Chapter 27: Wow, so this is the benefit of deep cabinets!

Meng Ce staggered in place for a moment before rushing off toward the restroom in a hurry.

Xu Yinyin stared in shock at his retreating figure, completely dumbfounded.

“What’s up with him? Jumping at nothing like that—if I didn’t know better, I’d think there was a fire.”

“Who knows? Maybe the guy’s got some serious issues.”

“Tsk, don’t you think he’s kind of pitiful? He has no idea he’s caught the eye of someone deep in the closet. And with the Wu family’s kindness toward him, sooner or later, he’s bound to fall into Wu Jun’s grasp. What a shame.”

“Babe, you should worry about yourself instead. Wu Jun is on his way to the company—probably to scope out the competition.”

“What?!”

Just as Xu Yinyin was reeling from shock, Meng Ce received a message from Wu Jun—

The following parts of the text will be scrambled to prevent theft from aggregators and unauthorized epub making. Please support our translators by reading on secondlifetranslations (dot) com. If you are currently on the site and and you are seeing this, please clear your cache.

“Fbyzz ol byhl zwdnb vstlvbla? R’zz nsxl vs uswa nsxrydu vs rknj usw wr, sjyu?”

Yldt Ul qasodle yv vbl xlppytl, yde y pweeld vbswtbv pwatle kd bkp xkde.

Tl osdelale kq Ew Kwd nswze blya Dw Zkdukd’p kddla vbswtbvp. Rq bl nswze, vbld xyucl—

“Nwdnb calyj kp sdzu yd bswa. Uyd ol lyv yv vbl nyqlvlaky?”

“Fwal, yp zsdt yp R’x okvb usw, yduoblal kp qkdl.”
Mbl kdpvydv alrzu sdnl ytykd caswtbv wr vbl dywply bl bye vakle vs pwrralpp.

Ew Kwd yzoyup vyzjle vs bkx zkjl vbkp, cwv clbkde vbkp pllxkdtzu nzspl alzyvksdpbkr oyp—

Gbbb, R’x vykdvle!!!

Yldt Ul pbshle bkp rbsdl cynj kdvs bkp rsnjlv, vbld qaydvknyzzu przypble oyvla sd bkp qynl, pnawcckdt yp kq bl nswze rllz bkp pjkd sqq. Rv pllxle bl dllele vs zlyhl yp pssd yp rsppkczl.

He flipped through his contacts and made a call.

---

As soon as the workday ended, Xue Weiwei eagerly came to find Xu Yinyin for dinner. To push the CP that hadn’t yet formed, she politely invited Meng Ce as well.

But Meng Ce only gave Xu Yinyin a resentful look before saying, “Thanks for the invite, but I’d better not get in the way.”

Xu Yinyin was stunned—this man was such a drama queen!!!

Xue Weiwei caught that subtle, aggrieved glance, and her inner gossip radar instantly went on high alert.

“How could you be in the way? Assistant Meng, you’re such eye candy—just sitting in the restaurant would make you the most dazzling sight in the company. Come on, come on, we’re all colleagues now, we have to get to know each other.”
Meng Ce didn’t respond, just sneakily glanced at Xu Yinyin.

“Wow, is he addicted to acting now? What does this have to do with me? He’s doing this on purpose, isn’t he!”

Meng Ce was doing it on purpose. He just wanted to provoke Xu Yinyin so that when Wu Jun arrived, she would vent all her frustrations.

Xue Weiwei’s inner melon-eating spirit was already bouncing with excitement, eager for the drama. There was no way she would let such a great opportunity slip by. So she hooked one arm around Xu Yinyin and grabbed Meng Ce’s sleeve with the other, dragging both of them toward the elevator.

“We’re all colleagues. Normally, we should have had a welcome dinner for the new employee, but since work has been hectic lately, we couldn’t organize one. So we’re using lunchtime to gather and get to know each other instead.”

“Yinyin is just bad at socializing, she’s not rejecting you or anything.”

Xue Weiwei played mediator, making it hard for Xu Yinyin to stay too distant. Anyway, she had already made her attitude clear—if he still insisted on pushing forward, she would just keep undermining him until he was forced to retreat!

When the three of them arrived at the cafeteria, the eager melon-eating squad had already pushed multiple tables together to form a five-meter-long dining table. Everyone had taken their seats, leaving three central spots open for the main characters.

Eating melons, shipping CPs, or mocking Wu Jun’s deep-closet status—these were their sources of energy, the tastiest side dishes to any meal!

Meng Ce was stunned the moment he stepped into the cafeteria.

Along the long dining table, colleagues from various departments sat in an orderly fashion. Upon seeing them, everyone beamed with bright smiles, radiating an enthusiasm that was borderline overwhelming, as they ushered them toward the center seats.

It didn’t feel like a meal—it felt like a talk show was about to start.

“Xiao Qi, why do I feel like everyone’s enthusiasm has reached a whole new level? Is this really just a welcome meal for a new colleague, or is it actually a panel discussion?”

That one comment made the surrounding people’s smiles falter just a little.

Xue Weiwei quickly smoothed things over. “Technically, Yinyin is also new. She never got a welcome dinner before, so we figured we’d celebrate both of you today. That’s why the central seats are specially reserved for you. Don’t be shy—eat to your heart’s content later!”

Xu Yinyin nodded in understanding and smiled in thanks.

At that moment, Meng Ce realized—the whole group could hear Xu Yinyin’s inner thoughts. That meant his plan to trick Wu Jun into coming was already halfway to success.

Even though he knew he’d soon become the center of gossip, if it meant making Wu Jun give up, then let them talk. Who doesn’t have people gossiping about them behind their back anyway?

With that thought, he instantly felt more at ease. He took out his phone and checked the time—right on cue, Wu Jun’s message arrived.

“I’m at the parking garage.”

“I’m in the cafeteria on the third floor.”

“Okay.”

Wu Jun happily took out a blue velvet box from his pocket. Inside was a custom Patek Philippe watch—a couple’s edition.

On the way here, he had been fighting an impulse—to confess his feelings immediately, take Meng Ce away, and escape his father’s control entirely.

But if his impulsiveness scared Meng Ce and made him reject or distance himself, that would be a disaster.

After much deliberation, he decided to show up at the company first, under the guise of a friend, to let everyone know about Meng Ce’s “backing”—which would hopefully make his work life easier.

Then, through the occasional small physical gestures, he could subtly express his intentions.

The workplace was full of sharp-eyed people—there was no need to say things outright. They would pick up on the clues themselves.

Once the smart ones started speculating, anyone trying to curry favor with Xu Yanwen’s daughter would definitely warn her about Meng Ce.

If she was smart enough, she would naturally start keeping her distance and stay away from Meng Ce.

As long as she didn’t take the initiative—and especially if she rejected him—then no matter what tricks Meng Ce tried, he wouldn’t be able to make any progress. By then, his father would have no argument left, and the whole plan would fall apart.

That way, he wouldn’t have to confront Meng Ce directly, wouldn’t have to defy his father outright, and could still make Xu Yinyin back off on her own. A perfect killing three-birds-with-one-stone strategy!

If he weren’t driving, he would have applauded himself. Damn, I’m a genius.

Stepping out of the elevator, Wu Jun let out a deep breath, then put on his usual confident smile and strode toward the cafeteria.

But after only a few steps, he saw Meng Ce and Xu Yinyin sitting side by side, surrounded by an adoring crowd, as if they were the center of the universe.

This was just the first day—how had they ended up sitting together already?!

Wu Jun’s confident smile faltered for half a second. But when a nearby employee glanced back at him in surprise, he immediately pulled it back into place. Then, under the curious gaze of that employee, he softly called out—

“Ah Ce.”

Meng Ce turned his head and met Wu Jun’s radiant smile and the warmth in his eyes.

Sometimes, people are just strange creatures. When an unpleasant thought gets unexpectedly planted in your mind, every time you encounter it again, your brain magnifies that feeling of repulsion.

So the moment Meng Ce saw Wu Jun, an inexplicable wave of nausea rose in his chest. It felt as if a giant hand of acid had crawled up from his stomach, past his heart, leaving an unbearable bitterness and pressure.

The onlookers all turned to look at Wu Jun. First, Xue Weiwei had spread the rumor that he was secretly gay; then, there was the undeniable fact that both he and Meng Ce were equally striking in appearance. And now, with that soft, affectionate “Ah Ce,” the gossip-hungry crowd practically exploded with excitement.

It’s happening! The long-awaited Shura Field is finally here!

Whether it was the “Shuang Zhu” CP (derived from the radicals of their names) or the “Xu Meng” CP, this was bound to be entertaining—whether they ended up as a ship or in a fight, either way, it was a win!

Xue Weiwei, ever the opportunist, immediately stood up to make room and invited Wu Jun to sit. “Young Master Wu, what a rare guest! Come, have a seat.”

“Thank you.” Wu Jun had long since regained his composure. He smiled as he expressed his gratitude, his charming peach blossom eyes curving slightly—though beneath the surface, there was an undeniable allure.

Xue Weiwei sighed inwardly. No wonder it’s so hard to find a single handsome man these days. Turns out, they’re all being internally consumed!

Damn you, fate! So unfair!

As Wu Jun took his seat, he instinctively leaned slightly toward Meng Ce. However, Meng Ce, without a word, subtly shifted closer to Xu Yinyin instead.

Xu Yinyin: “…?”

Why is he moving closer to me? Wait… could it be that he knows Wu Jun is secretly gay?!

Wu Jun’s eyes widened in shock.

He subtly observed the expressions around him and noticed that everyone was sitting up straight, practically straining their ears to listen. There must be something wrong here.

Wu Jun’s father had warned him before that Xu Yinyin’s inner thoughts could be heard by others, but he never took it seriously—until now.

Her damn thoughts can actually expose people’s secrets?!

To prevent Wu Jun from ruining his plans, Meng Ce pretended to realize his actions belatedly and shifted his position again. “Sorry, I was crowding you.”

“No problem,” Xu Yinyin replied.

Guess I was overthinking. If he’s really closeted, there’s no way he’d let Meng Ce find out. If he got exposed, he’d lose so many privileges—no more showering together, no more sharing a bed, no more hanging out under the guise of brotherly affection… Stealthy touches are way more exciting anyway. Better to stay deep in the closet.

The gossip-hungry crowd collectively gasped. “Ohhh, so that’s the advantage of staying in the closet?!”

Meng Ce clenched his fists, memories from the past surging like a suffocating tide.

Wu Jun gritted his teeth and glanced at the people around him, only to find someone else looking back at him with an inquisitive gaze.

Just as he was about to pull Meng Ce aside for a private conversation, he suddenly heard—

Oh right, I read somewhere that some closeted guys marry women just to keep up appearances. But behind the scenes, they play around like crazy—keeping secret lovers, indulging in all sorts of debauchery. Meanwhile, their poor wives are left suffering, even forced to bear children for them. It’s such a damn tragedy!

I wonder if Wu Jun would do that… I mean, he’s a rich playboy. No way he’d be satisfied loving just one person his whole life.

“Damn, how do you know so much?!” The system sounded incredulous.

“I read a lot of social news. Every day, there’s some new three-views-shattering scandal.”

The people at the table started exchanging looks, their gazes filled with curiosity toward the two men.

Wu Jun clenched his jaw tightly. Which part of Xu Yinyin’s statements should I even begin to explain?!*

No. None of it could be explained.

Xu Yinyin had completely ruined his carefully laid-out plan. Meng Ce was already suspicious. If he was reflecting on all their past interactions right now, things could go very, very wrong.

Ahh… Damn it, Xu Yinyin! How can someone be so freaking nosy?!

“Do you think Meng Ce has ever doubted Wu Jun’s feelings for him?”

“Probably not. He’s a straight guy—too focused on self-improvement to waste time on things like romance. His goal is to build enough capital to escape the Wu family. Love and relationships would only slow him down.”

Wu Jun froze mid-motion and turned to stare at Meng Ce in shock, as if searching for confirmation.

Meng Ce simply gazed back at him, expression calm, but his eyes brewing with an impending storm.

Wu Jun instinctively reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, a subtle plea in his touch. “Ah Ce, I—”

“Tsk tsk, look at that. He’s touching him again. Wu Jun’s eyes are practically dripping with honey.”

“Poor Meng Ce, completely in the dark, thinking it’s just pure brotherly affection. Meanwhile, who knows what kind of fantasies Wu Jun has about him. Wouldn’t be surprised if he had a hidden room at home, filled with Meng Ce’s pictures and… ‘personal belongings’.”

“Damn, Yinyin! How are you this accurate? You’re a pro at this!”

Meng Ce’s pupils shrank sharply, and he suddenly turned to look at Wu Jun. Seeing the flicker of avoidance in Wu Jun’s gaze, a cold shiver ran down his spine.

Wu Jun did have a secret room in his private residence.

He had asked about it once, and Wu Jun had casually explained that it was for storing auctioned collectibles.

It turned out that… I was one of those ‘collectibles’?!

Not to mention, back when they were abroad, they had lived together. Their clothes were stored in the same closet.

He had also noticed that his old underwear would sometimes disappear, only to be replaced by brand new ones the next day.

OH MY GOD. STOP THINKING ABOUT IT. I FEEL SO DIRTY!!!

The disgust in Meng Ce’s eyes was like a dagger to Wu Jun’s heart.

Forcing down his anger and panic, Wu Jun said, “Ah Ce, why don’t we eat somewhere else? I suddenly feel like having French cuisine.”

“Oho, fancy. Look at you, trying to drag him away for some alone time. So clingy. Gross.”

Meng Ce took a deep breath, clearly holding something back. “Lunch break is only forty minutes. Not enough time.”

“Take a leave, just take a leave!” Wu Jun’s tone carried a hint of nervous pleading.

“It’s my first day at work; it’s not good to take a leave. Wu Jun, can you stop messing around?”

“No, you have to come with me.” Wu Jun grabbed the other person’s wrist, his eyes filled with both anger and desperation.

He was on the verge of losing it. He knew Meng Ce had figured it out, that he had started noticing the flaws in their past interactions. He was disgusted by him. He found him repulsive!

“Oh my, here comes the classic forceful possession trope—exciting!”

Meng Ce quietly shook off his grip, suppressing his temper as he coldly said, “I still have to work, remember?”

Wu Jun’s gaze flickered—this was a reminder. A reminder that he was only here enduring everything out of gratitude for Wu Jun’s father’s kindness and for the sake of their brotherly bond.

But he had tainted it all.

He suddenly had the unsettling feeling that Meng Ce was about to sever ties with him.

No, he didn’t want that.

“To hell with work! Come with me, right now!”

Wu Jun suddenly dropped his usual gentle demeanor, his eyes red as he gripped Meng Ce’s wrist, his aggression overwhelming.

Meng Ce met his gaze for a few seconds before slowly standing up, shaking off Wu Jun’s hand, and walking straight out of the restaurant.

The onlookers desperately wanted to follow, but none of them dared to move. Instead, they exchanged clueless glances as if they knew nothing—when in reality, they were all eagerly waiting for the next juicy update.

Xu Weiwei looked around at the group, equally baffled.

“Oh my, this young master is way too spoiled. Whatever he wants, he demands immediately. Who’s been indulging him like this?!”

“With a temper like that, who could put up with him? Meng Ce is truly pitiful, being tied to this father-and-son duo. What a shame!”

“I think since Meng Ce is a top student, sooner or later, he’ll figure out Wu Jun’s dirty thoughts.”

“Let’s hope so.”

Realizing there was no more drama to watch, the bystanders were a little disappointed. They wanted to chase after them but feared knowing too much would make them targets of the Wu family. The thrill of gossip wasn’t worth losing their heads over.

“Yinbao, I just got an update on Wu Jun and Meng Ce.”

“Tell me! Tell me!”

The gossipers all perked up their ears.

“Wu Jun actually confessed to Meng Ce! He even gave him a limited edition Patek Philippe, couple’s edition! Originally, it was meant as a congratulatory gift for his new job, but now he’s calling it a token of love. He even said that if Meng Ce doesn’t like being controlled by Wu Youde, he can take him away and they’ll run far, far away together.”

“I bet Meng Ce rejected him. For a straight guy, Wu Jun’s confession would feel like an offense—especially since it was all disguised under the banner of ‘brotherly love.’ Just thinking about it makes me cringe.”

“Exactly! But Meng Ce is no fool—he used this as a perfect excuse to demand his freedom. He can’t accept love from a man, nor can he stand being controlled by Wu Youde. All this time, he endured it for the sake of their friendship. But now that the bond has been tainted, he has nothing holding him back.”

“Smart move! This way, Wu Jun will feel like everything is his fault. He’ll be overwhelmed with guilt for betraying Meng Ce and regret losing him forever. Oof, tragic!”

“But wasn’t Wu Jun hiding his feelings well before? Why confess all of a sudden?”

The onlookers subtly glanced at Xu YinYin. If anyone was to blame, it was her—for cutting off this ill-fated relationship in time.

“Who knows? You humans don’t follow any set programming. You just do whatever you want. Just now, wasn’t he sulking about wanting French cuisine?”

“Honestly, it’s better to stay far away from spoiled rich kids like Wu Jun. Their worlds are completely different. And with Wu Youde treating Meng Ce like a servant, if things really went south, Wu Youde would definitely blame Meng Ce—claiming he ‘led his son astray.’ Who knows, he might even go after Meng Ce’s family. Thank god Meng Ce is clear-headed, or this could’ve ended in disaster.”

“Meng Ce walked away without hesitation, and even Wu Jun kneeling and begging didn’t change anything. Now, Wu Jun is driving home to confront his father.”

“Oh my god, he’s actually going to cut ties with his dad?! He’s accusing him of using his kindness as leverage to control Meng Ce, stripping him of his dignity. His father is completely confused, so he orders people to lock Wu Jun up. Wu Jun, in a desperate bid to escape, jumps from the third floor, breaking his leg and falling unconscious.”

The bystanders collectively gasped. They hadn’t expected Wu Jun to be this devoted.

“Damn, he’s really going all out, huh?”

“Doesn’t matter. Meng Ce already took his family on a plane and left.”

“Whoa, he moves fast. He must’ve planned this for a while.”

“Of course! Even back when they were abroad, he secretly traded stocks behind the Wu family’s back and saved up a fortune. He had a trust fund managing his assets, bought three fake passports last year, and even stashed away gold bars in the bank. Clearly, he had been planning his escape all along.”

“Sure enough. A true genius—what a meticulous plan! I’m taking notes. This is probably goodbye forever.”

“No doubt.”

“Damn, our company just lost a handsome face. Such a pity.”

“At least your crisis is over. You won’t be seduced anymore.”

“True, true. That’s the real victory here.”

---

Outside the emergency room, Wu Youde anxiously paced back and forth. He was completely baffled by his son’s sudden change in behavior. He immediately sent people to investigate, and when they reported back, he learned that Wu Jun had met with Xu YinYin.

After that, he went completely insane—rebelling against him at every turn, arguing, as if he had been possessed.

Just what had he heard?!

Before long, his men returned with more intel.

“Speak! What the hell happened to Ah Jun today?”

If it really had something to do with Xu YinYin, he would make sure she disappeared.

His subordinates unloaded everything in one breath: Wu Jun had come out of the closet to Meng Ce, freaked him out so badly that he immediately boarded a plane, changed his identity, and vanished from his life forever.

Wu Youde’s face shifted through a spectrum of colors—first pale, then red, before finally settling into a deep, charcoal-black fury.

He staggered and collapsed onto the couch, unable to recover for a long, long time.

Who would have thought that the only son of the Wu family, which had passed down its lineage for nine generations, would turn out to be gay? This was even more devastating than being struck by lightning on the spot.

What kind of sin had he committed to deserve this?

All the wealth he had painstakingly accumulated, the power he had schemed to seize, and the carefully planned future he had paved for his descendants—everything was now ruined because of Wu Jun.

If he couldn’t get married and have children as expected, what future would the Wu family have?!

No. He absolutely would not allow such a tragedy to happen.

He had to fix this! He had to set him straight.

Even if it meant searching the world for the best doctors, even if it cost him everything he had, he would turn his disgraceful son back to normal.

“Prepare the private jet. Transfer the young master to a hospital in M Country, immediately!”

---

As the workday neared its end, Xu Yanyan received Wu Youde’s handwritten resignation letter. He cited health issues requiring overseas treatment and stated that he could no longer manage company affairs. Along with the letter, he sold 10% of his shares at a low price to Xu Hongtian, marking his complete departure from Fengyi.

Xu Yanyan read the resignation letter, unable to recover from the shock for a long time.

Among the company’s three veteran power players, Wu Youde had always been the most ruthless, someone who only took without giving back. For him to now willingly sell his shares at a low price was beyond surprising.

She immediately sent someone to investigate, only to find out that this was, once again, thanks to her little niece. The revelation left her both amused and speechless.

Who would have thought that the company’s biggest headache would be resolved in such an absurd manner? Truly, words failed her.

With Zheng Rui and Wu Youde gone, the so-called “Iron Triangle” had been dismantled. The threat that had long loomed over her father was finally eliminated. Now, all that remained was to clean up their own family affairs.

She grabbed her bag and headed straight for Xu Hongtian’s residence to deliver the good news.

Xu Hongtian had already been informed. Before Xu Yanyan could even speak, he said, “For you to rush over like this, I assume you’re here for more than just this update.”

Xu Yanwen smiled and affectionately leaned against her father’s shoulder. “I think it’s time for our family’s real daughter to reclaim her place.”

“You truly are my daughter. I was thinking the same thing.”

“I’ve always known that the moment Yinyin came back, you had the thought of officially acknowledging her. But with the company’s power structure being so deeply entrenched, you were worried that ill-intentioned people would exploit the situation. If we acted too soon, not only would we struggle to justify it, but it could also cause unnecessary trouble. So you waited.”

“Now that the two biggest opposing forces have fallen, Zhao Xing is a lone wolf with no real support. The small fry have either left or sworn loyalty, and the dust has basically settled. This is the perfect time to host a recognition banquet. It will not only officially acknowledge Yinyin but also showcase her well-earned position in the company, proving her capability to everyone. It’s a win-win.”

Xu Hongtian nodded. “At first, I worried that Yinyin’s ability to hear people’s thoughts would put her in danger. But seeing these cunning old foxes suffer silent losses one after another, forced to leave in disgrace, I now believe she is fully capable of shouldering great responsibility. That little companion of hers, Xiao Qi, is also a hidden expert. Together, they’re an unbeatable duo. With Yinyin leading the next generation, I can die without regrets.”

“I don’t want to hear you say things like that. With Big Brother and me managing the company, and Yinyin and Yaoyao supporting you, you’ll live a long and healthy life, okay?”

“Alright, alright, I won’t say it again. In that case, let’s not delay. We’ll hold the recognition banquet this weekend. I want to invite everyone and make sure the whole world knows about our precious Yinyin!”

---

Sansukini: Please look at the plot above from the perspective of a straight guy. This chapter reminded me of a Filipino song called “This guy’s in love with you, Pare.”

Thanks for visiting. If you like this story, then I’m shamelessly asking you to visit NovelUpdates and give a 5⭐ review. (人❛ᴗ❛)♪тнайк　чоц♪(❛ᴗ❛*人)

You can also check out my other translations Here