Have You Lied Enough?

At thirty-four, Fu Wansi has seen a never-ending parade of admirers pass through his life, yet not one has ever truly touched his heart. Despite his vast circle of “fair-weather” drinking buddies, he has only one true confidant: Cheng Bo.

Cheng Bo has been openly in love with Fu Wansi for over a decade. And for over a decade, Fu Wansi has turned him down.

One night, while drinking at Cheng Bo’s club, Fu Wansi stepped out for some air and crossed paths with a young man dressed as a waiter.

The boy stood in profile, leaning lazily against a doorframe. His physique, which was somewhere between the lean lankiness of a youth and the firm lines of a man, was striking and upright. A cheap, slender cigarette was clamped between his teeth. Hearing a noise, he turned his head slightly, looking at Fu Wansi with a hint of curiosity before breaking into a compliant, radiant smile.

That first meeting with Zuo Chi was the first time Fu Wansi truly understood how “adorable” and “sexy” could coexist in one person.

Later, Fu Wansi learned that Zuo Chi was drowning in family debt. His own mother had practically handed him over to Cheng Bo’s club to pay it off, where he was being coerced into all sorts of sordid business. Zuo Chi would cling to Fu Wansi, weeping about how he was being forced into things against his will.

Handsome, sensible, and incredibly sweet-talked, the boy won him over. Driven by a mix of genuine affection and a “might as well” attitude, Fu Wansi “redeemed” him from Cheng Bo’s hands.

******

On the other hand, Fu Wansi had been with many people, but he had never lost his heart until he fell, hard and fast, for this little madman.

He poured himself into the relationship. He bought Zuo Chi cars and houses. To coax the “traumatized” boy, he even took the submissive role in bed after Zuo Chi tearfully whispered about how terrified he was after being “assaulted” in the past. Fu Wansi loved him like a lovestruck teenager, throwing every ounce of his sincerity into a flame that had already become uncontrollable.

Then, his father passed away suddenly. Fu Wansi woke up to find his world inverted.

The once-obedient Zuo Chi stood before him, his arm draped intimately around Cheng Bo’s waist.

Zuo Chi looked at Fu Wansi with that same innocent, smiling gaze, but the contract he tossed over was written in cold, hard ink: Fu Wansi was to receive not a single cent of the Fu family estate. The name of the new heir was “Cheng Bo”—or rather, “Fu Bo.”

Cheng Bo’s voice rang in his ears like a thunderclap.

“Zuo Chi and I have been together for over a year. He heard I used to like you and insisted on meeting you… just so he could help me take back what’s rightfully mine.” Cheng Bo chuckled. “I didn’t want it to come to this, either.”

In that moment, Fu Wansi realized that from start to finish, he was the only one playing the part of the devoted, deep-seated lover.

It was fake. Every damn bit of it was fake.

******

One day, amidst a torrential downpour, the doorbell rang.

A drenched Zuo Chi stood outside with his face pale as he looked at Fu Wansi. He smiled and said, “Uncle, I missed you so much.”

Fu Wansi slammed the door in his face.

Then his phone chimed with a notification. A new unread message:

[If I kill Cheng Bo and get the inheritance back for you, would that make you happy?]