Mai Ding had completely forgotten about the agreement. He did not want to remember it at all. In fact, he wished he had a time machine so he could go back and beat some sense into the version of himself who had said something so shameless. How had those words even left his mouth? An Zi Yan narrowed his eyes slightly. “Someone as upright and trustworthy as you wouldn’t break a promise, would you? Mm?” His tone and expression made it perfectly clear that Mai Ding would not be given the chance.
“T-then we can only go somewhere really secluded, where nobody will see us.”
“Troublesome.”
“Still better than getting caught!!”
A knock sounded at the door. On weekends, the last thing Mai Ding wanted was somebody knocking. He was afraid it might be Xu De and his partner. Whenever possible, Mai Ding avoided the two of them. He looked through the peephole and was surprised to see Cao Cheng Yi instead. Mai Ding opened the door and let him in.
“How rare. You still have the nerve to come see me.” Mai Ding’s terrible reputation at the company had started with Cao Cheng Yi, and he had never stopped holding a grudge about it because his reputation mattered enormously to him.
“Who said I came to see you?”
“You owe me an apology.”
“I think you should be thanking me. Now everyone at the company is even less likely to discover your relationship with Yan.” Mai Ding had no comeback. For a moment, he actually thought Cao Cheng Yi had a point. Cao Cheng Yi sat beside An Zi Yan, turned on the television, and put his feet on the coffee table. Why did everyone who entered this place act as though it were their own home? Mai Ding looked toward An Zi Yan, hoping he might say something. Putting that hope in An Zi Yan was ridiculous. An Zi Yan was busy tossing things off the sofa onto the floor to make himself more comfortable.
“How are things on your end?”
“Almost ready. I’m exhausted. I haven’t even had time to chase men lately. What a loss.” Cao Cheng Yi had barely finished when Mai Ding cut in. “Someone like you should be worked to death. It would be a public service for all the boys who might otherwise suffer at your hands.” Nobody present took his accusation seriously.
“What about Bi Sheng Lin?”
“He seems the same as usual. But those file numbers Manager Ji gave us are missing from Marketing too. He probably took them away at some point. Nobody really paid attention to old files before. What are you planning? Find the missing files, uncover something shady, report him to President Wang, and get him fired?”
“I think men have sucked your brains dry.” Cao Cheng Yi only gave An Zi Yan a helpless expression at the insult. “I’m just saying. I know they’re not easy to deal with. Taking down even one of them would still be something.”
“Even if Bi Sheng Lin gets fired, his position won’t automatically become yours.”
“If I’d known, I would’ve started cozying up to our executive sooner. I could’ve tolerated the age difference.”
“Scum among scum,” Mai Ding inserted.
“You know nothing. It’s called conserving energy and waiting for the right moment.”
An Zi Yan frowned unhappily. “Did you come here to chat with him?” Cao Cheng Yi quickly waved both hands. “Definitely not. Let’s continue. So what do we do?” An Zi Yan paused for more than ten seconds, as though only now beginning to think of a plan. No, not as though. Mai Ding knew perfectly well he was only starting to think now. Too casual!
“We make Bi Sheng Lin resign on his own, then have him recommend you to take over.”
“Is that even possible?”
“That depends on whether he has some ugly secret he can’t let anyone see.”
“How could we be that lucky?” Mai Ding interrupted again, convinced An Zi Yan was merely gambling on chance. Bi Sheng Lin might not have any shameful secret at all. An Zi Yan turned toward Mai Ding. Something more complicated rested deep in his dark eyes as he said slowly, “No, Mai Ding. The lucky thing would be finding someone with absolutely no darkness hidden inside. Understand?” Mai Ding only half understood. Cao Cheng Yi stood, rubbing his neck. “I finally get a little time to rest. I’m not wasting it here. I’ll investigate Bi Sheng Lin properly. I’m leaving.”
After watching Cao Cheng Yi leave, Mai Ding noticed An Zi Yan had fallen into thought. Was the problem really that difficult? Mai Ding wanted to help and share some of the burden, but what could he actually do?
“What are you thinking about? Is it something you can tell me?”
“I’m thinking about where we should go tonight.”
Mai Ding shoved An Zi Yan’s arm and nearly lost his mind. “Please spend more time thinking about serious things! I’m begging you! The location doesn’t matter at all!”
“If you’d told me earlier that you didn’t care, I wouldn’t have wasted time thinking about it.”
“An Zi Yan!”
Mai Ding cleaned the apartment as slowly as possible, wishing the sun would never set so he could delay their evening agreement. Unfortunately, the sun did not care what he wanted and sank on its own schedule. Mai Ding could only hope An Zi Yan might forget about it. An Zi Yan clearly did not. He checked the time and walked toward the door. “It’s about time.”
“Isn’t it still early? Why don’t we watch a movie first?”
“Do you think I’m in the mood for a movie?” An Zi Yan asked. Mai Ding had run out of options. “Then let me change into something less noticeable.” An Zi Yan ordered impatiently, “Hurry up.” When Mai Ding came back out, he looked like a celebrity trying not to be recognized, wearing a hat, sunglasses, and a mask despite the heat. “All right. Let’s go.”
“We’re only going out to have sex, not commit a crime.” An Zi Yan’s bluntness made Mai Ding push his sunglasses down and glare at him. “Haven’t you seen those news reports where patrol officers catch couples fooling around in cars? It would be humiliating if anyone saw us. We absolutely have to go somewhere with nobody around, understand?” Sometimes Mai Ding genuinely did not know what went on inside An Zi Yan’s head, yet somehow he was still cooperating with him.
Sitting in the car, Mai Ding stayed restless and kept fidgeting with his fingers. When he saw them heading toward a busy district, he could not help exclaiming, “Are you trying to get an audience?!” An Zi Yan glanced sideways at him. “We’re only going to dinner. Why is your head full of that?”
“On this subject, I really don’t want to be criticized by you.”
The dinner was delicious, but neither of them ate much. Mai Ding had no appetite because he was anxiously thinking about what came afterward. An Zi Yan, by contrast, seemed far more interested in what came afterward than in the food.