FSGOR Ch44part2

Jiang Tian himself started to suspect the suit guy might really be that scumbag. Based on the info, the floor where the encounter happened matched a company owned by someone with the surname Yang. That might be Yang Xiantong’s family business.

The guy who once begged Jiang Tian to “be his dog”—and never thought before he spoke—blurted out:

“What a disgusting piece of shit!”

“Messing around in a place like that—what if he catches something?!”

“Guys our age messing around with men is just—”

Before he could finish, Lu Qiao’s face changed. He shot up and slapped his hand over the guy’s mouth, shocking everyone at the table.

“???”

Even Zhao Yuanhao’s face turned complicated. His lips parted slightly as he glanced at Jiang Tian—suddenly realizing why Lu Qiao reacted that way.

“You really need to think before you speak.”

Lu Qiao’s face flushed red. Whether it was for himself or for someone else, he was clearly pissed.

“What if I like older people? Mature, charming—what’s wrong with that? Don’t you want a hot older sister girlfriend?”

“Of course I do!” the guy replied instinctively.

Lu Qiao placed a hand on the back of his neck, sensing Jiang Tian’s calm gaze, but didn’t turn back. He went on,

“What if I am gay? What if I do like successful older men? So what if they’re more accomplished and teach me a lot about life?”

“???”

The guy looked totally confused.

“We’re all brothers. We know you. We trust your character—we’d totally support you!”

“But…”

“Wait, you are gay?! You used to smack my butt—don’t tell me you were flirting with me?!”

The table burst into laughter. One guy even sprayed Coke all over the table. Just like that, the tension was gone, and things finally felt normal again.

Not just Lu Qiao—even Jiang Tian, who’d been on edge, began to relax. The two finally made eye contact without discomfort. The earlier awkwardness was gone, as if it had never happened.

After dinner, the group went upstairs to play pool. They agreed to schedule future soccer games in the evenings. Everyone was either working part-time or interning—scheduling was always a mess.

In the billiards room—

Near the cashier’s mini-fridge, colorful drinks and Lu Qiao’s favorite artificial creamer milk tea sat neatly on display. Surprisingly, Jiang Tian—who usually said little—offered to pay for both of them.

But Lu Qiao was quicker. He scanned the QR code and paid himself. With one hand in his pocket and sipping his milk tea, he invited: “Wanna talk for a sec?”

Jiang Tian inserted a straw into his drink and followed.

“Sure.”

They walked a few steps to a quiet corner by the floor-to-ceiling windows, far from the rest of the group. Lu Qiao scratched behind his ear.

“Tian-Ge.”

“Did Yuanhao find out before me?”

“……”

Jiang Tian froze. A tapioca pearl dropped from the straw and sank. He didn’t respond—silence was answer enough.

“Got it,” Lu Qiao chuckled sheepishly.

“I’m not mad, alright? Remember how I didn’t tell you right away about my online relationship either?”

“Anyway, don’t overthink it. All of us support you. Nobody’s gonna judge your love life.”

“You’re amazing. I believe in your judgment. I know there’s no weird hidden agenda here—you just caught me off guard, that’s all.”

Lu Qiao wasn’t just like the others—he was special. They’d known each other forever. No matter what happened, nothing could shake their friendship.

Seeing that Jiang Tian still hadn’t responded, his head lowered as if searching for words, Lu Qiao tentatively asked:

“So… are you two officially dating?”

Jiang Tian nodded.

“Yeah.”

“With President Chu, right?”

“Yeah.” Jiang Tian’s eyes wandered, uncertain how to begin.

“We confirmed our relationship after the trip to Beijing.”

“Some things happened during that time too…”
“I’ll tell you everything. Bit by bit.”

Lu Qiao bit his lip and nodded—eager, but still a little worried. For once, the carefree boy spoke with real caution: “Is President Chu… serious about you?”

Jiang Tian looked down.

“I think he is.”

A faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared on Jiang Tian’s handsome young face as he quietly said, “I think I’m serious too.”

Lu Qiao: “…………”

Well—there it was!

He knew Jiang Tian too well. That “I think” or “maybe” always came up—he never spoke in absolutes. But if there wasn’t a hint of something, Jiang Tian, the king of emotional avoidance, would never say a word.

That “I think I’m serious” was practically “I really, really like him” in Jiang Tian-speak. That was Lu Qiao’s enterprise-level interpretation—

Guaranteed by the most desperate of straight dudes!

“Phew.”

Lu Qiao’s inner anime mode kicked in, letting out a dramatic sigh as he clapped his best friend on the shoulder.

“You’re not doing that whole ‘I kept it secret because I was scared my best friend would ditch me for being gay’ trope, right?”

Jiang Tian choked.

“……”

Definitely not that.

“Hehe.”

Lu Qiao slung an arm around his shoulder, grinning like a gremlin.

“Just kidding, bro. Even if you start hating me one day, I’ll still haunt you like a ghost. You’re stuck with me for life!”

Jiang Tian looked a little dazed. That word—“forever”—stirred something in him. He muttered in his usual quiet way, “…Thanks.”

By the floor-to-ceiling windows, the two boys stood side by side. Outside, the sky was a dazzling blue, like an endless ocean. Suddenly, Jiang Tian remembered a summer long ago.

That was the beginning of their friendship.

Back then, Jiang Tian was quiet and didn’t fit in. During a school field trip to a nearby city, he stood alone by a tall glass window. An airplane flew past the building, loud and low, scaring him so badly he trembled and broke out in a cold sweat.

At that moment—

A kid in a duck hat came up to him, held out a hand, and gripped his tightly.

“Bro.”

“You scared?”

His words were weird—he’d probably watched too much anime—and he talked like no other kid around.

“Don’t be scared.”

Lu Qiao flashed a bright, gap-toothed grin, the missing tooth apparently lost in a fight.

“Bro hug! I’ll protect you forever!”

And from that moment, their friendship lasted nearly a decade. The tall, lanky teen beside him now overlapped with that little kid from years ago—and somehow, Jiang Tian felt like he was drawing strength across time.

He smiled unconsciously, lowered his head slightly, and said to that same boy from his childhood:

“Lu Qiao.”

“Thank you.”

“I was wrong before.”

The people who truly care for you don’t just throw you away. It wasn’t others who abandoned him—it was his own fear and anxiety, rooted in childhood trauma, that had always made him doubt.

***

By evening—

Chu Xuyu arrived right on time, parking his car in the underground lot of the IFC Mall.

He hadn’t even turned off the engine when he spotted the young man walking toward him from the elevator. That bright and handsome face had an expression rarely seen on Jiang Tian—genuine, radiant joy.

Was hanging out with friends really that fun?

Chu Xuyu lowered the window and leaned his head slightly out.

“Over here.”

“You’re here.”

Jiang Tian kept that gentle curve on his lips as he walked over and got in the passenger seat, not even bothering to buckle up right away.

“Ge.”

“How’s your mood today?”

Chu Xuyu, acting like his usual self: “?”

 “It’s fine.”

Just a regular day at work. Honestly, if it weren’t for picking Jiang Tian up, he’d probably look half-dead. Who smiles like an idiot while on the clock?

Jiang Tian sat properly. Maybe he was in a really good mood, because he turned slightly toward him, voice soft: “I’m in a great mood.”

Chu Xuyu raised a brow.

“Really?”

“Mm.”

Jiang Tian looked directly into his eyes. That mature, sharp-edged face radiated calm and gentleness—something deeply magnetic and impossible to resist.

And then—

The boy leaned forward.

Before Chu Xuyu could even blink, Jiang Tian placed a soft kiss on the corner of his lips, a wordless gesture of affection. 

“Ge.”

“Let’s go home.”

“…………”

The moment his little boyfriend kissed him, Chu Xuyu felt like his blood was boiling. It was like someone had set fire to his skin—this wasn’t just flustered, this was house-on-fire level flustered.

Was… was this really not a dream?