Chapter 4
“You seem to be in a good mood. Did something good happen?”
Zhong Yuxiao was slightly surprised. “Do I look like I’m in a good mood?”
“The corners of your mouth are almost reaching your ears.” Chu Yi washed his hands, put on gloves, and pressed on the back of Zhong Yuxiao’s neck. “Haven’t you been getting enough rest lately? There’s a knot here. Change into something looser, and I’ll massage your neck.”
Zhong Yuxiao touched the corners of his mouth. Did he smile?
Probably not.
“Were you thinking about work just now?”
Zhong Yuxiao shook his head. He was thinking about Xi Shi.
The thought of Xi Shi’s expression upon discovering his identity filled him with anticipation for their arranged dinner date.
He changed into a loose sleeveless tank top and grabbed a pillow to hug. “Not work. I met someone interesting.”
His fiancé.
He needed to lie down for the neck massage. Zhong Yuxiao stretched his shoulders and back. A top-tier top needed a good physique. Zhong Yuxiao paid attention to exercise, with well-defined pecs and abs. He was a regular at the gym, and just taking off his clothes in bed could elicit gasps from bottoms.
The lines of his arm muscles were smooth, but the most alluring were his back muscles, not exaggerated like a bodybuilder’s, extending from his neck down to his tailbone, forming a sexy curve.
Broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs – the classic “looks slim in clothes, ripped underneath” physique.
Chu Yi’s gaze lingered for a moment. Doctors were among the professionals who knew the human body best. Zhong Yuxiao’s figure was better than anyone he had ever seen. “A man?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Zhong Yuxiao hummed in agreement, sounding lazy and casual. The books he brought back were on the bedside table, and he pulled out a business card from one of them.
Xi Shi held a director position at Chenxi International. The business card didn’t specify his role. The front displayed the Chenxi International logo, and the back had his name and contact information, black background with gold lettering, understated and luxurious.
“Xi Shi?” Seeing the name on the business card, Chu Yi frowned. “He’s a notorious playboy, only his face is worth looking at. Be careful, don’t be fooled by him.”
“Only his face is worth looking at?” Zhong Yuxiao curled his lip. “I heard his waist is good, quite impressive in bed.”
There was no need to publicize his sexual orientation. Only his family knew that Zhong Yuxiao liked men. Chu Yi didn’t interact with him much and only learned about his preference after seeing him at gay bars abroad.
“Who told you that?”
Young Master Xi himself admitted it, saying his legs and waist were good.
Zhong Yuxiao considered himself to have a high laugh threshold, but Xi Shi seemed to be designed to make him laugh. Whether it was his outrageous childhood remarks about wanting to kill his scumbag father, or his flamboyant invitation for a hookup, he found it all amusing.
For someone who had always had a smooth life, 99% of things in the world were within easy reach. It was truly rare to encounter something that piqued his interest.
“Lincheng’s number one top. He’s quite famous.”
He didn’t even have such a nickname.
Chu Yi was silent for a moment, massaging his neck and shoulders as he spoke. “Xi Shi is a pure top. You two clash.”
Most people in the gay community were bottoms or versatile, tops were rare, and those like Zhong Yuxiao and Xi Shi, who only topped, were even rarer.
“There’s a saying that when two tops meet, one must become a bottom.”
With Young Master Xi’s waist and face, he was clearly more suited to be on the bottom. It was a waste to be a top.
“Are you interested in him?”
Interested, yes, but not in the sense of taking him to bed.
Zhong Yuxiao didn’t bother explaining, curling his lips and dropping another bombshell. “Both families have agreed on the marriage. Xi Shi is my fiancé. I came back this time to marry him.”
His relationship with Chu Yi wasn’t particularly close, but it wasn’t insignificant either. Chu Yi maintained a frequency of three or four trips abroad a year, and he would visit him every time.
Chu Yi was good at maintaining boundaries, but Zhong Yuxiao was a veteran in the love scene and could see through his thoughts at a glance.
“Marriage?”
The hand on his neck stiffened, Chu Yi’s voice hoarse and dry. “You and him, you two…”
He didn’t know whether to say it was unsuitable or too sudden.
Zhong Yuxiao played with the business card. “We’re getting married, shouldn’t I call my fiancé and cultivate some feelings?”
Chu Yi’s professional skills were impeccable, and he did his job well. There was no need to let other things ruin their current relationship.
Zhong Yuxiao didn’t give him a chance to speak, directly dialing the number on the business card.
The phone rang twice. Before Xi Shi could answer, Zhong Yuxiao hung up and sent him a text message.
[I’m Zhong Yuxiao.]
These five simple words immediately dispelled Xi Shi’s intention to call back. The flirtatious smile on the young master’s face disappeared, and he stared at his phone as if facing a formidable enemy.
He had two numbers. One was a private number, known to only a few people, used to contact family and friends.
The other was a public number, mainly used to contact his lovers.
The number on the business card was his private number. He thought it was the nerd contacting him.
It was indeed the nerd, but not the one he wanted to sleep with.
It was the troublesome Second Young Master Zhong.
The other party probably got his contact information from Xi Chongyang.
Xi Shi leaned back on the sofa, propped his legs up on the coffee table, and looked at the message with an inscrutable expression.
How should he reply?
He still remembered the friend request being rejected. Why could Zhong Yuxiao reject him and then contact him as he pleased?
Xi Shi didn’t really want to deal with him.
But he was afraid that if he didn’t reply, the other party would complain to Xi Chongyang. Goody-two-shoes had no other skills but to tattle. The first time they met as children, Zhong Er had tattled on him.
The young master carefully considered his words and typed a single word.
—[Oh.]
Zhong Yuxiao couldn’t help but laugh when he received the message.
He couldn’t connect this aloof and cold reply with the flamboyant peacock who had invited him to a hotel with a head of green hair. He didn’t realize the young master had two faces.
Chu Yi watched him holding his phone, his eyes smiling, his heart feeling like it was being stabbed repeatedly, dripping blood. “Xiaoyao, why are you suddenly getting married? Have you met Xi Shi? Do you like him?”
Xiaoyao.
Only his parents called him that, not even Zhong Zhili used such an intimate nickname.
He didn’t know when it started, but Chu Yi occasionally called him that too.
Zhong Yuxiao seemed oblivious to his emotional state. “Like?”
Their social class valued social status and compatibility even more. Even for his parents, marriage was more or less mixed with interests.
“I thought that was a childish question only asked in TV dramas. I didn’t expect Dr. Chu to be so innocent.”
Chu Yi was speechless. The man in front of him was no longer the cute and obedient boy. Time had sculpted him into a completely different person. He forgot that the current Zhong Yuxiao was a regular in bars and nightclubs, never lacking companions.
“Xi Shi is very promiscuous, he has lovers everywhere. He’s a scumbag, and even if he gets married, he’ll definitely cheat.”
Zhong Yuxiao smiled, his tone lazy. “Then he and I should have something in common.”
He had no fewer bed partners than Xi Shi. If it came down to who was more of a scumbag, Xi Shi might not even compare to him.
Xi Shi didn’t send any more messages. That single “Oh” confirmed his attitude towards the arranged marriage.
After the massage, Chu Yi was too distracted to talk, declining Mrs. Zhong’s invitation for afternoon tea, and left with his things, looking dejected.
Mrs. Zhong was puzzled. “What’s wrong with Dr. Chu?”
Zhong Yuxiao moved his neck and shoulders. The massage had indeed made him feel much better. “Perhaps he discovered that the advertised product and the actual product were very different. What he was attached to wasn’t as good as he imagined, creating a sense of disappointment.”
Mrs. Zhong looked confused. “What?”
Zhong Yuxiao put it concisely. “He’s heartbroken.”
“Heartbroken?”
She had never heard of Chu Yi having someone he liked.
“Let’s not talk about that. Xiaoyao, come and look at the rings.”
“Rings?”
Mrs. Zhong held several brochures with ring designs. “You and Xi Shi definitely don’t have time to choose. These stores are all good. See which style you like, and then they can deliver them directly after they’re made.”
In a marriage without an emotional foundation, even the rings became a mere formality.
Zhong Yuxiao couldn’t be bothered to choose, casually flipping a page. “This one.”
“Isn’t it a bit too plain?”
A smooth band, without any decoration.
“I can’t wear a pigeon egg either. This one is good, understated and meaningful.” Zhong Yuxiao extended his left hand, his slender fingers like a hand model’s. “Don’t worry, even a plain ring will look good on your son.”
Mrs. Zhong was amused. “Yes, my son is the most handsome, even wearing a soda can pull tab, he’d still be the most handsome.”
“Not that far.” Zhong Yuxiao had a clear understanding of himself. He wasn’t so handsome that he could look stunning in burlap and an iron ring. “Do we need to prepare the rings and other things ourselves?”
Two men weren’t like a man and a woman, with one marrying into the other’s family, but the various pre-wedding preparations were somewhat related to their post-marriage status.
“Everything else is prepared. After the wedding, you and Xi Shi will move out. The Xi family provided the house, registered in both of your names.” Thinking of Zhong Yuxiao moving out, Mrs. Zhong felt a pang of sadness. “The last time you left was to study abroad, and this time, you’re moving out again not long after returning.”
It was good to move out. He wasn’t young anymore, and living at home was somewhat inconvenient.
Seeing her mother’s low spirits, Zhong Yuxiao said deliberately, “We can also not move out. Xi Shi can move in after we get married.”
In his parents’ eyes, he was always the thoughtful younger son.
“That won’t do. That would be like Xi Shi marrying into our family.”
Old Master Xi wouldn’t agree. He chose Zhong Yuxiao to help Xi Shi gain the support of the Zhong family. The old man had far-reaching plans for his grandson and wouldn’t just watch Xi Shi marry into their family.
If it weren’t for Xi Yue saving Xiaoyao’s life, if it weren’t for Xi Shi being Xi Yue’s child, she would never have agreed to this marriage.
“After getting married, it’s inconvenient to live at home. After all, newlyweds need their own space.”
Mrs. Zhong convinced herself. “Anyway, we’re all in the same city, not far apart.”
Unlike when he was abroad, it was troublesome to meet.
After choosing the rings, they picked out two sets of formal attire. The wedding would be simple, but given their families’ social status, they couldn’t just quietly register their marriage. They still had to hold a banquet.
Mr. and Mrs. Zhong were very invested in this matter. Zhong Yuxiao had been studying abroad for many years, and this banquet was the first event he would attend after returning to China. They couldn’t be careless, lest people think that the second young master of the Zhong family wasn’t valued.
The fact that Zhong Yuxiao wasn’t taking over the family business had already sparked speculation in the wealthy circles, saying that he was being marginalized by Zhong Zhili, that the two brothers didn’t get along.
There was no need to pay attention to gossip, but it was still unpleasant to hear. Zhong Yuxiao had heard Xu Linfeng mention that many people said he went abroad because he failed in a power struggle and was driven out of the house by Zhong Zhili.
He, a proper and well-behaved student, had become a stray dog.
Zhong Yuxiao was speechless.
Following this trend, after he married Xi Shi, the outside world would probably say that he deliberately latched onto the Xi family to compete with Zhong Zhili for the family fortune.
