PMWAIAAPM Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Xing Yang wiped his hands with a napkin, his expression awkward and hesitant: “I remembered today is your birthday. Since I’ve handled things abroad, I just… came back early.”

“I saw you weren’t home, thought you’d be busy until late, wanted to make you a cake or something. I didn’t expect to be caught. I’m sorry…”

Tan Zhiyu turned to him, leisurely meeting his gaze: “My birthday has nothing to do with you.”

Their eyes met, and it seemed many things were swirling within them.

Tan Zhiyu recalled that, in others’ words, Boss Xing was a powerful figure in the business world. But now, he wore a suit with an apron from home over it. The living room’s floor-to-ceiling windows allowed the perfect sunset to filter in, and the shadow of Boss Xing’s dark eyelashes danced in his deep brown pupils. In that moment, this ordinary face became extraordinarily beautiful.

At that moment, he looked enchanting.

At least his tie was well tied.

Tan Zhiyu didn’t understand why he went through all this if he didn’t love him and claimed to dislike him.

Xing Yang pressed his lips together, thinking he didn’t like it: “Sorry, I didn’t know what to get you. I noticed you enjoyed the food I made last time, and thought…”

“Thought what?”

“Thought you might like it.”

“Oh—” Tan Zhiyu elongated his tone, fiddling with things in the kitchen: “So you just casually rummaged through my things?”

Xing Yang thought he didn’t like entering someone else’s home.

Having someone else’s key to freely enter their home and taking it upon himself to cook them a surprise was impolite.

Even being a legitimate husband didn’t justify that.

He made another mistake.

He really was a failed husband.

Look, his eyes were turning red from anger.

“On what grounds do you think I would like it? Do I need your two bites of food? Today, how many people wanted to celebrate my birthday and invite me to eat? I just wanted to go home early and rest, and you showing up has seriously disturbed my rest. Tomorrow, I won’t be in a good state to work. Can Boss Xing allow the entire crew to take a paid vacation to accommodate just me?”

Businesspeople usually weigh the pros and cons, but Boss Xing nodded and said: “Okay.”

Boss Xing pressed his lips: “Sorry, if you’re not feeling well, I’ll notify the crew to take a day off tomorrow. You should rest first.”

He was well-meaning but ended up causing trouble. It was his fault.

His attitude was sincere: “I didn’t know you were this tired. I thought since we got married, we’d have a bit of a ceremony…”

“Xing Yang, who allowed you?! Who do you think you are? Our marriage is just a formality! Does Tan Zhiyu need your pitiful sense of ceremony?!”

Xing Yang lowered his head and apologized: “I’m sorry, I’ll tidy up and leave.”

The man’s face was flushed from being hated. He bent down to pick up the fruit peel from the ground: “Don’t be angry, I apologize, okay?”

He was just too sincere, making Tan Zhiyu’s words stuck in his throat, like he had dug a hole for himself but had no choice but to jump in.

Xing Yang said: “Because I’m unhappy, it’s not worth it.”

“What’s done is done! If word gets out that I’ve wasted food, I’ll be criticized!” Tan Zhiyu was so angry his eyes turned red and pressed down on his hand that was about to leave.

Just the two of them, who would spread it?

Did Tan Zhiyu think his character was bad? He wanted to say he wouldn’t.

Xing Yang was confused, feeling even more at a loss: “Then… should I take it back and eat it myself?”

“Considering how you went through so much effort to please me, I’ll graciously have a meal with you.” He turned around, took off his outer coat, and threw it onto the sofa: “I was too tired filming yesterday. I’m going in to take a nap; if it’s done, call me lightly. I tend to wake up grumpy.”

“Oh… alright.”

After being fierce, Tan Zhiyu walked into the bedroom and slammed the door shut.

Xing Yang felt like he had failed too much, making his wife so angry that her eyes turned red, and she rushed into the bedroom so fast—probably too lazy to look at him again.

He would not let good intentions backfire again.

Tan Zhiyu quickly went into the bedroom.

That was because he was afraid that if he waited any longer, the tears would fall.

Today, aside from Sister Yue, no one remembered his birthday.

Xing Yang was too stingy and didn’t even like him. He didn’t give a birthday gift.

He clearly had so much money; he could buy him a sports car or transfer money to him. Why bother flying back just for his birthday…

Tan Zhiyu pulled out two tissues and buried his face in the pillow, sobbing.

Boss Xing was clearly so stingy, not transferring a penny to him, sob, sob, sob.

But his eyes were getting watery.

Inside, it seemed he felt even more fulfilled than receiving a sports car.

Xing Yang didn’t know why Tan Zhiyu was angry, or why his eyes were red.

But he knew beautiful people’s eyes, when red, should be iced.

By the time he finished cooking, it was already past eleven. The pineapple rice and cake had candles sticking out of them, and the table was almost filled with sweet and sour dishes.

Boss Xing seemed to have accurately hit Boss Tan’s taste.

Squirrel fish, blueberry yam, Wellington, and some stir-fried vegetables, along with a bowl of pumpkin porridge.

Tan Zhiyu sat on the sofa, using an ice pack on his eyes and asked: “You work so busy usually, when did you learn to cook?”

Xing Yang moved a chair to sit beside him and gently continued to apply the ice pack to his eyes.

When he leaned closer, a scent of ebony came with him.

The delicate strands crept into his nose, seeming to itch his heart even more than his fat orange cat at home.

“At first, when I started working, I got off work late, and there were no restaurants open. I learned to cook little by little and got used to it; it seems like nothing is hard to make, and I quite like it.”

Tan Zhiyu thought: “But in the TV shows and movies, doesn’t the CEO usually have stomach issues? You don’t have any?”

Xing Yang’s eyes slightly crinkled, holding a hint of a smile: “No.”

“What a pity, otherwise this kind of CEO would always get encounters with little white flowers.”

Xing Yang fiddled with the ice cubes and also used a lighter to ignite the cake.

In his slender, elongated eyes, there seemed to be a hint of carelessness. With the lights in the room all turned off, in the pitch-black deep colors, his voice carried a faint sense of pity, subconsciously laughing lightly: “Having you is enough.”

Tan Zhiyu’s back stiffened: “What did you say?”