Chapter 67: He’s a Liar
Xia Chun silently watched the person in front of him.
Suddenly, he slowly extended his hand, gesturing toward Gu Yang to come over.
The gesture clearly indicated for him to come closer.
But Gu Yang didn’t.
He remained expressionless, his face completely unreadable, showing no sign that he had been “caught.”
Then, in the next second, another cardboard box fell on his head.
Xia Chun: “…”
He looked up at the precariously stacked boxes above. To prevent the disaster from worsening, he stepped forward and pulled Gu Yang toward him.
The timing was perfect. Immediately after, a loud, continuous bang bang bang echoed—the boxes, previously stacked haphazardly, toppled and scattered uncontrollably after Gu Yang had brushed against them.
“Why are there so many boxes here? They’re really a tripping hazard,” Gu Yang said, brushing off the dust from his clothes, showing not a shred of awareness that he was the cause.
Xia Chun casually removed the debris from his head.
Gu Yang had already been “caught,” and it was pointless for Xie Wu to continue hiding. Moreover, Xie Wu wasn’t someone who lacked loyalty—he sheepishly stepped out, facing Xia Chun’s increasingly silent gaze.
“Didn’t expect to run into a schoolmate here. What a coincidence! What’s your name, classmate?” Xie Wu laughed awkwardly, trying to ease the tension.
Xia Chun gave his name and then calmly watched them, curious to see what game they were playing.
“Xia Chun.”
“Whoa, you’re Xia Chun?!”
Xie Wu was so surprised that he couldn’t even process his words.
He usually didn’t watch videos, so he couldn’t match faces to names. Only after the person introduced himself did he realize this was the cross-dressing “big shot” who had utterly defeated Yu Bai.
“You know me?”
“Heh heh heh, of course…” Xie Wu forced a laugh, “You’re pretty famous, after all. Big internet celebrity.”
Xia Chun watched his strained expression and felt it was even more peculiar. He frowned slightly: “Just the two of you came?”
“Yeah, we were just passing by, haha, figured we’d check it out.”
Xie Wu forced himself to patch up the conversation.
“Check out… this shop?”
Xia Chun glanced at the two dresses displayed in the shop window, speaking flatly: “Interesting taste you have.”
Haha, as if you have any special taste.
Of course, Xie Wu only dared to think that in his head.
The shop owner heard the commotion outside and rushed out. Seeing the mess, her voice immediately rose: “Who’s causing trouble here? Do you want to die?”
But when she saw Xia Chun, her tone softened: “Xiao Chun, what brings you here? Come to see your mom?”
Xia Chun glanced at Gu Yang and Xie Wu beside him, but ultimately nodded.
“Oh dear, what bad timing. Your mom took the day off, didn’t she tell you?”
Xia Chun’s expression darkened instantly, but he said nothing.
The shop owner, seeing this, quietly thought to herself:
She had seen mothers manage daughters before, but a high school daughter managing her mother? This was a first.
Still, she didn’t want to interfere.
“This is the third time this week,” the owner muttered in complaint. “At your age, why is nothing ever done properly?”
“Really sorry for troubling you,” Xia Chun lowered his head.
The owner waved her hand with a smile: “Don’t mention it. If you hadn’t helped advertise online, my shop probably wouldn’t have survived.”
“Do you have any new items? I can help shoot photos for them,” Xia Chun offered, following the flow.
Hearing this, the owner’s eyes squinted in delight: “What timing! The new clothes just arrived, I’ll go get them for you.”
She turned, then noticed the earlier mess, frowning: “Xiao Chun, look at this mess…”
“These cardboard boxes were supposed to be picked up tonight, and now they’re all messed up,” Gu Yang quietly reminded her.
The owner was surprised and glanced at him—he was a young man who knew this much. Quite rare.
Xia Chun: “…”
That’s impressively practical.
He didn’t know where this young master learned something even he knew, but he wasn’t one to take the blame for others. He coldly gestured to the two nearby.
Xie Wu caught that knife-like gaze, felt awkward, and stepped forward to apologize: “Sorry, Auntie. We accidentally bumped into things while passing by. I can fix it for you now, okay?”
The owner’s expression softened.
Gu Yang was about to kneel to help, but Xie Wu stopped him: “Don’t worry, I’ll handle it.”
He leaned close and whispered: “It’s my fault for bringing you over, otherwise none of this would have happened.”
Hearing that, Gu Yang didn’t insist. He stepped back, letting Xie Wu handle everything.
The owner quickly brought out two bags of clothes for Xia Chun: “Xiao Chun, you don’t need to take these home, just wear them. Consider it a small gift from me.”
Xia Chun didn’t lack clothes, but he nodded silently, took the clothes, and turned to Gu Yang:
“Have you eaten?”
Seeing Gu Yang shake his head, he continued: “Perfect, I haven’t either. Let’s find somewhere to eat.”
Xie Wu was about to speak on Gu Yang’s behalf, thinking it would be awkward to sit at the same table with strangers, but unexpectedly, Gu Yang nodded.
“Then let’s go,” Xia Chun decisively said.
Xie Wu still wanted to comment, worried about Gu Yang going alone, but Xia Chun had already cut it off coldly: “What happened today stays between us. Don’t tell anyone.”
From their brief conversation, Xie Wu could sense that the other person’s family situation was complicated. He didn’t want to touch anyone’s wounds, so he raised his hands in surrender:
“I swear I won’t tell anyone, or else I’ll be doomed.”
“No need to say that,” Xia Chun said, softened by the attitude, and walked away.
Gu Yang waved goodbye, following him.
Only after they were out of sight did Xie Wu realize what had happened.
They were all hungry, yet he was left moving boxes while these two went off?
Was that right?
Xia Chun walked silently, leading the way since he had proposed eating. Gu Yang just followed.
They turned into a small alley. It was dim; there were no streetlights, and the ground was barely visible. Gu Yang didn’t react and just followed.
Xia Chun finally spoke: “Who told you to come here?”
“Huh?” Gu Yang asked, confused, just as he was suddenly pressed against the wall by a force.
The two bags of clothes fell to the ground with a thud.
“I asked, who told you to come here?”
Xia Chun’s voice was neutral, deliberately so, but perhaps because of his flustered state, it carried a slightly deeper, more serious tone.
An oppressive feeling emanated from him.
The damp smell of moss seeped from the brickwork, mixing with the stagnant air, suffocating.
Faint sounds of chaos came from afar, but it felt like another world.
“Is it him?”
The question was abrupt, but Gu Yang understood.
He decisively “betrayed” Xie Wu:
“I came with a friend,” Gu Yang said lazily. “To be honest, my friend recently discovered a cross-dressing fetish. He wanted to try it out but didn’t want to be seen in a mall, so he picked this more secluded spot.”
Xia Chun’s brows raised at the information. Unsure, he asked: “Then why hide?”
“I said, didn’t want to run into anyone I know. Seeing a classmate’s uniform, my friend got shy, so we hid,” Gu Yang answered naturally.
He added: “Can you keep it a secret? His family would definitely oppose this.”
He just wanted someone to cover for him, not to endanger Xie Wu.
Meanwhile, Xie Wu sneezed remotely, feeling a chill.
The explanation sounded ridiculous, but its absurdity strangely made it somewhat believable—no normal person would think of such a convoluted story.
The last sentence even touched Xia Chun. Despite differing positions, he couldn’t help imagining the boy in women’s clothes, shivering at the thought.
The tension dissipated, and Xia Chun slowly released Gu Yang.
“I’m taking this alley. You didn’t ask, and we’re not that close. You just trust me?”
Xia Chun picked up the clothes from the ground, speaking calmly: “Alleys like this are dangerous. Someone could jump out of the darkness and you wouldn’t react. Don’t take risks if it’s unnecessary.”
Gu Yang brushed off the dust and casually replied. Normally, he wouldn’t take this alley, but he trusted Xia Chun.
Xia Chun wasn’t leading them blindly; after the alley, they reached the main road near a mall.
Despite the earlier chaos, both acted as if nothing had happened. Xia Chun led them into the shop.
He scanned the QR code on the table and handed his phone to Gu Yang: “Check what you want to eat.”
Gu Yang swiped casually and returned the phone: “Anything, you order.”
Xia Chun didn’t comment further: “I’ll order according to my taste. Hope you won’t struggle to eat, Gu Yang.”
“You know me?”
“The new luxury brand under Gu Corporation asked me to promote it, so I looked into my client a bit.”
After ordering, Xia Chun crossed his hands under his chin, maintaining a calm, scrutinizing gaze: “And you, Gu Yang, have you heard anything about me before?”
The drinks arrived first. The shop was popular among young people, dishes visually appealing for photos.
Dark green liquid, ice cubes glinting under the overhead lights.
“You’re a famous internet celebrity. Of course I’ve heard of you.”
“What a perfunctory answer,” Xia Chun said.
Either he hadn’t heard, or the stories weren’t suitable for discussion.
The thought struck him, and he realized he was overthinking. His gaze drifted; he didn’t want to dwell.
The dishes arrived, but Gu Yang didn’t pick up his chopsticks.
“What’s wrong? Not to your taste?”
“Don’t you need to take photos?”
Xia Chun didn’t expect him to be thoughtful even in this odd place: “No need, the shop didn’t pay me to promote it.”
He said it instinctively, realizing later it wasn’t entirely appropriate. He hadn’t faced peers in years and felt awkward.
His ambiguous position prevented deep connections with others—male or female. He had to navigate the world cautiously, fearing someone might expose his true self.
But if that day came, he had no defense.
After all, he was a liar.
Yet, perhaps because Gu Yang and Xie Wu were so close, sitting face-to-face now, Xia Chun strangely embraced a reckless, “whatever happens” mindset.
“No need for photos, you eat,” he said, picking up his chopsticks.
During the meal, a girl recognized him and shyly asked for a photo.
She smiled brightly, pressing her face close to his. Xia Chun, expressionless, gently increased the distance. The girl felt embarrassed, thinking she’d overstepped.
She then asked to take a picture with Gu Yang. He agreed nonchalantly, posing elegantly.
A minor incident, finished quickly. Gu Yang seemed interested in Xia Chun’s accessories.
They were from a brand collaboration; Xia Chun brushed his hair aside, showing the earrings to Gu Yang.
“Guests, please come inside,” a polite voice from a waiter. New customers had arrived. Xia Chun hadn’t paid attention—until he saw who it was.
He was stunned.
He Ming’an entered with a seven or eight-year-old boy in hand. Seeing the pair sitting together, his smile froze like frost.
