The livestream finally stretched until nine in the evening. It was only after Jiang Yuan promised the viewers that Xie Chengnan would fill in for the broadcasts until Jason was reassembled that the cheering fans finally granted them leave to go offline.
The moment the connection cut, Xie Chengnan lowered his head and rubbed his aching wrist. This small movement immediately caught Jiang Yuan’s attention.
"Don't move. I'll have Freesia take a look." Jiang Yuan frowned as he opened the door to call Freesia over, feeling a pang of self-reproach. "I should probably post a notice on Weibo to take some time off. Your hands won't be able to take it if you broadcast like this for several days."
"I'm fine." Xie Chengnan’s right hand was held by Freesia for soothing therapy, so he could only use his left arm to pull his young lover into his embrace. "I used to spend ten hours a day assembling and disassembling parts. Besides, I have King to help me. I’ll rest when I’m tired."
"Are you sure we don't need to take a break?" Jiang Yuan was still hesitant.
"Really, there's no need." Xie Chengnan pecked him lightly on the lips and chuckled softly. "It’ll be enough if General Manager Jiang gives his employee a few more benefits."
Seeing that he truly wasn't forcing himself, Jiang Yuan didn't insist further. He cupped his boyfriend's face and gave him two forceful kisses, saying nonchalantly, "There, your benefits."
Before he could finish his sentence, Xie Chengnan caught him and teased him back. The two grown men fooled around until they were flushed and breathless, and things quickly threatened to escalate.
Freesia, watching from the side, felt that her existence was truly difficult. She blinked her eyes and advised: [Given Mother's physical condition, Freesia suggests you two cool down for the time being~]
The breathless Young Master Jiang glared at Professor Xie, his eyes clearly asking: *How are your AIs all so knowledgeable?!*
Professor Xie looked innocent. Watching his young lover, who was limp in his arms but "off-limits," he felt that these days were truly a trial of endurance.
***
Friday night arrived quickly. Jiang Yuan was able to walk normally again, and his voice had mostly recovered.
When Xie Chengnan came out after his shower, he found Jiang Yuan sitting on the sofa, flipping through a thick stack of documents. Every page featured a color-printed ID photo; it clearly wasn't final exam review material.
"What are you looking at?" Xie Chengnan walked over and habitually pulled the youth onto his lap, glancing at the contents of the files.
"The executives of the Jiang Group who will be attending the annual meeting tomorrow, as well as personal profiles of the partner representatives." Jiang Yuan leaned back into his embrace, circling key points with a pen as he spoke.
The stack of documents was much thicker than a standard textbook. After accompanying him through a few pages, Xie Chengnan felt his face-blindness kicking in...
Recalling Jiang Yuan’s effortless poise at the Zhang family’s annual meeting, President Xie was once again stunned by his lover's capabilities. He turned his head and asked, "You can remember all of them?"
"Mhm." Jiang Yuan marked the pages as he flipped through them, his speed much faster than when he was reading books.
"Don't you think these people... all look more or less the same?" Professor Xie frowned, truly unable to understand how Jiang Yuan distinguished a group of people wearing similar suits and sporting similar haircuts in photos.
It was the first time Young Master Jiang had seen his boyfriend stumped by something. He found it amusing. "How can they be the same? The person before has high cheekbones and thin lips; the person after has a squarer face and drooping corners of the eyes."
No matter how specific he was, these people looked like they were cast from the same mold in Professor Xie's eyes.
Jiang Yuan asked curiously, "How do you usually distinguish between your company's employees and those partners?"
Professor Xie looked at his lover and said silently, "For employees, I only remember the senior executives I see often in meetings and the researchers in the lab. As for partners... I bring Qi Nian with me every time."
Young Master Jiang finally understood. His boyfriend wasn't exactly face-blind, but he wasn't far from it.
One could only say it was a matter of natural talent.
Since childhood, Jiang Yuan had been very good at remembering people by identifying their physical characteristics. As long as he had met someone once or twice, he basically never mistook them.
It was precisely because he had this talent that, before their relationship became strained, Jiang Kunbo would take him to every important occasion. He personally taught him how to read a person from subtle details, how to judge the relationship between two people through their manner of conversation, and then how to make good use of every piece of information he possessed.
It could be said that he was a successor hand-reared by Jiang Kunbo. Many of his ways of doing things bore Jiang Kunbo's mark, including what he was doing now—it was a task Jiang Kunbo used to assign him. Over time, it had become a habit.
At this thought, Jiang Yuan’s hand paused for a moment while flipping through the files, but he quickly resumed his normal pace. He merely tucked himself deeper into Xie Chengnan’s arms, as if he were a bit cold.
Xie Chengnan held him tighter and asked warmly, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Jiang Yuan let out a yawn. "Just a bit sleepy."
"Then go to sleep early. You can finish the rest tomorrow." Xie Chengnan knew that tomorrow night's banquet was very important to Jiang Yuan. He simply held his lover for a tender, lingering kiss before coaxing him to rest.
***
The stylist who arrived the next afternoon was the same young lady from last time.
Xie Chengnan nodded to her very politely and personally brewed a cup of tea to show his gratitude.
Jiang Yuan sat in the chair having his hair blown dry, trying his best not to notice the stylist's meaningful gaze darting back and forth between the two of them.
Before leaving, the young lady hesitated several times as if she wanted to say something. Jiang Yuan couldn't help but ask politely, "Is there something else?"
The young lady's eyes sparkled. It took her a long while to summon the courage to ask, "So, President Brother... that day, did you end up buying the cat ears or the rabbit ears?"
Jiang Yuan, suddenly confronted by a "shipper" fan: "..." *Fine, conversation over!*
The refined scoundrel standing to the side cleared his throat twice, only to be glared into silence by his boyfriend's fierce look.
The stylist could only leave with her questions unanswered, looking back every three steps.
***
The Jiang Group's annual meeting had booked the only six-star hotel in Nan City. Naturally, the red carpet at the hotel entrance was swarming with reporters sent by various mainstream media outlets.
Before getting out of the car, Jiang Yuan did one last check of his wrinkle-free formal suit and straightened Xie Chengnan’s bowtie.
Seeing him like this, Xie Chengnan couldn't help but tease, "Nervous?"
Jiang Yuan curled his lips into a smile. "Not nervous." After saying that, his expression cooled slightly. "I was just thinking about the gifts I prepared for Jiang Kunbo, Li Yan, and her son. After today, they should be able to receive them."
Xie Chengnan was somewhat puzzled but didn't ask further. He simply squeezed his lover's hand, gave him a kiss, and then led him onto the red carpet.
Unlike last time, the sudden emergence of the AI domestic robot meant that Nan Yuan Technology was no longer an obscure little company.
Consequently, Xie Chengnan—the man at the helm who truly mastered AI technology—had become the most sought-after interview subject for major news media overnight.
Seeing Xie Chengnan appearing while holding Jiang Yuan’s hand, more people shifted their focus from their same-sex romance to Xie Chengnan himself.
By the time they finished the red carpet walk, quick-handed reporters had already uploaded photos and hastily written drafts to the internet. The headlines were mostly: *Xie Chengnan, President of Nan Yuan Technology, Attends Jiang Group Annual Meeting with Same-Sex Lover.*
Jiang Yuan hadn't expected Secretary Fang to be waiting for him at the door.
"Young Master," Secretary Fang said respectfully. "The Chairman is waiting for you in the reception room ahead."
Jiang Yuan frowned and turned to look at Xie Chengnan.
Xie Chengnan squeezed his hand gently and said, "Go ahead. I'll wait for you inside."
Jiang Yuan nodded and followed Secretary Fang to the reception area.
Jiang Kunbo was sitting on the sofa in the reception room looking over documents. Seeing his younger son walk in, he nodded with a neutral expression. "Sit."
Jiang Yuan casually unbuttoned his suit jacket, walked to the opposite sofa, and sat down in a relaxed posture.
"You came in through the front entrance." Jiang Kunbo looked down and flipped through two pages of data, his tone unreadable.
"Yes," Jiang Yuan said. "I need the publicity right now."
Jiang Kunbo nodded, seemingly accepting this explanation. "Take care to protect yourself."
It was a rare scene of fatherly affection and filial piety.
Jiang Yuan lowered his eyes slightly, his gaze falling on a bottle of red wine on the table. It bore a familiar handwritten label with his name on it: *Jiang Yuan.*
"Have a taste. It's a new wine sent from your mother's vineyard." Jiang Kunbo personally poured a glass for him, though his own glass remained empty.
This vineyard had been purchased the year Jiang Yuan was born. Since then, the vineyard would brew a bottle of wine exclusively for him every year and send it to the Jiang household before the New Year.
In previous years, this bottle would be saved to be opened on New Year's Eve—a fixed program for the family of three while staying up for the countdown. The handwritten label was a rule established by his mother; she felt it gave things more of a "taste of home."
Jiang Yuan sat still, thinking that he would contact the vineyard when he got back and tell them to send those wines to his own home from now on. At the thought of that home he shared with Xie Chengnan, Jiang Yuan couldn't help but let a trace of a smile show.
"You've taken a boyfriend?" Jiang Kunbo suddenly spoke, his tone very calm.
"Yes." Jiang Yuan withdrew his smile and leaned back on the sofa with his legs crossed. "Didn't you hear it last time?" *Heard it, and didn't care at all.*
Jiang Kunbo stared into Jiang Yuan’s eyes for a moment before saying slowly, "Do you know who he is?"
"I know." Jiang Yuan understood what Jiang Kunbo wanted to ask. He tilted his head and smiled. "The god-brother my mother found for me?"
Jiang Kunbo neither denied nor confirmed it. He only cautioned, "That Xie boy has some ability. More than half of how that little company of yours turned things around so quickly is thanks to his robot." At this, Jiang Kunbo paused. "Don't blame your Auntie Li, either. Women's hearts are always a bit narrow."
Jiang Yuan nodded, though it was unclear if he was agreeing not to blame her or agreeing that women were narrow-minded.
Since he didn't speak, Jiang Kunbo continued, "I don't care if you play around with men or women, as long as you know what you're doing. This Xie boy—you can borrow his influence, but don't throw yourself into it."
"Why?" Hearing the hidden meaning in Jiang Kunbo's words, Jiang Yuan was curious about his attitude. "Is it that you don't want me to spend my life with a man, or is it just him who won't do?"
Jiang Kunbo said pointedly, "I don't object to you being with a man. It's just that he won't do."
"Why?" Jiang Yuan became even more curious.
Jiang Kunbo’s tone turned forceful. "Some things from the past—don't ask too much, and don't go looking into them. Your father won't harm you."
Jiang Yuan sneered in his heart, though his face showed no change.
Jiang Kunbo was actually satisfied with his younger son. No matter how much Jiang Yuan had acted out these past few years, he had seen the boy's abilities, and Jiang Yuan had never let him down at critical moments.
This time, after being set up by Li Yan and her son, Jiang Yuan hadn't come to him to complain. Instead, he had handled the matter cleanly and beautifully. Even Jiang Kunbo had been somewhat surprised when he saw the report the secretary sent privately.
Making a small company survive wasn't hard; being able to make that small company's value jump more than tenfold in a few days was true ability. Even if it relied on Xie Chengnan, what did that matter? Utilizing all available resources to maximize profit—that was truly Jiang Kunbo's son.
As if to compensate him, Jiang Kunbo said casually, "Since you're the one who saved that little company, it's yours now. I'll have Xiao Fang handle the procedures later. I'll also give you a real estate company for some pocket money. One of them recently opened a development in Nan City; as long as you pay back the portion funded by the parent company, all future profits will belong to you."
"Okay." Jiang Yuan nodded without saying thank you. He knew that if he got a share, Jiang Hao certainly got one too. Jiang Kunbo was merely equalizing what had been an unequal competition.
What he cared about more right now was: what exactly were the "past things" that Jiang Kunbo wouldn't let him investigate?
***
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
---|---|---
江总经理 | General Manager Jiang | A playful/formal title used between the couple.
江氏集团 | Jiang Group | The large conglomerate owned by Jiang Yuan's father.
南沅科技 | Nan Yuan Technology | Jiang Yuan's company.
江鲲博 | Jiang Kunbo | Jiang Yuan's father.
黎艳 | Li Yan | Jiang Yuan's stepmother.
方秘书 / 小方 | Secretary Fang / Xiao Fang | Jiang Kunbo's secretary.
南城 | Nan City | The setting of the story.
衣冠禽兽 | Refined scoundrel | Literally "beast in human clothing," used here to describe Xie Chengnan looking handsome but being "naughty."
