"What about your parents?"
Zhou Chaosheng lowered his eyes, knowing exactly what Zhao Xiaohui was worried about. Like Jiang Yuanye, they both thought he was an only child, the future head of the Zhou family. If he chose to be with a man, it meant he would never have his own biological child, and at the same time, Yuanhang’s future would fall into the hands of an outsider.
This kind of thing was not allowed in elite families. Even though he was born into a large family with many descendants, and even without him, there would still be someone to take over, it didn’t change anything.
But…
The deeply ingrained traditional views of the older generation were hard to overturn. Although there were many bisexuals in their circle, indulging in both men and women, most chose a marriage of convenience to cover it up, living separate lives within their marriages. A small number of people came out to their families and remained unmarried, but those people usually chose surrogacy to leave behind at least one heir.
For people like them, there were many ways to cover these things up, and no media would dare report on them. Everything would be cleaned up thoroughly, and no one would ever know if it happened or not.
With the resources and connections they had, if they really wanted to do something illegal, avoiding getting caught would be effortless.
But the Zhou family would never allow such things, and he himself would never do them. After all, the education he had received since childhood was to "know shame, understand right from wrong, recognize honor and disgrace, distinguish good from evil." These teachings shaped his morals, and no matter what, he wouldn’t do anything illegal or unethical.
Yet precisely because the Zhou family was so upright, they would never allow Zhou Chaosheng to like men.
"I’ll talk to them properly," Zhou Chaosheng said.
"...Alright." Zhao Xiaohui sighed. "Chaosheng, I want to know why. You used to hate him, didn’t you? How did you suddenly… start liking him?"
Zhou Chaosheng chuckled. "I just do. I don’t know why."
"...Then why him?" Zhao Xiaohui asked.
"It can only be him."
"...."
"That’s all. I’m hanging up."
Zhao Xiaohui hurriedly called out, "Wait, wait, wait! Check Weibo. The internet is full of news about you two."
Zhou Chaosheng: "Got it."
A few seconds later, the call ended.
---
"Zhao Xiaohui?"
Jiang Yuanye had unknowingly finished showering and was standing not far away, silently watching him. Seeing that Zhou Chaosheng had hung up, he finally spoke.
"Mm." Zhou Chaosheng responded casually, not minding being overheard.
Jiang Yuanye dried himself off, then hung the towel on a rack, exposing his upper body. His pale skin still had old scars.
Zhou Chaosheng watched as he took a pair of square-cut swim trunks from his bag and slowly put them on. While dressing, he hesitated before saying, "Chaosheng, for my sake… can you hold off on telling your parents? At least until my company stabilizes?"
Zhou Chaosheng: "...."
"Alright."
After that, the atmosphere changed subtly. Neither knew what to say. Saying too much was pointless, so silence was better.
Once both had put on their swimsuits and waterproof phone pouches, they headed toward the hot spring.
The hot spring was an outdoor infinity pool, built along rock formations and stone pillars. Steamy mist lingered, and as far as the eye could see, the sea, sky, and hot spring merged into one.
The water was kept at a constant temperature of 38 to 40°C.
Jiang Yuanye entered and saw the bar built into the black volcanic rock, its edge level with the water. He pulled Zhou Chaosheng over to order drinks. The bartender was a local Viking, bearded and tanned, speaking fluent English as he asked what they wanted.
Jiang Yuanye pointed at the menu, selecting a Mojito and a Tequila Sunrise. "How about these?"
Seeing the Tequila Sunrise, Zhou Chaosheng’s mood, like his body in the warm water, softened. "Alright."
After ordering, they leaned against the stone edge, waiting. Beneath the water, their hands quietly intertwined—fingers interlocked.
"Wow, what a coincidence."
A familiar female voice sounded nearby.
Zhou Chaosheng immediately recognized Jiang Man’s voice. At the same time, the hand holding his suddenly pulled away in panic.
Turning his head, he glanced at her. She smiled at them as she and another woman approached. "Did you guys just get here?"
"Mm, we were planning to have a drink, take some photos, then try the Seven-Step Therapy. I read online that each step can only be experienced once, but the hot springs can be visited multiple times," Jiang Yunzhi said.
"Need us to take pictures for you?" Jiang Yuanye asked.
Jiang Man was about to agree, but Jiang Yunzhi pinched her under the water, stopping her mid-sentence. Instead, she changed her answer. "No need! You guys have fun. We’ll wait for Fang Yi to take ours."
Jiang Yuanye nodded. "Alright."
After a brief silence, Jiang Yunzhi suddenly asked, "Senior, have you checked the trending topics?"
Jiang Yuanye paused. "Uh… no. Why?"
Jiang Yunzhi smiled meaningfully. "It’s complicated. You should check Weibo now."
Before this, Zhou Chaosheng had already taken out his phone and was scrolling through Weibo’s trending list.
The situation had blown up because Zhuo Chenyang’s Iceland Vlog mentioned his name. Additionally, the opening lines in the video had been recognized as Jiang Yuanye’s voice.
In less than half an hour, their situation had exploded like a celebrity scandal, trending multiple times. The speculation had spiraled into rumors such as:
"Rongge’s financial chain is collapsing, and it’s about to be acquired by Yuanhang."
"The chairman of Rongge is desperately trying to save his company, even chasing the chairman of Huajie to Iceland to beg for mercy."
"The chairman of Rongge and the chairman of Huajie both fell for the same woman and hid their identities to join a group trip to pursue her."
After the news broke, Guo Lei from PR immediately contacted Zhou Chaosheng, asking if he should wipe the posts. Without waiting for a response, he took matters into his own hands, planning to pay off media outlets and suppress the news.
Before anything could be done, Zhou Chaosheng stopped him.
PR Department Guo Lei: [President Zhou, what’s your decision?]
Zhou Chaosheng replied: [Just delete all posts that defame Rongge and slander the relationship between the two companies. Don’t bother with anything else.]
PR Department Guo Lei: [...]
"PR Department Guo Lei" retracted a message.
PR Department Guo Lei: [Understood, President Zhou.]
After sending the message, Zhou Chaosheng switched back to the Weibo interface. Refreshing the page a few times, he suddenly caught sight of something that piqued his interest.
【Sheng Sheng Yu Ye Super Topic】
Chao Ye Bu Xi V:
Ahhhhhh, the CP I secretly ship actually went on a trip together!!
#Hua Jie’s President Zhou #Rongge’s President Jiang #Iceland Trip #Two Billionaire CEOs Traveling Together?!
Retweets: 890
Comments: 2,307
Likes: 36,000
Before clicking on the comments, Zhou Chaosheng expected to see a flood of criticism. But to his surprise, not only was there no backlash, but there were also countless people enthusiastically agreeing:
"Ahhhhhh my CP finally has content!!!"
As he scrolled down, browsing through a few more comments, it felt like he had opened a new world.
Since his Weibo account was linked to the company, he couldn’t casually browse any super topics—otherwise, it would leave a footprint. Being cautious, he swiftly switched to a different alt account, searched for "Sheng Sheng Yu Ye Super Topic," clicked on it, followed, and copied the super topic link.
After finishing all this, he switched back to WeChat, opened Guo Lei’s chat, pasted the link, and instructed:
[Within today, use resources to push this super topic to the top.]
Guo Lei fell silent for about three minutes.
PR Department Guo Lei: [Boss, have you been hacked?]
Zhou Chaosheng: [Do you need me to video call you to confirm?]
PR Department Guo Lei: [No, no, no! I’m on it! Right now! Immediately! I swear I’ll get it to the top of the trending list!]
After seeing the reply, Zhou Chaosheng locked his phone screen and turned to look at Jiang Yuanye, who was standing beside him.
The other man was browsing Weibo with his eyes downcast, lips pressed together, the lines of his face taut. His eyebrows were slightly drawn toward the center, making his expression look somewhat unpleasant.
Seeing this expression, the satisfaction that had just risen in Zhou Chaosheng's chest was instantly doused like a bucket of cold water poured over him.
Three minutes later, Jiang Yuanye locked his phone, turned to him, and softly said, "Sorry."
Zhou Chaosheng frowned. “Why are you apologizing?”
Jiang Yuanye looked guilty. “If I hadn’t agreed to let Zhuo Chenyang upload that recording, you wouldn’t have been implicated and exposed to the public with me.”
Zhou Chaosheng almost rolled his eyes but held back. His tone carried a hint of indifference: “Even without that recording, passersby would have taken pictures of us and posted them online. No matter what, as long as we traveled together, being exposed was inevitable.”
Hearing this, Jiang Yuanye looked even guiltier. “I didn’t think it through… I’m sorry.”
Zhou Chaosheng took a deep breath. “Jiang Yuanye, if you apologize one more time, I’m really going to get mad.”
Jiang Yuanye glanced at his expression carefully. Seeing that he wasn’t joking, he immediately shut his mouth obediently.
"Sir, your drink is ready."
Jiang Yuanye turned around, took both drinks, thanked the server, then bid farewell to the two women standing nearby. “We’ll head over there now.”
The two women waved and said goodbye.
Jiang Yuanye turned back with a playful smile and said to Zhou Chaosheng, “Let’s go, let’s watch the sea over there.”
Zhou Chaosheng gave a cold “Mm.”
At eight or nine in the evening, the sky was still as clear and transparent as if it had been freshly washed. Looking out, the vast blue Atlantic blended seamlessly with the horizon. The lights from the hot spring cast a glow onto the sea, like scattered stars floating with the waves.
Jiang Yuanye handed him a martini glass filled with Tequila Sunrise, their shoulders brushing lightly. He swirled his own drink slightly and asked softly, “One toast?”
Zhou Chaosheng tilted his wrist slightly, letting his glass clink gently against Jiang Yuanye’s butterfly-shaped champagne glass.
Ding.
A crisp sound.
Jiang Yuanye leaned against the edge of the pool, tilting his head to look at him. “Are you mad?”
Zhou Chaosheng took a sip of his drink. The herbal sweetness instantly filled his mouth, mingling with the taste of orange juice and grenadine, refreshing and pleasant.
“You think?” He glanced at him lazily, asking in return.
“You’re mad.” Jiang Yuanye said with certainty.
Zhou Chaosheng couldn’t be bothered to respond.
Jiang Yuanye leaned back against the pool’s edge, arms spread open and resting on the rim. The rippling reflections of the water flickered in his eyes, like a scattered tray of crushed diamonds—bright and gleaming. He smiled at him. “Chaosheng.”
The way he called his name now was no longer like eight years ago, when it was laced with frustration and irritation. Instead, it was soft, like the murmurs he whispered beside his ear in the bathroom not long ago.
Jiang Yuanye’s voice was warm as he asked, “Are you mad because I let go of your hand just now?”
Zhou Chaosheng gave him an indifferent glance. “Mm.”
Jiang Yuanye chuckled, seemingly finding Zhou Chaosheng’s reaction unbearably cute. His shoulders trembled from laughing, and he couldn’t stop for a long time.
“…Is it that funny?” Zhou Chaosheng asked, annoyed.
Jiang Yuanye covered his mouth with his hand, but his eyes remained curved with laughter. “Haha… cough… no, not at all. I just think you’re really cute.”
Zhou Chaosheng turned his head away, avoiding his direct gaze, feeling his face gradually heating up from the steam of the hot spring.
“…Chaosheng.”
After a long pause, Jiang Yuanye called him again.
Zhou Chaosheng: “What?”
Jiang Yuanye’s gaze drifted toward the horizon where the sky and sea met, his voice soft. “If one day, you’re faced with a tough choice between family and love, and you can only choose one, I hope…”
"Don’t talk nonsense."
His voice was light, like it came from somewhere far away.
Zhou Chaosheng turned to look at him. Mist curled in the air. Jiang Yuanye lowered his lashes, hiding his emotions. His expression was unreadable, but for some reason, he reminded Zhou Chaosheng of the boy from eight years ago—the one who used to hide in a corner and quietly digest his emotions alone.
“…Why?” he asked.
Jiang Yuanye gave a faint laugh. “Love is unpredictable. A decision you make while caught up in the moment might become something you regret for a lifetime. Chaosheng, I’m not doubting our relationship—on the contrary, I’m very certain of it.”
Zhou Chaosheng was silent for a few seconds before asking, “Then what are you trying to say?”
Jiang Yuanye rested his chin on his hands, his voice low, tinged with the raspiness of someone speaking after drinking.
“I want to say…”
“I like you.”
“Because I like you, I don’t want you to regret it in the future. And I don’t want our relationship to fall apart because of these things.”
"Chaosheng."
Jiang Yuanye tilted his head, his gaze returning to him. His clear eyes slowly curved, as if holding a sky full of dazzling stars.
"I hope you will have a way out in the future."
Zhou Chaosheng’s pupils shrank slightly.
The distant waves crashed rhythmically, and an unseen butterfly suddenly flapped its wings lightly, setting off a storm in his heart, rippling through the once-calm lake.
He thought, falling for someone was probably an anxious and not-so-happy thing.
He would care if the other person truly liked him, care about every little change in attitude, care about whether they would stay loyal, care about whether they could still be together in the future...
The more he cared, the more he feared losing what he had now.
"Jiang Yuanye."
He lowered his eyes, his voice soft and quiet.
"I’m a little mad right now."
Jiang Yuanye was briefly stunned. "...What?"
In that moment of distraction, Zhou Chaosheng had already pinned him against the edge of the pool with undeniable force.
Water splashed, a few droplets landing on Jiang Yuanye’s eyelashes.
Zhou Chaosheng held his wrist firmly. As the light flickered, their close proximity cast intertwined shadows, darkening Zhou Chaosheng’s sharp, narrow eyes.
"I have no way out anymore."
"The moment I decided to be with you, I had no way out."
Jiang Yuanye’s eyes widened. In this restrained position, he was forced to look up at Zhou Chaosheng.
Logically, he was in a disadvantaged position—his hands caught, unable to move. But instead, he could clearly feel it, he was the one in control, the one effortlessly manipulating Zhou Chaosheng’s emotions.
It wasn’t his intention.
Yet, fate had brought things here.
He once thought he had pulled a god down from his altar, dragging him into an inescapable abyss.
But now, looking at Zhou Chaosheng.
That didn’t seem to be the case.
He hadn’t forced the god into anything.
The god had willingly fallen.
Realizing this, his heart suddenly pounded wildly—excited, restless, surging.
Laughter welled up from his throat.
Jiang Yuanye curved his lips and, suddenly, leaned in to peck Zhou Chaosheng.
Zhou Chaosheng: "...Why are you kissing me?"
Jiang Yuanye smiled, eyes curving. "Can’t I?"
Zhou Chaosheng: "...No."
"I’m still mad."
Hearing that, Jiang Yuanye couldn’t hold back a chuckle. "But your eyes are telling me... you want me to kiss you."
Looking at Jiang Yuanye’s bright smile, Zhou Chaosheng was momentarily dazed.
In that instant, Jiang Yuanye broke free from his grip, and Zhou Chaosheng’s heart seemed to sink along with the loss of warmth from his hands.
Yet before that bitterness could fully settle, two hands suddenly wrapped around his waist.
Jiang Yuanye’s hands, warmer than the hot spring, pressed against his abdomen. A slightly damp head nestled against his chest.
He bent down, turning his back to everyone, hiding within Zhou Chaosheng’s embrace.
"Chaosheng."
"I really like you."
Jiang Yuanye’s voice was soft, carrying a trace of tenderness.
"Can you..."
"Always like me too?"