DPT chapter 17

Not receiving a reply, Zuo Chi scrolled through his contacts and called Sheng Li’s friend. The first one he reached was Tang Xingyu’s phone.

He got straight to the point, “Are you with Sheng Li?”

Tang Xingyu replied, “No, I’m working overtime in the office. What’s up?”

“I’m looking for him.” Zuo Chi continued, “Do you know where he is?”

“Um, let me ask for you.” Tang Xingyu was smart and didn’t ask why Zuo Chi didn’t contact Sheng Li directly.

“Okay, thanks.” Zuo Chi was about to hang up, but Tang Xingyu said, “Wait a moment.”

“Hmm?”

Tai Xingyu said, “Sheng Li’s been in a bad mood lately, speaking harshly. Some of his words may not reflect his true intentions. You’ve known each other for so many years, and suddenly getting engaged, he’s having trouble adjusting.”

Zuo Chi clenched the phone tightly, “Is he having trouble adjusting, or he can’t accept me?”

Tang Xingyu chose his words carefully, “I’d like to think it’s the former, and I hope it’s the former. But as an outsider, I have no say, I’m just afraid you’ll get hurt because of this.”

Zuo Chi knew that in their circle, the discussion about his and Sheng Li’s engagement was very high. “Are you guys wondering why I would accept the engagement?”

Tai Xingyu was straightforward, “Although there could be other reasons, I guess you like him.”

His feelings were exposed, and Zuo Chi sighed heavily. Tang Xingyu could see that he liked Sheng Li; his unrequited love wasn’t so cleverly concealed.

Being friends for a lifetime was self-deception; even without the engagement, he couldn’t keep hiding it forever.

Zuo Chi neither admitted nor denied it. Tang Xingyu said, “Although Sheng Li has had many relationships, he may not have matured yet, he may not understand what it means to like someone.”

Not getting Sheng Li’s whereabouts from Tang Xingyu, Zuo Chi called Xiang Yiqun next.

Xiang Yiqun said, “An hour ago, Sheng Li asked me out for a drink. I said I was going to watch a movie with Zhou Jing tonight, so I didn’t ask him where to go for drinks. If you’re in a hurry, go to the bars he usually goes to… Oh, by the way, I said I’m not going, and he said he’ll ask Xu Hui, you might want to ask Xu Hui.”

Xu Hui became somewhat famous for acting when he was young and became a popular actor. He spent most of the year on set and was relatively difficult to contact. However, since Xiang Yiqun said so, Xu Hui was probably in S City these days.

Zuo Chi hesitated for a moment but still dialed the number.

“Hello, is this Xu Hui?”

The person who answered was not Xu Hui himself, but a cold male voice, “He’s taking a shower.”

Feeling like he had stumbled upon some secret, Zuo Chi felt a bit embarrassed, “Then when he’s done, ask him to call me back, please.”

After a while, the call came back. Xu Hui asked, “What’s up?”

Zuo Chi repeated his question, “Do you know where Sheng Li is?”

Xu Hui seemed puzzled, “It’s so late, isn’t he at home?”

Zuo Chi said, “He’s avoiding me…”

“He’s acting like a child.” Xu Hui clicked his tongue, “Just let him avoid you. He has work to do; he can’t avoid it for long.”

Zuo Chi smiled lightly, with a hint of bitterness in his smile: “Sheng Li and I are getting engaged. As his friend, what do you think?”

Xu Hui replied seriously, “What I think doesn’t matter. Marriage is between you two. I can guess how you feel, but how Sheng Li feels, he might not even know himself.”

Indeed, as Sheng Li’s friends, Xu Hui and Tai Xingyu’s responses were almost identical.

Zuo Chi heard a male voice on the other end of the phone that had just been picked up: “It’s obstructing public space.”

Then Xu Hui replied with a smile, “How am I obstructing public space in my own home?”

“Am I not a citizen?”

…

Zuo Chi didn’t understand exactly what they were saying, but the tone was obviously flirtatious banter.

Feeling empty inside, he no longer wanted to disturb the private world of others.

As the surroundings quieted down, he felt lost in his thoughts, feeling a bit crazy for calling all of Sheng Li’s friends one by one.

He stood by the balcony, lighting a cigarette, letting the smoke drift. Looking down from above, he could see scattered figures below. Some were jogging, some were hailing taxis by the roadside, some were taking photos of a leafless tree… Everyone had their own lives, and today was just an ordinary Wednesday.

“Happy twenty-fifth birthday.”

Zuo Chi said to himself. Just as he finished speaking, his stomach made a sound, “gurgle.”

He closed the office door, went downstairs to the convenience store, and bought some oden. Oden was perfect for winter, steaming hot. Zuo Chi, wearing a down jacket, still felt a bit cold.

He also bought a small cake, sat by the window, and slowly ate it with a spoon, not even knowing what flavor it was.

Too sweet, he really didn’t like sweets.

The convenience store door opened again, and a couple walked in. The Omega’s hand was tucked into the Alpha’s coat pocket for warmth, and he asked the Alpha what he wanted to eat.

Alpha said, “Whatever you like.”

The omega began to pick snacks, saying they didn’t have some at home.

Alpha said, “Eat less, too much is bad for your teeth. Look, you’ve got two cavities already.”

Omega muttered, “Who told me to choose.”

Alpha said, “Let’s buy some drinks for the fridge. You like peach-flavored sparkling water, right?”

Omega said, “I tried green apple flavor yesterday, it’s also good.”

…

The everyday conversation fell on Zuo Chi’s ears, souring his heart.

From childhood, he had been chasing after what others wanted him to strive for.

Zuo Yi wanted him to learn taekwondo, so he did.

The books Zuo Yi wanted him to read, he delved into each one thoroughly.

Zuo Yi wanted him to rank first, so he did.

Zuo Yi wanted him to secure the XX project, so he slept only seven hours in three days.

…

Others thought he had lofty aspirations, thought he wanted to stand at the top, but he didn’t really care. Or maybe he used to care, but now he was just tired.

What he wanted was simple, to walk alongside the person he liked.

A scent of blackcurrant wafted through. The cashier at the convenience store looked up and saw a man in a black short down jacket tossing a box into the trash.

He remembered this handsome Omega; he should work at the nearby real estate company and always left late, sometimes coming to buy cigarettes.

The Omega’s skin was very fair, lips lacking color, he tightened his coat and walked out. Not sure if he was mistaken, the cashier stared at his back and felt he seemed lonely.

…..

Sheng Li didn’t reply to his messages. But with just fifteen minutes left until his birthday ended, Zuo Chi received a call from an unknown number.

There was no one speaking on the other end, but it didn’t seem like a wrong number.

Whether it was by the faint breaths or intuition, Zuo Chi recognized the caller as Sheng Li: “Won’t even wish me a happy birthday?”

He wanted to hear Sheng Li’s voice, no matter what he said.

“Beep beep beep—”

The call mercilessly ended.

Zuo Chi didn’t know what Sheng Li meant by this, but because of this call with no content, he couldn’t sleep, tossing and turning all night, and went to the company the next day with dark circles under his eyes.

Sometimes work was easier to numb oneself than cigarettes and alcohol. In the week leading up to the engagement party, Zuo Chi stayed in the office until past nine every night. He didn’t like this kind of life, but he liked himself in work – calm, rational, confident.

Unlike when facing Sheng Li, where he became a clown without armor.

The preparations for the engagement party were thorough, but when the day came, Zuo Chi didn’t feel anything real. He wore a solemn white suit in the hotel lounge, staring at his fully made-up self in the mirror, momentarily unable to distinguish whether it was an engagement or attending a business event.

Shu Qingyu held his hand, looking at him seriously for the first time: “Your lips and nose resemble your father, but your eyes are more like mine.”

Zuo Chi glanced at Shu Qingyu in the mirror and saw a hint of sadness on her face.

Zuo Lie knocked on the door, informing Shu Qingyu that there was a guest looking for her, and Shu Qingyu asked who it was before leaving.

“Ge, just a quick interview.” Zuo Lie walked in, smiling mischievously. “About to get married soon, any thoughts?”

Zuo Chi glanced at him, “It’s just an engagement.”

“I just saw my brother-in-law in the bathroom.” Zuo Lie sat down, crossing his legs, “He didn’t look too pleased with me, I wonder if you said something to him.”

“Don’t flatter yourself.” Hearing news related to Sheng Li, Zuo Chi’s heart skipped a beat.

After New Year’s Eve, Sheng Changyu had called him to apologize on behalf of Sheng Li, saying Sheng Li had corrected his attitude and not to worry about the engagement party proceeding as planned.

There were hundreds of guests invited to the engagement banquet, all prominent figures in the business world. Zuo Chi heard various greetings downstairs, and he suddenly started to feel nervous.

This was his and Sheng Li’s engagement party.

Even though they hadn’t officially tied the knot, with so many witnesses, there was no turning back for them.

At exactly twelve o’clock, Zuo Chi and Sheng Li emerged from separate lounges and stepped onto the red carpet. The hall was lavishly decorated, and the orchestra was playing a symphony as the guests applauded.

Perhaps the lights in the hall were too dazzling. As Sheng Li walked toward him, each step seemed to tread on his heart. He must have dreamed of such a scene: Sheng Li in a black suit, dignified and charming, with a hint of roguishness in his every move, walking up to him and holding his hand.

Zuo Chi stood dazed, and in the spot hidden by the podium, he let go of Sheng Li’s hand.

Sheng Li whispered, “Are you nervous too?”

Zuo Chi then realized his palm was sweating. Avoiding the microphone clipped to his collar, he said, “It’s my first time in this kind of situation. Nervousness is normal.”

Sheng Li smiled faintly, “It’s all just for show.”

The elders of both families came on stage, made brief speeches, and informed the guests that the Zuo and Sheng families were now “one family.”

A little girl, Sheng Xi, whom he had met once before, walked onto the stage in a white dress, holding a red velvet box in her palm.

Sheng Li took the ring and said succinctly, “Give me your hand.”

Zuo Chi, trembling, extended his hand, “Aren’t you supposed to kneel on one knee?”

Sheng Li pressed his lips into a line, “You’re asking too much for a fake. If you want kneeling, you do it.”

Sheng Li gently pinched Zuo Chi’s fingertip, the silver ring with half a circle of diamonds gleaming under the lights. It slid over his middle finger to the base, fitting slightly loose.

Their gazes fell simultaneously on the ring, and a brief silence ensued.