After I Started Dating the Scum Gong Substitute, the White Moonlight Returned - Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Outside, all is silent; inside the restaurant, the lights are brilliantly lit. Jiang Yan slowly folds his arms, narrowing his eyes as he gazes steadily at him. The white light from above spills onto Cheng Jianyu’s face, coating his skin in a delicate, soft glow. His elegant, calm eyes are as still as water. He wears this expression most of the time, appearing as if everything is irrelevant to him regardless of what others say; no one can guess what he is thinking.

Just like now. Jiang Yan’s gaze slowly sweeps over him from top to bottom before he suddenly stands up, shoving his hands into his trouser pockets. His tall, upright figure relaxes, and his tone is flat, seemingly noncommittal. “Mm, fine.”

Cheng Jianyu looks straight at him, speaking unhurriedly, “My books and luggage are temporarily placed in the guest bedroom. I will find time to take them away within the week.”

Jiang Yan lets out a scoff. After walking a few steps, he tilts his head to look at Cheng Jianyu and says lightheartedly, “Leave the contract here. I’ll sign it after the lawyer reviews it and finds no errors.”

“No need to return the money. Consider it a breakup fee.”

Having finished this sentence, his face expressionless, he pushes open the main door without looking back and heads straight for the private underground garage elevator.

The underground garage in early summer is as cold as the end of a year. The air is filled with the smell of engine oil. As Jiang Yan walks, the automatic motion-sensor lights on the ceiling ignite one by one, making the interior as bright as day.

Two rows of luxurious sports cars are lined up quietly. He walks casually to the side of one, intending to pull a cigarette from his jacket pocket, only to realize he left in a hurry and isn’t wearing a coat, just a thin T-shirt.

Jiang Yan’s hand pauses in his pocket for a few seconds. Slowly, he clenches it into a fist. The veins on his wrist bulge faintly, and his knuckles crack from excessive force. He stands still for a moment, then suddenly kicks over the trash can in front of him. The metal hits the floor with a loud “bang,” the sound echoing through the empty parking lot.

He casts a cold glance at the overturned trash, pulls open the door of a sports car, and bends down to sit in the driver’s seat. With one hand, he fishes a half-pack of cigarettes and a lighter out of the storage box. The vintage-style gear lighter is made of pure copper with a unique and beautiful design. It used to be easy to handle, but today, because his hand muscles are tensely strained, his fingers tremble reflexively. He fumbles for a long time without catching a flame; after several attempts, he finally manages to light a cigarette.

The orange fire flickers. Jiang Yan holds the cigarette loosely in his mouth. The rapidly surging blood pressure causes a slight ringing in his ears. Five minutes have passed since the conversation just now; his chest feels tight and painful, his mind restless.

Cheng Jianyu actually wanted to break up with him.

The person who had been obedient, submissive, and loved him to the bone for five years actually wanted to break up with him.

That breakup agreement was not a test. Including the cold attitude in Southern France, Cheng Jianyu had long ago made up his mind to make a clean break, waiting all along for the day the relationship contract expired.

Cheng Jianyu had laid everything out in black and white before his eyes, clause by clause, fully prepared and with an impeccable attitude as if conducting a business transaction.

Damn it, how long has Cheng Jianyu been waiting for this day?

Jiang Yan took a deep breath, stubbed out the cigarette, tossed it into the ashtray, and rested one hand on the steering wheel. The navigation was set to the Moke Media office building. He didn’t even notice the red mark on the back of his hand where falling cigarette ash had burned him; he didn’t feel a hint of pain.

…

Early the next morning, Moke Media opened at nine o’clock. Employees filed in, busy and bustling. Brother Chao, accompanied by two assistants, walked out of the elevator carrying buns and soy milk while chatting and laughing.

Aside from the Moke publicity department, the other half of the 30th floor belonged to Brother Chao and the Qian staff. A glass curtain wall separated the areas, with a thick solid wood door for entry and exit.

When Brother Chao reached the door, the smile instantly froze on the corners of his mouth. Several footprints were printed on the pristine white door. The wooden door had been opened at some point, and the struggling electronic lock hung pitifully on the door, clearly having suffered a round of agonizingly violent treatment.

He stepped inside. The pure black floor was covered with large patches of snowflake-like documents, scattered everywhere. Brother Chao’s breath hitched and his scalp felt numb; these were all money-making treasures, and no one could afford to lose even one.

A man sat on a single-seater sofa by the window. His back was tall and thin, and he wore a thin black T-shirt. Brother Chao held his breath and approached cautiously. Jiang Yan leaned back against the sofa, tilted his head slightly, and exhaled a deep cloud of smoke. His handsome profile looked lonely amidst the haze. The ashtray beneath the sofa was packed full of cigarette butts.

Brother Chao felt pained for Jiang Yan’s money-making throat. How many cigarettes must he have smoked? He hesitated but took away the ashtray, asking with feigned casualness, “What’s happened? What are you looking for?”

Jiang Yan jerked his chin upward. Brother Chao followed his gaze; a document lay on the coffee table. It was the very relationship agreement signed with Cheng Jianyu back then. His heart stirred. “Xiao Yu…”

Turning back, he collided with Jiang Yan’s extremely cold gaze. A pair of eyes devoid of any emotion stared at him without blinking. The excessive white of his eyes was already sharp to begin with; looking at someone like this now, they resembled the vertical pupils of a cold-blooded animal. Brother Chao felt a chill run through his entire body, cold from his hair to his toes. He didn’t dare look at Jiang Yan. “You looked over the contract at the time; you said there was no problem.”

The cigarette held between Jiang Yan’s fingers stopped moving. He flicked the ash onto the sofa armrest with one hand, his voice slightly hoarse. “I’m giving you all a vacation. You don’t need to come to work anymore.”

Brother Chao was startled, the color draining from his face. Having worked together for so many years, he understood Jiang Yan’s temper. At a time like this, the more one explained, the more irritated he would get. To say more was to make more mistakes. After a long while, he managed to squeeze out a sentence: “You should get some rest.”

He turned and left the office, carefully closing the door. Walking to the central terrace, he made a phone call to Song Yingfei, requesting external reinforcements to put out the fire. Song Yingfei and Jiang Yan were friends; the friendship wasn’t necessarily deep, but rather the simple, blunt, and direct friendship between a “fake” straight man and a “real” straight man.

In less than half an hour, Song Yingfei listened with great interest as Brother Chao rambled on, begging him to find a way to make Jiang Yan calm down. The concert was starting next month; if he kicked out the management team now, they wouldn’t be able to find a suitable replacement in time. Also, he needed to smoke less to protect that precious voice.

Song Yingfei nodded repeatedly and asked with relish, “Does Cheng Jianyu really want to break up with him?”

“I don’t know. Do you dare ask Jiang Yan?”

“I don’t, that’s why I’m asking you.”

After Song Yingfei finished speaking, he pushed open the “fatally wounded” office door. The office, with its circular floor-to-ceiling windows, was filled with bright morning light. He walked over and sat on the glass coffee table. “Out with the old, in with the new. This should be a happy occasion for you.”

Jiang Yan didn’t even look at him, his words clear and icy: “Get out.”

From the day they confirmed their relationship, Cheng Jianyu became his person. Every part of his body belonged to him. He had never entertained the thought of breaking up with Cheng Jianyu; in his five and ten-year plans, Cheng Jianyu’s figure was arranged throughout.

Break up? How did Cheng Jianyu dare say such a thing?

Song Yingfei wasn’t afraid of death at all. He smiled and said, “I think Zhou Jueqing is quite good. How far have you two progressed?”

Jiang Yan raised his eyes inexplicably and glanced at him, his expression cold. “Are you looking for a beating?”

“What is going on with you and Zhou Jueqing!” Song Yingfei shook his phone, clearly enjoying the drama. “You were trending for celebrating his birthday last night. Tsk tsk, the birthday gift you gave him was a song. I didn’t realize you were so romantic.”

Jiang Yan frowned, propping his elbow on the armrest and looking at his own reflection in the glass window. His tone was indifferent. “The song was written a long time ago. I was passing by his house last night and had Ah Sheng drop it off for him.”

“You even know where he lives? Did you go up for tea?” Song Yingfei, possessing an “iron head,” asked eagerly.

Jiang Yan’s cold gaze fixed on him for several seconds. Song Yingfei coughed and stopped seeking death, saying with rare seriousness, “I always thought you two had that kind of relationship. I’m not the only one who thinks so. When you two were trending before, you had that fifteen-second ‘deep gaze’ at the gala. Zhou Jueqing’s looks are the type you like, right?”

“What gala?”

“The New Year’s Eve gala. The GIF spread all over the internet.”

Jiang Yan remembered. He turned his face away impatiently. “He was carrying a vintage German guitar at the time. The lacquer was rare, and I was very interested. That’s all.”

Song Yingfei was shocked by the truth. It took him a while to muse, “Regarding you and him, I’m not the only one who thought there was something going on. My sister-in-law definitely thought so too.”

“My sister-in-law must be jealous right now. I speculate that she has been enduring the matter between you and Zhou Jueqing for a long time. Yesterday’s trending topic was the final straw that broke the camel’s back. He loves you so much, yet you don’t remember his birthday, but you can attend Zhou Jueqing’s birthday party and even give him a song. No human being could stand that, right? It just happened to coincide with the expiration of your contract, so he took the opportunity to make a clean break.”

Jiang Yan let out a soft “Hm?” His restless, anxious emotions suddenly stilled. What Song Yingfei said made some sense. Cheng Jianyu wouldn’t suddenly want to break up for no reason. He hadn’t expected the scandal with Zhou Jueqing to have such a big impact on Cheng Jianyu, making him want to use the drastic method of breaking up to escape him.

He pressed his palm against his eyes and let out a long sigh. The tense muscles in his shoulders relaxed, and he leaned back against the sofa. The scorched feeling in his chest finally eased.

It was just jealousy. He would give Cheng Jianyu some face and figure out a way to coax him properly.

…

When Jiang Yan returned home from the company, it was ten o’clock at night. There were no lights on in the house, and Cheng Jianyu was nowhere to be seen. The leftovers in the restaurant had been cleaned up neatly, and the dog Druid’s bowl was filled with fresh food.

He sat in the living room and finished a cigarette. The house, devoid of human presence, felt empty. There was only the occasional light sound of Druid’s footsteps, a very unfamiliar desolation. Holding a cigarette in his mouth, he went upstairs. The neatly packed suitcase stood in the guest bedroom next to the study. This suitcase was the same one Cheng Jianyu had brought when he first moved in.

Jiang Yan exhaled a light cloud of smoke, one hand shoved in his sweatpants pocket, and walked into the study. The solid wood bookshelves were filled with Cheng Jianyu’s books—domestic and foreign, a collection of classics. Cheng Jianyu really liked physical books; the Kindle gifted to him previously had never been unboxed. He said physical books had a sense of weight that electronics couldn’t compare to.

He casually pulled out a hardcover copy of Daily Care and Training for Dogs. A thin photograph tucked between the pages fluttered to the ground. His heart suddenly stirred, feeling a bit aching.

The photo was the cover of Jiang Yan’s first album, Silence. Against an all-black background was a pure white staircase. At the end of the stairs, a man in a suit sat on an ice-sealed throne. The lines from his nose to Adam’s apple were sharp and clear; he looked down from a height, gazing disdainfully at the gods.

He lowered his head and gave a deep laugh. He picked up the photo, tucked it back into the book, and returned it to its original place. Cheng Jianyu really did love him. He didn’t release photo albums or merchandise; this photo could only have been printed by Cheng Jianyu himself to look at when he missed him.

If he missed him, why didn’t he tell him? Making a video call is much more convenient than looking at a photo. So silly.

Jiang Yan felt pleasant in both body and mind. He showered and changed clothes, then lay lazily on the bed with his arms behind his head. The scent of Cheng Jianyu’s sweet orange perfume lingered in the quilt, drifting into his nose like a comforting, tranquil sedative.

Finally, he wouldn’t have to suffer from insomnia like he did last night.