TL: Hua
The corners of Shen Boyan’s lips ticked up, as if he had gained strength. He looked at the two elders with firm eyes and said, “Actually, I came here this time because I want to ask you two to agree to something.”
“What?”
“Please allow Shu An to live with me.”
“What?!” Both of them were taken aback at the same time: “Why are you in such a hurry?”
“Not at all. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time.”
“Yes.” Xia Shu’an also added, “Actually, we were discussing this matter more than half a month ago, but something happened at home, so it was delayed.”
“I don’t want to wait any longer. What happened in the Xia family is not the reason we can’t be together. I can completely resolve this matter.”
After finally talking about this, Xia Shu’an’s long and narrow eyelashes trembled, and the room was silent.
After a while, Father Xia said in a trembling voice, “Let us think about it.”
Shen Boyan finished all the plays he wanted to act in, and the stage would be given to Xia Shu’an. He stayed for a while and went back after seeing that it was getting late. Xia Shu’an sent him downstairs.
The evening breeze in September was brisk, blowing on one’s face with a hint of coolness. Xia Shu’an recalled the complex and hard-to-conceal sadness on his parents’ faces when they bid farewell to Shen Boyan and still felt guilty in his heart. But Shen Boyan’s actions tonight were beyond his expectations, fully proving that he can be a courteous person when he wants to be.
A few gusts of wind blew over the camphor tree, and the leaves rustled. Standing in the light and shadow of the tree, Xia Shu’an raised his head and said slowly, “You performed very well today. I’m very grateful.”
Shen Boyan’s face no longer has the gentleness and humility it once had in front of Xia parents. He looked at Xia Shu’an with a smile on his face, which was quite gentle, but his eyes were extremely cold. His dark eyes shone with a cold light, and then he pinched Xia Shuan’s chin and said, “This is your last request. My patience is limited. You’d better not make any more trouble.”
“I got it.”
Xia Shu’an readily followed along like a river following its course. He didn’t even bother to resist his constant pinching of his chin. He took a few more steps and escorted Shen Boyan to the private car parked at the gateway of the community. There was a figure reflected in the front window, and it was the driver who was getting ready.
Xia Shu’an stopped and said suddenly, “Aren’t you going to hug me?”
“What?”
Shen Boyan turned his head, and a moment of astonishment flashed across his face. Xia Shu’an stepped forward, opened his arms, and hugged him actively.
The man’s tall body stiffened for a moment, as if he were at a loss. Xia Shu’an’s face was pressed against his shoulders, so close that he could smell the pomegranate scent in his hair, which had a hint of sweetness, like the sweetness squeezed out of the bright red juice.
“My parents are watching.”
Xia Shu’an said in a low voice. Shen Boyan raised his head, and a window on the opposite floor was lit. Two figures stood by the window and looked out.
They hugged for a full minute, so long that Shen Boyan didn’t even put his palm on Xia Shuan’s back at first, but later, his palm was pressed against the back of the young man in his arms, and the scorching heat from his palm penetrated through the fabric, giving Xia Shu’an the illusion of being burned.
After a minute or so, he let go of his hand. He didn’t know if it was his imagination, but he always felt that Shen Boyan’s heart was beating very fast.
Abnormally fast.
The light was dim, and Shen Boyan tilted his head. He couldn’t quite see his face clearly.
“I’m going back; remember, I only gave you a week.”
And with that, the man turned around and left coldly. Xia Shu’an was a bit at a loss. He tilted his head, turned around, and went upstairs slowly.
Xia Shu’an returned home and saw the two elders standing at the door like two door gods, waiting for him.
Shen Boyan knew that he was going to drink today, so he called the driver.
He was sitting in the car, and the vehicle passed a traffic light at a moderate speed and stopped slowly at the next intersection. In the back seat, Shen Boyan clutched his chest, as if he could still feel the beating of the young man’s heart.
“…”
…
Assistant Lin felt that his boss was a bit strange today. As a young policymaker, Shen Boyan always put all his energy into work, but today he discovered twice that his boss was absent-mindedly looking out the window.
The third time he entered the office, the man behind the president’s desk finally spoke: “What kind of person do you think Xia Shu’an is?”
Ever since his boss “took a fancy” to that Mr. Xia, Assistant Lin has investigated all the information about Xia Shu’an’s life and has also met and contacted him in person. According to his understanding:
“Mr. Xia.”
“Would someone like him easily commit himself to others?”
Assistant Lin frankly shook his head.
Shen Boyan’s eyes showed a bit of interest: “I don’t think so, but it seems that he has no resistance to my actions and even cooperates very much.”
Assistant Lin lowered his head and did not answer.
“Forget it; no matter what it’s for, it will reveal itself one day.”
He made Assistant Lin go down and was about to concentrate on his official duties, but within a few minutes, Assistant Lin came back.
“What’s up?”
“Mr. Xia left the door ten minutes ago. He seems to have an appointment. He’s rushing to the city center now.”
…
Xia Shu’an went out this time to meet Chu Wenzhi.
The Xia family’s matter is nothing to the huge Rongchuan City, but for those who pay attention to this matter, they can see obvious changes.
The last time Xia Shu’an met Chu Wenzhi, he looked haggard from running around for days. After these few days of recuperation, he has recovered a little bit, with visible blush on his snow-white face, and his lips are also slightly pink.
They met at a Japanese restaurant, and as soon as they sat down, Chu Wenzhi couldn’t wait to ask, “What’s going on? Did Uncle Xia find someone to help?”
Xia Shu’an recalled the conflict between Chu Wenzhi and Shen Boyan in his previous life. In fact, Chu Wenzhi was beaten unilaterally most of the time. Then Xia Shu’an got angry and confronted Shen Boyan, and then Shen Boyan became more irritable and even more violent towards Xia Shu’an. Chu Wenzhi’s opinions on Shen Boyan also increased; this cycle continued, and the enmity became bigger and bigger.
He can’t bear to see his friend struggle with Shen Boyan because of him in this life. After thinking for a moment, Xia Shu’an said slowly, “Actually, I never told you that I have a boyfriend—”
“Boyfriend!!” Chu Wenzhi jumped up suddenly, and his knee hit the table hard.
“Ouch—”
“Be careful!”
Sure enough, such a sudden coming out of the closet must have shocked people a lot.
Xia Shu’an looked at his friend, who was stunned with shock, and patiently waited for him to accept this fact.
“Yes, boyfriend.”
Chu Wenzhi sat down blankly, forgot to even move the hand on his knee, and asked in a daze, “Why so suddenly?”
“Who is he?”
Xia Shu’an looked at him calmly and released the second bomb today:
“You’ve seen him before; it’s Shen Boyan.”
“Shen Boyan!!”
Chu Wenzhi really looked blown away. He looked at Xia Shu’an in disbelief. But he’s not Father Xia after all, so he doesn’t know the situation between the two of them. Thinking of the meeting with Shen Boyan at the art museum that day, the two didn’t seem to know each other before.
“You, but you guys, didn’t you meet each other two weeks ago…” He fixed his gaze and said keenly, “Did he force you? Blackmailed you with what happened to your family!”
Chu Wenzhi was too sensitive, which made Xia Shu’an even more worried that he would go against Shen Boyan again just like in his previous life, so he hurriedly said, “No, really not.”
With an earnest expression on his face, he did not hesitate to discredit himself for the sake of world peace: “It’s actually me.”
“I’ve always liked men!”
Chu Wenzhi looked at him half-believingly and said, “Really, why didn’t I know?”
Xia Shu’an said very frankly, “Because I feel very ashamed, I deliberately kept it from you.”
“…” You don’t look like you’re ashamed of it.
Xia Shu’an made up a story on the spot while having a brainstorm: “I’m ashamed of my sexuality, but I’m, after all, twenty-five years old, and my heart is constantly maturing. Finally, I figured out that whether I like men or women is my own business as long as I don’t break the law or affect other people.”
“Then why Shen Boyan? You two just met once.”
Sure enough, the problem lay with Shen Boyan. Xia Shu’an was hesitating on how to answer, but an image suddenly flashed in his mind. He spoke involuntarily: “Because, because Shen Boyan has a good figure!”
Chu Wenzhi: ?
Chu Wenzhi glanced at the wooden panel in the middle of the cubicle. Why did he hear something moving in the small room next to them?
After Xia Shu’an’s inadvertently answered that question, a light bulb popped up in his and he immediately had answers for all the questions. He said without hesitation, “Yes, because Shen Boyan has a good figure; he is… is a celestial dish1Basically means someone is your ideal type. in the GAY circle, and I’m GAY, so I like him very much and want to be with him.”
Chu Wenyi’s world view has been refreshed: “GAY, GAY circle’s celestial dish?”
Xia Shu’an nodded firmly.
This term was coined by a friend of Shen Boyan. It means that someone is particularly attractive to GAYs, so that countless GAYs flock to them. At that time, Xia Shu’an was ignorant and didn’t think there was anything special about Shen Boyan. Now think about it. Let’s not talk about his character, that figure, his stamina, and that um…
Not bad.
Xia Shu’an convinced himself, and when he spoke again, her tone was full of confidence.
“Shen Boyan really attracts GAY. In fact, I was attracted to him the first time I saw him. I couldn’t help it. It happened that Shen Boyan wanted to find a lover, so I agreed.”
Chu Wenzhi: “…”
He didn’t know if it was an illusion, but he always felt that the people next door were just as shaken as he was.
Xia Shu’an patted him on the shoulder and said, “Think about it; I’ll go to the bathroom.”
After finishing speaking, he gave Chu Wenzhi enough space to calm down, and when he went out, he thoughtfully closed the door behind him.
The Japanese restaurant they came to is considered high-end in Rongchuan. Today is a working day, and many people come and go wearing suits and skirts. After washing his hands, Xia Shu’an walked slowly down the glass-floored aisle. Suddenly, he paused. Several people came from the corner of another corridor, led by a face he was very familiar with.
“Shen Boyan.”
“Xiao Shu.”
The corners of Xia Shu’an’s mouth twitched slightly. This is really a title he has never heard of in his previous life.
Xia Shu’an looked at the man in front of him and said with a bit of vigilance that he didn’t realize: “Why are you here?”
“Accompany clients out for a meal; how about you?”
“Dining with a friend.”
“Friend, who is it?”
“You know him, Chu Wenzhi.”
“So it’s Young Master Chu. Since you’re here, let’s go over and say hello together.”
After speaking, he didn’t allow Xia Shu’an to refuse, and he pressed down on his shoulder. Xia Shu’an walked side by side with Shen Boyan and couldn’t help feeling sympathy for Chu Wenzhi, who was still in the room.
As he expected, Chu Wenzhi had just digested the fact that “my friend for many years is gay and covets a man”, when he saw the coveted man hugging Xia Shu’an’s shoulders intimately and stubbornly, walking together into the private room.
“Young Master Chu, long time no see.”
Chu Wenzhi was taken aback: “Why are you together?”
“Come over for dinner; we met by chance.” Shen Boyan didn’t explain much. He looked at the food on the table that hadn’t been touched much and said:
“It’s rare to meet up like this; then I’ll eat with Xiao Shu.”
“No need.” Xia Shu’an said. He glanced at Chu Wenzhi’s blue and white face and thought to himself, who wants to eat with you?
“I’m full.”
“Is that so?” Shen Boyan gave a meaningful laugh and said, “Then, thanks a lot to Mr. Chu for hanging out with my family’s Xiao Shu.”
“Xiao Shu, do you have anything to do this afternoon? Do you want to come to the company with me?”
Xia Shu’an glanced at Chu Wenzhi, nodded, and said, “Okay.”
“Wenzhi, then I’ll go first; excuse me for today; I’ll treat you to dinner next time.”
Shen Boyan interjected, “Let’s have dinner together next time.”
Xia Shu’an: Just shut up.
Chu Wenzhi reluctantly nodded. Shen Boyan seemed to want to exchange some pleasantries, but Xia Shu’an dragged him away by pulling his wrist. Shen Boyan looked down at their hands but did not resist.
They drove two cars over, one for Shen Boyan and Xia Shu’an and another for the assistant. The driver in front drove the car slowly and steadily onto the main road and quickly merged into the traffic flow.
Shen Boyan’s gaze sank as he looked at the calm Xia Shu’an. Since the meeting, this person’s performance has exceeded his expectations every time. That’s why he wants to see where his bottom line is.
Shen Boyan opened his mouth; his voice was very clear in the enclosed space: “Why don’t you ask how I came here?”
Are you following me or really eating with someone?
Xia Shu’an said calmly: “Heart-to-heart connection2心有灵犀. An idiom that means two people who are in love can understand each other’s thoughts without verbal communication. Or it can just mean tacit understanding..”
Shen Boyan chuckled with an unknown meaning.
Xia Shu’an opened his mouth, his face showing a bit of sleepiness: “I’m sleepy.”
“Go to the company and sleep.”
Shen Boyan still has some morals, and he didn’t harass Xia Shu’an who was drowsy. The two peacefully arrived at Shen Boyan’s company, and Shen Boyan personally escorted him upstairs.
In the lobby, the front desk staff saw the boss coming from afar and immediately straightened their posture and shouted respectfully, “President Shen.”
“Um.”
Shen Boyan was about to pass by when he remembered something and turned to the front desk, saying, “This is Mr. Xia. In the future, there’s no need to report when he comes over. Just let him go upstairs.”
The front desk staff was taken aback and quickly said, “Yes.”
Xia Shu’an smiled at her, and the expression of the receptionist’s little sister was noticeably relieved for a moment. However, the next moment, her boss coldly turned over and reached out to pull the beautiful and gentle young man’s back, pushing him forcefully into the elevator.
