My Hated Roommate Is Actually My Boyfriend?! - Chapter 5

The man stammered, “It’s fine. You two did schedule this in advance, after all. I was the one who was too sudden.”

He seemed a bit embarrassed and, after saying only a few words, hurried off.

Feng Xingyun had long since tossed aside the rejection he’d been about to voice when he first came to his senses.

As they exited the front gate, the Liu family’s driver had already pulled the car up in front of them. Feng Xingyun glanced at it, and a thought immediately struck him, Liu Duanhe had never once considered the possibility that he might refuse.

Why? Were they really that close? Feng Xingyun didn’t understand. Hadn’t Liu Duanhe disliked him before? Or was it that after he’d saved him, Liu Duanhe had decided he was a decent person worth befriending?

Actually, Liu Duanhe’s thinking was quite simple. He just felt that since they were a couple, of course they should have meals together from time to time.

He’d been hospitalized for half a month, and they’d barely been in contact at all. He didn’t know how other couples handled their relationships, but he at least knew this couldn’t possibly be normal.

And as the one in the stronger position, he naturally had to take the initiative. After all, from the fragmented memories he’d pieced together, when he’d had his accident in the bathroom, Feng Xingyun’s expression, he’d looked so frantic he seemed about to cry, and he’d thrown himself directly onto him.

Clearly, Feng Xingyun must really like him. Although after he’d woken up, the Feng Xingyun he saw was always quiet and aloof, Liu Duanhe often caught him secretly staring. He could tell the guy definitely liked him.

That being the case, if one side wasn’t proactive, the other side naturally had to take the lead. That was probably what they called being complementary.

On the way over, Liu Duanhe had already sent the driver the location of the private restaurant he wanted to go to.

It was run by a childhood acquaintance of his, more as a hobby, but the head chefs he’d hired had been selected with great care, all of them came from established culinary lineages with proper apprenticeships.

Liu Duanhe had sent a message ahead to have a private room reserved.

Though he called the man a childhood friend, their relationship was actually just so-so. They’d only grown closer in the past three years because their corporate groups had business dealings. He came to his restaurant partly because the food was genuinely good, and partly purely for the sake of maintaining pleasant family-business relations and nurturing the friendship.

In their circle, relationships were generally quite superficial and casual, and everyone was always sweet-tongued. So even though they were a few years apart and hadn’t grown up together, they could still call each other childhood friends based on having played together for a few years as kids.

The man walked over enthusiastically and pulled open the familiar car door. Just as he was about to speak, he saw a stranger, a man in a short-sleeved shirt, covered in rippling muscle, staring at him with dark, heavy eyes as he got out of the car first.

The smile on Guan Du’s face vanished. He circled around to the other side and opened the door for Liu Duanhe.

This time, the right person got out. He spread his arms, wanting to throw himself at Liu Duanhe for a hug, but when Liu Duanhe frowned and stepped back, he remembered his germophobia and regretfully suppressed the impulse. What a shame, not allowed again.

Guan Du’s eyes sparkled as he said, “Long time no see, you haven’t come to eat here in ages. I kept your usual spot for you.”

Feng Xingyun’s lips pressed into a flat line, his irritation impossible to hide. That clingy, syrupy tone, no need to guess, another one of those rotten peach blossoms. How many was that now? Two had already shown their faces in a single afternoon.

Liu Duanhe was good-looking, sure, but weren’t his admirers getting a bit excessive? The most annoying one was Chen Xingdong from the neighboring compound. His family was nouveau riche too, though not as explosively wealthy as Liu Duanhe’s. The guy was a frivolous, good-for-nothing type who’d only gotten into their school by donating buildings and laboratories.

Feng Xingyun liked cars, but he was still very careful about his own safety. That Chen Xingdong, though, drove like he had a death wish, racing at insane speeds. Just a couple days ago, he’d heard the guy had gone too far and broken his leg in a crash, he was still in the hospital.

Once he’d maintained his distance, Liu Duanhe finally smiled. “I’ve been busy lately, lots going on. But looks like your business is thriving more and more.”

As they walked in, he habitually swept his gaze across the room, basically every seat was taken.

In this day and age, “good wine needs no bush” was an empty saying. No matter how good your wine, without a prime location, you could make a small profit at best, but never a big one.

For a businessman, of course, you had to create the most profitable model. An excellent location was crucial. Guan Du was a very flexible guy, he’d simply opened his restaurant in the building right next to his family’s corporate headquarters.

When major clients came to discuss deals, he’d bring them straight here to eat. Combined with strict quality control over the dishes and reservations-only policy, the restaurant’s reputation had spread far and wide.

They stood by the door for a moment, and Liu Duanhe noticed that basically the moment one table of customers left, the next group would arrive, filling the seats right away.

He stepped inside, asking as he walked, “Just looking at the foot traffic, this place seems nearly at capacity. Are you planning to expand into a chain, or keep it as just this one location for your own enjoyment?”

Guan Du walked alongside him, directly shoving Feng Xingyun to the back.

“If we expand into a chain, quality control becomes difficult. But you’re right, this place has basically reached its saturation point. Daily revenue has been hovering around three million for a month now.”

“Everything has trade-offs. Compared to the initial passion, I prefer making money, so I’ve already started preparing for the new location.”

Feng Xingyun’s face darkened as he walked behind Liu Duanhe.

Liu Duanhe continued chatting with Guan Du for a while about the business model and positioning of his type of establishment, offering some suggestions.

Then he suddenly remembered Feng Xingyun’s presence. He still wasn’t used to having a boyfriend, when he got absorbed in something interesting, he’d completely forget about him.

He turned around apologetically, looking behind him.

Guan Du, who had been pondering his suggestions, noticed the movement and turned to look as well.

Feng Xingyun gave a sarcastic, forced smile. “Finally remembered me? I thought I was too short for you to see me.”

Seeing him sulking, Liu Duanhe apologized good-naturedly, “My fault. I was just focused on walking and talking and accidentally neglected you.”

After all, anyone would feel uncomfortable if their boyfriend completely forgot them while chatting endlessly with someone else, it’s only human.

He reached out a hand, hesitated and struggled for a moment, but still couldn’t get past the mental hurdle. He withdrew it and simply took a step back to stand beside Feng Xingyun.

He said to Guan Du, “Let’s stop chatting. He’s probably starving. We should head to the private room and get something in our stomachs.”

Both Feng Xingyun and Guan Du were taken aback, but their reactions were completely different.

A shadow flickered in Guan Du’s eyes. He discreetly sized up Feng Xingyun, still smiling brightly, pretending not to notice the slight distance in Liu Duanhe’s tone. “Alright, alright. Out with the old, in with the new, huh? Made new friends in college and left the old ones behind?”

He wouldn’t ask what their relationship was, whatever it was, it wouldn’t affect what he did. If they were still in the ambiguous stage, and he suddenly burst their bubble, wouldn’t that just be helping them along? Guan Du wasn’t about to do something that hurt himself for others’ benefit.

Feng Xingyun, on the other hand, felt both puzzled and secretly pleased because Liu Duanhe had chosen him without hesitation all day.

No matter what their relationship was, being firmly chosen by someone made you want to like them more.

He visibly brightened, and Liu Duanhe breathed a sigh of relief, looks like the damage control was working.

After leading them to the private room, Guan Du understood the unspoken dismissal in Liu Duanhe’s demeanor. He smiled, unconcerned. Even the gentlest person has their edges.

How could the heir of the Liu family be a coward who couldn’t say no?

The key to a smiling tiger is the tiger, even with a smile on its face, a tiger still eats meat.

Setting the menu in front of Liu Duanhe, he gave Feng Xingyun a meaningful glance before turning and leaving.

Liu Duanhe’s gaze softened as he looked at Feng Xingyun, who was still staring at the door. His look was as light and gentle as moonlight, and he asked with a helpless sigh, “Feeling better now?”

Few people could resist such favoritism. Feng Xingyun’s heart shamelessly quickened its pace, his eyes completely unable to leave Liu Duanhe.

He clearly realized, he was being bewitched by Liu Duanhe.

He tried hard to remind himself of Liu Duanhe’s true nature: hypocritical, ruthless, ungrateful, and rebellious. He must not be fooled by this facade!

It worked well enough, the heat on his face faded after half a minute, disappearing as he flipped through the menu in a mantra-like rhythm, muttering under his breath like a rap.

Liu Duanhe habitually tapped the table lightly to get his attention, then handed him the tablet. “Look at the menu and check off whatever you want to eat.”

Feng Xingyun didn’t stand on ceremony and ordered two dishes he wanted.

He went to the bathroom in the private room to wash his hands first. Since this room was his regular spot and Guan Du was a man of refinement, both the bathroom and the room were kept spotless. As soon as he entered, he smelled clean, fresh moisture, it must have been cleaned not long ago.

After washing his hands and coming out, Liu Duanhe hesitated for a moment before saying, “Aren’t you going to wash your hands too?”

Feng Xingyun was in a good mood all day because of Liu Duanhe’s favoritism, and his usual habit was to wash his hands before meals anyway, so he obediently went to the bathroom without a snarky remark.

Liu Duanhe ordered a few more dishes and then settled the bill.

When he came out, he instinctively flicked his hands downward, water droplets falling from his fingertips. Liu Duanhe’s brow furrowed slightly, about to speak when he was interrupted by the sound of the private room door opening.

The server brought in two appetizers first.

Feng Xingyun had already picked up a napkin and was wiping his hands. He was still sitting on the other side of Liu Duanhe, keeping a respectful distance.

His behavior actually made Liu Duanhe lean toward him even more. He pulled out four tissues from the box beside him, folded them into a thick pad under his palm, reached over, and gently dabbed at the water droplets on Feng Xingyun’s hand and arm.

Feng Xingyun’s hand trembled violently. He turned his head, nearly jumping out of his seat.

His originally dark, dull eyes stared blankly at Liu Duanhe’s strikingly beautiful pale hands, then drifted to his earnestly lowered face.

His thick, dark lashes blinked slowly, and his lips, full, vividly red, with an M-shaped upper lip, looked as if they had been bitten, exuding an air of desire.

In a low, bass-like voice, he murmured to himself, “Do we have to go this far?”

Liu Duanhe’s ears tingled for a moment, but he hadn’t caught what Feng Xingyun said.

He looked up in confusion and asked, “Hmm? What did you say?”