Poor Relationship - Chapter 4

Xu Yizhou recalled his days as an extra on set, when it was even more crowded than this. Everyone just wanted to squeeze in front of the equipment. Back then, he hadn’t thought much of it, but now, sitting next to Wen Shi, he felt strangely uneasy.

Relying on his solid foundational skills, Xu Yizhou stiffened his body throughout the entire recording of his scene. When he stood up, his neck felt like it was about to ache to death.

By the time Sophie and Little N had finished listening to their raw audio, and they had gone through repeated retakes and adjustments, the sky had already darkened. Sophie was quite satisfied with the final result and nodded.

“Thank you for your hard work, everyone. If there’s nothing else, you can head back and rest.”

Another early day off. Xu Yizhou stretched lazily.

“Teacher Xu!”

Before he could reach the elevator, a voice called out from behind. Wen Shi jogged over, slightly out of breath. Xu Yizhou paused and glanced at Wen Shi, offering a polite smile.

“What’s up?”

“Teacher Xu, can we add each other on WeChat? I’ve admired you for a long time.”

Wen Shi was a bit taller than Xu Yizhou. From Xu Yizhou’s perspective, half of Wen Shi’s face was cast in shadow. Only his eyes shone brightly. Xu Yizhou was someone who easily grew proud and complacent. If a fan said they admired him, he’d be over the moon.

But hearing those words from Wen Shi felt odd. Especially those eyes, which had kept glancing at him during the recording.

Yet in the dim evening light, Wen Shi’s eyes were hard to read, their emotions unclear.

Xu Yizhou didn’t want to refuse outright, but he wasn’t exactly eager to add Wen Shi either.

He tapped his phone a few times and held out a WeChat QR code. Wen Shi scanned it with his phone and sent a friend request.

“Teacher Xu, you haven’t had dinner yet, right? How about we grab a bite together? My treat.”

Wen Shi’s enthusiasm made Xu Yizhou a bit wary. He quickly waved his hand.

“No need, I don’t eat dinner.”

“I have things to do at home. I should get going.”

The elevator arrived on the third floor just in time. Xu Yizhou stepped inside. Only when the doors closed did he let out a long sigh of relief. He wasn’t sure if it was his social anxiety or something else, but Wen Shi’s enthusiasm felt overwhelming. Wen Shi watched as Xu Yizhou’s figure gradually disappeared into the darkness. He licked his lips, a wild glint unmistakable in his eyes. Seeing the WeChat notification pop up on his phone—[W: ?]—he smirked.

“Interesting.”

Wen Shi closed his phone.

“Quite guarded, isn’t he?”

Rubbing his sore neck, Xu Yizhou returned home. Wen Jiang was still awake, sitting on the sofa reading a book. His tall frame leaned against the backrest, one long leg crossed naturally over the other. The well-tailored suit pants accentuated the lean lines of his thighs.

Half of his restrained, handsome face was hidden in shadow, the gold-rimmed glasses reflecting the lamplight. Elegantly, Wen Jiang raised a hand and adjusted his glasses with his index finger.

“Brother, you’re still up?”

Xu Yizhou walked over wearily and plopped down beside Wen Jiang. Every day after work, he felt utterly drained, both physically and mentally. But Wen Jiang still had the energy to read here after work—he couldn’t understand it.

“Yeah, it’s still early.”

Wen Jiang didn’t even lift his eyes, speaking in a calm tone. Xu Yizhou leaned closer, rubbing his neck as he tried to read the words on the book.

“Biology… DNA… production…”

There were so many words he didn’t recognize. He couldn’t make sense of any of it.

“Why are you stumbling over the words?”

A faint curve lifted at the corner of Wen Jiang’s lips as he glanced at Xu Yizhou.

“What kind of decent person watches this stuff? It’s boring.”

Xu Yizhou always felt like he hadn’t even graduated from elementary school in front of Wen Jiang—the kind who couldn’t even recognize all the characters. Maybe that’s just how the world of top students is. Just as he turned his head away in a huff, a faint “gurgle” sound came from somewhere. Wen Jiang silently looked at Xu Yizhou. Xu Yizhou’s face flushed even redder, and he smiled sheepishly at Wen Jiang:

“Bro, I’m hungry.”

“I’ll go make you something to eat.”

Wen Jiang set down the book and stood up, heading toward the kitchen. Watching Wen Jiang’s retreating figure, Xu Yizhou felt as if he had returned to his childhood. When their parents were away on business trips, it was always Wen Jiang who cooked for him every day.

Ever since he could remember, Wen Jiang had seemed omnipotent in his eyes. He could do anything, and his grades were always at the top of the class.

He was the “other people’s child” praised by adults and the person Xu Yizhou had admired most since he was little. It felt like it had been a long time since Wen Jiang had come home.

Dragging his tired body, Xu Yizhou went to the kitchen.

There, he saw Wen Jiang standing in front of the stove, sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

Even stir-frying seemed to carry an air of elegance.

“Shouldn’t you explain the WeChat thing?”

Wen Jiang’s question came out of nowhere. Xu Yizhou only then remembered that he had just pulled up Wen Jiang’s WeChat QR code from his photo album and let Wen Shi scan it.

“Ah… WeChat… WeChat… Bro, are you off tomorrow since it’s the weekend?”

Xu Yizhou tried to change the topic with a laugh, but he couldn’t help feeling a little foolish.

What CEO works on weekends? Besides, Wen Jiang had always been home on weekends in the past.

“Hmm.”

But thankfully, Wen Jiang didn’t ignore him and even replied with a “hmm.”

His brother was really he could cry.

“Alright, come eat.”

It had been a long time since Xu Yizhou had tasted Wen Jiang’s cooking, and he ate with particular relish.

“Aren’t you eating, Bro?”

Seeing Wen Jiang heading upstairs, Xu Yizhou asked through a mouthful of food.

“I’m going to shower.”

Wen Jiang left the words casually and went upstairs. He was still the same as before—disliking the lingering smell. Adjusting his glasses, a flicker of something dark passed through his eyes. Xu Yizhou simply assumed he was just being particular about cleanliness and didn’t pay it much mind, continuing to devour his meal. Wen Jiang hadn’t taken his phone, and it buzzed on the sofa. Xu Yizhou got up and walked over to pick it up.

What greeted him was a picture of a leg.

“What the…?”

Wen Jiang’s phone wallpaper was a photo of a leg—unclear whether it belonged to a man or a woman. The background was pitch black, leaving only the outline of the leg. If you didn’t look closely, you wouldn’t even notice it.

Xu Yizhou had no idea Wen Jiang had such a preference and nearly choked. The phone rang again. Xu Yizhou didn’t look any further. Holding the phone, he went upstairs and entered Wen Jiang’s room. The room was pitch dark, with only the light from the computer still glowing. The sound of running water came from the bathroom.

“Bro, your phone’s ringing.”

Xu Yizhou walked to the bathroom door and called out to Wen Jiang. The sound of water inside stopped. When the door opened, a wave of steam rushed out, carrying the scent of shower gel. Wen Jiang’s hair was wet, droplets sliding down his toned chest, over his abs, and down to his waist.

Only then did Xu Yizhou realize Wen Jiang wasn’t wearing any clothes—he had opened the door completely naked. To be honest, he really didn’t understand why, even though Wen Jiang usually stayed at home either working at his desk or reading, he could still maintain such a good figure.

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