TUMZ Chapter 2

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"You're already bringing him home?"

At the bar, Qiu Zheyan finished his drink.

The bartender, wiping glasses while listening, asked in surprise, "Haven't you figured him out yet?"

Qiu Zheyan was tipsy—not because he had a low alcohol tolerance, but because thinking about his lover made him emotional. He rubbed his face and said, "There's no way he's a bad person. He's super cute, like he was made just for me—obedient, well-behaved, so patient with me, and he speaks so gently. As long as I'm with him, I'm happy. The day after we slept together, I already wanted to take him home and propose! But I was afraid of scaring him off, so I held back for a long time... Now that we're meeting the parents, I think it's safe to bring up marriage. He shouldn't be scared, right?"

The bartender was blunt. "Hard to say. For you, this might feel like a long wait, but haven't you two only been dating for just over a month?"

Qiu Zheyan corrected him precisely: "One month and twenty-three days. In another week, it'll be two months."

As a concerned friend, the bartender said, "Marriage is a big deal—shouldn't you think it over more? And from what you've told me, this Mr. Zhuang... doesn’t seem very reliable. He's in his thirties, unemployed, drifting through life. You also mentioned he's only ever dated women before?"

He sincerely warned, "Falling for a straight guy usually doesn’t end well."

"All it takes is a woman beckoning, and he'll suddenly 'come to his senses,' claim he was just confused, and leave without a second thought. I've seen it happen too many times."

Qiu Zheyan insisted, "He's not like that."

The bartender asked, "Then when are you bringing him over to meet us?"

Qiu Zheyan immediately sounded jealous. "He's a homebody, timid, hates going out, and terrible at socializing. Plus, he's way too cute. I’m not letting you guys see him—what if you try to steal him from me?"

The bartender and others were speechless. A thirty-four-year-old man, not young, not particularly impressive, lazy... Who would steal him from you?

The alcohol made Qiu Zheyan even more emotional. He whined, "I found him, I took care of him, I raised him—he's mine!"

Everyone knew Qiu Zheyan's biggest flaw.

As a teenager, he had his first boyfriend. Less than a month into the relationship, he proposed right after turning eighteen, only to scare the guy off, getting dumped on the spot. Every time he fell in love, he desperately wanted to move in together and get married, but his impatience always led to rejection.

When in love, he became blind to everything else, throwing himself into the relationship with overwhelming intensity. Though it might sound romantic, in reality, it was exhausting.

"T City passed the same-sex marriage law, didn’t it? But out of all the registered couples, only 20% were male couples—just over four hundred pairs."

"Even if he’s fully committed to you, the odds of him actually coming out and marrying you are still only 20%."

"There’s family pressure, societal expectations, career concerns... It’s not as simple as you think. Not everyone is as love-struck as you."

In their social circle, casual relationships were the norm. Society’s disapproval was one thing, but many simply didn’t want to settle down. Not everyone was willing to commit to one man for a lifetime.

Qiu Zheyan sighed in frustration. "That’s why I held back for so long! I’m just testing the waters by inviting him to meet my parents."

But the moment he thought about how Zhuang Hanxue had agreed to meet his family without hesitation, Qiu Zheyan became excited again. "He’s willing to go home with me—that means we’re already halfway to getting married!"

He checked his watch. "Ah, it’s past midnight already? I need to head home."

His friend clicked his tongue. "Tsk tsk, the night’s just getting started. You really like him that much?"

Qiu Zheyan answered matter-of-factly, "Of course I do. But if I don’t go home to remind him to sleep, he’ll stay up all night playing games. His health isn’t great to begin with."

His friend muttered under his breath, "Is he a middle schooler? Sneaking in all-nighters while his parents aren’t home? Isn’t he in his thirties?"

Qiu Zheyan chuckled proudly. "That’s just how he is. If he didn’t have me, he wouldn’t survive."

By the time he got home, it was almost 1 AM.

Surprisingly, Zhuang Hanxue was already asleep.

At first, Qiu Zheyan thought he had gone to bed early for real. But when he touched the blankets, they were barely warm—clearly, he had just gotten in. After washing up, Qiu Zheyan checked the game’s login records. Offline: 3 minutes ago.

He found it both amusing and exasperating. Climbing into bed, he deliberately kept his hands and feet cold. As soon as he got under the covers, he pressed his icy fingers against Zhuang Hanxue’s back. "Playing dead?"

His cold, damp hands—fresh from washing—slid up like a snake. Zhuang Hanxue shuddered and could no longer pretend. "Your hands are freezing..."

He sounded a bit flustered. He had originally planned to prepare more.

But Zhuang Hanxue couldn’t wait. He said, “It’s not like I’ll get pregnant anyway,” urging him on.

So he went along with Zhuang Hanxue.

In fact, he also enjoyed barging in before everything was fully prepared. That way, he could hear the slightly pained sounds of this man who was seven years older than him.

It was truly delightful.

—Because Zhuang Hanxue was exactly that kind of person.

He was weak, indecisive, lazy, and prone to deception. If he tasted a little sweetness, he would become addicted, unable to control himself—whether it was gaming or in bed. That’s why he would even take the initiative to invite him to seek pleasure together. During their first time, Qiu Zheyan was particularly patient, making him feel very comfortable, so he naturally accepted the idea of doing this with a man.

At the same time, Zhuang Hanxue was someone who spoke without a filter and liked to lie. Qiu Zheyan didn’t think he lied with any real purpose—some people lie with intent, while others do it just for fun, without realizing it.

Their first time was something Qiu Zheyan had deliberately orchestrated—a drunken hookup. Zhuang Hanxue didn’t put up much resistance, simply going along with the flow.

The next morning, Qiu Zheyan held Zhuang Hanxue in his arms, apologized to him, and confessed. Zhuang Hanxue casually said, “It’s fine. At my age, sleeping with a man is honestly more convenient than sleeping with a woman. No pregnancy worries, and it felt pretty good too. Hahaha.”

He laughed and laughed, then suddenly seemed to remember something. He paused and blankly said, “Wait, no… Men can get pregnant too. Should I take a birth control pill?”

Then, quite seriously, he mentioned knowing someone who got pregnant and married after a one-night stand with a man.¹

What kind of joke was that? Could men really get pregnant?

Of course, Qiu Zheyan only took it as one of Zhuang Hanxue’s little jokes. Even his unpredictability and randomness seemed adorable to him.

Zhuang Hanxue also had the characteristics of an older lover—gentle and tolerant. Yet at times, he also felt like a child. To this day, Qiu Zheyan still didn’t fully understand him.

Qiu Zheyan wrapped him completely in his arms. Zhuang Hanxue was thin, with little flesh on his body. Due to a lack of exercise, his body was softer compared to other men.

Rather than saying Zhuang Hanxue had “turned gay,” it was more accurate to say he was a man without shame. He didn’t reject any kind of pleasure.

Whether with women or with men.

By the time they finished, both of them were hot and sweaty from the exertion, their hands and feet pressed together, radiating warmth.

Zhuang Hanxue hugged him and said, “Kiss me again.”

He kissed him, as if kissing a small animal.

Zhuang Hanxue loved hugs. He always had to cuddle while sleeping. Qiu Zheyan still remembered the first time Zhuang Hanxue stayed over. Back then, he was still figuring out how to lure this fool into his grasp. That night, exhausted, they casually shared a bed. Zhuang Hanxue had no sense of wariness, but Qiu Zheyan wanted to take things step by step, gradually leading him into his trap.

In the middle of the night, he woke up to find himself wrapped in Zhuang Hanxue’s arms.

It was just a simple hug. Zhuang Hanxue liked sleeping while hugging something—if no one was around, a dog or a pillow would do just fine.

As they kissed, Zhuang Hanxue fell asleep.

Qiu Zheyan chuckled softly and kissed his forehead.

This man seemed to have no worries and could always sleep soundly. Once he fell asleep, nothing could wake him up.

That was one of the things Qiu Zheyan liked about him. Sleeping beside someone who slept so well made his own sleep quality improve as well.

Taking advantage of his slumber, Qiu Zheyan carefully took out a ring sizer and quietly measured the size of Zhuang Hanxue’s left ring finger.

He needed to order a custom ring in advance. Once they met the family and made things official, it would be time to start laying the groundwork for a proposal.

Next week, they were going to meet the parents. Wasn’t Zhuang Hanxue worried at all? Qiu Zheyan thought to himself. This guy would probably only start scrambling to buy gifts the day before. Maybe he should just handle it himself.

The next morning.

Zhuang Hanxue got up early—a rare occurrence.

Normally, he would sleep until around ten after Qiu Zheyan left. But today, he was up at eight.

Qiu Zheyan asked, “Is there an esports match streaming at eight? … Are you going out?”

Zhuang Hanxue pulled a down jacket from the wardrobe and wrapped himself in it. He threw a scarf around his neck, his hair sticking up messily. Yawning, he said, “My brother’s flight lands at ten. I’m going to the airport to pick him up.”

Qiu Zheyan was momentarily stunned. “Your brother is coming?!”

Zhuang Hanxue hummed in response.

“The brother you mentioned—the one who eloped abroad with a man?”

“Yeah. He’s my only biological older brother. Oh, and I have a second sister too.”

“Why didn’t you tell me your brother was coming?”

Zhuang Hanxue scratched his head, his round eyes widening before curving into a lazy smile. Like a sloth, he drawled, “I think I forgot…”

Qiu Zheyan thought for a moment, then dug through the storage room for a decent-looking gift box, placed a brand-new Gucci tie inside, grabbed his car keys, and decisively said, “Let’s go. I’ll drive you to pick up your brother.”

Huh? Was he taking Xiao Qiu to meet his brother?

Zhuang Hanxue suddenly felt troubled again.

But he was someone who was easily led by others. And compared to taking a taxi, getting driven by Qiu Zheyan was much more comfortable.

Author’s Note:

¹ Reference to Peach Blossom, where Zhuang Hanxue was a side character. Originally, I randomly paired him with someone just to add an extra story, but recently, I found this couple dynamic quite interesting, so I expanded it into a full story.

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