PMWAIAAPM Chapter 73

Chapter 73 Long Live Boss Xing

In the examination room, Jiang Cheng was worried about Xing Yang’s gland pain, standing by his bedside and recounting what happened during his trip to L Country: “The difference this time is huge, you know? The lion’s prairie has withered yellow grass, and there was a monkey that kept grabbing my camera, causing me to take so many photos that I can’t show you…”

The nurse took a sample of pheromones from Xing Yang’s gland for testing, pressing a gauze on the back of his neck: “Doctor Qiu said that if the pheromone activity decreases below twenty percent, you may need to increase the dosage. Please wait a moment, and if you feel uncomfortable, just call me at any time.”

“Okay.”

Xing Yang had never been to L Country. His work was too busy; even though he had money, he had never seen the northern lights in Iceland.

“But this time the northern lights are blue, not much different from the night sky, not as beautiful as last time…”

While listening to Jiang Cheng talk, Xing Yang suddenly asked, “Is that Dr. Qiu reliable? Maybe we should let Zhou Jiaoyue do the surgery instead.”

“After all, Jiaoyue is in the gland department, which is different from neurology. She can only help me remove the gland; the blood clot issue needs a more specialized person.” Xing Yang smiled nonchalantly because the result was really the same.

He understood his own body better than anyone else.

“Once the gland is removed, it’s completely…”

This removal of the gland was a normal decay after six years of transplantation; after it was taken out, the last trace of Chen Ying in this world would be gone.

Jiang Cheng blinked, his eyelashes trembling slightly with his lips, and he smiled a little: “Chen Ying has been dead for a long time; this is your gland. It’s okay, as long as you feel better…”

He gazed at the back of Xing Yang’s neck, which he was covering, the faint traces of blood visible through the gauze, making his eyes seem pained.

“Will this scar on your neck be larger than before?”

Xing Yang replied, “Maybe.”

Six years ago, in the few days after the surgery was successfully completed, Jiang Cheng stood outside the glass door of the ward, nearly pressing his face against it to look at Xing Yang. His lazy, accustomed eyes seemed as if they wanted to drill a hole through him, always inspecting his gland, knowing how small the scar on the back of his neck was.

Jiang Cheng was silent, breathing a bit long.

He came back to the country this time to accompany Xing Yang for the surgery.

Just as he was gently wiping Xing Yang’s neck with gauze, a commotion suddenly arose in the corridor, voices overlapping, someone shouting: “Stop fighting! Stop!”

Jiang Cheng put down the gauze and went to the door to check, frowning: “What’s going on… this is insane…”

“What happened?” Xing Yang asked.

In the corridor, Tan Zhiyu was grappling with Qiu Jing, who had suddenly kicked a small cart being pushed by a nurse, causing it to topple and shatter glass everywhere.

“Ah—”

“How did it turn into a fight?!”

“Director Qiu!”

The metal of the cart scraping the tiles made a sharp, ear-piercing sound, and Qiu Jing’s glasses were nowhere to be seen as he was pinned to the ground, gasping for breath, his eyes bright red: “Tan Zhiyu, you—”

Tan Zhiyu, known for his action scenes on film sets, found it easier than anything else to take him down.

His tightly clenched fist came crashing down, the veins on his neck bulging, and even if someone tried to stop him, the pheromone scent in the air was warning everyone not to go near.

“Qiu Jing, are you even human?”

Tan Zhiyu’s emotions were clearly out of control; his voice trembling as he scolded, his gaze sending shivers down the spine of everyone watching. Blood was already visible on Qiu Jing’s face, and just as he raised his hand to continue the assault, Jiang Cheng stopped him.

“Xing Yang, come here.”

Tan Zhiyu’s strength faltered mid-air; seeing Xing Yang made him a bit panicked since he suddenly realized that his furious behavior might make Xing Yang feel unsafe.

Qiu Jing wiped the corner of his mouth, propping himself up with several nurses assisting him.

Xing Yang pressed his thin lips together and walked over, slightly dissatisfied, standing between the two and taking Tan Zhiyu’s hand, leading him towards the ward.

“Xing Yang…”

“Let’s go, it’s okay.” He pressed his lips together, glancing towards Qiu Jing, his tone softening as he led Tan Zhiyu away.

Tan Zhiyu frowned, being pulled along, but before leaving, he turned back to glare at Qiu Jing, his dark eyes clouded with anger.

They couldn’t cause a scene in the hospital.

Before Xing Yang came out, the two had been grappling on the ground for quite a while, and Tan Zhiyu’s hand was scraped and bloodied. Upon entering the ward, he only noticed his hand was trembling now.

“I’ll go find some alcohol.” Xing Yang stood up, just about to leave when he was firmly held back: “Don’t go.”

“Xing Yang, don’t go.”

Outside the corridor, nurses and doctors were hurrying, the security guards who belatedly arrived were of no use.

But many people had recognized Tan Zhiyu just now and had pulled out their phones to take pictures.

Xing Yang brushed back Tan Zhiyu’s hair behind his ear: “Fighting is bad publicity; are you going to stop acting from now on?”

In such a situation, the first thing he thought about was whether Tan Zhiyu would still be able to act in the future.

He didn’t even inquire about the reasons behind the fight.

His palm clasped around the man’s broad hand, resting finally on his own abdomen, he softly said, “We’re about to be fathers; can’t you learn to be a little more composed?”

But how could Tan Zhiyu stay composed?

He held tightly onto Xing Yang’s hand, his fingertips trembling, his sharp brows furrowed, eyes reddening with anger, shaking for a long while without calming down.

“I’m sorry…” Tan Zhiyu pressed down on his palm, sitting on the hospital bed and embracing Xing Yang’s waist, burying his face into him.

Muffled, he added, “I wish we had met earlier…”

If only they could have met sooner…

Even earlier.

The alpha pressed pheromone stickers onto his neck gland to prevent his pheromones from leaking out, which would make Xing Yang uncomfortable. He cradled Xing Yang’s face and kissed him; Xing Yang didn’t shy away, even though they were in a hospital; he seemed unafraid of being discovered, gently responding to Tan Zhiyu, more like he was comforting him.

This transformed what was originally a heavy kiss into something more fervent.

“Zhiyu…”

“Xing Yang, my heart hurts so much, even though you’re standing in front of me right now.” Tan Zhiyu quietly said.

Even though those events had passed for many years, and Xing Yang had moved on, the hurt still pierced through him.

Time would turn back ten years.

In Ninth High School, Cui Yu came from a good family, with his father working as a vice president at Tiankuo Group, often turning a blind eye to his smoking during breaks and bullying classmates.

At that time, Xing Yang’s family was in debt, running errands for Cui Yu and being bullied by his friends in the back mountain. He was just a beta; even if injured, it wouldn’t mean much, just a few medical expenses to pay, after all, Xing Yang was so strapped for cash that he would rather be beaten to a pulp.

Xing Yang’s mother passed away in his second year of high school, leaving only him and his grandmother behind. He had lost hope in life, and it was then that he met Tan Zhiyu, who was on the verge of debuting on the rooftop.

He worked while watching the boy grow into a dazzling star in just half a year.

Perhaps it was the stir of adolescence, one day he used half a day’s part-time salary to buy Tan Zhiyu’s magazine, secretly hiding it under his pillow, wanting nothing more than to look at it, simply thinking it was beautiful.

Suddenly one day, he was cleaning his underwear, tightly clutching the magazine featuring Tan Zhiyu, when his roommate passed by, frowning, asking if he still had his part-time job. He replied he did.

When he returned, his dorm had long been turned upside down, Cui Yu sat on his bed, flipping through Tan Zhiyu’s magazine: “Oh, you can buy magazines but can’t pay off your debts? This is our school’s Tan Zhiyu, and you dare? You like him?”

Amidst the torn clothes, Xing Yang looked at his roommate, who had sold him out.

If they didn’t bully Xing Yang, they had to bully someone.

His roommate told Cui Yu that Xing Yang liked Tan Zhiyu, sneaking his magazine under the covers at night to do bad things, having to wash his underwear every day.

Cui Yu and a few friends were smoking in the dormitory, the smoky air dizzying. The second mock exam was coming up, and Cui Yu’s parents had long made arrangements for them to study abroad, never having to take the college entrance examination.

“Who do you think you are, liking Tan Zhiyu? Would he even want to do anything with someone who looks like you? He’d be grossed out, right? Hahaha—”

They dragged Xing Yang to the back mountain, throwing a photo of Tan Zhiyu at him, recording him with their phones: “Come on! How do you do it every day? Hurry up!”

“We’re all friends, all men; what have you not done? Do you want us to help you?”

“Take off your pants! Hurry up!”

Xing Yang didn’t cooperate well, Cui Yu cruelly covered his head, tossing his school uniform onto a tree. He got beaten again; his bare body had no covering, and at that time, he wasn’t strong enough because he had been malnourished from not eating regularly.

When he broke free, Cui Yu had long finished recording the video, clapping his hands with a smile, preparing to leave.

“Bro, are you going to tell Tan Zhiyu about this? Aren’t you two childhood friends?”

Xing Yang saw a boy standing far under a camphor tree, smoking, crushing his cigarette butt underfoot.

He didn’t know this person, the boy had never harmed him, but each time he stood far away smoking, observing, while Cui Yu and several others were acting arrogantly, he was extraordinarily respectful.

Xing Yang never knew his name until many years later when he met Tan Zhiyu’s childhood friend, only to learn he was Qiu Jing.

Cui Yu awkwardly handed over the phone showing the video to the boy. He slightly narrowed his eyes, stuffed his hands into his pockets, turned, and walked away, whispering, “If Tan Zhiyu found out, he’d probably be grossed out.”

“Let’s go.”

A few people left, leaving Xing Yang exposed, with no clothes on, having to wait in the chilly autumn back mountain until dark to return to his dorm.

His magazine was gone, everything was gone.

Later he dropped out of school. Cui Yu and his friends, being exemplary graduates, went abroad to study. He worked hard at a construction site, suffering greatly, eventually becoming rich and powerful, his once sharp personality now softened, earning him the nickname “gentle.”

Afterward, he met Cui Yu again because their two companies required cooperation, forcing Cui Yu into a corner. Cui Yu knelt at his feet, saying he was sorry, that he realized his mistakes. At that moment, Xing Yang didn’t feel the thrill of revenge; he only thought about how to settle Cui Yu’s family and how much funeral expenses would be humane should he die.

The Cui family’s debts and inability to repay became a joke in the capital, and he jumped from a tall building.

No one knew what had happened at Ninth High School ten years ago.

The business circle of the capital only knew that Xing Yang wouldn’t spare a fellow businessman until he was driven to death.

Qiu Jing, too. The Qiu family’s stocks were locked by an overseas financial project on the day he met Xing Yang, and the Qiu family didn’t know where they had offended Yuan Yin Real Estate.

Qiu Jing was clear.

He may not have known he was in the wrong; he was just afraid.

Once coldly observing everything with detachment, later attending university, studying medicine, securing an enviable job, the world remained ironic; sometimes he wanted to ask the heavens why it was so.

When Qiu Jing told Tan Zhiyu these things, he finally asked, “If I perform the surgery well, can we just move on from this?”

Tan Zhiyu looked at what was supposed to be his childhood friend, feeling he was so unfamiliar: “You never told me that you bullied him.”

Qiu Jing replied, “Because I didn’t even know what to call him back in high school.”

Ten years is ample time for change; Xing Yang was no longer the frail, bullied boy.

He was resilient and brave, gentle and compassionate.

—

“It’s all in the past now.” Xing Yang stroked Tan Zhiyu’s hair, softly soothing his feelings.

But Tan Zhiyu couldn’t do that; in his dark green eyes, a fortress shaken by storms was collapsing, tightly holding on to Xing Yang, his tears threatening to drown him.

He couldn’t imagine how hard it had been for Xing Yang back then and how much pain he must have endured to come to his side.

He felt infinite heartbreak, wishing he could crush Xing Yang into himself.

His eyes, wet and glistening, he softly asked, “Xing Yang, does it hurt… does it hurt…”

“It doesn’t hurt.”

“Zhiyu, it’s been many years already.” Xing Yang said.

“How can it not hurt? How can it not? Has no one ever cared about you? Is that right, Xing Yang… is that how it is?”

Xing Yang’s parents left so early, and before his grandmother passed, she had forgotten everything. What could he do about the pain? Besides holding on and waiting for the wounds to heal, there was nothing better to do.

But Xing Yang was not lying, because he had long forgotten much of that memory; he was about to forget.

The fading memory was primarily due to the passage of time helping him clear away those painful scenes; now all he needed to remember daily was Tan Zhiyu, everything else was unimportant to him.

Tan Zhiyu couldn’t do that.

Unable to stop thinking of the battered Xing Yang who had come to his side to heal the wounds of his childhood neglect.

The hand stroking his back felt like gripping his heart tightly, and he couldn’t endure it, couldn’t endure such a great Xing Yang.

Once, he had also been as terrible to Xing Yang.

How could it be so?

How can this world be so unfair? Why must he bear all the suffering alone? His Boss Xing was just an ordinary person; he needed a shoulder; he needed love.

Oh, his Xing Yang…

Even without the support of pheromones, they still fit perfectly, the gaps in their hearts complementing each other, tightly piecing together a complete, beating heart.

He cried sorrowfully, and Jiang Cheng pushed the door open, slightly shocked at the scene, walking over quietly to ask, “Did you get beaten and cry?”

Xing Yang: “……”

“Get lost!” Tan Zhiyu rubbed his nose against Xing Yang’s clothes, leaving a puddle of tears.

Xing Yang handed him a tissue to wipe his tears: “Stop crying, pinch your nose.”

Tan Zhiyu sniffed, obediently pinching it in the end, his voice muffled: “Can we go home now?”

“Okay, okay, I’ll listen to whatever you say.” Xing Yang smiled softly.

Tan Zhiyu was in the hospital, and he had just assaulted a doctor, while several media waited at the door with their cameras ready.

Once downstairs, he glanced outside, seeing the cameras and eager reporters.

He held tightly to Xing Yang’s hand, and at this moment, he only had one thought: to take Xing Yang to a place where no one knew them, preferably a mountain where he could plant roses everywhere, and ultimately die there together, rather than letting Xing Yang be drawn into this endless vortex of sadness again.

The most dreaded thing for a man is feeling useless.

He didn’t have the ability to manage everything well.

So that when they finally left the hospital, being photographed by the media, Xing Yang was still wiping Tan Zhiyu’s tears.

How could he be so prone to tears?

He clearly wasn’t like this before.

Once back home, that feeling of helplessness still enveloped Tan Zhiyu; he couldn’t go back in time to save the Xing Yang of the past, nor could he adequately care for the man before him who was carrying their baby.

So heart-wrenching, truly so heart-wrenching.

“How can you endure so much suffering… how can you?”

At this moment, he suddenly understood Xing Yang a bit more, why he had rejected him twice; if someone were to drop from the sky at this moment and tell him that if they broke up, Xing Yang’s illness would get better, his pain would heal, Tan Zhiyu’s instincts would make him choose to leave.

To love means to possess, but love is complex and forgiving, it is heart-wrenching.

【What’s going on… why is Tan Zhiyu crying non-stop…】

【Xing Yang has comforted him for so long; dear heaven, is this really their daily life?】

【Tan Zhiyu is surprisingly so emotional; what is he crying about?】

【He just fought the doctor in the hospital; the top star is beating the chief doctor—how can it feel like Tan Zhiyu’s character is crumbling?】

【I find it oddly funny; Tan Zhiyu cried for ages, and Xing Yang is worried he’s thirsty and even feeds him water, hahaha—ridiculously considerate.】

【Wiping Tan Zhiyu’s tears is inexplicably sweet…】

【Just streaming for two days made Xing Yang look pleasing???】

Tan Zhiyu lay on Xing Yang’s lap, listening to the sounds from his abdomen: “Do you think our baby will think I’m useless?”

His protection had come so many years too late.

Xing Yang stroked his earlobe: “Silly,”

“Liking you in the past has nothing to do with you, Zhiyu. Don’t think like that. We only met after we got married, didn’t we?”

Once, he had noticed Tan Zhiyu for so many years, liked him, did endless things for him, and all this had nothing to do with Tan Zhiyu.

It was simply a coincidence that he had the opportunity to come near the person he loved, developing an unforgettable emotion and marriage with him; Tan Zhiyu was someone who had been in many people’s dreams, relying solely on this point, he was luckier than most.

“So, did you ever talk to me when we were in school?” Tan Zhiyu asked curiously.

His high school was chaotic, with so many people he interacted with; after debuting, he became even busier, unable to recall Xing Yang at all in his memories.

Xing Yang thought for a long time, remembering their brief conversation on the rooftop, and finally shook his head: “No.”

That was a secret belonging solely to him; it was better not to tell Tan Zhiyu.

Just like Tan Zhiyu never knew why Xing Yang knew he liked sweets, or why he smoked.

“How can you be so good? How can I be with you?”

“Don’t you think I’m unworthy of you?” Xing Yang asked.

Most people still believed that Tan Zhiyu was a star Xing Yang would never meet in his life.

But only Tan Zhiyu clearly understood that he had a ten-year gap from being worthy of the love Xing Yang had.

Wounds will eventually scab over, and when the scabs fall away, an eternal scar will form.

“Xing Yang, I love you, I love you, I love you—” Tan Zhiyu whined, elongating his voice on Xing Yang’s lap.

“I know, I know, I know—”

【Help, so childish, so sweet ahhh!】

【What are they talking about in school? Tan Zhiyu went to university abroad, right?】

【Wait, is someone saying they are from the same high school?】

【What’s going on? The deeper it digs, the more there is??? Unrequited love turning real and marrying first then loving, right? Ahhh!】

【I’m sliding in, I also find it sweet, who wrote this script, it’s so sweet!!】

Streaming their daily life, Xing Yang stood up to cook dinner, while Tan Zhiyu stood behind assisting.

“Big Bao, take the raw bones out of the fridge for Xiao Bao to defrost.”

Tan Zhiyu walked over to the fridge to take them out.

“Is there any fruit? Do you want to drink some fruit tea?”

“Sure, is blueberry grape fine?” Tan Zhiyu asked.

“The clothes in the laundry should be done washing by now.”

Just as he finished speaking, Tan Zhiyu had already walked out: “I’ll hang them up.”

In the kitchen, the bone soup was bubbling with white steam; Tan Zhiyu hung up each piece of clothing, turning back to see Xing Yang had prepared the fruit tea, adding honey and tasting it, finding it not sweet enough to add more.

Tan Zhiyu smiled foolishly, the warmth of home wrapping around him…

Such a warm Xing Yang.

“Come over and taste, don’t just stand there foolishly.”

“Coming.”

【Housework is something my mom would have me do; I can sulk for three days…】

【I can see Tan Zhiyu enjoys doing it…】

【Is this typical “one party wants to hit, the other wants to take”?】

【Not really; if someone cooked for me, made me tea and small cakes, always providing emotional value—I’d probably be bewitched too.】

【This is a facial genius, Tan Zhiyu ah ah ah, didn’t expect he would also be bewitched.】

【I really like this daily life; Xing Yang is nothing like how scary people say online, it’s strange… strange homey.】

“Shall we watch a movie later?” Tan Zhiyu asked, hugging him from behind and kissing his neck.

“Let’s watch ‘Daddy’s Great War.’”

“Tan Zhiyu, can you be a little more childish?” Xing Yang turned around to grab something, but in that brief moment, he forgot what he intended to take, needing to look at what was cooking in the pot to remember the dishes he made.

“Making sweet and sour ribs; do you want sugar? Soy sauce? Or something else?” Tan Zhiyu turned off the stove. “Or I can make it.”

“I can’t remember if I added sugar earlier…” Xing Yang frowned slightly.

Tan Zhiyu leaned his face close to Xing Yang’s: “It’s fine. It doesn’t matter if you add more even if you did; I like everything you make, whatever it is, I’ll eat it.”

Xing Yang said, “Maybe in the future, food won’t taste as good.”

“That doesn’t matter; I can learn. If you can’t get used to it, you can hire a chef; at worst, just find a live-in aunt?”

Tan Zhiyu was comforting him, telling him that forgetting wasn’t a terrible thing, even if he forgot; it was okay not to be sad—he would be there, figuring things out together.

“Okay.” Xing Yang’s lips curled slightly: “Okay, I’ll listen to you.”

“Long live Boss Xing.”