TuxedoTranslations

Chapter 54

Zhuang Yanyu probably hadn’t expected that “brother mode” would fail to switch.

He was stunned.

Because before, it had always switched successfully. It had never failed.

This sudden failure left him bewildered, instinctively not knowing what to do.

But what couldn’t be denied was that he could feel Axí’s patience and gentleness. He could sense that the other seemed afraid he might feel disgusted—every move revealing caution and testing.

Wen Chenxi was indeed testing him carefully.

Whenever he wanted to claim a certain place, he would linger there slowly first, making sure the other showed no sign of resistance, only then proceeding to the next step.

Wen Chenxi seemed to have endless patience when it came to Zhuang Yanyu.

If this were an endurance competition in progress, then he felt that as long as the opponent was Zhuang Yanyu, he would definitely win first place.

Perhaps it was precisely that patience and gentleness that gradually steadied Zhuang Yanyu’s originally flustered heart.

On the contrary, when Wen Chenxi was hesitating over whether to take the next step, Zhuang Yanyu wrapped his arms around his waist and wouldn’t let him leave.

Zhuang Yanyu’s mind was full of the thought that they were just helping each other—it wasn’t the first time, so it was fine.

And yet he vaguely had the intuition that this time, it probably wasn’t just “helping each other” anymore.

Wen Chenxi’s voice was low, almost murmuring by his ear. “Yuyu, right now… I’m not in good-brother mode.”

Although Zhuang Yanyu’s head felt a little muddled, his desire to be close to the other person won out. He heard that sentence clearly. “…I know.”

Of course he knew it wasn’t good-brother mode.

Hadn’t Axí failed to switch?

Right now Axí was his boyfriend. Only a boyfriend could kiss him for so long, hold him for so long, and… kiss all sorts of places.

A good brother probably couldn’t do that, right?

Zhuang Yanyu’s words entering his ears made Wen Chenxi’s breathing pause for a moment.

He felt that in this endurance competition, he had already succeeded.

He had taken first place.

So now, perhaps, he could claim the honor and reward that belonged to first place.

“Xiao Yu.” He kissed him over and over, wanting to pour all the love in his heart into him.

“Yuyu…”

“I’m here.”

“I love you.”

“…Oh.”

Zhuang Yanyu felt that he should probably say something too, but the other’s kisses nearly suffocated him. His mind was blank; the timer in his brain had long since been tossed somewhere unknown.

It was as if he had lost his soul along with it.

The next morning, when Zhuang Yanyu woke up, it was already 9 a.m.

He stared at the ceiling in a daze for a while. After the grogginess of waking faded and his brain restarted, he finally turned his head.

He thought to himself, had the timer in his brain really broken?

He genuinely had no idea what time it was now.

He shifted his gaze, looking for his phone.

The phone on the bedside table happened to vibrate several times.

The notification sound was turned off, but judging from the vibration pattern, it was probably WeChat messages rather than a call.

He reached a hand out from under the covers toward the bedside table to grab his phone.

With his sharp observation skills, he immediately noticed several marks on his fair arm.

Zhuang Yanyu paused.

In that brief pause, a hand reached out from behind him, picked up the phone from the bedside, and placed it into his hand.

He turned his head and silently glanced at the man behind him, then lowered his eyes to look at the phone.

Wen Chenxi’s eyes were full of affection and a faint smile.

He pulled him closer into his arms. “Yuyu.”

Zhuang Yanyu looked at his phone and ignored him.

“Xiao Yu.”

Zhuang Yanyu opened WeChat.

There were a lot of messages. 99+.

The company group chat alone had several thousand messages.

He remembered that starting yesterday afternoon, the company group had been flooding nonstop.

Since they were skiing in the afternoon and it was just group messages with no private chats, he hadn’t opened it, planning to check after returning to the hotel at night.

After getting back to the hotel, he had meant to look—but first he video-called Old Comrade Zhuang, then discussed health-preservation plans with Wen Dad, and finally with Axí… and forgot.

In short, he hadn’t read a single message, and now there were over three thousand.

He ignored the group chat first and opened the private messages.

There were a lot of those too.

Qin Yiyuan and some colleagues had sent mass “Happy National Day” greetings.

Zhou Quan had sent several messages asking where he was going for National Day and whether he wanted to see a movie together.

Even Supervisor Xu, Ji Zhiyuan, and Li Xi had messaged him.

Zhuang Yanyu typed quickly and replied to them one by one. Then it was Wen Dad’s message.

Last night, after Wen Jingzhong told him about the ginger method for dispelling dampness, he had said he would try it, and they hadn’t talked further.

Now, early this morning, Wen Jingzhong had eagerly come to ask about his reaction after applying the ginger slices.

Wen Dad was impatient to happily share health-preservation philosophies with his new cross-generational friend.

[Wen Dad: After sticking them on, did your soles and stomach feel warm?]

[Wen Dad: And they should feel hot to the touch too.]

[Wen Dad: If they don’t stick well, I’ll send you some herbal sachets. Stuff the ginger slices into cloth bags, put in a few more, and just wear them on your feet like socks.]

Zhuang Yanyu: “…”

Expressionless, he thought: After “sticking” them on, it wasn’t just his soles and stomach that felt warm.

His whole body felt warm.

But what had been “stuck” on him wasn’t ginger slices. It was a person.

Seeing that Zhuang Yanyu was ignoring him, Wen Chenxi rested his head in the crook of his shoulder and called softly, “Xiao Yu, Yuyu.”

Zhuang Yanyu acted as if he were deaf and simply ignored him.

Wen Chenxi sighed in distress. “Oh no. Has Yuyu’s ears activated some kind of device that blocks out all sound?”

Zhuang Yanyu’s ears twitched slightly.

Wen Chenxi murmured as if to himself, “Then how do we turn off this blocking device?”

Zhuang Yanyu didn’t turn around. He was still holding his phone, but he wasn’t replying to anyone now—his thoughts weren’t even on the phone anymore.

Wen Chenxi suddenly thought of something and said, “Got it. Yuyu is ignoring his boyfriend, but he wouldn’t ignore his good brother, right?”

Wen Chenxi cleared his throat and returned to a serious expression. “Zhuang Yanyu, we’re good brothers now. If there’s anything upsetting you, you can tell your brother.”

Well, Zhuang Yanyu had a lot he wanted to say.

He turned around and glared at Wen Chenxi.

But as he turned, he seemed to pull something, making him frown uncomfortably.

So the glare he gave Wen Chenxi became even fiercer.

Wen Chenxi quickly slipped his hand under the blanket and rubbed his waist. “Is it here that hurts? I’ll massage it for you, Yuyu. Is this pressure okay?”

Only then did Zhuang Yanyu let out an “Oh,” and mutter, “It’s fine.”

Wen Chenxi patiently continued massaging him, not forgetting to ask gently, “Why doesn’t Yuyu want to talk to his boyfriend?”

Zhuang Yanyu said blankly, “I called him yesterday, and he ignored me too.”

Wen Chenxi’s hand paused. He almost wanted to protest—when had he ever ignored his Yuyu?

Putting on his best apologetic attitude, Wen Chenxi said softly, “Then let me apologize on his behalf first. But could there have been some misunderstanding? He likes Yuyu so much—how could he bear to ignore you?”

Zhuang Yanyu pressed his lips together.

Wen Chenxi: “Hm? Xiao Yu?”

Wen Chenxi felt a little worried. Bottling up this kind of thing could easily cause problems.

If it were anything else—if Zhuang Yanyu had personal matters he wanted to keep from him—he could tolerate it.

But when it came to something that might affect their relationship, even if it made him annoying, he had to get to the bottom of it.

He didn’t want any misunderstandings between them.

In his previous life, Zhuang Yanyu had been a system—straightforward, not fond of beating around the bush.

And in Long Aotian’s world, it was always about overpowering enemies and crushing obstacles head-on. There was no room for subtle maneuvering.

As a result, Zhuang Yanyu didn’t have complicated thoughts. As long as he silently reminded himself that the person in front of him was his good brother—

Good brothers could talk about anything. Wasn’t that why he wanted a good brother? So they could share their experiences of being human anytime, talk about life together, and live out a peaceful retirement?

So after hesitating only briefly, Zhuang Yanyu leaned close to his ear and whispered something.

Wen Chenxi: “…”

Wen Chenxi seemed like he wanted to laugh.

So it was just because at that moment he’d been too excited to hear what Xiao Yu had said, and so the next morning Xiao Yu had put him on “mute mode” in retaliation?

The smile hadn’t yet reached his face when he saw Zhuang Yanyu’s expressionless gaze and forced himself to hold it back. Putting on an aggrieved look, he said, “It was my fault. Next time, if Yuyu tells me to stop, I’ll definitely stop.”

Zhuang Yanyu’s face turned a little red. He muttered, “Not you.”

Wen Chenxi: “Right, it was your boyfriend. Too much. Yuyu’s good brother would never do that.”

Zhuang Yanyu fell silent again. At that moment, he felt that a good brother wasn’t really that different from a boyfriend.

He still had a pile of messages he hadn’t replied to, so he simply stopped talking and started replying to others first.

By the time Wen Chenxi had finished massaging him, the hotel delivered the breakfast Wen Chenxi had ordered—plain congee and light side dishes.

Wen Chenxi helped him get up, rinse his mouth, placed a cushion on the chair, then carried him over and set him down.

The scene felt all too familiar. Zhuang Yanyu immediately remembered everything Zhou Qingcheng had done that day.

Zhuang Yanyu: “…”

After finishing the porridge, Zhuang Yanyu went back to bed to lounge.

He had never skied before. Although he kept up with exercise, skiing used different muscle groups than his usual workouts.

After skiing all afternoon yesterday, his legs were already sore, and with what had happened last night, the pain felt even more obvious today.

He lay on the bed for a while. As if knowing he’d be sore, Wen Chenxi climbed back into bed and began massaging his legs.

Maybe it felt too good—Zhuang Yanyu, who had been watching him with open eyes, gradually fell asleep again.

Seeing that he had fallen asleep, Wen Chenxi gently set his legs down properly, tucked him in, and softly kissed his lips.

They stayed there for four days and only flew back on October 5.

Since October 6 was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and now that Zhuang Yanyu was living as a human, he firmly remembered Chinese tradition—Mid-Autumn Festival had to be spent reunited with family. No matter what, he refused to stay any longer.

Still, he followed Wen Chenxi’s example and used a plate to personally make a small snowman, planning to give it to Old Zhuang.

Wen Chenxi asked him, “Aren’t you making one for yourself?”

He thought that since it was rare for Zhuang Yanyu to come north, he would make one to bring back.

Zhuang Yanyu shook his head. “I already have my own little snowman. But Dad doesn’t.”

Wen Chenxi’s heart was moved, and he held him and kissed him for a long time.

His little snowman was already at home.

It was the one he had given to Xiao Yu.

After returning to A City, Zhuang Yanyu immediately took the little snowman back to his hometown, eager to give it to Old Zhuang.

Old Zhuang was so happy he couldn’t stop smiling. He sighed, “It’s still 28 degrees every day in A City right now—only a bit cooler in the mornings and evenings. If we want to see snow, I guess we really have to go north.”

Hearing this, Wen Chenxi said, “Uncle Zhuang, if you’d like to go, I can arrange some time off and take you and Xiao Yu—”

Before he could finish, Comrade Old Zhuang interrupted, “No need, no need. I can’t leave my fields. Some seedlings can’t go without care. If they’re neglected even for a day, there could be problems.”

Going north would take at least two or three days. Old Zhuang truly couldn’t get away.

Wen Chenxi nodded. “Alright. When you’re less busy, just let me know.”

Old Zhuang chuckled. “You’re too polite, Xiao Wen.”

Wen Chenxi lowered his stance. “No, it’s only right.”

Now that it had come to this—and tomorrow was Mid-Autumn Festival—he should be leaving.

But standing at the door, Wen Chenxi kept wanting to hug Zhuang Yanyu again, to steal another kiss. His gaze kept drifting back to him, his heart itching unbearably.

However, with Old Zhuang right there, he didn’t dare.

He hadn’t forgotten how straight-laced Old Zhuang was.

If he found out he and Xiao Yu were together… would he hit Xiao Yu? Would he be unable to accept it?

Just thinking about those possibilities made Wen Chenxi frown.

He restrained himself, trying not to show any affection toward Zhuang Yanyu in front of Old Zhuang, acting like a normal good brother. “Xiao Yu, Uncle Zhuang, I’ll head back first.”

Zhuang Yanyu walked over, wanting to hug him. “A’Xi, be careful on the road.”

But before he could reach him, Wen Chenxi stopped him and said in a low voice, “Uncle Zhuang is watching.”

Zhuang Yanyu: “?”

Wen Chenxi smiled at Old Zhuang. Suppressing the ache in his heart, he resisted pulling Zhuang Yanyu into his arms. On the surface, he said seriously, “Alright, I’ll be careful. You too. Even though we’re both grown men, hugging like that isn’t appropriate.”

Zhuang Yanyu: “??”

Wen Chenxi: “I’m leaving. Goodbye, Uncle Zhuang. Goodbye, Xiao Yu.”

With the air of a proper gentleman, Wen Chenxi got into the car.

From inside, he didn’t forget to wave at the father and son before reluctantly driving off.

After the car left, Old Zhuang asked in confusion, “Did you two have a fight?”

Zhuang Yanyu shook his head. “No.”

Old Zhuang was even more puzzled. “Then what was that about? Why can’t you hug anymore?”

Zhuang Yanyu: “I don’t know either.”

Old Zhuang couldn’t figure it out.

It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen the two of them cling to each other before.

That just showed how close the brothers were.

Just as he finished speaking, Zhuang Yanyu’s phone rang.

It was a WeChat message from Wen Chenxi.

【Wen Chenxi: Sorry, Yuyu. I didn’t mean to push you away just now. It was so Uncle Zhuang wouldn’t notice.】

Zhuang Yanyu grew puzzled as well.

【Zhuang Yanyu: Why can’t Dad find out?】

【Wen Chenxi: Would your dad agree to you being with a man?】

Zhuang Yanyu froze. He really hadn’t thought about that.

Another message came from Wen Chenxi:

【If he doesn’t agree, let’s not rush things. Let me figure out a way. I’ll work hard to talk Uncle Zhuang around and get him to accept us soon.】

Zhuang Yanyu directly turned to Old Zhuang. “Dad, A’Xi and I are together.”

Old Zhuang blinked. “Together as in…?”

Zhuang Yanyu thought for a moment and rephrased, “We’re going to get married.”

Old Zhuang felt momentarily dazed. “You agreed to marry him?”

Zhuang Yanyu: “Isn’t dating always with marriage as the goal?”

Old Zhuang felt both sentimental and conflicted. “Xiao Shiyi, you’re still so young. You’ve been here less than a year… shouldn’t you think it over more?”

Zhuang Yanyu pressed his lips together. “I think A’Xi is very good. If I have to get married, I only want to marry him.”

Knowing that once Zhuang Yanyu made a decision it couldn’t be changed, Old Zhuang could only sigh helplessly.

Then he suddenly remembered how just now their Xiao Shiyi had tried to hug him and had been pushed away. His brows instantly furrowed.

What was that supposed to mean?

Xiao Shiyi had already agreed to be with him, and he couldn’t even accept a hug?! What’s wrong with being hugged?!

If Xiao Shiyi wants to hug you, that’s your blessing!

You get him and then stop cherishing him?!

Old Zhuang felt indignant. Xiao Shiyi had just transmigrated and hadn’t even properly enjoyed retirement life yet, and now he had to suffer this kind of grievance?

Why?

Old Zhuang immediately said, “Xiao Shiyi, when you told me Xiao Wen confessed to you, I looked it up. In this society, many parents still aren’t very open-minded and can’t accept this kind of thing. So on the surface, Dad can’t accept it too quickly either—otherwise it wouldn’t seem like a normal human reaction.”

As Old Zhuang said this, Zhuang Yanyu had already looked it up on his phone and confirmed that it was indeed as his father said.

Zhuang Yanyu: “I understand.”

Old Zhuang added, “So you can’t tell Xiao Wen that I already know. We have to act like a normal family.”

Zhuang Yanyu: “Okay.”

On Mid-Autumn Festival.

Wen Chenxi returned home for dinner. The whole family stared behind him. When they saw no one was with him, everyone looked unhappy.

“Why didn’t Xiao Yu come back with you?”

Wen Chenxi glanced at them. “He has a father at home too. They’re celebrating the holiday.”

Song Yunyue thought about it and felt regretful. “Oh, I see.”

Zhou Qingcheng gloated, “You haven’t won Uncle Zhuang over yet, have you?”

Wen Jingzhong, not seeing his close friend, was also disappointed. The more he looked at Wen Chenxi, the more displeased he felt. “You can’t even handle this? I’m very disappointed!”

“Jingzhong’s right.”

“Dad’s right.”

Seeing his wife and younger son backing him up, Wen Jingzhong felt flattered.

After so many years, this was the first time anyone supported his words.

It greatly encouraged him. It felt like he’d been handed a trump card—so long as he held onto the “Zhuang Yanyu” card, he could stand on the moral high ground and relentlessly criticize Wen Chenxi without getting eye-rolls in return!

And so, on Mid-Autumn Festival, Wen Chenxi endured verbal attacks from everyone at home.

The moment dinner ended, he left. He couldn’t stay any longer.

After Mid-Autumn Festival, it was the last day of the holiday.

Wen Chenxi missed his boyfriend terribly. He messaged Zhuang Yanyu to ask when he was coming back, planning to send a driver to pick him up.

Zhuang Yanyu sent him a photo—full of saplings.

【Zhuang Yanyu: I have to help Dad plant today. I can only go back after we’re done.】

Wen Chenxi roughly estimated there were at least several hundred saplings.

【So many? All have to be planted today? Didn’t Uncle Zhuang never let you help before?】

【Zhuang Yanyu: Dad said it’s going to rain in a couple of days, and it won’t be suitable for planting then. So I might have to take leave tomorrow.】

Take leave tomorrow?

An older man who had just gotten a taste of romance could not handle not seeing his partner for several days.

【Is planting this simple? I’ll come help.】

Zhuang Yanyu didn’t reply immediately. Instead, he asked Old Zhuang first. “Dad, A’Xi says he wants to help. He’s asking if planting this is simple or not.”

Old Zhuang had deliberately said that earlier—he’d been waiting for exactly this question.

“It’s simple,” Old Zhuang said. “Tell him to come.”

Zhuang Yanyu relayed the message.

An hour and a half later, Wen Chenxi arrived at the old house.

“Hello, Uncle Zhuang,” Wen Chenxi greeted properly.

What puzzled him was that the honest man who used to smile warmly at him now didn’t look pleased at all. Old Zhuang only gave a faint “Oh.”

“If you don’t know how to plant, then help carry the saplings. All of these need to be moved to that mountain over there.”

Wen Chenxi looked at the mountain Old Zhuang pointed to—at least 1.5 kilometers away. The path was narrow. A three-wheeler could only reach the foot of the mountain.

They would have to carry everything up the mountain by hand.

And these several hundred saplings had to be transported to the foot first, then carried up together.

Old Zhuang added, “These are five-year-old saplings. Just moved out of the greenhouse. It’s best to plant them now. Be careful when you carry them.”

Wen Chenxi weighed one bundle in his hand. It was heavy.

A bundle had about five saplings, roughly ten pounds.

Five-year-old saplings already had lush branches. They weren’t easy to carry. At most, he could shoulder three bundles on each side—six bundles total, thirty saplings.

With several hundred saplings, they would have to go up and down the mountain at least ten times.

Wen Chenxi thought, thankfully I came. If Yuyu had to do this, my heart would ache to death.

He took off his coat and handed it to Zhuang Yanyu. “Xiao Yu, stay at the foot of the mountain and watch the saplings. Uncle Zhuang and I will go up.”

Zhuang Yanyu said, “I can carry them too.”

Wen Chenxi replied, “If you carry them, who’ll guard the saplings down here? What if someone takes them? What if some passing kids grab them to play with?”

Zhuang Yanyu wanted to say the local villagers wouldn’t do such a thing—but children might.

“Alright, just wait here.”

Without further discussion, Wen Chenxi hoisted a load onto his shoulders. “Uncle Zhuang, is this the way?”

Old Zhuang looked at him, his expression softening slightly. “Yes. Walk ahead. I’ll follow.”

“Okay.”

The mountain path was even harder to walk than Wen Chenxi had imagined.

The research institute valued nature and hadn’t developed the area, so the path was just a narrow trail villagers used—only wide enough for one person.

But they were carrying loads of saplings, constantly getting snagged by trees and brush. By the time they reached the pre-dug planting pits, half an hour had passed.

And the pits weren’t in one place—they were scattered.

Old Zhuang observed Wen Chenxi’s expression. From beginning to end, he never complained of being tired. Even when his clothes were soaked with sweat, he didn’t say a word.

A man raised in luxury, groomed as an heir—he probably had never done this kind of work in his life. Yet there wasn’t a trace of impatience on his face.

Old Zhuang’s expression gradually improved. He took the initiative to say, “Take a rest.”

Wen Chenxi quickly replied, “Uncle Zhuang, I’m not tired. Let’s finish sooner. Xiao Yu will be bored waiting alone.”

Each round trip up and down the mountain took an hour. They still had several trips to go.

Seeing that Wen Chenxi’s mind was full of their Xiao Shiyi, Old Zhuang felt more satisfied and nodded. “Alright.”

On the way down, neither of them spoke.

In truth, Wen Chenxi felt uneasy. He could tell Old Zhuang’s attitude toward him that morning hadn’t been good. He didn’t know whether Old Zhuang had already discovered his relationship with Xiao Yu.

But he didn’t dare ask for now. Whether he knew or not, he planned to finish today’s work first and ask Zhuang Yanyu about it tonight.

Back at the foot of the mountain, Wen Chenxi suppressed the urge to hug Zhuang Yanyu. “Yuyu, wait a little longer. We’ve made three trips. A few more and we should be done.”

Zhuang Yanyu had no idea his father had done this on purpose. He thought they really had to finish today.

He walked up and gave Wen Chenxi some water. Then he took the initiative to hug him and kissed his cheek as encouragement. “You’ve worked hard, A’Xi.”

Wen Chenxi looked up in panic—only to meet Old Zhuang’s gaze.

Wen Chenxi: “!”

He hurriedly helped Zhuang Yanyu stand straight and tried to calmly explain, “Uncle Zhuang, don’t misunderstand. Xiao Yu and I are just… just…”

Zhuang Yanyu supplied the line for him: “A brotherly kiss.”

Afraid of being opposed by Old Zhuang, Wen Chenxi nodded frantically. “Yes! Exactly what Xiao Yu said.”

Old Zhuang: “…”

Unable to hold back, Old Zhuang pulled Zhuang Yanyu aside. “Xiao Shiyi, maybe you should reconsider? Xiao Wen may be a good brother, but as a partner… he doesn’t seem very smart.”

Wen Chenxi: “??”

Author’s note:

P.S. —

Old Zhuang: Being brothers is fine, but as a partner… he really doesn’t seem that smart. (extremely disdainful)

President Wen: QAQ (Wuwu, honey, please don’t listen to your dad—)

Feel free to buy me a coffee/show your support on ko-fi! Thank you ❤