IROAWTMTFL Chapter 48

When Zhuang Yiyun kept his true self hidden in the past, he like a cold and aloof iceberg, his cold aura deterred most people from daring to approach. But ever since he revealed some of himself because of Yan Yan, that S inclination in him couldn’t be concealed anymore. It wafted out like an aphrodisiac, enchanting certain compatible individuals.

They wanted to be controlled by him, to be trained by him. He wasn’t a true S, so they could even guide him from the position of a weaker party, allowing him to ascend to that throne. The more restrained he appeared, the more people wanted to witness his madness. The round-faced boy looked at Zhuang Yiyun with eyes full of admiration and greed.

He looked like a well-behaved boy, with a slightly chubby round face, fair skin, a round nose, and a pair of almond-shaped eyes with curled lashes. His appearance was harmless and endearing, his voice soft, making people believe he was easygoing and easy to bully. However, Zhuang Yiyun found him repulsive at a glance. No matter how pure his façade, the desire in his eyes was filthy.

This person was like the opposite of Yan Yan. Yan Yan might be wild on the surface, but deep inside, he guarded his own boundaries.

Zhuang Yiyun was unruffled, he initially had no interest in dealing with such a person, however, he couldn’t help but say, “Don’t call me gege. My husband would get jealous, and it’s hard to coax him.”

“I can never appear in front of him. Can I add you on WeChat?” The round-faced boy looked determined, completely unapologetic about his lack of morality. After all, there’s no man who doesn’t cheat, especially in the chaotic gay community. Moreover, he was so sweet and endearing, he never got turned down.

“I want to be trained by your whip, any way will do.”

In the realm of sensuality, some individuals, when given such a hint, would readily find a place for him to experience the whip. However, Zhuang Yiyun furrowed his brows deeply, countering with a question, “Do you know that sexual harassment is illegal? If you don’t leave, your boyfriend will be here soon.”

Yan Yan was chatting with other group members, but his attention was secretly fixed on Zhuang Yiyun. Seeing someone talking to him for a long time, he came closer and happened to hear this sentence.

Oh, this person was trying to pry in his corner? Who gave him the courage?

You say Zhuang Yiyun isn’t his? Legally, he is. You say he has changing standards? Don’t ask, he follows his heart. He hadn’t flirted with this man enough, and the match between them was not settled. Where did these cats and dogs come from to make a move?

The round-faced boy clearly didn’t want to escalate things. He was about to turn and leave when Yan Yan grabbed Zhuang Yiyun’s arm.

“Why are you leaving in a hurry? Was my gege too fierce and he scared you?”

Zhuang Yiyun raised an eyebrow. As soon as Yan Yan arrived, he put away the sharp iciness in his eyes. The touch on his arm made him happy. It had been a long time since he heard Yan Yan call him “gege.”

Yan Yan looked at the round-faced boy with a malicious gaze. Seeing a man approaching not far away, probably coming to find someone, he deliberately raised his voice a bit, his tone mocking, “I know my gege is attractive, but he only likes me, we are deeply connect in a way that only allows room for me.”

Yan Yan moved his hand along Zhuang Yiyun’s arm, intertwining their fingers and showing them to the other person.

In the midst of speaking, the man arrived. He looked refined but there was a slight hostility in his expression. He asked the round-faced boy, “What happened?”

“Nothing, we were just chatting a bit, let’s go.” The round-faced boy quickly dragged his boyfriend away.

Zhuang Yiyun shook their interlocked hands, “Is there a need to beat a dead dog?”

Yan Yan sneered, “We’re decent people. Even if we expose him, he will just get scolded a bit. Someone else will deal with him properly in the future. For people like him, those refined type can’t satisfy him.”

“How do you know?”

“Of course you can tell just by looking.”

Zhuang Yiyun smiled, enjoying Yan Yan’s lively demeanor.

Yan Yan: “He seems obedient and cute. Isn’t that your type?”

Zhuang Yiyun “No.”

Just as Yan Yan was about to make a verbal attack, Zhuang Yiyun added, “I only like you, in a way that there’s only room for you.”

He had a smile on his face, and when he looked at Yan Yan, there was a tenderness in his eyes. These were the exact words he (Yan Yan) had used earlier to shut someone down. This person really knew how to make use of available opportunities, and he could no longer tell the real from fake. Despite knowing this, he felt a jolt, as if he had been shocked.

He quickly released their interlocked hands.

Wanning was their final destination for this trip, and they will return from Sanya afterward. Yan Yan had to shop for items that Jiang Li needed as well as gifts for his parents, so he went to the duty-free shop. Although Zhuang Yiyun wasn’t interested, he accompanied Yan Yan.

On the way there, Yan Yan was about to call Jiang Li to ask if she had any additional items on her list, but she beat him to it and called first.

“Are we telepathic?”

Zhuang Yiyun glanced at him upon hearing this, curious about who Yan Yan was talking to.

“I’m on my way to the duty-free shop. I was just about to call to ask you what else you need, but you called first.”

It turned out to be Jiang Li. Zhuang Yiyun’s heart settled down. He had to find an opportunity to invite Jiang Li and her brother out for a meal after they returned. These were the only friends of Yan Yan he knew, so he needed to take the initiative to be friendly.

Jiang Li had called with another purpose; she didn’t get sidetracked by Yan Yan and got straight to the point. “Do you know you and Dr. Zhuang are trending? Your video on Douyin has over a hundred thousand likes.”

“What?” Yan Yan looked surprised. He glanced at Zhuang Yiyun beside him, and put the call on speaker. “ Zhuang Yiyun is here too. Go on.”

“Uh… Right, uh, hello Dr. Zhuang.”

“Continue with what you were saying. And what kind of greeting is that?”

“It’s courtesy, you know? Courtesy!”

Seeing that the two were about to bicker, Zhuang Yiyun interrupted, “Jiang Li, what’s the matter?”

Being addressed directly, Jiang Li got back to the topic, “Someone posted your street shots, tagged them with #beauty, and you went viral. There are over a hundred thousand likes in one night, and they are still increasing rapidly. I think it might hit a million by tomorrow. I’ll forward it to Yan Yan, do you want us to contact the person who posted it and ask them to delete it?”

“Let me take a look first, please send it.”

After ending the call, Yan Yan opened Jiang Li’s shared content. The video’s title was: “Jinjiang Novel Comes to Life: What kind of Immortal Beauty and Handsomeness is this?! #EraofBeauty##ImmortalLooks#”

*Jinjiang is a novel reading site.

The video was very short, shot on Fenjiezhou Island. There were only three shots in total: one of him and Zhuang Yiyun sitting together on the mountain’s corridor, watching the sea; another of him hanging a wish plaque on a tree; and the last one after Zhuang Yiyun had called him. They were walking down a deserted path, their figures disappearing from the frame.

The editor had a sense of rhythm, and after filters and music were added, it had an artistic feel. Most importantly, both of them were exceptionally good-looking, and the video had already entered the trending list.

Yan Yan watched it once, then played it again. He was slightly shocked. Only after seeing this video did he notice that their eyes looked so affectionate in the footage.

He opened the comment section. The most-liked comment said, “Who cares about Jinjiang? I just wish these two were on Haitang, otherwise Little Blondie would have given birth to their third child by now!”

*Haitang is also a novel reading website but it provides more raunchy 18+ novels. If Jinjiang Novels is compared to a lady, Haitang is like the courtesan.

Yan Yan ‘… Fuck, what kind of comment is this? Where should I even begin? Who is Little Blondie? What ‘third child’?!’

Yan Yan immediately reported it, reason for report: Inappropriate content. Then he sent a private message to the account owner, stating his identity and requesting the video’s removal.

The account owner replied: “I’m sorry; you two are just too good-looking. I have a weakness for handsome guys so I couldn’t help but share it. I didn’t expect it to blow up. I’ll delete it right away. Do you want the original video? I can send it to you.”

Yan Yan provided his email address, and the person quickly sent the original video and deleted it from Douyin. It was a small episode, and Yan Yan didn’t pay much attention to it.

They had just parked at the duty-free shop when he received a new email notification. He secretly downloaded the video onto his phone so Zhuang Yiyun wouldn’t see it.

“It’s deleted now,” Yan Yan said, putting his phone away. He walked without turning his head to avoid giving anything away. He planned to watch it quietly after going back; it did look beautiful.

“Mmm,” Zhuang Yiyun responded.

What Yan Yan didn’t know was that Zhuang Yiyun, who was walking behind him, was searching on Baidu with the keywords: “Jinjiang, Haitang, third child.”

Fortunately…Yan Yan didn’t know!

After dealing with the situation, Yan Yan continued to call Jiang Li. After updating her on the situation, he asked if she needed anything else. Later, they swept through the duty-free shop. Zhuang Yiyun also bought a pair of couple watches, he planned to give them to Yan Yan’s parents as a souvenir from their trip.

While browsing the jewelry counter, Yan Yan was choosing a necklace for his mother, and Zhuang Yiyun was eyeing a pair of blue diamond earrings. They were dark gray-blue, not too heavy, and reasonably priced, they perfectly matched his tastes. He had already formulated an idea and liked this color, so he decided to buy them.

Yan Yan saw him making the payment and was curious about what he bought. He(Zhuang Yiyun) took the shopping bag from the sales assistant. He didn’t say anything and looked at Yan Yan’s ear without instead. When Yan Yan stretched his neck to see, he directly took the small jewelry box from the paper bag and stuffed it into his pocket, completely blocking Yan Yan’s line of sight.

‘Tch, as if I care!’ Yan Yan thought, silently complaining.

After shopping, they headed back. As they boarded the plane, Zhuang Yiyun asked, “Where are we going after this?”

His tone seemed casual, but he was actually holding his breath, waiting for Yan Yan’s response. His gaze was fixed on Yan Yan’s profile, almost unblinking. The experiences of their journey, the wild rush of blood when he kissed Yan Yan, the sensation of embracing Yan Yan’s supple waist, and the fleeting glimpse of his pure white figure all combined into a deadly temptation.

Yan Yan’s ears trembled slightly, and he didn’t meet his gaze. After a while, he casually replied, “To your place.”

It sounded casual but the words felt like a magic spell. He even envisioned a scene in his mind: they were just the two of them in their room, there eyes locked and then their lips met. He had a vague feeling that something significant would happen once they returned—perhaps it was an adult’s intuition or just his wild and uncontrollable imagination.

“Mmm,” Zhuang Yiyun responded. Both of them were lost in their own thoughts, each pretending to be serious.

From then on, neither of them spoke. Yan Yan immersed himself in his iPad, watching Tom and Jerry and stifling laughter from time to time. It seemed like his attention was diverted but it wasn’t.

Zhuang Yiyun had no doubt that if they weren’t in a public place, Yan Yan probably would have burst into laughter already. He was the only one who seemed to have ulterior motives.

He went on thinking like this if until he passed Yan Yan the airplane meal. It was then that he noticed Yan Yan’s emotional turmoil.

When the flight attendant brought the meal, Zhuang Yiyun, who was sitting on the aisle seat, naturally reached out to help. Yan Yan came to take it, and their hands accidentally touched. Yan Yan felt as if he was electrocuted and subconsciously wanted to avoid the touch. However, he forced himself to suppress his reaction, trying to appear normal.

He was restless, tense, yet oddly anticipating without realizing it. Zhuang Yiyun was more sensitive to Yan Yan’s emotions than ever before so he decided to do something in advance.

After getting off the plane, they took a taxi home. When they arrived at the entrance of the residential complex, Zhuang Yiyun didn’t get out of the car immediately.

“I need to go somewhere. You go home first.”

He took their suitcases out of the trunk, and Yan Yan dragged them toward the entrance. He then got back into the car, and it quickly drove away.

It was hard to say for Yan Yan to say whether he was relieved or disappointed. As they separated, he avoided eye contact with Zhuang Yiyun and his heart raced wildly. It wasn’t until the car disappeared around the corner outside the residential complex that he slightly calmed his breathing.

‘I wonder where Zhuang Yiyun has gone…’ Yan Yan thought as he walked back.

Damn it, he was actually made to move luggage for two people alone. Fortunately, the man still had a bit of conscience; he didn’t toss his heavy photography equipment bag to him… He thought while dragging the luggage upstairs.

‘Should I take a shower first?’ Yan Yan wondered after entering the house and putting down the luggage.

‘Take a shower, my ass!’ It’s was as if he was waiting for something!

No, after a long trip, it’s normal for a person to take a shower first, right? But wearing pajamas… would it seem like he was hinting something…

Yan Yan couldn’t control his thoughts. His mind was filled with all sorts of chaotic ideas, especially when he took out the photos Zhuang Yiyun gave him.

In the end, he decided to take a shower first. The hot water rushed over his body, making him feel hot, and his body trembled slightly. He couldn’t help but wonder why Zhuang Yiyun hadn’t come back yet.

He finished showering, blow-dried his hair, and his whole body exuded a fragrance mixed with a faint trace of moisture. He felt like he had waited for an eternity.

Sweating all over, he went to the fridge to get a drink, and the door creaked open.

It was the sound of someone opening the door. He had the familiar footsteps, it was Zhuang Yiyun’s footsteps.

In that moment, he felt a mixture of longing and timidity, but he was unwilling to bow down. He gathered his courage and walked toward the door. Zhuang Yiyun had just put on his slippers when he raised his head and saw Yan Yan.

His half-long, fluffy hair draped over his shoulders, softening his delicate features. The neckline of his loungewear was loose, revealing his collarbone. It was partially covered by his hair, but the faint trace of a bite mark was still visible.

It didn’t disappear the next day as Zhuang Yiyun had claimed; the bite mark on the collarbone was still there. It was now faintly red, like a mark he had branded on him.

Zhuang Yiyun couldn’t tear his gaze away, and he couldn’t help but take a step toward him.

Yan Yan was even more surprised. He now knew where Zhuang Yiyun had gone earlier. There was a new earring on his right ear, a single one.

It was a deep gray-blue diamond, with a dark, muted shade that sparkled under the light. Just like the person, he seemed deep at first glance, but the more you got to know him, the more you realized he was scorching, like magma beneath an iceberg.

A single earring on the right ear is said to signify a declaration of one’s sexual orientation among homosexuals. So the fact that he took a shower wasn’t necessarily a hint. The ear Zhuang Yiyun deliberately pierced and the blue diamond he was now wearing were the invitation.

Their eyes finally met.

At that moment, Yan Yan felt a raging fire igniting, burning away all his sanity.