Poor Relationship - Chapter 1

Xu Yizhou accidentally discovered a little secret of Wen Jiang. These past few days, the characters in several radio dramas he was overseeing had wrapped up one after another, so he returned home a bit earlier than usual.

Normally, by the time he got back, Wen Jiang was already asleep, and Xu Yizhou had almost developed the habit of tiptoeing inside. Wen Jiang always left the living room light on for him, and today was no exception. The bright light was glaring, almost hurting his eyes.

Feeling somewhat irritable, Xu Yizhou ran a hand through his hair, changed his shoes, and headed upstairs, planning to get some sleep first.

The house was a standalone villa Wen Jiang had bought, with both of their bedrooms on the second floor—one on the left, one on the right. Wen Jiang’s bedroom door wasn’t fully closed, and Xu Yizhou heard some sounds coming from inside. It was rare for him to return while Wen Jiang was still awake, so Xu Yizhou decided to go talk to him.

But the closer he got to the door, the clearer the sounds became.

It sounded like a boy’s panting.

“Ahh!”

A seductive moan came from the phone—not too loud, but clear enough for Xu Yizhou to hear every detail. He froze in his tracks, lips slightly parted, his eyes shadowed by his hair, filled with shock.

Was Wen Jiang watching porn? And the kind featuring… “rainbow” content?

Uncertain, he listened again, but it was unmistakably a boy’s soft gasps. Xu Yizhou felt as if his entire worldview was being rewritten. As the CEO of a listed company, Wen Jiang, in his memory, always had slicked-back hair, gold-rimmed glasses, a face that countless women swooned over, and a sharp suit—seemingly his standard look.

He exuded an aura of restraint, and in reality, Wen Jiang truly kept his distance from women.

Xu Yizhou had assumed Wen Jiang just hadn’t met someone he liked yet, but now it seemed some rather unusual conclusions might actually hold true? Could it be…?

Xu Yizhou’s mind conjured up quite a few rather suggestive images.

After indulging in his imagination, Xu Yizhou decided it wasn’t the right time to approach Wen Jiang. Besides, if Wen Jiang knew he’d overheard him watching porn, who knew what expression would appear on that usually rigid, wooden face?

The thought alone was mortifying. Xu Yizhou practically inched his way toward his own room, lifting his feet with each step. But the very first step made the wooden floor creak loudly.

The sounds from the room immediately stopped. His heart leaped into his throat, and he even heard footsteps growing clearer and closer.

A thousand “what the hell” thoughts raced through Xu Yizhou’s mind.

“Damn, why does everything happen exactly when you don’t want it to?!”

Hearing the door open, he knew it was probably too late to slip away now.

Might as well act like he knew nothing.

“Bro, you’re still up this late?”

Xu Yizhou forced a calm tone as he greeted Wen Jiang.

His gaze flickered to Wen Jiang leaning against the doorframe, his well-defined figure on full display. Even worse, several buttons of his white shirt were undone. Pale skin peeked through, and even the outline of his abs was visible. Xu Yizhou couldn’t help but swallow hard. Wen Jiang wasn’t wearing his glasses at night, making him look much younger than usual. Or maybe it was just his imagination.

Wen Jiang crossed his arms and studied Xu Yizhou for a long moment, his thin lips curling slightly as he spoke in a low voice:

“Yeah, about to sleep.”

“Something up?”

Hearing Wen Jiang’s question, Xu Yizhou quickly waved his hands:

“No, no, nothing at all. Bro, you should get some rest. Goodnight!”

He couldn’t stay in such an embarrassing place for another second.

“Mm.”

Wen Jiang didn’t say much more, his face as calm and indifferent as ever.

But why was he, Xu Yizhou, the one feeling so nervous when Wen Jiang was the one who had secretly been watching that kind of video? Xu Yizhou raised his hand to rub his flushed face, shaking his head as if trying to shake off the cringe.

With a soft click, the sandalwood-colored door locked. Xu Yizhou dashed back to his room, his heart still pounding uncontrollably. Just as he had finally calmed down, his WeChat chimed. Thinking it might be something from the studio, Xu Yizhou pulled out the phone that had accompanied him for three years without ever being replaced. After years of wear, the screen was now covered in cracks.

A glance told him it wasn’t a message from the work group. Another look revealed it was a message from Wen Jiang. His note for Wen Jiang was simply “Bro,” but he hardly ever chatted with Wen Jiang on WeChat.

Scrolling through their chat history, it was almost entirely filled with transfers and receipts.

His fingers trembled slightly as he tapped to open the message.

[“Aunt Zhou asked me to find you a proper job at the company. Come if you’re willing. If not, at least I’ll have an answer for her request.”]

These were the lines that greeted him. Yes, he, Xu Yizhou, had been out of university for two years now and still didn’t have a proper job. He could only barely scrape by at the studio, relying on the broadcasting knowledge he’d gained in college. He often found himself relying on Wen Jiang for help, even freeloading meals, drinks, and a place to stay at Wen Jiang’s place.

Wen Jiang was different. He had started his own business right after graduating, and it had taken him only four years to achieve what he had now. In just four years, Wen Jiang had become the “other people’s child” that adults often talked about.

Zhou Yuan would call him, but he rarely answered, so she turned to Wen Jiang instead. Since childhood, Wen Jiang had always been the most obedient one in the family, even though he always called her Aunt Zhou.

But there was no denying that Zhou Yuan treated him like her own son—though not quite as much as her actual son. The offer was indeed tempting. Being parachuted directly into Wen Jiang’s company would basically guarantee him a worry-free life, thanks to that connection.

But he had always disliked doing things he wasn’t interested in, and accepting such handouts only filled him with guilt. It wouldn’t be any different from his current situation. This wasn’t what he wanted.

His slender fingers tapped out two words on the screen:

[“No need.”]

But just as he was about to send it, he felt it sounded too blunt, so he deleted it.

[“I’m quite satisfied with my current job. Bro, tell Mom not to worry.”]

After some thought, Xu Yizhou sent this instead.

[“Mm.”]

A reply came quickly from the other side, just a single, simple word. Reading it, Xu Yizhou felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him as he sprawled out on the bed. But he couldn’t help replaying the earlier scene in his mind. He simply couldn’t imagine what expression someone as seemingly ascetic as Wen Jiang would have while watching that kind of video.

He was curious.

Exhausted from the day, he drifted off to sleep without even realizing it. The warm, orange glow of the lamp spilled over the bed, enveloping Xu Yizhou. This was his favorite color of light, and it was perfect for sleeping. Just as he had fallen asleep, his phone rang again.

Lifting his hand out of habit, he swiped to answer without even opening his eyes.

“Teacher Xu, it’s Xiao N. There’s a section with some breathing sounds that might need you to re-record.”

An anxious female voice came through the phone.

“For the kissing scene with the princess, Teacher Xu, as the one taking the lead, you need to exert more control.”

Xu Yizhou reluctantly opened his eyes, grumbling with a hint of resentment:

“Alright, I’ll record it and send it to you later.”

Support