Zhou Jinheng’s bold move of buying all the clothes in one go naturally attracted attention. However, according to the shop assistant, this was just a mutual exchange of gestures between lovers. Hadn’t they heard what the young man said? He was currently earning two to three thousand a month, and he allocated over half of it every month to purchase clothing for Zhou Jinheng.
Determining whether a man truly cared for you wasn’t about how much he spent on you but rather how much he had and how willing he was to allocate a certain proportion of it to you. From this perspective, while the young man had one dollar, he was still willing to share fifty cents with Zhou Jinheng. Who could say that wasn’t true love?
Regardless of how others judged the situation, Yin Minglu was quite satisfied. He wrote down an address, and after the upscale clothing store had everything packed, he had it delivered directly. He and Zhou Jinheng leisurely drove back home. The address was for a temporary residence that the original owner and Zhou Jinheng had rented together, not Zhou Jinheng’s private villa. Therefore, the space was not very large, and it was a bit far from both of their workplaces.
However, recently, the original owner and Zhou Jinheng had been deeply in love and had started discussing their future plans, including buying a house. As for why they needed to buy another house instead of having the original owner live in Zhou Jinheng’s villa, Zhou Jinheng had his own ulterior motives.
No matter how much Little Rose tried to win his favor, he was still just a lover, they had only been dating for less than six months. His position in Zhou Jinheng’s heart couldn’t compare to Qiao An’s. The villa was filled with traces and memories of Qiao An, so Zhou Jinheng didn’t often stay there. However, he would occasionally visit the villa to reminisce about Qiao An’s smiles and expressions from many years ago when she lived there, becoming deeply engrossed in the memories.
In other words, for Zhou Jinheng, the villa was a sanctuary for him and Qiao An, an unspoken secret base, and the original owner had no right to stay there. He didn’t care if the original owner didn’t live there. Yin Minglu sneered to himself. However, when he and Zhou Jinheng bought the house together this time, even though they were buying it jointly, he was definitely not foolish enough to put Zhou Jinheng’s name on the property. It would be no different from an outright gift. Moreover, it wasn’t legally protected as marital property since they hadn’t even held a wedding ceremony, and Zhou Jinheng had simply disappeared.
Buying a house could wait; they would deal with it later.
The first thing Yin Minglu did when he returned home was change the Wi-Fi settings set up by the original owner. He started with small things to establish boundaries with the scumbag and disgust Zhou Jinheng. After changing the network name and password, he looked around at the room filled with clothes and felt refreshed. He grabbed a towel and headed straight for the bathroom.
Zhou Jinheng was a step behind. When he pulled into the garage and realized that Little Rose had already gone into the bathroom, he furrowed his brow slightly. In the past, when he parked, Little Rose would stand on the side with a cute smile, patiently waiting for him. He seemed to always want to be with him, and it had even made him feel that the child was a bit too clingy.
But today’s Little Rose was acting strangely, as if he had grown thorns. He didn’t wait for Zhou Jinheng and went ahead. For Zhou Jinheng, who had grown accustomed to having someone wait for him, it gave him an inexplicable feeling.
Before he could fully understand what he was feeling, Zhou Jinheng habitually set aside his car keys, sat on the sofa, and took out his phone, intending to go online. However, he quickly realized that he had been disconnected from the network.
He: ???
I forgot to mention that the original owner, because of his deep love for Zhou Jinheng, had named their Wi-Fi “Minglu Forever Loves Jinheng,” and the password was an abbreviation of “I love you for a lifetime.” It was a typical manifestation of a love-struck mind. Yin Minglu, upon seeing it, couldn’t help but shiver a few times, finding it overly nauseating and cheesy. So, he promptly changed it.
After finding out that the original wireless network couldn’t be connected, Zhou Jinheng initially had a moment of confusion. Then, he started searching for available networks. Among a group of strange Wi-Fi names, he didn’t find the original name “Minglu Forever Loves Jinheng.” However, he did come across one called “Cheaters Will Meet a Violent Death,” and the powerful curse implied in the name hit him like a ton of bricks, making his heart skip a beat subconsciously, and he felt a surge of guilt.
He wanted to ignore it but realized that this was the strongest signal near his phone. He fell into silence for a moment, then started knocking on the bathroom door and asked in a relaxed tone, “Minglu, sweetheart, why did you change the network name?”
Zhou Jinheng even considered just entering the bathroom directly. After all, they were a couple in a passionate relationship, and this kind of intimacy was quite common. However, this time, when he turned the doorknob, he found that the door was locked from the inside, leaving him puzzled once again.
Just as he was about to ask, “Baby, why did you lock the door?” he heard the lazy response from inside, “If I want to change it, I’ll change it. What’s the big deal?”
“Nothing, I was just wondering why you suddenly wanted to change the name. Wasn’t the original name fine?” Zhou Jinheng knew that the person in the bathroom was taking a shower and couldn’t see his expression, but he still pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and put on a charming smile that exuded charisma. It was this kind of smile that had made countless men and women willingly fall for him, including the original owner.
Fortunately, Yin Minglu couldn’t see it, and even if he could, he wouldn’t be impressed. He was lazily washing his hands, creating a pile of beautiful bubbles in the misty water vapor. Then, he casually turned his head and said, “It was fine, but weren’t you finding it cheesy before? So I changed it.”
Zhou Jinheng fell silent for a moment. He did find it cheesy at first because this Wi-Fi name included his name and the behavior was a bit like those silly couples who climbed a mountain and carved “Wang XX forever loves Li XX” on a rock, wanting the whole world to know. So, in the past, he had indeed thought the name was childish and brainless. However, after getting used to it, he didn’t mind it much because it was full of Little Rose’s passionate love for him. Of course, it was still a bit embarrassing, and changing it was certainly better.
What he wanted to ask was why he suddenly changed the name and why it was this particular name. Zhou Jinheng deliberately ignored the slight sense of guilt in his heart and asked out loud.
Yin Minglu raised an eyebrow and playfully asked in a childish tone, “Isn’t this name good? It’s quite in line with my values. Cheaters in relationships should be condemned and punished with a thousand knives and struck by lightning, right, Jinheng?”
Zhou Jinheng froze for a moment and instinctively replied, “Yes.” In his heart, he thought, this child’s behavior still seemed impulsive, but it seemed there was also a hint of sharpness. Combined with today’s strange actions, he wouldn’t have discovered anything, would he?
He certainly wouldn’t admit that he had someone else in his heart. Otherwise, if the teenager got angry and made a scene, he wouldn’t be able to handle it. So, he naturally denied it.
He had originally wanted to ask about the Wi-Fi password, but after hearing the teenager’s words, he no longer felt like connecting to the internet. Coincidentally, a string of ringing interrupted him, and he immediately walked away to answer the phone.
As for the ringing, it also caught the attention of Yin Minglu in the bathroom. With no doubt that, in a situation where the original owner’s phone only had default ringtones, the person who had the privilege of having a custom ringtone in Zhou Jinheng’s phone, he didn’t need much imagination to guess who that was.
He thought, he had just been thinking about not having the chance to confront Zhou Jinheng, and now Zhou Jinheng had voluntarily walked into the situation.
Perhaps it’s human nature that what is unattainable always stirs up more emotions. Qiao An was the person Zhou Jinheng admired since his youth, and the accumulation of emotions over the past decade had left an indelible mark on his heart, an inexplicable heaviness. But if he had gotten what he wanted back then, whether Qiao An would be a shining moonlight or just a grain of rice, that was still uncertain. Because it was the unattainable nature that made it feel so deeply engraved.
Due to the distance, the red rose in his arms seemed to pale in comparison, while the moonlight appeared even more tranquil, elegant, and refined. The red rose, because of its closeness and firm grasp, had a lower status and its flaws were magnified. Therefore, the moonlight became even more radiant and attractive, while the rose was increasingly neglected.
As Yin Minglu expected, the call was indeed from Qiao An. Just as usual, it rang for only three seconds before being answered. Qiao An counted the seconds because he could tell from the time how he was regarded in this man’s heart. He noticed that the number hadn’t changed, and once the call was answered, Zhou Jinheng’s slightly excited and pleasantly surprised tone further assured him of his position in the man’s heart, which hadn’t wavered.
However, he hadn’t contacted this person for a month. Initially, he had some trepidation, fearing that Zhou Jinheng might have forgotten him, as he had heard from a friend that Zhou Jinheng was currently dating a young boyfriend. Although they were not of the same type, they had been living together for half a year, and their relationship seemed stable. They even had marriage intentions. This made him somewhat uncomfortable.
Certainly, he didn’t love Zhou Jinheng, but hearing that the other person was dating someone else and wasn’t playing around as he had expected, still gave him a sense of something of his being taken away. Moreover, he still needed assistance from the Zhou family for various expenses during his stay abroad. If Zhou Jinheng had given most of his heart to his young lover, what would he do? He knew that the Zhou family consisted of a bunch of fair-weather friends, and if Zhou Jinheng forgot about him, how could he leverage the Zhou family’s connections to navigate abroad?
So naturally, he started thinking of occasionally calling Zhou Jinheng, giving him a glimmer of hope, so that even when he had a lovely young lover in his arms, he wouldn’t forget about him.
Qiao An’s plan was quite good. Zhou Jinheng was indeed happy to receive Qiao An’s calls, even if the conversation consisted mostly of useless small talk and caring pleasantries, such as “How’s the weather?”, “Have you eaten?”, and “New York’s early morning is bustling with activity.” It seemed as if they could still feel each other’s warm breaths across the vast ocean.
The two of them talked for a good half an hour, with a few minutes of idle chatter, a dozen minutes of reminiscing about their youth, and finally, most of the conversation revolved around Qiao An talking about recent events and subtly expressing that he had encountered some tricky situations, possibly requiring help.
During Qiao An’s storytelling, despite hearing the sound of the bathroom door opening, which distracted him for a moment, Zhou Jinheng still listened attentively. He nodded from time to time, indicating that he was willing to take care of these matters. This made Qiao An very grateful.
Even after hanging up the phone, Zhou Jinheng held his warm phone in his hand, feeling somewhat unsatisfied.
At this moment, he finally shifted his attention to Yin Minglu. When he saw the young man’s long jade-white legs on the sofa, he was slightly taken aback. Especially since the young man’s hair was still wet, a misty aura surrounded him, making his delicate face appear even more beautiful. His lips were rosy, and although he wasn’t wearing the white shirt that Zhou Jinheng had been yearning for all the way, he was in a form-fitting pajama that clung to his fair skin, accentuating his well-proportioned and slender figure, drawing attention quite effectively.
Extremely tempting.
This boy was indeed in the prime of his youth. Zhou Jinheng thought to himself that he couldn’t wait to pick him up and toss him onto the bed.
Seeing that he had finally ended the call, Yin Minglu picked up a hair dryer and started blow-drying his hair. He glanced at Zhou Jinheng, noticing the smoldering fire in his eyes, and deliberately asked, “Whose call was it just now? You chatted for half an hour. My hair is almost dry.” He asked with a hint of suspicion, sounding a bit like a girlfriend checking up on her boyfriend.
This triggered a slight discomfort in Zhou Jinheng, who had just been observed. He restrained his desire a little and said casually, “It’s nothing, just an old classmate.”
“Heh, chatting with an old classmate for that long? Could it be your ex-lover?” The young man raised his delicate chin, his face tinged with mockery, clearly not believing it.
“What do you mean, baby? It really was just an old classmate I haven’t been in touch with for a long time overseas. Don’t overthink it, I don’t want you to pry into my affairs. I don’t like it when you’re like this.” Zhou Jinheng then adopted a more serious tone. Since he was in a relationship with the young man, it meant that he liked him. However, Qiao An was a forbidden area in his heart, and he didn’t want the young man to dig too deep into his past. It was like how most men didn’t like talking about their first love or ex-girlfriends with their current girlfriends, let alone mentioning someone like Qiao An, whose presence weighed heavily on his heart. Even uttering the name made him feel cautious and breathless.
Even if he might marry the young man in the future, that was a matter for later. At this stage, he didn’t want the young man to pry into or interfere with this aspect of his life. Moreover, the young man was currently looking down at him with an arrogant posture, clearly displaying a strong desire to investigate. This made him feel offended, and his mental defenses were triggered.
“Since it’s an old classmate, I won’t pry.” As if he had been frightened by the man’s attitude, the young man pouted and returned to his previous submissive appearance. Zhou Jinheng had just breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the young man sneer, “Do you think I would let it go so easily? Trying to brush me off with just ‘old classmate’? You think too highly of yourself! Do you really expect me to let this slide?”
What? Zhou Jinheng was taken aback.
He didn’t expect that Minglu would change his demeanor so quickly. Just a moment ago, he had pouted, but in the next moment, his beautiful face turned serious, like the unpredictable weather in June. This was an opportunity for Minglu to confront him, and he wasn’t about to let it go easily!
“Do you dare to hand over your phone and let me see the person’s contact name? Let me see your usual text messages and chat history with them, oh, and the exclusive ringtone. Such special treatment, I’m afraid even your uncles and aunts don’t have, right? With this kind of person, you actually told me they’re just an old classmate? Jinheng Gege1Big brother, does my face say ‘little fool’ anywhere on it?” The young man’s eyes curved slightly, accentuating his cute features. Even when he was questioning, he didn’t come across as annoying.
Zhou Jinheng was left speechless. In fact, it wasn’t a big deal if the young man figured it out. He considered that he had feelings for this young man, and during their relationship, he hadn’t been physically involved with anyone else, so it didn’t count as cheating.
“We are a couple, not a sugar daddy relationship. I have the right to ask you those things, don’t I?” The young man smiled while emphasizing this point. They were in a romantic relationship, and Zhou Jinheng wanted the young man to be obedient while not prying into his affairs, which he considered quite ideal.
“I suppose you do.” Zhou Jinheng mumbled vaguely, clearly not wanting Minglu to inquire further, attempting to change the subject. “But darling, what’s wrong with you today? You’re acting like you’re on fire2The literal translation of this was “It’s like taking gunpowder”, nut it didn’t feel right so I changed it. Let’s go back to our room.”
As he spoke, he extended his long arm to try and embrace the young man’s slender shoulders. However, he didn’t expect that his arm would be captured instead. The young man sneered and said, “Why am I acting like I’m on fire? Don’t you know it deep down? Of course, it’s because I’ve known about your messy affairs for a long time. Alright, Zhou Jinheng, ask yourself, have I treated you badly during these past six months? I cook for you three meals a day, buy groceries and make you clothes, and even sleep with you at night. Your parents insult me like that, and I endure it all for you. When others say I’m spending your money, can you honestly tell them that I’m taking your money? I paid the rent for this apartment, and I paid for the internet you just tried to connect. All these miscellaneous expenses, I covered them. You, young master Zhou, I serve you day in and day out. Have I taken any money from you? If people say I’m keeping a high-class gigolo, would that be too far off?”
When Minglu erupted like that, Zhou Jinheng was left speechless. He couldn’t exactly say that he intentionally didn’t pay for things as a test for Minglu, which had led to this situation where he appeared at a disadvantage.
He opened his mouth, wanting to defend himself, but Minglu took the opportunity to grab his arm, executed a harsh shoulder throw, delivered two slaps, and then coldly said, “I treat you so well, and I don’t even have the right to ask you a few questions? Zhou Jinheng, have I spoiled you? Am I not your legitimate boyfriend? I treat you so well, and you tell me not to interfere in your private matters? Huh? I don’t have the right? If you don’t like me and like that guy named Qiao An, then why don’t you break up with me? You can’t have both of us in bed and in a relationship while still entangled with someone else, acting like I’m a fool. Then you tell me I don’t have the right to ask? Is deceiving someone’s feelings fun?”
With that, he mercilessly slapped Zhou Jinheng again, leaving him seeing stars. Zhou Jinheng was burning with anger, but the tears that flowed from Minglu’s eyes immediately after were accompanied by a string of questions that left him unable to speak.
Zhou Jinheng couldn’t believe that the usually passionate and fiery Minglu would have such a bold and audacious side. Minglu was usually so charming and affectionate that he had never considered the possibility of Minglu being capable of such audacity. It was like a cat that suddenly raised its claws and dared to strike him. He had always thought Minglu would be gentle and tender forever.
However, the punch that struck his face and the tears that fell onto him left Zhou Jinheng feeling both guilty and angry. He was unable to vent his anger and could only let Minglu continue to hit and kick him.
Especially the look in Minglu’s eyes, so clear and filled with black and white, resembled that of a child who had been betrayed and deceived in love. It made Zhou Jinheng feel like a scumbag who had deceived a child’s pure feelings. His face was burning, and he was in pain.
It was clear that Minglu loved him deeply, and because of that love, he had erupted with such great force. Minglu was so serious about his feelings that he couldn’t tolerate any deception. Zhou Jinheng now believed that Minglu’s love was sincere, and he felt both guilty and pleased about it.
Grabbing Minglu’s hand, Zhou Jinheng started to sweet-talk, “Darling, I was wrong. I know you’ve been so good to me. I promise that from now on, you’re the only one in my heart.”
Seeing Zhou Jinheng’s smugness, Minglu sneered, faked disbelief, and shed a few more tears with a touch of helplessness. Then he smacked Zhou Jinheng a few more times and even knocked off his expensive gold-framed glasses.
Yin Minglu3the “transmigrator” wasn’t the type of person who loved intensely, would give his all, and wouldn’t even blame his partner after being betrayed. He was the kind of person who, if his boyfriend dared to rekindle a past flame while in a relationship with him, would probably use a kitchen knife before considering any conversation. However, for the sake of the original host’s mission, he decided to take a more indirect approach this time. But he thought it was necessary to give Zhou Jinheng a beating first since he practically handed him the leverage he needed. It was an opportunity that presented itself, and he couldn’t let it slip away.
After the beating, he planned to slowly discipline him.
That evening, at 8:00 PM Beijing time, Zhou Jinheng felt extremely exhausted due to the “domestic violence” earlier in the day. He was also tired from calming down his irritable little rose at home. Consequently, he went to bed very early, but he slept particularly soundly. He had no idea that his phone, placed next to his pillow, had been ringing continuously for several minutes.
On the other side of the ocean, Qiao An also felt that something was amiss. He thought to himself, “It’s not even 9:00 PM. Could Jinheng have gone to bed this early? Why isn’t he answering my calls? Even if he’s asleep, he would usually wake up immediately when he hears his phone ring. Why is he acting so unusually today? We were chatting just during the day, and his tone sounded perfectly fine. I can’t believe he’s already asleep. Could it be that he’s with that little lover of his right now, engaging in intimate activities, and that’s why he’s not answering my calls?”
This was the first time such a situation had occurred.
Holding his phone and watching the dialing screen fade again due to no answer, Qiao An couldn’t help but furrow his brows in suspicion. He had always believed that, no matter what intimate activities Zhou Jinheng might be involved in, as soon as he called, Zhou Jinheng should immediately abandon that lover and answer his call. After all, he was supposed to be unique and special in Zhou Jinheng’s heart. However, today was an exception, and he honestly didn’t like this feeling of losing control.
It seemed that Zhou Jinheng’s secret lover possessed quite a captivating charm to have ensnared him to this extent. Qiao An couldn’t help but feel wary about the situation and started to hesitate about his plan to stay abroad.
Author’s Note: I’ve cornered you against the wall, pinned you, and watched you blush. I smile in satisfaction, caressing your face and whispering near your ear, “My dear, are you satisfied with the update you’ve seen?”
P.S.: “□□渣男”4I think the boxes are supposed to be emojis idk; “scumbag” does not imply that “渣男” is a couple.
Due to the holiday period, I’ve been away visiting my hometown, which has caused some irregular updates. I will return to my regular schedule in the evening. I hope I’m not behind on updates now (not sure myself).
Thank you to all the little angels who have voted for me and provided nourishing nutrients~
T/N: This was long af I planned on cutting it to 2 parts but then it would be too short soooo in the end I didn’t cut it
Love what you read? A little donation can go a long way!
![[Western Fantasy] What Kind of Character Did the Devs Give Me Anyway?](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/冥河摆渡者.jpg "[Western Fantasy] What Kind of Character Did the Devs Give Me Anyway?")
