TUMZ Chapter 19

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Qiu Zheyan pulled a long face and stared at Zhuang Hanxue without saying a word.

Zhuang Hanxue stopped laughing.

Qiu Zheyan said coldly, "Go ahead, keep laughing. Let's see how long you can keep it up."

Zhuang Hanxue chickened out, tugging at his sleeve. "I was just joking! I just wanted to make you laugh."

Qiu Zheyan couldn't follow his train of thought and asked, "What's so funny about that?"

Zhuang Hanxue said, "I once jokingly proposed to him, and now I'm friends with his son. Isn't that kind of amazing?"

Qiu Zheyan was speechless for a moment before commenting, "Generally, a man in his thirties wouldn't be calling an elementary school kid his buddy, let alone his master."

Zhuang Hanxue burst out laughing. "Why can't a man in his thirties be friends with a kid? As long as we have fun together, we can be friends, right?"

Qiu Zheyan said, "You better be joking."

Zhuang Hanxue scratched his head. "I really was joking. There's nothing between me and Chu Xun. Back then, he totally hated me—he even publicly scolded me once."

A few days later.

Zhuang Hanxue finally met the legendary little master, who turned out to indeed be an elementary school kid. He had a child's physique, standing at most around 150 cm tall, barely reaching their chests. He was skinny and small. The boy was very good-looking, with light-colored eyes like glass beads, and his face still had a bit of baby fat. When he wasn't talking, he had a bit of a grumpy expression—an arrogant-looking little beauty.

The moment Zhuang Hanxue saw him, he greeted him warmly, "Little Master!"

The boy clicked his tongue in amazement. "Wow, you actually dared to call me that out loud in real life. Impressive." His voice was in the middle of changing, currently in an awkward raspy phase.

At that moment, another man stepped out of the car.

Zhuang Hanxue saw him and hesitated slightly. "Ah Xun, long time no see."

Hearing this, Qiu Zheyan glanced over. Ah what? Calling him so intimately?

But Zhuang Hanxue didn’t notice.

Chu Xun gave him a cold once-over. "You really haven’t changed a bit. Still the same as ever."

"Really?" Zhuang Hanxue sheepishly scratched the back of his head and chuckled. "Haha, everyone says that—I have a bit of a baby face, so I look young. I think it's because I have a good mindset, so I appear youthful. You look great too, I wouldn't have guessed you're already forty."

Chu Xun: "…?"

Qiu Zheyan stepped forward. "Hello, Mr. Chu."

Chu Xun replied, "Hello…" but looked a bit confused, unsure of who he was.

Little Chu Jue tilted his head up to look at Qiu Zheyan, then turned to Zhuang Hanxue. "You really brought your boyfriend along?"

Zhuang Hanxue nodded matter-of-factly. "Yeah, I brought him to meet you."

Chu Xun: "???"

Chu Xun was surprised and asked Zhuang Hanxue, "Boyfriend? You have a boyfriend now? I remember you were straight."

Zhuang Hanxue waved his hand dismissively. "People change."

Then he flashed a bright smile, revealing a neat row of white teeth, and enthusiastically said, "Come on, come on! I'm the host, I'll treat you to a meal."

The restaurant Zhuang Hanxue had reserved was a lesser-known private eatery. He explained, "I won’t take you to some influencer hotspot. Those places are overpriced and taste terrible. This restaurant isn't too expensive, but it's clean, hygienic, and delicious. It’s been open for decades—only locals know about it."

Chu Xun couldn't help but comment, "You’re not even a local, though."

Zhuang Hanxue was momentarily stunned, then chuckled. "Oh, right? I'm not a local. But I've eaten at so many restaurants here."

For someone like him, who loved indulging in food, drinks, and entertainment, his only hobbies aside from drinking, smoking, and gaming were finding good food and having Qiu Zheyan take him to try it. He had eaten at almost every restaurant in the city, big and small.

Chu Xun smirked. "You’re living quite comfortably these days. What do you do now?"

Zhuang Hanxue shamelessly replied, "Me? I don’t work anymore. I stay at home and play around. My boyfriend supports me."

Chu Xun: "Heh, that sounds just like something you’d do."

Qiu Zheyan didn’t say anything. He knew he should flatter and build rapport with Chu Xun. Before coming here, he had already looked into him—Chu Xun was a low-profile industry leader. If he could establish a connection and secure funding, his business might take off.

But considering the unclear history between Zhuang Hanxue and Chu Xun… And now seeing Chu Xun in person—though older, he was well-maintained, with delicate features and a refined aura, exuding the charm of a mature man.

Qiu Zheyan felt jealous.

Last time, his jealousy had prevented him from continuing his collaboration with Jiang Ruoyun.

And this time, it was happening again.

As he quietly observed their interactions, he couldn't quite pin down their relationship. They didn’t seem like ex-lovers, but rather like they had old grudges. But what if that grudge stemmed from love turning into hate?

In Qiu Zheyan's eyes, their Zhuang Hanxue was so lively and lovable, attracting people effortlessly. Even his superstar ex-girlfriend still couldn’t let him go. So, was it really surprising if there was also a man who couldn’t forget him?

This guy was just too good at attracting admirers!

Qiu Zheyan asked, "Mr. Chu, I heard you and Zhuang Hanxue used to be colleagues?"

Chu Xun nodded. "Yes. He was my boss back then. Later, I got married and resigned."

Qiu Zheyan glanced at Zhuang Hanxue’s expression but didn’t see any signs of frustration or disappointment. However, he suspected Zhuang Hanxue probably didn’t feel great about it—imagine watching someone who once worked under you rise to success, while ten years later, you had ended up like this. Any man’s pride would take a hit, right?

Qiu Zheyan went to park the car.

Meanwhile, Zhuang Hanxue turned to Chu Xun and said, "Oh, by the way, Chu Xun, don’t tell Xiao Qiu that my parents are still rich. He thinks my family went bankrupt, which is why I ended up like this."

Chu Xun frowned and asked, "You're in a relationship with him, yet you haven't even told him this?"

Zhuang Hanxue shoved his hands into his pockets. “Our relationship is a bit hard to explain. Right now, I guess you could say I’m being kept by him? I don’t want him to know about my family’s situation.”

Chu Xun replied, “Alright. It’s got nothing to do with me anyway, I won’t say a word.”

Zhuang Hanxue grinned. “President Chu, would you like to check out the products from my little Qiu’s company? He’s really talented, and his products are definitely worth investing in. You won’t regret it.”

Chu Xun chuckled. “I knew it. So bringing your boyfriend along was all for this.”

Zhuang Hanxue said, “Didn’t you once say that if I took things seriously, I might actually do well?”

Chu Xun nodded. “Yeah, but you’re way too lazy.”

Then he turned to Chu Jue and used Zhuang Hanxue as a bad example. “It’s fine to play games with him, but don’t ever learn from his lifestyle. This guy is just a slacker.”

“I used to think that if he put in some effort, he might turn out differently. But after all these years, he’s still the same useless bum.”

Zhuang Hanxue burst out laughing. “Hahaha.”

Chu Jue scoffed. “Of course, I know that. Who would want to be like him?”

The meal went pretty well. Zhuang Hanxue enthusiastically pitched Qiu Zheyan to Chu Xun, and perhaps out of politeness, Chu Xun exchanged business cards with Qiu Zheyan. However, he made no promises about future collaboration.

After more than a decade, Chu Xun no longer held grudges over the past. If he had to work with someone like Zhuang Hanxue, who always slacked off whenever he could, it would be maddening. Back then, he was a 24K gold-plated terrible boss. But as a friend, he was great—his presence could brighten the mood of everyone around him.

Back at home.

Qiu Zheyan asked, “By the way, you said Chu Jue is the son of Chu Xun and Lin Yancheng—two men. Where did they get a son from? Is he really Chu Xun’s? But he looks like Lin Yancheng too.”

Zhuang Hanxue coughed twice, then leaned in with a sneaky look. “I’ll tell you a secret, but don’t spread it—Chu Jue was born by Chu Xun himself! Chu Xun is a man who can give birth!”

Qiu Zheyan: “……” His face screamed, Are you joking?

Zhuang Hanxue waggled his eyebrows. “I’m not lying! Isn’t it amazing? The world is full of wonders! If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it either.”

Qiu Zheyan stared at him for a long time, making Zhuang Hanxue feel a little uneasy. Then he said, “It’d be nice if you could have kids too.”

Zhuang Hanxue shamelessly grinned. “Hehe, if I could, I’d give you ten or eight of them.”

Qiu Zheyan laughed. “No, thanks. You’re already at an advanced age for childbirth. I can’t even imagine you raising a kid—it’s too worrying. Back in my hometown, I’d be afraid you’d get reported for child abuse.”

Zhuang Hanxue pouted. “Am I that unreliable?”

Qiu Zheyan: “What do you think?”

Zhuang Hanxue: “Okay, yeah, I’m unreliable. Hahaha.”

Life as a carefree slacker was simply too enjoyable.

His streaming career was booming, and he was getting lazier about going out. He spent his days live-streaming, connecting with popular streamers, and this month, his earnings had skyrocketed—he was now in the top ten male streamers.

There were even rumors that he was going to be the next top male streamer. He was living the dream.

That night, Zhuang Hanxue streamed past midnight.

A viewer in the chat asked: [You’re streaming this late? Aren’t you going to sleep? Isn’t your boyfriend home yet to make you go to bed?]

Zhuang Hanxue smirked. “I’m going to play while he’s not home! Time to party!”

The chat flooded with comments:

[Wow, you better be careful, or your boyfriend’s gonna get you on the weekend.]

Zhuang Hanxue laughed it off, not taking it seriously.

By the time he snapped out of it, it was already past 1 AM, and Qiu Zheyan still hadn’t come home.

Zhuang Hanxue wasn’t sleepy yet, but he was starting to worry.

He checked his phone—no new messages. What was going on? Sometimes Qiu Zheyan worked late and came home past midnight, but he always sent a message. Could something have happened?

Zhuang Hanxue called him, but there was no answer.

Then he called the bar that Qiu Zheyan often visited, but the owner said he hadn’t been there tonight.

Feeling uneasy, Zhuang Hanxue couldn’t stay put. He got dressed and went out, retracing the route Qiu Zheyan usually drove home, but he didn’t see any signs of an accident.

He ended up walking to Qiu Zheyan’s office building—a 30-minute walk. The building was completely dark, the main entrance locked. He looked up but didn’t see any office lights on either.

The night wind was biting.

Zhuang Hanxue wandered outside, thinking, Did we just miss each other? Maybe he’s already home now. So he walked back.

But when he got home, the place was still empty.

Feeling restless, he headed out again and sat downstairs, shivering in the cold night air.

Qiu Zheyan couldn’t have just disappeared, right?

A sudden wave of panic hit him.

He couldn’t imagine life without Qiu Zheyan.

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