《Fight the Landlord, Fall in Love》


 Chapter 4 - Only Virgos Could Do Something Like This

    <h4>Chapter 4 - Only Virgos Could Do Something Like This</h4>


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Sun Ziyuan was downstairs and heard the noise, and he hastily stood up. ¡°Did you quarrel with Dad again?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother me. I want to ask you something.¡± Sun Zinan smiled coldly. ¡°Is it because you¡¯re securely living through every day, so you can¡¯t resist rubbing some sand into the old man¡¯s eyes? You¡¯re really generous.¡±


    This was said casually, without thinking. He did not care if Sun Ziyuan could even understand his meaning, and angrily flung his hands out as he walked away.


    Sun Qi peeled at a mandarin, grumbling, ¡°He was arguing with Grandfather, why would he turn his fire towards you? So weird.¡±


    Three vertical lines appeared between Sun Ziyuan¡¯s brows as he looked almost apprehensively towards the tightly shut door upstairs. He muttered lowly, ¡°Shut your mouth, don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡±


    Sun Qi was a little sullen at being scolded; he didn¡¯t understand why his father was suddenly behaving so erratically.


    In recent years, Sun Zinan had alwayse home to eat his meals with a stomach full of anger. There was already an established process of lighting, burning, then extinguishing the fire. He dropped his useless and inconsequential assistant off at the nearest subway station before driving himself to a bar owned by one of his friends.


    There was a saying that ¡°raising a cup to release your sorrow will only make your sorrows greater.¡± Today, for some reason, maybe because of the series of rotten eggs being thrown at him, the three sses of cold wine mixed unpleasantly with his burning stomach. Instead of calming his impatience, the alcohol only brought him a new problem. Just as Sun Zinan, who was frowning from the pain, was about to pay the bill and leave, a graceful figure sat down beside him. The flowery fragrance of Brgi perfume, along with the faint scent of smoke, drifted over. ¡°Yo, Boss Sun, what a rare sight.¡±


    N?v(el)B\\jnn


    ¡°Why are you moodily drinking by yourself? What¡¯s troubling you?¡± The slender, elegant beauty charmingly yed with their hair, propping a hand on the bar counter. ¡°Want to vent a little? I won¡¯t charge you.¡±


    ¡°No need, your presence is my loss.¡± Sun Zinan covered his nose and said in a low, muffled voice, ¡°Get up, go away. You smell.¡±


    The scent of perfume made him dizzy. Of course his good friend had to be a crossdresser who liked to wear perfume¡ªthis had made their friendship teeter dangerously across the edge of a cliff over the years.


    ¡°Qie, don¡¯t pretend to be courteous.¡± Xie Zhuozily put out his cigarette and returned to his normal voice, a low baritone, to tell the waiter, ¡°Give him a cup of hot water.¡±


    The ¡®beautiful woman¡¯ with long hair and red lips was actually a man. Sun Zinan and the waiter were both used to it, but the customers nearby showed expressions of disillusionment. Xie Zhuo took a sip of his whisky. ¡°As long as there is life, there will be endless troubles. Suppressing it will only make you miserable; it¡¯s better to let it out. This way, you won¡¯t be like a powder keg in the future, not knowing when you¡¯ll explode with a bang.¡±


    Sun Zinan, ¡°What¡¯s the point of talking about it? If moving my lips a few times would solve it, then I would have be a chatterbox a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°The first step to solving a problem is to face it directly,¡± Xie Zhuo said. ¡°If you don¡¯t even have the courage to expose the wound, how can you expect it to heal?¡±


    ¡°Exposing a wound won¡¯t make it heal; it¡¯ll only lead to infection, causingplications, and eventually deformities.¡± Sun Zinan took the hot water from the waiter and said, ¡°Do you have anymon sense?¡±


    Xie Zhuo, ¡°Then just smother it within yourself, don¡¯t talk about it. I hope it smothers you to death.¡±


    Sun Zinan shook his head, and gave a snort ofughter.


    In their attitudes towards life, he and Xie Zhuo were pr opposites. Sun Zinan was exceedingly restrained, while Xie Zhuo expressed himself as freely as possible. Although it seemed like their personalities would sh, they actuallyplemented each other quite well. Their friendship waspletely due to the discretion of some higher being. They both were the type of men with acquaintances from all walks in life, but had few close friends. Most probably, thest time they were caught up in sentimental sincerity was in their youth; in adulthood they covered up their personal feelings so tightly it was difficult to make any intimate friends.


    Xie Zhuo was Sun Zinan¡¯s high school roommate. In the first year, the two of them basically ignored each other; although most of the students were either rich or of high standing, the two of them seemed to have neither the interest nor the motivation to make friends or interact with anyone. Sun Zinan got up early every day to attend ss with his frightening self-discipline while Xie Zhuo loitered about freely, sleeping in untilte morning every day and skipping ss as a habit. No teacher dared reprimand him.


    Xie Zhuo¡¯s father was in the real estate business and had profited greatly when the industry was in full swing. However, not even a year after his mother had passed away from cancer, his father married another woman. Xie Zhuo fought with his father until everything was aplete mess. In a fit of rage, his father sent him to boarding school. Once he was out of sight, out of mind, his father sweetly had a child with the stepmother.


    Provoked by his father and stepmother, the youthful Xie Zhuo developed a sense of ¡®love¡¯ that was different from other people¡¯s.


    Even to this day, Sun Zinan still clearly remembered that spring afternoon. The weather was fine, the breeze warm, and the peach blossoms on campus had bloomed into splendid, rosy clouds. After his tennis ss, his clothes werepletely soaked in sweat, so he had made a detour back to his dorm to shower and change before going to ss.


    The entire building was quiet. He swiped into his dorm room but had only opened the door halfway when he heard the crisp sound of ss bottles falling onto the floor.


    Xie Zhuo had been startled by the sound of the opening door and turned around. He was wearing a pomegranate dress that perfectly entuated his slender waist, but the design of the dress could not hide his t chest. A bottle of nail polish rolled by his feet, spilling a pool of scarlet onto the light flooring as striking as the awkward silence that followed.


    Sun Zinan¡¯s first reaction: Good thing I don¡¯t like women.


    He had never seen such an expression on Xie Zhuo¡¯s face. The young master who had proimed himself to be a good-for-nothing was still capable of nervousness. His eyes were filled with despair, as if he was a small white rat waiting to be dissected¡ªSun Zinan was the one holding the knife.


    Was that really necessary? He wondered to himself. I won¡¯t do anything to you just because you¡¯re wearing a woman¡¯s dress.


    He closed the door expressionlessly. As he took a change of clothes from his closet, he said to the dazed Xie Zhuo, ¡°Stop spacing out. Hurry up and wipe the floor¡ªit won¡¯t be easy to clean up when it¡¯s dry. While you¡¯re at it, open the window. The smell is too much.¡±


    Xie Zhuo, ¡°...¡±


    His mind waspletely nk,pletely losing the ability to think. He could only follow Sun Zinan¡¯s directions and obediently wiped the floor clean. When Sun Zinan came out of the bathroom, he found Xie Zhuo sitting at the table with his head bowed, his clothes unchanged. The wind blew in from the window.


    Despite the fact that temperatures were rising again, it was still early spring and Sun Zinan was afraid he¡¯d freeze to death. He could only walk over to the window and close it again. ¡°Aren¡¯t you cold?¡± He looked down at the floor and said with a frown, ¡°The cracks between the floorboards aren¡¯t clean...forget it, let¡¯s have the cleaning auntie do it tomorrow.¡±


    Xie Zhuo sat there, transfixed for a moment, then said off-topically, ¡°Are you a Virgo?¡±


    Sun Zinan said, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Only Virgos could do something like this!


    ¡°Then...¡± Xie Zhuo worried anxiously for a while, and finally gathered his courage to say with difficulty, ¡°If you feel that...it¡¯s disgusting, I can change rooms...¡±


    Sun Zinan rearranged the things on the table for a moment, pondering. ¡°I don¡¯t. As long as you agree that you won¡¯t leave nail polish all over the floor in the future and open the window to air it out immediately, and keep good hygiene, then you don¡¯t have to change rooms.¡±


    He spoke with absolute sincerity. To a mysophobic virgin, the daily habits of someone like Xie Zhuo, who didn¡¯t like to exercise and sweated easily without moving, were definitely not desirable. Besides, it wasn¡¯t like wearing dresses was a sin; it was better than wandering around naked every day.


    ¡°Won¡¯t you mind?¡± He asked in a panic. ¡°Living with a pervert...¡±


    Sun Zinan frowned deeply. Xie Zhuo felt like he was watching a sanitary inspection.


    ¡°You really should study more,¡± Sun Zinan said. ¡°Even if you dress like a lunatic, that¡¯s still your choice. If this will get you called a pervert, then there won¡¯t be many normal people under the heavens.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any opinions about what you wear. Your hobby has nothing to do with me, so why would I have any right to judge? Likewise, no one has the right to force you to only wear men¡¯s clothing and not women¡¯s clothing.¡± He picked his backpack up from the desk and turned to leave. ¡°That¡¯s all. I¡¯m going to ss.¡±


    The heavy wooden door clicked shut¡ªthe soundproof walls prevented him from even hearing Sun Zinan¡¯s footsteps. The room was silent, leaving only his quiet sobs.


    Xie Zhuo wiped his face. He found that at some point, his entire face had be covered in tears.


    In his despair in the darkest parts of his heart¡¯s abyss, when he was prepared to lose his reputation, this normally cold, unsociable roommate showed an uncharacteristic tolerance. He had even reassured his anxiety with just a few words, creating a firm, unchallenged respect, and lightly pulled him back to the ground.


    Xie Zhuo had a good cry in his soundproof room. After crying, he washed the makeup off his face, changed into his school uniform, and walked into the ssroom during the evening self-study.


    Of course, the Sun Zinan in the ssroom didn¡¯t even bother lifting an eyelid towards him.


    After that, Xie Zhuo unterally dered that they were good friends on the grounds that they had a shared secret. On the other hand, Sun Zinan felt like Xie Zhuo was being very unreasonable, as if this small trifle could break through his reserved nature. Being friends with a roommate he never spoke with could really show how cheap his friendship was.


    But he didn¡¯t reject Xie Zhuo.


    After all, he had heard the bawling from outside the door. With his moral integrity, if he refused this friendship, he would probably go jump off a building.


    Later on, Xie Zhuo changed his idle habits and fervently worked hard. He went on to attend a good university, and the two of them kept in touch when Sun Zinan went abroad. The day he returned, Xie Zhuo had insisted picking him up in person, so the Sun Zinan who had been experiencing hardships abroad was met with the biggest shock of all time¡ªhe could not have imagined that the beautiful, long-haired and graceful sister in front of him was actually his once t-chested and rebellious high school ssmate.


    To this day, the two of them were still good friends. Sun Zinan jumped through the hoops to be a talented, sessful young man, while Xie Zhuo, with his father¡¯s help, opened up a bar and dressed as a woman all day. Fortunately, he wasn¡¯t the type of person to be easily taken advantage of. He had spent these years among all sorts of customers and was wise in the ways of the world. He had set aside his hidden scars and found the correct path to take in the world.


    So even though Xie Zhuo didn¡¯t seem too reliable, Sun Zinan was still willing to talk to him about his troubles.


    ¡°The old man wants me to go on a blind date.¡± He gently shook the cup of hot water, pretending he didn¡¯t care as he said, ¡°With a guy.¡±

 Chapter 9 - Ah! Science!

    <h4>Chapter 9 - Ah! Science!</h4>


    At this moment, Sun Zinan¡¯s only thought was: where did this obedient childe from?


    Director Sun was not an extremely rich man, but he was still a young entrepreneur. Asking for money or material objects, even if this request would invoke feelings in the future, was still far more valuable than a few ordinary meals. Did Tang Kai be an idiot from the barbecue smoke? Howe he didn¡¯t even understand something as simple as this?


    Sun Zinan took a deep breath. ¡°Are you serious? Don¡¯t joke around, think about it some more.¡±


    Tang Kai asked back, ¡°Is this an unreasonable request?¡±


    Sun Zinan was tongue-tied. Tang Kai continued, ¡°Then why won¡¯t you agree to it?¡±


    Sun Zinan wasn¡¯t sure whether to call him naive or stupid.


    Everyone was watching the two of them. Xie Zhuo poked him from under the table to remind him to stop staring off into the distance. At the same time, he said out loud, ¡°Why are you hesitating over such a small thing? Our Director Sun isn¡¯t a sore loser! Isn¡¯t it just a few meals? If he doesn¡¯t agree, I¡¯ll agree for him!¡±


    The group roared inughter.


    Sun Zinan nced at Tang Kai and found that he was still calmly looking back at him. His bodynguage was full of a silent stubbornness. In order to end this scene, he could only promise, ¡°Okay. As long as you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    Only then was Tang Kai satisfied.


    A new game began after this, but neither of the two had any interest in ying anymore. Sun Zinan purposely lost the round. When he turned around, he found Tang Kai, who had lost much earlier, leisurely leaning against his chair and staring up at the heavenly river of stars spreading across the sky.


    He felt like he should say something to him, but he didn¡¯t know what to say. As he hesitated, Xie Zhuo quietly tapped him and murmured, ¡°What happened between the two of you? Why does it feel kind of ufortable?¡±


    Sun Zinan denied it. ¡°Nothing happened.¡±


    Xie Zhou questioned, ¡°Then what were the two of you doing behind our backs this morning?¡±


    Sun Zinan didn¡¯t even lift his eyes. ¡°As you saw, Fight the Landlord.¡±


    Xie Zhuo uttered an unconvinced sound. ¡°That¡¯s not right. Auntie, what can¡¯t you tell me?¡±


    Sun Zinan waved him away. ¡°When the adults are talking, the kids shouldn¡¯t listen.¡±


    Xie Zhuo, ¡°Leave some face for yourself. Just because I called you aunt you think you¡¯re now a senior?¡±


    Sun Zinan couldn¡¯t fool him and could only say, ¡°I¡¯ll chat with you on WeChatter tonight. Go y your card games.¡±


    Xie Zhuo¡¯s gossipy soul was satisfied and he departed triumphantly.


    The courtyard was continuously full ofughter until the moon rose high up in the sky. In the deep of the night, Sun Zinan couldn¡¯t bear the smell of smoke on him anymore and went back to his room. The gathering dispersed ordingly.


    The walls between rooms were not very soundproof; when Tang Kai went upstairs, he could hear the faint sound of water through the walls as he stood in the corridor. Sun Zinan was probably still taking a shower. As he was about to unlock the door to his own room, the sound of water stopped. A momentter, a startled &#k2018;Fuck!¡¯ sounded from the room next door.


    Tang Kai¡¯s hand trembled and he almost threw his key. He hurriedly knocked on Sun Zinan¡¯s door. ¡°Director Sun, it¡¯s me, Tang Kai. What happened, do you need help?¡±


    Sun Zinan opened the door in an uncharacteristic, rapid manner and rushed out to hide behind Tang Kai. He seemed like he was about to copse. ¡°This fucking hellhole! There¡¯s a bug!¡±


    Tang Kai could only see a white apparition whizzing in front of his eyes. He didn¡¯t think Sun Zinan could be this agile. He wasn¡¯t sure what kind of bug could possibly scare someone into this state, but unconsciously reached out anyways to protect him, saying, ¡°It¡¯s all right, don¡¯t be scared. What did you see?¡±


    Sun Zinan gritted his teeth to stop himself from running away. ¡°There was a big ck bug, could fly...it couldn¡¯t have been a bat right?¡±


    ¡°Your room is so bright, it shouldn¡¯t be a bat.¡± Tang Kai pulled Sun Zinan behind him. ¡°I¡¯ll go in and check.¡±


    He pushed the door open and entered the room, only to see shadows shifting around the ceilingmp. There were tworge moths vigorously beating their wings. Wild bugs in the mountains were quite big¡ªwith two of them, the visual impact was rather startling.


    Tang Kai looked about him and understood what had happened when he saw the window wide open in the wind. He turned off the lights and walked out to hand his room key to an unmoving Sun Zinan still standing in the corridor. ¡°Go to my room first and dry your hair before you catch a cold.¡±


    As he spoke, he gently pushed at his back. ¡°Go, there aren¡¯t any bugs there.¡±


    Sun Zinan had seen the two moths immediately aftering out of the bathroom. He had been so scared he had thrown his towel away; thankfully he had already put on a bathrobe or else he would have ranpletely naked into the deep night. As he took Tang Kai¡¯s key, the wits that had bolted off slowly came back. He felt both a lingering fear and a creeping, regretful shame.


    The window in Tang Kai¡¯s room was closed, and it felt a little stuffy. Sun Zinan had been afraid of bugs since he was a child. He had been fine before he saw the moths, but now that he knew bugs existed in this ce, he couldn¡¯t sit still. Every one of his nerves was tense to the point of reaching the ceiling. He felt as if every crack in the walls and floor hid countless enemies.


    After a while, Tang Kai came back from the room next door and witnessed Sun Zinan standing nkly by the bed, too frightened to sit down. He couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Are you still scared? I already checked, there aren¡¯t any bugs.¡±


    Sun Zinan asked, ¡°How is my room?¡±


    Tang Kai, ¡°You didn¡¯t close your window earlier. When you turned on the light the bugs saw and flew in. I turned the lights off, so they should have flown away.¡±


    The moment Sun Zinan thought of the fact that bugs had been in his room before, he could feel goosebumps rising. He sighed and said, ¡°Never mind, I¡¯ll ask Xie Zhuo if there are any other empty rooms.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s toote, don¡¯t bother.¡± Tang Kai blocked his path. ¡°Go get your luggage ande to this room. I¡¯ll switch with you.¡±


    No matter how much Sun Zinan hated bugs, he didn¡¯t want to be a burden to others. He was about to say, ¡®How could I?¡± but Tang Kai had already held him down by the shoulder with some force, as if he had predicted his objection. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of bugs.¡±


    After saying that, he walked over to the ck bag on his chair and took out a 60 ml transparent stic spray bottle. He passed it to Sun Zinan. ¡°If you¡¯re still worried, spray the bed and floor with this. You can also use it as a disinfectant or hand sanitizer.¡±


    Sun Zinan held the bottle to the light to scan its contents. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°PHMG, polyhexamethylene guanidine.¡± Tang Kai wore his backpack and walked out the door. ¡°It¡¯s a disinfectant and germ-killer. Non-toxic and tasteless, use as much as you want.¡±


    Ah! Science!


    At this moment Sun Zinan felt like he could forgive the entire world¡ªTang Kai was themp lighting up his darkest nights. Forget about having him cook for a week. If Tang Kai wanted him to cook for him every day for the rest of his life, Sun Zinan wouldn¡¯t refuse!


    People were most likely to be moved during their most vulnerable times, and Sun Zinan could not ignoremon etiquette. Undoubtedly, his affections sprouted from a bottle of polyhexamethylene guanidine.


    Tang Kai wasn¡¯t even aware of the wondrous effects of the disinfectant, but he had already made the Director Sun next door sing an entire love aria within his heart. He drove away the other flies in the room, shut the window, then turned the light on again. He then saw Sun Zinan¡¯s scattered personal belongings.


    He swept Sun Zinan¡¯s things to one side, then opened his bag to take out a change of clothes. He undressed and went to the only half-closed bathroom door.


    N?v(el)B\\jnn


    The steam from the previous shower covered the entire bathroom in a muffled warmth. There was a faint hint of the fragrance of wood, adding a subtle ambiguity. Tang Kai softly breathed out, waiting for his heartbeat to calm down. He reached out and turned the shower on.


    Hot water flowed out, drenching his ck hair. Within the cascading curtain of water, the young man¡¯s fine figure was exposed. His muscles were full and lithe, his skin firm and white. He looked like a beautiful marble sculpture.


    Tang Kai closed his eyes, tilting his head back to let the water stream down and wash his entire body. His mind, on the other hand, took this brief time alone to think over the various events of the day. This trip had definitely been worth it. After leaving his familiar surroundings and experiencing numerous unforeseen incidents, he had finally lifted up a corner of that mask and saw a bit of the truth behind the other man¡¯s frivolousness.


    Sun Zinan¡¯s previous image of a well-dressed pale silhouette had turned much more prolific¡ªwhether it was his surprising cooking skills or his beautiful figure despite his couch potato ways, Tang Kai felt like Sun Zinan¡¯s asional meanness, constant soft-heartedness, and even his (very) little w of being afraid of bugs were all very interesting and cute.


    Most importantly, Tang Kai finally realized that although Sun Zinan had imed himself as a realistic person, he never intended to make others act just as realistic.


    Sun Zinan rarely spoke his mind. The genuine feelings that floated on top of the sea were so pitiful in number that one had to dive deeply before touching the vastness of a heart nobody knew.


    Tang Kai had gone home after their conversation had gone awry that day. After he had calmed down, he thought it over again and realized Sun Zinan had truly just been trying to show him his cards. It hadn¡¯t been a warning.


    He almost had the words ¡®this person is a ck hole¡¯ written on his forehead.


    Tang Kai felt like he had misunderstood him, so he had asked Sun Zinan to his face earlier that morning.


    Sun Zinan¡¯s first reaction had been to conceal his expression, only smiling as he stared back at him. ¡°Professor Tang, do I look like a charitable person to you?¡±


    Tang Kai had responded, ¡°If you had really wanted to trick me into marriage for an inheritance, then you wouldn¡¯t have told me about it. You definitely knew I wouldn¡¯t ept it, yet you still told me. That means from the start you didn¡¯t even consider going on that path. This was actually a very simple logical problem, but I misunderstood.¡±


    Sun Zinan had been so stunned by this analysis that he didn¡¯t know how to answer. He was stuck for a long time before finally saying, ¡°Ahem...it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not a test. If you get it wrong I¡¯m not going to deduct any points.¡±


    But Tang Kai still had said earnestly, ¡°I was wrong, my apologies.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Sun Zinan had never met such a motivated and responsible ¡®good student¡¯ before and he was at a loss for words. After a moment he continued, ¡°Then I...forgive you?¡±


    Tang Kai had nodded.


    The two of them had silently stood there. Tang Kai had seemed to have finally made a decision, and said with a determination akin to resolutely blowing up a fort, ¡°I¡¯m willing to try.¡±


    Sun Zinan, ¡°Try what?¡±


    Tang Kai, ¡°Try to cultivate feelings with you and maybe take a step forward with our friendship.¡±


    Sun Zinan: ¡°...Do you want to think about it some more?¡±


    ¡°Think about it, Professor Tang, if you ept this, then won¡¯t I achieve my original goal? I¡¯ve tricked you into marrying me, I¡¯ve given you a sense of security, and I¡¯ve shown you my affection. I¡¯ve killed three birds with one stone. Isn¡¯t that how it works? This is also a logical problem, please think it over carefully.¡±


    Tang Kai, ¡°...¡±


    He could tell that all of Sun Zinan¡¯s efforts had been put into teasing him. What was so cute about this pig trotter!


    Xie Zhuo had been wondering all day how Tang Kai lost over a million Huanle Dou in just one morning. This was the reason.


    It was already midnight by the time he finished showering. Someone abruptly knocked on his door. After he covered himself with a towel, Tang Kai opened the door and discovered Sun Zinan standing there. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Sun Zinan had recovered from his shock and reverted back to his customary manner. His hair had just been dried and hung gently over his brows. This erased any hints of aggression from his face, blurring his age even further. The body wrapped in the bathrobe was thin and tall. His waist was slim and his legs long¡ªhe looked in every way like a charming young man.


    He handed the spray bottle over. ¡°Nothing happened. I thought you might need to use this too. Thank you.¡±


    Tang Kai, ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡±


    His fingertips merely touched the palm of his hand for half a second, but it suddenly felt as if he had been electrocuted.


    The air was still for a moment.


    Tang Kai asked, ¡°Your clothes, still in your bag...?¡±


    ¡°Hand me the bag,¡± Sun Zinan replied. ¡°I don¡¯t need my clothes.¡±


    Tang Kai silently turned back, gathered the things, and put them into his hands.


    Sun Zinan, ¡°I¡¯ll stop bothering you. Good night.¡±


    ¡°En, good night.¡±

 Chapter 12 - Go Look at Your Recipe

    <h4>Chapter 12 - Go Look at Your Recipe</h4>


    On their way back to the office, Yu Liang didn¡¯t dare stand by Wang Geng¡¯s side so he walked one step behind him. He nced up at the other¡¯s back over and over again, but didn¡¯t dare speak to him the entire time.


    He returned to the assistant¡¯s office with a drooping head, then ran into Gu Yao, Sun Zinan¡¯s main assistant, carrying a bag as she went out the door. Yu Liang falteringly greeted her with a ¡®Gu Yao jie.¡¯ This was returned with a stern look. ¡°I¡¯m running an errand. Don¡¯t run around and leave Director Sun without any staff to call for.¡±


    Yu Liang nodded dazedly and sat down at his workstation. His mind was in a state of turmoil¡ªhe wasn¡¯t sure if he should report Liu Cheng to Sun Zinan.


    Although Liu Cheng¡¯s actions had been very suspicious, he was still one of Sun Zinan¡¯s highly-regarded employees. If he carelessly went and made a false report, Yu Liang would definitely lose his job.


    But if he didn¡¯t say anything, he would still feel ufortable.


    And Wang Geng, how much did he hear? What side did that person stand on?


    In the evening, while the employees were packing up to go home, Sun Zinan sat in front of the window under the light of the setting sun. He wondered if he should invite Tang Kai for dinner and ask him for advice about the situation. But before he had even figured out how to ask, the phone on his desk began vibrating.


    Speaking of the devil, Tang Kai¡¯s voice rang out clearly. ¡°Not off work yet?¡±


    Sun Zinan automatically interpreted this question as Tang Kai asking if he was still at thepany or not. He replied, ¡°Not yet. What¡¯s up?¡±


    Tang Kai responded brusquely, ¡°Yourpany¡¯s receptionists are already off work.¡±


    Sun Zinan nked for a few seconds before realizing something. He sprang up unstably from his chair. ¡°Are you downstairs? Wait there, don¡¯t move, I¡¯lle down right now.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t rush.¡± There seemed to be a lowugh from the other end of the phone. ¡°Take your time.¡±


    A ck BMW was parked in front of the building. Sun Zinan recognized the license te and pulled the door open with a familiar ease. He sat down and asked in a good mood, ¡°How did you find the time toe over today?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to do at theb and I¡¯m not that busy over summer vacation anyways.¡± Tang Kai motioned for him to buckle his seat belt and lightly stepped on the gas pedal. ¡°I remembered we haven¡¯t eaten the meal fromst time, so I came to collect my debts.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat out today.¡± Sun Zinan thought events had turned out perfectly. He said casually, ¡°I don¡¯t have any groceries at home.¡±


    Tang Kai¡¯s mood visibly dropped, sulking so tantly it was difficult to ignore. His beautiful side profile became strained, and his eyes stared straight ahead. His entire body exuded an aura ofints, as if he was saying ¡®you lying big pig trotter.¡¯


    Sun Zinan became quite afraid of this and coaxed hurriedly, ¡°Isn¡¯t it because I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll be hungry. Then let¡¯s stop by the supermarket on the way. It¡¯ll take two hours if we ask for grocery delivery.¡±


    Tang Kai drove the car somberly, pretending he was very sensible and understanding. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a bother. You can just cook whatever.¡±


    Sun Zinan thought to himself, pei.


    ¡°Who was the one who unashamedly told me &#k2018;even instant noodles are okay as long as it¡¯s with the person I like,¡¯ hm? What about now?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t even take you out to eat, and you want me to cook for you in person.¡± Sun Zinan mercilessly dug up an old grudge and smirked. ¡°Ah, men.¡±


    Tang Kai, ¡°...¡±


    He struggled for a bit before saying, ¡°This isn¡¯t contradictory. I can definitely eat instant noodles with you...but would you be okay with it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with it, what¡¯s not okay about that?¡± Sun Zinan resisted the urge tough and said, ¡°Haven¡¯t all you scientists suffered this hardship?¡±


    Tang Kai, ¡°Mere sweet talk. You just don¡¯t love me anymore. Ah, men.¡±


    Sun Zinan, ¡°You¡¯re pestering me too much, so childish.¡±


    Tang Kai, ¡°You¡¯re childish.¡±


    Sun Zinan, ¡°Reverse card.¡±


    Tang Kai, ¡°Reverse card not valid.¡±


    The sound of the car faded away.


    It was just around dinnertime and there were still many people at the supermarket. Most of the customers were from the neighborhood, including parents bringing their children who had just gotten off school. There were also couples on their way home from work. The atmosphere was noisy and exciting. The two of them mingled in with the crowd; although they were both eye-catching, they didn¡¯t stand out too much.


    In the past two months, even though Sun Zinan had not kept his promise to Professor Tang to make a full week¡¯s worth of meals for him, the two of them hadn¡¯t broken off contact and met up twice a week. Usually, whoever wasn¡¯t busy would go and pick the other up from work. They would eat out asionally, but Sun Zinan cooked most of the time.


    In these two months, they had learned to recognize each other¡¯s license tes. Sun Zinan had eaten at Tianhai University¡¯s cafeteria, while Tang Kai had tasted the roast duck shop downstairs at Sun Zinan¡¯spany. Afterpiling the fragmented number of meals together, they had already long fulfilled Tang Kai¡¯s request. Both of them knew this, but neither took the initiative to mention it. The goal was to first develop feelings through eating meals together, then quietly make more and more room for the other person in their lives.


    ¡°Do you eat gourd?¡± Sun Zinan was picking out vegetables in the produce section. ¡°Should we add some garlic minced meat and rice noodles, or make it into a soup?¡±


    Tang Kai asked, ¡°Will it still be vorful if it¡¯s in a soup?¡±


    ¡°Should be fine.¡± Sun Zinan wrapped the gourds in stic and put them in the shopping cart. ¡°Let¡¯s buy three. We can steam it today and make soup next time. You can taste-test to see if you like it or not.¡±


    One thing Sun Zinan really appreciated about Tang Kai was that he wasn¡¯t proactive about deciding things on his behalf. He never forced others to agree with him. Although he didn¡¯t seem like it, Sun Zinan was the type of person who willingly let others make choices for him. Once someone surpassed the walls of defense he had put up and became ¡®one of us,¡¯ his tolerance of the other person would reach nearly unconditional indulgence.


    It was said that what¡¯s easily obtained is often not treasured, but feelings are fragile, priceless goods that cannot be squandered nor sold as consumable products. It was precisely because Sun Zinan had given him his full respect and freedom to do whatever that Tang Kai needed to keep to his boundaries even more.


    Tang Kai didn¡¯t even need any personal experience to understand that if Sun Zinan¡¯s patience was ever exhausted someday, he would immediately take away those privileges. He would probably never find someone like him again.


    As they passed by the dazzling arrays of products, Sun Zinan threw a handful of fresh spring onions andtro into the cart. He turned towards the meat and seafood section. ¡°Do you want to eat fish or chicken? Or should we buy some ribs and roast them?¡±


    Tang Kai looked at the carelessly standing silhouette that still retained a touch of focus. He spoke from the depths of his heart, ¡°Let¡¯s eat fish today, chicken tomorrow, then ribs the day after.¡±


    Sun Zinan couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Keep dreaming.¡±


    As he spoke, he caught a glimpse of the counter. As if he had discovered the New World, he eximed, ¡°Yi, there are fresh ducks! Why don¡¯t we buy some drumsticks and make some beer braised duck tonight?¡±


    Tang Kai was full of blind faith towards Sun Zinan¡¯s abilities; every question asked received his answer of okay okay okay, en en en. But the second after Sun Zinan asked the butcher to weigh the duck, he reached for his phone. ¡°Let me find a recipe and see what else we need.¡±


    Professor Tang¡¯s jaw almost dropped to the floor. ¡°You¡¯re looking for a recipe now?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Sun Zinan flipped through a website without raising his head. ¡°You asked for this, so if it¡¯s burnt you still have to eat it all.¡±


    After a moment of silence, Tang Kai said cautiously, ¡°As a precaution, why don¡¯t we go grab two bags of instant noodles.¡±


    Sun Zinan was so amused by his expression he couldn¡¯t stop chuckling for a while. He ordered Tang Kai to grab beer while he himself picked up a few ingredients from the spice aisle. He bought packets of star anise, fennel, cinnamon, etc. then picked up a bag of dried seaweed to use in a soup when they got back. Finally, when he passed by the instant foods aisle, he actually bought a five-pack of instant noodles.


    A momentter, Tang Kai walked over to him and noticed the instant noodles in the cart. The expression on his face was full of unspeakable emotions.


    Sun Zinan was addicted to teasing him, smiling mischievously as he ridiculed, ¡°Is that really necessary, Professor Tang? Your face is almost the same color as the gourd. Let me see what you got...en, four <i>jin</i> of cherries, you¡¯re still thrifty with running a household.¡±


    Tang Kai was ustomed to his sarcasm and retorted calmly, ¡°Go look at your recipe.¡±


    ¡°How could you talk to me like this, you¡¯re looking down on me aren¡¯t you?¡± Sun Zinan smirked. ¡°Looks like you haven¡¯t been beaten up by a genius cook yet.¡±


    Tang Kai couldn¡¯t bear it anymore. He reached over and squeezed Sun Zinan¡¯s mouth shut.


    The clean-freak Virgo Sun Zinan finally lost his mind and grabbed at Professor Tang¡¯s cheeks as he roared angrily, ¡°You just touched potatoes with those hands! And rubbed them on my face!¡±


    The two of them scuffled with each other the entire way. They acted so childishly even preschoolers would have been ashamed. As he passed by the daily necessities aisle, Sun Zinan abruptly stopped and turned his head back to ask Tang Kai, ¡°I just remembered you¡¯re on vacation. If you don¡¯t have work tomorrow, want to stay over tonight? We can just buy some toiletries here.¡±


    He asked straightforwardly and naturally, without any wariness, but his words had a subtle hidden meaning when they fell upon Tang Kai¡¯s ears. It took him a while to calm down. He leaned down slightly and murmured lowly into Sun Zinan¡¯s ear, ¡°Director Sun, are you inviting me over?¡±


    The proper and pure Sun Zinan was stunned for a second before returning to his senses. He grasped angrily at his shirt cor out of embarrassment. ¡°Scram, you can sleep on the street!¡±


    A low, breathyugh escaped from Tang Kai¡¯s throat. Like a smooth stream of water, Professor Tang seemed to have broken through some kind of restraint due to shame. Not only did he not move aside, but he even carelessly reached a hand out to sp Sun Zinan firmly backwards against his chest.


    Sun Zinan appeared as calm as an old dog, but in reality he was in a panic, his heart soaring to 120 beats per minute.


    N?v(el)B\\jnn


    He was surrounded by the warmth of the embrace. Like an insect trapped by amber, unable to escape no matter how he struggled, his entire body stiffened.


    It was some time before he managed to tremblingly raise his hand with great care and jab lightly at Tang Kai¡¯s forearm. ¡°Uh...ahem, we¡¯re in public, pay attention to our image.¡±


    There wasn¡¯t actually anyone around, but he suddenly felt like all his thoughts had been exposed in broad daylight.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± Tang Kai hugged him even more tightly, being the scoundrel he was, and softly, contentedly sighed, ¡°I¡¯ve been wanting to do this for a long time.¡±


    He had simted this action a million times in his head, but once he held the actual person, he realized thoughts could neverpare to reality.


    Sun Zinan was very thin, but the type of thin that hadn¡¯t benefited from any exercise. His waist was very soft and his shoulders dug a little into Tang Kai like a hard shell. However, Tang Kai knew that a lively, generous, and kind heart was wrapped under that hard shell.


    He had hesitated, wondered, been undecided, doubted. But now, he wanted to be the only person who could enter that heart.


    He traced a fingertip over Sun Zinan¡¯s beating heart, then asked again, ¡°Are you inviting me over?¡±


    Their heights were simr, although Tang Kai was a little taller. He lowered his head slightly to brush against the other¡¯s earlobe. Sun Zinan was about to die from embarrassment, but also felt like his heart was about to melt from sweetness. He told himself to be patient before finally grasping Tang Kai¡¯s hand and saying quietly, ¡°If you dally any longer, we¡¯ll end up home in time for ate-night snack. Be obedient, stop fussing.¡±


    When Tang Kai heard that his tone was one of coaxing a child, he felt like Sun Zinan had misunderstood something.


    But in order to maintain his ¡®obedient¡¯ attitude, Tang Kai changed his methods. ¡°I¡¯ll take your silence as approval. Starting today, half the food in your pots is mine.¡±


    Sun Zinan, ¡°...¡±


    Half of whatever is yours¡ªdid this fool really take him for a daycare?

 Chapter 15 - The Two of Us Are Over

    <h4>Chapter 15 - The Two of Us Are Over</h4>


    Tang Kai didn¡¯t immediately raise his findings to Sun Zinan because he wasn¡¯t sure if it was a taboo topic. He thought about it for a while, then sincerely let out a sigh. ¡°After meeting your siblings, I think I like you even more now, especially whenpared to them.¡±


    Sun Zinan¡¯s reactions were slow from the wine and he stared dumbly for quite a few seconds before returning to his senses. Heughed and scolded, ¡°Go to hell.¡± ¡±


    Tang Kai alsoughed and scooted over to gently wrap his arms around him, asking in a low voice, ¡°We¡¯ve both drunk tonight, how are we going to get back, does your family have enough chauffeurs?¡±


    Sun Zinan likewise replied in a low voice, ¡°We can just stay a night here. There are plenty of rooms anyways.¡±


    Tang Kai continued in his low voice, ¡°Then can I apply to stay in the room next to yours?¡±


    Sun Zinan asked lowly, ¡°For what?¡±


    Tang Kai said quietly, ¡°To chat with you in the middle of the night.¡±


    Sun Zinan gave his lower back a p. ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡±


    Tang Kai buried his face in his shoulder, silentlyughing to himself for a while.


    Sun Ying was getting too old to stay upte. He interacted with the others in the living room for a while, then excused himself, saying that he was exhausted. Secretary Wang took him back to his room to rest. Not long after, Sun Zinan received a call. It was too loud downstairs, so he took his phone and walked upstairs to the second floor, looking for a quiet ce to take the call.


    The hallway lights were dimly lit and the din of the living room was barricaded by the floorboards and thick carpet. It was quiet all around. He felt his phone vibrating in his hand and was about to answer it when he caught a glimpse of a streak of light in the corner of his vision. It came from the cracks of the tightly-shut door of the study.


    Sun Zinan didn¡¯t pay it much attention and returned to picking up his call. However, the other party had already hung up because he had taken so long to respond.


    Ka, the second hand clicked forward.


    Everything paused coincidentally at this moment; the phone vibrations in his hand came to a halt and theughter downstairs receded, creating a delicate gap of stillness. The sudden silence amplified the faint murmur of conversation from within the study. Sun Ying¡¯s elderly, hoarse voice was like an awl, piercing him bluntly in the ribs.


    ¡°...First release Tang Kai¡¯s identity to the public. For the sake of his father¡¯s face, Ding Fu should open his mouth. Find a time to make an appointment with him.¡±


    Secretary Wang¡¯s voice, ¡°Yes, sir. But Chairman, if this matter drags on for another half month, if we can¡¯t repress it, it will have a very big impact on Hongsen¡¯s reputation.¡±


    Sun Ying made an ¡®en¡¯ sound. ¡°We¡¯d better have the two of them get married quickly. Once we¡¯re rtives of Tang Zhenhua, everything will be easy to deal with.¡±


    Dang dang, two knocks resounded on the door. The Sun Ying and Secretary Wang who were deeply engaged in conversation both startled, uniformly turning their heads towards the entrance of the study. Sun Zinan leanedzily against the door-frame, his shirt unbuttoned at the cor, looking like a wealthy prince as he asked, ¡°The two of you are still awake at this hour¡ªwhat are you chatting about?¡±


    Sun Ying didn¡¯t know how much he had heard and replied in slight irritation, ¡°Not following the rules, who let you in!¡±


    Sun Zinan coldly tugged a corner of his lips upwards. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid of ghosts knocking at the door if you haven¡¯t done anything wrong. Dad, why are you so nervous?¡±


    Sun Ying¡¯s expression sank darkly. ¡°Get out.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not here to interrupt your important discussion, please go ahead.¡± Sun Zinan said openly, ¡°But since I¡¯m the object of your arrangements, I should be able to listen to the reasoning right?¡±


    Sun Ying replied impatiently, ¡°You drank too much. Wang Tian, take him out.¡±


    A frigid smile had stiffened onto Sun Zinan¡¯s lips. He suddenly said, ¡°Dad, there¡¯s something I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you for a long time. I call you Dad, but you...do you really think of me as your son?¡±


    The living room on the first floor.


    Tang Kai came out of the bathroom and went through a side door back into the living room. As he walked in the shadows under the staircase, he suddenly heard a subdued, whispered conversation from behind the pirs. ¡°No wonder...turns out he¡¯s Tang Zhenhua¡¯s son.¡±


    ¡°Tang Zhenhua? The one from our province?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± someone replied. ¡°Sun Ying¡¯s son is pretty impressive. Even though he¡¯s gay he still managed to get Tang Zhenhua¡¯s son.¡±


    ¡°Who did you hear this from? I just asked him, he said his father does business.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s obviously being lowkey about it. But their family¡¯s third son just identally let it slip out. The two of them were set up by Sun Ying.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense, there was a huge safety ident at Hongsen¡¯s factory recently, and they¡¯re currently being investigated by the higher-ups. With this, won¡¯t they be protected?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Even if you escte it to the authorities, it¡¯ll still get repressed when it reaches the level of the province. Can Tang Zhenhua ignore his own son?¡±


    ¡°The breeze is cool when you¡¯re leaning against a big tree...¡±


    Although Tang Kai was not involved in business or politics, he still had a clear understanding of these matters. He only needed a bit of reasoning to understand that the Sun family was borrowing his father¡¯s influence to make a g out of tiger¡¯s skin.


    Even though he already knew that there was a subtle, lurking motive behind their blind dates, hidden rules were hidden rules and they had a tacit understanding to not mention it. Once the truth of the matter was exposed, it became very disgusting.


    Then what about Sun Zinan? What role did he y in this? How much did he know, and how much was he involved in?


    Tang Kai frowned as he surveyed the entire scene. He couldn¡¯t find Sun Zinan and thought to himself, should making a phone call take this long?


    The staircase to the second floor was right next to him. Tang Kai borrowed some courage from the wine and aggressively rushed upstairs. He hadn¡¯t even figured out what he was going to say once he found Sun Zinan. Should he question him on the spot and make him exin, or trust that Sun Zinan wouldn¡¯t fool him and pretend that nothing had happened?


    If, by any chance, this had been set up by Sun Zinan, what should he do?


    Tang Kai¡¯s heart was in aplete mess of confusion. When he reached the final step, he had the sudden urge to turn back and run away. But as soon as he stepped into the hallway, he heard the sounds of a violent quarrel through a door.


    ¡°Oh my god!¡± Sun Ying roared at Sun Zinan, ¡°You better get out!¡±


    ¡°I told you we didn¡¯t want toe, but you¡¯re the one who begged us toe,¡± Sun Zinan replied. ¡°I was wondering why you had suddenly be so hospitable. After so much trouble you¡¯ve been waiting here for me! Dad, don¡¯t me me for my harsh words. What rtion does Tang Kai have with you? How could our family bear losing our face and intrude on them?¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯ve been thoroughly confused by Tang Kai!¡± Sun Ying said, ¡°Sun Zinan, can you recognize your own rtives? I¡¯m doing this for Hongsen, for our family! What about you? You¡¯re rebelling against me for the sake of an outsider! You¡¯re as unscrupulous as a wolf, and don¡¯t know the difference between what¡¯s good and bad!¡±


    In the hallway, Tang Kai was rooted in ce.


    Sun Ying had stepped on all his exploding points but Sun Zinan still had to suppress his temper. ¡°Fine, I don¡¯t have any conscience, I¡¯m a bastard, but I¡¯m the ungrateful, vicious wolf you raised, okay? I don¡¯t have anything else to say except this¡ªdon¡¯t have any ulterior motives towards Tang Kai, he¡¯s just a poor teacher. He doesn¡¯t walk the same path as we do; he¡¯s clean and tidy. Wouldn¡¯t it be a shame if you dragged him down?¡±


    Sun Ying gave a hoot in derision. ¡°You think Tang Kai has clean motives? Why don¡¯t you think about why he chose you? Because you¡¯re my son! Why else would he pay attention to you?


    Sun Zinan sneered, ¡°Not necessarily. Why don¡¯t you try it with my third brother, see if he wants him?¡±


    His words touched a nerve. The atmosphere in the study abruptly solidified, like a silentyer of frost appearing in the middle of the night.


    ¡°Since he actually appeared today, others will find out who he is.¡± Sun Ying said pitilessly, ¡°You should be using this time to think about how you¡¯re going to maintain a good rtionship with him and get married as soon as possible. You¡¯re on the same boat as the Sun family. Our glory is your glory, our ruin your ruin. Don¡¯t do anything stupid that¡¯ll devastate both sides.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any fucking sense, I got it.¡± Sun Zinan couldn¡¯t repress his anger any longer, finally furious to the point of going crazy. He kicked the study door open. ¡°If you want to curry favor with an official, go fucking love whoever the fuck you want;ozi won¡¯t wait upon you anymore!¡±


    The wooden door that had been kicked against the wall bounced back. With a loud bang, Sun Zinan strode out of the study with a tempest burning in his brows and eyes, running face-to-face into the Tang Kai in the hallway who hadn¡¯t had the time to run away.


    Tang Kai, ¡°...¡±


    Sun Zinan, ¡°...¡±


    The taste of that moment was almost indescribable. Sun Zinan was carrying a handful of boiling magma within his heart and currently emitting sparks of furor, but the sight of Tang Kai was like a wave of cold water poured all over his face. The effect was no different than triggering an earth-quaking explosion in his chest; he was lucky to not have fainted on site.


    He had drunk alcohol and stirred up rage. His blood pressure had been going up; with this sudden shock, he could only feel the blood rushing to the top of his head, but his heart was filled with an almost sadness at his powerlessness.


    The heavens and earth were spinning in front of his eyes, the four walls shrinking towards him. Only then did he feel like he couldn¡¯t breathe, and unconsciously raised his hand to press against his heart. He staggered and fell towards the wall.


    Tang Kai rushed up and caught Sun Zinan.


    The man¡¯s eyes were half-closed, his forehead covered with cold sweat. His chest heaved rapidly, gasping for breath, but his lips were marked by signs ofcking oxygen. Tang Kai rubbed vigorously at his back to ease his breathing and saw that Sun Zinan was still lucid despite not being able to catch his breath. He asked hurriedly, ¡°Don¡¯t panic...what¡¯s wrong? Where do you feel ufortable? Calm down, breathe slowly!¡±


    Sun Zinan pressed firmly down on his chest, refusing to let go. His five fingers almost pierced through his flesh. Tang Kai was afraid of angina so he quickly scooped up Sun Zinan¡¯s legs and carried him to the windowsill. ¡°Open the window!¡±


    Secretary Wang, who had followed Sun Zinan out, saw that something was not right and immediately ran over to help.


    The window at the front of the hallway was forcefully pushed open and the cool night breeze rolled in with the scent of perfume. Sun Zinan strenuously took in a few deep breaths, the sufficient amount of oxygen relieving the feeling of suffocation in his chest. The stifling sensation that had left his mind nk slowly dissipated and his breathing gradually stabilized into the pattern of Tang Kai¡¯s hand rubbing at his back.


    ¡°Keep the rhythm of your breathing in check, slowly, take a deep breath...¡± Tang Kai supported his back with one hand and checked his pulse with the other. He felt like his soul was about to fly out. ¡°You¡¯re trying to scare me to death.¡±


    Sun Zinan shook his head, motioning that he was fine now.


    Tang Kai was unable to turn his body, so he twisted his neck around and said to Wang Tian, ¡°Call for a doctor.¡±


    Sun Zinan was sweating heavily, his face as white as paper. He asked in a weak, hoarse voice, ¡°How much did you hear?¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    Sun Zinan said slowly, ¡°We were arguing in the study. Did you hear all of it?¡±


    ¡°...I did.¡± Tang Kai felt a little embarrassed, but he still replied honestly, ¡°Starting from when your dad told you to get out.¡±


    The hallway subtly quieted down.


    Sun Zinan tried to recall the order of events, but his brain hadpletely been mashed into a mess. It took all his effort to retain a single clear line of logic, so he gave up on thinking about it and said directly, ¡°That¡¯s fine, saves me the effort from exining again...we¡¯re over, you should go home.¡±


    There was a fragility in his voice, but every word was filled with fatality, striking the ground with holes.


    Sun Ying and Secretary Wang were frantic to the point of wanting to pounce on him to cover his mouth. However, while it was not too bad discussing this behind Tang Kai¡¯s back, it became awkward and embarrassing when they had been exposed in front of him. Additionally, Sun Ying¡¯s remark that Tang Kai was an ¡®outsider¡¯ had been heard by Tang Kai himself. Opening their mouths would only bring contempt upon themselves; there was nothing good that coulde to fruition.


    When Tang Kai heard Sun Zinan¡¯s words, he gazed at him deeply.


    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Sun Zinan didn¡¯t even look at him. He leaned back against the window, trying to calm himself with the icy coldness of the ss. His fingers dug forcefully at the windowsill, his veins showing. He was unaware of his own trembling.


    ¡°Say that again?¡±


    ¡°I said, from now on.¡± Sun Zinan was bathed in the soft, silky moonlight under the window, but the words he spoke were merciless. ¡°The two of us have broken up.¡±

 Chapter 18 - Butterfly Windstorm

    <h4>Chapter 18 - Butterfly Windstorm</h4>


    Tang Kai didn¡¯t know what he was thinking about, but he felt that Sun Zinan¡¯s gaze had dimmed significantly. He realized he was probably recollecting an unpleasant experience.


    He secretly regretted mentioning it, and tried to skirt around the subject. As he nced about in panic, he saw Sun Zinan take a ss bowl and add flour in it. He created a crater in the middle and poured in a handful of white powder.


    He was once again struck by curiosity. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    As Sun Zinan carefully poured warm water into the center of the crater he said, ¡°Yeast. You really don¡¯t have any basic knowledge, ah. You use it to rise the flour when steaming buns and mantou.¡±


    Tang Kai was filled with wonderment.


    ¡°I¡¯ll read you a bedtime story,¡± he said solemnly. ¡°A fairy tale rted to yeast.¡±


    Sun Zinanughed and felt like there were too many points he needed to start from. ¡°What time is it even now that you¡¯re reading bedtime stories? What will happen if I really fall asleep?¡±


    Tang Kai was like a shy little white flower. ¡°Friend, have you heard of Sleeping Beauty?¡±


    Sun Zinan, ¡°...Okay, you read.¡±


    ¡°Once upon a time, there was a small town. In the town, there was an old woman who ran a bakery. She had a cat...en, I forgot what the cat was called.¡±


    Tang Kai had long forgotten where he had heard this story, and many of the details were blurry. Fortunately, he could still repeat the main frame of the story.


    ¡°It was always raining in the town, but this cat really liked ying in the water. One day, he was so soaked and dripping that he came back to the bakery and sneezed nine times.¡±


    For some reason, Sun Zinan was struck by the desire tough, and he had to suppress it for a while.


    Tang Kai had a patience suited for storytelling and followed his own rhythm, continuing not too fast nor slow.


    ¡°The old woman saw how pitiful it was. She dried it with a towel and had it drink a little milk mixed with yeast, then carried it over to the warm stove to warm it up. After doing this, she went to the store to buy things.¡±


    Sun Zinan gloated over possible misfortune. ¡°Did the cat get baked burnt?¡±


    Tang Kai said, ¡°Not quite.¡±


    Sun Zinan, ¡°You can continue.¡±


    ¡°Because yeast ferments in warm ces, the cat rose like flour and became bigger and bigger. In the end, it filled up the entire house. Good thing the old woman came back, but when she saw the situation she screamed in fear. The cat woke up, stretchedzily, and the entire house copsed.¡±


    Sun Zinan, ¡°Hahahahaha...¡±


    Unexpectedly, Professor Tang looked serious and put on airs, but his heart was full of little sand sculpture stories.


    The old woman became homeless. The mayor was willing to take her in, but the cat was even bigger than the house and the town was afraid it would harm people. So they drove the cat away into the mountains. The old woman was very heartbroken, but she didn¡¯t have any choice. No one fed the cat on the mountain, so it could only catch fish from the river every day.¡±


    ¡°Suddenly one day, people heard a rumbling noise and ran out to see that it was cloudy. It rained day after day, and a flood broke out and rushed down the mountain. The cat thought, ¡®If the floodes up, all the fish will be washed away.¡¯ So it sat down in the middle of the valley, blocking the flood behind it.¡±


    Sun Zinan had been absorbed into the story and asked, ¡°Then what happened?¡±


    ¡°The townspeople came to observe the situation and found the cat blocking the flood, creating a hugeke behind it. So the mayor said to the olddy, ¡®They¡¯re going to look for craftsmen to build a dam. Before that, will you have the cat stay where it is?¡¯¡±


    ¡°The olddy said, ¡®He¡¯s a gentle cat. If you scratch his chin, he¡¯ll listen to you.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Thus, the townspeople took turns scratching the cat¡¯s chin with a rake and fed it all kinds of good food. The craftsmen fixed the dam and the town was once again safe.¡±


    ¡°In the end, the residents of the town agreed that the cat was a hero who had saved them, so they gave it a medal and let it live in the town. Every morning, when it goes to theke to catch fish, the police will open up the road for him.¡±


    Sun Zinan, ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    Tang Kai, ¡°That¡¯s it.¡±


    This feeling of amusement mixed with a bit of emotional and lingering magical feelings...Tang Kai¡¯s storytelling was really poisonous.


    Sun Zinan was now kneading the dough, his head full of cats fermenting into giant loafs of bread, and his entire being was confused. Tang Kai stared at him eagerly, waiting for his reaction.


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty interesting...¡± Sun Zinan racked his brains for a response. ¡°I didn¡¯t think a scientist like you would have such a childish taste...¡±


    Tang Kai asked, ¡°Are you a bit happier now?¡±


    For a moment, Sun Zinan wanted to automatically reply, ¡®When was I unhappy?¡¯ but as the words reached his mouth, he suddenly realized and stared at Tang Kai in bemusement.


    The inner mind was something difficult to urately perceive, unless someone was inherently sensitive or had devoted considerable attention to the other.


    He had been feeling a little down earlier, but he didn¡¯t show it very clearly, even to the point where he himself didn¡¯t really recognize it. But not only had Tang Kai noticed, he had even told him a long-winded story, just to ease away his little bit of unhappiness.


    This was the first time he had been faced with such sincerity; someone had exposed his fondness. It was like a bright me, attracting him to approach it, yet he was afraid of being burnt. Trembling, not daring to reach out and touch.


    ¡°Thanks...¡±


    He spoke in a halting voice.


    Tang Kai didn¡¯t understand how Sun Zinan was speechless when he had been fine earlier, but his eyes were gleaming with light and looked at him quietly. There seemed to be a hint of tears within them.


    The atmosphere was just right, the mood was there. It was the perfect timing. Tang Kai didn¡¯t need anyone to remind him and for a moment, he felt like he had been blessed with good fortune. He stepped forward and hugged Sun Zinan around the waist.


    Sun Zinan trembled slightly, but didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°I said it wrong earlier.¡± The man smiled, lowering his head and touching the tips of their noses, saying affectionately, ¡°There¡¯s still more to the story.¡±


    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Sun Zinan¡¯s mind had already ceased to function. ¡°What more?¡±


    Tang Kai, ¡°After a bedtime story, there¡¯s also a kiss.¡±


    The dry, slightly warm lips pressed down. The gentle kiss was like a floating flower, resting on his forehead for a moment before flying away as if it was a butterfly.


    Badum, badum, badum¡ª


    Each heartbeat felt like it was going to break out of a cocoon, and ten thousand butterflies flipped through his chest, creating a windstorm no one else knew about.


    But there were no shes of lightning, no thunder, no destruction and no disastrous copse. There were only the butterflies flying off after the first one, turning into a shower of flower rain.


    Sun Zinan¡¯s hands were covered in flour, and he didn¡¯t dare push him or return his embrace. Tang Kai took advantage of the awkward position of his hands and sped the other tightly. ¡°Thought you might get too excited so I didn¡¯t try anything else.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re going to have to get used to it...¡±


    ¡°Next time, I¡¯m nning on kissing here.¡± He reached his hand out and poked Sun Zinan in the cheek, thought for a bit, then pressed against his ear and whispered, ¡°When you¡¯re ready, I¡¯ll read ¡®Sleeping Beauty¡¯ for you.¡±


    Sun Zinan finally recovered from the dream-like state he had been caught in. ¡°You...¡±


    As soon as he opened his mouth, for some reason his voice was suddenly a little hoarse. Tang Kai felt like he had been burned by this sound and shivered violently. He immediately let go of him and ran away.


    The Sun Zinan who had been left behind with his head foggy with confusion, ¡°What are you running for?¡±


    Although he was confused he wasn¡¯t stupid. They were both men, and he understood immediately after considering it.


    Sun Zinan looked down at the cutting board and at the white, plump mass of dough at the bottom of the bowl. He didn¡¯t know if it was because he had been seduced by Tang Kai, but that retreating figure had been a little silly, charmingly naive.


    He tried his best but couldn¡¯t restrain himself, his shoulders shaking.


    ¡°Hahahahahaha...¡±


    After the whirlwind of the birthday banquet scandal, the two of them finally had some rare quiet time to themselves. Living together ground their habits against each other. As they became more familiar and intimate, the two of them became like a pair of gears. After a brief period of awkwardness, their shapes would be molded by the other side. Finally they¡¯d fit each other tightly, turning smoothly together.


    The original promise of one week together had been pushed to the back of their minds. Tang Kai spent the entire summer at Sun Zinan¡¯s ce, eating and sleeping with him, stealing kisses from time to time. He experienced the luxurious life of being pampered by someone else.


    In contrast, this ¡®someone else¡¯ was feeling very stifled. Other good-looking young men were tender and considerate, never heading west when told to head east, never annoying the chickens when told to hit dogs. But why did the good-looking young man at his house dare to do anything just because he had good looks? He dared to take his clothes to wipe his sses, refused to sell his scientific results to him, and even whined whenever he came backte from working overtime.


    At the end of the summer vacation, Tang Kai was finally able to take a few days off from working at hisb. He volunteered himself as Sun Zinan¡¯s chauffeur to and from work. Thepany happened to be at the center of the city and had arge shopping mall next to it. Tang Kai calcted that Sun Zinan¡¯s birthday wasing up and decided to go pick a present for him.


    It was too early to buy a ring, so a cufflink was more appropriate, but that didn¡¯t stop him from stopping at the ring counter to think about what style he wanted a proposal ring to be.


    The woman at the counter stood beside him, smiling as she asked, ¡°Hello sir, are you choosing for your girlfriend, or looking for matching rings?¡±


    Tang Kai corrected, ¡°Boyfriend.¡±


    The words were still lingering in the air when the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground came from behind them.


    The two of them turned around in unison and discovered that a woman behind them had identally dropped her handbag. The male shop assistant beside her hurriedly picked it up for her. The woman wore a pair of sunsses, and didn¡¯t say anything. Tang Kai felt like she was looking in his direction, but his mind was fixed on the ring and didn¡¯t observe her very carefully, quickly turning his head back to the counter.


    The shop assistant took this moment to adjust her bearing and said with a face full of smiles, ¡°The men¡¯s designs are on this side. Please follow me, sir.¡±


    Tang Kai followed her over and said offhandedly, ¡°Right, I also want to look at cufflinks.¡±


    In front of the ne counter.


    The woman clutched tightly at the handle of her bag, nearly leaving permanent marks with her nails. She seemed to be staring intently at the pendant on the ck velvet disy, but the conversation from the counter on the other side flowed unobstructed into her ears.


    ¡°He likes...simple designs, right, noplicated styles, more lowkey.¡±


    ¡°En, his fingers are thin, skin is pale...tinum looks better.¡±


    ¡°Wrap the cufflinks up for me, thank you...okay, I¡¯lle back after I make measurements.¡±


    In the reflection of the shop window, the tall, handsome man finished paying and walked out the store holding a small paper bag. She clenched her teeth, her heart suspended, and chased after him.

 Chapter 19 - Holding You In My Hands

    <h4>Chapter 19 - Holding You In My Hands</h4>


    In the afternoon, Tang Kai went to the salon for a haircut. There were so many people that he hadn¡¯t finished by the time Sun Zinan got off work. After he called him, Sun Zinan said, ¡°Send me your location on WeChat, I¡¯lle find you.¡± He finally finished around six o¡¯clock. When he walked out of the shop, he immediately saw the SUV parked in front of the entrance.


    Sun Zinan seemed to like Bentleys very much and had collected many models. The model he drove out this time was the Tianyue one. He also usually drove a silver European model and the other ck Mushang gship model that was often used by thepany for the purpose of good first-impressions.


    Tang Kai opened the car door and sat shotgun. Like a peacock showing off his gorgeous tail, he stared burningly at Sun Zinan. ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard.¡±


    His hair had been cut short, and he looked younger and more alert. The well-tailored white shirt he wore brought along a few hints of the spring of youth. Good-looking was truly good-looking, but Sun Zinan noticed that his expression was one of ¡®quick praise me for being handsome¡¯ and suddenly found it very funny.


    It was difficult to imagine that just a few months ago, this man had mocked him with the ¡®cornstalks and kelp¡¯ speech. He had said he could not get along with Virgos¡ªwho knew that in the blink of an eye, he would suddenly feel pity for a Virgo. If he had known this would happen, he would have recorded that phrase and set it as the car music to y for him at this moment.


    ¡°Handsome.¡± He smiled and pinched Tang Kai¡¯s face, closing his eyes and bragging without any principle, ¡°Our Tang Tang was born a beauty. He¡¯ll look good even if he shaves all his hair off.¡±


    Highly educated individuals feared neither the heavens nor hell, but they did fear the two words ¡®shaved head.¡¯ Although Tang Kai didn¡¯t suffer from this condition, it still made his heart sour and he quickly covered Sun Zinan¡¯s mouth with his hand. ¡°Pei, if your mouth is covered, I won¡¯t be bald!¡±


    Sun Zinan didn¡¯t give him any face and cackled inughter against his hand.


    Tang Kai put his hand down resentfully and turned his neck a bit ufortably. Sun Zinan noticed and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Strands of hair in your cor?¡±


    Tang Kai, ¡°En.¡±


    After opening the shirt cor, he examined the inside of the shirt under the faint light of the sky. He finally picked out a few strands of hair that had been left behind by the haircut. ¡°Is it okay now...hm?¡±


    Tang Kai took advantage of this convenient posture and quickly pecked at the side of his face.


    Sun Zinan turned around to look at him but before he could show any reaction, Tang Kai moved closer and kissed him again, reaching his hands out to secure his waist.


    Sun Zinan decided he might as well quietly follow his actions.


    Tang Kai¡¯s breath was warm and light, his feathery light kissesnding at the side of his face, under his eyes, the tip of his nose, the corner of his mouth...there was no pattern to them,pletely dependent on whatever his heart wished. Like a passionate love but without the lust; a pure intimacy that was like the coquettishness of someone in a good mood.


    But Sun Zinan could feel what he was trying to convey¡ªI really like you, I want to be close to you.


    It might¡¯ve been a conscious confession or it might¡¯ve been an act of intimacy with no further meaning, but whatever it was, it made his heart as soft as a marshmallow.


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough...are you trying to wash my face?¡± A momentter, Sun Zinan finally struggled to push Tang Kai away. ¡°Put on your seatbelt, if we don¡¯t leave the police will stick a parking ticket on the car soon.¡±


    Tang Kai¡¯s face was still buried in his neck, reluctant to part due to not having finished expressing all his views. ¡°Let him stick, he can stick however many he wants.¡±


    Sun Zinan wasn¡¯t afraid of parking tickets, but he was afraid that something uncivilized might happen if they got too intimate. He saw that Tang Kai was still toozy to move and could only reach his hand out and pull the seatbelt over to buckle him in. ¡°If we really got fined I¡¯ll have to detract it from your food costs. One ticket is two hundred bucks, you won¡¯t be able to eat for a day.¡±


    Tang Kai protested, ¡°Why can¡¯t I just pay out of my own pocket?¡±


    Sun Zinan replied coolly, ¡°You eat and drink my stuff every day, I¡¯ve never seen you pay out of pocket.¡±


    Tang Kai immediately caught onto this and said, ¡°Wee to loan collection, I strongly request I pay with my body.¡±


    Sun Zinan, ¡°...Get out!¡±


    The SUV slowly pulled out of the side of the road and entered the busy, never-resting traffic rush.


    Shortly after they drove off, a white Mercedes that had been parked on the other side of the road suddenly started and quietly followed the car that had just left.


    When they entered the neighborhood, Tang Kai nced at his rear mirror by chance and noticed a white car behind the gate that had been denied entry. He didn¡¯t see the license te clearly but he felt a sense of familiarity, as if he had seen it somewhere before.


    Just as he turned his head around to take a closer look at the car, Sun Zinan turned the steering wheel around a right turn. The car drove into the depths of the neighborhood and Tang Kai¡¯s line of sight waspletely obscured by the buildingplexes.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Sun Zinan asked, ¡°Did you see something?¡±


    Tang Kai turned back around, silently keeping his doubts to himself, and shook his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡±


    Sun Zinan¡¯s birthday happened to be the day before Tang Kai started school, on a weekend. Tang Kai purposely moved back to his own apartment two days beforehand, mulling over his ns for days behind Sun Zinan¡¯s back. After working hard from dawn tote into the night, with who knew how many ingredients ruined, he finally produced two barely-eptable steaks.


    Cake, red wine, fresh flowers, gifts...everything was ready except one Sun Zinan.


    Sun Zinan, who usually didn¡¯t care too much about anything, actually paid a lot of attention to Tang Kai. Tang Kai had thought his little actions were well-hidden and hadpletely escaped Sun Zinan¡¯s eyes, but just based on the date he asked to meet up on, it was easy to guess he was preparing a birthday gift for him.


    But a guess was merely a guess. This feeling of anticipation was still fresh and exciting; after all, aside from banks and retailers, no one else took this day so seriously.


    Thus, Sun Zinan was extremely cooperative that day and uncharacteristically easily agreed to Tang Kai¡¯s request toe to his apartment and cook lunch for him. He drove to the apartmentplex next to Tianhai University.


    The entire neighborhood had been built in the ¡¯90s and was older. The outside walls were stained with peeling paint and the window sills were contrasted beautifully by the shadows cast by ivy. Green beans and little peppers dried on the downstairs porch while the elderly chatted leisurely by the vegetable baskets. It was peaceful and quiet, like any other old neighborhood.


    Only when one walked closer would one hear the topics they discussed¡ªastronomy, geography, mathematics, water conservancy, aeronautics, politics...


    Sun Zinan had done his undergraduate studies abroad at a decent university; he had never felt like his studies werecking. But ever since thest time he hade to Tang Kai¡¯s apartment and coincidentally met two grandmothers discussing silicon-molded pressure sensors while picking vegetables, Sun Zinan purposely chose a side path to enter the neighborhood in fear that some elderlydy might call him over to answer questions.


    Tang Kai had onlye back from abroad a few years ago and had not settled down yet, so he rented a ce near school for convenience. Although Sun Zinan felt like a thief every time he came over, he actually really liked the atmosphere. It wasn¡¯t a problem for the building to be a bit older; the environment was at least full of life.


    Tang Kai¡¯s apartment was on the east side of the fifth floor of the second unit. Sun Zinan knocked on the heavy iron door and heard the hurried, quick footsteps on the other side. ¡°Coming!¡±


    The door burst open along with the scent of dew and rose petals.


    Sun Zinan raised his brows and smiled as he looked at him.


    Tang Kai moved aside to let him in and set a pair of slippers down for him. ¡°Come in.¡±


    Right after Sun Zinan changed his shoes, he was pushed into the living room by Tang Kai. On the dining table was arge vase of scattered red rose petals, like a ss of red wine. The cake was ced on a small tform. When he looked through the transparent cover, he saw a detailed little sugar figurine wearing a suit, looking very refined. It held a piece of candy in its hand and was surrounded by candied fruit and frosting flowers of all sizes. The design was very sweet to the eyes.


    Tang Kai pointed at the cake and said, ¡°This person is you, this piece of candy is me.¡±


    Sun Zinan nodded. ¡°This action...putting you in my hand, burning incense with piety, right? Sounds pretty good.¡±


    Tang Kai, ¡°...You really know how to recognize the main point.¡±


    ¡°Happy birthday, darling.¡± He hugged Sun Zinan from behind, pressing against his face and solemnly promising, ¡°From now on, I¡¯ll spend every birthday with you. I hope every day of your life will be as sweet as today.¡±


    The little figurine on the cake was surrounded by candied flowers and fruits. Its eyes were soft and lips slightly raised, just like the expression on its real-life counterpart¡¯s face.


    Even though he had foreseen it, when he actually saw Tang Kai¡¯s earnestness, Sun Zinan was moved to the point of wanting to support him for the rest of his life. ¡°Thank you. I really like it.¡±


    N?v(el)B\\jnn


    ¡°Like who?¡± Tang Kai asked with a smile.


    ¡°I like you.¡±


    This affectionate atmospherested until the two of them sat down in front of the table. After Sun Zinan tasted his first bite of the steak, he saw the look in Tang Kai¡¯s eyes, longing forpliments. After a little bit of pondering, he gave unexpectedly high praise. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasant surprise.¡±


    Tang Kai, ¡°Really?¡±


    Sun Zinan, ¡°Why would I lie to you? Although you can¡¯t catch up to me even if you practiced for another eight hundred years, it¡¯s a lot better than when I first saw you cook. Of course I¡¯m surprised.¡±


    To tell the truth, the steak was a little hard, the side dishes were too mushy, and the sauce was bitter with a burnt taste. If he were at a restaurant, Sun Zinan wouldn¡¯t have even swallowed his first bite.


    But for a devilish cook like Tang Kai to produce a dish of this quality was really a pleasant surprise¡ªat least, it was a surprise for Sun Zinan.


    Forget about a steak of this level, if Tang Kai had presented him a nuclear reactor on a te, he would have been just as happy.


    After all, steak was easy to obtain in this world but earnest feelings were not.


    After lunch, Tang Kai went to wash the dishes. The apartment he rented was quite big but the kitchen was extremely small. It was too crowded for the two of them to stand together and there was no space for a dishwasher. Plus, he usually never cooked at home, so all the dishes were hand-washed. Sun Zinan didn¡¯t want to obediently sit at the dining table and insisted on watching him wash the dishes.


    Tang Kai rarely saw him so clingy andughed with his hands covered in foam. ¡°What¡¯s so interesting about washing dishes? I didn¡¯t clean the kitchen, don¡¯te in, okay?¡±


    Under the rushing water, Sun Zinan noticed several red spots on the wrists that had been revealed from pushing his sleeves up. They were spots from being scalded with sshes of hot oil.


    Who knew how long this dummy had been secretly practicing behind his back. The two hands that were so familiar with experiment instruments had suffered a lot from the unfamiliar hot oil and hot pans.


    After Tang Kai finished cleaning everything up, wiped his hands clean, and came out of the kitchen, Sun Zinan said, ¡°Give me your hands, let me see.¡±


    ¡°En?¡± Tang Kai lowered his head to look, and realized that the scars on his hands had been discovered and immediately said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I was sshed by oil a few times, they¡¯re all small wounds.¡±


    Sun Zinan didn¡¯t say anything as he reached out and grabbed his wrist, pulling a hand before his eyes.


    It was more serious than he had imagined. New wounds covered old ones. Even if he only looked at a few obvious blisters and scab marks, it hurt just to look at them.


    ¡°It¡¯s really nothing...¡± Tang Kai saw his sinking expression and hurriedly tried to soothe him. ¡°I didn¡¯t burn myself today, really. These are old wounds, they¡¯re already healed.¡±


    Sun Zinan lowered his head, gently leaving a kiss on the dark red wound.


    Tang Kai could only feel a spark bursting into fireworks at his fingertips. An electric current ran up from where Sun Zinan¡¯s lips had touched and the nerve endings all over his body seemed to have all quickly heated up, his four limbs burning in a way he couldn¡¯t control.


    ¡°You...¡±


    His voice was hoarse, as if he had swallowed sand. He felt like his current state was unstably teetering back and forth. If Sun Zinan lit another fire, he might explode at once.

 Chapter 20 - Fox and Beast

    <h4>Chapter 20 - Fox and Beast</h4>


    Sun Zinan¡¯s eyes were half-closed, kissing the red wounds one by one. He suddenly felt like a hard shell had broken apart in his heart, the pieces falling down, dust and ashes. It revealed a tiny previously hidden corner where he had stored all his deepest desires.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so hard on yourself next time.¡±


    He held Tang Kai¡¯s wrist and said softly, ¡°I¡¯ve received your feelings.¡±


    Tang Kai replied hoarsely, ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really upset,¡± Sun Zinan interrupted. ¡°No expensive gift can make up for your pain.¡±


    Making a shining memory was of course important, but Tang Kai was the person who had lit the light in the first ce.


    Professor Tang¡¯s hands had been seized by Sun Zinan. He had nothing else to say, so could only lower his head to block his mouth.


    This was their first real kiss. It wasn¡¯t a fairytale, nor the yful coddling of flirting, but a heavy kiss that lit a fire within both of them.


    Sun Zinan had been stunned at first, but once he reacted, he immediately grabbed Tang Kai¡¯s shirt cor and took the lead.


    When driven to extremes, even the tongue could be used as a weapon. Tang Kai¡¯s entire body was burning, his heart boiling with the desire to devour Sun Zinan¡¯s alive, his inner self a wild beast. The other party however was not a rose waiting to be picked, but a fox that looked gentle but was hostile enough to scratch.


    He had endured time and time again, but Sun Zinan had always provoked him.


    When this fox tried to bite him again, the beast within his heart burst through its cage. The wildness and ferocity within its bones were thoroughly aroused. Tang Kai pressed Sun Zinan onto the sofa.


    Even his eyes were red, his reason vanishing, looking sharp and dangerous.


    But that was what Sun Zinan liked.


    He draped his arm against the back of Tang Kai¡¯s neck, not fearing death, losing his fingers amongst his newly cut hair before long,peting for control as he pressed against the back of his head.


    Two wild animals tore at each other.


    Although Tang Kai was forceful, he still restrained himself, only using a little brute force in attacking this city and gradually became gentler. But Sun Zinan was a crafty fox who liked to bite back; he was born to revolt as long as he didn¡¯t die. Even kisses wouldn¡¯t be let go, he would definitely kiss back twice the amount. The two men entangled for dozens of seconds. Tang Kai¡¯s lips were covered with a few bite marks.


    But the fox was only a fox who was reduced to breathing heavily when hiking up mountains while the beast was a beast who lifted weights at the gym every day. Sun Zinan was exhausted after a minute and finally forced to give up. He was blocked by Tang Kai into a corner of the sofa, kissed steadily until he was dizzy.


    Because of ack of oxygen, his limbs were as soft as noodles. At the end of a long kiss, Tang Kai embraced him and he curled up into a cute ball.


    A lowughter vibrated in his chest and his warm breath swept across his ears and sweaty bangs. It was like being scratched by the tip of a feather, crisp and numb.


    ¡°Thanks for being upset for me.¡± Tang Kai chuckled despite himself. ¡°A kiss will cure a hundred ailments&#k2014;it really doesn¡¯t hurt anymore.¡±


    Sun Zinan was like a schr whose soul had been sucked dry by a demon. He gasped like he was on hisst breath, ¡°Fuck you...¡±


    Tang Kai carried Sun Zinan into his bedroom and found some loungewear for him to wear. After a peaceful afternoon, it wasfortable to take a short rest or close one¡¯s eyes to refresh one¡¯s mind, especially if one was leaning against someone one liked. The air conditioner in Tang Kai¡¯s apartment was new and the cooling effect was excellent. The two big men did not feel hot despite cuddling with each other.


    The soft nket wrapped gently around their bodies, holding azy warmth. No mountain scenery in the world was as peaceful and tranquil as this moment.


    Sun Zinan was a bit sleepy andy there with his eyes half-closed, pondering. Tang Kai abruptly asked, ¡°Speaking of which, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever met your mother.¡±


    His eyshes suddenly trembled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a mother.¡± Sun Zinan¡¯s posture remained the same as he spoke quietly into his quilt.


    Before he gave this answer, he knew it would trigger a series of questions, but he didn¡¯t expect Tang Kai¡¯s first reaction would be ¡°Do you mean biologically or social rtionship-wise?¡±


    Nothing good coulde out of a work-obsessed boyfriend.


    ¡°Do I look like a monkey?¡± Sun Zinan pinched the tip of Tang Kai¡¯s nose and tugged at it. ¡°I don¡¯t have a mother in name.¡±


    Tang Kai wanted to apologize, but was stopped by a hand.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologize. My biological mother isn¡¯t dead; she¡¯s living well.¡± Sun Zinan said, ¡°But it¡¯s none of my business, I don¡¯t even know who she is.¡±


    ¡°The person who gave birth to me wasn¡¯t Sun Ying¡¯s spouse. I¡¯m...the child of a surrogate.¡±


    No wonder.


    No wonder thest time they went to the Sun family¡¯s vi, there had been no pictures of a mother figure.


    With Sun Ying¡¯s family background and appearance, there would have been many women willing to bear children for him. But he would rather find a surrogate...was Sung Ying also gay? Then where did all of Sun Zinan¡¯s older brotherse from?


    Tang Kaiy facing him. He swept his hand across his brows and nose bridge, then across his lips. He pressed lightly at the crease beneath his lower lip. He voiced his sudden realization, ¡°No wonder you¡¯re so handsome, you have foreign ancestry.¡±


    Sun Zinan had been teased intoughing. He pulled Tang Kai¡¯s hand down and kissed his fingertips. ¡°I know you want to ask why. It¡¯s a long story. I¡¯ll tell you slowly in the future. Today¡¯s my birthday, so let¡¯s not mention vexing things.¡±


    Although he didn¡¯t mention any names, the only person who could make Sun Zinan so annoyed was his father.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Tang Kai replied softly, putting his arm around his waist. He whispered lowly, ¡°Take a nap.¡±


    Perhaps his memories had been jogged by the conversation they had before sleeping. In the midst of his daze, Sun Zinan seemed to be six or seven years old again. He knew he was dreaming, but he couldn¡¯t move, as if he were an adult¡¯s soul stuck in a child¡¯s body. His mind was clear, but his physical body couldn¡¯t keep up.


    Hey on his back on the bed, surrounded by darkness. In the deathly silence, the sha-sha sound of something scraping sounded. It was very light, impossible to tell where it came from, but it made Sun Zinan¡¯s scalp tingle in fear.


    It was the nightmare from his deepest hidden depths, the one he still hadn¡¯t forgotten.


    He knew exactly what was going to happen next and began to struggle frantically, but his four limbs were as heavy as if they had been filled with lead, and gradually even breathing became a burden. The rustling sound came closer and closer, like a person¡¯s footsteps, quicklying towards the bed. The long, fuzzy limbs were almost draped across the bed¡ª


    ¡°Little Nan? Nannan? Wake up...¡±


    At this moment, the burden on his body suddenly eased off.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Sun Zinan opened his eyes suddenly and sprang up from the bed, hyperventting. The arm around his waist pulled him back under his quilt. Tang Kai gently sped the back of his neck, murmuring like he was soothing a frightened little animal. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, don¡¯t be scared, it¡¯s nothing...nothing will happen.¡±


    The soul that had flown away gradually gathered back in his body. He breathed a long sigh of relief, his tense muscles visibly rxing.


    ¡°I had a nightmare...¡± he muttered.


    ¡°En, a little bit of sleep paralysis.¡± Tang Kai said, ¡°You weren¡¯t so obedient when sleepingst time. You kept trying to hide in my arms, and I couldn¡¯t wake you up no matter what.¡±


    Sun Zinan didn¡¯t catch onto the flirtation in his words and instead buried his face in his neck. ¡°I dreamed of something that happened when I was a kid...¡±


    Tang Kai realized something was wrong, and gently patted his back with a hand, asking lowly, ¡°What happened when you were a kid?¡±


    Sun Zinan said, ¡°Bugs.¡±


    Tang Kai knew how severe his phobia of bugs was, but he had never thought too deeply about it. He realized that their conversation before sleeping had triggered him, but he was too afraid to ask more. He could only coax, ¡°There aren¡¯t any bugs, the apartment is very clean. I sanitized and cleaned everything before you came. Don¡¯t be afraid.¡±


    Professor Tang was a knowledgeable person and knew that those with mysophobia would be much moreforted by a bottle of disinfectant at this time than ¡®I¡¯m here by your side.¡¯


    As expected, Sun Zinan¡¯s breathing stabilized a bit. The rapid heaves of his chest gradually became regr, and the grip on his clothes loosened. His voice lost the faintness of fear.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your house, it¡¯s my house.¡±


    Tang Kai asked cautiously, ¡°Do you have bugs in your house?¡±


    It was natural for boys to y and be naughty, chasing chickens and dogs, ying in the fields with nts. It was rare to find someone who was so afraid of bugs. But Sun Zinan hadn¡¯t been like other boys. He was already at the point where he was basically allergic to bugs. He couldn¡¯t even stay in a room that moths had once visited. If there wasn¡¯t a reason for this, it would have been truly baffling.


    He was a child Sun Ying had found a surrogate for and had no mother in name. He had been fostered abroad until he was brought back to the Sun family at the age of five. His older brothers and sisters were old enough to be his parents and Sun Ying didn¡¯t bother finding him apanion his own age. He didn¡¯t even know how to speak Chinese fluently and couldn¡¯tmunicate with his own family. He was like an orphan that had been picked up off the street, withdrawn and silent, locking himself in his room all day.


    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    At that point his third brother, Sun Ziyan, had just graduated from college. He didn¡¯t study well and spent his entire days being loitering at home. When he heard that there was a new member in the family, he believed with all his heart that Sun Zinan was an illegitimate son of the old man who had been living abroad and hade back topete for the family inheritance.


    He hated Sun Zinan so much every time he saw him, he would re at him like he wanted to strangle him on the spot.


    Sun Zinan learned to take detours every time he saw him, but the more he hid, the more Sun Ziyan wanted to bully him.


    One night, Sun Zinan woke up in a daze around midnight, feeling like something was wrong and that something was crawling across his hand. He wondered to himself, and got up to turn on the bedsidemp. He immediately saw seven or eight ck spiders the size of coins crawling on his quilt, their backs striped and ugly. They crawled about everywhere under the dim light, and one was even hanging off the sleeve of his pajamas, climbing up rapidly.


    Sun Zinan was scared to the point of going crazy. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say his soul was in a state of disarray; he almost died on the spot.


    He screamed, leaping out of bed and rushing to the door, but he couldn¡¯t unlock it¡ªSun Ziyan had locked the door from outside andughed wildly as he heard his heart-rending cries.


    Sun Zinan would never forget this hellish scene.


    Fortunately, Sun Ziyan had notpletely lost his mind and did not go so far as to throw poisonous spiders into his brother¡¯s room. If he had been bitten, Sun Zinan would have met God on the spot.


    He pounded against his door madly. The movements were not small, but not a single servant dared to go upstairs and check. When Sun Zinan realized it was impossible to open the door and that there was no other path of escaping, he opened the window, stumbled onto the balcony, and jumped off the second floor.


    This finally shocked the entire family into action.


    Sun Zinan had been shocked, then jumped off a building, breaking a bone while having a high fever and almost lost his little life. He spent over a year in the hospital before he could function normally again. His health was still poor to this day. He suffered bronchitis every winter because of the events that year.


    Sun Ying gave Sun Ziyan a harsh lecture and kicked him out of S Province in a fit of rage, sending him to an outsidepany to work for three years. By the time Sun Ziyan had returned to the Sun family with a heart full of vengeance, ready to enact his revenge, Sun Zinan had long been sent to a boarding school by Sun Ying to continue his studies.


    In the fifteen years that ensued, the two of them rarely had contact with each other. The two brothers only reunited when Sun Zinan graduated abroad and came back. Many yearster, the two of them finally made peace in front of their father, faking their smiles to hide their debts of hatred.

 Chapter 24 - Moments Reading Level 10

    <h4>Chapter 24 - Moments Reading Level 10</h4>


    Outside the hospital clinic.


    Xie Zhuo hunched over the counter and chatted with the front desk receptionist for a few minutes before taking a thermometer over to Sun Zinan. ¡°Here. Take your temperature.¡±


    Sun Zinan wore a mask, his expression haggard as he stretched his hand out to take the thermometer. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Xie Zhuo sighed and took out a mini makeup mirror from his bag. He nced at his reflection. ¡°You scared me this morning. I came out without even putting on makeup.¡±


    Sun Zinan put the thermometer under his clothes. His voice was hoarse and it was a little difficult to talk, so he sounded rather harsh. ¡°Good thing it wasn¡¯t a heart attack; by the time you got there my body would¡¯ve turned cold.¡±


    ¡°Pei, what do you mean?¡± Xie Zhuo yfully hit him, then took out his phone. ¡°I should give Tang Kai a call...¡±


    Sun Zinan raised his hand to stop him.


    ¡°En?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call him.¡±


    Xie Zhuo, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    When he saw that Sun Zinan wasn¡¯t responding, he immediately understood. ¡°You guys fought? Why?¡±


    It was strange thinking about it¡ªevery time Sun Zinan had something going on with Tang Kai, Xie Zhuo would immediately appear and discover something wrong. He was like a little assistant in a game.


    ¡°I...¡± He wanted to say there was nothing wrong, but he felt like Tang Kai was really angry this time. Sun Zinan didn¡¯t think he had the ability to call him back so the words changed as they reached his mouth. ¡°I guess we fought.¡±


    Xie Zhuo rolled his eyes. ¡°Fighting is fighting, not fighting is not fighting. What do you mean ¡®I guess we fought¡¯!¡±


    Sun Zinan sighed feebly and told him everything that had happened the day before.


    Xie Zhuo had never expected that after all his years of training, Sun Zinan would still sink under some other white lotus. This was a great provocation to him and he flung his arms about, saying indignantly, ¡°I¡¯ll go, what¡¯s the woman¡¯s name? Give her contact details to me. This old mother will have to meet with her.¡±


    Sun Zinan felt a headacheing on. ¡°Please rest for a while.¡±


    ¡°Tang Kai this bastard, you¡¯re dead. Has a girlfriend and fucking pretends he¡¯s gay.¡± Xie Zhuo fumed, ¡°Don¡¯t hold me back. I¡¯m going to curse him so much today his mother won¡¯t even recognize him...¡±


    Sun Zinan, ¡°He doesn¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t tell him. This isn¡¯t his fault to begin with.¡±


    ¡°Big bro, are you the Virgin Mary?¡± Xie Zhuo asked in rage, ¡°He¡¯s made you so stressed you¡¯re like this now, and you still defend him?¡±


    ¡°This really has nothing to do with him.¡± Sun Zinan said, ¡°I did this to myself. I wanted to stand in the rain for a while to calm down.¡±


    Xie Zhuo didn¡¯t expect him to not hate his enemies. He had even written up his bad review but could only nestle back in his chair. ¡°Oh, I know, you¡¯re saying it¡¯s a good idea to do this.¡±


    Sun Zinan thought it over then said, ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t know how to handle this. I know this isn¡¯t Tang Kai¡¯s fault but I still feel bad about it.¡±


    ¡°So you didn¡¯t tell him,¡± Xie Zhuo said coolly. ¡°Trying to solve a problem by yourself, but when others don¡¯t understand, you hurt your body and heart.¡±


    Instead of replying sarcastically, Sun Zinan merely listened to him quietly. This made Xie Zhuo feel like something wasn¡¯t quite right and he was finally aware of the gravity of the situation.


    ¡°You...huh.¡± He asked cautiously, ¡°Do you like Tang Kai that much?¡±


    Sun Zinan was stunned by his question.


    ¡°I thought we were nning on getting married.¡± He smiled mockingly to himself. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Xie Zhuo immediately caught onto the main point of the issue. ¡°So in that case, shouldn¡¯t you guys justmunicate and resolve everything? Tang Kai won¡¯t turn away from you just for that woman, right?¡±


    ¡°Toote.¡± Sun Zinan looked down at the calendar on his phone. ¡°He¡¯s flying to B City today and is attending a forum there tomorrow. Li Ning...that woman, she¡¯s going too.¡±


    Xie Zhuo wondered out loud, ¡°What does that have to do with anything? If you need to talk about it then talk about it. Can Li Ning run up to you and tackle you to the ground or something?¡±


    ¡°Even though I think Li Ning is probably telling lies, I can¡¯t guarantee it. What if Tang Kai really has her in his heart? What if they really had just missed the timing in those years?¡± Sun Zinan coughed twice into his mask. ¡°He¡¯s free to choose his partner. I can¡¯t interfere.¡±


    Xie Zhuo never knew Sun Zinan was some hidden saint of love, but his mouth suddenly opened in an ¡®O¡¯ shape. ¡°Ge, did the fever make you dumb!¡±


    Sun Zinan took his thermometer out and looked at it. 39 degrees. ¡°Huh, guess I really am dumb from the fever.¡±


    As he said this, his number was called. He stopped the conversation, got up, and walked into the clinic. The Xie Zhuo who had been left outside began thinking.


    He felt like this was developing in a weird direction, as if something wasn¡¯t quite right.


    B City, Blue Star Hotel.


    As arranged by the organizers, Tang Kai shared a hotel room with another researcher from Tianhai University. The professor wasn¡¯t arriving until tomorrow afternoon. Tang Kai put his bag on the table and sat down in a chair by the window. His upright posture rxed. Looking out into the dusk, he couldn¡¯t resist taking his phone out and checking his WeChat.


    There were no new messages.


    In his chat with Sun Zinan, the messages had stopped at yesterday¡¯s ¡®I¡¯m going to ss.¡¯ There were also no movements in his moments.


    Sun Zinan, this pig trotter! Didn¡¯t even take the initiative to coax him!


    Tang Kai sulkily threw his phone onto his bed.


    He was very clear that this cold war had been started by him and that the person who had run off quietly to B City was him. If he thought about it carefully, he was the one who had made a rather big mistake. But he still expected Sun Zinan toe talk to him first and stretch out an olive branch of peace. Just as he had once epted Sun Zinan¡¯s stubbornness and naivety, he wanted Sun Zinan to let him know that even if he wasn¡¯t perfect and made asional mistakes, he would still have him in his heart.


    N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Not only was Tang Kai a person who sulked easily, he was rather possessive. He wanted to eat Sun Zinan¡¯s vinegar but still wanted Sun Zinan to care about his feelings. He was clearly at the point of bruising his own intestines, but he refused to be the first to show weakness.


    The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Seeing that his phone was still dead with no sign of any messages, he huffily went downstairs to eat dinner.


    At the same time, in Sun Zinan¡¯s apartment.


    Xie Zhuo poured Sun Zinan¡¯s congee into a bowl and added a few side dishes before knocking on the bedroom door. After a while, Sun Zinanzily dragged himself into the dining room. He coughed for a while after sitting, then thanked Xie Zhuo. ¡°I¡¯ve troubled you.¡±


    ¡°Do we have to act like strangers?¡± Xie Zhuo handed him a spoon. ¡°Have some congee. You haven¡¯t eaten all day.¡±


    Sun Zinan slowly picked at the rice grains, every mouthful even smaller than a bird¡¯s. Xie Zhuo felt secondhand anxiety from just watching him. ¡°Are you still ufortable? Should we go to the hospital for an IV?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Sun Zinan forced a smile, his expression haggard. ¡°I just woke up so I don¡¯t have much of an appetite. I¡¯ll be okay in a bit.¡±


    When Sun Zinan visited the clinic in the morning, the doctor had told him he was suffering from upper respiratory tract infections and bronchitis. He was prescribed a collection of anti-inmmatory drugs for colds. The doctor suggested that if he wanted to get rid of the fever quickly, he could get a shot for reducing fever. Sun Zinan had a bit of trauma over needles so he took the medicine and went home to sleep the entire day instead.


    He felt a little better now than he had this morning probably due to the medicine, but his temperature was still a little high.


    Xie Zhuo didn¡¯t taste any of the food he ate. He was thinking that Sun Zinan wasn¡¯t suffering from just a cold, but also mentally. He still remembered Sun Zinan had seen a doctor for depression when he was abroad, so he was especially concerned about his mood swings, fearing that would he have a rpse if he wasn¡¯t careful.


    If no one watched and Sun Zinan jumped off a building, Tang Kai would definitelye for Xie Zhuo¡¯s life.


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Sun Zinan looked at him strangely. ¡°Your face is twitching.¡±


    ¡°Ah...it¡¯s nothing.¡± Xie Zhuo quickly retracted his wild thoughts and said, ¡°I¡¯m thinking, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a little strange that Tang Kai is angry?¡±


    Sun Zinan raised his brows in bewilderment


    Xie Zhuo, ¡°I¡¯ve been feeling like there was something wrong since this morning. It¡¯s understandable if he¡¯s a little upset because you don¡¯t care about your health, but this is a trifling thing; isn¡¯t his reaction a little too strong?¡±


    Sun Zinan, ¡°En...you¡¯re right.¡±


    During Sun Ying¡¯s birthday banquet, things had been so out of control, yet Tang Kai was still able to remain calm. His anger this time was truly out of the ordinary. But up until now, Sun Zinan could not figure out where the mes had been ignited. He could not think of anything else that would make him angry.


    ¡°I have a guess, although it¡¯s very dog blood, but it makes sense.¡± Xie Zhuo said solemnly, ¡°Let¡¯s start from the beginning. After you met with Li Ning, you went out in the rain and wandered around on the street. Then you met Tang Kai. He stopped you for a while, you ignored him, so he got angry. Is that how it went?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Sun Zinan nodded.


    ¡°Have you realized? You¡¯ve overlooked a key issue.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Xie Zhuo knocked the table in a mysterious, lofty manner. ¡°Think about it, you were randomly walking around. How could you have just coincidentally run into Tang Kai? What if he had been following you?¡±


    Watson, you¡¯ve found the blind spot.


    Sun Zinan¡¯s mind had been in a disordered state at that time. After Xie Zhuo mentioned it, he suddenly realized Tang Kai had really seemed like he had already been waiting for a long time...did he follow him from the parking lot?


    Then did he...already see Li Ning?


    Detective Xie Zhuo continued to analyze it in detail. ¡°My overall hypothesis is, Tang Kai saw you and Li Ning, but he didn¡¯t recognize his ex-girlfriend because the two of them have been separated for so many years. He thought the woman you were with was an old acquaintance, and you were in a depressed mood. If he identally mistook the situation and thought you were in love with the woman, then it¡¯s pretty likely he was angry from eating vinegar...¡±


    Sun Zinan¡¯s mind buzzed numbly. He waspletely bewildered.


    His downfall was that he watched too few TV dramas. His imagination was too limited and he had never thought this train of thought was possible. Xie Zhuo, on the other hand, had used his dramatic thinking to put together aplete picture of the incident and even guessed it pretty correctly.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be that much of a coincidence.¡± Sun Zinan didn¡¯t know whether to cry orugh. ¡°What kind of fucking thing is this...¡±


    ¡°A coincidence or not, won¡¯t you know after asking him?¡± Xie Zhuo opened his WeChat moments and as soon as he mindlessly refreshed it, his eyes suddenly widened. ¡°Fuck, speak of the devil!¡±


    ¡°En? What?¡±


    Xie Zhuo pushed his cell phone over. ¡°Look look! What did I say! My old uncle¡¯s new moments status.¡±


    Sun Zinan thought to himself, this guy had just been cursing all morning but now was calling Tang Kai old uncle again.


    He took the phone and looked at it. The newest status update was from Tang Kai. He rarely saw Tang Kai post daily life status updates. The person wasn¡¯t in the picture and there was only the fiery sunset outside the window, along with a cup of coffee on the dining table.


    The caption was a [goodnight] emoticon.


    Sun Zinan wondered out loud, ¡°Can he sleep after drinking coffee at night? And still say goodnight?¡±


    Xie Zhuo was beside himself. ¡°Are you stupid! Look at the location he tagged! B City¡¯s Blue Star Hotel! When has he ever tagged a location in his statuses!¡±


    Sun Zinan, ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s using a different method to make peace with you.¡± Xie Zhuo was like a dog that had stuffed himself, plopping himself over the table, howling, ¡°That ¡®good night¡¯ was obviously for you to see...¡±

 Chapter 29 - The Hot Pot Restaurant Doesnt Have a Successor

    <h4>Chapter 29 - The Hot Pot Restaurant Doesn¡¯t Have a Sessor</h4>


    Fu Tingxin pointed at him unceremoniously. ¡°Still pretending?¡±


    He did not control the volume of his voice. The movement was a little exaggerated and Sun Zinan immediately looked back at them. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Fu Tingxin said immediately. ¡°I¡¯m talking to your partner, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    Sun Zinan was doubtful. ¡°Third Aunt, don¡¯t bully people.¡±


    Fu Tingxin tutted. ¡°You¡¯re not even married. Are your elbows turned inside out? If I really wanted to bully him I wouldn¡¯t let you hear...I would¡¯ve brought him to the bathroom already.¡±


    Tang Kai couldn¡¯t hold back and almostughed out loud. He saw Fu Tingxin wink at him and quickly said, ¡°Fu...ke, Uncle Fu and I are getting along well.¡±


    When Sun Zinan finally turned back, Fu Tingxin repressed his voice and said, ¡°Look, Little Nan is so concerned about you but you still hide from him. Do you have a conscience?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t hide it from him, I only think there isn¡¯t any need to disy it. He¡¯ll know when he meets my parents.¡± Tang Kai sighed. ¡°My father, my grandfather, and my uncle and aunt¡¯s careers are a result of their own hard work. It has nothing to do with me. I¡¯m a teacher who does research and I don¡¯t walk the same path as them.¡±


    He nced at Fu Tingxin and said quietly, ¡°Besides, aren¡¯t you the same? You can be with Third Uncle, why give me a double standard?¡±


    Fu Tingxin raised his hand threateningly. ¡°Can you evenpare with me! I grew up with Sun Luo and know him extremely well. You¡¯ve only known Little Nan a few days!¡±


    ¡°He said he wasn¡¯t going to bully him.¡± On the other side, Sun Zinan quietlyined to Sun Luo, ¡°Can¡¯t you see that his hands are raised so high. Tang Kai¡¯s body is so small, my Uncle Fu will p him flying.¡±


    Sun Luo stared at him for a long time and did not understand what kind of filter he was wearing. Tang Kai, with his broad shoulders and hidden solidness under his seemingly slender body, was actually ¡®small¡¯ in his eyes?


    ¡°He won¡¯t, rest assured. I think he¡¯s afraid Tang Kai won¡¯t be good to you, so he has to educate him first.¡± Sun Luo did not spend that much effort coaxing him and changed the topic. ¡°Right, how¡¯s the situation on your side? How¡¯s your third brother?¡±


    ¡°Still on a seesaw.¡± Sun Zinan said, ¡± I found another one to help raise the price. When I go back and stretch him out a bit, I¡¯ll let go.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Sun Luo nodded and said, ¡°Time it well. Also pay attention to your safety. Be careful of the mad dog jumping over a wall to bite you.¡±


    Sun Zinan said, ¡°I understand. You can rest assured.¡±


    ¡±Tell us if anything difficult happens.¡± Like many stupid fathers in the world, Sun Luo couldn¡¯t avoid skimming over the important things. When he had finished talking about business, he immediately asked, ¡°Are youcking money? If you don¡¯t have enough Third Uncle will give you your New Year¡¯s money now.¡±


    Sun Zinan beganughing. ¡°How could I, save it to give to me during the New Year.¡±


    ¡±This time you must have done something really big. Your father definitely won¡¯t bear it.¡± Sun Luo was still uneasy and sighed. ¡°I think your smallpany will be affected. Try to find yourself a good way out.¡±


    Sun Zinan turned his cup around and took a sip of tea, not sure where to begin. ¡°I&#k2026;¡±


    Sun Luo raised his hand to stop his words. ¡°Third Uncle is not forcing you to make a choice now. I¡¯m just reminding you. What choice you make is something you have to experience yourself in order to not regret it in the future.¡±


    Sun Zinan nodded gratefully.


    ¡°Third Uncle only has the same thing to say as always. Whatever you want to do, if you can¡¯t clean it up, we¡¯ll do it for you.¡± Sun Luo touched their cups together and chuckled, ¡°I¡¯m not joking with you. Your Uncle Fu¡¯s hot pot restaurant is so popr we¡¯re looking for a sessor.¡±


    ¡°Then I might take some bigger strides.¡± Sun Zinan epted his good intentions and downed his cup of tea in one gulp. He said sincerely, ¡°Thank you Third Uncle.¡±


    Sun Luo waved his hand. ¡°We¡¯re all family. Thanking me is too much.¡±


    The two chatted with a harmonious atmosphere. On the other side, Fu Tingxin and Tang Kai finally reached a short-lived peace.


    Fu Tingxin patted him on the shoulder so hard he almost pressed Tang Kai under the table. ¡°Then it¡¯s a deal. You go back and confess to Little Nan. No matter what, it¡¯s wrong to keep it from him.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Tang Kai said, ¡°But I will tell him myself. Don¡¯t rush to expose me.¡±


    Fu Tingxin sneered. ¡°Look at what you¡¯re saying. What do you take your uncle for? Little Nan likes you, can I still tear the two of you apart?¡±


    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Tang Kai looked at him with suspicion.


    ¡°Wu, you son of a bitch.¡± Fu Tingxin quickly nced at Sun Zinan. When he saw that he hadn¡¯t noticed, he whispered, ¡°He¡¯s been afraid that the Sun family will drag you down, which has been the current dilemma between the two of you. You should at least reassure him.¡±


    Tang Kai could understand his intentions and adopted the correct attitude this time as he obediently said, ¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let him be wronged again.¡±


    ¡°Live well together.¡±


    Fu Tingxin raised a ss and motioned to drink together. Tang Kai smiled with his eyes, clinked their sses together, and raised his head to drink the leftover beer in his ss.


    They went back to the hotel in the afternoon. The two of them were covered in the smell of hot pot, so the first thing they did after going back to the room was to take a shower and change their clothes. When Sun Zinan finished drying his hair and came out of the bathroom, he saw Tang Kai, who had washed first, sitting by the bed with aptop, iPad, and TV remote control in front of him.


    Sun Zinan asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on, are you too scared of making choices and don¡¯t know which one to use?¡±


    ¡°Nan Nan.¡± Tang Kai reached out to him. ¡°Come here.¡±


    Sun Zinan¡¯s scalp went numb at this endearing address. He quickly said, ¡°Don¡¯t be cheesy, isn¡¯t that nauseating?¡±


    ¡°But Third Uncle and Uncle Fu call you Little Nan. I need to have my own nickname for you.¡± Tang Kai had drunk some alcohol during lunch and his head was now spinning around. ¡°If you don¡¯t let me call you Nan Nan, then should I call you Baby? Dear? Sweetheart Fruit?¡±


    Sun Zinan smiled and sat down directly. ¡°I think it¡¯s good if you just call me husband.¡±


    Tang Kai pretended he didn¡¯t hear clearly. ¡°Ah? What?¡±


    Sun Zinan didn¡¯t understand him for a moment. ¡°Husband.¡±


    Tang Kai, ¡°Ai, I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Sun Zinan pped his arm. ¡°Get out!¡±


    ¡°Nan Nan, husband...¡± Tang Kai beckoned him over, hugging him as Sun Zinan sat on hisp, his chin resting on his shoulder. ¡°I have something to tell you.¡±


    His breath made the bare skin under the bathrobe neckline itchy and Sun Zinan shrunk back. ¡°Say it. Does it have to do with what my Uncle Fu was talking about with you today?¡±


    ¡±You¡¯re so smart.¡± Tang Kai tightened his arm around his waist as he struggled with himself for a moment, hesitating a little. ¡°Sorry. In fact, Uncle Fu and I have known each other...since I was a child.¡±


    ¡°En?¡± Sun Zinan could not quite understand this reasoning. ¡°What are you sorry for?¡±


    ¡±My grandfather used to live in the same neighborhood as Uncle Fu.¡± Tang Kai rarely mentioned his family history to people and was even a little shy about it. He was always others who found out would brush away his own aplishments, so his words were very euphemistic. ¡°We lived in B City at the foot of Longshan area.¡±


    Fu Tingxin was born into a military family and he himself was a retired Special Forces.


    Even if Sun Zinan was not a local, he knew that the Longshan area in B City was the residence neighborhood for members of the national military and political dignitaries.


    He finally found the central idea within the curved road of Tang Kai¡¯s logic and understood what he was talking about. He let out a long ¡°Oh¡± before continuing, ¡°So all in all, to put it bluntly, your family is like Uncle Fu¡¯s family. You¡¯re all high-profile military families, right?¡±


    Tang Kai seemed quite insecure. ¡°En.¡±


    Sun Zinan could feel Tang Kai¡¯s rapid heartbeat against his chest.


    It did surprise him a little at first, but after being surprised, there was no other feeling. Having heard of Tang Kai¡¯s parents¡¯ positions before, Sun Zinan had already almost spected about his family¡¯s situation. The truth was only a little higher than his expectations and within eptable limits. He just didn¡¯t understand why Tang Kai was so nervous, as if he was worried Sun Zinan would turn on him.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you mention it before?¡± Sun Zinan turned his body around and yed with Tang Kai¡¯s earlobes. ¡°Confessing because you were afraid you¡¯d be exposed after seeing Uncle Fu, en?¡±


    He didn¡¯t look angry. Tang Kai became a little bolder and titled his head to peck at the inside of his wrist. ¡°I didn¡¯t hide it from you deliberately. I just...don¡¯t talk about it out of habit.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°My family didn¡¯t really help me very much during childhood, but when I went to school, I got good grades, honors, and schrships. Because of that, some people said I got them because the school and teachers were trying to suck up to my family.¡± Tang Kai sighed softly. ¡°I obviously didn¡¯t do anything wrong, but was forced to take the me. This made me really unhappy. Afterwards, I went far away from home for high school, then college, then abroad, so people would stop saying I was using my connections.¡±


    Sun Zinan touched his face in pity, softlyforting, ¡°You were very aplished to begin with.¡±


    ¡°Before when I was younger, I wanted to get rid of my connections to prove to everyone that I could live well without my family.¡± Tang Kai hugged him affectionately, his movements tender. ¡°But when I got older I realized I was justpeting against myself. What others think doesn¡¯t matter. As long as you know what you want to pursue, just go for it.¡±


    ¡°But it was my fault that I didn¡¯t tell you about it earlier,¡° Tang Kai said earnestly. ¡°I was wrong.¡±


    ¡°What kind of big thing is this to make you apologize so solemnly?¡± Sun Zinanpletely did not take this to heart and said, ¡°Don¡¯t listen to Uncle Fu, he¡¯s just trying to scare you. It¡¯s not like I hate officers. Darling, don¡¯t be afraid.¡±


    Sun Zinan suddenly remembered how Li Ning had mentioned her father worked in the education departmentst time. He said to Tang Kai jokingly, ¡°Look at what you¡¯ve done to that girl. She thought you were a useless pretty boy who needed saving. Who knows how she¡¯s cursing me right now.¡±


    ¡°She was too self-indulgent and I don¡¯t even remember her face.¡± Tang Kai frowned. ¡°Besides, what did she see in me? Is it not obvious that I¡¯m bent?¡±


    Sun Zinan patted his lips. ¡°She saw this face. After all, everyone pays attention to visuals.¡±


    As he spoke, he identally kicked the remote control on the bed. Sun Zinan looked down and asked in confusion, ¡°Why did you put these things out?¡±


    ¡°This, ah...¡± Tang Kai turned his face away in embarrassment. ¡°I just thought, if you were angry, I could kneel with your favorite out of these three.¡±


    Sun Zinan had never met such a strong yer before in his life, and froze for a second.


    ¡°Turn your face around! Now you know what shame is!¡± He sat on Tang Kai¡¯sp, gabbing his chin, not sure whether to cry orugh as he scolded, ¡°Even if I was really angry how could I let you kneel? Your head is full of some feudal society fantasy, or maybe you...wu!¡±


    Before he could even finish, he was swallowed into a deep, breathless kiss.


    For a long time after their kiss, Tang Kai continuednding light pecks at the corner of his lips. He said softly, ¡°Darling, I don¡¯t have any misunderstandings towards you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Just improper thoughts.¡±

 Chapter 32 - The Romance Drama Has Come Back

    <h4>Chapter 32 - The Romance Drama Has Come Back</h4>


    This event also involved extremely sensitive security issues. Sun Zinan didn¡¯t even need to make excuses for the other party to understand that there was no business deal awaiting.


    They rushed Wang Geng and Yu Liang to the hospital. Because it was a workce ident, Sun Zinan directly settled the medical expenses and only ordered an assistant to save the documents as im certificates forter.


    Fortunately, the goddess of fate merely raised her hand high to gently pat his face. Yu Liang¡¯s injury was not too heavy; he merely twisted his left foot. After rubbing on a bit of medicine, he could continue working as usual. Vice president Wang¡¯s injury was more serious. His hand required three stitches and needed to be carefully monitored.


    Sun Zinan went out to make a phone call and came back to see Yu Liang carefully holding Wang Geng¡¯s left hand on the bench outside the surgical clinic, his tears dripping nonstop.


    Karma always paid back. Sun Zinan was used to giving Yu Liang dog food and he had finally gotten his revenge. He stood next to them and watched for a moment before he finally couldn¡¯t resist walking over. ¡°Okay, stop those tears. Look at you crying like a child. If I didn¡¯t know better I would¡¯ve thought Old Wang had just had a miscarriage.¡±


    Vice president Wang had been enjoying all the attention. When he heard this, he immediately threw him a condemning look. ¡°Director Sun, Little Yu is scared. Don¡¯t make it worse.¡±


    Sun Zinan, ¡°...¡±


    Yu Liang said sobbingly, ¡°Director Sun...so, so, sorry... all, it¡¯s all, all because of me...¡±


    ¡°Forget it, you don¡¯t need to apologize.¡± Sun Zinan was tempered by his deted appearance and quickly said, ¡°Fortunately, nothing terrible happened. If you¡¯re really unhappy, then take good care of your savior. Thepany will reimburse the medical expenses for both of you. If it¡¯s not convenient, Old Wang can take some time off to heal his hand.¡±


    Wang Geng pretended to be very dedicated and said, ¡°It¡¯s just a minor injury. I can continue working.¡±


    This old fox surnamed Wang was pretending to be both weak and righteous. In fact, a beautiful snot bubble was about toe out. This acting could only fool Yu Liang, that dumb little kid. Sun Zinan was toozy to expose him and said indifferently, ¡°Okay. Figure it out yourself and arrange work ording to your actual situation. Don¡¯t act too brave, ourpany is not a sweatshop.¡±


    Yu Liang nodded heavily and assured him: ¡°I, I will definitely, take, take care of vice president Wang...¡±


    Sun Zinan listened to him panicking and quickly waved his hand. ¡°You two wait here for the checkup report. Have the driver send you back in a while. I still have work to do so I¡¯ll be going first.¡±


    At the beginning of this year, he hadn¡¯t even found a partner. Sun Zinan had be a winner in life in such a quick time, gathering both a family and a home. He definitely did not want to act as a light bulb to these two novices.


    Sun Zinan left the hospital but did not return to thepany. He drove directly to Tianhai University.


    Tang Kai had a big lecture this afternoon that ended around 5:30 P.M. Sun Zinan had a schedule on his phone Tang Kai had sent him before. There were also a few unread messages on WeChat.


    Professor Tang was sometimes ridiculously childish. He went to hisb without his phone and was always afraid Sun Zinan would urgently need to find him. So every time before he went, he would send him a ¡®Going to theb¡¯ on Wechat; one or two hourster he¡¯de out to rest and send ¡®I came out¡¯; ten minutester, if he wanted to return, he would send ¡®Going in again.¡¯ If Sun Zinan was still ignoring him by the second time he came out, he would send the e back after dinner do you still love me¡® meme.


    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    They were both busy with work and did not live together. They often could only video chat for a few minutes at night. This clinginess was not an annoyance; in fact, it was the thing that bound them together.


    Love did not have to be dered to the world, but it had to be heard by one¡¯s loved one.


    Sun Zinan parked his car in the temporary parking space and replied with ¡®I¡¯m waiting for you downstairs.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t long before a tall and thin figure came out of the door to the Department of Science. The man in a gray slim coat hurried down the steps. He opened the car door and rushed over with his breath forming clouds in the air. ¡°Howe you¡¯re here?¡±


    The texture of his suit felt rough but very warm. Tang Kai hugged Sun Zinan. Sun Zinan kissed the side of his face, smiled, and said, ¡°Nothing, I just suddenly missed you.¡±


    Tang Kai hummed, then opened his mouth and asked, ¡°Who did you go with to the hospital today? What happened?¡±


    Sun Zinan knew that he was sensitive, but did not expect his sensitivity to be this high. He was about to catch up with Sherlock Holmes. He couldn¡¯t help butugh as he asked, ¡°How could you tell?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just after 6 o¡¯clock, and there¡¯s a traffic jam outside. You wouldn¡¯t be able to get here by now if you were working normally from thepany. You would¡¯ve gone somewhere else this afternoon, or left work early.¡± Tang Kai reached out and pulled at his cuffs. ¡°I just smelled the scent of disinfectant. There¡¯s a little blood stain here, but you have no wounds. So I guess someone else got hurt and you took them to the hospital beforeing to pick me up?¡±


    Sun Zinan apuded him in admiration.


    Tang Kai brushed it off as if it were something trivial and asked, ¡°Are you tired? Why don¡¯t you stay over tonight?¡±


    Sun Zinan just wanted to stay with him; it didn¡¯t matter where they went. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s stop by the market to buy some food.¡±


    After listening to him talk about the on site ident, Tang Kai decided he would have his father send several administrative penalties to Jin Ke Real Estate to express his gratitude towards Sun Zinan.


    Sun Zinan¡¯s personal tendency to y the hero was a little serious. He did not want to involve Tang Kai in the internal struggles of the Sun family. As a result, Professor Tang stopped him in the corridor and gave him a little physical lecture. This education of Sun Zinan left him with red eyes and a shortness of breath, but he still insisted, ¡°Don¡¯t cause any trouble...I can deal with it. There¡¯s no need to bother your father.¡±


    ¡°You, as aw-abiding citizen, should report this crime. This isn¡¯t a bother.¡± Tang Kai said lowly, ¡°The most troublesome part is the fact that you take me as an outsider.¡±


    ¡±I don¡¯t...¡±


    ¡°You do.¡± Tang Kai said bluntly, ¡°Sometimes I feel very useless. I want to treat you well, but I don¡¯t know where to start.¡±


    Sun Zinan¡¯s heart thumped, and he quickly looked up to gauge Tang Kai¡¯s expression.


    The corridor lights were dim. Tang Kai¡¯s face was backlit where he stood. His subtle expressions were hidden in the shadows. His expression did not seem angry, but it definitely didn¡¯t seem happy either.


    ¡°I...¡± Sun Zinan wanted to touch his face, but he hesitated after raising his hands and put them down again. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to avoid you or not let you help. I just felt like I¡¯d rather have you work in ease and focus on what you want to do. I don¡¯t want you to worry about irrelevant things and I don¡¯t want our interests to conflict.¡±


    Tang Kai grabbed his hand and ced it on his chest, letting him feel his vigorous heartbeat. He said softly, ¡°But I like you.¡±


    Sun Zinan had been hit directly in the heart and sumbed on the spot.


    ¡°You...¡° In the cold winter night, his heart was as soft as water. He didn¡¯t know what to say, not knowing whether tough or cry. ¡°This is business. Don¡¯t try to y foul.¡±


    Tang Kai pulled his hand up and continued walking up the stairs. ¡°Is that not important? Everything is second to you. I¡¯m willing to intervene in these things.¡±


    ¡°The next time you encounter something like this, don¡¯t resist telling me. Even if I can¡¯t help, I can at leastfort you. After all, I¡¯m the one you should trust for the rest of your life, en?¡±


    Sun Zinan had been born to be worried and was blinded by Tang Kai, who did not seem to know the world. So he had subconsciously put himself in the position of a protector, as if Tang Kai was not a teacher but a princess in an ivory tower.


    Tang Kai was usually happy to be spoiled by him and fulfilled his desire to protect him. But if he merely stood idly by over such a big thing and let Sun Zinan figure it out alone, then there was no point in being his partner. He wouldn¡¯t even have to wait for the New Year before throwing himself into the trash.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Sun Zinan endured the fiery expression within his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll remember.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how it should be.¡± Tang Kai opened the door with his key, then turned sideways to let him in as he said casually, ¡°Besides, yourpany¡¯s vice president and assistant have both faced injustice. Isn¡¯t this a disaster? Even if you don¡¯t do it for yourself, you have to fight for the two of them, right? After all, the blood of a martyr cannot flow in vain.¡±


    Sun Zinan smiled and almost pushed the shoe cab over. ¡°He only got a wound on his hand. It¡¯s not that heroic. Please don¡¯t push people onto pedestals.¡±


    Tang Kai turned on the light in the living room and said indifferently, ¡°I understand. Make yourself at home. I need to make a call.¡±


    Sun Zinan nodded, knowing that he wanted to contact people about Sun Ziyan. He didn¡¯t stop him and instead turned to the kitchen.


    Winter is suitable for food that warmed one up; it was okay if they ate more meat. For dinner, in addition to the chicken stew Tang Kai wanted to eat, there was also a pot of hot and fragrant wintermelonmb soup. Sun Zinan added a te of scallion tofu. When Tang Kai came out of the study, he was just rinsing the noodles in water and dividing the food into two portions to serve.


    Tang Kai looked at the medium-sized bowl in front of Sun Zinan, then at the ss bowl in front of himself. He was so scared his phone almost fell out of his hand. ¡°Darling, this is too much love¡ªis this amount for a pig?!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it your fault you don¡¯t buy bowls? I can¡¯t find a big bowl so let¡¯s just use one of these mixing bowls, otherwise the noodles can¡¯t be mixed.¡± Sun Zinan said, ¡°Where¡¯s all this nonsenseing from? Are you going to eat or not?¡±


    Tang Kai used to be young and ignorant. When he went to his school reunion, he had alsoughed at married male students who had be thicker stalks of spring onion. It was only now that he realized how easy it was to be fat after marriage.


    With Sun Zinan¡¯s feeding methods, his abs and mermaid line were in danger.


    Thinking of this, Professor Tang put down his phone, went to the table to sit down, and said resolutely, ¡°Eat.¡±


    Sun Zinan smiled slightly. ¡°Good.¡±


    He really did overeat during this meal. Tang Kai pulled Sun Zinan to the school gym to burn some calories. Boss Sun¡¯s delicate body and noble character would never allow him to run, so he was only willing to wake a few steps on the treadmill. Professor Tang acted like the soles of his feet were burning hot; he ran eight kilometers, and lifted weights non-stop for half an hour.


    The male god professor of Tianhai University was well known. As he worked out, his sweaty appearance made the girl next to him stare at him with sparkling eyes. When Sun Zinan turned back by chance and scanned around, he saw at least five phone cameras pointing in their direction.


    ¡°...¡± He silently turned his head back, whispering to Tang Kai, ¡°Let¡¯s go soon. If you run any longer, I think you¡¯ll appear on the headlines of tomorrow¡¯s school newspaper.¡±


    Tang Kai returned his equipment, his brows wrinkled as a mischievous expression appeared on his face. ¡°Appearing on the headlines because I¡¯m lifting weights? How boring. Why not¡ª¡±


    Sun Zinan, ¡°En?¡± Tang Kai stood up and suddenly reached out to embrace him against his chest. He tilted his head and kissed him, then looked back at the stunned students and waved. In a t, stable press conference tone, he said. ¡°Thank you, everyone. Good night, students.¡±


    Sun Zinan, ¡°...¡±


    Tang Kai hugged Sun Zinan, walking off in contentment. Their figures disappeared at the front gate. Two secondster, the gym suddenly broke out into screams¡ª


    ¡°Aaaaaaaaaa I¡¯m dead¡ª!¡±

 Chapter 33 - The Romance Drama Has Left Again

    <h4>Chapter 33 - The Romance Drama Has Left Again</h4>


    Within a week after the site ident, Sun Zinan and the other biotechnologypany suspended negotiations with Jin Ke Real Estate. Amissionedwyer sent a subpoena notice to thepany. But this was just the beginning as one disaster after another piled on. What really trapped Jin Ke Real Estate was that the administrative department suddenly started inspections and punishments.


    A weekter, the n for the construction of a sewage treatment nt in the southern suburbs was officially released.


    This decision directly pushed Jin Ke Real Estate and the Hongcheng Real Estate behind it into a desperate situation. Sun Ziyan had bought thisnd and treated it like a hen about toy a golden egg. But now all the ns regarding Jinyuan Vi had been smashed, and even the price of thend was shrinking. Hongcheng¡¯s capital turnover was already tight. Due to the news, it seemed that this fracture would be visible to the naked eye even in the future.


    Sun Zinan closed the news webpage in satisfaction and sent a WeChat to the boss of the other biotechnologypany to express his gratitude. When he turned back to check the news about Sun Luo, he finally received Secretary Wang¡¯s call.


    ¡°Director Sun,¡± Secretary Wang said politely, ¡°The chairman invites you to go home for dinner tonight.¡± Among all the people in his family, Secretary Wang was the most well-behaved. He would always call Sun Zinan little master; now that something had happened to Sun Ziyan, he immediately started calling Sun Zinan ¡®Director Sun.¡¯


    It was no wonder he had be Sun Ying¡¯s confidant; this ability to change his words with the situation was not an ability normal people could master.


    Sun Zinan secretlyughed to himself but his tone stayed innocent. ¡°En, I will be on time.¡±


    He sent Tang Kai a WeChat to tell him that he was going back home to eat dinner tonight, so he wouldn¡¯t wait for him and would make do with the school canteen instead.


    Tang Kai was still in hisb. Sun Zinan did not wait for his response and drove off.


    Dinner was still at the luxury mansion by a peacefulke. Thest time Sun Zinan came over, it didn¡¯t look particrly pleasing to the eye. However, today, perhaps due to his good mood, he decided to finally disengage his emotions from the ce. At this moment, Sun Zinan was willing to abandon all his preconceived notions and enjoy everything.


    There were four people sitting in the dining room. When Sun Zinan entered the door, Sun Ziyan impulsively stood up to beat him. He was immediately pulled back by the rest of his siblings, but he was still angry, his face red as he pointed at Sun Zinan and shouted, ¡°Traitorous son of a bitch! What the hell are you doing! You better not fall into my hands,ozi will kill you!¡±


    Sun Zinan smiled unconcernedly. ¡°Good evening. It¡¯s so lively. What¡¯s Third Brother yelling about?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough! Third Eldest, sit down!¡± The eldest Sun Ziyuan came out and scolded Sun Ziyan, then said to Sun Zinan, ¡°You also talk less.¡±


    Sun Zinan didn¡¯t buy his attempt to smooth things over and feigned surprise. ¡°I merely entered through the door and said hello. When has even ¡®good evening¡¯ be a prohibited word in our family?¡±


    Sun Ziyan was furious, jumping his feet and shouting, ¡°Just who are you trying to fucking y dumb with?¡±


    ¡°By saying this, what is Third Brother is saying I¡¯m ying dumb about?¡± Sun Zinan didn¡¯t want to bother with following his train of thought and said directly, ¡°If you know, then why don¡¯t you say it?¡±


    Sun Ziyuan could not control the two of them. He sat to one side with a headache, sulking; the second oldest decided to pretend to be deaf and mute, and did not say anything. Only Sun Ziyi had a good rtionship with her brother. Seeing that no one else was speaking up, sheughed coldly and sneered, ¡°Does this need to be said? Doesn¡¯t everyone think about it? Isn¡¯t he just a traitor who¡¯ll bite people out of unfamiliarity? What kind of thing did Dad pick up? If we had known this before we would have just let him die outside.¡±


    ¡°Ziyi!¡± Sun Ziyuan roared, ¡°What nonsense are you spouting!¡±


    ¡°What, did I say something wrong? Brother, I don¡¯t believe you don¡¯t think this too.¡± Sun Ziyi stuck her neck out. ¡°Dad was already fifty and came back with a child he said was his younger son. Did you not think about the possibilities? Who knows if he¡¯s the son of the old Sun family? We¡¯ve spent so many years raising him at home and feeding him, and now he begins to harm the family! Since the day he entered the door, there has been no security at home. Tell me, what ill-omened star is this!¡±


    ¡°Fourth Sister, I advise you to not say too much. You¡¯re Dad¡¯s only daughter. Don¡¯t you know what kind of character he is?¡± Sun Zinan was not angry, but his tone was sarcastic. ¡°If I could choose, I wouldn¡¯t want to be in your Sun family. All you do is bossily peck for bugs at home like a chicken. Even if your IQ is low, you still want to grab at things.¡±


    He came back from abroad only recently and no longer had the appearance of a doormat, but he usually didn¡¯t act too tough in front of his siblings. In general, Sun Zinan acted rather calmly and tolerated them, so it was no wonder Sun Ziyan took him as a soft persimmon to pinch at.


    But no one expected him to not only avoid the pit, but also easily put Sun Ziyan in his ce. It was just that Sun Zinan had suddenly proven a little difficult to deal with. The four siblings were a little overwhelmed and the atmosphere in the dining room was temporarily silent and awkward.


    Sun Zinan didn¡¯t want to bother talking with them. He didn¡¯te to fight war tactics with them today, so he turned to ask the housekeeper, ¡°Didn¡¯t I get called back for dinner? Where¡¯s my Dad?¡±


    Sun Ying¡¯s old, hoarse voice sounded from the other end of the dining room. ¡°So you still know I¡¯m your father?¡±


    ¡±There¡¯s no me without you.¡± Sun Zinan smiled, but his eyes were cold. ¡°Didn¡¯t Ie like you told me to? What else are you not satisfied with?¡±


    Indeed, as soon as he acted tough, Sun Ying¡¯s momentum weakened.


    The old man knocked on the ground with a cane and said to Sun Zinan, ¡°Come with me to my study.¡±


    ¡°Come on, we¡¯re in front of so many people.¡±


    Sun Zinan remained unmoving. ¡± I think talking here openly and honestly is very good. We can reveal everything that has happened in all these years, lest other people have to secretly guess. It¡¯s very inefficient otherwise.¡±


    Sun Ying¡¯s expression sank. ¡°Have your wings hardened, so you don¡¯t need to be taken care of anymore?¡±


    ¡°Recently a lot of people have been speaking ruthless words, so if my tone is a little rushed, please forgive me.¡± Sun Zinan sat down on a sofa. ¡°Dad, did you call everyone back today to chat with everyone one by one?¡±


    Sun Ying was blocked by him to the point of chest pain. ¡°Isn¡¯t it because you¡¯re causing trouble outside? At this age, I still have to go clean up the mess for you! You still have the face to ask me!¡±


    ¡°This is your blood-rted brother. You hit him so hard without even greeting him. Who is going to clean it up afterwards? Isn¡¯t it still your father?¡±


    Sun Ziyi immediately helped add fuel to the fire. ¡°Dad is so old, do you have no conscience? Are you trying to provoke Dad?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Sun Zinanzily cocked his legs up and said, ¡°If we allpete against each other for a bit, let¡¯s keep ourselves safe and don¡¯t engage in too much. Then Dad won¡¯t have to work so hard.¡±


    His words flowed smoothly. No matter what Sun Ziyi handed him, he returned them to Sun Ziyan. His attitude was still very sincere.


    It would be too unreasonable if Sun Ziyi kept provoking him.


    Sun Ying looked at him unconcernedly. But for some reason, he had the inkling of a premonition, so he immediately changed his strategy and became gentle. He said as peacefully as possible, ¡°Things have turned out like this; talking about it now is just an afterthought. If you have the time to quarrel, why not think about how to clean it up?¡±


    Everyone became silent at this.


    The crusade against Sun Zinan was one thing, but cleaning up the mess was another. For the former, they only needed to move their mouths; theter required contributing money. Sun Ziyan¡¯s Hongcheng Real Estate had suddenly lost hundreds of millions. Hongsen Group was not short of this money, but it was not a small amount to any of them.


    ¡°Dad, this is an issue of infighting between two children after all. No matter how we deal with this, someone will feel like it¡¯s not fair.¡± The second eldest son Sun Ziqing opened his mouth for the first time and kicked the ball back to Sun Ying. ¡°I think we should do our best to save Hongcheng Real Estate in ordance with the group¡¯s regtions.¡±


    Sun Ziyuan suddenly became very anxious. ¡°Second Brother!¡±


    His idea was very simple. If they didn¡¯t act ording to Sun Ziqing¡¯s words, Hongcheng Real Estate was sure to go bankrupt at the rate it was losing money. But forget about Sun Ziyan being able to continue on as president, this was also directly forgiving Sun Zinan¡¯s doings. Wouldn¡¯t that be a waste of today¡¯s uproar?


    ¡°I was calcted against this time and forced to fall. I absolutely won¡¯t forget it.¡± Sun Ziyan said, ¡°Dad, if you favor him so much, sooner orter one day our brothers will be harmed to death by him!¡±


    Sun Ying frowned. ¡°What nonsense are you saying!¡±


    ¡°I know exactly what the little boy is ying at in his heart.¡± Sun Ziyan stared at Sun Zinan sinisterly, ¡°He¡¯s thinking about our family¡¯s property. Face to face, he pretends to be a grandson, but behind our backs, he creates these ck-handed ns. You want to make trouble for me, hm? You just wait. Sooner orter, I¡¯ll destroy you.¡±


    ¡°Tsk, listen to you. Those who didn¡¯t know better would think I bribed a member of yourpany to trick you into making poor decisions.¡± Sun Zinanughed. ¡°Third Brother, did you really brainwash yourself into believing you were the victim because you spent too long pretending you were pathetic?¡±


    ¡°Sun Zinan!¡± Sun Ying said, ¡°He made a mistake, but he¡¯s still your family after all. Stop pretending you have no rtion to us!¡±


    Sun Ziyi muttered, ¡°What¡¯s the point of telling him, he¡¯s just a traitor who doesn¡¯t recognize us.¡±


    ¡±You can¡¯t say that.¡± Sun Ziyuan finally couldn¡¯t stand listening to them anymore. ¡°If you say Zinan¡¯s actions towards Third Brother are traitorous against family members, then aren¡¯t Third Brother¡¯s actions the same?¡±


    ¡°How can that be the same!¡± Sun Ziyi shouted, ¡°He¡¯s not a part of our family!¡±


    ¡±You see.¡± Sun Zinan quirked his lips and said to Sun Ying, ¡°This is the consequence of your decision to leave a tiger to grow up by itself. It¡¯s toote to talk to me about family ties, Dad.¡±


    His voice was very light and there wasn¡¯t any hint of hatred within his tone, but the implicit meaning behind his words made Sun Ying shiver in fear. He couldn¡¯t resist resorting to his usual threat. ¡°You dare talk to me like this...do you not want your inheritance?¡±


    As soon as the word ¡®inheritance¡¯ came out, the dining room suddenly fell into a dead silence.


    Sun Zinan nced at their faces one by one. On those aging faces, expressions of tension, suspicion and calction could not be hidden. He suddenly felt an indescribable pleasure in his heart, floating on top of the faint pain and sorrow, like he was a man crawling out of a dark cave to see the sun for the first time. He was both excited by the bright new life, but also sentimental for his barren past.


    He stood up.


    ¡°Today, while everyone is here, I want to announce an important decision.¡±


    Sun Ying suddenly felt a very bad premonition rising in his heart.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m indeed Dad¡¯s son and not some illegitimate or foster child. He found a surrogate to give birth to me. As for why, Dad knows very well, so I won¡¯t say any more about that.¡±


    ¡°Although the currentw of our country does not allow breaking off the father-son rtionship, I have several siblings so our father shouldn¡¯t fall to the point where I have to support him.¡± Sun Zinan said unhurriedly, ¡°So from today, once I leave out the door, I will have no rtionship with the Sun family. As for the inheritance, do whatever you want with it. Don¡¯t use it to ckmail me, otherwise others will be like mad dogs, biting at me with no intention of letting go.¡±


    The people in the dining room stared at him as if they had been frozen.


    ¡°Zinan,¡± Sun Ziyuan said calmly, ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re talking about?¡±


    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Sun Zinan turned away his eyes from boredom and scoffedzily. ¡°Elder Brother, we¡¯re already at this stage. Don¡¯t pretend to be a good person. Do you think you¡¯ll receive a few extra dors if you make me repeat my words?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get rid of all the work and shares rted to thepany and the group as soon as possible. Since we were once family, let¡¯s end well.¡±


    Sun Zinan turned and began walking out, then suddenly remembered something and stopped his steps. ¡°Oh right¡ª¡±


    ¡°I have a few documents about some ¡®illegal operation¡¯ Hongcheng Real Estate has been doing in recent years.¡± He turned towards Sun Ziyan. ¡°I remember someone had just said they were going to kill me? I wee you to try. I¡¯ll be waiting.¡±

 Chapter 34 - The Romance Drama Has Come Back and Wont Leave Again

    <h4>Chapter 34 - The Romance Drama Has Come Back and Won¡¯t Leave Again</h4>


    Sun Zinan drove out of the vi garden and along the empty road at night before entering the Fourth Ring road.


    He hadn¡¯t even driven ten meters along the road when a car followed up behind him, honking. At first, Sun Zinan thought someone was trying to overtake him, but when the other party pulled down their window, he saw that the person sitting inside was Tang Kai.


    He gestured to call him on his phone, then slowed down. Sun Zinan put on a Bluetooth headset and picked up Tang Kai¡¯s call.


    ¡°When did youe?¡±


    ¡°I came after work.¡± Tang Kai¡¯s tone was slightlyining as he said, ¡°I waited outside for you a long time and you didn¡¯t see me.¡±


    Sun Zinan, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you toe over here.¡±


    ¡°You just unmasked something. Your father definitely didn¡¯t call you over for something good.¡± Tang Kai asked uneasily, ¡°They didn¡¯t bully you, right?¡±


    Sun Zinan smiled. ¡°They didn¡¯t. I remember there¡¯s a parking lot after going down the intersection in front. I¡¯ll go park the car, you wait for me.¡±


    Ten minutester, Sun Zinan opened the door empty-handed and sat in the passenger seat.


    Tang Kai leaned over to fasten his seat belt and patted him on the face. ¡°Your ce or back to my apartment?¡±


    ¡°Your apartment.¡± Sun Zinan lowered his seat a little and sighed a little tiredly. ¡°I¡¯m not going back to my ce for a few days.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I spoke some harsh words to them this evening. They definitely won¡¯t stop. They¡¯ll probablye find me, but I don¡¯t want to bother with them.¡± Sun Zinan looked back, then closed his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you the details when we get back. You should focus on driving first.¡±


    The streetmps at night became a bright river of lights. asionally, one or two beams of headlights from cars going the opposite direction would shine into the dim window, leaving shadows falling onto Sun Zinan¡¯s face. Within the shadows, a tired and deep-rooted sense of loss was illuminated.


    It was a sadness he had opened up by himself.


    Although Tang Kai rarely cooked at home, he did hide a few bottles of quality red wine. It was suitable to pour out in the sorrow of tonight.


    Normally, Tang Kai would have stopped him, but after hearing that Sun Zinan had left his family, he knew he needed to vent. He simply poured him a cup of red wine, sat on the sofa, and listened to his memories of the past. This also served to rify his long-standing doubts.


    ¡°My father doesn¡¯t really think like normal people.¡± Sun Zinan said faintly, ¡°He developed and grew Hongsen, and saving this family business was not easy. He often feels like this is a throne that needs a perfect heir, worthy of his life¡¯s efforts.¡±


    ¡°My eldest brother and second brother were born with another woman when he was young. He brought his sons back to raise and sent the mother away with some money. He wouldn¡¯t let mother and sons meet; he had to personally train the children. It sounds like the ancient times, when a mentally ill emperor would specifically look for an heir. My dad never married a wife; the only time he was tempted was probably with Sun Ziyan and Sun Ziyi¡¯s mother. But the womanmitted suicide shortly after giving birth, and we don¡¯t know why.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps because of that, he particrly spoils my third brother and fourth sister. That¡¯s why they¡¯re useless. But in the line of the Sun family, doing something strange isn¡¯t a big deal. As long as it¡¯s not out of line, a family of five can live very well. But the old man had to toss me into it without rifying anything. Since then, the family hasn¡¯t lived in peace.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not your choice, they shouldn¡¯t me you.¡±


    Tang Kai gently stroked his shoulder a few times andforted him. ¡°But why did he have another child?¡±


    ¡°The reason is quite ridiculous. It¡¯s absurd to say it.¡± Sun Zinan shook his ss of wine around and asked him, ¡°Have you ever heard of the ¡¯catfish effect¡¯?¡±


    It was said that when Norwegian fishermen caught sardines, they worried that sardines would suffocate from ack of oxygen. Because of that, they usually put a catfish into the pack of sardines.


    Catfish fed on other fish. After entering the container, they would begin to swim around to find their prey. The sardines would begin to move around due to the shock and avoidance of the catfish; this would solve the problem of sardines not getting enough oxygen from not moving. This so-called ¡®catfish effect¡¯ was often used in enterprise management. The general practice was to exert a sense of crisis in order to stimte employees to start working.


    Tang Kai, ¡°You mean...¡±


    Sun Zinan said, ¡°The old man follows this principle. I heard when he was forty-five years old, he was diagnosed with a serious illness. The condition was very dangerous. My brothers thought he would not make it, so they collectively proposed to have him make a will. They were trying to seize the inheritance while he was still alive. My dad might have been stimted by this and it didn¡¯t take long for him to miraculously recover. He¡¯s probably been aware of this crisis since then. All his children chase after the property, and no one really treats him as a father.¡±


    ¡°But you know what type of person my father is. It¡¯s not too much to say that as long as he¡¯s still alive for another day, he¡¯ll never relinquish power. In order to suppress his four adult children, he went abroad to find a surrogate and asked for a fifth child¡ªI am the ¡®catfish¡¯ in his n.¡±


    ¡°My eldest brother doesn¡¯t recognize the consequences, my second brother is too slick. Sun Ziyan and Sun Ziyi can¡¯t even be mentioned; they¡¯re just a pile of waste bags. He ttered me and reused me so that others could keep themselves driven by a sense of crisis. But Sun Ziyan really had to cross me, so I crossed the old man in order to deal with him. That¡¯s why my dad is so angry.¡±


    Not only did Sun Ying want him to be a catfish, he wanted him to be a catfish who could not disobey its orders.


    He used Sun Zinan to counterbnce his other children, but did not allow Sun Zinan to break away from his control and counterattack without authorization. Tonight he had severely scolded Sun Zinan. But the catfish had rebelled and the sardines had also been torn into pieces. His chessboard had been directly overturned by Sun Zinan. It was unclear how Sun Ying was feeling at the current moment.


    Tang Kai¡¯s jaw dropped as he listened.


    ¡°But you are also his own son,¡± he asked carefully. ¡°Why would he do this to you?¡±


    Sun Zinan smiled wordlessly.


    ¡°Because I¡¯m a ¡®catfish,¡¯¡± he said. ¡°In his eyes, I¡¯m just an employee, not his child.¡±


    No matter how outstanding he was, for Sun Ying, Sun Zinan had never been among his heirs.


    Because there was no upbringing to produce any feelings. Just like the quarrel that had urred tonight, family was just an excuse to push me onto others. In fact, everyone¡¯s heart was clear that Sun Zinan was just an outsider. Only insiders could receive the inheritance.


    ¡°So when I was a child, he was actually very good to me. He gave me the best to eat and wear, gave me the best education. I once thought he really loved me, but then I learned that it wasn¡¯t ¡®fatherly love,¡¯ it was employee motivation.¡± Sun Zinan downed his ss of wine and said tipsily, ¡°I was really dumb before. I even became upset for a long time because of this.¡±


    Even though he was already tipsy, his words were still restrained.


    In fact, it was more than being upset. His depression while abroad was because of this.


    The summer of the year before Sun Zinan went abroad, Sun Ying transferred five percent of his shares to his name. The decision caused an uproar at home. Sun Zinan did not want to be targeted by his brothers, so he hid all day in the small backyard garden to read books. He hid too well. One day, he identally overheard a conversation between Sun Ying and his former secretary.


    The other side had seemed puzzled by this decision and couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Chairman, by doing this, the little master¡¯s shares are far more than the young master¡¯s. Is this not...wrong?¡±


    N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Sun Ying had walked slowly in front of him on crutches before suddenly stopping to ask ¡°Do you know what the ¡®catfish effect¡¯ is?¡±


    Along with the summer breeze that brought those words to him, the ten plus years of his life had shattered to pieces.


    He had been neglected, but still stubbornly believed that he was loved. Suddenly one day, he was forced to face the cruel world. After knowing that he had long ago been abandoned, his life felt like a joke. Other than living in this body like a wandering soul, what else could he do?


    If a person lost his foothold from birth, lost his sense of self, what was the meaning of life?


    Tang Kai did not say a word as he reached out and embraced him in his arms.


    The ss in Sun Zinan¡¯s hand shook a bit and he hurriedly steadied it. ¡°Ai, be careful, don¡¯t spill it on your clothes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be good to you,¡± Tang Kai murmured. ¡°If they don¡¯t care about you, I¡¯ll care about you....You have to remember the good things about this world. You can¡¯t just float away without telling me.¡±


    ¡°Float what, I¡¯m not floating.¡± Sun Zinan buried his head in Tang Kai¡¯s shoulder, hiding his entire face. His tears were absorbed into his clothes.


    He said hoarsely, ¡°You¡¯re here. Where else would I go?¡±


    He had not cried in many years; even the feeling of involuntary tears had be strange.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry...be good, we don¡¯t have to be sad over scum like this, dear.¡±


    Although Tang Kai could not see it, he could feel the wet marks forming on his shoulder. His heart immediately was set on fire with rage towards Sun Ying¡¯s entire family. He kissed Sun Zinan¡¯s hair as he hugged him with open arms and said solemnly, ¡°You know, catfish are freshwater fish, sardines are saltwater fish. If you put a catfish into a tank with sardines, it will die.¡±


    Sun Zinan, ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The ¡®catfish effect¡¯ theory is simply not in line with thews of nature. It¡¯s just some pseudoscience.¡± Tang Kai said, ¡± Your father was very half-assed when doing this. I am a professional. In the future, please follow Teacher Tang so you won¡¯t get lost.¡±


    ¡°Besides, how can you be a catfish?¡± He added very bluntly, ¡°Catfish are so ugly.¡±


    This way offorting people was too unconventional. Sun Zinan¡¯s tears were choked back.


    He sometimes actually admired Tang Kai¡¯s brain circuits. He approached things at a unique angle and went straight to the point. Although he wasn¡¯t too susceptible to emotional factors, which made him seem a little impersonal, and his words were usually some sand sculpture expressions, the moment he stopped talking nonsense, it was like the clouds had parted to show the sun.


    To be honest, he already felt like it was a lot more bearable because there was someone to apany him at this time.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, I¡¯m okay now.¡± Sun Zinan got up from Tang Kai¡¯s arms. The corners of his eyes were still slightly red, but the tears had disappeared. ¡°The confession has finished. Thank you Professor Tang for flying with me.¡±


    Tang Kai leaned up and gently kissed the corner of his eyes, then said, ¡°I¡¯ve suddenly realized that you look very nice when you cry.¡±


    Sun Zinan, ¡°...¡±


    He really wanted to split open this old uncle¡¯s head and see what nonsense was brewing inside his brain.


    ¡±I¡¯m not going to bully you.¡± Tang Kai saw his speechless expression andughed. ¡°But in the future, please give me a chance to practice, okay?¡±


    ¡°...¡± Sun Zinan was expressionless. ¡°No thanks. Get up, I¡¯m going to take a shower and go to bed.¡±


    ¡°Taking a shower as soon as you¡¯re done drinking? You can¡¯t, it¡¯s too easy to faint.¡± Tang Kai grabbed at his waist, not letting him go ¡°Either you sit here and sober up, or I will apany you to wash. You choose one.¡±


    Sun Zinan raised an eyebrow. ¡°No way, Professor Tang, do you get drunk from just the bottom of a cup of wine? You really can¡¯t handle...your alcohol, ah?¡±


    After saying that, he quipped, ¡°Oh right, I can¡¯t tell men that they can¡¯t handle it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Professor Tang took advantage to turn Sun Zinan around and throw him against the sofa. He firmly pressed him under his body, one hand mping his wrists above his head while the other hand slid dishonestly down along his waist. He gritted his teeth and said, ¡°You don¡¯t recognize me? Then today I¡¯ll have to make you cry as you say ¡®can¡¯t handle it.¡¯¡±

 Chapter 37 - Do You Have Any Business With Me?

    <h4>Chapter 37 - Do You Have Any Business With Me?</h4>


    cw: somewhat explicit violence


    Sun Zinan turned his head away in difort, dodging the tingling itch of Tang Kai¡¯s voice against his ear as he asked, ¡°How did you conclude that this was his doing?¡±


    ¡°The goal of the four men was clear. They came for you.¡± Tang Kai said, ¡°I can¡¯t think of anyone other than Sun Ziyan who would do such a stupid thing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Sun Zinan said a little unreasonably, ¡°No matter who did it, just take it as his doing. It¡¯s not like he¡¯s family. If I want to scold him no one can stop me.¡±


    Tang Kai suddenly said, ¡°Right, didn¡¯t you just say you wanted to give me a reward?¡±


    ¡°Did I say that? When?¡± Sun Zinan yed dumb. ¡°I don¡¯t recall.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Tang Kai said angrily, ¡°You lying pig trotter!¡±


    Sun Zinan, ¡°Hahahaha.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Professor Tang, how could I dare forget the hero of the battle against the hooligans? Don¡¯t sit there with a gloomy face, who are you showing it to?¡± Sun Zinan had teased him enough and poked Tang Kai¡¯s cheek. ¡°Tell me, what do you want?¡±


    Tang Kai, ¡°Will you agree to anything I ask for?¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Sun Zinan looked at him vigntly. ¡°Tang Kai, if you dare do lewd things in public I¡¯ll¡ª¡±


    Tang Kai was curious. ¡°You¡¯ll what?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll...¡± Sun Zinan choked a bit and finally couldn¡¯t helpughing. ¡°I quit my job and ended my lease. I¡¯m going to eat and drink your food. If you really want to do something to me, I have no choice but to follow you.¡±


    Tang Kai¡¯s eyes lit up but he forced himself to be serious. He pretended to say solemnly, ¡°I don¡¯t think about these things all day, but don¡¯t go back on the words you just said.¡±


    Sun Zinan was slightly surprised. ¡°What were you thinking of?¡±


    ¡°How about giving me the opportunity to deal with that dog Sun Ziyan?¡± Tang Kai said, ¡°I¡¯ve been suppressing myself for too long. Of course, if you want to enjoy it on your own, I¡¯ll give him an extra send-off.¡±


    Sun Zinan, ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Law-abiding citizen, en?¡± He looked at Tang Kai. ¡°You¡¯re the nation¡¯s professor, how could you still think of using corporal punishments.¡±


    Tang Kai touched his chin and thought for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m teaching ording to my talents.¡±


    ¡°When educated people be hooligans, it¡¯s quite scary.¡± Sun Zinan sighed and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave it to you?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Tang Kai grabbed his hand and put it in his pocket. ¡°He broke the front windshield of my car. If I don¡¯t teach him a lesson, I¡¯ll hate him forever.¡±


    At this moment, he didn¡¯t have a single hint of a schrly temperament. His sses were off, showing his sharp and beautiful eyes. It was an understatement to call his expression ruthless; he looked like a viin in a ck and white movie, his features making people shiver in fear while thinking ¡®wow, how handsome¡¯ in their hearts.


    Sun Zinan hooked his fingers and scratched at his palm. ¡°Take it easy, don¡¯t kill anyone.¡±


    Tang Kai tilted his head and gave him a look that said ¡®I know my limits.¡¯


    ¡®Deep Blue¡¯ was one of the most high-end clubs in S City. It wasn¡¯t open to the public and only for regr customers. New customers had to join through the introductions of old members. Apparently the boss was very powerful and was not afraid of investigations. He had a lot of security measures, so it was a good ce for rich people to enjoy themselves.


    These days, Sun Ziyan was in a very bad mood. Because Sun Zinan had run away from home, Sun Ying had scolded him without leaving him any face. Following that, Hongcheng Real Estate¡¯s funds had been checked, and the deficit was astounding. Sun Ying was so angry he almost had a heart attack. He suspended him in rage and had him go back home to reflect.


    Of course, he couldn¡¯t be forced to stay home, but Sun Ziyan had recently lost a lot of his power. No one wanted to go out and drink with him. So he came to ¡®Deep Blue¡¯ alone, opened up a few bottles of wine, and ordered two women to apany the wine.


    N?v(el)B\\jnn


    He wasn¡¯t very interested today, and had the two women y some unsightly games. He himself drank from the bottle until he felt bloated. He staggered to his feet and went to the bathroom, but for some reason, there was no bathroom inside. Sun Ziyan went out the door and went towards the public bathroom.


    He stood in front of the urinal. Because he had drunk too much, his eyes were blurry and his hands trembled. Much to his annoyance, he trembled so much he couldn¡¯t even open his belt buckle.


    Suddenly, a hand stretched out behind him and hit the side of his neck. Sun Ziyan fell gently down without a sound.


    The person caught him, but staggered forward due to his weight. He scolded, ¡°It¡¯s fucking heavy.¡±


    He fumbled around Sun Ziyan¡¯s body and took his mobile phone and car keys, then walked out of the bathroom with the unconscious man.


    The elevator wasn¡¯t far away. He pressed the button for the second floor. As he waited, a waiter passed by. Seeing the unfamiliar face, he immediately became vignt and asked, ¡°Sir, please stay and show me your membership certificate.¡±


    The man was wearing gray, athletic clothing. He was of a medium build, wearing a cap, and had an ordinary appearance. When he heard this he raised the car keys and said innocently, ¡°I¡¯m the driver Mr. Sun called for. He drank too much, so he wants me toe pick him up.¡±


    The waiter immediately contacted the front desk through the walkie-talkie. Only when they had confirmed that a Mr. Sun had contacted them for a driver did the waiter rx his guard. He looked over at the driver and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve troubled you.¡±


    The man smiled at him, then strenuously moved Sun Ziyan into the elevator and went downstairs.


    Sun Ziyan woke up in a whirl of darkness. His alcohol-soaked brain had lost all judgement; he only felt that his entire body was cold and in pain. When he tried to move his hands and feet, he realized he was being grabbed by his back cor, being dragged on the ground.


    Revenge? Or kidnapping?


    A cold sweat covered his back and the alcohol instantly evaporated from his pores. Sun Ziyan tried to shout, but his mouth was stuffed with rags and his head was covered with an opaque ck bag. He could neither make a sound nor see where he was going. An unprecedented fear grabbed at his heart and made him tremble.


    Sun Ziyan struggled like crazy. ¡°Wuuuuuuu!¡±


    The person threw him against the wall. Sun Ziyan¡¯s head fell against the ground and he wriggled desperately, attempting to run. Immediately, a heavy kicknded on his leg and a voice said sinisterly, ¡°Did I let you run?¡±


    Sun Ziyan was so scared tears and snot flew down his face. He was as stiff as a stone and didn¡¯t dare make any movements. He could only whine desperately, trying to convey goodwill to his kidnapper. He didn¡¯t care whether they wanted money or anything else.


    The man did not give him a chance to speak. A cold stick poked at his head as he asked, ¡°Boss Sun, do you know why you¡¯re being beaten?¡±


    Sun Ziyan shook his head desperately.


    ¡°Because you have done so many bad things that God himself can¡¯t even watch anymore.¡± The man said hoarsely, ¡°When you drink and eat meat, do you ever think about those who have been cornered by you? 100,000 dors isn¡¯t even enough for you to open two bottles of wine. Yet you think that¡¯s enough for the life of one person.¡±


    He did not give Sun Ziyan the opportunity to speak, nor the ability to justify or talk about conditions. He didn¡¯t listen to anything; it was clear that he was just here to seek revenge.


    At this moment, all the hical things he had done shed through Sun Ziyan¡¯s mind¡ªbut there were too many and he had never really thought of them before. Who could have thought that those ordinary people, who could be pressed to the ground with one finger, would dare ambush and attack him in a ce like ¡®Deep Blue¡¯?


    With two solid thunks, a blunt object struck his bones and his shins exploded in pain. Sun Ziyan screamed but couldn¡¯t bypass the gags stuffed in his mouth. His entire body huddled on the ground, shrinking back.


    As he panicked and attempted to dodge, there was another muffled sound, and the pipe fell on his right forearm. The man kicked him in the waist and knocked him back against the wall. Pain and fear made him cry unbearably. He even began knocking his head against the ground, as if kowtowing for mercy.


    The man crouched down and leaned close to him ¡°This isn¡¯t over, how about opening a slit for you on your head?¡±


    Sun Ziyan howled crazily, his chubby body tumbling back and forth on the ground, like a small flying insect trapped in a web; no matter how he fluttered his wings, he could not break free from his fate of imminent death.


    The moment the cold, hard object touched his head, Sun Ziyan was finally scared to the extreme. He could not make a single sound as he convulsed, his lower body covered in a pool of spreading wetness. He fainted on the spot.


    The man smiled impatiently, but the pipe in his hand did not knock down and instead poked at his head. This bird-brained boss had even wet himself in fear.


    He took a picture of Sun Ziyan, who had fallen against the wall, then sent it on his phone.


    While he waited for the other side to reply, he untied the unconscious Sun Ziyan, took off the bag covering his face, moved him to the car, then threw the key into the car through the window.


    The scene had been cleaned up. Even if others passed by, no one would be able to tell what had just happened.


    His phone buzzed; the WeChat reply hade.


    The man took off his gloves and slowly typed back a ¡®if you are satisfied with my services, please give a five-star rating.¡¯ He dragged out a small electric scooter out of the corner of the garage and quickly disappeared into the night.


    The next day, Sun Zinan officially resigned from Hongsen Biotechnology. Wang Geng took over as the new president. At noon he had a meal with a few colleagues and received a number of wishes and tears. He idled about in the afternoon with nothing to do, so he went to the nearby supermarket.


    When he was throwing cabbage into the shopping cart, he suddenly received a phone call from Sun Ziyuan.


    He looked tiredly at the caller ID, thought about it, but still picked it up.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need any loans, no test prep, no double-eyelid surgery, and I didn¡¯t order takeout. Do you have any business with me?¡±


    Sun Ziyuan, ¡°...¡±


    He said helplessly, ¡°Zinan, it¡¯s me.¡± Sun Zinan reached out to pick up a handful of celery, remembered that Tang Kai that picky eater didn¡¯t eat it, and put it back before casually saying, ¡°Oh, Director Sun, what can I do for you?¡±


    Sun Ziyuan didn¡¯t pick at his provoking tone and directly asked, ¡°Third Eldest was beaten up yesterday and sent to the hospital. Does this have anything to do with you?¡±

 Chapter 38 - Birthday Present

    <h4>Chapter 38 - Birthday Present</h4>


    slightly nsfw again


    Sun Zinan¡¯s first reaction was that Tang Kai didn¡¯t hold himself back when taking care of his business. The hooligans hadn¡¯t evene out of jail yet and Sun Ziyan was already in the hospital. This was really too efficient.


    ¡°Congrattions,¡± Sun Zinan said. ¡°Who did this? I have to make him a medal.¡±


    Sun Ziyuan was provoked into a sigh. He admonished, ¡°Zinan, don¡¯t act like a child. I¡¯m not using you of anything, I just wanted to ask.¡±


    ¡°Your family is really carved out of the same mold.¡± Sun Zinan replied, ¡°Once something happens you all think of me first. What, was I hired by your family to be a scapegoat?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡± Sun Ziyuan sighed, ¡°Third Eldest¡¯s injuries are very severe. He won¡¯t say anything when we ask him and won¡¯t report it to the police. Dad wants me to find someone to investigate. The two of you fought so muchst time. Brother is afraid...afraid you won¡¯t be happy hearing this?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right, I wasn¡¯t happy.¡± Sun Zinan sneered, ¡°But after hearing this good news, I¡¯m happy now.¡±


    Sun Ziyuan didn¡¯t receive a single phrase of affirmation, but looking at Sun Zinan¡¯s attitude, it seemed like he really had nothing to do with this matter. He asked doubtfully, ¡°It really wasn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°You can check it yourself if you don¡¯t believe it, don¡¯t talk to me like I¡¯m some criminal.¡± Sun Zinan said impatiently, ¡°I don¡¯t even have time to pay attention to him. Even if I did beat him up, doesn¡¯t he deserve a beating? Director Sun, if you have time to call me, then you should use that time to go to the police station and make an inquiry. See if your precious baby brother has been hiring some hooligans to harm others. Don¡¯t go directly to the hospital and think he¡¯s been horribly wronged.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? You say he hired people...¡±


    Before Sun Ziyuan finished his words, Sun Zinan hung up on him. He might as well cken his own reputation.


    His rtionship with Sun Ziyuan was actually okay, but in the environment of the Sun family, everyone was wary of each other. Sometimes Sun Zinan felt like he had to aim a gun every time he gave him news; it was a very tiring feeling. Sun Ziyuan¡¯s temperament was also too soft. He was held harshly in ce by Sun Ying; it was unclear if he was ever going to be able to seed. Now that Sun Zinan had made up his mind to break away from the Sun family, he was even more reluctant to care about him. If Sun Ziyuan didn¡¯t suffer a little, he wouldn¡¯t know who had carried him in the past.


    Christmas was approaching. The supermarket had ced arge Christmas tree and cheerful, jingling music yed on repeat. After buying a few groceries, Sun Zinan went to the checkout counter. He happened to see the sex products on the shelf next to him. He didn¡¯t know what he thought of but suddenly chuckled to himself, and casually picked up a box of condoms and water-soluble lubricant to give to the cashier.


    That night when Tang Kai came home from work, dinner was not yet ready. Sun Zinan gave him a pig-shaped red bean bun to pad his stomach. In the busy, chaotic kitchen, he asked, ¡°Did you find people to beat Sun Ziyan yesterday?¡±


    Tang Kai bit off half the pig¡¯s head. ¡°To be precise, it was the day before yesterday. How did you find out?¡±


    ¡°Sun Ziyuan called me and asked if I did it,¡± Sun Zinan said. ¡°I heard Sun Ziyan was hospitalized and doesn¡¯t dare call the police.¡±


    ¡°Hitman Google, it¡¯s a very useful delivery app. If you think it¡¯s good I¡¯ll give a good rating?¡± Tang Kai said, ¡°I heard that a five-star hitman can get an extra five percentmission.¡±


    Sun Zinan, ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha I¡¯m not teasing you, it¡¯s true.¡± Tang Kai ate the pig bun and said vaguely, ¡°It¡¯s a small group created by a friend I know. They have private contact with the Deep Blue staff and had the front desk help get Sun Ziyan out. I have a picture, do you want to see it?¡±


    ¡°No no no, no need.¡± Sun Zinan said, ¡°Looking at his face makes me lose my appetite. We still need to eat dinner.¡±


    Tang Kai helped him bring the dish to the table as he casually said. ¡°Rest assured, I had the people say to Sun Ziyan that opening two bottles of wine was the price of a human life to scare him. So you see, he doesn¡¯t dare call the police. If the police pulled out all the horrible things he¡¯s done, it¡¯ll be a huge problem.¡±


    Sun Zinan understood immediately. ¡°Oh, I see. Killing someone with a borrowed knife.¡±


    ¡°I think...Old Sun and Sun Ziyuan both know what he has done. So that¡¯s why I asked you directly.¡± Tang Kai said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, just let them investigate. They won¡¯t be able to find anything.¡±


    Sun Zinan made an ¡°en¡± sound, and gave him a pair of chopsticks. ¡°Eat.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I have something for you.¡±


    He often brought little things to Sun Zinan, whatever random objects he found on the way. Sometimes, it was sugar roasted chestnuts from a street stall, sometimes it was a particrly ugly little doll.


    This time, Tang Kai took out a gym membership card from the side of his bag. Sun Zinan looked at it like it was a monster, pinching at a corner and asking, ¡°What is this thing?¡±


    ¡°Gym membership,¡± said Tang Kai. ¡°For the gym we went tost time. The boss specially sent me two ten percent discounts on the annual card. He wees you toe often.¡±


    Sun Zinan, ¡°Why?¡±


    Tang Kai, ¡°Apparently since thest time you showed up, the number of customers has increased significantly.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Sun Zinan¡¯s heart was very resistant to this, but it wasn¡¯t good to say it out loud in order to not reject Tang Kai¡¯s good intentions.


    So he rolled his eyes and pretended he didn¡¯t understand. ¡°What does that mean. The boss thinks the little students areing specifically to see me?¡±


    Tang Kai said righteously, ¡°To see the two of us.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡± Sun Zinan dragged his voice. ¡°So we can only go to the gym together? If I go by myself someday, I hope a certain someone won¡¯t cry.¡±


    Tang Kai¡¯s heart rang in rm, but his mouth firmly denied it. ¡°I have not!¡±


    ¡±If you haven¡¯t then you haven¡¯t.¡± Sun Zinan said with a smile, ¡°What are you so nervous about?¡±


    Tang Kai huffily faced the window.


    This scene had an inexplicable sense of familiarity. From the beginning to now, Tang Kai¡¯s lofty image had already copsed into ashes, but Sun Zinan¡¯s teasing tune had not changed at all.


    However, he had to admit, whatever pot whatever pot lid, Tang Kai could really eat it.


    Sun Zinan curled up the corner of his mouth, leisurely picking up his soup bowl. To hide the reddening tips of his ears, he drank half a bowl of his bamboo shoot and shrimp meatball soup.


    Now that there was nothing stopping him, did that mean he could go deeper into this intimate rtionship, to personally build himself a small family that belonged only to him?


    Tang Kai¡¯s birthday happened to be on Christmas day. Although it was still a workday, Sun Zinan was leisurely staying at home. He had plenty of time to finally treat him well.


    He began with a bowl of longevity noodles in the morning. It was followed by a love bento delivery at noon, then a candlelight and rose-covered dinner after he opened the door when he got home from work that evening. Tang Kai had been fed all day by Sun Zinan to satisfaction; he was in an extremely good mood.


    Because of this, he was looking more and more forward to Sun Zinan¡¯s birthday gift. Before going to work that morning, he had seen a square box in the corner of the wardrobe. The package was quite exquisite; Sun Zinan had presumably prepared it early and was just waiting for dinner to give him the biggest surprise.


    He habitually reasoned that ording to Sun Zinan¡¯s consistent style, it might be an expensive wallet, sses, or watch...could it be a car key?


    But Sun Zinan was very calm. At nine o¡¯clock in the evening, he went to take a shower and get ready for bed without mentioning anything. Tang Kai had been absent-minded all night. He wondered as he paid attention to the movement in the bathroom, unconsciously poking about at his iPad. For the first time, he experienced what it felt like to be a bad student staring at a book. Not a single word absorbed into his mind.


    For some reason, Sun Zinan spent an extra long time in his shower today. After he dried his hair and walked out of the bedroom in a bathrobe, Tang Kai immediately looked up at him sensitively. ¡°Did you finish washing up?¡±


    ¡°En.¡±


    N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Sun Zinan opened the wardrobe and bent over to take out Tang Kai¡¯s long-awaited gift box. He smiled and handed it to him. ¡°Here, your birthday gift.¡±


    Tang Kai was stunned by his expression; he couldn¡¯t understand what it meant.


    He set the iPad down and sat up cross-legged like a child. He opened it in puzzlement and looked down. His gaze was immediately stuck to the two things inside.


    New unopened condoms and lubricant.


    ¡°This...¡±


    He was shocked to the point of being dizzy and briefly lost the ability to organizenguage. He didn¡¯t dare to believe it yet was overjoyed at the same time, turning into a faulty, repeating machine. He stared at Sun Zinan and stammered as he asked, ¡°This...this product...are, are you implying...¡±


    Sun Zinan ced his knee on the bed. The bathrobe neckline was too open. In a condescending posture, he pinched Tang Kai¡¯s chin and scratched at it twice like he was petting a cat. Heughedzily. ¡°It¡¯s exactly what you think.¡±


    Tang Kai held him by the waist and went down on the bed under his push. He looked up and exchanged a sweet, soft long kiss with him.


    ¡°It¡¯s too sudden, I feel like I¡¯m dreaming...¡±


    His empty hand gently fiddled with the sensitive and delicate skin behind Sun Zinan¡¯s ear, then yed with his soft earlobe. His eyes held a hint of a smile, filled with a burning brilliance. ¡°We have to agree first that since you gave this gift to me, you can¡¯t take it back.¡±


    ¡°What nonsense are you saying.¡± Sun Zinan¡¯s eyes were zed over with enthusiasm. He bent his head to peck at the corners of his eyes and spoke with a dignified air, but his tone was light. ¡°Whatever I give you is yours.¡±


    Tang Kai was deeply moved, and his heart was full of tenderness. As soon as he was about to kiss him, he heard Sun Zinan add, ¡°Besides, you can¡¯t still be a virgin at thirty. That¡¯s too miserable.¡±


    Tang Kai, ¡°...¡±


    The angered virgin turned over and pressed Sun Zinan into the quilt. He bit him on the mouth as a punishment. At the same time, he tickled him harshly. He repressed his voice and said, ¡°You talk like you¡¯re not a virgin either, eh?¡±


    Sun Zinany on his back, tickled by his touches,ughing until his entire body curled up. ¡°Stop talking so much, hurry up, you¡¯ll really be an old virgin after midnight...¡±


    The bright bedroom lights blinded his eyes. He lifted his foot and kicked at Tang Kai¡¯s calf. ¡°Turn off the lights.¡±


    Tang Kai picked up the gift box and threw it. It hit the switch on the wall with a bang.


    One switch closed while another turned on.


    The bedroom was washed in darkness. Only the dim moonlight through the ss window reflected the two figures intertwined on the bed.


    Tang Kai had been looking forward to his birthday gift for a long time, but this had be a very special day in his life. He tore the presents open for half the night and couldn¡¯t put them down. He could only reluctantly put his gift down near dawn.


    The winter night was long. He could only taste the bitterness of a short spring night.


    At seven o¡¯clock in the morning, Sun Zinan struggled to open his eyes. He tried to sit up with two dark circles under his eyes. When he moved, his joints cracked, as if he had been beaten all night. The parts of his body below his waist did not listen to his orders. His legs were still faintly cramping. The other side of the half was cold; Tang Kai should have gone to work.


    Sun Zinan¡¯s mouth was dry. He looked all over the ce for a cup of water without avail and had to silently condemn Tang Kai in his heart for this ruthless behavior. He began dragging his body, which was about to fall apart, in order to get out of bed.


    At this time, the bedroom door was pushed open from the outside. Tang Kai quickly walked over, holding a cup of water in one hand. The other hand pushed his leg back into bed. ¡°You lie there obediently.¡±


    Sun Zinan reached for the water. Tang Kai half hugged him as he waited for him to finish the cup of water. He then pressed his hand against his forehead and tested his temperature. ¡°You have a little low fever, don¡¯t get out of bed today.¡±


    ¡°Do I?¡± Sun Zinan himself didn¡¯t feel it and didn¡¯t take it too seriously. He said, ¡°There¡¯s no breakfast today, you¡¯ll have to go to the school canteen.¡±


    ¡°I took leave. I won¡¯t go to school today.¡± Tang Kai asked him to lie down t and turn over. He put his hands under the quilt and slowly rubbed his back, asking warmly, ¡°Where is it ufortable? What do you want to eat? I¡¯ll order delivery.¡±


    After the event, tenderness was as important as forey. Sun Zinany on Tang Kai¡¯s thigh, and his aching back muscles were pushed from top to bottom by his warm palms. He hummed, sleepily closing his eyes. ¡°Whatever is fine.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Tang Kai was full of gentleness, feeling like he had the entire world to himself. At this point, he would be willing to even pick the stars to make soup for him. He coaxed softly, ¡°If you¡¯re sleepy then keep sleeping. I¡¯ll call you when the food is here.¡±


    Sun Zinan turned over and yawned. ¡°You don¡¯t want to sleep with me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right there.¡± The first thing Tang Kai had seen were red marks all over his chest. He immediately repented by averting his gaze, covering him with his quilt in guilt when he suddenly heard Sun Zinan, who had closed his eyes, mutter something under his breath.


    He leaned over and asked, ¡°En? What did you say?¡±


    Sun Zinan forced himself to open his drowsy eyes, about to sumb to the strong force of his sleepiness. He whispered in his ear, ¡°I said, your behaviorst night was pretty good. You can be less obedient tonight.¡±

 Chapter 41 - Extra: Proposal

    <h4>Chapter 41 - Extra: Proposal</h4>


    One day in May, 5 minutes to 9 P.M.


    When Sun Zinan came out of the shower, he noticed his phone vibrating. He nced and saw that the caller was Tang Kai, so casually picked it up. ¡°Hello?¡±


    A hesitant female voice came across. ¡°...Hello?¡±


    Sun Zinan: ?


    The voice stumbled, sounding very unnatural as if it was struggling to fight back augh. ¡°Excuse me, are you Professor Tang¡¯s...um, sweetheart baby fruit?¡±


    Sun Zinan, ¡°...¡±


    Tang Kai, this shameless sand sculpture. Forget about him secretly giving him this shameful nickname, he even put it in other people¡¯s hands. If Sun Zinan hadn¡¯t know what kind of person he was, he would havebeled him some kind of inte troll.


    ¡°I¡¯m Tang Kai¡¯s boyfriend.¡± Sun Zinan forced himself to push away this page from the past and feigned calmness as he said, ¡°Why is his phone with you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, oh...¡± The woman said hurriedly, ¡°It¡¯s like this. Our colleagues had dinner outside tonight at a hotel and the male employees all had a little too much to drink. We don¡¯t know where he lives, could youe pick him up?¡±


    Sun Zinan gave a small sigh. ¡°Okay, I got it. Give me the address and I¡¯ll be right there. We¡¯ve troubled you.¡±


    The female teacher hung up the phone and locked it before giving it back to Tang Kai, who was so drunk he couldn¡¯t even open his eyes. With a helpless face, she continued to call the family members of the next male professor.


    Tang Kai clutched his phone and stumbled against the back of his chair to sleep for a while. Maybe because he was ufortable, it wasn¡¯t very practical to sleep. He shook his head irritatedly and squinted his drunk eyes. He tapped away at his phone and somehow magically managed to hit Sun Zinan¡¯s name in the call records.


    ¡°Hello? ¡±


    Sun Zinan¡¯s voice came from the handset. Tang Kai dizzily held up the phone in front of him like it was a video call. ¡°Nan Nan...en? Where are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m driving,¡± said Sun Zinan. ¡°Did you drink too much? Wait a moment, I¡¯lle pick you up.¡±


    Professor Tang had a strong sense of safety procedures. ¡°If you¡¯re driving don¡¯t drink, if you¡¯re drinking don¡¯t drive...darling, stay there obediently, don¡¯t drive. Your husband wille pick you up.¡±


    Sun Zinan, ¡°...¡±


    He had to admit that although Professor Tang was quite dumb at the moment, when he was drunk, he lowered his voice until it was even more maic and deep. It had quite the killer strength; even the hairs on the back of Sun Zinan¡¯s neck were standing up.


    Fortunately, the hotel was not too far from their home and it was only a short drive away. Sun Zinan went directly into the private room. This group of people really seemed like they had drunk too much; some were lying down while others were sprawled all over. The only person sitting upright in this entire scene was his family¡¯s Professor Tang.


    Sun Zinan walked over, bent down, and put a finger up in front of him and shook it. He smiled. ¡°Can you still recognize who I am?¡±


    Tang Kai lifted his eyelids and looked at him, seemingly recognizing who he was. Without saying anything, he opened his arms and hugged him into his embrace, murmuring, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, don¡¯t bother with them. I¡¯ll take you home.¡±


    Sun Zinan almost fell over on him. He steadied himself against the back of the chair with a great amount of effort. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t tease you...let¡¯s go, can you stand up?¡±


    Tang Kai was very obedient. His drunken reactions weren¡¯t slow and he stood up dazedly. He was pulled out of the room like a small child. He could walk normally, his legs functioning properly, but he couldn¡¯t walk in a straight line. Sun Zinan guided him by his waist to correct the direction he was walking in, and the two of them walked out of the elevator and went to the parking lot outside the hotel.


    Sun Zinan pulled out a coat from the back seat and threw it into his arms, pushing Tang Kai into the shotgun seat. ¡°Put some clothes on, don¡¯t catch a cold.¡±


    There was the hint of perfume on the coat. The two of them had lived together for a long time; the clothes in their closet had been tinted with the same scent and it was difficult to distinguish between their clothing. Tang Kai held the coat and intently stared at Sun Zinan, as he concentrated on driving, as if he were using his eyes to trace the sight of a rare treasure. This directness made Sun Zinan ufortable, and he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Why are you looking at me?¡±


    Tang Kai said honestly, ¡°You¡¯re attractive.¡±


    Sun Zinan, ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to look, shut your eyes.¡±


    Tang Kai, ¡°What, does it cost money to look at you?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t cost money for you.¡± Sun Zinan turned the steering wheel and couldn¡¯t resist smiling as he said, ¡°But you¡¯re distracting me from driving, so you¡¯re not allowed to look.¡±


    Tang Kai ¡®hmphed¡¯ gently and turned his head to mutter to himself. ¡°Why am I not allowed to look at my wife?¡±


    Sun Zinan didn¡¯t hear him clearly. ¡°What?¡±


    Tang Kai shut his eyes childishly and ignored him.


    The car drove into the small garden. Sun Zinan woke up the drunkard and took him back into the apartment. The two of them had moved ces at the beginning of the year. Wisteria Road Number 22 was a single-family garden vi. It wasn¡¯t as close as the original little neighborhood, but it was only half an hour¡¯s drive from both Tianhai University and Sun Zinan¡¯s newpany.


    Sun Zinan had wanted this house for a while. The renovations wereplete, and they had just moved in this May. There was arge bathroom in the new house. Tang Kai was stripped clean and left soaking in the bathtub. Sun Zinan was afraid he would identally fall in and drown, so apanied him with a towel to wipe his back.


    The heat was dense; the bathroom warm. Tang Kai¡¯s muscr, strong upper body was exposed. His long and slender legs soaked in the water like a big merman. Beauty was beauty, but it just wasn¡¯t very obedient. It kept sshing the water like a naughty child. Sun Zinan was sshed all over and about to have a mental breakdown. ¡°Stay still.¡±


    Tang Kai turned over towards Sun Zinan and clutched his head, looking at him with pitiful eyes. ¡°Si...it hurts, how can I stay still?¡±


    ¡°...¡± Sun Zinan had no way to deal with this drunk childish brat and had to surrender. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have teased you, I was wrong, okay? Come here, husband will give you a massage.¡±


    Tang Kai blinked. ¡°Want hug.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡ª¡± Sun Zinanughed to himself, pushing his sleeves up and opening his arms. ¡°Come, husband will hug you.¡±


    Before his voicended, Tang Kai tugged him and he fell into the water with a ssh.


    Sun Zinan wiped the water off his face and gritted his teeth. ¡°Tang. Kai.¡±


    Tang Kai held him steadily and pressed fluttering kisses from his cheeks to the corner of his eyes. ¡°En, husband hug.¡±


    ¡°How much did you drink...¡± Sun Zinan had no other options left. He wiped the water drops from his brow. ¡°What good thing did you chance upon?¡±


    ¡°I want to be a full-timer.¡± Tang Kai said suddenly, ¡°Okay?¡±


    ¡°En?¡± Sun Zinan thought about it for a second and realized he was talking about bing a tenured professor from an associate professor. Since the beginning of the year, Tang Kai had been busy with papers and writing application materials. It seemed to have been for this matter. ¡°Okay, why not?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Sun Zinan thought to himself, it doesn¡¯t matter if I say so, go ask your school. But for now he could only pet this drunk¡¯s hair and say casually, ¡°Really. Your boss has approved it. You¡¯ll get a raise tomorrow, okay? Okay, don¡¯t sit here for too long, you¡¯ll faint.¡±


    He got up from the bathtub, dried the water on his body, and found arge towel to wrap around Tang Kai. While he dried his hair, he found that Tang Kai was staring at him unblinkingly with burning eyes. The eyes suddenly became very gentle, and he abruptly grabbed both sides of the bath towel to wrap Sun Zinan into his arms.


    ¡°Oh my god.¡± Sun Zinan was almost angered intoughing. ¡°How are you so clingy after just a bit of alcohol? You won¡¯t let go after hugging...be good.¡±


    Tang Kai buried his head into the crook of his neck like a big, spoiled cat. He said elegantly, ¡°Boss, I will perform well, trust me.¡±


    Sun Zinan, ¡°...¡±


    He must have gone crazy too; he actually thought this dummy was rather cute. So he raised his hand and stroked Tang Kai¡¯s back as he said jokingly, ¡°Yes, Professor, get dressed quickly¡ªdo you still want to be the Archimedes of biology?¡±


    The next day, Tang Kai woke up with a splitting headache. He sat up from his nkets and covered his head as he tried to recall the various floating gibberish in his fragmented memory. Just as he was going insane with his mind full of paste, Sun Zinan pushed the door open and gave him a ss of warm water. ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Tang Kai took the cup and drank half the water. ¡°Last night...¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s exactly what you think.¡± Sun Zinan said with a serious expression, ¡°Isn¡¯t this scene very familiar? Wait for me to light a cigarette while you stay in bed.¡±


    Tang Kai suddenly seemed like he had been struck by lightning and issued an incredulous sound. ¡°Ah?¡±


    Sun Zinan, ¡°Hahahahaha.¡±


    Tang Kai feebly fell back into bed. ¡°I knew it...you¡¯ve been plotting against me for a long time. Boss, give me a score. How did I do yesterday?¡±


    Sun Zinan hadughed enough. ¡°Actually your alcohol tolerance is okay. You didn¡¯t go crazy, but you pulled me around all night talking about full-time.¡±


    Tang Kai was puzzled. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Full-time, you said it yourself. You were as excited as a middle-schooler.¡± Sun Zinan suddenly bowed his head and leaned over, repressing his voice and saying, ¡°But when you be a tenured professor, if you act like your colleagues didst night, I will end you.¡±


    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Tang Kai tried to argue. ¡°I don¡¯t...¡±


    Sun Zinan feigned a sinister expression and asked aggressively, ¡°Remember?¡±


    Tang Kai was shocked by this big brother¡¯s vitality and immediately bowed his head and said obediently, ¡°I remember.¡±


    Summer came quietly, imperceptibly.


    One evening, Sun Zinan received a phone call from Tang Kai on his way home from work. He asked him to help him find a book in the study, which was one of the most important materials for his tenure. Sun Zinan, afraid of dying his business, went straight to the study and pushed the door open, but was overwhelmed by arge pile of rose petals blowing towards him.


    Tang Kai was dressed in a formal suit and wearing golden-rimmed sses. He looked like he was attending an international academic conference. He got up from the chair behind his desk and walked through the rose-covered red carpet. He took Sun Zinan¡¯s hand and led him to a tall bookshelf.


    Sun Zinan was faintly aware of what Tang Kai was going to do, but he was caught off guard by the theatrics, and turned his head a little dazedly to look at him.


    ¡°There¡¯s a very important book here.¡± Tang Kai stood behind him, one hand around Sun Zinan¡¯s waist, one hand passing by the books. He tapped a book with a light gray cover. ¡°Would you like to see it?¡±


    Sun Zinan stretched his hand over and pulled the book out. It was called RNAi Basic Theory and Application.


    The book was not t; it seemed to have something in between its pages. Tang Kai took Sun Zinan¡¯s hand and turned to the first page. He said slowly behind him, ¡°This book is aption of some of my previous papers by a publishing house. This is my first published book. They sent me a sample today. They wanted me to write a postscript but I asked the editor if I could write a thank you note at the beginning. They agreed.¡±


    Sun Zinan heard the words and looked down at the page of white paper, which had a note written neatly with a fountain pen¡ª


    Dedicated to my partner Mr. Sun Zinan. You are my world outside of this world.


    Tang Kai said, ¡°I didn¡¯t drink, so now I have the courage to ask you while I¡¯m sober. Are you okay with your name being written in this thank you note?¡±


    This proposal really fit Professor Tang¡¯s personality. Sun Zinan stroked the line of writing through the back of the paper, thinking of the spring breeze not long ago and that intoxicated night. He suddenly realized that Tang Kai¡¯s ¡°full-time¡± wasn¡¯t just some drunken mumblings, but this meaning.


    He continued to flip through the pages of the book, and two tinum rings fell into his palm. One of the rings was smooth, and the other ring was embedded with a small diamond, engraved with their initials.


    T.K & S.Z.N


    Thest piece of the domino finally fell, and it happened so naturally. He seemed to have been waiting for many years. His heart had met many sour emotions, but at this moment, the marriage proposal became a cocoon protecting him from the wind, dust, ice and snow, revealing a new heaven.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t I already told you¡ª¡± Sun Zinan grabbed one of Tang Kai¡¯s hands and slowly pushed the ring onto his ring finger. ¡°The boss has already approved of your full-time position.¡±


    ¡°Of course, yes.¡± He put his arms around Tang Kai¡¯s neck and gave him a light kiss. ¡°I do.¡±


    You are my emotion outside of reason, my exception outside of convention.


    You are an unpredictable fate. You are a brand-new world outside of this world.


    I will thank your sincere intentions for the rest of our lives.


    <b>t/n:</b> and so ends fight thendlord, fall in love. thank you so so so much for reading and thank you everyone formenting and following me through this journey. this is the first novel i started tranting and i¡¯m really d others love it as much as i do! in a world full of heartbreak, pain, and loneliness, i hope everyone can find a sce within themselves and the support to find happiness, just like sun zinan did ??


    if you enjoyed this, please check out some other novels i¡¯m working on! have a great new year


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