Singer

Translator: Lynn

Long Zichen found himself incredibly bored over the past couple of days.

Firstly, being rejected after confessing his feelings was already hard enough, but what hit him even more was that Xiaojie had left without saying goodbye early in the morning. It shattered his heart completely. When he returned, Yuan Chao teased him all the way, claiming that he must have done something terrible to scare Xiaojie away. Regret gnawed at him, wishing he could turn back time to make amends. He even thought about stealing a piece of incense to change fate. But if he were to talk about the wretched things he had done, he couldn’t deny that he did something…

That morning, he woke up and found someone had left his room with only a small note behind. Feeling desolate, he unconsciously crawled into Jian Jie’s recently vacated bed, seeking solace for his wounded soul. As he remembered the beautiful scenery of Jian Jie at the hot spring, desire stirred within him, making him feel ashamed. He had never been in love before, and even his sexual fantasies had never been directed at anyone specific. Being an innocent older virgin felt like a true tragedy.

When he thought he’d see Xiaojie again upon his return to the company, it gave him some comfort that he might be able to say a word to him. However, in the afternoon, Li Xiaoqi came to the company and asked for a long vacation for Jian Jie. It meant Long Zichen wouldn’t see Xiaojie again during the New Year! The news hit him like a bolt from the blue, and Long Zichen froze, thinking that Xiaojie was avoiding him. Filled with sadness, he couldn’t help but call Jian Jie.

Jian Jie had gone back to pack his belongings and was taking Amu to his elder brother’s house for the Chinese New Year. When he saw Long Zichen’s call, he nervously answered, and Long Zichen stuttered on the other end, asking, “Xiaojie, did you take leave and not come to the company for the New Year because of me? Are you avoiding me?”

“It’s not like that,” Jian Jie clarified, “My brother is back, and he thinks I’ve been working too hard. He wants me to rest at home for a while. It really has nothing to do with you, Brother Chen.”

Long Zichen felt a little relieved, “That’s good. I was afraid you hated me and didn’t want to see me again. Spend the New Year at home, and come back to the company when you have time. Do you… still consider me a friend?”

Jian Jie replied with a gentle “hmm”: “Brother Chen, you’ve always been very kind to me, and I’ve always respected you.”

This was good news, right? Long Zichen’s heart felt slightly less heavy, realizing that Jian Jie had a forgiving nature, and perhaps they could still remain friends. He was not so despondent anymore.

After ending the call, Long Zichen sat in his office for a while, not in the mood for anything else. He locked himself in, playing Jian Jie’s album on the stereo, and when the song “Escape” started playing, he couldn’t hold back and shouted the lyrics loudly. He howled, “You don’t know how long I’ve been longing for you, why can’t you love me? Why are you so cruel to me? I’m on the verge of collapse, but I can’t give up… How do I escape, how can I escape from you…” The walls of his office were adorned with several posters of Jian Jie, and he continued venting his feelings, feeling a bit better after the release.

It’s unfortunate that it’s causing distress to those around. One of the saddest things at the office is when a colleague plays the same song on repeat and sings along loudly. The office’s sound insulation isn’t great, and everyone spends the afternoon guessing whether the director is heartbroken or if his girlfriend is seriously ill with leukemia.

After Jian Jie’s departure, the director boss entered a period of frenzy again. This time, all the company employees agreed to keep their distance. They thought they had safely navigated through this time, but the next day, something happened that made Long Zichen even angrier.

An entertainment magazine called “Eggplant Weekly” specializes in gossip news in the entertainment industry. They are famous for sensationalizing facts and exposing celebrities’ privacy. In their latest issue, they published a piece about Jian Jie going to the airport to pick up his brother, but the headline was extremely exaggerated: “The Popular Idol Behaves Lovingly With Same-Sex Friend at the Airport.” The magazine included several photos of Jian Jie at the airport and dedicated two full pages to concocting a romantic tale. Due to his mature appearance, Brother Jian was depicted as a rich and infatuated businessman, while Jian Jie was portrayed as a young boy kept by him. The article claimed that Brother Jian generously funded and supported Jian Jie’s career, which is why he had a successful career in the entertainment industry. They even dragged Ding Jiangyu into the story, creating a love triangle for added spice.

The reporter was undeniably talented in creative writing. He had a knack for storytelling, even when there were no concrete visuals to work with. The article quickly spread across major internet forums, where people fanned the flames and threw stones at Jian Jie, questioning the authenticity of the relationship. Fans rushed to the company’s official website and Jian Jie’s official Weibo, demanding the truth. Many reporters also contacted the company to inquire about the situation.

The company’s draft statement revealed that the “rich businessman” mentioned was Jian Jie’s dear brother, Jian Bin. Long Zichen had been to Jian Jie’s house several times and had seen photos of Jian Bin. However, despite the clarification, rumors like this were hard to quell. Jian Jie had never mentioned his family situation on any show before, so suddenly revealing an elder brother seemed unreliable to some. Many were more inclined to believe that it was a fabricated cover-up created by the record company.

After discussing the matter, the company decided to inform Jian Jie of the situation and ask him to publicly confirm his identity and relationship with Brother Jian. Such rumors needed to be addressed publicly to dispel any doubts.

Long Zichen took the initiative to inform Jian Jie about the situation and suggested talking to him about it more. Given his commanding aura, nobody dared to argue with him, allowing him to temporarily take over Li Xiaoqi’s job. They had gotten used to it, anyway.

When he called Jian Jie, he found him playing with his little niece. Jian Jie was amused and not bothered at all by the news about the airport incident.

“Why didn’t that magazine verify the news before publishing it? How could they make such a big mistake!” Jian Jie said, dismissing the matter lightly.

Long Zichen was somewhat disappointed that Jian Jie wasn’t upset. He had hoped to be there as a supportive confidant brother. However, seeing Jian Jie happy, he couldn’t help but feel happy too, despite the contradiction. He explained, “This writing style is meant to grab people’s attention and boost magazine sales. They’re not interested in just reporting that you picked up your brother. Just send me a few photos of you and your brother, and we’ll handle the rest.”

Jian Jie learned from this experience and quickly found a photo album, taking some photos of him and his elder brother with his phone and sending them to Long Zichen.

Upon receiving the photos, Long Zichen was overwhelmed by how cute little Jian Jie looked in some of them. He couldn’t help but feel a tinge of jealousy toward Brother Jian, the water droplet, and the kindergarten teacher. Picking one of the pictures, Long Zichen logged on to Jian Jie’s Weibo, posted the photo along with clarifications, and saved the rest of the pictures on his phone.

Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.

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