YueRui

@Shen Quanrui "Oh? Is that right?" Xingyue repeated, scrutinizing his drink, "For a jasmine-specialty place, this latte isn't all that bad." Of course, he didn't need Ricky to think that he was rejecting the other's idea, thus giving him another reason to nitpick on Xingyue, so he added after that,"But of course, let's go check out the place you recommended next time." Xingyue supposed this was a decent attempt on Ricky's end to hold a conversation, so he tried to meet the younger where he was at, "What else do you like to do when you're not making Tiktoks? You seem to know a lot of good drink spots."

@Wang Xingyue Since Xingyue beat Ricky to the punch, Ricky didn’t need to add another comment that it was boring. He supposed, since Xingyue was out here voluntarily spending time with him, Ricky could try to probe out what exactly was going on—he kind of liked Xingyue (he liked him better when Xingyue wasn’t around), but did Xingyue… Ricky sighed and took another tiny sip. “I know a better place with latte,” Ricky said, mumbling and not so confident when the conversation wasn’t about short-reels or Queen of Tears. “This place’s speciality is jasmine-based drinks. We should go to Tugou for lattes next time. It’s smoother and they add a thick cream on top.”

@Shen Quanrui Perhaps the goal for now was just to finish their drinks so they could be on their way home. There was no way Xingyue was going to initiate another date like this again, as it was a disaster before the date itself could even start. He picked up his own iced latte and took large sips, wanting to discard the drink and suggest they go home as soon as possible. Ricky probably was wondering why he drank it so fast, hence the sudden question. Mid-sip, Xingyue had to pause at a very unsatisfying motion and swallow what he had before he could answer, "It's just a normal latte," he said, "More milk, less coffee." He had told Xingyue what his go-to order was a while back, but he had been critiqued for being boring the first time. "I know, it's quite boring," he said, cutting to the chase, "But I like it simple."

@Wang Xingyue Xingyue wanted to get to know Ricky better? Unsure of how to answer, Ricky lowered his gaze and on his drink, chewing on his straw between sips. From how Xingyue was talking, he truly had no real work-related reason to bring Ricky out—there was no agenda for Ricky’s schedule, no notes for any new short-video ideas, only one very pale and plain drink in front of him. He was the weirdest person Ricky had ever met, but now they were ‘hanging out’, which was completely foreign for Ricky seeing as there wasn’t a drama playing to quell the tension, so Ricky figured he should put in a little effort just to see exactly what Xingyue’s intentions were. “What are you drinking?”

@Shen Quanrui Once again, Xingyue was cursing out Victoria's mission for him in his mind. Where in her right mind did she think that this was going to be a good idea? So far, Feiyu's previous espionage assignments had all been completed without fail. At this point, given Ricky's terrible communication skills and his displeasure towards everything thing, Xingyue was ready to abort and report his first failure back to home base. Even if he was going to avenge his father, was it truly worth going down this route of torture? He frowned at Yunxi's question, having to think up an answer on the spot, "I thought about hanging out with you and trying to get to know you more. If you really don't like it that much, I won't ask you out next time." Feiyu said, leaving some room for himself to retreat if Ricky truly didn't have a crush on him as Zhu Zhengting's texts had claimed. "You know, most people don't complain about a short walk like this. It's a great way for people to get to know each other better."

@Wang Xingyue Xingyue sure had a lot of opinions, and most of them should really be kept to himself. Ricky scowled when he received his drink, taking a small sip before saying, "I do makeup and lifestyle vlogs, not exercise. Why would I like it?" Sure, Ricky could tone up a few parts here and there, but it wasn't like anyone ever needed to see him shirtless, so there was no point, especially when moving /was not enjoyable/. Xingyue completely missed the point here. "Why did you even invite me out?" Ricky complained with the straw between his teeth. "Just to make me walk? You're sick."

@Shen Quanrui Xingyue had to admit that walking dogs was not as difficult as walking Ricky, since there was a groan or sigh just about every step of the way. The ten minute walk felt like it had taken them half the morning to complete, and there was little sense of satisfaction when they reached their destination. Once they were inside the building, it became very obvious that Ricky wasn't going to lift another finger to get his drink. As usual, Xingyue lined up at the kiosk to place his order, then brought it over to Ricky when their number was called. He popped the straw into the lid for the younger and held it out, "How can you be so skinny while also so out of shape?" he asked skeptically, "You know, for a Tiktok influencer...I thought you'd be super into exercising."

@Wang Xingyue Ricky let out another troubled sigh, but there was no fighting with Xingyue, even though Xingyue was his freaking employee. Yes, Xingyue was paid to work for him, yet here he was bossing Ricky around like Ricky was the slave. Although Ricky didn't say anything else, he made his unhappiness known by dragging his feet, although Xingyue didn't seem to care throughout the whole walk. It was enough to convince Ricky that Xingyue didn't actually like him that way, since a normal person wouldn't treat someone they liked like... this! As soon as the cafe came in sight, Ricky rushed the last few steps into the air-conditioned building, sitting at the first available, clean table. "Hurry," he panted. "Strawberry green tea with cheese foam."

@Shen Quanrui "Now that's just a little dramatic," Xingyue said, getting more determined to get Ricky to finish the walk. It wasn't so much that he cared about Ricky's physical capabilities, but he just didn't believe that someone could be so coddled to find walking such a short distance difficult. "None of that," Xingyue insisted, reaching for Ricky's hand and pulling him along, "We're going to finish this walk together. I learned those Tiktok dances when I'm not even a dancer. This is something you should at least be able to do." It was truly a wonder how Ricky had survived walking around the park to make his darn Tiktoks when this was the reality of his stamina. "We'll rest at the cafe when we get there."

@Wang Xingyue "No..." What if someone saw Ricky being carried around while he was supposed to be making content? It would be the end of his career. His fans would think he was off dating instead of catering to them. As for Xingyue—why did he come up with such a ed solution? Ricky didn't bother to hold in his wail, looking wistfully out to the cars passing by on the street. Leave it to Xingyue to think of new ways to torture him all the time. When was he going to understand Ricky wanted no part of the peasant life? "A ride there can't be more than a thousand yuan, right? That's nothing. Let's call a car. I'll even take a... a..." Ricky swallowed the lump in his throat before he said the vile word: "A taxi."

@Shen Quanrui "The harder you work now, the more rewarding the drink will be when you get it," Xingyue reasoned with Ricky, holding back an eyeroll at how this dramatic princess could be. He didn't understand where the sudden affection Ricky had for him came from. But he supposed he better make good use of it again. "I mean, if it's really that bad...I'll carry you," he offered, stepping in front of Ricky and bending down so that he was below the younger, "You can climb on my back if you want. It's really not worth it to call a car when we're literally within walking distance." Xingyue had never met someone so needy, but it was part of his job to roll with the hand he was dealt.

@Wang Xingyue Ricky rubbed at his temple with his free hand, frowning hard when Xingyue said a bunch of nonsense at him. "Stop nagging at me," Ricky whined, giving his good foot a stamp before he continued walking, puffing under his breath after the short stretched they walked. "Ah Yue, it's hard," Ricky moaned, his hand slipping down to Xingyue's wrist instead, since it was tiring to hold it up so high. It was as if all the suffering in the mortal world had transferred to Ricky for this useless walk that he should have never agreed to. "Let's call a car. I'm so thirsty."

@Shen Quanrui Xingyue laughed in disbelief when Ricky questioned him for doing his job. There really was no winning with this one. That also meant that his feelings for Xingyue were probably fleeting, so if he didn't act on them soon, he might lose his last opportunity to really get the important information that he needed out of Ricky. Once the younger latched onto him and they began to walk, Xingyue raised a brow at Ricky's sudden jab. "Walking is good for you. Besides dancing, which you haven't been doing, what other exercise are you getting in?" he scolded the younger, "No complaining." The walk towards Ricky's favorite tea spot really wasn't that long, but at the pace they were going, it'd be a full hour of physical activity /at least/. "When should I get the crew back to filming?" Xingyue asked, "Everyone's waiting for your okay."

@Wang Xingyue "Why are you checking my stuff?" Ricky blurted out before he remembered that Xingyue was his social media manager first and foremost. Of course he'd be checking. Ricky heaved a sigh. "Ugh. Never mind them. I've been... busy." His thoughts had been completely occupied, leaving barely any room for his normal day to day life or those followers. He glanced at Xingyue's outstretched hand, then reluctantly reached out to grip his elbow instead. What did Xingyue even—what was wrong with him? "So you're going to make me walk to get my own latte?" Ricky sighed again at the hardships ahead. "This is a new low for me. And for you."

@Shen Quanrui Xingyue was kicking air when the front door suddenly opened and Ricky came out. It had been a while since Xingyue had last seen the younger, and Ricky definitely had recovered since then, judging by the lack of a pout on his face. "Hey," he greeted the younger, remembering to present himself with a smile. Things like picking up a date for a mission usually worked naturally in Xingyue's favor, but he always had to put in extra effort for Ricky, whether it was a conscious effort or not. "Are you feeling better?" he asked, offering out his hand in case Ricky needed some help, "I checked your social media pages. Your followers are pretty worried about you, since you stopped posting for a while."

@Wang Xingyue Ricky did his best to be speedy, but his fastest was still half an hour. He peeked out the window, frowning when he spotted Xingyue already standing outside—where was his call? If Ricky didn't bother checking, then it was completely possible Xingyue would keep standing there for the next few hours. He was so dumb. Ricky made his way down the stairs, still clinging on to the stair rail so he wouldn't put too much weight on his freshly healed, still-stiff ankle. "Ah Yue," he called out once he closed the gate behind him. "I'm ready."

@Shen Quanrui Xingyue himself was also rather surprised that Ricky had accepted his invitation to go out for the walk. He didn't think that strawberry green tea could have such an effect on someone, but Ricky was always the one special exception. "Alright, I'll be out here," Xingyue said over the phone, though he didn't know what else to do but loiter around by the door without anywhere to go. He didn't go back to his car, in case Ricky came out and started cursing him out because he didn't see him right away. Unexpectedly, Xingyue started to smooth down his clothes and comb his fingers through his hair. If Zhu Zhengting's forwarded messages were going to be of any use to him, he had to play the part of Prince Charming that Ricky seemed to have crafted and bestowed upon him in the younger's mind.

@Wang Xingyue Xingyue was so WEIRD. Ricky had never been so confused by this type of person—usually, he would simply ignore their existence or remove them from his life, but Xingyue was an enigma, and Ricky... liked to be around him. It was enjoyable, just like when he spent time with Zhu Zhengting. And at times, it felt like it was like this because Xingyue wanted it to be, not because he was being paid. "I'll come," Ricky said, hurrying to his vanity so he could do his makeup quickly, before Xingyue arrived. "Just- um- wait outside for me! Call me when you're here."

[post deleted by owner]

@Shen Quanrui Oh. Of all things, why had Xingyue asked Ricky to go out on a walk? That was going to be so personal, and it wasn't like they were already used to casually taking strolls together to begin with. "Just around your community," Xingyue said, "No reason. I just think it's good to slowly reintroduce your healed injury to some light pressure again. It's easy to hurt your ankle if you don't give it some resistance training," Xingyue said, pulling the reason seemingly out of thin air, "But if you don't feel like it, I can just drop off some green tea for you and leave."

@Wang Xingyue Ricky didn't know how much longer he could pretend his foot was still healing, and Xingyue seemed to realize it even if they hadn't spoken in a couple weeks. He couldn't avoid it much longer when Xingyue decided to call him directly—Xingyue never called, so it must be important. Ricky picked up, even if the butterflies in his stomach were having seizures at the thought of talking to Xingyue. "Um..." Strawberry tea sounded tempting, but walking did not. Why did Xingyue want to walk with him, even? No one had any reason to spend their free time with Ricky. Ricky picked at the edge of his blanket. "Where are we walking? Why?"

@Shen Quanrui One thing that Xingyue knew he made a positive investment in was buying off Zhu Zhengting. With the promise of keeping his ailing mother well-cared for in their hometown hospital, it had also inadvertently bought some very useful information for Xingyue. Zhengting had signed a contract to completely disappear from Ricky's life until Xingyue gave him the green light to come back in exchange for a cushy hospital room for his mother, and so all of the texts that Ricky had been sending to him wound up being forwarded to Xingyue's email instead. Zhu Zhengting was good at his job, just as Ricky kept saying. With the seed planted in his mind that Ricky had some sort of feelings towards him (Xingyue didn't believe it at first read), he knew he would have to capitalize on this information, which meant showing up the next weekend at Ricky's house, dressed nicely and with the intention of taking the younger out on a date to weed more information out of him. "Hey," Xingyue answered when Ricky picked up his phone call, "How are you feeling today? Want to go out for some strawberry green tea and a walk?"

@Wang Xingyue Ricky was not happy. While his ankle was beginning to sort itself out, he put a pause to his work just so he could avoid Xingyue. Wang Xingyue was not worth halting his life to ignore in the first place, but for some reason, Ricky just didn't have the strength to face him again. He remembered the way Xingyue supported him in front of his parents, followed by the kiss on his cheek like it was supposed to make it all more convincing. Ricky touched his cheek, and the skin tingled where Xingyue's lips touched it. If it were a normal person, they wouldn't have tried to kiss Ricky at all! What did that mean? Ricky decided to write his thoughts down in his chatroom with Zhu Zhengting again—since his previous messages couldn't be deleted, and Zhengting never answered them anyway, Ricky didn't see any harm in brain dumping there: 'Ting-ge, do you think Ah Yue likes me? Like, like like me?'

@Shen Quanrui While the response didn't sound like it was leaning in Xingyue's favor, at least he was going to have something more to work on now than just following Ricky around like a pest. It seemed the younger had grown a conscience over night, giving Xingyue a whole three days off to do his own thing, which of course meant that Xingyue was listening to every second of audio captured by the bugging device in Shen Tianfeng's office. Further analysis of the bag that he turned into headquarters from the kidnapping revealed intel extracted from the kidnappers' phones: calls had been exchanged to ensure the transaction of Ricky's safety for his father to step down in an international bid war that would increase their campaign funds. Since that didn't succeed, the SCC would have to find other ways to increase their standing in the political war against a common enemy: Shen Tianfeng.

@Wang Xingyue "It's expected Shen Tianfeng will be extremely secretive about his operations," Victoria said with a sigh. "You're keeping too much distance, and you're being too careful. A little bird told me the Shen mother invited you to stay for dinner one night, but you refused. What you should have done," Victoria said, the traces of joking and lighthearted teasing from earlier lifting from her voice, "was to accept and find yourself beside Shen Tianfeng as soon as possible. We don't have an unlimited time or budget for this, especially when the next election is coming up in a year." When Xingyue requested for an increase in budget, Victoria frowned. "You've already gone through all of the approved budget? How... never mind. We shouldn't talk here for long. I'll put in a request for you. Shen Tianfeng is leaving for a conference in Guangzhou tomorrow, and I will put someone on the daughter's tail. You keep working on his son, see if he knows anything. Have you tried searching his room? Run a scan on his phone and all his devices if you haven't already. Bug all his electronics. I want all eyes on the Shen family from every single angle. You're dismissed."

@Shen Quanrui Despite the whirlwind of emotions and tribulations that he had undergone by Ricky’s side for the sake of their ultimate mission, Xingyue still approached the designated bench with the caution and grace of a seasoned agent. In his casual attire, he blended seamlessly with the beachgoers, yet his demeanor was meticulously calculated. Victoria’s light conversation starter seemed innocent as it was, but behind those words was the lamenting notion that they would have to persist until their mission was accomplished, and hopefully the days were still warm by then. With sunglasses to mask his eyes and the subtle expressions on his face, he lowly answered, “More like it’ll be a solo trip to celebrate the good riddance.”

Xingyue reached into his jacket pocket and procured an envelope filled with papers, placing it down on the bench and letting his hand rest over it. It contained the bank notes from Shen Tianfeng’s office, the alarm code password, and all the receipts that he’d gathered from having to be Ricky’s personal errand boy for what felt like an eternity. In his other hand, he held up his phone to his ear, as if he were having a conversation on the other end, “We’re really going to need a higher budget if I’m going to maintain this undercover for any longer…” he mumbled, “Also, what I’ve gathered from Shen’s office bug is that he doesn’t do any business in there. On the occasion, he’ll call his daughter in to converse with him, but they seem to always take the topic outside. They don’t talk about anything alarming either.”

@Wang Xingyue When Xingyue gave signal that he was ready to meet again, Victoria returned her encrypted message for him to meet at her new discreet location of choice—a bench by the beachside. The crashing waves would make it harder for those not in their direct vicinity to eavesdrop, and the blue of the sea calmed Victoria immensely. There was a golden beach of sand bordering the waves, one that she was sure her family would love to spend a day on. She stared idly at her newspaper until Xingyue arrived, and although she didn't look up from it, as if he was just another stranger, she smiled as if to herself and said, "When the weather gets warmer, I'll bring my son here for a beach day," Victoria said. "It would be a nice spot for you and your date—that Shen boy—wouldn't it?"

@Shen Quanrui "You're going back to your apartment the night that your parents come home?" Xingyue asked, finding this family to be very unique indeed. Ricky may live near his parents, but they were as good as estranged to him. "Well, don't make me wait too long," Xingyue said as he walked Ricky all the way to the door. Xingyue thought to offer carrying the younger up the stairs, but since Ricky didn't ask for it, Xingyue decided against it in the last minute. It was better to avoid any chance of getting asked to stay and watch another episode of the drama when he had so many other things that he could be taking care of. "Okay, you get in safe. Rest up. Call me if you need." Xingyue said, backing up from the door. "I'll see you tomorrow." In the back of his mind, he did feel a little guilty for not carrying the younger up the stairs, but he brushed that aside, scolding himself for being way too invested in this fake job of his.

@Wang Xingyue "We don't really see each other even if we're all home," Ricky said, pressing the tip of his straw against his lower lip. His sister was caught up in teenaged girl things, his mother busy with her social life, and his father with work. Naturally, Ricky had his own thing to do, too—maintaining his channel and entertaining his millions of followers. He let Ricky help him up to the house, and once Ricky stepped inside, he turned around to say, "Tomorrow evening, I need you to come give me a ride back to my apartment. I'll just have dinner with my parents tomorrow first." Remembering how Xingyue nearly ruined everything in front of them last time, Ricky stressed, "You can only come /after/ I call you. And just wait outside, I'll come out myself."

@Shen Quanrui Xingyue caught himself before he grinned to wide. So Ricky was astounded enough to let him off without another episode of the drama? That was a win in his book. “Alright, alright I’ll do that,” he said, trying not to come off as too thrilled by the younger’s orders. “I guess that’s good for me that your family is coming back tomorrow right? You’ll have people to keep you company at home.” With his hands less full of Ricky, Xingyue would have time to analyze more of what Shen Tianfeng was doing. After all, the bugging device in the politician’s personal office wasn’t there just for show. Once they pulled up the long driveway of the Shen Mansion, Xingyue parked at the entrance, unbuckling his seatbelt, “I’ll at least walk you in,” he said.