Special Episode One: Yiyu versus You Hanzhe

Yi Yu gradually began taking over his father Yi Dongjun’s company, driven by the innate ambition of a man and a tireless hunger to forge ahead—for himself, and also to prove to his elder brother Yi Xiaoyu that he was more than capable.

Though Yi Yu was only in his early twenties, his business acumen was no less keen than Yi Xiaoyu’s. In truth, compared with Yi Xiaoyu, who had already spent several years cutting his way through the marketplace, Yi Yu’s passion for his career burned even hotter.

A few newly secured partnerships had given the company hope of climbing to another level within less than a year. Yi Yu was happy, of course, but he also felt the exhaustion in full measure—body tired, heart tired.

He and You Hanze had not seen each other for three or four months. Though they spoke constantly by phone during that time, the ache of not being able to see or touch one another was still hard for Yi Yu to bear.

“Wait two more days. Once I’m done here, I’ll come find you,” You Hanze said softly over the phone. “When this project is finished, I’ll have a very long vacation, and I’ll spend all of it with you.”

Yi Yu was still working overtime. Head tilted, phone pinned between his shoulder and cheek, he kept typing on the computer as he replied in a soft, aggrieved tone, “When you come back this time, you have to make it up to me properly. You have no idea how much I miss you.”

“I miss you too.”

Yi Yu stopped working, leaning back lazily. “Then tell me—how much do you miss me?”

You Hanze seemed to genuinely consider the question. After a few seconds of silence, his solemn voice came through the line. “The kind of missing that’s very intense.”

“Oh?” Yi Yu dragged out the syllable with mischief, then said with a low laugh, “I mean the kind where I’d like to keep you so thoroughly you’d never be able to leave my side for the rest of your life.”

Perhaps to ease the awkwardness, You Hanze coughed lightly on the other end of the line. “My flight is Friday morning this week. Wait for me.”

“Mm. Then I’ll give myself a day off in advance. Hehe. I’ll save up my energy and keep you busy all night without letting you rest.”

“...Still, it would be better to exercise some restraint.”

They chatted for nearly half an hour. Yi Yu asked about every little detail of You Hanze’s recent private life, and You Hanze, for his part, hid nothing at all. No matter what Yi Yu asked, he answered truthfully.

Even the most ordinary topics could keep them talking for a long time, as though what mattered was not the content of the conversation, but the comfort of hearing each other’s voices and imagining the other person right beside them.

“By the way, Hanze, at my dinner engagement last night, the other party was the boss of a foreign company,” Yi Yu said with a knowing smile. “In his early thirties, handsome, cultured, and very witty. I heard he has a whole flock of young girls at his company wrapped around his finger, but unfortunately he doesn’t think much of them. Guess why?”

“Hm?”

“Because he’s gay too, just like us. Hahaha...”

“Mm.” You Hanze gave a brief response, but his voice had clearly dropped several degrees.

“That handsome guy asked me to dinner tomorrow night,” Yi Yu went on. “Hanze, do you think I should go?”

“He’s interested in you.” You Hanze saw through it in an instant. His voice grew noticeably more urgent. “Xiaoyu, he’s trying to pursue you.”

“Huh?” Yi Yu gave a low laugh, though he sounded troubled. “But I already agreed. Our company has a business partnership with him, so it wouldn’t be good to turn him down all of a sudden, would it?”

“You have a point.”

“...So that means I should go, then,” Yi Yu asked in a chilly voice. “You won’t be jealous, will you?”

You Hanze did not answer directly. “I shouldn’t interfere with your normal social life.”

Yi Yu tightened his hand, forcing a smile that never reached his eyes. “Is that so? Thank you, President You, for being so magnanimous. I still have work to do. Bye.”

With that, Yi Yu hung up.

A little annoyed with himself, he knew his little test had been childish, but You Hanze’s calm indifference toward who he dated really set him on edge.

He would have preferred for that man to get angry when he heard he was dining with someone else.

Afterward, You Hanze called twice more, and Yi Yu did not answer either time. In the end, You Hanze sent him a message with only two simple lines: Don’t be angry with me. I miss you very much.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Yi Yu muttered, looking at the message with a pout. “It doesn’t even follow.”

The message eased his annoyance somewhat, but Yi Yu replied with only one word: Okay.

The next evening, Yi Yu went to meet the business partner.

The two of them were in a Western restaurant. They first talked for more than ten minutes about cooperation, then drifted into hobbies and personal interests. Yi Yu was somewhat distracted. No matter how handsome and refined the man in front of him was, no matter how well he fit the type of prey he had once preferred, Yi Yu could not summon even a trace of passion.

Then You Hanze walked into the restaurant.

Yi Yu’s seat faced the entrance. One accidental glance was enough for him to nearly spring from his chair.

You Hanze!

Damn it—wasn’t he... wasn’t he abroad?

You Hanze saw Yi Yu too. He smiled at him, and that faint, restrained smile seemed to carry some unsaid longing. Yi Yu looked at him and nearly lunged over to hold him tightly.

You Hanze took a seat a few meters away from Yi Yu and ordered only a glass of milk.

Yi Yu no longer had any mind to speak with the man in front of him, but he also did not want the man to realize he was merely humoring him. So halfway through the meal, he slipped a text to You Hanze under the table, telling him to call his phone at once.

You Hanze did as he was told.

After answering the call, Yi Yu made up a tangled excuse on the spot, then rose with a look of apology and said to the man, “I’m terribly sorry, something’s come up at my company and I have to go back and handle it.”

The man clearly believed him and even escorted Yi Yu out of the restaurant.

Yi Yu drove to an intersection and stopped, then called You Hanze.

Not long after, You Hanze’s car arrived as well. He handed the car over to his driver, then got into Yi Yu’s.

The moment he was in the car, Yi Yu cupped his face and kissed him in a passionate frenzy.

You Hanze was kissed breathless by Yi Yu, yet he still held him and answered him patiently.

Yi Yu drove back to the apartment where he lived. The instant they stepped through the door, he scooped You Hanze up and strode toward the bedroom, then pressed him down hard onto the bed.

“You came back early and didn’t even tell me,” Yi Yu complained, though excitement still shone unabashedly on his face.

You Hanze stroked his cheek and said softly, “You were out on a date with another man. I couldn’t feel at ease.”

Yi Yu froze, and at once his heart turned warm. “Just because of that?”

“And also,” You Hanze said, lifting his head to kiss the corner of Yi Yu’s lips, “I miss you very much.”

Yi Yu’s eyes reddened at once. He hastily began tugging at You Hanze’s clothes and said urgently, “Me too. I’ve been missing you so much I’m almost going crazy.”

The next morning, Yi Yu was still lazing in bed, while You Hanze, who was used to rising early, was already busy making breakfast in the kitchen.

After washing up, Yi Yu shuffled to the kitchen doorway in slippers and finally leaned lazily against the frame with his arms folded, gazing obsessively at the figure moving about inside.

You Hanze wore a thin linen shirt, the sleeves rolled to his elbows, with an apron tied in front. His movements were practiced and efficient as he sliced a bundle of fresh, tender baby greens.

Thinking of the way You Hanze looked in a suit—cold, sharp, and immaculate—then seeing the softness and domestic warmth of him now, Yi Yu felt as though his whole body were bathed in gentle light. From the tips of his hair to every cell in his being, everything grew wonderfully light and comfortable.

He truly wished he could stick a label on You Hanze that said, Yi Yu Exclusive.

Yi Yu came up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist, pressing his face against You Hanze’s back. In a coaxing, teasing tone, he said, “You can cook and warm the bed. Uncle is really the perfect home companion.”

You Hanze let him cling like that, not pausing in his work. Only the corner of his mouth lifted slightly, making him all the more captivating in the morning light.

Yi Yu turned You Hanze’s shoulder and burrowed himself into his embrace like a spoiled child. “Uncle, hold me. Give me a morning hug.”

You Hanze petted his hair indulgently, and with the other hand encircled Yi Yu’s waist, drawing him into his arms.

Yi Yu puckered his lips. “I want a morning kiss too.”

You Hanze smiled. “All right.”