Chapter 53: Reaping What You Sow

When Ji Xiao and Song Chu returned home, they encountered a person lying in wait at their doorstep, glaring menacingly.

Song Chu recognized him immediately. It was Zeng Yang.

He instinctively gripped Ji Xiao’s arm, stopped walking, and whispered, “I filled in my home address when I joined the company. I don’t know if he got it from HR…”

Ji Xiao patted his hand reassuringly. “It’s fine.”

Zeng Yang spotted them and charged straight at Song Chu, his face blazing with fury. “Song Chu! You did this, didn’t you! Do you know you’ve destroyed me?”

Ji Xiao stepped forward to shield Song Chu behind him, glaring coldly at Zeng Yang.

Zeng Yang was a mess—a few buttons missing from his shirt, hair disheveled, and a vivid red handprint on his face.

His eyes red, he looked at Song Chu hidden behind Ji Xiao and said bitterly, “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? You’ve ruined my marriage, my family!”

He had escaped. He knew he wouldn’t be free for long. But he was consumed by hatred. He couldn’t accept losing everything so inexplicably.

Aside from Song Chu, he couldn’t think of anyone else who would target him.

Song Chu had no idea what Zeng Yang was ranting about. He had been slandered and fired because of him, and he hadn’t even gone to settle the score. Yet here he was, coming to his doorstep to throw a tantrum?

Zeng Yang caught his expression and his heart skipped a beat. “You sent that video to my fiancée, my parents, and my company, didn’t you?”

“You’re insane!” Song Chu couldn’t help but curse. “I’ve only known you for a month, and we’re not even that close. How would I have a video of you? You slandered me and got me fired—I haven’t even settled that with you, and you have the nerve to come here and blabber on and on!”

“Who else could it be! You’re taking revenge!” Zeng Yang tried to lunge forward and drag him out from behind Ji Xiao, but Ji Xiao kicked him away.

Ji Xiao said with disgust, “Who knows what scum like you have offended? Don’t go slinging mud at A-Chu.”

Black Cat nodded approvingly in his mind. 【Exactly, exactly. This was clearly done by me and the host!】

Ji Xiao: ‘…’

Zeng Yang fell to the ground, clutching his kicked chest, his face ashen.

Song Chu felt a twinge of pity seeing him so pathetic. “What video? What happened to your face? Were you hit?”

Ji Xiao: ‘…’

Zeng Yang: ‘…’

Zeng Yang’s face turned green. He felt Song Chu was mocking him!

But now he was at his wit’s end.

After his fiancée received the video, she not only called off the engagement immediately but also brought people to his home and company, letting everyone around him know what he had done.

His family, friends, and colleagues all knew about his deeds. Now no one was helping him; everyone looked down on him. And his parents were planning to send him for conversion therapy.

He had managed to escape for now, but he would surely be caught and sent back soon…

Zeng Yang felt that his already dark world had lost all light, leaving only despair.

Seeing his expression, Song Chu thought Ji Xiao’s kick might have hurt him badly and reached out to help him, but Ji Xiao stopped him.

“He seems off…”

Ji Xiao pulled him into his arms and said coldly, “If you repay kindness for resentment, what then for kindness? Whatever happens to him, he brought it on himself. You don’t need to pity him.”

The word ‘pity’ struck Zeng Yang’s heart like a hammer.

His lips trembled as if grasping at a lifeline. He begged, “Song Chu, help me. I’m like you—I like men too. We’re the same. My parents want to send me to therapy. Once I go in, my life is over. Please help me…”

Song Chu frowned deeply. “Didn’t you have a fiancée? Weren’t you going to get married?”

Zeng Yang broke down. “What does that matter now! There’s no fiancée anymore! Can you help me? I don’t want to be sent to therapy!”

Ji Xiao held Song Chu’s hand, a sneer on his lips. “You didn’t have the courage to face yourself, deceived your fiancée and everyone around you, so you deserve to bear the consequences. You harmed A-Chu and still expect him to help you? Do you take him for a saint? How shameless can you be?”

“You have to help me, or I’ll—Ah—”

Ji Xiao kicked him over and stepped on his chest. “You reap what you sow. Don’t provoke A-Chu again.”

With that, he withdrew his foot and led Song Chu away.

After returning home.

“Xiao Ge…”

“No, he deserves it,” Song Chu said as he sat close to him, leaning his head on Ji Xiao’s shoulder. “What bothers me is that therapy institution… Clearly, this isn’t a disease for us.”

Ji Xiao.

“Mm…”

Song Chu knew that even if he worried, there was nothing he could do about it.

****

Late at night.

Ji Xiao silently left the bedroom and went to the living room. He sat on the sofa.

Ji Xiao flicked his cigarette ash. 【Do you need me to teach you how?】

Black Cat: 【No need, no need. I understand.】

Such a small matter, a piece of cake!

A click sounded and the light came on.

Ji Xiao turned around and met Song Chu’s eyes as he rubbed them.

Song Chu yawned, shuffled over to Ji Xiao while rubbing his eyes, fell into his arms, wrapped his arms around his neck, and nuzzled him.

Ji Xiao quietly put out his cigarette and hugged him. “Why are you awake?”

Song Chu closed his eyes, leaning against his chest, and whispered, “I woke up and you weren’t there.”

Ji Xiao picked him up. “Come on, let’s go back to sleep.”

“Mm…”

****

The next day, Song Chu followed Ji Xiao to the Zhuoyue Esports Club and officially started work.

Ji Xiao was capable of coaching all the factions, truly deserving of his role as coach.

The one whose style most resembled his was the bespectacled youth Tang Ji, who had first challenged him. He was only nineteen.

He excelled at precisely calculating his and his opponent’s skill cooldowns, as well as the optimal distance and angle for skill release. He was a science student.

To his teammates’ worries about balancing studies and gaming, Tang Ji pushed up his glasses. “No problem. I already self-studied the senior year curriculum and have started on college courses. I just didn’t skip grades. Don’t worry, I can handle both. It’s not hard.”

‘It’s not hard.’ The teammates who had endured the grueling college entrance exams felt a pang of bitterness.

Cen Huan knew they were still in school, so he told them to take it easy. After the semester started, they should go to class as usual; they didn’t need to be at Zhuoyue full-time. They could train whenever they had free time, but they shouldn’t slack on their gaming skills.

Then he considered recruiting a few full-time members.

With a boss like Cen Huan, the entire club had a relaxed atmosphere.

Ji Xiao and Song Chu were often cuddling in the office, only coming out occasionally to arrange team battles and point out specific issues for them to train on.

They were preparing for the next league.

Ji Xiao sat in a hanging chair by the floor-to-ceiling window, casually scrolling through his phone.

The headlines were filled with news of videos leaked from several conversion therapy institutions, where ‘students’ were subjected to inhumane ‘treatments.’ Public outrage erupted, authorities intervened, and the institutions were forced to shut down.

Amid the outcry, some still didn’t agree with this group, but this matter had nothing to do with agreement. Even if they didn’t agree, they didn’t think these people deserved such treatment. Human rights.

After scrolling a few times, Ji Xiao put down his phone.

The videos leaked by Black Cat had been carefully selected and edited, and the targets were well-considered. The institutions’ downfall was inevitable.

The dark phone screen lit up again as soon as he set it down. A ringtone followed. Song Chu’s profile picture was bouncing.

“A-Chu?”

Song Chu’s voice carried a hint of awkward embarrassment. “Xiao Ge, there’s no toilet paper in the bathroom. Can you bring me some?”

Ji Xiao: ‘…Ahem.’

“Don’t laugh!” Song Chu said indignantly. “There was paper this morning! How did these people use it up so fast? Are they eating it?”

“I’ll bring it right over.”

‘Quietly.’ Such an embarrassing thing, better not let anyone know.

“Okay, quietly.” Ji Xiao’s voice was full of affection.

Bathroom.

“A-Chu?”

A hand reached out from under the middle door. “Here.”

Ji Xiao placed the paper in his hand.

After a moment, the flush sounded and the door opened.

Song Chu was about to step out when he heard the clicking of leather shoes on the floor.

Ji Xiao raised an eyebrow. ‘?’

Song Chu pulled him into the stall and closed the door, letting out a breath of relief.

Ji Xiao chuckled, leaning close to his ear. “Aren’t you done? What are you afraid of? No one knows I came to bring you paper.”

“Just think of it as us going to the bathroom together. Isn’t that fine?”

Song Chu’s expression froze. ‘…’ Oh, right.

He had been too anxious, terrified of being caught without toilet paper, so he…

The footsteps had already reached the bathroom entrance. If they went out now… wouldn’t it be even more awkward for the two of them to come out of the same stall?

Song Chu felt suffocated, collapsing limply into Ji Xiao’s arms. ‘…’ I can’t face anyone. How could I be so stupid?

Ji Xiao gently held him, leaning silently against the door.

Cen Huan stepped into the bathroom.

In the entire company, he was the only one who wore leather shoes. Highly recognizable.

Originally, Ji Xiao had planned to wait until Cen Huan entered a stall before leaving with Song Chu, but… he didn’t go into a stall. He was just urinating.

Song Chu buried his face in Ji Xiao’s chest, blushing furiously, afraid to recall what stupid thing he had done.

Someone else came in.

Ahhh—

“Boss, you’re pretty big.” It was Tang Ji’s voice.

Cen Huan shuddered. “You scared me. Are you a kid? Comparing sizes?”

“No, I’m not. After midnight tonight, I’ll be twenty.”

“It’s your birthday today?”

“Mm.”

“Then don’t leave after work. I’ll throw you a birthday party.”

“Thanks, boss.”

Cen Huan noticed he was just standing there and chuckled. “Why are you just standing there? Afraid I’ll make fun of you for being small?”

Tang Ji: ‘…’ He silently took it out.

“Holy shit.”

“Boss, be careful. Don’t catch your zipper.”

“S-S—”

“I told you to be careful. Why are you just staring at me?”

‘…’

Cen Huan suddenly felt he couldn’t laugh anymore. He walked to the sink with a dark face, absentmindedly applying soap, his heart full of shock.

How was this possible? Someone so much younger than him was actually bigger?

Tang Ji quickly came to wash his hands beside him, looking at the person next to him in the mirror with some disbelief. His eyes behind the lenses flickered.

“Does the boss know what the relationship is between the coach and Manager Song?”

“Yeah, I know. They’re a couple.” Cen Huan turned on the faucet, struggling to stay calm. Keep calm. It’s just not as big as his. It’s nothing. Nothing. Damn it!

“So you do know…” Tang Ji rinsed the foam off his hands and asked, “Then what do you think of love between two men?”

“What’s there to think? It’s all the same. But if it’s two men, they can’t really do anything, right?” Cen Huan shook his hands. “Platonic love?”

Tang Ji: ‘…’ Platonic love my ass.

“Boss, you wouldn’t be… pretending not to understand, acting all cute and clueless, would you?”

Cen Huan frowned at him. “What’s wrong with you? Gossiping about the pro player privately is one thing, but now you’re provoking me? Have I been too easygoing with you that you forgot who your boss is?”

“I haven’t forgotten. I know you’re the boss. Boss, do you want to know what the coach and Manager Song usually do?”

“What they do is their business. What’s it to you? If you don’t have anything to do, get back to training.”

“So the boss doesn’t want to know.”

Cen Huan rolled his eyes and was about to leave when Tang Ji grabbed his hand. Annoyed, he said, “Let go. If you keep this up, I’ll fire you.”

He was usually such a quiet person—why was he acting like he’d taken the wrong medicine today?

“Boss, don’t you remember me?”

“? Aren’t you just Tang Ji.”

Tang Ji took off his glasses, revealing his narrow eyes. “Last month, at Feiyu Bar.”

‘…’

Seeing that the sounds of Cen Huan’s muffled protests were coming from outside, Ji Xiao’s eyes darkened. He opened the door and led Song Chu out.

Who knew when the drama outside would end? He didn’t want to stay cooped up inside with Song Chu waiting for them to finish.

Cen Huan, pressed against the sink, reached out a pleading hand. “Mmmmph—”

Tang Ji: ‘…’ He released Cen Huan and put his glasses back on.

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