Hate The Bright Moon Chapter 3

The moment Chen Shilü opened the door, the sensor light in the entryway automatically illuminated, as if welcoming him home.

He changed out of his shoes and coat, turning on the overhead light as he entered each room. Before long, the entire apartment was lit up.

The interior was spacious, bright, clean, and beautiful—a large three-bedroom apartment spanning nearly two hundred square meters, occupied only by him.

Now that he was home, the unpleasantness from the Bar was completely forgotten. His face still hurt a little, but it didn’t dampen his good mood.

After a busy week, Friday nights always made him reluctant to sleep. He ran a hot bath, turned on some music, grabbed whiskey and an ice bucket, and once everything was ready, he slipped into the tub full of colorful foam.

Lying back in the bath, his thoughts drifted as he gazed at the ceiling.

People’s life pursuits differ, and he could certainly understand the needs of a middle-aged man like Fu Lei. But even with strong self-control to manage one’s mind and body, whether one meets the right person is mostly a matter of luck.

Of course, there are mutually compatible couples who stay together for years without growing tired of each other. There is no secret or reliable path to this; it is purely good fortune, a chance encounter.

Chen Shilü would not gamble his life’s happiness on such a low-probability event. He even doubted: are love, a partner, a family, and the kind of “companionship” Fu Lei yearns for truly that important? How did they become the standard for measuring happiness?

If happiness were an objective reality, everyone who achieved these things should be happy, but clearly, that is not the case.

If happiness is a subjective feeling, then there should be no standard of measurement in this world.

Since there is no standard, life’s happiness should be sought internally, because the experience of life itself is ultimately unrelated to others.

Chen Shilü finally climbed out when his mind became hazy from the alcohol and hot water. Seeing that it was already three in the morning, he went to the north-facing room.

This room faced the inner courtyard, making it quiet and shaded, perfect for sleeping in. He slept until noon the next day.

He got up and made a simple meal, and after eating, he started cleaning up the mess left from his bath the night before. After tidying the bathroom, he gave the already clean apartment another quick sweep. Next, he watered and fertilized the plants on the balcony and changed the water and fed the fish in the tank.

By the time he finished, it was evening. He ordered a steak from a nearby restaurant and spent the evening drinking, eating, and watching the sunset from the lounge chair on his balcony.

On Sunday, he woke up early and went to the gym downstairs in the morning. In the afternoon, he went out for urban sketching, taking a camera full of photos.

Organizing these photos naturally kept him busy until late. Afterward, he quickly went to sleep. Before drifting off, he was still pondering Fu Lei’s dilemma. With so many things happening every day, whether on a weekday or a weekend, where was the time to be bored? He truly couldn’t understand it.

Chen Shilü then welcomed the usual weary Monday.

However, all drowsiness vanished the moment he heard the first “Good morning, Director Chen.” It wasn’t that he wasn’t tired; it was that he no longer had time to be tired.

His assistant first brought in his work schedule for the week. The most urgent item was the “Executive Assessment” on Wednesday morning.

The triennial work review meeting would directly influence the resources and investment their team would receive over the next few years. As the Sales Director for the North China Region and the de facto head of the current team, the responsibility to both his superiors and subordinates put considerable pressure on Chen Shilü.

With only two days left for the final round of checks and fixes, everyone was pushed to their limits. Chen Shilü himself was disheveled and ended up sleeping directly at the office.

When he appeared in the office on Wednesday morning, sharp and dressed in a suit, everyone was a little surprised.

“Director Chen, you stayed up late with us yesterday, yet you look so refreshed. Is this what a workaholic is like? The more you stay up, the healthier you get?”

“It must be Director Chen’s better half who helped him with makeup. I dare him to let us look closely at his face.”

Chen Shilü didn’t have time for their banter. “Where are the people from headquarters?”

“The driver said they picked them up and took them straight to the Bvlgari Hotel.”

“We’ll head over there directly too.”

Arriving at the conference room on the second floor of the hotel, the colleagues who had arrived earlier had already set up the computers and projector. Chen Shilü checked everything again to ensure nothing was overlooked, then went downstairs to wait for the arriving board members.

The board took his work seriously, sending four people over. Chen Shilü shook hands and exchanged pleasantries with each of them, led them up to the second floor, and began his work report.

As the main speaker for the day, he wore a custom-made dark gray pinstripe suit that accentuated his tall, lean figure and sharp lines. With a high nose bridge, slightly upturned eyes, and a piercing gaze, he made no attempt to conceal his ambition in front of the executives. His constant smile and calm, unhurried tone conveyed absolute confidence and persuasiveness. Soon, he had control of the meeting’s pace.

The board members were not easily fooled, and their questions were tricky. Chen Shilü was well-prepared and responded to each one until they were satisfied.

The meeting lasted from morning until afternoon, with only a brief break for a simple meal. Maintaining a state of tension and concentration for such a long time is exhausting, yet Chen Shilü showed no signs of fatigue, maintaining sharp thinking and answering every question fluently. The meeting only concluded when the other side finally conceded.

A reception dinner had been prepared, but the board members had other commitments and insisted on leaving.

Chen Shilü did not press them to stay, escorting them downstairs.

Director Kuang, the leader of the group, got into the car but then stepped back out. He shook Chen Shilü’s hand again and pulled him aside. “Of all the people we’ve inspected and assessed this time, Director Chen, you are the one we are most satisfied with.” He clicked his tongue in admiration. “So young, yet your professional ability is so outstanding. You have a boundless future.”

“Director Kuang, you flatter me. These are just my duties.”

“We see your ability and your achievements. Rest assured, the board will absolutely not shortchange you or your team. From now on, just focus on your business. Hand over all the needs you mentioned in the meeting to me.”

“Hearing that from you puts my mind at ease.”

Finally, Director Kuang patted his shoulder firmly and got into the car with a smile.

As the car disappeared from view, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and gathered around. “Director Chen, how did it go? What did Director Kuang say to you in the end?”

“Nothing much. He told us to wait for a raise.”

The subordinates, who had been walking zombies these past few days, instantly revived upon hearing “raise” and began showering Chen Shilü with compliments. “I knew it, only Director Chen could pull this off.”

“Exactly. Following others means working yourself to death and taking the blame. Following Brother Chen means more promotions, raises, and happiness.”

Chen Shilü smiled helplessly. “You even made it rhyme.”

“Director Chen, what about the dinner? Should we cancel it?”

“Don’t cancel it. We’ll eat it ourselves.”

Everyone exchanged glances. Was the reception dinner meant for the board too extravagant for them to enjoy themselves?

“Today’s meeting was a complete success, thanks to all of your efforts. We should celebrate properly.” Although he said this, he asked his assistant to call a dedicated car for him; he was leaving.

“Director Chen, aren’t you going to celebrate with us? You deserve the most credit today.”

Chen Shilü demurred. “I have other things to attend to. Just enjoy the meal.”

“Director Chen, are you going on a date?”

Chen Shilü smiled faintly. “That’s a secret.”

“It must be. Director Chen has a date with a beauty. Alright, alright, we’ll eat by ourselves.”

Chen Shilü got into the car, heading home.

He didn’t have a date. He was simply exhausted from the past two days, especially today, and needed to go home and rest early.

Flattery from colleagues aside, the presence of a superior-subordinate relationship meant others would inevitably feel constrained eating with him. Dining at such a high-end hotel was a rare treat, and he didn’t want them to have to divide their attention to praise him, their boss.

As for his colleagues mistakenly believing he had a girlfriend, this had been going on for several years, and he hadn’t corrected them. This persona saved him a lot of trouble. He didn’t get too close to his colleagues, partly to protect his private life, and partly because, as a manager, he needed to maintain a necessary level of authority.

After arriving home and taking a shower, he lay in bed and finally had time to check his phone.

He had many unread messages. Fu Lei had messaged the most frequently, asking what he was doing and sharing various fitness tips. He scrolled to the bottom, where Fu Lei asked, “Why aren’t you replying?”

“Executives came for an inspection recently. I was too busy to sleep, let alone check my phone.”

Fu Lei replied instantly. “Are you done now?”

“Just finished.”

“Are you free? Should I come over?”

“Not tonight, I’m too tired.”

“Okay, get some rest.” Then he sent a delivery notification. “Oh, I recently had some delicious sea crab, so I bought some for you. Remember to receive the delivery.”

Chen Shilü accepted without formality, thanking him.

Although he had declined Fu Lei’s invitation, now that he was idle, his heart felt a little restless, and he thought of the kiss in the Bar restroom again.

He opened the chat window with Chi Huang. There was nothing there except the photo he had sent, not even the expected “thank you,” which he had said in person that night.

Chi Huang’s username was just a string of dashes, and his profile picture was a motorcycle helmet. Clicking into his Moments revealed a blank page, suggesting either that he disliked sharing his life or that his posts were hidden from Chen Shilü.

Based on Chen Shilü’s experience, after adding him as a friend and with things having progressed so promisingly, Chi Huang should have messaged him quickly.

But clearly, Chi Huang had no intention of spending much effort on him, his “prey.” Or perhaps, once they were out of that setting and the brief impulse faded, he lost interest. It was also possible he had immediately found a new hookup. After all, being so skilled at flirting and having that face, he would never lack partners and was unlikely to become fixated on anyone.

Normally, the matter should have ended there. But Chen Shilü was clearly hooked, dangling from that kiss, unable to let go, and constantly thinking about it.

He was never a reserved, arrogant, or pretentious person. On the contrary, to get what he wanted, he could be more proactive than anyone else—otherwise, he wouldn’t have reached the position of Sales Director.

Being proactive does not mean being cheap. This kind of thing must be done in a way that doesn’t cause offense.

Chen Shilü casually ordered two tickets online for a movie currently showing and sent the pickup code to Chi Huang, adding a note: “I have two movie tickets for tomorrow. I’m busy on weekdays, and I figured you might be the only WeChat friend who has time on a weekday. If you’re interested, go see it with a friend.”

If Chi Huang refused, it would mean he genuinely wasn’t interested, and Chen Shilü’s hooked heart would finally settle, allowing him to move on.

If Chi Huang accepted, went to the trouble of seeing the movie, and used it as an opportunity to chat about the film, then there was a good chance something would happen.

None of this was actually about the movie. Anyone experienced in romance could see the naked desire beneath the false packaging. But the packaging itself was a form of tact and decency, which was necessary for someone like Chen Shilü.

He sent the message and went to sleep. The “bait” had been cast; whether the fish would bite was up to the fish.