Chapter 6: A peaceful breakup ①
Translator: Aafkee
Proofreader: ChaiTea
After securing the contract last time, Yan Yu finally welcomed some more leisurely days that were so hard to come by.
Recently, Yan Yu had realised that Chen Yifei would never stay in his office unnecessarily, not even to watch the news online. Yan Yu had no idea where he went, but whenever he needed him for anything, Chen Yifei would appear very quickly, without fail.
Yan Yu had no right to meddle in Chen Yifei’s private matters, but he could not help but worry about his matters, recently.
One day, Yan Yu had nothing much on his plate and decided to go to the office and take a stroll around the sales department by himself. As he passed by the office pantry, Yan Yu unintentionally overheard the casual chats of two female employees and surprisingly heard the words “Assistant Chen”.
Yan Yu could not help himself and paused. He pretended to observe the working environment in the office, taking sips from his already emptied coffee mug, and silently listened in on their conversation.
One of the female employees said, “I wonder if Assistant Chen is married…”
The other replied, “Probably not, I don’t see him wearing a ring.”
“Assistant Chen has been so busy running here and there with the boss, maybe he just didn’t wear it?”
“True.” The female employee sighed, “Assistant Chen really is exceptional. He is so serious with his work, too. I heard he has been making rounds across all the departments to understand how each department operates. It seems like he will be coming again tomorrow. Where can you even find such a serious assistant nowadays?”
Yan Yu finally understood. Chen Yifei had been going around the different departments to learn on-site recently. No wonder he had not been around in his office. Perhaps, he took it to heart since he was reprimanded last time?
When Yan Yu returned to his office, he realised Chen Yifei was already back and typing something on his keyboard. Yan Yu could not help but knock on his door, “Chen Yifei.”
Chen Yifei looked up, “What’s wrong?”
“I heard that you have been making rounds across the departments?”
Chen Yifei did not seem surprised about Yan Yu knowing about it, “Yeah, there’re a lot of things I can’t learn if I don’t go there and see it for myself.”
Yan Yu pursed his lips, surprisingly feeling a pang in his heart to see him exert so much effort going around like this, “Make sure you take a break every once in a while. I feel exhausted just by looking at you.”
Chen Yifei nodded, “Yeah.”
Hearing Chen Yifei’s plain response, Yan Yu sighed and continued, “There’s a dinner party tonight to socialise and network with people in the industry. Remember to wear a red tie.”
“Okay.”
Chen Yifei was focused and concentrating on the data on his computer screen, organising the data seriously while Yan Yu furrowed his brows. Yan Yu walked towards his desk, slamming his hand on the desk, and said sharply, “Rest.”
Chen Yifei looked up, stunned, “I am not tired.”
“I am telling you now, I was only judging the matter as it stood last time. I have no doubts about your capability at all. There’s no need for you to work yourself this hard.”
Catching Yan Yu’s slightly nervous tone in his voice, Chen Yifei could not help but laugh lightly, “You’re overthinking it. I, genuinely, didn’t think that it was that tiring.”
Yan Yu sighed, “Let’s go. Let’s go back early and get you sorted for the dinner party.”
“It’s not time for me to get off work yet,” Chen Yifei protested.
“My time is your time,” Yan Yu stated.
Yan Yu followed Chen Yifei to his accommodation and even helped fix Chen Yifei’s hairstyle. He admired him like a work of art, smiling and satisfied with his handiwork.
Yan Yu casually stated, “CEO Gu will be bringing his daughter along, too. By the way, has she given you a call yet?”
“Yeah.”
Yan Yu grinned, “That’s great, isn’t it? You guys can continue your conversation. There will be quite a few celebrities who are single attending the party so, you can just treat it as a get-together.”
Chen Yifei rolled his eyes, “How many times must I tell you? I don’t want a new relationship, nor do I want to meet the rich young ladies for reasons outside of work.”
Yan Yu only added, “You’ll see, you’ll definitely thank me later on.”
It was in the evening when the two arrived at the destination. Yan Yu brought Chen Yifei around and introduced him to his long-term business partners and bosses of potential business partners.
CEO Gu was having a conversation with others with his daughter standing beside him. He excitedly called for Yan Yu when he saw him from afar. CEO Gu’s daughter’s face brightened the instant she caught sight of Chen Yifei.
Yan Yu gave Chen Yifei a meaningful glance before walking over and clinking his wine glass with CEO Gu’s. CEO Gu’s daughter could not wait to make conversations with Chen Yifei, while the latter merely replied out of politeness.
CEO Gu pointed at the young man behind him and said to Yan Yu, “Let me introduce you. This is the one who has recently given me a big business, Chairman Yu. Chairman Yu, this is my old friend, Yan Yu.”
Yan Yu had heard about this youthful and cute looking Chairman. He was born into a famous family with a golden spoon in his mouth, but not only that. This person had a knack for business which made him a young and very promising individual.
Yan Yu extended his hand, “I am Yan Yu. I have heard so many great things about you. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
Chairman Yu smiled, slightly embarrassed, “Not at all! Chairman Yan is much more capable than I am, I feel embarrassed to hear you say that.”
Chen Yifei could tell that Yan Yu was genuinely happy for being praised, but remained humble given the occasion. After getting along for a month or so, Chen Yifei could confirm that Yan Yu was, indeed, a person that could not resist being praised. After Chairman Yu left, Chen Yifei said to Yan Yu, “Congratulations for being praised.”
Yan Yu smugly replied, “That’s because I AM good.”
Chen Yifei nodded, “Yes, you are the best.”
Yan Yu knew Chen Yifei was teasing him, “Forget it, enough of that expression. How can I be compared to you?”
After the meet and greet, Yan Yu found a corner somewhere and sat down to enjoy the snacks served at the table. Chen Yifei sat beside him, inputting the new contacts in his phone from the name cards Yan Yu had received.
Yan Yu pushed a plate of cake in front of Chen Yifei, “Have some? We didn’t have dinner, after all.”
Chen Yifei replied, “You can have it, I’m not hungry.”
“You don’t want any? The meatballs tasted pretty good though…” Yan Yu admired.
The dinner party ended at about ten at night. The two went to the car park and got in the car. Once in the car, Yan Yu rubbed his abdomen, feeling unwell.
Chen Yifei frowned, “What’s wrong?”
“My stomach is aching…” Yan Yu replied gloomily, “I might have eaten something bad.”
Seeing that Yan Yu was unwell, Chen Yifei sped up and quickly drove to Yan Yu’s apartment. Yan Yu seemed to be able to endure it at first, but he began feeling nauseous in the end, his hand subconsciously moving to scratch his back, feeling extra itchy.
Chen Yifei stopped the car on the side of the road and turned on the lights in the car, “Let me have a look.”
Chen Yifei pulled down Yan Yu’s collar and had a look at the lower part of his neck. Many red spots had already formed on Yan Yu’s skin and the whole patch of skin had turned red.
Chen Yifei said gravely, “You must be having an allergic reaction.”
“Huh?” Yan Yu answered, confused, “But I didn’t eat any shrimp… Shit, don’t tell me those meatballs are shrimp balls? I ate several plates of it…”
Chen Yifei frowned, “You couldn’t even tell if there was shrimp in it?”
“I really couldn’t tell. I haven’t been eating shrimp for the past few years.”
Chen Yifei quickly drove to a nearby pharmacy and bought some cream and medicine for allergies before rushing back straight away. Yan Yu went to the toilet once they returned home and then lay in bed in pain, barely able to move.
Chen Yifei made Yan Yu take the medicine. Yan Yu swallowed the pill with great difficulty, flopped down on his pillow and said, “Damn it, I will never dare to eat any meatballs from now on…”
Chen Yifei knelt on the edge of the bed and said, “Take your clothes off. I’ll help you apply the cream.”
Yan Yu hesitated for a moment, “Thank you for the trouble.”
Chen Yifei took off Yan Yu’s shirt and could tell just how many shrimp balls he had eaten judging from the severity of Yan Yu’s allergy on his back. Yan Yu asked weakly, “Is it severe?”
“What do you think?”
Yan Yu reached for the phone on his dresser with great effort and turned on the front camera to check his face, sighing in relief, “Thank god my face is not affected or you’ll have to be my temporary Chairman tomorrow.”
It was definitely not the time to care about whether or not his face was affected. Chen Yifei took his phone away and squeezed some cream onto his own hands, “Endure it for a bit.”
Chen Yifei used just the right amount of strength as he applied the cream on Yan Yu’s skin. It felt as if he was lying down in a massage parlour if not for the uncomfortable itchiness from his allergic reaction. After applying the cream on Yan Yu’s upper body, Chen Yifei asked, “Do your legs itch?”
“My whole body felt itchy… I can’t differentiate…” Yan Yu managed.
Chen Yifei let out a sigh and reached out to loosen Yan Yu’s belt but the latter pulled back, “I’ll apply the cream on my legs myself.”
“It’s fine.”
Chen Yifei took off Yan Yu’s suit trousers and observed that his legs were thankfully not as severe as his back. Yan Yu lay flat on his stomach, feeling embarrassed. Going this far exceeded the responsibilities of an assistant, even Yan Yu felt guilty for having Chen Yifei take care of him to this extent.
Not to mention that Yan Yu was lying flat on his stomach on the bed with only his underwear while Chen Yifei was still fully clothed in formal wear. No matter how thick-skinned he was, Yan Yu still felt shy in this situation despite Chen Yifei being a man.
Chen Yifei tidied up Yan Yu’s clothes after applying the cream and said, “It would be better if you slept sideways or on your stomach tonight. I’ll take you to the hospital if you’re still feeling unwell later.”
Yan Yu nodded, “I don’t think I will get to that point. It’s already late. You should go home now.”
Chen Yifei conveniently tidied up Yan Yu’s room, clearing and putting away the messy clothes on the sofa and said, “We shouldn’t be too careless about this. I’ll leave when you get better.”
Yan Yu was speechless. To be taken care of so attentively by Chen Yifei when Yan Yu was merely his boss, just how well was Chen Yifei’s girlfriend taken care of? Would it not feel as if she was in heaven?
Yan Yu could not help but ask, “Do you take care of your girlfriend the same way?”
Chen Yifei’s hands, which had been folding his clothes, paused, “... Yeah.”
“Why did she break up with you?”
Even Yan Yu felt how unfair it was for Chen Yifei. What kind of drugs was that woman on to have ditched Chen Yifei, who was so meticulous, attentive, and knew how to take care of others so well?
Thinking that Chen Yifei had declined his offer to be introduced to other young ladies because of him being hung up on his past relationship, Yan Yu grew even angrier.
Chen Yifei finally answered, “... To be honest, I don’t know either. It was probably because I was too busy before and couldn’t meet up often.”
“It’s normal for men to pursue their career at this stage of their lives! Besides, didn’t you have a family emergency earlier on?!” Yan Yu was furious, “That woman doesn’t empathise at all! She’s too unappreciative!”
Chen Yifei let out a sigh, dropped the clothes in his hands and turned to look straight at Yan Yu, “It was an ex-boyfriend.”
Yan Yu was silent.
Yan Yu’s astonishment was nothing unexpected, so Chen Yifei continued, “Stop bringing that up. I don’t blame him.”
Yan Yu stared at Chen Yifei for a long while, before slowly saying, “You are…”
Chen Yifei finished for him, “Gay.”
Realising Yan Yu’s complicated expression, Chen Yifei said, “You didn’t specify that homosexuals weren’t allowed to apply when you were hiring.”
“I didn’t mean it that way.” Yan Yu answered gloomily, “I was just thinking that if it was a man, shouldn’t he understand your feelings even more? Why did he still ditch you?”
Chen Yifei was quite speechless over the fact that Yan Yu was still hung up on that at the end of the day. It was that sense of righteousness that got Yan Yu into so much trouble in the past. That part of Yan Yu had not changed at all, even after so many years.
Chen Yifei managed, “Don’t ask me. I don’t know. Go and ask him for yourself.”
For some unknown reason, Yan Yu felt envious of Chen Yifei’s ex-boyfriend. He could not help but think, if Chen Yifei was to become his boyfriend, there was no way he would have ditched him, ever.
Just as he realised his own delusions, Yan Yu wanted to give himself a good smack in the head to clear his mind up. To have such impure thoughts about his own assistant just because he was pampered by Chen Yifei a little, he must have been single for way too long.
Besides, Yan Yu thought, there is no way he would be Chen Yifei’s type.
(T/N: WE WILL SEE ABOUT THAT.)
Yan Yu finally turned and leaned on his side after a slight struggle before he pulled the blanket to cover himself, “I’m going to sleep. You should go back soon.”
Chen Yifei switched off the lights for Yan Yu and closed the door quietly. Chen Yifei’s mother has an allergy as well, severe enough to take away lives. This was why Chen Yifei was especially alert during Yan Yu’s allergic reaction. He was not reassured enough to leave Yan Yu alone like this.
Looking at the messy living room, Chen Yifei could not help but tidy it up. Yan Yu’s house was originally very gracefully decorated but was ruined by Yan Yu’s mess just like that.
Feeling a bit tired after tidying up, Chen Yifei sat on the sofa and leaned on his hand to have a quick rest but fell asleep straight away instead.
The next day, Yan Yu checked the mirror first thing in the morning. Checking his back, the red spots were mostly gone. Yan Yu yawned as he walked downstairs and was extremely shocked to see Chen Yifei sleeping on the sofa.
Yan Yu was exclaimed, “Chen Yifei!”
Chen Yifei opened his eyes drowsily, only recalling that he had accidentally fallen asleep after staring blankly for a while.
Yan Yu stared at Chen Yifei, “Don’t tell me you didn’t go back last night?”
Chen Yifei rubbed his eyes and looked at his crumpled shirt, annoyed, “Yea… I accidentally fell asleep…” He got a bit of a stuffy nose from not covering himself with a blanket for the whole night, too.
“You could have just slept on the bed if you wanted to sleep.” Yan Yu said, “You didn’t even cover yourself with the blanket. Look at you, you must have caught a cold now.”
Chen Yifei sniffed and stood up, “Your sofa is pretty comfortable… Is your allergy okay now?”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Go and take a hot shower, quick.”
Yan Yu found one of his own shirts and lent it to Chen Yifei, which was obviously too short on the latter. Since Chen Yifei did not have enough time to rush back to his own accommodation to change, he could only put up with it for now.
There was a new pile of documents waiting to be read in Yan Yu’s office. Yan Yu would have piled all of them on Chen Yifei’s desk normally, but given that he caught a cold from taking care of him last night, Yan Yu only gave him a third of the usual amount.
While reading through the documents, Yan Yu would sneakily roll his office chair to have a glance at Chen Yifei, and then roll back to his desk quietly. Yan Yu was considering increasing Chen Yifei’s salary again. Not only did Chen Yifei do his job well as his assistant and driver, but he had also become his caretaker and housekeeper yesterday. Yan Yu felt that it would only be fair.
Just as Yan Yu thought that, he received a call from a CEO that he had worked with before, but had not met up with for a long while, “Hi, CEO Zhang, it has been a long time… Yeah… Sure… Yes… That’s right… Of course, I have time… Go ahead, I’ll have my assistant take note of it.”
Yan Yu knocked on his desk and caught Chen Yifei’s attention. Yan Yu gestured with his hand in the air as if he was writing something, indicating for Chen Yifei to take a note for him. Chen Yifei caught the hint and quickly took out a pen and notepad.
Yan Yu repeated aloud, “Dongcheng district, Victory Road thirty-nine, right?”
Chen Yifei was stunned momentarily, his pen not moving.
Yan Yi hung up and walked into Chen Yifei’s office, surprised to find that he did not take down the note, “Class President Chen, I know you have an excellent memory, but it’ll never beat a note.”
“I have been there many times,” Chen Yifei admitted.
Yan Yu was surprised, “Huh? You frequent bars?”
Chen Yifei replied helplessly, “Because my ex-boyfriend works there.”
Thanks for translating! I'm glad CYF finally cleared up that he's gay, and also that YY didn't respond terribly.
ReplyDeleteYY is precious. 😌
DeleteI love MC's reaction to the gay subject. He really didn't care but just applied the same logic he did with women. He also didn't get instantly shy or tried to cover himself believing because he's a man ML automatically must be in love with him
ReplyDelete