A President’s Out-of-Body Experience

Having made up his mind, Renzi went to work the next day. The vice-president appearing at work was truly a rare occasion. People in the office were gossiping, asking if Renzi was chasing after some new female employee.

In his office, Renzi called Yu Yuntao through their internal communication lines. “Can I borrow your Ah Xuan for a couple of days?”

“No.” Then, Yu Yuntao hung up.

Renzi did not give up, he gave Zhi Xuan a call privately. “Ah Xuan, come to my office?”

“President Yu asked me to ignore you.”

Renzi was annoyed, “Hey, I’m (Vice) President Yu too!”

Zhi Xuan paused. “Although that’s the case, but I’m now the assistant to the president. Work-wise, I still report directly to the president. If you have any questions, you can actually look to your own assistant. If there’s really no choice, we’ll discuss it again.”

“I just want to talk to you for awhile, just awhile. Don’t be so unfeeling.”

With his pestering, Zhi Xuan had no choice but to agree.

When Zhi Xuan arrived at the vice president’s office, he saw that Renzi’s clothes were unkempt, his feet were bare, and he was sprawled on the couch in the office. However, Zhi Xuan had also been his assistant for a period of time, and had long been used to him already, and so did not find this strange. Seeing Zhi Xuan’s arrival, Renzi instantly perked up. He patted the couch, “Ah Xuan, come, take a seat.”

Zhi Xuan sat down next to Renzi. “Do you have any instructions?”

Renzi spoke mysteriously. “I want to ask you something…”

Seeing his expression, hearing his words, Zhi Xuan knew something was wrong. Just as he was about to say “forget it”, Renzi spoke, “How did you chase my brother?”

“Didn’t you ask this before?”

Renzi waved his hand. “That time, I was just asking casually. Now, I’m asking seriously.”

Zhi Xuan really did not want to answer this question, and tried to evade it. “So, why are you serious about it now?”

Renzi was a little embarrassed. “The… the blame lies with you too.”

Although Zhi Xuan was still confused, but he was scared. “Hey, you can’t say ridiculous things like that.”

“Didn’t you say that whoever I dreamt about, it means I like them?!”

Zhi Xuan thought about it, then vaguely remembered that he did seem to tell Renzi something like that. “Ah, it’s to do with that wet dream of yours?”

Renzi smacked his knee, exclaiming, “Yes! It’s that thing! The more I think about it, the more I feel that you’re right. I do like him! I seriously like him!”

(T/N: In Chinese, the pronouns he/she cannot be differentiated just by listening.)

Zhi Xuan did not believe the “seriousness” of Renzi’s feelings, and only gave him a superficial reply. “Ah, then I wish you all the best.”

Renzi rubbed at his nose. “So, I’ve decided. Since I like him, I must woo him! Don’t you agree?”

Zhi Xuan nodded, speaking perfunctorily, “Oh, yes, good luck.”

“So I need your help!”

“I don’t think I’ll be able to provide much help.”

Renzi laughed and patted Zhi Xuan’s shoulder. “Aiyah, we’re already so familiar with each other, why are you still pretending? Just tell me, how did you manage to woo my brother? We’re all good friends, there’s nothing that can’t be shared, right?”

Zhi Xuan felt so embarrassed that he was about to break out in goosebumps. He lightly shifted away Renzi’s hand that was on his shoulder. “This… I really don’t know how to say it.”

Renzi sighed, pointing at him. “Why, are you putting on the airs of being my brother-in-law now?”

Hearing the word “brother-in-law”, Zhi Xuan was about to die of embarrassment. He only wished to escape this hell. President Yu was right, I shouldn’t have bothered with this fool.

How could Renzi let Zhi Xuan go? “My brother is so rude and difficult to handle. You have to at least tell me, how did you get him to talk to you nicely?”

Zhi Xuan could only answer, “My matters may not be relevant to you at all, after all… President Yu is not a girl.”

Renzi smacked his thigh, “Of course I know that! This person I want to chase, is also not a girl!”

Zhi Xuan nearly fell off the couch in shock.

He really regretted it. He should have listened to Yu Yuntao, why did he involve himself in Renzi’s matters!

This thing had been suppressed within Renzi’s heart for very long already. Renzi had also felt agonised over it. Now that he had finally caught hold of a confidant, he could not stop. “I’m really not joking! I also got a shock myself, how did I also become a gay? Could it be that being gay is contagious?”

Zhi Xuan did not know if he should shake his head and say “that’s nothing to do with me, I’m not the one who infected you”, or cover his ears and say “I don’t want to hear anymore, let me go”.

Still, Zhi Xuan was someone who was accustomed to difficulties. No matter how much his heart was in turmoil, he would still look calm and placid. He coughed and spoke mechanically, “All the best, I’m going back to work.”

How could Renzi let him go! He grabbed onto him, “Don’t go! I don’t even dare to tell anyone else about this, I’m only telling it to you!”

Zhi Xuan wanted to say “we’re really not that close”, but instead said, “You really flatter me too much. However, I’m really not able to help you with it. Also, you can talk to your brother about it. He’s your family.”

Renzi still gripped on tightly onto Zhi Xuan’s arm. “How would I dare to tell him?”

Zhi Xuan was more calm, he looked at Renzi seriously. “If you don’t plan on telling your family about it, then, you don’t “seriously like” that person.”

Renzi was taken aback, and released Zhi Xuan’s arm. Zhi Xuan took this opportunity to pull his arm back, and slowly straightened his crumpled sleeve. “Also, if it’s just a girl, then forget it. If it’s a guy, I think you really should think things through, whether you’re really that serious about it. This is not a joke. Is this just a whim? Suddenly becoming gay, what are the possibilities? Do you know what this means?”

Renzi was muddled, all his confidence fading away.

Zhi Xuan’s words seemed to have reminded Renzi of something very important, but something he had neglected.

This was not a dream, this was reality. This was 2018.

When Zhi Xuan returned to his office, he then realised that he might have done something very scary. “Did I just encourage (Vice) President Yu to come out of the closet?”

This realisation caused chills to run down Zhi Xuan’s body, and for some reason, he felt guilty when he saw Yu Yuntao.

Yu Yunren still did not have the intentions of coming out of the closet immediately. After all, this was not a small issue. The matter of liking Gu Xiaoshan, to him, was something that was easily accepted. However, “becoming a homosexual”, “coming out of the closet to his family”, these made Renzi’s slow brain swell up in pain.

After coming into work for a few hours, Renzi skipped the rest of the work day. When Yu Yuntao learnt about it, he spoke to Zhi Xuan, laughing, “Seems like he was here to look for you. What did he tell you?”

Zhi Xuan replied slowly, “What else could it be? It’s just about his love problems, that he could not get the person he wants.”

This was the truth, and Yu Yuntao did not ask anymore after hearing it. He thought that Renzi was still thinking about that beauty Yang Yihan.

Renzi received a bill from the veterinarian, then remembered about the incident where Ha-cube bit the poodle. Since he was already outside, he gave He Jun a call. He Jun was also free, and they agreed to meet at a nearby cafe. When He Jun came, he looked fatigued. He was not wearing his usual linen clothes, but was instead dressed in a simple t-shirt. His hair was also not in a bun, only tied in a ponytail with a cap. When He Jun politely removed the cap, Renzi discovered that He Jun even had makeup on.