Childhood Friend

After spending the whole evening entertaining all kinds of banquet guests, Li Yu was already somewhat exhausted.

The moment the birthday party ended, Li Yu found an excuse to return to his room. The lights were off inside, leaving it pitch-black, save for a phone glowing on the bedside table.

Li Yu casually turned on the lights and picked up his phone to check the messages. Notifications on the lock screen popped up one after another, nearly making his eyes blur. At a glance, they were all birthday wishes.

He patiently replied to them one by one. Just as he was nearly done, another call came in. The caller was his manager—Ruan Yun.

"Little Yu, happy birthday! I'm just calling to let you know that the company has already posted your birthday Weibo, and the little gifts you prepared for your fans have been sent out too."

"Okay, thanks for your hard work, Sister Yun."

"Mm... Little Yu, that web drama you wanted to audition for seems to have been snatched away... But it's fine. I managed to get you a variety show instead. I'll send you the details later. Take a good look over the next few days. I'll let you know if anything else comes up."

Without waiting for Li Yu to respond, Ruan Yun hung up.

In Li Yu's memory, Ruan Yun had more than just him under her management. She spun like a top all day long, so it was hardly surprising that she hung up in such a hurry.

As for the variety show Ruan Yun had mentioned, Li Yu remembered it too.

In his previous life, it seemed he had listened to something Shen Zhonglou said, then uselessly curled up beneath the blankets and spent the whole night feeling miserable.

He had not even answered Ruan Yun's call. In the end, she had naturally given the variety show to someone else.

Li Yu had to admit that his past self had been an idiot too.

Shen Zhonglou had already said he did not love him anymore, yet he still refused to break up. Was he planning to keep that scumbag around for the New Year?

It was far from a pleasant memory. Li Yu laughed at himself.

He planned to take a hot shower and get some sleep. When he woke up tomorrow, he would be a new man again.

The bathroom glass was quickly clouded by steam, revealing only hints of pale skin through its surface.

Li Yu ran a hand through his hair. Hot water flowed from his chin into the hollow of his collarbones, spilled over, then slid along his waist and disappeared into the depths of alluring curves.

It was at that moment that a WeChat call rang out. Water blurred Li Yu's vision, and without thinking much about it, he directly tapped the green answer button.

"Hello?"

Li Yu propped his phone on the bathroom counter, speaking as he turned around to rinse off the soap bubbles.

The other party remained silent for more than ten seconds without saying a word.

Suspicion rose in Li Yu's heart. He said "Hello?" again, but still received no response.

Only then did he find it strange. He hurriedly grabbed a towel nearby to dry his eyes, then picked up his phone to see what was going on.

But the moment the phone screen came close, he saw a face so handsome it was practically an offense against gods and men.

Li Yu's first thought: This handsome guy looks familiar. He looks like my childhood friend whom I haven't seen in ages.

His second thought: No, why is his face on my phone screen?!

Then Li Yu finally realized—this was a fucking video call!!!

Chi Yan was naturally stunned as well. Li Yu's skin was already fair, and the hot water had tinted it with a layer of pink.

What was more, he had practically seen everything just now—his slender waist, long legs...

The moment Li Yu leaned closer to the screen was even more of a killing blow.

The face Chi Yan had longed for day and night filled his screen—starry eyes, a delicate nose, pink lips, and the seductive red mole at the corner of his eye. Every detail made Chi Yan's heart tremble.

Chi Yan's Adam's apple bobbed. The etiquette he had received since childhood told him to look away, but when he realized the other person was Li Yu, all etiquette went straight out the window.

So his dreams in the past had actually been rather true to life...

At that moment, both of them stared blankly at each other. Neither spoke first, and only the faint sound of running water came from Li Yu's side.

"Little Fish..."

Chi Yan wanted to say something to ease the atmosphere, but Li Yu came to his senses and directly ended the video call.

"Fuck..."

Li Yu gripped his phone. Though he rarely swore, the words slipped out instinctively.

But nothing could ease the mortification of his social death—who understood this, accidentally answering a video call while taking a shower...

Chi Yan must have seen everything just now! He had to have, right?!

Li Yu set his phone back on the counter, braced one hand against the wall, and forced himself to calm down.

He had completed so many missions. What kind of scene had he not seen before?

Logically speaking, there was no need for him to be so agitated. After all, Chi Yan and he were both men, and they had known each other since childhood...

But... it was just...

So, em, bar, rass, ing!

Embarrassing enough for him to dig out a Barbie Dreamhouse on the spot.

Li Yu did not dare leave Chi Yan hanging for too long. He hurriedly dried himself off and wrapped himself in a bath towel.

He swept a hand through his hair and started another video call. It was answered within seconds.

Chi Yan's face appeared on the screen again. The lighting on his end seemed poor, making his features slightly hazy.

Chi Yan also happened to be wearing a black suit, making him seem like a beast lurking in the shadows, ready to launch an attack on his prey at any moment.

Of course, Chi Yan had done it on purpose.

He was afraid that the look in his eyes when he watched Li Yu would be too blatant. He did not want to frighten Li Yu.

"Brother Chi, sorry about that. I was showering just now and didn't notice."

Li Yu had originally planned to play dumb and not mention it, but he felt that hanging up earlier had been a little impolite, so he still needed to apologize.

"It's fine. Next time, look carefully before answering the phone while you're showering."

After all... only I should be allowed to see those things.

But Chi Yan did not say those words aloud, merely murmuring them in his heart. His gaze roamed freely over Li Yu's face before finally settling on the red mole at the corner of Li Yu's eye.

How he wanted to kiss it without caring about anything else, then watch tears slide down from it...

Naturally, Li Yu knew nothing of this. Smiling, he continued, "Brother Chi, did you call because something happened?"

"It's your birthday, so naturally I called to wish you a happy birthday." Chi Yan's expression softened again, and even his voice slowed. "Little Fish, sorry. There was a problem with my flight today, so I couldn't attend your birthday party."

"Brother Chi, it's okay. I heard you just took over your family's company, so you must have a lot of work to do."

If Li Yu remembered correctly, Chi Yan should have already taken over the entertainment company under his uncle's name.

Li Yu had always thought his childhood friend was an exceptionally outstanding person—handsome, kind, a diamond bachelor in Beijing's elite circle, and even ranked Top 1 on the "Beijing socialites' most desired husband" list.

They were only three years apart, yet perhaps that was simply the difference between people...

In truth, Chi Yan had deliberately chosen not to return. He did not want to see Li Yu together with Shen Zhonglou. It was simply too cruel for him, and he feared he would lose control.

But he respected Li Yu's choice. He could only hope that one day, Li Yu's gentle gaze would fall upon him.

He had endured nearly every day just to keep himself from locking Li Yu away so that he would belong to him alone.

He endured it for years.

He had experienced that torment, so this time, he would not give anyone else another chance.

When a volcano that had lain dormant for so long erupted, it would burn with incomparable heat.