QTEBS Chapter 27

Assistant Lin walked into the hotel with a smile on his face, only to come face-to-face with Zong Yuan and Jiang Shengyan, sitting leisurely in the hotel lobby.

His smile froze for a few seconds. “Boss.”

Jiang Shengyan glanced at Zong Yuan. Zong Yuan got straight to the point, asking Assistant Lin, “How many days have you been staying here?”

Assistant Lin wasn’t dumb. He smiled bitterly as he explained, “I’ve been here for thirteen days.” He looked sincerely at Jiang Shengyan. “Boss, I have my reasons. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to cause any misunderstandings, but now it seems like the misunderstanding is even worse.”

Assistant Lin’s mother was originally from this town, though she had passed away years ago. He came back every year around this time to stay for a while. Since his old house had been sold long ago, he had to stay at a hotel. He had been shocked to find out that Jiang Shengyan had chosen the same town for his vacation. It was such a coincidence that he had kept quiet about it.

Jiang Shengyan frowned. “How come I didn’t know you take time off every year around this time?”

Assistant Lin adjusted his glasses, his expression unreadable. “Before this year, I worked under the vice president. You just transferred me up this year, remember?”

Jiang Shengyan felt a bit guilty. He had completely forgotten about that. He glanced at Zong Yuan’s expression nervously. “Alright, fine. Go upstairs.”

Assistant Lin, still polite, offered, “Would you and this gentleman like to come up for a visit?”

Jiang Shengyan declined. “No need.”

Assistant Lin’s gaze flickered over to Zong Yuan. “Then I’ll take my leave.”

Zong Yuan didn’t notice, but Jiang Shengyan did. He shot Assistant Lin a warning look before pulling Zong Yuan outside. “Damn, has he never seen a man before or something?”

Zong Yuan instinctively asked, “Who?”

Jiang Shengyan’s face hardened. “No one. Just a stranger.”

He then remembered Zong Yuan’s earlier comment. “Didn’t you say we were going to watch a movie?”

Zong Yuan flicked his forehead with a finger. “And you actually believed what Assistant Lin said? Silly.”

Talking was one thing, but now Zong Yuan was being physical. Jiang Shengyan wasn’t too pleased. “He’s not important.”

0046 stayed silent, but its thoughts were clear: Then what is important?

President Jiang, who had never taken Assistant Lin seriously, said, “A real man’s word is his bond, no backing out. Zong Yuan, you’re a man, aren’t you?”

Having had his manhood questioned twice in one day, Zong Yuan’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. He grabbed Jiang Shengyan’s hand and placed it firmly on his neatly arranged, firm abs. “Do you still think I’m not a man?”

The skin beneath Jiang Shengyan’s hand was warm and the thin layer of fabric might as well have been nonexistent. His fingers slid quickly up and down over the muscles. “Having abs doesn’t make you a man.”

No man likes having his masculinity questioned. With people passing by, Zong Yuan leaned down, his teeth grinding, and whispered, “Boss Jiang, you should be glad we’re not in the village.”

Jiang Shengyan’s heart raced as he playfully asked, “And what if we were in the village?”

His eyes gleamed with a mix of provocation and temptation, causing Zong Yuan’s breath to catch. He cursed under his breath.

An old man walking by with a cane took a glance at Zong Yuan, his eyes lingering on his lower half before shaking his head with a sigh. “Young people get overheated so easily in this summer heat.”

Jiang Shengyan burst out laughing.

With a scowl, Zong Yuan yanked Jiang Shengyan down another street. “Didn’t you want to watch a movie?”

Jiang Shengyan stifled his laughter, “Don’t be so hasty, young man.”

So in need of a lesson.

While Jiang Shengyan went to buy tickets, Zong Yuan found the group of hooligans from earlier near the cinema. He handed them some cash. “Same person as before. Keep an eye on him and see if he meets anyone else, especially any slightly overweight middle-aged woman or short middle-aged man.”

He still had a stack of cash left, all from Boss Jiang. “Once the job’s done, there’ll be a bonus based on the information you provide. Keep it up.”

The task wasn’t difficult. They glanced at the money and said, “Alright, let’s set a time.”

Jiang Shengyan had never gone to a movie with someone before. He had all the essentials: popcorn, soda, the works. The female cashier, who sold him the snacks, was enviously wondering which lucky girl had snagged such a handsome, rich, and considerate boyfriend. Then she saw Zong Yuan walk up beside this handsome guy.

Another different kind of handsome guy.

What a sight for sore eyes.

Zong Yuan looked at the pile of snacks in Jiang Shengyan’s arms, surprised. “You like popcorn?”

It wasn’t just the snacks. Boss Jiang had deliberately bought two tickets for the very last row in the farthest corner. He even picked an obscure movie, the kind with barely any audience. When buying the tickets, the cashier kept double-checking with him, afraid he might’ve made a mistake.

Jiang Shengyan stuffed the popcorn into Zong Yuan’s hands. “It’s for you.”

The movie was starting in five minutes. Just then, Zong Xiaomo, who had just finished watching another movie, spotted her brother and Jiang Shengyan standing in line for tickets. She ran over excitedly. “Brother! Boss Jiang! What a coincidence!”

Zong Yuan smiled. “Yeah, really is.”

Jiang Shengyan’s face stiffened. He forced a half-smile. “Quite the coincidence.”

Zong Xiaomo leaned in, curious. “What movie are you two watching?”

Jiang Shengyan suddenly had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, Zong Xiaomo continued, “I haven’t seen that one yet. I’ll go buy a ticket and join you guys!”

Jiang Shengyan felt too tired to even respond.

Zong Yuan handed the popcorn to Zong Xiaomo, his voice gentle yet firm, “You should go watch something else. This movie’s sold out.”

Zong Xiaomo took the popcorn, a bit disappointed. “Alright then, didn’t expect this movie to be so popular.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Zong Yuan saw Jiang Shengyan’s mood lift again. A smirk tugged at his lips.

Foolish president.

After changing the ox, A’Qiang’s dad bought quite a few things. When they left the town, Zong Yuan and Jiang Shengyan were already waiting at their usual spot. Seeing the expression on Jiang Shengyan’s face, A’Qiang’s dad was puzzled. “What’s going on with him?”

Jiang Shengyan still had red marks on his face and looked grumpy, frustration practically radiating from him.

Zong Yuan suppressed a laugh. “He fell asleep during the movie and missed the best part.”

A’Qiang’s dad nodded understandingly. “That is a waste of a ticket.”

Jiang Shengyan was in a foul mood, feeling like punching himself.

It wasn’t about the money for the ticket. It was about how much he had planned and done, only to fall asleep for two and a half hours. The perfect atmosphere, the perfect setup—Jiang Shengyan, what the hell are you doing?

The cart moved slowly as A’Qiang’s dad chatted with Zong Xiaomo. Jiang Shengyan remained silent, while Zong Yuan leaned in close to his ear. “Boss Jiang, you looked pretty cute while you were sleeping. I didn’t even watch the movie. I spent two and a half hours watching you.”

Jiang Shengyan’s ears slowly turned red. “It was so dark in there, how could you even see?”

0046 quickly searched through a collection of romantic phrases. “Zong Yuan, use this one!”

Zong Yuan decided to trust 0046 just this once. “Because you’re a light. You’re brighter than the sun, brighter than the moon, brighter than the stars.”

Jiang Shengyan: “…”

Zong Yuan: “…”

Jiang Shengyan shivered involuntarily, goosebumps rising all over. Any hint of embarrassment he had was completely dispersed. “I believe you’ve never been in a relationship.”

Zong Xiaomo turned her head just in time to see her brother and Jiang Shengyan leaning in close, whispering. “Brother, what were you talking about? Something about a relationship?”

A’Qiang’s dad chimed in with a laugh, “A’Yuan isn’t young anymore. Time to get married and have kids.”

Jiang Shengyan scoffed, “Married and having kids, huh.”

When they got home, Chen Hongmei had already returned, her face looking grim as she laid out bedding. Zong Yuan asked, “Mom, what happened?”

There were a few scratches on her hands like they were made by fingernails. Zong Yuan saw them and his expression darkened. “Mom, what’s going on?”

Suppressing her emotions, Chen Hongmei replied, “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

She quickly changed the subject. “Come on, let me see what you all bought.”

Zong Xiaomo hesitated, “Mom, just tell us. Brother’s here.”

Chen Hongmei sighed, her face weary. “When I was coming back this afternoon, I ran into your Uncle Zhang. He asked to borrow some money. When I didn’t give it to him, we got into a bit of an argument.”

She had worked too many fields and done too much hard labor to be afraid of Uncle Zhang. However, during the argument, he nearly pushed her into the river. She couldn’t swim and just the thought of it left a bad taste in her mouth. Still, she didn’t want to worry the kids. Her heart was heavy as she warned Zong Xiaomo, “Don’t ever go near his house. If you see him, run. If something happens, call your brother.”

Zong Xiaomo nodded, “I know, Mom.”

She tried to cheer Chen Hongmei up by pulling something out of one of the bags. “Look, Mom! We bought you some clothes. They’re really pretty. Boss Jiang paid for them.”

Chen Hongmei looked flustered and glanced at Jiang Shengyan. “Oh no, how could I let Boss Jiang pay! You should know better!”

“It’s nothing,” Jiang Shengyan explained. “I insisted on paying.”

“And you don’t have to keep calling me Boss Jiang. Just call me Shengyan. And you, little girl, didn’t we agree you’d call me ‘big brother’?”

For the first time in his life, Jiang Shengyan was actively trying to get close to people and it felt surprisingly good.

Zong Xiaomo laughed awkwardly. “Next time I see you, I’ll definitely call you that.”

Chen Hongmei, seeing her daughter’s smile and then looking at Jiang Shengyan, had a sudden thought—could it be that Jiang Shengyan liked her daughter?

She needed to observe more closely.

Zong Yuan spoke, amusement in his voice, “Shengyan, A’Yan.”

Hearing his name like that sent a warm, soft feeling through Jiang Shengyan. He muttered, “My name does sound pretty good.”

Surrounded by the kids, Chen Hongmei’s earlier anger naturally dissipated. She smiled, “Alright, Shengyan, thank you for buying me these clothes! Why don’t you stay for dinner? A’Yuan bought a lot of meat. I’ll make some hearty dishes just for you.”

Jiang Shengyan raised an eyebrow. “Then I’ll be looking forward to tasting your cooking, Auntie.”

At Jiang Shengyan’s home, Aunt Lin had already prepared food and put it in the fridge. She locked up the house and headed out. Uncle Wang was waiting at the village entrance on his tricycle. “Boss Jiang hasn’t returned yet?”

Aunt Lin replied, “No, not yet.”

Uncle Wang sighed and didn’t say more.

After a meal filled with food and drink, plus a personal ride home, Jiang Shengyan stood outside his door, facing Zong Yuan. “Go on in.”

Jiang Shengyan hesitated for a few seconds before finally saying the words that had been stuck in his chest, “Can you… hug me?”

So embarrassing.

“Clingy,” Zong Yuan chuckled softly and opened his arms. “Come here, hug.”

How could there be a man like this?

As Jiang Shengyan let himself be held by Zong Yuan, he thought resignedly.

Everything about him—whether it was a strand of hair or the way the light flickered on his face—seemed to poke directly at Jiang Shengyan’s heart.

Poking until he had no choice but to surrender entirely.

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