Chapter 68 Easy to Please

Chapter 68 Easily Soothed

Zhan Jiayu thought it would be better to keep that mouth quiet, just like before. Most of the time, it was adorable, but occasionally, there were moments when Zhan Jiayu felt that a silent beauty might not be such a bad idea.

"I'm not gay."

Zhan Jiayu sighed helplessly. He wanted to explain that he wasn't interested in men in general, and that was why he had become interested in Yan Zhoubai. Although he had approached Yan Zhoubai with specific intentions, he wasn't the type to fall for just any young man. He liked Yan Zhoubai precisely because he was Yan Zhoubai.

However, before he could finish speaking, Yan Zhoubai interjected: "You're not? Well, that's good then."

Yan Zhoubai wore a somewhat abashed expression, as if he felt guilty for having misunderstood Zhan Jiayu.

"System, he says he's not, so I guess he's not," Yan Zhoubai confirmed again with his system in his mind.

"Ah, well, if he says he's not, then he's not."

The system wasn't entirely sure either, but as a highly advanced system, it couldn't let its host think it was incompetent.

Zhan Jiayu had originally planned to take this opportunity to confess his feelings to Yan Zhoubai. Whether Yan Zhoubai accepted or not, he had a plan ready. In any case, their relationship had taken a step forward—the window paper had finally been broken through.

But he hadn't expected Yan Zhoubai to be so easily reassured with just half a sentence.

"Can you let go of me now? I'm getting a bit warm," Yan Zhoubai pushed lightly against Zhan Jiayu's chest.

It was already June, and although they weren't yet wearing shorts and short sleeves, Yan Zhoubai was only wearing a thin long-sleeved outer layer, while Zhan Jiayu wore nothing but a black shirt.

Pressed so closely together, their body heat transferred to each other, and in such a confined space, it wouldn't be long before they started sweating. Moreover, Yan Zhoubai had just been kissed until disoriented by Zhan Jiayu, and a fine layer of sweat had already formed on his forehead.

Most importantly, Yan Zhoubai felt that being this close to Zhan Jiayu was too intimate, and it made him shy.

Zhan Jiayu's lips were right above his eyelids, glistening with a faint sheen from their earlier kiss, their color now deeper. For some reason, Yan Zhoubai found it unexpectedly sensual. He didn't dare meet Zhan Jiayu's gaze, which was why he kept wanting to put some distance between them.

Little did he know that his own lips looked even more thoroughly kissed than Zhan Jiayu's.

And Zhan Jiayu's seductive aura wasn't just due to his lips—it was as if his entire being was radiating the energy of a peacock displaying its feathers.

"Don't you want to ask anything else?"

Zhan Jiayu sighed softly. Just moments ago, Yan Zhoubai had been so angry he refused to engage with him, and now he was already calmed down. What was he to do with someone so easy to please? His ease of being placated only made Zhan Jiayu want to do something even more playfully wicked.

"Ask what?"

Yan Zhoubai was still bewildered. As long as Zhan Jiayu wasn't gay, everything was fine. As for that kiss, he could just chalk it up to Zhan Jiayu being so angry he acted recklessly. He wouldn't hold it against him.

What had really upset him was Zhan Jiayu's oddly sarcastic and blaming tone earlier. Whenever Zhan Jiayu spoke to him like that, he couldn't help but feel wronged.

Well, Zhan Jiayu could see it now—the window paper had been broken through, but not completely. It seemed he would have to put in more effort in the future.

"Will you still spend time with me? Are you still coming to the Zhan family's old residence tomorrow to read the feng shui?"

Zhan Jiayu needed to confirm whether Yan Zhoubai was truly no longer angry. If he didn't double-check and Yan Zhoubai ended up running off, who would he complain to?

"Of course I am. Aren't you paying me?"

Yan Zhoubai's voice carried a slight hint of a whine, sounding rather pitiful. If there was money involved, he would go. He wasn't foolish enough to turn down paid work.

Zhan Jiayu laughed. "Of course I'll pay. It's not easy to secure your services, Little Master. Of course there has to be compensation."

Yan Zhoubai seemed weirdly cheered up by the flattery again. He said, "I'm hard to book"—then he'll definitely make a lot of money in the future.

"Babe, let's not get too obsessed with money. We should have some life goals too," the system reminded him appropriately.

"Life pursuits can't put food on the table. Money is more practical," Yan Zhoubai shot back, which was rare for him.

The system began to reflect on whether it had corrupted its little host. The little host hadn’t used to be so fond of money.

"Then, after you finish university, are you still gonna come to my company to be my assistant? The salary is very high."

Zhan Jiayu continued to ask, his tone slipping into a coaxing tone.

"Yes."

Yan Zhoubai didn’t know why Zhan Jiayu was asking again about something they’d already discussed, but if he wanted to ask, whatever.

"Can you let me go now? I’ve been out too long. If I don’t go back soon, they're gonna come looking for me in the restroom." Yan Zhoubai pushed against Zhan Jiayu’s chest again.

This time, Zhan Jiayu easily stepped aside, making space for Yan Zhoubai to leave, and added:

"Remember to come get the little cake when you leave. I’ll wait for you in the outside parking lot."

…

When Yan Zhoubai returned, dinner was still in full swing. It felt like a second round had started because he noticed a couple new dishes on the table.

And somehow, the atmosphere in the private room seemed even more relaxed and cheerful than when he had left. Weird, right?

"Xiao Bai, are you okay? Should I ask our server to bring some medicine?"

Yan Anxuan was the first to speak when he saw Yan Zhoubai return, but the question left Yan Zhoubai confused.

"Yeah, Xiao Bai, how are you feeling? Didn’t you say in the restroom earlier that you might have eaten something bad?"

Before Yan Zhoubai could ask what was going on, Lin Qihua jumped in.

"I’m fine, probably just a little under the weather."

Yan Zhoubai sat back in his original seat and casually replied, hoping to move past the topic.

"Was it because one of the dishes here wasn’t fresh, and your stomach couldn’t handle it? I’ll ask the server about it later. Don’t you always have a sensitive stomach?"

Just when Yan Zhoubai thought this little episode was over, Bu Qiran suddenly popped up.

What did he mean by "always have a sensitive stomach"? His stomach was just fine. And why trouble the server? He hadn’t noticed before that Bu Qiran was so good at throwing his weight around.

"No, it’s fine, thank you." Yan Zhoubai delivered a triple rejection.

Yan Zhoubai strangely noticed that after his refusal, Bu Qiran’s face fell, and he seemed unhappy.

"Well, Uncle Yan, Auntie Bai, shall we continue? I think the stories from their childhood are quite interesting."

Lin Qihua had already started a new topic.

Yan Zhoubai ate the newly served dishes while listening closely to the conversation. He realized that his earlier sense that the atmosphere had improved was not an illusion, but he couldn’t immediately recognize that the main reason for this change was Lin Qihua.

Initially, the tension had been because the two main participants in today’s indirect matchmaking dinner seemed unwilling and weren’t engaging properly. Now, Lin Qihua had clearly become the pro at breaking the ice.

She hit it off effortlessly with both sets of parents and chose topics that both sides were eager to discuss—the three brothers of the Yan family.

The parents had come to this meal with the intention of arranging a marriage alliance. It had been clear earlier that neither Lin Qihua nor Bu Qiran was interested, which suggested this marriage alliance would be an uphill battle. But now that Lin Qihua was willing to talk about the three Yan brothers, it meant there was still hope for the alliance.

Of course, Yan Ren and Bai Rong’s first pick was for Lin Qihua and Bu Qiran to hit it off. But given the current situation, they were willing to give any of the Yan sons a shot.

“Qi Hua, I hope you don’t think Auntie Bai is biased toward her own children, but Yan Anxuan has been outstanding since he was little. It’s just that there’s a bit of an age gap between you two, and you’ve been abroad for so long, so you might not know him well,” Bai Rong said with a smile.

“Yes, eldest brother is truly exceptional. Although I haven’t been back with the Yan family for long, I see how diligent he is every day, how dedicated he is to the company’s affairs. Mom and Dad say he handles everything perfectly and is completely capable of handling things on his own.”

After Bai Rong finished speaking, Bu Qiran also added a few words of praise for Yan Anxuan.

“Not at all. Qiran got into Peking University on a recommendation—I never reached that level back in my day.”

Yan Anxuan rarely spoke so modestly, and Yan Zhoubai hadn’t expected to hear such words from him today.

“You’re too kind, eldest brother. Didn’t you attend a top-tier university in Country E? That’s even more impressive than Peking University,” Bu Qiran said.

Yan Zhoubai: …What on earth is happening? Why are they suddenly showering each other with compliments, and such half-hearted ones at that?

Eldest brother, didn’t you skip Peking University because you applied to schools abroad? Otherwise, with your grades, getting into Peking University would have been easy. Why are you being so humble all of a sudden?

“Bai Rong, you’re so fortunate to have two such outstanding sons,” Mrs. Lin remarked.

Mrs. Lin’s remark was clearly a hint for Lin Qihua’s benefit—if the two biological sons were this outstanding, the Yan family’s eldest son was also an option if the newly returned son wasn't to her liking.

Logically, he would have been the best candidate, but the age gap was indeed quite large, and their family had no intention of tying themselves too closely to the Yan family.

But Lin Qihua acted as though she hadn’t understood her mother’s hint and steered the conversation back to Yan Zhoubai.

“What about you, Xiao Bai? Since they’re both so outstanding, you must be too, right?”

“Me?”

Yan Zhoubai was in the final stages of his meal, eating a baozi, when he was suddenly put on the spot and nearly choked. Bai Rong, sitting beside him, poured him a glass of water, which helped him wash down the baozi.

“I’m not as outstanding as they are. I’ve always been pretty average.”

“But I think Xiao Bai is anything but average. Being able to cultivate in a Taoist temple for three years—that kind of mental fortitude isn’t something just anyone can match.”

Yan Zhoubai had a feeling there was more to Lin Qihua’s words.

“You went to the mountain when you were so young—you must have been your master’s youngest disciple. Did your senior brothers and sisters dote on you a lot?”

“Do you prefer life at home or at the temple?”

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Author’s note: Lin Qihua: I haven’t had any good gossip since I’ve been abroad for so long. [dog head] Time to stir things up.