Chapter 6: White_006

Translator: Abo Dammen

A few cups of sake, and Deng Chengning actually became tipsy.

His “thank you” seemed to deepen the chef’s misunderstanding. Even the translating staff member wore an inscrutable smile. Unaware, Deng Chengning steadied himself against the chair, waiting for He Ruifeng to rise.

He Ruifeng studied him. “Are you alright?”

Deng Chengning looked puzzled. “Why?”

He Ruifeng: “…Never mind. Let’s go.”

Upon leaving, Deng Chengning walked steadily, no longer swaying. Aside from heading to the parking lot to search for a car he hadn’t driven, everything seemed normal.

He Ruifeng felt a twinge of concern. “Are you still lucid?”

Deng Chengning nodded. “Of course. I just forgot I didn’t drive. I’ll take a taxi back.”

Despite saying he’d take a taxi, Deng Chengning didn’t retrieve his phone. Instead, hands in pockets, he exited the restaurant and kept walking. He Ruifeng hurried after him.

The weather was pleasant and the air was cool, perfect for a stroll.

Streetlights gleamed on Deng Chengning’s satin shirt, the fabric seeming to flow with light as he moved. For a moment, his slender silhouette resembled a mysterious, elegant spirit envoy in the night. Passersby stole glances.

He Ruifeng finally caught up and reminded him, “Weren’t you going to hail a cab?”

Deng Chengning turned, surprised. “You haven’t left yet?”

He Ruifeng sighed inwardly.

Was he drunk or not?

Deng Chengning nodded. “Yes. I need a taxi. Wait, I forgot to call one. Sorry.”

He Ruifeng waited with him by the roadside, still uneasy. “Let me drive you. You seem a bit affected.”

“Huh?”

Deng Chengning stared at him blankly.

Alcohol misted his eyes, like moonlit pools.

He Ruifeng drove Deng Chengning all the way to the entrance of his residential complex. “Text me when you’re home.”

With a regular buddy, He Ruifeng would have escorted him upstairs, seen him safely inside. But his relationship with Deng Chengning hovered between acquaintance and something more, complicated by the blind-date pretense. Following him up uninvited felt inappropriate.

During the ride, Deng Chengning leaned against the seatback, hair slightly mussed, shirt rumpled, no longer the meticulous white-collar elite, but more like a teenager, simply nodding obediently.

Unexpectedly, Deng Chengning’s home was quite close to He Ruifeng’s own apartment, a ten-minute bike ride on a shared cycle. It was a new development, a school-district property, just five minutes from He Ruifeng’s school. He wondered why a staunch single-by-principle person would buy such an exorbitantly priced home in a coveted school zone.

He Ruifeng unlocked a bike, circled Deng Chengning’s building twice. Only after receiving Deng Chengning’s “Home safe” text did he pedal leisurely away.

Perhaps it was the night air, or the lingering effect of alcohol, but even after reaching home, he felt restless. He stomped on the pedals, stubbornly circling his own neighborhood five more times before finally locking the bike and heading upstairs.

At home, he discovered Deng Chengning had messaged earlier asking if he’d arrived, and then followed up when he got no reply.

He Ruifeng responded: Arrived. Took a detour on the bike.

After sending it, he stood up, paced his small two-room apartment, feeling today’s pent-up energy had no outlet. He finally resorted to the treadmill, running for 40 minutes and finishing with a set of push-ups.

Their “dates” maintained a frequency of once every two to three weeks. Between meetings, Deng Chengning never initiated contact. Only after securing a restaurant reservation would he text He Ruifeng two days in advance to confirm time, place, and dietary preferences.

He Ruifeng’s parents sometimes asked if the two were chatting. He Ruifeng always covered for Deng Chengning, saying yes. But when they pressed for details such as what Deng Chengning liked, disliked, He Ruifeng would stammer. His parents criticized him, while he defended himself. We’re still getting to know each other!

Thus, they urged him to take initiative, accelerate the pace, not meet only every few weeks, but twice a week.

Lai Xuefen said, “Chengning’s mother mentioned his project is finished. No recent business trips, so he shouldn’t be too busy. Why are you two still meeting only every few weeks?”

He Ruifeng thought, How does Chengning’s mother know so much? Can Deng Chengning really keep up this pretense? Won’t it all be exposed in a couple of months?

And when that happened, would Chengning’s mother start arranging new blind dates for him again?

Two weeks had passed since their last “date.” Deng Chengning hadn’t messaged this week. He Ruifeng accepted a friends’ gathering invitation.

The venue was a newly opened Northeast-style barbecue joint. Li Jieming was already waiting in the private room. The moment He Ruifeng entered, Li Jieming wailed, “Bro! I thought you’d abandoned us for your new blind date prospect! Glad you haven’t forsaken me!”

He Ruifeng took a seat. “Xue Lin not coming?”

“Looking after the kid,” Li Jieming said.

Xue Lin’s child was just two, the age demanding constant attention. Since the child’s birth, Xue Lin rarely joined their gatherings.

Soon, Lin Qi and Zhang Boqing arrived as a couple. They were committed (Double Income, No Kids), living freely.

Meng Hanxia was the last to arrive. She apologized immediately upon entering, saying she’d had to work overtime on Saturday afternoon.

Li Jieming remarked, “Working so hard, our beauty Meng?”

Meng Hanxia was the group’s renowned workaholic who was wholly devoted to her career, disinterested in romance.

These friends of He Ruifeng’s were all from high school. Apart from Xue Lin, Lin Qi, and Zhang Boqing, the other three were single, each for different reasons.

Li Jieming lamented, “My nineteenth blind date… also failed.”

Apparently, the date considered him insufficiently steady, citing his gaming hobby as too immature.

Li Jieming was indignant. “What’s wrong with gaming? What’s wrong with it?!”

Lin Qi ignored Li Jieming’s complaints, sitting down to ask directly, “How’s it going, Feng? Heard your fourth blind date wasn’t bad?”

He Ruifeng shot a look at Li Jieming, who looked startled. “Seriously? We can’t even talk about this?”

Zhang Boqing raised an eyebrow. “Seems promising.”

“It’s not… it’s complicated…” He Ruifeng struggled. If he revealed his blind date was Deng Chengning, these people would get so excited they’d practically flip the room.

Meng Hanxia said, “Then gather your thoughts. We’ll wait.”

Everyone started grilling meat, patiently awaiting He Ruifeng’s attempt to organize his limited vocabulary. They were accustomed to his reticence.

They’d only learned about He Ruifeng’s parents’ Renmin Park matchmaking endeavors after his third failed blind date. He Ruifeng never mentioned it, and it was only under persistent questioning did he divulge a little.

Because he found it not worth mentioning.

“It’s just… the other person actually doesn’t want to date or find a partner. But due to family pressure and other reasons, we meet every so often to humor our families,” He Ruifeng explained. “Nothing much to say. There’s no potential for development.”

Li Jieming smirked, barely containing himself. He Ruifeng shot him a warning glare.

Zhang Boqing asked, “He doesn’t want a relationship, but you do. Why waste your time with him?”

“Forget useless questions!” Lin Qi cut to the chase. “Just tell us, is he good-looking? Say it!”

He Ruifeng: “…”

Meng Hanxia drawled, “Yes, or no. No answer means you only get vegetables today.”

Li Jieming shook his head. “You ladies are ruthless.”

“…Good-looking,” He Ruifeng admitted truthfully.

Except for the still-composed Meng Hanxia, the others erupted like monkeys, howling and crawling around the room in excitement.

But no matter how much they pressed further, He Ruifeng clammed up.

After half a night of this, Lin Qi concluded, “He’s totally smitten.”

He Ruifeng was shocked. “Don’t spout nonsense.”

Lin Qi declared confidently, “Let’s wait and see.”

Looking at the oblivious Lin Qi, He Ruifeng felt strangely amused, thinking, I wonder if Deng Chengning even remembers Lin Qi, who once confessed to him.

Probably not.

Because Lin Qi was rejected on the spot and cried her heart out.

Li Jieming sidled up to He Ruifeng, phone in hand. “‘Galaxy Guardians: Legend of Mars’ premieres at midnight tonight. Wanna go?”

The Galaxy Guardians superhero series was a longtime favorite since high school. They never missed an opening.

He Ruifeng certainly wanted to see it, but the midnight screening sounded exhausting. He said offhandedly, “Maybe tomorrow or the day after. I can’t handle midnight shows.”

As they ate and drank, He Ruifeng absentmindedly scrolled through his phone and was astonished to see Deng Chengning had actually posted on Moments.

The attached image was the Galaxy Guardians: Legend of Mars movie poster. The caption was a repost of the cinema’s promotional copy, something about sharing on Moments and attending the midnight premiere to receive a special gift.

He Ruifeng felt a sudden surge of excitement. His fingers flew across the screen.

[Jia Bei: You like Galaxy Guardians too?]

Deng Chengning replied almost instantly.

[DCN: Yes]

[Jia Bei: You want to see the midnight screening?]

[DCN: Mm. Checking tickets now. The premiere has a gift bag.]

He Ruifeng opened the ticketing app. Seats were still available. The cinema hosting the premiere event wasn’t far from home either. He booked a ticket, screenshotted it, and sent it to Deng Chengning, asking if he wanted to go together.

[DCN: Okay.]

He Ruifeng put his phone away, then felt a pang of guilt seeing Li Jieming’s face.

After the barbecue, they moved to a quiet bar to continue chatting. Usually, weekend gatherings didn’t disperse until after midnight, full of venting about bosses, dissecting colleagues, and sharing gossip. But today, He Ruifeng announced he was leaving around eleven.

Everyone looked up.

He Ruifeng: “…I’m heading out first.”

Li Jieming objected. “What? Was someone checking up on you?”

He Ruifeng evaded. “Don’t talk nonsense.”

Then he swiftly made his exit, terrified of another question.

–

Deng Chengning had already arrived at the cinema.

It was a gathering with old friends, so He Ruifeng wore his usual casual attire: T-shirt, shorts, and sports sandals. Seeing Deng Chengning, he suddenly felt self-conscious about his outfit and worried he reeked of barbecue.

Deng Chengning wore a simple light-striped shirt, gray jeans, white sneakers, and a white crossbody sports bag. Compared to his usual suits, today’s casual, almost student-like vibe was radiating youthfulness.

He Ruifeng approached slowly, greeted him, and asked, “How long have you been here?”

Deng Chengning stood up. “Just arrived.”

An awkward silence fell.

He Ruifeng fumbled before finding a topic.

“Never thought you’d like Galaxy Guardians, haha.”

Deng Chengning nodded. “Mm… I’ve seen every installment.”

“Haha, I used to be super into Galaxy Guardians! In high school and college, I caught every premiere!” He Ruifeng chuckled awkwardly.

“I… quite like them too,” Deng Chengning said.

He actually likes superhero movies. His aura always suggested someone who’d prefer art films.

He Ruifeng: “…Should we get our tickets and collect the gift first?”

Deng Chengning reminded him, “Did you post on Moments? They’ll check when collecting the gift.”

He Ruifeng hastily copied, pasted, and posted in one go.

They collected their premiere gift bags and entered the theater. It wasn’t until after the movie ended around 2 AM that He Ruifeng checked his phone and saw Li Jieming’s frenzy on his Moments.

[Jie: You said you couldn’t handle midnight shows AT ALL!!]

[Jie: Who did you go with?!]

[Jie: WHO?!]

[Jie: Sneaking off like that!]

[Lin Qi: He’s totally smitten]

[Xue Lin: Can someone fill me in?]

“What’s wrong?” Deng Chengning noticed his stillness.

“Nothing.” He Ruifeng locked his screen and pocketed his phone. “Want to grab a drink?”