ATLT Chapter 13

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Chu Yi had always thought Zhang Linghao was just an uneducated, idle rich kid—the type who, after his father lost power, could only laze around and live off his family's wealth. So when Zhang Linghao found a job within three months of arriving in Shanghai, Chu Yi was secretly surprised.

Zhang Linghao was surprised, too.

He had been lying around at home every day, waiting for Chu Yi to get off work, and it was just too boring. So, he got a résumé from a high school friend, copied and modified it a bit, then asked the friend to polish it for him. After that, he blindly sent out applications on job websites. Unexpectedly, interview invitations flooded in, even from some well-known companies.

After picking and choosing, Zhang Linghao went through interviews at three companies and eventually landed an entry-level position in the marketing department of an internet company.

When he received the offer, he was lounging on the sofa like a true couch potato—mouth open as Chu Yi fed him neatly cut pieces of pineapple with a small fork.

Holding up his phone to Chu Yi, Zhang Linghao asked, "Does this look like a scam email to you?"

Chu Yi carefully read it over before cautiously concluding, "It doesn’t seem like it... They’re not asking you for money. And didn’t you actually interview with them? It’s really that company, right?"

Zhang Linghao hummed in response, munching on the pineapple as he replied to the email.

Chu Yi: "Are you really going to start working?"

Zhang Linghao: "Looks like it. Even I can’t believe it."

Chu Yi: "Do you really want to work? Don’t force yourself."

Zhang Linghao: "Might as well give it a try. You seem to enjoy working."

Chu Yi: "That’s because I need to make money."

Zhang Linghao: "We have money."

Chu Yi: "...Forget about trying to keep me as a sugar baby."

Zhang Linghao: "Alright, alright. How about you keep me instead?"

Satisfied, Chu Yi pinched Zhang Linghao’s cheek and gave him a big kiss.

Then he frowned slightly. "Why is there no meat on your face at all? Have I been too busy to cook for you? You’re not eating properly, are you?"

Zhang Linghao: "Be reasonable. You’re raising a man, not a pig."

The next morning, Zhang Linghao discovered that his usual breakfast of a single slice of toast and a cup of coffee had been upgraded to two slices of toast, a fried egg, two slices of ham, two slices of cheese, and a glass of milk.

Zhang Linghao sighed. Chu Yi really was trying to fatten him up.

Being a full-time pig sounded wonderful... but no, he had to go to work. Otherwise, staying home all day watching Chu Yi film videos and interact with his fans would turn him into a bitter, neglected house pig.

On his first day of work, Zhang Linghao woke up two hours earlier than usual after hearing horror stories about morning rush hour traffic.

Chu Yi helped him check his ID, degree certificate, and other onboarding documents, casually asking, "What was your major in university?"

Zhang Linghao: "Marketing and consumer psychology."

Chu Yi: "..."

Zhang Linghao: "What?"

Chu Yi: "I don’t understand."

Zhang Linghao chuckled and reached out to ruffle the taller man’s fluffy head. "You being even less educated than me is kind of adorable."

Chu Yi felt slightly insulted—but also strangely happy.

On his first day at work, eight female colleagues added Zhang Linghao on WeChat.

So did three male colleagues.

Then, his Moments received more than ten likes.

His Moments were set to be visible for only three days, showing just two posts:

One was a picture of the breakfast Chu Yi made for him, captioned: Scientific pig farming starts with me.

The other was a screenshot of a red packet Zhang Lingrui sent him, with the message: Treating big bro to the first milk tea of autumn. Zhang Linghao replied: You're an adult now, go fall in love. Zhang Lingrui responded with a [speechless.jpg] emoji.

What was there to like about this?

Zhang Linghao had been navigating the dating scene since he was fifteen, having seen more flirting tactics than the number of milk teas Zhang Lingrui had ever drunk. It was clear at a glance that those who liked his post were showing interest in him.

Chu Yi had over a million fans who admired his looks, while he had just a handful of admirers on Moments—still, it was a good start.

Feeling pleased with himself, Zhang Linghao took a screenshot and sent it to Chu Yi: Look how popular your husband is.

Chu Yi replied: Husband is picking you up after work today.

Zhang Linghao was delighted and started looking forward to the end of the workday from 1 PM.

He didn’t expect to be called into a meeting at 4 PM, followed by one meeting after another, leaving him feeling a little lightheaded.

When it was finally time to leave work, a colleague in the meeting room took out their phone and asked, I feel like eating pizza, how about you guys?

Colleague A: Domino’s is fine, but not Pizza Hut.

Colleague B: Can we switch it up? I’m sick of Italian meat sauce.

Colleague C: I want bubble tea.

Colleague D: Let me count how many of us there are. Should we order three pizzas and some sides?

Colleague E: Linghao, what kind of pizza do you like?

Zhang Linghao: … You guys… we’re not going home for dinner?

His colleagues all gave him a Kid, you're too naive look.

Zhang Linghao: What’s with those expressions…

Colleague B: The last time I had dinner at home was… well, the last time.

Zhang Linghao: When was that?

Colleague B: So long ago I can’t remember.

Zhang Linghao: …

Colleague C: Don’t scare him, guys. I think today’s meetings went well, we might get off before nine.

Zhang Linghao: …

Colleague E: Linghao, judging by the big breakfast in your post, do you have one of those “can’t gain weight” body types? Would half a 12-inch pizza be enough for you? If not, we can order more.

Zhang Linghao: …

Colleague A: Kid, that look on your face tells me you've never been beaten down by the workplace before.

Forcing a pained smile, Zhang Linghao said, Sorry, can I step out to make a call?

Colleague E: Wait, let’s finish ordering first. Hawaiian, Deluxe, and Teriyaki Beef & Potato—good? Linghao, what drink do you want? Any dessert?

Grabbing his phone, Zhang Linghao stood up: Anything’s fine, I don’t mind. I’ll go make my call.

By the time Chu Yi picked up, he had just exited the subway station near Zhang Linghao’s office. I’m almost there, don’t worry.

Zhang Linghao: Uh… you don’t have to come. I have to work late…

Chu Yi: Overtime? No problem, I’ll wait downstairs.

Zhang Linghao: They said if we finish by nine, it’s considered lucky…

Chu Yi: WHAT?!

Zhang Linghao: You heard me right, nine.

Chu Yi: …Damn.

Zhang Linghao: Right? I also think it’s damn.

Chu Yi: What kind of job did you take?

Zhang Linghao: I spent the whole day in meetings discussing million-dollar projects.

Chu Yi: And they’re not paying you a million-dollar salary, so why are they making you work overtime on your first day?

Zhang Linghao: So, if they were paying me millions, would it be okay for me to work myself to death?

Chu Yi: Uh… haha, let me think about that.

Zhang Linghao: You’re sleeping on the couch tonight.

Chu Yi: Whoa, first day at work and you’re already this feisty.

Zhang Linghao: Sigh, I can’t chat anymore, I have to go back to the meeting. You go home and eat, don’t wait for me. My colleagues are ordering pizza.

Chu Yi: I just got out of the subway… damn, your office building looks so fancy, but inside, it’s basically a sweatshop.

Hearing that, Zhang Linghao walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window in his office and looked down. He was on the 21st floor, and the people below were just tiny black dots. He couldn’t see Chu Yi, but knowing that he had come to pick him up made Zhang Linghao feel warm inside.

Too bad he had to stay for this damn overtime.

Chu Yi’s voice came through the phone: Hey, I see a Starbucks downstairs. I’ll grab some dinner and wait for you there.

Zhang Linghao: I still have three more hours…

Chu Yi: Then I’ll do a livestream for a bit. Maybe I’ll get some donations, haha.

Zhang Linghao: Damn, you’re really dedicated to your work.

Chu Yi: And you aren’t? Anyway, go back to work. Message me when you’re done.

Zhang Linghao: Chu Yi.

Chu Yi: Hmm?

Zhang Linghao: Nothing, I’m going back to my meeting.

Chu Yi: Alright, go. Be good.

Zhang Linghao returned to the meeting room, practically radiating pink bubbles.

Colleague A: You looked miserable just now, why are you suddenly so happy?

Zhang Linghao: Huh? I’m not…

Colleague C: Linghao, just curious, are you single?

Zhang Linghao smiled, and the pink bubbles around him visibly expanded.

Other than a married colleague and two straight male coworkers, everyone else seemed slightly disappointed.

Even the married colleague sighed: Ah, what a shame. I thought our department’s single ladies had a chance.

Feigning shyness, Zhang Linghao simply smiled without answering. Meanwhile, he quickly typed out a message to Chu Yi: My colleagues are gossiping about my love life. How should I respond?

Chu Yi quickly replied: "Tell them your husband is more handsome than all of them, so they don’t stand a chance."

Zhang Linghao: "Shameless."

Chu Yi sent a meme that a fan had made for him: Confidence.gif

Zhang Linghao replied with a cat emoji, then put his phone aside and focused on listening to his colleagues discuss the market plan for a new product.

A few minutes later, Chu Yi sent another message: "What did you say?"

Zhang Linghao: "I didn’t say anything. Building a mysterious persona."

After a while, the food delivery arrived. One of his colleagues went downstairs to pick it up, and Zhang Linghao eagerly followed. When he got downstairs, he glanced into the Starbucks nearby. At this hour, there weren’t many people drinking coffee, and he immediately spotted Chu Yi sitting by the window. As expected, he was live streaming, speaking seriously into his phone screen.

Zhang Linghao had watched too many of Chu Yi’s live streams and knew that when he streamed from a café, he had a habit of wearing earphones and quietly telling his fans about his day—where he had been, what he ate, what workouts he did, and his thoughts and experiences. When he ran out of things to say, he would just prop up his phone, stare out the window in a daze, occasionally glancing at the screen to answer fans’ questions.

But he never answered questions about his love life. When fans asked if he was single or if he had someone he liked, he always just smiled and brushed it off.

Zhang Linghao knew this was a company policy, and he wasn’t petty enough to make a fuss over it. Still, sometimes he secretly wanted to take Chu Yi’s phone away so that his fans wouldn’t swoon over his face.

Okay, maybe he was a little petty.

A colleague asked, "What’s up? Do you want coffee?"

Zhang Linghao had a sudden idea. "Yeah. Do you want some? My treat."

The colleague said, "I can’t let you treat me! It’s your first day at work. I should be the one treating you."

Zhang Linghao sweet-talked his way through: "I learned a lot from today’s meeting, and I’ll be relying on everyone for guidance in the future. Buying coffee is the least I can do. Here’s a deal—please take the food upstairs first, and while you're at it, ask everyone in the meeting room what they want to drink and send it to the group chat. I’ll buy them and bring them up."

The colleague glanced at Zhang Linghao’s shoes and the watch on his wrist, then stopped declining and grinned. "Alright, thanks! I’ll have a hot latte."

The colleague went upstairs, and Zhang Linghao strutted into Starbucks, sitting down right next to Chu Yi and opening WeChat to check the group messages.

Chu Yi was in the middle of eating a salad on his livestream when he suddenly noticed a familiar figure sitting beside him. He turned his head, almost choking on his chicken breast.

Zhang Linghao raised an eyebrow and smirked at him.

Chu Yi turned back to his screen just in time to see a comment pop up:

"A handsome guy just walked past in the background! But he was too fast! Did anyone else see him???"

Chu Yi quickly took a sip of coffee, forcing down the chicken breast, then told his audience, "I feel like drinking juice. Hold on for a second."

He then casually placed his streaming phone down, stood up, grabbed Zhang Linghao’s arm, and pulled him toward the counter.

"You’re off work?" Chu Yi sounded a little happy.

Zhang Linghao made a crying face. "No, I just came to check on you and buy coffee for my colleagues."

Chu Yi sighed and patted his back gently. "So hardworking. Do you like your job?"

Zhang Linghao’s phone buzzed as messages poured in with coffee orders from his colleagues, all thanking him. He grinned. "It’s fun, though I barely understand what they’re talking about in meetings."

Chu Yi snorted. "You got hired just because of your face, didn’t you?"

Zhang Linghao: "Thanks for the compliment."

After buying over a dozen cups of coffee, Zhang Linghao headed back upstairs, leaving behind a bottle of orange juice for Chu Yi.

Chu Yi returned to his livestream, opened the bottle, and took a sip. Smiling at the screen, he said, "The orange juice is really good. What kind of juice do you all like?"

Comments flooded in:

"Isn’t Starbucks’ orange juice NFC? It’s way too sour!"

"You must have lost your sense of taste."

"You’re handsome, so whatever you say goes."

"Orange juice isn’t as sweet as you."

Chu Yi chuckled at the screen.

At 9:30 PM, Zhang Linghao finally got off work.

He rushed downstairs to Starbucks, hoping to surprise Chu Yi, but found the store closed and no sign of him.

He called: "I’m off work. Where are you?"

Chu Yi: "I’m at the 7-Eleven across the street. I’ll come find you."

As Zhang Linghao stepped out of the office building, he spotted a tall, slender figure walking out of 7-Eleven across the street. He waved, and Chu Yi said over the phone, "I see you."

Chu Yi walked along the sidewalk to the crosswalk, stepped onto the zebra-striped road, and crossed over. Zhang Linghao walked toward him, and they met under the streetlight.

Chu Yi tilted his chin forward, signaling for Zhang Linghao to walk in that direction.

Zhang Linghao turned obediently and started walking. "What? Is it easier to get a cab over there?"

After a few steps, Chu Yi suddenly grabbed his shoulder, spun him around, and hugged him tightly. "It was too bright over there. I was afraid your colleagues might see us. It wouldn’t look good. There’s no streetlight here—just a quick hug."

Zhang Linghao laughed. "Coward. What are you afraid of?"

Chu Yi: "Afraid they’ll see how handsome your husband is and get jealous."

Zhang Linghao: "Chu the streamer is getting more and more shameless."

Chu Yi: "Thanks to you."

Back when they first moved in together, Zhang Linghao noticed that Chu Yi seemed to lack confidence in his streaming career. So every day, he hyped him up, chanting motivational slogans like a brainwashing mantra:

"Our Chu the streamer is the most handsome on the entire platform!"

"If Chu Yi doesn’t get famous, it’s a crime against nature!"

"Who’s the most handsome guy on the Bund? Who else but Chu Yi!"

After saying it a few times, he even made Chu Yi respond interactively—

Zhang Linghao: "Who’s the most handsome guy on the Bund?"

Chu Yi: "…You really sound like one of those pyramid scheme guys."

Zhang Linghao: "Answer my question. Who is the number one handsome guy on the Bund?"

Chu Yi: "Xu Wenqiang?"

Zhang Linghao: "The correct answer is Chu Yi. If you get it wrong again, you're sleeping on the couch tonight."

Chu Yi: "…"

Three minutes later.

Zhang Linghao: "Who is the number one handsome guy on the Bund?"

Chu Yi: "…Stop messing around, be good."

Zhang Linghao: "You're sleeping on the couch."

That night, at 12:30 AM, Chu Yi finally gave in.

Hugging his pillow, he stood pitifully outside the bedroom door, weakly knocking. "The number one handsome guy on the Bund is Chu Yi. May I sleep in bed now?"

Zhang Linghao, satisfied, opened the bedroom door.

Under this kind of strict brainwashing-style education, Chu Yi actually seemed to gain a bit more confidence. He smiled more during live streams and even started responding to audience jokes. His fan count finally broke the million mark and was now on its way to two million.

Thinking of Zhang Linghao’s over-the-top encouragement, Chu Yi smiled and hugged the person in his arms tighter. "You worked hard today. Come on, let's go home."

_

Author’s Note:

The extra chapter is here! Is anyone still around?

Just some daily relationship fluff—sweet but kind of boring~

If people like it, I'll write more in the future. If not, this will be the last one >_<

T/N: Please give support on my ko-fi page, thank you💮💮💮