Chapter 29 What Other Thoughts Could I Have?

The PR manager called a brief meeting.

“The statement has been drafted,” the manager pushed a tablet toward Lu Er. “It just says that the conflict with Cong Jinyue arose from a disagreement.”

“He wanted to take intimate photos to hype a CP, and you dislike that kind of marketing, so your reaction was just an overreaction.”

“The key point is to emphasize that you’re straight, and there are no hidden rules involved.”

Lu Er quickly scanned the statement and felt a surge of anger. “Cong Jinyue harassed me first. What’s wrong with me fighting back?”

“It doesn’t say you’re at fault, but he didn’t actually do anything physical,” Jiang Qingyan sighed. “There’s no law for men being sexually harassed.”

Lu Er laughed angrily. “Do I have to wait until he actually touches me before I can call the police?”

In reality, it was just a minor incident.

If Cong Jinyue hadn’t caused such a scene, Lu Er wouldn’t have suddenly flown back to A City because of public opinion.

Song Jingmo wouldn’t have needed to cancel his academic conference, and all the subsequent mess wouldn’t have happened.

Jiang Qingyan rubbed his temples. “There have been similar situations before, and you didn’t make a fuss. Why are you so triggered today?”

Lu Er: “I’m in a bad mood.”

“My dear, this is the fastest way to calm the storm. Do you want to make it bigger?”

“The biggest public doubt about you now is your sexual orientation. Once that’s clarified, plus Cong Jinyue’s apology, the situation will quickly turn around.”

“You can even use this incident to boost your favorability. Both your traffic and personal influence will rise a level.”

“If it escalates, all the brands you cooperate with will be affected. Mishandling it could lead to astronomical breach-of-contract fees.”

After a moment of silence, Lu Er relented and released the statement.

The statement clearly conveyed several points:

Lu Er and Cong Jinyue’s conflict was purely a professional disagreement.

Lu Er respects all sexual orientations but is straight himself and dislikes being forced into male-male CP hype.

He apologizes for reacting physically but emphasizes it was provoked.

Almost at the same time, Cong Jinyue posted a solemn apology on Weibo.

He admitted his behavior was inappropriate, and that his over-the-top marketing led to the conflict, promising to focus on his work and stop hyping drama in the future.

Public opinion instantly reversed.

Lu Er’s Weibo comments changed from insults to support and sympathy from fans.

“Our brother was wronged! Being forced into a male-male CP is disgusting for a straight man!”

“Some people will do anything to become famous. Feeling for Lu Er!”

“The gay community is messy; they’ll do anything. Stay away from our straight brother!”

“Doing this to a straight man? Being hit is deserved!”

At Kangren Hospital, Song Jingmo had just finished an operation and rubbed his forehead tiredly, habitually opening Weibo.

They hadn’t contacted each other since that day, so he could only check on Lu Er through Weibo.

Seeing the statement and the comments, his hand holding the phone turned white from gripping it so tightly.

“I’m straight, dislike forced male-male CP hype…”

The aggressive comments below made his chest tighten even more: “gay people are disgusting,” “stay away from straight men”…

Song Jingmo closed his eyes, a sour ache spreading from his heart.

Lu Er’s deliberate distancing over the past days had already cut him deeply.

Now the statement felt like a blade, severing the last possibility between them.

Locking his phone, Song Jingmo walked to the window.

Outside, the sky was gray, just like his mood.

At the hospital cafeteria, Leng Keyan and Yin Siyao sat across from each other eating.

“Lately, Mentor Song has been unusually cold. Standing next to him, I almost froze,” Leng Keyan complained. “My uncle too, always staring off. Do you think they’re fighting?”

Yin Siyao casually stirred his food. “Why would they fight like a couple? Always quarreling?”

Leng Keyan dropped his chopsticks with a clatter.

“No way?”

He hastily picked them up. “In the Lu family, ‘being gay’ could get your legs broken.”

Yin Siyao was startled by his reaction. “I was just saying casually…”

Leng Keyan: “You scared me half to death.”

In the afternoon, Yin Siyao’s careless comment kept echoing in Leng Keyan’s mind.

He couldn’t help but recall the closeness between the two, a tacit understanding that outsiders couldn’t intervene.

The more he thought, the more uneasy he felt. His heart sank, and after work, he rushed back to the villa.

Opening the door, he saw Lu Er sitting on the sofa, lost in thought.

“Uncle,” Leng Keyan approached cautiously. “Did something happen between you and Teacher Song recently?”

Lu Er looked up briefly, then lowered his eyes. “No.”

“Then why aren’t you in touch?”

Lu Er smiled bitterly. “We’re from two different worlds. He’s a prodigy; I’m an actor living off my looks. Should I ask him if someone died during surgery?”

Leng Keyan probed, “You don’t have any… other feelings for Teacher Song?”

“What other feelings could I have?” Lu Er’s tone was self-mocking. “We’re like clouds and mud.”

What could mud on the ground possibly think of the clouds above?

“You better fight for your uncle. Study well. Don’t fall behind like me, even after a few years of graduating, getting laughed at.”

Hearing this, Leng Keyan secretly relaxed, realizing he had overthought.

Once Leng Keyan left, Lu Er reflected that he had indeed been holding Song Jingmo back.

He took out his phone and opened the chat with Song Jingmo.

Their last conversation was days ago, when Song asked if his wrist still hurt. Lu Er hadn’t replied.

His fingers hovered over the keyboard for a long time, finally typing slowly:

“We’re from different circles. It’s better not to contact each other.”

When he hit send, it felt like his heart was being torn apart.

Song Jingmo had just arrived home and saw the message. He stood in the entryway staring at the screen for a long time, until the screen dimmed.

He reached out, illuminated the screen again, and read the message once more.

“Different circles… better not to contact each other…”

Each word cut at his heart like a dull blade.

He thought of Lu Er’s declaration of being straight, the insults in the comments, and the deliberate distancing…

Sending this message was already Lu Er’s final mercy.

Song Jingmo slowly typed a reply—just one word:

“Okay.”

After sending it, he threw the phone on the sofa and went into the bathroom.

Cold water poured from the showerhead, soaking his hair and clothes.

Leaning against the wall, Song Jingmo let the icy water wash over him, as if it could cleanse the obsession he had harbored for more than ten years.

When Lu Er saw that short “okay,” he couldn’t help but tear up.

Song Jingmo offered no attempt to stop him.

The one who needed to distance themselves was him; what was the point of being sentimental?

While the feeling was still strong, Lu Er decided all at once—he deleted every contact of Song Jingmo from his phone.