Hate The Bright Moon Chapter 17

Chapter 20

After dropping off the drunk Fu Lei, Chen Shilü grew angrier the more he thought about those words on the way home.

Falling in love with him, wanting to understand him better—that bastard Chi Huang was utterly shameless. Chen Shilü was so furious his teeth itched, truly wishing he could beat him up.

Perhaps the scoundrel himself had a premonition, as he didn’t appear near Chen Shilü’s home until the weekend.

Chen Shilü had expected Chi Huang to show up. After all, whatever his purpose was in spouting nonsense to Fu Lei, it certainly wasn’t a prelude to saying goodbye. So, failing to wait for him felt like his coiled punch landed on cotton, hitting nothing, making him even more frustrated.

He even brought his displeasure to work. After assigning tasks to his assistant, the assistant didn’t leave but cautiously asked if he was having trouble, noting that he hadn’t seemed happy lately.

This single sentence seemed to enlighten Chen Shilü. He suddenly felt that the purpose of Chi Huang’s words was precisely to make him restless, agitated, and to provoke him.

Chen Shilü viewed this as a form of “revenge.”

His relationship with Chi Huang was fundamentally confrontational; he had never fully satisfied that arrogant guy, so Chi Huang wanted to make him unhappy through this method.

How boring and childish.

With this thought, Chen Shilü finally calmed down. Why bother getting worked up over such a young brat?

Just as he shifted his attention elsewhere, Chi Huang reappeared.

But this time, he didn’t block the doorway. On Saturday morning, he politely rang the doorbell outside his home.

Chen Shilü opened the door. Chi Huang didn’t try to squeeze inside but stood outside, displaying a level of politeness and cultivation Chen Shilü had never seen before. “I came here today to apologize to you.”

He held a bulging, oxygenated bag containing a deep blue fighting fish. Its colors were vibrant, and its caudal fin was large and complex—a truly beautiful fish.

“Can you forgive me for the Fu Lei incident?”

Chen Shilü crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the doorframe, and asked him, “Why should I forgive you? Did you do anything wrong to me in that incident?”

Chi Huang hadn’t expected this reaction from Chen Shilü. He paused slightly, then explained, “I didn’t anticipate things escalating into such an awkward situation.”

“It was a bit awkward, but normal. Besides, the person who made things awkward was Fu Lei, not you.”

Chen Shilü finished all the arguments Chi Huang had prepared for his defense. Chi Huang couldn’t tell if Chen Shilü was serious or just speaking out of anger, but things had genuinely become tricky now.

Chi Huang swallowed. “I explained things clearly to Fu Lei and agreed not to interact with him again. The reason I didn’t reject him the day you told me was because I was worried that saying you told me would affect your relationship with Fu Lei. I know you two have known each other for many years.”

“You don’t need to worry about that. Fu Lei and I wouldn’t break up over something so trivial.”

“…”

Chi Huang felt a rare sense of anxiety, realizing Chen Shilü was more difficult to handle than he had imagined.

Seeing him speechless, Chen Shilü offered comfort. “You did nothing wrong in this matter. If anyone needs to apologize, it’s Fu Lei for being desperate and acting improperly. I’ve already spoken to him.”

They were words of comfort, but Chi Huang found them grating, unsure if Chen Shilü was insulting him.

“So, are we okay?”

“We’re fine.”

“Since we’re fine, when will you add me back?”

“No need.”

“…Then we’re not fine after all.” This man was truly skilled at playing the innocent. Chi Huang almost believed him, forcing a wry smile. “Whatever is bothering you, I can explain.”

There was absolutely no way Chen Shilü would ask Chi Huang to explain the nonsense he told Fu Lei. Asking for an explanation would imply he took it seriously. Chen Shilü hadn’t taken it seriously, which was why he was so angry; he hated attempts to manipulate his emotions.

“You’re confusing things, Chi Huang. You and Fu Lei, and you and me, are two separate matters,” he said coldly. “Whatever happens between you and Fu Lei is none of my business. As for you and me, let’s end this relationship here. Stop coming around.”

Chi Huang pursed his lips, looking somewhat hurt.

After a moment, he quietly asked, “Last time you deleted me, it was because Fu Lei was pursuing me, so I didn’t come looking for you until I handled that relationship. Why now?”

Chen Shilü frowned. He wasn’t going to be subtle. “Because you are troublesome. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, you complicate the relationships around me, and I am unwilling to waste energy and time on this kind of petty nonsense, understand?”

He stared at Chi Huang, his expression resolute, unwilling to yield to his shameless persistence and unreasonable behavior.

To his surprise, Chi Huang was silent for a moment, then lowered his eyes and nodded. “I understand.”

He handed the blue fish in his hand to Chen Shilü. “This is for you.”

Chen Shilü only stared at him, showing no intention of accepting it.

“I checked, this is a female fish. They won’t fight.” Seeing that Chen Shilü still didn’t reach out, Chi Huang sounded slightly deflated, his tone turning pleading. “There’s only one fish in that tank, and I thought it looked a little lonely… If you don’t want it, I won’t keep fish either.”

“Give it to someone else,” Chen Shilü said, feeling he had said everything necessary. He retreated inside and closed the door.

The doorbell didn’t ring again.

When Chen Shilü left in the afternoon, Chi Huang was long gone, but the bulging, oxygenated bag was sitting by the door.

He casually took the bag to the floor’s garbage room and placed it on the lid of the trash can, signaling that it was unwanted. Any item that was still useful but unwanted would be picked up by the cleaning staff.

That evening, when he took the kitchen waste to the garbage room after dinner, he found the oxygenated bag had been moved from the trash lid to a shelf nearby, placed high up. It hadn’t been treated as trash, nor had it been taken as a useful item. The cleaner must have thought that its useless beauty might be needed by someone.

Chen Shilü looked at the beautiful fish swimming back and forth in the cramped plastic bag. What did it know? What wrong had it done? After countless selective breedings, it possessed ornate but cumbersome fins, destined only to reside in the glass containers prepared for them by humans.

He carried the bag back home.

After a few days of quarantine, ensuring there were no issues, he combined the two fish into one tank.

One pure white, one deep blue, they swam in the bare tank like elegant dancers in full attire attending a ball, transforming the fish tank into a magnificent ballroom.

The new blue fish showed no signs of adjustment issues, displaying boundless vitality when feeding and swimming. Conversely, the “original resident” seemed unable to adapt, appearing dull and sluggish regarding the occupation of its territory and the snatching of its food.

Due to the new addition, Chen Shilü had to pay extra attention to the tank during this period, often staring blankly, pondering Chi Huang’s reason for giving him the fish.

Thinking deeply, he again felt he was overthinking things. That kid always acted on impulse; he didn’t need a reason for anything he did.

Even so, every time he saw this fish, he couldn’t help but think of Chi Huang.

He recalled Chi Huang lying on his back, smelling the skin of his neck and shoulder, saying he smelled like healthy food; he recalled him describing himself as a beautiful and fierce fish… Who would describe themselves like that? It was ridiculous.

Chen Shilü heard his own laughter, and the smile froze on his face.

But he quickly found an explanation for this unusual behavior. He had spent this time only worrying and getting angry about the Fu Lei incident. The last time he had slept with someone was with Chi Huang, but that was almost a month ago.

It would be abnormal for a man not to be acting strangely after a month without release, having not even managed self-gratification.

Since he would no longer interact with Chi Huang, it was time to reconnect with the “old friends” he had recently rejected.

Fu Lei had been acting strangely in all aspects recently, so Chen Shilü immediately crossed him off the list. After this incident, Chen Shilü felt it would be difficult to sleep with Fu Lei again; from now on, they would likely only maintain a pure friendship.

As for Bai Shengguang, although the poaching matter had been clarified, Chen Shilü was annoyed by the whole affair, which lowered his favorable impression of the man by several degrees. He didn’t want to contact Bai Shengguang until he had completely given up hope.

Chen Shilü opened his Moments. His friends’ lives were still vibrant and colorful.

He scrolled through his contact list, from beginning to end, but didn’t send a single greeting. He suddenly lost interest in all of them. Even the prize catch he had spent some effort sleeping with now offered no motivation to contact.

It felt like eating gourmet meals for a while had spoiled his palate, making him lose interest in everyday fare. Chen Shilü tossed his phone aside, thinking, it truly is difficult for people to go from luxury back to frugality.

He returned to his room, pulled open his wardrobe, and slid out a drawer full of neatly arranged toys from the bottom. He looked from left to right, estimating Chi Huang’s size, and took the thickest one to the bathroom.

Of course, it couldn’t compare to the real thing, but this was the only way to transition and adjust his tastes for a while.

Before appreciating the dishes of a high-end restaurant, one must first learn to cook and feed oneself. Similarly, before seeking fulfillment from others in complex emotional and physical relationships, one must first learn to please oneself.

Chen Shilü considered this his philosophy for maintaining a clear mind.

So, when Chi Huang appeared at his workplace, Chen Shilü realized that all his life philosophies had been thrown to the dogs.

After all, principles are meant for people; an untamed wild dog won’t listen to reason.