After returning from the camp, Cen Nan was holed up in the law firm for several days, only returning home in the dead of night. Once, he even stayed up the whole night, only taking a short rest on the office couch before resuming work. Most of his contact with Liang Muqiu was harassing him through the phone.
Liang Muqiu was calm at first but after not seeing him for a few days, he resumed his previous way of living on takeout alone. However, he wasn’t used to the current situation.
So when Cen Nan was finally able to extricate himself from the law firm for a week, he thought about it and didn’t hesitate to agree when Cen Nan asked to have dinner together.
However, Cen Nan still had some work to settle so he asked, “Do you want to come to the company first? I had a little problem with my car just now and I can’t drive it. You might have to drive.”
Liang Muqiu spun the pen around. “Okay.”
He joined the rush hour crowd while thinking that this was very similar to the time he picked up Cen Nan from the competition.
If he dared to make such a request a month ago, he would probably have been kicked away.
Whenever he thought about it, he always felt like a frog being boiled in warm water by Cen Nan.
Regardless of what he thought, he drove at a decent pace and reached Cen Nan’s law firm a quarter past six. It was his first time at Cen Nan’s law firm and after telling the receptionist Cen Nan’s name, he was invited in.
The law firm was a medium-sized company and it was too early for the employees to clock out so there were still many lawyers working inside. As soon as Liang Muqiu walked in, he felt everyone’s eyes on him and suddenly regretted it a little, especially when he couldn’t find Cen Nan after looking around.
However, he found another acquaintance, Ren Qihan.
He hadn’t seen this senior brother for years. Ren Qihan was talking to a trainee lawyer when he looked up and caught sight of Liang Muqiu. He was stunned at first and then let out a surprised laugh.
“Liang Muqiu,” he walked over and hugged Liang Muqiu enthusiastically, “I haven’t seen you for so many years.”
He then rubbed Liang Muqiu’s hair like he used to do in school.
Liang Muqiu was a little embarrassed and called out, “Senior Brother” which was very comforting to Ren Qihan. After all, that bastard Cen Nan never called him that.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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“It’s okay,” Ren Qihan brewed two cups of tea. “I have nothing to do today and it’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other. I’ve always wanted to invite you to dinner but that brat won’t let me.”
Liang Muqiu was puzzled. “Why?”
Ren Qihan touched his face. “He probably thought I was too handsome and would lose to me.”
Liang Muqiu burst out laughing, and when Ren Qihan looked over, he immediately straightened and said solemnly, “You’re right.”
After Cen Nan finished talking to his client, he made his way to the lounge. He saw Ren Qihan with his arms around Liang Muqiu’s shoulders, looking like two close brothers. Ren Qihan was showing something to Liang Muqiu on his phone however he couldn’t see what it was.
His face immediately darkened. He didn’t bother giving any face to his boss as he rolled up the document in his hands and smacked Ren Qihan’s hand off Liang Muqiu’s shoulder.
Ren Qihan let out a hiss and exclaimed, “Cen Nan, you’re simply lawless.” He turned to Liang Muqiu and complained, “Look at this narrow-minded and petty man. Muqiu ah, you’re so good-tempered, you can’t let him control you.”
From the way he spoke, it was as if he thought the two were a couple already.
Cen Nan remained calm but Liang Muqiu didn’t know how to answer. Back when they were in school, the two didn’t hide their relationship from Ren Qihan. Later, they broke up and parted. Now they were stumbling about as they tried to rekindle their old relationship. Ren Qihan knew everything.
Liang Muqiu felt inexplicably embarrassed.
Fortunately, no one noticed his embarrassment. Cen Nan bickered with Ren Qihan expressionlessly. After that, he changed his expression and turned to Liang Muqiu. “You’ve waited for a long time already, let’s go eat.”
Ren Qihan originally wanted to eat with them also but after receiving Cen Nan’s sharp gaze, he was sensible and no longer tried to mingle with the two. He accompanied Liang Muqiu to the elevator, patted him on the shoulder, and said kindly, “Come here more often in the future, senior brother will invite you to dinner.”
Liang Muqiu agreed with a smile.
He always had a good impression of Ren Qihan. He was bright and straightforward, giving a refreshing feeling. But after graduation, they lost contact. Firstly, it was because of their different majors. Secondly, whenever he saw Ren Qihan, he would inevitably think of Cen Nan.
After entering the elevator, Cen Nan pressed the down button and asked hesitantly, “Ren Qihan…Did he say any nonsense to you?”
He believed in his character but didn’t trust Ren Qihan’s big mouth.
Liang Muqiu raised his eyebrows and said teasingly, “What did you expect him to say to me? That you recently received a divorce case in which the client is a beautiful woman interested in you?”
This was indeed what Ren Qihan told him.
Cen Nan and his client had been discussing for quite some time and maybe because the perfume was too strong, he could smell some of the woman’s scent on Cen Nan.
This made him a little displeased for no reason, as if his territory had been invaded.
Cen Nan laughed.
He did encounter this peach blossom case recently. It was reasonable to say that the woman who just broke away from a failed marriage should have no intention of falling in love. However, the client was a free and easy person. Divorce was like a matter of blinking for her. She threw the marriage away and asked him to dinner immediately after.
But he obviously refused.
He looked at Liang Muqiu and said, “I’ve already turned her down. It’s impossible for me and her to do this, from a public and private point of view. She wasn’t serious about me and didn’t pursue it anymore. Who I really like, you should know best.”
When he said this, he looked very earnest. Liang Muqiu felt embarrassed to make things difficult for him and at the end of the day, he still had some basic trust in Cen Nan.
In fact, people like Cen Nan would always have bees and butterflies around them. People with outstanding looks were naturally more desired, so it was easy to arouse the possession of others but they also couldn’t take others’ feelings seriously.
But Cen Nan was at the other end of the spectrum. He didn’t have Love Cleanliness disorder and he had never belittled the private life of others. He was simply not interested in people.
Aside from the two years he spent with Liang Muqiu, he was like a bamboo separated from the world, cold and indifferent.
Ren Qihan had said the same to him just now.
Ren Qihan wasn’t speaking ill of Cen Nan behind his back, but secretly pleading for him.
Ren Qihan mentioned that since Cen Nan had started working as a lawyer, there was never a shortage of people who asked for his number or handed over their business cards. However, he always refused and would directly declare that he was married and loved his wife very much if they pressed on.
“At school, there were men and women chasing him. Whenever he left the class in a hurry, he was asked if there was a lover waiting,” Ren Qihan smiled. “It’s not that I’m trying to make him look good. What happened between the two of you, I really don’t know. But when the two of you were separated, he was like a machine, working constantly. Only after he met you, did he become more alive.”
When the elevator arrived at the underground parking lot, Liang Muqiu found his car and asked Cen Nan where he wanted to eat.
“I’m fine with anything,” he smiled. “I’m not as familiar with Bincheng as you, you decide.”
Liang Muqiu thought for a while, “Then let’s eat Thai food, I suddenly want to eat Thai curry.”
Today was the weekend and there were many people dining so they queued for a bit before entering the restaurant. They should have gone back to their respective houses after eating, but when they reached the eleventh floor, Cen Nan gently held him back.
“Want to come to my house for a drink? I just bought a set of home theatre equipment for my bedroom,” he said, “Let’s try it out, is that okay?”
He asked with sincerity in his eyes.
If Liang Muqiu hadn’t known that the person opposite him had a belly full of dirty water, he might have been fooled by him.
He glanced at the door of his house, it was only a few steps away from him. He could easily cross it by lifting his feet. But perhaps, because the car was too stuffy or the evening breeze was gentle, he reached out to tug at his collar and whispered, “Okay.”
Cen Nan smiled again.
He never smiled much in front of others but in front of Liang Muqiu, it was nothing. He would give him as many as he wanted.
Liang Muqiu was dazzled by his smile and the unwillingness from being led by the nose also faded a bit.
He suddenly remembered how he had fallen in love with Cen Nan when he was eighteen. It was because he had always wanted Cen Nan to smile more.
Will be postponing next week’s chapter because I’ll be overseas and won’t have my laptop with me 🙁
To be honest, I also didn’t hear of this disorder 🤔 I thought about Retroactive Jealousy Disorder or obsessive love disorder (which is not completly accepted), but they didn’t work exacly like the one in chapter… I think is just a societal and cultural obsession with Virginity (rec ”Virgin Envy’)… A lot of men have this kind of obsession ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Thank You for the new chapter (♡ ὅ ◡ ὅ )ʃ♡
ahaha thank u for the chaptwr, and ill miss u next week! btw one of ur explanation links things just says “explanation here” 😭 its the one about bamboo standing alons
I edited it, thanks for letting me know! And I’ll be uploading some chapters soon hehe
I’m all caught up! Qin Jiuya is definitely going to pose some problems in their relationship in the future but tbh im actually really proud of the way MC is handling this relationship, he got hurt and made the best of his situation and above all he never denied himself from what he wanted even if it meant he had to put his trust in Cen Nan. Idk i kimd of want to adopt him poor kid.
Thanks for the chapter ♡♡♡♡♡
Thanks!