Yue Si Literature Web Official Forum—Men’s Channel—Web Novel Discussion Area
[Discussion] Saw that Zhao Zhao’s new novel preview is out. Has anyone read it yet? How is it?
0L: Has The Sand Chronicles ended? I’m waiting to binge-read.
1L: Not yet. The preview is just up for pre-orders, and the official updates will start after The Sand Chronicles is finished.
2L: Don’t bother, it’s trash. This novel should be in the girls’ section.
3L: Reply to 2L: What’s wrong? Isn’t it a crime novel? I love that genre.
4L: The moment I saw the main character was based on Twelve Ye, I lost interest. The comments section is full of fujoshis.
5L: Reply to 4L: ??? What’s going on?
6L: The main character is Ye Yishan, a cop. Twelve Ye’s real name is Ye Luan, and he dreamed of being a cop when he was a kid.
7L: LOL, what kind of gimmick is this? Just trying to attract fujoshis?
8L: Probably. I can’t take it anymore. I liked his previous books, but I really don’t want to read this one.
9L: Finished the preview. I’m ready to recommend this romance novel to my girlfriend.
10L: Passionate confessions on Weibo—fujoshis are going wild. Pre-orders have skyrocketed. Smart move.
11L: They’ve lost the ability to focus on writing. I’m out.
12L: What kind of nonsense is this? Just for hype?
13L: Great, if all the Yue Si writers pick this up, it’ll become a paradise for fujoshis.
14L: No need to start drama. Maybe they’re really a couple?
15L: Reply to 14L: Nicely played!
16L: Are you guys here to read the story or to gossip about the writers? Who cares about character inspiration? If the story’s good, read it. If not, don’t. It’s that simple.
17L: Reply to 16L: Can’t stand Twelve Ye’s pretentiousness.
18L: Reply to 17L: The fangirls will say that’s just jealousy from a loser.
19L: Yue Si, the biggest gay forum in the country.
20L: Reply to 19L: Yue Si, the biggest fujoshi paradise.
…
Since posting the preview of his new novel on Weibo, Zhao Yijia had been constantly teased in the Meteor Garden group chat:
Tian Gai: @Zhao Zhao I wanted to be a scientist when I was a kid. Can you write a story for me?
Qin Hai: @Zhao Zhao I wanted to be a doctor. Write me a story too.
Shi Shui Fox: @Zhao Zhao Zhao Zhao, I want to be an amazing hacker. Doesn’t matter if I’m the main character, just give me a stunning entrance.
Zhao Zhao: Did you all forget that I write not just for the male section but also BL novels now?
Qin Hai: Doesn’t matter!
Tian Gai: I want to be the top!
Zhao Zhao: …You guys really aren’t picky, huh?
Shi Shui Fox: I thought about it. Zhao Zhao, why don’t you let the three of us make a cameo in Chasing White? Since the main character is already based on Twelve Ye, why not give us roles too?
Tian Gai: That’s a great idea! In a crime novel, Hai Ge can be the forensic scientist, Fox can be the hacker, and as for me…
Zhao Zhao: What do you want to be?
Tian Gai: A sickly young genius who coughs every few steps, accidentally gets involved in a murder case, and uncovers an ancient and mysterious family secret…
Qin Hai: Congrats, Zhao Zhao, you’ve just earned yourself a fanfic.
Shi Shui Fox: Aren’t you already writing fanfic? [Side-eye.jpg]
Tian Gai: What are you talking about? This is a major urban romance drama, with some crime-solving on the side.
Twelve Ye: [Wishing you wealth and prosperity, best of luck]
Tian Gai: [Thanks, boss.gif]
Shi Shui Fox: [Thanks, boss.gif]
Qin Hai: [Thanks, boss.gif]
Luckily, Ye Luan silenced them with red packets just in time; otherwise, Zhao Yijia would be too embarrassed to even check WeChat. The “Weibo confession” that so many had teased him about had been days ago, and Zhao Yijia no longer felt as fearless as when he first posted it—now he was feeling quite anxious, especially since he thought the other three in Meteor Garden might have figured something out. But Ye Luan comforted him: “They’ll find out sooner or later.”
Ye Luan had planned to return to Y City after his business trip, but his schedule changed, and he couldn’t make it. When he called Zhao Yijia to explain, he mentioned he had to return to his home in N City. It took Zhao Yijia a moment to remember that Ye Luan’s home and company were in N City, not Y City. In fact, thinking back, Ye Luan rarely came to Y City. There was no need for him to rent a place there, so had he done it just for Zhao Yijia?
The thought made Zhao Yijia feel warm inside, so he asked, “Ye Luan, why did you agree to room with me back then?”
Ye Luan chuckled, “To hide my treasure.”
Zhao Yijia smirked, “So was this place really your friend’s?”
Ye Luan: “Soon it’ll be ours.”
Even before Zhao Yijia became his lover, Ye Luan had been doing a lot for him. He didn’t worry whether it would be wasted effort or if it was worth it; he only cared about his feelings.
After a moment of silence, Zhao Yijia mumbled, “I miss you a little.”
Ye Luan smiled, his voice gentle, “Why don’t you come to me? This is your home too. Don’t you want to see it?”
After thinking for a bit, Zhao Yijia agreed.
He arrived in N City in the afternoon, and since it was still early, Ye Luan asked him to come directly to his office. He promised to take him out for dinner later. It seemed like Ye Luan had already given instructions, as Zhao Yijia was greeted with VIP treatment. After confirming his name, the receptionist personally escorted him to Ye Luan’s office, saying that President Ye was in a meeting and would be with him shortly.
This was Zhao Yijia’s first time in Ye Luan’s domain, and he was excited. The office’s style was just as he had imagined: minimalist, low-key, but with exquisite taste. Zhao Yijia thought, “If I had seen this office before knowing Ye Luan, I would’ve thought he was pretentious.” But now, with rose-colored glasses on, he loved everything about it—even the broom in the corner seemed just right. After taking a few laps around the office, he got a bit thirsty. Noticing a thermos on Ye Luan’s desk, he found a disposable cup and poured himself some water. Just as he was about to drink, someone opened the door and walked in.
“Hey, could you bring some water to the meeting room?” the person said before turning to leave.
Holding the thermos, Zhao Yijia was dumbfounded.
Because he wanted to make a good impression at Ye Luan’s office, he had dressed more formally than usual. Overall, he looked like a fresh college graduate. That must have been why the person mistook him for a new employee. What could he do? Zhao Yijia, who had only been there for 10 minutes, decided to go along with it.
Carrying the thermos, he walked into the meeting room with a serious expression. He quickly scanned the room, located Ye Luan, and then immediately looked down, hoping not to be noticed. As the “new assistant,” he silently went around filling up everyone’s cups. When he reached Ye Luan, he couldn’t resist sneaking a glance at him.
Sensing something, Ye Luan also looked up, and their eyes met.
Seeing the unusual look in Ye Luan’s eyes, and sensing that he was about to stand up, Zhao Yijia quickly moved on to fill someone else’s cup. After making the rounds, he finally let out a breath of relief and was about to leave when a voice called out, “Um… Little Zhao, stay and help me take some notes.”
Zhao Yijia was stunned. Fortunately, after Ye Luan spoke, the meeting resumed, and no one seemed to notice the minor hiccup. Silently cursing Ye Luan in his heart, Zhao Yijia obediently set down the thermos, took a seat next to him, and pretended to take notes—using a notebook and pen provided by his “boss.” Despite being an impromptu assistant, Zhao Yijia didn’t want to disrupt the focused atmosphere of the meeting, so he earnestly listened and jotted down points, even though he didn’t understand everything. However, he was so used to being relaxed at home that as he got into writing, his posture became less formal: right hand writing, left hand hanging loosely. As he wrote, he suddenly paused.
Somehow, at some point, Ye Luan’s hand had brushed against his. Their pinky fingers lightly touched, naturally resting against each other.
Zhao Yijia felt his ears burning. He looked up at Ye Luan, only to see him fully engrossed in the presentation, as if nothing had happened. Zhao Yijia didn’t dare move, fearing that any movement might expose them. Yet he also didn’t want to pull away; despite their physical intimacy, this tiny touch still made his heart race.
Neither moved.
It felt like time had stopped, or maybe like a century had passed in a moment.
As the meeting concluded, Ye Luan quickly took Zhao Yijia back to his office: closing the door, locking it, and pressing him against the door—all in one swift motion.
Their foreheads touched, and they breathed in unison. Teasingly, Ye Luan murmured, “Is this a new game? The domineering CEO and his cute secretary, huh?”
Zhao Yijia’s face turned red. “Your employee mistook me for someone else.”
Ye Luan’s thumb slowly caressed Zhao Yijia’s lips as he whispered, “I read your new story. I liked that line—‘Like moonlight sinking into a lake, its soft glow brewing wine, intoxicating to the soul.’”
This line was a supporting character’s first impression of Ye Yishan in the novel. Zhao Yijia chuckled, “You’re so full of yourself—mm—”
But Ye Luan couldn’t wait any longer. He leaned in, swallowing the rest of Zhao Yijia’s words.
“No, that’s just me missing you.”
