Fifteen minutes was naturally not enough.
However, thanks to the apron he was wearing, Zong Cheng managed to get up and retreat to the bathroom.
It was more than half an hour later when he finally came out, steam still clinging to him. A faint flush colored his face—whether from the hot water or something else was hard to say.
The moment he stepped out, his eyes began searching for Yin Chen.
Yin Chen was sitting at the dining table, idly chatting with Brian in broken bits of Chinese to pass the time.
Sensing Zong Cheng’s gaze, he instinctively turned his head—
And paused.
For a split second, he almost wanted to whistle like a hooligan.
There was a spark of delight in Yin Chen’s eyes.
As expected of his boyfriend. The post-shower look was seriously unfair.
And—
He had been in there for over half an hour?
While the exact details were difficult to verify, the overall capability seemed… promising.
Yin Chen reined in his expression slightly.
There was still an outsider present. He had to save some face for his shy boyfriend.
Their eyes met as if silently confirming something. Zong Cheng walked over and sat down beside him.
Only then did he glance at Brian and ask, “I did not listen carefully earlier. He is your newly hired bodyguard?”
Given Yin Chen’s status, having a bodyguard was perfectly natural.
But hiring a new one?
A series of thoughts flashed through Zong Cheng’s mind before condensing into a single question of concern.
“Have things been unsafe for you recently?”
Otherwise, why hire one so suddenly?
Brian silently lifted his head from his food.
He was allowed to listen to this topic, right?
Perfect chance to learn more about his employer.
Yin Chen immediately understood that Zong Cheng was overthinking.
“Not exactly unsafe. I just felt that having someone for close protection would be better.”
As he spoke, he let out a soft laugh and rested his fingers lightly on the back of Zong Cheng’s hand.
“After what happened last time, I think—for my boyfriend’s peace of mind—it would be best to prevent that from happening again. Do you agree?”
Last time?
My peace of mind?
Zong Cheng sifted through his memories.
A second later, realization dawned.
He coughed lightly. “You are right.”
It was necessary.
Otherwise, who knew what other random people might try to approach Yin Chen?
And then there was that ridiculous “Eastern Wan seduction plan”…
Thinking of that, Zong Cheng shot Yin Chen a look.
“What about Eastern Wan? Are you not going to deal with him?”
?
Why bring up that trash on New Year’s Eve?
Yin Chen blinked.
Zong Cheng frowned again.
“I know he is insignificant, but since he dared to target you, it is better to be cautious. Or I can handle it for you.”
So he was still worried about him.
Yin Chen understood.
He picked up a meatball and placed it in Zong Cheng’s bowl.
“It is not a big problem. I recently had someone deliver a little gift to Eastern Wan. He should be quite happy about it right now.”
Happy?
Zong Cheng looked at him.
Yin Chen nodded confidently.
Of course he should be happy.
With Eastern Wan’s abilities, how could he possibly know that his second uncle had an illegitimate son outside?
That kind of news would definitely be tightly concealed by Eastern Lie. If Yin Chen had not generously sent the information over for free, Eastern Wan would have remained completely in the dark.
No matter how you looked at it, Eastern Wan should be grateful.
After all, a good Samaritan had delivered valuable intelligence straight to his door.
A trace of amusement flickered through Yin Chen’s eyes.
Catching that expression, Zong Cheng understood.
Another one of Yin Chen’s mischievous games.
He quietly added more food to Yin Chen’s bowl.
And silently wished Eastern Wan a speedy downfall.
—
Eastern Wan was on the verge of losing his mind.
He stared at his phone screen over and over again, eyes nearly bulging.
He sat on the sofa in the old Eastern residence, surrounded by members of the Eastern family.
The main branch. The side branches.
Eastern Wan had understood long ago—these people all wanted to tear off a piece of Eastern Group for themselves.
He had never taken them seriously.
His second uncle had already positioned him as the future heir.
No matter how much these people tried to curry favor with his uncle year after year, it was useless.
He was the one truly favored.
…That was what he had believed before seeing that email.
He kept staring at the screen until his eyes turned red.
Suddenly, someone patted his shoulder from behind.
Eastern Wan immediately locked his screen.
The man behind him gave a fake smile.
“Why so nervous, Young Master? Looking at something you cannot show in public?”
Did he see it?
Eastern Wan’s heart tightened.
He turned his head.
It was someone from a side branch—one of those nobodies he had always disdained.
Seeing him turn, the man’s malice deepened.
With exaggerated cheer, he deliberately raised his voice.
“I heard you have a boyfriend, Young Master? Looking so intently—could it be a photo of him?”
The lively chatter in the old residence faltered for a split second before growing louder.
Only now, the once-subtle glances became overt.
Clowns.
A bunch of clowns.
Eastern Wan’s eyes reddened slightly.
If the intelligence in that email was true, these people were nothing.
He had a real enemy lurking in the shadows.
But—
He looked at the man before him, voice dripping with hostility.
“What? Never seen someone play with men? I heard your family has not been doing well this year. Forget playing with men—you probably have not even touched a woman.”
“You—!”
The man had not expected such shamelessness and flushed with anger.
Eastern Wan sneered.
“So what if I play with a few men? I will still marry a woman in the end. What, did you think you had some leverage over me? That I would spend my life with a man?”
Was that not different from the information he had heard?
Was Eastern Wan not supposed to be serious about Lin Yuhan?
The man felt the gazes from all directions and grew flustered.
Still unwilling to give up, he discreetly pressed a button in his pocket.
“So, Young Master, that Mr. Lin before—just for fun? I heard you pursued him for quite some time. Surely you are not just saying this to save face?”
Eastern Wan laughed coldly.
“I am starting to suspect your brain has been eaten by dogs. Who does he think he is? No background, no family. I simply found his clean background convenient for a little entertainment. As for you—”
He leaned slightly forward. At one meter eighty-five, he loomed over the man.
“So concerned about me? Planning to offer yourself?”
Damn it!
The man abruptly stopped the recording and stepped back in disgust.
What kind of beast was Eastern Wan? They were of the same clan!
Yet he could say such things?
Still—
He touched the recorder in his pocket and sneered.
He was not finished yet.
—
That night, after diligently finishing the last bit of cleaning in the apartment Tang Chen had rented for him, Lin Yuhan finally sat at the table and looked at the dishes he had prepared.
He had personally made dumplings—quite a lot of them. He had bought over two pounds of meat.
But extra was fine. Whatever he could not finish could go in the freezer.
Frozen dumplings worked perfectly for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Just as he was thinking that, his phone notified him of a new email.
Who was it?
Surely some heartless boss was not expecting him to work on New Year’s Eve?
Absolutely not.
Triple pay would not do it.
Unless it was five times pay—then he might consider it.
Muttering to himself, he opened the email.
He froze.
What was this?
An audio file?
He instinctively tapped it and listened.
His expression shifted from curiosity to utter blankness.
What the hell?
On New Year’s Eve?
Who sent something this disgusting?
He glanced at the sender again and snorted.
Block and delete—one smooth motion.
Which idiot did this?
Did he care what Eastern Wan thought? Let him go to hell.
They had broken up. If he wasted another second thinking about Eastern Wan, he would be the idiot.
Still fuming, his phone rang.
He picked it up reflexively.
Gradually, his expression brightened.
It was a classmate from the pet shop!
He was invited to join for New Year’s Eve dinner. The shop could not be left unattended, and eating alone was lonely.
“Then I will head over right now!”
Lin Yuhan said excitedly, packing up the dumplings.
“Do you need help at the shop? I will bring dumplings for us to share!”
He chattered away, and after a few affirmative sounds from the other side, he hurried to grab two sets of clothes and dashed out with the dumplings.
As for that email about Eastern Wan?
Pfft!
Broken up meant broken up!
He would not let such nonsense ruin his holiday.
Besides, whoever sent that email clearly had bad intentions.
And really—
Was petting cats not delightful?
Was playing with dogs not joyful?
Were dumplings not delicious?
With so many happy things, why think about Eastern Wan?
—
“Whoosh—boom!”
At midnight, fireworks erupted across the city sky in brilliant celebration.
Under their glow, Yin Chen and Zong Cheng stood on the balcony, leaning into each other.
From time to time, one would tilt his head to steal a kiss.
And the other would lower his head in response.
So the next morning, the moment Yin Chen woke up, he sensed something was off.
He got out of bed and walked to the mirror.
After one look, he slowly closed his eyes.
No wonder something had felt forgotten during their vigil the night before—
He had forgotten to put medicine on his lip.