Chapter 93: Ye Zeqian
Halfway through breakfast, General Manager Ye suddenly set down his porcelain spoon with a sharp clack. Yes, he was still having congee today, but that wasn’t the point.
“You’re making fun of me?” he said. He finally understood that he was the joke in that so-called joke.
“Hahaha…” Li Dong tried to hold back a laugh but still sucked in a sharp breath. “Hiss…” He quickly covered his face, pressing a hand over the three or four band-aids on his cheek, it hurt.
“You…” Ye Zeqian frowned. “You know your face is hurt, yet you still make such a fuss.”
“Mm, you’re right to scold me,” Li Dong said.
Ye Zeqian didn’t reply. He finished eating in a hurry, earning a puzzled look from Li Dong. What was he up to now?
“Take your time,” Ye Zeqian said, getting up and gesturing toward him. “I’m going to buy something. I’ll be back soon.”
“Oh, go ahead.” Li Dong lifted his head and watched him leave. Ye Zeqian’s back was long and slender; compared to most men, his build looked on the thinner side.
But that was deceiving, Ye Zeqian only looked slim in clothes. Underneath, he had a surprisingly toned, solid body that fit perfectly in Li Dong’s arms.
The young, refined newlywed, no, married man, walked into an elegant teahouse, his handsome features drawing plenty of eyes.
Single men and women alike followed his figure with their gaze. When they saw him walk toward an even more striking man, their hearts gave a jolt. Two men like that together? Either they were close friends or lovers.
“You’re back,” Li Dong said, putting down the towel he’d been drying his hands with. He picked up his chopsticks and lifted a dim sum bite to his mouth.
“You haven’t eaten your fill yet.” Ye Zeqian sat down beside him and took out the medicine he’d just bought from a plastic bag. “Don’t move. Let me spray your wound properly this time.” Earlier that morning, Li Dong had just washed his face and slapped on band-aids without much care.
“Thanks.” Li Dong turned his face over, convenient for Ye Zeqian to work. “It’s really nothing, just a few scratches.” What was serious was his back. When he’d showered that morning and caught sight of it in the mirror, the crisscross of scratches had made him, shamefully, hard again.
“Ahem.” Ye Zeqian’s face flushed. “I’ll be more careful next time.”
“It’s fine,” Li Dong said. “Just trim your nails shorter. There’s no need to hold back when things get exciting.”
Ye Zeqian pinched Li Dong’s ear gently. It didn’t hurt.
The newlyweds sat close, voices low, no one nearby could make out what they were saying.
They only looked like a pair being affectionate.
By the time they reached the office building, they were, technically, late. Fortunately, the halls were nearly empty. Li Dong pulled Ye Zeqian into the elevator with him.
“There aren’t many people. You can bear it,” Li Dong murmured, pinning General Manager Ye to a corner of the elevator just like yesterday, teasing him with a smirk. “Hmm? If you feel dizzy again, just kiss me.”
There were two women and one man inside, all staring at them.
General Manager Ye wasn’t a stranger here. He was the office heartthrob. Nearly 80% of the building’s employees knew who he was.
Among them, several secretly smitten female office workers felt their hearts shatter into glittering dust. Their ideal husband was blushing in another man’s arms.
A moment later, their eyes glazed over. Because the man holding General Manager Ye, how could anyone be that handsome?
Suddenly, they thought: if the general manager was with this kind of man, that was better than marrying some socialite heiress any day.
“I’m a little dizzy,” Ye Zeqian murmured, leaning his forehead against Li Dong’s shoulder, a convenient way to hide from the staring eyes around them.
He knew people would be shocked to learn he and Xu Chaoyan were married. But so what?
“It’s fine,” Li Dong whispered, brushing a quick kiss over his lips. That brief brush of tongues sent a shock up the spine, an instant cure for dizziness.
Before Ye Zeqian knew it, he’d followed his “husband” all the way up to the twenty-ninth floor again.
“Ah, I forgot again,” Li Dong said with a rueful sigh.
“It’s fine. I’ll go down myself,” Ye Zeqian said. He didn’t want to look too clingy or spoiled in front of Li Dong.
“I’ll walk you,” Li Dong said, pulling him toward the stairs. “Might as well see your company’s floor and get familiar.”
And just like that, Ye Zeqian forgot whatever pride he’d been trying to maintain, quietly following him down the stairs.
“Are all married couples like this?” he asked, glancing at their still-joined hands as they walked.
“I wouldn’t know,” Li Dong said. “Why do you ask?”
“Feels like I’ve known you for a long time,” Ye Zeqian said softly.
“What a coincidence,” Li Dong smiled. “I feel the same.”
They reached the next floor quickly.
The twenty-eighth floor, Ye Group Real Estate. The current general manager: Ye Zeqian.
The moment they stepped inside, the lavish décor spoke for itself. The receptionists at the front desk were some of the most beautiful in the entire building.
Seeing the two men walk in one after another, the receptionists straightened immediately.
“Good morning, General Manager. Good morning, sir.”
Ye Zeqian gave a polite nod and paused. “This is President Xu Chaoyan of Xinyi Corporation.”
The receptionists’ eyes went wide. “Good morning, President Xu.”
Xinyi’s president, also known as the Xu family’s young master, and the city’s most eligible bachelor.
“I’ll be hosting a wedding with him soon,” Ye Zeqian added calmly.
He and Li Dong continued inside, leaving behind two dazzling silhouettes.
The prettiest receptionist stared blankly. “Did the general manager just say… wedding?”
“He did,” another said, looking dazed. “He’s marrying President Xu of Xinyi.”
Throughout the office, employees froze in place when the two passed by. Normally, seeing the general manager come in was the highlight of their morning but today, there were two of them.
The man beside the general manager was in a fitted suit, young and elegant, yet built like an athlete. It was an unfair combination.
“Good morning, General Manager.”
“Good morning, sir.”
Ye Zeqian usually handled the daily greetings with practiced calm. Today, though, he felt a little self-conscious. “Morning.” Would it sound too deliberate if he introduced the man next to him as his husband?
“Morning, everyone.” Li Dong’s voice came smoothly beside his ear. “Do you usually hold a morning meeting here?”
The company didn’t, actually.
“Oh, I’ll have the secretary arrange one,” Ye Zeqian said, leading Li Dong into his office.
The space was neat and tastefully designed, every decoration placed with meticulous care.
Few people would take the time to notice the quiet stories hidden in an office’s details, but Li Dong did.
Ye Zeqian’s eyes followed him as he moved through the room. “You know,” he said, “when I told you I was planning to renovate my office, that was a lie.” The place was already perfect, every inch exactly as he liked it.
“So you were flirting with me,” Li Dong said, turning back with a faint grin.
“Who was flirting with whom?” Ye Zeqian leaned back in his chair, twirling a pen between his fingers. “I don’t think I’m that good at chasing people. How could I have caught you in a few days?”
Now that he thought about it, everything that had happened seemed orchestrated by the man in front of him. The realization made his heart uneasy, but what could he do?
“Do I sound that scheming to you?” Li Dong set down a small ornament and stepped closer.
Their lips were still one centimeter from touching when knocking sounded at the door. “General Manager, everyone’s here. Should we start the meeting?” came the secretary’s voice from outside.
Once the bow was drawn, no turning back.
Li Dong ignored everything, pressing forward to claim his kiss.
“General Manager?” the secretary called again. “Everyone’s ready. Do we start the meeting?”
Ye Zeqian had heard her, but he couldn’t move. “Chaoyan…” he gasped. The moment Li Dong pinned him in place, his heart had erupted, leaving him weak all over.
He gripped the armrest hard.
What was happening to him…
Married to a man, being a man himself, and yet he kept wanting to lean closer. The thought scared him more than he cared to admit.
Two whole minutes later, Li Dong finally released him. “Go. You’ve got a meeting.”
“A… meeting?” Ye Zeqian blinked hazily. “What meeting?” It took him half a minute to remember, and then his face flushed scarlet. “Right… I know.”
Li Dong accompanied him to the door but left after showing his face.
When the conference room door closed, inside was terrifyingly quiet because of their general manager’s sudden silence.
Three minutes passed. It was the longest three minutes in the company’s history.
Even during their worst-performing month, meetings had never felt this suffocating.
Everyone braced themselves, waiting for the general manager to scold someone.
Instead, he said, “Alright, dismissed.”
Every executive stared, stunned. Honestly, he was more confused than anyone.
But he truly didn’t feel like talking or doing anything else.
Back in his office, Ye Zeqian slumped forward onto his desk, then picked up his phone and opened his husband’s chat window. What are you doing for lunch?
They were obviously going to eat together, right?
Done with your meeting so fast? Li Dong replied. I’ll come down after ours finishes.
Are you busy right now? Ye Zeqian asked.
Yeah, we’re in a meeting too, Li Dong answered.
Then I won’t bother you, Ye Zeqian typed and, betraying himself, added a smiling emoji.
Li Dong snorted. That man never smiled; he wasn’t fooling anyone.
When no further reply came, Ye Zeqian backed out of the chat, feeling restless. He opened a search engine and typed: newlyweds, mood swings, unable to focus at work.
The first result, posted a week ago, caught his eye:
Topic: “Just got married and want to have sex every day, what do I do?”
User A: “Totally normal, bro. The spark will fade soon enough. Don’t worry, it doesn’t last forever.”
User B: “Enjoy it while it lasts. I’m thirty, and when my spouse and I first got married, we did it nonstop. Six months later, it’s gone. Now it’s like… left hand touching right hand.”
User C: “All passion turns to routine eventually. After a while, you won’t even get turned on when your partner’s standing right there.”
User D: “Wow, that’s depressing. Honestly, once a month sounds fine to me.”
User N: “Glad to know it’s not just me. I thought I was broken. These days I just fantasize about younger guys and celebrities.”
And just like that, General Manager Ye stumbled upon an entirely new world, one full of sights he hadn’t exactly wanted to see.
Author’s Note:
【That forum thread is real. Marriage sounds terrifying.】
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