IROAWTMTFL Chapter 65

In the end, they both got tattoos of double Ys. Following the tattoo artist’s suggestion, they incorporated sun and moon designs to represent day and night. Looking at the two people, the gong and shou were quite clear, and they had different temperaments, so the tattoo artist planned to tattoo a sun for Zhuang Yiyun and a moon for Yan Yan. Both of them agreed upon hearing it, but their meanings was completely different from the tattoo artist’s.

While the tattoo artist was making the design, Yan Yan winked at Zhuang Yiyun, saying, “I’ll be tattooing my gege on me.”

Zhuang Yiyun nodded. To him, Yan Yan was his sun, passionate and scorching, capable of igniting everything with his sunny aura.

They pressed their pips together, sharing a kiss.

As per Zhuang Yiyun’s request, their tattoos were placed on the left side of their neck, just below the collar of their shirts. Although the tattoos would be covered by their shirts’ collars, they would still be visible when looked at from above. The tattoos were not large, but when Yan Yan’s crescent moon and the double Ys took shape on his skin, Zhuang Yiyun felt a surge of emotions, and he wanted to kiss that slightly reddened skin.

Yan Yan felt a bit of pain, and small beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. Zhuang Yiyun wiped them away and then used a tissue to clean his fingers. Yan Yan turned his head to look at him, his eyes sparkling. From this angle, he could see Zhuang Yiyun, who was sitting on the round swivel chair, his long legs crossed as he wiped his fingers in a slow leisurely manner. It was incredibly pleasing to the eye.

The ring on the man’s finger and the diamond stud earring were all his marks. Now, there was one more, an indelible symbol. Yan Yan hadn’t quite understood the mindset of getting couple tattoos before. Wouldn’t it be awkward if they broke up? But now… well, he didn’t think about it. He agreed as soon as Zhuang Yiyun mentioned it.

Yan Yan thought, starting tomorrow, he would wear the ring. Although it was a hasty purchase and not part of any pledge or oath, their names were engraved on it. Marriage first and falling in love after—the rings reflected their situation accurately. Perhaps it was because of this that Zhuang Yiyun cherished his ring so much.

Zhuang Yiyun had already gotten his tattoo next, and once Yan Yan was done, their couple tattoos were complete.

Yan Yan asked the tattoo artist, “Can you take a picture for me?”

“Of course.”

So, they sat side by side, pulled down their shirt collars slightly, and took a picture from behind. The shop had designed some backgrounds specifically for customers to take photos, so the resulting pictures had a sense of atmosphere.

Yan Yan posted this picture on his WeChat moments, immediately catching the attention of his sharp-eyed WeChat friends.

Jiang Li: [Impressive, Yan Yan. You actually convinced Dr. Zhuang to get a tattoo. That must be true love.]

Yan Yan replied to Jiang Li: [Yes, it’s deep love. He insisted on getting it. I couldn’t refuse his beauty trap.]

Jiang Li: […You’re slick.]

Ke Mingcheng: [Is this still the old Zhuang I know?]

Zhong LU: [The Team Leader’s possessiveness!!! Why am I, a straight man, so moved???]

Jiang Ye: [I heard from Ah Li. Congratulations, Xiao Yan. When is Mr. Zhuang treating us?]

Hu Cong: [Adult Love]

Li Mingsheng: [My son has grown up, he will soon be married off.]

He Xing: [So happy for you guys.]

Yan Yan replied to Li Mingsheng: [Get lost, understand clearly who the dad is.]

After replying, Yan Yan noticed a new comment notification and opened it…

Orange: [I knew you two were a couple, but you kept denying it.]

Yan Yan was speechless. They weren’t really together at that time. But denying it now seemed futile. Forget it, being labeled a scumbag for Dr. Zhuang’s sake was not that bag.

Yan Yan replied to Orange: [I admit it.]

Orange: [Hmph, I knew it all along!]

Since chatting in the comments was inconvenient, Yan Yan switched to a private chat with Orange.

Yan Yan: [Oh?]

Orange: [[Rubbing chin] I’m coming to Xing City for work.]

Yan Yan: [What kind of work?]

Orange: [I signed with a club, esports player.]

Yan Yan contemplated. ‘A club in Xing City, could it be the champion team from last year?!’

Yan Yan: [NTC?]

Orange: [[Proud] Uh-huh, a substitute player.]

Yan Yan: [[Thumbs up][Beer]]

Orange: [So, when are you treating me to dinner? Bring your husband along.]

Yan Yan: [Why bring my husband?]

Orange: [It will be more fun! Zhaung-Yan is the best!!! I want to experience it live!]

Yan Yan: [Zhaung-Yan?]

Orange: [Your CP name! There’s even a trending hashtag for it now!]

Yan Yan: [[Incredulous cat with wide eyes]]

Yan Yan discreetly input “Zhung-Yan”, and found an overwhelming number of posts. Live stream recordings, fan fiction, fan art, everything imaginable. Someone even dug up the live stream where he said, “He’s definitely not my real brother,” and through voice analysis, confirmed it was Zhuang Yiyun. Dr. Zhuang helping him clear a game became a hit in the comments section.

Yan Yan read something out, “This is so good… Does gege really dote on him that much? This feeling of helpless indulgence, this domineering doctor × foolish wife dynamic! It’s incredibly satisfying!”

Wait a minute… he was the foolish wife in this scenario…

Yan Yan’s expression changed instantly. He swiftly deleted the fanfiction titled “My Foolish Wife.” Fuck you, you’re the foolish one, your whole family are the foolish ones!

He wanted to see what people were saying in the comments section. Did they truly think he was foolish?

Yan Yan scrolled down. The top comments were fine, with the usual remarks like “I’m dying of laughter.” Then, as he went further down, he encountered some unpleasant comments.

[What scientist? He’s just using his boss’s money for research. Real scientists work in national research institutes. They love money so much yet pretend to be noble. Otherwise, why would he be with an internet celebrity?]

[I’m laughing to death, making such a big deal just for fame. With those looks, he could’ve debuted at 18. Probably even won a Best Actor award now. What a waste of national education resources. What’s with the deep, affectionate scientist persona? Only idiots stupid fans would fall for it!]

These two comments had been scolded for many floors. Yan Yan’s smile froze. He was about to click to see more when he realized the comments had been deleted by the blogger. Such voices could appear in a CP fan circle which was supposed to be filled with cute and sweet content.

Yan Yan’s fingers stiffened as he exited the fan circle and opened the Weibo search bar. The Weibo posts were relatively harmonious, but amidst the chaos, he could still find harsh comments, even worse than those in the CP fan circle. The strong attitude that Zhuang Yiyun displayed during the livestream had clearly provoked a group of people, not many, but they were like annoying flies, relentlessly chasing after him, especially a few bloggers who Yan Yan had seen jumping around many times.

The words of Zhuang Xian said on the dinner, which he hadn’t taken seriously at the time, now echoed like thunder in his mind.

Yan Yan was in a daze until he heard the sound of the shower. Afraid that Zhuang Yiyun might notice something from his expression, he quickly got up. Not knowing where to go, he instinctively went into the kitchen.

If it were just him being criticized, he could dismiss it with a smile, even provide pointers on where their insults lacked sting. However, they were targeting Zhuang Yiyun… His gege was so outstanding and proud. Now, because of him, people were criticizing him online. These people didn’t even deserve to mention his gege’s name. They were just mouthy keyboard warriors who didn’t understand how amazing his profession was.

But… what could he do? Fight back? Go live again?

He followed this line of thought, even prepared for how to roast netizens. The more he thought, the more excited he became, wishing he could start right now. However, in that split second, he snapped back to reality. If he went live again, it would undoubtedly attract new traffic and further solidify these negative comments. They would say he’s an internet celebrity, that Zhuang Yiyun was just a character for traffic.

He couldn’t… and shouldn’t pay attention to these comments.

People online might say these things, but what about those around him? Was it only Auntie Zhuang who didn’t like him because people mocked Zhuang Yiyun because of him? Yan Yan placed his hands on the counter and closed his eyes tightly.

Never had he felt such an urgent need to become outstanding, to become powerful, to truly be someone revered by others. Not just someone whose grades were flaunted, whose failing records were discussed, who was about to graduate from college with an unknown future. These were all evidence of his mediocrity.

Moreover, because he appeared to lack a clear career plan, people labeled him as an aspiring internet celebrity. Even his live broadcasts were dissected and criticized, claiming he had no unique qualities and was unprofessional although he was really just playing for fun and should not be compared with the ranks of full-time anchors.

He wanted to ask, so what if he did? What if he wanted to become a full-time anchor? That was very much in line with the trend for college graduates nowadays. Many dream of becoming one but never achieve it. So what if he did want to become an anchor?

But he could already predict how these people would respond.

He would prove that he wasn’t just an internet celebrity climbing to fame through hype; he wasn’t making money like this. He would do his utmost to achieve his career dreams and carve his own path.

Yan Yan was at a loss, his face frozen in a smile. He hesitated, then closed his eyes, standing in the kitchen, leaning heavily on the counter.

That night, Yan Yan truly learned the art of restraint.

There were no counterattacks, no responses; he chose silence, letting these voices fade away with time. He would grow and achieve on a longer timeline, proving himself and vindicating Zhuang Yiyun’s name.

Zhuang Yiyun gave him unconditional love, and he wanted to build a future that matched it.

That night, he bought a disposable hair dye and turned his hair black. For his career as a lawyer, his blonde hair was inappropriate. Even though he was just working at the law firm to gain industry knowledge, it wasn’t suitable. It was only thanks to Lawyer Luo’s tolerance that he could stay.

Zhuang Yiyun was surprised when he saw Yan Yan dyed his hair and asked what happened.

“Nothing, my flashy hair isn’t seen well in the law firm. There’s one securities lawyer with pink hair, but he’s the only one. It’s a bit too eye-catching.”

This explanation felt somewhat forced. Yan Yan had never been afraid of standing out, but Zhuang Yiyun didn’t press further.

Yan Yan’s tears seemed like a kind of ritual, even a release. In this moment, he needed to do something to reassure himself; otherwise, he felt incredibly uncomfortable. His gege was the best, why should those people criticize him!

Yan Yan took a deep breath, smiled, and said, “Gege, I want to get my hair cut tomorrow, and make it the way it was when we first met. What do you think?”

He spoke so softly and endearingly that Zhuang Yiyun didn’t object. Whatever Yan Yan wanted to do, for whatever reason or occasion, he would support him.

“Okay. But I can’t accompany you tomorrow, I have important work and need to work overtime.” Lately, there had been a lot of activity at the National Pharmaceutical Center. Tomorrow, their project leader was coming, and it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to be absent.

“It’s okay, I don’t need you to accompany me just for a haircut.”

The next day, after finishing work, Yan Yan went straight to the barbershop. Managing long hair also required effort, so when he cut it off, he didn’t feel much loss. Instead, he felt genuine pleasure; it became a symbol of embarking on a new journey.

After finishing work, Zhuang Yiyun returned home and was amazed when he saw Yan Yan. Different from his previous chestnut-colored wig, Yan Yan’s natural hair had more volume and better texture. Unlike the dazzling freedom of his blonde hair, the clean, short black hair released his youthful charm entirely. He seemed like the first love in the hearts of countless girls.

“Come here.” Zhuang Yiyun opened his arms, expressing his love for Yan Yan’s new hairstyle.

Yan Yan rushed over, hanging onto him with a smile.

He thought change would be difficult, but Zhuang Yiyun always provided positive feedback and encouragement. Somehow, he had become the brightest beacon of light. As long as he stood there, he gave him the strength and courage to venture into the unknown.