Mistaken Canary Chapter 30 (Part 1)
Chapter 30.1
At the dining table, the atmosphere was quite... peculiar.
Zhen Mingxin and Meng Gong sat on one side, their faces flushed a deeper red than the tomatoes on their plates.
Across from them, Ying Tongchen sat with his arms crossed, observing them intently.
“Tongchen, let us explain.” Meng Gong started, then hesitated, unsure how to justify that unexpected kiss to his good xiōngdì. If he were honest, it was all thanks to Ying Tongchen’s casual joke earlier. That one remark had suddenly shifted their perspectives, as if they’d stumbled upon a new reality. “Actually, we—”
“Liu Li'ang is a celebrity too. Have you ever interacted with him?” Ying Tongchen asked, turning to Zhen Mingxin.
Zhen Mingxin shook his head, then leaned closer to Meng Gong and whispered, “Why do I feel like something’s wrong with Ying ge? Did we somehow trigger him?”
Meng Gong patted his back reassuringly—though it landed with such force that Zhen Mingxin nearly face-planted onto the table.
Meng Gong said, “Tongchen, let’s talk this through, okay? Xiao Xin Xin and I didn’t mean to betray you. We both know there’s no future for you and me… You don’t like Xiao Xin Xin, so why not just let us get together? I think he’s actually pretty good, and I kind of want to give it a shot.”
Ying Tongchen stared straight at Zhen Mingxin. “Haven’t you spent some time in the entertainment industry? You’ve never heard anything about Liu Li'ang at all?”
Zhen Mingxin froze for a long moment, his eyes slowly turning red. Then, he turned and grabbed Meng Gong’s hands tightly. “Meng Meng, what did you just say? Can you say it again?”
Meng Gong: “I said, ‘I think you’re pretty good’.”
Ying Tongchen: “Oi…”
Zhen Mingxin’s eyes welled up with tears. “I think you’re pretty good too. Really great. Absolutely amazing.”
“Then… should we—” Meng Gong deliberately dragged out his words.
Zhen Mingxin immediately followed, “Then we should—”
Ying Tongchen: “Oi, you two…”
“Get together?” Meng Gong asked cautiously.
Zhen Mingxin nodded like a bobblehead. “Yes, yes!”
A bright smile spread across Meng Gong’s face. “So…can I kiss you now?”
"Of course, you can! Mmph—" Zhen Mingxin puckered his lips and leaned in toward him.
Just as their lips were about to connect, they were abruptly interrupted.
Slam!
The loud sound echoed as someone slammed the table.
Zhen Mingxin jolted in shock, and Meng Gong quickly pulled him into his arms, murmuring reassurances. "Don't be scared, don't be scared. Tongchen's just jealous. He’s a lonely single dog with no one to love him, so he has to bully us for attention."
Zhen Mingxin: "Mhm, mhm."
Ying Tongchen: "..."
Without a word, Ying Tongchen reached under the coffee table and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He lit one, his gaze lowered slightly as he exhaled a thin stream of smoke—looking so effortlessly handsome that Zhen Mingxin almost felt like cheating.
"I'm still sitting right here. If you two want to do something, save it for when you get home," Ying Tongchen said.
Meng Gong: "But this is my home."
Ying Tongchen shot him a look, and Meng Gong immediately shut up.
Zhen Mingxin blinked a few times, then his priorities snapped into focus: getting this statue of singleness out of here.
And to do that, he needed to answer his question.
Zhen Mingxin asked, "Ying ge, are you talking about the top-tier celebrity Liu Li'ang?"
"Mhm." Ying Tongchen flicked the ash off his cigarette. "That’s him."
"Why the sudden interest?" Zhen Mingxin asked curiously.
Ying Tongchen lowered his gaze, a thoughtful expression on his face. "A few of my students are fans of his, so I wanted to see if he’s actually worth their support."
Meng Gong sighed. "Man, you really take your job seriously. You’re even doing background checks now?"
Ying Tongchen shot him a sidelong glance, and Meng Gong immediately mimed zipping his lips shut.
Zhen Mingxin pondered for a moment. "Give me ten minutes."
With that, he pulled out his phone and called his manager to inquire about Liu Li'ang.
Ten minutes later, Zhen Mingxin hung up, looked at Ying Tongchen with a solemn nod, and said, "Yeah, he likes men. To be precise, he's bi. After getting into the industry, he broke up with his girlfriend and quickly latched onto a bankroller. He debuted through a talent show, and his career has been smooth sailing ever since."
"Bankroller?" Ying Tongchen's eyelid twitched. "Who?"
Zhen Mingxin asked, "Are you asking about his first bankroller?"
Ying Tongchen: "..."
Meng Gong was shocked. "He had multiple bankrollers?"
"Of course. People always aim higher. The further up you climb, the better the bankroller. Why settle for old resources when you can get something better?" Zhen Mingxin sighed. "This is exactly why I never made it big."
Meng Gong looked at him with genuine sympathy. "Xiao Xin Xin, don’t worry. I’ll treat you well!"
Zhen Mingxin whimpered, burying his face in Meng Gong’s arms and weakly pounding his chest with his fists. "Boo hoo, you better keep your word!"
Ying Tongchen rubbed his temples, already weary of this nonsense. "Forget it. I’m heading home. You two carry on."
"Take care, I won’t see you out," Meng Gong said cheerfully.
Ying Tongchen walked to the stairwell, stubbed out his cigarette, and tossed it in the trash. As he entered the elevator and looked up, he caught sight of himself in the mirror and froze for a moment.
The person staring back didn’t have a pleasant look—his expression was dark, his gaze heavy, almost brooding. For a fleeting moment, he was reminded of that person from years ago, the one who always sat in the corner of the classroom.
Just then, his phone vibrated a few times. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen—a message from Zhuo Shu.
[Zhuo Shu]: This is all your fault.
[Ying]: ?
[Zhuo Shu]: You bit my neck last night. My dad, mom, and younger sister all saw it. I’m currently undergoing a full-on family interrogation.
The elevator doors slid open. Ying Tongchen stepped out, and as he looked up, he caught another inadvertent glimpse of himself in the mirror. This time, a slight smile played on his lips. His face looked relaxed, the gloom from before was completely gone.
He lowered his head and typed: {Hotel. You coming?}
[Zhuo Shu]: Right now? Are you doing this on purpose?!
[Ying]: You coming or not?
[Zhuo Shu]: I’ll get away as soon as I can. Wait for me.
The curve of Ying Tongchen’s lips deepened. He had just reached his car when something crossed his mind, making him turn around and head back to Meng Gong’s place.
He knocked on the door. No one answered.
Without hesitation, he lifted the flower pot, grabbed the spare key, and let himself in—only to interrupt the two lovebirds mid-makeout on the couch.
"Meng Gong."
Meng Gong nearly wilted, whipping his head around. "What now?"
Ying Tongchen asked, his tone ambiguous, "The ‘goods’ you mentioned last time—where is it?"
Meng Gong paused, then realization dawned on him. A sly grin spread across his face. "Ah, in the bedroom."
"You two carry on. I’ll get it myself." Ying Tongchen strolled into the bedroom and opened this treasure box. Meng Gong had proudly shown it to him before, though none of these had actually been in play.
Grabbing what he needed, he walked out of Meng Gong’s place completely unfazed.
Zhen Mingxin still felt uneasy. "Do you think he’ll come back again?"
"No way." Meng Gong smirked wickedly. "If he took that and still comes back, then he’s really not a man."
Zhen Mingxin: "So... what exactly did he take?"