After flying back to their home country from Iceland, Zhou Chaosheng and Jiang Yuanye had completely transitioned from rivals to a real couple.
Since both of them were company CEOs and had been trending frequently on social media lately, their popularity and discussion levels were extremely high. Because of this, they deliberately avoided attention upon landing and exited the airport through different channels.
Originally, Zhou Chaosheng planned to meet Jiang Yuanye in the parking lot after avoiding the crowd. However, as soon as he got off the plane, he received a WeChat message from Zhao Xiaohui and Gu Qingqiu. The former had used special means to find out his flight details and had dragged the latter along to catch… no, pick him up.
Zhou Chaosheng saw the message, and instead of thinking about avoiding them, his first reaction was to ask Jiang Yuanye if he wanted to come along and meet them.
But whether it was because Jiang Yuanye found it awkward or because there was some unresolved grudge between them, he immediately declined without even thinking about it. Though his refusal was more tactful than before and spared Zhou Chaosheng some embarrassment, it still left a subtle feeling of disappointment in his heart.
Jiang Yuanye seemed to notice his mood and quickly tried to soothe him: “Next time, okay? It’s really inconvenient this time I have a pile of work waiting for me at the company.”
Zhou Chaosheng knew he was brushing him off. In the past, he wouldn’t have cared. He would’ve just dismissed it as Jiang Yuanye’s usual nonsense. But for some reason, he couldn’t accept it now.
"You don’t want to see them because of the conflicts you had with Zhao Xiaohui back in high school?" Zhou Chaosheng asked directly.
He deliberately avoided mentioning their later business conflicts, knowing Jiang Yuanye would understand the implication anyway.
Jiang Yuanye chuckled, “Why don’t you just say he hates me?”
Zhou Chaosheng, knowing his personality, was blunt: “You hate him too.”
Jiang Yuanye shook his head. “Honestly? I really don’t.”
Zhou Chaosheng was puzzled. “If you don’t hate him, then why won’t you come with me?”
As they neared the exit, Jiang Yuanye pulled a pair of sunglasses from his bag and put them on, answering in a coaxing tone, “Some other day, Chaosheng. They probably came to pick you up because of us. If I rush over too, wouldn’t that just make me an unwelcome guest?”
Jiang Yuanye had already made his point, but Zhou Chaosheng still frowned slightly. “Don’t talk about yourself like that.”
Jiang Yuanye chuckled softly.
He instinctively raised his hand to embrace Zhou Chaosheng, but just as he was about to, he remembered they were in an airport, under surveillance cameras. So, halfway through the motion, he slowly lowered his hand again.
“Go find them. We’ll talk on WeChat.” Jiang Yuanye said.
At this point, what else could Zhou Chaosheng say?
He could only reply, “Alright, we’ll talk later.”
Then, he watched as Jiang Yuanye waved goodbye and smiled, saying, “See you next time.”
Zhou Chaosheng stood there, watching his figure disappear around the corner, before finally turning around and heading for the VIP exit.
Five minutes later,
Zhou Chaosheng got into Zhao Xiaohui’s flashy Porsche 911 at the airport entrance.
His luggage had been placed in one of the three black SUVs following behind, carried by the bodyguards who had come along.
As soon as Zhao Xiaohui stepped on the gas, the three black cars tailed closely behind.
Sitting in the back seat, Zhou Chaosheng noticed Zhao Xiaohui constantly stealing glances at him through the rearview mirror. He looked like he wanted to say something but didn’t know where to start.
In the end, it was Gu Qingqiu who broke the silence.
“Chaosheng, I heard from Xiaohui that you and… uh, that person are together? Is that true? He’s not just messing with me right?”
Zhao Xiaohui immediately shouted, “Hey hey hey! What do you mean ‘messing with me’? Do I look that bored?”
Zhou Chaosheng, resting his chin on his hand while watching the scenery fly past the window, responded calmly:
“It’s true.”
Gu Qingqiu was momentarily stunned.
Zhao Xiaohui also fell silent.
Then, in a quiet voice, Zhou Chaosheng spoke again:
“I like him.”
Gu Qingqiu’s mouth fell open slightly, his expression was identical to Zhao Xiaohui’s when he first heard the news.
“…Chaosheng, are you serious?” Gu Qingqiu asked after recovering.
“Mm, I’m serious.” Zhou Chaosheng confirmed.
Gu Qingqiu still couldn’t process it. “But… why? Your orientation has always been, you know, normal.”
Zhou Chaosheng raised an eyebrow. “I’ve never dated a woman before. What made you so sure my orientation was ‘normal’?”
Gu Qingqiu & Zhao Xiaohui: “…..”
Damn this logic was flawless.
Maybe realizing they couldn’t persuade someone who had already made up his mind, Zhao Xiaohui let out a deep sigh and asked seriously:
“Are you really sure about this? You’re not just caught up in some kind of misattribution of arousal or immersed too deeply in your ‘acting’, right?”
Zhou Chaosheng’s casual demeanor vanished. His tone turned firm:
“No. I know my own feelings very well.”
“Like means like.”
“Even if he’s a man.”
Zhao Xiaohui: “…He used to be your sworn enemy, though.”
Zhou Chaosheng nodded without hesitation. “I know.”
Gu Qingqiu, unable to listen anymore, sighed.
Perhaps because they were both born into prestigious families, their values were open-minded when it came to casual relationships. But when it came to serious romantic relationships, their beliefs were still somewhat traditional and conservative
Since they had grown up together and knew each other inside out, naturally, Gu Qingqiu also understood his childhood friend's character.
He remembered a saying—everyone in the circle could be messy, but there would always be one person who remained pure.
That person was none other than Zhou Chaosheng.
As long as he said he was serious, then this relationship would never be just a casual fling or a game. It was even possible that Zhou Chaosheng would be willing to come out to his family at all costs and never get married for the rest of his life, staying loyal to that one person.
Of course, the premise was that the other person was also wholeheartedly devoted to him.
If their feelings were mutual, Gu Qingqiu could already imagine them flying abroad to get legally married. If they were feeling extra, they might even hold a romantic wedding in a church or on a beach...
The thought of this made Gu Qingqiu shake his head quickly. No way, no way, that was just too unimaginable.
Zhao Xiaohui was out of options as well, so he could only ask about the details. "When did you two get together?"
Zhou Chaosheng: "The second day in Iceland."
Zhao Xiaohui: "....."
Gu Qingqiu: "Chaosheng, let me ask you, what about your parents?"
Zhou Chaosheng: "I'll talk to them properly."
Zhao Xiaohui: "And if they don't understand?"
Gu Qingqiu: "I think Uncle Zhou won't agree, and your grandfather even less so. Didn't he push you to get married a while ago, even arranging blind dates for you? When I went home that day, my grandfather told me that your grandfather kept saying he wanted to hold his great-grandchild before he passed..."
This was just short of directly saying, "Grandpa Zhou is old and might not be able to handle you coming out."
Zhou Chaosheng had, of course, considered this.
He knew his grandfather better than anyone. The old man wouldn’t land himself in the hospital over this, at most, he’d take a cane and beat him all over before questioning if he was letting down their ancestors.
Zhou Chaosheng calmly replied, "If it comes to that, I can hide it from him."
Gu Qingqiu: "...You can hide it for a while, but not forever. Besides, Grandpa Zhou's informants aren't just for show. If you're dating Jiang Yuanye, you’ll have to go on dates. What if one day you two are spotted in an intimate moment and get photographed? How would you explain that? By then, that person would dig into who you’re seeing, who you’re associating with, and then compile a full report straight to your grandfather."
"Chaosheng, I'm really not exaggerating. Your relationship with Jiang Yuanye won't stay a secret for long. It won’t be long before everyone in the circle knows you like men. Think about it, how will they see you and Jiang Yuanye then? What about your parents and relatives? How will you explain it to them? Chaosheng, this is a very real issue. Have you really thought it through?" Gu Qingqiu advised earnestly.
If he weren’t driving, Zhao Xiaohui would have clapped his hands in agreement. This was exactly what he wanted to say.
Zhou Chaosheng was silent for a while before slowly responding, "I've thought of all that."
"Qingqiu, Xiaohui, I know you’re both looking out for me as friends. But to be honest, you don’t need to worry about this. I’ll handle coming out, and I’ll bear whatever consequences come with it. Even if no one agrees, no one understands, no one supports my decision. I will still choose to do this.
"As for the elders you’re especially concerned about, I’ll find a proper way to handle it. I won’t make a mess of things or turn it into an ugly situation. After all, the Zhou family isn’t just me; there are other siblings. At worst, I’ll leave Yuanhang to be taken over by professionals, let the family just collect dividends, and donate the rest to charity to give back to society. No matter what, there will always be solutions. You really don’t have to worry about me."
As he finished speaking, they happened to hit a red light. Zhao Xiaohui shifted gears and stopped at the intersection. He glanced at Gu Qingqiu in the passenger seat. Seeing the complexity and shock in each other’s eyes, they finally let out a sigh and conceded.
"Alright, since you’ve thought it through, we won’t interfere anymore."
Zhao Xiaohui scoffed, "Not interfering is one thing, but don’t expect me to support you two. If it were someone else, maybe. But Jiang Yuanye? He’s the one person I won’t approve of."
"Why?"
Zhao Xiaohui: "Why else? I just don’t like him. He always steals my business."
Zhou Chaosheng's gaze showed helplessness. So, it really was just business competition that had worsened their relationship.
"You’ve taken business from him too. And you’ve taken more from him than he has from you," Zhou Chaosheng stated honestly.
But to Zhao Xiaohui, this sounded completely different. He let out a sneer and laughed angrily. "So, now that you have a boyfriend, you're forgetting about your brothers? Just a few days into the relationship, and you're already speaking up for him?"
Before Zhou Chaosheng could say anything, Gu Qingqiu cut in, "You just said he's his boyfriend. How can you even compare?"
Zhao Xiaohui: "....."
"Damn, betraying your brothers for love."
Zhou Chaosheng chuckled but didn’t refute it.
Hearing him laugh, the two in the front seats finally relaxed, then burst into laughter themselves.
Fifteen minutes later, Zhao Xiaohui pulled up in front of the company building.
Before leaving, Zhao Xiaohui reminded, "Don’t forget about our dinner."
Zhou Chaosheng: "I won’t. Let’s meet the day after tomorrow."
Zhao Xiaohui gave him an "OK" sign and drove off.
Zhou Chaosheng wasn’t wearing a suit today. When he walked into the company in casual attire, employees passing by cast glances of admiration and curiosity. Some even whipped out their phones and took pictures like crazy. Uploading them online was out of the question, as company policy prohibited sharing personal photos of the boss. At most, they could post his work-related pictures in internal chat groups.
When Zhou Chaosheng took the private elevator to the 48th floor and the doors opened, the first thing he saw was Wiesen standing at the entrance with an aggrieved expression, staring at him.
"Boss, you finally decided to come back, huh? Any later, and I would have thought you and President Jiang planned to spend the rest of your lives together in Iceland."
Zhou Chaosheng thought about how, a week ago, he had heartlessly left his team and all his work behind. A small pang of guilt surfaced in his heart. That day had been the first time in his life that he acted purely on his own will, disregarding his usual structured plans.
The consequence of such recklessness was now right in front of him—his desk was piled high with all kinds of documents and contracts awaiting his signature and approval. The stacks of files were towering so high that when he sat down, they nearly reached half his head. It was as if his entire being was about to be swallowed by work.
But there was no other way. This was the price he had to pay as the boss of a major company.
Zhou Chaosheng lowered his gaze to the mountain of paperwork on his desk, feeling a bit helpless. He had no idea when he’d be able to finish all this work and finally have a moment of relief to go see Jiang Yuanye.
It definitely wouldn’t be today.
Thinking of this, Zhou Chaosheng let out a quiet sigh.
He missed Jiang Yuanye.