Vinegar

They all continued on their way to the venue that had been arranged by the production team. Lin Qiong sat in the car and took out his phone to send a message.

"I'll be back tonight or tomorrow morning."

Fu Xingyun: ?

Lin Qiong provided specific times considerately, "Either midnight tonight or early tomorrow morning."

"So?"

Lin Qiong replied, "Someone will open the door at midnight, so please don't misunderstand."

"Misunderstand what?"

"That it's me, not a thief."

Fu Xingyun looked at the message on his phone and casually replied with a "Hmm."

Lin Qiong, in his romantic brain mode, asked, "Why don't you show some concern? We haven't seen each other for a long time."

Looking at the message on the screen, the man was inexplicably stunned for a moment. It felt as if Lin Qiong was whispering those words into his ear, with a hint of coquetry.

He looked up and saw the calendar on which he had circled a few dates.

Fu Xingyun: "Three days?"

Lin Qiong corrected him, "Ten years."

"?"

"A day without seeing you feels like three autumns. I measure my longing for you in years."

Fu Xingyun: "Math genius?"

Lin Qiong humbly replied, "Oh, not really."

However, there was a sense of unease in the man as he pursed his lips and hesitated while typing on the keyboard. It's not that I'm worried about you...

The next moment, a new message appeared in the conversation, "I count the days on my fingers, but you make me return home late."

Fu Xingyun: ?

"So, it seems you don't miss me at all."

Lin Qiong: "I'll cherish our previous affection and the time we spent together."

Seeing the self-deprecating tone on the screen, Fu Xingyun's eyebrows twitched slightly.

Just as Lin Qiong was about to say something mind-blowing, Fu Xingyun hurriedly sent a message.

"It's not safe at night."

Lin Qiong: "You're worried about me."

Fu Xingyun remained silent.

Feeling triumphant, Lin Qiong raised his head with a smug expression, "I see, you care about me after all."

Fu Xingyun: ...

In the face of occasional audacity and boldness from the other person, he didn't feel irritated at all.

He picked up a pen from the table and made a modification on the calendar.

On the way to the club, Lin Qiong chatted casually with Fu Xingyun.

"Today's work is done."

"Off work?"

Lin Qiong: "Yes."

"What are you doing now?"

Lin Qiong glanced at the club ahead, "Working overtime."

...

After arriving at the club, the muscular photographer was the first to get out of the car, followed closely by the others.

Wang Cheng looked at Lin Qiong, whose hair was slightly messy from rubbing against the car seat. "What were you doing? I noticed you were looking at your phone the whole way."

Lin Qiong answered skillfully, "I was sending a message to someone at home."

Wang Cheng was instantly startled. "You didn't mention that we were going out, did you?"

Lin Qiong: "Of course..."

Wang Cheng: !!!

"I didn't."

Wang Cheng breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, at least you're smart enough."

Lin Qiong modestly lowered his head, "Always have been."

...

Seeing that the distance between the muscular photographer and them had grown, Wang Cheng pulled Lin Qiong aside and said, "You're considered a somewhat influential artist now. Be careful with your words and actions, especially when the movie is released, you know?!"

Lin Qiong nodded.

Wang Cheng looked around and said, "Especially the matter with the person at your home, it must not be known to others."

Lin Qiong wasn't stupid and naturally understood what the other person meant. He nodded again.

Wang Cheng asked, "What will you say if someone asks about it?"

Lin Qiong replied, "I have no past relationships on the internet. Even if there were, I wouldn't admit it."

Wang Cheng nodded approvingly.

Lin Qiong pondered for a moment and said, "But I won't claim to be single."

Wang Cheng was puzzled. "Why don't you claim to be single? That's how you attract fans."

Nowadays, most fans are attracted by looks, so there are definitely girlfriend fans.

Lin Qiong replied straightforwardly, "I don't want to."

Seeing his persistence, Wang Cheng reluctantly nodded. After all, there are also fans who support his career and other aspects.

As long as the matter with the old pervert is kept under control, everything else can be handled.

Lin Qiong hadn't been to such a lively place before. After arriving, apart from marveling at the grandeur, his main impression was that it was too noisy.

It was so noisy that Lin Qiong regretted coming, and he huddled in a corner, munching on a fruit platter.

If he had known, he would have stayed home and kept the massage bathtub company.

In the corner, Lin Qiong ate like a small mouse during the New Year's celebration.

Not far away, handsome men and beautiful women filled the air with their voices.

"Do you have a girlfriend, handsome guy?"

"Beautiful lady, can I have your WeChat?"

In the corner, Lin Qiong said, "This tastes so good."

"And that one too, it's delicious."

Wang Cheng, who had returned from the dance floor, approached and asked, "Why don't you go out and have fun?"

With food in his mouth, Lin Qiong replied slowly, "I don't want to."

Wang Cheng asked, "Then what's the point of coming here?"

Lin Qiong lifted the fruit platter in his hand.

Wang Cheng: ...

As long as you're happy.

"I'll take another round and then we'll head back to the city."

Lin Qiong remembered Fu Xingyun's message and said, "I'll come back tomorrow during the day."

Wang Cheng replied, "Okay, I'll go back to the hotel when I return."

Lin Qiong gave a small thumbs-up with his hand.

After a while, the fruit platter was finished. Lin Qiong stood up and thought about whether to get some small pastries to eat.

Suddenly, an argument broke out nearby.

"What are you pretending for? Wearing so little is just inviting people to touch you, isn't it?"

Lin Qiong followed the voice and saw the muscular photographer arguing fiercely with a middle-aged man in his thirties.

The middle-aged man had a face that seemed to be begging for a beating as he looked at the others, his eyes filled with disdain.

With an embarrassed and angry face, the muscular photographer gritted his teeth and said, "Don't push me."

Seeing people looking their way, the muscular photographer also realized that they were attracting too much attention. After all, the people they usually interacted with for work were special, and they didn't want to make a big fuss. He turned around and wanted to leave, but the other person persisted.

He even tried to slip a business card into the photographer's waistband.

When the man's hand was halfway there, it was intercepted.

The man looked at Lin Qiong with a bewildered expression. Lin Qiong held his arm, looking at him with a gaze filled with disgust. The man frowned and asked in a displeased tone, "What are you looking at?"

Lin Qiong naturally replied, "Looking at scum."

...

The man used a bit of force to shake off the grip on him, saying, "What's your business? Get lost and don't delay me from enjoying my youth."

Lin Qiong sized him up and down before clicking his tongue.

The man, feeling like his tail was stepped on, retorted, "What are you clicking your tongue for?!"

Lin Qiong, nonchalant, said, "Don't waste your youth."

The man: ?

Lin Qiong said, "You're already becoming so old."

The man's face turned red for a moment, his embarrassment turning into anger as he cursed, "Damn it, are you crazy? What business is it of yours if I try to strike up a conversation with someone?!"

Arms crossed, Lin Qiong looked at him and asked, "Why wouldn't it be my business?"

"Ha, you're here to play the hero saving the beauty, aren't you?"

Glancing at the muscular photographer, who clearly didn't need him to save him, Lin Qiong humbly replied, "Not really."

"Then why are you here?!"

Lin Qiong said, "Poking my nose into other people's business."

...

The man's expression turned ugly. "Why are you acting like a hero here? Who do you think you are?!"

Lin Qiong answered, "Lei Feng."

...

The man, impatient, wanted to go forward and stuff the business card into the photographer's face, but the young man stepped forward and blocked him halfway.

The man became suspicious. He looked at Lin Qiong and then at the muscular photographer. "Do you have a relationship with him?"

Lin Qiong nodded, "Of course."

"What is your relationship with him?"

For some reason, the man in front of him fell silent. After a moment, the young man said in resignation, "I'm his sister."

...

"You're fucking with me!"

The man's hand was raised to hit Lin Qiong's face, but before he could, his hand was caught.

"You want to hit my brother!!!"

Looking at the suddenly roused muscular photographer, Lin Qiong: ?

The man, whose fist was held and was wincing in pain, cursed, "I want to hit him? I haven't even touched him yet! Which eye of yours saw me hitting him?"

He then tried to pull his hand away, but the other party's grip was too strong. His arm felt like it was about to snap, and he couldn't break free from the hold.

Because of the pain, the man's face contorted, and he muttered while cursing, "Ask him if I hit him!"

The muscular photographer turned his head slightly to look at the person beside him.

Lin Qiong: Sob~

The man: ...

"You fucking—!" Before the man could finish his sentence, he was suppressed once again.

In the next moment, Lin Qiong witnessed a strange sight.

The muscular photographer, with tears in his eyes, was unilaterally overpowering the man, both hitting him and crying.

Lin Qiong: ...

He was now witnessing what could be called a masterpiece.

After dealing with the scum, the muscular photographer excitedly looked at Lin Qiong. "Brother, thank you for helping me get rid of that pervert."

With a numb gesture, Lin Qiong waved his hand. "No, it's all your credit."

The muscular photographer insisted, "But it's all thanks to you..."

Lin Qiong reached out his hand. "You don't need to be modest."

...

Looking at him with some confusion, Lin Qiong asked, "When that guy was bothering you earlier, why didn't you lay a hand on him?"

The muscular photographer sounded a bit hesitant after hearing that. He fiddled with his clothes and said, "I'm timid."

...

Seeing all the muscles on him, Lin Qiong fell silent for a moment. "Actually, you can be bolder."

The muscular photographer asked, "Really?"

Lin Qiong patted his sturdy arm. "You have to believe in yourself."

The muscular photographer was touched for a moment. "Brother, you're really nice! I knew we could be good sisters."

Just now, having had too much fun and not realizing that Lin Qiong hadn't joined in, this time the muscular photographer grabbed him and pulled him toward the dance floor.

The dance floor was lively, filled with cheers and laughter.

As they noticed the countdown to midnight approaching, the muscular photographer excitedly said, "Brother, we're about to reach the climax. Let's take a photo together."

Soon, the people around them began to count down in unison, creating a boiling atmosphere akin to bubbling water.

Amidst the countdown, Lin Qiong and the muscular photographer took a photo together.

Satisfied, the muscular photographer looked at the photo. "Keep it to post on our Moments later."

Lin Qiong didn't mind and realized it was getting late. He found Wang Cheng and left for the hotel.

When midnight arrived, some people's nightlife was just beginning, like those who had just finished their shifts.

Li Hanyang, forced to start from the bottom after entering the family company, finally left the company building at midnight.

After returning home and getting ready for bed, he intended to browse his phone for a while before sleeping, but he became wide awake when he saw something in his social media feed.

Someone had posted a group photo, and one of the people in the photo looked quite familiar.

Caption: "My good brother~"

Li Hanyang stared wide-eyed. Could that be Lin Qiong?

He then looked at the other person in the photo, a well-known gay figure in their circle.

Later that evening, Fu Xingyun received a message on his phone.

Li Hanyang: "Are you there?"

Fu Xingyun glanced at the message and replied, "What's up?"

Li Hanyang hesitated for a moment, not knowing how to begin, and tried to probe, "Are you alone at home?"

Fu Xingyun replied, "Or half alone?"

...

Li Hanyang: "Is Lin Qiong not around?"

"Out for work."

Li Hanyang's typing sped up. "Did he tell you that?"

Fu Xingyun frowned after reading the messages. "What's going on?"

"Nothing." Li Hanyang thought about how to bring it up gently. "I just wanted to ask you about something."

Fu Xingyun's voice turned cold. "What is it?"

Li Hanyang hesitated. "Well, there's this friend of mine..."

Li Hanyang took a deep breath and continued, "His partner is always out, not coming home. Maybe... I mean, it's possible that he's cheating. What do you think I should say?"

"This friend is you?"

"Of course not!" Li Hanyang immediately protested. He emphasized again, "It's a friend of mine, a friend!"

Fu Xingyun: ...

Fu Xingyun then said, without hesitation, "Just suggest it."

Li Hanyang thought about it and said, "Fu Xingyun, is the moon bright over there?"

Fu Xingyun looked out the window at the bright full moon and replied without thinking, "It's alright."

Taking a deep breath, Li Hanyang continued, "Can you see things around you?"

"I can."

Li Hanyang took another deep breath. "Then look at the grass in the courtyard."

Fu Xingyun was puzzled. "What's wrong?"

"Is it green?"

...

A deathly silence echoed on the other end of the phone.

After a long pause, Fu Xingyun's indifferent voice came through, "Didn't you say it's your friend?"

Li Hanyang said, "Besides you, do I have any friends?"

Fu Xingyun: ...

Li Hanyang then sent the photo to him.

Fu Xingyun looked at the photo on his phone screen with a dark expression. His eyes seemed like a pool of stagnant water, unfathomable.

"When did this happen?"

Li Hanyang coughed awkwardly. "Just now."

Fu Xingyun's knuckles made a slight cracking sound as he recalled Lin Qiong's words about working late.

Lin Qiong, you really are something.

Li Hanyang suddenly felt he might have misunderstood something. "Perhaps Lin Qiong just went out for fun."

"All men are the same. As long as they come home, it's fine."

...

Li Hanyang tried his best to comfort the deep, secluded husband who had been staying at home for so long. "Your marriage was arranged, and there wasn't much affection to begin with. You don't need to feel too sad..."

Beep—

Before Li Hanyang finished speaking, the call was abruptly ended.

In the city, Lin Qiong sat drowsily in the car, and Wang Cheng occasionally talked to him, but his answers were mostly incoherent.

Wang Cheng patted his cheek. "Lin Qiong, wake up, we've arrived."

Curiosity got the better of him, and Wang Cheng asked, "What are you holding?"

At the question, Lin Qiong perked up, raising whatever he was holding above his head.

"...Is that a melon?" Wang Cheng asked, confused by what was in Lin Qiong's hands.

Lin Qiong corrected him, "It's a mango."

Wang Cheng was surprised. "Where did you get such a huge mango?"

Lin Qiong proudly raised the oversized mango above his head. "I bought it."

Wang Cheng was puzzled. "Where did you buy it? Why didn't I know about it?"

Having slept like a log all the way, Lin Qiong hadn't visited a fruit store. He chuckled, "I thought it was really sweet when I had it in the fruit platter at the club, so I asked if they sold it there. Luckily, they did, so I bought it."

Wang Cheng's eyebrows twitched. "Why did you buy it? Haven't you had enough?"

Lin Qiong, who had just woken up, was a bit dazed. He smiled foolishly, "It tasted sweet when I tried it. I wanted to bring it back for Xingyun to taste."

The night breeze gently brushed through the young man's black hair, carrying his sincere and naive smile, which shone brightly even in the darkness of night.

"Who's Xingyun?" Wang Cheng asked, "Your friend?"

Lin Qiong replied, "My husband."

Wang Cheng's eyebrows twitched even more. "And you're bringing this for that old per... I mean, for him? He's so wealthy, he must have tried every good thing already."

Lin Qiong paused, surprised by the sudden realization. He really hadn't thought much about it.

He had a subconscious feeling that he wanted to share this delicious and fragrant treat, something like honey, with someone. But what Wang Cheng said made sense – Fu Xingyun, being wealthy, would have likely tasted far more exotic things.

Looking a bit embarrassed, Lin Qiong murmured, "You're right. I didn't think about that."

Lin Qiong returned to the hotel and was planning to take a shower. Coincidentally, someone knocked on the door.

Wang Cheng appeared, looking anxious. "Is my notebook in here? I can't find it."

The notebook contained contact information for many people in the industry.

Lin Qiong wasn't sure, so he stepped back to let Wang Cheng in. "Come in and look. I'll go take a shower."

Wang Cheng started searching without looking up. "Alright, you go ahead."

While he searched, the phone in his pocket suddenly buzzed.

He wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but the phone's screen lit up automatically.

Xingyun: "Where are you?"

"What the heck!" Wang Cheng couldn't help but curse.

At midnight, he was still checking in. Wang Cheng was torn, but in the end, he decided to ignore it.

However, just as he was about to put down his phone, it started ringing.

The phone's vibrations mixed with the ringtone, making his scalp tingle. He hurried to put it down, but his finger accidentally answered the call.

"Damn it!!" he exclaimed without thinking.

On the other side of the call, Fu Xingyun frowned at the sound of a stranger's voice.

Wang Cheng hurried to press the end call button.

The call lasted for a full three seconds...

Wang Cheng put his phone down, feeling guilty. He wasn't sure if the other side had heard him.

Feeling uneasy, he decided to wait in the room for Lin Qiong to come out.

When Lin Qiong emerged, Wang Cheng, who was sitting in the living room, asked, "Did you find the notebook?"

"I found it," Wang Cheng replied vaguely, then hesitated, "Oh, by the way..."

"What?" Lin Qiong asked.

"I accidentally answered a call from your partner just now."

Lin Qiong was surprised. "So late?"

Wang Cheng nodded.

"What did you say to him?"

Wang Cheng felt a bit guilty. "Not much."

Curious, Lin Qiong asked, "What did you say?"

"I said... 'Damn it...'"

"...?"

Wang Cheng continued, "Do you think you should call him back to avoid any misunderstandings?"

Lin Qiong thought for a moment. "I'll text him later. You should go and rest."

After Wang Cheng left, Lin Qiong lay on the bed and tried to call Fu Xingyun. However, there was no answer. It was quite late, so he assumed Fu Xingyun was already asleep, and he didn't worry about it too much.

The next day, Lin Qiong and Wang Cheng woke up early, getting ready to return to their city.

As they left the hotel, they happened to bump into the muscular photographer, who was also heading out.

"Brother, are you leaving?" the photographer asked.

Lin Qiong nodded. "Yes."

The muscular photographer came over and gave Lin Qiong a bear hug. "Brother, see you next month."

Almost suffocated by the strong hug, Lin Qiong patted the muscular photographer's solid arm. "Remember to believe in yourself... cough, cough..."

After the farewell, the two of them drove back to their city, arriving around nine in the morning.

Lin Qiong entered the house with the large mango. "Xingyun, I'm back!"

However, there was no one in the living room.

Lin Qiong headed to the third floor, still holding the mango, without even changing his clothes. He went straight to the study.

Inside, Fu Xingyun sat at his desk, reading a book. His expression was inscrutable.

Like a bird returning to its nest, Lin Qiong gracefully fluttered toward Fu Xingyun with outstretched arms, reminiscent of a bird's wings.

"Xingyun, I'm back. Without you, every day felt like a year."

Fu Xingyun didn't even look at him, responding in an extremely cold tone, "Hmm."

Lin Qiong: ?

"Is something bothering you?"

Fu Xingyun responded succinctly, "No."

Lin Qiong leaned in closer, bringing his head near Fu Xingyun's. "Really?"

Fu Xingyun repeated in the same tone, "No."

"Alright," Lin Qiong spread his hands. "Your book fell."

"... "

Even though Fu Xingyun wasn't saying much, Lin Qiong could tell that something was wrong. His face resembled a pot that hadn't been cleaned for three days. Lin Qiong had seen that expression only on the day they got married.

Lin Qiong leaned in again, like a curious bird. "Why are you unhappy?"

Fu Xingyun finally looked at him directly. "Don't you have something you want to tell me?"

Lin Qiong was surprised. "Do you really want to know?"

With a dark expression, Fu Xingyun nodded.

Blushing, Lin Qiong lowered his head. "After all this time, I kind of missed you."

Fu Xingyun took a deep breath. "What were you doing last night?"

If he found out that Lin Qiong had gone out, things would get worse. Lin Qiong, with wide eyes, told a lie, "I was working overtime."

"Really?" Fu Xingyun questioned.

Swallowing nervously, Lin Qiong answered, "Yes."

Next, Fu Xingyun took out his phone. "Then what's this?"

A picture appeared on the screen, showing Lin Qiong with the muscular male photographer.

Lin Qiong: !!!

Fu Xingyun sneered, "You kept me in the dark and him in your bed, didn't you?"