IROAWTMTFL Chapter 17

The new update schedule for IROAWTMTFL for September— chapter uploads will be on Monday, Tuesday and sometimes on Wednesday as well.

“I am married.” Zhuang Yiyun replied without any hesitation. While Luan Qing’s confession wasn’t something he had anticipated, he originally married Yan Yan to ward off any potential romantic interests.
Luan Qing was momentarily taken aback, then he smiled and turned his head away. When he looked back, he covered his lips with his hand and laughed incredulously.

“Team Leader, there is no need to lie if you want to reject me.”

Zhuang Yiyun frowned. If he were dealing with someone else, he wouldn’t have said more than the first sentence. It was the truth, whether it was believed or not. But he was facing his partner, so he had to patiently add, “The cookies you wanted to get that day were made by him.”

“So it was not about accepting someone’s goodwill.”

The implication in Zhuang Yiyun’s words was that they were made by someone he was close to, so he accepted them.

Luan Qing’s initial reaction had indeed been that Zhuang Yiyun was just trying to make excuses. However, upon hearing those words, he understood that there was indeed such a person. He found it unbelievable, but it was true.

“Why have I never heard you mention…” His voice trailed off, still in disbelief.

“I haven’t had the chance to.”

“Oh.”

At this point, neither of them had much to say. When they left the restaurant, Luan Qing seemed dazed. Zhuang Yiyun was concerned about his safety while driving so he insisted that Luan Qing call for a designated driver.

Standing by the private room’s entrance, they could hear footsteps in the hallway. Luan Qing’s hand rested on the door handle, and he suddenly turned around and said, “Team Leader, unrequited love is quite tough. You can’t get close, yet you can’t stay away. I had already thought about it before coming here. If I’m rejected, you would consciously keep your distance from me, which would help me change my mindset more quickly. But you’re someone who separates personal and professional matters, so you won’t ask me to switch to another team, right?”

“I’ve thought about every possible scenario but the outcome was the worst-case possible.” Luan Qing’s face lacked a smile, and his previously expressed emotions were now contained as he recounted the situation in a flat tone.

“Team Leader, you can go ahead. I’ll stay a bit longer.”

Zhuang Yiyun nodded, walked past him, and opened the door. After he left, Luan Qing called over a waiter and ordered a bottle of alcohol. They brought out a bottle of corn wine, a Yunnan specialty. It had a mild and smooth entrance but was quite strong in its effects. One bowl of it could wash away all troubles.

When Zhuang Yiyun returned home, Yan Yan wasn’t there. He didn’t even change his shoes and stood by the entrance. After a moment, he took out his phone and called Yan Yan.

“Do you have time to come out now?”

“What’s the matter?” Yan Yan asked, but before he could answer, Yan Yan continued, “I have time.”

“Good, I’ll pick you up. Send me your location.”

After hanging up, Zhuang Yiyun grabbed his car keys from the cabinet and went back out.

He had only escorted Yan Yan to the school before. However, this time, the location Yan Yan sent him was his dormitory building. The university’s gates were not tightly restricted, allowing outside vehicles to enter. He drove all the way to the bottom of the dormitory building and found Yan Yan already waiting downstairs, waving as soon as he spotted the car.

Even during daytime, winter nights were chilly, and the temperature dropped significantly at night, making it difficult to decide what to wear. Yan Yan hadn’t anticipated the night temperature, so he wasn’t wearing his down jacket and had only put on a thin sweater. Feeling the chill, Zhuang Yiyun increased the air conditioning temperature and parked the car at a spot where Yan Yan wouldn’t be exposed to the wind.

Yan Yan opened the car door and entered the car wrapped in the chilly wind. The tip of his reddened nose fell into Zhuang Yiyun’s eyes.

“Gege, where are we going?” he asked, turning sideways to fasten his seatbelt. When he turned his head back, he almost bumped into Zhuang Yiyun’s head.

Both instinctively retreated a bit. While he was wondering what he was doing, Zhuang Yiyun handed him a small blanket he had taken the blanket from the back seat. He was indeed quite cold, but when did Zhuang Yiyun become so thoughtful?

“Thank you.”

“Wear more layers at night.”

This time, it wasn’t an intentional attempt to show concern. When Zhuang Yiyun suddenly decided to come over, he had to fix his hair and tidy up. He didn’t have much time to think, so he came down without adding extra clothes. So on sensing Zhuang Yiyun’s concern, he felt his mood brighten. When they were about to exit the car, Zhuang Yiyun handed him his coat, and he felt even happier. Without hesitation, he took the coat and put it on.

With a 12-centimeter height difference, Zhuang Yiyun’s coat was visibly a size larger on him, making him look petite.

The place they arrived at was the underground parking lot of a department store. He followed Zhuang Yiyun inside, so focused on the warmth of the coat that he didn’t even think about asking why they were here. Then, he was led into a jewelry store.

“Welcome, gentlemen. What can I help you find? Cufflinks or earrings?” The enthusiastic salesperson greeted them before they even entered the store.

Yan Yan didn’t know what they were here for. Did Zhuang Yiyun want him to help pick out jewelry for Auntie Zhuang?

“Engagement rings.”

Yan Yan: “…”

This was truly something he hadn’t thought of. Did they really need to buy engagement rings for a contract marriage? What stimulated him, and why did it seem more and more like a real relationship?

They chose a pair of simple and elegant rings. The salesperson, who was caught up in the beauty of this “same-sex couple,” didn’t mind the slim profit margins and enthusiastically suggested engraving on the rings.

“The style you’ve chosen is quite common. Without engraving, it might be hard to identify if it gets lost.”

Yan Yan thought that Zhuang Yiyun would refuse, but Zhuang Yiyun directly nodded and said, “Engrave our initials.”

“Okay. Most customers have their initials on one side of the inner circle, their partner’s initials on the other side. Could we do the same for your order?”

“That’s fine.”

“In that case, please come this way. We’ll need to measure your ring sizes and confirm the circumference.”

Zhuang Yiyun made all the decisions, while Yan Yan hardly said a word. The only time he expressed an opinion was when Zhuang Yiyun asked about the style. By the time Zhuang Yiyun paid the express fee and they left the store, they had already gotten their engagement rings.

Yan Yan received his own ring, which was engraved with “ZYY” and “YY” on either side of a heart symbol. He suddenly realized that their initials looked good together. Zhuang Yiyun hadn’t demanded that he wear the ring, but he had put it on his left ring finger without hesitation.

Normally, Zhuang Yiyun wasn’t much of a talker. However, Yan Yan had his own ways of sensing his mood. Zhuang Yiyun’s mood seemed a bit off tonight so he remained quiet. Zhuang Yiyun gave him the ring, and he accepted it. Although he wasn’t sure what had happened, this situation wasn’t bad.

Engagement rings were either for the sense of ceremony between couples or to show to others. They weren’t a couple, so these rings were meant to show others. It seemed like he was going to have a new task. A new task was good, it meant new interactions.

As Yan Yan had expected, it was indeed the case. However, this interaction was quite significant. The next day, he received a message from Zhuang Yiyun, inviting him to attend their company’s annual meeting as his partner.

Starting from the next day, Zhuang Yiyun wore the ring to work which stirred up quite a commotion. Even though the broken-hearted girls had a premonition that Dr. Zhuang might not be single, no one dared to think he had directly gotten married. People were unwilling to believe it. Some even came up with absurd explanations like “Dr. Zhuang doesn’t know that the left ring finger represents marriage,” displaying their helplessness.

The first time Luan Qing saw the ring on Zhuang Yiyun’s hand, it felt like his heart was brutally stabbed. The alcohol he had consumed that night wasn’t enough to numb his brain. However, he didn’t say anything. He had his limits; he wouldn’t pursue a married man. This was fine, it was good to set clear boundaries. It hurt a bit, but it would help him let go faster.

The gossip about Dr. Zhuang’s love life got a new scoop within days. A colleague from the HR department revealed that when they were tallying the number of attendees for the annual meeting, Dr. Zhuang registered for two people. The young lady from the HR department didn’t dare to ask for details and was bombarded by her friends in a group chat.

[You definitely have to ask! Why wouldn’t you? Your in HR, this falls within your responsibilities!]

【Ah, go and ask now! I can’t sleep not knowing who Dr. Zhuang’s bringing. From today until the annual meeting, I’ll be unable to sleep…】

Regardless of the rallying cries, the young lady didn’t dare to challenge the authority of the R&D team leader. Thus, the identity of who Team Leader Zhuang was bringing became the biggest suspense of this year’s annual meeting.

Yan Yan, who was eagerly anticipated, was currently picking out clothes. He asked Zhuang Yiyun how to dress, and Zhuang Yiyun said that whatever he wore would be fine, the clothes didn’t matter.

Clothes didn’t matter, my foot.

Don’t take him for a fool. Although he didn’t know exactly what had transpired, Zhuang Yiyun bought rings and specifically invited him to the annual meeting; it only meant he was sending him into battle. Could he fight in just any attire? Zhuang Yiyun’s card was swiped for this round.

He picked out a white casual suit. It was suitable for relatively formal occasions but not overly serious, aligning with his student identity. This suit had some unique design elements, like a black leather belt fastened over the suit. There was a silver chain on the belt that extended to the shoulder, resembling the ceremonial sash of a military uniform. It cinched his slender waist, making his legs appear even longer.

On the night of the annual meeting, Zhuang Yiyun parked the car outside the venue. When they got out of the car, Yan Yan suddenly said, “Gege, I’m a bit nervous.”

His wig had been trimmed again, so it was now shorter than before. After all, it would be weird of his “hair” is always a fixed length, neither growing nor being cut. This trim was perfect for this occasion, it made him look a bit less juvenile and added a hint of the sharpness and edge of an adult man.

Though he appeared more mature, he still tugged at Zhuang Yiyun’s sleeve, his voice soft as he confessed his nervousness.

“Just follow my lead, don’t worry about others. Don’t be afraid.”

In the end, Zhuang Yiyun was a soft-hearted person. He stepped out of the car first, took the initiative to go around to the passenger side, opened the door himself and helped Yan Yan out.