We Are Not Dating! - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Enticement

Jiang Zhiyu didn’t believe he was particularly fixated on that night; he was merely conducting a trivial post-event reflection.

Analyzing a partner after a one-night stand is like a criminal returning to the scene of the crime or a kitten repeatedly marking its territory—it is an instinct embedded in the blood.

However, when most people do this, their minds are filled with painful lessons and resolutions to avoid such things forever. But Jiang Zhiyu, suffering from a flare-up of his “looks-driven” obsession, felt he hadn’t lost out.

It was just that he’d been drunk, so his vision was blurry and his sensory stimuli suppressed; many aspects were indeed a muddle. This included whether Alfred was actually bad in bed—Jiang didn’t truly know; he had been talking nonsense to the man’s face.

Waking up from a chaotic dream at 5:00 AM, all sleepiness vanished. Jiang Zhiyu rubbed his head and curled into a flexible ball inside his wardrobe.

The sticky note with Alfred’s phone number had been casually placed on his nightstand, only two or three steps from the wardrobe—practically within reach. Yet, Jiang Zhiyu had no intention of calling, muttering spitefully to himself about how annoying Alfred’s mouth was.

That bit of fun and favorable impression was limited to wandering thoughts in his mind. Letting down his pride to take the initiative? The other guy could forget about it. He snuggled in his corner as the heat surging through his body slowly cooled.

He then managed a nap, this time a “healthy and green” one. He slept until 8:30 AM when the cleaner arrived for her scheduled visit.

When she entered, Jiang Zhiyu was already in the dining area drinking milk. Seeing the tall, elegant young man, the cleaner chatted about family matters.

“If only my son were like you—top-tier in everything from studies to work. Your parents must never have worried, right?” the cleaner said. She then complained: “My kid stays up all night on weekends and stays in bed until the afternoon during the day. It’s not normal at all.”

Jiang Zhiyu comforted her: “I love to sleep too. If he’s tired at school, of course he needs more rest. As long as it doesn’t affect his grades, it’s fine.”

The cleaner laughed: “He got a 28 in English but dared to write ‘Cambridge’ on his dream wall. He couldn’t find the teaching building even with a map. I told him one of my employers is a high-achiever who can speak three languages.”

Jiang Zhiyu’s eyes curved: “I rely on it for my livelihood; how can he be compared to me?”

The current educational environment was a “rat race.” Adults racked their brains to find every advantage, and students were burdened with heavy hopes, everyone’s nerves stretched taut. When talking to an outsider, a mother couldn’t help but sigh and vent her frustrations. While Jiang Zhiyu was sharp and in control in professional settings, here he was a gentle, patient listener.

Wiping the marble tabletop, the cleaner suddenly said, “Oh my, Xiao Jiang, were you sick last week?”

Jiang Zhiyu said instinctively, “No.”

“Then why are there cooling fever patches? Should I put them in the small storage box for you?” the cleaner asked bluntly.

Jiang Zhiyu: “.”

He stiffly set down his milk cup and rubbed his temples. “Thanks. Put them away for me. The wind was so strong recently it made me dizzy.”

After a moment, the cleaner asked, “There’s a small slip of paper on your nightstand. It’s so light it might get lost, and it has a phone number on it. Do you want to save it first?”

Jiang Zhiyu said aloofly, “Just an insignificant flirtation. Throw it away as trash.”

Afraid the item might actually be useful—leading to them digging through the trash later—the cleaner simply tucked the note into a drawer.

After the cleaner left, Jiang Zhiyu went to work. News of the project’s latest developments had reached the company, and colleagues congratulated him one after another.

“This is the biggest contract of the quarter,” Zhou Ke teased as he stepped out of his office. “Zhiyu, take good care of our ‘Lord Client’.”

Jiang Zhiyu nodded slightly. “Housekeeping first. Xu Yihan, come with me.”

He had a private office near his department. Xu Yihan went in with an expression of one facing execution. In the interpretation booth that day, Xu Yihan’s state had been chaotic, nearly causing an accident. Jiang Zhiyu hadn’t said much then, letting him focus on the dinner accompaniment. Now, knowing Xu Yihan was shy but hardworking, Jiang Zhiyu gave him a measured warning that it mustn’t happen again.

Xu Yihan understood his lack of professionalism and promised not to let his boss down.

“How was the dinner last night?” Jiang Zhiyu inquired.

Xu Yihan told the truth: “I didn’t mess up again. The food was okay, mostly Benbang cuisine, supposedly because they were worried the guest wouldn’t like other flavors… but that guest didn’t show up.”

Jiang Zhiyu asked one more question: “Who?”

“The one Manager Xiao mentioned. Qi-something?” Xu Yihan said.

Jiang Zhiyu gave an “Oh.” “So Qi Shu was actually at the forum site.”

Xu Yihan reported honestly: “Yes. Songcheng’s secretary said he had a flight the next day and his schedule didn’t have a sliver of free time, so he left early after the exchange.” He repeated: “Some people said he’s so hard to book, you can’t even catch his shadow. Why can a loner like that climb so high? Songcheng isn’t a nightclub; they shouldn’t care about faces…”

Jiang Zhiyu was collaborating with Qi Shu; knowing one’s partner was for the best. But this curiosity was limited to professional bounds; he had no interest in the Chief’s private life, nor did he want to know how he earned a ten-million-yuan salary. Besides, he had just been to the Songcheng headquarters for the interview yesterday. While everyone there looked decent, no one’s features had caught his eye. Jiang Zhiyu didn’t think anyone there could rely on their face to get a free meal.

“Manager Xiao says he has a connection with Qi Shu, but I don’t think that’s the case,” Xu Yihan pondered. “If they knew each other, wouldn’t they at least say hello at the event?”

Jiang Zhiyu told him not to speculate: “With Qi Shu’s dog-like temper, would he bother with those social niceties?”

Xu Yihan thought that made sense. Afterward, Jiang Zhiyu sent him back to his desk and began his own work. Translation relied on a steady stream of business; there would be several projects in the same quarter. The Songcheng event was set for next month and was currently in the startup phase, but several other summits were scheduled for these two weeks. It was peak season.

Jiang Zhiyu was running between various venues. During this time, the cleaner’s son had set a new record: the “28” he had heard about earlier had evolved into a “26.” Jiang Zhiyu was speechless, marveling at how difficult it was to be a parent.

Having a student at home is a real hassle. Qi Shu thought the same.

His mother and stepfather were going on a long trip. Shortly after landing, Qi Shu was informed he had to look after his younger brother for a week. He had been busy with business trips—flying between Hong Kong, New York, and Singapore—and had only just finished. He hadn’t even had time to unpack.

His lifestyle assistant was handling the household chores. Qi Shu parked the car at the school gate and stood outside the crowd, waiting for the middle-schooler to finish class.

His brother was named Nie Minsen, taking his mother’s surname. He was in his third year of middle school at an international school. Despite sharing half their blood, their temperaments were worlds apart.

When the bell rang, Qi Shu didn’t have to look hard; the first one to charge out of the gate was his brother. Seeing his older brother there to pick him up, Nie Minsen almost didn’t recognize him at first. Then, clutching the straps of his sports backpack, the boy—who had been lively over the phone—became quite reserved face-to-face.

“Is it heavy?” Qi Shu wasn’t good at social interaction either.

Nie Minsen shook his head, but Qi Shu reached out and slung it over his shoulder anyway. He was dressed simply and cleanly for his return trip, looking like a grad student from next door. Nie Minsen followed behind, asking why he was off work so early.

Qi Shu said: “Just got back from Hong Kong.”

Nie Minsen was curious: “Are you tired? Why do you have to run to Hong Kong? Can’t you do video calls?”

Qi Shu replied that money wasn’t that easy to earn: “I do Mergers and Acquisitions, not collecting rent on houses.”

Nie Minsen didn’t understand what kind of “acquisitions” those were; he only knew his last class had been PE, and playing soccer had left him exhausted and hungry. Before getting in the car, Qi Shu glanced at him; his uniform was covered in grass, looking like he’d rolled across the field eight hundred times.

“Hold your mud-colored jacket and sit in the back,” Qi Shu said.

Knowing his brother was a germaphobe, Nie Minsen dutifully squeezed into the back seat. He showered at Qi Shu’s place first, and when he came out, he was howling with hunger, demanding fried chicken from the nearby mall.

Qi Shu had already ordered hotel delivery. Looking at the boy’s acne, he said: “Junk food. Eating too much will ruin your face.”

Usually restricted by his parents, Nie Minsen took this chance to shout that he loved eating nutritionless things and challenged his brother to never eat them himself. Qi Shu had nothing to say about this kind of taste and stated he indeed didn’t eat trash, wouldn’t even touch it while sitting nearby.

It happened to be the evening rush hour at the mall. The fried chicken shop had a queue. With nothing to do, Qi Shu had come prepared and brought Nie Minsen’s math homework. When Nie Minsen saw the exercise book, he nearly had a familial falling-out on the spot.

Within five minutes, because Nie Minsen couldn’t draw an auxiliary line to save his life, Qi Shu began questioning if they even shared genetic commonalities.

On the other side, Jiang Zhiyu strolled to the mall near his home, also planning to solve dinner at the fried chicken shop. He came here often and timed it perfectly, getting a seat before the line formed.

Tao Yibai’s bar hadn’t opened yet, so they were chatting on their phones.

Tao Yibai: “A new bartender just started at our place. He might be your type. Want to come over?”

Jiang Zhiyu: “How would I know what my ‘type’ is?”

Tao Yibai: “If they’re handsome enough, everyone’s aesthetic can be unified.”

Seeing no reaction from Jiang, he wondered: “You say you like men, but you’ve never actually done it. Why did you come out to your dad then?”

Jiang Zhiyu was indignant and countered confidently: “Who says I’ve never done it?”

Tao Yibai: “????”

Tao Yibai: “How did you quietly become a gay man behind our backs? With who? Recently?”

Jiang Zhiyu blurred the details, saying it was a “one-night stand.”

Tao Yibai: “Ahhhh what does he look like? Did you add him? Anything further?” The waiter brought the single-person combo.

While eating a chicken wing, Jiang Zhiyu feigned nonchalance: “No, it was okay, just that.”

Tao Yibai: “Got a photo?”

Just as Jiang Zhiyu typed “No,” he heard a boy complaining outside about how he really couldn’t do it. It sounded like he was being abused; Jiang Zhiyu turned his head sharply, only to see a middle/high school boy doing homework.

And beside him… was Alfred!

Damn. Jiang Zhiyu ignored Tao Yibai’s frantic gossiping on the screen. Realizing Alfred hadn’t noticed him, he quietly snapped a photo. He had never done the “candid photo” thing before; the angle and technique were clumsy. Fortunately, the other man was busy trying to teach his brother math and didn’t notice the small movement.

This face really has the capital to be a ‘pretty boy’, Jiang Zhiyu evaluated fairly while looking at his phone. Then he sent it to Tao Yibai. Unfortunately, Tao Yibai seemed busy and didn’t comment immediately.

The boy waiting outside was clearly hungry, clutching his stomach and acting like he was about to collapse. Across the noisy crowd, Jiang Zhiyu couldn’t hear the boy, but Qi Shu heard him clearly.

“Bro, someone is taking a picture of you,” Nie Minsen reported. “Want to catch them in the act?”

Following the direction of the finger, Qi Shu turned his face coldly and saw Jiang Zhiyu sitting there with his head down. He ate slowly, looking quiet and refined. After maintaining his noble posture for barely two seconds, Jiang Zhiyu paused, raised his head as if he had radar, and his gaze crashed right into Qi Shu’s.

Caught taking a candid? Am I that unlucky?!

Jiang Zhiyu looked away unnaturally. In his guilt, to pretend he was calm, he chose to seize the initiative before Qi Shu could react. He walked out, radiating goodwill.

“Alfred, you like this fried chicken too? Want to share a table?”

As the words fell, Nie Minsen realized the two actually knew each other. He was about to clarify that his brother despised junk food above all else, but before he could, he noticed Qi Shu’s expression change.

When teaching the math problem just now, Qi Shu’s expression had been contemptuous, his attitude unshielded—as if he were dealing with an idiot. Now, the emotion in Qi Shu’s eyes was complex, hard for Nie Minsen to decipher, yet instinctively dangerous…

Then, with an unclear intent, Qi Shu spoke almost enticingly: “I do. Can I join you?”

Nie Minsen: ??? What the hell? To let your brother eat sooner, you don’t have to endure such humiliation, do you?

He was full of confusion, but he couldn’t let his brother’s “sacrifice” go to waste, so he followed Jiang Zhiyu into the shop enthusiastically.

Jiang Zhiyu was at a table for two. Nie Minsen pulled over another chair and habitually prepared to scan the QR code to order. His phone had been restricted by his parents to only calls and texts, so he used Qi Shu’s phone to place the order. But the signal in the shop seemed terrible; the page was stuck on loading.

“You can order on mine,” Jiang Zhiyu offered considerately.

After all, they were still strangers; Nie Minsen felt bad using his things and asked Qi Shu to just order a combo for him. Then Qi Shu took the phone. As their gazes crossed, Tao Yibai’s spicy commentary finally arrived, floating across the notification pop-up on the phone:

“So this is your hookup?]

“Photo received. Why do you look like a paparazzi? This angle is so awkward. Never mind, no wonder you don’t want to meet the bartender. You’ve already enjoyed this yourself.”

Tao Yibai even added a footnote for the word “enjoyed”: “He looks like he’s very good at ‘doing it’ /sun/rose/rose”

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