Zhou Yanxing had brought Tao Ran here—this was a debt Chi Zhan had to repay.
“President Zhou,” Chi Zhan spoke up, “I have a gift for you.”
Zhou Yanxing raised an eyebrow. “Hmm?”
Finally, it was Zhou Yanxing’s turn to be completely baffled.
The best spot to view the fireworks was in the backyard. When Zhou Yanxing and Qi Song ran into each other at the entrance, sparks of rivalry lit up in their eyes. Zhou hadn’t expected the male streamer to show up here too, while Qi Song—ever discreet—simply recognized the arrival of a rival. An invisible battlefield had quietly formed between them.
Blissfully unaware, Chi Zhan glanced at his watch.
9:05 p.m.
The three of them, each harboring different thoughts, made their way to the backyard. Small clusters of people were already standing around. Since it was still early, the best vantage points were available, and Chi Zhan started scanning for a good spot.
“Ah-Zhan.” A gentle voice called out.
Cen Chi stood out in a white trench coat against the dark night. His smile was soft, warm—but when he spotted the two others behind Chi Zhan, something shifted in his eyes.
“This your gift to me, Secretary Chi?” Zhou Yanxing said flatly. “I didn’t realize today was April Fools’.”
“Just returning the favor, President Zhou. I happened to run into an old friend, and since you brought one of mine to me, I thought it only fair I return the gesture. Isn’t that appropriate?”
Zhou Yanxing hadn’t expected to be rendered speechless by Chi Zhan’s own logic.
“Secretary Chi, I really…” Zhou clenched his jaw. “I underestimated you.”
Seeing Zhou Yanxing’s expression, Chi Zhan felt the thrill of sweet revenge. Finally, a satisfying counterattack.
“Ah-Zhan,” Cen Chi chuckled softly, lowering his voice, “why did you bring them?”
“Aren’t we here to watch fireworks? The more the merrier. Besides, President Zhou’s been missing you a lot lately. If I didn’t bring him, he might’ve thrown a tantrum.”
Cen Chi glanced at Zhou Yanxing.
“President Zhou’s been missing me?”
Zhou put on a tight, insincere smile.
“Of course. Secretary Chi said so—what else can I say?”
Chi Zhan had learned his lesson. No more rookie mistakes. Now that he knew Cen Chi liked him, he would never meet with him alone again.
So… the more people, the better.
Chi Zhan wore a down jacket, Cen Chi a trench coat, Zhou Yanxing a long coat, and Qi Song sported a cardigan under a fluffy fleece jacket. The four of them—all tall, handsome, and stylish—looked like they could debut as a boy group right then and there. Thankfully, the backyard was unlit, illuminated only by starlight and moonlight, so no one could make out their faces clearly. Otherwise, they would’ve been swarmed by photo requests.
“Hey, Captain Qi? You’re here too?” Chen Che’s surprised voice broke through. “So you skipped the hot springs and snuck out here alone to watch fireworks… and Secretary Chi’s here too? Uh—pretend I didn’t say that.”
“You done with your training?”
Qi Song asked with zero expression.
Chen Che immediately began stammering.
Qi Song’s gaze, though devoid of overt emotion, could still cut deep. Chen Che was the playful type—while everyone else had gone out to relax, he couldn’t focus on his missions. Once he noticed Qi Song wasn’t around either, temptation got the better of him and he slipped away to join the fun.
“Don’t be mad! Oh right, I’ve got something for you!” Chen Che brightened, pulling out his phone and scrolling quickly. “Captain Qi, if you like this, maybe you’ll let me off the hook for today’s task? I promise I’ll train properly when we get back and won’t run my mouth anymore!”
He found a photo in his album and held it up.
“Look, I took this today—pretty good, right?”
Qi Song had only glanced casually, but the moment he saw the screen, his eyes froze.
Just from Qi Song’s expression, Chen Che knew he’d nailed it. Seizing the opportunity, he pressed on, “I’ll send it to you now. Can this cancel out my task for today?”
Qi Song said calmly, “Just this once.”
“Deal!” Chen Che grinned.
Smoothing things over—Chen Che’s specialty. He pulled up the share screen and sent the photo.
Just then, someone beside him struck up a conversation.
“You play games too?”
Chen Che turned to look—an unfamiliar man.
“And you are?”
“I’m a friend of Chi Zhan’s,” said Zhou Yanxing.
“Oh, Secretary Chi’s friend? Then that makes you my friend too!” Chen Che laughed. “I’m with WT—you’ve heard of us, right?”
“Mm, I’ve heard. You guys arrived today?”
“Yeah.” Chen Che, chatty as ever, began spilling everything about their day—especially the part where Qi Song gave Chi Zhan a mini hand warmer. He even showed the photo to Zhou Yanxing. “Look, isn’t it adorable?”
Zhou Yanxing stared at the screen, his voice low.
“Yeah. It’s cute.”
Once again, Chi Zhan had lied to him.
Said he’d just wandered around casually. Didn’t mention running into Cen Chi or the streamer. Didn’t mention holding hands. Did he think Zhou was blind?
Meanwhile, Chi Zhan remained blissfully unaware of the storm brewing beside him. He just felt a subtle chill down his back and assumed it was because he hadn’t dressed warmly enough. His phone buzzed—it was a message from Chu Xingxiao.
Chu Xingxiao: Gege, there’s a fireworks festival tonight. Wanna watch it together?
Chi Zhan: I’m in the backyard. Come find me.
He tucked his phone away.
“You texting your boyfriend?” Cen Chi asked.
For a split second, Chi Zhan thought Cen Chi had figured out that Chu Xingxiao was his boyfriend. But then Cen Chi added lightly, “Though… he’s probably not here, right? Since it’s an online relationship.”
Back then, Chi Zhan had told Cen Chi that his boyfriend was Song Guang.
And Song Guang wasn’t here.
Chi Zhan let down his guard just a little.
“Yeah, he’s not.”
“I see.” Cen Chi smiled faintly. “What a shame.”
The fireworks began. It started slow—small, delicate bursts in silver and gold that painted graceful patterns in the sky. Chi Zhan was watching intently when someone suddenly hugged him from behind.
“Gege!” Chu Xingxiao wrapped his arms around Chi Zhan’s waist and grinned. “You’re out watching fireworks and didn’t invite me?”
