Damn It! The Main Shou Turned Me Gay! (Showbiz) - Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Blind Date Banquet

Roadside, outside Huanzhuyuan Residence.

A low-key black business car slowly pulled to a stop.

Seeing the young man walking toward the vehicle, the butler, Uncle Chen, got out and gave a slight nod to Chu Zhiyu:

“Young Master.”

That title sounded vaguely ironic to Chu Zhiyu’s ears.

Young Master.

Who knows how many illegitimate children Mr. Chu had hidden away outside, all vying to please him, and yet this title of “Young Master” had landed on someone like him—someone who resented Chu Tian to the core.

Chu Zhiyu’s eyes were cold, but out of a shred of lingering respect, he didn’t lash out at the butler.

“Uncle Chen, go back and tell him—me returning to Jiangcheng has nothing to do with him.”

Uncle Chen opened his mouth in difficulty. “Young Master, though the Master has been absent from home for years, the only person he’s ever acknowledged is—”

“That’s enough.”

Chu Zhiyu sneered and pointed behind him at the upscale residential complex.

“There’s no need for him to put on a show of fatherly love in front of me. As you can see, I’m currently staying in a place like this—with a man.”

Uncle Chen’s expression changed completely.

A flash of anger flickered in his eyes.

“Young Master! You—how could you?!”

He was the only heir of the Chu family, destined to take over all of the Master’s businesses. How could he live as he pleased and fool around with a man?!

But Chu Zhiyu merely gave a light laugh.

He’d worked so hard just to move into Qi-ge’s home—how could these remnants of the feudal era possibly understand him?!

At the thought of Qi Wenyan, even more genuine warmth lit up Chu Zhiyu’s eyes.

He shook the cloth bag in his hand and said cheerfully:

“It’s still early—I’m going to the supermarket to buy baking supplies. That way, I can make him a birthday cake tonight.”

Uncle Chen’s eyes rolled back, and he nearly fainted on the spot!

Him?! Was the Young Master really going to degrade himself this much and let himself be kept?!

Chu Zhiyu smiled blissfully. “He’s going to love the surprise I prepared.”

Seeing that the elderly Uncle Chen was about to collapse, Chu Zhiyu kindly added:

“The sun’s strong—you should hurry back, Uncle Chen. If you drive fast enough, maybe you’ll make it back to the restaurant in time to tell Chu Tian the news.”

That would be perfect. Just the thought of that man losing his appetite from sheer rage filled Chu Zhiyu with glee.

In high spirits, Chu Zhiyu lowered his gaze to reply to Qi Wenyan’s messages, as if he hadn’t even noticed Uncle Chen’s furious, disappointed expression. He turned and headed off toward H Mart.

It wasn’t until Chu Zhiyu’s figure disappeared that the driver cautiously asked:

“Mr. Chen… about the Master?”

Uncle Chen punched the car door in frustration and took a long time to respond:
“Let’s go back. Keep the Young Master living with someone else a secret. Not a word of this leaves us!”

The driver immediately nodded nervously.

Xinyue Mansion, the most luxurious banquet hall in Jiangcheng.

Inside Wenci Pavilion.

Led by a server, Qi Wenyan stepped through the doors.

A few guests had already arrived in small groups. One woman, dressed in an elegant gown with long hair draping past her shoulders, looked to be in her thirties despite clearly being older, thanks to meticulous upkeep.

At the sound of the door opening, she lifted her gaze. Her eyes were sharp.

Qi Wenyan locked eyes with Xu Qinyi.

Xu Qinyi, President Xu—also known as Mrs. Qi.

—Qi Wenyan’s biological mother.

The moment he saw her, a blurry memory surfaced in his mind—

The woman was elegantly leaning on a sofa, composed and graceful. A man in homewear was pouring her a cup of tea.

“You’ve made up your mind? My conditions are simple: you can like men, but you must take over my business, and give up on that whimsical childhood crush from next door.”

On the sofa opposite her, he sat just as composed, eyes calm.

He clearly remembered himself saying firmly:

“Sorry, I stand by my own choices.”

Qi Wenyan snapped back to reality.

That memory—without a doubt—was a moment between the original Qi Wenyan and Xu Qinyi.

But this mother-son relationship was nothing like what he’d gathered from Fang Ruxu in passing.

Just as Qi Wenyan narrowed his eyes, recalling the attitude he’d shown in that memory and preparing to speak, Xu Qinyi had already strode over.

She walked over holding two glasses of champagne, unceremoniously thrusting one into his hand.

Before Qi Wenyan could say anything, he was holding an unknown-strength champagne. A flicker of confusion crossed his eyes.

Xu Qinyi drained her own glass in one go—so casually it was like drinking water.

Downing a cup of poison with a smile, she gripped the glass tightly and said resentfully:

“You little brat. Compared to your dimwitted father, you’re actually more to my liking.”

Qi Wenyan: ??

Wait—what?

Wasn’t the script supposed to be intense mother-son showdowns with no backing down?!

Xu Qinyi stared at her son expressionlessly. The resemblance in their expressions was uncanny, as if stamped from the same mold.

“What are you staring at? Is this the first day you realized your dad’s an idiot?”

Qi Wenyan, completely at a loss: “No… I…”

“Stop!” Xu Qinyi impatiently waved him off. “Don’t bring up that bastard in front of me—I came back to China for one reason: to find you a reliable lifetime provider.”

Qi Wenyan, exasperated: “I’m not… I—”

Xu Qinyi made a face like she’d just swallowed a fly but had no choice:

“So, you don’t want a girlfriend, you like men, but also don’t want to date casually. You just want to chase that childhood friend next door, huh?”

Qi Wenyan was completely dumbfounded.

He let out a confused syllable: “Huh?”

Xu Qinyi picked up on something, giving him a suspicious once-over.

“What are you trying to say?”

The once-fearless screenwriter crumbled under the barrage of his mother’s attacks. Relying purely on instinct to cover up the memory gap, he said:

“Nothing—I just think you’ve gotten even more beautiful since I last saw you.”

As he spoke, he gave her a sweet, obedient smile.

Thank you, Xiao Chu—thanks to constant exposure, he was now a pro at acting cute.

A satisfied smile crept onto Xu Qinyi’s face.

Tucking her hair behind her ear, she snorted: “My sweet boy really knows how to talk—unlike your deadbeat dad.”

Qi Wenyan said nothing and simply nodded with a polite smile.

Seeing her in a good mood, he quietly broached his real reason for coming:

“Mom, I actually have things to do in Jiangcheng today. I’m really touched that you came all this way to celebrate my birthday, but about the matchmaking dinner afterward, maybe we could just…”

As Xu Qinyi’s sharp gaze cut over, his voice trailed off into a weak whisper:

“…call it off?”

More guests were arriving. Xu Qinyi couldn’t hide away with him in a corner forever.

She dropped her teasing tone and said calmly:

“I know you don’t want to take over your father’s or my businesses. That’s why I gave you this condition back then. I didn’t expect you’d cut off your finances and return to China altogether.”

She raised her eyes. “I don’t want to force you, but you should know how messy the gay dating scene is. Your dad and I are abroad all year. If we can’t confirm you’ve found someone reliable here, how could we be at ease?”

Qi Wenyan fell silent.

Xu Qinyi sighed. “You really are just like your father.”

She relented. “Fine. Meet the people I’ve lined up—just once each. Unless you can bring me someone even better, it’s non-negotiable.”

Qi Wenyan groaned inwardly but knew she wasn’t budging.

He lightly tapped her empty glass with his champagne and gave her a helpless smile:

“Just one meeting each.”

Xu Qinyi raised her brow and tapped her glass back. “I’m not forcing you into anything. If you don’t like them, what am I going to do, drag you into a relationship?”

Contract signed, she smiled again and led him into the crowd.

Just before entering the social battlefield, she added nonchalantly:

“By the way, I watched Liuli Zui. The script was good.”

Liuli Zui—Qi Wenyan’s debut TV series as a screenwriter.

Qi Wenyan froze for a second, then couldn’t help but smile.

But the warmth lasted only a second. Xu Qinyi swiftly shifted gears, introducing him to the other wealthy ladies.

“This is my son Wenyan. Five years ago, Old Qi and I moved abroad. We got so busy we barely came back—and look at this kid, he came back first and made a mess.”

Laughter rippled among the ladies as approving glances darted toward Qi Wenyan.

The Qi family’s eldest son!

The fact that he made a name for himself without relying on his family was already impressive. Add good looks and talent, and he was practically a dream catch in Jiangcheng’s elite circles.

Someone soon made the first move.

Madam Shen proudly pulled her daughter over, beaming.

“This is my daughter Caiwei, three years younger than you. She’s a junior in college, also studying art! Don’t you think that’s such a coincidence, Xu President? Young people should connect more. Caiwei, go add your Brother Qi on WeChat!”

Shen Caiwei blushed and stepped up, her makeup and hair carefully styled.

She smiled at Qi Wenyan, “Qi-ge, if you don’t mind… can we add each other on WeChat?”

Qi Wenyan resisted stubbornly. “I’m an only child—I don’t have any sisters. But if you need anything, feel free to reach out. Just treat me like a big brother.”

Shen Caiwei’s smile froze, but with the words already out there, she had no choice but to go along: “…Thanks, bro.”

With the Shen family breaking the ice, the other ladies went into full assault mode. Within just twenty minutes, Qi Wenyan had unwillingly accepted five or six new “adoptive sisters.”

Just as Xu Qinyi looked like she was about to introduce more, Qi Wenyan raised his hand in surrender and weakly leaned against the table.

“I actually skipped breakfast today… and now I drank on an empty stomach. My stomach’s not feeling great. Mom, I’ll go to the restroom real quick—”

“Is Mr. Qi not feeling well?”

A guest, supposed to wait for an introduction, butted into the conversation with concern.

Unlike the others—

This man, dressed in a sharp suit with frameless glasses, wore a smile that had a certain aggressive, possessive edge. He gave Qi Wenyan a slight nod.

“Hello, I’m Shang Qiu.”