Chapter 107 Boyfriend

Chapter 107 Boyfriend

Jasmine showed no reaction when Zhan Jiayu pulled her off him, as if she were well accustomed to his actions. Her attention was immediately captivated by Yan Zhoubai. She trotted a few steps, ready to embrace him, but Zhan Jiayu swiftly intervened.

"H-Hello, I'm Yan Zhoubai. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Yan Zhoubai's English communication was adequate, though not as fluent as his elder brother's. Moreover, encountering someone as vivacious as Jasmine for the first time left him a little flustered, making his English sound less polished than it was.

"Wow, hello! I'm Jasmine. Honey, you speak wonderfully, just be more confident! Oh my goodness, you even have long hair! That's so rare, I love it even more!"

Jasmine's eyes lit up the moment Yan Zhoubai greeted her. Disregarding Zhan Jiayu's obstruction, she immediately engaged Yan Zhoubai in conversation, not forgetting to blow him a kiss.

"You're so adorable! Meeting a handsome guy right after landing—it seems fate is smiling upon me. This is absolutely amazing! I'm so excited for this trip!"

Jasmine was ecstatic. Yan Zhoubai felt it had been ages since he'd encountered someone with such boundless energy, as if her vitality were inexhaustible.

"Jasmine, this is my boyfriend."

Zhan Jiayu's cool voice came from behind Jasmine.

Jasmine was facing Yan Zhoubai, with her back to Zhan Jiayu, allowing Yan Zhoubai a clear view of her dramatically shifting expression upon hearing Zhan Jiayu's words.

"Your boyfriend?" She whirled around to face Zhan Jiayu. "So, the person you mentioned last time was a guy? It's him?"

Her astonishment was equally exaggerated, perfectly aligning with Yan Zhoubai's stereotype of people from Country A.

Yan Zhoubai nodded.

"Well, I'll be damned, Vito. How did I completely miss it before?" Jasmine looked at Zhan Jiayu with an expression that screamed, "What have I been missing?" "But you were always so incredibly busy, with only work on your mind. I guess I never really saw you show interest in anyone."

"Let's go. I'll take you to the old family estate to settle in first."

Zhan Jiayu had no intention of lingering for small talk with Jasmine in the bustling airport. Although they hadn't seen each other in person for a while, their professional interactions were frequent, especially when handling the Zhan family's affairs in Country A, which often involved contacting Jasmine.

During the car ride, Jasmine gazed out the window, utterly fascinated by everything. This was, after all, her first visit to China.

From a young age, she knew she had partial Chinese heritage, yet she had never visited. Her father had never spoken of returning to China either, which had fueled her curiosity to its peak. She had closely followed China online, but nothing compared to seeing it firsthand.

"Wow, this is so new and exciting! I've wanted to come to China since I was a kid. I'm finally here, hehe!"

Jasmine was in a state of high exhilaration, gesticulating animatedly by herself in the back seat.

Yan Zhoubai, seated in the passenger seat, quietly asked Zhan Jiayu, "I heard the Zhan family is in City L in Country A, right? That's also a prosperous metropolis, probably not much different from Beijing. Why is she so excited?"

"She hasn't seen much of the world."

That was Zhan Jiayu's definitive assessment.

Yan Zhoubai: "..."

As someone who had grown up in Beijing, Yan Zhoubai didn't deeply perceive the city's constant evolution.

Zhan Jiayu, however, having spent part of his childhood in China and visited once or twice during his teenage years, had a profound appreciation for China's rapid development.

"The Zhan family originated in City L, but in recent years, their development focus has shifted to the capital of Country A. Jasmine lives in the capital year-round. It's certainly prosperous there, but it offers a different experience compared to China."

"There's a greater sense of historical depth here that she can't experience in Country A."

Zhan Jiayu explained earnestly to Yan Zhoubai.

"I see." Yan Zhoubai now understood.

"What are you two talking about? I don't understand, but I heard my name. You're not talking behind my back, are you?" Jasmine suddenly interjected from the back.

"No, no." Yan Zhoubai felt a pang of guilt, as if caught gossiping.

"Oh."

Jasmine had merely asked casually and didn't seem particularly bothered. Since she couldn't understand, she wouldn't mind even if they were gossiping about her openly.

The Zhan family's old estate was situated in a relatively secluded area, some distance from the city center but closer to the airport. They arrived after a short drive.

Jasmine saw the bustling urban area approaching in the distance, but the car stopped, prompting her anxious question: "Why are we stopping here?"

"We're home. The Zhan family's old estate isn't in the city center. It's in a more remote location for its beautiful environment."

As he explained, Zhan Jiayu turned the wheel, guiding the car onto the access road leading to the old estate.

"Why such a remote place? Who chose it?"

Jasmine's tone conveyed a hint of dissatisfaction.

"The old man chose it. He even paid someone specifically to pick it out," Zhan Jiayu replied indifferently.

"Hmph."

Jasmine pouted, feeling displeased but with nowhere to vent her frustration.

However, once they actually entered the courtyard of the Zhan family's old estate, all of Jasmine's dissatisfaction vanished.

The old estate's design was distinctly Chinese, much to the delight of the "worldly-inexperienced" Jasmine.

"So this is our home? Why didn't the old man ever come back all these years? I had no idea I had such a beautiful home in China! I should have come sooner!"

Jasmine darted around the courtyard and living room, then scurried upstairs and downstairs, opening every room to peek inside.

Finally, after her exploration, she returned to the living room and settled down for a moment.

"Why is it so quiet here? Are there no staff?"

Jasmine accepted the Coke Zhan Jiayu offered her, opening it as she asked, and flashed a smile at Yan Zhoubai.

After learning that Yan Zhoubai was Zhan Jiayu's boyfriend, she was clearly more mindful of boundaries with him, yet her inherently playful nature made it impossible to resist teasing a handsome guy like Yan Zhoubai.

"Because I don't live here. If you need any, I can arrange for someone."

Zhan Jiayu handed Jasmine an iced Coke but gave Yan Zhoubai a bottle of room-temperature orange juice.

When Yan Zhoubai took the orange juice, his face already bore a familiar expression of resigned complaint.

Since moving in with Zhan Jiayu, Zhan Jiayu had taken over many daily tasks that Yan Zhoubai should have handled himself, while also assertively intervening to try to change many of Yan Zhoubai's habits.

For instance, Yan Zhoubai loved iced Coke, but Zhan Jiayu would restrict his consumption. If he drank too much, Zhan Jiayu would replace it. The reason given was that excessive cold and carbonated drinks were detrimental to health.

This time was still acceptable—he received orange juice. Yan Zhoubai recalled one instance where it was directly swapped for plain water.

Yan Zhoubai didn't consider himself particularly fond of chilled carbonated drinks, but after Zhan Jiayu began regulating his habits, he realized he actually used to drink quite a lot. He then willingly submitted to the control.

After all, if he truly craved one, it wasn't entirely forbidden—Zhan Jiayu couldn't bear to see him upset.

There were also other minor habits, such as not liking to blow-dry his hair after washing it; being unfussy about food but eating very little, preferring to snack outside of meal times; and after leaving the Yan family, indulging in street food as a form of rebellious eating...

These habits, though seemingly trivial, did impose a certain burden on his health.

Sometimes, when annoyed by the restrictions, Yan Zhoubai would argue with Zhan Jiayu. However, the moment Zhan Jiayu brought up the incident where Yan Zhoubai was hospitalized for a month after the poisoning and lost over ten pounds, Yan Zhoubai would fall silent.

He knew that the poisoning incident had left a deep psychological scar on Zhan Jiayu, and Zhan Jiayu's expression would darken every time it was mentioned.

"You don't live here..."

Jasmine took a sip of cola and pressed her lips together.

Just as Yan Zhoubai anticipated her displeasure—after all, it was her first visit, and for her brother, the host, not to be staying at home seemed rather impolite—Jasmine's next words were:

"That's fantastic! Does that mean this huge house will be all mine? Hurry up and arrange some staff for me, preferably all handsome guys. Also, it's perfectly fine if I throw all-night parties here, right?"

Jasmine was absolutely ecstatic. It was even better that Zhan Jiayu wasn't staying here. Although she would throw parties regardless of his presence, his absence would certainly make her feel more uninhibited.

"Do as you please."

Zhan Jiayu was unconcerned. As long as Jasmine didn't commit any serious crimes like arson during her stay in China, he could handle anything else.

Jasmine was overjoyed, feeling her trip to China was incredibly worthwhile. Sipping her cola, she happily scrolled through her phone.

Yan Zhoubai, seated on the other sofa, was asking Zhan Jiayu about the specifics of Jasmine's visit to China, wondering if he, as the host, should take her out to explore.

"Wow, babe, is this you? This video looks super popular, with tons of likes and comments. I'm not mistaken, right? This is totally you. Are you some kind of internet celebrity, babe?"

Before Zhan Jiayu could even begin speaking to Yan Zhoubai, they heard Jasmine's exaggerated exclamation. She quickly rushed over from the other sofa and thrust her phone into Yan Zhoubai's face.

On the screen was a photo of Yan Zhoubai with a girl, taken yesterday while they were setting up a stall on Nantian Street. It had garnered hundreds of thousands of views.

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Author's note: Here it is [Let me see].