Cen Chi’s observational skills far surpassed the average. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the way Chi Zhan’s knuckles whitened as he clenched his hands—and how his gaze kept darting away.
A hunch began to take root in Cen Chi’s mind: whatever Chi Zhan was about to say, it probably wasn’t something he wanted to hear.
Maybe this was the real reason Zhou Yanxing had blown up in anger.
…Blind dates.
Zhou Yanxing had gone on his fair share too—forced into meeting all kinds of people, driven by some strange, unseen force that always seemed to be pulling the strings.
Ever since Cen Chi had resolved to stop going on blind dates, weird things had started happening.
If he refused a setup, he’d somehow run into the person anyway—at the supermarket, at the pet store. Once it was during breakfast, another time at lunch, bumped into completely by accident. One especially bizarre incident: Meow-Meow had gone missing despite all doors and windows being locked tight, and was later returned by a young man.
Too coincidental to be coincidence.
If he hadn’t installed a security camera at his front door, Cen Chi would’ve suspected that guy of stealing the cat himself.
Zhou Yanxing had once grumbled, too—complaining that Chi Zhan seemed strangely invested in setting him up with other people. Which made no sense. Chi Zhan didn’t even seem remotely interested in love himself, so why would he go meddling in his boss’s love life? It didn’t fit his personality at all.
Unless… this wasn’t really Secretary Chi’s idea.
“Maybe I will keep dating,” Cen Chi said, the corners of his lips lifting in a soft, almost affectionate smile. “Lately, I’ve met someone I really like. I might give it a shot with him.”
Chi Zhan froze.
“Really? That’s… that’s great! Congratulations!”
His relief was palpable—his whole body seemed to ease, like a burden had been lifted off his shoulders.
Cen Chi sat down beside him. This time, Chi Zhan didn’t avoid his gaze. Instead, he gave a small, relaxed smile.
“Finding the right person isn’t easy.”
“It really isn’t,” Cen Chi replied, his eyes sweeping slowly across Chi Zhan. His smile deepened, voice low. “Not easy at all.”
Ding dong—the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it,” Cen Chi said, rising to his feet.
He opened the door—and there stood Zhou Yanxing. At the sight of Cen Chi, Zhou visibly paused.
“What are you doing here?”
“I came to treat Ah-Zhan. Why? You too?”
“That’s none of your business.”
Hearing voices at the door, Chi Zhan came out of the bedroom. He froze the moment he saw who it was.
After the way they’d parted last time, he hadn’t expected Zhou Yanxing to show up again.
“President Zhou?” he asked uncertainly. “What brings you here?”
Zhou was clearly still in his work clothes, having come straight from the office. He scoffed at Chi Zhan’s question.
“What, is your place the Forbidden Palace? He can come, but I can’t?”
“……”
Somehow, even after just a day, President Zhou hadn’t lost his flair for passive-aggressive drama.
Seeing that Chi Zhan wasn’t inviting him in, Zhou said coolly, “I left my car keys here last time. Didn’t want to risk you missing my text, so I came to get them myself.” He paused, then added, “Wouldn’t have come if it wasn’t necessary. How’s your back?”
“Much better.”
He didn’t remember seeing any car keys lying around, but he had no choice now but to let Zhou in. Zhou walked in like he owned the place, changing shoes without the slightest hint of guestly decorum. With three men standing in the small apartment, the air felt a little too cramped.
“What’s that in your hand?”
Cen Chi asked, noticing the container Zhou was holding.
Chi Zhan spotted it at once. It was familiar…
A food container for chicken soup.
“……”
Zhou set it down on the table with a thunk.
“You got hurt doing something for the company. This is chicken soup from my personal chef. It’d be a waste not to drink it. Take it.”
With the desserts Chu Xingxiao had brought, the dishes Cen Chi had made, and now Zhou Yanxing’s soup—it was a perfect three-course meal: appetizer, main course, and dessert.
Chi Zhan managed a stiff smile.
“Then… thank you, President Zhou. That’s very thoughtful.”
Zhou turned to Cen Chi.
“Why are you still here?”
Clearly getting annoyed by Cen Chi’s presence.
But Cen Chi, having confirmed something for himself, didn’t seem in any rush to leave anymore.
Because Zhou Yanxing was never going to win this one. Even if he figured it out, even if he realized everything—
What could he actually do?
If this world operated on strange mechanics, constantly throwing romance-seekers their way… and if Chi Zhan’s task was to help them find love…
Then this entire problem was unsolvable from the start. Because Chi Zhan wasn’t the type who fell in love with them in return.
“I happen to have the afternoon off,” Cen Chi said with a smile. “I was planning to spend it with Ah-Zhan. It’s lunchtime right now—don’t you still have work later, President Zhou?”
“……”
Meanwhile, Chi Zhan was the only one genuinely concerned about the missing key. He searched around.
“There’s only one key, right?”
Zhou nodded.
“Yeah.”
Weird. That one key was nowhere to be found. Chi Zhan searched the sofa and the coffee table thoroughly. Could the cleaning robot have accidentally swept it away?
Zhou Yanxing also looked around, telling Chi Zhan not to bend over too much. Cen Chi pitched in as well. While helping, his eyes landed on a pure white keyboard resting on a shelf, and lingered.
It was brand new—the plastic wrap hadn’t even been removed. Sleek, obviously high-end. Clearly a gaming model.
To build more common ground with Chi Zhan, Cen Chi had even studied up on e-sports.
On the right side of the keyboard was a small logo. If you didn’t look closely, you’d easily miss it.
WT.
Seven.
Gift.
Seven… Cen Chi remembered. The day he’d been invited to play a game with Chi Zhan, there’d been someone in the voice chat—someone called Seven.
WT’s team captain.
“What are you staring at?”
Zhou noticed him frozen in place, followed his gaze, and saw the keyboard too.
“What is it?” Zhou frowned. Cen Chi staring at a keyboard that long just seemed absurd. He quickly looked away.
Cen Chi said nothing. Just smiled.
Then, while Chi Zhan was distracted, Zhou leaned in toward Cen Chi and said in a low voice, “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re trying to pull. Get out. Now.”
