Chapter 72: Is It Time to Fall in Love?

Chapter 72: Is It Time to Fall in Love?

The word "honey" melted the man's heart. In Yi Siyu's eyes, Jian Ye at this moment was nothing but an adorable little puppy desperately wagging its tail and acting cute for its owner—eyes sparkling, brimming with tears.

When the other said he was hungry, Yi Siyu would've brought home an entire restaurant just to prepare a lavish feast for him.

"Get up, don’t sit on the floor." The man slid his hands under the boy’s arms, exerted a bit of force, and lifted him straight into his embrace.

Jian Ye took the opportunity to wrap his arms around the man’s waist, burying his face against him while giggling foolishly.

"Still laughing? Weren’t you just saying you’re hungry?" Yi Siyu sighed helplessly, ruffling the boy’s hair before lowering his gaze to those pink earlobes, his eyes filled with nothing but adoration.

A minute later, the two sat at the small coffee table, happily enjoying their noodles.

Jian Ye was starving, so he deliberately made exaggerated eating sounds on purpose, as if making noise would somehow make the food taste better.

Yi Siyu, on the other hand, picked up a single strand of noodles with deliberate slowness and brought it to his lips. He had no doubts about his wife’s cooking skills—it was as excellent as ever.

Originally not that hungry, one bite was enough to awaken his appetite, and he ended up finishing the entire bowl.

"Aah, how is my cooking so delicious? I didn’t make enough—I want another bowl!" Jian Ye drank every last drop of the soup, proudly boasting about his own skills.

"Eating too much at night isn’t good for your stomach," Yi Siyu explained seriously.

"You’re so contradictory! Talking all about health, yet you stay up late working overtime. Couldn’t you have left today’s tasks for tomorrow? If you hadn’t been holding that video conference at home, would I have made such a fool of myself earlier?"

Jian Ye huffed, deliberately turning his head away with an exaggerated pout, looking adorably proud.

Yi Siyu was amused. Laughing, he pulled the boy back into his arms. "So it’s my fault, then? I shouldn’t have held a meeting at this time? Otherwise, I could’ve joined in on your little act, right?"

Jian Ye flushed red at the man’s teasing, wriggling free of his hold and stammering, "I—I was just practicing my acting skills! You don’t get it—acting draws from real-life experience to make it feel natural when you’re actually performing. Even Director Wu said so..."

Jian Ye knew he was talking nonsense, even dragging Director Wu into it as a scapegoat. But right now, he stubbornly refused to admit that he’d just been being extra for no reason.

"My baby’s absolutely right. That’s a great attitude—you should practice more often. Like, say, locking you in a dark room as punishment... Hmm?"

Jian Ye: "..."

Out of all the nonsense he’d spouted, why was this man fixated on that one line?!

Jian Ye: *Er Tong, is this really a wholesome family-friendly novel? This male lead is acting suspicious!*

System 748: *The system confirms: This story doesn't allow any explicit content, or the entire book will be banned by the site.*

Jian Ye: *Obviously, as a novel, I know that’s not allowed. But now that I’ve entered this world, even the unwritten details will develop naturally.*

Like how he and Yi Siyu had kissed, gotten together, and would eventually do even more intimate things!

Seemed like this little world, born from a "green" novel, wasn’t going to stay so green after all.

Given how Jian Ye’s face turned red just from admiring his husband’s perfect physique, he had a feeling that if the other ever got serious, he might genuinely be unable to get out of bed for three days.

Thanks to Jian Ye’s antics, Yi Siyu cut his overtime meeting short.

In the end, the two fell asleep in each other’s arms.

Unbeknownst to them, rumors about the President and the President's Wife had already begun circulating rapidly through the company overnight—and growing increasingly outrageous.

"You have no idea what I saw during the video conference today! The President's Wife personally cooked noodles for the President, delivered them to his room, and even knelt down, begging the President not to punish him for breaking a bowl."

"No way? Doesn't CEO Yi love his wife? He even shows off her cooking on social media. Was it all for show?"

"I saw the President's wife crying—it didn’t seem fake at all. She even pleaded with CEO Yi not to lock her in the dark room again. How could he be such an obsessive person?"

"That sounds terrifying. Is this what life as a rich housewife is like? When the President's wife came to the company before, bringing him lunch, I thought they were so loving. But now that you mention it, maybe she was forced."

"So, in reality, after marrying into the Yi family, the President's wife has been living in hell, only pretending to be happy in public."

"Stop talking, I’m already feeling it. The President's wife is so pitiful. The wealthy world is terrifying—I’d never marry into it. You’d be eaten alive."

"The rich boys of these families have no hearts. It’s not like they married a wife—they hired live-in help. I guess everyone has their own fate."

"Rich people may not worry about putting food on the table, but that doesn’t mean they’re happy. The President's wife is a perfect example. It’s better to marry an ordinary person who treats you as a lover, not a servant."

Thus, the next day, when a certain CEO went to work, he kept sensing people giving him weird looks.

Whenever Yi Siyu looked over, the person would immediately lower their head and act busy.

He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he didn’t ask—it probably had nothing to do with him anyway.

Jian Ye slept in until noon, finally shaking off the exhaustion from filming and the accumulated fatigue of recent days.

It was summer vacation, and with nothing to do, he scrolled through Weibo and chatted in his roommate group chat before getting cabin fever.

For some reason, he wasn’t in the mood for gaming today—he just wasn't feeling any games.

Yi Siyu was at work. So boring.

Whenever Jian Ye was idle, his thoughts would drift to Yi Siyu.

Ugh, his head itched—was he catching lovesickness?

Maybe… he could make some snacks and bring them to his CEO? That way, he’d have an excuse to spend time with him.

No time like the present. With a goal in mind, Jian Ye got to baking with enthusiasm.

Humming a tune, he whipped cream in a bowl, spread it over cake layers, sprinkled cocoa powder on freshly baked cookies, and admired the perfectly golden egg tarts.

He really loved cooking for his husband. The feeling of preparing food just for his special someone filled him with happiness.

It was completely different from cooking just for himself.

After packing everything neatly into pretty bags, Jian Ye headed out happily.

...

Zheyuan Group.

At noon, Yi Siyu was surprised to see his older brother at the company. His brother had assumed he wouldn’t be in a hurry to return to work and had come to take care of some things for him.

"When did you get back? You didn’t even tell the family." Yi Sizhe’s tone was slightly scolding. His younger brother had become so unreliable after getting married—he was never like this before.

Yi Siyu coughed lightly. "I got home late yesterday and figured Mom and Dad were already asleep. I planned to tell everyone today."

"You could’ve just sent a message in the group chat—it wouldn’t have disturbed them. Xiao Yu, did marriage rot your brain?" Yi Sizhe teased bluntly.

Yi Siyu: "..."

He had noticed some changes in himself too. Ever since being with Jian Ye, he might’ve become too love-struck—losing his edge.

But he himself is loving this phase now. Yi Siyu loves spending time with Jian Ye—only then can he forget all his troubles, embracing his adorable little puppy, which is truly good for the soul.

"Bro, everything is fine on my end. Don't sweat my company affairs. I can manage them well. The headquarters stuff is already keeping you busy enough. It’s about time you took a long break for yourself," Yi Siyu said sincerely to his elder brother.

He felt his brother had sacrificed too much for the family business, leaving little time for himself.

"Time off is boring. Work keeps me more fulfilled. Unlike you, I’m not married and don’t have to spend energy spoiling a partner or managing a household," Yi Sizhe chuckled softly.

"So you could find someone," Yi Siyu blurted out.

"What?" Yi Sizhe was slow on the uptake, responding reflexively.

Yi Siyu looked into his brother’s eyes and said earnestly, "Zhuang Yao is returning to the country."

Seeing his brother freeze for a moment, he pressed on, "After all these years, the matter between you two still needs to be resolved. What I can tell you is—he hasn’t given up."

These words sent Yi Sizhe down memory lane. In his mind, Zhuang Yao was still a child, one who, like his own younger brother, used to tag along after him calling him "big brother."

Unconsciously, he had grown up—and even caught feelings for him.

To be honest, the most thrown Yi Sizhe had ever been in his life was when he rejected this younger brother’s confession.

Later, when he heard Zhuang Yao had gone abroad, Yi Sizhe even felt a pang of loss and guilt. He wondered if he had been too harsh with his words, if he had hurt him that badly that it turned into hatred.

After Zhuang Yao left the country, Yi Sizhe never inquired about him, nor did he ask his own younger brother.

Perhaps being hated was for the best.

He'd made his bed and would bear the consequences.

It was better for Zhuang Yao to go abroad, find someone who loved him, and start a new life than to stay in the country and endure such pain from him.

He was nothing but a workaholic—no good for Zhuang Yao, who needed to be cherished. He wasn’t good with sweet words, romance, or even taking care of others.

Handling his two kid brothers was already his limit. Throw a relationship into the mix? Yi Sizhe had never even considered it.

Such things weren’t part of his current life plan.

"Oh, returning to the country is good too. The home economy's booming, with plenty of opportunities. I wish him success."

His brother was clearly changing the subject, and Yi Siyu saw it all—he really didn’t want to talk about the past.

Tsk, his childhood friend was in for a wild ride upon returning.

As Yi Sizhe left the company, his mind was still stuck on his brother’s words. He was so lost in thought that he didn’t even notice someone approaching him.

"Big brother! What are you doing here?" The youthful voice jolted Yi Sizhe back to reality.

Standing before him was his brother’s beloved, a kid the whole family had taken to.

The boy was holding a large, beautifully wrapped bag, dressed neatly and handsomely, his face beaming with that lovestruck look—clearly here to see his husband.

"Just swung by the office to check on things. Xiao Ye, what’s in your hand?"

"This? It’s some desserts I made for Brother Siyu! I was bored at home, so I thought I’d come see him. Big brother, do you want to come up and try some too?"

For just that brief moment, Yi Sizhe got jealous for a sec toward his younger brother. Seeing the eager anticipation on the boy’s face, he suddenly wondered—maybe he should give dating a shot too.

After all, the feeling of being constantly on someone’s mind was truly addictive.

"Author's Note"

Jian Xiaogou: "Love fever's contagious? It spreads from one to two! The cure is simple—just get married, woof!" (Puppy spinning in circles.jpg)

Yi Siyu: "Big brother, dinner’s served. Learn to eat it yourself."

Big brother: →_→ (Stop tempting me, I’m almost convinced.)