Chapter 24

       Xu Ye hadn’t completely calmed down until he got home.

 

       He thought he was a good kisser and had a lot of experience, but he was ashamed of himself for reacting like an inexperienced person in that man’s arms. He felt that he had been poisoned by something called Chu Yu. This poison caused him to throw away his armour, and lose control of himself like a newly hatched chick.

 

       “This is really crazy…” Xu Ye fell on his back on the bed and sighed.

 

       The dinner was made by Auntie Qin, the hourly worker. She was cutting vegetables when she saw Xu Ye standing at the kitchen door looking her way, and hurriedly asked, “Are you hungry? I’ll hurry up.”

 

       “Not hungry. Take your time and let me see how these dishes are made.” Xu Ye folded his hands and leaned against the door.

 

       Aunt Qin froze and thought that Xu Ye was joking, but found that Xu Ye was looking at her seriously. She didn’t understand how this young master, who usually didn’t have any interest, suddenly became interested in learning how to cook, but she was very happy in her heart, and told him the main points in a rambunctious manner.

 

       “This one needs to be marinated for a while, not too long, ten minutes is enough…”

 

       “Put some vinegar in the pot first, it will taste crisper…”

 

       “Take this plate with the fish and pour the soup over it slowly, wipe off any drips on the sides with a paper towel…”

 

       When he ate, Xu Ye deliberately slowed down. Some habits need to be changed over time. Since Chu Yu had already interfered in his life without control, he should at least also be willing to make some changes. Besides, he couldn’t just count the grains of rice every time he ate.

 

       The day went on as scheduled.

 

       At work, Xu Ye was someone serious and meticulous, and he used to push himself very hard. The master-slave relationship under the guidance of Chu Yu was a way for him to relax; to think about nothing, and entrust himself to another person wholeheartedly. In addition to venting desires, it was also a way of relaxing his mind and obtaining psychological comfort.

 

       After a certain period of relaxation, Xu Ye’s mind was much calmer. He seemed calmer and smiled more compared to his aggressive, anxious and irritable self in the past. At the regular meeting on Monday, the advertising department made a mistake and the whole department was silent. However all Xu Ye said was only, “Redo it”. In the past, he would have made countless holes in people with his harsh, almost mean, criticisms, not to mention the hellish overtime that followed.

 

       When Xu Ye’s secretary, Lily, passed by the administrative department, she heard the female staff gather together to gossip in secret.

 

       “Have you noticed that Mr Xu is particularly gentle today?”

 

       “He’s not in a relationship, is he?”

 

       “It’s possible. Who’s that lucky person? It’s not that Li peac0ck from the sales department, is it?”

 

       “Hey, no way, he doesn’t have such a bad sight.”

 

       “Last time I saw Li peac0ck staying in his office for a long time, she was wearing a low-cut collar and her breasts were sticking out.”

 

       Lily scoffed at these speculations, and thought, Even if it was a relationship, it would be with a man instead.

 

       But in the evening, her conviction was shattered. As a secretary, Lily had long developed a knack for reading people, and it only took her a few glances to see the general picture. Right now, she was looking at the young woman who has come to see Xu Ye quietly.

 

       With the expensive but simple skirts, the designer heels, the low-key and luxurious diamond ornaments on the hairpiece, the chic and elegant pendants around the neck, and the limited-edition handbags from a certain big-name brand, this was a girl of wealth and substance. Her smile showed her politeness, and her slightly raised chin showed her confidence. It was not often that a woman came to see Xu Ye, and Lily felt that this girl had some subtle relationship with him. This was further proved by how Xu Ye came out to greet her in person.

       Lily made a cup of scented tea and brought it to Xu Ye’s office. After deliberately dawdling for a while, she pricked up her ears and heard the woman say, “I left in such a hurry that I forgot to give you back your suit.” She walked out without saying a word, her heart in her throat.

 

       So this young master was into women! I can’t believe I had misjudged him.

 

       Xu Ye had no idea what his secretary was thinking, and Song Yueran’s sudden visit surprised him. He took the initiative to invite her to a meal with him when he saw it was mealtime.

 

       “What would you like to eat?” He was still a gentleman when it came to women.

 

       “Speaking of which, I don’t think I’ve been to your restaurant once.” Song Yueran blinked, “Would Mr Xu be willing to show me around?”

 

       “It’s an honour.” Xu Ye smiled.

 

       The meal was very cordial. Song Yueran was much more laid back than those so-called respectable ladies and had a wide range of hobbies. There were also many common topics between the two. This atmosphere made Xu Ye feel at ease and the two of them naturally warmed up to each other.

 

       “The food here tastes very good.” Song Yueran praised as she ate, “The salmon is good too.”

 

       Xu Ye smiled. “Previously, there was an accident in the branch where the ingredients were spoiled. Later, the seafood supplier changed, and we had a third-party inspection to ensure the quality.”

 

       “It’s not easy to open a restaurant.” Song Yueran suddenly asked, “Did you adapt to it well when you first started working?”

 

       “There was a period of adjustment and I had to learn a lot of things from scratch.”

 

       “I have been working in my dad’s company for two days, and I feel like a piece of wood1slow-witted. I don’t understand anything, and the interpersonal relationship seems complicated.” She sighed, “You have to teach me more about management.”

 

       “Sure.” Xu Ye agreed without hesitation.

 

       “Let’s talk about something interesting.” She laughed, “I’m having a party at Moyin on Thursday night, are you free?”

 

       Xu Ye thought about it and nodded.

 

       Moyin was a high-end club that specializes in hosting birthday parties and get-togethers.

 

       This was the class in which Song Yueran was, and her friends were naturally the second generation of officials and businessmen. This time, Song Wanhua arranged a party for her in order to let her get acquainted with people in this circle as soon as possible and expand her own network. Therefore, it was no surprise to Xu Ye when she saw Liu Jing at the billiard table.

 

       “Hi, buddy.” Liu Jing shook the wine glass in his hand at him, and patted the girl beside him affectionately on the back, whispering something. The girl blushed and walked away.

 

       Xu Ye also took a glass of wine, leaned against the table, and said with a smile, “Changing your preference?”

 

       “It’s my family’s idea, the second daughter of Qinglong Industries.” Liu Jing’s expression was very flat, “They’ve been pushing me to get married, and it seemed that I won’t be able to delay it another year. “

 

       Xu Ye was noncommittal. Most homosexuals were pressured from all sides to have a marriage, even if it was just a formality. This was especially true for second generations like them, no matter what orientation and preference they had, they all needed marriage to protect the interests of the family and to reproduce heirs. He was silent for a moment and asked, “Does she know?”

 

       Liu Jing’s sexuality was not a secret in his circle, he never concealed it, and he was open about it. So Xu Ye didn’t think the girl would be unaware of it.

 

       “She’s willing to pretend she doesn’t know, so naturally I’ll play along.” Liu Jing took a sip of her wine and said with a smile, “Does yours know?”

 

       “What?” Xu Ye was taken aback.

 

       “Song Yueran. Rumours have gone crazy recently, saying that you two are getting together.” Liu Jing glanced at him.

 

       Xu Ye frowned, “Nuts, I’ve only met her twice in total.”

 

       “It seems that your family is also in a hurry, haha.” Liu Jing laughed.

 

       Xu Ting was the only one who could release such news, and he was forcing him into a trap. Xu Ye was so angry that he raised his neck and drained his glass of wine. He lost his desire to join in the fun, so he decided to greet Song Yueran and leave. However, after he searched for her, she was nowhere to be found, Xu Ye went to the swimming pool outside to get some fresh air and saw Song Yueran beside the flower stand. A young girl stood across from her, and the two were arguing about something, which seemed intense.

 

       When Xu Ye was hesitating whether to go over, the other girl raised her hand and slapped Song Yueran across the face. He frowned and walked over.

 

       “No matter what the reason is, it doesn’t seem good to hit someone.” He recognized that the assailant was the daughter of a real estate company, and her named seemed to be Chen Jianyi.

 

       When she saw him coming, Chen Jianyi sneered, and left after saying, “You should be more careful lest you are killed by your hard-hearted girlfriend” and left.

 

       Song Yueran wept to herself. Her cheeks were flushed from the slap, and her makeup was smudged by tears. The water from the illuminated pool reflected on her face, and she looked helpless. Xu Ye gave her his coat and sat quietly in the corner with her.

 

       “I’m sorry to make you see me like this.” Song Yueran calmed down and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.

 

       “I don’t think you’re the kind of girl who lets people bully you.” Xu Ye handed her a glass of warm water, “Why did she hit you?” He added after asking, “You don’t have to say anything you don’t want to, I don’t mean to pry.”

 

       She smiled wryly, “She hit me, but I couldn’t fight back. After all, her brother died because of me.”

 

       Xu Ye was a little surprised. After a few moments of searching in his mind, he vaguely remembered that Chen Jianyi seemed to have an older brother, but he couldn’t remember exactly what he looked like.

 

       “We went to the same high school and later went to the same university. Then it was only natural that we fell in love. At that time, I was very pretentious, that is, the kind of unreasonable girl, who make him do this and that for me. In the middle of winter, I said I wanted to eat a smoothie, so he drove to buy it. At that time, he just got his driver’s license and was not yet proficient, so he had an accident. The reason why I have been abroad for these years is also because of this.” Song Yueran confessed everything without hiding anything “These days, I don’t know who spread the news that…… you and I were getting engaged. When Chen Jianyi heard about it, she came over and questioned me, and then slapped me.” Her eyes got a little redder, and she wiped her tears with the back of her hand. “Actually, I feel really guilty. I’m sorry for Jianyi, but I don’t know what to do. I can’t bring Chen Jianzhe back to life, and I don’t know how to make it up to her…”

 

       Xu Ye stretched out his hand and patted her on the back, “Reminiscence is something you keep in your heart, no matter what you say you have to move on, no one has the right to pull you into the shadows.”

 

       Song Yueran lowered her head and she gave a soft muffled sound.

 

       “As for the rumours between us, I will try my best to dispel them, so don’t worry about them.” Xu Ye said.

 

       She was startled, and pursed her lips, “Thank you.”

 

       Xu Ye could see that Song Yuran was not in the mood to play anymore, so he simply sent her back.

 

       The next morning, he went to Xu Ting’s office and asked, “Are you the one who release the news about the engagement?”

 

       Xu Ting was unimpressed and said, “Didn’t you hit it off with the daughter of the Song family? I heard you hugged her last night. Why are you here now?”

 

       “You are really well-informed.” Xu Ye gritted his teeth, “I’m telling you, we just get along with each other, it has nothing to do with engagement and marriage.”

 

       “Love will come and can be developed.”

 

       “Really? Then how come you and my mother haven’t developed it for so many years?” Xu Ye’s tone was full of sarcasm, “Or you have developed it so well that you respect each other like an honoured guest?”

 

       “Xu Ye!” Xu Ting couldn’t hold back his temper, and became angry, “Don’t talk to me here, go do your job!”

 

       “I decide my own affairs, don’t interfere.” Xu Ye slammed the door and walked out.

 

       Every Friday at dinner time, if he didn’t have another job to do, Xu Ye will personally go to a branch to serve himself. This was the rule he set for himself. One reason was to check whether the entire business process was smooth or not, and the other was to receive feedback from customers at close range.

 

       As he smiled and took the feedback form from a table, he looked up and saw the employee ushering a few guests, his expression froze completely.

 

       “Three gentlemen, would you like to sit here?” The employee asked the customer’s opinion softly.

 

       “I’d prefer a more secluded corner.” The brown-haired Marvin said while looking at Xu Ye, smiling a bit ambiguously. Pharaoh beside him nodded politely but said nothing. and the dark-haired man in a white shirt with light vertical stripes slightly curled his lips towards him, his gaze was as still as a bright moon.

 

       Xu Ye was caught in that gaze, his breath caught in his throat, and his heart was beating so fast that it was about to jump out. He was so nervous that he froze in place, at a loss for what to do.

 

       His master had come.


Notes:
I usually will update a bunch of chaps in one go but rather than not updating at all, I will just update a number of chaps at random. I swear once I finished translating the other two series I will pour all my attention into this series ❤
*cough* unless my day work takes so much of my time again…
And thank you Desuma for your kind comments! (*˘︶˘*)


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1 Comment

  1. Rosy

    Thank you for your update!!

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