After My Childhood Friend Misunderstood That I Had a Boyfriend - Chapter 19

Chapter 19: The one who can’t keep Chu Xi’s heart is the real third party

Zhou Jinyan experienced the sharp sting of a “boomerang” hitting him right back.

The worst part was that he couldn’t even voice an opinion. He was the one who told Chu Xi to find a steady, mature boyfriend who could take care of him—and as it turned out, Chu Xi’s “official” boyfriend was exactly that.

Steady, mature, and knew how to take care of people.

Or perhaps this was simply Chu Xi’s type? Maybe Zhou Jinyan wasn’t some impulsive object of an affair, but rather, he just happened to fit Chu Xi’s aesthetic perfectly. Perhaps Chu Xi had fallen in love with him at first sight and pursued him without looking back.

But how could Chu Xi love two people at the same time?

Zhou Jinyan suddenly remembered Jiang Yi’s heartfelt advice. Although Chu Xi was “eating from the bowl while looking at the pot,” Zhou Jinyan could work hard to be the “third party” who successfully usurped the main position.

At this moment, Zhou Jinyan truly felt like a “third party.”

Having no status or title, he could only grit his teeth, his throat tight with the sour scent of jealousy, as he watched Chu Xi walk happily toward his official boyfriend, get into the car, and leave him with nothing but exhaust fumes.

Even the careful grooming Chu Xi had done for their date had ended up benefiting the official boyfriend.

Without even thinking deeply, Zhou Jinyan felt a pang of heartache; thinking about it further made him feel a suffocating lump in his chest that he couldn’t spit out.

His mind was a mess of complex emotions when he suddenly remembered why he had walked Chu Xi out in the first place.

So, the “sudden business” Chu Xi mentioned was blowing him off to go have dinner with his official boyfriend?

Luckily, he had insisted on walking Chu Xi out. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have known how badly he was being played. Though, from the looks of it, Chu Xi didn’t seem afraid of him making a scene.

Zhou Jinyan stood there for a long time, his expression darker than the storm clouds currently gathering over A-City.

After a while, he let out a short, cold laugh.

Looking at it this way, Chu Xi was certain he wouldn’t make a scene. By comparison, he was indeed the more “steady” one.

No wonder Chu Xi had been focusing all his attention on him lately.

Perhaps he was the one who truly held Chu Xi’s heart.

For once, Zhou Jinyan felt an overwhelming sense of “winning.” His suppressed, gloomy mood was suddenly vented. So what if that man was the official boyfriend?

He still couldn’t keep Chu Xi’s heart.

Zhou Jinyan found his car and started the engine. Just as the lighthearted car music began to play its first few lines, a voice call ringtone interrupted.

He glanced at it; it was Jiang Yi.

When the call connected, there was a lot of noise on Jiang Yi’s end, but his tone was as casual and cavalier as ever: “Zhou Jinyan, want to head to that M-City tourist area Gu Wenzhi invested in this afternoon for a look? We’ll stay the night. Old Lu just got back to the country and is in M-City too. Let’s have a gathering.”

“Sure,” Zhou Jinyan’s voice was unusually cold. Since his date with Chu Xi had fallen through, he might as well go. He asked, “Where are you now?”

Jiang Yi gave an address. Zhou Jinyan raised an eyebrow—it was a lounge. Jiang Yi had specially invested in it for a small internet celebrity he was chasing. Zhou Jinyan had even run into Jiang Yi taking her to look at bags when he was buying one for Zhou Siyuan.

“What, you coming? Sure, come patronize our Luna’s business,” Jiang Yi said, but then he paused as if remembering something.

Jiang Yi continued: “Gu Wenzhi’s tourist area will be sending out some invitations soon for a small gathering and to check the place out. Hey, doesn’t your sister like that male actor? Apparently, he’ll be there for a promotional event. Ask your sister if she wants to come.”

Zhou Jinyan had already driven out of the campus area and onto the main road. Hearing this, he replied: “Got it.”

Chu Xi sat in Fu Zhaosheng’s car, feeling dejected. He buckled his seatbelt and, once the car had traveled a distance, asked listlessly, “Why the sudden gathering?”

Chu Xi hadn’t lied to Zhou Jinyan; he really had only just found out about this arrangement.

Chu Xi was heartbroken. Waaaah, his date, his chance to fix their relationship—it had all gone down the drain.

Fu Zhaosheng, noticing Chu Xi’s wilted appearance, teased him: “Did I interrupt a date with your boyfriend?”

Having his thoughts read so accurately made Chu Xi’s mind go blank for a second.

Seeing how blunt he was being, Chu Xi’s ears gradually turned red, and he stammered in a tiny voice: “He’s not my boyfriend yet.”

Chu Xi stared straight ahead, thinking shyly to himself: I haven’t even officially started dating Zhou Jinyan yet.

Fu Zhaosheng gave an “Oh,” speaking like someone with experience: “Mm, I get it. The ‘ambiguous’ phase.”

Chu Xi’s cheeks burned: “…It’s not.”

Fu Zhaosheng followed his lead: “Sure, sure. If you say it’s not, then it’s not.”

Chu Xi couldn’t take the teasing anymore and said unhappily, “You’re so annoying. Just drive.”

With that, Chu Xi turned his head to look at the scenery outside the window. The car fell into silence, save for the occasional chime of the navigation system.

When they were almost at the destination, Chu Xi finally cooled off enough to talk to Fu Zhaosheng again: “So why exactly is there a gathering?”

The wrap party for the movie was long over, and the hype had mostly died down. The next time the movie would be mentioned would probably be for award nominations at a film festival.

The car entered a private manor. A waiter came up to guide them. Fu Zhaosheng stopped at the entrance, and the two got out, handing the keys to the waiter for valet parking.

Fu Zhaosheng didn’t actually know the full details. He was just Ms. Meng’s student and didn’t fully understand the crisscrossing interests behind the scenes.

He could only share what he knew: “I heard an elderly lady has returned to the country to settle down, and she wants to see some old friends.”

Chu Xi remained listless: “Oh.”

It wasn’t a commercial gathering but a private reunion. Chu Xi’s outfit was perfect for the occasion—not too formal, yet very refined, showing that he had clearly put effort into it.

The two entered the grand reception hall. From a distance, Chu Xi saw his mother, Ms. Meng, chatting with an elegantly dressed elderly lady. He didn’t know what Ms. Meng had said, but the lady was laughing heartily.

Seeing the two of them, Ms. Meng waved them over and introduced them warmly: “Teacher Lu, this is Xiao Xi, and my student, Zhaosheng.”

Grandma Lu looked at Chu Xi for a few moments and then let out a cheerful laugh: “Xiao Xi has grown so big! Last time I saw you, you were only this tall.”

Grandma Lu gestured to a height roughly at Chu Xi’s thigh. After gesturing, she fell into a memory: “You were such a crybaby when you were little. You lost a teddy bear and were moping for the longest time.”

Following Grandma Lu’s words, Chu Xi’s dusty memories seemed to be brushed clean by a small brush.

He felt a bit embarrassed. He remembered now; he really had been upset over a lost bear, and when Grandma Lu asked him why, he couldn’t help but cry in front of her.

But he was a grown-up now; he wouldn’t cry over a teddy bear anymore. Chu Xi subconsciously acted a bit spoiled: “Ah, that was when I was a kid.”

He continued: “I’ve even forgotten what the bear looked like.”

Grandma Lu smiled: “It’s okay. A long time ago, I promised Xiao Xi I’d give you a pair of identical bears. But I left in a hurry. It took over ten years for those bears to make the trip back, and now I can finally give them to you.”

After lunch, they also had dinner at Grandma Lu’s house. Chu Xi felt terribly guilty; he had stood up two people today.

Jian Yu was understanding: “It’s fine. We can meet tomorrow night. It’s normal to be suddenly dragged off by relatives. Didn’t I do the same to you during the Dragon Boat Festival in June?”

Chu Xi knew Jian Yu was just trying to comfort him. He felt both guilty and touched: “You’re so nice.”

“Talk normally,” Jian Yu rejected the ‘nice guy’ card. Although the dinner was off, the little surprise was still on. “My senior got tickets to a newly developed tourist area in M-City. There are four. I don’t know who else to give the extras to, so I’ll just give them to you.”

Jian Yu: “Invite Zhou Jinyan to go.”

After sending this message, a string of smirking WeChat emojis followed.

It was a mischievous look that suggested everything was “implied.”

Jian Yu: Two guys alone, a tourist area with beautiful scenery. Smirk, Smirk, Smirk

There was a reason these two were best friends. Chu Xi immediately caught Jian Yu’s subtext, and his face turned bright red.

He really couldn’t take it. Ahhhh, ever since Jian Yu “tasted the forbidden fruit,” he had become so improper!

It took Chu Xi several minutes to squeeze out a reply: “Progress isn’t that fast yet!”

Love Mentor Jian Yu went online: “It’s only a matter of time.”

Chu Xi was teased into a state of “shame turning to anger”: “I’m not talking to you anymore.”

Chu Xi didn’t actually stop talking to Jian Yu, but Fu Zhaosheng was about to drop him off at school. Chu Xi tended to get motion sickness if he used his phone in a car, so he usually didn’t look at it while traveling.

What do you mean “a matter of time”?!

Chu Xi blinked frantically. It was all Jian Yu’s fault for making him overthink the whole way back—especially since the two of them had actually discussed “post-experience” feelings privately.

At first, it was quite uncomfortable and hard to get used to, so Jian Yu had regretted it immediately and told Chu Xi not to be curious.

But later well.

Chu Xi was back in his dorm. He was alone. He turned on the lights and sat at his desk.

He took out the pair of bears Grandma Lu had given him—one white, one brown. Although many years had passed, they had been well-preserved and showed no signs of aging.

The needle-felted Border Collie was still standing guard in the corner. Chu Xi looked up and met its gaze; the Border Collie’s spirited eyes stared back at him.

Chu Xi reached out and idly poked the Border Collie’s forehead with his fingertip. He poked a bit too hard, and the dog toppled over with a thud. Chu Xi picked it up and placed it between the two little bears.

Seeing the Border Collie made Chu Xi think of the night they had accidentally video-called. Zhou Jinyan’s high-tension physique involuntarily surfaced in his mind—water droplets slowly sliding down the defined lines of his abs, then disappearing into the shadows…

When he unlocked his phone, the first thing he saw was Jian Yu’s message: Invite Zhou Jinyan to go.

As if possessed, Chu Xi exited the chat with Jian Yu and clicked into the chat with Zhou Jinyan.

He finished composing the message, but just as he was about to hit send, his dazed rationality suddenly returned.

Wait.

What am I doing!!

Am I really this impatient to deliver myself to him!