Zhang Jin’an was so overcome with joy that it wasn't until they had finished reciting all their lines that he remembered Li Qiang and the others. He chuckled and said to Jiang Siyang, "If those three find out we’re together, they’re going to be absolutely floored."
"True. Sister Liu will definitely be surprised," Jiang Siyang couldn't help but laugh just thinking about it.
Zhang Jin’an paused, startled. "She doesn't know I like you?"
Jiang Siyang stopped laughing and asked in confusion, "She doesn't. How would she know?"
Zhang Jin’an was utterly shocked. "How is that possible?"
Then what had he been so worried about all this time?
Thinking back on his previous antics, Zhang Jin’an found it hilarious. He explained to Jiang Siyang, "I thought she’d figured it out. I even spent ages discussing countermeasures with Brother Qiang. Turns out she had no idea."
Now it was Jiang Siyang’s turn to be stunned. He stared at Zhang Jin’an. "Brother Qiang knows about this?"
"He only knew I had an unrequited crush on you. He didn't know you liked me back..." As Zhang Jin’an spoke, he suddenly realized something and trailed off.
He looked at Jiang Siyang, whose expression confirmed they were thinking the exact same thing.
After a few seconds, Jiang Siyang finally spoke. "All three of them thought the others didn't know, so they had to pretend they didn't know either. Which means..."
Zhang Jin’an nodded emphatically. "Which means all that acting was for nothing."
"..."
"..."
After staring at each other for two seconds, they both burst into laughter.
"I would give anything to have been a fly on the wall during their conversations. It must have been hilarious," Zhang Jin’an said, dying of laughter.
He could already picture the scene: three people, each harboring their own secrets, their conversations laced with hidden meanings, none of them realizing they were all hiding the exact same thing.
But thinking about it, it was proof of their good character—that they took the matter so seriously.
Zhang Jin’an shook his head. "They really put themselves through a lot for us."
The smile never left Jiang Siyang’s face. "Sister Liu kept telling me this path is dangerous and that not many people support it. But I feel like, at least for now, I’m very lucky. They’re all good people."
"Yeah," Zhang Jin’an agreed.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door, accompanied by Li Qiang’s booming voice: "I’m coming in!"
Zhang Jin’an checked his watch; it was about time.
"The 'good people' are back," Zhang Jin’an stood up and reached his hand out to Jiang Siyang.
Without needing a word, Jiang Siyang understood his meaning and took his hand.
Jiang Siyang had held this hand several times before, but never had it made his heart feel so tender.
Zhang Jin’an had always believed there was nothing better than receiving a "response" after offering up one's heart, and this was exactly that.
The moment he felt the skin of Jiang Siyang’s palm, the corners of his mouth curled up uncontrollably. He was secretly ecstatic.
The warmth of that palm told him everything—they were truly dating; it wasn't just a dream.
Zhang Jin’an couldn't help but tighten his grip slightly as he opened the door with his other hand.
As the door swung open, Li Qiang was standing at the front, with Liu Wenping and Xie Jie behind him.
The moment Li Qiang saw them, he said, "Are you two done? It looks like things start in a few minutes. Get yourselves ready. Oh, also, we were just discussing—"
As Li Qiang rambled on, Xie Jie was boredly looking around. That was when he noticed something different about Zhang Jin’an and Jiang Siyang. His gaze traveled down to their joined hands and then slowly moved up to Jiang Siyang’s face. Once he was sure Jiang Siyang was looking back at him, he mouthed the words: *"It happened?"*
The other man gave a small nod.
Seeing this response, Xie Jie’s expression instantly shifted from surprise to pure ecstasy. He couldn't wait to nudge Liu Wenping’s arm with his elbow.
Liu Wenping was thinking about a news story they had just discussed. Feeling the nudge, she snapped back to reality and looked at Xie Jie in confusion. She saw him subtly pointing his finger toward a certain spot, so she leaned in and craned her neck to see.
Because Jiang Siyang was standing slightly behind and to the side of Zhang Jin’an, their joined hands were partially obscured by their clothes and weren't easily seen from the front. From the side, however, it was clear as day.
Liu Wenping was naturally shocked. She looked at Jiang Siyang, then at Zhang Jin’an, and finally at Xie Jie, who gave her a knowing nod.
Overjoyed, Liu Wenping immediately put her phone away and winked at Jiang Siyang.
Meanwhile, Li Qiang was still talking business with Zhang Jin’an, completely unaware that in the span of a single minute, the world had shifted beneath his feet.
"...So that’s what the company is thinking," Li Qiang said, letting out a sigh of relief. "I’ve delivered the message. What you decide is up to you."
"Got it, Brother Qiang. Thanks," Zhang Jin’an replied with a smile.
Li Qiang found it bizarre. "...What are you smiling so happily for?" Even if they were just discussing a script, there was no need to be *that* happy.
Before Zhang Jin’an could speak, Xie Jie couldn't hold it in anymore. "Brother Qiang, stop talking! Look at the main point! Look at their hands!"
Following Xie Jie’s lead, Li Qiang looked down, asking confusedly, "What’s wrong with their hands? ...Ah, holy shit!"
Upon seeing the "main point," Li Qiang began to stutter, pointing at Zhang Jin’an and Jiang Siyang. "You... you... you two..."
Zhang Jin’an nearly burst out laughing at Li Qiang’s reaction. Liu Wenping was relatively calm. While Li Qiang was trying to gather his thoughts, she said to them, "Gosh, you should have said something sooner! Brother Qiang already knew. I thought he didn't, so Xie Jie and I were dancing around the subject trying to feel him out."
Zhang Jin’an felt a bit wronged and said with a laugh, "Sister Liu, I didn't know *you* knew either."
Liu Wenping thought about it and realized he was right. "Oh, true. And I didn't know that you knew that he knew."
"Actually, Jin’an-ge always thought you knew that he knew," Jiang Siyang added from the side.
Liu Wenping was puzzled. "How would I know?"
"You—"
"Stop, stop, stop—" Seeing the three of them getting more and more into the conversation, Xie Jie loudly intervened. "Do you hear yourselves? Is this even human speech anymore?"
"You don't understand?" Jiang Siyang asked.
"Who could understand that?" Xie Jie pointed at Li Qiang. "Forget about me, look at Brother Qiang. He’s completely lost."
Everyone turned to look at Li Qiang. He scratched his cheek. "Were you guys... just playing a game of linguistic nesting dolls?"
Zhang Jin’an finally couldn't hold it back. He leaned his head on Jiang Siyang’s shoulder and laughed. "Brother Qiang, your face right now is honestly too funny."
This gesture terrified the three people outside the door. Their teamwork was suddenly impeccable: Xie Jie and Liu Wenping checked the hallway for passersby while Li Qiang shoved Zhang Jin’an and Jiang Siyang back into the room. The door shut with a loud *thud*.
Li Qiang grabbed Zhang Jin’an by the shoulders and said in a low, panicked voice, "Holy crap, you nearly scared me to death! Do you have any idea how many people are out there? And you go and do that?"
Liu Wenping nodded in agreement. "Exactly! The PR hasn't been handled yet. You two need to be careful."
Zhang Jin’an and Jiang Siyang looked at each other.
Feeling somewhat helpless, Zhang Jin’an said to the three nervous wrecks, "Brother Qiang, Sister Liu, you’re being too tense. We’ve always been like this."
Li Qiang paused and thought back. It seemed that was true. He had seen Zhang Jin’an dozing off on Jiang Siyang’s shoulder several times before.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Li Qiang let go. "...Oh, I guess you have."
"Even so, you still need to pay attention," Liu Wenping added. She clearly remembered those instances too, and her voice relaxed considerably.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Zhang Jin’an said.
Since Zhang Jin’an had said so, Liu Wenping naturally had nothing more to say.
"Until the PR press releases are ready, it’s best not to make any noise," Li Qiang said, patting both Zhang Jin’an and Jiang Siyang on the shoulders. "I know it’s hard, especially for you, Jin’an, but you’ll have to endure it for a bit."
Jiang Siyang looked at Zhang Jin’an.
Jiang Siyang was fine with it; he wasn't a high-profile person by nature. He rarely posted on Weibo or WeChat, and his circle of friends was small. He only talked about what he liked when someone asked.
But Zhang Jin’an was different.
Anyone who knew Zhang Jin’an knew how flamboyant he was about the things he loved. Whether it was a game or a manga, he would post on Weibo every day to praise it, wishing he could get everyone else to praise it too.
And now, simply because the public might not accept it, such a person had to hide his feelings. It was bound to be an ordeal.
Zhang Jin’an was silent for a few seconds before he spoke. "I know. I already thought about this when I made my decision. This matter might affect several people. I will wait until everything is properly handled before going public, to minimize the damage."
Zhang Jin’an paused, then continued, "But I hope that when the time comes, I can be the one to announce it before the reporters get to it, rather than being forced out. Because I don't think there is anything wrong with this at all."
Jiang Siyang watched as Zhang Jin’an turned his head and looked deep into his eyes.
"This is as normal as a man loving a woman. It is only because of the public's tendency to follow the crowd—their prejudice, narrow-mindedness, and backward thinking—that 'normal' has been turned into 'abnormal.'"
"I want to tell everyone myself what a wonderful lover I have."
The sunlight streamed in.
Jiang Siyang realized he had never loved a man so much—loved him to the point where just looking into his eyes made him think of a kiss.
***
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
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套娃 | Nesting dolls | Metaphor for a circular or repetitive situation (Matryoshka dolls).
公关 | PR / Public Relations |
通稿 | Press releases / Media drafts | Standardized articles sent to multiple media outlets.
