TuxedoTranslations

Chapter 48

Zhuang Yanyu had actually already prepared himself mentally for the day he would meet Wen Chenxi’s younger brother.

But according to his own calculations, that should’ve happened during New Year, or at least during some important holiday — not now.

Especially since that year had a leap sixth month on the lunar calendar, and the Mid-Autumn Festival happened to fall together with National Day.

October 6th was actually the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month.

For humans, Mid-Autumn was also an important holiday about family reunions.

Back then, Zhuang Yanyu thought: Axi would definitely be with his family for Mid-Autumn, and of course Zhou Qingcheng would also be there.

But that was fine.

He was going home to spend Mid-Autumn with his dad too. After resting on the 7th, he’d be back at work — he wouldn’t even be at Wen Chenxi’s house.

And supposedly, Zhou Qingcheng was really busy. Most likely, right after the holiday he’d rush back to the research institute.

Which meant: this Mid-Autumn, he shouldn’t have had any chance of running into Zhou Qingcheng.

But the Spring Festival — that was different.

According to his own analysis, the chances that he’d meet Zhou Qingcheng during Spring Festival were very high.

By then, he would’ve fully mastered all human behaviors and habits.

By then, he would already be a seasoned “old hand” among humans — nothing to worry about!

Chips? Sure, go ahead, study chips — those chips were basically his ancestors anyway, totally different from him. Bring it on!

What he never expected was that Zhou Qingcheng would show up so suddenly.

So… completely catching him off guard.

The moment he heard Wen Chenxi call out Zhou Qingcheng’s name, the very first thought flashing across Zhuang Yanyu’s mind was—

It’s over. He and Axi aren’t even married yet. He’s not Zhou Qingcheng’s elder!

So right now, when he talks to Zhou Qingcheng, he absolutely can’t act superior!

His body reacted instinctively, like avoiding danger — he turned and started to leave.

“Yuyu!” Wen Chenxi hurriedly grabbed his hand and held down his suitcase at the same time. “Xiaoyu, wait.”

Zhou Qingcheng followed them, just as confused. “Bro, isn’t that Xiaoyu?”

What did he mean, “wrong person”?

He’d been stuck waiting in the car for ages, just for these two.

He had just seen his big brother hugging his future sister-in-law — how could this be the wrong person?

When Zhou Qingcheng asked that, Wen Chenxi could feel Zhuang Yanyu growing tense under his grip.

So Wen Chenxi immediately said, “Who are you?”

Zhou Qingcheng: “Huh?”

Wen Chenxi: “You’ve got the wrong person, right? Yuyu, he probably mistook you for someone else. Let’s go.”

Zhou Qingcheng: “What? Didn’t you just call me over?”

Wen Chenxi shot him a look.

Zhou Qingcheng: “??”

Without giving him a chance to respond, Wen Chenxi ushered Zhuang Yanyu into the car, had Da Liu put the luggage away, and said, “Xiaoyu is right — he must’ve mistaken you for someone. I don’t know him either.”

Zhuang Yanyu looked conflicted. “Or maybe… what I meant was… I don’t know either of you.”

Wen Chenxi: “…”

Wen Chenxi instantly switched into “bro mode.” “How could Yuyu not know me? We’re best bros, right?”

Zhuang Yanyu: This bro is one I don’t want anymore.

He slumped weakly against the car window, panicking inside: What do I do? What do I do? I still haven’t learned how to be a normal person — what if I give myself away?

He’d only been here less than half a year!

This was a terrifying challenge for him!

Wen Chenxi shot the driver a look, signaling him to start the car.

Just as the engine was about to start, Zhuang Yanyu suddenly spoke up again. “…Leaving him here — isn’t that kind of mean?”

He still remembered that Zhou Qingcheng had gotten out of this very car.

Wen Chenxi couldn’t help laughing helplessly, warmth welling up in his heart.

This guy — even though he was so wary of his little brother — when it really came down to it, if they left him behind, he’d feel bad.

Wen Chenxi said, “It’s fine. We can let him—” He was about to say they could let Zhou Qingcheng squeeze into the bodyguard’s car.

But then Zhuang Yanyu grabbed his hand, like he was absorbing strength from him, and said weakly, “Let him get in the car.”

Wen Chenxi thought for two seconds, glanced at him, then nodded at the driver.

Zhou Qingcheng, who’d already resigned himself to squeezing in with Da Liu, suddenly saw that the car hadn’t left — the window rolled down, and they told him to get in.

Still confused, he climbed into the passenger seat.

He first looked at his big brother, silently asking with his eyes: Can I talk?

Wen Chenxi said nothing.

So Zhou Qingcheng turned his gaze toward Zhuang Yanyu.

And immediately locked eyes with him — Zhuang had been sneaking glances at him.

Like a little animal caught peeking, Zhuang Yanyu jerked his gaze away at once, his heart pounding.

Why look over all of a sudden? That was scary.

Zhuang tried his best to look like: I’m totally human — an upright, completely normal human, I’m a seasoned human veteran.

Only the hand gripping Wen Chenxi’s arm so tightly betrayed the tension inside him.

The car slowly pulled out of the airport. Outside the window, traffic streamed endlessly by.

Zhuang kept staring out the window, as if something incredibly fascinating out there had captured his full attention.

Zhou Qingcheng cleared his throat and cautiously greeted him. “Hi, Xiaoyu — I’m Zhou Qingcheng. Do you remember me? We chatted on WeChat before.”

Zhuang’s eyes stayed on the scenery outside, and his voice sounded calm. “Mm. I remember.”

Zhou Qingcheng said, a little shyly, “The driver told me he was coming to pick you up, so I tagged along. Did I scare you?”

Zhuang Yanyu: “No.”

He said no, but his grip on Wen Chenxi’s hand only grew tighter.

Wen Chenxi frowned.

He gently patted the back of Zhuang Yanyu’s hand in a soothing way. His eyes swept over Zhou Qingcheng, then back to Zhuang Yanyu.

Something was off.

Wen Chenxi felt something was very off.

Xiaoyu’s attitude toward Acheng wasn’t at all like what he’d said before.

What was it Xiaoyu said back then?

He said that he and Zhou Qingcheng had “clashed roles,” because he wanted to be his real younger brother — and then later found out he actually did have a biological younger brother.

So Xiaoyu felt the situation was serious and was wary of Zhou Qingcheng.

Wen Chenxi thought about it. Why would he be afraid of Acheng? At most it would just be because he was competing with Acheng for the “real younger brother” title, so he’d feel awkward and embarrassed when facing him.

That was what Wen Chenxi used to think. He hadn’t thought much more about it.

But now, if things were really that simple, how could Xiaoyu be this nervous?

It was the first time he had ever seen Zhuang Yanyu like this.

His Xiaoyu didn’t even care about that President Shen person — didn’t take him seriously at all.

So what was it about Acheng that made him so nervous?

These thoughts flashed rapidly through Wen Chenxi’s mind.

He didn’t ask directly. Feeling how tense Zhuang Yanyu was beside him, he instead said to Zhou Qingcheng, “Acheng, have you fastened your seatbelt?”

“Yeah.” Zhou Qingcheng didn’t look back again, but he still complained, “Didn’t you just say you didn’t know me!”

Wen Chenxi answered with a nonchalant “Mm”: “You can get out of the car now if you want.”

Zhou Qingcheng clicked his tongue and said in a slightly sarcastic tone, “Xiaoyu, did you know? My brother’s ruthless. I wanted to go home for National Day, and he wouldn’t let me.”

Zhuang Yanyu: “…Oh.”

Then why did you want to go back?

Can’t you just listen to Ah Xi properly?

Wen Chenxi said, “You talk too much. Xiaoyu woke up early and has been on a plane for so long. Be quiet and let him nap a bit.”

Zhou Qingcheng: “Alright, alright.”

Zhou Qingcheng stopped talking. Zhuang Yanyu let out a small breath of relief and finally pulled his gaze back from the window.

Maybe noticing how uneasy he was, Wen Chenxi wrapped both of Zhuang Yanyu’s hands in his palms.

Zhuang Yanyu looked down at his hands, then at Wen Chenxi.

Wen Chenxi rubbed his hair gently and whispered at his ear, “Don’t be scared. I’ve got your back.”

Zhuang Yanyu blinked.

He didn’t know whether it was because of those words, or because Zhou Qingcheng had quieted down so much he barely had any presence — but he did relax quite a bit.

He didn’t pull his hands away, letting Wen Chenxi hold them.

The car was quiet. Zhuang Yanyu felt his hands growing warm. Held in the man’s palms, the cold sweat that had appeared when he was nervous slowly turned hot, steaming slightly.

It had been cold sweat from how tense he was earlier.

Now, wrapped like this by his “brother,” even the cold sweat turned warm.

And his heart warmed along with it, the tension slowly melting away.

Bit by bit, he raised his head, looking toward the rearview mirror, wanting to see what Zhou Qingcheng actually looked like.

He’d been too nervous earlier and hadn’t paid attention — all he remembered was that brown hair.

From the mirror, Zhou Qingcheng’s features did look somewhat similar to Wen Chenxi’s.

Just from appearances alone, there was no doubt they were real brothers. Their features had a similar outline — the kind where, seen separately, you’d never mistake one for the other, and each had their own advantages.

But once you knew they were brothers, the more you looked, the more alike they seemed.

Compared to Wen Chenxi, though, Zhou Qingcheng seemed more casual and loose. Unlike Wen Chenxi, who — even when trying to appear gentle — still revealed traces of a firm, commanding presence.

Even when Wen Chenxi seemed relaxed, there was still an undeniable difference between him and others.

Zhou Qingcheng, on the other hand, was laid-back, from his clothes to his expression.

He didn’t wear glasses either. It was hard to tell whether his pale face came from the brown hair making his skin look fairer, or from spending too long in a research institute without sunlight. It wasn’t the healthy kind of white, but the kind lacking blood.

As Zhuang Yanyu studied him, he analyzed silently in his head.

Suddenly, as if sensing someone’s gaze lingering on him, Zhou Qingcheng snapped his eyes open — and met Zhuang Yanyu’s gaze head-on.

Zhuang Yanyu jumped, instinctively looking away.

Zhou Qingcheng: “?”

Why was my sister-in-law staring at me like that?

In a low voice, Zhou Qingcheng asked, “Xiaoyu, aren’t you going to sleep for a bit?”

Zhuang Yanyu immediately shifted closer and closer toward Wen Chenxi, leaning his whole body against him, resting his head on his shoulder, pressing his lips together. “I’ll sleep now.”

Zhou Qingcheng: “Mm, okay. I’ll wake you when we get home.”

Clearly, Zhou Qingcheng already knew Zhuang Yanyu had been living at his brother’s house.

Apparently they didn’t even sleep in separate rooms.

If that wasn’t living together, what was it?

And even like this, his brother still said they weren’t together yet, telling him not to call him “sister-in-law.”

Zhou Qingcheng clicked his tongue inwardly again. He thought, It’s not like I’m an outsider — why be so formal? Now I can’t even call him sister-in-law.

He had even planned to talk with his sister-in-law about mechanical lifeforms later.

Zhuang Yanyu didn’t dare to look around anymore. Smelling the familiar scent on his “brother,” he tried his best to empty his mind.

Maybe because Wen Chenxi’s scent was too familiar — or because he had been tense for so long — once he relaxed, his eyes slowly drifted shut, and he really fell asleep.

When he woke up again, he realized they were already home. At some point, both the driver and Zhou Qingcheng had gotten out. Only he and Wen Chenxi were left in the car.

Zhuang Yanyu blinked, his brain slowly rebooting.

Wen Chenxi gently rubbed the back of his neck. “Does your neck feel sore?”

It took a while before Zhuang Yanyu finally answered slowly, “A little.”

Wen Chenxi pressed a bit harder, massaging him. “If it hurts, tell me.”

Zhuang Yanyu: “Okay.”

After thinking for a moment, he asked, “Have we been home long? Why didn’t you wake me?”

Wen Chenxi smiled. “We haven’t been here long. I wanted to carry you upstairs, but I was afraid I’d wake you.”

He wanted to let Zhuang Yanyu sleep a bit longer — and having experienced how alert this “Yu” could be, he could only stay beside him and keep him company.

After he finished massaging his neck, Wen Chenxi asked, “You haven’t been sleeping well this week, have you?”

He honestly hadn’t expected Zhuang Yanyu to really fall asleep. He’d only said it as an excuse — just to help him relax.

Zhuang Yanyu said, “No.”

He turned his head left and right a few times, feeling that his neck wasn’t as sore anymore. After leaning against Wen Chenxi and snuggling for a bit longer, he finally said, “Ever since you mailed me that pillow, I’ve been sleeping really well.”

Wen Chenxi felt a twinge of jealousy in his heart. Luckily his business trip hadn’t been long — otherwise he really might have wanted to hide that pillow away.

The two of them got out of the car and went home.

As soon as they walked in the door, they could hear Zhou Qingcheng and Ji Zhiyuan playing video games, while Li Xi was washing fruit.

Seeing them come in, Li Xi smiled. “Xiaoyu, you’re awake?”

Zhuang Yanyu froze for a second. “Why are you guys here too?”

Li Xi said, “We knew you two were coming back today, so we came over to freeload dinner.”

Hearing their voices, Ji Zhiyuan shouted while still playing, “Xiaoyu, little bro! Long time no see — your big brother missed you!”

Wen Chenxi put down the slippers and said coolly, “I’ll give you a chance to correct yourself.”

Knowing he wouldn’t get away with taking advantage, Ji Zhiyuan muttered reluctantly, “Welcome back from your business trip, Xiaoyu — thanks for your hard work!”

This time, he behaved himself and didn’t say “little bro.”

Sigh — not just anyone can take liberties with Wen Chenxi.

Zhuang Yanyu said, “Once I go back to work next week, I can build that firewall for you.”

Ji Zhiyuan was fully absorbed in the game. Hearing that, he said, “No rush, no rush — enjoy National Day. Work stuff can wait till work.”

But Zhou Qingcheng heard and asked curiously, “Firewall? What firewall?”

“Ah— damn, I died!” Ji Zhiyuan had always been terrible at games, so he simply quit and started telling Zhou Qingcheng about Zhuang Yanyu.

“You don’t even know how amazing Xiaoyu is! Last time, our company system got hacked. At first, I thought the hacker Yao Guang hired was just some so-so guy. But after the police investigated— wow! Turned out that hacker was super famous overseas! But our Xiaoyu here — he solved it in under five minutes…”

Once Ji Zhiyuan started talking, he just wouldn’t stop. From Zhuang Yanyu battling the hacker, to helping the police freeze overseas accounts — his storytelling was so exaggerated that he made a straightforward technical beatdown sound like some martial arts tournament where the alliance leader was born.

The more Zhou Qingcheng listened, the brighter his eyes became.

By the end, he was completely stunned. He rushed over excitedly. “Xiaoyu! I thought you were only good with engineering systems and machinery. I didn’t know you were this skilled in other areas too! No wonder my brother said you’re an all-around genius!”

Zhou Qingcheng’s interest in his future sister-in-law only grew stronger. He immediately grabbed his laptop and eagerly asked, “Want to spar with me a little?”

Ji Zhiyuan chimed in, hyping them up. “Yeah yeah! Xiaoyu! Let Acheng see how powerful you are!”

Zhuang Yanyu: “…”

He didn’t want to at all.

But Wen Chenxi had just gone upstairs to put away the luggage, and both Li Xi and Ji Zhiyuan clearly wanted to watch Zhou Qingcheng get humbled — not only did they not stop things, they even encouraged Zhuang Yanyu.

Finding no help from his friends, Zhuang Yanyu silently took out his laptop.

Ji Zhiyuan had no idea how this kind of thing was supposed to be compared. Li Xi didn’t understand either.

Was it a competition to see who could hack into the other person’s computer first?

Or build a firewall on the spot and see who broke through faster?

But they were even using the same network — how were they supposed to compare anything?

Since the two “noobs” didn’t know, and since Zhou Qingcheng and Zhuang Yanyu didn’t bother explaining, they simply started.

Unable to interrupt, they could only stand there and watch.

They both noticed that once Zhuang Yanyu took out his computer, his whole aura changed.

He looked like someone who’d never feared anyone when it came to tech — and the two of them suddenly realized that some people’s presence only truly emerges in certain situations.

And matching that aura, during the whole competition, Zhuang Yanyu’s face didn’t change — not even a frown.

Meanwhile, Zhou Qingcheng went from frowning, to surprise, to completely tense — clearly getting more and more anxious.

Wen Chenxi came downstairs and saw everyone gathered in the living room. He was just about to ask what was going on when Li Xi shushed him.

So Wen Chenxi stayed quiet, walked over, and quickly understood what was happening.

He still found it strange: earlier, in the car, Xiaoyu had been so wary of Zhou Qingcheng — so why was he competing with him now?

At that moment, though, Zhou Qingcheng was already stuck. He’d always thought his skills were pretty good.

For example, that robot the institute had put into production — he’d written all the programs himself. He had plenty of confidence.

But right now, he was trapped in a virus and couldn’t find any way out.

Ji Zhiyuan couldn’t understand the technical details, but he could read expressions. Seeing Zhou Qingcheng like that, he realized Zhuang Yanyu was going to win.

Meanwhile, Zhuang Yanyu sat there with his back straight, expression blank, calmly watching Zhou Qingcheng struggle like a trapped animal.

“Hmph.

Working with chips doesn’t seem so scary after all.”

Because Zhuang Yanyu had no expression, he even looked a bit cool.

Zhou Qingcheng was completely at a loss and finally admitted defeat. “Xiaoyu, you’re seriously amazing! I’ve never, ever seen such an all-around talent like you!”

He really admired him. As they say, outsiders can only watch the excitement. Now, having witnessed Zhuang Yanyu’s skills firsthand, Zhou Qingcheng fully understood just how strong he was.

To build such a perfect trap in such a short time — Zhou Qingcheng felt that if it were him, it might take a whole week and he still might not be able to write a program like that.

Perhaps because he had just tested the other person’s skills and realized they weren’t better than his own, Zhuang Yanyu was no longer as tense. He raised his chin slightly, voice calm and flat: “It’s fine.”

Ji Zhiyuan and Li Xi clapped like crazy.

Wen Chenxi smiled. “Xiaoyu was already amazing, anyway.”

Zhuang Yanyu received the praise, pressed his lips together, and managed a faint dimple.

Zhou Qingcheng exclaimed, “Really, bro, you really hit the jackpot. I’ve never seen anyone more impressive than Xiaoyu.”

Ji Zhiyuan, curious, asked, “Even with all the big names at your institute, no one matches Xiaoyu?”

Zhou Qingcheng said, “I wouldn’t say they don’t match him… it’s just that everyone has their specialty. Our focus is on chips, and in that area Xiaoyu hasn’t competed with us — we don’t even know if he has the talent for it. But in other areas, Xiaoyu could absolutely beat us. And just look at how all-around he is.”

Hearing this, Ji Zhiyuan felt even prouder: Damn, even randomly picking a brother like this is this powerful. No wonder I’m me! My luck can’t get worse now!

Zhou Qingcheng laughed as he spoke: “I’m not exaggerating — the last time I saw someone so all-around and talented, it was a robot, hahaha!”

Zhuang Yanyu: “…”

Just moments ago, he had been feeling a bit proud, but his face instantly changed.

He had underestimated things!

That person works with chips!

Not general tech!

Was he about to be exposed?!

Zhuang Yanyu immediately ducked behind Wen Chenxi, like playing hide-and-seek, clutching the edge of Wen Chenxi’s clothes.

Ji Zhiyuan laughed heartily. “Acheng, look at you — you praised Xiaoyu so much, now he’s shyly hiding!”

Li Xi also laughed.

Zhou Qingcheng rubbed his head. “Xiaoyu’s shy?”

Only Wen Chenxi noticed that Zhuang Yanyu’s hand clutching his shirt was trembling.

This wasn’t shyness — it was nervousness.

Wen Chenxi calmly held his hand and said, “Li Xi, you and Lao Ji go help with cooking and washing the vegetables. Acheng, go tidy up a few things.”

Zhou Qingcheng was stunned. “Tidy up what? I can’t stay here tonight?”

Zhuang Yanyu’s ears perked up: What? He’s staying here tonight too??

Wen Chenxi nonchalantly said, “Mom just called. She wants you to stay at home. I’ll be going back in a couple of days too.”

Zhou Qingcheng: “Then I’ll just go back with you later.”

Wen Chenxi had to be more direct: “I don’t like anyone sleeping next door.”

Zhou Qingcheng’s expression suddenly brightened with understanding. “Oh… I see. Why didn’t you say so earlier?”

He looked at his future sister-in-law, who was shyly hiding like he was playing hide-and-seek, then glanced at his brother, clicking his tongue twice before going to tidy the spare room.

Sigh, he really didn’t want to be a “quick to understand” type of guy. Otherwise, he worried all the chips he made might end up being yellow…

Once the three of them dispersed, Wen Chenxi pulled Zhuang Yanyu onto the sofa and asked softly, “Yu Yu, what’s wrong?”

Zhuang Yanyu pressed his lips together and said nothing.

Wen Chenxi opened his hand, took a tissue, and wiped it across Zhuang Yanyu’s palm. “You’re sweating.”

Seeing that he couldn’t hide it, and with Zhou Qingcheng gone, Zhuang Yanyu admitted, “…He said I’m not human.”

Wen Chenxi almost laughed. “Acheng was complimenting you — he meant you’re amazing, like a robot.”

Zhuang Yanyu’s tone remained serious: “Nonsense. Robots are much stronger than me. Robots don’t have a heart, but I do. Robots don’t have blood; I do. They can even survive without organs, I can’t.”

Wen Chenxi didn’t expect him to care about this, and his tone became serious too. “That’s true.”

He vaguely realized one thing: this Yu seems… especially sensitive about people saying he’s not human.

Wen Chenxi thought it was funny. Could he really think Xiaoyu wasn’t human?

Not human — does that mean he’s actually a fish now?

Just as Wen Chenxi’s mind began uncontrollably imagining Zhuang Yanyu with a fish tail, Zhuang Yanyu suddenly hugged him, resting his head on Wen Chenxi’s shoulder, his breath warming the back of Wen Chenxi’s neck.

Zhuang Yanyu whispered softly, “Ah Xi.”

Wen Chenxi immediately restrained his wandering thoughts — he couldn’t imagine anything further, or he might get a nosebleed.

He cleared his throat and wrapped him in his arms. “Hmm? What is it?”

Zhuang Yanyu said, “Let’s get married quickly.”

Wen Chenxi’s head went fuzzy, thinking he misheard. “…What?”

Zhuang Yanyu: “I said, let’s get married quickly. Once we’re married, when your brother sees me, he’ll have to be polite, right? You said it yourself — then I’ll be his elder. During New Year, he’ll have to kowtow to me to get a red envelope, right?”

Just imagining this scene made Zhuang Yanyu a little excited.

Zhuang Yanyu: “Or… we can just do it tomorrow?!”

Wen Chenxi: “…………”

Author’s note:

PS——

Yu Yu with his abacus clicking loudly in his head: “Marry, marry! Let’s get married right away!”

Wen Chenxi: “…In our hometown, there’s no custom where the younger brother kowtows to the elder brother during New Year.”

Yu Yu, stunned: “Ah?”

Wen Chenxi: “Well, starting this year, in our family, there is.”

Zhou Qingcheng: “Anyway, just use me as a blood sacrifice then!”

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