WRA CH30

Chapter 30: Encountering a New Yao

Xiang Zhen had been unemployed for three days. During the day, he pulled back the curtains to bask in the sun; at night, he closed the curtains and was fiercely scorched by the sun.

Xiao Kui Bao’s predictions were completely inaccurate!

He would never trust Xiao Kui Bao again.

Xiang Zhen strongly insisted on going back to work, reasoning that once he was working, Zhou Sicheng would exercise a little restraint.

On the day the custom suits arrived, Zhou Sicheng finally nodded: “Put it on and let me see.”

Xiang Zhen tried on a solid black suit over a short-sleeved white summer dress shirt.

Zhou Sicheng personally tucked the shirt hem into his waistband and zipped up the trousers. Removing his own leather belt, he threaded it through Xiang Zhen’s belt loops and fastened it methodically.

Next came the tie.

Zhou Sicheng had over a decade of experience tying neckties; it was practically a daily necessity for him.

With lowered eyes, he fashioned a proper, neat knot for Xiang Zhen.

He took a step back.

His eyes darkened as he gazed at him.

Under his hands, Xiang Zhen had transformed into a pampered, aristocratic young master.

It truly felt like a waste to let him out for others to see.

Xiang Zhen ran to the bathroom to look in the mirror. The old tailor’s craftsmanship was phenomenal; he felt his clothes looked much better than the ones worn by those insurance salesmen who came around.

Wearing a suit for the first time felt a bit restrictive and awkward, but it symbolized his successful integration into society. Not only did he look presentable, he looked like a proper adult.

“Hubby, do I look good?”

“Good enough to attend a gala,” Zhou Sicheng examined Xiang Zhen, narrowing his eyes slightly. “Your hair is getting a bit long.”

Xiang Zhen: “But I don’t want to cut it.”

Golden hair was a sunflower’s charm.

At some point, a thin, golden hair tie had appeared on Zhou Sicheng’s slender middle finger. Using his height advantage, he buried both hands in Xiang Zhen’s hair and swept it backward.

The motion forced Xiang Zhen to lift his chin. Zhou Sicheng’s lips pressed down on his, lingering, while his hands kneaded and massaged Xiang Zhen’s tingling scalp.

A long moment later, he was released, panting softly, with a tiny, messy bun tied at the back of his head.

Since Xiang Zhen’s hair wasn’t quite long enough and Zhou Sicheng’s hair-tying skills were decidedly average, only a portion was bundled up, making it look endearingly disheveled.

“Wifey…” Zhou Sicheng rested his forehead against Xiang Zhen’s, as if suffering from pre-work separation anxiety.

Xiang Zhen: “Not allowed tonight, okay?”

Zhou Sicheng sighed.

On Xiang Zhen’s first day reporting for duty, Fan Hao took him out on a field assignment.

Fan Hao drove an SUV. Xiang Zhen climbed in and buckled his seatbelt: “Manager Fan, where are we going for debt collection today?”

Fan Hao would never dare drag the CEO’s wife to the house of a deadbeat borrower. Some of those defaulters were entirely unreasonable; if Xiang Zhen with his delicate arms and legs got roughed up, Fan Hao would have to commit seppuku as an apology.

“No debt collection. We’re going to a real estate development.”

Xiang Zhen: “Are you buying a house?”

Fan Hao: “Today we’re doing a post-loan inspection. This development took out a construction loan from our bank, so we’re going to see how the building is progressing, and check if there’s any fraud or risk of an unfinished project.”

“Read through the third-party report first. We just need to go and cross-check it.”

Noticing a thick report in the backseat, Xiang Zhen grabbed it and flipped through a couple of pages. It stated that the foundation had already been laid and the main structural framework was currently being erected.

Xiang Zhen: “How much are they selling per square meter when it opens?”

Fan Hao: “Estimated around thirty-eight thousand.”

It wasn’t in the city center, but being 600 meters from a subway line made it fairly decent.

Xiang Zhen deflated: “Oh. Then I can’t afford it.”

Fan Hao was amused, and irresponsibly bragged on Zhou Sicheng’s behalf: “As long as your husband can afford it, that’s what matters. Your husband is making thirty thousand a month now.”

Xiang Zhen: “If we buy this house, my hubby will have to live very frugally. Programmers can lose their jobs very easily.”

Fan Hao: “Then take the loan out under your name. If you use our bank’s employee loan program, I’ll give you a preferential interest rate.”

Xiang Zhen flipped through the third-party report to find the floor plans. A small 70-square-meter two-bedroom apartment was about 2.6 million yuan, with a down payment as low as 400,000. Based on Zhou Sicheng’s salary, if they saved up a bit this year, they could scrape together the down payment next year.

There were many poorly constructed developments nowadays with terrible soundproofing. If he personally inspected this one, perhaps it would be better?

Moreover, as newlyweds, buying a brand-new house was much better than an old, run-down apartment, especially since they were young and would be living there for a long time.

Xiang Zhen felt somewhat tempted. The report noted an estimated presale date for June of next year, with the building mostly completed by then—which aligned perfectly with their savings timeline.

Xiang Zhen asked earnestly, “Can I borrow two million yuan under my name too?”

His salary history wouldn’t meet the requirements, would it?

If he lost his job and couldn’t repay it, he could just become a deadbeat sunflower, and his husband’s credit score would remain perfectly healthy because they didn’t have a marriage certificate!

Xiang Zhen had just discovered the perk of not having a marriage license.

Fan Hao: “Absolutely, as long as you have Zhou Sicheng act as your guarantor.”

You can borrow however much you want.

Fan Hao really wanted to say: Just whip out your Golden Sunflower Card and swipe it at the sales center.

Zhou Sicheng’s wife was truly far too innocent.

The corners of Xiang Zhen’s mouth curled up as he seriously read the third-party inspection report. He was determined to review the procurement vouchers with the strictest standards to prevent any substitution of inferior materials.

[Xiang Zhen: Xiao Kui, give me the most rigorous post-loan inspection standards for an under-construction real estate development.]

[Xiao Kui: Generated. The summer heat is intense. Please take precautions against heatstroke at the construction site and remember to stay hydrated.]

This reminded Xiang Zhen that he hadn’t brought any water; he’d have to buy a bottle at a convenience store later.

Knowing Xiang Zhen was going on a field assignment to a construction site today, Yu Yueyue had reminded him to be careful and passed on a workplace pro-tip: When buying water, always remember to buy one for your boss too.

An hour later, Fan Hao parked the SUV near the construction site. The area was engulfed in dust. Separated by an eight-lane avenue, the opposite side was a developed zone, while this side remained undeveloped.

A concrete mixer truck happened to drive past, and the moment his leather shoes touched the ground, they were kissed by a layer of grime.

He dusted off his suit trousers. “Sigh. My thirty-thousand-yuan leather shoes.”

Holding the tablet and inspection report, Xiang Zhen stepped out of the car, stepping into the dust without a moment’s hesitation.

The textured gray suit trousers hugged his slender ankles. The instant he stood up straight, he looked as though he were there to shoot a promotional video for the real estate project.

Fan Hao cast a sideways glance. Damn, his shoes are more expensive than mine.

Suddenly, his thirty-thousand-yuan shoes didn’t seem worth fussing over.

Recalling Yu Yueyue’s workplace tip, Xiang Zhen asked Fan Hao, “Manager Fan, what would you like to drink?”

Fan Hao replied reflexively, “Iced Americano.”

Wait, this was a desolate wasteland; there wouldn’t be iced Americanos here. They’d be lucky if a mom-and-pop shop sold iced black tea.

“Mineral wa—”

Xiang Zhen: “Wait a moment, I’ll go buy it!”

Not far away sat a blue corrugated iron shipping container. It looked entirely unremarkable, save for the sign hanging on it: [Freshly Ground Coffee].

Fan Hao looked up and saw the coffee sign too. What the hell? What kind of idiot sells freshly ground coffee at a construction site? Who did the preliminary market research for this? It’s probably just watered-down instant coffee—is it even drinkable?

The closer Xiang Zhen got to the coffee shop, the more he felt a magical pull toward it.

The corrugated iron box was hooked up to electricity, and a machine hummed steadily inside. There was no external AC unit, so it was only when he drew close that he identified the sound as an ice maker.

Secondhand ice makers were noisy, much like Xiang Zhen’s old range hood.

“Hello, I’d like an iced Americano.”

Xiang Zhen’s voice was cheerful, but when his eyes landed on the price menu, the end of his sentence caught slightly in his throat.

He had severely underestimated this corrugated iron box next to the construction site.

The sunflower had stumbled into the coffee shop owner’s trap!

An iced Americano was forty yuan!

He had never bought a milk tea that expensive in his life.

With a heavy heart, Xiang Zhen looked up and met the gaze of a young man with long, wavy, coffee-colored hair.

Inside the corrugated iron box, which must have felt like a roasting oven, the young man remained perfectly composed, without a trace of a heat flush on his face.

Xiang Zhen froze.

He smelled the aura of a Yao.

The other man stared intently at Xiang Zhen, evidently having recognized this little Yao as well.

Xiang Zhen: “Did Auntie Guihua send you zongzi?”

The young man broke into the warm smile of someone greeting family: “She did.”

Xiang Zhen glanced back and saw that Fan Hao had been asked by security to move his car and hadn’t followed him. He stepped inside the iron box. “What made you think of selling coffee at a construction site? I want to start a business too. Is business good here?”

The young man mused: “I sell about three or four cups a day, I suppose. But my coffee beans don’t cost me anything.”

“You know how expensive rent is everywhere in Haicheng. But renting this iron box only costs thirty yuan a day. Theoretically, if I sell just one cup, I break even. Plus, I can live here, so I don’t have to pay apartment rent.”

Xiang Zhen: “That’s a brilliant idea!”

No exorbitant rent, no renovation costs, no labor expenses, no franchise fees, and no material costs—there was absolutely no need to listen to Brother Yong talk about the food and beverage industry anymore.

Resting his hands on the counter, Xiang Zhen looked around with admiration. Yu Yueyue was always saying that setting up a street stall had more of a future than working a corporate job. This coffee spirit was a highly courageous Yao.

The young man tapped the counter Xiang Zhen was leaning on: “The only thing I actually bought was the ice maker. This counter and that rocking chair were scavenged from a recycling center and given to me by someone.”

Xiang Zhen: “Humans are still very kind.”

Footsteps approached from outside. Thinking it was Fan Hao, Xiang Zhen stopped talking and leaned out to check.

It was a construction worker.

He was very tall, wearing a work uniform jacket over a tank top. His facial features were sharp, handsome, and masculine, and the muscles in his arms were exceptionally solid.

“One room-temperature Americano.”

The man was a man of few words. He pulled forty yuan from his pocket and placed it on the counter.

“It’s ready.” The coffee youth had prepared it in advance and handed it over in a bag.

The man paused for two seconds, seeming as though he wanted to say something, but ultimately took the coffee and left.

The coffee spirit turned to Xiang Zhen: “See? That’s him. Sometimes he buys one cup, sometimes he buys four. He is my only customer.”

Because he was the sole customer, the young man had perfectly memorized his visiting times, preparing the coffee in advance every time so he wouldn’t have to wait.

If the customer didn’t show up on time, it didn’t matter—he would just dump it out.

As a customer service rep, Xiang Zhen understood perfectly: “A customer who just orders silently and leaves is a god-tier customer. You must maintain this relationship well.”

Seeing that Fan Hao had finished moving his car, Xiang Zhen hurriedly pulled out his phone to pay the forty yuan. “Let’s add each other on WeChat.”

The coffee spirit: “It’s fine, this one’s on me.”

Xiang Zhen: “I have to pay.”

The coffee spirit finished making the iced Americano and handed it to Xiang Zhen: “Welcome to visit again.”

In the time it took Fan Hao to move his car, he noticed Xiang Zhen had gone into the iron shed and hadn’t come out. His heart skipped a beat, and he practically did a hundred-meter dash over, his mind entirely filled with thoughts of construction site murders.

The iron shed was open. Screeching to a halt at the entrance, he was met face-to-face with two breathtakingly beautiful faces.

Wait. With natural, heaven-defying beauty like this, one is working as customer service and the other is selling coffee at a construction site?!

Fan Hao felt utterly disoriented, suspecting the world had slapped a filter over his eyes. He pulled out his phone, snapped a photo, and sent it to Chu Ren, the boss of a certain media company.

[Fan Hao: What the hell are your talent scouts getting paid for?! Instead of discovering gorgeous beauties on the street, you guys have a bunch of ugly people acting in TV dramas every day.]

[Chu Ren: ?]

[Chu Ren: Why are you sending me pictures of beautiful women?]

[Chu Ren: I have a family.]

[Chu Ren: Blocked.]

Fan Hao: “…” Are you blind? These are two men.

Xiang Zhen handed the coffee to Fan Hao: “The iced Americano you wanted.”

Irritated, Fan Hao popped it open and took a sip. Wait. This was incredibly authentic coffee.

It was so bitter he almost spat it out.

…

With a mindset focused on supervising quality, Xiang Zhen diligently took all sorts of timestamped photos of the construction site, occasionally inserting himself into the frame.

Fan Hao didn’t linger too long at any one site, fearing that if he dropped Xiang Zhen home too late, Zhou Sicheng would have something to say about it.

After playing chauffeur all day, when he finally dropped his boss’s wife off at his apartment complex, a sudden urge for comparison seized Fan Hao’s mind: “How does my car compare to your husband’s car?”

This Hummer was his carefully selected pride and joy.

Xiang Zhen thought for a moment: “My hubby’s car is steadier.”

I brought this humiliation upon myself, Fan Hao screamed internally. That’s because I took you to a construction site! A construction site! Zhou Sicheng drives in the city center every day, of course the roads are smoother!

Leaving all his work materials in Fan Hao’s car, Xiang Zhen hopped out empty-handed.

Watching Xiang Zhen’s retreating back, Fan Hao had to admit that Zhou Sicheng really knew how to raise a wife.

When he had first laid eyes on Xiang Zhen that morning, he had assumed some aristocratic young master was out experiencing the commoner lifestyle. His occupational habit had almost flared up, making him want to go over, exchange pleasantries, and solicit a bank deposit.

You couldn’t tell at all that he hadn’t even graduated elementary school.

…

Xiang Zhen returned home with the ease of familiar routine, his footsteps light and entirely free from the exhaustion of the corporate grind.

In the elevator, several people stared at him, wondering if he was a big celebrity.

Bathed in this halo of attention all the way, Xiang Zhen arrived at his front door.

As he turned the doorknob, his eyelashes fluttered.

The door was unlocked; his husband was already home.

Home so early… and we didn’t even do it yesterday.

Xiang Zhen pushed the door open. The single-room apartment offered an unobstructed view, with the large bed positioned directly in front.

Zhou Sicheng was leaning against the headboard reading a book, looking as though he had already showered.

Fiddling with his fingers, Xiang Zhen stammered, “Hubby, I’m going to take a shower.”

Zhou Sicheng didn’t even lift his eyes. “Mn.”

Emerging from the shower, Xiang Zhen paced along the edge of the double bed but never lifted a leg to climb in. It was only six-thirty in the evening—too early. Zhou Sicheng would do it so many times.

But the rental apartment was only so big. If he didn’t get on the bed, there was nowhere else to stand, which would make him look deliberately distant.

After a moment of anxiety, Xiang Zhen pulled over a small plastic stool and sat stiffly in the narrow gap between the bed and the stovetop, his long legs pressed tightly together.

He pursed his lips, carefully gauging his husband’s reaction. “Hubby, I’m just going to sit here for a bit.”

“It’s cooler over here.”

Zhou Sicheng was completely caught between tears and laughter. How had he managed to make himself look like a tyrant occupying a magpie’s nest?

This was the beauty of a tiny rental apartment: there was absolutely nowhere to hide.

He intended to live here until the end of time.