WHIF- Chapter 6

Ch. 06 Match made in heaven

    “Good morning, Director Yang.”

    “Morning.”

    Yang Chaosheng gave a slight nod, pulled the small teddy bear he was carrying a little closer to his chest, and calmly walked upstairs to his second-floor office, briefcase in hand.

    “…Xin, did you see what Director Yang was holding just now?” Lu Fei spun in his chair and slid over to Jian Xin, who had just watched Yang Chaosheng pass by up close.

    “I’m not blind. Of course I saw.” Jian Xin’s eyes were still following Yang Chaosheng’s retreating figure. “Who gave it to him? I never thought that a plush toy would suit him, but somehow… it softens his whole vibe.”

    Lu Fei made a hand gesture, “Bet you a hundred—Director Yang’s in a relationship. Believe it?”

“Of course you’d say that. Trying to get something for nothing.” Jian Xin rolled her eyes and lightly slapped his face with the folder she was holding.

    Lu Fei let out a dramatic hiss and raised his hands in surrender.

    “What’s all the commotion about?” Cao Zhimian walked in swinging his car keys and pulling off his sunglasses with a carefree swagger. “I think I heard something about someone being in love?”

    “Mr. Cao, you’re here,” Jian Xin greeted him openly, happy to add fuel to the fire. “We just saw Director Yang carrying the cutest little teddy bear into his office.”

    “Teddy bear?”

    “Yup. Jian Xin and I think it was a gift from his partner,” Lu Fei said, brimming with gossip. “Mr. Cao, come on, spill a little. Is something going on with Director Yang? Who’s the person? Do we know them?”

    Cao Zhimian suddenly burst out laughing. “Something going on?” More than that—Director Yang is preparing to get married directly.

    Like a century-old ironwood [mfn]Ironwood is a general term used to describe various types of hardwood trees around the world that are extremely dense, hard, and heavy[/mfn] finally blooming and bearing fruit, all at once.

    He snapped his fingers, “Alright, you two get back to work. I’ll go snoop around for you.”

    “Thanks, boss!” Lu Fei nodded eagerly.

    As Cao Zhimian walked a few steps away, Jian Xin called after him, handing over a file. She clasped her hands together, pleading, “Mr. Cao, would you mind taking this up with you too?”

    “Sure.”

    Though Cao Zhimian was a partner at Shengsong, he only invested money and rarely showed up for actual work. He’d occasionally swing by the firm for fun. Easy-going and friendly, he quickly blended in with everyone, so a small favor like this didn’t seem like any trouble to him.

    He took the stairs up to the innermost office—Yang Chaosheng’s. The blinds were drawn, the door slightly ajar, as Cao Zhimian strolled in casually.

    Yang Chaosheng was facing away, filling his thermos with hot water. He turned slightly at the sound behind him and glanced over, then went back to what he was doing, unfazed. “What are you doing here?”

    Cao Zhimian had just returned from vacationing in Barcelona a few days ago. He was a proper textbook-rich kid. The Cao family ran a real estate development business in Tongcheng.

    By rights, he should’ve taken over the family business, but Cao Zhimian thought office work was too exhausting. He only had energy for food, fun, and parties. After graduating, he was parachuted into his father’s company as general manager, but barely lasted a week before leading the team in slacking off, skipping work, and getting reported to the board. His father, Cao Bixian, finally kicked him out in exasperation.

    Still, Cao Bixian only has this one son and had spoiled him rotten since childhood. Even with constant scoldings, the love never stopped.

    And Cao Zhimian wasn’t a complete fool either. He used his father’s money to invest in various ventures and had a sharp eye for returns. Even without working, his dividends alone were more than enough to keep him rolling in cash.

    “I’m supervising. That file’s from Xiao Jian, it’s on your desk.” Cao Zhimian caught the quick downward twitch of Yang Chaosheng’s mouth when he recognized who’d walked in. And it was a suppressed reaction. “You’re in a good mood today?”

    “Not bad.” Yang Chaosheng screwed the lid on his thermos and placed it on the edge of the desk. “You need something?”

    “Can’t I just drop by for no reason?”

    “Next time, knock.”

    “Sure thing, Director Yang. If I remember, I’ll definitely knock.” Cao Zhimian approached the desk. He’d already spotted the teddy bear when he walked in. Moving fast while Yang Chaosheng wasn’t looking, he snatched it and dashed to the other side of the room. “This teddy bear is cute. Who gave it to you?”

    Yang Chaosheng’s pupils widened. He strode over with his arm reaching out. “Give it back.”

    “Nope.” Cao Zhimian dodged like a pro, spinning in place and squeezing himself into the corner between a filing cabinet and the wall. Two grown men now looked like bickering schoolkids. “Say who gave it to you first.”

    With over twenty years of friendship, Yang Chaosheng knew better—Cao Zhimian never gave up easily. He compromised. “You come out, I’ll tell you.”

    “You never even panicked like this when I stole your sketchbook as a kid.” Cao Zhimian studied the bear. “But I already know. It’s from that person you said you’re marrying, right?”

    Yang Chaosheng seized the moment, grabbed the bear back, and tucked it against his chest, saying sarcastically, “You are so smart.”

    Cao Zhimian didn’t hear it—not that he would’ve cared even if he had.

    He and Yang Chaosheng had been best friends for years, and he’d been getting roasted just as long. The reason? His personality—he loved provoking the stone-faced, emotionally stiff Yang Chaosheng.

    Watching Yang Chaosheng gently place the bear under the desk lamp and smooth out its fur, Cao Zhimian walked over and put his elbow on the man’s shoulder. “You still haven’t told me the full story. And that phone call the other day—why did you make me pretend to be your mom, pressuring you to get married? As a participating staff member, even if I didn’t show my face, I really want to eat melons [mfn]want to know the gossip[/mfn].”

    Yang Chaosheng glanced at the man who seemed to be practically starving for gossip, “Ran into my first love. Want to marry him. Any problem?”

    “You had a first love?” Cao Zhimian looked confused for a second, but then his eyes lit up immediately. “Wait, don’t tell me… You mean that guy from high school? The one you had a crush on?”

    It made sense—Yang Chaosheng rarely talked about feelings, but that person had clearly left a deep mark. If anyone could be called his ‘first love’, it had to be him.

    Yang Chaosheng stayed silent. That was enough as an answer.

    “Whoa, so you two didn’t get together back then, but now you have?” Cao Zhimian was stunned. “And you’re calling it love? Did you two even date?”

    Yang Chaosheng shook off his arm and chose not to respond. “He wants to get married.”

    “So now you can’t wait,” Cao Zhimian said with amusement. “Didn’t you used to be good at holding back?”

    “That was different.” Back in high school, Yang Chaosheng was preparing to go abroad after graduation—it was a plan set long before. “I didn’t want to delay him.”

    He couldn’t ask someone to wait for him with no reason, especially when it was unrequited. He didn’t have the right to talk about love back then. Promises without backing were just empty words.

    Although the saying goes, ‘love is enough to satisfy one’s hunger’, but relationships can’t run on feelings alone.

    “You two are destined to be together… You know, when you suddenly called to say you were getting married, I nearly dropped my phone off a castle balcony.” Cao Zhimian patted his chest. “Still, I’m a loyal friend. I can be your best man for your wedding, and for that I even shortened my vacation and returned home early.”

    Yang Chaosheng: “Then you returned a little early.”

    “Early? The way you sounded, I thought you were registering your marriage the next day!” Cao Zhimian gawked. “So, what’s your progress now?”

    Yang Chaosheng briefly explained everything from the day they met up until now. Cao Zhimian rubbed his chin, offering a very unhelpful analysis: “Feels like you’re scamming someone into marriage. The motive’s obvious. Like a romance scam—but instead of money, you’re after the guy himself.”

    Yang Chaosheng stared at him in silence. Cao Zhimian let out a dry laugh and smacked his own mouth in apology.

    As Yang Chaosheng flipped open the case file Jian Xin gave him, which was regarding divorce paperwork, Cao Zhimian peeked over and immediately got philosophical. “Marriage is the grave of love, you know. Skipping straight to it without even dating—is that really sustainable?”

    Yang Chaosheng’s pen paused mid-word.

    “I’m serious,” Cao Zhimian said. “You’re like a block of wood when it comes to love. Dull and stiff. How are you going to manage?”

    Yang Chaosheng thought of last night, when Ji Xiang couldn’t figure out how to respond to his confusion over cilantro. “Am I really that boring?”

    Cao Zhimian froze, worried he’d gone too far. “Not that boring. I mean, look at your face.”

    Then, being the chaos agent that he was, he added, “If he thinks you’re boring, just seduce him with your face.”

    Yang Chaosheng: “…”

    Those may be rough words, yet also the truth, but he was still not comforted. It is said that good-looking faces are everywhere, but interesting souls are one in a million. If Ji Xiang only liked his appearance, Yang Chaosheng feared he’d end up unloved once the novelty wore off.

      So, after marriage, Ji Xiang, whether he [mfn]Ji Xiang[/mfn] likes him [mfn]Yang Chaosheng[/mfn] or not, he [mfn]Yang Chaosheng[/mfn] has reason to feel sad.

    Cao Zhimian couldn’t read all that from his expressionless face, but he kept trying to offer advice.

    “If you like him, show it. Be confident. Relationships need gestures of love… You’ve got to make him feel loved, safe, like he’s wrapped in warmth and trust 24/7.”

    Cao Zimian’s lips were dry from talking. He noticed Yang Chaosheng staring blankly at his phone. “Hey, are you even listening? What could be more important than your own love guru giving you premium advice?”

    Cao Zimian leaned in and saw the chat.

    Ji Xiang: Lawyer Yang, sorry, I forgot to ask yesterday—are you free this weekend to come home and have dinner with my parents?

    Yang Chaosheng: Sure, I’m free.

    Ji Xiang: Thank you, Lawyer Yang.

    Yang Chaosheng looked up, nervous. “He asked me to have dinner with his parents this weekend… Do you think they’ll like me? What should I wear? This outfit’s probably not good enough, right? And gifts, should I bring something…?”

    Cao Zhimian: “……”

    Forget it. Let it all burn.

    He finally understood. Yang Chaosheng only dared to ramble in front of him, but in front of the person he liked? He’d go silent and act all cool.

    There wasn’t even a spark of romance between these two—one side liked but didn’t show it, and the other for his part, stayed perfectly polite and formal. [mfn]The literal meaning of this paragraph goes as, ‘There wasn’t even a spark of romance between the two—one side liked but didn’t show it, and after all this time, they were still talking so formally.’ But because of the last line saying, ‘A match made in heaven’, I tweaked it a bit, adding Ji Xiang in it as well, trying to show how those two are kind of similar in a way. From what I know, in sentences like this, in Chinese, it often implies both parties unless it is made clear. Do let me know what you think, and whether I should use the literal translation.[/mfn]

    Truly, a match made in heaven.