His Honey Chapter 3

Chapter 3

---

After chatting with his acquaintances, Yu Zhinian's emotions had calmed down as he headed to the washroom.

Originally, a meeting was a task, just complete the task, emotional ups and downs were unnecessary.

He came out and looked for Xiao Yichi.

The other party was standing in front of another painting, pondering.

From the side, Xiao Yichi had a well-proportioned body. Many people's standing posture is not good, either their chest is hunched, their waist is slumped forward, or their legs are hyper-extended, which affects their aesthetics. But Xiao Yichi stood beautifully, it was not the deliberately stiff military posture, his hands were clasping his arms, his head was slightly sideways, his shoulders and back were open, his waist was straight and his legs were long.

Unfortunately, his looks were too ordinary.

Appearance is very important. Don't say that appearance can't be a meal, that's all sour grapes. It is almost equal to the "beauty" in the popular conception.

Xiao Yichi on the other side was reflecting to himself: Yu Zhinian really liked Alma's paintings, and his own behaviour just now was really disappointing. Looking for a sense of superiority over someone who doesn't know the truth and getting a little bad-hearted pleasure, what can be done about it?

Yu Zhinian smiled and walked over to Xiao Yichi, "Sorry for the long wait."

Xiao Yichi returned to his senses and shook his head with a smile, "It's fine."

Although A Midnight in the Middle East could not be discussed in detail, the painting in front of him could be talked about. As he was about to start a conversation, Yu Zhinian apologised and said, "I have some official business to attend to, so I may have to go back to the law firm, should I send you back first, or will you stay here and continue to look at the exhibition? After all, the opportunity is rare, I don't want to spoil the fun."

Xiao Yichi shook his head to show that he didn't care, "Business is important, you don't have to send me back. I'll take another look and just go back by myself later."

Yu Zhinian thought for a moment, "Okay, then we'll be in touch."

"Okay."

Yu Zhinian was about to leave, but Xiao Yichi hesitantly called out to him, "Just now... sorry. I don't know much about that painting A Midnight in the Middle East, so I didn't dare to say anything, it would be bad if I lost face in front of you, a senior painting fan. But the other paintings, I do know something about them, it's a pity that we don't have the time today. When I have the chance, I'll ask you for some more guidance."

These words accurately smoothed out the handful of frizzled hairs in Yu Zhinian's heart.

His words were very good.

Yu Zhinian didn't show anything on his face, he smiled and said, "I didn't take it to heart. Okay, let's talk again when we have the chance in the future."

Xiao Yichi looked at Yu Zhinian's leaving figure and smiled.

Got today's fun.

Back home, Xiao Yichi immediately changed out of the clothes that needed pampering.

Taking a bag and putting them in, he put on his everyday clothes and went out to the dry cleaner.

The entrance to the neighbourhood was so busy, and only when he got closer did he realise that it was the square dancing aunts waiting for the bus to take them to the competition.

"Yichi!" This familiar shout, who else would it be if not Auntie Mai.

Auntie Mai emerged from a pile of flowers and greenery and smiled at Xiao Yichi with a heavily made-up face.

"Yo, who is this beauty?" Xiao Yichi, with a sweet mouth, walked over and took Auntie Mai's umbrella and held it for her, "Is your competition today?"

"Yes, today is the final! We have a good chance of winning! If we win first place, we'll come back and make you a delicious meal!"

"Don't say that, you guys are going to win today!"

"This is..." Suddenly, a voice inserted.

"Hey, right right right!" Auntie Mai brought the auntie beside her to Xiao Yichi, "This is Auntie Pan! She's wanted to meet you for a long time, it's just perfect today!"

Xiao Yichi looked at her with fixed eyes. The heavy make-up hid her real features, but this Auntie Pan looked quite gentle.

"Hello, Auntie Pan! I'm Xiao Yichi."

Auntie Pan looked him up and down and seemed particularly pleased, "That's great, he's a good boy."

"Right? I told you, our Yichi is especially good! Don't look at him with such vicissitudes now, he's still half a year younger than that nephew of yours!"

Ah, Auntie Mai, you're really my dear aunt, I don't even know if you're being complimentary or derogatory.

Aunt Pan smiled, "It's not a vicissitude, he's very good."

Xiao Yichi was grateful, "Thank you Auntie Pan!"

"Are you and Zhinian getting along well?" Auntie Pan looked at him expectantly.

What should I say? They would see each other once more and then it was time to say goodbye.

Xiao Yichi responded, "Pretty good, we've met a few times."

Auntie Pan and Auntie Mai were overjoyed to hear that, the two of them looked at each other, "That's great!"

Luckily, the captain of the dance team blew his whistle up front, "Folks! Gather round! The bus is just round the corner!"

"Hey, no more talking, let's go gather first!" Auntie Mai, being anxious, pulled Auntie Pan and was ready to run back.

Auntie Pan looked at Xiao Yichi, "Let's talk again sometime."

"Okay, okay, you guys be careful, don't fall down!" Xiao Yichi saw them off and breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

As the bus moved away, Xiao Yichi was still standing in the same place.

If his parents were still alive, would they be as worried about the younger generation's life events as Auntie Mai and Auntie Pan?

Xiao Yichi learnt that he liked the same sex during his adolescent sexual enlightenment.

His intense inner turmoil made him muddle through high school and into a local university. In university, he was exposed to more information and learned more, and in his junior year, he wanted to come out to his parents.

Although both of his parents were only workers in a soy sauce factory, they were open minded and generous, and they love to read, so they should... be able to understand him.

That night, both of his parents were supposed to be on duty, but because their child said he had something important to say, they took leave to come back. On the way home, they met an overloaded transport truck that had an accident, and their motorbike was knocked off the road. When they were sent to the hospital, they were both dead.

Xiao Yichi stood in front of the cremator and thought, if only he hadn't asked them to come back.

If only he wasn't gay.

He was the one who killed them.

Because he wasn't normal.

When he was about to graduate from his senior year of university, there was a shortage of people in the overseas offices of news organisations, and they came to the school to recruit people to go abroad. Although it wasn't explicitly written, it was rumoured that it was to go to a war zone. It was so dangerous that very few people signed up.

In the end, Xiao Yichi was the only one who signed up.

When he was about to leave, he lied to Auntie Mai. At that time, the internet and other things were not developed, and he was already an adult, so there was nothing Auntie Mai could do.

Xiao Yichi set off with a cracked mindset. If I die, I die, it might be better to be dead.

But he was so naive.

Even after the training, he was scared when he actually stepped on the battlefield, no, it was just the periphery.

The great fear coupled with a strong survival instinct made him realise that the idea of if you want to die, you can die, is the equivalent of a child moaning for no reason.

For the first two years, he lived a very, very miserable life, both in terms of his daily life on the run, and psychologically.

But he understood beyond a shadow of a doubt that he wanted to live.

He needed to make peace with himself.

And it was a very long process.

In the past decade or so, war, the ugliness and glory of human nature, cultures around the world, and living people who had either met on one side, disagreed with each other, or become close friends with similar interests, all coalesced into a powerful force that allowed him to reinvent himself.

For Yu Zhinian, it's not unusual to have n projects in hand at the same time – some are due diligence, some need further interviews, some are ready to issue legal opinions and so on. But lately he is particularly busy, because the Ye family in the city is in the middle of troubled times.

The Ye family has a lot of people with intertwined interests, and unfortunately, the Ye family's old man is unwell and hospitalised, so all of them are trying their best to prevent losing out in the division of the family property.

The second faction of the Ye family is Fangda's client. Among this group, the grandson, Ye Zhaolin, is quite capable and has won the old man's heart, so he is the key target of attention from all sides. Ye Zhaolin is currently working in the family business' hotel and catering sector. Since he took up his position, he has made great efforts to innovate the catering industry, and has produced a lot of famous online shops with rising sales.

He has invested heavily in building a French creative cuisine restaurant that opened two months ago, and it has become the leader of the local Black Pearl Must Eat Guide.

But now the restaurant is facing a crisis – the French chef is planning to resign.

Ye Zhaolin and Yu Zhinian were talking as they stepped into the elevator, "The selling point of this restaurant is the chef, and if he leaves, it's over, and it's only been two months. If those uncles and cousins of mine know, they might make a big deal out of it." Ye Zhaolin suddenly thought, "Is it possible that someone is behind this?"

Yu Zhinian responded, "I've already sent someone to investigate. But you know that the chef is unique, proud and capricious, and it doesn't appear to be an external cause that prompted him to resign. I warned you when you first hired him that he was the uncertain factor."

Ye Zhaolin sighed, "But his cooking is really great, and his popularity on foreign social platforms is also high. If he didn't make a gimmick out of it at that time, the limelight would have been completely grabbed by Third Uncle's film company."

"Don't worry, he signed the contract, it's in black and white, let's be polite first before resorting to violence."

Today is the restaurant's tasting day. They purposely cleared the floor at noon, intending to have a good talk with the chef after the meal.

Yu Zhinian was now in work mode, his elite lawyer aura was on full blast.

Until he saw Xiao Yichi carrying a camera bag at the entrance of the restaurant. The city was developing rapidly, and Xiao Yichi was currently in a jobless state, wandering around during the day.

The highest rated French creative cuisine restaurant on the food guide app was nearby, and on a whim, he took a chance to see if he could try it without making a reservation for lunch.

Unfortunately, the hostess apologetically told him that the restaurant was closed for lunch today and would only be open in the afternoon.

Xiao Yichi was standing at the door lamenting his lack of luck when he met Yu Zhinian.

The hostess reacted quickly and greeted him respectfully, "Mr. Ye, Mr. Yu, welcome, it's ready inside."

Yu Zhinian's gaze fell on Xiao Yichi, "Why are you here?"

Ye Zhaolin saw this, "An acquaintance?"

Yu Zhinian only gave a "mhmm".

Xiao Yichi explained his appearance, "I just happened to be passing by and heard that this restaurant is very famous, so I came over to try my luck to see if there was a seat."

Yu Zhinian said, "There is official business to talk about today, the restaurant is not accessible to the public."

Ye Zhaolin was generous, "It's fine, since you're Zhinian's friend and you're here, let's go in and have lunch together. Anyway, official matters will be talked about after the meal."

Xiao Yichi looked at Yu Zhinian. Yu Zhinian understood that the big boss had given the order, and there was no reason for him, the escort, to refute him. So he smiled, "Then let's go together."

Xiao Yichi raised his eyebrows. Smiling but not smiling, that was Yu Zhinian's expression at the moment.

After entering the restaurant, Ye Zhaolin first looked for the shop manager to understand the situation.

There were only two people at the table, Yu and Xiao.

It was one thing to meet during their personal time, and another to meet on an occasion like the one at hand. Yu Zhinian kept his smile, "Sorry, if I made you feel restrained, I'll apologise first."

Xiao Yichi knew the importance of the situation. Since he followed him in, he was only a tool for eating. He was sensible, "I'll pay attention, if I can, I'll leave early."

Hearing this, Yu Zhinian didn't say anything else.

Ye Zhaolin walked over, took his seat, and looked at Xiao Yichi, "I wonder how I should address you?"

"My surname is Xiao, Xiao Yichi."

"Mr. Xiao, are you also a lawyer?"

"No."

"Then..."

Yu Zhinian leisurely interjected, "He came back from travelling abroad."

"Oh? It's like this." Ye Zhaolin laughed, "It seems that Mr. Xiao is someone who enjoys life. Enjoy the food later and give us some feedback in the meantime."

Xiao Yichi nodded and responded, "Okay." Gourmet food should not disappoint. He might not be able to say much about anything else, but when it comes to eating, he never loses.

Today was a trial of new dishes, there were five in total, and the most stunning of them were the two main dishes – one fish fillet and one lamb fillet. The skin of the fish is fried crispy, but the fish meat is soft and delicate. Layer by layer, the colour changes from the outside to the inside. The texture is rich and layered, with an exclusive sauce, and the taste is unbelievable. Xiao Yichi chewed slowly, the flavour of the sauce was familiar, but he couldn't immediately remember. And the lamb fillet is juicy and rich with fat in the meat. The first bite is soft, the second bite is firm and in the third bite, the fat, the meat and the juice are completely blended together, giving the tastebuds a perfect experience. The spices used in this dish once again struck Xiao Yichi as familiar.

Not waiting for them to finish the fifth course, the chef came out. He was tall, with chestnut brown hair, dark green eyes, and a handsome face that even carried a bit of exotic flavour.

Ye Zhaolin praised the dishes in English, but the chef didn't look too good as he responded in English, "When can I leave?"

The atmosphere at the scene suddenly went cold.

Yu Zhinian winked at Xiao Yichi, signalling him to leave first. As Xiao Yichi bent down to pick up his bag, he suddenly remembered where that familiar flavour came from.

He looked at the chef and asked in Arabic, "In your main dish, did you put the herbs from the village of Sarna?"

The three of them looked at Xiao Yichi in unison.

The chef blinked and answered in Arabic back, "How do you know?"

"I spent some time there, got sick and drank herbal soup every day, and the flavour... left a deep impression on me."

At that, the chef laughed, "Indeed, the flavour is unforgettable for life. My grandmother grew up there, then the war broke out before she went to France."

As if listening to heavenly books, Ye Zhaolin and Yu Zhinian looked at one and then the other.

Back then, Xiao Yichi was stationed in the village to follow up on the latest developments of the armed factions in the vicinity. His partner, a cameraman (who was also his Arabic teacher), was from the village of Sarna, so Xiao Yichi's Arabic had a strong accent that he couldn't change no matter how hard he tried after that.

It was this accent that made the chef feel comfortable, and he said to Xiao Yichi, "I grew up with my grandmother and I've only been back to my village twice. I yearn for your country very much, but I feel very lonely after coming here, and I especially miss Sarna, but these two men probably won't let me go. What should I do?"

"These two men" were not saying a word because of the asymmetry of information, and looked at Xiao Yichi at the same time, waiting for him to convey the message.

Xiao Yichi first pacified the chef, "I understand how you feel, wait a bit, I'll discuss it with these two. They are not unreasonable people, your dishes are very popular here, many diners rave about them, they can't bear for you to leave."

The chef's face brightened a little, and with an "Excuse me" in English, he went back to the kitchen.

"What did you guys say?" Waiting for the chef to walk away, Ye Zhaolin hurriedly asked.

"He is very lonely here and wants to go back to his old home in the Middle East."

Ye Zhaolin breathed a sigh of relief, "So it's a case of not being able to get used to the water and the soil, this can be solved easily, I'll have someone take him to meet the Arabs who are local to the area. After making friends, I guess it will be better."

"Is that really all he said?" Yu Zhinian narrowed his eyes and looked at Xiao Yichi, confirming.

So how should Yu Zhinian's question be interpreted? Was it simply a matter of caution, or was it a suspicion of what he had relayed?

For Yu Zhinian, as a lawyer, any questioning in this workplace is understandable; the one who has crossed the line was himself, he should have left the scene, but he asked on impulse just because it stirred up memories, and he also asked in a language that was not understood by the people in the room, so it was inappropriate and impolite behaviour in any case.

So Xiao Yichi was very cooperative, "Yes, I can translate our entire conversation, you can check the surveillance and have someone compare it."

"Alright, our aim is to solve the problem, not create more problems." Ye Zhaolin turned to Xiao Yichi, "Zhinian is known for being strict with his work, it's really not easy for Mr. Xiao to be patient with him." He then asked, "By the way Mr. Xiao, how did you know that the chef speaks Arabic?"

"He cooks dishes with spices unique to a certain region in the Middle East, so I tried asking."

Ye Zhaolin gave him a thumbs up, "Mr. Xiao is really knowledgeable!"

Xiao Yichi was gentle and courteous, "I was just lucky this time."

Ye Zhaolin's calculations crackled, "Mr. Xiao, since you're here, do you know any Arabs that you can introduce to the chef? You're Zhinian's friend, I feel at ease."

Yu Zhinian frowned as took a sip of water and didn't say anything.

"... In fact, my first Arabic teacher, the Chef's fellow countryman, is in the spice business here."

"Really? That's just fantastic!"

While Xiao Yichi went to find the chef to do some ideological work, Yu Zhinian stared at Ye Zhaolin, his face full of an approaching storm.

"It's a sensitive period now, I don't feel comfortable asking anyone to go, only you. Mr. Xiao is your friend, if you keep an eye on him for me, I'll feel relieved." Ye Ye Zhaolin added, "Now it's us who are begging, be a little nicer, work hard to please him for my sake, have him appease the chef, so that nothing will go wrong for at least these six months, and after that, that chef can go wherever he wants to go."

"... My billable hours are tripled."

"Okay."

"I have my eye on the title of senior partner."

"I'll naturally promote you to the top if you smooth things over for me."

"Deal."

"By the way," Ye Zhaolin asked, "what does Mr. Xiao do for a living?"

"I don't know."

"Hey, even if you don't want to say, don't use such a childish excuse."

......

Yu Zhinian sent a message to his assistant, Nan Jing, under the table: Look into the person "Xiao Yichi", and send me his profile within ten minutes. Within two minutes, the other party replied: No need for ten minutes, he is my niche idol, the text version is as follows, and the detailed version of the document has been sent to your mailbox.

Xiao Yichi, a graduate of the Department of Chinese, proficient in Chinese, English, Spanish and Arabic, used to be a foreign correspondent for a news agency, then turned to freelance work, wrote and edited for more than twenty large-scale well-known media around the world, interviewed many famous people, worked as a visiting scholar at a well-known American institution, with the research direction of political sociology, and continued to work as a war correspondent after that, he is very low-profile, and politely rejected the job offer of a certain organisation in Geneva before he returned to China.

There is no such thing as a free lunch. If you've had a good meal, you'll have to repay the favour. Xiao Yichi thought to himself, and exchanged contact information with the chef.

When he came out of the restaurant, Ye Zhaolin smiled and handed him over to Yu Zhinian, "Mr. Xiao, I have something to do next, so I'll let Zhinian send you back."

After Ye Zhaolin left, Yu Zhinian wore a smile, "I was rude just now. As a lawyer, I must do my duty. Also, thank you for helping us solve an urgent problem, in the future, if you have any difficulties, you can tell us and we will definitely help."

From the skin-deep smile earlier to the business smile now, this person had never shown sincerity.

It was the same when they met in private. Presumably only the displeasure was genuine, and the smiles were all masks for the socialites.

Such fun is boring if you get too much of it.

Xiao Yichi nodded, "I understand. Thank you. I also have to apologise for my own impudence just now, after all, it was not the occasion for me to speak, fortunately, it did not cause any adverse consequences."

What should be apologised for properly, comes next.

"Lawyer Yu, by now, we have met four times, after this we... don't need to see each other again?"

Yu Zhinian's smile did not change, "Although we are not destined to become a couple, I very much hope that Mr. Xiao and I will become friends. In the future, we can go out to chat over a meal and keep in touch, I wonder what you think?"

Yu Zhinian was handsome, and when he smiled, his eyebrows curved in a way that could melt ice and snow.

Such a person, I want to peel off that outer layer of his skin, so that his original form will be revealed.

Xiao Yichi could be rational and modest, or he could be capricious and provocative.

The little devil inside him shook himself, ready to go.

He looked at Yu Zhinian, "You want to be friends with me because you have a request, right?"

"The chef is important to you at the moment and you need someone who can placate him. That's why you can't easily say goodbye to me right?"

Yu Zhinian could really handle the situation, his expression still didn't crumble, "Mr. Xiao, you speculating like this, isn't it a bit too much?"

Xiao Yichi laughed softly, "Then shall I go in and talk to the chef and encourage him to leave as soon as possible? If you guys shed all pretence of cordiality and go to court, everyone will know about it, but you're the reasonable party, so there won't be a loss. How's that?"

Yu Zhinian's smile faded, "Is this how you become a war correspondent?"

Xiao Yichi raised his eyebrows, "You know?"

"You didn't say it yourself in the beginning, you deliberately hid it!"

"Firstly, I didn't intentionally conceal it, it's you who don't have the desire to know; secondly, the internet is developed nowadays, you can get the information by moving your fingers. Or did Lawyer Yu come out of some village that doesn't have internet access?"

Xiao Yichi was calm, "You think I'm an overseas dispatched labourer with no looks, no taste, and no attitude, so from the time we started to meet until just now, you didn't intend to have a meal with me for fear that I wouldn't understand table manners, disgrace you, and delay things. Oh, in the end, you went through the trouble of buying me clothes, thank you."

Yu Zhinian's blue veins protruded from the corners of his forehead. It was one thing for him to think this in his heart, but it was another thing to be pierced by someone else in a big way.

Yu Zhinian didn't like his face, so Xiao Yichi deliberately provoked him. "Going back to the previous question, Lawyer Yu, you have a request for me, right?"

Originally, he still felt that Xiao Yichi had a good personality; Yu Zhinian looked at his profile and knew that he had been slapped in the face. Now it seemed that the other party just hadn't bared his fangs before.

Yu Zhinian clenched his fists, his voice low and dangerous, "Xiao Yichi, don't go too far!"

Xiao Yichi immediately turned around and went back to the restaurant without saying a word, Yu Zhinian instinctively took a single step forward to stop him.

"I have no patience, let me ask again, you have a favour to ask of me, right?" Xiao Yichi was condescending. He had no fear of fighting him head on.

The corners of Yu Zhinian's eyes were full of hatred, and he almost gritted his back teeth, "Yes."

"I can't hear you."

"I said I have a favour to ask of you!"

Xiao Yichi showed a smile, "If you admitted it earlier, we wouldn't have needed to waste time. Then let's meet a few times in the future, I'll set the time, I hope Lawyer Yu will cooperate."

"Xiao Yichi, I didn't expect you to be such a bastard!"

"Because your appearance is not in my range of consideration ah, there's no need to be merciful. You understand the reasoning, right Lawyer Yu?"

Xiao Yichi's eloquent words made Yu Zhinian so angry that he couldn't say a word!

"I won't trouble Lawyer Yu to send me back today, after all, you still have to go back to the village to connect to the internet first, otherwise it's not easy to be a lawyer."

After saying that, he gave a dashing wave and walked away.

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter

Translator Notes

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: December 20, 2023