The rice wasn’t quite done yet when Chi Zhan heard some faint commotion at the door. He poked his head out and called, “Doctor Cen? You’re here.”
As he stepped into the living room, the tense air between the two men instantly shifted.
Cen Chi beamed.
“I didn’t realize there was a little guest in your home.”
“I didn’t realize either,” Chu Xingxiao replied with a tight smile. “So gege’s guest was a doctor. I wonder… do doctors tend to be germaphobes?”
As if on cue, Dabai ran over barking enthusiastically, showing no signs of shyness as he circled Cen Chi.
Cen Chi froze for a moment, then crouched down to pet him, smiling.
“What an adorable dog. Just like his little owner—equally cute.”
“Doctor Cen has cats at home. So probably not a germaphobe.”
Straightening up, Cen Chi turned to Chi Zhan with a warm smile. “Ah-Zhan, it’s my personal time right now. Shouldn’t you be calling me something else?”
He always seemed particular about how he was addressed. Every time Chi Zhan called him “Doctor Cen,” there was a faint look of dissatisfaction.
Chi Zhan gave in.
“…Ah-Chi. Is that better?”
“Mhm.” Cen Chi nodded, smiling. “I can already smell the rice. What else are you making?”
He said it casually but subtly guided Chi Zhan into the kitchen, leaving Chu Xingxiao and Dabai staring at each other.
“I knew it…” Chu muttered. “This doctor is up to no good.”
“Awoo awoo~”
“And he called him Ah-Zhan—and gege actually responded!”
Chu hadn’t even considered that angle. He should get gege to call him by a nickname too. That’d make them sound closer.
“You’re all bark. You should’ve just bitten him earlier! What’s with the act?”
Chu grumbled, conveniently forgetting he was acting too. All he knew was that this felt very unfair.
“Arf arf awoo woof woof!”
Chi Zhan heard the commotion and leaned out of the kitchen.
“Why’s Dabai barking so much? Did you feed him?”
“…Not yet.”
Chu drooped, then was promptly sent off by Chi Zhan to take care of it.
Cen Chi had brought a good amount of meat and vegetables—clearly intending to cook himself. Chi Zhan offered to help, and Cen Chi didn’t turn him down, assigning him the simpler tasks of washing greens and peeling garlic.
He was still dressed neatly in a white shirt and black slacks, his sleeves casually rolled up to reveal his forearms. With that refined, jade-like air about him, he looked more like a nobleman than someone about to cook. Chi Zhan felt almost guilty letting him do it.
“Maybe I should handle it…”
“Is your back feeling any better?” Cen Chi didn’t bother debating who should cook. He shifted the topic effortlessly. “I bet sleeping last night wasn’t great.”
“…It was okay. Lying in the same position all night took some getting used to.”
“Position matters a lot,” Cen Chi said, catching a glimpse of someone just outside the kitchen. “Later, try propping a cushion under your lower back. Might help ease the pain.”
“…You think so? Worth a try, I guess.”
“It’ll feel much better,” Cen Chi said with a soft smile. “Some positions you’ve never tried before—those might actually suit you more. But,” he added, voice dropping slightly, “with that little guest around, it might be a bit… inappropriate. Unless you want him watching?”
“…?”
Why did this conversation feel more and more off the rails?
Meanwhile, Chu Xingxiao, standing just outside the kitchen, had gone pale. He turned and left quietly before Chi Zhan could notice, mind in chaos.
“Sleeping last night must’ve been rough.”
“Same position the whole night—it takes getting used to.”
“Position matters… try again later?”
“Worth a try.”
“But with that little guest here, it’s a bit inappropriate…”
What else could that mean? Chu felt like his brain had been struck by lightning.
Could this doctor actually be gege’s boyfriend?
He replayed the dialogue again and again. However he tried to spin it, it all pointed to the same damning conclusion. The implications were too obvious.
Even though he’d recovered a bit, Chu was still under the weather today. But he’d woken up early to groom himself from head to toe. Every detail, from the tousled hair to the open collar, had been carefully curated to look effortlessly charming—like someone who just woke up and happened to be naturally good-looking.
It might’ve looked easy, but only he knew how much work had gone into it. After all, no one looked that good without trying. No way. And yet… he was too late.
Zhou Yanxing, it turned out, was just a smokescreen. The real boyfriend—was Cen Chi?!
The blood rushed to Chu’s head. His hands clenched into fists. He fought to keep calm, to analyze the situation rationally despite the emotional storm.
No. Something didn’t add up.
Qi Song had personally given him this address. He wouldn’t have gotten it wrong. The guy’s last name was definitely Chi. And his words had clearly suggested he was the boyfriend.
Future brother-in-law. Current boyfriend.
So then—what the hell was that conversation just now?
Chu’s thoughts were a tangled mess. He ran those lines through his head over and over. In the end, there was only one possible conclusion:
Chi Zhan had cheated on his cousin. He’d found someone new—and that someone was this Doctor Cen.
But… Chi Zhan didn’t seem like the type. He looked like someone who would stay loyal once he committed. Could it be… he’d been coerced?
That had to be it. That doctor had serious game—he must’ve seduced Chi Zhan on purpose.
So what now? Should he call him out?
No—that would only provoke gege into kicking him out. After that, there’d be no way to get along normally anymore.
This wasn’t something you could just gloss over.
Besides, knowing his cousin’s cold, indifferent personality, he probably didn’t care much about relationships anyway. Nothing mattered more to him than esports. And with Chi Zhan in Province A and his cousin stuck in Province B, that long-distance thing had probably fizzled out long ago.
If it came down to choosing between love and his career, his cousin wouldn’t even hesitate—he’d pick his career every time.
Since he’d already decided to return to the competitive scene, some sacrifices were inevitable.
So breaking up was just a matter of time.
Which meant—if that doctor could have a chance, then why couldn’t he? And if the doctor wasn’t actually the boyfriend, then all the more reason—he could be. And he’d do it better than that doctor ever could.
