TuxedoTranslations

Chapter 20

Zhuang Yanyu was getting more and more determined about the rebar on the ground.

Usually looking slender with thin arms and legs, today he was inexplicably stronger, unable to be moved no matter how hard anyone tried. He was dead set on taking the rebar back.

Chen Kang was getting a little speechless: “Xiao Zhuang, you must be drunk and have remembered it wrong. Your brother didn’t ask for rebar. If he wanted it, he could just order it from a building materials market. Why would he ask you to bring it?”

Rebar had gotten a bit more expensive lately due to rising material costs, and not just rebar—everything was going up. But it wasn’t to the point of being unaffordable.

Zhuang Yanyu was insistent: “I didn’t remember wrong, he wants this.”

Chen Kang tried to argue, but Zhuang Yanyu interrupted: “My memory is very good.”

Chen Kang had no choice but to back down.

He sighed, realizing that it was impossible to reason with someone who was drunk.

Manager Xu cautiously asked, “Could it be that your brother… doesn’t have enough money? Maybe he’s building a house and mentioned wanting rebar?”

This was the only thing Manager Xu could think of.

Zhuang Yanyu pondered Xu’s words, but the more he thought about it, the more his mind became a fog.

He felt Xu’s guess was wrong—A-Xi was clearly wealthy, so why would he be short of money to buy rebar?

That made what Chen Kang said sound right—A-Xi had plenty of money, and if he wanted the rebar, he could buy it himself.

Zhuang Yanyu grew more and more confused, his brain feeling like mush. “I can’t figure it out.”

Manager Xu tried to comfort him: “If you can’t figure it out, don’t think about it. Let’s go back to the hotel and sleep. Look, it’s already dark!”

But Zhuang Yanyu still refused to let go of the rebar, his grip firm.

He felt that even if he couldn’t figure it out, his brother had asked for it, and he was sure of that.

In the end, Manager Xu, helpless, wandered around the outskirts of the construction site and found a discarded piece of rebar about a meter long. He hurried back and said, “Xiao Zhuang, look at this!”

Zhuang Yanyu looked up, and his gaze locked onto the rebar.

Xu placed it in front of him, and without hesitation, Zhuang Yanyu grabbed it and tucked it into his arms.

From then on, there was no need for further persuasion. Zhuang Yanyu obediently carried the rebar, walking steadily and confidently, like a soldier marching in formation. He didn’t look drunk at all, his steps precise and deliberate.

The others were amazed. “If Xiao Zhuang hadn’t acted like that earlier, no one would have guessed he was drunk.”

When they returned to the hotel, Manager Xu took Zhuang Yanyu back to his room.

Zhuang Yanyu was staying on the 9th floor. When they arrived outside his room, Xu suddenly remembered: “Xiao Zhuang, I think you’re staying alone?”

This time, except for Wen Chenxi and his team, the rest of the people on the project were traveling in pairs.

Wen Chenxi’s hotel accommodations were handled separately, so they didn’t count in the room-sharing arrangement.

Although the team consisted of an even number of people, Chen Kang, being a senior executive, was staying in a luxury suite, so he wasn’t sharing a standard room like the others.

That left five people from the project. Two shared a room, and one had to stay alone.

Zhuang Yanyu, already in a daze, seemed unaware of Xu’s question. He just stood at the door, clutching the rebar, unmoving.

Xu, realizing there was no point in asking, assumed Zhuang Yanyu must be staying alone. He patted down his pockets, pulled out the room card, swiped it, and ushered Zhuang Yanyu inside.

Once inside, Xu was taken aback by the sight of two beds placed together. He muttered to himself, “Is it more comfortable to sleep with the beds together?”

Zhuang Yanyu quietly sat on the bed, staring off into space, seemingly lost in thought.

Noticing that he wasn’t causing trouble, Xu felt a bit more at ease and said, “Xiao Zhuang, just lie down and get some sleep. Do you want me to get you a towel to wipe your face?”

Zhuang Yanyu heard this time and shook his head. “No need.”

Xu assessed the situation and figured he was okay, so he prepared to leave. Before going, he called the front desk to ask them to keep an eye on the room, just in case someone came in or out, and to call him if that happened.

Clearly, Xu was worried that Zhuang Yanyu might slip away once he left.

After giving his instructions, Xu left the room.

—

9:30 PM.

In a high-end restaurant in the provincial capital, Wen Chenxi was the first to announce that it was time to leave.

The leaders of City H, surprised by the early hour, asked, “It’s still early, aren’t you staying a bit longer?”

Wen Chenxi, with a hint of apology, replied, “I’m not here alone. He tends to sleep early, and coming back late might disturb him.”

The leaders raised an eyebrow in curiosity, asking more about the person Wen Chenxi referred to: “Why not bring him along?”

Wen Chenxi smiled, “He’s here in H City to discuss a project with Harbor Group.”

The leaders then understood. With a playful tone, one joked, “Looks like Mr. Wen is making good progress.”

Wen Chenxi didn’t deny it, but he didn’t elaborate either. Instead, he raised his glass to toast the leader one last time.

The two had a good conversation that evening, and at least the leader was more confident about transforming H City into a high-tech maritime hub.

By the time Wen Chenxi returned to the hotel, it was almost 10 PM.

On the way, he sent a message to Zhuang Yanyu but didn’t get a reply.

From what Chen Kang had told him, the project discussion had gone smoothly, and the team had returned to the hotel early. Wen Chenxi guessed that Zhuang Yanyu must have already gone to sleep.

When Wen Chenxi entered the room, he moved quietly, even lightening his breathing, afraid of waking up the fish that was sleeping.

The room was dark, no lights on, because the curtains weren’t drawn, and the only light came from the red blinking dot on the TV.

Wen Chenxi, careful not to make a sound by bumping into anything, gently turned on the hallway light.

As the light flickered on, Wen Chenxi’s gaze paused for a moment, and then his eyebrows arched.

There, on his bed, under the quilt, a human-shaped form had emerged, and above the pillow, half of a furry head could be seen.

The fish… was sleeping on his bed.

It seemed like the person still remembered that this wasn’t their own bed, so they slept at the edge of the bed. Their head was only resting on half of the pillow, leaving the other half as if to make space for someone coming back late.

Wen Chenxi looked at this scene, his lips unknowingly lifting, a strange feeling that couldn’t be quite put into words. But the waiting and the space intentionally left for him made him feel a pleasant warmth.

Wen Chenxi approached the bed, leaned over, and squatted at the head of the bed, quietly observing the furry head. Zhuang Yanyu’s face was hidden under the blanket, and a faint smell of alcohol wafted into his nose.

Had he been drinking?

Wen Chenxi furrowed his brow slightly, thinking that this was an unavoidable part of business life. He felt a bit sorry, not knowing how much the fish had drunk.

After a moment of thought, Wen Chenxi sent a message to Chen Kang: [Did the partner force drinks on you?]

Chen Kang replied quickly: [No, they wouldn’t dare. Only we have that kind of technology, no other companies do.]

[Chen Kang: They wouldn’t dare to force us to drink, but they did drink a little to show goodwill.]

[Wen Chenxi: Hmm]

[Wen Chenxi: Did anyone get drunk?]

[Chen Kang: Only our Xiao Zhuang got drunk. I heard he’s never drunk before, but after one cup, he was out.]

Just one cup.

Wen Chenxi relaxed, turned off his phone, and looked at the person on the bed.

Zhuang Yanyu was actually very quiet and obedient when he slept.

He slept in the same position he fell asleep in, never moving around. Occasionally, he would turn over, but only within the space he had laid down.

Wen Chenxi watched for a while, confirming that Zhuang Yanyu was sleeping soundly and wasn’t uncomfortable from the alcohol, before gently pulling the blanket down just a little bit, exposing Zhuang Yanyu’s nose, then he stepped out of the room with slightly stiff legs.

The standard room wasn’t big, and the bathroom wasn’t soundproof, so the sound of a shower could easily wake up the fish.

Therefore, Wen Chenxi asked his assistant to book a suite, went to the suite to shower and freshen up, and asked the front desk to prepare a cup of honey water in case Zhuang Yanyu woke up in the middle of the night. After finishing all that, he returned to the room Zhuang Yanyu was staying in.

Wen Chenxi glanced at his own bed with a hint of regret in his eyes.

To avoid waking up Zhuang Yanyu, Wen Chenxi went to the other side of the bed and lay down in the bed where Zhuang Yanyu had been.

As soon as Wen Chenxi lifted the blanket and lay down, he felt something was wrong—something was pressing against him.

He reached out to feel it—it was long, hard, and had a… rusty smell.

Wen Chenxi sat up, lifted the blanket, and saw a steel rebar, more than a meter long, lying there.

Wen Chenxi: “?”

Wen Chenxi thought he was seeing things, but when he looked closely, it was indeed a steel rebar.

What’s more, the rebar was resting on the pillow, and the blanket covered the part below the rebar’s head, as if someone was sleeping there.

Wen Chenxi: “…”

Don’t tell him that this was the fish’s doing.

The next morning, Zhuang Yanyu woke up, having completely forgotten what had happened the previous night.

Perhaps because he had drunk the night before, he woke up at 9:30, having slept a full 12 hours.

Zhuang Yanyu sat on the bed for 30 seconds, staring blankly. Once his brain connected back to the server, he looked around the room and the bathroom but didn’t see Wen Chenxi.

Did his brother not come back last night?

He pulled out his phone to message Wen Chenxi, but saw that the other had already sent several messages, from last night until just half an hour ago.

[Wen Chenxi: Went for inspection.]

[Wen Chenxi: Drink a cup of honey water when you wake up, it’s on the bedside table.]

Zhuang Yanyu looked up and saw the cup of water on the bedside table.

He replied with “Okay,” and was about to get out of bed when, seeing his reply, Wen Chenxi directly called him.

Zhuang Yanyu answered while putting on his shoes.

Wen Chenxi asked, “Did you just wake up? Does your head hurt?”

Zhuang Yanyu replied, “Not really, just a little dizzy.”

“Don’t drink anymore,” Wen Chenxi’s voice was low. “You’ve slept so long, you’ve missed breakfast.”

Zhuang Yanyu’s face became serious. “Yes, I won’t drink again.”

Clearly, he also thought breakfast was an important thing.

As Zhuang Yanyu washed up, he asked, “Did you go for inspection this early?”

“Mm, the leader took us to see a new district.”

Zhuang Yanyu was puzzled. “Isn’t this project something we’re negotiating? Why are you meeting the leader? Is it in case the Harbor Group disagrees with the cooperation, and you want the leader to step in and recommend us?”

Wen Chenxi was open about it: “No, H City isn’t just about this project. Remember the city planning in H City? The docks are just one part. They’ve also designated a high-tech area, planning to build a tech park covering 800,000 square meters.”

Zhuang Yanyu understood. “Ah Xi, you’ve worked hard.”

“It’s nothing,” Wen Chenxi smiled. “What’s your schedule today?”

Zhuang Yanyu said, “No plans for the morning. In the afternoon, we’ll talk about costs and quotations, and they’re treating us to dinner in the evening.”

Wen Chenxi reminded him, “Don’t drink anymore.”

Zhuang Yanyu replied, “Got it.”

The two of them chatted casually until someone came to call Wen Chenxi.

On Zhuang Yanyu’s side, Supervisor Xu happened to come and call him for a brief meeting.

Wen Chenxi said, “I have to get going.”

Zhuang Yanyu replied, “Same here.”

But neither of them hung up the phone immediately.

The person on Wen Chenxi’s side, chuckling, whispered, “President Wen, are you talking to your wife? You’ve been chatting the whole time.”

Coincidentally, Supervisor Xu also asked, “Xiao Zhuang, your line’s been busy for a while. Who are you talking to? You’ve been on the phone for more than half an hour.”

The two voices almost overlapped, and since the voice on Wen Chenxi’s side was so soft, Zhuang Yanyu didn’t catch it clearly, only vaguely hearing something like “old.”

Zhuang Yanyu first answered Supervisor Xu’s question, “I’m talking to my brother.”

Wen Chenxi: “…”

After answering Supervisor Xu, Zhuang Yanyu asked Wen Chenxi, “The person on your side—did they say I’m your ‘old’ what?”

Zhuang Yanyu wasn’t too concerned, but he thought he’d heard the other person ask, and then Wen Chenxi had hummed in response.

So, he was a bit curious about how his good brother introduced him in front of others.

Wen Chenxi hadn’t expected him to hear it, so he fell silent for a moment.

He thought about the word “brother” just now and silently muttered to himself—this fish is so straightforward. Not only would it shock him, but it could also make him be distanced from others. There might not be a chance anymore.

He couldn’t let this fish know.

Wen Chenxi pursed his lips, gritted his teeth, and somewhat reluctantly said two words, “Little brother.”

–

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PS— Wen Chenxi: Damn it, why is there such an awkward situation? I can’t even call him my wife!!

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