The man excitedly introduced himself, handing over his business card as he praised, “Mr. Fu, I never expected to see you here—it’s such an honor! I’ve been hoping to work with Huading, but never found the right opportunity. If you’re available, I’d love to have dinner together.”
Standing off to the side, You Wen felt a bit awkward. He wasn’t sure if he should acknowledge Fu Mingchuan, glancing between Fu Mingchuan and the businessman they were trying to impress.
Fu Mingchuan, rarely, handed over his own card but politely declined the dinner invitation. “Sorry, I can’t today. I’m here to pick someone up, and my family is already waiting.” He didn’t even offer the usual polite “maybe another time,” and then extended his hand toward You Wen.
Amid the surprised stares, You Wen stepped to Fu Mingchuan’s side and, somewhat shyly, introduced, “My boyfriend.”
He gave the businessman an apologetic look. “Mr. Wang, let’s get together another time.”
After the two left, it suddenly dawned on the businessman what he’d missed. The rumor back home was that Fu Mingchuan’s relationship with his fiancé was over, that his fiancé had moved overseas. But that was clearly untrue—Fu Mingchuan had come all the way here to chase after him. Where was the “it’s over” in that?
When they got back home, You Wen received a message from the businessman, hoping he’d set up a meeting with Fu Mingchuan. Although You Wen didn’t agree, he was worried that without it, the next rounds of funding might not come through, so he vented about it to Fu Mingchuan for the whole evening.
Fu Mingchuan reassured him, “If he hadn’t met me, he might have pulled out of the deal, but now that he has, he won’t.”
Cupping his face in his hands, You Wen still felt anxious. “Why?”
Fu Mingchuan hesitated, unsure if he should give the real answer. But as soon as You Wen urged him again, he answered honestly, “He wouldn’t want to cross me.”
You Wen understood what he meant—he’d experienced firsthand the power behind the name “Fu Mingchuan.” Still, he asked, “But he’s not doing business with you. Why would he be afraid of you?”
Fu Mingchuan poked his cheek lightly, sidestepping the complexity of business dealings. “If he does decide to back out, I’ll sponsor it instead. How’s that?”
Immediately, You Wen pulled away. “You just don’t get it.”
It was true, Fu Mingchuan didn’t fully understand why he loved animals so much. But he did understand that You Wen didn’t want to rely too much on him professionally. “Alright then, let’s make a bet. If he keeps funding the project, you have to grant me one favor—whatever I ask.”
Waiting to hear what Fu Mingchuan wanted if Mr. Wang didn’t keep funding, You Wen saw him go silent, opening a bottle of milk and piercing it with a straw. “And if he doesn’t continue?” he asked.
Confidently, Fu Mingchuan replied, “That option doesn’t exist.”
Not convinced, You Wen kept pressing for terms until Fu finally offered him a “wish coupon,” promising he’d grant any wish You Wen wanted.
Feeling smug about it, You Wen woke up the next morning realizing he might’ve been a bit naïve, given that Fu Mingchuan already made his wishes come true anyway.
A while later, the funding for the second and third rounds hit at once. Calling Fu Mingchuan right away, You Wen congratulated him on winning the bet and even offered him two extra wish coupons, giving him a month to decide what he wanted.
Listening to his cheerful rambling over the phone, Fu Mingchuan smiled, glancing at the stack of project proposals on his desk and pulling out one marked “Wang Jin” from underneath. Talking with You Wen, he casually changed its status from “re-evaluation” to “approved.”
A few days later, You Wen called excitedly again, saying the businessman had made another generous contribution to their project. Fu Mingchuan teased him, “You’re that happy about it?”
Listening to You Wen talk animatedly about the animals, he added, “You’re graduating soon. Are you even keeping up with your coursework?”
Predictably, You Wen fell silent, then muttered, “Why are you so annoying?” and hung up in a huff.
In reality, You Wen wasn’t slow—he’d been a top student in high school. It was only in college that he lost motivation when You Fan forced him into a business major he couldn’t stand.
Now that he was studying something he enjoyed, he was eager to put in the effort. His professor had high expectations for him, hoping he’d get a paper published in a major journal before graduation. Every day, he was busy collecting data and working hands-on with his group, so much so that he barely had time to rest. And yet here was Fu Mingchuan, still poking fun at him.
In the following days, Yu Wen was deeply absorbed in his thesis work, and, in the end, he successfully published his paper right before graduation.
Although he was listed as the third author, Yu Wen still felt immensely proud. He immediately called Fu Mingchuan to boast about his achievement and even sent a copy of the journal back home, making sure to tell Fu Mingchuan to let him know the moment it arrived.
Fu Mingchuan called and said, “I’ll be there soon to pick you up myself—that’ll be faster than mailing it.”
The ever-straightforward Yu Wen replied, “But when I mailed it, it was because I wanted you to see it right away.”
After a moment of silence, Fu Mingchuan asked, “Can you come back a bit earlier? I’ll come to get you then.”
But Yu Wen turned him down, saying, “No, I want to spend some time with my aunt. After all, there won’t be many more chances to be with her in the future.”
It wasn’t just for that reason, though. Chen An had mentioned that Fu Mingchuan had been working overtime lately to clear his schedule so he could pick up Yu Wen, and Yu Wen didn’t want him to get too exhausted.
In the end, they agreed that Fu Mingchuan would come at the previously planned time. However, when Yu Wen finally went back, he kept his return a surprise. Early one morning, feeling like the weather was good and that life seemed pretty decent, he spontaneously bought a pet-friendly flight ticket back to Zhongzhou.
He didn’t bring much luggage, planning to have Fu Mingchuan send someone to retrieve the rest later.
When Yu Wen said goodbye to his aunt, she no longer sighed wistfully in front of him but had returned to her usual, carefree way of facing life. She took him to the airport, telling him he was welcome to return anytime and asked him to remind Fu Mingchuan to be mindful: if he ever treated Yu Wen poorly, she’d come get him right away.
Yu Wen initially wanted to speak up for Fu Mingchuan, but seeing his aunt’s fierce demeanor, he just coaxed her, saying, “Auntie, if he doesn’t treat me well, I’ll leave on my own. You won’t need to come for me.”
After they said their farewells, on the way home, Yu Wen’s aunt thought for a long time and concluded that it was probably best if he didn’t return.
If he did, it would likely mean he’d been hurt by Fu Mingchuan once again, and she didn’t want Yu Wen to go through that kind of pain again.
It was clearly still the beginning of the month, not yet time for Fu Mingchuan to pick Yu Wen up, but he had felt like nothing was going right all day. On top of that, Yu Wen had been acting secretive again, not replying to his messages for some time.
At three in the afternoon, Fu Mingchuan went to the villa to pack his things, getting ready to go to Germany ahead of schedule to bring Yu Wen home himself. After waiting so long, he didn’t want to waste another minute now that Yu Wen was finally ready to come back willingly.
As he crossed through the garden and went upstairs to the bedroom, he opened the closet. Yu Wen’s favorite stuffed animals sat neatly on their shelf, looking at him. He took out a suitcase and efficiently packed, just as he had many times over the past six months, following the same routines.
Then, he suddenly heard a faint sound from the bedroom—it was a cup being placed on the table.
Fu Mingchuan paused, set his things down on the sofa, and walked toward the bedroom. The next moment, he saw Yu Wen sitting on the bed, holding his cup and drinking water.
They looked at each other for a few seconds before Yu Wen complained, “I’ve been sitting here for two minutes, and you didn’t even notice me.”
Then he added, “A burglar could walk right in, and you wouldn’t even notice.”
Fu Mingchuan walked over and gently brushed his thumb over Yu Wen’s lips to dry them, his voice low as he asked, “And where did this little thief come from?”
Yu Wen grabbed his hand and smiled, “Why are you in such a bad mood?”
When Fu Mingchuan didn’t answer right away, Yu Wen continued, “This morning, when I was leaving, the weather was amazing, and I suddenly missed you, so I didn’t wait for you to come and just flew back myself. Who would’ve guessed it would start raining once I got to Zhongzhou? The weather’s just so frustrating.”
He had gone straight to the villa because he thought Fu Mingchuan wouldn’t stay at his own place or at Ganxi Road when Yu Wen was away. Opening the door, he had indeed found traces of Fu Mingchuan’s presence everywhere.
Fu Mingchuan didn’t respond to his explanation, only asking, “And then?”
Yu Wen moved his legs and lightly tapped Fu Mingchuan’s calf with his toes, like a little tickle that made Fu Mingchuan feel itchy inside. Then, he heard Yu Wen say, “I’ve graduated. I won’t be going back to Germany anymore.”
It took a long while for Fu Mingchuan to calm down and respond with a simple “Mhm,” followed by, “No more wandering off now.”
Yu Wen should be right here at home, so that whenever Fu Mingchuan returned, he could see him, and anytime he called out, Yu Wen would be there to answer.
Just like this—everything was perfect.
Yu Wen replied, “All right.”
End of the Main Story.
Translator’s note:
There are still some extra chapters!
