TYAM Chapter 87

During the New Year, it was inevitable that a bunch of relatives and acquaintances would come by to pay their respects.  

With so many people around, Jiang Wang found it bothersome. Plus, since Du Wenjuan rarely got to stay at home for a few days, he didn’t want to see her serving tea and water to outsiders. So, he simply told those he wasn’t particularly close with to visit after the New Year instead.  

A few close friends dropped by, including Fang Quanyou.  

Ever since he met Jiang Wang, Fang Quanyou’s luck had been on the rise. It was as if spending more time around Boss Jiang would somehow open up all his senses and turn him into a master of social finesse, improving day by day.  

When he arrived, he brought two crates of fine liquor and two trays of freshly baked seasonal pastries. First, he happily handed a bulging red envelope to Peng Xingwang, then went around greeting everyone in the house.  

Jiang Wang chatted with him for a bit before leading him into the study.  

“Brother, I’ve got something for you.”  

Fang Quanyou was a little anxious, afraid that he might receive some extravagant gift. His expression was uneasy as he stepped inside.  

To his surprise, Jiang Wang pulled out a bunch of keys.  

Nearly half of them were marked with red tape, the other half with blue, and a few with white.  

Each key had a different shape and material, clearly belonging to different properties.  

“There’s something I need to ask you for help with. Of course, you’ll be compensated, flights and accommodations included.” Jiang Wang placed the keys in front of him and said unhurriedly, “Are you interested in quitting your job and becoming my real estate manager?”  

Fang Quanyou stared blankly at the keyring, not reaching for it immediately.  

“You… trust me this much?”  

“There are twelve properties in total. These are just the renovation keys, the master keys are with me.” Jiang Wang explained leisurely, “I didn’t have time to sort and register them when I bought them, so I need your help running a few errands.”  

“These twelve properties need to be appraised quarterly, and their rental statuses must be updated in real time. You’ll also need to reference market prices and compile a report for me. Additionally, I need multi-angle photos of each property and records tracking any changes in the surrounding environment.”  

He took a folder out of the drawer and pushed it toward Fang Quanyou.  

“All the job details are in here. The monthly salary is 150% of what you’re earning now. Plus, you’ll get an additional 5% commission on transactions. What do you think?”  

Fang Quanyou was so overwhelmed by this unexpected job offer that his head spun. He took a deep breath, carefully reviewed the folder, then swallowed hard, momentarily speechless.  

Jiang Wang interlocked his fingers. “Tell me what you think.”  

“The salary is too high, you don’t need to increase it that much,” the young man said nervously. “I just feel like… Boss Jiang, are you planning something bigger?”  

Jiang Wang smiled. “You’re pretty sharp.”  

“Yeah, I’m thinking of starting a real estate company. Still working out the details.”  

Fang Quanyou: …?!!  

Mr. Jiang, are you secretly a superhero?!  

Are you planning to dominate multiple industries and become a business tycoon?!  

He vaguely sensed Jiang Wang’s ambitions and suddenly felt like he had hitched his ride to a rising star. Without hesitation, he nodded enthusiastically.  

“Boss, you know me. I go wherever you go! I’m in!”  

With work keeping him busy and so many plans in motion, when the day came to see Du Wenjuan off, Jiang Wang surprisingly didn’t feel too sentimental.  

The little one, however, had been sulking for two days straight. Normally, he could scarf down two big bowls of rice at dinner, but now, knowing his mom was leaving, he wouldn’t even finish his soup. He wanted to act mature about it, but he wasn’t very successful.  

This time, Ji Linqiu had left early for a business trip to Hangzhou, so he wasn’t there to see her off.  

ragging her suitcase, Du Wenjuan walked ahead, ticket in hand, about to pass through the gate. She turned back to look at Peng Xingwang.  

“Xingwang,” she called to him gently. “Mommy’s leaving now. No goodbye hug?”  

The little boy held back for a moment but eventually ran forward and hugged her tightly.  

Every time Jiang Wang saw Peng Xingwang run into his mother’s arms, he felt a pang in his chest.  

He turned his head away, as if too shy to watch.  

“I’m still mad at you,” Peng Xingwang said, his eyes red.  

Du Wenjuan was a little surprised. “You’re mad?”  

It was only now that the little boy realized she hadn’t even noticed he was upset. He stomped his foot hard and said seriously, “Yo— you always leave so suddenly and come back just as suddenly. How could I ever get used to that?!”  

‘Every time I just get used to having you around, you disappear again. It really makes me sad!!’

He wanted to be more stubborn about it, but in the end, he swallowed his feelings and changed his words: “I was only mad for ten minutes. It’s over now. You can go.”  

Du Wenjuan bent down and kissed her son. She wasn’t sure how to respond.  

“When you’re on your own, listen to Brother Wang and Brother Linqiu. Don’t wander off after school. Mommy loves you very much, and I’ll do my best to come see you more often.”  

Peng Xingwang nodded. “Say hi to Uncle Chang and Yinyin for me.”  

Du Wenjuan hugged him tightly one last time, then turned to Jiang Wang and gave him a firm embrace as well.  

“I’ve always worried about you and Linqiu,” she whispered in his ear. “Worried that you’d be misunderstood, criticized… No matter what, I hope you both get to live the life you want. Goodbye.”  

On the drive back, the car felt emptier without two more people in it.  

Peng Xingwang was feeling sentimental, staring out the window with a mix of literary melancholy and sorrow. “Brother, do you miss them yet?”  

Jiang Wang, sucking on a lollipop, casually spit out the stick and thought for a moment.  

“I’m more concerned about whether you finished your winter break homework. School starts in five days.”  

Peng Xingwang: …!!!

The days passed, and the new school term officially began, bringing peace and quiet back to the house.  

With Du Wenjuan gone, the kid away at school, and Ji Linqiu still on a business trip, Jiang Wang found himself alone at home.  

He thought he might feel a bit lonely, but before he could even settle into the solitude, the colleagues and friends who had promised to visit after the New Year started showing up one after another—clearly, the festivities weren’t over until the Lantern Festival.  

“Brother Jiang! My son’s math grades just won’t improve no matter what. You have to listen to me— here, have a cigarette—”  

“Boss Jiang! Long time no see! Look, our factory launched a classic-style desk lamp over the New Year…”  

“Happy New Year! Wishing you prosperity! Boss Jiang, we’ve been friends for years. My daughter’s been struggling with English…”  

For four or five days straight, Jiang Wang was forced to play the social butterfly. In the process, he ended up receiving six Boston lobsters, a whole crate of bread crabs, a stack of Pu’er tea cakes, and even two pairs of live chickens. He gave up trying to keep count of the rest.

Whatever, let them bring what they want.  

The most outrageous moment came one morning at eight when someone knocked on the door. Jiang Wang hadn’t even changed out of his pajamas. When he opened the door, he found two workers carrying a freestanding whirlpool bathtub.  

“Mr. Jiang, right? Where would you like this? Should we change into indoor shoes before entering?”  

A question mark slowly appeared over Jiang Wang’s head.  

It wasn’t until after the bathtub was installed that he managed to track down the source — a friend who had once visited his house and happened to hear him mention that he only had showers. The friend had taken it to heart and went out of their way to get him a top-tier bathtub.  

Before his unfortunate lake accident at 27, Comrade Jiang had lived a rough and unpolished life. Now, his entire household was starting to radiate the aura of a nouveau riche, and he felt a little uncomfortable.

As he stood there, looking around at the mountain of gifts, he started considering whether he should just distribute everything among his employees.  

The doorbell rang again.  

“Who is it this time?” Jiang Wang grumbled as he walked to the door.  

When he opened it, he was met with Ji Linqiu holding a bouquet of champagne roses. Ji Linqiu raised an eyebrow slightly, surprised by his impatient tone.  

“Linqiu—!” Jiang Wang instantly switched to full-on puppy mode, grabbing his boyfriend with one hand and clutching the bouquet with the other, dramatically wailing, “Home!! The house is overflowing!! The bathtub is filled with bread crabs and lobsters!! I can’t even take a bath!!!”  

Ji Linqiu, nearly strangled by the tight hug, struggled to breathe as he glanced over Jiang Wang’s shoulder.  

“Is it… really that full?”  

He took in the sight – gift boxes piled up everywhere.  

Having barely gotten off the plane, Ji Linqiu found himself immediately roped into organizing the mess and cleaning the house with his rugged boyfriend.  

By the time they finished tidying up and had a simple meal, they were both covered in sweat.  

“I’ll go fill the bathtub,” Ji Linqiu said, rubbing his neck and sighing. “I put all the seafood in the fridge. From now on, don’t accept every gift people bring. If someone gives you two things, just hand them two things back when they leave.”  

Jiang Wang obediently agreed, then suddenly asked, “Bath?”  

“Yeah?”  

“Wait — fill the tub first. I need to go out for a bit. I’ll be back soon!”  

“Where are you going?!”  

Fifteen minutes later, Boss Jiang returned with a basket full of rubber duckies.  

Ji Linqiu stared at him in silence. “If you insist on taking a bath with all those ducks, I’m not getting in.”  

“Come on, the tub is huge,” Jiang Wang said, grinning. “We’ll play together. I’ll even share two with you.”  

Ji Linqiu had been away on a business trip not just for work, but also to put some distance between himself and his parents.  

After his father found out that he had no interest in women, he must have discussed it with his mother. So far, there hadn’t been any reaction.  

No reaction was the best reaction. It meant they needed time to process it. Giving them space to cool down was the right approach for now.  

He had been feeling somewhat anxious, but now that the house was quiet and it was just the two of them, he decided to push those worries aside. Standing outside the bathroom, he undressed completely, leaving all distractions behind as he stepped in barefoot.  

As soon as he opened the door, he was greeted by the sight of his well-built boyfriend intently playing with rubber ducks in the water.  

Ji Linqiu: “…Hold on. I need to take a picture.”  

It was strange. No matter what Jiang Wang did, Ji Linqiu always found him sexy.  

He was sexy when he was tough and cold.  He was sexy when he was acting dumb like a kid.  

No matter how he looked at him, he liked what he saw.  

Every time this thought crossed his mind, he couldn’t help but feel a little self-conscious.  

He’s truly love-brained. 

Jiang Wang scooted over to make room, politely patting the water. “Come on in.”  

Ji Linqiu snapped a couple of pictures of Boss Jiang in the tub, then dipped his toes in to test the water temperature. He let out a soft “ah.”  

“It’s a little hot.”  

Jiang Wang, leaning on the edge of the tub, tilted his head up to look at him and suddenly smiled.  

“Have you been secretly working out?”  

“I go for morning runs occasionally,” Ji Linqiu replied, glancing at him. “I can’t compare to you, but I guess I’m doing okay.”  

“This is way more than just ‘okay,’” Jiang Wang said, moving closer to steal a quick kiss, leaving water droplets on Ji Linqiu’s skin. “Get in before you catch a cold.”  

Just as they were about to enjoy some peaceful, shameless fun in the water, the doorbell rang again.  

“Boss Jiang—”  

“It’s Dachuan!! Boss Jiang!!”  

“We agreed to have tea together. Did you forget?”  

Jiang Wang glanced at the dripping-wet Ji Linqiu, then at the rubber ducks floating around, and felt utterly exasperated.