Mistaken Canary Chapter 34 (Part 1)
Chapter 34.1
Zhen Mingxin hesitated, his voice nervous. "Ying ge, why are you suddenly asking about this?"
"Did you lie to me and Meng Gong?" Ying Tongchen's voice was firm.
There was a brief silence on the other end, apart from the sound of Zhen Mingxin’s rapid, nervous breathing which still travelled through the phone. The answer was already obvious.
Ying Tongchen stared blankly at his reflection in the mirror. The faucet continued to run loudly, as he recollected his recent moments with Zhuo Shu.
The most frequent phrases Zhuo Shu would say to him such as "Audacious", "Unbridled", and "Don’t forget your place".
During those times, he felt there was a disconnect between them—Zhuo Shu’s occasional arrogant attitude, his nouveau riche behavior when swiping cards to pay, and various other flamboyant actions—these now had a reasonable explanation.
He was accustomed to viewing Zhuo Shu as a drama queen, as someone moronic, so he never stopped to question the deeper meaning behind it all.
But if his words had been directed at someone else—someone like Liu Li’ang, or Zhen Mingxin, or any other person who thrived in the entertainment industry—would it have been seen as normal?
No wonder, from time to time, Zhuo Shu mocked him for being a salted fish without ambition. It turned out this was the reason.
Ying Tongchen’s eyes slowly filled with embers of emotion as he asked, "Has he ever supported someone else before?"
"Huh? I don’t think so." Zhen Mingxin walked away from Meng Gong to create some privacy, before replying in a quiet voice, "My former manager said it was the first time he'd sought someone out. And that she had managed to take advantage while Zhuo Shu was drunk and tricked him. I, too, was tricked into it, and it wasn’t until the last moment that my manager revealed that he was a bankroller wanting to support me…"
Ying Tongchen’s expression softened slightly, but his tone remained unchanged. "Why didn’t you tell the truth back then?"
Zhen Mingxin, with a shamed quiver on his lips, bowed repeatedly to the air. "I’m sorry, Ying ge, I’m really sorry. At that time, I didn’t know you guys. I was afraid that if I confessed everything, you two might expose it and cause a scandal. And I was worried you’d look down on me, so… I just, uh, worded it differently."
Worded it differently...
Ying Tongchen rubbed his temples, a headache creeping in. That simple ‘change’ of words had dragged him into this mess.
He had originally thought that Zhuo Shu just wanted a straightforward arrangement—a simple physical affair to fulfill each other’s needs. But now, after all this time, he realized that their interactions had been flawed from the very start. This spaceship wasn’t even on the right trajectory.
"Ying ge, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to," Zhen Mingxin mumbled weakly; he was on the verge of tears. "What should I do? If Meng Meng finds out, will he look down on me? Will he be mad at me?"
"You didn’t agree to it, so what’s there to be afraid of? Don’t worry. Meng Gong isn’t the type to hold grudges over nothing. Just tell him the truth. It's better than him finding out later on his own—it’ll only be more complicated to deal with." Ying Tongchen found himself oddly impressed with his own ability to comfort others, even though his own mind was in turmoil.
"Alright, I have something to take care of. I’ll hang up now, and we’ll talk later." He ended the call and immediately put his phone away.
…
Zhen Mingxin stared at the black screen for a while, conflicted, until Meng Gong approached.
"Xin Xin, why do you look so pale? What was that about?"
Zhen Mingxin hesitated, then threw his arms around him, burying his head in his chest. "Meng Meng, there’s something I need to confess. Please don’t be mad at me."
"What is it?" Meng Gong patted his back. "Don’t worry, my greatest strength is being magnanimous. I would never get mad at you."
"Really?" Zhen Mingxin looked up at him, his eyes sparkling. "The day I met you, I was actually about to be taken in by some rich guy."
Meng Gong: "!!!"
A green light seemed to flicker above his head. Could he forgive this?
"But I didn’t agree. I ran away that night, and that’s when I ran into you guys at the bar," Zhen Mingxin continued.
Meng Gong let out a sigh of relief, patting his back. "It’s okay, baby. I trust your character. You resisted temptation and power, you’re not just anyone."
Zhen Mingxin instantly felt a lot lighter. "Thank goodness I met you two that night. You sent me home, and Ying ge even helped me get rid of that man…"
Meng Gong suddenly stiffened, abruptly pushing him away.
Zhen Mingxin was startled. "Meng Meng, what’s wrong?"
"You’re done for." Meng Gong pulled at his own hair, suddenly recalling the connection between Ying Tongchen and that rich guy. How did this turn into such a mess?
His boyfriend had been about to be taken by a rich guy, but through a series of misunderstandings, the handsome rich guy had ended up "taking" his best friend, who still thought it was just a casual hookup...
Meng Gong turned and strode off.
"Meng Meng! Meng Meng, where are you going!" Zhen Mingxin chased after him. "Don’t leave, you promised you wouldn’t get mad at me, you promised no matter what, you’d love me, you promised you liked me for the feminine top I am!"
Meng Gong stopped in his tracks, but Zhen Mingxin couldn’t stop in time and collided into his back.
Rubbing his forehead, Zhen Mingxin was about to speak, but before he could, Meng Gong turned around and sealed his lips with a kiss while quickly saying, "I’m going to buy a ticket. I have to personally take you to the set."
Zhen Mingxin held his chest, blushing. "Why the sudden change of mind?"
Meng Gong: "I’m worried Tongchen will come after you. There’s no time to explain now, we’ll talk about it on the flight."
…
Indeed, Ying Tongchen was eager to ‘chase and kill’, a strike with his knife for every mention of the word ‘sponsor’.
He glanced down at his reddened hands and turned the tap off.
Heavy footsteps echoed outside, and moments later, Zhuo Shu appeared at the doorway, looking in quite a good mood. "I thought you already left."
Ying Tongchen took a deep breath and was about to speak, when Zhuo Shu stepped forward and pulled him into an embrace. His tone was laced with barely-contained contentment, "You did well tonight. I’ll reward you later."
Ying Tongchen’s gaze flickered, his words catching in his throat as he raised an eyebrow. With a meaningful tone, he asked, "What kind of reward?"
Zhuo Shu leaned down, his lips brushing near Ying Tongchen's ear. "The villa. The one we looked at last time, I’m giving it to you."
Ying Tongchen coolly met his gaze.
Zhuo Shu: "Surprised? Impressed? Do you like it?"
Ying Tongchen’s voice was icy. "Heh."
"?" Zhuo Shu blinked, puzzled. "That's all you have to say?"
"What?" Ying Tongchen asked. "Should I be overwhelmed with gratitude? Or maybe kneel down and thank you?"
"No need for that." Zhuo Shu was still basking in the satisfaction of the evening, entirely oblivious to Ying Tongchen's changed demeanor. Then again, Ying Tongchen often wore a cold expression when around him, so Zhuo Shu had long grown accustomed to it.
He leaned in again, whispering, "It’s a shame about that white lab coat, though. When are you going to check me over again?"
"You really should get a check up." Ying Tongchen took a step back, casually grabbing Zhuo Shu’s tie, yanking it upwards in an attempt to choke him.
However, Zhuo Shu was quicker. He bent down, capturing Ying Tongchen’s lips before he could do anything more, and the tie lost its threat entirely.
Ying Tongchen blinked, his lashes fluttering slightly, casting a shadow over his gaze. The intensity of the kiss was almost scorching, and he momentarily froze, letting go with a soft sigh in his heart.