Saving The White Moonlight's Substitute (18)

Ephraim lightly tapped Shen Yizhou's hand and leaned in with a soft whisper.

"Give me a moment, Mister Shen. I need to greet an acquaintance."

Shen Yizhou's eyes flickered with a hint of thoughtfulness.

"Which one?"

He already had some idea. Ling Xiaoyu's past with Wang Jianyuan wasn't exactly a secret in their circle. Even if there hadn't been any sign of lingering feelings since Xiaoyu came to stay at his place, the matter was something that occasionally gnawed at the back of his mind. And now, as Wang Jianyuan walked in, Ling Xiaoyu's words inevitably stirred a faint discomfort in his chest.

"Oh, the pretty one," Ephraim replied cheerfully, lips tugging into a mischievous grin. "You know, the guy who looks kinda like me?"

Shen Yizhou finally let his gaze sweep over, his expression softening with recognition. Of course, how could he forget? That was the boy Xiaoyu had rescued the very next day after arriving in the country.

'What did Xiaoyu call him again?'

'Ah. Right. His future child's godfather.'

A peculiar feeling stirred in Shen Yizhou's heart. Why would Xiaoyu already have someone in mind to name their future child? Did Xiaoyu think he himself was unreliable in that regard? That wouldn't do. That really wouldn't do.

"Alright," Shen Yizhou murmured, voice low, "but don't bother them too much. It's bad manners."

Ephraim shot him a playful wink, flashing a quick peace sign.

"Okie dokie."

And just like that, there he was, standing by Wang Jianyuan and Xu Jinyao's table, a radiant smile lighting up his face.

"Hello, little brother! What a coincidence, don't you think~?" Xiaoyu chirped. His eyes sparkled with mischief as they swept toward the other. "Oh, is this your date? Hello, Mister Date! Such a pleasure, truly. Don't mind me, just came to say hello. Please, enjoy your lunch."

His gaze dropped briefly, a delighted glimmer in his eyes.

"Oh, and I absolutely love, love, loooove your brooch, Mister Date. It's so pretty. Doesn't really match your suit, but it's charming nonetheless."

[Rachel: Ooooh, you little daredevil, you.]

Ephraim bit back the urge to giggle wickedly. After all, the brooch he'd pointed out was none other than the one Xiaoyu had gifted Wang Jianyuan long ago.

Wang Jianyuan wore that brooch everywhere.

Even when it clashed horribly with most of his outfits, he still wore it, without fail.

Ephraim had already planted a few seeds of doubt in Xu Jinyao's heart earlier. Now, it was only natural to sprinkle in a little more kindling to stoke those doubts.

Sure enough, Xu Jinyao's gaze flicked, almost too quickly, toward the brooch, his smile tightening ever so slightly. But he said nothing.

Instead, he turned to Ephraim with a polite smile.

"Jiejie, it's nice to see you again. You… you're here on a date?"

Ephraim's face lit up with a sun-bright smile.

"Mhm! My bae asked me out a few days ago. Oh, look, he even did my nails for today. Pretty, right?"

He caught himself, eyes crinkling in mock apology.

"Ah, sorry, I must be disturbing the two of you. I'll let you enjoy your dinner~"

With a graceful wave and a nod, Ephraim drifted away, though inside, his heart was laced with a faint dissatisfaction.

'Hmph. All Wang Jianyuan did was sit there and stare. How boring.'

[Rachel: Petty much, Sweetie?]

[Ephraim: Don't pry into my mind with your ridiculous mind-prying skills, Miss Intuitive. It makes me very shy when I get mind pried while thinking of stupid stuff. Very vulnerable you know. Like, omg, what does that make us, Rachel~?]

[Rachel: A married woman, and a man in the stages of courting his own man. Anyway, you didn't give a truly satisfying parting shot. Want to give it one last go? Repeat after me~]

A sly glint sparked in Ephraim's eyes.

He turned, glancing back over his shoulder, lips curved into a mischievous smile as he repeated what Rachel started narrating in his head.

"Oh, and little brother... I hope you liked the gifts." His voice was light, almost teasing. "I tried my best to pick things you'd enjoy. I wasn't sure, so I took some liberties based on what you ordered last time. You didn't eat much afterward, but, well, that was your subconscious order, so I figured you must like seafood. I got you a bunch of snacks and such."

His grin widened, the faintest edge of amusement in his voice.

"And since you're in music and all, and judging from a few of the videos you posted online, I added in a couple of CDs by that late producer and singer, Mister Chi. Oh, and a few from Ling Xiaoyu too." His eyes sparkled. "But do tell me next time if none of these are to your taste. I'll do better."

And with that, Ephraim finally turned and sauntered back to his date, leaving behind a table where Wang Jianyuan now sat stiff, hands clenched, frustration simmering just beneath the surface.

'Seafood? Mister Chi? Since when did Xu Jinyao like any of those?'

Wang Jianyuan's thoughts were a whirl of irritation.

'That woman is just going around, acting high and mighty as if she knows everything about Xu Jinyao when she clearly doesn't. I'm almost certain she's doing it on purpose, just to get under my skin. That smirk… tsk. So damn punchable.'

Jaw clenched, he turned toward Xu Jinyao, ready to vent his frustration, only to freeze for a brief moment.

The boy was smiling.

It was a warm, radiant smile, so gentle and pleased that Wang Jianyuan was momentarily stunned. He had hardly ever seen that expression on Xu Jinyao's face.

No… no, that wasn't quite true.

He had seen it once before.

Back then, when he had casually praised Jinyao's music the first time they had met, praise he barely meant, if he was honest. He hadn't cared much about the music itself; he had only wanted to keep the boy close. After all, Xu Jinyao resembled Ling Xiaoyu, his untouchable white moonlight. And since he couldn't have Xiaoyu, he'd thought… why not make do with a substitute?

But after that fleeting moment, he had rarely seen Jinyao this happy again.

'Was I wrong? Did those cheap gifts really make him this happy? Since when did he even like those things?'

Wang Jianyuan gritted his teeth, took in a slow breath, and forced his expression into something calmer, a fragile mask that took no small effort to maintain.

"I'll get you something better," he said, voice low and measured. "Those things… they're worthless. They don't suit you at all. Throw them away."

He leaned back, his gaze cool but coaxing.

"I know how much you like cake. I'll bring you the best ones next time. And that singer… you want music, right? I'll get you someone popular. People your age like the trendy stuff more, don't they?"

At those words, Xu Jinyao's lips parted slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he simply lowered his eyes, the warmth in them fading.

A familiar knot of discomfort twisted in his chest.

Wang Jianyuan had always been like this.

Always assuming, always deciding on his behalf.

And most of the time, those assumptions never quite matched who Jinyao was.

But if he ever dared to correct him, Wang Jianyuan would grow cold, distant, sharp-edged, and that coldness would set Jinyao on edge, clenching his heart in a way he couldn't explain. So, for the longest time, he had chosen to lie, to nod, to smile in quiet agreement.

Because to Xu Jinyao, this was the man who had seen something in him when no one else did.

The man who wanted him when nobody else did.

The man who had reached out a hand when no one even glanced his way.

The man who had started a relationship with someone like him… but had never once told Xu Jinyao whether he liked him or not.

Even though Xu Jinyao had confessed his love over and over, every chance he got, at every second.

And now…

Xu Jinyao felt it.

That creeping discomfort, tightening quietly in his chest.

It was becoming clearer and clearer to his sobered mind.

This person, who, after all this time, still didn't know what he liked, didn't care about his dreams, who kept pushing interests onto him that he barely had, molding him into someone he could barely recognize anymore-

This person didn't see him.

He didn't know him.

All he knew was the puppet he had shaped, a figure molded carefully to suit his tastes, to fill the role he had decided.

Wang Jianyuan didn't like him.

He had never liked him.

And yet, somehow… deep down, Xu Jinyao already knew.

He had some faint idea of why Wang Jianyuan kept him by his side, why he stayed close.

But he denied it.

Because he was a hopeless lover.

Because he wanted, just once more, to give this one last chance…

To put the doubts to rest.

So he smiled softly, lifting his eyes, and spoke in a quiet, almost airy voice.

"… Actually, I don't like cake."

His words were light, but they fell like stones into the still surface between them.

"Miss Ling was right. I like seafood. A lot."

He gave a faint chuckle, a self-deprecating curve of his lips.

"You know, the first thing I did when I finally had a bit of money to spare- after you found me and helped me? I went out and treated myself to a seafood bowl. Just me, all alone, in some random little restaurant I stumbled across. I kept it secret, you know… only went out when you weren't home, when you were away on one of your business trips."

His fingers lightly brushed the table's edge.

"Because I knew you wouldn't like it…"

A pause.

"… But you know, the food wasn't even that good. It was just some new menu item at a shabby little place run by a man who honestly looked half-high. Maybe he was."

He laughed softly, voice tinged with bittersweet warmth.

"But what did it matter…? That night, it was the most fulfilling night of my life."

His eyes softened, gaze drifting somewhere far away.

"I was just… so incredibly happy. To finally, just once, indulge in something I'd craved ever since I was a child."

Xu Jinyao slowly lowered his gaze, away from Wang Jianyuan's increasingly complicated expression. His fingers drifted across the surface of the table, brushing lightly over the edge of the menu they'd been handed when they first sat down.

His fingertips came to rest on the seafood section, tracing the delicate characters almost absently.

"I also don't like the color blue all that much," he murmured softly. "I prefer yellow. My mother used to say I looked prettier in it."

A faint, almost wistful smile touched his lips.

"And… I like all types of music. But if I had to choose, I guess the only modern singer I'm really fond of is Ling Xiaoyu. Other than him, I mostly prefer the older artists… the ones I grew up listening to. There's nostalgia there."

His eyes lowered further, voice turning even quieter.

"I don't like flashy clothes. And I do not have a habit of using social media all that much. Also, I don't like cats. I'm actually a dog person."

A breath.

"And that's just… the beginning."

Slowly, hesitantly, Xu Jinyao lifted his gaze.

Wang Jianyuan's face was still. His eyes were blank, frozen. It was as if he were looking at Xu Jinyao for the first time-

As if the person before him was a stranger.

A soft, painful chuckle slipped from Xu Jinyao's lips.

"And… my name is Xu Jinyao."

He laughed again, a brittle, trembling sound.

"I know you know that. Of course you do… But still, I just- I felt it was necessary to say it. After everything I've just told you."

His fingers curled slightly, resting atop the table.

"So… Mister Wang," he murmured, lifting his eyes, gaze fragile and luminous.

"Do you like me?"

A pause.

"Do you like… Xu Jinyao?"