TuxedoTranslations

Chapter 37

Wen Chenxi felt like he had been tricked.

Someone had been persuading him to join this so-called family group for ages. He had even used the excuse of a “hacked WeChat account” to try avoiding it, but in the end, he still got pulled in.

Not only that, but he had also dragged his entire family into it. He had even been forced to come out to his parents in the process.

And yet—he hadn’t even been in the group for a full hour?

The person who invited him… left?!

Wen Chenxi’s first reaction was disbelief. Xiaoyu had wanted him in that group so badly—how could he not know?

He’d been nagging about it for over half a month! How could he just leave?

He was the group owner too!

While still on the call with his brother, Wen Chenxi immediately opened the WeChat group and checked carefully.

Good grief. Not only had Zhuang Yanyu left, but Old Zhuang had also left.

It wasn’t just Zhou Qingcheng who noticed—they weren’t the only ones wondering what was going on.

In the group chat:

Song Yunyu: Xiaoyu, why did you leave the group?

Song Yunyu: I just sent him a red envelope!

Zhou Baishu: Chenxi, did you confess and get rejected?

Wen Jingzhong: Looks like he got scammed. Took the money and left.

As usual, no one paid attention to Wen Jingzhong’s comments.

Song Yunyu and Zhou Baishu kept tagging Wen Chenxi, asking if he had confessed and been rejected—if maybe Xiaoyu had left out of fear after realizing Wen liked men.

Feeling equally confused, Wen Chenxi took a deep breath, hung up on his brother, and typed in the chat:

[Didn’t confess. Didn’t get rejected.]

Song Yunyu: Then why did Xiaoyu leave? I was just chatting with him!

Wen Jingzhong: Told you, he was just after the money.

Now that Zhuang Yanyu and Old Zhuang had left, Wen Chenxi automatically became the new group owner.

As the new group owner, he didn’t hesitate—he enabled group verification mode and immediately kicked Wen Jingzhong out of the group.

Wen Jingzhong: “…”

After doing so, Wen Chenxi typed: [I’ll go ask him.]

Song Yunyu: Good. He was being annoying all night—so noisy.

Song Yunyu: Hurry up and ask. Was my red envelope too small?

She had been afraid of scaring Zhuang Yanyu, so she had only sent a small amount as a gesture.

Now she was worried—was it too little?

Wen Chenxi: Don’t overthink it. Xiaoyu doesn’t care about money.

Putting away his phone, Wen Chenxi returned to the barbecue stall, only to find that Zhuang Yanyu was gone.

He asked, “Where’s Xiaoyu?”

Li Xi pointed outside the yard. “He just ran out.”

Wen Chenxi hummed in acknowledgment. “Did he say anything before leaving?”

“No, nothing. Did something happen?”

“No, just asking.”

Wen Chenxi stepped out of the yard.

Outside the Zhuang family’s yard, there was no one in sight.

Wen Chenxi guessed that Zhuang Yanyu must have gone to Uncle Liu’s house.

Sure enough, before he even reached Uncle Liu’s house, Zhuang Yanyu saw him walking out from inside.

Zhuang Yanyu had already discussed with Old Zhuang that if Zhou Baishu came to pick up the goods again, he should tell him not to bring Zhou Qingcheng along.

Spending too much time with Zhou Qingcheng might lead to them being discovered.

Old Zhuang readily agreed. If it weren’t for the need to keep doing business, he would have preferred to block Zhou Baishu altogether.

For the sake of Little Eleven, even an old friend wasn’t worth keeping!

If they were discovered, that was one thing—but Little Eleven absolutely could not be found out!

Sigh, why did people like Zhou Qingcheng, who specialized in chip research, even exist?

After reaching an agreement, Zhuang Yanyu planned to head back.

The moment he stepped out, he saw Wen Chenxi. His footsteps instinctively came to a halt.

Then, thinking Wen Chenxi hadn’t noticed, Zhuang Yanyu quietly took a step back, putting some distance between them.

Wen Chenxi: “…”

His actions were so obvious that it was impossible for Wen Chenxi not to notice.

This was the same person who would run over for a hug whenever he returned from a business trip, yet now he was acting as if he wanted to keep his distance.

What was going on?

Wen Chenxi carefully thought back. In the brief moment he had been on the phone with Zhou Qingcheng, what had happened to make Xiaoyu suddenly start avoiding him?

Zhuang Yanyu was also deep in thought.

He was realizing that if his relationship with Ah Xi stayed good, he would inevitably meet his close friend’s parents and biological siblings in the future.

After all, he truly considered Ah Xi his own brother.

But that also meant… he would have to meet Zhou Qingcheng.

Just imagining that possibility made Zhuang Yanyu feel suffocated.

How had the Main System not foreseen this issue? Wasn’t it afraid he and his father would be discovered as not truly human?

Could it be that since Zhou Qingcheng didn’t share the Wen surname, the Main System had overlooked him?

While Zhuang Yanyu was still lost in thought, Wen Chenxi had already approached and asked in a gentle voice, “Why did you come over to Uncle Liu’s?”

Zhuang Yanyu hesitated, his voice carrying a trace of guilt. “Um… I came to check if my dad had eaten enough.”

“Mm.” Wen Chenxi nodded. “Do you still want to go back and eat barbecue, or would you like to take a walk to help digest?”

Zhuang Yanyu was relieved that he didn’t ask about why he and his dad had left the group chat. He quickly replied, “Go back.”

Though, in reality, there wasn’t much left to eat. Ji Zhiyuan and Li Xi were already wrapping things up. The two of them had eaten too much and planned to take a walk by the river.

Since they were sleeping in the tent on the rooftop, they wouldn’t disturb anyone.

Zhuang Yanyu also remembered that Wen Chenxi had just returned from a business trip and was surely exhausted. So, he pushed him toward the bathroom to shower and rest early.

Just as Li Xi had predicted, the Zhuang family only had two rooms, and there was only one tent. Wen Chenxi was thus “forced” to share a bed with Zhuang Yanyu.

To Old Zhuang, it seemed like a forced situation—but he had no idea how happy Wen Chenxi actually was.

The bed at Zhuang Yanyu’s home wasn’t as big as the one at Wen Chenxi’s house, only 1.8 meters wide.

It was a wooden bed handcrafted by Old Zhuang. Though not large, it carried a faint wooden fragrance, reminiscent of Zhuang Yanyu’s own scent. Wen Chenxi found it soothing and more than spacious enough for two.

However, over the past month, Zhuang Yanyu had gotten used to sleeping with a body pillow. Without one tonight, he felt a little uncomfortable.

Glancing at the bed, then at Wen Chenxi, Zhuang Yanyu honestly admitted, “I didn’t bring my body pillow. I might have trouble sleeping.”

Wen Chenxi sat there and opened his arms. “Well, I can be a body pillow now—one that won’t talk or move. Want to give it a try?”

Zhuang Yanyu burst into laughter and threw himself onto Wen Chenxi, wrapping his arms around him. With a playful smile, he murmured, “An Ah Xi-brand pillow works too.”

Wen Chenxi effortlessly caught him and, seeing the smile on Zhuang Yanyu’s face, finally felt at ease.

Xiaoyu had only been distant for a brief moment. Now, he seemed just like his usual self again.

Still, even though it was only a fleeting moment, Wen Chenxi couldn’t let it go.

He gazed at the top of Zhuang Yanyu’s head, contemplating for a long while but ultimately deciding not to ask about it right now.

Xiaoyu was happy at the moment—he didn’t want to ruin his good mood.

Zhuang Yanyu snuggled comfortably against Wen Chenxi’s chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. It felt as if the whole world had quieted down.

He had accompanied many hosts before and had heard many different heartbeats, but none had ever given him this sense of peace and reliability.

Maybe back then, all he cared about was completing tasks with the hosts, so he never paid attention to anything else.

But now, with no hosts to manage, no need to calculate points, and no deadlines looming over him, everything was so much more relaxed.

Was that why he was finally noticing these things?

Wen Chenxi turned on the air conditioning, tucked the blanket around Zhuang Yanyu, and gently covered his eyes with his hand. Feeling the soft flutter of his long eyelashes against his palm, Wen Chenxi’s voice softened. “Xiaoyu, good night.”

Zhuang Yanyu blinked under his hand and responded, “Ah Xi, good night.”

Under Wen Chenxi’s palm, Zhuang Yanyu closed his eyes. Listening to the familiar rhythm of his heartbeat and breathing in his comforting scent, he quickly drifted off to sleep.

His sleep quality had always been exceptional.

Hearing his breathing grow even and steady, Wen Chenxi glanced at the clock—10:15 PM.

A quiet smile spread across Wen Chenxi’s lips.

It seemed that during his time away, this little fish’s biological clock had reset again—like a perfectly programmed robot, going to sleep right on time.

Lowering his head, Wen Chenxi gently pressed a kiss to the top of Zhuang Yanyu’s hair, inhaling the fresh, woody fragrance unique to him.

Gradually, Wen Chenxi drifted off to sleep as well.

The next morning.

Zhuang Yanyu woke up at 5:30 AM.

Glancing at the still-sleeping Wen Chenxi, he thought—perhaps the recent business trip had truly been exhausting. This time, Wen Chenxi hadn’t woken up with him.

The man without glasses had sharper, more defined features. His eye contours were deeper than most, and the bridge of his nose, high and straight, bore two small, pale indentations—marks left from years of wearing glasses.

Damn, his bro was handsome.

Zhuang Yanyu silently observed him for a moment, unable to resist pulling out his phone to snap a picture of Wen Chenxi’s sleeping face.

The sky was just beginning to lighten, and the dim lighting made the photo appear slightly darker. Even so, the contours of the man’s face were still clear.

Zhuang Yanyu pursed his lips, feeling that the picture didn’t even capture a tenth of his bro’s handsomeness. But it was… passable.

After taking the photo, he carefully climbed out of bed, washed up downstairs, and went for a run.

He ran a full 7 kilometers in half an hour. By the time he returned, Old Zhuang was also awake and about to feed the chickens.

Old Zhuang chuckled, ruffling his son’s hair as he helped wipe off his sweat. “Xiao Eleven, you’re starting to train now?”

Zhuang Yanyu nodded. “Yeah, didn’t we agree before? I’m gonna build some muscle.”

Old Zhuang said, “Just cardio won’t do the trick, you need strength training.”

Zhuang Yanyu brought in two stones from outside the yard, each weighing about 20 pounds. “I know. There’s no gym here, so this is what I’m using.”

Old Zhuang hefted one of the stones, weighing it in his hands. “20.3 pounds.”

Zhuang Yanyu said, “I searched all afternoon yesterday and these were the closest ones I could find to 10 kilograms.”

He then took off his shirt and pointed at his abdomen. “Abs.”

Old Zhuang chuckled. “Yeah, you’ve got the beginnings of something there. Just be careful not to hurt yourself.”

“I won’t. I’ve watched every fitness video out there, plus all the coach tutorials on the app. I know what I’m doing.”

“My boy’s so dedicated. Alright, I’m heading to the fields to sow some seeds. I’ll come back later to make soy milk for breakfast. The others probably won’t wake up this early.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

Since it was still early, Old Zhuang wasn’t in a rush to cook. He took some new seeds to the test field.

Meanwhile, Zhuang Yanyu started his strength training, lifting the 20-pound stone with one hand.

He had assumed Wen Chenxi and the others wouldn’t wake up so early either. But in the countryside, roosters started crowing as early as three or four in the morning. By six or seven, the entire place came alive—villagers getting up to prepare breakfast, feeding the livestock with last night’s leftovers.

With the owners out and about, the chickens, ducks, cows, sheep, pigs, and dogs all started making noise in a chaotic chorus.

By the time Zhuang Yanyu reached his third set of 50 reps, Wen Chenxi had woken up.

He had actually stirred around three in the morning but had gone back to sleep.

Now, standing on the balcony, he caught sight of Zhuang Yanyu training in the courtyard—and was momentarily stunned.

The young man was shirtless, his fair skin glowing with the vitality of youth. Beads of sweat trailed down the faint lines of his muscles, slipping past his barely-defined abs before disappearing into the waistband of his pants—almost as if sinking into some deeper, more tempting place.

When exerting himself, muscles naturally tensed, becoming more pronounced beneath the skin, revealing their shape.

Wen Chenxi suddenly realized—at some point, without him noticing, Zhuang Yanyu had actually… built muscle!

Instantly, he was wide awake.

He hadn’t forgotten how Zhuang Yanyu had once said he wanted to become a “muscle-bound Ken.”

Noticing Wen Chenxi was awake, Zhuang Yanyu turned slightly while still holding the stone, his eyes curving into faint crescents like a smiling moon. “Ah Xi, you’re up.”

Wen Chenxi: “…Yeah.”

But he wasn’t the only one awake.

From the rooftop tent, where they’d been stirred by the noisy animals, Ji Zhiyuan called out, “Damn, everyone’s up this early?”

Then came his groggy muttering to Li Xi, “Where’s my shirt? Damn it, Li Xi, my leg’s numb! Have you been lying on it all night?”

Before they could emerge, Wen Chenxi had already rushed downstairs, grabbing his T-shirt and tossing it over Zhuang Yanyu.

“Put this on!” His voice was rough, slightly hoarse.

“Oh.” Zhuang Yanyu obediently slipped the shirt on but added, “But I’m still training, and it’s hot.”

Wen Chenxi lowered his voice. “You don’t need to be shirtless to train. You’re sweating—what if you catch a cold?”

After a pause, he added, “You’ve trained enough for today.”

What he really wanted to say was: Can you please give up on your muscle-building dreams?

“Oh.”

Zhuang Yanyu thought for a moment, then decided to keep the shirt on. He looked up at Wen Chenxi and said, “Ah Xi, your voice sounds a bit hoarse. Are you coming down with something?”

Wen Chenxi replied, “No, all guys sound like this when they wake up.”

Zhuang Yanyu was about to say something else when his expression suddenly changed. He dropped the stone he had just picked up and exclaimed, “Ah Xi! You’re having a nosebleed!”

Wen Chenxi: “……”

Panicked, Zhuang Yanyu rushed inside to grab tissues while instructing him, “Don’t tilt your head back. Just pinch it lightly. If you tilt your head, the blood might go down your throat and into your airway.”

Seeing the worried look on his face, Wen Chenxi muttered in a low voice, “Don’t worry, I’m just… overheated.”

As soon as he finished speaking, loud laughter erupted from the rooftop.

“Hahaha! ‘Overheated’? Sounds like someone ate too much tonifying food last night!”

“Tsk tsk, or maybe it’s because he saw something that got him all ‘overheated’ instead.”

Wen Chenxi: “……”

He had lowered his voice so much—how the hell did those two still hear him?

After that, Zhuang Yanyu lost interest in continuing his workout. Instead, Ji Zhiyuan became curious about the two stones.

“Xiao Yu, were you really using these two stones to train just now? Damn, they’re heavy.”

Zhuang Yanyu replied, “They’re not heavy. One weighs 20.3, and the other is 20.15.”

Ji Zhiyuan raised an eyebrow. “You actually weighed them?”

The weight itself wasn’t too bad, but lifting a twenty-plus stone was tricky.

Unlike dumbbells, these stones didn’t have a handle to grip.

That actually made them feel even heavier than a 20 dumbbell.

Zhuang Yanyu gave him a puzzled look. “Why would I need to weigh them?”

Wasn’t it obvious just by feeling them?

Ji Zhiyuan: “…”

Ji Zhiyuan couldn’t help but complain to Wen Chenxi, “Old Wen, I suspect that Xiao Yu isn’t human.”

He always had a sneaking suspicion that Zhuang Yanyu had some sort of superpower. Otherwise, how could he be this strong at such a young age?

And now, he could even estimate weight without using a scale? That was just ridiculous!

Hearing this, Zhuang Yanyu suddenly froze.

Had he been found out??

How could this happen?

He had been diligently learning how to act like a human!

Wen Chenxi shot Ji Zhiyuan a look. “Then you’d better act like a human yourself. Otherwise, don’t blame me if I sew your mouth shut.”

After warning Ji Zhiyuan, Wen Chenxi turned back and saw Zhuang Yanyu looking a little out of it. His voice immediately softened as he asked, “Xiao Yu, what’s wrong?”

Zhuang Yanyu pressed his lips together. He wanted to say that he really was human now, but that might seem too suspicious.

His gaze flickered toward Ji Zhiyuan, and he decided that no matter whether Ji Zhiyuan truly suspected him or not, he had to strike first!

Zhuang Yanyu bit his lower lip. “Is he saying I’m not human?” His expression even carried a hint of grievance. “I have one nose, two eyes, and a mouth—how do I not look human?”

Tell me.

I’ll change it!

Zhuang Yanyu was already good-looking, and now, with this hint of grievance, his eyes dimmed like the moon hidden behind the clouds—he couldn’t look more pitiful.

For a moment, both Wen Chenxi and Li Xi stared at Ji Zhiyuan with accusing eyes.

Ji Zhiyuan: “???”

Wen Chenxi touched his nose, realizing that his nosebleed had finally stopped. He quickly took Zhuang Yanyu’s hand and reassured him softly, “Xiao Yu, don’t listen to him. He just has a foul mouth. He’s the one who’s not human.”

Li Xi nodded in agreement. “Old Wen’s right. Xiao Yu, just ignore him. He doesn’t even deserve to be human.”

Ji Zhiyuan: “…” This is too much, guys!

Ji Zhiyuan hadn’t expected that his newly recognized little brother would actually take this to heart. Feeling a little regretful, he rubbed his head and said, “Xiao Yu, don’t take it seriously. I was just joking.”

Zhuang Yanyu asked seriously, “So I really look exactly like a human?”

Wen Chenxi found this question oddly adorable, and his eyes held a trace of amusement. “Of course. Unless you want to be a fish?”

Zhuang Yanyu immediately relaxed. “As long as I’m human, that’s fine.”

“…”

For some reason, Xiao Yu’s reaction seemed a little… strange.

But also kind of cute.

It was Sunday, and since Old Zhuang and Uncle Liu knew they would be heading back to the city that night—and likely wouldn’t return for weeks—they decided to take extra care of them.

Uncle Liu, thinking about his own son working away from home, felt deeply empathetic. All the concern he couldn’t express for his own child, he poured into Zhuang Yanyu and the others.

So for lunch and dinner, he made another round of highly nutritious, tonifying soup.

Li Xi finally couldn’t hold back anymore and told Uncle Liu, “Uncle, maybe let’s not go overboard with the supplements next time. This morning, Wen Chenxi already got a nosebleed.”

Zhuang Yanyu’s ears perked up, and he immediately agreed, “Yeah! Ah Xi got overheated from the supplements!”

Uncle Liu waved dismissively, completely unconcerned. “How many meals can you boys even eat here? Look, it’s been almost a month since I last made you anything nourishing. You’re at the age where you should be preparing to get married—if you don’t supplement now, it’ll be too late later.”

“…”

There was no way out of it. They reluctantly finished the soup.

Afterward, when they looked up, they saw Zhuang Yanyu calmly eating as if nothing had happened.

Zhuang Yanyu always ate very elegantly. If he didn’t need to speak while eating, he wouldn’t.

When he chewed, his mouth remained closed, and the only sound was that of the food itself—no extra noises at all.

Seeing how much he had eaten, and how unbothered he was by the fact that this was all “highly nutritious” food, Wen Chenxi couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

Ah, youth. When you don’t understand these things, you don’t have to feel awkward about them.

After dinner, they said their goodbyes to Old Zhuang and Uncle Liu and got into the car to head back to the city. Zhuang Yanyu, as usual, continued living with Wen Chenxi.

Perhaps it was the realization that Zhuang Yanyu had always been living at Wen Chenxi’s place that made Ji Zhiyuan start feeling that something was off.

As they split ways, Ji Zhiyuan asked Li Xi, “Did Xiao Yu’s landlord reclaim his place? Has he not found a new apartment yet? Is that why he’s still staying with Old Wen?”

Li Xi said lazily, “What do you think? Didn’t Old Wen just give Xiao Yu an apartment?”

So even if Zhuang Yanyu’s old place had been taken back by the landlord, he had somewhere to live.

Ji Zhiyuan, feeling a bit sour, grumbled, “Isn’t Old Wen a little too biased? Back when we stayed at his place for just a couple of days, he acted like we were a nuisance. But Xiao Yu’s been living there for almost two months now.”

Li Xi rolled his eyes. Forget it. No point wasting words on this blockhead.

—

Late at night.

In Wen Chenxi’s master bedroom.

The spacious bedroom lacked the scent of grass and wood from the rural wooden bed. It was also missing the chirping of crickets and croaking of frogs from the fields.

At some point, the throw pillow had fallen to the floor.

Wen Chenxi went to bed late that night. After Zhuang Yanyu fell asleep, he dealt with some work before returning to sleep.

Just as he was about to drift off, he suddenly sensed something unusual in his half-dreaming, half-awake state.

Wen Chenxi opened his eyes slightly, his gaze quickly clearing. He followed the source of the movement beside him.

“Xiaoyu?” he called out instinctively in a soft voice.

But Zhuang Yanyu, who was sleeping next to him, didn’t seem to hear. His eyes remained tightly shut, one hand clutching Wen Chenxi’s arm firmly while the other hovered awkwardly as if unsure where to place it.

The air conditioning was set to a cool temperature, even slightly chilly.

Yet, Zhuang Yanyu’s body was burning up. Strands of hair stuck damply to his forehead, his delicate face flushed with a faint redness. His lips were pressed tightly together, as if troubled by something, and his breathing grew rapid.

Wen Chenxi’s body stiffened slightly.

He seemed to realize something and, in that moment, didn’t dare to move.

In the darkness, Zhuang Yanyu’s breath completely overshadowed his own.

Wen Chenxi tried to steady himself, to slow his heartbeat and avoid disturbing the little one beside him.

But he soon discovered, to his dismay, that not only did his heartbeat not slow down—it actually quickened.

His blood coursed through his body at an alarming pace, as if he had been thrown into a pool of boiling water. The heat surged through him, making his head buzz, each throb of his pulse distinctly audible.

Wen Chenxi took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He started to analyze—why was Xiaoyu suddenly like this tonight?

Then, he remembered the food supplements Uncle Liu had prepared for them in the countryside.

At the time, Zhuang Yanyu had eaten a lot, yet he showed no reaction afterward, sleeping soundly as usual.

On the other hand, he himself had nearly lost control early the next morning.

Then there was the barbecue, which Uncle Liu had marinated with a variety of medicinal herbs, fearing they were too weak and needed a boost. Who knew how many supplements had been packed into that meal?

And today’s lunch and dinner…

So… was this the result of eating too much? And because this person had always been indifferent to such things, it was only manifesting now?

A trace of jealousy crept into Wen Chenxi’s thoughts: What exactly was Xiaoyu dreaming about? Who was in his dream? A man or a woman?

However, as if sensing Wen Chenxi’s intense gaze—or perhaps hearing the nearly thunderous pounding of his heartbeat—Zhuang Yanyu, already sleeping uneasily, suddenly opened his eyes.

He looked around in the darkness, dazed.

“Ah Xi?” he called softly.

“I’m here.” Wen Chenxi turned on the bedside lamp.

The dim yellow light illuminated the small space, the heat in the air seeming to wrap around them.

Zhuang Yanyu sat up, staring blankly for a moment before lowering his head to inspect his own body.

Wen Chenxi also sat up, his eyes, without the cover of glasses, carrying a sharp intensity.

“You seemed to be dreaming?” Wen Chenxi asked, his voice slightly hoarse, different from usual, tinged with a subtle sensuality.

“Oh,” Zhuang Yanyu responded.

Only now did he belatedly realize that he had indeed been dreaming. But by the time he woke up, he had already forgotten what the dream was about.

Wen Chenxi stared into his eyes. “Then… do you…”

His voice paused, dropping lower. “Does your body… feel uncomfortable?”

“My body?” Zhuang Yanyu echoed.

Then he let out another “oh,” pointed to himself, and asked, “You mean here?”

“…Yeah.”

“This is normal. You don’t know?” Zhuang Yanyu said matter-of-factly. “It’s just blood filling the corpus cavernosum.”

“……”

–

Author’s note:

PS—

Yuyu: “You really don’t know? The corpus cavernosum fills with blood, and that’s just how it is.”

President Wen: “…I mean, you’re not wrong, but I really don’t know how to respond to that.”

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