Chapter 48 – The Tragic 0

After Chu Yin finished speaking, Yan Yunshui’s expression turned somewhat strange, as if he wanted to say something but held back because of the crowd.

A while later, Yan Yunshui took Chu Yin to a small private room to wash his hair and said, “You said Wei Lai was on the balcony calling his parents?”

Chu Yin replied, “He hid to make the call. I just heard something about work being busy and not going home. It must’ve been his parents, right?”

Yan Yunshui hesitated for a moment but couldn’t resist gossiping. “Wei Lai… I remember when he was about to graduate from college, he had a falling-out with his dad. Hasn’t he told you?”

Chu Yin clenched his fists, then finally said dejectedly, “I asked, but he brushed it off. Just said they were all healthy and stuff. I know nothing about his family. He never talks about it.”

Yan Yunshui quickly added, “He didn’t tell me on purpose either, don’t get jealous. I only know his hometown is in Qingdao, and his family must be pretty well-off. Back in college, Slutty Wei was that kind of rich second-gen who drove luxury cars everywhere, flirting and playing around. Right before graduation, he had a huge fight with his dad, his family cut off his allowance, and he only told me about it when he came to borrow money from me.”

Chu Yin asked, “…Why did they fall out? Was it… coming out?”

Yan Yunshui thought for a moment. “Probably not. Slutty Wei kept cursing his dad as an old beast. He was furious, like a complete break. He said he’d act as if his parents were dead from then on, and no one should bother him.”

“You know how nosy I am. Once, Wei Lai drank so much with a client he almost got alcohol poisoning. That deadbeat Yao Chaowu didn’t even stop him. I went to the hospital to stay with him, but I couldn’t stay the whole time, so I said I’d call his family. He wouldn’t let me and started rambling some nonsense.”

“My guess is, ever since childhood, Wei Lai’s parents had a terrible relationship, always fighting. Wei Lai was obedient because he was afraid they’d divorce. Before he turned eighteen—wow, you wouldn’t believe it! You can still find stuff online—he was that fresh-faced idol drama male god! A study god, school heartthrob, proper, polite, always smiling and gentle. My god, if I hadn’t still been figuring out I was gay back then, I’d have chased him, and you wouldn’t stand a chance now.”

Chu Yin: “…So what nonsense did Wei Lai say?”

Yan Yunshui scratched his face. “From what I pieced together, it seems like after his parents divorced, not long after, his dad quickly remarried the family’s housekeeper.”

“Maybe… Wei Lai was overly obedient before, but after that shock, he rebelled and turned into a total slutty playboy.”

Chu Yin let out an “Oh” and regretted arguing with Wei Lai. He wanted to go home and snuggle against his face.

Chu Yin picked up his phone and texted Wei Lai: “I’m going to wash my hair now. I’ll come back after.”

Wei Lai didn’t reply. Chu Yin felt uneasy, wondering if his constant unreasonable tantrums were making Wei Lai tired of him.

Chu Yin couldn’t help it—he wanted Wei Lai to love him more every day. But love couldn’t be quantified and might even fade over time, so Chu Yin could only keep demanding more from Wei Lai. He loved it when Wei Lai coaxed him and treated him well because it made him feel deeply loved.

Chu Yin said, “…Yun Yun, am I not as good-looking as before?”

Yan Yunshui replied, “What are you thinking? Of course, you’ve changed a little over the years.”

Chu Yin used to get cosmetic treatments every month, but after getting together with Wei Lai, he slacked off. His skin wasn’t as radiant as before.

By the time Chu Yin finished washing his hair, Wei Lai finally replied: “Got it~ I have a meeting in the afternoon. Bring some groceries home for me. Mwah.”

Seeing Wei Lai wasn’t angry, Chu Yin relaxed a little. He dressed himself up prettily, put on a mask, and carried Big Orange out to buy food.

Wei Lai really did have an appointment that afternoon—with his college junior Lin Yixuan, who now worked as a civil servant in the population investigation bureau. At Wei Lai’s request, she was helping him look into Chu Yin’s background.

“Tracking down Chu Yin’s history took a lot of effort,” Lin Yixuan said, sipping her coffee. “His records were burned in the orphanage fire, and later his household registration was transferred to the Chen family. His past was basically blank. I had to track down the old orphanage director to get any answers.”

Wei Lai smiled sincerely. “I really can’t thank you enough. If there’s ever anything I can do for you, I’ll do my best.”

Lin Yixuan laughed openly. “You know what I want. You’re 38 now, and I’m 35. Back in college, I confessed to you, and you rejected me, saying if we were both still single by our thirties, we could try it out. I’ve been single for a year now, and you don’t have a girlfriend either. So? Wanna give it a shot? Let’s just make do with each other.”

Wei Lai added five spoonfuls of sugar to his coffee, took a sip, and said, “You might not have a man, but this Laozi does.”

Lin Yixuan: “????????”

Wei Lai declared shamelessly, “Chu Yin isn’t just my artist—he’s also my husband. For life.”

Lin Yixuan: “…”

“ChuLai is real.” Wei Lai flashed her a grin, clearly in high spirits after meeting his daily quota of shoving dog food down others’ throats. “You’re great, but we can only be sisters.”

Lin Yixuan: “…Good god.”

Lin Yixuan’s world silently collapsed for three seconds upon learning that her college crush had long since “married into another family¹A woman “marries into” her husband’s family. Basically, she realized he’s a bottom..” But once she processed it, she found the idea kind of… sweet.

“Congratulations. But as Chu Yin’s partner, hearing about his past might not make you happy.”

As it turned out, Chu Yin’s tragic fate was sealed even before he was born.

His biological mother was a trafficked woman. Where she came from was impossible to trace now, but judging by Chu Yin’s looks, she must have been stunningly beautiful—a beauty that became her original sin. She was sold into the mountains and forced to become the wife of a mentally disabled man. Later, she gave birth to Chu Yin, a healthy baby boy. The man’s parents were overjoyed, thinking she would finally settle down as their daughter-in-law and stop trying to escape, so they removed the chain they’d used to restrain her.

No one expected that when Chu Yin turned one, his mother would take an axe and hack the entire family to death in their beds before drowning herself in a river—leaving behind only the newly weaned Chu Yin.

In the superstitious mountain village, Chu Yin was considered an extremely unlucky child. No one would take him in. The village head pitied him and sent him to an orphanage in the county town.

The old orphanage director was a kind person and naturally never told Chu Yin the truth. He only said that his parents must have had their reasons for abandoning him and that he should strive to become an outstanding man so as not to disappoint them.

The director planted a seed of hope in little Chu Yin’s heart. Later, Chu Yin did indeed grow toward the light instead of sinking into the mud, becoming the radiant and exceptional man he was today.

Wei Lai’s eyes stung as he listened. He downed his coffee to mask his emotions and said, “Let’s keep Chu Yin’s past a secret between us. I hope he never finds out. Okay?”

Lin Yixuan nodded. “Of course. Do you need to go to the bathroom and cry?”

Wei Lai sighed. “The bathroom’s too far. I’d start bawling like a chicken halfway there. Let me calm down first. This is rough.”

Even though Chu Yin rarely brought it up, Wei Lai could tell he was haunted by why his parents had abandoned him. Wei Lai had assumed it was because they couldn’t afford to raise him or that he’d been kidnapped—something relatively ordinary. He never imagined it would be a story like this. Chu Yin was already insecure and sensitive. If he learned how he came into the world, he’d be a hundred times more devastated.

Now that Lin Yixuan had mentally reclassified Wei Lai as a sister, she felt an inexplicable surge of pity for him, as if he were a girlfriend. “Want some cake? My treat.”

Wei Lai: “…I’m on a diet.”

Lin Yixuan: “I’ll share some with you. What does it matter if a middle-aged gay guy who already has a husband gets a little chubby?”

Wei Lai wanted to hold firm, but he was starving, so he took a spoon and scooped a bite of matcha cake.

Ah, cake was delicious.

What Wei Lai didn’t expect was that Chu Yin was across the street buying cat food.

The pet store and the café were both near their neighborhood entrance. In Wei Lai’s mind, he was just meeting a friend nearby to talk business, then taking a stroll home to cook.

But from Chu Yin’s perspective, it was nothing like that.

Wei Lai had secretly met a girl he’d never seen before. The girl was dressed elegantly, smiling politely and sweetly like someone on a blind date. Wei Lai was dressed casually, not at all like he was working. The two chatted happily, but as blind dates go, there were awkward pauses. Wei Lai ordered the girl a strawberry cake. She playfully said she was dieting and pushed it to the middle, so they ended up intimately sharing the same slice.

Chu Yin stood frozen across the street until Big Orange got impatient and scratched him, snapping him out of it. He grabbed the cat food and groceries, hugged Big Orange, and hurried home as if fleeing a disaster.

It was already June, but Chu Yin felt inexplicably cold. He turned on the space heater and sat hugging his knees beside it.

Lovers should trust each other and communicate when there are problems. Chu Yin repeated the common relationship advice to himself, desperately trying not to overthink.

He didn’t know how much time passed before Wei Lai returned with a box of chocolate cake. The moment he saw Chu Yin by the heater, he exclaimed, “Chu Yin, you’re actually cold? Are you sick?!”

Chu Yin looked up blankly. Wei Lai leaned in and gasped, “You dumbass, you’re sitting so close your leg hair is getting singed!”

Wei Lai turned off the heater and felt Chu Yin’s forehead worriedly. “Your temperature feels fine. It must be from dieting—low blood sugar makes you feel cold.”

Chu Yin whispered, “What were you talking about this afternoon?”

Wei Lai said, “Your stuff!”

Chu Yin pressed, “With whom?”

Wei Lai naturally didn’t want to reveal anything. “My assistant.”

Chu Yin’s heart sank to the pit of his stomach. He listlessly muttered an “Oh.” Wei Lai assumed he was just hungry and handed him the cake he’d bought. “Have some. I got it just for you.”

Chu Yin thought, No, you got it after your blind date with that girl.

If Chu Yin hadn’t seen the café scene, he would’ve thrown a tantrum, scolding Wei Lai for sabotaging his diet, then made Wei Lai eat first so he could steal just a tiny taste from his lips.

But Chu Yin had seen it, so he didn’t dare.

The privilege of acting spoiled came from having Wei Lai’s abundant love—but what if he didn’t have that anymore?

Chu Yin turned his head and took a big bite of cream, swallowing it whole, afraid Wei Lai would be upset.

Wei Lai pinched the back of Chu Yin’s neck. “Sorry, I forgot your birthday.”

“It’s fine,” Chu Yin said, shaking his head before nuzzling Wei Lai’s cheek and murmuring, “Seven times tonight.”

“Sure, sure,” Wei Lai nipped at Chu Yin’s lips. “You essence-sucking crybaby!”

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  A woman “marries into” her husband’s family. Basically, she realized he’s a bottom.