Ye Mingxuan couldn’t fathom Tan Sizhe goofing off in his office, scrolling through A University’s campus forum—and doing it all day. It felt like a secret had been exposed, leaving him with a shameful blush.
He buried his head in the seat near the door like an ostrich, avoiding Tan Sizhe’s teasing gaze.
Watching students stream past the window, Ye Mingxuan closed his eyes in embarrassment. “Let’s go home.”
He wondered if anyone had seen him open the car door earlier. Fortunately, Tan Sizhe always kept a low profile when coming to campus, and this time he was extra discreet with his sunglasses on. No one should have noticed.
Ye Mingxuan’s adorable reaction amused Tan Sizhe, who chuckled softly before instructing the driver to start the car.
They’d left early today, so traffic was light. Within minutes, they arrived smoothly at the house. But the entrance felt unusually quiet—though it was typically so, Ye Mingxuan sensed something off. The closer they got, the clearer the sounds of chaos inside became.
“…?” Ye Mingxuan stood before the steps, his belly protruding, asking, “Sir, did you hear that?”
How could there be dogs barking?! And it didn’t sound like just dogs—he could also hear people shouting inside!
Tan Sizhe frowned slightly and pressed the fingerprint lock.
The door clicked open, revealing a yellow blur darting about like a rocket.
“Ah Jin! Ah Jin!” Old Master Tan chased after the dog, shouting, “Careful! Don’t knock anything over!”
Aunt Fu followed behind him, cane in hand: “Old Master, you forgot your cane!”
This scene of people chasing people, people chasing a dog, truly stunned Tan Sizhe and Ye Mingxuan.
“Grandpa?” Tan Sizhe closed the door and pressed down on Ah Jin’s head as it lunged toward Ye Mingxuan. “Why are you here?”
Mr. Tan caught his breath, took the cane Aunt Fu handed him, and wiped his sweat with a handkerchief. “I was bored at the old house, so I came over for a meal with you.”
“Bai Yu mentioned you two newlyweds are doing well lately? Even went on a honeymoon?”
“No, no,” Ye Mingxuan hastily clarified. “It wasn’t a honeymoon. We just spent two days sightseeing in Italy.”
“Not a honeymoon? That kid Bai Yu lied to me.” Old Master Tan puffed out his cheeks, giving Tan Sizhe a reproachful look. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner? Something as important as a honeymoon can’t be taken lightly.”
Tan Sizhe chuckled: “Yes.”
Old Master Tan patted Ye Mingxuan’s shoulder: “Once you’ve given birth and recovered, Grandpa will pay for your honeymoon.”
Ye Mingxuan blushed: “Thank you, Grandpa.”
Old Master Tan laughed heartily: “Dinner’s served!”
……
For humans, this house was spacious enough, but for Ah Jin, it was nowhere near big enough for him to run freely—nothing compared to the garden at the old estate.
But now Ah Jin couldn’t even run. He was tied up in the living room, obediently eating fresh beef ribs.
Old Master Tan preferred sorghum moonshine, but since Tan Sizhe’s family didn’t have any, he reluctantly opened a bottle of brandy instead.
“When we were kids, we weren’t as delicate as you young folks today. If I got hurt, I’d just pour moonshine on it…”
Ye Mingxuan sipped lemon water through a straw while listening to Old Master Tan. A piece of beef brisket landed in his bowl. He looked up and flashed Tan Sizhe a smile.
Old Master Tan observed their interaction. Taking a sip of his drink, he declared, “I believe it’s time our two families go public.”
At this, Ye Mingxuan and Tan Sizhe froze simultaneously. Only Aunt Fu clapped her hands in delight: “Excellent! Excellent!”
Old Master Tan looked at them: “Why aren’t you saying anything?”
Tan Sizhe snapped out of it first, lowering his head to eat: “Why so sudden?”
“What do you mean, so sudden?” Old Man Tan was puzzled. “I’ve always wanted you to announce your engagement. But before, both you and Mr. Ye preferred to keep it low-key. I assumed it was because you two hadn’t developed feelings yet. Now that you’ve grown close and your relationship flourishes day by day, it’s the perfect time to make it public.”
Ye Mingxuan’s grip on his chopsticks slipped, nearly dropping them to the floor. He clenched them tightly, suddenly losing all appetite for the visually appealing, fragrant dishes before him.
He remained silent, head bowed. Tan Sizhe withdrew his gaze and said to Old Master Tan, “Let’s wait a little longer.”
Old Master Tan looked puzzled. “Why?”
Aunt Fu, who had been observing the tense atmosphere since earlier, quickly changed the subject. “Old Master, try this tomato soup. It’s absolutely delicious.”
“Alright, alright.” Old Master Tan’s attention was drawn back by the rich aroma of the tomato soup.
By the time they finished eating, it was late. Old Master Tan had also drunk quite a bit. Tan Sizhe was concerned about him going home, so he had Aunt Fu prepare a room for Old Master Tan to stay the night.
Old Master Tan nodded and went to his room to rest.
Ye Mingxuan walked Aunt Fu home from work. Upon returning, he saw Tan Sizhe holding Ah Jin’s leash: “I’ll take Ah Jin out for a run so he won’t make noise at night.”
Ye Mingxuan felt a warmth in his heart and nodded. Before stepping out, Tan Sizhe glanced at him hesitantly, but said nothing before leading Ah Jin away.
The living room was left empty except for Ye Mingxuan. He lowered his gaze and went to the second-floor balcony. Leaning against the railing, he watched the receding figures of the man and Ah Jin below. The panic he’d been holding back finally burst forth.
What if… what if the Master finds out I’ve been deceiving him? He’ll be furious….
“What? Old Master Tan wants you to go public?”
Ah Jin was sniffing a haystack by the roadside while Tan Sizhe sat on a bench, holding one end of his leash. “Mhm.”
Bai Yu: “That’s a good thing! It means the time is right to tell Old Master Tan the truth. You can use this chance to break free from Ye Xiangkai and the others!”
Tan Sizhe remained silent. Bai Yu found it odd: “What’s wrong? What are you afraid of?”
“…If Mingxuan finds out I’ve known the whole truth all along, how will he see me?”
“I don’t understand. How else could he see you?”
“Would he be hurt?”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
Bai Yu said, “Even if Ye Mingxuan found out, so what? He deceived you, you deceived him—and you both had your reasons. Doesn’t that even things out?”
Tan Sizhe watched Ah Jin, who was about to sniff another dog’s waste if left unattended. He tugged the leash back and rubbed his furrowed brow. “But matters of the heart—how can they be evened out?”
Hearing Tan Sizhe’s words, Bai Yu fell into a rare silence.
Only now did he admit he’d never been in love himself, unable to grasp Tan Sizhe’s emotions.
“At this point, I can’t help you either,” Bai Yu scratched his head. “If it were company matters, I could offer some insight, but love? I’m truly clueless.”
“It’s fine. You’ve done well enough. Next time, I’ll give you a month off.”
“Alright, thanks in advance, boss.”
After hanging up, Tan Sizhe ruffled A Jin’s fur, then took the dog for two laps around the neighborhood. When A Jin grew tired, Tan Sizhe carried him back home.
” Stay put tonight and don’t disturb my wife.” He opened the door and stepped inside.
He led A Jin into the living room. The dog sensed the cue and jumped onto the sofa, lying down. Tan Sizhe went to the kitchen to warm a cup of milk before heading upstairs.
Ye Mingxuan was leaning against the headboard reading. Seeing Tan Sizhe hand him the milk, he smiled. “Thanks, sir.”
“I’ll take a shower first. Ah Jin rubbed all his dust on me.”
“Mm!”
Tan Sizhe quickly rinsed off in the bathroom, changed into his pajamas, and slipped into the warm bed warmed by Ye Mingxuan. He hugged him and kissed him. “What are you reading?”
Ye Mingxuan showed him the book’s cover—Principles of Microeconomics.
Tan Sizhe: “Isn’t this the one you were reading before?”
Ye Mingxuan: “Yeah, I didn’t finish it. I plan to finish it.”
“Why are you interested in this book?”
“…”
Ye Mingxuan suddenly sat up straight, awkward and embarrassed. “Don’t get mad at me, okay?”
Tan Sizhe was a bit surprised by his reaction. “Go on.”
So Ye Mingxuan explained: he’d thought Tan Sizhe had depression, so he’d decided to read economics books to prepare for taking over the company.
“……”
Ye Mingxuan watched him anxiously. Tan Sizhe’s face remained stiff until he finally couldn’t hold it in and chuckled softly.
“Sir…” Ye Mingxuan felt utterly mortified seeing Tan Sizhe laugh until tears streamed down his face.
Tan Sizhe cleared his throat twice. “Alright, alright. I’ll stop laughing.”
“It just shows that Xiao Mingxuan cares about me, so he wanted to help shoulder some of the company’s responsibilities.”
Tan Sizhe leaned in to kiss him, the crisp sound of water echoing in the air.
Ye Mingxuan’s cheeks burned, his tongue tingling. As they kissed, his hands instinctively wrapped around Tan Sizhe’s neck.
Tan Sizhe stretched out his long arm to turn off the light, then pulled Ye Mingxuan into the covers, carefully avoiding his pregnant belly. “How’s the baby been lately? Well-behaved?”
Ye Mingxuan nodded, his damp lips parting. “Very good.”
“That’s good. After you go to the ancestral home, I’ll clear out a room on the first floor to make a nursery. You can pick out the decor then, okay?”
Ye Mingxuan nodded, gazing into Tan Sizhe’s dark eyes. A pang of guilt flashed through his heart.
Mr. Tan looks forward to this child’s birth so much. If he knew he’d been deceived, would he still feel this way?
Ye Mingxuan grabbed Tan Sizhe’s shirt. Tan Sizhe looked down. “What is it?”
“Sir, if I did something really, really bad to you, would you be angry with me?”
Tan Sizhe paused, blinking as he realized what Ye Mingxuan was implying. “Don’t overthink it. No matter what you do, I won’t be angry with you.”
“Really?”
Tan Sizhe was genuinely worried, afraid Ye Mingxuan would be angry with him, or perhaps hurt.
The room was pitch-black, but the silver moonlight streaming in from outside danced across the interior, allowing both men to see each other’s eyes and expressions.
What if the Master did something really bad to him?
Ye Mingxuan felt a bit lost. He couldn’t imagine what kind of bad thing his master could possibly do to him.
Tan Sizhe stared intently into Ye Mingxuan’s eyes, hoping to find the answer there. That was why he hadn’t spoken.
After a minute, Tan Sizhe heard the other say, “My master wouldn’t do anything bad to me.”
He froze.
Ye Mingxuan nestled deeper into Tan Sizhe’s embrace. His slightly elevated body temperature during pregnancy warmed the man’s frame. Rubbing his fuzzy head against Tan Sizhe’s neck, he smiled and said, “My master is so kind.”
