dimly lit, occasionally caught in the glimmer of streetlights, Qi Yanyu’s cheeks bore a tired flush.

Qi Yanyu had claimed he was meeting family—turns out it was this celebrity instead.

After receiving the photo, Gu Jinglan didn’t forget to send Jiang Tiyan a message: *"Appreciate you taking care of him."*

Jiang Tiyan read the reply. His expression darkened, a cold smirk playing on his lips. He could easily release the numerous photos and videos he had, but he didn’t want to expose Qi Yanyu’s flirtatious habits too soon. After all, he needed to save more ammunition to ensure their breakup.

*"He’s quite tired tonight. Take it easy with him. If you must, remember to use protection—he’s still tender from earlier."* That was Jiang Tiyan’s message.

Upon receiving it, Gu Jinglan deleted the text immediately, even considering blocking the sender. His eyes lowered slightly, veiling the turbulence within.

He absentmindedly tapped at his laptop, sending Qi Yanyu’s assignments. He didn’t log out of Qi Yanyu’s email right away, wondering what else might be in there.

But he didn’t open the inbox to check.

Instead, he force-closed the tab and opened his own project.

Qi Yanyu sent him a voice message: *"I’m back, at the door."*

Only then did Gu Jinglan casually get up from his desk to open the door for him.

The moment the door opened, Qi Yanyu barreled into Gu Jinglan’s arms like an overeager squirrel, despite holding two large bags of food, his energy undiminished: *"You’re starving, aren’t you?"*

Gu Jinglan caught him with a loose grip, shutting the door behind them as Qi Yanyu held onto him.

*"I ordered from a really good Fujianese place for you."*

*"Also, soy milk cake boxes—you like these, don’t you?"*

*"Sorry for the wait, I got back late."*

After these quick-fire sentences, Qi Yanyu was about to pull away when Gu Jinglan caught his arm, tugging him back slightly: *"Where’s your jacket?"*

Noticing he was only wearing a thin long-sleeved shirt, Gu Jinglan had to ask.

*"Dropped it off for laundry downstairs."* The hotel had a cleaning service.

*"You drank?"* Gu Jinglan caught a faint trace of alcohol.

*"They had drinks."*

*"Who’s ‘they’?"*

*"My family."*

Qi Yanyu’s lies kept piling up. Gu Jinglan watched him calmly, though he took the heavy bags from him. *"And you?"*

*"I didn’t drink."*