IROAWTMTFL Chapter 21

After returning from the seafood market, Yan Yan couldn’t resist Jiang Li’s insistence and was pushed to catch up on some sleep.

Jiang Li worked alone in the kitchen, an area where Yan Yan, an amateur, couldn’t compare. She had been raised by her brother, and when he opened a small restaurant when he was in his teens, she was barely ten years old, helping out at the shop after school. She had developed excellent culinary skills through experience and knew exactly how to prepare and handle this pile of seafood. Seafood had to be fresh, and she had to plan when to slaughter and cook them.

Her movements were swift, yet she managed to take in the décor of Zhuang Yiyun’s home. Yan Yan had mentioned that this place was bought for his convenience and all the furniture and decoration were chosen by him. She had been to Yan Yan’s house countless times and knew it like the back of her hand, this was clearly the typical Yan family style: cozy, warm, and with gentle color tones. In short, it had a very homely feel and didn’t resemble the home of two grown men.

Yan Yan appeared tough, cool, and sarcastic outside, but the side of him that was at ease at home was only known to old friends like her. To her, Zhuang Yiyun was quite lucky.

Perhaps it was because he had something on his mind, Yan Yan didn’t sleep for long, waking up a little after two o’clock. When he got up, Jiang Li was playing on her phone in the living room. She said as soon as she saw him, “You should sleep a little longer. The soup is simmering, I’ll do the rest that needs to be freshly prepared later. You don’t need to worry about it.”

“Lili, you’re really great.”

“Hmm… Are you running a fever?” Yan Yan’s tone gave Jiang Li goosebumps.

“Get lost.”

“If you’re not running a fever, why are you acting so sweet? Save your sweetness for your gege later tonight.”

“Jiang Li, I’d punch you right now if you weren’t a woman. Sweet talk, what’s that got to do with me? Your dad Yan Yan, is just praising you.”

“You talk as if I were a woman you could easily beat up.” Jiang Li flicked her phone aside, leaned back on the sofa, and extended a finger to beckon him. “And, who told you to be so impudent in front of your big sister? ‘Dad’? you’re brave, go shout it in front of my brother. Let’s see if he acknowledges you as his father.”

“I…” Yan Yan was clearly lacking in combat readiness today. He became meek after Jiang Li’s scolding, especially when she brought up Big Brother Ye(Jiang Li’s older brother), it was quite unfair.

Jiang Li found Yan Yan’s evasive behavior amusing, and she clicked her tongue in wonder. She teased him a bit more verbally but thought to herself that Yan Yan didn’t seem like someone who just wanted a one-night stand; instead, he looked like he was tasting the bitterness of love.

But seeing that Yan Yan had made up his mind, she stopped teasing him and changed the topic. “Will you come to stay at my place tomorrow? Your room has been kept ready for you.”

“No need.”

“School’s on break, and you didn’t apply for winter accommodation. Are you planning to tell your parents you’re getting a divorce? Or do you have another place in mind?”

“Can’t a young master afford a hotel?”

“Alright, suit yourself. I’m not going to fuss over you.”

Jiang Li fell silent and decided to watch a melodramatic idol drama on TV. Yan Yan went to steam the crabs, and once they were cooked, they both watched TV while dismantling the crabs together. They skillfully extracted the crab legs, claws, and meat, leaving nothing behind. After cleaning out the insides, they placed the crab meat back into the crab shells, topped it with cheese, and baked it until it was irresistibly fragrant.

Jiang Li: “Just thinking about all the hard work we put into this, and I might not even get to eat it makes me frustrated.”

Yan Yan: “I’ve prepared your portion. After it’s done, you can take it with you.”

“It’s good you have a conscience.”

In the TV drama, the female lead called out to the male lead, who was picking up chicken: “One piece of chicken costs three hundred yuan.” The male lead grabbed eight pieces, totaling two thousand four.

Jiang Li laughed. “With the cost and labor involved, your crabs should be worth three thousand each. Don’t forget to collect the money tonight.”

Yan Yan got distracted and accidentally pricked his hand on a crab leg, causing a few drops of blood to emerge.

“Come on, I was just joking.” Jiang Li immediately got up and asked where the first aid kit was.

“It’s fine. I’ll handle it myself, Lili.”

“Yan Yan, you…”

“ Lili, what’s wrong? It’s just a little cut. Who hasn’t been injured while cooking before? Why are you making that face?”

Jiang Li wanted to talk to him, but it was clear that he didn’t want to discuss it. Over the years, she had seen Yan Yan reject many people, appearing carefree and blunt, but he always had his reasons. He had never been this attentive to anyone before, putting in so much trouble under the guise of wanting to sleep with him.

As his good friend, she shouldn’t interfere. Jiang Li hesitated several times but ultimately decided to stay quiet and let him handle it on his own. If needed, she would be there to have a drink with him later. That was her plan, but she didn’t expect the drinking session to come so soon.

Around five in the afternoon, most of the preparations were done so she left with the food Yan Yan had prepared for her. She hadn’t gone far when Yan Yan received a call from Zhuang Yiyun.

“Gege, are you off work already? Then I’ll start cooking.” Yan Yan’s voice was cheerful, and Zhuang Yiyun could almost picture him in an apron, standing at the kitchen counter, his eyes smiling like crescent moons.

He had several people gathered around him, all waiting for his instructions. Zhuang Yiyun had initially intended to keep the conversation brief and head to his meeting, but he changed his mind. He needed to explain, especially since Yan Yan seemed so happy and eager. He moved the phone away from his ear and said to the people around him, “You all go ahead. I’ll join later.”

“Team Leader…”

Zhuang Yiyun ignored their protests and walked into his office. Once inside, he continued the conversation with Yan Yan. However, by this time, Yan Yan already had a bad feeling.

Yan Yan remained silent, and the atmosphere became tense the moment Zhuang Yiyun closed his office door.

“There’s been an issue with an experiment, and I have an impromptu important conference. It might go on late. I’m sorry I have to cancel our celebration…”

Yan Yan stayed quiet.

Zhuang Yiyun was genuinely sorry, but it was indeed an unexpected situation, and he felt helpless. Thinking about what he had in his trunk, he continued to explain, “It’s a newly scheduled meeting, and I didn’t mean to stand you up. I’m really sorry.”

Yan Yan wanted to laugh but didn’t know what to say. Should he praise Zhuang Yiyun for the progress? Last time, he had refused him with just one sentence, but this time, Zhuang Yiyun had called earlier and provided an explanation. But why did the world always have more important things than their plans?

His frustration welled up, making it hard to speak. At this moment, he felt really tired. What was he doing, chasing after someone who couldn’t be caught? Months of pursuit, and they even got married, all because he was good-looking? Had he stuffed his brain with cotton?

Just then, a knocking sound came from the door, and a voice Yan Yan would never forget was transmitted through the phone’s receiver—Luan Qing.

“Team Leader, the experts from the State Medicine Team are all in the video conference room, waiting for you.”

“I’m coming.”

He responded, and Luan Qing continued to wait at the door. So he had no choice but to act like he had everything under control and coax Yan Yan on the spur of the moment, right in front of Luan Qing. “Yan Yan, you go ahead and eat first, don’t wait for me. But I will definitely come back tonight, alright?”

He called him “Yan Yan” for the second time with this tone. This cunning man, he had used “Yan Yan” to get him to agree to the marriage certificate last time. This time, to pacify him for standing him up, he was using it again. Who said he didn’t understand? He understood very well; he was just pretending!

“Team Leader, let’s go.” Luan Qing’s face turned pale. He hadn’t expected to hear Zhuang Yiyun say such words. But he quickly adjusted himself, recalling what the Zhuang Team had said last time – it was just a fake marriage and it was not important. He had been somewhat impulsive on Christmas Eve, but this time, he genuinely didn’t mean it. If he had known that the Team Leader was on the phone with Yan Yan, he would have asked someone else to fetch him.

Yan Yan didn’t respond and abruptly hung up the phone with a bang. Luan Qing’s voice had elevated his anger further. He swung the knife in his hand down on the newly prepared sunfish on the chopping board, making a final slash.

“Ge Wang!” Yan Yan washed his hands, still feeling furious. He removed his apron and was changing into another shirt when he noticed a box of condoms and lubricant lying on the bedside table. He grabbed them and tossed them into the trash.

*Ge Wang is Chinese slang for someone who doesn’t keep their promises.

Then, he stormed into Zhuang Yiyun’s room. Inside the closet, he saw similar items, and he pulled them all out and threw them away too! On his way out, he passed Zhuang Yiyun’s wardrobe. Yan Yan, whose head was buzzing with fury, rushed in and pulled out a white dress shirt.

“Your lordship is going out to have fun in your clothes!”

He didn’t know if this kind of childish retaliation counted as revenge, but he put on the shirt when he returned to his own room. There was no dispute that this was a proper boyfriend-style dress shirt.

He left the collar unbuttoned and added a thick gold circle chain, just slightly longer than a choker, to highlight his slender neck and delicate collarbones. Over it, he wore a green-to-black gradient sequined blazer, which looked great on him.

Yan Yan sneered in the mirror, adjusted his cuffs one last time, brushed aside his half-length blond hair, and walked out.

He didn’t call Jiang Li, opting to take a taxi to the new bar in the city center alone. Jiang Li had been hesitating and seemed ready to speak up all afternoon, bearing his company through a tiring day. To now tell her he had been stood up by someone, Yan Yan couldn’t bring himself to do it.