My Little Boy is Always Teasing Me | Chapter 18 | The Heart's Silent Rebellion | Novela.app

Chapter 18 - The Heart's Silent Rebellion When Jiang Yuan finally blinked his eyes open, the space beside him was empty. The blankets were neatly arranged, devoid of even a lingering trace of warmth to suggest someone had recently been there. The young master of the Jiang family stared at the vacant, sterile expanse of the bedroom and let out a long, heavy sigh. He had spent the previous night "cramming" for this very moment, scouring several "Guides to Seducing Your Man in the Morning," only to find that his target had vanished before the sun was even fully up. All that mental preparation had been for naught. Breakfast was as lavish as ever, a spread of delicacies that could have fed a small family, yet Jiang Yuan found himself listless. He took his chopsticks and poked unenthusiastically at a crab-roe soup dumpling resting in the insulated container. It was a masterpiece of culinary craft—thin-skinned, plump, and bursting with savory, fresh juice. *I’m exactly like this dumpling,* Jiang Yuan thought with a frustrated pout. *Thin-skinned, tender, and full of substance. How can that starving old man look at a meal like me and still manage to keep his hands off?* He turned the problem over in his mind, eventually concluding that the fault lay entirely with Xie Chengnan’s unshakable "straight man" nature and a soul perhaps too dedicated to the altar of human technological progress to notice the beauty right in front of him. While Jiang Yuan was drowning in his own resentment, the object of his frustration was already miles away. Despite having suffered through a completely sleepless night, Xie Chengnan sat in his newly renovated CEO office, looking every bit the sharp, upright professional in his tailored suit. He poured himself a cup of bitter black coffee, the steam rising to meet his tired eyes, and massaged his temples. "Can we get the import permits for the equipment approved before the New Year?" he asked Shen Qinian. "I’m pushing them," Shen Qinian replied, lighting a cigarette to jolted his own senses awake. "But since your gear is all custom-ordered, the approval and customs clearance are bound to take extra time. More importantly, how’s the progress on your project? Did you solve that bottleneck from last time?" Xie Chengnan’s fingers tapped rhythmically against the armrest of his chair, his mind wandering. The company’s leadership structure was finally taking shape; with Shen Qinian handling the administrative side, Xie Chengnan should have been able to bury himself in the lab. However, the prospect of going home meant facing Jiang Yuan. Two men, one house—it was a recipe for disaster. The "kiddo" was blissfully unaware of the danger, constantly flirting with a "bent" man as if he were a pillar of heterosexuality. It was like a wildfire raging against an old wooden house. Every day Xie Chengnan spent trying to maintain his gentlemanly facade felt like a slow form of torture. He couldn't help but let out a weary sigh. Shen Qinian, misinterpreting the sigh as frustration over the research, offered some comfort. "Don't sweat it. We still have time." Xie Chengnan wasn't even on the same planet. He suddenly spoke, his voice low and heavy: "I think... I’ve fallen for A-Yuan." "Huh?" Shen Qinian froze, his cigarette halfway to his mouth. The sudden shift in topic was like a whiplash across a galaxy. After a stunned silence, he snorted. "No way. From where I’m sitting, you’re raising him like a son. Are you sure it’s not just... fatherly instinct?" Xie Chengnan had just taken a sip of coffee and nearly sprayed it across the desk. He choked, coughing as he wiped his mouth with a tissue. "Fatherly instinct?" he repeated, his expression turning deadpan. "Would you get an erection looking at your son?" Shen Qinian’s jaw dropped. "Holy... my ears! That is way too much information!" The older man leaned back, looking genuinely troubled for the first time in years. "Am I a beast?" "It's not your fault," Shen Qinian said, waving a hand dismissively while wincing as if his teeth ached. "You have no idea how many people that face of his has turned gay. In Nancheng’s second-generation social circles, half the people who swing both ways probably started because of him." Xie Chengnan didn't like the sound of that. "What does the messy private lives of those people have to do with my A-Yuan?" "Don't be naive," Shen Qinian flicked his ash. "Take Qiao Song, for example. I knew him before he met A-Yuan. Back then, he had a string of mistresses, but not a single man among them. After meeting A-Yuan, he turned as bent as a mosquito coil. He’s ruined who knows how many young boys since then. I even heard he forced himself on Jiang Shiyi last night." Xie Chengnan blinked. "Jiang Shiyi?" "Yeah," Shen Qinian took a long drag. "It’s just gossip people are whispering about. You don't hang out in those circles, so you wouldn't know." "I do know," Xie Chengnan frowned. "I ran into Qiao Song taking him into a booth last night. I didn't think much of it at the time, but later Jiang Shiyi called me out and asked me to keep it a secret." "Tsk." Shen Qinian clicked his tongue. "You should stay away from him in the future." "Why?" "You haven't seen Jiang Shiyi’s methods," Shen Qinian said, crossing his legs. "If he truly wanted to keep that a secret, it would never have leaked from his man’s mouth. The fact that it’s out means he intentionally let it slip to make people think something is going on between him and Qiao Song. So, him calling you out to 'keep a secret' has some subtext to it." Xie Chengnan was genuinely confused. "What subtext?" To him, being caught in such a situation and asking for discretion was a perfectly normal reaction. "You’re just too pure," Shen Qinian said with an air of worldly wisdom. "You don't know how messy that little circle is. If it had been anyone else catching him last night—someone who actually had designs on Jiang Shiyi—what do you think the outcome would have been?" Xie Chengnan’s brow furrowed. "He trusts me that much?" Only Shen Qinian knew that he and Jiang Yuan were a fake couple; to everyone else, Xie Chengnan was a gay man. "That’s why I’m telling you to stay away," Shen Qinian grinned roguishly. "Who knows? Maybe he was hoping you’d take the opportunity to 'rob' him of his virtue yourself." Xie Chengnan remained silent. *I truly don't understand you city people...* Shen Qinian finally remembered the main issue. "Wait! A-Yuan doesn't like men. Doesn't that mean your quest is over before it even began?" "Mhm..." Xie Chengnan leaned back into his chair, looking exhausted. "Why do you think I’ve been avoiding home lately? I’m hiding from him." "Tsk." Shen Qinian mentally lit a candle for his friend. "You don't plan on telling him?" "Better not," Xie Chengnan said, frustratedly running a hand through his hair. "I can't bear to drag him into this mess, and I’m terrified he’ll hate me. We’ll just... keep things as they are for now." Shen Qinian understood. Playing a role for a while was one thing—the elite circles were full of people "playing around." But committing to a man for a lifetime was a different story. Xie Chengnan didn't care about the gossip, but he couldn't bring himself to let Jiang Yuan suffer that social stigma. "Fine, that’s your call," Shen Qinian agreed. "But what about work? You can't hide in the office forever. We have a business to run." Xie Chengnan sat up straight, his professional mask sliding back into place. "Hurry up and arrange the lab space here. I’ll personally interview the researchers this week. Have HR set it up." "Will do," Shen Qinian said. "But until the lab is ready, please go home and work. I’m counting on you for a breakthrough before we start production. If you really can't handle the temptation, I'll have Jason play the *Great Compassion Mantra* on loop for you. A few rounds of that should purify your soul." Xie Chengnan: "..." Meanwhile, in a lecture hall at Nancheng University, the "Little Ancestor" was currently spinning a pen and daydreaming through a marketing class. Zhang Siyi sat beside him, looking like a disheveled wreck from a hangover. Noticing his cousin’s dazed expression, he whispered, "Bro, what are you thinking about?" "Huh?" Jiang Yuan snapped back to reality. He was about to say "nothing," but then he remembered that his cousin was a "natural-born gay" with a long history of boyfriends. Surely he had some tactical advice. He cleared his throat and lowered his voice. "Do you know... how to turn a straight man gay?" Zhang Siyi’s eyes nearly popped out of his head, his sleepiness vanishing instantly. "Bro! You’ve changed! You used to be the one who hated cheaters the most!" Jiang Yuan froze for a second before realizing the misunderstanding. In Zhang Siyi’s eyes, he and Xie Chengnan were already a committed couple. Zhang Siyi wasn't done, his mouth running a mile a minute. "Xie Chengnan is such a catch! How can you be looking at another pot while holding your own bowl? Not only is he a genius, but that 'extra-large' asset of his is a rare find, okay?!" At this, Zhang Siyi paused, a sudden realization hitting him. He leaned in and whispered, "Wait... is Brother Xie a 'silver spear with a wax tip'? All show and no substance?" Jiang Yuan was powerless against his cousin’s ability to turn every conversation into "yellow waste." He waved him off. "I was just asking. I have no intention of giving Brother Xie a green hat." Zhang Siyi looked at him suspiciously. "Really?" "Really, really, really! More real than gold!" Jiang Yuan rolled his eyes. "I’m just curious, that’s all." "Oh, I see." Zhang Siyi rubbed his chin. "Well, that’s a deep field of study." He then opened the floodgates, transitioning from serious academic discussion to a breakdown of various "plays" and psychological tactics. Jiang Yuan listened, his face flushing and his heart racing at the sheer audacity of the suggestions. Finally, Zhang Siyi summarized: "As long as your 'routine' is deep enough, even an iron rod can be ground into a needle!" Jiang Yuan cupped his hands in a gesture of respect. He was impressed. Zhang Siyi took a sip of water. "But honestly, with your looks, bro, you could bend anyone. All those tricks are just fluff. A little wine, take off your clothes, and it’s basically a done deal." Jiang Yuan’s face went wooden. *No,* he thought. *The wine was drunk, and I did take my clothes off. The result was being rolled into a sushi roll and nearly served with wasabi.* However, Zhang Siyi’s theories gave him some inspiration. He pulled out his phone, changed his WeChat nickname, and sent a message to Xie Chengnan. **Your Baby A-Yuan:** Are you coming home for dinner tonight? **Nan:** We'll see. **Your Baby A-Yuan:** You haven't eaten with me in a whole week QAQ Watching the "kiddo" suddenly act spoiled, Xie Chengnan’s iron will crumbled instantly. He sighed and replied. **Nan:** What do you want to eat? **Your Baby A-Yuan:** Oil-braised prawns, Sweet and Sour Lychee Pork, and winter melon with ham soup~ **Nan:** Okay. **Your Baby A-Yuan:** Gege is the best~ Mwah~ Xie Chengnan stared at the word "Gege" and the "Mwah" for three full seconds. **Nan:** Is this a hacker? **Your Baby A-Yuan:** ... **Your Baby A-Yuan:** [Meme: Are you a pig?] Xie Chengnan couldn't help but let out a soft laugh at the pig emoji. After a moment, a trace of bitterness returned to his gaze. *Brother...* he thought. *That role... is actually quite nice.* **Nan:** Be good. Jiang Yuan hummed a happy tune as he looked at the message. He had heard Zhang Siyi call his boyfriends "Gege" many times, and Zhang Siyi had insisted it was a form of romantic "flavor" between couples. Before sending it, Jiang Yuan had felt a bit embarrassed, but seeing Xie Chengnan accept it so easily made him feel a secret surge of joy. The two of them clutched their phones—one with a bitter smile, the other with a silly grin—completely unaware that their thoughts had already drifted in opposite directions.