Upon understanding the situation, the despair and panic that had overwhelmed Yan Yan just moments ago vanished, and he returned to his playful self.
“Lili, come back home with me.”
Jiang Li thought she must have misheard him, looking at him in confusion as the topic had shifted too abruptly.
“Otherwise, he’ll pounce on me when he comes back. I need a shield, okay?” Yan Yan explained.
“Heh,” Jiang Li sneered. “What, have you forgotten how to say ‘no’ now?”
“Wasn’t it you who told me to act like I don’t know, and you even said to let him pursue me! If I didn’t know, I would’ve definitely pounced on him too. Can’t you be logical? Clearly, it’s you who is making it inconvenient for me to attack him.”
“That way, as soon as I’ve finished acting as a light bulb, Dr. Zhuang can find someone to make me disappear?” Jiang Li mimicked a choking motion ans Yan Yan burst into laughter.
“He’s not a criminal,” Yan Yan defended.
“Tsk tsk, are you defending him now?”
“I’m just telling the truth. Would Dr. Zhuang commit a crime? Be honest with yourself.”
“I don’t know about my conscience. Have you touched his conscience? Let his conscience answer you,” Jiang Li said sarcastically.
“Fuck… Jiang Lili, stop teasing me.” Yan Yan blushed at the mention of Dr. Zhuang’s “conscience” touching him.
“Look at how pathetic you are. You might as well throw your own conscience away and satisfy your physical desires first, feelings will come later.”
“But what if I get tired of it?” Yan Yan questioned.
Jiang Li wanted to say that given Yan Yan’s serious demeanor, he had probably already fallen deep, but she refrained from saying anything. No matter what others said, it can’t compare to experiencing it firsthand. Yan Yan was starting his first romantic relationship, so she didn’t want to spoil his experience.
Jiang Li nodded and kept quiet.
The two of them endured the freezing cold in the park like fools. Seeing that it was getting dark and colder, they hurriedly left. Jiang Li was lured by Yan Yan back home. As soon as she entered the house, Yan Yan seemed to channel Mr and Mrs Yan, expressing exactly the same sentiments. The home fit his habits everywhere and was so carefully arranged. What “I don’t like him and don’t want to date him”? What a joke!
Jiang Li’s attitude changed instantly. She decided to watch the show and see how long Yan Yan could hold on. In her opinion, this marriage wasn’t about whether Zhuang Yiyun would want to leave later, Yan Yan himself wouldn’t bear to leave.
“Where are the photos? Let me see the miracle~” Jiang Li teased with a playful tone.
“Laugh all you want!” Yan Yan blushed from embarrassment. Blame it all on Zhuang Yiyun for writing such cheesy words on the photos. He was the one who posted it, and Jiang Li immediately connected the dots.
Yan Yan reluctantly took out the photos, trying to maintain a stoic expression. He had to make sure he didn’t lose his remaining coolness. After all, he had sought Jiang Li’s help earlier, and now he had to endure her praise of the photos. As for his red ears… Don’t ask, it’s just that the underfloor heating at home is too good!
Jiang Li, who was dragged here to be a light bulb, stayed until they finished dinner, but Zhuang Yiyun still hadn’t returned. They watched a movie together in the home theater until it was past ten, and Jiang Li decided she had to leave.
“Just wash up and sleep, there’s no need to wait. If you fall asleep, can he still defile a corpse?”
With a wave of her hand, Jiang Li left.
Yan Yan considered it and realized he was indeed tired. He took a shower and collapsed onto the bed, falling asleep almost immediately.
As for Zhuang Yiyun, he had been too busy to keep track of time. He hadn’t eaten since the airplane meal at noon, and it was only now, when his stomach started to ache, that he realized it was already past eleven. He thought about calling Yan Yan, wondering if he was still waiting. A surge of self-blame washed over him. He should’ve called Yan Yan earlier, he must be angry, right?
In an unprecedented move, Zhuang Yiyun decided to call it a day. He instructed his team members, who had come in for overtime, to go home, leaving the remaining work for tomorrow.
Zhong Lu breathed a sigh of relief. He was a bit lazy during his vacation. He played games all night yesterday and he couldn’t bear it today when he was called over.
The atmosphere in the lab relaxed somewhat after the meeting. Usually, the younger colleagues would gossip together, and although the lab work was important, another matter also caught their attention. Once the meeting adjourned, everyone went back to their seats to pack up. Zhong Lu was popular and once everyone saw that Zhuang Yiyun had returned to his office, two assistants from other researchers came over to gossip with him.
“What’s the deal with the team leader’s earring? He’s actually wearing one. I’m really shocked,” a female colleague exclaimed in amazement.
Another girl chimed in, “What else could it be? It must be a couple earring! Yan Yan probably has the matching one.”
“I can’t believe it! Zhong Lu, you go find out. Don’t you have Yan Yan’s WeChat?”
Zhing Lu: “Sisters, please, spare me. I’m about to collapse right now… I’ll ask for you tomorrow.”
The two female colleagues wanted to say more, but the owner of the earring suddenly reemerged from his office.
“We’ll continue the discussion at 9 a.m. tomorrow,” Zhuang Yiyun announced before striding away.
When he reached home, there was no response except for the motion-activated lights. He walked to the door of the guest room but stopped. He turned and went into his own bedroom first. His heart was filled with anticipation. Had Yan Yan moved in on his own? After all, they hadn’t discussed it clearly in the afternoon, but they had a tacit understanding.
Upon opening the master bedroom door, he saw the neatly arranged bedding, but there was no sign of anyone. Zhuang Yiyun thought Yan Yan must be upset. Little did he know, the issue was not anger, it was a conclusion that existed only in his own mind.
He gently opened the guest room door, where the bedding had a human shaped bulge. He closed the door again and went to the fridge to find something to eat. Yan Yan had inherited the habit of saving leftovers from his parents. If he had cooked something the previous night, there might be something left.
He took out the leftovers and reheated them. Even though it was just leftover food, Zhuang Yiyun enjoyed it more than a meal at a Michelin-starred restaurant. After finishing his meal and tidying up, he took a shower. By the time he opened the guest room door again, it was already past 1 a.m. He carefully climbed into bed, trying not to disturb Yan Yan, and soon fell asleep next to him.
The next morning, Yan Yan woke up first. He naturally woke up early due to his early bedtime. Just as he was about to stretch, he felt an arm lying on his waist.
Turning his head slightly, Yan Yan saw Zhuang Yiyun’s handsome face right behind him. He immediately became fully awake, recalling Jiang Li’s words. He checked a certain part of his body, and was relieved that there was nothing unusual. This person had returned at some point without disturbing his sleep. Nothing happened, they just shared the bed by default.
Damn it, troublesome. Just looking at him made Yan Yan want to pounce on him. The hand was still on his waist, reminding him of how tightly Zhuang Yiyun had held him yesterday, keeping them intimately close.
His breath grew warm, especially in a certain area naturally got heated in the morning. He began to consider Jiang Li’s suggestion. Perhaps, feelings would develop naturally through their physical intimacy?
Stop! Yan Yan, wake up. Don’t let him become the second Orange! At most, Orange would cry and pout, Zhuang Yiyun would genuinely go insane!
Cheng Cheng was worthy of his name, he was as clear and transparent as his name suggested. For Yan Yan, he had become a tranquilizing spell, and he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
This situation was even more awkward than the first time they shared a bed. Yan Yan looked at the ceiling speechlessly, and finally decided to go with the flow. Whatever, it’s still early, let’s just sleep a little longer and see what happens when he wakes up.
When he woke up again, there was no one beside him. The place Zhuang Yiyun had slept in was cold, even the bedding was smoothed out, leaving no trace behind. Yan Yan even started to doubt his previous memories; perhaps, it had all been an illusion. It was only when he got up, washed up, and went to make breakfast that he saw the note on the fridge, confirming that it was real.
[Soy milk and deep-fried dough sticks are in the thermos, no sugar was added.]
It was written in Zhuang Yiyun’s elegant handwriting, full of spirit and vigor.
Yan Yan opened the thermos and found a bowl of soy milk and two deep-fried dough sticks. He couldn’t help but smile. He realized his smile was a bit too broad, so he toned it down a bit. However, it didn’t make much difference.
In the meeting room that morning, Zhong Lu happened to be sitting behind Zhuang Yiyun. He saw Team Leader Zhuang, who never slacked off during meetings, glance at his phone from time to time. After the third glance, he opened WeChat and sent a message.
Yan Yan’s phone buzzed, and upon checking, he saw it was from Zhuang Yiyun.
[Zhuang Yiyun: Baby, I’m sorry about yesterday.]
Yan Yan was startled by the term of endearment and tossed his phone onto the sofa.
“Ahem…” He spun around in his place, holding back his laughter. When he replied, he had already restored his cool and distant demeanor.
[Yan Yan: ?]
[Zhuang Yiyun: Give me a chance to make it up to you.]
[Yan Yan: How will you make it up?]
[Zhuang Yiyun: Satisfy you. Will that be enough for an apology?]
[Yan Yan: Dream on!]
Yan Yan sat on the sofa, crossing his legs and changing channels.
In the meeting room, Zhong Lu’s pupils dilated. His eyesight was excellent, and he immediately noticed the word “Baby” that Team Leader Zhuang had sent. He didn’t dare to read further! What had he seen? So, Team Leader Zhuang was like this in private!
His gossip-loving heart was itching to know more, especially after the questions the female colleagues had asked him the previous day. He couldn’t resist the temptation and reached for his phone to check the situation.
[Zhong Lu: Do you know what your husband is doing right now?]
Yan Yan’s message came quickly, so it was clear that it was empty. Something flashed through Zhong Lu’s mind. He could already picture Yan Yan’s sweet smile as he texted his beloved Team Leader Zhuang, a completely different attitude when talking to him.
Hiss…this damn dog food.
[Yan Yan: ?]
Yan Yan sent a question mark, feeling a bit strange. Why was this familiar? Oh, he had just sent the same message a minute ago.
[Zhong Lu: We’re in a meeting and he’s texting you.]
[Yan Yan: How do you know he’s texting me?]
[Zhong Lu: I saw your profile picture.]
[Zhong Lu: Wait, is that important? The important thing is the meeting! I’ve known him for awhile and have never seen such a scene before.]
Yan Yan pressed the channel button several times!
[Zhong Lu: Also, he’s wearing an earring. Yesterday something happened in the lab, and a big shot from China Pharmaceutical came. The Team Leader actually received them wearing an earring. He’s usually so serious, so we were all stunned. The big shot stared at his ear for quite a while, I almost burst out laughing on the spot.]
Yan Yan was desperately trying to suppress the smile at the corners of his mouth, but Zhong Lu sent another message.
[Zhong Lu: Tell me! Confess honestly! Is this the couple earring between you two? Is the other one with you? Otherwise, why would Team Leader be willing to wear it?]
Yan Yan: ?
That is a good question. Where was the other one? Zhuang Yiyun hadn’t given it to him, so where could it be?
