His Honey Chapter 21

Chapter 21

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The temporary office of the Wan Nian Art Gallery branch.

Yu Zhinian was late because of a work meeting at the law firm. The office assistant opened the door for him after receiving his message. There was a lively discussion in the conference room, everyone was making suggestions on the museum's collection. Yu Zhinian came here today just to listen to the progress, and if necessary, to introduce them to the relevant parties.

Because the museum was positioned as a bridge between Chinese and Western cultures, everyone hoped that there would be works by both Chinese and Western masters. The staff suggested that they could start with the paintings of Alma Francis for the Western artists. She was the most recognised female painter whose paintings were the most sought-after in the auction market in the last decade.

"Alfa is not considered a prolific painter, almost all of the pieces that are available on the market go for high prices; moreover, the quantity is small and each one has already been discussed. Maybe other works that have room for conversation are better." Tang Wancheng said.

Yu Zhinian suddenly remembered the painting A Midnight in the Middle East from the previous exhibition. There was not much public information about that painting, and after that stunning appearance, the painting never appeared in the public eye again.

Someone else had the same idea, "If I remember correctly, there was a mysterious painting by Alfa that was shown in an exhibition in this town. I haven't heard of it since then. Since it was only exhibited in this city, I believe that this painting has a deep connection to this place, and if we can get our hands on it, it will surely greatly enhance the reputation of the art museum."

Everyone looked expectantly at Tang Wancheng, waiting for her guidance.

She thought for a moment and looked towards Yu Zhinian, "Lawyer Yu, do you have any contacts who can enquire about the current situation of this painting for us?"

"I have some connections with the owner of the gallery that exhibited the painting at that time, so I can try to ask."

"Then we will wait for your news. Let's discuss the Oriental masterpieces next."

Xiao Yichi was in the middle of frantic lesson preparation when he received Tang Wancheng's call.

"Tang Tang, what's wrong? Hmm? Alma's paintings? It's still in the gallery's collection room. Do you want to see it?" Tang Wancheng said something on the other end, and Xiao Yichi listened, "... You put Lawyer Yu in charge?"

Tang Wancheng continued, "It looks like he doesn't know you're the owner of the painting yet. Let me emphasise, that was a gift from Alfa to you, don't endure just because it's my art gallery. I couldn't afford to dismiss everyone at the meeting, which is why I asked Lawyer Yu to ask. If it's difficult for you, just reply through the gallery and we can find something else; if you've considered it and have no problem with it, you can also take this opportunity to develop with Lawyer Yu."

Tang Wancheng was thoughtful. She just didn't know Xiao Yichi and Yu Zhinian's funny story about what had happened at that painting exhibition. Xiao Yichi held his forehead and smiled, "Okay, I understand."

These past few nights, Xiao Yichi spent the night at Yu Zhinian's house. He had already hidden Snoopy stickers in various places in his house like a heavenly maiden scattering flowers.

When he returned to bed in high spirits, Yu Zhinian was still chatting on a work call. Xiao Yichi listened to a few sentences. Wait, the other party should be the gallery owner.

This felt quite refreshing. The key person was right next to him, and he was calling someone to request a matchmaking meeting.

The little devil in Xiao Yichi's heart twisted left and right in happiness. He walked over and wrapped his arms around Yu Zhinian's waist from behind, wordlessly urging him to sleep.

Yu Zhinian was sensible and quickly ended the call.

"Lawyer Yu is tired from work, my heart aches." Xiao Yichi spuriously ruffled the hair on Yu Zhinian's forehead.

"Why do I feel like you're gloating a bit?" Yu Zhinian raised his eyebrows.

"Where? You're bleary-eyed, hurry up and rest~" He pulled Yu Zhinian's hand and walked to the bed together.

For the sake of Xiao Yichi's body, they would purely sleep under the covers tonight. Xiao Yichi moved closer to Yu Zhinian. "Lawyer Yu, I like that peach shower gel you have at Auntie Pan's house, why don't we change the scent when this bottle runs out?"

His desire to be the other man of the house was clear.

Yu Zhinian was calm, "What else do you want to change? Let me hear your ambitions."

"Hehe, besides you, me, and Snoopy, everything else should be changed!"

Truly, the bolder people are, the more productive the fields will be.

In the darkness, the corner of Yu Zhinian's mouth slowly hooked up, "If you put in some effort and I'm happy, maybe I'll agree."

Xiao Yichi caressed Yu Zhinian's chest with one hand and flattened his mouth, "You always make ridiculous and unrealistic promises, so bad, black-hearted lawyer..."

While his mouth said this, his hands and feet were not idle, wrapping around the other party like an octopus.

Lawyer Yu may have a bit of a conscience, allowing him to use him as a cuddle pillow without refusing.

Snoopy just sat on the chair, quietly watching them.

Two days later, the gallery owner called Xiao Yichi to relay Yu Zhinian's request to meet with the owner of the painting. Xiao Yichi had already communicated with Alma and explained his thoughts. Although the painting was a gift, it was also the result of the painter's hard work, so giving a proper explanation was a must.

"I understand, I agree to meet them. However, regarding the time and place of the meeting..."

Yu Zhinian thanked him and put the phone down. The owner of this painting was quite mysterious. The owner of the gallery was tight-lipped and did not disclose any information about the other party, only telling him the time and place of the meeting – the place was in the gallery, and the time was in the evening after the gallery was closed. Yu Zhinian came to the gallery according to the agreement.

From the outside, the gallery was already closed, with only a weak lamp on at the front desk.

He walked to the glass door and tried to push, it was unlocked.

Yu Zhinian walked in and followed the light inside, and the light spilt out from the bright lights of the exhibition hall in front of him. There was only one painting in the large exhibition hall. The huge three-metre by three-metre painting was increasingly shocking in the empty space.

In front of the painting stood a man. The back stood with a beautiful posture, his head was slightly sideways, his shoulders and back broad, his waist straight and his legs long.

The familiar back made Yu Zhinian stop in his tracks. Two seconds later, the curiosity to find out what was going on drove him to take another step.

Yu Zhinian held his breath as he approached.

The figure sensed the movement and turned back, locking their eyes. His voice carried a smile, echoing in the emptiness, "Lawyer Yu, you're here?"

Yu Zhinian walked to Xiao Yichi's side. He noticed that Xiao Yichi was wearing the clothes he had worn to the exhibition that day – the ones he had picked out and bought. And the position of the painting was no different from that time.

"... You are the owner of this painting?" Suppressing the waves of shock inside, Yu Zhinian tried to ask calmly.

Xiao Yichi had a smile on his lips and nodded.

"All along?"

"All along."

"Did you purchase it from Alfa or-"

"She gifted it to me, we're good friends."

No wonder he addressed her directly as Alma. It wasn't because he didn't know "Alfa", but because he didn't need to call her that. For the first time in his life, Yu Zhinian didn't know how to answer.

Xiao Yichi's little devil was really looking forward to seeing Yu Zhinian's jaw drop, but the confused Yu Zhinian in front of him made Xiao Yichi feel sorry for him, so he patted the little devil's butt and told it to get lost.

At the same time as the little devil dissipated, Xiao Yichi took half a step closer, "Lawyer Yu, we didn't even exchange a few words at the painting exhibition before, you said, 'let's talk again when we have the chance in the future'." He was restoring the scene today, that is, doing it all over again, covering the past with the present.

"Why didn't you tell me the truth then?"

"One, I wasn't familiar with you yet, two, I didn't want to take the shine off of Alma, and three," Xiao Yichi bristled, "you looked down on me, no matter whether it was my appearance, my behaviour or my character, I scored negative points with you. In that case, why should I have said so much?"

Yu Zhinian had nothing to refute. At that time, he did have a bad impression of Xiao Yichi, thinking that he had no looks, no taste, and no attitude.

There were mixed feelings in his heart, "... I'm sorry." Yu Zhinian apologised.

"Yu Zhinian," Xiao Yichi's eyes flashed with a somewhat excited and dangerous light, "can I do whatever I want with your current apology-filled heart?"

"..." His heart clenched, and he didn't know whether it was due to guilt or anticipation. Yu Zhinian felt a little out of breath and his head was a little short of oxygen, so he nodded.

"Then can you accompany me for a slow dance? Right here." In this large and empty exhibition hall, in front of this giant painting. "Mr. Nie dedicated a song to you, I don't dare to imitate him, so I have to do it in a different way."

Saying that, Xiao Yichi had already opened his cell phone's music player with great interest and placed it on the ground nearby. The soothing intro sounded.

Xiao Yichi walked back and reached out to invite him, while Yu Zhinian reached out to accept. Moving closer, Xiao Yichi wrapped his arms around his neck and instructed with a smile, "You need to wrap your arms around my waist and hold me a little tighter."

Such mischievous vigour. Yu Zhinian wrapped his arms around him tightly.

A slow dance, in their case, was really a slow dance, with no steps, just a slowly spinning circle.

"Lawyer Yu, what do you want to know about this painting? I'll tell you everything."

Information that the outside world knew very little about, he could learn clearly tonight.

This was a privilege.

"... This painting, why is it called A Midnight in the Middle East?"

"Alma and I met in the Middle East and became acquainted in an abandoned house against the backdrop of an opposition bombardment of the city. We were trapped and spent a few nights in despair but with hope. When we were awake at night, we chatted quietly; I was learning Spanish at the time, and when I encountered communication barriers, I gestured with my hands and feet." It was this unforgettable experience that created their deep bond.

"Then why would she use colours like yellow and black?"

Xiao Yichi laughed lowly with a hint of smugness, "My yellow skin and black eyes."

Yu Zhinian turned his head to look at the painting again. It turned out that the painting was of Xiao Yichi. Body as big as the sky, eyes as bright as the night stars. At the time of the painting, she must have loved him. It didn't matter if it was the love of a friend or the love of a man and a woman.

"... If I tell you that the meeting with the painting's owner is to acquire the painting, what would you think?"

Xiao Yichi understood, "Tang Tang mentioned it to me." He looked at Yu Zhinian, "If she was the one to ask me, I might have hesitated before giving it away; but if you ask me, I wouldn't hesitate to say yes." As the words left his mouth, he winked at him and laughed, "Don't tell her, she'll blame me for valuing lust over friendship."

Leaving everything else aside, Xiao Yichi said "giving it away". Alfa's paintings start at two million dollars.

But since it's Xiao Yichi, it's not surprising that he'd say "give" – because it's priceless, and because it's someone important.

The fact that he can live such a free-spirited and unrestrained life is something that people have to envy.

Yu Zhinian had always felt that Xiao Yichi had a light in his eyes – the kind of light that is nurtured within, the kind of light that has been tempered and emanates from the depths of the soul.

At this moment tonight, Yu Zhinian bowed his head sincerely, he had been completely subdued, and his past prejudice, snobbery and arrogance had been turned to dust – there was a kind of beauty in Xiao Yichi that transcended the reach of the eyes. Not his skin, but his whole person, every frown, every smile, every word, every action, vivid and interesting, kind and innocent, brave and sincere, deep and tolerant. He was so charming, so infectious.

That was a constant and powerful beauty, which will not disappear with the passage of time, but will become more and more fragrant with the richness of life experience.

Stubborn as he was, Xiao Yichi had long since smashed a hole in the iron wall, just enough for him to enter alone, to the once scarred heart.

He didn't wake up early enough. There were many people with better eyesight than him, such as Auntie Pan, Tang Wancheng, Alfa, Da Shan and Zhao Huaimin.

Seeing that Yu Zhinian remained silent, Xiao Yichi pressed his forehead against his, "Lawyer Yu, when I said I would do whatever I wanted just now, did you think that I would directly ask you to accept me?"

"Don't worry, I'm just pretending. I hope that you will fall in love with me willingly. I yearn for what you call 'pure, passionate love'. If I can experience it with you, that would be great."

Yu Zhinian's nose soured. He embraced Xiao Yichi in his arms.

After experiencing so many things, at this age, he who was shrewd, meticulous, familiar with the rules of social operation, and had harsh requirements for his other half, could still experience the legendary scene where your heart is pounding so hard that your eyes burn, it was really a strange tale.

The player switched to Xunyu's "Xihuan", and the song played–

"... So take my hand, take my whole life too..."

"Xiao Yichi, what you want, I will definitely give it to you."

Xiao Yichi was thrilled and wanted to look at Yu Zhinian's eyes to confirm it, but unexpectedly, he was hugged so hard that he couldn't move. "Don't look at me now."

Yu Zhinian was self-conscious of being so lousy.

He had to plan and design how he would grandly and sincerely present his vows to Xiao Yichi.

The rhythm of Yu Zhinian's heart beating had spread into Xiao Yichi's chest.

Xiao Yichi was so excited that his head buzzed – He hadn't heard it wrong, had he? Did he understand correctly? No matter what, he was going to cling to Yu Zhinian. He tightened his arms around the other man's neck, "Mmm!"

‿︵‿︵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: February 20, 2024