Once Lin Fengqi arrived, the studio fell into an odd silence. Liu Feisi, who had been chatting non-stop during the meal, suddenly quieted down. The atmosphere in the room grew tense and strange.
Lin Fengqi wasn’t the type to initiate conversations during meals. He would only respond if someone spoke to him first.
“Did you feed Wen Da Ge and A’mou before you left?” Wen Xia asked.
“I did.”
Wen Xia nodded.
The four employees, who had overheard this brief exchange, exchanged glances, each silently wondering about the situation.
Liu Feisi couldn’t hold back any longer. “Boss, this gentleman is…?”
Wen Xia turned to look at Lin Fengqi, not saying a word, curious about how he would respond.
Following Wen Xia’s gaze, the four employees also shifted their attention to Lin Fengqi.
Lin Fengqi hesitated for a moment, glancing at Wen Xia as if seeking his approval.
Wen Xia remained silent, taking another bite of food.
Liu Feisi tried again, “Hey, handsome?”
“Hello,” Lin Fengqi finally replied, turning to Liu Feisi politely. “I’m Lin Fengqi.”
“Oh, Mr. Lin, hello, hello…” Liu Feisi scratched his head, muttering, “Wait, that name… why does it sound so familiar?”
Yao Yao was the first to react, exclaiming, “Oh, you’re that—Lin Fengqi from Fenghang Technology!”
Liu Feisi’s eyes widened in realization. He glanced at Lin Fengqi, then at his boss, Wen Xia, utterly dumbfounded.
Their shock was comparable to when they first discovered that their boss was the son of the once-famous business tycoon, Wen Shanhai. Although Wen Xia’s family no longer held the wealth and power it once did, the lingering influence still left them deeply impressed.
It didn’t help that Wen Xia never flaunted his background, treating them like equals, joking and laughing without any pretense. Over time, they almost forgot how extraordinary their boss’s background was.
But now that they thought about it… it wasn’t surprising that someone with Wen Xia’s family connections would know the founder of Fenghang Technology.
But this seemed to be more than just acquaintanceship.
Lin Fengqi seemed accustomed to others being surprised by him. He didn’t take offense and nodded politely to them. “Hello.”
Fenghang Technology’s rapid rise had made Lin Fengqi a household name. The media and various programs were eager to feature him, and many career-oriented shows and motivational speaking events had invited him to participate. However, Lin Fengqi disliked the public spotlight and preferred not to disrupt his work schedule. As a result, he rarely accepted such invitations, limiting his appearances to a few industry magazine interviews.
This was why Liu Feisi initially found his name familiar but couldn’t immediately place him.
Liu Feisi, a social butterfly, quickly recovered. He put down his chopsticks and rushed over, eyes shining. “Mr. Lin, hello! My name is Liu Feisi. We have so many of your products at home! Especially your smart dishwasher—I’m a huge fan! Sometimes, when I pass by the Fenghang Technology building, I just have to look up in awe. I never thought I’d get to meet the man himself in person—what an honor!”
Lin Fengqi, slightly embarrassed, replied, “You’re too kind.”
“No, no, I’m not—”
Wen Xia chuckled from the side. “Who do you think you’re riding on the coattails of?”
“Boss!” Liu Feisi exclaimed, looking touched. “Of course, it’s you! My dear boss, I’ll work for you forever!”
“Knock it off.”
Liu Feisi grinned sheepishly and took the opportunity to ask the burning question. “So, Mr. Lin, you’re our boss’s… friend?”
Earlier, Lin Fengqi had only introduced himself by name, not mentioning his relationship with Wen Xia. He wasn’t sure how to describe it without upsetting Wen Xia.
After all, their relationship was, at its core, a contractual marriage.
Now that Liu Feisi had asked directly, Wen Xia once again remained silent, his attitude hard to read.
Feeling the weight of Liu Feisi’s curious gaze and the other three pairs of eyes on him, Lin Fengqi suddenly felt the pressure. But sometimes, pressure creates determination.
Making up his mind in an instant, Lin Fengqi decided to go for it, speaking calmly but with resolve, “In a legal sense, Wen Xia is my… partner.”
As soon as those words left his mouth, Wen Xia, who had been in the middle of taking a bite, froze. The word “partner” hung in the air as his chopsticks slipped from his hand, scattering rice across the table and onto his clothes, though he seemed not to notice.
Lin Fengqi, noticing this, panicked slightly and quickly grabbed a napkin to help clean up. He kept his head down, too nervous to meet Wen Xia’s eyes, afraid he might have crossed a line. His ears turned a noticeable shade of red.
Meanwhile, Liu Feisi and the others slowly inhaled, their faces mirroring each other’s shock.
For a moment, the studio was utterly silent.
The clock ticked away the seconds, the sound loud in the quiet room.
Liu Feisi suddenly snapped back to reality and stammered, “Uh, Mr. Lin—no, Boss’s partner, don’t take what I said earlier seriously! I was just talking nonsense, you know? Our boss doesn’t have anyone else! All that talk about love and relationships—it was all just me running my mouth! My only hobby is, uh, spouting nonsense…”
Lin Fengqi: “?”
Lin Fengqi’s mind had drifted ever since hearing “Boss’s partner,” and the rest of Liu Feisi’s words went in one ear and out the other. That single phrase made his heart race, unsure whether to feel delighted or embarrassed by the strange title.
But he was… kind of happy.
Wen Xia, who had finally recovered, quickly pulled the over-enthusiastic Liu Feisi back to his desk. “If you know you’re talking nonsense, then why keep going? Haven’t you had enough to eat? Go sit down and stop making noise.”
He remembered that when Lin Fengqi had arrived, Liu Feisi had been going on about whether the “Digital Big Boss” loved Wen Xia or not. If Lin Fengqi hadn’t heard that, all the better. If he had… there’d be no explaining it away.
His heart, still not fully recovered from the shock of Lin Fengqi’s words, beat faster. Wen Xia hurriedly sent Liu Feisi back to his desk before turning to gauge Lin Fengqi’s reaction. His mind raced, trying to figure out what he would say if Lin Fengqi brought it up.
But Lin Fengqi didn’t ask. He seemed completely unfazed, quietly tossing the used napkin into the trash and bending down to pick up the chopsticks Wen Xia had dropped.
“I’ll go wash these,” he said, standing up and heading toward the break area without giving Wen Xia a chance to stop him.
Wen Xia was left even more confused. Had Lin Fengqi heard that comment or not? If he had, was he planning to bring it up later at home?
Would this blockhead misunderstand something?
Although Wen Xia knew he was innocent regarding the Digital Big Boss, he couldn’t help but worry. Sure, viewers might joke about love and CPs in the chat, but it was all in good fun—nobody took it seriously…
…right?
Who would actually take it seriously?!
The more Wen Xia thought about it, the more he felt like he should do something to prevent any potential misunderstandings. After all, in just a week, he’d be filming the Quanjing promo video, a collaboration with Fenghang. Even if Lin Fengqi didn’t know now, he’d eventually find out that Wen Xia was a semi-popular streamer on Quanjing. What if he decided to check out the stream and saw the Digital Big Boss showering him with gifts? What if the viewers got all riled up and started spamming, “Digital Big Boss, you really love him”?
Wen Xia would want to crawl into a hole.
In a matter of moments, Wen Xia made up his mind and decided to address it during his next stream.
Lin Fengqi took a while to return with the freshly washed chopsticks, his expression back to its usual cool indifference, revealing nothing.
“Here,” he handed Wen Xia the chopsticks, making no mention of Liu Feisi’s earlier comments.
They finished the meal quietly, both lost in thought.
After dinner, Wen Xia picked up the food containers to wash them, but Lin Fengqi stopped him. “I’ll do it. You focus on work.”
So washing up became Lin Fengqi’s responsibility.
By now, Liu Feisi and the others had finished their meals, tidied up the trash, and tactfully returned to work, pretending to be invisible.
Wen Xia wiped down his desk with a tissue, listening to the sounds of water running and dishes clinking in the sink. Somehow, he found it hard to concentrate on his work.
After Lin Fengqi finished washing the dishes, he felt there was no need to stay any longer. Though he wanted to wait for Wen Xia, he thought it might be better to give him some space. “I’ll head back now,” he said.
Wen Xia hesitated, then called out, “Do you have anything else planned tonight?”
“No.”
“Then… why don’t you wait for me, and we can go home together?” Wen Xia cleared his throat, trying to sound casual. “Since you’re already here, I won’t be working too late.”
Lin Fengqi did have plans. He had intended to take A’mou to Liao Xingchen for a follow-up checkup, and perhaps… ask Liao Xingchen about his feelings toward Wen Xia.
And to find out what happened the night they went out for dinner.
But now Wen Xia was inviting him to stay, suggesting they go home together…
What did that mean?
It meant Wen Xia wasn’t angry!
Given the choice between a potential rival and staying with Wen Xia, Lin Fengqi chose Wen Xia without hesitation.
His loyalty had always belonged solely to Wen Xia.
So Lin Fengqi stayed.
There were plenty of books in the break area—comics, novels, and even some professional books on game design. Lin Fengqi, not wanting to disturb their work, quietly selected a novel and sat down to read.
Whenever Wen Xia took a break, he would glance at Lin Fengqi from the corner of his eye.
Years had passed, and they were no longer the kids in school uniforms they once were. Lin Fengqi was no longer that tense, overly self-disciplined boy who sat with his back straight, constantly keeping himself in check. He had become more relaxed, leaning comfortably against the sofa as he calmly flipped through the pages of the book.
But that intense focus, that immersion in what he was doing, remained unchanged.
Wen Xia recalled overhearing a conversation between some girls in class about crushes and relationships. They had read online that if a person could focus completely on something, becoming fully absorbed without being distracted, it indicated they were likely to be loyal and committed in a relationship.
At the time, Wen Xia thought it was nonsense. How could you determine someone’s loyalty or depth of feelings based on that? You needed time to really know.
Even now, Wen Xia still thought those romantic theories were just silly words with no real evidence, something only a fool would believe.
But he did think this particular theory seemed to fit Lin Fengqi perfectly.
Perhaps Lin Fengqi was the exception.
Maybe this was what people meant by double standards.
—
By the time they finished working, it was almost nine in the evening. The progress they made today was better than Wen Xia had expected.
Maybe it was because Lin Fengqi was there, giving him a boost of energy.
It was like back in high school when you wanted to show off your basketball skills in front of your crush.
It was late, and Wen Xia was worried about the two girls getting home safely, so he offered to drive them. Liu Feisi tried to hitch a ride, but Wen Xia sent him off to ride with A’deng.
After dropping the girls off, Wen Xia returned to the studio to pick up Lin Fengqi. Their cars trailed each other all the way home.
By the time they arrived, it was past ten. After working overtime, Wen Xia was feeling pretty tired and didn’t plan on streaming tonight.
He picked up Wen Da Ge for some snuggles, planning to take a shower and head to bed. But then he noticed Lin Fengqi putting a leash on A’mou.
“It’s this late, and you’re still taking the dog out?” Wen Xia asked.
“…Yeah.” Actually, he was planning to go see Liao Xingchen.
“If you had told me you needed to walk the dog, I wouldn’t have kept you,” Wen Xia said.
“It’s fine,” Lin Fengqi replied. “You should rest.”
He was about to open the door when Wen Xia put Wen Da Ge down. “Never mind, I’ll come with you.”
Lin Fengqi froze, quickly saying, “That’s not necessary…”
“It’s boring to walk a dog alone late at night,” Wen Xia said. “Two people will be better company.”
“…”
Lin Fengqi hesitated. He wasn’t good at lying, and going along with Wen Xia’s assumption was already a stretch. But if Wen Xia came along…
Wen Xia had already changed his shoes, giving him a curious look. “Let’s go.”
“…” Lin Fengqi was internally struggling, trying to convince Wen Xia to stay home. “I might… need to stop by the clinic.” Meaning it could take a while, so you should stay and rest.
He didn’t mention Liao Xingchen by name.
“Why the clinic? Are you sick?” Wen Xia asked, concerned.
Under Wen Xia’s sincere gaze, Lin Fengqi averted his eyes, struggling to maintain his half-truth. “Not me… it’s A’mou.”
Wen Xia suddenly understood. “Oh—you mean you’re taking A’mou to see Liao Xingchen for a checkup?”
“…Yeah.” Well, great. Wen Xia had brought up the name he had been trying to avoid.
“That’s fine, we can go together,” Wen Xia said. “I almost forgot A’mou needed a follow-up.”
“…”
Even as the car drove down the road, Lin Fengqi couldn’t understand how things had turned out like this. Why had all his efforts failed to stop Wen Xia from wanting to see Liao Xingchen…
Ten minutes later, they arrived at the clinic. The sign “Liao Ming Pet Clinic” shone brightly amid the darkened storefronts. The reception area was empty and quiet.
Liao Xingchen’s clinic usually stayed open until midnight. It was only about 10:30 when they arrived.
At this hour, most of the staff had gone home, leaving only Liao Xingchen on duty.
Lin Fengqi led A’mou inside, familiar with the place after many visits.
Wen Xia followed behind, but Lin Fengqi suddenly stopped short. Wen Xia, caught off guard, bumped into his back.
“Why did you—” stop so suddenly?
Before he could finish, Lin Fengqi turned and covered his mouth.
Wen Xia was startled, utterly confused, but when Lin Fengqi shifted slightly, he saw what had made him stop.
Inside the exam room, Liao Xingchen, dressed in his white coat, was sitting in his chair with his chin tilted up, held in place by someone standing in front of him. The man was leaning over the desk, kissing him.
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