Second Update

Zhai Residence.

Zhai dad and Zhai mom exchanged a look, glanced at each other, then turned to Huo Cheng across from them.

Huo Cheng looked back at them — awkward but still polite.

"Xingchen, he…"

"Oh, he just walked a friend out. Not back yet. You came a little late — you know that friend too, you were on the show together."

At that, Huo Cheng's mind immediately flashed to Hu Ying and Yan Zhi.

"Really?" he asked with a smile. "It was…"

"Pei Xu," Zhai mom said.

Huo Cheng froze.

Never in a million years would he have guessed Pei Xu. Why was he here — passing through? Or did the Production Team have some secret filming mission?

"Pei Xu?" he asked.

The words had barely left his mouth when he heard the front door open.

Zhai dad stood up. "Xingchen's back."

Zhai Xingchen set down his keys and froze when he spotted an extra pair of leather shoes by the entryway.

He swapped into slippers and went inside — and there was Huo Cheng standing in the living room.

Zhai Xingchen: "…"

Huo Cheng broke into a grin. "Xingchen."

"What are you doing here!" Zhai Xingchen asked, startled.

Huo Cheng laughed. "Nothing to do, came to hang out with you."

Huo Cheng's timing was off — they'd just finished eating. The four of them chatted in the living room for a bit, then Zhai dad asked, "Mr. Huo, have you eaten?"

Huo Cheng said, "Uncle, don't be so polite. Just call me by name."

He smiled wide and open, honest: "I was planning to take Xingchen out, grab a meal. Didn't expect it'd take so long to find the place."

Zhai dad stood right up. "Then I'll go buy a few dishes."

"Uncle Zhai, don't bother. I'll head out with Xingchen in a bit, eat outside." Huo Cheng turned to Zhai Xingchen. "Let's go?"

"We'll eat out," Zhai Xingchen told his dad.

He went to change shoes. "If only you'd come a bit earlier — Pei Xu was just here too."

"Heard."

Huo Cheng said goodbye to Zhai dad and mom and headed out with Zhai Xingchen. Zhai dad and mom rushed to grab the stuff Huo Cheng had brought, telling Xingchen to take it back for him. Huo Cheng saw this and said, "Uncle, Auntie, if you keep this up I won't dare come again."

He looked open and easygoing, and his personality was even more straightforward — totally different from Pei Xu.

Zhai dad laughed. "Next time just come straight over, don't spend so much."

The gifts were way too expensive — all high-end stuff. Anyone who'd seen it would think a new son-in-law had come calling.

First Pei Xu, now Huo Cheng — when had the Zhai Residence ever had such important guests?

The couple watched Zhai Xingchen and Huo Cheng walk off into the distance.

Huo Cheng was even a touch taller than Pei Xu — practically a basketball player — but his build was well-proportioned. Broad shoulders, long legs, a buzz cut. A young man who looked sharp and put-together.

Zhai mom's review: "He looks way thinner and younger than on the video."

He was exactly Zhai dad's straight-guy type: "Kid's really handsome."

And looking at him and Zhai Xingchen walking together, one tall one shorter — couldn't be a better match.

Zhai mom's feelings were complicated.

What to do — she'd noticed every single one of these guests was more handsome than the last!

One by one they all came to visit their house — was this really just friendship?

She could only say these rich folks were easier to get along with than she'd thought. She'd been worried her son would get sidelined among a bunch of rich second-generation kids — the first couple of days she'd even lost sleep over it.

She was worried, but she also knew that getting on TV was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for someone studying dance.

Now she could finally relax. Whatever the reason the guests came, at least it proved Zhai Xingchen got along with them really well.

Making more friends was a good thing too.

Just two days apart, and seeing Zhai Xingchen again made Huo Cheng so happy.

He couldn't hold back the joy — it kept bubbling up. Just one look at Zhai Xingchen and his eyes were full of light.

"What do you want to eat?" Zhai Xingchen asked as they walked.

"You know the area, you're in charge. A bowl of noodles or whatever's fine — I've got stuff to do this afternoon." Huo Cheng said.

Zhai Xingchen said, "Then I won't treat you to a big meal. Noodles okay? There's a lobster noodle place here, super famous, people line up every day."

Huo Cheng nodded. "Sure."

It was a narrow alley, but lots of foot traffic — every so often someone on an e-bike zipped through. Huo Cheng put a hand up to shield Zhai Xingchen, steering him to the inside while he walked on the outside. "Careful."

Zhai Xingchen asked, "Didn't you go abroad? Back already?"

"Finished up, came back. I wanted to grab a meal with everyone, but I don't have their contact info, so I took my chances and came to you." Huo Cheng said. "Pei Xu and the others' homes aren't hard to find, but I didn't think it'd be polite to just show up. You — I feel comfortable with you."

Fair enough — that was the perk of being an ordinary person, he supposed.

Unlike the Zhou Family and the Hu family — those big-shot households, you'd probably need an appointment just to visit. Super-rich families like that, even walking through their door felt like pressure. He got it.

But he noticed Huo Cheng was a little different from before.

They were just eating noodles, but he kept smiling at him.

Zhai Xingchen asked, "Why do you keep looking at me?"

Huo Cheng laughed. "Two days without seeing you, and I actually missed you."

Zhai Xingchen laughed too.

He missed everyone too.

Maybe filming the variety show left such a strong impression — the mark and the emotional impact went way deeper than everyday life, hard to forget.

"You haven't been sleeping well lately, right? Your dark circles are pretty obvious."

Huo Cheng said, "Going back and forth between home and abroad, yeah, haven't slept well. Once I'm back I'll crash properly. You free this afternoon? If not, come help me pick out some clothes — give me a second opinion."

Zhai Xingchen said, "If we go shopping now, won't people recognize us?"

Huo Cheng asked, "Will they?"

"I heard from the Production Team the show's pretty hot right now. I'll grab us some masks in a bit." Zhai Xingchen said.

He'd been cooped up at home for two days and really wanted to get out for some air.

After they ate, they drove over to Huajiang Tower.

Someone of Huo Cheng's status, buying clothes for a show, naturally had to go big-name. Nowhere in South City was more luxurious than Huajiang Trade Tower.

When they walked into the lobby, they suddenly spotted a crowd of young girls swarming around a beauty coming out from inside. Sunglasses on, two bodyguards behind her, both arms loaded with shopping bags.

"Looks like so-and-so." Zhai Xingchen said.

A pretty famous young starlet.

"You run into celebrities here all the time—some shopping, some here for business events." Huo Cheng was used to it. "Let's hit the second floor."

They headed up to the men's section on the second floor.

Huo Cheng was clearly a regular. The second he arrived, someone in uniform came over to greet him. Zhai Xingchen first thought it was staff from some clothing brand, then realized the guy was there specifically for Huo Cheng—basically a personal shopper.

"You've got your own advisor and you still dragged me here." Zhai Xingchen said.

"Your taste is way better." Huo Cheng waved the guy off and took Zhai Xingchen shopping.

He bought a ton—shirts, pants, even ties, socks—had Zhai Xingchen pick out everything.

"I'm a country kid, my taste is garbage." Huo Cheng said. "I saw online people saying I'm the least fashionable, the worst-dressed of the eight guests."

Zhai Xingchen said, "Don't read that stuff, and even if you do, don't take it seriously. Nobody's perfect. How great you are—it's obvious, isn't it?"

Huo Cheng was even happier hearing that. Felt like the whole world could come at him and he wouldn't care.

He peeled off his shirt right in front of Zhai Xingchen, showing off his solid, powerful waist and abs.

A hound's waist, shark-muscle abs—like a swift hunting leopard.

Zhai Xingchen sighed to himself. Haitang's body, Dianjia's soul.

Finally they went to look at down jackets.

Huo Cheng picked a super famous brand—one jacket ran tens of thousands.

Huo Cheng was tall, built well. No matter how puffy the jacket, it looked custom-made on him. He didn't really need advice—everything looked good on him.

"Did you get a down jacket?" Huo Cheng asked.

"I have one."

"What brand?"

Zhai Xingchen named a brand.

"That won't cut it. You don't know how cold North City is—it's like minus thirty, forty right now." Huo Cheng finally let his real purpose slip. "Pick one. I'm buying it for you."

"I don't need one."

"You really don't know how cold it gets there." Huo Cheng waved over two salesgirls. "Pick him out an outfit."

The two salesgirls were eager, immediately launching into their pitch.

Zhai Xingchen said, "I really don't need anything."

He glanced at Huo Cheng. Seeing his embarrassment, Huo Cheng told the salesgirls to step back a bit, then said quietly, "I want to buy you something, just say yes. I brought you here so I could get you something too. Don't be shy about it. It's like when you treated me to a meal—you paid, and I didn't stand on ceremony with you."

"A bowl of noodles costs what, nothing." Zhai Xingchen laughed.

"I'm not trying to play big shot," Huo Cheng said. "You really don't know how cold it is there. This one's warm. Other stuff might not hold up."

"My cold-weather prep is solid." Zhai Xingchen said. "Really."

Huo Cheng tilted his head, studied him for a moment. "You're really getting under my skin."

Zhai Xingchen smiled. "I know what Huo-ge means to me."

"You know nothing." Huo Cheng said.

He actually didn't know if what he was doing was appropriate. But his heart was in the right place. He wanted to be good to Zhai Xingchen.

He wasn't as smooth as Yan Zhi and the others—didn't have the gift of gab. His EQ wasn't that high. He was pretty simple-minded.

He made money, and he wanted to spend it on the people he loved—on his parents, his younger siblings, on anyone who'd ever helped him.

Isn't that what earning money is for? Isn't that what loving someone looks like? When you like someone, you want to give them everything, work your ass off, bring them the best the world has to offer. Whether other men do that or not, Huo Cheng did.

But Zhai Xingchen wouldn't accept, and he completely got it.

He wasn't his boyfriend. They were just regular friends.

Huo Cheng didn't push it any further. He went and bought a Scarf, pants, and sweaters — several of each.

Shopping ate up time. Before they knew it, evening had come. They grabbed dinner together. Time seemed to fly. Just yesterday he'd felt like twenty-four hours would never end.

After dinner, Huo Cheng drove him home.

"Wanna come up for a bit?" Zhai Xingchen asked.

"Nah." Huo Cheng said.

He looked at Zhai Xingchen. "See you in North City, then."

Zhai Xingchen nodded.

Huo Cheng really wanted to go up and hug Zhai Xingchen, but he held back.

His heart was so soft—softer than it'd ever been. Looking at Zhai Xingchen, he almost wanted to cry. Funny or what.

He just liked him so much.

"Go on." he said.

Zhai Xingchen watched Huo Cheng head back, then went upstairs. It was fully dark now, but the hallway lights still hadn't come on. He got home. Zhai Mama stood up from the couch. "Why were you out so long?"

"Went shopping with Huo-ge." Zhai Xingchen said. "Where's Dad?"

"Went out drinking with friends."

Zhai Xingchen had just kicked off his shoes when he heard two knocks at the door.

"Yeah?" he called back, turned and opened the door, and saw a shopping bag sitting right outside.

One look and he knew—it was from the shopping trip with Huo Cheng.

He froze for a second, then in his slippers, grabbed the bag and headed out. He heard someone running down the stairs and chased after them. Outside the building, a car was parked right below, lights on, engine still running. Huo Cheng had just gotten in.

"Huo-ge!" Zhai Xingchen called.

Huo Cheng smiled and waved at him, leaned out and shouted, "I'm off, Zhai Xingchen!"

Three words, clear and strong. He often called him by his full name—there was something to it no one else could match.

The streetlights all flickered on at once, south to north, and the whole world lit up.

Zhai Xingchen stopped in his shuffling slippers, sighed, looked down at the shopping bag. Inside was a white down jacket.

From the barbershop next door, a worn-out speaker played a quiet, deep song:

[Stars bright and dim, bright and dim, watching alone from the cold—you're the brightest one of them all.]