Unmatched Chapter 37
byChapter 37 Secret Crush
Xie Qi is one year younger than Zhao Shuyi and is turning twenty-six this year.
Logically, he is not young; he is approaching thirty. But while Zhao Shuyi strives for a mature and steady image, Xie Qi dresses as flamboyantly as possible and never takes anything seriously when he is not working. Even his excited anticipation for birthday gifts makes him seem like a child.
Although he was looking forward to it, Xie Qi didn’t explicitly say what he wanted, only replying, “I want a surprise,” leaving Zhao Shuyi to guess.
Zhao Shuyi didn’t find it hard to guess. The word “surprise” brought back memories of his own birthday. At the time, Xie Qi had said he was preparing a surprise for him, which Zhao Shuyi assumed was a proposal. Unfortunately, an accident occurred that day, and the mystery was never revealed.
Later, Xie Qi never brought it up again, and Zhao Shuyi thought it had been dropped. It turned out Xie Qi was waiting for him here.
So, Xie Qi meant for him to propose?
Zhao Shuyi considered it for two days. Since it was just going through the motions, he could certainly agree, but he also felt Xie Qi’s insistence on this pointless sense of ritual was unnecessary.
While he was considering, Xie Qi had already gotten busy on his own.
The birthday was on December 18th, and the closer the date got, the busier Xie Qi became. As in previous years, he was throwing a grand birthday party.
Fengjing City was too cold, so the party location was chosen to be Yunhai City, a tropical island.
All guests were invited to stay at the five-star hotel under the Ringzhou Group. The venue was the hotel’s pool garden, where a temporary stage was also set up for performances by Xie Qi’s friends in the entertainment industry.
Xie Qi was extremely enthusiastic about preparing for his birthday. His phone calls became increasingly frequent every day. He was either chatting with friends or communicating with staff about various procedures and the details of the venue setup.
Zhao Shuyi had no interest in these trivial matters, but Xie Qi insisted on clinging to him even while on the phone, forcing him to listen in.
Zhao Shuyi let it go in one ear and out the other, treating it all as background noise. But sometimes he would listen seriously and offer a suggestion or two.
Once, he couldn’t help but ask, “Why do you love celebrating your birthday so much?”
Xie Qi replied, “It makes me happy.”
“…”
Logically, it made sense; “celebrating” is indeed a happy occasion. But Xie Qi held such a massive event every year. Didn’t he find it troublesome? He even had to deliberate over the guest list for a long time, which was mentally exhausting.
If he remembered correctly, Xie Qi’s habit of throwing such large parties only started in college. That is to say, his first big birthday party was held abroad.
Zhao Shuyi asked casually, without intending to criticize. Xie Qi could celebrate however he wanted; he wouldn’t interfere. But Xie Qi looked at him strangely for a long time and suddenly said, “Actually, it’s a form of compensation.”
“Compensation for what?”
“I invite so many people to celebrate for me because the person I most want to invite is unwilling to come.”
“…”
Xie Qi’s eyes were bright: “What do you suggest I do? I can only invite more people, listen to more blessings, and try to gain more attention… to barely fill the void in my heart. I did this every year, and then I got used to it. If I don’t do it now, I feel like something is missing.”
Zhao Shuyi’s casual demeanor slightly retracted: “The ‘person you most want to invite’? Who?”
“Who do you think?” Xie Qi pretended to be serious and leaned in to kiss his face.
“How should I know?” Zhao Shuyi thought back. He didn’t recall Xie Qi ever being close to anyone in particular. To be precise, too many people were close to the social butterfly Xie Qi—probably ten thousand of them.
Xie Qi didn’t answer, only focusing on kissing him. Zhao Shuyi let him, maintaining an indifferent expression.
Zhao Shuyi didn’t ask a second time, acting as if he genuinely didn’t care—at least not enough to change his expression. He wouldn’t pry or get jealous.
Seeing this, Xie Qi sighed softly, pulled away from him, and went back to his phone call.
This was just a small interlude that no one dwelled on.
Lately, besides Xie Qi’s birthday gift, another matter was weighing on Zhao Shuyi’s mind.
Zhao Huaicheng had previously said he would personally come clean to Qin Zhi, but there had been no follow-up. Everything seemed normal on Qin Zhi’s end.
Although Zhao Shuyi didn’t want to pay attention, he couldn’t completely dismiss it.
Qin Zhi held a position in the company, managing the logistics department. The work was very light, essentially a sinecure. She only held the title of “General Manager Qin,” and it didn’t matter if she didn’t show up for work.
In fact, given her status, she could easily be a wealthy woman of leisure, chatting with the wives in her circle, drinking afternoon tea, and showing off luxury goods every day.
But Qin Zhi disliked socializing. The place she visited most often was the Buddhist temple, and her close friends were all fellow Buddhists.
Aside from occasional encounters at the company, Zhao Shuyi hadn’t seen her in a long time, nor had they communicated. Their relationship was as cold as strangers.
However, influenced by the Bai Fangchun incident, Zhao Shuyi recently dreamed of Qin Zhi again.
It wasn’t a nightmare, surprisingly, but memories of him cuddling in her arms when he was young.
The memories were ancient and distorted, as if everything was fabricated, a confused fantasy of Zhao Shuyi’s. He felt a sense of loss upon waking.
But he was someone who didn’t show emotion. The more he cared, the colder he pretended to be. He didn’t mention a single word, and Xie Qi, assuming he truly didn’t care about Qin Zhi anymore, didn’t bring it up either.
They focused entirely on preparing for the birthday. Because there were so many guests, many arrived early, and Xie Qi flew to Yunhai City two days ahead of time to entertain his friends.
Zhao Shuyi had company business and couldn’t leave, so he only departed on the 18th itself.
Zhao Shuyi traveled with Wang Deyang.
Since the last birthday indirectly caused a fight between Zhao Shuyi and Xie Qi, Wang Deyang felt a bit awkward and said to him, “Thank goodness you two made up, or I wouldn’t have the nerve to come today.”
“It’s fine,” Zhao Shuyi said mischievously. “With this many people here today, Xie Qi might not even notice you.”
Wang Deyang: “…”
That was also true. Xie Qi had too many guests, most of whom Zhao Shuyi didn’t know. Consequently, he was unenthusiastic. After landing, he didn’t even want to show his face, knowing without guessing that Xie Qi must be socializing in the crowd, and he didn’t want to join.
Zhao Shuyi intended to hide, but he didn’t expect Xie Qi to harass him even while busy, sending a message asking, “Did you arrive at the hotel?”
Zhao Shuyi had already arrived but deliberately lied: “Not yet. You go ahead and stay busy.”
Xie Qi was puzzled: “Wasn’t your flight at one o’clock? Was it delayed?”
Zhao Shuyi didn’t reply.
Xie Qi asked, “Where are you now? Haven’t boarded yet?”
He asked again: “About what time will you arrive? I’ll come pick you up.”
Zhao Shuyi still didn’t reply.
Xie Qi already understood his style, knowing he liked to deliberately keep him hanging. But since it was his birthday, he couldn’t help but feel a little down and called directly: “Zhao Shuyi.”
At that moment, Zhao Shuyi had just arrived at the hotel. He was checking in at the front desk with Wang Deyang, got his room card, and stepped into the elevator. He answered, “I’m here.”
Xie Qi sounded very resentful: “Where?”
“Hotel lobby.”
“…” Xie Qi felt a pang in his heart. “Then why did you lie to me? I thought you weren’t coming…”
“Just teasing you,” Zhao Shuyi said. “Aren’t you very busy? You can’t leave, and I don’t want to go over there either. Why don’t you let me stay alone for a while?”
“Alright,” Xie Qi had the voices of others in the background of his call, yet he was calling him in public. “Then you rest first. I’ll come find you later.”
“Mhm.”
Zhao Shuyi hung up and turned to find Wang Deyang looking at him with a gossipy expression.
“Just say what you want to say.”
“Nothing, I just think you two sound so clingy…”
“Are you talking about Xie Qi? He is quite clingy.”
Zhao Shuyi was expressionless. Wang Deyang lowered his voice and asked, “Are you starting to like him a little?”
“…” Zhao Shuyi paused, then smiled helplessly. “Why do you always ask such questions? Aren’t you bored?”
The rooms had been arranged in advance, and they were not on the same floor. Zhao Shuyi exited the elevator first, waving to Wang Deyang without looking back: “I’m going to take a nap first. See you tonight.”
“OK, see you tonight.”
Today’s birthday celebration was divided into two main parts: the formal dinner banquet in the evening, and the garden party following the banquet.
The banquet was a social occasion, including Xie Qi’s own friends as well as the Xie Family’s business partners, so the atmosphere was relatively formal.
The garden party in the second half was for friends to relax and play around without restraint.
Zhao Shuyi wanted to sleep, but he couldn’t.
December in Yunhai City felt like summer. His room’s balcony faced the garden downstairs. It was a massive tropical garden, with a clear blue pool clustered in the center. The nearby stage had been set up, and staff were testing the sound system.
Zhao Shuyi tossed and turned for a long time. Feeling truly bored, he decided to go down to the garden and soak up some sun.
The hotel was closed to the public today; all guests were invited to celebrate Xie Qi’s birthday.
The weather was nice, and there were many people strolling and taking photos in the garden. As Zhao Shuyi passed by, several familiar men and women greeted him proactively. He returned a polite smile, though he hadn’t recognized any of them.
Perhaps he had seen them on TV? It was surprising that they recognized him.
The gift for Xie Qi was ready: a wedding ring.
Zhao Shuyi didn’t mind being the one to propose. The difficulty and focus of a proposal lay in the “asking,” but they didn’t need the “asking.” It was enough to satisfy Xie Qi’s wish and give him a romantic experience.
Zhao Shuyi stood near a coconut tree, basking in the warm sea breeze. The sleepiness he couldn’t muster earlier suddenly washed over him, making it hard to keep his eyes open.
He was about to go back to sleep. Just as he turned around, he unexpectedly saw a familiar face.
To be precise, a special person whose identity was familiar but whom he had only met a few times: Xie Qi’s stepmother, Li Yin.
The wealthy lady was well-maintained. There wasn’t a single wrinkle on her face; her features were delicate and beautiful. She wore a sea-blue dress, her hair pinned up, and she smiled politely at him: “Shuyi? Long time no see, what a coincidence.”
She seemed surprised to run into him as well.
Zhao Shuyi’s expression didn’t change as he called out, “Auntie.”
Li Yin was also here to celebrate Xie Qi’s birthday, but he didn’t know why she was wandering around alone at the moment.
She had the same question for Zhao Shuyi: “Why are you here alone? Isn’t Xiao Qi with you?”
“He’s busy,” Zhao Shuyi said.
“Ah, that child,” Li Yin made a surprised expression. “No matter how busy he is, he shouldn’t neglect you. Honestly, he’s married and still hasn’t settled down…”
Her tone was intimate, as if she had a very good relationship with Xie Qi.
Zhao Shuyi understood the internal dynamics of the Xie Family and knew that Xie Qi intensely disliked his stepmother, but she was an elder, and he had to show respect.
He remained silent, pretending not to notice her passive-aggressiveness.
Li Yin, in turn, comforted him, continuing her previous thought: “Don’t worry too much. Xiao Qi only seems playful on the surface, but his character is very good, and he is very devoted.”
“Is that so?” Zhao Shuyi responded perfunctorily.
“It is,” Li Yin said. “He had a secret crush on someone for many years and made himself quite miserable over it. Even his father couldn’t stand it, which is why—”
She paused and glanced at Zhao Shuyi’s expression. “Oh, you didn’t know about this?”