Chi Zhan sent back a string of ellipses.
Tao Ran: No way—is it true?! Did he confess? Did he give you a luxury cruise, a private island, and a star that was just discovered but hasn’t been named yet?
What kind of ridiculous romcom was this?
Chi Zhan couldn’t help laughing as he replied: As if.
Tao Ran: Hey, honestly, I think the boss isn’t so bad. Sometimes he’s really considerate, like he genuinely cares about you. Have you really never thought about it?
Chi Zhan was baffled. Was Tao Ran actually talking about Zhou Yanxing? None of that matched up.
Chi Zhan: He’s a target, Tao. Even if there are feelings, we can’t be together. Besides…
Tao Ran: Haven’t you heard that saying? “Love even if it kills you—what’s so scary about death when it comes to love?”
Chi Zhan was speechless.
Tao Ran: And you know… the first time I met you, I had this strange feeling of familiarity. Like we were already friends. Maybe this isn’t the first world we’ve lived through together.
Tao Ran: Even if we’re just lines of code, code has memory too. Even if the original data’s wiped, there’s always a recycle bin waiting to restore it.
Tao Ran: Even if the world collapses—ten times, a hundred times, a thousand times—the person who loves you will always find a way to keep loving you!
…That actually made some strange kind of sense.
But why was Tao Ran suddenly putting in a good word for Zhou Yanxing?
Chi Zhan stared at the chat window, deep in thought.
Chi Zhan: Did he bribe you to speak up for him?
Tao Ran: Oops, I’m getting off the bus—talk later!
That was definitely a tactical retreat.
Zhou Yanxing shouldn’t even know Tao Ran… but then again, he had been his neighbor before. It wouldn’t be hard to find him…
Chi Zhan kept going in circles with his thoughts, unable to reach a conclusion. He decided to screw it—time to roll the dice and let fate decide.
Roll a 1 or 2, and he’d go with Qi Song.
3 or 4, Zhou Yanxing.
5 or 6, Cen Chi.
Simple.
Just as he was about to tap the emoji, a message from Chu Xingxiao popped up at the top of the screen.
Chu Xingxiao: Gege, are you home yet?
Chi Zhan: Yeah. Feeling any better?
Chu Xingxiao replied with a voice message: “Just woke up from a nap, feeling much better.”
His voice still sounded weak and a little hoarse. Chi Zhan felt a twinge of concern.
Chi Zhan: Did you take any cold medicine?
Chu Xingxiao: I’m not sick. Just couldn’t sleep last night thinking about losing to Zhou Yanxing in the match.
Chi Zhan hadn’t expected that to be the reason for insomnia.
Chu Xingxiao: I’m not that weak, really. Next time, I’ll win for sure!
Chi Zhan gave him some comforting fluff.
Chi Zhan: Got it, got it. Rest up, and don’t forget to eat.
Chu Xingxiao: It’s a holiday—I don’t want to just sleep through it. Feels like such a waste. Gege, can the two of us spend it together?
Chu Xingxiao: I made a reservation at a nearby restaurant. My treat.
“……”
This was getting out of hand.
With Chu Xingxiao added to the mix, that made four invitations in one night—how the hell was he supposed to split the dice evenly now?!
***
Night fell, and the courtyard remained brilliantly lit. Lanterns hung from each corner of the eaves, casting a warm golden hue across the interior. Tiny twinkling lights were strung through the pine trees, along with a slew of gift boxes. Bundled-up people strolled around in groups, chatting and laughing. Later, everyone would get to pick a gift box from the tree—a little gacha surprise to enjoy.
The screen of Chi Zhan’s phone still glowed softly. The group chat was abuzz with everyone discussing where to go next. This was a rare company outing—no one wanted to waste it. Naturally, Chi Zhan got dragged into the conversation too. But truthfully, most people were only trying to figure out Zhou Yanxing’s evening plans, hoping to avoid an awkward collision.
Once Chi Zhan confirmed that Zhou Yanxing would be off soaking in a hot spring all night, everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief and resumed their party planning with gusto.
Now the real question—where should he go?
Chi Zhan was still pondering when his phone rang. Jiang Yi was calling, inviting him out for the evening.
“I’m sorry. I’ve got plans tonight. Can’t make it.”
Jiang Yi hadn’t expected someone else to beat him to the punch. “It’s okay,” he said quickly, then added cautiously, “Chi-ge… was it Zhou Yanxing who invited you?”
Chi Zhan didn’t respond.
Jiang Yi’s heart sank. That silence was answer enough. His teenage heart shattered before the love had even begun.
Meanwhile, Chi Zhan kept mulling it over. A few moments later, he made up his mind.
He picked up his phone and started replying to each person.
Outside, the snow had stopped, but the air was still bitterly cold. Chi Zhan opened the window and was instantly hit with a freezing gust that made him shiver. No way was he going out for dinner in this weather—especially not when someone was still feeling under the weather.
He put on his puffer jacket and stepped outside—only to get startled out of his thoughts.
Chu Xingxiao was standing by the door, hands stuffed in his pockets, head tilted back against the wall, earbuds in, quietly listening to music. He looked just like a high school boy.
“When did you get here?”
Chi Zhan had assumed he was still resting in his room. He’d been planning to check on him in a bit. He hadn’t expected him to be waiting outside already.
“Just now,” Chu Xingxiao replied, clearly surprised the door opened so quickly. He glanced at his messages—Chi Zhan still hadn’t responded. “I figured if I came early, then the moment you texted back, I could show up right in front of you.”
“You’re that confident I wouldn’t turn you down?”
Chu Xingxiao smiled.
“Rejecting your ‘boyfriend’ on a holiday? That’d really break his heart.”
He’d returned to his room in the morning and immediately fell asleep. When he woke up and saw all the fun his coworkers were having in the group chat—building snowmen, snowball fights, cozy photo ops in town—he’d felt a pang of envy.
He was really good at snowball fights, too.
What a waste not to get to show off.
Qi Song’s appearance had kicked his sense of crisis into overdrive. Even in his dreams, he’d had nightmares of Chi Zhan walking away coldly, never looking back. He’d chased him through deserts, forests, across oceans and into heaven itself… and still never caught up.
Dream logic was always bizarre—nonsensical and surreal—but when he woke up, Chu Xingxiao’s heart was still pounding with fear.
