Chapter 24: “Sowing one’s wild oats”
Translator: Aafkee
Proofreader: ChaiTea
After a five-day vacation, the two returned their focus and attention to work. Perhaps from being together with Chen Yifei for a while now, Yan Yu had also learnt to change his mood very quickly. He had already arranged for several meetings with a bunch of people that afternoon.
The next day, Yan Yu asked Chen Yifei to go meet a potential collaboration partner in his stead. The other party was a relatively new company, so it was their request to meet up in the first place. Naturally, Yan Yu told Chen Yifei that he could afford to relax a little and that there was no need for him to be overly cautious.
When the boss from the other company received news of them accepting their invitation to meet up, he was overwhelmed by their favour and indicated repeatedly that he would be there himself on the day of the meetup.
Strictly speaking, the meetup would not involve any discussions of the project itself. It was more of an opportunity for both parties to understand each other’s side better, so they had decided to meet up in a restaurant near Chen Yifei’s company. Chen Yifei arrived at the restaurant on time, but he could not see the boss until a young man dressed up in a suit walked towards him to welcome him.
Chen Yifei knew what that boss looked like and it was definitely not the young man standing right in front of him.
The other party greeted, “Hello, you must be Manager Chen?”
Chen Yifei nodded, “Yes, and you are?”
“Please excuse me and allow me to apologise. An emergency came up suddenly so my boss could not come to this meetup in person so he has sent me here instead.” The man introduced himself, “I am his secretary, my name is Zhou Xuancheng.”
Chen Yifei replied, “It is not a problem at all. Great meeting you, Mr Zhou.”
The two sat down at a window seat and the following conversation went on without a hitch. After having a more thorough understanding of the other party’s company, Chen Yifei thought that Yan Yu would probably also think that this company can potentially be a good partner choice for their company.
Secretary Zhou asked, “Manager Chen, we really hope that we can meet Chairman Yan directly. We’ll be relying on you to say good things for us and the various arrangements.”
“Of course.”
Secretary Zhou smiled and called over a waiter to order a specially concocted alcohol and said to Chen Yifei, “This is my way to express my thanks.”
“How could I accept this shamelessly?” Chen Yifei asked.
Instead, Secretary Zhou smiled and patted Chen Yifei’s hand, which was on the table, lightly, his expression ambiguous, “It is a given.”
Chen Yifei was stunned. Before he could retract his hand, the other party had already removed his hand as if nothing happened. Chen Yifei was not sure whether or not he was imagining things, but it was probably because of his life experiences, he somehow thought that actions from Secretary Zhou were hinting at something else. However, it may also be that he was merely a passionate person.
Chen Yifei smiled stiffly, he could not help but want this conversation to end quickly.
Secretary Zhou quickly added, “Oh, right. Manager Chen, I have yet to ask for your contact information.”
There was no reason for Chen Yifei not to give his information, so he could only pass him his name card.
After the conversation, Secretary Zhou walked Chen Yifei to his car and smiled, “Manager Chen, I wish you could keep the fact that my boss did not come a secret from Chairman Yan. He does not want to give Chairman Yan a bad impression of him. It was, truly, because of an emergency that he was unable to come tonight. I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”
“No problem.”
“Then, we shall contact you again when we are free. Bye-bye.”
Why must he contact him when he was free, was what Chen Yifei thought internally as he smiled politely and said goodbye.
At this very moment, Yan Yu had already completed all the tasks on hand, waiting for Chen Yifei to return from the meeting. A secretary from a department came into the room and delivered some documents. As he was about to leave, he suddenly recalled something and said, “Oh, right. Chairman Yan, I saw Manager Chen sitting at the nearby coffee shop when I was coming back to the office just now.”
“Yeah, CEO Wu, right? They have something to discuss.”
But the secretary replied, “Not CEO Wu, I’ve met him before. It was a person whom I’ve never seen before.”
Yan Yu was surprised. Did Chen Yifei meet up with someone else? He did not remember arranging for him to meet others. Although Chen Yifei might have coincidentally met up with his old friend and went to catch up with each other in the restaurant, it still made Yan Yu slightly unhappy.
Chen Yifei was back in less than ten minutes. Yan Yu asked, “How was your discussion with CEO Wu?”
“Not bad.”
“What did you do after you met CEO Wu?”
“I came back straight after.”
Yan Yu frowned, “You didn’t go anywhere else and came back directly?”
“Where else could I have gone?” Chen Yifei asked, “Why are you asking this?”
Yan Yu snorted and said moodily, “Just tell me directly if you went to meet up with someone else. I know that you have many friends. Why are you lying to me?”
Chen Yifei was completely baffled, “I didn’t lie to you. I really did come back straight away.”
Yan Yu was a bit angry as his voice sank, “But there was a person who saw you with someone else.”
Chen Yifei understood straight away. Given Yan Yu’s personality, there was no wonder he had misunderstood. Seeing that Chen Yifei was silent, Yan Yu became more furious, “Since when did you start lying to me? Who the hell did you meet? Don’t tell me you’ve been sowing your wild oats* behind my back!”
(T/N: I’ve personally not used/read this idiom often but it basically means to be promiscuous in relationships, especially sexual ones. The original Chinese idiom is 沾花惹草, which is directly translated to watering/fondling the flowers and beckoning/trampling the grass and leaves, which has a similar meaning as the abovementioned English idiom.)
Although Chen Yifei had promised Secretary Zhou to not tell Yan Yu about how CEO Wu did not attend the meet up in person, Chen Yifei weighed the options of keeping that a secret versus having Yan Yu misunderstood him, and he decided immediately that Yan Yu was more important. He explained immediately, “You misunderstood; I did not meet up with CEO Wu today.”
Yan Yu exclaimed, “You even skipped the arrangement and went ahead to meet up with someone else?!”
“No, CEO Wu had an urgent matter to attend to so he sent someone else. It seems like CEO Wu was embarrassed that he could not make it himself, that you might have a bad impression on him.” Chen Yifei said, “That person was his secretary.”
After listening to his explanation, Yan Yu stared at Chen Yifei for a long while before he asked, “Really?”
Resigned, Chen Yifei said, “Really. But don’t call them for confirmation. They have specifically asked for me to keep it a secret.”
Yan Yu was rattled, but he replied, “... Fine, then.”
Chen Yifei raised his eyebrow as he crossed his arms and leaned on the side of the desk, “Did you think that I would be that kind of person?”
Yan Yu answered softly, “That’s hard to say.”
Chen Yifei stood up and caressed Yan Yu’s hair in passing as he walked towards his office, “I’m not.”
On the way back home at night, Yan Yu seemed as if he had something to say but was hesitant. Chen Yifei noticed it but he was patient and did not rush him. He knew Yan Yu would speak up in the end.
And, in the end, Yan Yu, indeed, could not hold it in anymore. “It was not my intention to blame you today. Please don’t think of me as… overly suspicious.”
“Hn, I know.” Chen Yifei knew it well.
Yan Yu added, “It was only normal for me to be suspicious in those circumstances. Won’t you feel the same if you were to see me meeting another male alone in a restaurant?”
Chen Yifei paused, “I believe in you.”
Just at this moment, someone called. Yan Yu could only put a pause on this conversation and looked at his phone. It was a call from CEO Wu who was supposed to meet up with Chen Yifei today. Yan Yu glanced at Chen Yifei before he picked up the call.
Yan Yu answered, “Good evening, CEO Wu… Hn… Hn… Don’t mention it… Saturday night?”
Yan Yu indicated to Chen Yifei with a gaze. The latter understood right away and immediately took out his phone to look at his schedule. He shook his head at Yan Yu.
Yan Yu answered, “Of course I’m free on Saturday night… Of course not, I don’t have anything on that day… That’s settled then, see you.”
After he hung up, Chen Yifei asked, “How was it?”
“I reckon you and his secretary had a good chat.” Yan Yu said, “He hoped that I would meet up with him myself at least once.”
Chen Yifei asked, “Will his secretary be there as well?”
“Probably.”
It was not that Chen Yifei had a bad impression on that secretary, but he somehow felt that he should avoid meeting up with him as much as possible. As for the reason why, it was just his intuition.
On Saturday night, Yan Yu and Chen Yifei went to the restaurant as promised. CEO Wu and Secretary Zhou had already been waiting for a while. The former shook Yan Yu’s hand excitedly while the latter smiled and waved his hand at Chen Yifei.
Chen Yifei went to the toilet once during the meal. When he stepped out of the toilet, he unexpectedly ran into Secretary Zhou in the corridor. Secretary Zhou got right to the point, “Manager Chen, do you have some time to spare?”
Chen Yifei was hesitant, “Is it related to work?”
The other party shook his head and smiled, “No, don’t tell me you’re as the rumour said? Can I not invite you out privately as long as it is not related to work?”
Chen Yifei did not know there were such rumours about him. Besides, the reason he had rejected any private invites was that he already had a boyfriend and did not want to create unnecessary trouble.
Secretary Zhou continued, “Well, I need some help from Manager Chen for a private matter.” He moved in a few steps, hope filled his face as he stared at Chen Yifei. His gaze put Chen Yifei on guard.
Chen Yifei did not want things to progress the way he thought it was going to. Perhaps, he had over-thought things, “What can I help you with?”
“It’s a bit embarrassing for me to say it.” Secretary Zhou smiled, slightly ashamed, “It’s a problem regarding relationships. Perhaps Manager Chen is the only one who can help me.”
Chen Yifei fell silent for a while before he answered, “I’m sorry, but I already have a lover.”
Secretary Zhou paused before he said with a doubtful voice, “Hn… I can guess that. You are very outstanding, after all. Only, I don’t understand why you are telling me this?”
Weren’t you the one who wanted to invite me out? Chen Yifei thought that in his heart but he was not that thick-skinned to have asked that question directly. Instead, he said, “Which is why I don’t think I can help you.”
Secretary Zhou waved his hand, “It’s no problem at all, it has no relation to that.”
Chen Yifei was starting to doubt himself, “What is this about, specifically?”
The other party lowered his voice, “I must ask you to keep our following conversation a secret. To be honest, I have only recently become CEO Wu’s secretary. The reason I chose this job was that I have heard that CEO Wu’s company has the intention to collaborate with Chairman Yan.”
Chen Yifei nodded, “... Hn.”
“To be very honest with you, Manager Chen, I am actually a homosexual. I believe you aren’t the type to… have a prejudice against people like me, right? I have seen Chairman Yan before at the news conference previously and I have already had a favourable impression of him since then. Since you are Chairman Yan’s assistant, you must be one of the people he trusts the most.” Secretary Zhou continued, “He would at least listen to what you say, right?”
Chen Yifei was silent.
The other party grabbed Chen Yifei’s hand firmly and resolutely, and said sincerely, “I hope you can create some sort of opportunities for us. Manager Chen, I’d be eternally grateful.”
Chen Yifei was flabbergasted that Secretary Zhou did not even start by asking about Yan Yu’s current relationship status or orientation. How can he be so sure that Yan Yu was a single gay? Or did all of those not matter to him?
Chen Yifei’s voice sunk, “Mr Zhou, actually, he is-”
Before Chen Yifei could finish his sentence, CEO Wu had already come out of the private room and called, “Xiao-Zhou! Come over here!”
Secretary Zhou answered, turned around to smile and nodded at Chen Yifei before walking back into the room. Chen Yifei could only watch as he walked away, feeling a bit upset.
When Chen Yifei was back in the private room, Yan Yu was shaking hands with CEO Wu, preparing to leave. When those two separated, Secretary Zhou looked back towards Chen Yifei, his gaze meaningful.
Yan Yu asked, “Why did you take such a long time in the toilet?”
“I ran into Secretary Zhou and had a short chat with him.”
Yan Yu only thought of it as a work-related chat so he did not ask further. Naturally, Chen Yifei had no intentions to be the nice guy here. He must be sick in the head to tell his own boyfriend about another person wanting to woo him.
Regardless, Chen Yifei did feel a sense of danger. Perhaps, Yan Yu’s constant praises for him had made him proud subconsciously. Although Yan Yu’s personality was considered carefree and casual, it could also be considered a cute side of him. Besides, he was also extremely successful in his career, so it was not that much of a surprise that someone thought highly of him. Chen Yifei would always think of the worst-case scenario no matter what he did, so he could not help but consider the possibility of Yan Yu finding another person to be more outstanding than he was.
After arriving at home, Chen Yifei went ahead to take a shower. When he was done with the shower and walked into the room, he saw Yan Yu on the phone with someone as he sat on the edge of the bed. When he was done with the call, he could hear him mumble, “Was there a need for him to call me for such a small matter…?”
Chen Yifei asked, “Who?”
Yan Yu answered, “CEO Wu’s secretary.”
Chen Yifei was suddenly regretful that he had not told Secretary Zhou about who exactly he was to Yan Yu, “What did he say?”
“Just a small problem from the business side.” Yan Yu said, “Can’t he just tell the manager about it?”
Chen Yifei sat on the bed and said, “Refrain from answering his personal calls. Tell him to contact me directly if he has any problem.”
Yan Yu was confused, “Well, that works, but why?”
Chen Yifei simply answered, “It’s not that good for you to always answer personal calls from a secretary.”
“I can always make friends.”
Chen Yifei let out a sigh and decided to make it clear. From his past experiences, he knew he should be straightforward about such things or it could cause unnecessary misunderstanding.
So, Chen Yifei openly stated, “He is interested in you.”
Yan Yu was stunned, “What?”
“He wants to woo you.”
Yan Yu stared at Chen Yifei for a long while before his face was filled with an ‘Oh, I see’ expression, “How did you know?”
“He told me directly.”
Yan Yu’s expression was extremely colourful, “He told my boyfriend about how he wants to woo me? Is he nuts?”
“He doesn’t know that I’m your boyfriend.” Chen Yifei said, “I’m guessing that he doesn’t even know if you’re single or not.”
“Then, tell him!”
“I will.” Chen Yifei looked at Yan Yu. He hesitated for a while before he asked, “Don’t you have any other feelings? After knowing that someone wants to woo you?”
“Of course I’d be happy when someone likes me.” Yan Yu shrugged, “But that’s about it.”
Chen Yifei was speechless.
Yan Yu leaned onto Chen Yifei’s shoulder and smiled, “Can’t you have a bit more confidence in yourself?”
“I do.”
“Then why are you still asking me not to answer his calls?” teased Yan Yu.
“Do you think I’d be happy to see you chat with someone who wants to woo you?”
Yan Yu was internally pleased. He forcefully squeezed himself onto Chen Yifei’s legs and said, “Call now. Call him now and tell him exactly who you are to me.”
How cute, Yan Yu wanting to see Chen Yifei be possessive of him.
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