After the results were announced in the meeting room last time, Wei Xicheng noticed that the energy in the system increased by 30%, just barely enough to travel to another world. Wei Xicheng was satisfied, declined Sheng Huasen’s plan for a trip, and happily stayed home for two days. Before he could even figure out how to explain his coming out to his parents, his sexual orientation had already become the hot topic in the media.
“Xiaoyuan,” Mrs. Zhu said, her face serious and filled with concern. “Is this true?”
Wei Xicheng took the newspaper from her hand and saw headlines like “Is Zhu Family’s Young Master Gay?”, “The Mystery of Zhu Family’s Heir’s Sexual Orientation,” “Indulgent and Debauched Private Life of the Zhu Heir,” and “Serious Issues with the Education of the Rich Second Generation” in bold across the entertainment and financial sections.
“Your dad went to work today, so he’s probably seen this by now,” Mrs. Zhu patted Wei Xicheng’s shoulder. “Your father has a quick temper. I’ll deal with him when he gets home, but you need to explain yourself properly.”
Seeing the worry and care on Mrs. Zhu’s face, Wei Xicheng calmed himself, thinking about how to express his sexual orientation in a way that this gentle woman could accept. It was at this moment that he realiseded, although Zhu Xingyuan had chosen to give up on loving his family, Wei Xicheng couldn’t bring himself to hurt these people who genuinely cared for him.
After all, they truly loved him.
“Mom…”
*Ding dong, ding dong, ding dong,* followed by a series of *knock knock knock,* echoed, interrupting the words on the tip of his tongue. The alternating sounds of the doorbell and knocking showed just how urgent the person outside was.
Mrs. Zhu gave a look to Aunt Zhang, who went to check.
“Ma’am, it’s Mr. Sheng.”
“Let him in,” Mrs. Zhu’s tone was soft and calm despite her frown. She then turned to Wei Xicheng, asking, “Is it true? Is it him?”
Wei Xicheng nodded. The next second, the door opened, and Sheng Huasen hurried in, his hair slightly disheveled.
Mrs. Zhu stood up, “Mr. Sheng, please have a seat.”
Wei Xicheng obediently sat to the side. Now was not the time for him to say anything. He didn’t want to hurt Mrs. Zhu, and he didn’t want to hurt Sheng Huasen either.
“Mrs. Zhu, I believe you’ve seen everything by now.” A flicker of embarrassment crossed Sheng Huasen’s eyes. He had clearly seen Qi Yilin’s figure, but his people failed to stop the news from leaking. “I sincerely apologize. I came today to explain the situation and ask for your forgiveness for my recklessness.”
Mrs. Zhu nodded, signaling that she was listening.
Wei Xicheng saw the powerful man let out a deep breath and visibly relax when he saw that Mrs. Zhu’s reaction wasn’t too extreme. His hands and feet no longer seemed so tense, and his usual demeanor returned.
“This mistake today is entirely my fault, and it has severely affected Xiaoyuan and the Zhu family’s reputation. No matter what I say, I know you may not believe me. That’s why I’m here today only with one purpose.”
“I personally hold 80% of Shengshi’s shares. To show my sincerity toward Xiaoyuan, I will transfer 60% of those shares to him. As a businessman, you know I handle all interviews with care, but I don’t want to do the same with you. I’ve already drafted the transfer documents. I want to prove my intentions through action and hope that you won’t be too harsh on him until the situation is resolved.”
After speaking, Sheng Huasen stood up and bowed deeply to Mrs. Zhu. “I need to head to the Zhu Corporation to discuss the details with Mr. Zhu. You’re Xiaoyuan’s mother. I believe you won’t want to see him suffer, will you?”
Mrs. Zhu softly patted Wei Xicheng’s head without saying a word, waiting for Aunt Zhang to see Sheng Huasen out.
Wei Xicheng curled up on the sofa, watching the man’s figure disappear outside the door. His heart felt both bittersweet and warm.
“Xiaoyuan, what are your thoughts? Can you talk to me?” Mrs. Zhu’s face softened with a comforting smile, in contrast to the coldness she showed Sheng Huasen earlier. “If this is just a malicious rumor, Zhu Corporation can handle it. But what do you truly think? If you really like him, Mom will support you. Just tell me your true feelings, okay?”
“I…” Wei Xicheng’s eyes reddened. Over the course of a thousand years, no one had ever cared about him like this. No one had ever asked him how he truly felt or whether he wanted to do something or not. “Sheng Huasen and I are in a relationship.”
He thought his heart had grown cold and indifferent, yet in the face of such warmth, he found himself overwhelmed with emotion. Even if this love was directed at this body, it was enough for him.
But he couldn’t hurt Sheng Huasen either. As he’d said before, Sheng Huasen was different from everyone else.
Mrs. Zhu and Mr. Zhu loved him because this was Zhu Xingyuan’s body, and they were Zhu Xingyuan’s family. Meng Tao and others were Zhu Xingyuan’s friends. Only Sheng Huasen was Wei Xicheng’s lover.
“Alright, Mom understands,” Mrs. Zhu said, gently patting Wei Xicheng’s head. “Go get some rest. Don’t worry about anything.”
A mother knows her child best. Although this child often seemed like a troublemaker, he had the kindest and softest heart. Mrs. Zhu wasn’t willing to let him become a target of gossip or endure public criticism.
Watching Wei Xicheng head upstairs, Mrs. Zhu’s face turned cold. She couldn’t control her child’s sexual orientation, but those who meddled unnecessarily shouldn’t blame her for what came next.
Lying on the bed, Wei Xicheng stared at the ceiling patterns. To be honest, this world was the most unforgettable in all his thousands of years of reincarnation.
He had thought he was just a passerby, yet he found himself unintentionally becoming involved and bringing his own feelings into it.
Wei Xicheng placed a hand over his eyes, chuckling softly. This feeling wasn’t bad at all.
He was no longer fighting alone—he had friends, family, and a lover standing behind him.
Thinking of Sheng Huasen’s actions earlier, Wei Xicheng’s heart warmed. Sixty percent of Shengshi’s shares meant having absolute control over the company. This was equivalent to Sheng Huasen offering the fruits of half his life’s work to him all at once.
Sheng Huasen was always such a calm and composed person.
Wei Xicheng squinted his eyes, as the memories of their interactions over the past six months flashed before him like a revolving lantern. Sheng Huasen’s changes didn’t happen overnight, they gradually infiltrated his life bit by bit.
Sleepiness overtook him, and Wei Xicheng closed his eyes. The sounds of the outside world didn’t affect him in the slightest, and it had been a long time since he’d experienced something so novel—entrusting his back to someone he trusted.
———
With pressure from both Shengshi and the Zhu family, the situation was quickly suppressed. A few scandals from the entertainment industry were thrown into the public discourse, and soon the incident was buried without a trace.
Qi Yilin, the mastermind behind the scenes, completely infuriated Sheng Huasen. Shengshi cut off all collaboration channels with the Qi family, making future cooperation impossible. Meanwhile, the Zhu and Meng families began to discreetly obstruct the Qi family.
When Qi Xiuyuan heard about this, he gave Qi Yilin a fierce slap. Having committed such a stupid and severe mistake, Qi Yilin could no longer remain in a position of power. He fell from grace overnight.
Qi Yiming and his mother just watched coldly, not uttering a word.
Besides the Qi family, the only other person feeling upset was Zhu family’s eldest. He’d been in a foul mood lately.
The reason was simple: Zhu Xingyuan had caused such a big mess. Before he had the chance to discipline that troublemaker, he was hauled away by the old man and given a solid beating with a cane.
Afterward, the old man still wasn’t satisfied and told him to keep a closer watch on Zhu Xingyuan, to make sure he wasn’t fooled by anyone.
Zhu family’s eldest grunted. “He’s twenty now—if he gets fooled, it’s his own fault for being dense.”
Before he could finish his sentence, another round of beating ensued.
The old man said, “Even at twenty, he’s still a kid. You’re in your fifties and still cause me more worry than a child!”
Worry? This so-called ‘worry’ was what led to such a big scandal!
To the old man, it became a matter of Zhu Xingyuan not being able to control his sexual orientation, feeling immense internal pain, and needing his father to enlighten him.
Nonsense. He saw that kid living as comfortably as could be. Pain? What rubbish.
And then there was Sheng Huasen. Originally, Zhu’s eldest had viewed him as a competitor and business partner, but now that sly wolf had somehow seduced his son. He had always thought something was off about that guy.
Zhu family’s eldest sighed and put away the documents Sheng Huasen had given him.
Unbeknownst to Shengshi, its owner had given away a significant share. His foolish son turned out to be quite clever, wagging his tail up high, yet somehow got entangled with Sheng Huasen.
Whatever, whatever.
Each generation has its own blessings. With Sheng Huasen’s shares, Xiaoyuan would have some security in the future.
———
After a night of indulgence, Wei Xicheng rubbed his waist and looked at the man sleeping beside him. Time seemed to have left no traces on his face, only making him more mature and steady, his charm undiminished.
An arm reached over, wrapping around Wei Xicheng’s waist, pulling him into a tight embrace.
This was too much.
Wei Xicheng cursed inwardly and obediently nestled into the man’s arms. He and Sheng Huasen had been together for over twenty years. Their lives had been smooth, never encountering any arguments. In this world, while society didn’t generally accept same-sex relationships, the two of them were viewed favorably.
When Sheng Huasen publicly announced that the new major shareholder of Shengshi, holding sixty percent of the company’s shares, was Wei Xicheng, everyone thought he was crazy. People waited to see him squander both his love and his company.
But as five, ten years passed, the once fun-loving Zhu family’s young master didn’t run off with the money and shares, nor did he tire of Sheng Huasen or stir up scandals. He even rarely frequented the bars and clubs he used to visit.
Their relationship mirrored that of a regular married couple, and their love touched many.
Wei Xicheng traced the outline of the man’s face with his fingers, sliding from his forehead down along his nose to his lips. The man, pretending to be asleep, caught his finger in his mouth, gently licking it.
“Get up already!” Wei Xicheng pushed against the man’s chest. His personality hadn’t changed much in the past twenty years,Sheng Huasen had always protected and spoiled him well.
“Alright.” Sheng Huasen rolled over, pressing Wei Xicheng beneath him, burying his face into the crook of his neck and taking a deep breath. “I’m too weak, let’s have breakfast first.”
“You old rascal!”1**Author’s note**: This world is just to introduce the two characters. The next world will involve more romance, and things will get sweeter.
