BIAC CH 21

Chapter 21: I’m Always the One on Top — How Could I Be the One Below?

After being in a funk for over a month, President Tang He had finally come back to life. And not just back to life—he was like a different person entirely. He smiled all day long, and for those who didn’t know the full story, they’d think the Tang family had twin brothers: one a grumpy ghost who’d scare off anyone, and the other a smiling Maitreya Buddha^[1]. It must’ve been Buddha’s turn to clock in today.

When Su An pushed open the door to the president’s office, she was met with her boss smiling with the corners of his eyes crinkling, as if he were working diligently, typing away at his computer. What exactly he was busy with, she didn’t know. But one thing she did know: Tang He would never suddenly turn over a new leaf and voluntarily become a model worker. Whatever was going on, it definitely wasn’t as simple as it looked.

Ever since Tang He and Du Jianyou had confirmed their relationship, Tang He had been basking in spring-like joy for the past month, practically walking on clouds. Watching her boss change this drastically, Su An felt nothing but disdain. What, just because he fell in love, he had to blind all the single dogs ^[2]around him with his lovestruck smile? As if he’s never been in love before—what a liar!

She was just about to drop off the documents and get the heck out of there, eager to avoid hearing anything remotely related to their romance, when—as expected—Tang He called out, “Su An! You’re just in time. I was about to ask you for a favor. Come take a look at this…”

The moment she heard that lovestruck—no, excited—tone, Su An knew immediately: yep, this was definitely about Du Jianyou again. She took a deep breath and silently chanted the mantra she’d recited eight hundred times already: “I’m the one who encouraged him to pursue Du Jianyou. I wanted him to be happy. Now that he’s gone crazy with happiness, I have to follow through to the bitter end. This is my own doing. I totally deserve to be sickened to death by Tang He…”

With her mental shields firmly in place, Su An plastered on a forced smile and reluctantly leaned over toward Tang He’s monitor. “What now? Found another gift for your sweetheart?”

“A studio apartment? You’re getting him a studio apartment?” Su An glanced at the screen, confused, and frowned. “Doesn’t he already have his own place? Are you saying his apartment isn’t good enough? Why not just bring him home with you or move him into one of your other properties? Why go buy a whole new studio apartment?” She grabbed the mouse and scrolled down through the listing. “These units aren’t even that big.”

Su An couldn’t help but feel utterly speechless at how completely love had scrambled Tang He’s brain. It was like a late-onset case of measles—the later it hits, the worse it gets. This man had clearly waited too long to fall in love, so now he was being ten times dumber about it.

Tang He had already pestered her about this for over a month. All he wanted was to give Du Jianyou a gift, yet he kept nitpicking—this one was too shallow, that one too cheesy—and ended up giving nothing in the end. And now, today of all days, he’d suddenly picked a gift that was both shallow and cheesy: a studio apartment. Just great.

A golden house to hide a beauty? He already had so many properties under his name—why would he need to buy another tiny cubicle-like studio? If this wasn’t foolishness, then what was?

“This isn’t for Tutu—I mean, Jianyou. It’s for me,” Tang He corrected quickly upon seeing Su An nearly gag at the nickname Tutu. “Look here, this unit is right above Jianyou’s apartment. Help me contact the owner and see if they’re willing to sell. I don’t care if it’s above market price.”

“Wait, wait, wait… you’re saying you want to buy a place right above Du Jianyou’s?” Su An squinted at him, clearly baffled. “What kind of logic is that?”

“You know I sometimes spend the night at his place,” Tang He began, but Su An immediately threw up a hand to stop him. Enough. She didn’t want to hear the details. Last time, she was too slow to intervene, and her ears had to suffer when Tang He stupidly started saying something along the lines of, If Jianyou hadn’t insisted, I’d have moved in with him already… hehehe…

Just hearing the tone he used was enough to make anyone blush and imagine all kinds of indecent scenarios. Tang He was doing it on purpose, too—wanting Su An to assume that Du Jianyou couldn’t handle his domineering presence, his wild energy, and his nightly hunger for passion. That was why Du Jianyou refused to let him stay over too often.

As if he’d ever let Su An know that their relationship had only progressed as far as cuddling and kissing. Even when Tang He had spent the night, all they’d done was lie under the covers and talk—from poetry and songs to life philosophy, from moonlit romance to awkward misunderstandings, from rainy nights in the mountains to passionate illusions.

In short: look but don’t touch, talk but don’t eat—absolute top-tier torture. Thinking about it drove Tang He half insane. That damned Du Jianyou always teased him and then just fell asleep, completely irresponsible—leaving Young Tang frustrated and Old Tang utterly tormented.

Seeing Su An’s defensive expression, Tang He felt even more bitter inside: You’re afraid I’ll say something inappropriate? I wish I had anything inappropriate to share with you!

“It’s just that Jianyou’s worried about me going in and out of his building too often,” he finally explained. “He thinks the paparazzi might catch on and start connecting the dots, piecing things together through pictures and speculation. So he doesn’t really want me going over. And he absolutely refuses to come to my place. Can you believe it? All this time we’ve been dating, not once has he visited.”

“Huh… didn’t think he was that cautious,” Su An admitted, impressed by Du Jianyou’s restraint. Unlike this impatient old guy in front of her, who seemed to have lost his brain the second he fell in love.

“Too cautious, if you ask me!” Tang He grumbled. “He won’t come to my place, won’t let me go to his, so what—are we supposed to go PDA in public now? How the hell are we supposed to have a relationship like this?”

“He’s doing it for your sake, to protect your reputation,” Su An chided. “Look at your exes—every single one of them clung to your coattails the second you gave them an ounce of attention, eager to announce to the world that they’d finally landed a golden goose. For once, you’ve got someone who’s mature and considerate, and all you’re doing is whining like a brat. Keep this up and I will tell him.”

“Hey, hey, hey—I’m not complaining! I’m just trying to come up with a solution,” Tang He quickly clarified. “So I figured, why not buy a place right above his? That way, even if the paparazzi catch me coming and going, I’ll just say I was going to my apartment. No one will know what floor I actually went to. Isn’t that smart?”

Su An looked at him like she was losing faith in humanity. “If you just need a cover, why buy right above his place? Isn’t he on the 18th floor? There are a few units on the 17th floor that are up for sale—I’ll check those out instead…” She started scrolling quickly through the listings on screen.

“No. I want that unit, the one directly above his,” Tang He firmly cut her off.

Su An paused and looked at him with a confused expression.

“I always have to be on top of him. How could I possibly be underneath?”

Su An took a deep breath, resisting the urge to smack him on the head. Once again, she held up her hand to signal stop—enough said.

“Fine, I get it. I’ll try to secure you that ‘top’ unit,” Su An replied with a deadpan expression, her clenched teeth barely masking her frustration. This boss is hopeless—what kind of filth is that brain of his filled with? It’s a tragedy, truly.

Watching Su An walk off looking as if she’d lost all hope in life, Tang He felt a little better. Lately, the only way he could vent his pent-up frustration was by teasing Su An. Ever since confirming his relationship with Du Jianyou, he’d been floating on cloud nine—but floating didn’t mean he didn’t still have very earthly desires.

They were both men—both had needs. In the past, even the more reserved women would give in after a little coaxing, and those who were more straightforward? Well, one look, one smirk, and they’d be in bed the next second—simple, direct, no nonsense about “just talking under the covers.”

But Du Jianyou? He was different—careful and thoughtful—and Tang He was truly worried about offending him when it came to intimacy. After all, what they had was genuine affection, not just animal lust. So he had no choice but to follow Du Jianyou’s pace.

Thinking about Du Jianyou made Tang He feel both joyful and a little aggrieved. He really was an extraordinary man—exceptional, considerate. Aside from the fact that they hadn’t yet synced up when it came to bedroom matters, everything else was perfect. Once they acknowledged their feelings for each other, there was absolute trust—no need for flattery, no need for coddling, no need for endless explanations.

Sometimes they bickered playfully, but it was always lighthearted—never to pick a fight. Tang He had never had such a thoughtful and well-matched partner before.

And what’s more, Du Jianyou didn’t slack off at work either. He handled Guangsheng Group’s projects with meticulous care, even picking up additional clients and throwing himself into his career with remarkable energy. Unlike Tang He, who—ever since falling in love—seemed to have completely lost the ability to focus on work. As Su An put it, it was like he’d lost all professional function.

Tang He still remembered that when they’d first gotten together, he was still occasionally appearing in gossip columns. At the time, he’d been eager to explain things to Du Jianyou, but Jianyou acted as if he’d never even seen the rumors—completely unbothered. When Tang He tried to explain, Du Jianyou would give him a puzzled look, like, Why are you even telling me this?

Eventually, Tang He gave up. In fact, he even deliberately let some gossip leak just to test the waters. Still, Du Jianyou didn’t react—he neither got upset nor asked questions. It was as if the moment their front door closed, the outside world no longer existed. No matter what the public said, Du Jianyou paid it no mind.

That kind of mature, undemanding partner was certainly a relief—but for a man like Tang He, who was experiencing the throes of first love, it struck a slightly off note. Just a few days ago, they had their first real fight over this.

It wasn’t a huge fight, but it did force them to lay their cards on the table—to better understand each other’s expectations in the relationship.

This time, Tang He’s name had popped up in another gossip rag. The magazines always added fuel to the fire, inventing entire stories based on a single picture. The woman involved this time was a minor model named Yan Qiao, someone Tang He barely remembered meeting.

Staring at the picture of her next to his name in the tabloid, Tang He had to squint to even recognize her. If they hadn’t linked our names together, I wouldn’t even remember seeing her.

Come to think of it… maybe they’d slept together once or twice. But everything else in the article? Pure fiction. Normally, in this kind of situation, Tang He would gauge the woman’s response—if she publicly clarified the rumor, his lawyer would follow up with a polite statement to protect her reputation. But if she tried to use the attention to squeeze more out of him, then his legal team would make sure she’d regret ever trying.

Tang He stared at the photo, and while he didn’t have a strong impression of the woman, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d seen her recently. Then it hit him—he’d just seen her at Du Jianyou’s photography studio. She was the female lead in several recent commercials Du Jianyou had taken on. No wonder she’d run up so eagerly to greet him at the studio the last time. He had been in a hurry to pick Du Jianyou up for dinner and hadn’t paid her any attention at all, just assuming she was like any other woman trying to cling to someone powerful.

It hadn’t even occurred to him that she was an old fling—someone he’d slept with before.

He fell into thought. Could this incident be her way of getting revenge? But this kind of thing was a double-edged sword—and rarely hurt Tang He. More often than not, it would just damage the woman’s own reputation. A clever girl wouldn’t do something so foolish.

Tang He waited and observed. The gossip started to grow, even reaching entertainment news outlets. Of course, it was just entertainment gossip—nothing serious enough to make it to the business pages. After all, it wasn’t like this would shake Guangsheng Group in the slightest. It was just juicy tabloid fodder about the personal life of President Tang.

The story dragged on for a day or two. The woman in question gave no statement—neither a denial nor a confirmation. In fact, no reporters even managed to get a word from her. Yan Qiao had seemingly vanished. And Du Jianyou? He acted as if nothing had happened. His messages and phone calls continued like normal, and he never even brought up the scandal once.

This time, Tang He was genuinely annoyed. Sure, having a thoughtful partner who didn’t stir up drama was great, but this? Being completely unfazed by his lover’s gossip scandals? Not even the tiniest hint of jealousy? Not even a request for an explanation? What did this mean? That Du Jianyou was so sure Tang He was his that he didn’t care? Or that… he didn’t care at all?

Tang He’s mind spiraled deeper into the rabbit hole, his thoughts growing more irrational by the second. He felt deeply frustrated. After a moment of internal struggle, he decided to go to Du Jianyou’s office. It was already after hours—perfect timing to pick him up and take him home.

As he neared the office building, he noticed one or two small media outlets lurking near the entrance, likely tipped off that Yan Qiao was filming an ad there. They were probably hoping to catch her and get a comment. But since she wasn’t exactly a big-name celebrity, the ones lying in wait were small, unknown outlets—far from professional.

Tang He quickly turned the steering wheel and drove into the nearby parking lot, slipping into the building through a side entrance that led to Du Jianyou’s studio.

And the moment he stepped inside, the scene that greeted him made his face go dark with fury.

It must’ve been a break between shoots—the assistants were reviewing footage, while director Du Jianyou was chatting cheerfully with a few people. His high, animated laughter echoed all the way to the entrance. And among the group he was laughing with—was Yan Qiao.

Du Jianyou, you bastard. Before, you didn’t even bat an eye at my scandals—I let that slide. But now? The very person at the center of this latest gossip is right in front of you, and you’re still acting like it’s no big deal? Do you even care about me at all?

At this point, the once-overbearing Tang He had devolved into a petty, prickly hedgehog, just wanting to stab someone until they hurt as much as he did.

With a stony face, he strode toward them. Du Jianyou noticed him and quickly called out in welcome—but immediately realized something was off. Wait… is he here for Yan Qiao? Jianyou hastily called over to her and gestured toward the office, as if offering them a quiet space to talk.

Seeing him go so far as to arrange for them to be alone, Tang He’s anger only deepened.

He glared at Du Jianyou and said curtly, “Miss Yan Qiao’s situation will be handled by my lawyer. I’m here to speak with Director Du. That fourth ad you submitted last time had some issues. I wonder if the director has time now to discuss it with me?”

Yan Qiao, who had been harboring hope that Tang He had come to see her, even blushing a little at the thought, suddenly found herself ignored. Tang He didn’t even glance her way. His eyes were fixed on Du Jianyou—burning hot with intensity. Was it anger… or something else? Confused, she looked between the two of them.

“But I’m not finished here yet, I’m afraid I can’t just—” Before Du Jianyou could finish his hesitant reply, Tang He didn’t even wait. Ignoring the stunned looks of everyone around them, he grabbed Du Jianyou by the wrist and marched him out of the room.

Everyone watching gasped in shock. What kind of huge problem happened with the fourth commercial that made President Tang of Guangsheng Group this furious?

Zhao Tiancheng, who had a vague idea that these two had a less-than-simple relationship, quickly stepped forward and tried to smooth things over. “It’s nothing serious—it seems there was just a formatting issue with the video. President Tang’s just in a rush to sort it out, so he pulled him away like that. Anyway, it’s about time we wrapped up. Let’s call it a day, everyone.”

He then turned to Yan Qiao and added, “There are still a few paparazzi waiting downstairs, so please use the side route through the neighboring building. Better to avoid being cornered—it’ll be trouble for everyone if they catch you.”

So, it turned out the reason the media hadn’t managed to catch the female lead of the scandal was because Du Jianyou had already warned her in advance and arranged everything so she could keep a low profile these past few days.

This commercial area was made up of several buildings developed by the same construction company. During the design phase, they had intentionally left connecting passageways between certain levels—semi-hidden walkways linking some of the floors. Although each building’s basement parking looked independent, they were actually connected underground. Anyone familiar with the layout could make a few turns and exit through another building’s entrance.

This web of interconnected exits wasn’t exactly a secret, but people unfamiliar with the area would never notice. That was precisely why the paparazzi had never been able to catch up with Yan Qiao.

After expressing her thanks, Yan Qiao left—with lingering doubts swirling in her mind about the true relationship between Tang He and Du Jianyou.

(To be continued…)