My stand-in (The original story)

Chapter 20

The cold war with YanMingXiu undoubtedly continued. He didn't return for several days.

At first, ZhouXiang didn't feel too much amiss, especially when he's deeply immersed with work. But after a few days, he began to feel unsettled. The house felt so empty without someone's presence. YanMingXiu's shadows are everywhere. Very soon, he came to realize that he really missed YanMingXiu.

Although ZhouXiang has a good temperament, it doesn't mean that he doesn't have his principles. He has never been so tolerant of anyone, only with YanMingXiu. Even when he felt that he didn't do anything wrong, he can't bear to accept YanMingXiu simply not returning home, not answering his phone nor returning his messages.

When ZhouXiang was eating alone at night, the food tasted bland and flavorless. Putting down his chopsticks and looking at the empty space in front of him, fear suddenly rose in his heart, finally ZhouXiang can no longer deny that YanMingXiu had already entered his heart.

It really takes a lot of courage for a man at his age to admit that he likes a person, especially a boy ten years younger than himself. If they are just to continue on living as they have, ZhouXiang would have been content with things as they are. But YanMingXiu's sudden disappearance from his life without saying anything made him realize a sense of crisis that he had never experienced before.

All along they have been doing well. It never occurred to him how he would feel if YanMingXiu was to break up with him one day.

Now that he knew. It felt utterly miserable.

How many years has he not experienced this kind of anxiety over a relationship that neither seemed close or distant? ZhouXiang felt just like a young boy experiencing love for the first time... his inability to restrain himself from getting close to YanMingXiu, his impulsiveness in inviting him to live together, being captivated by him, and all the concessions he had made. Finally, he has come to realize that all these behaviors are because he has really started to like him (YanMingXiu).

No wonder he had handled this relationship with YanMingXiu so wrongly.

ZhouXiang sighed. His mood feeling a bit heavy but also a bit excited.

ZhouXiang is a daring man with the courage to take responsibly for his actions(t/n). To be able to find a person that one likes is not easy. He won't just give up. Moreover, the both of them are already living together. As long as he tries a little harder, perhaps YanMingXiu will also like him. Then wouldn't everyone be happy?

T/N: The idiom here is 敢作敢當: a true man has the courage to accept the consequences of his actions, take responsibility for it

ZhouXiang could no longer continue to eat. He started to repeatedly call and send texts to YanMingXiu, pretending as if nothing had happened from a few days ago, sending him jokes and asking random questions. Today he finally revealed his weakness. He said to MingXiu, "Don't be angry, I especially miss you. Come home. Let's talk."

If YanMingXiu still didn't come back, he could only check in the study room to see if he could find out where YanMingXiu works and go there directly to find him; dragging it like this is also not good thing.

To his surprise, YanMingXiu returned at 10ish in the evening.

ZhouXiang was so elated that he embraced and kissed him intensely. "Baby, are you over with being angry? The few days that you didn't come back, something didn't feel right in this home."

YanMingXiu's expression is slightly relieved but still unforgiving, "You said you wanted to talk to me. What do you want to talk about? If it's the same as last time, then forget it."

ZhouXiang combed through his hair and was silent for a moment. He didn't know how to word it properly, so he simply spitted it out, "MingXiu, can I pursue you?"