Chapter 7: A peaceful breakup ②
Translator: Aafkee
Proofreader: ChaiTea
Chen Yifei parked their car opposite the bar and turned the engine off. Yan Yu’s hand paused at the handle of the door as he turned back and stared at Chen Yifei, “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to. I’m serious.”
“It’s fine.”
CEO Zhang was someone who enjoyed cocktails and this bar was well-known for its cocktails. Having not met Yan Yu for a long time, CEO Zhang invited Yan Yu out for a drink here, on a whim, to have a relaxing time.
Chen Yifei had not been to the bar since splitting up with Jiang Ge. The bar looked the same as it had half a year ago. The two were immediately greeted by CEO Zhang, who sat at a table next to the corridor.
Chen Yifei subconsciously glanced over at the bar but Jiang Ge was nowhere in sight. If he remembered correctly, Jiang Ge would be working tonight. He used to come often and fetch him after work.
Yan Yu also noticed Chen Yifei’s action, unanticipated feelings of displeasure filled his heart.
CEO Zhang smiled, “The cocktails here are excellent. Feel free to order as much as you want; my treat.”
Yan Yu protested, “How could we make you pay?”
“Don’t mention it. I still have a big business waiting for you,” CEO Zhang replied, dismissively.
Since Chen Yifei had to drive, he declined CEO Zhang’s offer and ordered a glass of fresh orange juice, instead. While Yan Yu and CEO Zhang were having a good chat, there were not many opportunities for Chen Yifei to contribute to the conversation, so he idled his time away by staring at the bar blankly.
Not long after, it seemed like CEO Zhang had something important to discuss with Yan Yu, so he hinted at Chen Yifei to give them some private time. Instead, Yan Yu said, “CEO Zhang, he is my assistant, he can…”
Tactful and attentive, Chen Yifei stood up and smiled, “Don’t worry about me, please have a good chat. Call me if you need anything, boss.”
Yan Yu furrowed his brows momentarily but had no choice but to smile at CEO Zhang. CEO Zhang clicked his tongue and sigh in admiration, “Your assistant is really outstanding, so much so that I’m jealous. As compared to my assistant…”
Yan Yu stared at Chen Yifei’s back, sulking.
Chen Yifei sat alone at the corner of the bar. As he had been to this bar so many times in the past, there were quite a few acquaintances that came over to greet him. Just as Chen Yifei began to find it unbearable, a glass of brightly coloured liquid was pushed towards him.
Jiang Ge stood at the counter and looked at Chen Yifei, “My treat.”
Chen Yifei replied, “Thank you, but I need to drive.”
“I know, I saw you arriving.” Jiang Ge wiped down the cocktail shaker in his hands, “This is the drink.”
Chen Yifei hesitated for a moment before taking a sip. There was, indeed, no taste of alcohol. Jiang Ge glanced over at the two people having a conversation not far away and asked, “Your new boss?”
“Yeah.”
“How have you been, recently?” Jiang Ge ventured.
“Not bad, how about you?”
Jiang Ge shrugged, “The same old. Ah right, thank you for helping me with my passport last time. I feel kinda sorry for calling you out during your reunion with your old classmates.”
“It was nothing.”
They had some small talk and normal greetings, but nothing more. Chen Yifei fell silent after a while, knowing that he should not ask but he wanted a clear answer anyway.
“Why did you break up with me?”
Jiang Ge sighed, “You didn’t ask me when I called to break up with you, but you chose to ask me now? Don’t you think it’s a little too late?”
Chen Yifei replied solemnly, “I’m asking now.”
Chen Yifei and Jiang Ge had been together for almost three years. Their relationship had been almost perfect at the start, but after a couple of years, Chen Yifei sought stability while Jiang Ge preferred freshness and excitement, which led him to think that their relationship was lacking something.
Jiang Ge knew that he would not find a second boyfriend as perfect as Chen Yifei in the whole of his life, but he could not help but be fed up with their relationship.
Besides, Jiang Ge could tell that Chen Yifei’s feelings towards him were no longer what they had been in the past. He thought it would be a good excuse for him to break it off with Chen Yifei as soon as possible rather than dragging it out, especially given that Chen Yifei had been so busy with work and with his family issues.
Jiang Ge, “I merely thought that we were no longer suitable for each other. You know how it was; we had so many arguments before living separately.”
Chen Yifei took a mouthful of the drink and remained silent. Jiang Ge laughed, “I can also tell that you were becoming indifferent towards me.”
Jiang Ge was right, Chen Yifei could not deny that.
“I am sorry.”
Jiang Ge joked, “What, you want to have me back?”
Chen Yifei answered honestly, “Not at all.”
“There’s no use even if you wanted me.”
Chen Yifei felt as if he had finally released a knot that had been stuck in his heart after having that conversation, feeling much more relieved.
Yan Yu, on the other side, could not help but glance over at Chen Yifei’s back. The displeasure in his heart grew more intense by the second as he saw Chen Yifei on seemingly good terms with his ex.
After finally finishing his discussion with CEO Zhang, Yan Yu did not feel much happiness despite having been just given a big business opportunity.
He walked to the entrance and squinted his eyes as he saw the bartender opposite Chen Yifei, and shouted, “Chen Yifei!”
Chen Yifei said to Jiang Ge, “My boss is calling. I’ll take my leave.”
“Sure, make sure to come by often to increase my business. See ya.”
After getting into the car, Yan Yu asked, “Was that your ex talking to you just now?”
“Yeah.”
Yan Yu added, “I see you guys are on pretty good terms.”
Chen Yifei, “I don’t think there is a need for hostility.”
That sounded as if he wanted Chen Yifei and his ex to be on bad terms. Yan Yu refused to think any further about that and so, he dropped the topic and asked, “Do you want to have dinner at mine if you don’t have anything on Saturday?”
Thinking that he would have to be the chef if he was to have dinner at Yan Yu’s, Chen Yifei merely laughed and said nothing. Yan Yu replied, quickly, “I’ll help! It’s not because I don’t know how to; I’m just lazy.”
Chen Yifei answered, “I’m going back to my parents’ on Saturday. An elderly from my family is hospitalised so I need to go have a look.”
Yan Yu was slightly disappointed, “Oh well… Where do your parents live?”
Chen Yifei answered, “About a two hour car ride away.”
“Spend more time with them. When will you be back?” Yan Yu asked, hopefully.
“I will be back on Sunday morning.”
“You don’t have to be so rushed,” Yan Yu mumbled.
“Didn’t you just sign a business deal with CEO Zhang?” Chen Yifei glanced at Yan Yu, “Can you handle it without an assistant?”
Yan Yu shot back, “Why can’t I handle it? If worst comes to worst, it’ll only be a little more exhausting than usual…”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be back.”
That reassuring tone had somehow triggered something in Yan Yu’s heart, causing him to feel slightly warmer. He quickly loosened his collar and said, “Open the roof. I feel a bit warm all of a sudden.”
“Why don’t you turn up the air conditioning? The air quality isn’t that good today.”
Yan Yu would have open it as he liked when he was alone without a care for air quality. Now that Chen Yifei became his driver, he had to be attentive to the small details. He might even cut down on his medical fees by avoiding respiratory tract infections this way.
Chen Yifei went straight home after Saturday afternoon. Yan Yu had a short meeting at one in the afternoon, the thought of having to organise the documents by himself made him sigh.
Surprisingly, Yan Yu received a call from Chen Yifei not long after he had left.
Yan Yu answered, “Hello? What is it?”
Chen Yifei said, “I have already organised the documents necessary for your afternoon’s meeting. They are on my desk, you can go ahead and take them.”
Yan Yu hesitated, “... I was literally just thinking about that. Aren’t you considerate?”
Chen Yifei knew Yan Yu would not have wanted to organise those documents himself. The corners of his lips lifted slightly, “Alright, I’m going to drive.”
“Be careful on the road.”
Yan Yu’s mood picked up considerably after hanging up the phone. He collected the documents from Chen Yifei’s desk and browsed through it feeling satisfied. Yan Yu was pretty sure he could not leave Chen Yifei’s side ever again. He was even slightly worried about what he would do when he got used to Chen Yifei’s pampering.
Yan Yu thought that this needed to be stopped immediately. He did not have many merits to begin with, but he could not become any lazier than this.
During the meeting, Yan Yu focused on the human resource allocation for the recently signed project from CEO Zhang. He, also, admonished his subordinates regarding the mistakes and negligence that had happened recently.
Yan Yu thought that the scale of his company would have been at least twice its current size were all of his subordinates as capable as Chen Yifei.
It has been a long while since Yan Yu returned home alone. He had even moved to stand by the passenger’s side out of habit. Stunned for a short moment, he cursed and walked to the driver’s side.
Without Chen Yifei by his side, Yan Yu thought about him several times throughout the day. Sometimes, he would complain internally about how the tea he brewed was not as nice as the ones Chen Yifei brewed. Other times, he would be dissatisfied about how some other subordinates were not as sharp-minded as Chen Yifei.
Yan Yu do not have much to do even after returning home from work, so he decided to watch some movies on his television. However, he had already finished all the science fiction and action films, so he chose a romantic film on a whim, instead.
The film was about four hours long. Yan Yu usually disliked such romantic films that lack climaxes, but surprisingly, he found the movie to be quite enjoyable this time.
Yan Yu even felt a tiny bit of jealousy upon seeing the main characters’ sweet slices of life after their marriage. Yan Yu’s last relationship was three or four years ago. Now that his career was stabilised, it was about time he wanted to get into a relationship.
Although Yan Yu used to play around when he was younger, he valued stability in his partner, surprisingly. Yan Yu, too, wanted to eat something made by the one he liked every day, to travel around together, and to feel the presence of his partner in every corner of his house.
The movie ended with the main characters kissing during sunset. Yan Yu let out a big sigh and lay on his sofa, talking to himself, “Dear heavens… Please grant me a girlfriend…”
At this precise moment, the doorbell rang.
Yan Yu sat up on the sofa and glanced at the clock. It was almost nine. Who would look for him at such an hour? He looked at the security camera and saw that it was Chen Yifei standing on the opposite side of the door.
Yan Yu quickly opened the door, surprised, “You’re already back?”
Chen Yifei was carrying a Walmart plastic bag, the tip of the spring onions sticking out of it. He placed the bag on the table and replied, “I did say I’d be back before tomorrow morning.”
“But, aren’t you a bit too early?” Yan Yu asked, “Is everything okay back at home?”
“Yeah, recovery is going well, and my cousins have returned to help out as well so I came back early.” Chen Yifei looked at Yan Yu, “Didn’t you say you’re going to have dinner with me?”
Yan Yu stumbled, “… But it’s already nine.”
“Have you eaten?” asked Chen Yifei.
“No, I was watching a movie just now.”
Chen Yifei did not mind it one way or the other, “Then come over and give me a hand.”
Chen Yifei took out the ingredients and put on the apron. He turned around and saw a stunned Yan Yu, instead. Chen Yifei pointed using his chin, “You can chop vegetables, at least, right?”
Yan Yu glared at him, walked over, and picked up the knife, “Of course. Thin or thick; on your order.”
Chen Yifei could not help but laugh lightly at his response, “Thick is fine. I don’t want you to cut yourself.”
Chen Yifei was originally quite handsome. To have the corners of his lips slightly lifted, Chen Yifei could easily make anyone’s heart flutter. Yan Yu chopped his vegetables gloomily wondering what the hell Chen Yifei was doing? Who was he trying to seduce?
Yan Yu used a bit too much strength while chopping the vegetables, making loud noises as the knife knocked onto the chopping board. Chen Yifei said, as he was heating the cooking oil, “Don’t use so much strength. You’re going to break the chopping board.”
Yan Yu placed the chopped vegetables into a bowl and discarded the knife on the side, “I’ll just buy a new one if it breaks.”
Yan Yu had chopped the vegetables better than Chen Yifei had expected. It seemed like Yan Yu was not lying about being lazy. There was not much for Yan Yu to do after preparing the sauce and spices. Chen Yifei quickly whipped up two meat dishes and one vegetable dish before serving them on the table.
Taking advantage of the time, Chen Yifei went to the toilet, but Yan Yu could not wait to have a taste and hissed as he got burnt by the diced meat that had just come out of the pan. Witnessing Yan Yu’s awkward situation, Chen Yifei poured him a glass of water kindheartedly.
Chen Yifei inquired, “Does it taste good?”
Yan Yu drank the water, feeling a bit embarrassed, “It tastes good.”
Although it was nothing compared to the Michelin stars restaurants, the taste was also very by-the-book, but it was still delicious. Yan Yu liked it.
Yan Yu offered, “Why don’t you come and have dinner here when you have the time? I’m getting tired of eating out every day.”
“Are you paying me?” Chen Yifei asked.
“Damn it. You won’t come if I don’t? Not like I’m the only one eating.”
“It was a joke,” Chen Yifei replied.
“How about this? I’ll give you a budget and if you can make something of satisfaction under the budget, you can keep the rest of the money,” Yan Yu offered cautiously.
“Deal.”
Yan Yu felt pleased. “That’s decided, then.”
Chen Yifei added, “I’m genuinely quite happy that you like my cooking. After all, it must be quite difficult to please a big boss like you with some normal home-cooked food.”
“Why are you saying that as if I’m not a human or something?” Yan Yu puzzled.
Chen Yifei smiled and did not say anything else, his smile made Yan Yu feel a bit warm for reasons unknown to him.
Yan Yu wanted to pray to the heavens to grant him a girlfriend again. He prayed that he would be granted a girlfriend that is as smart and capable as Chen Yifei, as attentive and steady as Chen Yifei, and someone who could take as good care of him like Chen Yifei…
God damn it, Yan Yu scolded himself internally, he was letting his imagination run wild. Yan Yu might as well have asked to have Chen Yifei, himself.
Thanks for translating! YY, you have a perfect partner from the heavens right there!!
ReplyDelete😏😏😏😏
Deleteyo, these two acts more like husband and wife than an actual couple
ReplyDeleteSo close you almost got it 😂😂
ReplyDeleteHeh, why not, right?
ReplyDelete