PTBLSI chapter 72

 

The banquet that Fu Yanchuan mentioned was on Friday. Since it was in the evening, Qi Xi went to work as usual. Fu Yanchuan picked him up as soon as work started in the afternoon.

“So early.”

Qi Xi thought it would be similar to the studio’s group dinner with more people, at most. Going too early would just mean having nothing to do.

Fu Yanchuan took the paintbrush from his hand, put it away, packed up the paints, wiped his hands clean, and said, “It’s not early. We need to go change clothes first.”

“Are my clothes not okay?”

Leaning over, Fu Yanchuan tugged at the collar of his jacket, quickly kissed Qi Xi, and said, “Aren’t we going to show off our relationship? Of course we need matching outfits.”

“Won’t that attract too much attention?”

Fu Yanchuan answered very firmly, “No.”

Qi Xi felt that Fu Yanchuan was coaxing him. But when he looked at Fu Yanchuan’s face, which was like a manga protagonist’s, his heartbeat quickened unconsciously.

Ever since Grandma Qin’s funeral, whenever he looked at Fu Yanchuan like this, it felt like a pressure booster had been installed in his heart—his heart would race at the slightest thing. Forget changing clothes; even if Fu Yanchuan told him to run around naked together, he might agree.

He agreed without any hesitation, hugged Fu Yanchuan around the waist, and said, “Brother Yan, I agree. How are you going to thank me?”

Hearing that, Fu Yanchuan couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from lifting. He asked back, “How do you want me to thank you?”

“You think about it yourself.”

Qi Xi answered without hesitation. However, Fu Yanchuan was even more straightforward, blurting out, “Okay, I’ll think about it myself.”

Once all the conditions had been agreed upon, Qi Xi went with him to ask Cheng Shu for permission. Cheng Shu seemed to know where they were going. He said in an annoyed tone, “Go, go. I can’t stop you anyway.”

“Thank you, Director Cheng.”

After getting home, Fu Yanchuan didn’t rush to change clothes. The orange cat was lying in the living room, basking in the sun. He calmly went over to pet the cat, then called to Qi Xi, “Come here.”

Qi Xi didn’t ask what time the banquet started. He went over, lay on the sofa, pulled Fu Yanchuan’s leg over to use as a pillow, and looked up at him.

Fu Yanchuan lowered his gaze. Qi Xi reached up, touched his face, and blurted out, “Brother Yan, why are you so good-looking?”

Before meeting Qi Xi, Fu Yanchuan rarely paid attention to his appearance. It was only through Qi Xi’s occasional praise that he slowly started to care about his appearance. He caught Qi Xi’s hand and pressed it to his face, saying, “Because Xi Xi likes it.”

Qi Xi laughed. “Then do you think I look good? Do you like me?”

“Good-looking. Like.”

Sometimes, Fu Yanchuan felt that he couldn’t deal with Qi Xi. Other times, he felt that Qi Xi was easy to coax. Just those two words made him proud. He rubbed against him and said, “We’re both so good-looking. Aren’t we a perfect match? Aren’t we made for each other?”

“Yes.”

“Then why don’t you hurry up and kiss me?”

The orange cat’s tail on Fu Yanchuan’s other leg flicked. It meowed and jumped off the sofa. When it turned back, it saw the two humans’ tongues tangled together. This was a sign that the humans were in heat, which usually took a long time. Sensibly, the cat went to eat its food.

Qi Xi was kissed dizzy by Fu Yanchuan and ended up sitting in his arms. He blocked Fu Yanchuan’s mouth and said, “If you keep kissing like this, won’t we end up not going?”

“It’s fine, it’s still early.”

As he spoke, Fu Yanchuan spread Qi Xi’s knees and had him sit on his lap facing him. Then, he held his waist and kissed him again.

Only after it got dark did they shower and change clothes.

When Qi Xi saw the clothes that Fu Yanchuan had prepared for him, his eyes widened. They weren’t particularly special, but they were a formal suit he had never worn before. He hooked a finger on the clothes and asked Fu Yanchuan, “Brother Yan, dressed like this, it looks like we’re getting married.”

Fu Yanchuan immediately pulled the speaker over, stared at him for a long while, and asked, “Xi Xi wants to marry me?”

Qi Xi stared at Fu Yanchuan, and suddenly, his whole face turned red. He didn’t want to tell Fu Yanchuan that he had thought about how they could get married during last year’s Spring Festival. He buried his face in Fu Yanchuan’s chest and answered,

“Not that much.”

“Then you do want to?”

Fu Yanchuan lifted Qi Xi, who was too embarrassed to look at him, and forced him to meet his gaze. Qi Xi pressed his lips together and didn’t answer. Fu Yanchuan kissed him instead, prying open his mouth with his tongue and kissing him deeply, as if swallowing the words from his throat.

Only after finishing did he tell Qi Xi, “This time doesn’t count. Put your clothes on and let me see.”

Qi Xi felt a moment of disappointment. Under Fu Yanchuan’s gaze, he changed into the suit. Fu Yanchuan came over to fasten the buttons and tie his tie, staring at him without blinking.

He asked uncertainly, “Does it not look good?”

Fu Yanchuan pushed him in front of the mirror, hugged his waist from behind, and said to the person in the mirror, “Xi Xi, I want to hide you away. What if someone steals you from me?”

Qi Xi had no idea that this was Fu Yanchuan’s true intention. He thought Fu Yanchuan was just joking with him. Proactively turning his head to kiss Fu Yanchuan, he answered with a smile, “Then you have to hide me in a more comfortable place. I want a big house, and you have to bring Dasheng, too, okay?”

Suddenly, Fu Yanchuan tightened his grip on Qi Xi’s waist. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his reflection in the mirror. He abruptly turned Qi Xi around and pressed him back against the mirror. Without saying anything, he sealed Qi Xi’s mouth with a kiss, afraid that Qi Xi would see through his despicable thoughts.

Qi Xi didn’t know what had come over Fu Yanchuan. He only felt like Fu Yanchuan wasn’t planning to go out anymore. The formal suit he had finally put on was messed up again. When Fu Yanchuan’s kiss lingered on his Adam’s apple, Qi Xi asked in a trembling voice, “Brother Yan, are we not going anymore?”

Fu Yanchuan sucked an obvious red mark onto Qi Xi’s Adam’s apple. Then, he pulled himself up and carefully straightened Qi Xi’s suit again. The white shirt collar set off the red mark, making it stand out like a peach blossom in bloom—something people would notice at a glance.

He didn’t want others to see it yet he also wanted them to. Staring at Qi Xi for a long while, he lightly rubbed the spot with his fingertip and said, “Don’t move. I’ll go change clothes, and then we’ll leave.”

Qi Xi didn’t know what mark had been left on his neck. He stayed still and watched Fu Yanchuan change clothes.

It seemed as if Fu Yanchuan was deliberately teasing him by insisting on taking everything off before dressing again. When he was done, Qi Xi finally realized that they were wearing matching outfits.

Although the styles of the formal wear didn’t differ much, the small design details made it clear at a glance that their clothes matched.

“How is it?”

Fu Yanchuan stood in front of Qi Xi. Their gazes locked and they almost kissed again. Qi Xi managed to hold back and said, “It looks good. Brother Yan looks good in anything.”

Then, Fu Yanchuan took him to get his hair done. Once it was finished, Fu Yanchuan stared at him again without blinking. Qi Xi wanted to look in the mirror, but Fu Yanchuan stopped him.

“Xi Xi, we’re almost late.”

Qi Xi immediately became anxious, pulled Fu Yanchuan along, and hurried out.

The banquet was at a hotel. When they arrived, Qi Xi finally understood what Fu Yanchuan’s new job was. However, he didn’t think much about it; after all, Fu Yanchuan was omnipotent in his eyes.

The banquet hall was on the second floor of the hotel. Holding hands, Fu Yanchuan led Qi Xi inside. Almost instantly, nearly all the gazes in the room focused on them.

Someone came up to greet Fu Yanchuan. “President Fu, you finally made it.”

He only gave the person a glance and kept holding Qi Xi as they walked past.

Seeing a scene like this made Qi Xi nervous. He whispered to Fu Yanchuan, “Brother Yan, why didn’t you tell me it would be like this? I could have prepared myself first.”

Fu Yanchuan turned to face him and spoke close to his ear. “Don’t worry about others. Are you hungry?”

Qi Xi subconsciously moved away a little. He still wasn’t used to being intimate in public. Fu Yanchuan knew what he was thinking and led him to a dining area with fewer people.

Everyone present today was either a senior executive of the group, a shareholder, a manager seeking cooperation, or someone with whom they had previously cooperated.

In just a short amount of time, the people in the hall had quietly started discussing who the person with Fu Yanchuan was. Some had heard rumors that Fu Yanchuan was with a man, but seeing it with their own eyes was different, especially since they had only ever seen the robotic side of Fu Yanchuan. They all wondered if their eyes were playing tricks on them or if Fu Yanchuan had gone crazy.

Qi Xi didn’t notice much. Once he had food in his hands, he forgot to pay attention to anyone else. Fu Yanchuan stayed by his side as if they were at home, picking out food for him and even feeding it directly into his mouth.

This almost made the onlookers’ jaws drop. Finally realizing people were watching them, Qi Xi shot Fu Yanchuan an embarrassed glare.

Fu Yanchuan turned and stood in front of him. “This way, they can’t see.”

Qi Xi actually believed Fu Yanchuan’s self-deceiving logic. He fed the half-eaten pastry in his mouth to Fu Yanchuan and said, “Brother Yan, this one’s tasty.”

Fu Yanchuan opened his mouth to take it and immediately a head leaned in from the side.

“President Fu? Tsk, what are you doing?”

Qi Xi didn’t expect anyone to come over. He quickly let go, hid behind Fu Yanchuan, and put on a smile as if nothing had happened. Then, he looked at the person who had spoken.

It was a man in his thirties who was about the same height as Fu Yanchuan. Even with a smile on his face, he looked intimidating.

Fu Yanchuan comfortingly rubbed the back of Qi Xi’s head and said to the man who had interrupted them, “President Shao, why didn’t you bring your wife?”

“Why would I bring my wife for you to look at?”

President Shao’s words were even more showy than Fu Yanchuan’s. He turned his gaze to Qi Xi and immediately noticed the red mark on his collar. He extended his hand and said, “Hello, I’m President Fu’s friend. My surname is Shao.”

Qi Xi initially thought that Fu Yanchuan didn’t have any friends. Glancing at him, he hurriedly went to shake President Shao’s hand. “Hello, I’m also President Fu’s friend. My name is Qi Xi.”

“Friend?”

President Shao laughed. “Is that so? What a coincidence. Since we’re both friends of President Fu, shouldn’t we have a drink together?”

Only then did Qi Xi notice the wine glass in President Shao’s hand. Fu Yanchuan hadn’t planned to let Qi Xi drink, but when President Shao suggested it, he remembered how Qi Xi had looked when he got drunk during last year’s Spring Festival and decided to let him have a glass of wine.

President Shao took a glass of wine and handed it to Qi Xi. “This one isn’t very strong, and it tastes pretty good.”

“Thank you.”

Qi Xi took the glass, and President Shao came over to clink glasses with him. Qi Xi raised his glass, took a sip, and his eyes lit up as he looked at Fu Yanchuan. “Brother Yan, this is good.”

“I’ll try it.”

Fu Yanchuan held Qi Xi’s hand and finished the wine in his glass. Qi Xi complained, “You drank it all.”

“I’ll get you another one.”

He took the glass from Qi Xi’s hand and called a waiter over to replace the wine.

When Qi Xi got the glass back, Fu Yanchuan set food in front of him as if they had come just to eat.

President Shao sat across from them. Qi Xi politely shared the food that Fu Yanchuan had gotten for him. Just as President Shao said thank you, Fu Yanchuan snatched the food back.

“President Fu, you’re way too stingy.”

Fu Yanchuan ignored him completely and turned to Qi Xi. “Xi Xi, don’t mind him.”

At this point, Qi Xi truly believed that President Shao was Fu Yanchuan’s friend, and he felt more at ease.

President Shao shifted his gaze from Qi Xi to Fu Yanchuan and casually said, “President Fu, isn’t it time for you to return the favor?”

“President Shao is in such a hurry? Is the honeymoon over?”

“Of course it’s never over! You have no idea how great marriage is!”

“Who says I don’t know? Have you looked over the Africa industrial park project I mentioned last time?”

Qi Xi had been listening to the two of them, but when Fu Yanchuan suddenly changed the topic, he lost track. By the time they finished talking, he was full.

The main purpose of the banquet was to officially announce that Fu Yanchuan had become the group’s new chairman. He needed to go on stage to give a speech.

As Fu Yanchuan was about to leave, he was concerned about Qi Xi and wanted to send him to the lounge first. However, Qi Xi refused. So, he asked President Shao to keep an eye on Qi Xi. First, President Shao loved his wife so much that he wouldn’t think about Qi Xi. Second, President Shao didn’t need to flatter anyone, so he wouldn’t leave Qi Xi alone.

Qi Xi didn’t know what Fu Yanchuan had said to President Shao. After Fu Yanchuan left, Qi Xi greeted President Shao and left as well. He thought the wine tasted good, so he went to get another glass.

But just as he turned around with it, he bumped into someone.

“Sorry.”

Qi Xi quickly apologized and looked up at the other person, freezing on the spot. He felt that the person looked somewhat familiar.

Qiao Ye had noticed Qi Xi when Fu Yanchuan came in. He looked Qi Xi over and smiled lightly. “It’s fine.”

Qi Xi looked at Qiao Ye’s stained clothes. “Your clothes—”

“I’ll just go wash them.”

Qiao Ye cut him off and turned to leave.

President Shao came over looking for someone and happened to run into Qiao Ye. His gaze moved from Qiao Ye to Qi Xi.

He wasn’t really Fu Yanchuan’s friend, just a business partner, and he knew nothing about Fu Yanchuan’s past. However, Qiao Ye and Qi Xi looked similar at first glance, and seeing them appear together didn’t seem like a coincidence to him.

“Qi Xi, did anything happen?”

President Shao walked over and examined Qi Xi, thinking he might notice something. But Qi Xi seemed to have noticed nothing about how the person earlier looked like him. He raised his glass and came over to clink with President Shao.

“President Shao, another drink.”

After Fu Yanchuan finished his speech, he was surrounded by people. By the time he broke free to look for Qi Xi, Qi Xi was already drunk.

He shot a reproachful look at President Shao. President Shao explained with an aggrieved expression, “He insisted on getting drunk.”

“Brother Yan, you’re back!”

Qi Xi felt completely dizzy. Seeing several Fu Yanchuans, he lunged over to hug him but almost missed and fell. Fu Yanchuan pulled him back into his arms and pinched his cheek. “Do you feel uncomfortable?”

“I’m not uncomfortable. I’m so happy! I want to ride a horse. I want to fly to the sky to find Dasheng.”

“Dasheng is at home.”

Fu Yanchuan pulled him close and signaled a farewell to President Shao. He hadn’t planned to stay at the hotel, but he was worried that Qi Xi would feel sick riding in a car after drinking. He had someone open a room upstairs and took Qi Xi up.

Qi Xi didn’t know where they were going. He clung to Fu Yanchuan, trying to ride him. Still saying, “Not Dasheng, it’s the Great Sage Equal to Heaven,” he climbed up on him.

“Isn’t Qi Tian Dasheng already a Great Sage?”[mfn]齊天大聖 (Qi Tian Dasheng), the title of Sun Wukong from Journey to the West. 大聖 (Dasheng) literally means “Great Sage.”[/mfn]

Fu Yanchuan had no memory of Journey to the West. In the elevator, Qi Xi finally climbed onto his back. He used to refuse to carry him, but now he did so smoothly. When the elevator arrived, he carried him straight out.

Qi Xi felt himself fall onto a bed. It wasn’t a room he was familiar with, and the bed was especially big. Seeing that Fu Yanchuan was about to leave, Qi Xi hurriedly grabbed him.

Caught off guard, Fu Yanchuan fell down and braced himself above Qi Xi. Their gazes met. “What’s wrong?”

Qi Xi held onto his arm. “Don’t go.”

“I’m not going. I’m just going to get you some water.”

Qi Xi simply wrapped all four limbs around Fu Yanchuan. “I don’t want water. I want Brother Yan’s saliva.”

Fu Yanchuan pinched the corner of Qi Xi’s lips and restrained himself. “Do you know what you’re saying?”

Qi Xi didn’t know, but he kept going. “Brother Yan, let’s get on this big bed!”

Fu Yanchuan didn’t deny that he had deliberately let Qi Xi drink. He could have stopped before it was too late—but not because he didn’t want to.

He looked at Qi Xi for a long time before finally leaning down and pressing his lips against Qi Xi’s. “Xi Xi, you have to think it through. Today, I won’t stop.”

It seemed very despicable to ask this of a drunk person, but Qi Xi indulged him completely. He nodded obediently. “It’s fine. Brother Xi just wants Brother Yan’s hot, roasted sweet potato that burns your hands. Hurry up and give it to me to eat!”

 

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