OSM Chapter 16: “Let’s get to know each other again.”

His solution was very simple.

He just needed someone to act as his married partner.

And at times, help him fend off the media reporters.

He Zhiqiu blinked and asked, “How… do I act as that?”

Li Yuze’s fingers tapped on the teacup, and he said, “Nothing else much.”

“But… you might have to live with me.”

He Zhiqiu had just moved into the company dormitory, but because he had to help Li Yuze with this favor, he moved out again.

Xu Sui asked where he was going to stay. He thought for a moment and said, “A friend’s house.”

Apart from being a friend, he didn’t really know what kind of relationship he had with Li Yuze.

Setting aside their past feelings, perhaps they weren’t even friends anymore.

In the past few days, he had tried multiple times to pick up the phone and explain to Li Yuze why he had broken their appointment, and why, after that, he hadn’t reached out for so many years.

But every time the words were on the tip of his tongue, he swallowed them back.

He didn’t know if Li Yuze still wanted to hear it, nor did he know what the point of bringing it up again would be.

Leaving the dormitory, He Zhiqiu followed the address Li Yuze had sent him, and took a cab to a high-end, private residential area.

The taxi stopped three kilometers away from the community, and the driver said that no external vehicles were allowed in, so he couldn’t go any further.

He Zhiqiu stood up, holding his suitcase, and looked around. He spotted a pick-up point not far away. Most of the people using this service were elderly or children who couldn’t drive. There was a button by a bench, and if someone needed a ride, they could press it, and the property management would arrange for a driver to help.

He Zhiqiu thought for a moment, then decided not to call Li Yuze. He would take the transport himself.

It was already mid-January, and the wind was biting cold.

He Zhiqiu wrapped a beige scarf around his neck, covering his chin, and quietly waited at the pick-up point. At that moment, someone walked toward him. The person had a camera slung around their neck and was holding a box of take-out.

Judging by the person’s attire, they seemed to be a reporter?

The person sized He Zhiqiu up, then greeted him, “Just moved in?”

He Zhiqiu didn’t respond, only nodding politely.

“No wonder I haven’t seen you before.” The reporter, with dark circles under his eyes, yawned and casually sat on the bench, opening the cold, already congealed box lunch.

The green peppers in the box were frozen into shards, and the shredded meat had turned tough. The reporter poked at it a few times before pushing it aside with a sigh.

He Zhiqiu watched him for a few seconds and then cautiously asked, “Are you… working here?”

The reporter, possibly starved for conversation, immediately started talking. “Yep, been here for five years! No idea when it’ll end!”

Five years?

He Zhiqiu thought for a moment and then asked, looking at the camera, “Are you photographing the landscape plants?”

“Huh?” The reporter turned to look at him and chuckled. “I’m not from the plant association. What plants? Besides, it’s winter, the grass has turned yellow.”

“Then…?”

“Taking photos of Li Yuze. You just moved in, right? Didn’t know he lived here?”

As expected.

He Zhiqiu didn’t say that he didn’t know and deliberately avoided the question, adjusting his scarf to cover half his face.

This movement immediately made the reporter alert. Just as he was about to ask something else, he noticed He Zhiqiu’s evasive gaze. He watched him hurriedly drag his suitcase and walk away, gradually increasing his pace until he was running?

The reporter quickly grabbed his camera and snapped a few shots of He Zhiqiu’s back, then thoughtfully picked up his phone.

He Zhiqiu ran for nearly twenty minutes before stopping. At this point, he couldn’t see the reporter anymore. He wasn’t sure if his actions had raised any suspicion, making the reporter think there was something between him and Li Yuze.

But he knew that the reason Li Yuze had him move in was definitely related to the reporters who had been lurking outside for years. After all, living together would give them the opportunity to come and go together. Once a reporter caught a photo of them, it was very likely that they would mistakenly think he was Li Yuze’s married partner.

But this method wouldn’t last long.

If one day a reporter really caught a photo of him and Li Yuze together and suspected that he was Li Yuze’s lover, his past, his background, and the fact that he hadn’t been living in A City for years would definitely be exposed.

Then Li Yuze’s unmarried status would also be revealed, and with his involvement, the consequences of this matter would only become more serious.

He didn’t think it through when he agreed, but now he felt that this plan had too many loopholes. He felt a vague sense of worry as he held the room card and took the elevator up, pressing the doorbell to Li Yuze’s place.

Li Yuze seemed to be standing right at the door. Hearing the sound, he immediately opened it.

He was wearing home clothes, and upon seeing He Zhiqiu, he paused for a moment before asking, “How did you get here?”

The temperature difference between the inside and outside was too great. He Zhiqiu, wrapped in thick winter clothes, stood in the hallway with his face flushed. Having run too fast just now, tiny beads of sweat formed on his forehead, and a faint white vapor rose from the top of his head.

Li Yuze stared at the white mist for a moment, then casually grabbed his suitcase and motioned for him to come in.

“Didn’t I tell you to call me when you arrived?” Li Yuze placed the suitcase beside the sofa and poured him a glass of warm water.

He Zhiqiu hurriedly drank a few sips, calming his breath before saying, “It wasn’t too far. I didn’t want to trouble you.”

Li Yuze fell silent for a second, then nonchalantly nodded and said, “So you didn’t see the shuttle at the community entrance?”

He Zhiqiu said, “I saw it.”

“So you didn’t want to trouble the shuttle either?” The heat above He Zhiqiu’s head had almost disappeared, and since Li Yuze was considerably taller than him, he raised a hand and playfully waved the heat away.

He Zhiqiu didn’t notice and took another sip of water before mentioning the reporter he had encountered earlier.

“I don’t know if he’ll suspect me. It would be great if I could throw him off track.”

Li Yuze chuckled lightly. “I didn’t expect you to be so clever.”

“Not at all.” He Zhiqiu reflexively replied politely, “Since I promised to help you, I should pay more attention to these things.” He furrowed his brow slightly. “But I feel like this method is still a bit problematic. After all, we’re not really a couple. If someone finds out…”

“He Zhiqiu.” Li Yuze suddenly interrupted, as if no longer concerned about these issues. He called out his name and extended a finger to poke at his forehead, smoothing out the crumpled “川” character.

He Zhiqiu immediately went silent, staring at him in a daze.

Li Yuze said, “Did you decide to help me because you feel guilty?”

He Zhiqiu instantly understood the meaning of his words.

This was the first time they had openly addressed the events of ten years ago. He Zhiqiu fell silent for a moment, gripping his water cup tightly.

He really wanted to take this opportunity to apologize and to explain everything to Li Yuze.

But the words swirled in his mouth, and he couldn’t bring himself to say them. His lips trembled in frustration. Before he could say “I’m sorry,” he heard Li Yuze say, “If not, then from today…”

“Let’s get to know each other again.”