Chapter 109 Two-in-One

Chapter 109: Two-in-One

Zhan Jiayu’s dark eyes were filled with a profound intensity as he gazed at Yan Zhoubai.

Though he claimed to be utterly unafraid of the Yan family, deep down, he harbored a fear that Yan Zhoubai might choose them over him. This underlying anxiety meant he wasn't as composed as he appeared.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have rushed to declare to Yan Zhoubai, immediately after hanging up the phone, that he wouldn’t let him return to the Yan family.

Yan Zhoubai keenly sensed Zhan Jiayu’s emotional instability.

The phrase "let him return" to the Yan family struck him as odd, implying he was being forced to stay with Zhan Jiayu.

He didn’t understand why Zhan Jiayu would say such a thing, but recognizing Zhan Jiayu’s unease, he sought to reassure him.

"I’m not going back to the Yan family. I’m perfectly happy living with you now. Why would you think that?"

Yan Zhoubai stepped closer to Zhan Jiayu. Being shorter, from Zhan Jiayu’s perspective, Yan Zhoubai’s eyes were entirely focused on him—pure and singularly devoted, with no other distractions.

The profound darkness in Zhan Jiayu’s eyes gradually receded.

Just as Zhan Jiayu and Yan Zhoubai were silently exchanging glances in a harmonious moment, Jasmine’s voice intruded, quite out of place.

Yan Zhoubai quickly averted his gaze. He had been so engrossed in cheering up Zhan Jiayu that he’d forgotten Jasmine was still there.

Had she witnessed their affectionate staring match?

Seeing Yan Zhoubai immediately look away, Zhan Jiayu knew he was feeling shy again. Yet, he still yearned for that moment; he had deeply cherished the unspoken understanding between them.

It seemed placing Jasmine with Old Zhai was the right decision. He would arrange a guide for her to explore on her own; otherwise, she would undoubtedly become a glaring third wheel.

The recent interruption was a perfect example.

"Hmm, it seems Chen Chu worked fast."

The photos were deleted swiftly, a speed that pleased Zhan Jiayu.

"Does Chen only do these things every day since coming to China with you? He wasn’t like this in Country A. Is he unhappy here? It seems like he has nowhere to use his skills."

Jasmine knew Chen Chu well, as he had been with Zhan Jiayu for a considerable time.

Not just Jasmine—everyone in the Zhan family in Country A knew Chen Chu. In fact, in City L, the name Chen Chu alone commanded respect from many.

It wasn't merely because he served as Zhan Jiayu’s assistant and bodyguard; more importantly, everyone recognized Chen Chu’s exceptional capabilities.

He could handle tasks of all sizes, appearing like an unassuming office worker with glasses that made him seem refined, yet he was incredibly formidable in a fight. Zhan Jiayu could venture into rival territory with just Chen Chu by his side.

Many in Country A had tried to poach Chen Chu from Zhan Jiayu with lucrative offers, but none had succeeded.

"The work he does in China is much easier than what he did in Country A, and I’m not cutting his salary by a single cent. Why would he be unhappy?"

Zhan Jiayu was confident that no one could offer a higher salary than he did for Chen Chu. Moreover, their relationship wasn’t merely employer-employee; Zhan Jiayu had once done Chen Chu a great favor.

Chen Chu remained unpoachable also because he was loyal to Zhan Jiayu and couldn't be swayed by money.

Jasmine pouted. She had always wanted to poach Chen Chu from Zhan Jiayu, not out of ambition, but simply because she wanted to avoid work.

Chen Chu was highly capable and efficient. If he were by her side, she could easily delegate all her responsibilities. Unfortunately, no matter what conditions she offered, she couldn’t lure him away.

Of course, she couldn’t offer better terms than Zhan Jiayu anyway.

"Don’t you two want to take a look? Even though the photos have been deleted, discussions about Bai haven’t completely disappeared. People are still talking about him online."

Jasmine lay on the rosewood sofa, constantly shifting, seemingly uncomfortable. She waved her phone at Yan Zhoubai and Zhan Jiayu.

Yan Zhoubai opened a social media platform and searched. His photos and videos were gone, but as Jasmine said, discussions about him persisted.

The topic’s popularity had waned significantly compared to when his videos and photos were available, but people were still talking.

"Wow, does anyone know the background of that cute little fortune-teller? How did all his videos disappear in just one day?"

"Not just videos—the photos are gone too."

"Probably deleted. Maybe he doesn’t want online fame."

"If he doesn’t want fame, why set up a fortune-telling stall? And his image doesn’t fit the traditional mold at all—it looks like he’s trying to gain followers. I suspect deleting everything is part of his strategy."

"You're overthinking it, aren't you? When the videos were up, the hashtag ‘Super Cute Fortune-Telling Little Taoist’ was trending. Now, using that tag gets no engagement. Who builds a following like that?"

"The deletions were so thorough, and it happened twice."

"Yeah, the first time was yesterday—the videos posted then were gone by this morning. The second time, someone posted a super clear photo with the little Taoist, and it was removed even faster, in less than three hours."

"I suspect the person who posted the photo today didn’t know the ones from yesterday had already been deleted. The takedowns were just too fast."

"So, who’s the big shot behind this? Any insiders care to share?"

"Hmm… not sure about the big shot, but the little master’s identity is impressive. Can’t say more."

"What? Spill it, spill it!"

"Seriously, why start something you won’t finish?!"

"I’m afraid if I say it, my comment will get deleted too."

…

Yan Zhoubai skimmed through the comments under those discussion topics. He could only conclude that people had too much free time. With so many new things happening online every day, why were they fixating on him?

"Don’t worry, we can ignore these."

Zhan Jiayu scanned the comments as well and naturally saw the discussions about Yan Zhoubai’s identity.

If someone with ill intentions wanted to uncover Yan Zhoubai’s identity, they could probably find it. But whether they could publish it or whether it would gain significant traction was another matter entirely.

…

After the sudden surge of online attention, Yan Zhoubai didn’t set up his stall on South Sky Street for a long time.

His original plan was to set up his stall after work and on weekends, but now he had to delay that plan temporarily.

When Zhan Jiayu heard about Yan Zhoubai’s original plan, he was almost grateful for this unexpected incident, even though it had been unpleasant.

But compared to Yan Zhoubai going out to set up his stall every day, dealing with this sudden situation was manageable.

However, just as he and Yan Zhoubai had spent a peaceful and pleasant week together, the Yan family asked Yan Zhoubai to return home for the weekend.

Yan Zhoubai was only staying with him—he hadn’t severed connections with the Yan family, so he could return anytime. But Zhan Jiayu still didn’t want Yan Zhoubai to go back, especially since the Yan family had Yan Anxuan and Bu Qiran.

Bu Qiran's feelings for Yan Zhoubai were quite evident, and Zhan Jiayu had noticed them before. However, this so-called "dragon arrogant heaven" male lead of the system seemed rather oblivious to such matters.

From Yan Zhoubai's past descriptions of Bu Qiran, it was clear that the latter hadn't even recognized his own feelings.

As for Yan Anxuan, Yan Zhoubai's elder brother, Zhan Jiayu felt that his feelings for Yan Zhoubai weren't entirely innocent either.

This thought might sound excessive, because although Yan Anxuan and Yan Zhoubai weren't biologically related, for over a decade they had believed they were real brothers.

If Yan Anxuan's feelings for Yan Zhoubai were indeed impure, it would undoubtedly become a major scandal in the circles of Jing City.

Zhan Jiayu had this suspicion because Yan Anxuan's hostility toward him was way too strong, and it seemed to have no real reason from the very beginning.

Of course, now that Yan Zhoubai was his boyfriend, even if these two did harbor inappropriate feelings, it wouldn't change much. Moreover, given their positions, Zhan Jiayu shouldn't have anything to worry about.

Yet, he felt really annoyed and reluctant to let Yan Zhoubai see them again.

He knew that although Yan Zhoubai had been staying with him recently, he had kept in touch with the Yan family all along.

"Will you be back tonight?"

Zhan Jiayu leaned against the refrigerator door, watching Yan Zhoubai change clothes to go out. Though his face looked normal, he was clearly unhappy.

He held a cold water bottle in his hand. Due to the hot weather, the frost on the bottle had melted and was now dripping down his fingers.

"Depends, not sure. My parents must know about our relationship by now. This topic will probably come up during this visit home, so I don't know what might happen."

Despite his words, Yan Zhoubai's tone was pretty casual.

Mainly, he thought his parents wouldn't have any serious objections—after all, they never really got involved in his life. He had even taken a three-year break from school to train at a daoist temple; dating a boyfriend probably wasn't a big deal to them.

Yan Zhoubai was also thinking whether to bring Huihui back for a visit, as Huihui had been away from the Yan family for quite some time, just like him.

"I'll go with you."

Zhan Jiayu set the mineral water bottle on the dining table. The melted frost left a faint wet mark on the gray marble surface.

On second thought, maybe not—Huihui had only spent a little over a year at the Yan household and probably didn't have any special connection to the place. Better not bring it along.

Yan Zhoubai was so caught up thinking about whether to take Huihui that he almost missed Zhan Jiayu's words.

"I'll go back by myself. Isn't it a bit too soon to meet my parents now?"

Yan Zhoubai was sitting on the bench by the door tying his laces and smiled at Zhan Jiayu as he spoke.

Zhan Jiayu didn't know what to say, seeing how laid-back Yan Zhoubai seemed about what might happen.

He wasn't exactly excited about meeting the Yan couple, but he was worried that they might not accept their relationship and say something hurtful to Yan Zhoubai.

After all, China wasn't as open as Country A about these things. He didn't know how liberal the Yan couple were, but even if they were open-minded, they would likely consider the opinions of other families in Jing City, so they probably wouldn't just accept it.

He wanted to accompany Yan Zhoubai back precisely because he was afraid Yan Zhoubai might get hurt.

"Call me if anything happens. I'll come get you."

Zhan Jiayu drove Yan Zhoubai to the Xishan villa complex but didn't go further inside, letting him out at the entrance instead.

Then the Maybach S680 made a U-turn and drove away from Xishan Villa.

"Host, although your relationship is going well, dating shouldn't interfere with our mission. I think we haven't kept tabs on the male lead Bu Qiran's whereabouts for a long time. It's time to focus on him again. By my calculations, he should have officially entered his growth phase."

Zhan Jiayu's system hadn't spoken to him in a while.

His system was originally a very quiet AI, and after they agreed not to interfere with his relationship with Yan Zhoubai, it had indeed stayed quiet for a long time.

Its reappearance now was likely because, according to its database timeline, it was time to increase focus on the male lead, so it had to remind Zhan Jiayu.

Zhan Jiayu was already in a bad mood, and the system's mention of Bu Qiran happened to set him off. He was more than willing to do something to take the male lead down a peg now.

"I've had Chen Chu watching his situation all along. I'll ask Chen Chu about his recent status later."

Zhan Jiayu's system was surprised. Its usually difficult host had agreed so smoothly today—it was like hell freezing over.

Could it be that people become happier after being in love?

If so, then the deal made with the host back then was truly worth it.

Meanwhile, after returning to the Yan family home, Yan Zhoubai first saw Bai Rong. Only she was home at the moment.

"Your father and the other two won't be back until noon. They're busy with company matters today."

As soon as Yan Zhoubai entered the yard, a gardener tending to the flowers saw him and went to the living room to inform Bai Rong. Shortly after, Bai Rong came out to welcome him inside.

Yan Zhoubai noticed that Bai Rong had been doing flower arrangements in the living room. The coffee table was scattered with fallen petals and leaves, and a half-finished flower arrangement sat nearby.

"Mom, you didn't go to the company today?"

After welcoming Yan Zhoubai in, Bai Rong sat back down to continue arranging flowers, and Yan Zhoubai took a seat beside her.

"Not today. Aren't you coming back today? Someone needed to stay home, and it's a good chance for me to rest too."

Yan Zhoubai recognized these flowers as ones grown in their family garden, likely fresh-cut and very vibrant.

Seeing how long the stems were, he thought it might be difficult for Bai Rong to handle them alone and reached out to help steady them. But in the next moment, Bai Rong quickly trimmed the stems to the perfect length with a few quick cuts.

Yan Zhoubai quietly withdrew his hand. He hadn't known his mother had this skill—he'd never seen her arrange flowers before. It seemed she had recently developed a new hobby.

First flower arranging, and a while back, cooking herself—these were things Yan Zhoubai hadn't seen Bai Rong do in many years.

"What would you like to eat for lunch?"

Bai Rong asked while working on the flowers.

"Anything is fine, just regular home cooking. I really like the dishes Auntie Zheng makes."

Auntie Zheng was one of the Yan family's housekeepers, primarily responsible for cooking. Her dishes were simple but delicious, and Yan Zhoubai enjoyed them.

"Then ask her to make them later," Bai Rong said.

A quiet moment followed, broken only by the sound of scissors snipping stems and the rustling as Bai Rong adjusted the flowers.

Yan Zhoubai found the silence somewhat awkward and was thinking of a topic to break it when Bai Rong spoke first:

"I heard from Qiran that you're dating Zhan Jiayu?"

Her voice was neutral, and she didn't pause in arranging the flowers, as if she had just thought of it and asked casually.

"Yes, we're together."

Yan Zhoubai didn't deny it. He knew this topic was unavoidable upon returning home, so he had already prepared himself mentally.

Bai Rong paused her action of trimming the flower stems, placing the scissors on the coffee table.

"Xiao Bai, did Zhan Jiayu threaten you with some kind of leverage? How could you be in a relationship with him?"

Bai Rong—who had remained calm since Yan Zhoubai entered the house—could no longer maintain her composure at this moment.

"Back then, with your second uncle's incident, the Yan family was powerless and couldn't handle it, so we had no choice but to agree to his demands. When he proposed that you follow him, we knew he had ulterior motives toward you. But when you were gravely ill, his anxious behavior didn’t seem fake, so we eventually agreed."

"We all thought he wouldn't go too far—maybe he just felt a bond with you and wanted to become closer. But we never expected he actually had such intentions!"

Bai Rong pushed the vase on the coffee table aside. The force was a bit too strong, causing several petals from the already arranged flowers to fall off.

Her gaze toward Yan Zhoubai was filled with urgency, the intense emotion in her eyes something Yan Zhoubai couldn't fully decipher.

The grip she had on Yan Zhoubai’s wrist was so tight it hurt him slightly.

Yan Zhoubai used a deft move to break free from Bai Rong’s grasp.

"Mom, what are you talking about? Zhan Jiayu certainly didn’t threaten me. I’m with him voluntarily, of course because I like him."

Yan Zhoubai didn’t understand why Bai Rong would think this way or why her eyes held such pain, but he had to explain that he and Zhan Jiayu were both willing, not forced by any threat or leverage.

"Zhan Jiayu is several years older than you, and besides, do you even like men? How could you like him?"

"Mom, is there some misunderstanding here? Age has nothing to do with it. Or is it that you can’t accept me liking men?"

Yan Zhoubai felt this conversation, which he had anticipated, was turning out differently than he had imagined.

"Babe, judging by your mom’s reaction, she doesn’t seem to believe you could actually like Zhan Jiayu," the system said.

"Why wouldn’t I like Zhan Jiayu? He’s a good person."

Yan Zhoubai didn’t understand. Was it so strange for him to like Zhan Jiayu? Why couldn’t they believe it?

"Babe, first of all, to your parents, your preference for Zhan Jiayu’s gender is relatively unconventional. Under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t be able to accept it."

"Secondly, Zhan Jiayu is a crime boss. They know that too. Of course, they can’t accept you liking a crime boss."

"Lastly, Zhan Jiayu is older than you, and he’s the head of the Zhan family. He holds power over you. What’s more, he once used the condition of helping resolve the issue with your poisoning second uncle to demand that you leave the Yan family and follow him. In your parents’ eyes, you’re the weaker party. Of course, they wouldn’t believe your relationship with Zhan Jiayu is mutual."

The system saw things quite clearly because it had originally thought the same way. The difference was that it knew what kind of person Zhan Jiayu was and that Yan Zhoubai was entirely willing.

"Ugh, it’s really not what you think. Do you and Dad both feel this way?"

After hearing the system’s explanation, Yan Zhoubai felt things were getting more and more complicated. He felt his head spinning.

"When they get back, I’ll explain to everyone together. It’s really not what you think. We’re just in a typical relationship."

Yan Zhoubai was now racking his brain for something that could prove his feelings for Zhan Jiayu and convince them.

...

On the other side, after dropping Yan Zhoubai off at the Yan residence, Zhan Jiayu returned to the company. Chen Chu was waiting there to report on Bu Qiran’s recent situation.

Zhan Jiayu’s system was already eagerly anticipating—its host was finally going to focus on serious matters.

But just then, Zhan Jiayu received a phone call. The caller was the personal assistant he had assigned to Jasmine. This assistant was responsible for handling all matters during Jasmine’s travels in China.

"President Zhan, Jasmine has started a fight with Zhan Fifth Master at the ancestral home!"

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Author’s Note: Here we go, another two chapters combined [Let me see]. The Chinese National Day holiday is over, so my update frequency should return to normal [Smiling].