Fan Zuo and Fan You

Once winter break began, Xiao Rong had to return to his grandparents' home in his hometown, bringing the tutoring job to a temporary end. Shi Yuan found himself with more free time.

He was never one to sit idle, and even when work had gone badly, he had never stopped learning.

After helping Xiao Ying dub that web series, Shi Yuan had also joined their voice-acting chat group. Most of the time, though, he stayed invisible. In a group of five hundred, he hardly stood out.

He had observed the members. There were broadcasting students like Xiao Ying, who had no shortage of money and did it purely out of love, without caring about profit. There were professional voice actors who never wasted words, only looking for work or recruiting people. The rest were part-timers like Shi Yuan-not professionally trained, but with a particular skill, whether foreign languages or a pleasant voice.

When Xiao Ying occasionally came over to hang out, she saw his desk covered in foreign-language books in their original editions. After asking out of curiosity and learning he also spoke German and French, she marveled at him, then found him a few more minor foreign-character roles.

Web fiction came in every conceivable variety these days, and handsome mixed-race men and wealthy foreign supporting characters had a decent market. Gradually, people began getting Shi Yuan's account details from Xiao Ying and inviting him to do paid voice work.

Shi Yuan's voice was slightly husky, lacking a rich, steady resonance, but when he lowered his pitch, it had a peculiar seductive quality. Apparently, it was quite popular.

Xiao Ying suggested he simply start a Weibo account, but he refused. This was only a hobby, and he was far behind the professionals. He would feel uncomfortable even spending money earned with skills at his level. Besides, he already used his Weibo account to take translation jobs and did not want to mix too many things together.

Still, Xiao Ying's suggestion reminded him that he could teach foreign languages on Magic Sound, practicing his own spoken language skills while passing the time during the break.

Shi Yuan was not particularly good at speaking off the cuff for livestreams, so he decided to edit short videos himself. He had never learned how, so he looked up tutorials online.

When Wei Zelin came home, Shi Yuan was trying to edit a video himself, using the simplest format with accompanying pictures. Later, he would record his own audio and edit the two together.

Dressed in gray loungewear, Shi Yuan sat upright behind the desk. Through the balcony window, other homes glowed with light, their families gathered happily together. Though he looked peaceful, there was always a hint of loneliness about him.

Wei Zelin draped his coat over the arm of the sofa, then took off his suit jacket. The rustle of clothing was not loud, but it stood out in their quiet little home. Only then did Shi Yuan come back to himself. He stood and stretched. "You're home."

Only when he moved did their small home come to life.

An indescribable ache welled up in Wei Zelin's heart. He approached and hugged Shi Yuan from behind. "I'm sorry. I haven't had time to spend with you lately."

Shi Yuan paused, then smiled. "Then when you have some free time, you'll have to treat me to a big meal. You Gui said a new Panda Restaurant opened in S City, and it's really popular."

Since learning he might go to S City with Wei Zelin, he had been paying more attention to the place.

Of course Wei Zelin agreed.

"All right."

Shi Yuan patted his arm. "Go wash your hands first. Dinner's been ready for ages." He could not help with Wei Zelin's affairs; staying out of the way was already good enough. Why was the other man feeling guilty?

He slipped out of Wei Zelin's arms and went into the kitchen. Beef brisket simmered in a clay pot, and a cold side dish sat on the table. He microwaved the leftovers from yesterday. There was not much variety, but there was plenty of food, enough for two grown men.

Wei Zelin came back after washing his hands and helped bring the steamed rice to the dining table.

"I may have to go back to the Wei Family tomorrow. Don't wait for me for dinner."

Shi Yuan's heart gave a sudden jolt. "Has... Wei Zexuan been released?" Counting the days, it did seem about time.

"Yes." Wei Zelin placed a tender piece of stewed brisket in his bowl, his expression perfectly calm.

Back then, Wei Wanwan had exhausted all her connections, but perhaps because Director Ren's imposing influence hung over the case, no one had dared step forward. The people backing the Wei Family had sensed something unusual and made no move, even at the risk of losing such a lucrative source of wealth. After all, money was worthless compared with power. As long as they held power, why worry about finding another Wei Family?

In just three months, Wei Ming had dismissed or banished Wei Zexuan's subordinates as he saw fit. Even among the major shareholders, apart from a small neutral minority, everyone had secretly supported Wei Ming in diluting Wei Zexuan's shares. Wei Wanwan could not hold things together alone. With Wei Ming controlling matters both inside and outside the family, she had struggled to keep going until Wei Zexuan was finally released.

Wei Zexuan's methods still fell short of Wei Ming's, but his maternal grandfather had laid a solid foundation for him while alive. The families led by Young Master Wang were all secretly backing Wei Zexuan. With that kind of support, even the shareholders Wei Ming had won over began to waver. Wei Ming's greatest weakness was his complete lack of powerful connections. Several profitable new projects at the Wei Corporation were collaborations between Wei Zexuan and other prominent families, and those families recognized only Wei Zexuan. If anything went wrong with those projects...

As father and son fought fiercely within the Wei Family, Wei Zelin seemed like a bystander surviving in the cracks. Yet his shadow could be found behind every upheaval.

Shi Yuan knew none of this. Everything happening now had long since diverged from the original novel. He had a vague feeling that the Wei Family might fall earlier than expected. What worried him was whether things would still go as smoothly for Wei Zelin as they had in the book.

"I'll go with you tomorrow."

Wei Zelin gave him a long, searching look. "Aren't you afraid?"

Was he not afraid of Wei Zexuan, that rabid dog? Of the Flower House, which seemed capable of devouring people? Of those family members, rotten from the inside out?

Shi Yuan's expression wavered for a moment. He was afraid. Even after dying once, the memory of Wei Zexuan holding him up on the sea's surface remained vivid. That unfathomably deep blue sea still made his heart tremble. But compared with his concern for Wei Zelin, that fear no longer seemed to amount to much.

"I'll be fine. Surely they wouldn't dare lay a hand on me again. At most, they'll run their mouths."

Wei Zelin could not bear for Shi Yuan to suffer the slightest mistreatment, yet he could not resist the feeling of being cherished and protected by him. In the end, what came out was, "Then I'll come home early tomorrow to pick you up."

The next afternoon, Shi Yuan showered, then stood rummaging through the wardrobe at the foot of the bed. He had hardly bought any clothes that winter. After they returned from S City, Wei Zelin had filled his small wardrobe.

Shi Yuan initially took out his favorite blue sweater, but after thinking it over, wearing something he liked to see those people felt like bad luck. He hung it back up and changed into his most frequently worn fleece-lined hoodie, with light-colored fleece-lined sweatpants. He tossed his down jacket onto the sofa, ready to put it on when he left.

After he had sat on the sofa browsing his phone for a while, Wei Zelin called to say he was almost downstairs. Shi Yuan changed his shoes and headed out while putting on his coat.

"Ah!"

"Sorry."

He collided head-on with someone, whose milk tea splashed over half his trouser leg.

"It's you?" Shi Yuan had a good memory and immediately recognized the waiter who had been bullied at the reception hosted by Magic Cube Technology.

The other man clearly did not recognize him, though. Bewildered eyes looked at him apologetically, and the spilled milk tea had scalded his hand bright red.

"Sorry." Fan You seemed poor with words, only repeating that one sentence.

One drawback of the old apartment building was that neighboring doors were close together. Shi Yuan's front door also faced the stairs, so the moment he stepped outside, he collided with Fan You coming up. To be precise, Shi Yuan had been the one to bump into him.

"Your hand's all red. I have some ointment at home. Come in for a moment." He had burned his own hands when he was still inexperienced at cooking. He did not know where Wei Zelin had bought the ointment, which had Japanese writing on it, but he had used it a few times and found it quite effective.

Fan You let himself be pulled inside but was too embarrassed to enter properly, remaining in the entryway. Shi Yuan fetched the ointment for him first. Seeing him still standing by the entrance, he took a pair of disposable slippers from the shoe cabinet and handed them over.

"Come in. Why are you standing at the door? The bathroom's over there. Rinse your hand first, then apply the ointment."

Shi Yuan had been wearing thick clothes, so his leg was not burned, but the fabric felt warm and wet. Wei Zelin was almost there, and he was in a hurry to change his trousers, leaving him little time to attend to Fan You.

Though they were both men, his sexual orientation was what it was. He closed the bedroom door and found a pair of thick trousers in the wardrobe. By the time he changed and came out, the other man of the house was in the living room.

Fan You rose uneasily from the sofa, lowering his rolled-up sleeve to cover his fair, tender skin and its faint redness.

Wei Zelin stood in the doorway, one foot already inside.

Sensing something odd about the atmosphere, Shi Yuan asked in surprise, "How did you get here so fast?"

Wei Zelin smiled. "There wasn't much traffic, and there weren't many cars in the complex either. Who's this?" Since it was an old residential complex, all the parking spaces were aboveground. Usually, when there were lots of cars, getting in and out was difficult, but today had been fine.

Fan You lowered his head shyly without speaking.

Shi Yuan introduced him. "Our neighbor. I was rushing out just now and bumped into him. I knocked over his milk tea and spilled it everywhere. His hand got scalded, so I brought him in to get him some ointment."

"Did you get burned?" Wei Zelin's smile vanished. Without even bothering to change his shoes, he strode over, took hold of Shi Yuan, and looked him up and down.

"My clothes are thick. I'm fine."

Despite that assurance, Wei Zelin still pulled him into the bedroom for an examination. With a guest present, Shi Yuan was thoroughly embarrassed, but there was no stopping Wei Zelin, who was unusually forceful as he dragged him inside and pulled down his trousers. Only after seeing that there was not even a red mark on his legs did he let him out.

When Shi Yuan emerged, Fan You was standing uneasily beside the sofa. He said politely, "I'm really sorry about earlier. Take the ointment and use it. It only costs a few yuan."

Seeing them come out of the bedroom, Fan You flushed and said helplessly, "No need. I'm fine."

He was young, and his freshly cut hair exposed his round, innocent eyes and smooth forehead. His face was fresh and delicate, and combined with his gentle, easily embarrassed disposition, it readily stirred a man's protective instincts.

Shi Yuan fell for it completely, feeling as though he was bullying him. He shoved the ointment Fan You kept refusing straight into his arms. "How could you be fine when the milk tea was that hot? Remember to apply it properly when you get home. I really should buy you another milk tea, but we have something to do and need to leave. How about I order one for delivery?"

Realizing they were in a hurry to leave, Fan You said considerately, "There's really no need. Go on. I'll head home." He walked with his head lowered. Passing Wei Zelin, he seemed wary of such a tall, imposing man and quickened his pace, hurriedly opening the door and leaving for the apartment next door.

Back in his own home, he leaned against the door and could still hear Shi Yuan and Wei Zelin talking as they went downstairs. That smiling tiger certainly treated his sweetheart attentively. Who knew how much was an act and how much was genuine?

His phone vibrated in his pocket, and Fan You answered it carelessly.

"Fan You! What did you go back to Capital City for? Do you know Wei Zexuan's out of prison? Haven't you caused me enough trouble? Come back to our hometown with me right now, and stop stirring things up!" Fan Zuo's distraught voice came through the phone. His younger brother had always been his pride and joy: clever, good at school, and even having skipped a grade in elementary school. He had worked away from home to support his brother's education. Who could have known Fan You would grow increasingly reckless?

"Caused you trouble? Did I ever ask you to do anything for me?" Fan You's words were full of contempt for his own older brother.

"No, you didn't. If Mom and Dad hadn't asked me to look after you before they died, do you think I'd want to bother?" Fan Zuo's voice was already choked with tears. He had never imagined that all his devoted care would raise an ungrateful wretch.

"They're dead anyway, and you've already raised me to adulthood. What happens next is none of your business!" Fan You snarled in a low voice. The frail, polite young man from earlier instantly turned vicious.

"None of my business? Didn't you hit a girl in S City? She's reported you to the police and wants you arrested!"

"Arrest me? What evidence does she have?"

Ignoring the earnest pleas coming through the phone, Fan You hung up and laughed derisively.

Knock, knock, knock. An unknown amount of time later, someone knocked at the door. Alert, Fan You removed his shoes and socks and padded silently over to look through the peephole. Outside stood a delivery man in yellow clothing and a safety helmet.

"Hello, your delivery is here."

Fan You relaxed, opened the door, and accepted the delivery with a bright, innocent smile. "Thank you!"

His apartment had much the same layout as theirs and was equally small, but it was very empty. The bedroom contained only a bed, and there were two unopened cardboard boxes in the living room. Never mind a sofa-there was not even a chair. It looked as though he had just moved in.

Fan You casually set the delivery bag on a box and pulled it open. Sure enough, there was a cup of hot milk tea inside. He tore the insulated bag open completely, removed the lid, and carried the milk tea into the bathroom, pouring every last drop of the richly milky drink into the toilet.

Fan You thought, My brother really is an utter idiot. Wei Zexuan blackmailed him, and then he turned around and stupidly offered to risk his life for Wei Zelin. Compared with Wei Zexuan, isn't someone as unfathomable as Wei Zelin far more terrifying?

Holding the ointment, Fan You sat on a cardboard box and raised his scalded hand to examine it closely. After a long moment, as though suddenly remembering something, he took out his phone and scanned the medicine Shi Yuan had given him. The product details appeared on the screen, with the price listed below. This tiny tube of ointment actually cost over ten thousand yuan.

"Heh. The Wei Family's poor, powerless eldest son?"