His Honey Chapter 4

Chapter 4

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Yu Zhinian was so angry that his lungs were about to explode! When has he ever been suppressed like this? Very well! Xiao Yichi, let's see what tricks you're going to pull next, I'll definitely accompany you to the end!

This side.

Xiao Yichi came out of the building where the restaurant was located and exhaled a mouthful of bad breath.

The little devil shook his body and disappeared with a flick of the tip of his tail.

It was just a matter of getting carried away and forcing Yu Zhinian to lower that noble head. Xiao Yichi had no intention of actually asking the other party to meet.

After all, Yu Zhinian had made it clear from the start that there was no chance for the two of them. If he wasn't so snobbish that even being friends had an agenda, Xiao Yichi wouldn't have had to shed all pretence of cordiality.

In fact, it's not unreasonable for Yu Zhinian to be like this. Limited to seeing the other side four times, why be too sincere? Social people have the careful calculation of social people.

Well, think of it this way, we're even. Let's turn the page.

Xiao Yichi straightened his camera bag and walked home.

One week later.

Inside Fangda Law Firm.

A project in Yu Zhinian's hands was successfully completed, and the whole team was having a wrap-up meeting. "Although this merger and acquisition project is over, the other party may want to go public in the future, so everyone remember to maintain the necessary contact with the client." Everyone nodded seriously and earnestly, but their eyes were full of anticipation. Yu Zhinian finally said, "Okay, have a good rest today, everyone go have a good meal, I'll foot the bill."

"Great! Thank you boss!" A cheer broke out.

Assistant Nan Jing asked Yu Zhinian during this free moment, "Boss, when you asked me about Xiao Yichi's profile before, was it related to our next job?" Otherwise, there was no way for him to connect the two unrelated people.

 Yu Zhinian replied indifferently, "No, a client just asked me to ask."

"Okay. I've already attached the articles he wrote and the video links of his presentations to the detailed version of his profile. You can pull it out and view it if you need to."

Yu Zhinian patted Nan Jing on the shoulder, "You're getting more and more on the ball."

Nan Jing pushed his glasses up, "Please praise me in front of my grandfather."

Nan Jing's grandfather was one of the senior partners of the law firm.

Yu Zhinian patted his head and teased him, "Depends on my mood."

On the surface was one thing, on the inside was another. Yu Zhinian did not receive any contact from Xiao Yichi for a week, and he was concerned – What is the other party up to? Is he holding back some big move? Or is he trying to trick him?

If it wasn't for the fact that he had an agreement with Ye Zhaolin to ensure that the chef didn't make a mess for half a year, would he be so sensitive to incoming messages on his cell phone now?

In the middle of thinking, his mobile phone rang, it was an incoming call from Ye Zhaolin.

Yu Zhinian frowned and picked up.

"Zhinian, you're quite good at this, the shop manager reported to me today that the chef's mood has been stable lately, and he doesn't mention the matter of leaving anymore, this trend is very good! Thank you and Mr. Xiao! You guys have a lot to do with this. How did you do it?"

"I don't know."

"Hey, you're really... Then, it's Mr. Xiao's doing? Did you provide for him properly? By the way, all the spending during this period is counted on me, you can't treat Mr. Xiao poorly, understand?"

"... Got it."

Ending the call, Yu Zhinian thought about it, instead of sitting around waiting for death, he should take the initiative. But it was impossible for him to personally contact Xiao Yichi. He contacted a familiar connection, "Go keep an eye on someone for me these days, the price is negotiable."

What was Xiao Yichi doing these days? With the chef and his Arabic teacher, Adham, he swept through the city's major late-night food stalls.

The chef had to take care of the shop, while Adham was busy doing business, leaving time only at night, so Xiao Yichi asked them to come out at night to get to know each other.

At that time, Ye Zhaolin asked him if he had any local Arab friends he could introduce, and he could have said that he didn't have any. But after many years in a foreign country, Xiao Yichi had a deep understanding of nostalgia. If you can help, even if it's troublesome, you have to lend a hand. A small act of kindness can greatly change the course of someone's life.

Moreover, not only were these two people from the same hometown, one was a chef and the other was in the spice business, so they couldn't have been more compatible. The chef has recently become obsessed with the Chinese spices that Adham is exporting, and the presence of the "food stall market" has been an eye-opener for the chef, who is constantly inspired to come up with new recipes; and Adham couldn't be happier with the business he's been able to generate as a result.

Seeing such a harmonious picture, Xiao Yichi's heart was happy and besides, he couldn't sleep at night, so why not have someone to spend time with.

In addition to medicine, chatting and sex can help you sleep.

Xiao Yichi was very wild for a while abroad. Later on, it decreased. After returning home, he became even more of a monk.

Adham mentioned to Xiao Yichi that a certain bed partner of Xiao Yichi had been sent to work in the embassy over here two years ago, and had inquired about Xiao Yichi with Adham, unable to forget how he looked.

"Why don't you guys rekindle an old flame?"

"Okay." Xiao Yichi held a cigarette in his mouth and lazily smiled.

It didn't take long for the two to connect.

Dry wood strong fire, it doesn't need to be said.

Puyuan Road, an old part of the city, was a villa area where consulate staff lived, but now it is a quiet residential area in the middle of the city. Of course, anyone who can buy a house here is either rich or powerful.

The garden in front of the two-storey yellow-walled European-style villa was filled with a fence of roses, pink, red and yellow, the blossom clusters bright and colourful; further in, there were patches of big red Freudian roses, the fragrance of which was blown in the wind and rolled up into geometrical shapes, occasionally skimming over the shoulders of passers-by, calling out to people to smell them, and tantalising them to the core of their hearts.

Inside the house, however, another aroma wafted, originating from the kitchen.

Yu Zhinian skilfully put the tomatoes cut into crescent shapes into the pot, turning them over with the beef that was simmering on a low flame, before covering it with a lid and continuing to simmer.

Auntie Pan folded her clothes and came down from upstairs, smiling as she walked over to Yu Zhinian, "Smells good."

Yu Zhinian wore an apron and stood at the edge of the pot, "It still needs to be stewed for a little while longer, so that the juice from the tomatoes can slowly penetrate and melt into the beef for a fuller taste."

"You're so busy yet you still come to cook for me, aren't you tired?" Auntie Pan was distressed.

"Eating with you is the most important thing, I'm not tired at all." Yu Zhinian looked at Auntie Pan with arched eyebrows, this was not flattery. He carried clear priority in life, work is to live, while family and friends in life are the top priority – He bought this small villa to give to Auntie Pan.

When Yu Zhinian smiles sincerely, the curve of his mouth curves up just enough to touch the heartstrings and pluck out the throbbing notes.

Auntie Pan felt sympathetic, "Such a good kid, how come your relationship journey isn't going well?" She sighed, "Auntie Mai told me two days ago, Xiao Xiao said that you are not suitable, it is better to be friends. This matter... do you know?"

Yu Zhinian's smile faded, "I know."

"What do you think? Do you think so too?"

Yu Zhinian nodded. He looked at the time and uncovered the lid of the pot, steam rose instantly and the aroma rolled over him.

The topic of his relationship was brought up again by Auntie Pan at the dinner table. "On the day of my square dance competition, I met Xiao Xiao in front of his neighbourhood. He's a really good kid, that one. Are you guys... really not possible?"

Because of the precise grasp of the seasoning and heat, the beef was allowed to absorb the sweet and sour tomato juice and soften, but not spoil. When you bite down, the broth explodes. But Yu Zhinian had to interrupt his enjoyment of the meal with Auntie Pan to answer the dreadful questions about "Xiao Yichi".

"It's not possible for us."

Auntie Pan saw this and stopped asking, but unfortunately, "Xiao Xiao is a war correspondent, this profession, it's not easy to survive."

Yu Zhinian's chopsticks paused, "You know?"

Auntie Pan laughed, "Although I am old, I also know about internet searches ah."

This invisible knife. Yu Zhinian simply put down his chopsticks and picked up the soup to drink. The soup was still hot, and his tongue was scalded.

Nothing good comes from getting involved with Xiao Yichi.

Auntie Pan saw that his face was not right, and combined with his previous dating experiences, she couldn't help but say, "Zhinian, some people, you need to take time to get to know them before you can see their shining side; appearance can't tell you everything."

How can appearance not speak for itself? Obviously a pretty face means more opportunities, easier to be liked, easier to be forgiven.

Beauty, is value.

Yu Zhinian picked up his chopsticks again and gave Auntie Pan a piece of beef, curtly saying, "What you said is true, I've heard you. Come, eat more."

Two more days passed.

Yu Zhinian worked overtime until late at night, and only when he saw that the email sent to the client was successfully delivered did he stretch his back and lean heavily on the back of his chair.

It was only then that he remembered that there was a delivery for him during the day, sent by the person who was watching Xiao Yichi.

Yu Zhinian unwrapped it, and in addition to the report there was a thick pile of photos.

Looking through them one by one, they were all of him, the chef and an Arabic man out foraging for food. In the photos, the chef's expression looked very happy.

Suddenly, Yu Zhinian stopped flipping through the photos.

The person who was following him was doing his job, and he even took pictures of Xiao Yichi coming out of a hotel with someone at six o'clock in the morning.

The person accompanying him was a foreigner. The lighting wasn't very good, but based on the figure and round profile, he should be good-looking.

Yu Zhinian flipped through the report, this foreigner's profile and head-on photo was also attached. He was a blonde, blue-eyed, English beauty, currently working in the embassy, and was previously a staff member of an international organisation's office in South Africa.

He went back to the photos in his hand. The next few were taken in succession, the beauty walked in front, stopped, turned around and wrapped themselves around Xiao Yichi to offer a kiss, which Xiao Yichi did not refuse.

Yu Zhinian threw the photos back onto the desk and lay back with his eyes closed.

His days were full of life, eating and drinking, peonies and flowers.

On what basis? What's so good about that person?

Ordinary looking, with a bad character.

Yu Zhinian opened his eyes and retrieved the unseen photos from the desk. The kiss ended when Xiao Yichi still pulled away from the beauty, who looked reluctant to leave.

This Xiao Yichi, a flirtatious scum.

His male sense of competition was awakened. Yu Zhinian called the high-end club that he regularly went to, "I'll be there in half an hour, have someone ready."

Inside the suite of the high-end club.

Afterwards.

The bathroom was clattering with the sound of water so foggy, a flesh-coloured figure could occasionally be seen showering with their back to the bathroom door.

Yu Zhinian stood under the shower, eyes closed, letting the hot water jets hit his face and body.

Sex is just an act of solving physical needs for him, he felt a sense of pleasure, but that's all, he couldn't get much enjoyment out of it.

Perhaps because of the psychological shadow of his past, he was not keen on it, and could even be said to handle it in a haphazard manner.

Head clearing, he laughed to himself at what he was doing, being so easily aroused by the desire to win.

Four o'clock in the morning.

Xiao Yichi loved his own balcony the most. It's not big, there are no plants, and when you look out from the security fence, you can see all the high and low buildings. Old houses are very close to each other, and you can hear the movement of the neighbours very clearly. For example, which one is scolding the children, which one is frying and cooking, which one is watching TV, and which one is playing mahjong and making a lot of noise, but it's full of the atmosphere of life.

One day one would get tired of hearing about it, but for now, Xiao Yichi was enjoying the atmosphere.

He moved a bamboo chair with a back and armrests to the balcony, bent his knees, and lit a cigarette. Downstairs, the old man who had already woken up turned on the radio, and the intermittent ditty floated up.

The vaguely babbling tunes in the morning light had a special charm that eased the pain of insomnia.

Insomnia was the same, and the nightmares were ever-changing.

This time he dreamt of his colleague who had the misfortune of being caught in an explosion.

He remembered the warm, soft sensation in his hand. It was the exposed intestines of his partner. The smell of blood filled the air and he desperately tried to stop the bleeding, but there was nothing but rolling waves of smoke and debris around him.

He was in the hospital when he himself regained consciousness. His colleague was dead. They had made plans to drink the night before.

Long strands of cigarette ash fell onto his toes, and the irritation of his skin brought Xiao Yichi back to his senses suddenly.

In the morning, Xiao Yichi went to Auntie Mai's house for breakfast.

The breakfast on the table was greatly changed, instead of steamed buns, fried doughnuts and white porridge, there were fried eggs, milk, sandwiches and toast, as well as a bouquet of roses in full bloom in a vase.

"Auntie, are we going the petit bourgeois route today? Should I go back and change my look?" Xiao Yichi saw Auntie Mai come out of the kitchen and teased with a smile.

"Aiya, I'm tired of eating those buns, let's change to something fresh, I'll catch up with the latest trends and style, how about that?" Auntie Mai put the glass jar of tomato sauce in her hand on the table, her mouth was asking for opinions but her eyes were begging for praise.

"First class!" Xiao Yichi gave both thumbs up.

Auntie Mai was satisfied, "I know you have a sweet mouth, go wash your hands and come over to taste it."

"Okay!"

At the dinner table, Xiao Yichi mentioned to Auntie Mai, "Last night... Shan Shan called me and asked me to do some ideological work on you and get you to move in with her."

Shan Shan is Auntie Mai's daughter, who after getting married, went to live with her husband in another city. Auntie Mai was getting older and the house was in a building without an elevator, which Shan Shan found inconvenient, so she wanted to bring her over.

"I've stayed at her place, and I'm not used to the climate or the food. It's better to be comfortable here." Auntie Mai said.

In fact, the biggest reason was Xiao Yichi.

"Auntie, you don't have to worry about me, I can live well on my own. Shan Shan misses you, don't you miss her?"

Auntie Mai passed her fried egg to Xiao Yichi, "Back then, your Uncle Qin died in the line of duty, and I was a single woman with a child, I had to rely on your parents' eagerness to help. When Shan Shan got sick in the middle of the night, I was at a loss, and it was thanks to your parents... If I can, I'd like to take your parents' place and watch you find your own happiness.."

"Of course," Auntie Mai added, "if you feel good about being alone, so does Auntie. Anyway, don't feel pressured. I won't be going over to Shan Shan's for a while, I'll talk to her later. Eat eat eat!"

Even though she had a thousand words to say, Xiao Yichi finally said only one sentence, "Auntie, thank you."

"You're welcome." Auntie Mai's tone warmed up again, "Come on, eat this toast while it's hot, and put some tomato sauce on it."

Obviously, his heart was still heavy, but when a mouthful of crunchy and fresh sweet and sour tomato flavour filled his mouth, his mood instantly improved, "Yummy!" Xiao Yichi took another big bite and every time he chewed, the crunchy and the sweet and sour fused for a time, transforming into a deeper flavour and whetting his appetite.

"Doesn't it taste good?" Auntie Mai smiled.

Xiao Yichi tasted the tomato sauce alone, it was like the freshness of a ripe and full tomato that was broken open on the spot with its juice splashing, it was just the right amount of sweet and sour, stimulating the taste buds but not becoming greasy.

"Auntie, this tomato sauce, it's really great! Where did you buy it?"

"Actually, I didn't buy it, A'Pan gave it to me. She asked me to give you a taste."

Xiao Yichi took the glass jar and looked at it from side to side, "It's handmade, isn't it?" Tomato sauce with added chemicals couldn't have this natural flavour.

"You guessed right! A'Pan's family grows tomatoes, and these roses are also grown by her family!"

Xiao Yichi laughed, "It seems that Auntie Pan is not only a very good cook, she also knows how to live well!"

Auntie Mai smiled even more happily, "The flowers, it's true that A'Pan took care of them; but this tomato sauce wasn't made by A'Pan, it was made by that nephew of hers."

"..." Xiao Yichi blinked.

"Didn't expect that, did you? This Xiao Yu ah, I've seen the photos, not only is he handsome, but he's also a good cook," Auntie Mai waited here for Xiao Yichi, "Look, do you need to contact him again and get to know him better?"

Xiao Yichi submitted to Auntie Mai and said sincerely, "We are not suitable to be a couple."

Auntie Mai waited for a while, and when she saw that he wouldn't budge, she sighed loudly and could only give up, "Alright. It's good to be friends and have someone who takes care of you."

In the end, she said, "This tomato sauce, you take it back, I still have a jar here. Eat it as soon as possible so that it doesn't go bad."

Back home, Xiao Yichi looked at the tomato sauce in his hand.

He really didn't expect Yu Zhinian to know this.

Can you imagine? Wearing an apron, he patiently stirred a pot of tomatoes in front of the cooktop until it was soft and thickened, and then carefully bottled it.

Xiao Yichi felt that this image was too out of place.

In the end, he laughed and shook his head, putting the tomato sauce in the fridge. 

Inside Yu Zhinian's office.

The person who was watching not only sent the photo, but also attached a bill asking for an increase in his price.

Yu Zhinian understood after looking at the photo.

This Xiao Yichi, who often does not sleep in the middle of the night, in addition to eating and drinking with friends, and having one night stands with beauties, from time to time walks alone near the neighbourhood, and occasionally plays with cats in the small park.

He could stand it, but the person watching him couldn't.

Yu Zhinian frowned, what's wrong with this person?

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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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