Jiang Yuanye was stunned for a moment. A few seconds later, he finally realized why Zhou Chaosheng had been so moody all afternoon. It turned out he had misunderstood, thinking Jiang Yuanye’s feelings were just gratitude.
"If I couldn't tell the difference, then I would still hate you right now."
Hearing this indirect explanation, Zhou Chaosheng felt happy inside, but his face remained doubtful.
"Why?"
"It's simple. Because we were sworn enemies." Jiang Yuanye leaned his shoulder against him as he spoke, his entire body resting on Zhou Chaosheng. A slight tremor from his laughter vibrated against his shoulder. "We've been at odds for so many years. How could I suddenly fall for you just because you helped me once? If that were the case, wouldn't I have to like every benefactor who's ever helped me?"
Thinking from the other perspective, Zhou Chaosheng found that he couldn't do it.
"...But when I asked you before, you said it was because of gratitude."
Jiang Yuanye chuckled. "Didn't you cut me off before I could finish?"
Zhou Chaosheng was at fault, so he stopped arguing.
Jiang Yuanye continued, "You asked me why I like you, but I can't really explain it. Liking someone is just liking them, do you really have to find a reason for it?"
"I don’t think so. Liking someone has no motive. If it did, then how would it be different from those who choose a spouse at a matchmaking event based on their ideal criteria?"
Zhou Chaosheng rarely spent time thinking about emotions. Ever since he was young, his only focus had been studying and researching various technologies. He had no interest in anything else. This was his first time experiencing the many troubles and emotions that came with love.
"You've really never dated before?" Zhou Chaosheng asked.
Jiang Yuanye playfully punched his waist lightly, much lighter than the force they used when they fought in the past. "Of course! But even if I haven't eaten pork, I've still seen pigs run. Unlike you, acting like some untouchable celestial being, as if you’re above worldly desires."
Zhou Chaosheng: "..."
"Which version of the Chinese dictionary are you reading? Since when was 'celestial being' used like that?"
This kind of bickering was so full of sarcasm, yet so familiar. It was as if they had traveled back to their high school days, when they couldn’t stand each other and would go all out in a fight every time they met.
But this time, the "fight" was cut short halfway. Jiang Yuanye flashed a wide grin, showing his white teeth. "Obviously, I'm using the Jiang Yuanye Exclusive Teasing Dictionary."
"Teasing who?"
"Who else? My boyfriend, of course."
Jiang Yuanye's deep, magnetic voice, tinged with laughter, carried an indescribable force, vibrating through Zhou Chaosheng’s eardrums.
"...Didn’t you used to like girls?" Zhou Chaosheng asked.
He didn't mention any names, but his words carried an unspoken question—when did Jiang Yuanye realize he had changed? How long would these feelings last? Would he one day go back and fall for a woman again?
Jiang Yuanye’s smile faded slightly. He lowered his gaze and spoke in a soft voice, "I used to think so too. But ever since I realized I liked you, I started doubting my past feelings."
"What do you mean by doubting?" Zhou Chaosheng asked.
"It's just that... I might not have liked Cheng Yuan that way. What I felt for her was more like the bond between family members. She helped me a lot in the past, and maybe my feelings for her were more about gratitude. It’s like a child who’s never really had family love before—desperately longing for someone who would care for them unconditionally. To put it accurately, she was more like an older sister to me."
Jiang Yuanye paused, then smiled again. "But you're different. What I feel for you is completely different."
"Different how?"
"It's just different."
As Jiang Yuanye spoke, he straightened up from leaning on Zhou Chaosheng and stood shoulder to shoulder with him. His hand reached over and clasped Zhou Chaosheng’s, fingers interlocking as if he had done it countless times before. But in reality, this was only their second time holding hands.
"Chaosheng, can I call you that?"
"Haven’t you always?"
"Oh, right. Then I’ll keep doing it."
A certain emotion, unknown yet thrilling, filled Zhou Chaosheng’s dark eyes. He gripped Jiang Yuanye’s hand back—tightly, so tightly that there was no chance of the other letting go midway.
The cool evening breeze brushed against their faces. Suddenly, Jiang Yuanye spoke, "I’m serious about this."
He was serious about this relationship.
Zhou Chaosheng caught the deeper meaning in his words and replied in a low voice, "I am too."
"Even though we’re both men?"
"Mm."
"Then… what about your parents?"
"When we go back, I’ll find time to explain everything to them."
"Oh…"
They walked hand in hand toward a quieter area away from the crowd and found a bench by Lake Toning. Sitting side by side, they silently admired the scenery before them, neither speaking for a long time.
"Actually, I think… you don’t have to tell them so soon."
Zhou Chaosheng turned his head to look at him. "What do you mean?"
"The older generation usually can’t accept things like this. As long as we understand our own feelings, that’s enough. We don’t have to tell your parents. What if one day…" Jiang Yuanye hesitated, not finishing his sentence.
Zhou Chaosheng’s mood instantly cooled. "What if what?"
Jiang Yuanye pursed his lips, as if realizing he had said something wrong. He traced small circles in Zhou Chaosheng’s palm with his fingertips and said softly, "I didn’t mean it like that. I just think the future is unpredictable. What if, one day, you don’t like me anymore? Wouldn’t you regret making this decision today?"
Zhou Chaosheng understood his concerns, but deep down, he was still unsatisfied. It felt as if Jiang Yuanye had no confidence in their future—as if, sooner or later, they would break up.
"Do you think I made this decision without considering those things?" Zhou Chaosheng let out a soft sigh. "Jiang Yuanye, we're adults. Why are you still acting like a high schooler, hiding our relationship?"
Jiang Yuanye was momentarily stunned, the emotion in his eyes brightening before slowly dimming again. He then rested his head on Zhou Chaosheng's shoulder, his voice barely audible. "It's not that I want to keep it a secret, but I don't want you to face baseless criticism because of this relationship."
Zhou Chaosheng had been feeling a little upset, but after hearing this, his heart stirred. He turned his head and saw Jiang Yuanye's long eyelashes tremble slightly. Unable to resist, he lowered his head and pressed a soft, reassuring kiss on those slightly pale lips.
"Jiang Yuanye…"
Zhou Chaosheng kissed him gently and spoke just as softly: "Don't think too much. I don’t care about any of that."
"...Then what do you care about?"
"You."
Zhou Chaosheng enunciated clearly, his voice warm: "I care about you."
—
After spending the afternoon at the museum, the group went to a nearby restaurant for dinner. Once they finished eating, they returned to their rooms to grab their swimsuits. Then, they gathered at the hotel's first-floor café, drinking coffee and chatting.
Half an hour later, Lucas called and told them to come out—tonight, they were taking a car to the hot springs. However, Zhuo Chenyang chose to stay behind at the hotel to edit videos.
Today, Zhuo Chenyang had used his drone and camera to shoot over a hundred video clips and take more than 300 photos. He turned on his laptop, removed the memory card from his camera, inserted it into a card reader, and plugged it into his laptop. He then opened his editing software, navigated to the import section, and added his prepared video and audio materials.
Once imported, Zhuo Chenyang arranged the video clips in chronological order, carefully trimming each segment to ensure smooth transitions.
Two and a half hours later, he successfully completed the video edit and uploaded it to his social media account. He even opened Weibo to remind his followers: "New video posted! Please like, comment, and share!"
After posting, Zhuo Chenyang stretched, got up to grab a cup of instant noodles from his suitcase, and started boiling water with an electric kettle. While waiting, he leaned against the wall and played a round of a match-three mobile game. By the time he finished, the water was just boiling.
He poured the hot water into the cup noodles and brought them over to the small table beside his bed, propping a pillow behind his back for comfort.
Since the noodles needed five minutes to soak, he reached for his laptop to check how his video was performing.
The moment he opened it, he was completely dumbfounded.
In less than ten minutes, the video’s views had skyrocketed to 200,000, with over 500 comments. Normally, it would take two to three days to reach these numbers, but this time, it happened effortlessly.
Why?
Confused, Zhuo Chenyang clicked on the video to check the comments.
【Ahhh! The guy at the beginning has such a nice voice!!】
【Taigong, did you meet a handsome guy in Iceland?】
【Why didn’t the guy show his face?】
These were normal. But when he looked at the floating comments on the video, a chill ran down his spine.
【At 7:32, did someone say "Chaosheng"? Could it be…】
【OMG, I heard it too!】
【Chaosheng? Zhou Chaosheng?】
【Go to 10:24 and turn up the volume—I think someone whispered "Zhou Chaosheng."】
【No way, Taigong, did you accidentally film a celebrity?】
【That can't be right. Maybe it's just someone with the same name. How could someone as rich as Zhou Chaosheng join a group tour?】
Zhuo Chenyang instantly regretted not reviewing his footage more carefully before posting. How could he have missed such a detail?
He opened Weibo, intending to clarify that it wasn’t Zhou Chaosheng.
But before he could, he saw that his latest Weibo post had already made it to the top ten of the trending entertainment list.
Zhuo Chenyang: "…."
In just a few minutes, gossip accounts had already clipped parts of his video and spread it across the internet.
When he clicked on the trending topic, he realized that some tech-savvy users had used software to analyze the voices in his video. But instead of Zhou Chaosheng, they had identified Jiang Yuanye.
As the chairman of Rongge, Jiang Yuanye frequently attended public events. A few years ago, he even went viral, becoming the company’s public face.
With countless interviews available online, some of his fans had recognized his voice at the beginning of the video and started speculating.
At first, netizens didn’t believe it—after all, everyone knew that the chairman of Rongge and the chairman of Huajie didn’t get along. They had openly expressed their dislike for each other at public events, and over time, they had become known as business rivals.
【No way. Jiang and Zhou never appear together. Even when they attend the same events, they roll their eyes at each other. How could they possibly go on vacation together?】
【I heard they went to the same high school and started fighting back then.】
【That’s not a rumor, it’s a fact. They even went to the same university. I was there, and everyone who knew them said they argued every day—almost to the point of fighting.】
【I still remember last year when Jiang went live during a press conference and called his "friendly competitor" an idiot. The next day, Huajie launched a nearly identical product with more features and a lower price. That move cost Rongge millions.】
【There’s no way they’ve made up, let alone gone on a trip together. The video must be fake, either a coincidence or a misleading edit for clout.】
【Agreed.】
【If it really is them, I’ll livestream myself eating shit.】
✨ IMPORTANT NOTE! ✨
📢 First of all, Jiang Yuanye's company was originally called Rongge, but around chapters 30-40, the author changed it to Jung or Junge. Now it is back to Rongge again! You can check Xiaohongshu for clarification.
🐷 Second, the phrase "Even if I haven't eaten pork, I've still seen pigs run" (没吃过猪肉，还没见过猪跑吗) is a Chinese idiom. It means that even if someone hasn’t personally experienced something, they’ve still seen or learned about it from others.
In this context, Jiang Yuanye is saying that although he has never been in a romantic relationship, he has seen enough to understand how relationships work. It’s a playful way of dismissing Zhou Chaosheng’s question about his dating experience.
👴 Third, the term Taigong (太公) usually means grandfather, but in internet slang, especially on platforms like Weibo or Bilibili, fans use "大公" (Dàgōng) or "太公" (Taigong) to refer to their favorite idols or content creators.
Hope this clears things up! 💖 Please do not text me regarding this! 🚀