Chapter Eighty-Eight

"Not bad, Xiao Zhou," Yi Xiaoyu said with a laugh. "It hasn't been long, and Xiao You has already begun to accept you."

"Brother Xiao has given me too much credit. It wasn't that easy. I camped outside Xiao You's door for three days and three nights before I could barely get in for a sip of water."

"That still counts as progress. As long as you don't rush things and don't use any underhanded tricks to pursue Xiao You, I can't say whether he'll end up liking you, but at the very least, the hatred he feels for you will fade bit by bit."

"Mm, that's what I think too. I'll keep pursuing him. No matter how many years it takes, I'm willing. Even if he ends up m-married to someone else someday, I'll still bless him..."

"Come off it. Bless him?" You Laoda calmly punctured his boast. "If you don't tear the two of them apart, that'll already be impressive."

"Boss, I really have changed. I'll make Xiao You see that I'm sincere."

"Don't listen to his nonsense," Yi Xiaoyu comforted Xiao Zhou. "I support you. But tell me, why did you suddenly want to treat us to dinner?"

"I wanted to ask Xiao You out, so..."

"You didn't have the nerve to ask him yourself, so you wanted to borrow our connection with Xiao You?" You Laoda was still irritated that Xiao Zhou had interrupted his 'good deed.' "Don't even think abou—mmph."

With a calm sweep of his hand, Yi Xiaoyu slapped the back of You Laoda's nose.

"All right. But let me say this first: if Xiao You doesn't want to, you're not allowed to force it."

Xiao Zhou looked like he was about to cry. "What do I have to do to make you believe I've really changed for good?"

The meal went very smoothly. Chu You had indeed come out because of Yi Xiaoyu and You, after all, one of them was his benefactor and the other was his supervisor at his internship company.

After dinner, Xiao Zhou drove Chu You back.

He took him straight to the entrance of the apartment building, then carefully asked if he could go in for a sip of water.

Xiao You agreed.

After drinking the water, Xiao Zhou still couldn't bear to leave. He sat on the sofa, gazing longingly at Chu You as he moved back and forth, and finally asked in a low voice, "Do you still... hate me a lot?"

Chu You stopped walking. He looked at Xiao Zhou with a very calm gaze. "Yes."

Xiao Zhou pressed his lips together. "T-then... go to bed early. Don't stay up." Saying that, he picked up the coat from the sofa and rose to leave.

The moment he turned around, Chu You saw that Xiao Zhou's eyes were slightly red.

By the time Xiao Zhou reached the door, Chu You's voice suddenly came from behind him.

"It's just not as much as before."

Xiao Zhou whipped around. His voice shook with excitement, and even his words caught in his throat. "Then can I... take a shower at your place?"

Yi Xiaoyu didn't like the smell of smoke, so every time You Laoda smoked, he would do it outside, leaning against the wall, and only go back in after finishing one cigarette.

He had just taken the last drag when he was about to turn back inside, only to see the door to Chu You's apartment on the same corridor suddenly fly open, and Xiao Zhou was violently shoved out from within.

With a bang, the door slammed shut.

"I'm joking, I'm joking!" Xiao Zhou pounded on Chu You's door in utter remorse. "I didn't mean showering in the way you're thinking! Don't be mad at me, please don't be mad at me! Xiao You, listen to my explanation!"

"Oh? Kicked out already?" You Laoda said with a laugh. "You've barely gotten anywhere and you're already thinking about showering at his place. No wonder he'd take it the wrong way."

Xiao Zhou felt like banging his head against the wall. "Then was all my effort before wasted?"

"Naturally."

"What do I do now?"

"Easy. Camp outside the door for the night."

You Yi was clearly toying with Xiao Zhou on purpose. He had always held a grudge over the lousy advice Xiao Zhou once gave him. If Xiao Zhou hadn't pretended to be some love expert and offered his brilliant plan back then, he wouldn't have nearly ended up in a divorce fight with his wife.

As expected, Xiao Zhou really did squat outside the door. After a while, he knocked on it. "Xiao You, if you won't forgive me, then I'll stay here all night."

In the middle of the night, Chu You opened the door and looked at Xiao Zhou, who was leaning against the wall and had already fallen asleep. His expression was complicated. After a long while, he lifted a foot and gave Xiao Zhou a nudge.

Xiao Zhou woke groggily. The moment he saw Chu You, all traces of sleep vanished. He sprang up from the floor at once. "X-Xiao You, I... I..."

After sleeping there, Xiao Zhou had already forgotten why he had been sitting outside in the first place. He stammered for a long time and still couldn't manage a complete sentence.

"Do you know you've already been disturbing my normal life?" Chu You said without expression.

Xiao Zhou kept his eyes lowered. "I... I'll just stay here. I... I won't disturb you. If you find it annoying, you can pretend you didn't see me. I... I'll just sit here and do nothing." By the end, his voice had grown quieter and quieter, and then he suddenly sneezed.

"Come in," Chu You let out a long breath and said淡淡ly, "but you can only sleep on the sofa."

Xiao Zhou nodded frantically. "Even if you made me sleep on the floor, I'd be willing."

This was nearly the most excited Xiao Zhou had been since Chu You's supposed death. As long as he could speak to the man before him in peace, as long as he was no longer rejected and hated by him, he did not care how much he had to give.

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You Laoda could no longer sleep until naturally waking as leisurely as before. Since fully taking over the company Old Master had handed to him, he had begun to follow the routine Yi Xiaoyu once kept.

Yi Xiaoyu had also started handling several important investments, advancing side by side with You Laoda.

In their free time, Yi Xiaoyu and You Yi would take Brother Cong and Tangyuan out for walks around the apartments near the place they lived.

The two sat on a bench, enjoying a brief moment of peace after their busy days, just like any other couple.

You Laoda had Yi Xiaoyu in his arms, Yi Xiaoyu's head tilted against his shoulder. Brother Cong lay beside their legs, tongue out, licking the top of Tangyuan's head, while Tangyuan slept soundly with its eyes closed.

A soft breeze drifted by, carrying a faint fragrance of flowers. You Laoda drew in a deep breath, then turned and kissed Yi Xiaoyu's hair.

"Xiaoyu, I like you."

Yi Xiaoyu smiled.

"I've always known."