Chapter 108 Coming Out

Chapter 108: Coming Out of the Closet

Yan Zhoubai recognized it as the photo taken with a girl yesterday—he had flashed a peace sign at the camera, and he still remembered what the girl looked like.

Although quite a few people had taken photos of him yesterday, only two or three had actually come up to ask for a photo together, so Yan Zhoubai remembered them vaguely.

But as soon as he spotted this photo, Yan Zhoubai immediately looked at Zhan Jiayu.

At noon today, Zhan Jiayu had said that he’d had Chen Chu reach out to the people who posted the videos yesterday and have them taken down. He had also confirmed that, although people were still discussing topics related to him, those videos had indeed been deleted.

So what's the deal with this photo? He had seen all the videos about himself from yesterday, but this photo wasn't one of them.

“I’ll ask Chen Chu.”

Zhan Jiayu’s face fell. When Jasmine shoved the photo in front of him, his sharp eyes narrowed instantly.

This was the first time something like this had happened. He had thought it was a small problem that could be easily resolved, but it seemed it wasn't completely handled.

“Babe, what’s wrong with him? Why does he look so upset?”

Jasmine didn’t understand what Zhan Jiayu had just said to Yan Zhoubai. She only saw Zhan Jiayu storm off looking pissed after looking at the photo she shared, calling someone up.

“Simply put, we don’t want this photo online. Someone posted it yesterday, and he got it removed, but now it’s popped up again today, so he’s not happy.”

Yan Zhoubai briefly explained to Jasmine.

Jasmine, like a curious kid, immediately pressed Yan Zhoubai for details. The moment she arrived in China, she caught wind of some drama, and with the person involved right in front of her, there was no way she’d let it slide.

“I’ll fill you in later.”

Yan Zhoubai was too busy to chat about fortune-telling with Jasmine right now. He also had to answer a call—it was from his eldest brother, Yan Anxuan.

Yan Zhoubai had been staying at Zhan Jiayu’s place for over a week and hadn’t returned home. During this time, Bai Rong had called him twice to see how he was holding up after leaving home.

But Yan Zhoubai could tell Bai Rong was uneasy—she seemed eager to talk more but also afraid of disturbing him.

Yan Zhoubai thought it was weird, but he was still happy to receive calls from his family.

No one else in the family had called him, but they had sent plenty of messages. Yan Zhoubai had never seen their family group chat so active before.

Especially his eldest brother, who frequently checked in on him, as if worried that Zhan Jiayu might be treating him badly or that he might be suffering.

Yan Anxuan had strong opinions about Zhan Jiayu, and Zhan Jiayu didn’t like Yan Anxuan either. Yan Zhoubai noticed all this and felt caught in the middle.

“Hello, big brother?”

As soon as Yan Zhoubai answered the call, Zhan Jiayu, who had been on the phone with Chen Chu, immediately zeroed in on Yan Zhoubai.

It was the first time Yan Anxuan had called since Yan Zhoubai moved in with him.

“So you’ve seen it too, big brother? It’s nothing—I was just setting up a stall to tell fortunes and read feng shui. I spent three years training at Cangru Temple, and I wanted to use the skills I’ve learned to do something.”

Yan Zhoubai stepped aside with his phone.

Jasmine, unable to understand, sat on the sofa and scrolled through her phone. She seemed completely uninterested in what the two were doing, but in reality, her ears were practically perked up, trying to catch every word even if she didn’t understand.

From Yan Zhoubai’s words, Zhan Jiayu immediately guessed what Yan Anxuan was saying on the other end.

He was irritated. Why were the Yan family members always in his business?

Yan Zhoubai never expected that his eldest brother’s first call after seeing the photos and videos of him online would be to ask if Zhan Jiayu was treating him poorly and if he had resorted to street fortune-telling on Nantian Street to make a living after leaving the Yan family.

Yan Zhoubai admitted that for a moment, his mind went blank upon hearing Yan Anxuan’s accusations. What was this all about?

“Xiao Bai, I still don’t think it’s a good idea for you to stay with Zhan Jiayu. You’ve been there for less than half a month, and something like this has already happened.”

Yan Anxuan’s tone was icy and harsh, clearly holding back anger.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea either. You should come back. He’s just an outsider—he's no family. I might not be on his level yet, but that won’t be the case for long.”

The sudden butting in of Bu Qiran’s voice made Yan Zhoubai wonder if he was hearing things. But only for a moment—no one else had such an annoying way of talking.

“What are you doing there?” Yan Zhoubai asked Bu Qiran.

“I’m interning with big brother. I was the one who first noticed you almost blew up online. Why wouldn’t I be here?”

Bu Qiran’s tone sounded urgent, as if pissed at the question.

“Qi Ran and I see eye to eye. How can a young master of the Yan family go out to read fortunes on the street? If you need money, just tell the family. As for Zhan Jiayu, I know he treats you well, but he’s still an outsider.”

It sounded like Yan Anxuan had taken the phone back, with Bu Qiran’s whining in the background.

Yan Zhoubai felt that his eldest brother and Bu Qiran’s relationship had gotten way better. At the very least, this call gave him that impression.

In the past, how could the two of them ever be together? Now, not only was Bu Qiran interning at the company with his eldest brother, but they were even sharing a phone to call him.

Yan Zhoubai thought this was good. After all, they were biological brothers. With their relationship improving, it was time for him, the “outsider” who had ended up with the Yan family, to step aside.

Yes, an outsider. Hearing Bu Qiran use that word really upset Yan Zhoubai.

He didn’t consider Zhan Jiayu an outsider.

“No need, big brother. Zhan Jiayu and I are together now. He can’t be considered an outsider anymore.”

Yan Zhoubai hadn’t told his family about his relationship with Zhan Jiayu. He never thought it was something worth announcing, but he hadn’t expected to break the news under such circumstances.

“What did you say?!”

Yan Zhoubai heard the sound of something falling on the other end of the line. It was a ruckus, but his eldest brother’s voice, aside from shock and fury, remained eerily calm.

“I know this might not be what you expected, and it’s uncommon for a man to be in a relationship with another man, but I’m sure I love Zhan Jiayu, so we’re together.”

Yan Zhoubai only then realized that he was essentially coming out to his family. The timing was really informal, but since the conversation had led here, he was fine with it.

Before he could hear Yan Anxuan’s response, Yan Zhoubai felt a hand on his shoulder.

Turning around, he saw Zhan Jiayu. He had finished his call with Chen Chu at some point and was just staring at him.

Yan Zhoubai realized Zhan Jiayu had heard what he just said.

“Xiao Bai, you must come back. You can’t stay with Zhan Jiayu anymore. You’re still naive, and Zhan Jiayu is taking advantage of his age to seduce you. He’s had ulterior motives for you all along!”

Yan Zhoubai swore it was the first time in years he had heard his eldest brother sound so hysterical.

His brother had always been a gold standard among his peers, always acted perfectly. Yan Zhoubai had never seen him lose his cool like this before.

But now he had lost his composure. His furious roar seemed loud enough to rupture Yan Zhoubai's eardrums, making him feel like this big brother was a stranger.

Yan Zhoubai remained silent for a few seconds, unsure how to answer, before his phone was gently taken from his hand.

"President Yan, even if I did lure Xiaobai, it was with his willing consent—unlike you, who clearly can't make someone stay yet still haunts them persistently. Xiaobai is better off free from the constraints of the Yan family. At the very least, I don’t consider fortune-telling at a street stall to be an improper occupation. As for the online rumors, you can check now—they’ve basically been resolved."

After saying this, Zhan Jiayu directly hung up on Yan Anxuan and returned the phone to Yan Zhoubai.

Yan Zhoubai was dumbfounded. Both Zhan Jiayu’s words and his act of hanging up on Yan Anxuan were far beyond what he had expected.

Was that allowed?

"Of course it is. With his status, speaking to your eldest brother like that is completely fine—he isn’t afraid of offending him."

The system chose this moment to chime in again.

"But then again, if he can say that, you could actually say that too. It’s not that your eldest brother treats you poorly, but you’re an adult now—it’s not really good for him to control you so much. Besides, back when it mattered, he didn’t step in. When you were bullied by those three, he didn't vent anger for you. Now that you’re in a relationship, he suddenly shows up—what’s the use of that?"

The system’s voice gradually faded toward the end. It knew Yan Zhoubai held his eldest brother in high regard, always believing everything he did was right, and worried that criticizing him might upset Yan Zhoubai.

But it couldn’t help speaking up—who could forget how things were back then?

Unexpectedly, this time Yan Zhoubai didn’t refute it. Instead, he became lost in thought.

His slightly lowered chin was lifted by a finger. When Yan Zhoubai looked up, he met Zhan Jiayu’s dark eyes.

"Stop overthinking. If your eldest brother is unhappy, let him direct it at me. If you’re caught in the middle and feeling conflicted, I’ll handle these matters from now on. But remember one thing—letting you go is out of the question. I won't let you go back to the Yan family."

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Author's Note: Sorry for the delay—wishing everyone a happy Mid-Autumn Festival! [Heart]