Hate The Bright Moon Chapter 16

Chen Shilü did not want Fu Lei and Chi Huang to be together.

The gay community was only so big, and it was always the same few people coming and going. The situation he encountered couldn’t be called common, but it wasn’t bizarre either. Even though it was commonplace, Chen Shilü still felt awkward. If the two of them got together, Chen Shilü probably wouldn’t be able to interact with Fu Lei calmly until they broke up.

Furthermore, even if they did get together, they would eventually separate, and Fu Lei would definitely be sadder than before.

Chen Shilü felt that Fu Lei’s emotional conviction was somewhat shaky after being repeatedly hit by breakups. At the same time, as he approached middle age, he didn’t have much time left to choose an ideal partner, and various anxieties were erupting. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be so desperate to fall in love, even falling for Chi Huang’s shallow seduction.

This Friday, when Chen Shilü returned home, Chi Huang finally didn’t block his doorway or come looking for him again. Chen Shilü enjoyed a rare peaceful weekend, but his mood wasn’t light or happy because of it.

He was quite annoyed with Chi Huang, not because he lost a bed partner, but because the man completely disregarded the rules, had no boundaries, and not only invaded his daily life but was now messing up his social relationships, adding many unnecessary troubles.

He could rationally understand Fu Lei, but that didn’t mean he didn’t feel emotionally betrayed. Yet, even feeling betrayed, it was hard for him to truly blame Fu Lei. If it were someone else, he might mock Fu Lei for having no taste and being indiscriminate, but since it was Chi Huang, he felt that this whole thing happening seemed almost inevitable.

He spent over half a month digesting the matter, and just as he was gradually finding his original rhythm, he received a call from Fu Lei: “A-Lü, can you come out and have a drink with me?”

Honestly, he didn’t want to observe the romantic progress of those two, nor did he want to be involved in this matter again. But when he heard the tone of Fu Lei’s voice, he couldn’t ignore him.

“What’s wrong?”

“Let’s talk when you get here. I know it’s too much to ask you now, but I don’t know who else to call.”

Chen Shilü found Fu Lei alone and already drunk in a quiet bar.

After half a month, his skin tone was a shade darker, but he didn’t look healthier; instead, he looked more haggard.

Seeing Chen Shilü, he smiled drunkenly and pulled him over: “A-Lü, you came.”

The waiter followed them. Chen Shilü didn’t order alcohol, only a glass of soda water.

Seeing Fu Lei in this state, he could guess what had happened. He didn’t bring it up first, only asking, “Where did you go? How did you get so tanned?”

“Went horseback riding on the grasslands. We’re men, a little darker is fine, it doesn’t matter.” He was laughing as he said it, but the laughter only lasted two sounds before he couldn’t smile anymore. “I went with Chi Huang…”

Half a month ago, Chen Shilü had told Chi Huang about Fu Lei’s feelings. Chi Huang even went to the grasslands with him—was he actually planning to accept Fu Lei’s pursuit? But the man in front of him clearly didn’t have the smug look of a successful suitor.

“…I confessed to him… he rejected me…”

Chen Shilü watched his brows droop as he looked close to tears, sometimes shocked by the delicacy of his friend’s emotions. He held his hand: “Fu Lei… Senior, look at me… Being rejected after confessing is normal. You’ve rejected others too. It’s no big deal.”

“Yes, I know. Actually, I had a premonition from the start that he wouldn’t accept.”

Chen Shilü was speechless: “You really won’t give up until you hit a wall, huh? Now you’ve hit the wall, it’s time to let go.”

“I know, but I’m so sad…”

“You only just met, how sad can you be?”

“Yes, I know I haven’t known him long, but I don’t know what it is, I just feel like I really like him. It’s like I dove in headfirst and can’t get out.”

Chen Shilü thought, you didn’t even figure out what kind of person he was before you dove in. If you don’t suffer this pain, who will? But Fu Lei slurred his words as he poured out his heart, both funny and pitiful. Chen Shilü couldn’t bring himself to say anything sarcastic, only silently clinking his soda glass against Fu Lei’s beer bottle.

“A-Lü, you know what? I feel so ridiculous, so laughable,” he said with a bitter smile. “I asked Chi Huang why he wasn’t even willing to try, and he said he had someone he liked.

“He said the person he likes is you, and he wants to pursue you, but he didn’t know how to start. Seeing that I was close to you, he wanted to get close to me and ask about you.”

Fu Lei raised the half-full bottle of beer in his hand and gulped it down in one breath. He let out a burp, and his eyes turned red.

“Hehehe, I was just humiliating myself, wasn’t I? A-Lü, seriously, the more I think about it, the more I feel like a joke. The more I think about it, the more I feel like I did something awful to you. I’m sorry…”

Fu Lei mumbled, collapsing onto the table. Chen Shilü’s fingers tightened around his glass, his lips pressed into a thin line, his face dark.

“You believe that?”

Fu Lei seemed not to hear, only mumbling continuously: “…He said he loves you very much, that it was love at first sight at the Bar, and he wants to give you happiness…”

Chen Shilü pushed Fu Lei up from the table, interrupting his self-pity. “Chi Huang is talking nonsense. He’s lying to you.”

Fu Lei was dizzy with drink: “Lying to me?”

Chen Shilü grabbed his collar, pulled him toward the center of the table, leaned in himself, and lowered his voice to tell him: “Do you know how Chi Huang and I hooked up? That night at the Bar, he knew I was gay, knew I was secretly filming him, and cornered me in the bathroom to kiss me…”

Fu Lei’s eyes widened.

“…Someone who can do something like that, what kind of good person could he be?” Saying this, Chen Shilü felt deeply ashamed, realizing he wasn’t a good person either. “That’s why I told you to think twice. As for his ridiculous excuses, they are just reasons to reject you. You don’t need to believe a single word.”

Fu Lei hesitated: “But, he cornered you to kiss you, wasn’t that because he liked you?”

“Senior, use your brain. Do you like people with your lower body?”

Fu Lei’s brow furrowed into the character for “river” (川), showing he was trying hard to think with his fuzzy brain.

After a long while, he didn’t reach a conclusion, only having more questions: “But why would he do this and say those things? What benefit does it give him?”

Some people’s actions cannot be explained by logic. To assume the best, Chi Huang is impulsive; to assume the worst, he’s just an asshole who likes to play with people’s feelings.

“None of that matters. What matters is that you stop thinking about it deeply, and don’t be fooled by his face.”

“Chi Huang, keep this Saturday free. We have a short track qualifying race practice scheduled with the Wanyi Racing Team. You have to participate this time,” Jiang Chao said.

Chi Huang placed the barbell on the bench press rack, tilting his head back to ask, “This Saturday? I have something on this weekend.”

“You have jack squat on.” Jiang Chao walked to his head, straddling him so he was directly in Chi Huang’s line of sight, looking ready to sit on him if he disagreed. “The competition is in a month. If you don’t focus on training, are you trying to die?”

“How am I not focusing on training? You train me like a dog every day. Ah, I’m so tired, I can’t do it anymore. I need a rest.” Chi Huang got up from the bench press, shaking his sweat-soaked clothes, and sat down nearby.

Jiang Chao was like a persistent ghost, following him and placing two dumbbells in Chi Huang’s hands: “I haven’t asked you yet, what have you been doing lately? Disappearing every few days, and impossible to find on weekends. Where have you been?”

“Office workers get weekends off. You can’t expect me to train seven days a week.”

“The big race is imminent, how many times do I have to tell you?”

“I promise I’ll get you a top three finish, okay? Just let me go.”

“What if you don’t get top three?”

Chi Huang threw the dumbbells onto the floor: “You’ll kick me out of the team and bring Qin Pingchuan back?”

“…” Enraged, Jiang Chao couldn’t help but smack him on the back of the head, then gritted his teeth, “You must show up for the qualifying race on Saturday, or I will really beat you up.”

“…”

Forget it, arguing with this stubborn old man was exhausting enough.

Chi Huang thought, Fu Lei, the type who relies on Chen Shilü for everything, must have already told Chen Shilü about being rejected, and must have also relayed the words Chi Huang wanted Chen Shilü to hear.

What would Chen Shilü feel upon hearing those words? It shouldn’t be happiness. If Chen Shilü had feelings for him, this would count as a confession delivered through Fu Lei, and Chen Shilü would have definitely sought him out.

Chi Huang guessed he was angry. He couldn’t say exactly why, since Chen Shilü often furrowed his brows and told him to “scram.”

Since he was angry, Chi Huang decided to wait until he cooled down and wouldn’t look for him this Saturday, to avoid catching him at a bad time.

Chi Huang rarely put effort into anything, and he hardly ever wanted anything. But recently, there was one thing: he wanted the key to Chen Shilü’s house, or more accurately, the right to enter his home freely.

He couldn’t quite explain why, but he really liked that apartment—the fish in the tank, the flowers on the balcony, and the books on the shelves. He never kept fish, bought flowers, or read books, but all these things combined made that home so beautiful and interesting. Even though it was so quiet at night that he couldn’t sleep, he would rather lose sleep wandering around among these objects.

Unfortunately, all of this belonged to Chen Shilü, a man who was troublesome and difficult both in and out of bed. Chi Huang’s current plan was to win him over.

Adding Fu Lei as a friend and asking him out also served this purpose. He wanted to see what kind of man Chen Shilü trusted, and he wanted to learn more about him indirectly. After all, Chen Shilü was indifferent to any question he asked, as if he wasn’t interested in anything about him except his body.

Fu Lei developing feelings for him was unexpected, but Chi Huang quickly decided to go with the flow, planning to use this method to provoke Chen Shilü. After all, the prerequisite for making someone develop feelings is to first make their emotions fluctuate.

However, he truly didn’t expect Chen Shilü to simply block him again. It was a case of trying to steal a chicken and losing the rice, and everything had to start over.

“Hey, Old Jiang.” Jiang Chao walked past Chi Huang, who called out to him.

“Spit it out.”

Chi Huang looked at him with a half-smile: “What kind of flower do you like?”

“…” Jiang Chao’s brow furrowed. “Chi Huang, are you crazy!”

The people nearby burst into laughter: “Hahaha, the team leader got asked that question too.”

“Is Chi Huang opening a flower shop recently? Asking everyone what kind of flower they like?”