extra ko-fi chapter for szm 
Thank youuu, you made my day <3
Xu Ze went to the nursing home early the next morning. From a logical standpoint, there was no need for him to be so concerned. The private nursing home had many patients with special status and the quality of service and security had always been high. Xu Ze had seen bodyguards guarding outside some of the wards before.
Zhou Zhen had just begun his shift. After putting on his white coat, he came out of the office to do his rounds. He happened to meet Xu Ze coming out of the elevator and was slightly surprised, “What’s going on? Why are you here so early?”
“I’m bringing breakfast for Grandma.”
“The breakfast here is tailored to your grandmother’s health condition. There’s really no need to come here yourself,” Zhou Zhen smiled.
Xu Ze nodded and walked around the corner. He saw an alpha sitting on a chair and flipping through a book outside Ye Yunhua’s ward. As soon as the alpha heard footsteps, he raised his head to glance at Xu Ze before resuming his reading.
“Is the bodyguard for the next ward?” Xu Ze asked Zhou Zhen.
“Ah… yes, that’s right.”
Ye Yunhua had just finished washing up with the help of a nurse. Xu Ze put the breakfast on the table. Zhou Zhen took notes while asking Ye Yunhua if she felt uncomfortable in any way. After a short while, he said goodbye to Xu Ze and went to another ward.
“It’s time for breakfast.” Xu Ze handed the spoon to Ye Yunhua.
Ye Yunhua looked at him up and down and asked, “Are you a new nurse?”
“Mn.”
“Then let me ask you since they won’t tell me.” Ye Yunhua took Xu Ze’s hand to make him sit down, and leaned close to him, “How much does it cost to live here for a month? Is it expensive?”
“It’s not expensive,” Xu Ze replied.
“It must be expensive. When will Xiao Yuan come pick me up? Xu Ming is always out on missions. She doesn’t know how to cook, so Xu Ze is always starving when he’s with her.”
Xu Ze’s hand that was opening the lunch box paused. It had been a long time since he had heard his parents’ names from Ye Yunhua.
At this moment, he actually felt that forgetting might be a good thing. This way, Ye Yunhua wouldn’t remember that Xu Ming had died ten years ago and Qiao Yuan had died six years ago. She was still waiting for her daughter to come pick her up from the hospital and thinking about going back to cook for her grandson.
Her memory was stuck more than ten years ago, and Xu Ze was the only one left in this family who was moving forward.
“They are a bit busy, so they might not be able to come lately,” Xu Ze said in a low voice.
“How do you know? Did Xiao Yuan call you?”
“Mn, she called when you were sleeping, so I didn’t wake you up.”
“Then remember to wake me up next time, okay?”
Xu Ze stayed still, holding the lunch box lid, and forgot to put it down.
“Alright, I’ll definitely wake you up.”
The summer camp ended just two days before the start of school. Lu Heyang and He Wei got off the plane around noon and went out to eat together. Tonight was the wedding of the son of the capital’s deputy mayor—that was, Chi Jiahan’s older brother. The bride was the youngest daughter of the vice-chairman of the Union committee.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“You’re right not to go,” He Wei said, “If Chi Jiahan wasn’t the best man, I wouldn’t go either. On such occasions, we younger generation are sure to be dragged into socializing, and just thinking about it makes me annoyed.”
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Oe Lfsjcu abbx j rlq bo ifwbc kjafg klatbea rjslcu jcsatlcu.
After eating, Lu Heyang returned home to shower and rest before heading out around 3 pm. When he arrived at the auto repair shop where Xu Ze worked, he drove his car into the car wash. The car wash attendant was attentive and hospitable. He asked if Lu Heyang wanted to sit in the shop to enjoy the air conditioning and have a drink, but Lu Heyang refused.
“Where’s Xu Ze?” Lu Heyang asked.
“Oh, you’re looking for Xu Ze?” the attendant replied, putting down the water hose, “He’s in the repair shop next door. A wrecked car came in before dawn and he worked overtime till morning to fix it. He’s been swamped with work all day, and I’m not sure he’s finished with the car yet. I can go get him for you.”
“No need, I’ll go find him myself. Thank you.”
“Ah, OK.”
The repair shop was slightly noisy. Lu Heyang walked from the entrance to the innermost room, yet he didn’t see Xu Ze. Eventually, he asked one of the mechanics, who directed him to the tool room in the corner.
The semi-open tool room had no door. There was a small, dirty, and torn two-seater sofa against the wall. Xu Ze was curled up on it catching up on some sleep. The surroundings were chaotic and loud. Xu Ze was wearing the blue overalls, completely hunched over like a blob of blue paint squeezed onto a palette.
The lighting in the tool room was poor because no lights were turned on. Only a narrow beam of sunset came in through the window, lighting Xu Ze’s tired and peaceful face.
Lu Heyang looked at him and felt the sounds around him fade away and disappear.
The summer break for 17-year-old second-year high school students was short and lasted only one month, during which many things happened. Some people made decisions, while others had their destinies planned out for them. Lu Heyang couldn’t foresee the changes that were going to happen to himself and others. Everything was unknown and full of uncertainty. But when he stood in front of Xu Ze and saw him, he would regain that silence and serenity.
Xu Ze didn’t need to do anything. His mere presence could help Lu Heyang escape the realities of life and return to that small room with white curtains swaying in the breeze and the scent of gardenias in the air.
“Xu Ze, Xu Ze.”
“……” Xu Ze opened his eyes, furrowed his brow, and sat up, “Why did you come here?”
Chi Jiahan sat down beside him, “No reason.”
Xu Ze took out his phone to check the time, he had slept for a little over half an hour. He sighed in relief. He touched the suppression patch on the back of his neck and said, “I’m in rut.”
“It’s fine, I’m wearing a collar.” Chi Jiahan handed him a paper bag. “Eat something.”
“The sofa is dirty.” Xu Ze was about to get up to find a clean cardboard, “Wait a moment.”
“Go ahead and eat,” Chi Jiahan held him back, “Don’t worry about it.”
Xu Ze opened the bag and took out the snacks. He didn’t start eating but asked, “Did something happen?”
“My brother is getting married tonight.”
“…Congratulations,” Xu Ze said.
“What’s there to congratulate me for? He’s the one who should be congratulated.” Chi Jiahan slumped down, his chin resting on his knees while his fingers fiddled with his shoelaces, “My brother gave me a million and said it was a best man’s red envelope.”
“I’m really happy for him,” Chi Jiahan said these words but there was no joy on his face. He scratched the corner of his eye. “If Grandma needs money, I’ll transfer it to you.”
Anticipating Xu Ze’s inevitable refusal, Chi Jiahan added, “As a loan. I advise you to borrow it from me as soon as possible. Or my dad will freeze my card again when he finds out that my brother gave me money.”
Xu Ze whispered, “Okay.”
He understood that Chi Jiahan hadn’t come to talk about money on purpose, but had come to stay with him for a while because he was upset.
Many years ago, Ye Yunhua brought Xu Ze to the Chi family residence to bake pastries. That was when Xu Ze met Chi Jiahan, who, like him, was reserved and preferred spending time alone in his room. Ye Yunhua would always pack a small bag of freshly baked pastries for Xu Ze to secretly take to Chi Jiahan to eat.
At that time, Chi Jiahan’s parents had been divorced for half a year. His father’s former mistress came to the Chi residence with her illegitimate son, who was eight years older than Chi Jiahan, and became the legitimate Mrs. Chi.
The stepmother would toss leftovers to Chi Jiahan after the guests left. While the illegitimate brother was an alpha who would take him to the garden to swing on the swings when he came home from school.
During the summer vacation in the third year of middle school, Chi Jiahan had his first estrus on his way to the bookstore. It was Xu Ze, whom he hadn’t seen in many years, who rescued him from the hands of the alpha thugs in the alley and took him to the special support center for inhibitors.
Chi Jiahan hated alphas, and the aversion stemmed from his father and the bad guys he had encountered. The only exceptions were his brother and Xu Ze.
“I gotta go. I have to go to the hotel early to make preparations,” Chi Jiahan sighed and stood up.
Xu Ze got up after him, “It’s getting dark, so it’s not safe. I’ll see you off.”
“Don’t bother, the driver is right outside,” Chi Jiahan replied, “I’m going now.”
He wanted to smile but he couldn’t. Xu Ze looked at Chi Jiahan for a moment, then raised his hand to squeeze his shoulder.
After sending Chi Jiahan out of the auto repair shop, Xu Ze walked back. Someone called out to him, “Hey, Xu Ze, why do people keep coming to see you? Two people came here today.”
“Two?” Xu Ze stopped in his tracks.
“That’s right. There was an alpha who came earlier and left shortly after. I thought you knew.”
Xu Ze thought Lu Heyang should be returning home today as well and asked right away, “What did he look like?”
“Just… like a high school student, about your height, looks rich.”
“Okay, thanks.”
Xu Ze took out his phone and thought about sending a message to Lu Heyang to ask if something was wrong. However, considering that Lu Heyang didn’t wake him up or leave a message, he probably just came by to take a look—although Xu Ze didn’t know how Lu Heyang found out that he worked here.
The manager came out of the store next door and called Xu Ze to check his wages. Xu Ze went to his office to check the work records for the entire month. After confirming that everything was in order, he signed them.
“If you’ve finished your work, you can go home. You’ve been working hard this month, and school starts in a few days. Rest at home for a while. Your salary will be deposited into your account tomorrow morning.”
Xu Ze nodded. The manager flicked some cigarette ashes before adding, “You’re a promising kid, a quick learner, and a hard worker. You shouldn’t be in a place like this. Study hard, and when you get into university, let me know the good news, okay?”
“I will,” Xu Ze replied.
–
In the evening, once the wedding ceremony was over, Chi Jiahan vanished. He Wei navigated through the mingling and laughing guests with wine glasses in their hands, before making his way out of the banquet hall. It was situated on the highest level of the hotel, with an S-shaped swimming pool on its terrace. The transparent railing offered a clear view of the sea below. He Wei had a slight fear of heights, so he held his hand over his heart as he walked. Eventually, he spotted a familiar figure beneath a parasol in the corner.
He Wei walked down the steps around the wooden fence and discovered Chi Jiahan sitting in a chair with his back to him and gazing into the distance.
As he got closer, he could only hear Chi Jiahan crying amidst the wind within the skyscraper.
He Wei’s first reaction wasn’t to step forward to comfort him but to turn around and run away—given Chi Jiahan’s temper, if someone caught him crying in secret, he would be so angry that he would never want to see the other person again.
But in the end, He Wei didn’t run away. He would be a fool if he really did.
He calmly walked toward Chi Jiahan, but due to poor lighting, he tripped over a chair halfway and staggered for a few steps.
“Holy shit…” He Wei was scared to death. He was genuinely afraid that he wouldn’t be able to stop in time and would fall over the glass railing.
Chi Jiahan was alarmed and stopped crying. He asked, “What are you doing?”
He Wei felt comforted when he heard his tearful voice. After regaining his balance, he sat down next to Chi Jiahan and said, “Nothing, just looking for you to chat with.”
“What’s there to chat about?” Chi Jiahan sniffed.
He Wei took a handkerchief out of his chest pocket and handed it to him, “Well, we don’t have to chat. I’ll just keep you company.”
When Chi Jiahan didn’t take it, He Wei asked, “Does this mean you want me to wipe it for you?”
“Psycho,” Chi Jiahan said.
Chi Jiahan took the handkerchief and wiped his face, but the more he wiped, the more tears seemed to flow, and they couldn’t be stopped. He Wei patted Chi Jiahan’s back and then put his arm around his shoulders and said, “Our Xiao Chi, is it because your brother got married that you are so touched?”
Chi Jiahan squeezed out two words through his teeth, “Shut up.”
So He Wei shut up.
A few minutes later, Chi Jiahan’s emotions calmed down slightly. He wiped away his tears and was about to get up when the sound of footsteps echoed from the wooden floor above, close to where they were by the wooden fence. The individuals stopped there.
“The Westside project is definitely out of the question. I’ve seen the draft bidding proposal, and the conditions are tailored for the Gu family.”
This voice was familiar to He Wei, it was Wei Lingzhou, Lu Heyang’s brother-in-law.
“Then the connection between the Westside and the port will be completely cut off, tsk.”
Chi Jiahan’s eyes widened, he leaned into He Wei’s ear and whispered, “It’s Tang Feiyi.”
He Wei lowered his head to look at him. He was a little surprised at how Chi Jiahan knew about Tang Feiyi. However, he quickly realized that Chi Jiahan must have some knowledge about the club’s affairs since he was friends with Xu Ze.
“You are the Chairman’s son-in-law…” Tang Feiyi laughed, “Even with such an advantage, they didn’t give it to you.”
“When Lu Chengyu was running for office, the Gu family provided a lot of money along the way. Their cooperation started over 20 years ago. You should know that.” Wei Lingzhou scoffed, “Besides, now that they’ve found out about my connection with you, how could they still give me the project? The city government is not that stupid.”
“This matter can’t be undone. You should clean up the Westside as soon as possible. Since it’s already been targeted, just behave yourself.”
It was the voice of the third person. He Wei frowned—it was He Yu.
Not long ago, Lu Heyang told him that Xu Ze had seen He Yu at the club. At that time, the summer camp had not yet ended, and He Wei planned to ask He Yu about it when he returned. He even thought that he would ask after the wedding, but he didn’t expect to overhear him with Tang Feiyi and Wei Lingzhou here.
Author’s note:
Xu Ze’s trademark healing station
(This time Xu Ze’s rut will not be wasted, ok)
Is it a hot scene? 🥵 🔥 Lmao
Nooo! Leave Gu Yunchi alone .·°՞(≧□≦)՞°·.
Awww, everyone coming to Xu Ze for healing 🥺🤲🏻 But who will heal him
Oh no, is tang feiyi targeting lu heyang’s bodyguards to get something out of him?
I replied in the wrong chapter ;__;