Chapter 27

Chapter 27

It was already past You Nan's usual work time, so Yao Xianqing simply took the day off for him, even handwriting the leave application on his behalf. He refused to let You Nan lift a finger.

You Nan had already gotten out of bed, tidied it up, and now sat on a chair watching the man write.

Yao Xianqing's handwriting was unlike his appearance. As the protagonist shòu of this small world, Yao Xianqing gave off a very gentle, tolerant like water vibe, with no sense of aggression—unlike the sharp, intense presence of Qi Yuwen and Zhao Jin, the two gong.

But Yao Xianqing's handwriting was sharp and angular, done in semi-cursive script. Yet, through years of practice, it had developed its own distinct style, different from any other semi-cursive script You Nan had seen.

As Yao Xianqing finished the last character and capped his pen, he suddenly gently held You Nan's chin and planted a quick kiss.

You Nan's eyes widened in shock and surprise.

Yao Xianqing laughed at his expression, his eyes curved into crescents. "Isn't your husband's handwriting good?"

While writing, he had caught You Nan staring at his writing out of the corner of his eye—the admiration in his gaze was impossible to miss.

You Nan didn’t pull away from his hand, softening his voice instead. "Alright, let’s hurry and go."

You Nan was worried about their plump little cat at home. He hadn’t returned last night and was concerned about its well-being—whether it was hungry, cold, or missing him.

Yao Xianqing agreed, took a photo of the leave application with You Nan’s phone, and uploaded it to Zhao Jin’s company system. Zhao Jin did them a favor—by the time they stepped out of the hospital, You Nan’s leave for the day had already been approved.

"Meow! Meow!" As soon as You Nan and Yao Xianqing reached the door, 007, recognizing their familiar footsteps, panicked and hurriedly hid all the toys it had dragged out. It let out loud meows to cover the noise.

You Nan hadn’t come home last night, so 007 had gone wild playing all night—it had a blast! The floor was littered with toys You Nan had bought, with barely any space to walk. It thought it could enjoy another day of fun, but to its surprise, You Nan—who was supposed to be at work—hadn't gone!

The little kitten had misjudged and was now urgently cleaning up the mess.

But in its cleverness, it overplayed its hand. The louder it meowed inside, the more worried You Nan became.

"007! What’s wrong?!"

You Nan’s face paled as he searched frantically in his pockets for the keys, only to find nothing—he'd lost it.

Panicked, he said, "Yao Xianqing, I think I lost my keys."

He looked helplessly at the man beside him.

Yao Xianqing held back again and again but couldn’t resist You Nan’s gaze. He decided to confess.

He had originally planned to tell You Nan not to worry and call a locksmith, but seeing the panic on You Nan’s face, he sighed to himself, reached into his own pocket, and pulled out an exact duplicate key to the one You Nan had lost—only the keychains differed.

You Nan’s keychain was a custom-made acrylic cat pendant with 007’s face that he’d ordered online, while Yao Xianqing’s was a basic one with a nail clipper attachment and other keys attached.

You Nan stared in confusion at the key held out to him. "What's this?"

Yao Xianqing’s heart raced nervously, afraid You Nan would get angry. He pretended to be calm, avoiding eye contact, though his peripheral vision kept watching You Nan’s reaction.

He stepped forward to open the door for his wife. "Just opening the door for you."

His guilt made his voice fade weakly.

With a click, Yao Xianqing used his key to unlock You Nan’s door.

You Nan blinked, quickly putting two and two together. He immediately reached out and grabbed the hem of Yao Xianqing’s shirt, stopping him from slipping inside—worried that any delay would mean his wife would find out and shut him out.

You Nan wasn’t very strong, and Yao Xianqing could easily break free, but the man didn’t.

He obediently stopped.

"Wife?"

His voice feigned ignorance and confusion.

You Nan gritted his teeth. "Alright! This apartment is yours, isn’t it?!"

"No wonder—that night I contacted an agent, how could they possibly find such a great place overnight, and even have several choices? It was all you."

The Yao family was wealthy, buying properties in desirable locations—they had homes everywhere.

Yao Xianqing had simply selected appropriate listings and steered them to You Nan through an agent.

But Yao Xianqing obviously couldn’t admit that.

The man wrapped his arms around You Nan’s waist. Someone known for being gentle and understanding was now testing his limits with You Nan.

Yao Xianqing put on an ingratiating smile. "In that case, shouldn’t you thank me?"

Shamelessly, he twisted the narrative. "If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have found a place to live! So you should be thanking me!"

"You—!" You Nan had never seen Yao Xianqing act so unreasonably. Yao Xianqing was silver-tongued—and very good at kissing.

You Nan only got one word out before he was kissed again.

007’s meows had stopped. Its liking for Yao Xianqing, who had bought it time and was very generous with Energy Points, skyrocketed.

The little kitten flicked its tail, sweeping the last toy under the sofa. Making sure You Nan wouldn’t find it, it stood up and playfully stationed itself at You Nan’s feet, wanting to startle him.

Sure enough, when Yao Xianqing reluctantly let go of his dear wife, You Nan noticed the innocent, curious, wide-eyed little kitten at their feet.

007 put on a sweet, adorable voice. "Meow~"

Its tone even had a cutesy inflection.

You Nan blushed from his neck to his face. Guilt over setting a bad example for the "kid" made him push his boyfriend away fiercely and shut him outside. "Smooth-talker! Reflect on your actions out there!"

With a bang, the door closed in Yao Xianqing’s face.

Yao Xianqing awkwardly rubbed his nose but couldn’t help feeling smug.

What good would shutting him out do?

He had a key!

Yao Xianqing’s calm, smiling expression froze as he reached into his pocket and realized—he’d handed the key to his wife. Panic set in.

"Xiao Nan! Xiao Nan! Open the door!"

Yao Xianqing’s voice came from outside, but You Nan ignored it, focusing on filling the bowl of the well-behaved little cat circling his feet.

The kitten, whose stomach was actually so full it felt like throwing up, secretly swallowed back the urge.

Last night when You Nan wasn't home, 007 ruled the roost!

Out of cat food, it raided You Nan's fridge, ate two of his ice cream bars and a pack of instant chicken breast. Its little belly was round and full, and it even let out contented burps!

These were all things You Nan normally never allowed it to eat.

As a cat, it really lived it up!

You Nan poured fresh cat kibble and fresh water into the bowl. Noticing the kitten still rubbing against him instead of eating, he petted 007’s fur worriedly, "Why aren’t you eating?"

007, its tail frozen stiff: "..."

Ugh! Can we not talk about this?!

But it couldn’t say a word.

A sweet little cat with a tough interior, it could only shove its head into the food bowl, making loud, eager munching noises.

Out of the corner of its eye, it kept a close watch on You Nan.

Luckily, You Nan wasn’t creepy enough to watch his little cat while it ate. Seeing it enjoy the meal, he didn’t disturb it and went into the bedroom.

The moment the kitten saw him leave, it bolted from the food bowl to the front door.

No way!

It needed to find someone to distract!

007 stood up on its hind legs, reaching its paws closer to the doorknob.

You’re the one! Come on in, Yao Xianqing!

With a "click," the door opened. Before Yao Xianqing could even put on his innocent look for You Nan, he made eye contact with 007, chest puffed out proudly by the door.

Yao Xianqing immediately dropped the facade and stepped back into his wife’s territory like he belonged there.

As he closed the door behind him, he casually patted 007’s round head, "Thanks, bro."

007: "..."

So this is what the protagonist shou is really like in private?

007 immediately chased after him, overtook him, and leaped onto You Nan’s bed to share the news with its good partner about the energy points shooting up over the past day and night!

"The cheap top actually was generous again! Last night, it went up by ten, then another fifty."

You Nan nodded. Of course he knew why.

Because Qi Yuwen had beaten up Yao Xianqing, and then at the hospital, he learned You Nan was pregnant with Yao Xianqing’s child. He snapped.

"The protagonist shou is as consistent as ever—Energy Points are still +5, +5, non-stop~"

007 had been scrolling online a lot lately and had learned some viral songs, absently singing one.

You Nan ignored his partner’s singing and couldn’t help looking at Yao Xianqing, who had just come in.

Yao Xianqing’s generosity touched him.

The man felt guilty under You Nan’s gaze, thinking he was about to be questioned on how he got in. But he was good at pretending. His demeanor remained as confident as ever.

As long as he acted confident, then You Nan locking him out and him having to rely on 007 to open the door could be treated as if it never happened!

You Nan laughed at his serious expression.

The light laugh was immediately caught by Yao Xianqing. The man put down the book on You Nan’s side table, "Wife, what are you laughing at?"

You Nan stopped laughing and frowned pointedly, "Who said you could call me wife?"

Yao Xianqing raised an eyebrow, "You’ve already met my parents. Our marriage is settled, we’ve even roughly picked a date. You’re not thinking of getting cold feet now, are you?"

He picked up 007, who had rushed over to act cute and try to fish for more energy points, and threatened You Nan, "If you change your mind, I’m taking the cat with me."

You Nan found him a bit childish at that moment. His ears flushed red. He put down the clothes he was holding, covered his face for a couple of seconds, then lowered his hands.

His expression calm again, he deflected and told Yao Xianqing to help, "Didn’t you say you wanted me to move in with you? Aren’t you going to help me pack?"

Yao Xianqing’s eyes lit up instantly. He didn’t even glance at 007, dumping the cat now that it had served its purpose, "Wife, leave it to me."

007, furious, chased after him and scratched at his pants.

Annoying human!

The Yao family had learned about You Nan’s pregnancy and had everything ready for the future couple.

The unborn child was precious, so to let You Nan rest peacefully during the pregnancy, the Yaos specially prepared a suburban house with a yard for Yao Xianqing and You Nan to live in.

Though it was in the suburbs, the surrounding facilities were as good as the city center.

The house was in a great location, and there was even a subway entrance nearby that You Nan wanted, just a 500-meter walk away.

The area usually had a fair amount of people since there were big shopping centers and an amusement park around.

Driving You Nan to work wasn’t far for Yao Xianqing either, taking about half an hour.

That morning, before Yao’s parents left, they discussed with You Nan and arranged for him to move in that same day. They had people clean the house in advance.

You Nan agreed.

He hadn’t been living in his new place for long after moving out of Qi Yuwen’s home. Busy with work and overtime every day, he had no time to buy things, so he had very little luggage.

But there was a lot of stuff for 007.

Cat toys, cat supplies, cat food. These were most of it.

After packing You Nan’s things, the two started on 007’s belongings.

"007, where are all the toys I bought you? I can’t find a single one," You Nan looked around the living room but didn’t even spot a single chirping bird toy.

007 meowed and began jumping around, digging out all the toys it had hidden earlier to avoid You Nan’s notice from every nook and cranny.

By the time it had gathered them all into a pile, the poor cat was panting and exhausted.

If it had known they were moving today, it wouldn’t have hidden them.

Wahhh.

The kitten shed bucketloads of tears.

You Nan loved it so much—even if he saw the house wrecked, he definitely wouldn’t have the heart to scold it!

It's because people think badly of others.

"The doctor said pregnant women aren't suited for cleaning the litter box, so from now on, I'll take care of cleaning the litter box and wiping 007's behind," Yao Xianqing said while driving, with You Nan and 007, along with their packed belongings, on the road.

You Nan nodded, agreeing to Yao Xianqing’s offer to care for the kitten.

The two of them were instantly on the same page, without even consulting the cat itself.

Upon hearing that someone was going to wipe its behind, 007 immediately let out an objecting meow.

How dare they! Humans are not allowed to touch a kitten's sensitive areas!

You Nan understood the kitten's meaning and laughed softly.

This little guy—was there any part of its body he hadn't touched or seen before?

Isn’t it a little late to say no now?

Yao Xianqing, who was always keeping an eye on him, felt happy seeing him laugh. "What is it? Did something I say just make you laugh?"

You Nan adjusted his seatbelt fastened in front of him. "Nothing, I just think our 007 is clever. It knows you're going to wipe its behind and started yowling in protest."

007 emitted a loud meow and turned away, showing its fluffy, round back to You Nan and Yao Xianqing.

Unless—unless they were willing to give it five cans of food, it absolutely would not acknowledge them!

You Nan, who heard the kitten's inner thoughts: "..."

Forget it. Spending five cans just to coax the kitten wasn’t worth it.

You Nan returned to work the next day.

People in the office barely reacted when they saw him; they just gave him a quick look and no one greeted him.

.

You Nan didn’t bother trying to force friendliness either. He sat down at his desk and started on his tasks.

A guy sitting near You Nan couldn’t resist sneakily taking out his phone and typing in their small group chat.

"Why did he come to work today? I heard he’s already climbed the social ladder and wasn’t going to show up anymore."

"He’s even wearing perfume. Could he really be gay?"

Another girl with a keen sense of smell caught the scent on You Nan’s clothes.

It smelled really nice, and she recognized it immediately—she had a bottle herself, bought at a department store for several hundred, and it had cost her a pretty penny.

"I think so too," someone else chimed in the group. "Our department isn’t that busy, right? How come he’s always pulling overtime, and so late at that?"

The person then shared a screenshot of the HR timecard records in the group, with two entries highlighted.

One was their colleague You Nan, and the other was their supervisor, Zhao Jin.

Their punch-out times were almost identical, with You Nan always punching out two or three minutes after Zhao Jin.

Anyone with eyes could see there must be something fishy going on.

"Wow, could he be doing it on purpose? Killing two birds with one stone—getting overtime pay while also flirting with a guy?"

"Ahhh, no way! Manager Zhao is so handsome, he can’t be in a relationship! I won’t allow it! I’d defend Manager Zhao to the death!"

"This is too much! Is he here to work or to flirt with men?"

Everyone in the office except You Nan was gossiping non-stop in the small group chat, multitasking while working.

Their shared irritation reached its peak when Zhao Jin himself appeared at the door, gesturing for You Nan to come alone into his office.

"I can’t take this!"

"I really can’t stand him. He just sits there all day without talking to anyone, no social awareness at all!"

"Can we just fire him? Or force him to quit like at his previous job!"

You Nan didn’t know about the group chat. He followed Zhao Jin into the office, and as soon as he sat down, Zhao Jin gave him two documents.

It was the bonus for the project he had been working on.

You Nan picked up the notices and was shocked at the amount.

"This much?" You Nan had thought a few hundred would already be good, but Zhao Jin had given him over three thousand—more than half his monthly salary.

And that was just for one project. With two projects combined, it totaled over five thousand, almost matching his monthly pay.

You Nan was shocked. "This can’t be right, can it?"

He had handled the project himself, so he remembered the numbers on the contract.

The profits from the collaboration were indeed substantial, but for a junior accountant like him to get this much—and with several others involved in the contract—if everyone got a similar amount, after deducting the company’s share, there wouldn’t be much left in working capital.

Zhao Jin smiled. The man, poised and cultured, personally poured You Nan a cup of tea. You Nan thanked him but didn’t drink it, just set it on the coffee table.

He wasn’t very familiar with food restrictions during pregnancy, but Yao Xianqing had told him to avoid eating outside food whenever possible, including lunch. At noon, Yao Xianqing would have someone specifically deliver meals to You Nan.

Yao Xianqing was meticulous, worried about You Nan’s health. Even the water in the cup You Nan brought in the morning had been filled by Yao Xianqing himself.

Zhao Jin sat down across from You Nan. Because they both knew Yao Xianqing, their relationship felt more comfortable and friendly than that of a typical boss and subordinate.

"There’s no mistake. This is what you deserve," the man said, his demeanor calm and reassuring. "The bonus will be sent to your bank account this afternoon."

You Nan couldn’t bring himself to refuse, but he suspected Zhao Jin might have kicked in some extra money from his own pocket. He decided to ask outright, "You didn’t kick in some extra money on top of the bonus, did you?"

Zhao Jin laughed at his question. "Of course not. This is genuinely the bonus. Don’t overthink it."

The man stood up and walked You Nan to the door. "I called you in just for this. Now that you have the notice, you can head back. If you run into any issues with your work, remember to come to me."

You Nan nodded. He reached the door but paused, turning back to look at Zhao Jin.

Zhao Jin glanced back curiously.

You Nan thought about Zhao Jin’s quiet devotion for Yao Xianqing in the original story of this world, and his slight suspicion about Zhao Jin’s earlier actions faded away.

Sincerely, You Nan thanked him. "Thank you."

You Nan stood at the door, facing the room. The sunlight from outside streamed into the office, softly illuminating his face. Perhaps because his mindset had changed after being with Yao Xianqing, the grief and pain he once carried from his time with Qi Yuwen were gone.

His face now appeared softer and fairer, and when his clear, bright eyes focused entirely on someone, it was easy to get lost in them.

Zhao Jin's hand twitched slightly at his side before quickly returning to stillness.

His smile seemed permanently fixed on his face as he replied gently, "No need to be so formal."

Every time the company secures a partnership and profits come in, it’s an exciting moment for everyone.

Everyone hopes to get their piece of the pie.

Colleagues in the accounting department are also waiting. Nearly all the company’s contracts pass through their department, and everyone usually gets a portion based on their contribution.

"I wonder how much we’ll get this time."

"I heard from management it might be around five or six hundred per person."

"That's five or six hundred, not bad. The most we’ve ever gotten for a full project cycle is two thousand."

They were murmuring to each other, they were too distracted to focus on work, though they weren’t chatting idly.

You Nan overheard their conversation about the bonuses, but he didn't pay it any attention.

When he first started working here, everyone got along well. But after rumors from his previous job at the hotel spread to the office, his colleagues began to look at him differently and started excluding him.

You Nan had tried to explain himself initially, and while they pretended to understand when he was present, he could tell they still believed the rumors about him.

Anything in the office that he had touched would be replaced.

For example, the shared water dispenser. They would rather go without—either having the logistics department remove it, buying their own water, or getting water from other offices—than apply for a new one.

Fortunately, You Nan had grown accustomed to being alone since his time on Blue Star. He had faced similar situations while working at the hotel, so he wasn't bothered by it anymore.

You Nan turned his attention away from others and returned his focus to his work.

Soon, the company’s bonuses were issued, along with a detailed breakdown showing everyone involved.

The accounting department quickly checked their department's section and soon noticed something wrong.

Messages in their small group chat started going off repeatedly.

"What’s going on? Why is You Nan’s bonus so much higher than ours? I remember our department handled the calculations for the entire project, and the maximum shouldn’t exceed two thousand! How does he get more when he’s new?"

"It must be favoritism from Zhao Jin. Didn’t Zhao Jin call him into the office this morning?"

"!!! I just remembered—You Nan didn’t go to the cafeteria for lunch. Did he have lunch with Zhao Jin?"

"Let's not worry about him right now. My bonus for this project is two hundred less than last month. How did that happen?"

As soon as this was mentioned, everyone began checking their own bonuses.

"Did yours decrease too?"

"Yeah, by a hundred."

"Mine dropped by two hundred."

A few accounting staff added up the missing amounts, and the total matched the extra amount You Nan received exactly.

Some were stunned, others were angry.

If Zhao Jin had given You Nan money privately, that would be one thing. But this was clearly part of the official bonus pool—why should money that's rightfully theirs go to You Nan?

"This is infuriating! A hundred yuan might not be much, but I can’t accept this unfairness!"

Someone suggested, "Should we ask You Nan about it?"

"No! With his looks, he’ll just play innocent. I’ve seen too many guys like him!" A woman with more life experience gritted her teeth.

She had been in a relationship that was nearing marriage when, as if fate intervened, she accidentally witnessed her partner kissing another man.

Enraged, she confronted him, but that sly guy was even more convincing. The man she truly loved ended up defending the other guy, and the relationship ended badly.

This made her resent all gay men by association.

Her experience was no secret; she had never hidden it, and most people in the company knew.

Initially, she had a very good impression of You Nan—a clean, polite, and handsome guy. She had even been excited about having a good-looking colleague in the department.

But then she found out he was gay and apparently climbing the social ladder.

Now he had even charmed the supervisor into redistributing part of their bonuses to him.

All these factors combined pushed her over the edge.

Her fingers tapped angrily at her phone screen, as if trying to break it.

"We can’t just sit back and do nothing. If he stays, what’s next? Will we have to give him part of our bonus every time?"

So, the only solution was to force him out or make him quit.

You Nan had relatively light work that day and managed to finish early, a rare occurrence.

He packed up and clocked out with his colleagues.

.

However, he frowned slightly. Maybe he was being oversensitive, but he felt his coworkers were giving him strange looks.

You Nan looked up questioningly, but the others immediately averted their eyes.

Their reaction made him uneasy, stirring a vague sense of unease.

He hadn’t been working here long—just over two months.

He thought he had been kind to his colleagues, treating them to milk tea and fruit, and helping out whenever asked.

They included him when offering snacks, and though they interacted frequently, he never managed to form a deep connection with any of them.

You Nan knew they had several group chats. Despite being connected on social media, he was never added. He didn’t mind missing their messages, though, since Zhao Jin would update him directly.

This made You Nan feel particularly grateful toward Zhao Jin.

The office building had six elevators. With so many people leaving work, You Nan joined the line for one elevator and waited over ten minutes before squeezing into the second trip.

He ended up near the elevator door, and two more people crowded in after him.

The elevator was packed, and the door wouldn’t close, triggering the overload warning.

"It’s overloaded—the elevator won’t move," someone called out. "One of the last people to get on needs to step off."

You Nan didn't move, as he wasn't directly in front of the door. Besides, two more people had gotten on after him. Logically, it had nothing to do with him.

But as soon as those words were spoken, hands from somewhere gave You Nan a hard shove outward. Taken by surprise, he was pushed right out of the elevator door and almost hit the floor.

Fortunately, a pair of steady hands caught him and helped him keep his balance.

He looked up instinctively and saw that it was Zhao Jin—he’d shown up at some point.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced toward the elevator—the doors had already closed.

You Nan thought back. The person who pushed him had been behind him, and in the moment he was shoved, he hadn’t seen their face. He had no idea who it was.

Pulling away from Zhao Jin, You Nan instinctively put a hand over his belly and thanked him gratefully, "Thank you. If it weren’t for you, I would have fallen."

There’s no telling what could’ve happened to him and Yao Xianqing’s child then.

Zhao Jin waved it off, his expression serious, clearly having witnessed You Nan getting bullied.

"Don’t worry," Zhao Jin assured You Nan, "I’ll check the elevator surveillance tomorrow and find out who was so despicable as to bully someone like that."

When Zhao Jin had arrived earlier, the employees waiting for the elevator had scattered like startled birds. In just a few words from Zhao Jin, they had all fled, not even sticking around to watch the commotion. Only Zhao Jin and You Nan remained.

Zhao Jin and You Nan stepped into an empty elevator. "Once I find out tomorrow, I’ll make them apologize, make it up to you, and write an apology letter."

You Nan lowered his eyes and didn’t stick up for the person who pushed him.

He nodded in agreement. "Then I’ll count on you."

Zhao Jin sighed, his tone tinged with guilt. "It’s still my fault for lax management. I clearly promised Yao Xianqing I’d take good care of you, but I never expected something like this to happen. I wasn’t paying close enough attention."

You Nan looked up to observe Zhao Jin’s expression.

Zhao Jin’s gaze also fell on his face. The two locked eyes for two seconds before You Nan looked away uncomfortably, avoiding further eye contact.

A sudden silence fell in the elevator, an awkward and tense atmosphere hanging between them.

In those two seconds, You Nan couldn’t pick up on anything unusual about Zhao Jin—he seemed just as he always had.

In the midst of their silence, the elevator made it to the ground floor. The driver arranged by Yao Xianqing had already arrived to pick him up.

Zhao Jin waved goodbye to You Nan, the corners of his lips quirking up. "See you tomorrow."

You Nan’s eyes crinkled into a smile. "Goodbye."

You Nan returned home, and 007 came trotting up to greet him. The little cat was just about to rub against his pant leg, leaving behind a few of its shedding hairs, when it picked up an unfamiliar scent of perfume on You Nan.

This wasn’t the scent Yao Xianqing usually wore.

007 immediately backed away several feet. "Xiao Nan, why do you have a weird smell on you?"

Hearing this, You Nan lifted his arm to sniff, but he wasn’t as sensitive to smells as the little cat. He only caught a faint whiff. "Seems like a little."

007 nodded. "Meow! Not a little—it’s a lot! You should get cleaned up before the 'Vinegar Jar' smells it."

"Vinegar Jar" was the nickname 007 had secretly given Yao Xianqing.

Because Yao Xianqing even got jealous of an innocent, adorable little cat like itself.

Every time You Nan gave it pets, the walking, talking "Vinegar Jar" would suddenly give Energy Points—+1, +1, +1—as if bribing the little cat to return You Nan to him.

Later, 007 got a kick out of it and would deliberately ask You Nan for kisses and cuddles in front of Yao Xianqing, racking up plenty of Energy Points each time.

Those Energy Points were so easy to get!

You Nan thought the cat had a point.

Putting himself in Yao Xianqing’s shoes, if Yao Xianqing came home with the scent of a stranger on him, he would definitely be upset too.

You Nan cracked open a can of cat food for 007, who wanted to rub against him but was keeping its distance because of the "strange smell." Then he stood up. "I’ll go take a shower and wash these clothes later."

After getting together with Yao Xianqing, You Nan learned that Yao Xianqing’s sense of smell was almost as sharp as 007’s—he could detect even the slightest unusual odor.

You Nan knew where the smell came from—it was from when Zhao Jin caught him that afternoon. Their clothes had brushed against each other, and the scent rubbed off.

While You Nan was showering, the front door opened. Yao Xianqing let himself in.

You Nan had told Yao Xianqing earlier that he wouldn’t be working overtime and would be home early. Yao Xianqing had immediately sent the driver to pick him up, finished his work like a man possessed, and rushed home to see his wife and child.

Even though his child was still just a tiny embryo in You Nan’s belly, he adored it all the same.

As soon as Yao Xianqing entered, he began calling out, "Wife, where are you? Wife!"

After searching around, he didn’t see anyone and nearly stepped on 007’s tail as the cat wound around his ankles.

Seeing 007 rubbing against him, asking for head pats, Yao Xianqing wasn’t having it and gently pushed the little cat’s head away. "Don’t bother me."

As he spoke, he took out a new cat toy he’d bought from a pet shop on the way home and tossed it. "Go on, go play."

007, who had been trying to lead Yao Xianqing to You Nan: "..."

Fine, fine!

You said it yourself—don’t bother you.

007 snorted proudly and leaped onto the sofa, scoffing at the toy Yao Xianqing had brought back. It lay on the sofa, watching this man search the house for his wife.

Yao Xianqing didn’t see anyone on the first floor and went upstairs, only to find his wife showering in their room.

Only then did Yao Xianqing relax. He was proactive around the house and always found chores to do.

The capable Yao Xianqing picked up the clothes his wife had left by the bathroom door. But soon, his nose detected something off.

His wife’s freshly laundered, fragrant clothes carried a trace of another scent.

The smell was quite strong—his wife must have had close contact with someone for the scent to transfer onto the clothes.

Yao Xianqing’s expression darkened.

He brought You Nan’s clothes closer to sniff again. Amid the faint scent of magnolia, that out-of-place smell was all too familiar.

Gradually, a face surfaced in Yao Xianqing’s mind.

Yao Xianqing called Zhao Jin. The phone was about to disconnect when Zhao Jin finally answered.

"Hello? Xianqing, what’s up?" Zhao Jin asked gently.

If You Nan were there to hear Zhao Jin’s tone when speaking privately with Yao Xianqing, he would be surprised at how tender the man could sound.

Yao Xianqing grabbed You Nan's clothes, almost wrinkling it, "Did you go see Xiao Nan today?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Jin's face fell on the other end of the line.

Xiao Nan, Xiao Nan—now Yao Xianqing was going on about You Nan. Who else was even on his mind besides You Nan!

Zhao Jin's dislike for You Nan grew steadily, but he didn't let it show when speaking to Yao Xianqing. "The company handed out bonuses today, and I called him to the office to receive the notice."

The office, calling him over specifically.

Under normal circumstances, Yao Xianqing wouldn’t have given it much thought, but now he was suspicious.

Especially the scent on the clothes made it hard to breathe.

"Is that so?" Yao Xianqing let out a light laugh. "Then did you hug him?"

The smile on Zhao Jin's face almost slipped for a second.

"Me, hug him?" Zhao Jin let out a frustrated laugh, repeating the words, then added, "He's your partner. If I were hugging and holding him, where would that leave you?"

How could he possibly be into You Nan!

"Xianqing, I know our relationship was pretty bad before, always at each other's throats, but that's in the past. Since I returned to the country, things have gotten better between us—you must have noticed."

Zhao Jin spoke earnestly. "Think about it: aside from me, who else would do exactly what you say? You said to put in for leave for You Nan, so I did. You said he needed something, and if I could provide it, I did. I’ve done everything you asked. Now the whole company thinks he has connections to me, that he was hired through connections."

Yao Xianqing's anger cooled down a bit, but he wasn't buying Zhao Jin's words. "Then how do you explain your scent on You Nan's clothes? What’s going on?"

This simple question from Yao Xianqing almost made Zhao Jin lose it.

The guy he's into had come to confront him, and the focus of the questioning was how his scent ended up on the person Yao Xianqing loved.

What?

Yao Xianqing had come to him specifically over You Nan. What did Zhao Jin take him for?

Zhao Jin closed his eyes, his heart went cold.

If only Yao Xianqing would give him half this much attention and affection, how wonderful that would be.

Zhao Jin raised a hand to rub his pounding temples. "I don’t know what You Nan told you. But aside from knowing you, he and I have absolutely no relationship."

Zhao Jin got right to it and explained to Yao Xianqing what happened that afternoon—how You Nan was shoved in the elevator.

"That’s what happened. I caught him, so that’s how my scent got on his clothes. Other than that, I’ve never had any physical contact with him!"

Zhao Jin grew increasingly convinced that You Nan was nothing but drama, yet he said, "If you don’t believe me, you can ask You Nan."

Hearing Zhao Jin's explanation, Yao Xianqing realized he was wrong about him. He rubbed his nose, looking a little embarrassed, his handsome, gentle features softening. "Alright, I’ll ask him when he finishes showering. If I was mistaken, Xiao Nan and I will take you out to eat in a couple of days."

Zhao Jin said nothing more and hung up right away.

He set his phone down on the table, leaned back on the sofa, and closed his eyes.

You Nan, You Nan.

How could he be by Yao Xianqing's side, calling the shots with Yao Xianqing's feelings?

In that phone call, all Zhao Jin heard was Yao Xianqing's worry and protectiveness over You Nan, his fear that Zhao Jin might try anything with him.

After all, Yao Xianqing had gotten You Nan away from Qi Yuwen.

Knowing how he himself had done it, he was naturally wary of others using the same methods to steal You Nan away.

Zhao Jin picked up the glass of wine from the table and took a sip.

Thinking it over, he still felt irritated.

The usually refined and gentlemanly man couldn’t help but curse, "He's a real piece of work."

On the other end, Yao Xianqing put away his phone, the awkwardness toward Zhao Jin now gone from his face.

He was carefully analyzing Zhao Jin's words.

His suspicion that Zhao Jin had feelings for You Nan wasn’t just in his head.

Zhao Jin was known for his decisiveness in the company, and Yao Xianqing had heard about his no-nonsense way of running things—swift and uncompromising.

How could someone like that let the company get so out of hand, allowing workplace bullying to occur?

Unless he was letting it happen on purpose.

And why did he happen to be right there exactly when You Nan was pushed down?

Why such a coincidence?

Real life isn’t full of idol drama scenarios. Either Zhao Jin arranged it intentionally, or he had been watching You Nan all along, ready to jump in.

Otherwise, it didn’t make sense.

Moreover, Zhao Jin was so busy with the company—he could have easily had somebody else tell You Nan. There was no need for him to personally call and inform him.

What was the meaning of that, huh?

How was that any different from telling everyone in the company that they had a special relationship!

Yao Xianqing closed his eyes, put You Nan's clothes into the washing machine, dumped in a good amount of his favorite detergent, and started the machine.

It was his fault.

He was wrong.

He shouldn’t have let You Nan work at Zhao Jin's company.

If You Nan were by his side, he would protect him properly, make sure he didn't get any harm or attract anyone messing with him.

When You Nan came out of the shower, he saw a large mushroom growing on the balcony.

The mushroom, wearing slippers, was squatting in front of the washing machine, spaced out as he stared at it.

You Nan, in his loungewear, sneaked up quietly behind Yao Xianqing, pursing his lips to avoid making any sound that might startle the mushroom.

He quickly reached out and covered Yao Xianqing's eyes, and the other man indeed jumped in surprise.

"Wife!"

Now smelling the familiar magnolia scent he loved on You Nan, Yao Xianqing's mood improved considerably.

He took You Nan's wrist.

Out of the corner of his eye, Yao had noticed his husband sneaking over nervously, as if up to no good.

He didn’t make a sound. When You Nan covered his eyes, he played along perfectly, feigning surprise, which earned him his husband’s beaming smile.

Yao Xianqing held onto You Nan’s hand and kept asking, "How could you scare me?"

Unable to break free, You Nan had no choice but to crouch down with him, resting his head against Yao’s sturdy shoulder.

You Nan had washed his hair earlier and just towel-dried it lightly. The cool, damp strands brushed against Yao Xianqing’s sensitive neck, making him swallow reflexively.

The hand that was holding You Nan’s had, at some point, turned into a caress, his fingers gently stroking You Nan’s palm.

"You looked like a mushroom squatting here—so cute."

After saying this, You Nan met Yao Xianqing’s affectionate gaze and found himself completely swept up in Yao’s emotions.

The balcony was quiet, with the evening breeze carrying away the day’s heat.

Neither of them spoke.

It was the sudden motion of being pressed to the ground that jolted You Nan back to awareness.

He gasped, but Yao’s hurried breath was already closing in. His lips grew warm, and soon his mind grew hazy with desire.

In the distance, 007—who had earlier refused to play with the new toy Yao Xianqing bought—had completely forgotten its earlier stance. Taking advantage of Yao Xianqing’s absence, it was now chasing the toy around the living room, bouncing up and down with excitement, as frantic as if it were on a sugar rush.

It had completely forgotten the existence of its two humans, its tiny brain too occupied to even think of looking for them.

You Nan felt a warmth on his leg—Yao Xianqing’s hand. He snapped back to reality and grabbed the hand that was trying to wander lower.

"No, we can’t," You Nan managed to say before being kissed again.

He could only speak in broken phrases between kisses, "The doctor said... the baby... is still too fragile."

"We can’t... not now."

As soon as he finished speaking, the desire in Yao Xianqing’s eyes faded somewhat. Yao lowered his head, burying his face in You Nan’s neck as he chuckled softly, "I know that."

You Nan’s face flushed. "If you knew, why would you do that then?"

Yao Xianqing kissed his earlobe to soothe him. "Then I’ll stay outside."

"Just outside, okay?"

You Nan wanted to say no, but he couldn’t resist Yao.

Yao Xianqing was undeniably handsome, and ever since they got together, love had made him even more attractive in You Nan’s eyes.

Yao Xianqing’s already striking appearance had skyrocketed to a thousand times more appealing to You Nan.

Whenever Yao Xianqing spoke softly to him, his voice low and gentle, You Nan would find himself completely swayed by Yao.

Whatever Yao Xianqing wanted, You Nan would give.

Like now—he was utterly unable to resist Yao Xianqing’s charm and the aura radiating from the man. The close proximity was making him lose his senses.

So, half-coaxed, with Yao guiding his hand, You Nan found himself touching Yao’s firm stomach.

Overwhelmed, he somehow nodded in agreement.

The consequences of that agreement were clear.

Later, You Nan lay on the ground, too exhausted to get up. In the end, Yao Xianqing carried him back to the bedroom. He was even woken up to have dinner, which Yao Xianqing fed to him himself.

You Nan was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open. He reached out to pinch Yao Xianqing’s cheek, wanting to make him remember this. "No more fooling around like this next time."

But his voice was faint, soft and light, carrying no threat whatsoever to Yao Xianqing.

Yao Xianqing meekly agreed.

Only then did he realize that his husband truly had no strength left—even pinching his cheek had no effect.

Though his husband intended to scold him and teach him a lesson, his hand was still trembling.

There was no force behind it.

After feeding You Nan, Yao Xianqing gently coaxed him back to sleep.

He washed the dishes, tidied the room, and then contentedly lay down beside You Nan, wrapping his arms around his freshly showered husband.

The next day, Yao Xianqing drove You Nan to work. He sat in the car, watching as You Nan entered the building before turning back to wave at him from afar.

Yao Xianqing’s mood improved a lot.

Under You Nan’s gaze, he drove away.

About ten minutes later, Yao Xianqing’s car circled back and entered a nearby underground parking garage.

This move was something he had learned from Qi Yuwen.

Yao Xianqing walked out of the garage and wandered through the parking lot of Zhao Jin’s company. There, he spotted the car Zhao Jin usually drove.

Instead of entering through the front door, Yao Xianqing—having visited Zhao Jin’s company many times—knew there were other ways in.

As the saying goes, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated." Their companies had some overlapping business, so every time he visited, Yao Xianqing made a point of observing and exploring, aiming to learn as much as possible.

It was possible that even Zhao Jin himself didn’t know about the less-used spots of his own company.

As soon as You Nan entered the office, he was called to Zhao Jin’s office, where another person was already standing.

You Nan recognized him—he was a recently hired intern from the accounting department.

You Nan immediately realized why Zhao Jin had called him in.

Zhao Jin sat at his desk, holding a pen. When he saw You Nan enter, he smiled and waved him over.

"Come, the surveillance footage from the elevator yesterday is here. Take a look."

You Nan walked over. The video was playing on Zhao Jin’s laptop. The screen was a bit small—clear enough for one person, but a bit cramped for two.

Zhao Jin scooted over slightly, making room for You Nan to stand beside him and see the screen.

Zhao Jin clicked the mouse, and the surveillance footage began to play.

You Nan leaned in to watch.

There was actually a decent space between them, though their heads were closer together. But to anyone outside the hallway, it looked as though Zhao Jin was sitting in his chair, having You Nan accompany him while he worked.

Yao Xianqing, witnessing this scene, felt a wave of jealousy burn within him.

Zhao Jin's secretary was quite surprised to see Yao Xianqing here, as she hadn’t received any notice from the front desk about his arrival.

Zhao Jin had made it clear to her: whenever Yao Xianqing showed up, she must inform him immediately.

Just as the secretary was about to step in and notify Mr. Zhao, Yao Xianqing shot her a glance—a cold, piercing look that froze her in place.

She shivered, and in that brief moment of hesitation, Yao Xianqing had already pushed open the door to Zhao Jin's office and strode right in.

“Zhao Jin, I must have been crazy to believe you and let Xiao Nan work here!”

The jealousy in Yao Xianqing’s tone was unmistakable; it was practically dripping from his words.