After exchanging greetings, the atmosphere would ease up considerably? Qin Yu certainly didn’t think so.

After all, the man before him—oh, no, Mr. Xie—had just recently fallen victim to his online deception. It was only yesterday, Sunday, that he had coaxed a shirtless photo out of him.

At the time, bewitched by the moment, Qin Yu didn’t know the other’s true motives for agreeing to the exchange. However, it wasn’t hard to see that this person was quite interested in his false persona.

The other had earnestly asked Qin Yu to wait patiently. Soon after, he sent over a photo of his abs, with his phone conveniently obscuring most of his face, leaving only a tantalizing jawline visible.

In an instant, Qin Yu, with the speed honed by years of being single, downloaded, saved, and opened the image to zoom in.

The abs were well-defined and sculpted, suggesting their owner was likely someone who regularly exercised.

Droplets of water glistened on the abs, sliding down along the contours of muscle.

It must have been taken just after a shower. His figure was impressive, absolutely perfect. All of this gentleman’s qualities hit every mark for Qin Yu. The only unfortunate thing was that they had clashed on one crucial point.

Yes, they are both tops. No matter how appealing everything else was, if the most important criterion wasn’t met, it simply wouldn’t work.

Ah, Qin Yu had felt so conflicted at the time. Only at the other’s urging did he finally send a photo in return.

He used a stock image of a chubby kitten squished in a wire cage, its plump belly bulging through the squares to form makeshift “abs”—far more than just eight-pack. Qin Yu had specifically searched for a high-resolution, watermark-free version online.

This bait-and-switch¹偷梁换柱 (tōu liáng huàn zhù) – lit. to steal a rafter and replace it with a column / to replace the original with a fake / to perpetrate a fraud (idiom) maneuver was executed flawlessly, allowing him to reap the benefits without giving anything in return.

[???]

Faced with the other’s string of question marks, Qin Yu deftly changed the subject, smoothing over the incident.

Now, as Qin Yu collected himself, facing the man standing before him, he pondered deeply. How had he dared to do it back then, leaving himself no way out? Being single for too long had truly filled his head with cement.

“Mr. Qin, haven’t you forgotten something?”

“Mr. Xie, I’m a top, by the way.”

Despite the atmosphere being so awkward that no one dared speak just moments ago, the two men somehow found an unexpected synchronicity, blurting out their words simultaneously, albeit somewhat mismatched.

Xie Cen merely smiled, quickly appraising Qin Yu from head to toe before responding.

“I can tell.”

Ha! It had been a while since he’d felt this embarrassed. Qin Yu suddenly realized how simple online dating was—if you said something wrong, you could always delete it.

In reality, gay dating only left room for social suicide, forcing you to relive the awkward moments repeatedly.

“I can tell too,” Qin Yu retorted without missing a beat, his face unabashed. He was just that kind of person—thick-skinned.

However, in situations like these, it all came down to who had the thicker skin.

“What can you tell?” Xie Cen raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Qin Yu’s response.

“That you’re a top too.”

Qin Yu’s answer was blunt.

In truth, their conversations over the past week had already veered into not-so-innocent territory, especially after Xie Cen gradually discovered the other’s false identity during their online romance.

A flicker of disappointment passed through both their eyes, as if thinking the same thing.

What a shame.

Business was business, but Xie Cen’s image in Qin Yu’s eyes had already shattered.

The more innocent he had seemed online, the more calculating he proved to be in reality.

Somehow, the two of them left together and settled the bill. Apart from occasional exchanges, they remained largely silent, the atmosphere tinged with awkwardness.

“Mr. Qin, haven’t you forgotten something?”

Xie Cen pushed open the restaurant’s glass door with one hand. A gust of biting cold wind rushed through the gap, nearly freezing Qin Yu to death.

“I’ll send it to you later,” Qin Yu replied nonchalantly, hands in his pockets. He didn’t intend to hide anything. After all, he had been the one to deceive first, and it wasn’t something he was ashamed to admit. Owning up to his actions was his style.

There was no need for further explanation between them; they both knew what was at stake.

Qin Yu owed Xie Cen an abs photo. He had thought the matter would be forgotten with the end of their date, but who knew the other would show up in person?

Seeing how helpless and sickly Xie Cen had portrayed himself online—unable to take care of himself—versus his composed demeanor in reality, Qin Yu’s calculations were thrown into disarray. Not only was Xie Cen cunning, but he also seemed petty. Tsk tsk tsk. Online dating? More like online fraud in his opinion.

“I want it in high definition, uncensored.”

Xie Cen maintained his innocent expression while uttering words that left Qin Yu dumbfounded.

Qin Yu stared back at Xie Cen in shock, his face clearly displaying four words:

He’s going too far.²变本加厉 (biàn běn jiā lì) – lit. change to more severe (idiom); to become more intense (esp. of shortcoming) / to aggravate / to intensify

High definition and uncensored?! Qin Yu thought he might as well heavily pixelate the image, print it, laminate it, and slap it on this guy’s face. No need to show too much face.

“Mr. Xie, I sincerely apologize for deceiving you these past seven days.”

Qin Yu furrowed his brow, realizing the gravity of their conversation.

“I won’t hold it against you,” Xie Cen replied, now feigning indifference.

Walking behind Xie Cen, Qin Yu could only see the back of his head, making it impossible to gauge his true emotions.

“Alright then, I’ll be going,” Qin Yu said. Staying any longer would only let the awkwardness spread, trapping him.

He had to admire this guy’s audacity.

“Wait.” The other’s hand blocked his path. Whether accidentally or intentionally, his palm landed squarely on Qin Yu’s chest. Even through the not-so-thick layer of clothing, he could clearly feel the warmth of the other’s hand. All of this forced him to retract the step he had just taken.

Qin Yu looked at him, utterly baffled.

“Since you’re here, why don’t you show me around C City, Mr. Qin?” Xie Cen said shamelessly.

Damn, this guy was ruthless, even trying to hook a fellow top. What had started as an embarrassing situation that neither would want to admit to had turned into something this guy didn’t seem to care about at all. Was he dealing with someone who swung both ways?

Qin Yu wanted to refuse, using work as an excuse, but then he remembered that during their earlier conversation, he had emphasized that he had taken the day off work to show how seriously he took their meeting. Who would believe him if he suddenly changed his story?

Xie Cen’s next words immediately settled Qin Yu’s wavering heart.

“I’ll pay double the remaining balance owed by Lin Ke.”

“Deal,” Qin Yu answered without hesitation.

Xie Cen: I’m paying to let him hook me.

Qin Yu: What can I do? It’s double the remaining balance.

TL Notes

• 1
  偷梁换柱 (tōu liáng huàn zhù) – lit. to steal a rafter and replace it with a column / to replace the original with a fake / to perpetrate a fraud (idiom)
• 2
  变本加厉 (biàn běn jiā lì) – lit. change to more severe (idiom); to become more intense (esp. of shortcoming) / to aggravate / to intensify