"Back in school, did you deliberately send the driver to ask for directions?" Chao Musheng played with Su Chenzhu's hand—his fingers were neatly trimmed, long and elegant, like works of art.
Su Chenzhu's ears turned red. "Yes."
"Do you know what I was thinking at the time?" Chao Musheng slid his fingers between Su Chenzhu's, interlacing them tightly. "Having connections with the principal, yet asking me where the principal's office was, and the driver being overly enthusiastic—it was obvious something was off."
Finally, Su Chenzhu understood why Chao Musheng had left so quickly back then, always leaving him with nothing but a retreating figure.
"I wanted to see you, but I was afraid of disrupting your life," Su Chenzhu said, lowering his gaze. "I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable."
Chao Musheng shook his head, gently stroking the back of Su Chenzhu’s hand, his heart aching with tenderness.
Given Su Chenzhu’s status and influence, he could have used countless means to insert himself into Chao Musheng’s life—but he hadn’t.
During all those years Chao Musheng had been unaware, Su Chenzhu had never intruded, never overstepped. He had simply watched over him in silence.
"Were you there when I participated in all those competitions and events?"
"I was."
Chao Musheng froze. It had never occurred to him that while he celebrated victories with friends and classmates, hugging and cheering, there had been someone else quietly rejoicing for him.
Seeing Chao Musheng fall silent, Su Chenzhu grew uneasy. "I’m sorry..."
Chao Musheng reached out and pulled Su Chenzhu into a tight embrace. "No, I’m the one who’s sorry—for making you wait so long."
He could hardly imagine how Su Chenzhu must have felt back then—lonely? Disheartened?
"You did nothing wrong," Su Chenzhu murmured, holding him close. "I was the one who selfishly fell for you. You didn’t even know who I was—how could you have cared?"
"Besides, so many people adore you, yet in the end, you chose me." Su Chenzhu let out a contented sigh. "Chao Chao, I’m the luckiest man alive."
Countless people loved Chao Musheng, but only one could be his boyfriend.
And that one was him.
Chao Musheng rested his chin on Su Chenzhu’s shoulder. "My parents invited you to dinner tomorrow night. Are you free?"
The moment the words left his mouth, he felt Su Chenzhu’s shoulders stiffen.
"M-meet your parents?"
The usually composed and elegant CEO Su was uncharacteristically stumbling over his words.
"Well, that’s one way to put it," Chao Musheng teased, poking Su Chenzhu’s cheek when he saw him frozen. "If you’re not ready, it’s fine. I can explain to my parents—"
"I’ll go." Su Chenzhu cut him off before he could finish. "I want to meet your parents."
Chao Musheng grinned. Su Chenzhu rarely interrupted him, but this flustered eagerness was unexpectedly endearing.
"Chao Chao?" Su Chenzhu chuckled helplessly when Chao Musheng kept staring at him without speaking. "You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?"
"Don’t be nervous. You’re my boyfriend—the first one I’m bringing home. My parents will welcome you warmly." Chao Musheng knew exactly what was worrying him. "They love me, and since I love you, they’ll love you too."
"I know," Su Chenzhu said, though his tension didn’t ease. "But I still want them to feel assured about us."
"Here." Chao Musheng pulled out a sticky note and pressed it into Su Chenzhu’s hand. "A list of my parents’ preferences. Does this help?"
Normally, giving a partner a list of parental likes and dislikes would be frowned upon—it could imply an expectation to curry favor.
But Su Chenzhu was different. Chao Musheng had noticed an inexplicable insecurity in him regarding their relationship.
He didn’t know why, but he was determined to make Su Chenzhu feel more at ease and happy with him.
"Yes." Su Chenzhu clutched the note, visibly relaxing.
"Good." Chao Musheng squeezed his arm. "Lunch is still half an hour away—I’m heading to the gaming department."
"Chao Chao." Su Chenzhu caught his wrist and pulled him back into an embrace. He knew what meeting the parents meant for a couple.
"I’m so happy," Su Chenzhu murmured before pressing a featherlight kiss to Chao Musheng’s forehead—a kiss devoid of desire, filled only with reverence.
Like a devotee kissing his one and only deity.
Meanwhile, corners of their past that Chao Musheng had never noticed were being thoroughly dissected by netizens.
[Digging up old sugar: After finishing his college entrance exams, the amateur casually joked about diving into the entertainment industry. Two months later, Kunlun established a film division.]
[He said it offhandedly—only one person took it seriously. Is this not peak simp behavior?]
[Found something even juicier—in May, the amateur helped his village livestream sell local products. I dug up event reports about cultural performances in that village, sponsored by none other than Kunlun Mineral Water.]
[That’s nothing. A big shot discovered that after the amateur enrolled at Jinghua University, Kunlun’s donations to the school skyrocketed—most under the CEO’s personal name.]
[The CEO is both a hopeless romantic and filthy rich.]
[The funniest part? The amateur had no idea who the CEO was back then.]
[So the CEO did all this behind the scenes, never leveraging it for personal gain, and remained a stranger in the amateur’s eyes.]
[Holy crap, I thought it was just a meme. Turns out he really is that whipped.]
The PR manager had a headache. Netizens were roasting the CEO as a lovestruck fool, and just as she tried to curb the narrative, the official account launched a giveaway.
She called the operations team, only to learn the campaign came straight from the executive office.
"Never mind then." The PR manager hung up, instantly relieved. If the boss didn’t care about being called a simp, neither would she.
"Manager, the buzz is unstoppable," a colleague said, handing her a tablet. "We’d have to scrub the trending topics and lock down related tags."
"Suppressing it will backfire. Let them talk—this hype will die down in a few days anyway." She yawned. "As long as it’s not malicious, ignore it."
The colleague whispered, "But they’re spreading rumors that the CEO’s a simp. Really no issue?"
"Pfft." The manager shook her head. "He won’t care."
Besides, was it even a rumor? Maybe the boss really was that far gone.
An hour before the banquet, Chao Musheng changed in Su Chenzhu’s lounge and noticed he was wearing the cufflinks Chao Musheng had bought him on their cruise.
Their ties matched, along with their lapel pins and watches—a full couples’ set.
Chao Musheng half-suspected Su Chenzhu had prepared all this long ago, just waiting for this day to come.
The two walked out of the office, drawing covert glances from colleagues across the entire floor.
Wow, matching outfits.
The boss dressed so flashily today, like a peacock spreading its tail.
Secretary Liu escorted them downstairs and opened the car door to the back seat.
"Based on my past experience, we should 'accidentally' run into Xiaojuan at the cocktail party," Chao Musheng leaned against Su Chenzhu while scrolling through online gossip on his phone—only to find himself at the center of the drama.
A gorgeous prodigy and a lovestruck CEO?
"OMG, guys, I believe in love again…"
The tabloid’s excited tone listed all the things the "lovestruck CEO" had done for the ordinary guy.
The more Chao Musheng listened, the more complicated his expression grew. He took off his earbuds and turned to Su Chenzhu.
"What’s wrong?" Su Chenzhu glanced at him. "Do you want to see Xiaojuan?"
"No." Chao Musheng slipped one earbud into Su Chenzhu’s ear. "Listen to this."
"She’s not quite right," Su Chenzhu said after finishing the video. "I’m not lovestruck, nor some domineering CEO. I just like you."
Chao Musheng chuckled. "Mm, our President Su is a conscientious, good boss."
Otherwise, it’d be hard for him to fall for him.
"Ugh!" Xiaojuan paced around the player lobby, unable to find a way into Chao Musheng’s world.
The mission board hadn’t refreshed, and the system’s prompts had vanished. Players were restless, anxious about an uncertain future.
She even heard some crying—some longing for home, others missing their families.
Xiaojuan smirked bitterly. What kind of 'God' is this? Just a thief and human trafficker!
"Jie," Peng and the others had noticed Xiaojuan’s agitation. When she passed by them again, Huaba finally spoke up. "What’s going on?"
"Nothing." Xiaojuan forced a smile. "The 'God' might not open any new dungeons these next few days. If you have time… stick with Er Qiang or Qi Shi. Don’t go alone."
"Got it." Huaba and the others exchanged thoughtful looks, about to ask more—when Xiaojuan suddenly vanished before their eyes.
They froze. After a long pause, Peng mumbled, "Where’d my big sis go?"
Xiaojuan opened her eyes to find herself in a shabby alley. A stray cat perched on a trash bin, eyeing her warily.
"Why are you standing between trash bins?"
She turned and immediately brightened at the sight of the newcomer. "Wan You?!"
"Yeah." Wan You studied her odd expression. "Something happen?"
"I need to find Chao Musheng." She pulled out her phone, only to find it dead. "Can you help me contact him? It’s urgent."
Wan You didn’t ask for details. Tossing his trash into the bin, he handed her his phone.
"Call him yourself. Unlock code’s 051411."
Xiaojuan raised a brow. "This password?"
"Oh, May 14th, 11 AM—the exact time I aced the Jinghua exchange exam with full marks." He tilted his chin up. "A day worth commemorating."
Xiaojuan: "…"
Might as well tattoo 'Jinghua' on your forehead…
When Chao Musheng and Su Chenzhu entered the cocktail party side by side, it felt like every eye turned their way.
After a few seconds of silence, a crowd surged toward them.
"Mr. Chao, President Su, good evening. It’s an honor."
Others nearby shot looks.
Calling Chao Musheng first and President Su second? Is this guy insane?
The man smiled knowingly. He’d checked the trending tags beforehand—President Su was "lovestruck." This greeting was foolproof.
No point explaining to these offline competitors.
