Chapter 56 Airport Argument

Chapter 56: Airport Confrontation

Zhan Jiayu's tone was playfully teasing; he genuinely found Yan Zhoubai's flustered state utterly endearing, and his inherent mischievousness couldn't help but surface.

However, Yan Zhoubai seemed genuinely startled by the awkward situation, suddenly freezing and then retreating into himself.

"I... I think you should do it yourself. I... I don't know how."

With that, Yan Zhoubai placed the medicine bottle on the coffee table, stood up, and took a step back, resembling a startled rabbit caught in a misdeed.

Of course, only Zhan Jiayu perceived him that way.

"Why are you hiding? I'm not going to eat you. I'm not blaming you—it didn't spill everywhere, did it?"

The dressing change was nearly complete. The spilled liquid was from the last medication, and now only the gauze remained to be wrapped around the wound. But Yan Zhoubai clearly didn't want to continue, standing there shaking his head with a troubled expression.

So, in the end, Zhan Jiayu had to bandage his own abdominal wound. He wouldn't force Yan Zhoubai, and seeing his distressed expression, Zhan Jiayu couldn’t bear to make him continue anyway.

He could have handled the dressing change himself from the start; after all this fuss, he still had to finish it alone.

Yan Zhoubai had never changed a dressing before. Afraid of hurting Zhan Jiayu, his movements were hesitant and clumsy, yet he also lacked a sense of appropriate pressure. When he was light, it felt like tickling, and with the wound on his lower abdomen, it stirred an inexplicable irritation in Zhan Jiayu.

Just as Zhan Jiayu worried his reaction might alarm Yan Zhoubai, the next second, Yan Zhoubai's touch suddenly became very heavy, only to lighten again immediately. The entire dressing change basically cycled through this pattern.

Zhan Jiayu could only conclude he was inviting trouble, but it was a mix of pain and pleasure.

Zhan Jiayu had no trouble bandaging himself, but to maintain the charade, he deliberately made his movements less efficient. After all, he had asked Yan Zhoubai to help under the pretense that his injury made it inconvenient. If he appeared too capable, it would seem suspicious.

But what Zhan Jiayu didn’t expect was that Yan Zhoubai, who had decided not to help anymore and was standing somewhat far away, silently reached out to assist him when he saw Zhan Jiayu struggling with the gauze—before quickly retreating again.

And so, the somewhat awkward incident of the dressing change passed. Zhan Jiayu noticed that after Yan Zhoubai got over his embarrassment, he returned to his usual self without becoming distant again, which relieved Zhan Jiayu.

That night, they still slept on opposite sides of the bed, with an invisible "boundary" between them. However, there was no repeat of Yan Zhoubai rolling into Zhan Jiayu’s arms in his sleep. Yan Zhoubai slept very still that night.

Yan Zhoubai was well-behaved, but Zhan Jiayu’s heart started getting restless again. Eventually, unable to resist, he stretched out his arm in the middle of the night and pulled the sleeping Yan Zhoubai into his embrace.

The next morning, Yan Zhoubai didn’t notice anything unusual because Zhan Jiayu had already gotten up early.

They spent two more days enjoying themselves in Jiang City before heading back.

But before leaving, Yan Zhoubai did one thing: he changed his hairstyle. The reason was the closet full of clothes Zhan Jiayu had bought for him.

During his days in Jiang City, he wore different outfits every day, but his long hair didn’t suit many of the styles. Moreover, he didn’t know how to style his hair beyond leaving it down or tying it up in a bun.

One day, when Yan Zhoubai had his hair down, Zhan Jiayu casually remarked that he looked delicate—wearing trendy, light-colored clothes with his hair down, he could easily be mistaken for a girl at first glance.

Yan Zhoubai knew Zhan Jiayu didn’t mean anything by it, but he decided it was time for a change. Since he wouldn’t be returning to Cangru Temple for the next few years, a new hairstyle would also mean a fresh start.

Zhan Jiayu accompanied him to the salon, where they settled on a new style. They kept his long hair but added layers. From the front, it looked like short hair, while the length was only visible from the back. This way, the top part could be styled like a boy’s short cut, avoiding any feminine impressions.

Zhan Jiayu actually regretted his offhand comment about Yan Zhoubai looking like a girl, which had led to the hairstyle change. He was actually quite fond of Yan Zhoubai’s previous long hair.

But after seeing Yan Zhoubai’s new look, Zhan Jiayu realized it wasn’t about the hairstyle. It wasn’t that he preferred "long black hair"—it was because it was Yan Zhoubai. Now, with a new style, he still found Yan Zhoubai extremely handsome, no matter what.

Yan Zhoubai was quite satisfied with his new hairstyle too—the stylist had done an excellent job.

As they were leaving, Yan Zhoubai realized he had come empty-handed but would be taking gifts back. Even though he was vacationing in Jiang City, he hadn’t forgotten to bring souvenirs for his family, including one for Bu Qiran.

Zhan Jiayu helped him pick out all the gifts. When selecting one for Bu Qiran, Yan Zhoubai was visibly reluctant. Given their awkward, almost antagonistic relationship, buying him a gift felt like letting him off too easily.

Zhan Jiayu laughed and said, "If you dislike him that much, why bother getting him a gift? He’s a young master of the Yan family now—he doesn’t need it."

But Yan Zhoubai pouted and replied, "We live under the same roof. If I don’t get him a gift, it’ll make me seem petty."

"Xiao Chuaner isn’t petty—Xiao Chuaner is just too kind."

At that moment, Zhan Jiayu, towering over Yan Zhoubai, smiled freely from an angle Yan Zhoubai couldn’t see, amused by Yan Zhoubai’s pout, which looked like it could "tether a donkey."

Yes, he was just too kind. If Yan Zhoubai had a worse temper, he wouldn’t have suffered so many years of hardship in the Yan family.

When their plane landed at Jing City Airport, Yan Anxuan was already waiting.

As soon as Yan Zhoubai and Zhan Jiayu emerged from the gate, Yan Anxuan stepped forward, took Yan Zhoubai’s belongings, and tried to lead him away.

"Big brother?"

Yan Zhoubai knew his eldest brother would come to pick him up.

During his time in Jiang City, though the family hadn’t made a fuss about him leaving without notice to travel with Zhan Jiayu, Yan Anxuan had checked in daily—asking where he went, what he ate, and if his speech issues had improved. So, Yan Zhoubai had been updating him regularly.

What puzzled Yan Zhoubai was how abruptly his brother was trying to leave without even acknowledging Zhan Jiayu.

"President Yan, long time no see. Isn’t it rude to take someone away without a greeting?"

Since Yan Anxuan remained silent, Zhan Jiayu spoke first.

"Didn’t you also fail to inform me when you took my brother away to Jiang City?"

Zhan Jiayu actually had the nerve to bring that up? He had taken Yan Zhoubai to Jiang City without consulting the family—was he looking down on them?

"How can you call it 'taking away'? I took Xiao Chuaner to Jiang City for fun."

Though aware of Yan Anxuan’s anger and his own slight fault, Zhan Jiayu showed no intention of backing down. It seemed he was ready to argue the matter right there in the airport.

"Hmph," Yan Anxuan sneered, not hiding his displeasure. "You know very well what you were really doing in Jiang City, President Zhan. It’s only because my brother wasn’t dragged into it that the Yan family isn’t pursuing the matter further."

Yan Anxuan’s aggression had a reason.

When he learned Yan Zhoubai had already gone to Jiang City with Zhan Jiayu, his initial panic had subsided. Once calm, he investigated why Zhan Jiayu had returned to Jiang City—he refused to believe it was merely for sightseeing.

His digging revealed that Zhan Jiayu had gone for an ancestral ceremony, but his three uncles had ill intentions, likely planning to cause trouble during the event.

Yan Anxuan’s first thought was whether Yan Zhoubai would be involved. The Zhan family, both in Country A and Jiang City, engaged in shady business, and Zhan Jiayu’s uncles were ruthless. He nearly flew to Jiang City immediately to bring Yan Zhoubai back.

But that noon, Yan Zhoubai reported that although issues arose during the ceremony and Zhan Jiayu was injured, everything had been resolved without implicating him.

Relieved, Yan Anxuan still asked if Yan Zhoubai wanted to return, but Yan Zhoubai declined, saying he’d be back after a few more days of fun.

Not wanting to seem overbearing and risk alienating his brother, Yan Anxuan waited two more days. The moment he confirmed their return to Jing City, he rushed to the airport to pick Yan Zhoubai up.

Zhan Jiayu had better stay away from his brother from now on.

"If I take him out, I’ll ensure his safety. Surely you don’t doubt my capability in that regard, President Yan?"

Zhan Jiayu found Yan Anxuan’s grip on Yan Zhoubai’s wrist irritating, fueling his frustration and refusal to yield.

Previously, he hadn’t felt this so strongly—after all, Yan Anxuan was, in a way, Yan Zhoubai’s elder brother.

Perhaps this trip to Jiang City had brought him much closer to Yan Zhoubai, so he'd started thinking of Yan Zhoubai as his property, and he felt hostile toward anyone who touched him.

Yan Anxuan was done arguing with Zhan Jiayu any longer. He grabbed Yan Zhoubai and turned to leave.

Yan Zhoubai hadn’t managed to get a word in the entire time and was still processing what happened as his older brother pulled him along.

"Boss Yan, no need to rush. There are still things to take with us."

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Author's note: Here it is, just in time. I went out to take photos today, which took a long time and messed up my plans [Let me check].

Xiao Chuaner recently changed his hairstyle. I don’t know how to describe it, but it’s the one shown on the book cover. Does anyone know what this hairstyle is called?