Chapter 8: Taking root and sprouting ①
Translator: Aafkee
Proofreader: ChaiTea
During work, Chen Yifei went to the company’s planning and strategy department to learn. The manager of the department had attended Yan Yu’s short meeting last Saturday, and Yan Yu’s statement, “you guys should learn from Assistant Chen”, had left a deep impression on him. Now that he saw Chen Yifei in person, the manager fully understood that Yan Yu was not exaggerating at all.
Chen Yifei, who was taking notes, noticed the manager staring at him. He smiled and inquired, “What’s wrong? Are there any problems, manager?”
The manager felt as though he had taken instant damage from the sunshine-bright smile from a young handsome lad. Despite Chen Yifei only being an assistant, his position in their Chairman’s heart was much higher than this department manager right here. How could he keep his head up as an experienced senior like this?
The manager smiled helplessly, “No problems at all. It’s just that I can’t help but be impressed by your talents. Chairman Yan was giving you such high praises in last week’s meeting.”
Chen Yifei smiled softly, “There are still many things I need to learn.”
“Haha, there’s no need to be this humble.”
Back in Yan Yu’s office, Chen Yifei realised that Yan Yu was in an online meeting. Chen Yifei had not wanted to disturb them, but Yan Yu waved at him, “Chen Yifei, help me brew a cup of tea.”
Chen Yifei signalled his affirmation and went to brew the tea before placing the cup on the corner of Yan Yu’s desk. Yan Yu’s meeting ended just in time. Yan Yu stretched before he took a sip of tea and said, “CEO Zhang said that he was tempted to poach you.”
Upon hearing that, Chen Yifei thought about how CEO Zhang would not have been so upfront had he been serious.
Chen Yifei being capable was a well-known fact, which actually put considerable pressure on Yan Yu. If Chen Yifei were to be poached one day, Yan Yu would be so broken-hearted.
Even if it was only for the sake of the company’s future, Yan Yu had to keep an invaluable talent such as Chen Yifei in their company. If Chen Yifei were to be poached by another company, Yan Yu would not hesitate to offer two times of whatever was offered by the other party.
Chen Yifei drove Yan Yu back to his house after they got off work and went shopping for groceries alone as he had promised to eat dinner with Yan Yu. Yan Yu had transferred a week’s budget to Chen Yifei but upon seeing the amount transferred to him, he could not decide what he should buy.
Yan Yu had transferred too much money. Was he planning to hold a grand banquet?
Yan Yu was dumbfounded when he saw how much food Chen Yifei made, “Why is there so much food? Can the two of us even finish this?”
Chen Yifei sat down, “You gave me too much money.”
“Well, just keep it when there’s extra,” Yan Yu replied.
Yan Yu had always been very generous when it came to money. Although Chen Yifei was working as his assistant, driver, and even caretaker, and that he should be paid more, it did not feel right to Chen Yifei. He felt as though he was receiving too much in comparison to his output.
Yan Yu asked, “What do you do if you need money urgently now that you have asked for a three-month pre-payment of your salary?”
“I have my own savings,” Chen Yifei answered.
Yan Yu shrugged. In order to not let the food go to waste, Yan Yu forcefully ate everything, only to end up lying on the sofa, burping due to his fullness.
Yan Yu suggested watching a movie and Chen Yifei did not mind, but the movie was, unfortunately, a little boring. Chen Yifei ended up falling asleep halfway through the movie.
He had wanted to wake Chen Yifei up and tell him to sleep on the bed but knowing him, he probably would have chosen to go home, instead. Wanting to spend more time with Chen Yifei, he decided against it and pulled over a wool blanket to cover Chen Yifei with.
Unlike Yan Yu, who had to toss and turn for a long time before falling asleep, Chen Yifei was a very quiet sleeper. Yan Yu leaned his head on the side and continued to watch the slightly dull and boring movie before he ended up switching to watching Chen Yifei’s favourite news channels.
Upon hearing the news presenter reporting the date and time of the lunar calendar, Yan Yu realised, belatedly, that there were only two months left before the new year. It would probably be just in time for the company’s new year’s holiday once they are finished with their project with CEO Zhang.
Another year of being single had passed in the blink of an eye, and that thought alone was depressing. Yan Yu’s previous goals were all work-related, but he was determined to find himself a partner this year.
Just then, Yan Yu heard a soft groan from Chen Yifei, who was still fast asleep on the sofa. He could even hear a few sentences of Chen Yifei’s sleep talk, albeit extremely faintly. Yan Yu was surprised to find out that even Chen Yifei sleep talks, and could not help but lean closer to listen.
Yan Yu’s movement caused his weight to push down a small part of the sofa, waking Chen Yifei. He stared at the slightly embarrassed Yan Yu blankly for a while, then, he rubbed his eyes and straightened himself, “Hm…?”
Yan Yu pulled back, “Why don’t you sleep in the room? Or you’ll get a cold like last time.”
Chen Yifei looked at the time and realised that it was already almost an hour past midnight, “You are not sleeping, yet?”
“I will in a bit.”
Chen Yifei probably thought it was too late anyway and was too lazy to go back to his place, so he nodded his head and went upstairs. Yan Yu shouted, “The room opposite mine is cleaned. You can sleep directly in there.”
Chen Yifei replied sleepily, “Okay.”
Yan Yu turned off the television and went back to his own room after he heard Chen Yifei close the bedroom door. Yan Yu lay in bed, his eyes wide open and staring blankly at the ceiling, thinking about how Chen Yifei had come over to his house for dinner so often and how troublesome it must be Chen Yifei to drive back every time. He thought he should just ask Chen Yifei to live here as well immediately.
If Chen Yifei really did live together with him, the accommodation initially prepared for the assistant would be rented out to earn some extra cash on top of not having to travel to and fro just to fetch him to the office. It was a perfect plan that could kill two birds with one stone.
It all depended on whether or not Chen Yifei would agree to this arrangement. Yan Yu thought it through and decided to discuss this with Chen Yifei after the new year.
When Yan Yu woke up the next morning and was still half asleep, he had completely forgotten that Chen Yifei had stayed over for the night until he saw the breakfast prepared and served on the table.
Yan Yu could hear the sound of water splashing from his yard. He leaned out the window and found Chen Yifei watering the flowers with a water hose in his hand.
Yan Yu usually left such tasks to the cleaning lady, so he honestly had no idea what was actually planted in his own garden.
Yan Yu suddenly shouted, “Chen Yifei!” giving Chen Yifei a shock. Chen Yifei turned and faced him, giving him a look. Seeing that he had gotten away with giving Chen Yifei a shock, Yan Yu laughed out loud and asked, “Are you in such a good mood that you’d even water the plants?”
Chen Yifei looked at him begrudgingly, “They are gonna dry up and die if I don’t water them.”
Thinking back, it had indeed been a long time since Yan Yu had last called for the housekeeper. Aside from that, the weather had been dry in recent days.
Yan Yu offered, “Do you want me to help?”
“Go ahead and have breakfast. I’ll be done soon.” To be honest, Chen Yifei was more afraid that Yan Yu would drown the flowers if he came and helped out.
Yan Yu shrugged and went back into the dining room. He was more determined to ask Chen Yifei to stay with him now.
As it was the last project before the year ended, all the departments went all out and worked as hard as it would affect their year-end bonuses. Chen Yifei was busy contacting and communicating with all departments, going through all the documents before they reached Yan Yu’s hand.
Chen Yifei finished his work for today and returned to Yan Yu’s office. Seeing that Yan Yu had not yet returned, Chen Yifei went ahead and boiled a kettle of hot water and poured it in Yan Yu’s mug so it would cool in time for when Yan Yu returned.
Just as Chen Yifei finished his task, Yan Yu pushed open the door and walked in while talking on the phone, his expression was serious. Chen Yifei heard that Yan Yu had some argument with another chairman regarding the project’s budget and has been in communication a lot because of this issue.
Feeling thirsty after the long discussion on the phone, Yan Yu did not think twice before taking a mouthful from the mug on this desk, not giving any time for Chen Yifei to stop him before it was too late.
As expected, Yan Yu was burnt by the recently boiled water and he spat out the water immediately, sucking in the air rapidly to relieve the pain, his lips turned red and swollen.
Chen Yifei pulled Yan Yu to the toilet immediately and made him rinse his mouth with cold water. Yan Yu felt a lot better after rinsing his mouth, but a dull pain remained in his mouth.
Chen Yifei frowned, “Why didn’t you look before you drank it?”
Yan Yu let out, “Why, the heck, did you pour boiling hot water into the mug?!”
“It was meant for you to drink after it had cooled. Who knew you would drink it just like that?” Chen Yifei grabbed Yan Yu’s cheeks and moved him such that he was facing him, “Open your mouth and let me see if it is severe.”
Yan Yu was reluctant, “I’m fine.”
“Let me see it. I’ll get you some medicine if it is severe. It will hurt a lot if there are blisters.”
Chen Yifei forced Yan Yu’s lips open and looked inside his mouth. Yan Yu’s tongue was burned red, looking quite pitiful. Yan Yu’s head was forced in place by Chen Yifei’s hand, unmovable with his mouth open.
Chen Yifei asked, “How does it feel?”
Yan Yu’s voice was a bit unclear, “It just hurts.”
Chen Yifei’s face was extremely close, his face so handsome that Yan Yu reckoned he would not even punch him if he was to lean in for the kiss now.
“Is it still burning?” Chen Yifei asked worriedly.
“Duh!” Yan Yu replied, “Why don’t you touch it and see for yourself!”
Only then did Chen Yifei realise how he should not have grabbed his boss’s face so casually. He let go immediately, the atmosphere turned awkward in an instant.
Chen Yifei said, “I will get some medicine for you.”
Yan Yu protested, “There’s no need.”
“Do you have toothpaste here? You can use that to relieve the pain for now.”
Yan Yu answered, “Nope.”
“I’ll go buy some. You can put ice in your mouth for now,” Chen Yifei instructed.
Chen Yifei went out straight away after saying that, leaving Yan Yu alone while wondering where the heck he could find ice. Instead, Yan Yu rinsed his mouth a few times with cold water and returned to his desk. At the sight of the wet documents, Yan Yu let out a sigh and moved the documents to the window to help them dry under the sunlight.
Chen Yifei was back in less than ten minutes. Other than medicine, he also bought a cup of cola from the KFC downstairs, taking out the ice for Yan Yu to put in his mouth.
Despite Chen Yifei carefully applying the medicine, Yan Yu still ended up with blisters in his mouth the next day, making it extremely difficult for him to eat anything. To appease Yan Yu’s discontentment, Chen Yifei started making congee for him every day; in a different way every time, so much so that he himself had learned a few new recipes.
Taking advantage of Chen Yifei’s efficiency, Yan Yu was extremely relaxed. In Chen Yifei’s words, “What else can you do other than earn money?”
Yan Yu smiled, “That’s a pretty big merit, though…”
Although that was what Yan Yu said, he knew that Chen Yifei could not be his assistant forever. What if his expectations for an assistant increases without limits because of Chen Yifei? Would he not be unsatisfied with everyone else if this continues?
The night before the New Year was filled with celebrations everywhere. There was even a temporary open-air performance stage at the plaza and it was crowded with people. It was so crowded that policemen were assigned to maintain order. Besides the crowded plaza, were the clubs where people with reputations organised parties and banquets.
Yan Yu and Chen Yifei sat at a banquet table. Yan Yu had learnt his lesson from last time and would rather go back to eat Chen Yifei’s congee rather than eating random things at the banquet and risk another allergic reaction.
“Chairman Yan?” came a voice.
Hearing that, Yan Yu turned his head and immediately stood up with a smile, “Chairman Yu, Happy New Year!”
The young Chairman smiled and clinked glasses with Yan Yu, “Happy New Year and all the best with your business!”
Chairman Yu pointed at the man behind him and introduced, “This is my assistant.” He half-joked and said to his assistant, “You gotta learn from Assistant Chen.”
Chen Yifei smiled politely, “You flatter me.”
After a light-hearted chat, Chairman Yu asked Yan Yu whether he knew of any places nearby for some fresh air. He was honest about his reluctance to attend this banquet due to his dislike of the atmosphere at such events.
Yan Yu understood him completely. Chairman Yu was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and he was younger than Yan Yu. He must have already faced different types of people trying to curry favour with him so, it was not surprising for him to hate such occasions where people only concern themselves with flattering each other. Yan Yu pointed at the open-air performance stage at the plaza on the opposite side of the road.
Chairman Yu expressed his thanks and left his assistant behind to deal with the other guests before he left the venue alone.
Yan Yu let out a sigh and sat down, “It must be different to be born with a silver spoon in your mouth. I want to be like that, too.”
“Your children can be born with a silver spoon in theirs,” Chen Yifei comforted.
“I don’t even have a girlfriend, let alone children.” Yan Yu rolled his eyes, “Forget it, having a child is too much effort. Didn’t you see how much Guo Shengxing has aged compared to us? It must have been his son.”
Chen Yifei did not express his opinions.
Yan Yu laughed, “I would rather take care of an assistant.”
Chen Yifei returned, “Or rather, I’m taking care of you.”
“It’s not like I didn’t give you money.” Yan Yu said, “Let’s go, let’s go back early. Rather than counting down with a bunch of strangers, I’d rather go back and eat congee.”
The actual Chinese New Year was at the end of January and the last project of the previous year also ended successfully at around the same time. The company’s performance had increased by leaps and bounds. Chairman Yan was so happy that he increased everyone’s year-end’s bonuses and gave everyone an early holiday.
Yan Yu specifically asked Chen Yifei if he wanted a yacht, to which the latter declined with no hesitation. If Yan Yu wanted to get him a yacht, it would have been more practical for him to give Chen Yifei a large sum of money, directly.
Chen Yifei was planning to spend the New Year with his family in his hometown. On the day Chen Yifei was leaving, Yan Yu especially sent him off to the airport. Chen Yifei’s parents were very passionate. Knowing that Yan Yu was Chen Yifei’s boss, they spent a lot of time thanking Yan Yu over and over again.
Before the safety check, Yan Yu asked Chen Yifei, “When are you coming back?”
“Probably fifth or sixth*.”
(T/N*: εδΊεε
, the fifth or sixth of the Chinese lunar calendar.)
“Wanna go on a holiday when you’re back?”
“Up to you.” Chen Yifei replied, “See ya.”
Yan Yu waved his hand and leaned on the railing as he watched Chen Yifei leave with his family. Yan Yu sighed. Now that Chen Yifei was not here, Yan Yu had to eat out again.
This won’t do, Yan Yan thought. He had to learn how to cook at least a few dishes and impress Chen Yifei when he came back.
Thanks for translating! It's like a secret campaign to get YY trained into being a good boyfriend too!
ReplyDeleteHe's already the PERFECT boyfriend. ππ
DeleteYan Yu is training to be perfect wife π
ReplyDeleteBtw, I often see in a lot of danmei that scene where tongues get burned and I'm really just wondering, are they that sensitive or is it just dramatized? Like I get my tongue get burned all the time and I just let it be, I don't get mouth blisters tho?
It really depends on how bad you burn yourself. It's actually been scientifically proven that people who drink hot coffee/tea a lot are more prone to cancer in their mouth and throat. It really does damage the tissue
Delete