Trending topic alert: The mysterious fan site administrator of a top celebrity has been exposed.

Cheng Yingzhi has always been known for his remarkable ability to act; once he makes up his mind, he never hesitates.

He began to re-enter Qi Yuan's life in an unprecedented and highly noticeable way.

Cheng Yingzhi no longer acted secretly only when Qi Yuan encountered serious trouble, as he used to. He began to contact Qi Yuan frequently under various "reasonable" pretexts.

Upon seeing Qi Yuan comment on a mutual friend's post on WeChat Moments, he would immediately call Qi Yuan and casually say, "A business partner of mine gave me some tickets to an art exhibition. I heard you've been interested in that lately? How about we go together?"

Alternatively, upon learning that Qi Yuan's half-dead project had encountered another bottleneck, he would directly present a streamlined and more feasible modified plan.

It wasn't the condescending guidance of the past, but rather a conversation with a collaborator: "I think this direction has potential; see if there's any way to use it?"

He would even "happen" to pass by Qiyuan's company building and call him to ask, "Are you at the company? I just finished some business and I'm near you. Want to have lunch together?"

Qi Yuan went from initial surprise and awkwardness to later half-hearted resistance, and then gradually got used to it.

He found himself seemingly transported back to his childhood, the all-powerful "Brother Ying" seemed to have returned, but something was different.

Cheng Yingzhi no longer micromanaged him like before, but instead guided and accompanied him more. His eyes were less cold and more focused and... gentle, which Cheng Yingzhi couldn't understand.

Cheng Yingzhi's handling of Nurse Lin Wei, who had a pleasant conversation with Qi Yuan, was a prime example of the "Cheng style."

He didn't resort to any drastic measures, but instead, through precise networking, quietly secured an extremely valuable opportunity for Lin Wei to study at a top hospital abroad for a year.

The opportunity was rare and the prospects were bright, so neither the hospital leaders nor Lin Wei herself could refuse it.

But the real turning point came on a rainy night.

Qi Yuan stayed up late at the company to finish a proposal for a new project.

"Still at the company?" Cheng Yingzhi's voice sounded particularly clear amidst the rain.

"Um……"

"Stay where you are, I've arrived."

Not long after, Cheng Yingzhi's car stopped in front of the company.

He got out of the car holding a large black umbrella, walked to the eaves, and naturally took the laptop bag from Qi Yuan's hand, tilting most of the umbrella towards Qi Yuan with his other hand.

The two walked side by side to the car. The rain blocked out the outside world, and in the small space under the umbrella, there was only their breath and the sound of raindrops hitting the umbrella.

Qi Yuan could smell the faint, familiar woody scent on Cheng Yingzhi, mixed with the freshness of the rain.

Suddenly, a car sped by, splashing water everywhere. Almost instinctively, Cheng Yingzhi reached out and put his arm around Qi Yuan's shoulder, pulling him closer to him and shielding him from the splashing water with his body.

That hug was brief but powerful.

Even after the car drove away, Cheng Yingzhi's hand did not immediately let go.

Qi Yuan could feel the warmth of his palm through the thin shirt, and the slightly hot breath that was so close to him.

"Brother Ying..." Qi Yuan tried to break free in a panic.

Cheng Yingzhi lowered his head, gazing deeply into Qi Yuan's eyes in the misty rain and dim light. His voice was deep and clear, carrying a seriousness that even Qi Yuan couldn't see clearly.

"Qi Yuan, I don't want to be just your brother anymore."

The rain poured down, but those words struck Qi Yuan's heart like a thunderclap.

He stared wide-eyed at Cheng Yingzhi's face, which was so close to his own. In those usually calm and restrained eyes, there was now a surge of emotions he had never seen before, turbulent and honest.

All the guesses, awkwardness, grievances, and hidden expectations seemed to find their answers at this moment.

Seeing his shocked expression, Cheng Yingzhi sighed softly, reached out, and gently wiped away a drop of water that had splashed on his cheek with his fingertips, his movements as gentle as if he were handling a precious treasure.

"I was wrong before; I used the dumbest method."

He said softly, with apology and determination, "From now on, I will never hide again."

"Qi Yuan, give me a chance, not as an older brother, but as... a man who wants to pursue you."

Qi Yuan stared blankly at him, his heart pounding in his chest, unsure how to react for a moment.

Rain dripped down the edge of the umbrella, spreading ripples on the ground, just like the lake of his heart that could no longer find peace.

Cheng Yingzhi didn't force him to answer immediately, but simply opened the umbrella again and helped him into the car.

But this time, on the way back, he held Qi Yuan's hand tightly the whole time and never let go.

Cheng Yingzhi, in his own way, finally tore away the thin veil that had separated the two of them for many years.

He went from a calm bystander to a deeply involved participant, and his goal was clear and unambiguous—he wanted Qi Yuan, not just as a younger brother.

---

Neon lights cast blurry patches of light outside the window, and the deafening music from the bar almost lifted the roof off.

Qi Yuan and a group of friends were huddled in a booth. After what seemed like the umpteenth round of drinks, he was completely drunk.

Holding an empty wine glass, he belted out an off-key love song, even wiping away tears as if he were being sentimental, which made his friends laugh uncontrollably.

"Alright, Yuan'er, stop howling, or the security guards will come!" A friend laughed and tried to snatch his wine glass.

"No! I'm going to sing!" Qi Yuan clutched his wine glass, his voice slurred with drunkenness and grievance. "That heartless Chu Yiyi... she doesn't want me anymore now that she has Zhou Ai... Waaah..."

The friends looked at each other, all feeling a bit of a headache.

In the past, they would have definitely made a phone call to Chu Yi, and even if that man was impatient, he would have come and taken the drunkard away.

But Chu Yi herself is currently mired in the "quagmire" of love, so she can't be relied upon. As for calling Qi Yuan's powerful older sister?

They shuddered at the mere thought; it was tantamount to courting death.

"What should we do? We can't just leave him here, can we?"

"Who could possibly carry him..."

Just as the group was racking their brains, the noisy sounds of the bar seemed to be muted.

A man in a dark gray bespoke suit walked straight toward them through the dim lights and swaying crowd.

He was tall and aloof, standing out from the unrestrained and noisy environment around him. Wherever he went, even the air seemed to become a little stagnant.

It was Cheng Yingzhi.

He had clearly just come from a formal occasion; his tie was still neatly tied, though there was a hint of fatigue in his eyes.

His gaze was precisely fixed on Qi Yuan, who was holding a wine glass, his cheeks flushed, and humming softly in the booth.

Ignoring the astonished looks of others, Cheng Yingzhi walked naturally to Qi Yuan, bent down, reached out, and skillfully lifted the limp Qi Yuan from the sofa, letting him lean against him.

"Hey? You...who are you?" Upon seeing this, one of the more lucid friends immediately stood up warily and blocked Cheng Yingzhi's path.

Although this person seemed to have a strong presence and didn't appear to be a bad guy, they couldn't just let a stranger take Qi Yuan away.

Cheng Yingzhi did not answer immediately; he looked down at the restless person in his arms.

Qi Yuan seemed to sense a familiar presence, and groggily snuggled into the crook of his neck, muttering something unconsciously.

The warm yellow light outlined Qi Yuan's unusually gentle features after he got drunk, and the frost in Cheng Yingzhi's eyes quietly melted away, revealing a hint of helplessness and indulgence.

Under the astonished gaze of his friends, Cheng Yingzhi made a move that surprised everyone.

He tilted his head slightly, leaned down, and gave a light kiss to Qi's lips, which were unusually red from being drunk.

"Hmm..." Qi Yuan seemed startled by the touch and made a soft nasal sound.

The friend opposite him widened his eyes instantly and quickly covered his mouth to keep from exclaiming.

"Qi Yuan, Qi Yuan! Wake up!" His friend, still worried, shook Qi Yuan, who was nestled in Cheng Yingzhi's arms, and pointed at Cheng Yingzhi, asking, "Do you know him? Who is he?"

Qi Yuan was shaken until he felt dizzy, and he barely managed to open his heavy eyelids.

The alcohol blurred his vision, making the world spin. Only Cheng Yingzhi's angular face remained exceptionally clear in the swaying light and shadow, as if it were the only stable coordinate in his chaotic world.

The swaying made his heart flutter.

The alcohol made it difficult for Qi Yuan to focus his gaze on any one spot, but he still stared blankly at him. Suddenly, he reached out and cupped Cheng Yingzhi's face in his hands, his fingers clumsily stroking his slightly cool cheeks.

His eyes, hazy with intoxication, held a mixture of fascination and certainty. He pursed his lips, glistening with the effects of alcohol, and murmured, his voice tinged with utter dependence:

"Brother Ying..."

That sound was like some kind of confirmation.

Seeing Qi Yuan's intimate and natural reaction, and then looking at Cheng Yingzhi's eyes, which, though expressionless, had clearly softened, his friend finally breathed a sigh of relief and made way for him.

"Oh, it's Brother Ying... Well, then Brother Yuan is in your care."

Cheng Yingzhi nodded slightly to the crowd as a greeting, then steadily put his arm around Qi Yuan's waist, half-supporting and half-carrying him, and led him through the hazy lights and noisy crowd, leaving the bar.

Behind him, his friends exchanged bewildered glances, followed by a heated discussion and a sudden realization.

Qi Yuan, nestled in Cheng Ying's arms, felt a sense of familiarity and security in the embrace, allowing him to let down his guard and fall into a deep sleep.

Cheng Yingzhi tightened his arms, feeling the real warmth and weight of the person in his arms, and a sense of satisfaction from having lost something and then regained it quietly filled his heart.

---

Cheng Yingzhi half-supported, half-carried Qi Yuan into the apartment. As soon as he closed the door, the person in his arms completely lost his strength and clung to him like a koala, humming and mumbling drunkenly.

"It's hot...so hot..."

Qi Yuan shifted restlessly, one hand tugging at his collar haphazardly, while the other unconsciously traced lines on Cheng Yingzhi's chest, his fingertips sending subtle sensations through the thin fabric of the shirt.

Cheng Yingzhi took a deep breath, grabbed his mischievous hand, and tried to help him to the sofa.

"Don't move around, sit still."

"Don't sit..."

Qi Yuan, his eyes blurry with drunkenness, pressed himself even closer to Cheng Yingzhi, burying his burning cheeks in the crook of Cheng's neck.

His hot breath, mixed with the effects of alcohol, sprayed onto Cheng Yingzhi's sensitive skin. "Brother Yingzhi...you feel so cool...it feels so good..."

Cheng Yingzhi's body tensed instantly, and his Adam's apple bobbed uncontrollably.

He used almost all his self-control to barely calm himself down, manage to tear this clingy "sticky gum" away from him a little, and sit down on the sofa.

"I'll get you a glass of water." His voice sounded a little hoarse from restraint.

As soon as I turned around, my clothes were grabbed.

Qi Yuan tilted his head back, his eyes, moist from the alcohol, gazing at him pleadingly, like a puppy afraid of being abandoned: "Don't go..."

Cheng Yingzhi's heart felt as if it had been gently scratched by something, and it softened completely.

He sighed, sat back down next to Qi Yuan, and patiently coaxed him, "I'm not leaving. I'll just go get you a glass of water. You've drunk too much and need to rehydrate."

"I'm not drunk!"

Qi Yuan immediately retorted, but his logic was utterly drunken: "I can still drink... three more cups! No, five more!"

He held up five fingers and waved them in front of Cheng Yingzhi's eyes, then leaned over and leaned closer, this time resting his entire upper body on Cheng Yingzhi's lap.

"Qi Yuan!" Cheng Yingzhi felt his rationality being severely tested.

The weight and heat from his legs, along with Qi Yuan's unique, refreshing scent mixed with the smell of alcohol, were challenging his defenses.

"Brother Ying..."

Qi Yuan seemed completely unaware of the magnitude of the fire he had started.

He rubbed his cheek against Cheng Yingzhi's thigh, his voice becoming somewhat aggrieved, and began to accuse him incoherently, "You used to... you never paid attention to me... you never replied to my emails properly... and you went abroad... without even telling me..."

The more she spoke, the more aggrieved she became, her fingers unconsciously tightening around Cheng Yingzhi's suit trousers. "Am I... really that annoying? That's why you all left... Chu Yi too, and you too..."

As Cheng Yingzhi listened to his drunken sobs, his heart felt as if it were being tightly gripped by an invisible hand, a sharp, throbbing pain spreading through him.

He lowered his head, looking at Qi Yuan's reddened eyes and fragile expression, and could no longer hold back. He reached out and gently stroked Qi Yuan's burning cheek, his thumb carefully wiping away the faint wetness at the corner of his eyes.

"No." Cheng Yingzhi's voice was low and gentle, with an unprecedented seriousness. "You're not annoying at all. It's my fault, it's all my fault."

"It won't happen again." He said, as if making a promise, or as if swearing to himself, "I will never ignore you again, and I will never leave you alone again."

Qi Yuan seemed to understand, yet also seemed not to.

He groggily raised his head, his eyes blurry with drunkenness as he looked at Cheng Yingzhi's face so close to his. Those deep eyes were now filled with a tenderness that made his heart race and a profound emotion that he couldn't understand.

He tilted his head, as if bewitched, and murmured, "Brother Ying...you're so handsome..."

As he spoke, he actually tilted his head back, pouted his lips, and awkwardly moved closer to Cheng Yingzhi's mouth.

Cheng Ying's breath hitched.

Looking at those lips so close to his, especially red and alluring because of the alcohol, all reason and restraint completely crumbled at that moment.

He did not dodge.

Instead, he followed his heart, lowered his head, and precisely captured those lips he had longed for.

Qi Yuan let out a soft whimper in his drunken state, but did not resist. Instead, under Cheng Yingzhi's gentle guidance, he responded awkwardly yet instinctively.

Outside the window, the city lights still shone brightly.

Inside the apartment, the entangled figures and the gradually warming air foreshadow a complete change in certain relationships and a new beginning.