TuxedoTranslations

Chapter 55

The autumn sun wasn’t as scorching as in midsummer, but when a gust of wind blew past, Wen Chenxi felt his heart turn cold several degrees.

Even after returning to Old Zhuang’s old house, he still hadn’t quite recovered his senses.

Uncle Zhuang already knew about him and Xiao Yu!

No wonder when he arrived at the Zhuang house earlier, Old Zhuang hadn’t greeted him with his usual honest, hearty smile.

When did Uncle Zhuang find out?

Did Xiao Yu come out?

And… did he get hit?

At the thought of that possibility, Wen Chenxi hurriedly examined Zhuang Yanyu beside him.

Noticing his tension, Zhuang Yanyu asked curiously, “A’Xi, what’s wrong?”

His brain quickly analyzed what might be making Wen Chenxi nervous, then he reassured him, “Don’t worry. Dad was just talking. And I won’t dislike you.”

“That’s not it.” Wen Chenxi grabbed his hand and inspected it carefully.

If Old Zhuang weren’t still there, he would’ve wanted to strip Zhuang Yanyu down and check thoroughly to see if there were any injuries.

Seeing no marks on his hands, Wen Chenxi lowered his voice and asked, “Yuyu… did you come out to Uncle Zhuang?”

Zhuang Yanyu had looked it up before and now knew exactly what “come out” meant. He nodded. “Yes.”

Wen Chenxi’s grip tightened immediately. “Then did Uncle Zhuang… say anything? Or did he hit you?”

Only then did Zhuang Yanyu realize what he had been worried about. His heart began swelling again, like he’d been infused with nine levels of internal martial arts power.

He shook his head softly. “No. You don’t need to worry. Dad is very good.”

Only then did Wen Chenxi breathe out in relief. “That’s good…”

But he still couldn’t resist giving him a light squeeze, his tone tinged with reproach. “How could you not tell me about something this important? I should’ve been the one to talk to Uncle Zhuang.”

Zhuang Yanyu replied seriously, “Oh. Then next time you can say it.”

Wen Chenxi: “……”

There won’t be a next time!

This one nearly scared him to death already!

Old Zhuang came out of the house after washing up and saw the two of them holding hands and whispering.

His expression softened again.

That’s more like it. If Xiao Shiyi wants to hold hands, then hold hands. If he wants to hug, then hug.

What was with pushing him away earlier?!

Old Zhuang himself was a straightforward man who couldn’t hide his emotions. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have shown his displeasure so openly when Wen Chenxi arrived earlier.

Now, seeing Wen Chenxi treating Xiao Shiyi so carefully again, a smile returned to his face.

When Wen Chenxi saw Old Zhuang come out, his grip on Zhuang Yanyu’s hand tightened again.

But this time, he didn’t let go. Instead, he glanced at Old Zhuang nervously. Seeing no sign of displeasure, he felt a small wave of relief—followed by overwhelming joy.

He had always thought that Old Zhuang, as tough as steel rebar, would be the biggest obstacle between him and Xiao Yu.

Turns out, that obstacle had never existed.

Taking a deep breath, Wen Chenxi led Zhuang Yanyu over to Old Zhuang.

“Uncle Zhuang, I’m very sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. Xiao Yu and I are already together,” Wen Chenxi said. “This was something I should have told you myself. I didn’t expect Xiao Yu to face it alone. I handled this badly, and I apologize to both you and Xiao Yu.”

Old Zhuang and Zhuang Yanyu exchanged a look.

Both father and son were slightly bewildered.

What’s going on? Why is he apologizing all of a sudden?

Especially Old Zhuang. He was even more confused.

What’s wrong with this?

He’s Xiao Shiyi’s father. If Xiao Shiyi comes out to him himself, what’s the problem?

He’s not Xiao Wen’s father.

Why would it have to be Xiao Wen who says it?

What’s there to apologize for?

After that quick glance at each other, neither father nor son quite understood.

Old Zhuang tentatively said, “Well… did we have to wait for you to come before saying it?”

Having spent his days under the sun, Old Zhuang’s skin was dark. Though he was handsome and sturdy, his sun-darkened face mostly just looked honest—his other expressions were hard to read.

So Wen Chenxi couldn’t tell if that was a challenge. But he genuinely believed leaving the responsibility of coming out entirely to Zhuang Yanyu had been wrong.

“Major life matters are shared by two people,” Wen Chenxi said. “How could I let Xiao Yu face it alone? It’s only because you’re open-minded, Uncle Zhuang…”

He didn’t even dare imagine what would’ve happened if Uncle Zhuang hadn’t agreed. Yuyu would surely have been scolded.

Old Zhuang and Zhuang Yanyu suddenly understood.

Ah, right.

Many ordinary parents still couldn’t accept this kind of thing easily.

Old Zhuang quickly cleared his throat. “Well, as long as Xiao Shiyi can be happy, I won’t force anything.”

Wen Chenxi solemnly promised, “Uncle Zhuang, please rest assured. I love Xiao Yu very much. I will treat him very, very well and make sure he’s happy every day.”

Truthfully, promises were just words.

Even Wen Chenxi couldn’t come up with flowery vows. The only thing he could do was prove himself over time.

For now, he could only hope his sincerity would convince Old Zhuang.

But he clearly didn’t quite understand Old Zhuang’s way of thinking. After hearing his promise, Old Zhuang had only one thought:

“Well then, when our Xiao Shiyi wants to hug you, you mustn’t push him away again, alright?”

Wen Chenxi: “…What?”

Old Zhuang said, “Our Xiao Shiyi just likes to touch and hug things. The other day when I saw you push him away, I was really angry.”

It was obvious Old Zhuang genuinely cared about this point.

Wen Chenxi: “……”

He never expected that all his sincerity and promises would boil down to just this one requirement in Old Zhuang’s eyes.

For a moment, Wen Chenxi didn’t know what to say.

Only one thought remained in his mind—no wonder they’re father and son; their way of thinking is always impossible for others to guess.

He could only explain, “At that time, I was afraid you’d discover my relationship with Xiao Yu, so I… I’m sorry.”

Old Zhuang looked disapproving. “Even if you’re afraid of being found out, you can’t push our Xiao Shiyi away. How long can our Xiao Shiyi hug you anyway? At most a few decades.”

In his previous life, he had been a chip—no hands, unable to touch anything he scanned and “saw.”

Now that he finally had a normal body, one that could perceive the outside world—

Isn’t it perfectly normal to like touching and hugging things?

Wen Chenxi couldn’t help laughing helplessly. “Yes. Uncle Zhuang, I understand.”

Old Zhuang nodded. “Alright, Xiao Wen, go wash up.”

“Okay.”

After Wen Chenxi went into the washroom, Old Zhuang pulled Zhuang Yanyu aside and whispered, “That scared Dad to death. Who knew coming out had so many rules? That both people have to be present. I’m not even his father.”

Zhuang Yanyu nodded seriously. “Fortunately, A’Xi didn’t overthink it.”

Old Zhuang also let out a breath. “But Xiao Wen is indeed not bad. When we were up on the mountain, he kept talking about Xiao Shiyi.”

Zhuang Yanyu pressed his lips together, dimples appearing as he smiled. “Really?”

“Yes, yes. That kid’s in good shape too. Shouldn’t get sick easily.”

After their whispered conversation, Wen Chenxi came out.

Knowing they both had work the next day, Old Zhuang didn’t insist that Wen Chenxi keep carrying saplings and told them to head back to the city early.

But Wen Chenxi refused. “Since I’m here, let’s finish today. Otherwise you’ll have to make another trip tomorrow. It’s faster with two people.”

Old Zhuang couldn’t win against a man eager to prove himself, so he let him be.

After moving all the saplings, Wen Chenxi didn’t look tired at all. He was full of energy—and even cooked dinner.

Only after dinner did he and Zhuang Yanyu get into the car to head back to the city.

The moon was bright and the stars sparse. There were few streetlights on the road back, making the moonlight seem even clearer.

The fifteenth moon is round, but the sixteenth is even rounder. After Mid-Autumn Festival, the moon looked bigger and fuller than any Zhuang Yanyu had seen since coming to this world.

Wen Chenxi, who had acted completely fine in front of Old Zhuang earlier, glanced at Zhuang Yanyu, then leaned back slightly and deliberately rolled his shoulders as if sore.

Zhuang Yanyu immediately shifted his gaze from the moon. “Does it hurt?”

Wen Chenxi replied calmly, “It doesn’t hurt. Just a bit sore. Can I lean on you for a while?”

Zhuang Yanyu scooted closer and tilted his head slightly, exposing more of his shoulder. “You can.”

But instead of resting his head on his shoulder, Wen Chenxi turned sideways, pulled Zhuang Yanyu into his arms, and buried his face in his neck, taking a deep breath. “Like this.”

When he spoke, his warm breath brushed against Zhuang Yanyu’s neck, making him feel ticklish. He shrank his neck slightly. “Then don’t talk. Sleep.”

The corners of Wen Chenxi’s lips curved up. “Okay. I’ll listen to Yuyu.”

But Zhuang Yanyu soon realized that while Wen Chenxi said “okay,” he had no intention of sleeping. Instead, he opened his mouth and lightly bit the soft skin at his neck.

A warm, damp sensation followed immediately.

Zhuang Yanyu tried to dodge, but the man only intensified his efforts, licking gently.

“A’Xi!” Zhuang Yanyu protested.

Wen Chenxi’s low voice came through, “Yuyu smells so good.”

Zhuang Yanyu answered seriously, “It’s not that I smell good. It’s that your smell is stronger.”

Wen Chenxi paused.

He lifted his head from Zhuang Yanyu’s neck and looked at him. “What smell…? Do I stink?”

Zhuang Yanyu hesitated. “Not exactly stink.”

Wen Chenxi was half amused, half exasperated. He poked at Zhuang Yanyu’s dimple. “It’s sweat, right?”

Zhuang Yanyu found it hard to lie about this. “You sweated a lot today.”

To him, a man smelling of sweat was perfectly normal.

After carrying hundreds of saplings under the sun, how could he not sweat?

Still, to avoid being disliked, Wen Chenxi obediently sat up straight and stopped trying to cling to him. “I’ll shower as soon as we get back. Yuyu mustn’t dislike me.”

Zhuang Yanyu, seeing that he had moved away, said, “I didn’t mean I dislike you. You can keep leaning on me.”

Perhaps those words were too powerful for Wen Chenxi.

He hadn’t thought he smelled bad before, but now he started to wonder if he really did.

“No.” He asked the bodyguard to turn on the car’s ventilation. “Can’t let Yuyu be suffocated.”

Zhuang Yanyu looked at him silently for a moment.

Wen Chenxi added, “With the ventilation on, wait and see if there’s still—”

Before he could finish, Zhuang Yanyu leaned into him. “You can hug.”

Wen Chenxi froze, then broke into a smile.

He had almost forgotten—his Yuyu was straightforward. Even when he only wanted to be his “brother,” he had always said whatever was on his mind and done whatever he wanted.

Yu Yu doesn’t do subtle.

Wen Chenxi had no choice but to wrap his arms around the fragrant “little fish” who had主动 leaned into him, his voice tinged with laughter. “Aren’t you afraid the smell’s too strong?”

Zhuang Yanyu comfortably narrowed his eyes. “No.”

Wen Chenxi couldn’t resist lowering his head to kiss him.

Mindful that they were still in the car, Wen Chenxi only kissed him for a short while before letting go.

But someone who had only just tasted intimacy was the easiest to tease.

Even though it had only been a brief kiss, Zhuang Yanyu could already feel the change in the other man’s body.

Silently, Zhuang Yanyu shifted back a little.

Wen Chenxi pulled him back again and asked in a low voice, “Xiao Yu, are we putting on ginger slices tonight?”

Zhuang Yanyu’s face instantly flushed.

It was as if the ginger slices had been stuck to his face instead—hot and spicy.

Pressing his lips together, Zhuang Yanyu said, “No more.”

Wen Chenxi rubbed his fingers against his lips. “Why not? Doesn’t that method work? Then are there any other ways to dispel dampness and detox?”

Zhuang Yanyu glanced at him silently, suspecting that he wasn’t really thinking about dispelling dampness and detoxifying at all—he just wanted to do something improper!

A-Xi really hadn’t lied to him. Men his age were truly indecent!

The car finally returned home under Wen Chenxi’s eager anticipation.

Wen Chenxi seemed unable to stand the smell of sweat on himself anymore. As soon as they got home, he went straight to the bathroom to shower.

In the past, he would always let Zhuang Yanyu shower first. This time, he couldn’t bear it himself.

After washing up, he ran out to find Zhuang Yanyu. “Yu Yu, come smell me—do I still have any odor?”

Zhuang Yanyu leaned in and sniffed. “No. It just smells like body wash.”

Seeing how obedient he was, Wen Chenxi smiled, then leaned closer and sniffed at his collar. “Oh no, Yu Yu. Maybe we hugged too long in the car. You smell a little too.”

Zhuang Yanyu lifted his arm and sniffed, not catching anything. “Really?”

“Yes,” Wen Chenxi said firmly. “You should go shower too.”

“Oh.”

Zhuang Yanyu had planned to shower anyway. He had just finished tidying up the packages he’d mailed back earlier from S City.

He also put the body pillow back on the bed.

But when he came out after showering, the body pillow had disappeared. Only Wen Chenxi was on the bed.

Wen Chenxi had his eyes closed, as if asleep.

After looking around and failing to find the pillow, Zhuang Yanyu asked, “A-Xi, have you seen my body pillow?”

No answer.

Was he asleep?

Had he gotten tired today?

Seeing that he hadn’t covered himself with the blanket, Zhuang Yanyu walked over and tucked him in, planning to go to the guest room to look for the pillow.

However, the moment his hand touched the blanket, a strong force grabbed him. He was pulled forward and fell onto Wen Chenxi’s body.

Those eyes, without glasses, looked at him with laughter and tenderness—there wasn’t a trace of sleepiness.

Zhuang Yanyu froze. “You weren’t asleep?”

“No. I was waiting for Yu Yu.”

“Then did you see my body pil—mmph?”

Before he could finish, his words were completely swallowed.

Zhuang Yanyu only felt that the arms holding him were strong and powerful. As dense kisses fell upon him, Wen Chenxi even lifted him and tucked him beneath the blanket, sealing them inside.

His kisses were gentle, without the slightest aggression.

It was precisely that gentleness that made it easy to let down one’s guard, to open one’s heart and let him move in.

Zhuang Yanyu grew dazed from the kisses. The more patient and lingering the seduction, the more it made one’s heart itch unbearably.

At first, he had still been thinking about finding his body pillow. Now he had completely forgotten it, following instinct and clinging inseparably to the other man.

Vaguely, he heard Wen Chenxi ask, “Yu Yu, does it still hurt?”

A hand seemed to land somewhere.

Zhuang Yanyu’s body shrank back instinctively.

Memories of the previous nights resurfaced, and his face reddened slightly.

He had looked up “resources” himself to study. Purely in terms of theory, he felt he knew enough.

There was nothing wrong with doing this kind of thing with A-Xi. They were dating now, and they would get married in the future, so it was perfectly normal.

But when it came to who would be on top and who would be on the bottom, he grew uncertain. He felt he didn’t know enough, and if he accidentally hurt A-Xi, he would feel heartbroken.

In that moment of hesitation, he was kissed into a daze, pleasured until he couldn’t think of anything else.

In fact, he liked this kind of intimacy very much. It felt as though, in this world, he and A-Xi had only each other.

They were the best, closest people in the world—no one could separate them.

Only…

Zhuang Yanyu gathered his thoughts and said seriously, “It doesn’t hurt. But I think you last too long. Maybe we should switch? I don’t last as long as you. Since it’s your first time, it probably won’t be as uncomfortable.”

Wen Chenxi’s body stiffened. After steadying himself, he asked, “Then have you learned how to do it?”

Zhuang Yanyu answered honestly, “Not yet. Because there’s no way to think.”

At that time, he had even lost the timer in his brain and forgotten how to study.

Wen Chenxi secretly let out a sigh of relief. “Then… Yu Yu can practice a few more times?”

Zhuang Yanyu thought about it. “That works.”

Then, blushing a little, he added, “Then you… don’t ignore me.”

Wen Chenxi lowered his head and kissed him. “I promise I won’t. If Yu Yu says stop, I’ll stop.”

Zhuang Yanyu felt reassured.

Just… he felt reassured too early.

In truth, at that moment, his mind was completely blank. His entire body and heart were focused on the other person, on instinct alone, utterly forgetting about any intention to “study.”

Time seemed to pass for a very, very long while.

Zhuang Yanyu’s voice came out haltingly. “A-Xi, y-you… why are you even l-longer than last time…?”

When dawn broke the next day, Zhuang Yanyu woke up in the dry, fresh bedding. After his brain rebooted, he smacked his head in annoyance.

He hadn’t learned anything again last night!

And maybe he really should take A-Xi to see a doctor…

Lasting that long really wasn’t good!

Not only had he failed to “study,” he was late for work that day.

It was the first day after the National Day holiday. Wen Chenxi had told him to stay home and sleep, but Zhuang Yanyu was preoccupied with building a protective firewall for Ji Zhiyuan and the company. He refused to stay home and insisted on going to the office.

And so, in nearly half a year at Azure Technology, Zhuang Yanyu was late for the first time.

His reputation as the “human time clock” had long since spread far and wide.

When people discovered he was late, not only did Zhou Quan and Qin Yiyuan come to check on him, even Supervisor Xu and Chen Kang came over.

“Xiao Zhuang, are you sick? Otherwise how could you possibly be late? You must be feeling unwell, right?” Supervisor Xu asked with fatherly concern written all over his face.

“Still thinking about the holiday? Time to reel your heart back in, kid. The company doesn’t keep idle people around,” said Chen Kang, ever the upper management figure, never straying far from talk of efficiency and exploitation.

“Brother Zhuang, you look a little pale. Didn’t sleep well?” Zhou Quan, the devoted apprentice, asked earnestly.

Only the tallest of them, Qin Yiyuan, noticed the faint hickey at the back of Zhuang Yanyu’s neck. He quietly stepped aside in melancholy.

“My dream guy…”

And just like that, someone had claimed him. It was heartbreaking.

But Zhou Quan and Qin Yiyuan were leaving on a business trip the next day for the second phase of auxiliary construction with Haigang Group. They were both busy, so after a bit of concern, they left.

Supervisor Xu and Chen Kang didn’t go. Instead, they sneakily pulled Zhuang Yanyu aside and asked, “Xiao Zhuang, do you know the big gossip about Azure?”

Zhuang Yanyu looked confused. “What gossip?”

“What? You don’t know? Didn’t you see your buddy’s Moments? President Wen didn’t tell you?”

Zhuang Yanyu: “?”

“Looks like Xiao Zhuang really doesn’t know.” Chen Kang pulled out his phone and showed him. “A few days ago, President Wen made it official on Moments! Now the whole company knows—we’re getting a boss’s wife!”

Not many people had Wen Chenxi’s personal WeChat, but his sudden announcement was so shocking that plenty of people went digging to find out who he liked.

Once people with connections to upper management caught wind of it, the news spread throughout the entire company.

Zhuang Yanyu truly hadn’t known Wen Chenxi had posted that. He rarely scrolled through Moments.

No wonder the company group chat had been blowing up with thousands of messages every day. He hadn’t read any of them yet.

Were they all discussing this?

Chen Kang sighed. “He didn’t even tell Xiao Zhuang—and you’re President Wen’s good brother. He hid it well.”

Supervisor Xu sighed too. “As long as it’s not like the boss’s wife in the building next door.”

Chen Kang nodded. “Exactly. Speaking of that boss’s wife—what a mess. But it’s her husband’s fault for being unfaithful. If he weren’t such a flirt, would a perfectly good woman turn so suspicious?”

Zhuang Yanyu blinked. “The building next door?”

Supervisor Xu explained, “You haven’t been here long, so you don’t know. The company next door—the boss is a playboy. He drove his wife to the point where she comes to the office every day hunting for mistresses. One moment she suspects this woman, the next moment that woman. Many female employees were wrongly accused and labeled targets. They couldn’t stand it and left. A lot of people quit, and the company’s reputation plummeted.”

Zhuang Yanyu: “…”

Zhuang Yanyu said, “Maybe A-Xi’s partner is a man. That wouldn’t happen.”

Supervisor Xu and Chen Kang looked even more troubled.

“If it’s a man, that’s even worse!” one of them said. “You don’t know about the boss two buildings over? He married a man. And that husband is even scarier. He suspects not only the female employees, but the male ones too. The whole company lives in fear. The male employees don’t even know what they did wrong. In the end, they quit too.”

“Right! Just because it’s a big company doesn’t mean it’s stable. Sometimes turnover is even worse than at small companies. That’s not a good sign. If we really get a ‘male boss’s wife’ like that, Azure Technology will be in trouble… Of course, this is the boss’s private matter. He’s not young anymore—it’s time for him to settle down. We’re just chatting privately. We’re just worried, not saying he shouldn’t date.”

After all, they remembered that Zhuang Yanyu was Wen Chenxi’s good brother, so they could only express their concerns cautiously.

Zhuang Yanyu pressed his lips together. “…What if that person isn’t like that?”

“If they’re not, then that’s the best outcome! We’ll all celebrate the boss finding love! It’s just natural to worry a little. Xiao Yu, don’t disbelieve us—we’re older, we’ve seen more of the world. A diamond bachelor like President Wen—whoever marries him is basically holding onto a money tree. And a money tree attracts plenty of envy. Think about it—if it were you, wouldn’t you worry?”

“I wouldn’t worry,” Zhuang Yanyu said.

“We’re just speaking hypothetically, haha. You’re still young—you don’t understand. Same-sex marriage isn’t even legal yet. There’s no real protection. A lot of male couples struggle to feel secure in their relationships. Without that security, it’s easy to worry about your husband being snatched away.”

“I really wouldn’t worry,” Zhuang Yanyu repeated.

Supervisor Xu and Chen Kang laughed together. “Alright, alright, we know Xiao Zhuang you’re—”

Zhuang Yanyu said calmly,

“That person is me.”

The laughter stopped abruptly.

Supervisor Xu and Chen Kang: “???”

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