New Times, New Hell

Chapter 87 - Wasn’t Planning on Confessing

Over the weekend, Yu Zhengdu and Shang Que went to watch a movie in private.

This time, there were no ghosts or humans around them to interrupt. The date progressed very smoothly. During the movie, Shang Que even held onto Yu Zhengdu’s hand again because he believed “he couldn’t always have the other be the proactive one.”

After exiting the movie, Shang Que appeared very pleased. He generously praised, “Un, this movie wasn’t bad.”

“It was pretty good,” Yu Zhengdu nodded. “However, it was slightly annoying during the middle of the movie when the male lead was determined to rescue the other person himself. Such individualistic behavior really makes me want to hit someone……”

“Huh?” Shang Que glanced at him, bewildered. “Was that part of the plot?”

“Yeah.” Yu Zhengdu fell silent for a moment. “The female lead even got taken away because of that, right?”

Shang Que carefully recalled the movie before holding his hands out in exasperation. “I forgot.”

Yu Zhengdu was speechless as he stared at Shang Que. “Then when you said the movie wasn’t bad, you meant……”

“That it wasn’t bad.” Shang Que looked at Yu Zhengdu. There was inconcealable delight in his eyes. He confidently asked, “Is there a conflict between me saying the movie wasn’t bad and me saying that I can’t remember the plot?”

“No.” Yu Zhengdu couldn’t help laughing too after seeing the amusement in Shang Que’s gaze. “You’re right. The movie was truly not bad.”

“Wait, no. You remember the plot so clearly.” Shang Que suddenly thought of something. He furrowed his brows and looked at the other. “You were actually diligently watching the movie during our first movie date?”

Yu Zhengdu: ……What else would I be doing??

Yu Zhengdu immediately denied this. “Bullshit. Of course I wasn’t diligently watching the movie. I forgot the plot completely too.”

Shang Que had no response for this. He belatedly realized that he had exposed something about himself. Slightly unnaturally, he turned to look in a different direction. “I did diligently watch the movie just now.”

After brief thought, he added in embarrassment, “I’m also not unhappy.”

“I know.” Yu Zhengdu’s eyes crinkled into crescents unconsciously. He patted the back of the other’s hand. “Let’s go eat.”

He pulled out his phone. “Let me see what’s good to eat around here……”

“I already looked that up.” Shang Que’s good mood instantly returned. “There’s an Internet-famous restaurant in this mall. I already reserved spots in advance.”

Yu Zhengdu’s hand paused in the middle of scrolling. He suddenly remembered his trip to Diyang with Shang Que previously – Shang Que had also excitedly looked up an Internet-famous restaurant and taken him there to eat. Back then, he had actually thought that Shang Que merely wanted to visit a famous restaurant. He had even invited the kinnaras out to eat too.

No wonder Shang Que had been so depressed at the time.

“Okay.” Yu Zhengdu stuffed his phone back into his pocket. With a smile, he said, “You’re in charge.”

As expected, the restaurant Shang Que had chosen was in a style that was very suitable for couples. The food was actually just average, but the benefit was that the environment was great.

Fortunately, the two of them weren’t actually invested in the food. While eating, Shang Que had already started imagining their next date. “I thought today’s itinerary was very good. In the future, we can come out together more often……”

Yu Zhengdu couldn’t help purposefully teasing him, “Weren’t you still considering? If you happen to reject me, how will we come out together more often?”

“Um——” Shang Que actually started hesitating because of Yu Zhengdu’s question. A long time later, he suddenly came to a realization. He looked up at Yu Zhengdu. “If you’re in a rush, you can tell me in advance. Then, I can give you an answer in advance.”

Yu Zhengdu: “……”

Boss’s talent for logical reasoning is focused on the art of conceptual change, right……Now I’ve become the one who is overeager?

Yu Zhengdu faintly smiled. “Don’t worry. I’m not in a rush.”

“Un, there’s no need to be in a rush.” Shang Que softly coughed. He turned his face away. “Either way, I’ll wait for you.”

Shang Que’s side profile was very sharp and angular. It carried a slight coldness that was unique to those used to being in high positions. However, his tone was very calm and normal. It was so calm that Yu Zhengdu unexpectedly felt somewhat touched.

Yu Zhengdu didn’t continue teasing him. He solemnly replied, “Okay.”

The two continued eating and chatting about day to day matters. They were usually extremely busy with work and taking care of various emergencies; they had never sat down like this, with no business to attend to and no unprecedented situation to deal with, and shared an ordinary conversation before. Now that they finally had, they suddenly discovered that they had actually already experienced so many different things together.

What was even more unique, the things they had experienced together hadn’t always been good, but they had all ended relatively happily.

In hindsight, Yu Zhengdu realized that even though he often encountered unexpected emergencies, it had been a long time since he had felt nervous or worried about them. Thinking carefully, he understood that this was largely because he knew Shang Que would always be right by his side.

It was already impossible to trace this subconscious trust and reliance back to its origins. But obviously, these emotions had developed far earlier than he had realized.

“Xiao Shang,” Yu Zhengdu suddenly called out.

Shang Que looked over.

Yu Zhengdu smiled. “You have to wait for me.”

“I am.” Shang Que’s face was slightly stiff. He did his best to make sure that a slight smile wouldn’t ruin his cold aura. “I won’t run off.”

A meal passed in this warm atmosphere. Yu Zhengdu saw that it was about time, so prepared to suggest paying for the bill and leaving. Out of the blue, a familiar female voice sounded out from nearby. “Ey, Zhengdu, what a coincidence. You’re here too?”

Yu Zhengdu turned to look. It was his college classmate, Zhang Qingqing. Zhang Qingqing was holding onto a man’s arm. She cheerily walked over. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”

“It truly has.” Yu Zhengdu stood up and greeted her. He glanced at the man next to her. “On a date with your boyfriend?”

“Yeah. We just got together. He’s my coworker,” Zhang Qingqing brightly introduced. Then, she looked at Shang Que and blurted out, “Huh, you’re on a date too?”

Only after asking this did she realize that the two of them were both men. Publicly teasing them didn’t seem too appropriate. Zhang Qingqing hurriedly apologized, “Sorry, I was joking.”

“It’s fine.” Yu Zhengdu waved his hands and generously admitted too, “We are on a date.”

Shang Que had originally been worried that Yu Zhengdu would feel awkward. He hadn’t expected that he would actually admit this fact so carefreely. A slightly pleased smile appeared on his face. He nodded as well. “Un.”

Their openness allowed Zhang Qingqing to heave a sigh of relief. Thereafter, she couldn’t help raising an eyebrow suggestively at Yu Zhengdu. “Previously, you never replied when everyone else spoke about this matter in the group chat. I thought that the news was wrong.”

Yu Zhengdu smiled, but didn’t respond. Either way, there was no way to clear things up regarding this mess. Fortunately, he probably wouldn’t need to clear things up anyways.

Zhang Qingqing’s boyfriend revealed a shocked expression. “So you guys are a couple?”

“Not right now,” Shang Que very solemnly replied.

Zhang Qingqing and her boyfriend were both bewildered. In confusion, Zhang Qingqing asked, “What does ‘not right now’ mean?”

“The literal meaning.” Yu Zhengdu wasn’t planning on going into too much detail to explain their situation to outsiders. He only vaguely answered, “We haven’t officially started dating yet, so we’re not technically a couple.”

Zhang Qingqing only got a slight gist of things, but also couldn’t ask for more details. Instead, her boyfriend dumbly scratched his head and said, “Oh, so you’re not a couple.”

Zhang Qingqing: “……”

The comprehension skills of a straight man were the most lethal.

Both parties were here on dates. Thus, they didn’t converse for too long. After greeting Yu Zhengdu and Shang Que, Zhang Qingqing and her boyfriend left for their own table. However, they had only taken a few steps away when two girls from nearby pushed each other towards Yu Zhengdu and Shang Que.

“Hello, you two handsome guys.” A girl stared at Yu Zhengdu, face flushed red. “Can we ask you to help us out with something?”

Yu Zhengdu was confused. “What?”

That girl made eye contact with her friend before shyly saying, “This is the situation: the restaurant is holding a promotional event today, right? As long as a couple takes a picture in this restaurant and leaves it here as a souvenir, they’ll get a discount and will also be entered into a raffle. Thus, we thought……”

Yu Zhengdu had an idea of what was going on immediately after hearing this. People had hit on him innumerous times throughout his life. He had witnessed various different methods for striking up conversation. It was very likely that these two girls wanted him and Shang Que to pretend to be their boyfriends and go take the couple picture. Then, they could smoothly transition into asking for Yu Zhengdu and Shang Que’s WeChat ID’s or other contact information.

Fortunately, Yu Zhengdu was someone who had remained single because of his prowess for over twenty years. He had immediately come up with an excuse to reject them. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Shang Que ask from beside him, interest piqued, “Couple photos will enter us into a raffle?”

That girl noticed that he seemed very fascinated. The shyness on her face immediately became replaced by a smile. “Yes. At the front counter.”

“Then let’s go take that photo.” Shang Que grabbed Yu Zhengdu’s hand and headed straight for the front counter. He didn’t forget to turn around and thank the two girls, “Thank you for telling us about this promotional event.”

The two girls: “……???”

Yu Zhengdu was speechless too.

Very good. He was single because of his prowess; Shang Que was single because of his natural talent. From a certain perspective, they were truly a match made in heaven.

Zhang Qingqing and her boyfriend who had just taken a few steps away and who were still in hearing distance: “……”

Her boyfriend asked, expression bewildered, “Didn’t they just say that they aren’t a couple? Why would they still go participate in the couple’s photo activity?”

Monday at work, Yu Zhengdu headed to Shang Que’s office first thing in the morning, as usual, for Peppa’s fetal education.

These past few days, Shang Que had been in a great mood. Yu Zhengdu squatted beside him in front of the nest and listened to him read a poem to Peppa: “Goose goose goose; Neck bent towards the sky in song; White feathers floating above the emerald water; Red feet pushing through clear waves.”

After reading the poem, Shang Que couldn’t help lamenting, “It’s a pity that the swimming pools in the city most likely won’t allow a goose to enter the water. Otherwise, Peppa could definitely become a young champion swimmer.”

Yu Zhengdu solemnly stated, “I don’t think there’s a need to fight for that championship title.”

Just as they were speaking, Lu Lingxi walked in too. She said, “Boss, you previously said that you were going to give everyone a day off. The date you mentioned is almost here. I’m here to confirm with you again that you’re really going to give everyone a holiday?”

Shang Que scanned Yu Zhengdu out of his periphery and softly coughed. “Un, I am.”

“Excellent. I’ll go tell everyone.” Lu Lingxi exited the office, delighted.

Only now did Shang Que turn to look at Yu Zhengdu. He slowly stated, “You know. It doesn’t have to be too extravagant. As long as I can tell your intentions.”

Yu Zhengdu burst into laughter. “Oh.”

Shang Que paused for a moment and inquired, “Do you need my help preparing anything?”

Yu Zhengdu couldn’t help asking, “What do you want to prepare?”

“I read a guide online,” Shang Que replied. “If you need me to, I can help you choose a location……”

Yu Zhengdu: “……”

You’ve already fucking read a guide for me?

“Got it. I’ll make a careful decision.” Yu Zhengdu smiled slightly while facepalming. “I’ll head off to work now.”

A while after Yu Zhengdu had left the office, Shang Que was still in the midst of diligently considering which location was best suited for a confession. Until the “buzz buzz” of WeChat interrupted his thoughts.

Shang Que glanced over. It was the phone Yu Zhengdu had forgotten to take with him.

Thus, he decided to return the phone to Yu Zhengdu. Just as he picked it up, several consecutive messages popped up on the screen.

Qin Yuejian:【Speaking of, who’s the male friend who likes you?】

Qin Yuejian:【Have you confessed to him that you don’t like men yet?】

Qin Yuejian:【Straight men rejecting gay men is really very worrisome】

Qin Yuejian:【And you’re good friends too. Such bad luck】

Qin Yuejian:【How about you just accept his advances】

Shang Que gazed at these messages. He instinctively thought of something. A disbelieving expression slowly appeared on his face.

Shortly after, the office door got opened again. Yu Zhengdu walked in. “Boss, did I leave my phone in your office?”

“Yes.” Shang Que lifted his head. He pointed at the phone on his desk. He looked bewildered. “Just now, Qin Yuejian sent you a few messages. I accidentally saw them.”

“Oh, not a big deal,” Yu Zhengdu said. Then, he picked up his phone and looked at the messages: “……”

Only to hear Shang Que slowly ask, “Is the male friend he’s talking about……me?”

Yu Zhengdu hadn’t expected that everything would get exposed in this manner. He looked up and saw that Shang Que’s face was blank. It seemed like he didn’t know how to respond.

Yu Zhengdu felt a bit uncomfortable in his heart. He sighed, “Yes.”

Shang Que’s expression instantly became indescribable. “Could it be……that I misunderstood?”

Yu Zhengdu decided to just reveal the whole truth. He nodded, “Yes.”

Shang Que: “So……you’re not actually planning on confessing?”

Yu Zhengdu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “I never said that I was going to confess.”

Shang Que had no response to give.

Finally, he was forced to reconsider all the events in his memories.

And then, he couldn’t help realizing……It seemed that Yu Zhengdu had truly never said that he would confess to him.

All those things that he had once thought were part of the plot of their romance suddenly had new explanations.

The dazed reaction from Yu Zhengdu each time. The eventual moments where the other had desired to speak but ultimately hadn’t.

Everything, from the start, had never been the way he had assumed.

This shocking discovery caused Shang Que great surprise. He looked up at Yu Zhengdu.

“However……” Yu Zhengdu stared back at him. He gently placated, “I don’t think it’s a big deal. I finally understood too……”

“It is no big deal.” Shang Que stiffly turned his head to the side and forced himself to appear nonchalant. “Either way, even from the beginning, I was never planning on agreeing.”

Yu Zhengdu: “……”

If Shang Que’s expression hadn’t been so reluctant, he would’ve been more inclined to believe the other!

The author has something to say:

Xiaokui: I wasn’t planning on agreeing (stubborn)

Zhengdu: …………Okay.