He Juan’s flustered words hung heavily in the air, weighed down by a layer of thick silence. The longer he went without Mu Yuze’s answer, the more nervous he became. In the end, he took the initiative to claim his innocence, chuckling dryly. "Just now, it’s my... colleague. He has always liked to crack a joke like that. Don’t take it seriously, okay? Haha..."

Mu Yuze blinked twice. His gaze betrayed nothing as he said, "There’s no need for you to explain..."

More cold sweat poured out of He Juan’s pores when he heard that. What did Mu Yuze mean by ’there’s no need to explain’? Of course, there was a need – a very dire one at that! If he left the topic just like that, what would Mu Yuze think of him? He already had two horrible labels plastered on his forehead – a pervert and a shameless flirt – he did not want to be called a playboy too! He Juan had not even been involved romantically with anyone, but why was his impression in Mu Yuze’s eyes getting worse by each passing second?!

He Juan let out another dry chuckle. "Ah, is that so? I’m just saying..."

Mu Yuze tilted his head in a tiny nod.

This was one of the times when He Juan could not seem to guess what was running through the boy’s mind. His jaws tensed as a surge of frustration crept into his heart. He wished he could sneak into Mu Yuze’s head and stay there all the time so he would always know what the boy was thinking about.

"Then, I..." Mu Yuze fidgeted on his feet, his gaze darting everywhere but He Juan until it eventually landed on the empty glass on the low table. As if grabbing onto a lifeline, he pounced forward and clutched the glass to himself, mumbling. "I... I won’t disturb you anymore. Good night!"

"Wait, Xiao Ze...!"

It was too late. Mu Yuze already spun on his heels and sprinted out of the room, leaving nothing behind but a gaping hole left by his absence and flabbergasted He Juan still with his hand stretched out midair.

He Juan stared at the empty doorway for two long seconds, his heart rapidly sinking in dread. Eventually, he slumped back to the chair, palmed his forehead and let out a pained groan.

’It’s over,’ he thought sadly. ’Xiao Ze must have taken me as a playboy...’

And it was all A-Mu’s fault!

Fury took over the silver in He Juan’s eyes, turning it lightning bright. All this time, he had never been bothered about A-Mu’s advances, thinking that the young man would give up sooner or later if he saw that He Juan was unresponsive. But it seemed like he was wrong. He should have made himself clearer... more ruthless... until A-Mu would not even dare to entertain the idea of them together.

As always, A-Mu left his phone number at the end of the email in hope that He Juan would personally give him a call. He Juan sneered. Fine, he would fulfill the young man’s wish... just this once.

He grabbed his phone and called the number. It was connected even before the first ring. "Hello, XIU? Is– Is that you..." the young man’s voice was soft, almost breathless in joy and excitement.

Too bad, He Juan would have to disappoint him. He turned the swivel chair and stood up, stepping in front of the window that overlooked the tranquil night scenery outside. "A-Mu..." he let out a soft chuckle, his voice as gentle as a lover’s whisper, but if one heard closer, they would notice that not a hint of warmth could be detected in his tone. Instead, it was bone-chillingly cold, just like the unthawed surface of a frozen lake. "I don’t know what kind of misconception you have of me, but I never bargain with anyone. It seems like you will never understand unless I spell it out for you. The reason I come to you is first, because of your excellent skill and second... because it’s the most convenient. But once things start to get troublesome..."

"W–Wait...!" The young man sounded utterly confused and flustered. He could not figure out why the ever gentle and kind XIU suddenly became cold and aggressive. "XIU, what are—"

"This is my last warning," He Juan cut him off firmly. "Cease whatever fantasy you’re concocting in your mind. If something like this happens again... oh I can assure you, A-Mu. You don’t want me as an enemy." Without giving the young man a chance to reply, he hung up on the call and tossed the phone to the table, ignoring the buzz of the incoming call from A–Mu.

After that, the cold and aggressive XIU vanished right away and was replaced with the bitter and melancholic He Juan. What was the use of taking his anger out on A-Mu? After all, the damage was already done...

Still brooding over his collapsing image in Mu Yuze’s eyes, He Juan listlessly turned off the computer, flicked off the switch, ignored his backpack on the floor – the cleaning auntie would take care of it later – and proceeded to drag his feet to his bedroom next door.

He spent a few short minutes in the bathroom to wipe his body clumsily, pulled on a pair of linen pants then crashed to the bed, sighing. His eyelids fluttered shut as he focused on the movement next door.

Had Mu Yuze fallen asleep yet? He should have... right?

Alas, not even a few minutes later, He Juan’s ears twitched as he heard the unmistakable sound of blanket rustling, followed by a sigh. Mu Yuze was still not asleep yet. Why? Was it because he was still not used to living in this place or...

He Juan resisted the urge to get up and knock on the boy’s door, simply to ask whether there was something he could do to help. No, he had already done enough today. More than that and he would only cause Mu Yuze to drift away from him.

’Give him some time’ he told himself. ’Don’t force yourself into his space and just wait for him to come to you...’

Just like that, He Juan drifted off to sleep accompanied by the lull of little movements next door.