Note: 

*For those of you who don't know, “因为你是我的菜。”  Means "because you are my type" and "because you are my vegetable" in Chinese. Yanjun used it as a pun in one of the Idol Producer episodes, but I wanted to explain it here in case anyone forgot! Anyway, enjoy reading! I hope you guys like it!

Yanjun hadn’t made many attempts to approach him since lunch yesterday, but Zhangjing was still on his toes. He wonders briefly if Yanjun had given up after realizing that his teasing won’t phase him, but the fleeting idea wasn’t enough to make Zhangjing relax. Realistically, Yanjun wouldn’t quit bothering him until he reached his goal, whatever that was. The man was stubborn like that and while Zhangjing usually admires his tenacity, it wasn’t a pleasant trait in this circumstance. He had to give props to his friend for keeping this up for so long though. If Yanjun’s weird methods of flirting failed him (and they did, every time), he would usually move on to a new victim. For some reason, Yanjun decided to stick with bothering him even if he had obviously been rejected. Zhangjing assumed it might have been due to the fact that they were best friends. Yanjun was less afraid of making him uncomfortable that anyone else. Most people would get tired of Yanjun’s relentlessness, but Zhangjing would never get legitimately angry at his friend. Even if Yanjun was annoying as sometimes, he was the closest friend Zhangjing ever had. Zhangjing wouldn’t let some stupid prank (?) prevent him from hanging out with and talking to Yanjun, no matter how aggravating it was.

Zhangjing predicts that his patience may be tested soon, however. Yesterday, Yanjun had been carrying around a notepad around the office jotting down notes every once in a while. Zhangjing was curious as to what could have him feeling so inspired, but he knew it probably had something to do with being obnoxious like he had been earlier. Zhangjing tried to sneak a peek at the paper, but Yanjun caught him staring. With a suspicious look on his face, the man held the notepad close to his chest for the remainder of the day, not allowing his writing to be exposed to Zhangjing’s curious gaze.

When Zhangjing walks in to work, he’s on guard. Not knowing when Yanjun will “attack” next leaves him in fight or flight mode and he can’t help but feel jittery as he approaches his cubicle. Yanjun has quite obviously been been waiting for him, if his sudden change in demeanor is anything to go by. An impish smile on morphs the man’s lips as Zhangjing takes his seat, dropping his satchel to the floor beside him. This doesn’t look good, Zhangjing decides, reluctantly saying “hi” to his friend and giving him a short wave before logging into his computer. The man tries his hardest to focus on nothing but his computer screen, toes already curled in anticipation as he waits for Yanjun to do something. He was hoping Yanjun would give him a break, but out of the corner of his eye, he can see the man already trying to get his attention.

“Zhangjing,” Yanjun starts and Zhangjing already regrets not calling in sick this morning. He closes his eyes and lets out a gentle sigh. He’d like to take advantage of the few moments of peace he’s get today, so he tries to prolong the inevitable. When he knows he has stalled long enough, Zhangjing finally acknowledges Yanjun, an apprehensive look on his face. “Yes?” the older man turns back to his friend and blinks, wondering what the other could possibly have in store for him. “Would it be alright if I took a picture of you?” Yanjun asks, though he’s already fishing his phone out of his pocket. They weren’t allowed to have their phones out while working, but no one really cared about that rule unless Mr. Zhang was around. “Uh…sure, I guess,” Zhangjing combs his fingers through his hair to fix it, then spins in his chair to face Yanjun completely. He would honestly rather die than have his picture taken right now, but he decides to just get it over with. “May I ask why?” Zhangjing questions, awkwardly throwing up a peace sign. Before he gets an answer, Yanjun snaps a photo, eyes practically sparkling. “I want to show Santa what I want for Christmas,” the man explains, looking entirely too satisfied afterwards. There is a pause where Zhangjing doesn’t react, still trying to process what just happened. When he does, the man groans, wanting to slam his head against his desk. “Oh my god, you’re disgusting,” Zhangjing’s groans are drowned out by the sound of his friend laughing. “Give me your phone. I’m deleting that right now,” he commands, though already knows Yanjun won’t follow his orders. “No way! I’m keeping this forever,” Yanjun holds his phone out of the elder’s reach just in case he decides to lunge for it. At this point, Zhangjing already knows the odds aren’t in his favor, so he resigns, turning back to his computer.

Yanjun attempts to bait him once again, quietly calling his name, but Zhangjing doesn’t fall for it. There’s no way he’d get through another conversation with the man unscathed. He ignores the man in favor of actually getting some work done. While he’s busy scrolling through his emails, Zhangjing taps his foot. Waiting for Yanjun’s next trick leaves him on edge. He knows for a fact that it’s coming, but he doesn’t know when. The man almost wishes that Yanjun would go ahead and do something just so he doesn’t have to deal with all of this anticipation building up. Out of the corner of his eye, he spots Yanjun grinning at his phone screen and suspects that he’s up to no good. Deciding to investigate, the man leans back in his chair and peers over. He tries to appear inconspicuous, pretending to type on his keyboard. When he realizes that Yanjun is looking at the picture he took of him, Zhangjing’s heart flutters and heat rises to his cheeks. Deciding not to comment on it, Zhangjing returns to work, trying to ignore the gnawing feeling in his chest.

Linong rushes by them later, a bouquet of flowers in hand and a bright yet nervous grin on his lips. “You decided to get flowers,” Zhangjing calls out, perking up at the sight of the intern. “Oh, uh yeah,” Linong grips them tighter and bites his lip shyly. “Are these alright? Do you think Xukun will like them?” he asks, looking like he’d pass out if Zhangjing said no. “They’re great, don’t worry. Good luck,” Zhangjing flashes the man a smile and sends him a thumbs up before turning back to his desk. Yanjun, who had been listening to their conversation, rises to his feet when the younger man starts to leave. “Linong, hold up,” he follows after the man, completely ignoring the work he had to do. He looks like he’s asking Linong a question. Though Zhangjing is curious, he ignores it for now. At least Linong has distracted Yanjun from flirting with him again.

During their lunch break, Zhangjing offers to share some of his food with his friends. Yanjun had forgotten his lunch back at his apartment and didn’t have any cash on him that he could have used on the vending machine. “Oh no, I can’t,” Yanjun rejects the food with a wave of his hand, “I’ve decided to become a vegetarian.” Zhangjing can’t believe his ears. “What? Why?” he demands an explanation. What could possibly have convinced Lin Yanjun to become a vegetarian overnight? The man beckons him closer with his finger and Zhangjing leans in, feeling utterly confused. “因为你是我的菜。(Because you are my vegetable/type*)” Yanjun speaks softly, then pulls away, waiting for his friend’s reaction. Beside him, Chaoze gags loudly, making his revulsion to the line as obvious as possible. “Lin Chaoze please save me from him I’m begging you,” Zhangjing turns to his friend with a desperate look while Yanjun cackles, stealing one of Zhangjing’s egg rolls.

Yanjun’s next attack comes after Zhangjing speaks with Jeffery by the copy machine. The two had just finished discussing how they want to divvy up the work for the task they had been assigned to. Jeffery offered to do more work, but Zhangjing shook his head, saying that he could handle it. He knew the his coworker had been extremely busy. The man had spread himself thin, offering help to anyone who needed it. Sometimes, Zhangjing thinks Jeffery is generous to a fault. After the two say their goodbyes, Zhangjing makes a copy of the outline they created, then begins to head back to his cubicle.

He walks around the corner, but comes to a sudden halt when a palm is slammed against the wall beside him. Gasping, Zhangjing turns around to see who hand belongs to. After followinf the contours of the man’s arm, Zhangjing is greeted with Yanjun leaning over him, his signature smirk on his face while he quirks up an eyebrow. Zhangjing’s heart is racing, but he can’t tell if it’s from the shock or the fact that Yanjun is only inches from his face. “Zhangjing…” he whispers, leaning close enough that Zhangjing can feel his breath fan against his lips. At this point, Zhangjing is about to pass out, hands becoming clammy as he stares at the man in silence, words caught in his throat. Yanjun, encouraged by his friend’s reaction, continues. “Let’s put our tulips together,” he pulls away and produces a few flowers from behind his back. He looks at his friend expectantly, not thrown off by the fact that Zhangjing is now glaring at him. “Yanjun, those are roses,” Zhangjing deadpans, crossing his arms over his chest. “Why did you have to ruin the moment like that?” Yanjun frowns, a dejected pout on his lips. “I’m just saying, if you’re going to use a line like that, at least get the name of the flower right. Wait, are those the flowers that Nongnong got for Xukun?” Zhangjing takes one and holds it up to his nose to take in the aromatic scent.

In that moment, Chaoze comes by to make some copies and catches them in this position: Zhangjing smelling the flower and Yanjun still hovering close. “Ugh, gross. I knew that this would happen eventually, but I didn’t think I’d have to witness anything this intimate,” the man scrunches his nose in disgust and shields his eyes. “You knew that what would happen?” Zhangjing questions, then glances from Chaoze to the man in front of him. Realization soon hits him and he immediately shoves his friend away, a pink hue blossoming on his cheeks. “Nothing’s happening. You’re misinterpreting the situation,” Zhangjing explains, trying to ignore the smug expression on Yanjun’s face. Chaoze tuts, clearly not believing him. However, by some miracle, he chooses not to press the matter.

“Anyway, I guess I’ll take this opportunity to invite you guys to Xukun’s birthday party at my apartment,” Chaoze places his papers in the copier and purses his lips, “You can bring a plus-one, but I’m assuming you two will be going together anyway.” “What is that supposed to mean-” Zhangjing starts, but is cut off by his friend. “Sounds great!” Yanjun gives Chaoze a thumbs up, then turns back to his best friend. “See you then cutie,” Yanjun winks at him and instead of acting repulsed, Zhangjing just nods and bites his lip. “Hmmm, interesting…” Chaoze makes a thoughtful sound, bringing his fingers up to his chin. “What?” Zhangjing asks, feeling defensive for some reason. “Nothing,” Chaoze shrugs and walks off before Zhangjing can question him further. Zhangjing isn’t very convinced. “I have to go back to work now. Ziyi is going to kill me if I don’t get this project finished by the end of the day. See ya,” Yanjun sticks a hand in his pocket and waves at his friend before walking back towards his cubicle.

After waiting until he was outside Yanjun’s line of sight, Zhangjing scutters off to the bathroom to calm himself down. The prior situation still has his heart thrumming in his chest, so he splashes some cold water in his face in the hopes of getting back to his usual demeanor. Chaoze’s words ring in his ears and he tries to make sense of what he’s feeling right now. It bothers him that the sensation from before still lingers in his body, cheeks tingling from heat while butterflies bounce around in his tummy. Chaoze seemed convinced that there’s something not completely platonic going on between him and Yanjun, which is absolutely ridiculous. Right? Zhangjing shakes his head and lets out a deep sigh. Whatever, Chaoze is looking way too far into things. Deciding he didn’t want to bother thinking about this any longer, Zhangjing dries his hands and leaves the bathroom.