TUMZ Chapter 5

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Zhuang Hanxue heard him get up, turned his head to glance at him, then looked at the photo again and said, "You haven’t changed much since your university days, just a different hairstyle. Your ex-boyfriend is quite good-looking, but he seems like a completely different type from me—hmm, except that he’s also older than you."

Qiu Zheyan had been worried that he would be angry, but seeing him this calm—like he was commenting on a TV drama, completely detached—made him inexplicably annoyed.

Qiu Zheyan took the photo and asked, "Where did you find this?"

In the photo, there was a red brick wall and yellow ginkgo leaves. He looked younger, dressed in sportswear, more childlike than he was now. The man beside him was half a head shorter, wearing a knitted sweater and black pants. He had delicate and refined features and seemed steady and reliable.

Zhuang Hanxue said, "It was just pressed under the mattress. I was wondering what it was, so I pulled it out and saw it was a group photo. This guy looks like your ex-boyfriend, right?"

Qiu Zheyan didn’t reply.

Zhuang Hanxue sat cross-legged and curiously asked, "Aren’t you going to tell me about him?"

Qiu Zheyan’s expression darkened. "There’s nothing to say."

The more he refused to talk, the more curious Zhuang Hanxue became. He pressed on, "Come on, tell me! What, are you still not over him? Is that why you don’t want to mention it? Fine, fine… No need to get mad..."

Qiu Zheyan grabbed his shoulders. "You’re really not jealous at all when you see a photo of me with another man?"

Zhuang Hanxue looked puzzled. "Uh, what’s there to be jealous about? You broke up ages ago, right?"

"'What’s there to be jealous about? You broke up ages ago, right?'—He actually answered me so indifferently." After returning home, Qiu Zheyan went to vent to a friend, knocking his forehead against his arm resting on the table. "Why doesn’t he feel even a little bit jealous?"

The bar owner chuckled. "A boyfriend who gets irrationally jealous just from seeing an ex’s photo is the real problem, don’t you think?"

Qiu Zheyan was deeply troubled. "But I keep feeling like… he doesn’t really love me. It’s like we’re just in a caretaker and dependent relationship."

The owner stopped wiping the glass. After a moment, he said, "You really haven’t realized it yet, have you?"

Qiu Zheyan asked, "Realized what?"

The owner said, "He doesn’t work, doesn’t have a job, lives in your place, eats your food, uses your money… A relationship maintained purely by financial support is generally called ‘sponsorship,’ my friend."

Qiu Zheyan sat up straight and angrily retorted, "No! That would only be true if there were no feelings involved. We’re in a real relationship! He just can’t make money and doesn’t want to work, so I take care of him. I don’t expect him to work—I’m supporting him willingly! We’ve both said we like each other. I like him, and he likes me too!"

The owner asked, "He said he likes you? In bed? You do know that what a man says in bed doesn’t really count, right?"

Qiu Zheyan firmly denied, “Of course not in bed.”

He recalled the moments when Zhuang Hanxue told him he liked him.

For example:

“You know that pack of cigarettes you gave me a few days ago? I’ve already finished it. Can you give me another one? I know we agreed on at most one pack every three days. I know smoking too much is bad for my health. Then just half a pack? Sigh, three sticks will do… Thank you, Qiuqiu, I like you so much.”

Or:

“Darling, the beer in the fridge is all gone. Buy another case, okay? I really like having beer with my meals. I really want to drink. I really, really want to drink… Thank you, Qiuqiu, I really like you. Here, I’ll share half of this last can with you.”

And also:

“Xiao Qiu, look at this new game that just came out. It looks so fun, and it’s got great reviews! I saw a streamer play it, and now I really want to try it. I’ve already finished all the games I bought before. How about we buy this one and play it together this weekend? Come on, come on, I’m itching to play… Hehe, baby, I love you the most!”

Without exception, each time, after getting what he wanted, he’d lean in to give a quick peck on the lips and then run off to play.

As Qiu Zheyan recalled all this, he slowly covered his face in silence: “……”

Something didn’t feel right.

But to say that Zhuang Hanxue was only with him for money? That didn’t seem to be the case.

Zhuang Hanxue had very low material desires. Apart from his love for smoking, drinking, and gaming, he never asked for anything expensive. He didn’t even ask for gifts. The few times Qiu Zheyan bought him pricey clothes, he rarely wore them, preferring cheap T-shirts at home. His lighter was just a basic one from the supermarket. Rings, belts, watches, sports cars—he never asked for any of that.

“What are you thinking about?”

“N-Nothing…”

Qiu Zheyan sighed gloomily. “After we got back, I told him that my parents had a good impression of him. He was shocked and said, ‘How is that possible? You’re so outstanding—don’t your parents think I’m unworthy of you because I have no prospects?’”

Feeling affectionate, Qiu Zheyan said, “I think maybe he has some insecurities. He’s older, doesn’t have a career, so he lacks confidence. Maybe he’s afraid I’ll abandon him one day? The more I think about it, the more I feel like he’s pitiful and adorable. Ugh…”

The bar owner hesitated, then said, “Forget it… as long as you’re happy…”

Meanwhile, Zhuang Hanxue’s older brother was still staying at the hospital with his sick child. Zhuang Hanxue continued to run errands to pass the time and even brought video games and board games to play with the kid.

Qiu Zheyan went to pick him up from the hospital.

Outside the ward, he overheard a conversation between the two brothers.

Zhuang Hanchen: “So, you’ve already met his parents. How’s it going?”

Zhuang Hanxue: “I don’t know. I guess it’s fine? Even if they didn’t like me, they wouldn’t say it outright, right? Xiao Qiu said his parents like me, but who knows? I’ve never been someone that elders take a liking to anyway. I’m such a loser.”

Zhuang Hanchen sighed, “If you know you’re a loser, why don’t you try to improve yourself?”

Zhuang Hanxue: “No thanks.”

Zhuang Hanchen: “Then why did you go meet his parents?”

Zhuang Hanxue: “It’s hard to refuse. His parents are nice—way better than ours. I couldn’t bring myself to reject them. I figured if they disliked me, they’d reject me themselves, and that’d make things easier.”

Zhuang Hanchen scolded, “You take such a careless attitude toward everything, no wonder you’ve drifted aimlessly through life and achieved nothing.”

Zhuang Hanxue: “Do people have to achieve something in life? The world doesn’t need me. It’s not like I have some grand dream to change the world.”

“You live in his house, eat his food, use his money—how is that different from being kept? Don’t you have any shame?”

“Nope. As long as I’m happy, who cares? Stop worrying so much.”

“I’m just saying, being in a relationship with another man isn’t as simple as you think… You’ll figure it out eventually. Right now, you’re living like a pampered pet, but what if you break up? You’ll be even older, and finding a job will be even harder. How will you support yourself then?”

“Well, I don’t even like going out anyway. My dream is to laze around and eat without working. So what?”

“You’ve only known him for how long? Are you really sure he’ll support you for a lifetime? If he truly cared about you, he wouldn’t keep you from going out and working. If you wanted to be a freeloader, why did you run away from home in the first place?”

“Because I don’t want to get married. If I had to get married, I’d rather just get a job.”

Hearing this, Qiu Zheyan quietly turned and left. He went down to the hospital lobby and sent a message to Zhuang Hanxue: “I’m here to pick you up.”

Zhuang Hanxue came downstairs, immediately clinging onto him. He never sat properly, never stood properly—always so carefree.

They walked home hand in hand.

On the way, they saw a stall selling crispy fried potatoes and bought a box. They fed each other, taking turns with each bite.

Qiu Zheyan knew he had a problem. He was doing it on purpose—letting Zhuang Hanxue stay jobless, idle, not making progress. Because if Zhuang Hanxue started working and met other people, then his entire life wouldn’t revolve around Qiu Zheyan anymore.

Zhuang Hanxue was well-educated and had a decent job before. Qiu Zheyan had tricked him into leaving that life behind. He knew it was selfish, but who in this world could say they were completely without selfishness?

Zhuang Hanxue hummed a tune and cheerfully said, “In another week, my niece will be discharged. Then my brother will leave. My suffering is finally coming to an end.”

Qiu Zheyan chuckled, “You say that, but you visit your brother every day.”

Zhuang Hanxue replied, “Well, he’s still my big brother.”

Qiu Zheyan squeezed his hand and asked, “New Year’s is coming up. I’m planning a company dinner and get-together. Want to come?”

Zhuang Hanxue shook his head without hesitation, “What for? I’d rather stay home and play games.”

Thinking about what Zhuang Hanchen had said, Qiu Zheyan hesitated and persuaded, “You haven’t gone out or socialized in a long time. Come out and get some fresh air. Staying cooped up all the time isn’t good.”

After much coaxing, Zhuang Hanxue finally agreed. “Alright, fine.”

But…

Qiu Zheyan started worrying—Is he socially anxious? Will he be terrified at the gathering? Will he just sit in a corner playing on his phone? If I don’t make sure, will he just wear whatever and waste that handsome face?

Overthinking everything, he booked the venue, picked up Zhuang Hanxue, and—was shocked.

Zhuang Hanxue had already dressed up—sharp and refined, looking like a professional elite. Just a wardrobe change, and he looked years younger.

He was practically the same as when Qiu Zheyan first met him.

Zhuang Hanxue grinned, “Let’s go.”

Qiu Zheyan raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you say you didn’t want to go out? Why dress up so much?”

Zhuang Hanxue reasoned, “It’s because going out is such a hassle that I don’t want to do it.”

At the event, he wasn’t shy at all—chatting and laughing with everyone.

When Qiu Zheyan returned from a quick bathroom break, he found that the few pretty female employees in the company were all surrounding Zhuang Hanxue, talking and laughing.

Qiu Zheyan: “……”

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