Chapter 105 Two-in-One (Making Up for Yesterday)

Chapter 105: Two-in-One (Making Up for Yesterday's Chapter)

"Ah, oh, okay."

Yan Zhoubai blinked, belatedly realizing that Zhan Jiayu's earlier shift in mood stemmed from jealousy.

He immediately cupped Zhan Jiayu's head and planted a kiss on his lips: "Don't be angry. They were just being really friendly at the time, and I didn’t think much of it. I won’t do it again next time."

"Alright, have you eaten anything? What do you want? I'll cook for you."

Zhan Jiayu stared at Yan Zhoubai’s smiling face for a few seconds, then abruptly stood up and walked toward the kitchen, as if fleeing some unseen terror.

He had to admit that Yan Zhoubai’s words, "Don’t be angry," had instantly melted his irritation.

He had expected Yan Zhoubai to accuse him of making a fuss over nothing, being overly jealous, or simply not understanding why he was upset. He hadn’t expected Yan Zhoubai to plant a kiss on him outright.

He stood up immediately because he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to resist pinning Yan Zhoubai to the sofa right then and there.

It was the first time he had so little faith in his self-control, which was why he got up so quickly.

No, the timing wasn't right yet. He needed to wait a little longer.

"You know how to cook?"

Yan Zhoubai followed Zhan Jiayu into the kitchen, buzzing around him with curiosity.

"I can make some simple dishes. I cook for myself occasionally. When I was in Country A, the meals at home included both Chinese and Western styles, but my taste leans more toward Chinese food."

Zhan Jiayu had already opened the fridge to see what ingredients were inside.

Yan Zhoubai stood behind him. Zhan Jiayu was tall and broad-shouldered, blocking most of the fridge, so Yan Zhoubai had to peek over his shoulder to see what was inside.

He had lived here for a week but had never opened the fridge before, so he had no idea what was in it.

Neither of them ate at home or cooked. They usually had meals at the company or Zhan Jiayu took him out to eat. It had been a long time since Yan Zhoubai had eaten a home-cooked meal.

When the fridge opened, Yan Zhoubai saw eggs, ham, and even fresh vegetables. He was surprised to find that the fridge was pretty well-stocked, even though they rarely cooked at home.

"Have you eaten?" Yan Zhoubai asked in a small voice from behind Zhan Jiayu.

"I’ve eaten."

"Ah, okay then." Yan Zhoubai pouted. "Actually, I’ve eaten a little too, so I’m not that hungry. Just make a small portion."

Thanks to the middle-aged man’s "promotion" that morning, business had been particularly good in the afternoon. Yan Zhoubai was swamped and exhausted, but he was also very happy. The light lunch he'd grabbed wasn't enough to keep him going.

So, when he finally had a lull between customers, he quickly packed up his stall, pulled his cart to the snack street at the other end of Nantian Street, and found something to soothe his growling stomach.

Zhan Jiayu raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. He was unaware of that.

Lao Qin had only told him that Yan Zhoubai had suddenly packed up his fortune-telling stall around three or four in the afternoon and taken off somewhere alone.

Lao Qin had even asked if he should follow, but Zhan Jiayu had said no. He thought Yan Zhoubai might have been too busy and decided to close early. Besides, he didn’t want to keep too close an eye on Yan Zhoubai.

Even though he wanted to know Yan Zhoubai’s whereabouts at all times, he didn’t want to become a control freak.

Less than an hour later, Lao Qin said Yan Zhoubai had returned with his cart. Zhan Jiayu was a bit surprised but didn’t say anything.

It turned out he had gone to get something to eat.

"What did you eat?"

Zhan Jiayu took eggs and tomatoes out of the fridge.

"I had a grilled sausage, a jianbing guozi, and some fried skewers!"

Yan Zhoubai had no idea that when he pulled his cart to the snack street that afternoon, he had been like a mouse falling into a rice barrel.

He wanted to try everything. He stopped at every stall, watching as the vendors prepared one dish after another, silently swallowing his saliva.

Yan Zhoubai loved street food, but he rarely had the chance to eat it. The Yan family’s lifestyle had little to do with street stalls, and the Yan couple didn’t care for such food. The meals at the Yan household were always very healthy.

Yan Zhoubai didn’t think the healthy meals at home were bad—it was just that they were so healthy he craved other flavors he hadn’t tried before.

"You ate quite a lot. Do you still have room for a proper meal now?"

Zhan Jiayu was already skillfully washing the tomatoes and beating the eggs.

"I do," Yan Zhoubai patted his stomach. "I’ve already digested what I ate this afternoon. I can eat."

This was the first time he had seen Zhan Jiayu cook, so he wasn't going to miss it.

Zhan Jiayu made a simple pot of tomato and egg noodles, serving a bowl for Yan Zhoubai at the dining table. The steaming bowl of noodles was topped with chopped scallions, looking very appetizing.

"Wow, this looks delicious."

Yan Zhoubai was in the mood for something warm. He pulled out a chair and sat down, ready to dig in.

But he noticed Zhan Jiayu was still leisurely cleaning up the counter.

"Aren’t you going to eat some? I see there’s more in the pot. This bowl is plenty for me," Yan Zhoubai asked.

"I’ve already eaten. This is for you."

Zhan Jiayu felt that Yan Zhoubai usually ate too little. Even though he had been taking Yan Zhoubai to eat nutritious food for the past week, Yan Zhoubai’s appetite was small, and he had barely gained any weight.

Today, seeing Yan Zhoubai with a good appetite—eating snacks in the afternoon and still willing to eat in the evening—Zhan Jiayu decided to make a little extra.

"Keep me company while I eat, okay?"

"Don't be cute."

"I’m not."

Yan Zhoubai was taken aback. How was he acting cute?

"What about this? Keep me company while I eat?"

If he didn’t add "okay," would it not sound like he was acting cute?

"Alright."

Zhan Jiayu turned around with a smile and served himself a bowl.

"Baby, I feel like you’re a natural at this."

Yan Zhoubai had just lowered his head to take a sip of the broth when he heard the system’s voice in his mind.

"What do you mean, 'really good at it'?"

Yan Zhoubai bent down to sip the noodle soup and took a bite of egg, looking satisfied.

"It's just that when it comes to communicating with the Big Shot, I think you’ve become more and more adept. Look, Zhan Jiayu is cooking for you himself now. Tsk tsk, don’t forget he’s originally a ruthless gang leader who kills without blinking."

The system’s tone had a hint of glee and a touch of pride.

My little host is growing up fast, isn't he?

"But he’s my partner now, so isn’t it perfectly normal for him to cook for me? No need to make a big deal about it."

Yan Zhoubai was gradually starting to feel it was getting harder to talk to the system.

"Hey, you two dating is one thing, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s a gang leader."

The system’s database had no data about dating or relationships.

"Alright."

You’re right, you’re the system, but now I need to eat.

"How does it taste?"

Zhan Jiayu filled a bowl for himself and sat across from Yan Zhoubai, but he didn’t start eating. Instead, he waited until Yan Zhoubai had taken a few bites before asking.

"It’s good, really delicious."

Yan Zhoubai had tomato seeds/pulp at the corner of his mouth, clearly enjoying the meal.

"What should we do tomorrow?" Yan Zhoubai suddenly asked.

He had been thinking about figuring out plans for the next day.

Yan Zhoubai took Zhan Jiayu’s jealousy seriously and felt that weekends should be reserved for dates. He felt a bit guilty for neglecting Zhan Jiayu because he wanted to set up a stall.

"Didn’t you want to meet my sister? She’s arriving tomorrow. Want to come with me to the airport to pick her up?" Zhan Jiayu asked.

"Oh, sure!"

Yan Zhoubai was really curious about Zhan Jiayu’s siblings. The moment he heard he could meet Zhan Jiayu’s sister, he totally forgot about his earlier plans for a date with Zhan Jiayu.

After dinner, Zhan Jiayu exercised in the second-floor fitness area. To have more morning cuddle time with Yan Zhoubai in bed, he had moved his workouts to the evenings.

Yan Zhoubai sat on a beanbag nearby, scrolling on his phone.

He had previously expressed interest in working out with Zhan Jiayu, but Zhan Jiayu had said no.

He said Yan Zhoubai’s current physique didn't need to lose weight, and working out would make him even thinner. He should focus on putting on some weight first.

While jogging on the treadmill and adjusting his breathing, Zhan Jiayu kept an eye on Yan Zhoubai.

Yan Zhoubai was curled up on the sofa, already changed into loose loungewear, with his slippers kicked off on the floor. His left foot rested on a slipper, while his right foot was tucked under him on the sofa—both feet pale and almost glowing.

He rested his head on his knees, quietly scrolling through his phone.

Yan Zhoubai never played sound out loud on his phone, staying as quiet as his demeanor.

Zhan Jiayu felt that this scene was truly one of peaceful contentment.

He had never imagined what his future love life would be like, but he assumed that, given his personality, it would be intense. He never expected it to be this calm and comfortable.

"What’s going on? How did this happen?"

Zhan Jiayu was finishing up his workout on the treadmill when he heard Yan Zhoubai’s voice from behind.

"What’s wrong?"

"I just came across a video of myself online, and it seems to be pretty popular. There are so many comments under it."

Yan Zhoubai had been casually scrolling through a short video app and unexpectedly found a clip of himself.

It was from his time setting up the stall on Nantian Street that afternoon. Judging by the camera angle, it was likely filmed by one of the customers or passersby gathered around his stall.

The audio in the video was too noisy to make out what he was saying, which was why he was initially puzzled by the number of comments.

Yan Zhoubai thought that if he had suddenly gained attention online, the focus should have been on his fortune-telling skills or something similar.

But the comments section was nothing like what he had imagined:

"This guy is kinda cute."

"Can I have your contact info?"

"Are handsome guys nowadays starting out by setting up fortune-telling stalls?"

"Guys, I’m seriously into this one."

"Any idea where this is?"

"Looks like Nantian Street in Jing City."

"Well, that’s a bummer. My IP is miles away from Jing City. But don’t be sad, little bro—I’ll be taking my annual leave next month and visiting Jing City. You better be there!"

"Probably just another new way to gain followers. He looks like a high school student—what does he know about fortune-telling?"

"Exactly. All you people care about is looks. For fortune-telling, you need an experienced master. Someone with wisdom and skill, got it?"

"LOL, does the person above really think people are going for the fortune-telling?"

"Don’t believe in superstitions, it’s ridiculous. People are going because he’s good-looking. Who actually goes for fortune-telling?"

"Little bro, I’ll go to a respected elder for fortune-telling. Why don’t you come with me instead? I’ve got money."

"Good-looking? He looks like a kid who hasn’t fully grown yet. Not even as good-looking as me."

"Who says he hasn’t grown up? He just has a cute look. He’s at least 17 or 18. In a couple of years, he’ll be even more striking."

"You think you’re good-looking? Prove it—post a pic. Just because you say you’re good-looking doesn’t make it true."

"If he were good-looking, he’d be setting up a stall too. Would he have time to talk nonsense in the comments?"

"Can we kick out the party poopers? Right now, I just want to know this young master’s account. Please!"

"Following!"

"Following +1"

"Following +2"

“His sign says Cangru Temple, huh? I’ve actually drew fortune slips at Cangru Temple before, and it was really accurate.”

“Really? Although Cangru Temple might not be as famous nationwide as some other temples or Daoist temples in Beijing, it’s quite well-known locally here in Beijing. You can’t just casually use Cangru Temple’s name like that.”

“I came here from another video—someone said this guy’s readings are really accurate and impressive. [Link]”

“Oh wow, seems like he might actually be legit.”

“Is this staged? How could he accurately read so many people back-to-back? And those people’s reactions are way too exaggerated—it couldn’t have been that shocking.”

“No, I was actually there. It was genuinely impressive.”

“Ah, who cares if he’s skilled or not? Being that good-looking is impressive enough.”

……

Yan Zhoubai saw that, although a few comments were discussing how accurate his readings were, the conversation quickly shifted back to his appearance.

That’s because the video’s title was: “Met a really handsome fortune-telling guy at Nantian Street while traveling in Beijing. [Heart]”

Yan Zhoubai, not giving up, searched for other videos using related keywords. He discovered that, in just a few hours, there were already like ten-plus videos about him on the platform.

But what made him feel better was that not every video focused solely on his looks—some actually focused on how accurate and skilled he was.

While Yan Zhoubai was still searching for other videos, Zhan Jiayu had already quickly scrolled through the comments on the most popular video discussing Yan Zhoubai’s appearance.

“I’ll instruct Chen Chu to contact these people and have them get the videos taken down. This already involves infringing on your publicity rights.”

Zhan Jiayu looked serious. He had read through the comments one by one.

Including those who thought Yan Zhoubai was good-looking and wanted to know his account, as well as those who were jealous and slandered him—either way, they made him furious.

Whether it would attract widespread attention or not, Zhan Jiayu did not want Yan Zhoubai’s photos or videos circulating online.

Sure enough, his fears came true.

“Ah, take them down? Is it really that serious?”

Yan Zhoubai was still watching other videos but immediately looked up upon hearing Zhan Jiayu’s stern tone, putting his phone aside.

He hadn’t really thought about it yet; he was just surprised. The idea of publicity rights infringement hadn’t even crossed his mind.

“Xiao Chuaner, you’ve seen the comments—not all of them are positive. If this hype continues to grow, it won’t be good for you.”

On the surface, Zhan Jiayu was patiently explaining the situation to Yan Zhoubai, but inside, he was already furious, wishing he could have Chen Chu track down every last one of them who posted those videos.

“Besides, aren’t you also not planning to go into online fortune-telling?”

Seeing that Yan Zhoubai remained silent, Zhan Jiayu wasn’t sure if he was still hesitating about the suggestion or deep in thought.

“Hey, now that you mention it, it just occurred to me. With this sudden wave of online traffic, why not just use it to start a social media presence? That way, even more people would come to you for readings!”

The system suddenly had a bright idea.

“No, System, my master taught me that those of us on this spiritual path should avoid drawing attention to ourselves. Besides, I’m using Cangru Temple’s name on my sign… right, my stall’s sign is for Cangru Temple. I can’t stir up this much attention online—it would bring trouble to Cangru Temple.”

Yan Zhoubai suddenly remembered a crucial point he had overlooked.

“Alright, have Chen Chu contact them to take it down. I can pay Chen Chu’s overtime.”

Yan Zhoubai looked at Zhan Jiayu and said firmly.

System: …

System: My host cultivation plan—creating the ultimate internet-famous young Taoist—just went up in smoke?

Zhan Jiayu didn’t know what Yan Zhoubai had been thinking during his silence, but he was relieved that Yan Zhoubai agreed to have the videos removed.

Zhan Jiayu could have directly instructed Chen Chu to remove the videos, but since it concerned Yan Zhoubai, he felt it necessary to get Yan Zhoubai’s opinion.

More importantly, he needed Yan Zhoubai to understand that having his videos spread online wasn’t a positive thing. Otherwise, if someone filmed him without permission again, he still wouldn’t be cautious.

“You don’t need to pay. I’ve never stiffed Chen Chu on his salary, and that includes overtime pay. His salary is higher than you might think,” Zhan Jiayu said with a smile.

Chen Chu was indeed talented. Though he usually wore glasses and seemed like a corporate drone by his side, he was actually highly capable in every aspect. Any task assigned to him was handled efficiently, and having him around greatly improved productivity.

Of course, the most important thing wasn’t Chen Chu’s administrative skills. Chen Chu was a talent Zhan Jiayu recruited from Country A’s most prestigious fighting tournament. His primary and most critical role was actually as Zhan Jiayu’s personal bodyguard.

He handled both the duties of an executive assistant and a personal bodyguard single-handedly. Zhan Jiayu paid him the highest salary in the industry—a sky-high salary.

That Yan Zhoubai would worry about Chen Chu’s overtime pay was adorably naive.

After settling the matter, they both fell silent. It was only then that Yan Zhoubai noticed Zhan Jiayu had just finished exercising, a light sweat glistening on his skin, his hair damp with a few strands falling onto his forehead.

Zhan Jiayu was wearing a white athletic tank top and gray sweatpants, both made of moisture-wicking material that didn’t show sweat stains. But Yan Zhoubai could see tiny beads of sweat on Zhan Jiayu’s neck succumbing to gravity, trickling down and pooling into a shimmering layer in the hollow of his collarbone.

Yan Zhoubai stared intently.

So, so sexy.

Especially since Zhan Jiayu had such a well-built physique, with very smooth muscle lines. Yan Zhoubai had seen the veins bulging on his arms when he did pull-ups. It was incredible.

Yan Zhoubai suddenly felt a little parched and thought about getting a glass of water. But as he stood up, what came out of his mouth was: “I’m gonna take a shower first.”

After saying that, he couldn’t very well go get water now. He could only return to the bedroom and head to the bathroom to shower.

“Wait,” Zhan Jiayu called out to Yan Zhoubai, “let’s go together.”

By the time they stood naked facing each other in the bathroom, Yan Zhoubai still didn’t understand why he had agreed to Zhan Jiayu’s request to shower together without any explanation.

It was seduction—it had to be seduction. He must have noticed me staring at him with an unusual expression, realized he had attracted me, and seized the chance to suggest showering together.

It had to be that!

“Had to be what? What are you muttering to yourself?”

As soon as the shower water turned on, Zhan Jiayu heard Yan Zhoubai whisper something.

“Nothing! I didn’t say anything!”

Flustered, Yan Zhoubai turned around and came face-to-face with a stark naked Zhan Jiayu.

He had to admit, Zhan Jiayu’s body was as perfect as a sculpture. Though he knew nothing about art, he felt such a physique would be perfect for a nude sketch.

The lines of his body were simply too perfect. Broad shoulders, long legs, full pectorals, well-defined abs with clear ridges that rose and fell with each breath. The lines of his waist were smooth and fluid, looking as explosive as a leopard’s. His legs were straight and long, outlining a sharp and powerful silhouette.

In comparison to him, his own physique was like that of a plucked chicken—completely unimpressive.

Yan Zhoubai also believed that men shouldn’t be too skinny, but he was naturally someone with a small appetite who couldn’t gain weight easily. He used to have a bit more meat on his bones, but after that poisoning incident and spending over a month in the hospital, he didn’t have an ounce of meat left on him now.

Most importantly, why was Zhan Jiayu so well-endowed? Even soft, it was impressive—what would it be like when aroused?

Wait, if the two of them were in a relationship, Zhan Jiayu definitely wouldn’t be the bottom—that would mean he’d be the one on bottom… which implied that…

"What are you looking at?"

A deep voice murmured near his ear as Zhan Jiayu suddenly took a step forward.

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Author's Note: I was dragged to be part of the audience yesterday and didn’t finish until almost 8 p.m. By the time I had dinner, it was almost 10 p.m. (T_T) I'll make up for it today.

I remember the extra chapter for 200 nourishing serums—I see it’s almost 300 now, hehe 😛