Keztranslations

Chapter 32

　　”Eh …” Chai ManMan said, “You might have a misunderstanding about long distance relationships.”

　　Tong Yan listlessly continued to memorize argumentative essay snippets, and Chai ManMan said, “Well, if your alpha isn’t home, can’t you stay in the school dorm at night?”

　　This was a problem, Tong Yan put down his book and began to think.

　　Chai ManMan continued, “If you stay in the dorm, we can have dinner together today. It just so happens that you haven’t participated in our group activities yet.”

　　That morning, Zhuo Xiang Ming had asked him if he was going to Lin Yue Hua’s home or his dad’s home. Tong Yan couldn’t decide on the spot. If he went back to his family home, Tong Li Qin and Tong Yang were away often, so it would be no different than living in his and Zhuo Xiang Ming’s home, and Zhuo Xiang Ming would still worry. But, going to Lin Yue Hua’s home, without Zhuo Xiang Ming to accompany him, felt a little awkward.

　　Now, his classmate Chai ManMan provided a new option, Tong Yan said: “Hmm, living in the dorm…I’ll do it.”

　　He pulled out his phone to text the news to Zhuo Xiang Ming, but he was probably very busy, because he didn’t reply.

　　During lunch break, Tong Yan had just brushed his teeth and reclined on the bed when Zhuo Xiang Ming sent a video call request. He picked up his headphones from the foot of the bed and put it on, Zhuo Xiang Ming’s face appearing on the screen: “Tong Tong.”

　　Tong Yan beamed: “Brother.”

　　Zhuo Xiang Ming asked: “Are you going to sleep?”

　　Tong Yan: “Not yet.”

　　Zhuo Xiang Ming was in an office, behind him was a file cabinet. He was meticulously dressed in a suit. Tong Yan also sat up, seating against the wall and hugging his knees, arranging his somewhat messy hair in front of the webcam.

　　Zhuo Xiang Ming: “Are your roommates there?”

　　Tong Yan: “One is here, the other two haven’t come back. The lunch break bell will ring in about eighteen minutes.”

　　”Ok, what did you eat for lunch?” Zhuo Xiang Ming asked.

　　Tong Yan: “Some fish, spinach, corn, rice, and a bowl of soup.”

　　”Okay.” Zhuo Xiang Ming said again.

　　He didn’t seem to have much to talk about, in fact, Tong Yan also didn’t have much to say, but he didn’t want to hang up.

　　The morning separation was very rushed, so all morning, he only thought about Zhuo Xiang Ming.

　　If he was the only one in the dormitory, Tong Yan would definitely tell Zhuo Xiang Ming this fact, but with his classmate present, he could only rest his chin on his knee, silently looking at Zhuo Xiang Ming.

　　”Oh right.” Tong Yan finally thought of something, “I’m staying in the dorm tonight, did you see my message?”

　　”I just saw it. I’ve been in a meeting all morning; I didn’t bring my cell phone.” Zhuo Xiang Ming said.

　　Tong Yan had guessed this, saying, “You’ve worked hard.”

　　Zhuo Xiang Ming asked: “You’ll stay in the school tonight, but what about tomorrow?”

　　Tong Yan thought for a moment, then said, “I don’t know … I’ll figure it out tomorrow.”

　　”Do you have everything you need at school? Is it inconvenient?” Zhuo Xiang Ming habitually tapped the table with his index finger, saying, “Don’t be afraid to go home, someone will pick you up. Plus, my mom has some free time recently.”

　　Zhuo Xiang Ming seemed to be very focused during the video call with Tong Yan. His phone should be on a stand. He had both hands on the table, and was sitting upright, like he was in the middle of a video conference.

　　He looked so proper, serious and upright, but Tong Yan recalled the kiss that morning. It was fierce, hard, and intense.

　　”Tong Tong?”

　　”Oh …” Tong Yan shrank himself a bit, trying in vain to hide his slightly flushed face with his knees, “No need, Chai ManMan said that I can join in a group event. The new round just started on Wednesday, and I can eat dinner with them tonight.”

　　Chai ManMan … Zhuo Xiang Ming’s attention strayed, failing to notice Tong Yan’s quietly burning face. He’d suddenly realized that that name came out of Tong Yan’s mouth quite often.

　　Perhaps because the other person was a girl and a beta, he didn’t pay much attention to her before. But she was the same age as Tong Yan, and the two were desk-mates. It also looked like they had a good relationship… But this thought only appeared for a split second, Zhuo Xiang Ming didn’t let it occupy his mind too much.

　　Apart from feeling embarrassed, Tong Yan was also afraid that Zhuo Xiang Ming would be worried about him being “miserable” in school, so he added: “I haven’t lived in a dorm for a long time, it’s quite interesting.”

　　Hearing this, Zhuo Xiang Ming raised his eyebrows slightly, giving a meaningful hum, Tong Yan smiled: “Did I make you go on a business trip?”

　　Zhuo Xiang Ming also smiled, saying, “Okay, rest well.”

　　Tong Yan didn’t reply, he clasped his phone in his hands and leaned closer, staring at Zhuo Xiang Ming for a moment. Zhuo Xiang Ming also looked at him.

　　The boy wore a pure black sweatshirt today, making his neck appear even more slender and fair. His face was very small, and it looked even smaller so close to the phone screen.

　　His eyes first fell on Tong Yan’s somewhat red lips, then the sunlight hit his profile, highlighting the pale blue blood vessels and his fine, silky hair. This all made Tong Yan look like a harmless and pure small animal. Zhuo Xiang Ming couldn’t help but think once more, Tong Yan was so beautiful, it’s impossible for him to be the only person who liked him.

　　Plus, who else was most likely to like Tong Yan? The classmates closest to him, after getting along, they would find that Tong Yan was not only good-looking, he also had a good personality, very kind and polite. Although academic performance wasn’t very important when forming friendships between high-school students, Tong Yan’s grades would also be a plus.

　　From this point of view, whether it was boys or girls, alphas or betas, all were possibilities. Zhuo Xiang Ming felt a sudden mounting crisis.

　　Fortunately, his denseness finally successfully joined up with Tong Yan. When he saw the boy anxiously waiting on the screen, he offhandedly asked, “Why’s your face so red?”

　　Tong Yan blinked, still quietly watching him. Zhuo Xiang Ming’s voice softened a lot as he asked: “You don’t want to sleep?”

　　”I do, but you haven’t told me …” Because his classmate was present, Tong Yan only spoke vaguely, and in a very quiet voice.

　　Zhuo Xiang Ming looked at him gently: “Take care of yourself at school. Wait for me to come back, I’ll try to get back as soon as possible.”

　　Tong Yan tilted sideways, lying down on the bed as he nodded at him. Zhuo Xiang Ming added, “I’ll miss you.”

　　Tong Yan finally heard what he wanted to hear. He pursed his mouth in a smile, looking away. He turned back after a while, but he didn’t look at Zhuo Xiang Ming, his ears and face reddening.

　　He got shy very easily, but he was often franker than anyone. Zhuo Xiang Ming loved his shy appearance, and he also loved his frank moments. Every side of him was cute, cute and genuine, the many aspects added up to form Tong Yan, the person Zhuo Xiang Ming could never reject.

　　Zhuo Xiang Ming had already noticed that his life changed when Tong Yan arrived, but the love was so intense and the change was so profound that he sometimes wasn’t sure whether that change was good or bad.

　　But at this moment, because his classmate was in the room, Tong Yan couldn’t say anything cute. He could only pucker his lips at the screen, silently kissing him. Although he was shy, he still faced the screen, his two fox-like eyes looking at him, reluctance to part and love all very clear inside. Seeing this, Zhuo Xiang Ming again felt that the change wasn’t such a big deal.

　　Their parting imminent, Zhuo Xiang Ming only wanted to make Tong Yan happy. Going along with him, he talked a lot of sweet nothings one-sidedly. When Tong Yan felt sleepy, they ended the video call.

　　That evening, Tong Yan ate dinner with the students in the group. After attending self-study and participating in the group activities, he called Zhuo Xiang Ming. Zhuo Xiang Ming had already landed. When he picked up the call, he had just stepped out of the bathroom. The school management was quite strict, the two couldn’t talk for long before it was time for Tong Yan to take a bath and go to bed.

　　There was a parent-teacher conference on Saturday morning. When Tong Li Qin came, he found out that Zhuo Xiang Ming wasn’t home, and Tong Yan had been living at school these past few days.

　　The parent-teacher conference came to a close. The students walked out with their parents, Tong Yan and Tong Li Qin included.

　　”Why didn’t you tell me? If he’s not here, you should’ve come home. Didn’t I tell you last time that I’m not very busy recently, you …” Tong Li Qin was really upset, so his tone was quite serious.

　　Tong Yan didn’t think about it before, but he suddenly understood, explaining: “My classmates persuaded me to stay. We can play together if I live in the dorms. There are a lot of after school activities, but I’ve always been a day student, so I couldn’t join. I just wanted to take this chance to join in.”

　　It was true that Tong Yan was unlikely to immediately think of finding him when something came up. In the end, the blame couldn’t be placed on Tong Yan. Tong Li Qin sighed, “What about the weekend? Is he coming back?”

　　Tong Yan shook his head: “I don’t know yet.”

　　The father and son returned home. Tong Yan felt that Tong Li Qin seemed to frequently mention Zhuo Xiang Ming, but he couldn’t be sure if his own guilty conscience was making him feel that way.

　　He wanted to ask Zhuo Xiang Ming if he should tell Tong Li Qin about the two of them, but after thinking about it, he always felt that this was a very important matter, so Tong Yan didn’t want to talk about it on the phone.

　　It was one thing to date, it’s another thing to lay your cards on the table before both parents.

　　Tong Yan was very confident in Zhuo Xiang Ming’s love for him, but it may be because of Zhuo Xiang Ming’s previous celibacy, but Tong Yan was slightly sensitive to these kinds of things that bordered on commitment. But he still couldn’t help but think about it. He really wanted to make it clear, but he also thought he should be a bit cooler, and the action of always chasing after your lover to get him to “make it clear” didn’t seem very cool to Tong Yan.

　　Although Zhuo Xiang Ming liked him, it didn’t resemble his style of always repeating “I like you” and “I miss you”.

　　Tong Yan liked Zhuo Xiang Ming, and he also idolized Zhuo Xiang Ming. Naturally, he felt that Zhuo Xiang Ming was very cool, unfortunately, that didn’t match well with his own personality. Looking at Zhuo Xiang Ming’s face and listening to his voice, Tong Yan couldn’t help but incessantly declare: “I miss you so much, when will you come back Zhuo Xiang Ming, I really miss you Zhuo Xiang Ming.”

　　There was a time difference between them. Tong Yan’s Saturday morning was Zhuo Xiang Ming’s “very late at night”. He was wrapped in a bathrobe.

　　He always waited until Tong Yan got up, wanting to talk before going to sleep: “I’m coming back tomorrow.”

　　”Hmm …” Tong Yan was struggling to peel a pomegranate, hearing this, he stared blankly for a moment, then reacted, “When, tomorrow????”

　　Zhuo Xiang Ming calmly said: “Yes.”

　　Tong Yan was excited, but doubtful: “How many hours does it take to come back? You should be asleep now.”

　　Zhuo Xiang Ming glanced at the time: “The flight is in six hours. I’m free now, so I can sleep for a while.”

　　Tong Yan couldn’t help but laugh, but after laughing, he also scolded Zhuo Xiang Ming, “Don’t you know what a surprise is?”

　　Apparently, Zhuo Xiang Ming really hadn’t thought of that: “Ah … I didn’t think of that, how about next time?”

　　”No!” Tong Yan’s smile was so big that his eyes disappeared, he moved closer to the screen and scolded, “Before your next business trip, you have to tell me exactly when you’ll come back!”

　　Zhuo Xiang Ming nodded good-naturedly, promising.

　　”You did something wrong this time, so you have to reflect when you come back.” Tong Yan won an inch and took a mile, “You’re not allowed to hide your business trips from me again, tell me in advance.”

　　Zhuo Xiang Ming promised sincerely: “I was wrong, I’ll come back and properly reflect.”

　　Tong Yan snorted proudly, but he still couldn’t hold back, laughing again. He was sitting on the floor with his back against the sofa. Some discs and Lego bricks were scattered on the sofa. It looked a little messy, but it had a lively atmosphere, just like Tong Yan.

　　Zhuo Xiang Ming silently looked at Tong Yan, his expression was indifferent, but his eyes were very gentle. He stroked Tong Yan’s face on the screen with his finger, and Tong Yan asked, “What are you doing?”

　　”I miss you.” Zhuo Xiang Ming said.

　　This was the first time he said these words after leaving. Tong Yan hid his shyness and happiness behind a fuming expression, “I’m so good, of course you miss me.”

　　”Eh?” Zhuo Xiang Ming wanted to tease him, pretending to be puzzled, “Where are you good?”

　　Unexpectedly, Tong Yan said: “Everywhere is good, not knowing this is the second mistake you’ll need to reflect on!”

　　Zhuo Xiang Ming dug himself a pit, and finally fell asleep with two guilty verdicts.

　　On the way to the airport, the secretary informed Zhuo Xiang Ming: “Mr. Zhuo, two hours ago, Mr. Tong requested your flight number from me.”

　　Zhuo Xiang Ming: “He wants to pick me up?”

　　There was quite a large distance from home to the airport. Zhuo Xiang Ming’s first reaction was to tell Tong Yan not to come, but the secretary added, “Mr. Tong requested that I not tell you.”

　　Oh … it’s a surprise.

　　Was he really that old? He was nine years older than Tong Yan, exactly three generation gaps. Apparently, he really needed to learn the thoughts of young people, otherwise, he won’t be able to keep up.

　　Thinking about this, Zhuo Xiang Ming put away the cell phone he had just pulled out.

　　Unexpectedly, a few minutes later, Tong Yan called and asked Zhuo Xiang Ming: “Have you left already?”

　　Zhuo Xiang Ming: “I’ve left, what’s wrong?”

　　Tong Yan: “Nothing.”

　　Zhuo Xiang Ming wanted to help Tong Yan keep the surprise. For a moment, he felt more nervous than the person preparing the surprise, and couldn’t think of anything to say.

　　Tong Yan was also abnormally silent. Both sides were quiet for a few seconds, then Tong Yan finally braced himself and asked, “What car will your company send to pick you up tomorrow? Is it an RV?”

　　Zhuo Xiang Ming immediately cooperated: “The company has no RVs, and the official business cars are also in very short supply. I don’t know if there’ll be a car to pick me up after landing.”

　　Hearing this, the assistant in the passenger seat: …

　　The bodyguards: …

　　Zhuo Xiang Ming felt that he had responded very quickly, and had cooperated well, but when Tong Yan heard this, he didn’t seem very excited.

　　The two talked a little longer, then Tong Yan said that he had to eat lunch and hung up.

　　After landing the next day, he ordered the assistant to leave through the special passage with the luggage, and Zhuo Xiang Ming followed the crowd out. Sure enough, he found Tong Yan waiting for him at the pick-up lounge.

　　Three days apart, and several videocalls in between, but seeing him now, he realized how much he missed him. A terrible longing, very uncomfortable, even another second apart was unbearable.

　　Last night, Jiangdu had its first snowfall. Tong Yan wore a dark-tan colored, knee-length coat, a ring of fur on his cap. When he threw himself into Zhuo Xiang Ming’s arms, his hair and fur brushing his lower jaw, only then did Zhuo Xiang Ming’s heart substantially relax.

　　Zhuo Xiang Ming hugged Tong Yan tightly, almost lifting his feet off the ground.

　　Hugging wasn’t enough, but for the rest, they’d have to go home first. Tong Yan led him all the way to the parking lot. A uniformed driver stood beside an extended RV, opening the door for them.

　　The RV quickly started up. As soon as it got onto the airport expressway, Tong Yan raised the driver partition and climbed into Zhuo Xiang Ming’s lap. The car temperature was high, his eyes were gleaming, and his face was flushed as he pecked the corner of Zhuo Xiang Ming’s mouth.

The lamb was awfully courageous, not avoiding him after kissing him. Zhuo Xiang Ming couldn’t suppress a deep breath, pulling Tong Yan’s head closer.

　　”Wait.” Tong Yan remembered something, and suddenly pressed an index finger against Zhuo Xiang Ming’s lips.

　　Zhuo Xiang Ming exercised all his patience to stop.

　　Tong Yan asked him, “What’s going on with your company? Why aren’t there any cars to pick up the boss?”

　　Zhuo Xiang Ming didn’t know how to answer this question, because his company had many cars, of course he wasn’t stranded.

　　Tong Yan: “I’ve never rented a car before; I didn’t know you needed proof of income in order to rent this type. What kind of proof of income does a trust-fund baby have? I was so worried. In the end, I had to ask Chai ManMan, and she let me borrow her older brother’s RV.”

　　Hearing this, Zhuo Xiang Ming stared blankly: “Why did you specifically need an RV?”

　　Tong Yan’s eyes suddenly widened, and he pursed his lips, thinking about drawing back, but because Zhuo Xiang Ming was holding onto the back of his head, he couldn’t retreat, and could only reply dryly: “Because I wanted to kiss as soon as possible.”

=================================================================

T/N:

RV- When I think of RVs, I think of the mobile homes, but these ‘RVs’ seem to be limo vans. The extend RV seems to be a traditional stretch limo.

trust-fund baby- one who belongs to the second generation of a wealthy family

Don’t ask why he’s sleeping at lunchtime, idk