Chapter 111 The End of the Fifth World

Chapter 111: The Fifth World Ends

Xie Qingyue’s face was a mask of disbelief. Shouldn’t Lu Buyan have turned and left in this situation, rather than trying to strike up a conversation? Yet, knowing it was Lu Buyan, he wasn't entirely surprised—it was just the sort of thing he’d do.

Before Xie Qingyue could even tell Lu Buyan to get lost, the blanket suddenly stirred. Chen Zui pulled the covers over himself, sat up, and leaned closer to Xie Qingyue, effectively shielding them both from view.

Xie Qingyue wondered what new "trick" he was up to now.

Then Chen Zui kissed him.

Xie Qingyue: !

Chen Zui’s kiss was forceful and passionate, giving Xie Qingyue no chance to speak, or even breathe. Soon, he was utterly breathless.

From Lu Buyan’s vantage point, all he could see was the blanket. Initially, he thought the hidden person was shy, whispering secrets to Qing Yue. But when he heard the distinct smacking sounds of kissing, he realized exactly what was happening behind the covers.

A jolt of shock went through him. *Wasn’t this too bold? Did they really not care he was there?*

He was only curious about the kind of person who could win Xie Qingyue over, not about what his friend looked like during intimate moments. Grimacing in disgust, he turned and left.

Just before he exited, the blanket shifted upward, revealing a pair of unmistakably male feet.

Lu Buyan, fearing he might accidentally see something he shouldn't, quickened his pace.

Only when he heard the door click shut did Chen Zui end the kiss. Xie Qingyue’s face was flushed, and it took him a moment to regain his composure. “You’re incredibly bold.”

“It’s fine. He couldn’t see anything.”

“Otherwise, he might have stayed here indefinitely.”

Although Lu Buyan’s surprise return had caught them off guard, fortunately, he hadn’t discovered anything in the end.

—

A few more days passed.

Ao Tian: “Chen Zui! It’s o-fucking-k!”

Finally hearing the news he’d been waiting for, Chen Zui set down the game controller he was about to pick up and, uncharacteristically, took the initiative to invite Lu Buyan out.

Upon receiving the message, Lu Buyan smirked. Usually, Chen Zui acted all aloof when they met, but now he had to show up every now and then to keep himself on Lu Buyan’s radar.

Chen Zui was such a poser.

Although he had time—and even if he didn’t, he’d make time to see Chen Zui’s face—he deliberately played hard to get: “No time.”

Chen Zui: “I have a surprise for you.”

Lu Buyan stared at the message. Chen Zui’s attitude today was better than ever. Was it because he felt he’d been too harsh lately and wanted to sweet-talk him?

Honestly, he was quite curious about what kind of surprise someone like Chen Zui would prepare.

Maybe…

Lu Buyan pursed his lips. Maybe Chen Zui wanted to sleep with him.

“Fine.”

He haughtily agreed, though he was determined to reject Chen Zui. How could a mere fling be worthy of his perfect body? His body was reserved for Si Gui.

At 6 p.m., Lu Buyan arrived at the café. To the left was a hotel; to the right were two more. Chen Zui had chosen a place surrounded by hotels to meet for coffee—he was definitely planning to offer himself.

A little lover would naturally have such thoughts, trying to use his body to keep his sugar daddy.

But Lu Buyan wasn’t that kind of sugar daddy.

He was a pure, untainted sugar daddy.

Chen Zui was sipping coffee, his gaze falling on Lu Buyan swaggering over. As the protagonist, Lu Buyan was undeniably attractive, but for some reason, Chen Zui always felt like laughing whenever he saw him.

Lu Buyan entered the café and spotted Chen Zui by the window, bathed in the glow of the sunset.

From the side, he didn’t look as much like Si Gui, but even so, he was still gorgeous. Lu Buyan noticed people stealing glances at Chen Zui. His steps were proud, chest out, because Chen Zui belonged to him.

He sat down proprietarily: “Well, what did you want to talk about?”

Chen Zui slid a folder across the table: “A gift for you.”

Lu Buyan picked it up eagerly but froze as soon as he opened it. Staring back at him was a photo of the person he’d longed for constantly. He shot Chen Zui a serious look before flipping through the rest.

At the very end was Si Gui’s current location.

Lu Buyan had tried to investigate before, but when he’d met Si Gui, he was too young, focused only on joy and pleasure. It wasn’t until they parted that he realized how little he knew about the other. The world was vast, and people were countless.

Trying to find someone with the limited clues he had was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

His hand trembled slightly as he held the documents.

Chen Zui: “You can go find him now.”

Lu Buyan suppressed his excitement and eyed Chen Zui suspiciously: “What kind of trick are you pulling?”

He couldn’t understand why Chen Zui, as a stand-in, would want him to find the real deal. And he wasn’t even sure if the information was real. How could someone like Chen Zui possibly have found Si Gui’s whereabouts?

Chen Zui: “Consider it compensation.”

Lu Buyan was even more confused. What did he need to compensate him for? Compensation implied Chen Zui had done something wrong.

“What did you do?”

Chen Zui thought to himself that he wasn’t a fool after all—he had some sharp instincts. He picked up his coffee cup and took a leisurely sip.

“I met someone I like. Without you knowing, we’ve already become a couple.”

His directness made Lu Buyan couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His lover was openly admitting he’d betrayed him? How could such a thing happen?

“You damn…”

Lu Buyan almost cursed but held back to avoid causing a scene in public.

His face turned stormy: “Who is it?”

He was seething.

The buzz of his phone interrupted Chen Zui before he could speak. Lu Buyan glanced at his phone—a buddy had sent him a photo: “Isn’t this your lover with Xie Qingyue?”

“Not trying to stir up trouble, just happened to see it. We’re bros, so if the lover isn’t cutting it, just replace them. No need to let it come between us.”

Lu Buyan looked at the photo with a frown—a candid shot taken from an angle showing two people kissing in a car, one in the driver's seat and the other in the passenger seat. With such strikingly handsome profiles, you probably couldn't find another pair like them in the entire world.

For a moment, Lu Buyan’s mind just went completely blank.

Qing Yue and Chen Zui…

Qing Yue and Chen Zui behind his back…

Moments that had once made him suspicious flashed through his mind, ending with that night—the person hidden under the covers in the bedroom.

That person hidden under the covers was Chen Zui!

Xie Qingyue had been hiding his lover in his bed!

Lu Buyan slammed his phone down heavily onto the table. "Tell me this isn't you and Xie Qingyue?! You hooked up with my best friend behind my back? I’ll end you today!"

Other customers shot curious glances over.

Lu Buyan leaned halfway across the table, made a vicious grab for Chen Zui. "How dare you cheat on me—and with Xie Qingyue of all people! Are you fucking treating me like a clown?"

Chen Zui casually leaned back, avoiding Lu Buyan’s grasp.

His phone was already connected. He spoke the other person’s name calmly into the phone: "Si Gui, hello."

Lu Buyan’s hand stopped in mid-air, his widened eyes darting between Chen Zui and the phone.

"Yes, Lu Buyan has missed you very much."

Lu Buyan’s expression shifted instantly, giving Chen Zui a look that said, "Don’t you dare talk nonsense."

He wanted to snatch the phone but didn’t dare.

He got cold feet.

He silently warned Chen Zui with a look to watch his words.

Chen Zui watched Lu Buyan’s rapidly changing expressions. "Well, he thought I looked like you, so he invested five million yuan in me to support my career. For that, I should thank you."

Chen Zui added, "Does he like me?"

Lu Buyan almost couldn't hold back any longer and lunged for the phone.

Chen Zui laughed softly. "Of course he doesn’t like me. Otherwise, how could he stand me being with his good brother?"

"Yes, I’m together with his good brother, Xie Qingyue. After Lu Buyan found out, he actually wished us well."

A smile narrowed his dark eyes.

Lu Buyan felt like he'd swallowed a bug—couldn't swallow it or cough it up.

Unbearable!

Chen Zui continued, "Why is he being so generous?"

Chen Zui paused, letting the silence hang between them.

Lu Buyan was genuinely afraid of him, clasping his hands together in a pleading gesture.

Chen Zui finally spoke again slowly. "Because he doesn’t like me at all. He’s realized that no matter how much I look like you, I’m not you. Using me to remember you is not only foolish but also a desecration of your relationship."

Lu Buyan’s expression went blank for a moment, like he'd been struck by lightning.

Yes.

What foolish things am I doing?

He didn’t just like Si Gui for his face—he loves Si Gui as a person. If a mere resemblance could replace Si Gui, then his feelings for Si Gui would be nothing but a joke.

Finally, lost in thought, Lu Buyan sat back down.

Chen Zui handed him the phone. "He wants to talk to you."

Lu Buyan felt he couldn't face speaking to Si Gui. He'd acted completely ridiculous.

But he missed him desperately.

In the end, he took the phone.

The voice he remembered so well came through the speaker.

——

Lu Buyan set down the phone after the call ended, his feelings were complicated.

After a long silence, he finally looked at Chen Zui. The other man had clearly played him—if he pitched a fit about it, it would mean he cared, and caring would mean he had wronged Si Gui.

What did Qing Yue see in such a cunning guy?

Hmph.

"Actually, Qing Yue has always felt very guilty toward you and hopes you can forgive him."

"He tried to hold back."

"But you haven’t seen Si Gui in so many years, yet you still love him. You should understand—when you love someone, you can't hide it or control it."

"Qing Yue knew you didn’t like me, so he went ahead with it… But even so, he still feels deeply guilty toward you."

"Besides, I was the one who seduced him."

Lu Buyan watched Chen Zui continuously stuck up for Xie Qingyue. Regardless of anything else, he had to respect this move.

"Are you with him for money, or…?"

"For love."

Lu Buyan scoffed. Given that Chen Zui had taken responsibility, chosen to face him alone and come clean, and gone to great lengths to contact Si Gui…

He found himself believing it.

Lu Buyan stood up. "Remember what you said today. If you ever dare to cuckold Qing Yue, I’ll hunt you to the ends of the earth and break your legs!"

Chen Zui looked at him with appreciation. "Qing Yue is lucky to have a brother like you."

He stood up as well, adopting a rare serious tone. "I’m sorry for deceiving you all this time."

——

Xie Qingyue sat in the passenger seat: "Thanks for picking me up, babe~"

He lightly pinched Chen Zui's cheek.

He took a photo of Chen Zui’s hand on the steering wheel and posted it to his Moments: "Who understands the redeeming feeling of having someone pick you up after overtime work~"

Visible to himself only.

He posted to document the moment, mainly because he posted so often that he didn’t want to annoy his friends.

After getting out of the car, Chen Zui interlaced their fingers as they walked toward the restaurant.

The private dining room door opened.

The moment Xie Qingyue saw Lu Buyan, he instinctively tightened his grip on Chen Zui’s hand, then quickly tried to jerk his hand away.

Lu Buyan: "Alright, quit hiding it. I already know everything."

He picked up his chopsticks: "Today, I’m going to eat my weight in food to make up for all the wrongs I suffered!"

Xie Qingyue stood there stunned for a moment, then turned to look at Chen Zui.

Chen Zui had a reassuring smile that put him at ease—clearly, he had resolved everything and even made sure Lu Buyan wasn’t mad at him.

For a moment, Xie Qingyue didn’t know whether to ask Chen Zui for details first or make it up to Lu Buyan first.

Chen Zui made the decision for him, guiding him over to sit beside Lu Buyan.

After all, he and Qing Yue had plenty of private time together—they had all the time in the world later.

Xie Qingyue: "Buyan..."

Lu Buyan snorted and ignored him.

Xie Qingyue didn’t beat around the bush: "I’m sorry for what I did. I have no excuses, but I hope you can forgive me."

Lu Buyan had already gotten over it over the past couple of days. Besides, he was about to go find Si Gui. Looking at it from another angle, he could consider it as having helped his good friend find a happy relationship—which was a good thing.

He was broad-minded and didn’t dwell on things. Later, he also realized that the gifts Xie Qingyue had given him were preemptive apologies.

"It’s not like I can’t forgive you."

Xie Qingyue smiled: "Just say the word. I’m listening."

Lu Buyan: "Well, there’s a new car model that just came out recently..."

Xie Qingyue: "I’ll make sure it’s taken care of for you."

Only then did Lu Buyan turn to face Xie Qingyue and raise his glass.

And just like that, the matter was settled.

——

The SUV headed home.

Xie Qingyue asked Chen Zui how he’d pulled it off.

Chen Zui laid it all out.

Before, Xie Qingyue had insisted on not telling Lu Buyan—he had been a little stubborn about it. But now, that stubbornness vanished.

He stared at Chen Zui, smitten.

There was no helping it—a man like Chen Zui, who got things done without boasting, was seriously attractive.

The car stopped in the yard.

Xie Qingyue, who had been holding back all night, pounced on him. The well-dressed man tugged at his own tie: "We haven’t tested whether this SUV is spacious enough yet."

Chen Zui took the tie and tied his wrists: "We should put it to the test."

——

Turns out, the SUV was indeed spacious enough.

Chen Zui cradled the sleeping Xie Qingyue and kissed his forehead.

Time stood still.