The notion of a man being taken advantage of is largely nonexistent. Zheng Yu'an wasn't petty enough to become overly sensitive and explode over a hug from Yan Shuwang. The other man even maintained a very proper distance, his posture steady, the duration brief. To outsiders, it would have appeared as nothing more than a well-behaved goodbye.
That is, if Yan Shuwang hadn't whispered something against his neck.
Zheng Yu'an wasn't entirely sure if the other man's lips had actually touched him, because as soon as Yan Shuwang spoke, that patch of skin felt scorching.
Like molten lava overflowing, burning and scalding, Zheng Yu'an felt as if he were experiencing the illusion of the other man's touch against his neck for days afterward.
An Dai contacted him after that, her wording tentative: "Are you and Colin... friends?"
Zheng Yu'an chuckled. "He's a client."
An Dai hesitated for a moment, then said, "I saw you hugging that day, and I thought..." She paused, then mocked herself, "As if. If you were gay, Bai Jian would be the first to make a move."
Zheng Yu'an said helplessly, "Didn't you say before that the circles are always clearly defined, and you can't get out or in?"
An Dai rolled her eyes on the other end of the phone. "But you never know, some people just love to mess with straight men. I heard from Bai Jian that Colin isn't usually like that. He never used to look for people outside the circle."
Zheng Yu'an was silent for a moment. He took out a cigarette, intending to light it, only to realize the ashtray was full. He could only set it aside, saying slowly, "Bai Jian talked to him about it?"
An Dai: "How could he? Colin is a universally acknowledged unattainable figure within the circle. Even the bottoms feel like they've struck gold just by getting into his bed. Being liked by Colin is like winning the lottery."
"It's not that exaggerated," Zheng Yu'an said, between a laugh and a cry. He then asked, "Is Yan Shuwang the top?"
An Dai said matter-of-factly, "Of course. There are bottoms everywhere in the circle. A top is like a national treasure. What's more, Colin is recognized as a good lover: romantic, considerate, and knows his limits."
Zheng Yu'an probably hadn't expected her to investigate so thoroughly. But hearing gossip about familiar people from behind the scenes felt somewhat complicated. After a long while, he said nonchalantly, "So he has a lot of lovers?"
"Ha!" An Dai gave a strange laugh. "Come on, love and relationships are just a lot of trivial matters. You and he are considered to be pure streams. Being too self-disciplined isn't interesting. True love is rare, so don't be too hung up on it."
Zheng Yu'an choked, then said helplessly, "It's you."
Zheng Yu'an thought about the vase Yan Shuwang had given him and decided to put it out on display. Bai Jian's owl was very distinctive, with an exaggerated design, but the ceramic texture was delicate and gentle. A bachelor's home wasn't prepared for flowers, and leaving it empty like that wasn't ideal. Zheng Yu'an decided to buy a bouquet after work the next day.
There were quite a few flower shops in the park. Zheng Yu'an was casually browsing nearby flower shops while smoking in the lounge at noon. When Qin Hanguan came in, he glanced at it and asked casually, "Going on a date?"
Zheng Yu'an held the cigarette in his hand and asked inexplicably, "What?"
Qin Hanguan: "Why else would you buy flowers if you're not going on a date?"
Zheng Yu'an explained, "I have a new vase at home, and it looks empty."
Qin Hanguan probably felt that his sudden display of artistic sentiment was a bit strange. After pondering for a long time, he could only reply with an Oh.
Zheng Yu'an didn't have much experience buying flowers. Following his somewhat unreliable aesthetic sense, he casually put together a bouquet. He paid the bill and casually held the flowers in his hand. But as soon as he went out the door, he came face to face with someone.
Li Shu was a little surprised when he saw the flowers in his hand and asked, "Director Zheng?"
Zheng Yu'an also didn't expect to run into Li Shu. He switched the flowers to his left hand and subconsciously extended his right hand: "Boss Li, what are you doing here?"
Li Shu glanced down at his palm and didn't take the initiative to shake it. He nodded, his expression not as resistant as the first time they met, and said, "Director Zheng bought flowers?"
Zheng Yu'an said, "Ah," and shook the bouquet. "Yes, adding some color to my home."
He didn't mention the vase at all, but Li Shu had already thought of the vase Yan Shuwang had given him. His expression was a little strange, and he looked at Zheng Yu'an again.
No matter how shrewd and insightful Zheng Yu'an was, he couldn't see into people's hearts. Standing there awkwardly wasn't a solution. So, he smiled and said politely, "Boss Li, want to find a place to sit down?"
Li Shu actually didn't refuse him this time. "I know a place nearby with good coffee."
There were quite a few boutique coffee shops in the park. Li Shu found one with a pure white design, divided into a front hall and a backyard, quite large, and the business was good.
Zheng Yu'an ordered an Americano.
"You don't drink pour-over?" Li Shu asked.
Zheng Yu'an didn't care much. "Americano is fine."
Li Shu took his coffee and sat in the backyard. He was clearly familiar with the owner, who even came over to talk for a while. Zheng Yu'an couldn't tell if the other man was in the circle or not and could only drink his coffee.
"He's straight." After the owner turned around to greet customers, Li Shu suddenly said.
Zheng Yu'an had the edge of his coffee cup in his mouth and didn't know what expression to make.
Li Shu said lightly, "I'm not out of the closet. Many of my friends aren't in the same circle. There are many straight ones."
Zheng Yu'an thought for a moment and said, "They're just friends. It doesn't matter."
Li Shu looked at him and smiled.
"Director Zheng is quite interesting too. Clearly a straight man, but he has quite a few gay people around him."
Zheng Yu'an coughed and said vaguely, "Fate, maybe..."
Li Shu: "Has Director Zheng never doubted his own sexual orientation?"
Zheng Yu'an showed a puzzled expression. He seemed confused for two or three seconds, not knowing how to answer the question.
Taking advantage of this gap, Li Shu suddenly leaned his upper body forward, the man's face instantly magnified, tilting his head, his lips almost brushing Zheng Yu'an's nose.
Zheng Yu'an: "..."
Li Shu narrowed his eyes and observed him for a while, then pouted as if he had lost interest: "Your reaction isn't very strong. Do you want to try kissing a man?"
Zheng Yu'an's face finally turned slightly ugly. He tried to remain calm and said, "No, thanks."
Li Shu didn't let him off the hook. "What if you replaced me with Colin?"
Zheng Yu'an said with restraint, "Yan Shuwang wouldn't do something like that."
"You even called him by his full name," Li Shu said, somewhat smugly for some reason. "Don't think too highly of him. If he wanted to kiss you just now, could you have refused?"
Zheng Yu'an opened his mouth. He wanted to say something, but in the end, he couldn't say anything.
When Yan Shuwang received the photo sent by Li Shu, his expression didn't change much.
The other man had taken a picture of a bouquet of flowers, with a message at the bottom asking, "Guess who I ran into?"
Yan Shuwang didn't reply.
Li Shu couldn't keep things to himself and said, "Your little Director Zheng."
Yan Shuwang still didn't say a word. Li Shu could only continue his one-man show: "Straight men have terrible taste. The flowers are too vulgar and don't match the vase you gave him."
Yan Shuwang lowered his eyes to look at the message, lightly swiped his finger, switched the screen, scrolled up and down, and clicked into Zheng Yu'an's WeChat Moments.
Zheng Yu'an had indeed updated his Moments.
No text description, just a simple picture.
Bai Jian's owl vase wasn't big. Zheng Yu'an had probably trimmed and pruned the bouquet for a long time before barely managing to insert it. The grand gold and bright red complemented each other, paired with the dark-toned ceramic base, creating a bizarre cyberpunk style.
Yan Shuwang stared at the photo for a while, then clicked save.
The message at the top was still jumping. Li Shu was unusually talkative today.
"I don't think he's very resistant to men," Li Shu said after a line break. "You don't need to be so careful."
"I even helped you test him out today. I almost kissed him, and he didn't get angry."
"He's really good-looking. You have good taste... Are you really serious this time?"
After waiting for a while, he still hadn't received a reply. Li Shu clicked his tongue and sent one more word, "Hello?", but as soon as the message was sent, a red exclamation mark appeared behind it. Yan Shuwang had actually blocked him.
Li Shu's eyes widened. He held back for a long time and cursed, "Damn it!"
Lin Nianxiang called immediately afterward.
"What did you do to provoke Colin?" Lin Nianxiang's voice was very helpless. "Stay away from Zheng Yu'an. Colin is terrifying. You even dared to get close to his man."
Li Shu retorted, "I didn't kiss him!"
Lin Nianxiang said angrily, "It's a good thing you didn't kiss him. If you had, I would have helped you collect your body."
Li Shu: "..."