TuxedoTranslations

Chapter 34

After that, no matter what, Wen Chenxi refused to rejoin the group chat.

Every time he was added, he left.

When asked why, he claimed his account had been hacked.

Zhuang Yanyu, having absolute trust in his brother, believed him.

Since Wen Chenxi’s account had been hacked, he even felt concerned. “Why don’t you download a remote access app? I can install antivirus software for you.”

Wen Chenxi: “…”

Zhuang Yanyu: “The antivirus software I make is even better than the company’s. I guarantee your phone will never be infected by viruses again.”

When it came to system security, he had absolute confidence.

Wen Chenxi felt even more conflicted. “Isn’t the company’s firewall enough?”

Zhuang Yanyu replied, “It’s not bad, just a little too simple. It took me less than five minutes to bypass it…”

As he spoke, he gradually realized something was off, and his voice trailed off.

“…So, Xiaoyu, you hacked the company’s firewall?”

“Uh.” A familiar mumbling, feigning ignorance.

Wen Chenxi was both amused and exasperated. “Then why didn’t the company receive any alerts?”

Zhuang Yanyu’s voice grew even softer. “…Maybe they just didn’t notice.”

Wen Chenxi: “…”

As the leading tech company in the country, Wen Chenxi was confident that aside from national security experts, most top-tier tech talents worked at Azure Tech.

And yet, their high-budget firewall had been silently breached in under five minutes by this little fish?

Seeing that Wen Chenxi remained silent, Zhuang Yanyu inexplicably felt a little guilty.

This was actually something he had done when he first arrived in this world—he wanted to learn more about his future best friend.

So, he hacked into Azure Tech’s internal network.

He just hadn’t expected the firewall to be so simple—it barely took him any effort…

Later, he suddenly remembered that such actions were illegal under this country’s laws.

So he immediately logged out without even looking at any data.

Zhuang Yanyu felt incredibly guilty. He didn’t dare to speak to his good brother but also couldn’t find a good excuse to hang up the phone.

So, in a ruthless move, he imitated a trick he had seen in online videos—he held his phone a little farther away and said, “…Uh, the signal seems to be getting worse… Ah Xi, can you hear me?”

Wen Chenxi: “I can hear you.”

Zhuang Yanyu: “Ah, I can’t hear you. Looks like the signal really is bad.”

Wen Chenxi: “…” I can literally hear my own echo from your side.

Zhuang Yanyu: “I’ll hang up for now. Bye, Ah Xi.”

Wen Chenxi: “…”

Zhuang Yanyu hung up the call in under a second.

As soon as the call ended, he immediately switched his phone to airplane mode, like an ostrich burying its head in the sand.

After three minutes, to make it seem like his signal had genuinely been bad, he turned airplane mode off again.

The moment it was off, a text from Wen Chenxi came in.

[Wen Chenxi: Looks like your phone’s quality isn’t great.]

[Wen Chenxi: Next time, switch to our company’s phone—employee discount.]

Zhuang Yanyu obediently replied: [Oh.]

What he didn’t know was that Wen Chenxi, looking at Zhuang Yanyu’s response, was deep in thought.

After a moment, he dialed a number from his contacts—an English name.

The call connected, and a teasing voice came through:

“Wen! What’s the occasion? I already told you, I don’t want to expand into your country for now. If I do, I’ll definitely join your company~”

“I’m not calling about that,” Wen Chenxi said.

“Hmm? Then, do you miss me? My God, I never thought—”

Wen Chenxi cut him off. “You once said that Azure Tech’s firewall was very strong.”

“…Ahem, can we not bring that up? That was one of the greatest humiliations of my career!”

Wen Chenxi: “Got it. That’s all I needed to know.”

Without waiting for a response, he ended the call.

That person was a top-tier expert. Back then, Wen Chenxi had offered a hefty sum to recruit him. Confident in his skills, the man wanted either a top position in the company or Wen Chenxi’s absolute recognition. So before accepting the offer, he tried hacking Azure Tech’s firewall—only to fail.

Realizing that Azure Tech might have too many geniuses for him to stand out, he declined Wen Chenxi’s offer.

At least in his own country, he was unquestionably the best. But in China, that might not be the case.

Yet now, for the first time, Wen Chenxi began doubting the elite tech talents he had spent so much money hiring.

Was Xiao Yu simply too exceptional, or were his people just too weak?

Wen Chenxi opened WeChat and stared at Zhuang Yanyu’s profile picture, suddenly struck by a realization.

He seemed to have fallen for someone truly remarkable.

And yet, in all of Zhuang Yanyu’s background—his education, his family—everything was shockingly simple.

What kind of genius could become so skilled entirely on his own?

If he had been trained from a young age, how far could he have gone?

How many more surprises did Xiao Yu have in store?

—

As September arrived, much of the country had officially entered autumn. But in A City, a southern metropolis, it was still unbearably hot—no different from summer.

Meanwhile, the news was trending with an unexpected phenomenon: several places were experiencing snowfall in September.

Zhuang Yanyu clicked into the newsfeed and saw that the snowfall was happening in particularly cold regions—mostly in the north or at high altitudes.

His first instinct was to send the news to Wen Chenxi. But remembering that his brother’s WeChat had been “hacked,” he wasn’t sure if he’d recovered it yet. So, instead, he shared it to his Moments.

He had seen snow before.

In the cultivation world, snow-capped mountains were everywhere.

Many rare spiritual herbs either grew on eternal glaciers or deep within roaring volcanoes.

But while he had seen it, he had never actually touched it.

Seeing people in the news starting to build snowmen, a trace of envy appeared in Zhuang Yanyu’s eyes.

Even though the snow was thin—barely enough to build anything larger than a palm-sized snowman—he still watched with fascination.

From his research, he had learned that many southerners had an almost irresistible love for snow.

Today, he suddenly understood that feeling. He wanted to see it too.

Curious, he searched online and found that in certain southern cities, not only were the trees green all year round, but it also almost never snowed.

Which meant that, after transmigrating here, Old Zhuang had never seen snow either—just like him.

Just as he was thinking about this, a WeChat message popped up.

[Li Xi: Xiao Yu, I saw your Moments—are you interested in skiing?]

[Li Xi: There’s a huge indoor ski resort in A City. Want to go together?]

[Zhuang Yanyu: I’ve never skied before.]

[Li Xi: That’s easy, we can teach you.]

Li Xi had been quite busy lately—last week, he had just worked on a high-end fashion show. Since Wen Chenxi had asked him to take Zhuang Yanyu out more, he had planned to invite him out but hadn’t had the time.

Now that he was finally free, he saw Zhuang Yanyu’s post and decided to ask.

[Li Xi: Lao Ji and I are both experts. 😎]

Zhuang Yanyu was somewhat tempted. Skiing was playing with snow, and building snowmen was also playing with snow. Could he do both at the same time?

But when he thought about how his good brother hadn’t returned yet, his enthusiasm waned.

【Zhuang Yanyu: Let’s wait for Ah Xi to come back and go together.】

【Li Xi: Alright, then let’s call Lao Ji and go have a meal together.】

【Li Xi: Autumn has arrived. We should eat something good for the lungs and spleen, build up some fat for the winter~】

Li Xi still remembered that his friend had told him that even though Zhuang Yanyu was young, he was very knowledgeable about health preservation.

So he used this as an angle to persuade Zhuang Yanyu to go out, worried that if he stayed home too long, he’d fall ill.

However, Zhuang Yanyu replied with the same answer: 【Let’s wait for Ah Xi to come back and go together. He also needs to replenish his health.】

Li Xi raised an eyebrow and sent the chat record to Wen Chenxi.

【Li Xi: Where did this domesticated little fish come from? So obedient, always thinking about a certain someone.】

Seeing the message, Wen Chenxi immediately smiled. This little Yu was really well-behaved.

Especially how he couldn’t go three sentences without mentioning him.

Honestly, if he didn’t know for sure that this fish didn’t like him that way, he might have thought that Xiao Yu was deeply infatuated with him.

【Li Xi: When will you be done? If you don’t come back soon, I might have to convince little Yu to find a new partner.】

【Wen Chenxi: If only he really saw me as his partner.】

【Li Xi: ??】

【Li Xi: You two sleep together every day, and you’re saying you’re not?】

【Li Xi: Lao Wen, are you sure you’re not… incapable in some way?】

【Wen Chenxi: Get lost.】

Li Xi laughed uncontrollably but was genuinely surprised at how restrained his friend was.

But this also meant that Wen Chenxi was taking things seriously.

That’s why he was proceeding carefully, not wanting to scare the other person away or confess without certainty.

【Wen Chenxi: I’ll be back tonight.】

【Wen Chenxi: Don’t tell him yet.】

【Li Xi: Planning to surprise Xiao Yu?】

【Wen Chenxi: I hope he sees it that way.】

But to be honest, Wen Chenxi didn’t dare to guess this fish’s thoughts anymore. His thinking was too unpredictable, always making him feel like he was overanalyzing things.

【Li Xi: Okay, leave it to me.】

After ending the conversation with Wen Chenxi, Li Xi immediately called Zhuang Yanyu.

Li Xi asked, “Xiao Yu, it’s Saturday today, and you don’t have to work. Are you really not coming out?”

Zhuang Yanyu was scrolling through news related to Wen Chenxi to pass the time. Without much hesitation, he replied, “I don’t really feel like going out.”

Li Xi said, “But Lao Wen specifically told me to keep you company. What should I do? If you don’t come out, I won’t know how to explain it to him.”

Zhuang Yanyu’s ears twitched, his gaze shifting away from the news, and his eyes lit up. “Ah Xi said that?”

Li Xi said, “Of course. Even though he’s on a business trip, he’s been worried that you’d be bored at home, so he told Lao Ji and me to take you out more.”

Zhuang Yanyu pursed his lips, seeming a little happy, trying to suppress a smile. He said, “Alright, where are we eating?”

Li Xi raised an eyebrow. Just mentioning Lao Wen got him to agree to a meet-up. If this wasn’t love, then what was?

Li Xi said, “Why don’t we go to your hometown? It’s not far by car, and I haven’t seen Uncle Zhuang in a while. I miss his fruits. I’ll come pick you up first, then we’ll go get Lao Ji.”

Hearing they’d be going home, Zhuang Yanyu agreed even faster. “Okay.”

Li Xi’s place didn’t seem far away. In less than half an hour after the call ended, he messaged that he had arrived and told Zhuang Yanyu to come downstairs.

Zhuang Yanyu didn’t have much to bring. He grabbed his phone and went downstairs.

He was dressed simply, wearing casual clothing that was neatly pressed without a single wrinkle.

But perhaps because of his striking features and well-proportioned physique, even the simplest casual wear on him gave off the impression of expensive luxury brands.

Once Zhuang Yanyu fastened his seatbelt, Li Xi curiously asked, “Where do you get your clothes from?”

Zhuang Yanyu replied, “My dad makes them.”

Li Xi was stunned. “Uncle Zhuang made them?”

Zhuang Yanyu: “Yes, my dad grows mulberry trees, raises silkworms, and then adds a little…”

“Wait.” Li Xi gestured for him to pause and laughed. “No need to tell me the details. The way fabric is made is like design—everyone has their own techniques. Uncle Zhuang’s craftsmanship is amazing. He could take custom orders.”

For him, that was a unique skill.

Li Xi pondered. If Uncle Zhuang had time, he could indeed take exclusive commissions.

But then he thought about how Uncle Zhuang was always busy with agricultural research and dismissed the idea.

Better not drag him into the commercial world.

To Li Xi, Uncle Zhuang wasn’t just farming; he was helping a research institute with agricultural studies. He shouldn’t be tainted with the stench of money.

“Alright, let’s go pick up Lao Ji. I think he’s at his company today.”

Zhuang Yanyu nodded. “Okay.”

When they arrived downstairs at Ji Zhiyuan’s company, Zhuang Yanyu noticed two police cars parked nearby.

He rolled down the window and glanced toward the building, confirming that this was entirely Ji’s family’s business.

He told Li Xi, “Ji Zhiyuan probably won’t be able to come.”

Li Xi was just about to call when he paused and asked curiously, “Why do you say that?”

Zhuang Yanyu pointed at the two police cars.

Only then did Li Xi notice them. He pressed the call button, but the phone rang for a long time with no answer.

Li Xi exchanged a glance with Zhuang Yanyu. Could something have really happened?

Zhuang Yanyu didn’t say anything, his gaze still fixed on the police cars.

Just before the phone was about to hang up automatically, Ji Zhiyuan finally answered and immediately said, “Li Xi, I don’t have time right now. Damn it, there’s trouble at the company.”

Li Xi asked with concern, “What happened?”

Ji Zhiyuan replied, “Our company’s internal network and official website have been hacked. They’re exposing private information about our artists and leaking upcoming projects.”

Li Xi’s expression became serious. “How did this happen? Has it been resolved?”

Celebrity privacy is always a hot topic for gossip-loving netizens. He could already imagine the chaos this would cause.

Ji Zhiyuan sighed. “Our tech team couldn’t handle it, so we reported it to the police.”

“Do you know who did it?”

“Who else but Yaoguang Entertainment? They’ve always had it out for us,” Ji Zhiyuan sneered. “They probably thought our company was like theirs, full of dirty industry secrets. They must have assumed they’d dig up something juicy from our internal network. Even if they didn’t find anything, they still wanted to smear us. Too bad for them—I reported it to the police immediately.”

Few entertainment companies would dare to be so upfront about letting law enforcement investigate their internal networks.

This meant that any questionable business practices or shady deals would be laid bare for authorities to scrutinize, not to mention confidential collaborations and investment projects.

But Ji Zhiyuan had the confidence to do it.

Since childhood, he had always had terrible luck, which made him superstitious. A fortune teller once told him that doing good deeds would improve his fortune.

Determined to change his fate, Ji Zhiyuan never engaged in illegal activities and forbade anyone in his company from doing so.

Whenever his luck took a downturn, he would investigate the company to see if someone was secretly breaking the rules—otherwise, why would his misfortune suddenly spike?

Because of this, Ji Zhiyuan had no fear of anyone investigating his company.

Zhuang Yanyu glanced at his phone and saw that the incident had already skyrocketed to the top of trending topics.

Leaked documents detailed all the projects certain celebrities were scheduled to work on for the rest of the year and even into the next.

Company contracts and revenue splits were exposed.

Some productions hadn’t even finalized casting yet—the leaked documents merely mentioned actors being considered for auditions. But online, it had already been twisted into claims that these roles were rigged.

Even details of which hotels the celebrities had stayed in and reimbursement receipts covered by the company were posted.

Fortunately, Ji Zhiyuan had reported it quickly, and the police’s cyber unit had skilled experts. Before long, they successfully cut off the hacker’s access.

Ji Zhiyuan gritted his teeth. “Tracking them down will take time. The hacker was careful—once they noticed we had a cybersecurity expert on our side, they vanished. We might not even be able to trace it back to Yaoguang Entertainment. They probably hired foreign hackers to keep their hands clean.”

Normally, cases like this either fizzle out or drag on indefinitely. The longer it takes, the harder it becomes to track the culprits.

It was frustrating.

Li Xi was about to comfort Ji Zhiyuan when a voice spoke up beside him: “I can do it.”

Startled, Li Xi turned to look at Zhuang Yanyu.

Zhuang Yanyu opened the car door and said, “I can track them.”

Shocked, Li Xi got out of the car too. “Xiaoyu, you know how to do this?”

Zhuang Yanyu gave him a strange look. “It’s just programming.”

Technically, that was true…

But weren’t you an intelligent building engineer? Sure, it’s all programming, but this is a completely different field!

Zhuang Yanyu’s expression remained serious as his phone screen still displayed the latest news.

With so much private information from Ji Zhiyuan’s company leaked, trolls were having a field day smearing the company.

Fans, upset over the breach, were simultaneously attacking haters online and criticizing Ji Zhiyuan’s company for not having better cybersecurity.

Seeing all this left Zhuang Yanyu feeling stifled and frustrated.

He didn’t know why he felt this way, but one thought stood out clearly in his mind—he had to help Ji Zhiyuan catch whoever did this.

“Hello? Who just said they could do it? Was that Xiaoyu?” Ji Zhiyuan asked through the phone, not having heard clearly.

Li Xi responded, “Xiaoyu and I are coming up now.” Then he hung up.

Glancing at Zhuang Yanyu, he noticed the younger man’s cold, unhappy expression.

Someone had clearly pissed him off. Even his tightly pressed lips carried a hint of chill.

Was he worried about Ji Zhiyuan?

After confirming which floor Ji Zhiyuan was on, Li Xi led Zhuang Yanyu upstairs.

Sure enough, Ji Zhiyuan was surrounded by his tech team and several police officers.

Seeing them arrive, Ji Zhiyuan immediately walked over and said in a lowered voice, “You guys don’t have to wait for me. Go ahead without me—I’ll be stuck here for a while. Tracking them down will take time…”

Before Li Xi could respond, Zhuang Yanyu had already walked over and sat down at a computer.

Ji Zhiyuan blinked. “Xiaoyu, what are you…?”

Li Xi said, “Xiaoyu says he can track them.”

His words caught the attention of both the company’s tech team and the cybersecurity officers.

Meanwhile, Zhuang Yanyu turned to a nearby technician and pointed at the computer. “Can I use this?”

Company computers weren’t something outsiders could access freely. The technician, unfamiliar with Zhuang Yanyu, was about to refuse when Ji Zhiyuan immediately said, “Of course. Xiaoyu, go ahead.”

Ji Zhiyuan was touched. He assumed Xiaoyu just wanted to help, but he didn’t have high hopes—after all, the cybersecurity team had already said it would take some time.

Since they had to wait anyway, and Xiaoyu was still young, what was the harm in letting him play around while they waited?

However, Zhuang Yanyu had barely sat down for ten minutes when everyone suddenly heard his flat voice: “Found it.”

Everyone froze, even the cybersecurity team gathered around.

“You found it? That fast? No way!”

“Holy crap! Boss, look! This is the payment Yaoguang sent to their account!”

“Oh damn, is this their control system?”

“There’s not just a transaction record—look! This guy even checked out Yaoguang’s internal network!”

Ji Zhiyuan and Li Xi were both stunned.

Not only had he found the culprit, but he had also dug up all the evidence?

Li Xi also noticed something else. It seemed the hacker, possibly fearing that Yaoguang wouldn’t pay the rest of the money, had kept some proof for himself. He had even saved a copy of Yaoguang’s internal network, either as blackmail material or as leverage in case they refused to pay.

And he seemed very confident in his firewall security—so much so that he had brazenly stored everything on his own computer.

Now, all that evidence had been unearthed by Zhuang Yanyu.

Zhuang Yanyu’s voice remained emotionless: “Every step leaves a trace.”

The cybersecurity team looked at his young face and couldn’t help but praise him. “Kid, you’ve got some serious skills! Are you still in school? Which university?”

Li Xi stepped forward and explained, “He works at Azure Tech.”

“Oh, so he’s already graduated… Azure Tech, huh? No wonder. That place is full of talent.”

Ji Zhiyuan was beyond excited. “Holy crap, Xiaoyu! You’re amazing! I can’t believe I never knew you were this skilled! You’re practically my real little brother! My guardian angel!”

Unlike his excitement, Zhuang Yanyu remained expressionless. He simply pulled out his phone, pointed at the time, and said, “Now, you can come eat with us.”

After a pause, he added, “Skipping meals is bad for your health.”

Li Xi couldn’t help but laugh.

So that was the real reason he had stepped in?

He couldn’t let them skip a meal…

Ji Zhiyuan was thrilled. “Of course! Officer, I’ll leave all this evidence with you.”

Zhuang Yanyu glanced at the screen and asked, “I can also hack into that entertainment company’s internal system…” Helping Ji Zhiyuan vent a little wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Before he could finish, Li Xi clamped a hand over his mouth.

Zhuang Yanyu: “?”

Li Xi smiled at the cybersecurity officers. “Ah, sorry, the kid’s just joking.”

The officers laughed and said to Zhuang Yanyu, “We can’t do anything illegal, you know.”

Zhuang Yanyu: “Oh.”

His voice even carried a hint of disappointment.

Once the situation was settled, Ji Zhiyuan followed them to the countryside.

Li Xi sent a message to Wen Chenxi about what had happened.

But Wen Chenxi didn’t seem surprised at all. He even replied: “Even my company’s firewall can’t stop him.”

Li Xi was shocked: “…You’ve really found a treasure.”

Wen Chenxi: “Mm. Might’ve used up all my lifetime luck on this.”

Li Xi: “When will you be here?”

Wen Chenxi: “5:30 PM.”

Li Xi: “Alright, we’ll wait for you at Uncle Zhuang’s place. Ji Zhiyuan’s planning to stay overnight in the countryside.”

Wen Chenxi: “He’s not allowed to sleep at Xiaoyu’s house.”

Li Xi: “I won’t steal your spot, alright?”

On the way there, Ji Zhiyuan expressed his immense admiration for Zhuang Yanyu’s skills, showering him with endless praise like it cost nothing.

Zhuang Yanyu’s ears were practically buzzing from all the flattery, but he still couldn’t help but crack a smile.

He pushed Ji Zhiyuan away. “You’re so annoying.”

Ji Zhiyuan tried to persuade him, “Why don’t you come work at my company? You don’t have to be a celebrity—just be a technician! My company’s tech team usually has nothing to do; today was just an exception.”

Zhuang Yanyu rejected him without a second thought. “Not going.”

Ji Zhiyuan wanted to keep pushing, but Li Xi cut him off. “If you’re not afraid of Old Wen cutting ties with you, go ahead.”

Ji Zhiyuan immediately backed off. “Ahaha, what are you talking about? Right, Xiaoyu?”

Zhuang Yanyu ignored him and stared out the window.

By the time they arrived at the countryside, it was nearly 1 PM.

Thankfully, they had informed Old Zhuang in advance, so the food was still warm. As soon as they arrived, they sat down to eat.

However, Old Zhuang seemed to notice something was off about Zhuang Yanyu. After they finished eating and Zhuang Yanyu went to the kitchen to help clean up, Old Zhuang asked, “Xiao Shi, you seem a little upset today.”

Zhuang Yanyu nodded. “A little.”

Old Zhuang asked, “Did something happen?”

Zhuang Yanyu replied, “It’s not about me.”

He briefly explained what had happened to Ji Zhiyuan’s company.

Old Zhuang chuckled. “Now I know why you’re upset.”

Zhuang Yanyu looked at him in confusion.

Old Zhuang said, “It’s because you see them as friends, as brothers, as your people. So when you saw them getting bullied, of course you were upset.”

His heart was filled with warmth.

Back then, it had taken him years to slowly adapt to human relationships.

But Xiao Shi had only been here for less than six months, and he was already becoming more and more like a real human.

He even had friends outside of the ones assigned by the Main Brain!

How wonderful.

Zhuang Yanyu said, “But I only have one brother. The Main Brain only assigned me one.”

Zhuang Yanyu asked in confusion, “Besides, I feel that my feelings for A’Xi are different from how I feel about them.”

“Uh, well…” Old Zhuang wasn’t very experienced in this either. After thinking it over carefully, he said, “Then I guess you see Xiao Wen as your real brother, while Xiao Ji and the others are just good brothers. There’s a difference between a real brother and a good brother.”

Zhuang Yanyu thought about it carefully. “That does seem to be the case.”

—

Author’s Note:

PS——

On the road, Wen Chenxi: Uncle Zhuang, maybe you should also… just say less… (My wife has started realizing I’m different, waaah!)

Our little fish is becoming more and more human~

Feel free to donate for earlier/bonus chapter releases! Thanks for supporting me and enjoy reading 😀