The Third Year After The Breakup, He Knelt and Begged to Get Back Together - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Maybe That Dear Senior of Yours Will Also…

Qi Mingfeng had not cooked a proper meal in a long time.

When Qi Huan first fell ill, he would seriously research dishes to supplement his nutrition. Later, when Qi Huan was hospitalized and comatose, his meals while working odd jobs were as simple as possible—anything to stay full. Since coming back to C City, Aunt Sun did the cooking, and he was too busy with other things to find the time.

With his streaming career suddenly interrupted, he knew he should look for other outlets or catch up on the XB courses, but he truly wasn’t in the mood. He decided to give himself the morning off, letting Aunt Sun take the morning off as well, while he cooked for himself.

Just as he finished stir-frying the last dish, He Xian arrived home.

“I knew it was your cooking the moment I smelled it,” He Xian said, heading straight for the kitchen. “How are you willing to cook today? Where is Aunt Sun?”

“It’s pouring today, so I told her not to come over,” Qi Mingfeng replied.

He Xian leaned in close. “Let me see what you made.”

“Just home-cooked dishes.”

“I love your home-cooked food.” He Xian naturally kissed his cheek and carried the plates to the dining room.

It was three dishes and one soup, a balance of meat and vegetables. Qi Mingfeng ate a few bites in silence until He Xian suddenly spoke: “Why are you so listless today? Unhappy?”

Qi Mingfeng avoided his gaze, instinctively wanting to say “no.” Realizing He Xian would surely dig deeper, the words changed at his lips: “The XB classes are a bit difficult; I’m having trouble keeping up.”

“And here I thought someone was bullying you,” He Xian said, his brow finally relaxing. “There’s a class our top student can’t keep up with?”

“It has been several years since I graduated, after all, and the lectures are in a foreign language.”

“Should I hire a few tutors to help you?” He Xian offered.

“No need, I just need to spend more time on it.”

Qi Mingfeng was three years older than Qi Huan, and since Qi Huan had been sickly since childhood, Qi Mingfeng’s culinary skills had reached a certain level over the years. During his two years of odd jobs, he had even worked in fast food—though not two weeks into the job, his delivery bike had been smashed by a group of “unidentified” thugs.

He Xian might have been hungry, or perhaps he was just showing support, but he finished every last bit of the food. Qi Mingfeng had planned to lazily reheat leftovers for dinner, but now he would have to cook again.

“Burp—”

The great President He was still wearing his well-tailored white shirt, his watch still on his wrist. He looked formal enough to sit in front of a computer for a meeting if he just fastened his top two buttons, yet there he was, shamelessly finishing the last drop of soup and burping.

Qi Mingfeng picked up the bowls and headed to the kitchen, intending to rinse them and put them in the dishwasher. He Xian followed and wrapped his arms around his waist, hanging off him like a koala.

Qi Mingfeng had become numb to He Xian’s intimacy. If he wanted to hug, he let him; if he wanted more, he let him. He was no longer under any illusions about his status like he had been four years ago. He just treated He Xian like a weight on his back.

But as he rinsed a bowl, He Xian shook him slightly, nearly making him drop it. He didn’t get angry, but held on tighter.

After a moment’s hesitation, Qi Mingfeng spoke: “Lunchtime is short. If you’re busy, you can have your secretary order food, or have Aunt Sun prepare lunch when she makes breakfast so you can take it to heat up. It saves you the trip back and forth.”

He Xian’s dissatisfied voice rang in his ear: “I have a home, yet I should eat out every day? Aren’t you afraid people will think my household is in discord and try to crowd around me?”

…

Qi Mingfeng thought about the possibility He Xian mentioned and actually felt a flicker of hope. If nothing else, He Xian was wealthy; if he replaced the old with the new, the breakup fee would be substantial. He had originally just wanted to avoid seeing He Xian at noon, but now he genuinely hoped He Xian would find a new flame.

He Xian suddenly leaned forward, dropped a bowl into the sink, and gripped Qi Mingfeng’s shoulders to turn him around. Displeasure filled his eyes. “Why aren’t you talking?”

Qi Mingfeng gave a strained laugh. “I trust you.”

He Xian lowered his brow, his tone unreadable. “You’ve become much quieter since you returned.”

“Maybe I’ve just been too tired lately,” Qi Mingfeng offered perfunctorily.

“But in the past, no matter how tired you were, you would tell me interesting stories about your work,” He Xian countered.

“What’s so interesting about live streaming?”

He Xian wasn’t deterred and continued: “If it were before, you would definitely complain that I ate too much and make me wash the dishes to aid digestion.”

Qi Mingfeng sighed helplessly. “But you don’t like washing dishes.”

He Xian thought back seriously; Qi Mingfeng responded to everything he said, yet it just didn’t feel right.

Qi Mingfeng glanced at the time. “You should get back to work. Drive safely.”

He Xian rinsed his hands, dried them, and straightened his clothes. “There’s a gala tonight. Accompany me. You’re going to make a comeback sooner or later, and the people attending tonight are all from the industry.”

Then, remembering something, He Xian looked at him sideways. “Maybe that dear senior of yours will be there too.”

Qi Mingfeng’s expression changed instantly, though he quickly regained his composure. He had a rough idea of what had happened to Zhou Zhiqi; with his junior’s personality, there was no way he would attend a gala. He Xian was intentionally setting a trap.

He wasn’t in the mood to care about He Xian’s jealousy and felt lucky he had already made an excuse. “I have a live class tonight. I already can’t keep up; if I take more leave, I’ll fall even further behind.”

He Xian curled his lip. “I knew you wouldn’t go. Fine, stay home and study. I’m leaving. Come, give me a kiss.”

Qi Mingfeng stiffly but submissively kissed He Xian’s cheek. Dissatisfied, He Xian pulled him in to deepen the kiss. It felt like every day during their honeymoon phase.

Rain pitter-pattered against the window. In the illusion of oxygen deprivation, Qi Mingfeng saw stars exploding one by one, the fragments forming images accompanied by background noise.

Wiping the moisture from the corner of his lip with his thumb, He Xian gave him one last gentle kiss and left for work right on time. Qi Mingfeng instinctively reached out to pull him back, but the white shirt was neatly tucked into the suit pants, and he didn’t even touch a corner of the fabric. Until he watched He Xian leave, he didn’t say a single word.

…

The rain slowed in the afternoon. Qi Mingfeng gave himself a short break to process his emotions. When he opened his phone, his message list was flooded, mostly from the users who bought his classes.

The messages from “This Is Music!” were the most frequent. Most were emotional venting, but the latest message sent a spark of panic through him.

This Is Music!: Brother F, I know who’s blacklisting you!

Just as Qi Mingfeng was about to tell them not to look into it, a new message arrived.

This Is Music!: It’s a streamer of the same type as you, named A-Chou.

Qi Mingfeng thought back and remembered seeing A-Chou’s stream. They were in the same niche; A-Chou had been streaming for two years and was far more popular. But he didn’t recall ever offending him.

Qi Mingfeng: Are you sure it’s him?

This Is Music!: Don’t look down on me, Brother F. I have connections in the industry!

This Is Music!: Recently, Qinghe Media has been planning to pick streamers to enter the company for training. Word is they originally favored A-Chou and were already in talks, but then you emerged as a dark horse. Qinghe started considering you instead, and the contract with A-Chou was put on hold.

This Is Music!: A-Chou wasn’t satisfied and used his connections to land a sugar daddy. The sugar daddy is taking it out on you for A-Chou’s sake, which is why they’re hiring people to spread rumors.

This Is Music!: Pui! Trash! A loser who only knows how to use dirty tricks!

Qi Mingfeng touched his lip with his left hand and remained silent for a long time before logging into his streaming account. The live room was banned, but he could still log in and post updates. He posted a statement on the dynamics interface, responding to the rumors one by one. Then he opened his message list; for those who wanted a refund, he transferred the money immediately, and for those who wanted to continue, he taught them seriously.

After finishing these tasks, he turned his attention to his XB studies. It wasn’t entirely a lie that the course was difficult. He had to hurry to catch up with the others’ progress. His Teacher believed in him and had prepared a path for him; Professor Emerson believed in him and was willing to provide convenience to let him join mid-term. He could not disappoint the expectations of these two seniors. Since he was participating, he had to achieve a good grade.

The afternoon flew by. When he pulled out his phone again, he checked his text messages first. There were no new messages, but the slander against him online continued. Some viewers who believed in him spoke up for him, but since he hadn’t been streaming for long, his accumulated popularity was only average.

This was already a good result. Just as Qi Mingfeng was about to feel relieved, his peripheral vision caught a trending topic highlighted in red.

[He Xian, Ruan Zhiyan]

Ruan Zhiyan—his biological younger brother.

Likely due to genetics, Ruan Zhiyan also liked singing and had talent, receiving endless praise since childhood. Until Qi Mingfeng appeared.

Qi Mingfeng’s talent was naturally higher than Ruan Zhiyan’s, and he had studied under the Teacher for many years. During a college competition, he had stolen all of Ruan Zhiyan’s thunder. It was also this competition that caught the attention of He Xian’s elder brother, He Hui.

Ruan Zhiyan was pampered at home; he couldn’t stand the humiliation of being outshone or having his fiancé, He Hui, take an interest in Qi Mingfeng. He targeted him both openly and secretly at school. Other students, wary of the Ruan family’s power, stayed far away from him.

But it didn’t end there. Because He Hui took an interest in him, He Xian also noticed him. To compete with his elder brother, He Xian pursued him and helped him find his biological parents. They discovered he and Ruan Zhiyan were biological brothers.

Ruan Zhiyan found this even harder to endure. He was the only child, and suddenly an elder brother appeared. What if this brother stole the family property or the parents’ love?

Later, He Xian drove He Hui abroad. The alliance between the He and Ruan families didn’t specify who the marriage would involve. The Ruan family didn’t acknowledge him, and Ruan Zhiyan favored He Xian, who held the power of the He Corporation. Yet He Xian ended up with Qi Mingfeng.

In Ruan Zhiyan’s eyes, Qi Mingfeng was the biggest stumbling block that had suddenly appeared in his life, and he wanted nothing more than to get rid of him.

First, Ruan Zhiyan wanted to break him and He Xian up. Hard work pays off, and he truly found a breakthrough.

Years ago, the Teacher saw he had nowhere to go and let him and Qi Huan stay in a house on Nanxiang Road. When the Teacher gave up on him in his sophomore year—whether because the Teacher was wealthy and didn’t care after he had lived there so long, or because he felt He Xian was not a good partner and wanted to leave him an escape route—he transferred the Nanxiang Road house to Qi Mingfeng’s name.

Ruan Zhiyan discovered the house and hinted to He Xian that the property was worth eight figures. Having such property before debuting surely meant he had taken a “shortcut.” He added sarcastically that since his brother’s life had been hard in the past, a momentary lapse in judgment was understandable.

The Teacher placed great importance on his privacy, so He Xian could not find out who the previous owner was, and Qi Mingfeng kept his promise to the Teacher, refusing to say a word. Their relationship developed its first crack there.

Afterward, Ruan Zhiyan spared no effort to tear them apart. Even after they truly broke up, Ruan Zhiyan wouldn’t let him go, wanting to keep him pinned in the gutter forever. All the troubles he had faced over the last two years—including the smear campaign against his live stream—were the work of Ruan Zhiyan.