IROAWTMTFL Chapter 69

Yan Yan came to visit and could only stay at the base for three days. Zhuang Yiyun couldn’t go out, so he could only accompany Yan Yan around the base living area. Even so, time seemed to pass easily. On the first day, Yan Yan didn’t get out of bed. Zhuang Yiyun had not forgotten his comment of not being able to do it at the age of thirty.

On the second day, while Yan Yan was having breakfast, he struck up a conversation with the cafeteria auntie. She not only agreed to bring back vegetables for him when she went shopping but also helped him borrow a stove from the kitchen. Yan Yan returned to Zhuang Yiyun’s table with great excitement and said, “Gege, I’m planning to set up a banquet at noon. Who would you like to invite?”

“What?” Zhuang Yiyun was surprised. After thinking about it, he quickly understood. He held Yan Yan’s hand and shook his head, saying, “Yan Yan, you don’t have to do these things for me. Just take care of yourself. I don’t have to deal with interpersonal relationships here; communication among colleagues is limited to professional matters.”

“Gege, I want to make ten dishes for you. Can you finish them alone? What does a recent graduate like me know about workplace socializing? I just want you to taste the dishes I’ve learned. But I’m afraid I’ll make too much, so you can share with some colleagues.” Yan Yan smiled brightly.

Zhuang Yiyun looked at him and fell silent. They had been here for half a year, and no matter how good the cafeteria chef was, he couldn’t recreate the taste of home-cooked meals. He often heard his colleagues longing for home-cooked dishes. Yan Yan said these words, but his sincerity would undoubtedly benefit him. He was used to being indifferent, and never cared about interpersonal relationships, but Yan Yan was thinking for him.

“You once said you weren’t born to be a good wife and mother just to cook for me. Yan Yan, you don’t need to sacrifice yourself like this.”

Yan Yan didn’t expect him to remember what he said during their arguments. He waved his hand and said, “It’s just a meal, it’s not a big deal.”

He wasn’t pretending, he genuinely didn’t feel wronged. Being able to do something for Zhuang Yiyun made him happier than waiting passively. He truly wanted Zhuang Yiyun to taste the flavors of his hometown and also use this opportunity to thank his colleagues who supported and took care of him.

After the vegetables were brought back by the cafeteria auntie, Yan Yan and Zhuang Yiyun went to the kitchen. In the six months Zhuang Yiyun had been at the base, he had never set foot in the kitchen. Two young men who were handsome and pleasing to the eye, who wouldn’t like them? The uncles and aunties in the kitchen all came over to help pick and wash the vegetables.

As they did the ordinary chores of life, Zhuang Yiyun listened to Yan Yan chatting with the uncles and aunties in the kitchen and found it quite interesting. All of this was Yan Yan patiently helping him experience life and integrate into it.

Once the vegetables were prepared, Yan Yan sent him out to invite people. In fact, Yan Yan had asked about some of his colleagues during their video calls. He had mentioned the non-confidential ones to Yan Yan, so Yan Yan knew almost everyone in his team. When Zhuang Yiyun entered the work area, he called the colleagues he was more familiar with. Finally, when passing by Professor Xun’s office, he hesitated for a moment. A vision of Yan Yan earnestly chopping vegetables flashed in his mind, so he knocked on the door and invited Professor Xun as well.

Zhuang Yiyun’s partner was a young man so no one had expected to be able to have such a meal. When they sat down at the dining table and looked at the dishes in front of them, the atmosphere became exceptionally lively.

Yan Yan had clearly planned this in advance. Zhuang Yiyun remembered all the people he mentioned, where they were from, their corresponding tastes, and special dishes. The food at the table had about fifteen dishes, but it catered to almost everyone’s taste. Everyone was astonished, and they expressed their thanks to Yan Yan and praised Zhuang Yiyun for finding such a good partner.

“Where does Young Yan work now?” Professor Xun asked contentedly as he enjoyed the delicious sweet and sour pork.

“I’m still unemployed, I just finished my postgraduate exams.”

“What major did you study?”

“Law.”

“Very good, that’s a great major. Come, let’s raise our cups, a tea toast to Xiao Yan’s success in the postgraduate entrance exam.”

“Thank you, Uncle Xun, thank you, everyone,” Yan Yan said and stood up with his cup. “I should be the one thanking all of you first. Thank you all for taking care of my gege regularly.”

Zhuang Yiyun raised his head slightly to look at him, his smile radiant. He stood up as well, lifting his cup. “Thank you, everyone. Please continue to guide us without reservation in the future.”

Although it was a borrowed venue, everyone enjoyed the gathering. After the busy day and back in the room, Zhuang Yiyun took the initiative to massage and relax Yan Yan’s sore muscles. He had been busy in the kitchen all morning, cooking over a dozen dishes. Even with assistance, the large stoves and cooking for so many people was not easy.

While getting massaged, Yan Yan said, “Gege, stop.”

Zhuang Yiyun smiled and his hands kept moving.

“If you keep massaging, I’ll… mmm.”

“Little piggy?”

“I called you!”

* This part of the flirting was a bit difficult for me to bring out, but this is a playful/cute way of calling out a lover, similar to calling out “baby”, “honey” etc.

“Be good. Just a little longer, your muscles will relax and you’ll feel comfortable.”

Zhuang Yiyun’s massage techniques were professional and precise. There wasn’t an acupoint he couldn’t find. The massage felt like a blend of relaxation and torture, and stopping was not an option!

Yan Yan begged, “Please, gege, stop it now. If you touch me again, I’ll…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Zhuang Yiyun leaned in and kissed him, instantly silencing Yan Yan.

Whenever they were together, no matter what they did, they enjoyed it thoroughly—whether it was walking, reading, playing ball, etc. But their time together was always brief. In three days, Yan Yan had to leave.

The last time they parted, Yan Yan cried. This time, he said, “Don’t exhaust yourself just to meet research deadlines and disregard your health. You’re already five years older than me. If you wear yourself out and I have to take care of you at such a young age, I might just run away, do you know that?”

“Alright, I’ll give you a husband with eight-pack abs next time we meet” Zhuang Yiyun said and hugged him.

Yan Yan got into the car to leave the base. Zhuang Yiyun could only accompany him to the base’s entrance. He stood there, watching until the car disappeared at the end of the road. Back in the room, the loneliness after the joyous gathering was particularly difficult to endure. Looking at the bed Yan Yan had neatly arranged, he remembered the message Yan Yan had sent after their previous separation. He went to Yan Yan’s side of the bed, lay down and put his head on Yan Yan’s pillow.

Zhuang Yiyun: [Baby, your pillow smells so good.]

Yan Yan held his phone in the car, tears streaming down his face.

Yan Yan: [I forgot to tell you, my mom was worried that other things might not taste good, so she specially made a few bottles of sauce for you. Two bottles of your favorite beef sauce, one bottle of chili sauce, and another bottle of chicken sauce. She was afraid you wouldn’t be used to the food here, so she made me bring them. I left them on the desk in the room.]

Zhuang Yiyun got up to check. He opened the beef sauce and smelled its aroma. This was the taste of being cared for by parents.

After the visit, their life returned to its previous rhythm. Yan Yan began preparing for the bar exam, and both of them were busy with their own tasks. They still communicated through video calls at night. During the Chinese New Year, the base organized a video call for families, and Zhuang Yiyun saw Yan Yan’s family and his mother, Zhuang Xian. This time, Zhuang Xian was not wearing a forced smile.

Zhuang Yiyun gradually realized that his life had changed completely because of Yan Yan. Thanks to Yan Yan, he had become a normal person with a mundane, happy life.

In February, Yan Yan’s results for the postgraduate entrance exam were out and he smoothly entered the interview stage. In late March, after a year of hard work, he successfully passed the interview and was accepted into the master’s program in law at Xing University.

When he received the news, Zhuang Yiyun kept smiling like he had never done before. Even Professor Xun was amazed and he asked what good news he had. Zhuang Yiyun was waiting for this question and immediately shared the news about Yan Yan getting into the master’s program. Yan Yan had treated them to a meal and he quite liked this young man. Of course, the meal also elevated Zhuang Yiyun’s status. After learning the news, Professor Xun even contacted the president of Xing University, specifically putting in a word for Yan Yan.

In September, Yan Yan started his studies and also took the bar exam, officially stepped onto the right track. Shortly after the subjective exam ended in October, the results were announced, and he had successfully passed.

The most excited person wasn’t Yan Yan or Zhuang Yiyun; it was Yan Yan’s mother. Qian Ruqing stood behind him, watching him check the results. The moment she saw the scores, she got emotional and cried tears of joy. She looked at her son, who was studying seriously like never before and putting in unprecedented effort, and was truly proud. Seeing his efforts pay off made her really happy.

Yan Yan had always been lazy. He was smart but never dedicated to his studies. Since his senior year, Qian Ruqing and Yan Ximing had been worried, not knowing what he wanted to do in the future. But now, they were completely reassured.

Everything went smoothly and Yan Yan had even requested time off to visit Zhuang Yiyun again. However, he was suddenly informed that the base had suspended all visits from external people so his visitation request was canceled.

Soon after, news about a new infectious disease in western Yunnan spread online. Media and social media got involved in the “fight” against this new virus. Soon, the first small-scale spread of the disease started, and the authorities had to respond publicly.

The new highly Infectious disease stirred the hearts of people nationwide, causing widespread panic. The media frenzy was too big that Yan Yan even watched the press conference. At the conference, he saw Professor Xun and heard him say that the research on the MOTC virus had started a year and a half ago, and they had achieved significant progress. It was only now that he understood what Zhuang Yiyun couldn’t disclose to him initially—the details of the project.

“MOTC” became the latest buzzword. The rapid progression and severe symptoms of this new infectious disease frightened the public. To boost confidence, the National TV launched a program to visit the State Pharmaceutical Research Base to disclose some research details in an organized manner.

During the program broadcast, the Yan family of three crowded on the living room sofa, watching with unwavering attention. They looked like any other family, but unlike others who cared about the research, they were also concerned about their son-in-law/husband. Yan Yan hadn’t received any notice about visitation ever since his initial request was terminated. Recently, Zhuang Yiyun had been so busy he barely had time for video calls, so he didn’t know if he could see him on the program.

Fortunately, they didn’t wait in vain. Among the crowd of experts, they saw Zhuang Yiyun, and there was even a close-up shot. One of the reporters asked a question, and since it was his main area of research, he answered it himself.

“Xiao Yiyun is amazing…” Qian Ruqing said in awe, looking at the obviously thinner but more refined Zhuang Yiyun in the video. She remembered to take out her phone and took pictures of the TV, sending them to Zhuang Xian and asked if she had watched the program.

After sending it, she was stunned, suddenly remembering the picture of Zhuang Yiyun that Zhuang Xian had sent her. It was also a screenshot of a TV program. With a strange impulse, she forwarded this picture to Yan Yan.

Yan Yan’s phone beeped with a notification sound. He opened it and was speechless, not understanding what his mother was up to.

Qian Ruqing had no intention of explaining this sudden sense of fate. She continued with her previous statement, “They say the camera adds ten pounds and distorts all the features. Our Xiao Yiyun is truly handsome, he still looks good on camera.”

This was what they called a mother-in-law admiring her son-in-law, the more she looked, the more satisfied she became… Yan Yan ignored his mother’s exaggerated compliments, only thinking about when they could reopen visitation. The involvement of public opinion will further increase the pressure on their research, so he was worried about Zhuang Yiyun and wanted to see him.

He wanted to see, but didn’t get to. Even during the Chinese New Year, the base still didn’t grant family visitation rights. However, right after the national TV program aired, Yan Yan’s Weibo was flooded with comments. Dr. Zhuang’s looks, combined with the high viewership of the show, caused a sudden surge in his popularity. Anyone who had seen him before could never mistake him, or forget him easily. Consequently, even Yan Yan, who had been quiet for two years, was unearthed by fans.

Yan Yan’s fan base grew rapidly and many people asked him about MOTC-related matters. Yan Yan now realized how important this was and didn’t dare to respond casually. He pretended he didn’t have this Weibo account and let them continue speculating. However, after secretly browsing, he discovered that many of those who had criticized Dr. Zhuang before had deleted their posts, probably due to being scolded by other netizens.

After the Chinese New Year, he thought the situation would stabilize and improve. But then, another wave of the virus spread occurred. For the entire year, his visitation applications were never approved. MOTC’s vaccine was available, and biologists from the research team were allowed to return home, but the pharmaceutical researchers working on specific medicines were still working day and night.

Zhuang Yiyun had been away from Xing City for two and a half years. In the blink of an eye, Yan Yan was close to graduating from his master’s program. Initially, he had told Zhuang Yiyun that if he didn’t return within three years, he would give up on him. Yet now, Yan Yan felt he could wait a little longer. Even Jiang Li was surprised that Yan Yan, with his independent spirit, could endure this loneliness for Zhuang Yiyun.

In Jiang Li’s words: “You really love him.”

Yan Yan thought, yes, he really did love him.

Half a year of continuing to love him passed by in a flash. Zhuang Yiyun didn’t attend his graduation ceremony, and Yan Yan didn’t demand a divorce. He believed he could wait a bit longer.

On the day MOTC’s special drug was released, it happened to be his first appearance in court. At the press conference, Zhuang Yiyun was prominently featured. Not only was he a core member of the research team, but he also represented Senlan Pharmaceutical, the manufacturer of the special drug. With dual roles, he secured a prominent place at the press conference.

The press conference used official language, but the backstage interviews afterward were much more casual. Zhuang Yiyun was now one of the hottest young scientists in the country, and many media outlets were keeping an eye on him. As soon as he appeared, reporters rushed to interview him.

He was bombarded with questions, and the reporters didn’t let him go. At this moment, a reporter praised the speed of their research. Zhuang Yiyun suddenly responded, “For the past three and a half years, the entire research team has been working tirelessly. If we delay the mission by even a day, hundreds or even thousands of people could be infected. Additionally, my spouse is waiting for me at home. Today is his first independent appearance in court as a lawyer, and I want to pick him up after work. May I leave?”

The surrounding reporters parted like the Red Sea, and Zhuang Yiyun swiftly left the scene.

Other media outlets were manageable, but one of them was broadcasting live. Therefore, before Zhuang Yiyun even arrived in Xing City, the hashtag #PickHimUpAfterWork# had become a hot search.

But what did that have to do with him? After landing, he got into Ke Mingcheng’s car, went to a flower shop to pick out flowers, and then headed straight to the courthouse. All in all, he and Yan Yan hadn’t seen each other in three years. He couldn’t wait a moment longer.

When Yan Yan came out, he was still talking to the client’s family. He was wearing a well-fitted suit, and there was a lawyer’s badge pinned to his left chest. When he raised his wrist, his watch was visible, and he wore a wedding ring on his ring finger. His smile was warm, giving off an air of an elite professional. The only slightly discordant note was the diamond earring in his right ear that was gleaming brightly in the sunlight.

Yan Yan sent off the client’s family and then noticed Zhuang Yiyun standing not far away.

He didn’t know how long Zhuang Yiyun had been standing there, but he simply watched him quietly. Zhuang Yiyun was holding a bunch of purple tulips, symbolizing endless love.

Zhuang Yiyun opened his lips and said silently, “I’m back.”

-End of the Main Story-

We have come to the end of the main story!! (⁠*⁠˘⁠︶⁠˘⁠*⁠)⁠.⁠｡⁠*❤️

After the 11 extra chapters, we’ll have come to the end of Yan Yan and Zhuang Yiyun’s story. Ó⁠╭⁠╮⁠Ò