Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Zhou Huaichen gently held Ye Weian's hand, glanced at Qi Zhangsong, and said gravely, "Yes, we'll get married."

Qi Zhangsong had long known Zhou Huaichen was serious, so he wasn’t surprised. "I want to be a groomsman when the time comes."

No matter how many spots there were, he had to be in the wedding party.

Ye Weian’s gaze held a hint of puzzlement.

*Professor Qi’s already thinking about being a groomsman? That’s planning ahead!*

He couldn’t help but shoot Professor Qi an approving look.

Qi Zhangsong, receiving his admiring gaze, stared blankly. "..."

*Damn, President Ye really is blunt. Although he always keeps a straight face, his eyes say it all.*

*And his childhood friend probably likes President Ye precisely for this straightforwardness.*

Qi Zhangsong spent the afternoon at the Zhou residence, during which he witnessed Ye Weian dodging the Husky’s pounces countless times, and also saw Ye Weian repeatedly trying to bond with the siblings but failing each time.

Zhou Huaichen just watched quietly from the side, as if observing his wife educating the children.

Qi Zhangsong: "..."

*He felt like a blinding third wheel!*

Fortunately, a few more guests soon arrived at the Zhou residence.

When Zhu Hongke and the others found out Qi Zhangsong was at Zhou’s, they all rushed over before dinner, making the atmosphere at Zhou’s very lively.

During dinner, Uncle Wang beamed, "The weather is a bit cold today, perfect for hot pot."

He had prepared a lot of fresh hot pot ingredients and waved everyone to the table.

It was already dark outside, and through the dining room’s floor-to-ceiling windows, they could see the yard’s dim lights.

Perhaps because the weather was too cold, the lights were fogged over, and the scene in the yard became hazy, carrying a touch of wintry desolation and mystery.

The room was heated, and Zhou Huaichen’s childhood friends were going to town on the hot pot. Zhuang Wenting and Qi Zhangsong even fought over a quail egg, exposing each other’s childhood embarrassments in the process.

Ye Weian: "..."

*These childish adults!*

But he liked such a lively scene.

The boys circled around his legs, the girls nestled in the padded chairs beside him, and beside him were his favorite A Chen and A Chen’s group of childhood friends.

Everything was lively.

He couldn’t help but glance at Zhou Huaichen beside him.

*—"It would be great if we could eat hot pot together every winter from now on."*

Zhou Huaichen met his gaze, his eyes dark and intense.

*He and Wei An would definitely spend their lives together. Every winter, they would definitely eat hot pot together.*

After dinner, it was already ten at night. The childhood friends hung around awhile before heading out.

But the house was still lively. Uncle Wang and the servants were tidying up, while the Husky and the Golden Retriever were being chased around the living room by the two girls.

A smile appeared in Ye Weian’s eyes.

Zhou Huaichen held his hand and said, "It’s time to go back to the room and rest."

Ye Weian murmured "Mm-hmm."

The two went upstairs. Ye Weian automatically turned toward the guest room, but this time Zhou Huaichen led him and pushed open his own bedroom door.

Ye Weian: "?"

*—"Is this about sleeping together?"*

*—"This is sudden."*

Zhou Huaichen looked at him with amusement, stood facing him, and said softly, "Wei An, I want to take you to meet my family next week. Are you... willing?"

*His Wei An wanted to marry him and be together intimately with him, and he felt the same.*

*For the sake of that bit of romantic persistence in his heart, both Wei An and he had been suppressing their impulses, which seemed kind of cruel for both of them.*

Ye Weian looked back at him and was quiet for a long moment.

The System couldn’t help but remind him: "Host, quit spacing out. Hurry up and agree!"

The System: "This is the meeting-the-parents stage, which basically means you’re getting married!"

Ye Weian: "..."

Zhou Huaichen held his hand and said softly, "After we meet my family, let’s get engaged, okay?"

*By then, he and Wei An would be an official couple blessed by family and friends, and they could be together intimately.*

Ye Weian: "...Engaged?"

*He had thought A Chen would take things slowly, but he didn’t expect A Chen to suddenly change his mind.*

Zhou Huaichen cupped his cheek and nodded gently: "Yes, let’s pick a suitable day before the New Year and become engaged in winter, okay?"

Ye Weian, locked in his intense gaze, felt himself falling into them and couldn’t possibly refuse: "...Okay."

*Although he didn’t know why A Chen had changed his mind, he certainly had no objections and was thrilled.*

*—"After getting engaged, marriage can’t be far off!"*

*—"Sleeping together can’t be far off!"*

Zhou Huaichen: "..."

*He remembered that in the Super Topic, everyone referred to them as "friends with benefits"... This winter, he and Wei An would surely make that label real.*

*He was looking forward to it.*

Ye Weian’s eyes also shone as he leaned in to kiss Zhou Huaichen.

Zhou Huaichen let out a low laugh.

Ye Weian suddenly remembered something and said, "But didn't we agree to go to the hot springs with Qi Zhangsong and the others this weekend?"

During the hot pot dinner earlier, Qi Zhangsong had mentioned that it would snow over the weekend and suggested everyone go to the hot springs together. Several close childhood friends were very interested, and Lu Cong immediately contacted the hot spring resort manager to reserve rooms for them. Zhu Hongke even told him to bring Ye Jia along.

Zhou Huaichen had clearly already considered this issue and said gently, "It's fine. We'll go to the old house after work on Friday and set off for the hot spring resort early Saturday morning."

Ye Weian: "...After work?"

He had no objections, but he felt that visiting A Chen's family after work might seem insincere.

Zhou Huaichen seemed to understand his concern and chuckled, saying, "It's alright. My family elder is very easygoing."

The family elder had always thought he would end up alone. Now that he finally had someone he loved, the elder couldn't wait to settle things and wouldn't dare to dislike Wei An.

Ye Weian had never met the family elders before and had spent ten years as a Zombie King, so he really didn't understand the social niceties of the relationship world.

His intuition told him that visiting elders after work might seem insincere, but since A Chen said it was fine, he decided to trust him.

However, before going to bed, he still asked the system: "What gifts do you think I should prepare?"

After all, he was going to meet A Chen's family, so he had to prepare properly.

The system tsk-ed: "Based on the few times I eavesdropped on Big Boss Zhou's phone calls with his dad, his dad can't wait to pack Big Boss Zhou off and hand him over to you."

The system: "His dad has even prepared a lot of wedding gifts... and a dowry, huh!"

The system: "Even if you went empty-handed, his dad would be absolutely delighted."

Ye Weian: "..."

Of course, he was happy that his beloved's father liked and valued him so much.

However, he couldn't let A Chen lose face, so gifts were a must, and they had to be carefully selected.

He rubbed his chin and pondered: "Valuable medicinal ingredients and supplements are definitely necessary. How about some tea, jade, or antiques? Elders should like these things, right?"

Seeing the host muttering to himself, the system couldn't help but tsk: "Host, you're so in love with Zhou Huaichen!"

Without thinking, Ye Weian replied: "A Chen loves me too!"

Ye Weian: "He can't wait to turn me into a small animal and carry me around in his pocket."

The system: "..."

Host, I may be a system, but I'm a single system. Isn't it a bit inhumane to flaunt your relationship in front of me?

As a CP shipper, it was happy to see the host and Zhou Huaichen so in love.

But... why did it suddenly feel a bit jealous... It's tough being single.

...

The next day was Monday, and both Ye Weian and Zhou Huaichen had to go to work.

After work, the two went to the Zhou residence to pick up Ye Yi and Ye Er, planning to return to the Ye family's old residence together.

Over the weekend, Ye Weian had stayed at the Zhou family with his sons, and Ye Jia had also returned to the third branch of the family. Grandpa Lin would have been quite lonely at home alone.

Ye Weian thought about spending more time at the old house in the future to keep Grandpa Lin company.

But the Zhou family also had the cooking of Uncle Wang... Thinking about this, he was looking forward to the engagement all the more. After that, he and A Chen could move in together, and Grandpa Lin and Uncle Wang could live together under one roof with them.

When they got home, the husky and the golden retriever went running toward Grandpa Lin.

Over the weekend, these two goofy dogs had been bullied by the Zhou family's daughter. Now, seeing their dear Grandpa Lin, they couldn't wait to bury themselves in his arms and complain about their grievances.

Ye Weian quickly grabbed hold of the collars of his two sons: "No jumping!"

A sixty-pound husky and a seventy-pound golden retriever!

He had once been jumped on by the husky and found it quite painful, let alone Grandpa Lin, who was older and couldn't withstand such enthusiastic greeting from the dogs.

Grandpa Lin didn't mind and quickly walked over to ruffle the silly dogs on their heads: "They look like they've put on some weight."

In reality, it had only been two days, so it was hard to tell if they'd gained weight.

But the two sons had indeed eaten well at the Zhou family.

Ye Weian smiled and handed over the leashes to Grandpa Lin: "You must want to have some quality time with them." He paused and added, "If you want to take them for a walk in the yard, remember to put on more clothes."

Although it wasn't raining today, the weather was gloomy and cold, with low temperatures. He was worried Grandpa Lin might catch a cold.

Grandpa Lin looked at him affectionately: "Alright, alright, I'll listen to you."

The elder, ruffling the dogs and being cared for by the young master, smiled until his eyes disappeared.

He scratched the Golden Retriever's chin and suddenly remembered something, lowering his voice: "Jia Jia has moved back in."

Ye Weian: "Huh?"

When he sent Ye Jia back to the third branch the day before yesterday, Ye Jia said he wanted to stay at home for a few more days.

Grandpa Lin's voice dropped even lower: "He dragged his luggage back last night and didn't seem very happy... I felt like he had something weighing on his mind, but when I asked, he didn't say anything."

Ye Weian: "?"

He had only seen Ye Jia once at the company today. At the time, Ye Jia was learning from Sister Long, and they didn't even have time to greet each other. He really didn't know Ye Jia was troubled.

"Where is he?" Ye Weian said. "I'll go and talk to him."

He held Zhou Huaichen's hand and said confidently, "No matter what's making Ye Jia unhappy, going through a few more documents will surely cheer him up."

Zhou Huaichen: "..."

Fortunately, Ye Jia didn't hear this, or he would have been even more depressed.

Grandpa Lin: "..."

Young master, please go easy on Young Master Jia.

Out of affection for Ye Jia, Grandpa Lin eventually tactfully discouraged Ye Weian from such a cruel method of comfort.

So by the time Ye Jia came out of his room, Ye Weian had already decided not to assign him more documents.

He waved to Ye Jia and said, "Come here."

Ye Jia had originally come out to drink his bedtime yogurt. When he saw Ye Weian and Zhou Huaichen, he looked surprised.

He thought his brother would be staying at his brother-in-law's place permanently.

Ye Weian patted his head when he obediently approached and asked, "Is your family getting on your nerves?"

If he hadn't been irritated by his family, Ye Jia wouldn’t have packed his bags overnight and rushed back to the old house.

Ye Jia moved his lips wordlessly and said nothing.

Ye Weian raised an eyebrow, "What? Is there something you can’t tell me?"

Ye Jia: "...N-No."

But it was clear he was hiding something.

Ye Weian crossed his arms, "Hm?"

Ye Jia took a deep breath, as if finally gathering his courage, and said, "There... there is one thing..."

As he spoke, he shot a timid glance at Zhou Huaichen.

Zhou Huaichen stood quietly at Ye Weian’s side. Even after noticing Ye Jia’s look, he acted like he didn't see it.

Ye Weian, of course, noticed Ye Jia looking at Zhou Huaichen, frowned and asked, "What? Is it related to A Chen?"

Ye Jia shook his head, then nodded, his voice growing even fainter, "My aunt insisted that I show you her niece..."

He stopped mid-sentence.

Because he noticed that his brother's partner's face had darkened.

Zhou Huaichen’s gaze fell on Ye Weian, but he spoke to Ye Jia, "Oh? Your aunt’s niece? To introduce to Wei An?"

Ye Jia didn’t dare answer, too frightened to even breathe.

Ye Weian, however, wanted to laugh.

—"Jealous pot!"

Zhou Huaichen pinched his face as punishment, then turned his gaze to Ye Jia, "Go on."

Ye Jia swallowed nervously, not daring to stay silent, "That’s what my aunt meant. She said her niece is beautiful and graduated from a prestigious university, so maybe my brother would be interested."

"She also said... also said..." He wrung his hands together and paused again.

He was afraid that if he spoke, his brother's partner would make their company go bankrupt.

Ye Weian said expressionlessly, "What else did your aunt say?"

Ye Jia pressed his lips together, as if steeling himself, and said quickly, "She said although you and brother are together, two men can’t have children. If her niece could give you a son or daughter, the Ye family’s fortune would go to the child."

As his words faded, the living room fell completely silent.

Ye Jia was truly terrified, not even daring to steal a glance at Ye Weian and Zhou Huaichen’s expressions.

Usually, Ye Weian and Zhou Huaichen already had a strong aura, but at this moment, their aura was even more intense, carrying a looming, oppressive tension. Ye Jia wished he could turn into a Husky and run back to his bedroom.

After a long while, Ye Weian’s cool voice broke the silence, "Did your grandfather agree too?"

Ye Jia: "...Yes."

In fact, aside from his parents, everyone from the second and third uncles' families agreed. The second branch even wanted to send women to his brother.

He felt like their family was about to face ruin.

Grandpa Lin, who had just put on a thick coat to take the dogs out for a walk, couldn’t help but come over angrily, "How could your grandfather still be as muddle-headed as when he was young?!"

The Husky and Golden Retriever impatiently were circling around Grandpa Lin’s legs.

Grandpa Lin patted them to soothe them, then looked at Ye Jia and asked, "What about you? What do you think?"

Ye Jia quickly replied, "Of course I don’t agree! My dad doesn’t either! He secretly sent me here and told me not to go back, to stay away from the second and third uncles' families if possible."

Ye Weian said calmly, "At least your father has some brains."

He didn’t comment further on the matter, telling Ye Jia to go rest, then said to Grandpa Lin, "Go take the dogs for a walk."

Right now, the most important thing was to calm down the jealous one beside him.

So, in front of Grandpa Lin and the Ye family, he pulled Zhou Huaichen along and led him back to the bedroom.

As soon as the door closed, Zhou Huaichen held him tightly from behind.

Zhou Huaichen’s hands slid under his shirt, firmly kneading his waist.

Ye Weian: "...A Chen?"

Zhou Huaichen bit his ear, his voice low and husky, "I’m jealous."

Author’s note: Here you go, dear readers~!!

Thank you all so much for your support. I’ll keep working hard!