Chapter Index

    Chapter 38 Chapter 38 Declaration of Sovereignty

    Zhang Zexuan, with his hair messed up by the evening breeze, pushed open the box door with a look of despair on his face and muttered, “Why did you choose to eat in such a crowded area? There was a traffic jam for half an hour.”

    Before he finished speaking, a figure jumped up in front of him. Lin Yi covered his mouth with one hand and lowered his voice to warn: “Shhh! Keep your voice down!”

    He closed the box door: “My man is in the box next door! Don’t let him find out!”

    “You…man?” Zhang Zexuan’s mouth was covered, and his mind turned twice quickly, “Shen called Beast?”

    Ouch!

    Zhang Zexuan suddenly felt happy, but his face remained tense.

    Didn’t expect that my stupid brother finally got the idea?Knowing that the old fox in Shenbei Island is not a fuel-efficient lamp, he started to follow and check the posts?

    OK!There is progress!It doesn’t seem too silly…

    He was happily thinking about how to fan the flames and remind his brother to be careful.

    I heard Lin Yi let go of his hand and said happily: “The weather is so beautiful today! There is a moon and stars!”

    He pointed to the dark blue night sky outside the window, where there was indeed a bright full moon, dotted with a few sparse stars.

    Lin Yi patted the bulging backpack placed on the table and chair: “Look, I even brought the inflatable mattress and blanket for sleeping in the car!

    After dinner, find an open space in the countryside where no one is around, blow up the mat, spread out a blanket, and lie down to watch the stars and the moon!How romantic!”

    Zhang Zexuan: “…”

    The expressions on his face ranged from “excited to watch” to “bewildered” to “completely speechless.”

    In the end, it solidified into a kind of numbness of “Why on earth should I go out to eat with this love brain?”

    “Appreciation? Appreciation of the moon?”

    Zhang Zexuan felt that his tongue was a little knotted, and he repeated in disbelief, “Lin Yi, are you planning to go out to enjoy the moon with your Professor Shen later?”

    Lin Yi looked at him with a look that said, “Why are you so ignorant of love?” “…Isn’t it romantic?”

    “…How about you learn from Li Bai over here? Raise a glass to the bright moon? Make three people in front of each other.”

    Zhang Zexuan said “tsk” and crossed his arms: “Don’t blame me for not reminding you. I just saw a gorgeously dressed woman entering. She might be your future love rival.”

    “You’re overthinking, that’s a colleague.” Lin Yi retorted, “The most important thing in a relationship is trust. He told me it was about school work, why should I doubt him?”

    Zhang Zexuan was choked up by his “innocent” look and almost couldn’t breathe.

    With his nervous look just now, wasn’t he just here to check on the post?Are you waiting for Shen Mingshou to get off work?

    Lin Yi pushed the menu in front of him, and his words were full of good mood, “Hurry up and order whatever you want. There is a minimum consumption in the private rooms here. It’s too wasteful for me to eat alone.”

    “Yeah! I’m a tool person again, right?” Zhang Zexuan ground his molars, and based on the principle of “turning grief and anger into appetite”, he began to order the expensive specialties on the menu, focusing on the expensive ones.

    When he was about to finish eating, Zhang Zexuan called the waiter and added a piece of steamed sea bass, a piece of boiled cabbage sum, and a bowl of rice, and asked for it to be packed.

    Lin Yi nibbled on a piece of sweet and sour short ribs, raised his eyebrows, and said jokingly: “Xuanzi, you have a good appetite recently. Are you going to have a late-night snack at night? Be careful to become a fat otaku.”

    Zhang Zexuan paused for a moment. He raised his eyes and looked at Lin Yi. He was in a good mood, but he didn’t even notice.

    He cleared his throat and said in a pretending to be relaxed tone: “What, this is for your dad. Uncle Xie has a light taste and likes to eat these.”

    “My dad?” Lin Yi raised his head in surprise, “I didn’t expect you to be quite dedicated. You even know your boss’s dietary preferences.”

    “My dad has always eaten lightly. He said it was to stay in shape and to avoid gaining weight in middle age.”

    Zhang Zexuan felt slightly relieved and continued to test the words, but with a hint of uncontrollable nervousness: “Lin Yi, I, I plan to work with Uncle Xie all the time. The company’s benefits are also good, which is better than me going out and messing around on my own.”

    “What do you think…?” He asked cautiously, looking closely at Lin Yi.

    “What opinions can I have?” Lin Yi shrugged and took a chopstick of crispy cold cucumbers. “This is your own life. Just make it happy.”

    “But…” He paused and tilted his head slightly as if remembering something, “Didn’t your parents always want you to take the civil service exam? Can they agree that you always work in the private sector?”

    “Harm!!” Zhang Zexuan avoided Lin Yi’s probing gaze, picked up the water glass and took a sip, “They… don’t care about me that much now.”

    “When my son is older, he always has his own ideas and pursues his own…” He paused suddenly, his voice a little erratic, “…his own happiness.”

    Lin Yi keenly caught the unnaturalness in his expression, stopped his chopsticks, and stared at Zhang Zexuan carefully for a few seconds.

    Suddenly he came closer: “Zhang Zexuan, are you in a relationship and your family doesn’t agree?”

    He noticed a suspicious blush quickly passing over Zhang Zexuan’s face, even spreading to his ears.

    This is strange!

    Zhang Zexuan has always been as thick-skinned as a city wall, and he will always look shameless in front of his brothers.

    The probability of this “shy” expression appearing on his face is comparable to Halley’s comet hitting the earth.

    Zhang Zexuan stood up directly: “Who is in love! Stop talking nonsense!?”

    His reaction to the fact that he didn’t have three hundred taels of silver in this place was more like trying to hide it.

    Lin Yi glanced at him doubtfully: “You said it at KTV before, why are you so excited?… Could it be someone I know?”

    *

    In the box next door, the meal was coming to an end.

    There were seven or eight people sitting around the round table, most of them leaders from various colleges of Jiangzhou University. The atmosphere was harmonious with a hint of official politeness.

    The cups and plates on the table were in a mess, and after three rounds of drinking, the faces of several older professors had tiredness and their voices gradually became lower.

    Shen Beidao sat on the right side of the main seat, his posture still upright.

    He didn’t drink much tonight, and he spent most of the time listening, occasionally answering just right, showing his professionalism without losing the humility of a junior.

    Sitting on the main seat was the dean of the School of Foreign Languages ​​of Jiangzhou University, an old scholar in his late sixties with some white hair but good spirits.

    Several colleagues stood up to say goodbye one after another, and Shen Beidao also stood up and shook hands one by one.

    Soon, only Shen Beidao and the dean were left in the box.

    Shen Beidao walked to the dean, took out the cigarette case from the inner pocket of his suit, handed one over, and then bowed to light it for him.

    “Dean, do you need me to call a driver for you?” Shen Beidao’s voice was gentle and polite.

    The dean took a deep breath from the cigarette, slowly exhaled the smoke, and waved his hand: “No, the driver is waiting downstairs.”

    He raised his eyes and looked at Shen Beidao through the dense smoke, with obvious appreciation in his eyes: “Xiao Shen, you have worked hard during this time.

    This cooperation project with Germany involves national-level award selection, so you need to worry more about the following matters.”

    Shen Beidao responded: “This is my job, as it should be.”

    The dean nodded and suddenly changed the topic, his tone was a bit casual and even a bit joking: “When we were eating just now, Lao Zhao said that he wanted to introduce you to a girlfriend. You are a good boy. You are like a gourd with a sawed mouth and you don’t answer a word.”

    Shen Beidao smiled and did not answer the question. He just said, “I’m really busy with work recently, so I don’t plan to consider personal issues for the time being.”

    “No matter how busy you are at work, you can’t ignore your personal issues.” The dean flicked the ashes from his cigarette and leaned forward slightly, showing his care as an elder. “Xiao Shen, what do you think…how is Fang Yu?”

    The smile on Shen Beidao’s face faded a little, but he still maintained a decent expression and said: “Teacher Fang Yu has strong work ability and solid professionalism. Students also speak highly of her. She is a very good teacher.”

    “I’m asking you,” the dean said with an unavoidable inquiry, “what would you think if she became your girlfriend?”

    “Dean…”

    But the dean interrupted him: “My daughter has a high spirit and hides all her thoughts in her heart.”

    The dean shook his head, with a tone that seemed helpless but also reminded, “I can see that she has been interested in you since you joined the job. But she told me that you seem to be a non-marriage person?”

    “It used to be.” Shen Beidao’s voice was still calm, “It’s not anymore.”

    The dean smiled and said, “Then would you like to try it with Fang Yu?”

    Shen Beidao was silent for a few seconds.

    The air in the box seemed stagnant.

    He put down the lighter in his hand, raised his eyes to look at the dean, and said in a steady voice: “Dean, thank you and Teacher Fang for your kindness. However, I already have a lover I am dating.”

    The dean was obviously a little surprised, and then he smiled. There was a kind of tolerance from an experienced person in his smile, but also mixed with disapproval in his attitude:

    “That’s okay! Young people, it’s not a bad thing to have more contact and compare.”

    “As long as it doesn’t come to the stage of marriage, the choice is still in your hands.”

    He paused and looked at Shen Beidao, his admiration not diminishing at all: “Besides, from what you’re saying, the relationship hasn’t been long, right? Who can say for sure when it comes to relationships.”

    Shen Beidao shook his head slightly, and the expression on his face became serious: “Dean, I have always been serious about emotional matters. Teacher Fang Yu and I are not suitable for each other.”

    The dean raised his eyebrows and asked, “What’s inappropriate? Fang Yu has a good personality, and he and you are peers and have a common language. You can tell me what’s inappropriate?”

    Shen Beidao took a deep breath.

    He knew that something must be said clearly tonight.

    He raised his head, met the dean’s probing gaze calmly, and said word by word: “Because, I have no romantic interest in women.”

    He paused for a moment, then continued to speak the most critical words in a calm and almost indifferent tone when the other party’s gaze suddenly froze:

    “I’m gay.”

    Lin Yi’s phone vibrated. It was a message from Shen Beidao:

    [It’s almost over. Go wait for me in the car. The air conditioner is already on.]

    His eyes lit up and he immediately replied: [Okay~]

    Then he said to Zhang Zexuan, who was still drinking tea slowly: “You eat slowly, I will withdraw first! I paid for it!”

    “Huh? Are you leaving now?” Before Zhang Zexuan could say more, Lin Yi had already grabbed his backpack and slipped out of the box like a nimble rabbit.

    The light in the underground parking lot was dim, and the air had the unique coolness of the underground.

    Lin Yi quickly found Shen Beidao’s familiar black Mercedes-Benz SUV and unlocked it with a mobile phone APP. Shen Beidao had shared the car APP permission with him in advance.

    Hey, exclusive permissions!

    Rounding up, he is also half the owner of this “cute Ben Ben”.

    Opening the car door, the warm air-conditioned wind blew in his face, dispelling the chill from his body.

    He got into the back seat, put down his backpack, and began to excitedly execute his “romantic plan.”

    I took out the portable air mattress and manual air pump from my backpack and started to inflate the mattress to test the quality of the mattress.

    With the sound of “chichi”, the flat cushion slowly expanded and filled the entire back seat space.

    He spread the soft cashmere blanket again, adjusted the position, and nodded with satisfaction.

    “Perfect! When we drive to a place with a nice view, we can lie down and watch the stars with Professor Shen!”

    When he was done with it, he looked through the car window and saw the elevator door opening.

    Shen Beidao walked out, with a tall and straight posture and steady steps. No matter how you look at it, he looks like a handsome guy who stands out from the crowd!

    Lin Yi had a nymphomaniac look on his face: “How come my boyfriend is so handsome! He looks like he’s walking on a catwalk when he walks!”

    A smile appeared on Lin Yi’s face, and he was about to press the car window to wave, but his movement suddenly stopped, and the smile froze on his face.

    Behind Shen Beidao, there was another person.

    A woman wearing an off-white knitted dress and a light brown windbreaker.

    She was wearing high heels with an elegant gait. She was slightly raising her head and saying something to Shen Beidao. The dim lights in the parking lot outlined her delicate profile and perfectly styled curly hair.

    “Isn’t this the teacher named Fang Yu? I met him at the centenary anniversary of the school before.”

    The excitement in Lin Yi’s heart was like a popped balloon, which suddenly deflated.

    He hurriedly grabbed the mattress that was not fully inflated, found the air valve, quickly let out the air, and then randomly stuffed all the deflated cushions and blankets into the back seat.

    He wanted to open the car door, but hesitated.

    He saw Shen Beidao stop and turn around to look at Fang Yu who was catching up.

    Shen Beidao: “Teacher Fang Yu, haven’t you left yet?”

    “Bei Dao,” Fang Yu’s voice sounded a little clear in the empty parking lot. She breathed slightly, as if she had made some determination, and said, “Actually, I… I have always wanted to say something to you.”

    Shen Beidao looked past her and quickly glanced in the direction of his car. The windows were covered with dark film, making it difficult to see inside.

    He thought Lin Yi was still waiting in the car, so he felt at ease, and still maintained a polite and distant attitude: “Huh? Are there any other work matters that need to be explained?”

    “It’s not work.” Fang Yu took a step forward, closed the distance between the two, raised his face, and looked at Shen Beidao:

    “I want to try again, Bei Dao, I really… really like you!

    I know you may be busy at work and not notice me, or think we are just colleagues, but can you give me a chance?We can try to start as friends…”

    As she spoke, she seemed to be a little excited. In desperation, she reached out and took hold of Shen Beidao’s forearm.

    Shen Beidao frowned, “I just told the dean that I already have a lover.”

    He pushed her hand away with a little force.

    His voice was still steady, but a little colder than before, trying to draw a clear boundary: “Teacher Fang, I think our relationship is limited to colleagues.

    If any of my previous words and deeds have caused you misunderstanding, I apologize to you.”

    He paused and looked in the direction of his car again, this time with a hint of helplessness in his tone: “My boyfriend is still waiting for me in the car. If he sees the scene just now, I’m afraid it won’t be easy for me to explain when I go home tonight.”

    “Boyfriend?” The color on Fang Yu’s face faded a bit, revealing a hint of bitterness and disbelief. “Bei Dao, you… you didn’t deliberately make up this reason to reject me, right? I’ve never heard that you are…”

    She couldn’t finish her sentence.

    Because of a “bang” sound, the passenger door of the SUV not far away was opened.

    Lin Yi got out of the car and walked towards them.

    He only saw Fang Yu holding Shen Beidao’s arm in the car just now. He couldn’t hear exactly what was said, but he was already very restrained in that intimate and proactive gesture, and he couldn’t hold back his anger!

    He walked to Shen Beidao, stretched out his hand naturally, and grabbed Shen Beidao’s wrist that Fang Yu had just touched. His fingertips tightened slightly, as if wiping away traces of something that didn’t exist, or making some kind of silent announcement.

    Then, he looked up at Fang Yu, trying hard to put up a smile on his face that he thought was very “well-behaved and sensible”, but actually looked a little stiff due to jealousy: “Brother Bei Dao, who is this…?”

    Lin Yi tried hard to maintain his dignity, but his words were still sour: “Did I interrupt your conversation?”

    Shen Beidao immediately noticed Lin Yi’s small movements and subtle emotions.

    He took Lin Yi’s hand into his palm with his backhand, squeezed it hard, then raised his eyes to look at Fang Yu, with a clear arc at the corner of his mouth, and his tone was unprecedentedly gentle:

    “Teacher Fang, please introduce me. This is my boyfriend, Lin Yi.”

    Fang Yu’s eyes fell on the hands held by the two of them, and then moved to Lin Yi’s overly young, handsome and childish face, and his fashionable blond hair that was very eye-catching in the dim light.

    Shock, embarrassment, disbelief…all kinds of emotions flashed alternately on her face, and finally turned into some kind of scrutiny and doubt.

    She looked at Lin Yi’s face for a moment, and her tone became serious, even questioning: “Is he… a student of our school?”

    She looked at Shen Beidao, with a certain sharpness in her eyes again: “Beidao, you should be very clear that our school’s teachers’ professional ethics and student management regulations expressly prohibit the development of romantic relationships between teachers and students. This is a serious violation of discipline and will affect your future.”

    As soon as these words came out, the chill in the parking lot seemed to get even worse.

    “I’m not…” Lin Yigang was about to explain.

    Shen Beidao took over what he said: “Teacher Fang is worrying too much. He is not a student of Jiangzhou University.”

    He paused, with a hint of coldness in his tone: “My interactions with him are completely in compliance with the law and social ethics. I don’t think I need to explain this to anyone. Since Teacher Fang asked about it and seemed to have misunderstood it, I think it is necessary to clarify.”

    “He is not my student, nor will he be in the past, present or future. He is my lover, the person I carefully choose and want to spend my life with.”

    Lin Yi looked at Shen Beidao in surprise: …to spend a lifetime together?

    Fang Yu was choked speechless by his words, his face turned red and white, and his questioning posture with the moral high ground collapsed instantly.

    She looked at the boy’s hand that was still holding tightly even in the “being questioned” scene, and the protective gesture was too strong to be removed.

    She knew that her “fight” tonight was not only a complete failure, but also seemed so inappropriate and even embarrassing.

    “So that’s it…I misunderstood.” She forced a smile, “Sorry to bother you.”

    After she finished speaking, she turned around hastily and walked quickly to the other end of the parking lot.

    Until her figure disappeared around the corner, Lin Yi wanted to withdraw the hand held by Shen Beidao, but did not twitch.

    He raised his head and stared at Shen Beidao with his beautiful eyes, which clearly read:

    I’m very unhappy!

    Come on, coax me!

    No, then, you are dead!

    Shen Beidao looked at him, arrogant and bluffing, like a little animal that was just defending its territory but had wronged himself.

    The unhappiness caused by being entangled in her heart disappeared instantly, leaving only the softness and the urge to rub him into her arms.

    But he knew that if he laughed now, he would be “increased of guilt”, so he tried his best to keep a straight face, but his voice revealed his smile: “Get in the car first, it’s cold outside, why are you wearing so little?”

    Lin Yi raised his head: “I’m young and energetic, and my butt is not cold even if I’m naked!”

    “Okay, okay… wait until you get back and turn on the air conditioner before you get naked. Just show it to me alone.”

    “Shen Beidao, you are shameless…”

    He pulled Lin Yi to the car, opened the passenger door, watched Lin Yi sit in, and walked around to the driver’s seat.

    The car door was closed, and in the closed space, warm wind blew quietly, and the light and refreshing smell of Lin Yi lingered on the tip of Shen Beidao’s nose.

    Shen Beidao did not start the car immediately, but turned sideways and looked at Lin Yi, who was still looking away and only gave him the back of his head.

    “Are you jealous?” He reached out and gently poked Lin Yi’s bulging cheeks. The touch was soft, and the smile in his tone could no longer be hidden.

    “Who’s jealous?” Lin Yi immediately retorted, turned around, and stared at him fiercely. Unfortunately, he had no deterrent effect, and instead looked like a bluffing milk cat.

    “Professor Shen is so charming~~~ There are admirers everywhere he goes, and he calls him “Bei Dao, Bei Dao” so affectionately! I have never called him that!”

    “They are still reaching out to pull your arm! Are they going to throw themselves into my arms next? If I weren’t here, you two would have kissed me!”

    The more he talked, the angrier he became. Thinking of the scene just now, he really wanted to pounce on him and bite him to relieve his anger.

    Shen Beidao looked at his cute look looking over old accounts, and felt so soft in his heart.

    He suddenly came closer and lightly pecked Lin Yi’s lips where he wanted to continue “accusing”.

    “!!!” Lin Yi blocked all his words and his eyes became even wider.

    Lin Yi’s heart: It’s time!How dare you kiss me!!

    “Did you just call me brother?” His warm breath brushed against Lin Yi’s face, “Call me again?”

    “No! You heard it wrong!” Lin Yi’s face instantly turned red and he denied it.

    Shen Beidao looked at him seriously and began to explain the problem honestly: “First of all, I avoided it, immediately pushed her hand away, and clearly told her that I had a boyfriend.”

    “Secondly, ‘Bei Dao’ is a common name among colleagues. If you don’t like it, I will pay attention to it in the future or remind the other party to change the name.”

    The heat still lingered on Lin Yi’s face, and he let out a “hum” to show his disdain, but the way he remained motionless showed that he was listening attentively.

    “And, most importantly.”

    Shen Beidao held Lin Yi’s hand again, this time not the wrist, but wrapped his entire hand, and then slowly and firmly placed his palm against his left chest.

    Through the fine-textured shirt fabric, Lin Yi could clearly feel the steady, strong, slightly rapid heartbeat coming from there.

    Thump, thump, thump…

    Shen Beidao’s voice was low and sincere, echoing in the small car:

    “This place can only hold a cute little rabbit with golden hair that is jealous, loves to express hair, is good at drawing, is super motivated, and has dyed golden hair. I don’t like other species.”

    He pushed him, withdrew his hand, raised his head, and retorted in a neither humble nor condescending manner: “…Hmph! Who are you calling someone who is not a human being?”

    ———————–

    The author has something to say: The two chapters are put together, my dears~

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