Chapter 22

Yang Yunran would do this because it’s a habit of his. However, his habit of resting on someone’s arm only existed with his assistant.

He didn’t answer Jiang Yi’s question but instead asked if Jiang Yi was jealous.

Jiang Yi replied, “No.”

He wanted to explain unnecessarily that this was just out of responsibility, but before he could finish typing, Yang Yunran messaged him again, “Okay, bring the Dutch guy tomorrow. If the introduction is successful, I’ll treat you to a seafood feast. Goodnight, I’m going to bed.”

Yang Yunran didn’t sleep.

He called Jimmy to chat about this: “Tomorrow night, I’m going on a ‘blind date’ with the Dutch guy from his lab, haha.”

Jimmy: “Does former Brother Yang have a cuckold fetish?? Acting as a matchmaker for you??”

Jimmy voiced what Yang Yunran had in mind.

Yang Yunran found this puzzling.

Jiang Yi was inscrutable, sometimes Yang Yunran narcissistically thought that he might like him, as he often said things with strong possessiveness, and sometimes his actions were very strange.

For example, this introduction of potential partners via PDF.

It seemed meticulously done, not just perfunctory.

Jimmy speculated: “Could it be that he’s introducing people he knows to mooch off your wealth?”

Yang Yunran: “He said the guys you introduced to me weren’t of good quality, so he had to intervene. How would I know what’s going on in his head?”

Jimmy grumbled: “Get lost, the male models I introduced were all pretty good.”

Yang Yunran wasn’t in the mood to chat about limitless topics with him, so he quickly changed the subject: “Oh yeah, Jimmy, I’m going to a recording studio to record a song in a few days, near the Boston Conservatory of Music. Can you accompany me if you’re free?”

Jimmy agreed readily, and Yang Yunran ended the call with him before going to take a shower.

He took off his glass eye and gently placed it in the box on the sink, then opened the cabinet to get the saline solution to rinse it.

His glass eye was expensive, so Yang Yunran was always extra careful when removing it, as it was, after all, a prosthetic eye made of biomaterial, prone to slipping and rolling into corners.

Yang Yunran cleaned it once or twice every day; it was his habit.

The next morning, Yang Yunran went out early to walk his dog. At nine o’clock, he met Zhao Youmo and took him to meet the professor.

Zhao Youmo was dressed very formally, carrying a backpack, and sitting in the driver’s seat.

Yang Yunran leaned back in the passenger seat, tapping on his phone, and sent a WeChat message to Jiang Yi: “Did you arrange the Dutch guy for me?”

Jiang Yi replied: “Just sent an email.”

Yang Yunran: “…”

He still arranged it via email, indicating that Jiang Yi and [remainder not provided].

The other party is not familiar.

Yang Yunran: “You’re not familiar with him, how do you know he’s better than the one Jimmy introduced?”

Jiang Yi: “Jesse is a direct Ph.D. from Harvard.”

Yang Yunran: “That only shows he has a good education and good brains, but it doesn’t necessarily mean he has good character.”

Jiang Yi: “I’ve heard his character is good, I’ll help you judge.”

Yang Yunran was completely speechless.

Beside them, Zhao Youmo drove nervously, taking deep breaths, sneaking glances at Yang Yunran from the corner of his eye.

“Roy, you’ve helped me so much, is it because… of what happened before? Actually, over these years, I’ve come to terms with it. I can’t blame you for that incident.”

Yang Yunran looked up from his phone screen: “Huh? What are you talking about?”

“Not because of that…? In high school, the person you liked participated in a competition with me…” Zhao Youmo observed Yang Yunran’s expression in the rearview mirror and seeing no anger, he continued, “The day before my college entrance exam, I got hit by your friend’s motorcycle and was on a drip all night. The next day, I didn’t even have the strength to finish the exam questions.”

This directly resulted in him scoring over a hundred points less than expected. Zhao Youmo had always thought Yang Yunran orchestrated it and harbored resentment towards him for a long time.

After graduating from university, Yang’s secretary found him and said they were preparing to send him to accompany Yang Yunran, and take care of his daily life. Initially, he was very unwilling.

But the secretary said, “Zhao Youmo, you’ve volunteered many times before, have experience as a caregiver, and the elderly and children all give you top marks. You and the young master were high school classmates, that’s one of the reasons Mr. Yang chose you. We’ll cover your rent in the United States, and give you an extra forty thousand in living expenses each month, just to look after the young master, supervise all his actions, and help him in his studies and life.”

Last night, Zhao Youmo told Yang’s secretary that Yang Yunran seemed to have recently broken up and wasn’t in a great mood.

After going back, he thought for a long time, why was this young master suddenly so good to him? Was it because he instructed his friend to hit him? Is Yang Yunran, the way he is now, because of guilt?

After listening to his words, Yang Yunran thought for a long time, looking somewhat bewildered: “Is that so…”

It sounded like it might really be the case of the original owner.

Zhao Youmo observed his expression, then restrained his emotions, and said, “Back then, I blamed you. Now that I think about it, I was too narrow-minded, I’m sorry.”

Yang Yunran didn’t respond to him, but directed, “Turn left, the house with the red roof ahead.”

The professor lived in a row house in the Cambridge Port area, which Yang Yunran had seen before. Last year, Professor Chen wanted him to teach Yang Yunran.

The two of them talked face to face for a while. In the end, the professor didn’t accept him as a student or write him a recommendation letter. However, he had a good relationship with Professor Chen Fangzhou, so he agreed to a second meeting and helped him interview a student.

The student’s surname was Zhao, Chinese. The professor looked through the information about Zhao Youmo in the email at home for a while. Although Zhao’s academic qualifications were not outstanding, his competition results were excellent, he had rich volunteer experience, his work experience was satisfactory, his GPA was perfect, he scored close to perfect on the TOEFL, and his essay was very touching.

At half past nine in the morning, the two students arrived at his doorstep very punctually. Yang Yunran got out of the car and said, “Whether you can make it or not depends on yourself.”

Zhao Youmo had a protagonist aura, and Yang Yunran believed that he had no problems. After entering the professor’s house, he greeted the professor, who was in his fifties, and the professor pushed his glasses up and kindly said, “You’re Roy, right? I remember you. Your English has improved a lot.”

Yang Yunran had a slight social anxiety trait, which was not usually apparent, but it would intensify when facing scholars and seniors. He pushed Zhao Youmo forward and quickly introduced a few words, “He’s here for the interview with you.”

Professor Ross nodded and asked Zhao Youmo to follow him to the study, then immediately said to Yang Yunran, “A student will come to see me at ten o’clock. Today, the maid is not here. If you hear the doorbell, you can help me open the door.”

Yang Yunran had originally planned to leave early. But with the professor’s words, he couldn’t leave, so he had to agree.

Not long after, the sound of a car engine stopping could indeed be heard outside. Yang Yunran walked to the window and saw a young man driving a black sports car. Shortly after, the doorbell rang, and Yang Yunran opened the door to a young Chinese man wearing a white hoodie.

He was slightly taller than Yang Yunran, like the gentle male lead in a youth movie. He seemed to be about the same age as himself.

The two exchanged a few sentences in English. The young man’s name was Levi, and Yang Yunran said, “Roy. The professor is inside. He may come out later. Please wait a moment.”

Levi sat on the sofa, glanced at Yang Yunran for a while, opened his phone to look at photos, and then looked at Yang Yunran with some curiosity, as if he recognized him, but he didn’t ask anything.

Twenty minutes later, Zhao Youmo came out. The professor saw him off and called, “Levi, come in.”

Yang Yunran asked Zhao Youmo, “How did it go?”

Zhao Youmo replied, “Let’s talk outside.”

In the car, Zhao Youmo said, “The professor is willing to be my advisor, but he wants me to accumulate one more year of work experience. Otherwise, it will be difficult for my overall score to compete with others. Alternatively, I can choose one from my existing offers, go for a one-year master’s degree first, and then apply for a two-year Ivy League master’s degree.”

He was a little downcast, and Yang Yunran comforted him with a few words, asking him to think it over.

At the same time, Jesse received an email from Jiang Yi. He replied to Jiang Yi on WhatsApp, saying, “Evan, I promised to go on a date with your younger brother. Your brother is very cute! But this was told to me by Emily. She asked if there’s a chance for dinner tonight with you?”

Emily?

Which Emily? There are several girls with the same name in the lab.

Jiang Yi wasn’t sure who it was; he didn’t have any extra impressions of these girls.

It was a bit troublesome for him to go on a date with a stranger.

He wanted to refuse, but then he saw a message from Yang Yunran.

Yang Yunran was still asking him, “How is it, have you arranged it for me? You said you would!!”

Jiang Yi: “Do you really like Jesse?”

Yang Yunran had just returned home and saw the message. He felt Jiang Yi was jealous again and deliberately replied, “Although I haven’t met him, I really like his photos. He looks very much in line with my aesthetic.”

What aesthetic fit? He didn’t like foreigners at all.

Jiang Yi thought for a long time, and finally agreed to Jesse’s request to have dinner with Emily.

This popular dating culture, fast-food-style romance, is a common social behavior.

A dinner, or a movie, to build relationships and better understand each other. If it works, great; if not, retreat. For those who want to date quickly, a week could mean seven days of dates, three in a day, similar to swiping on a chat app, which doesn’t mean much and is not the same as blind dates in Chinese culture.

Jiang Yi had never really integrated into this culture. He only participated in group activities on weekends, never private dates. He had never even had this kind of typical date.

To conveniently observe Yang Yunran’s dating situation at any time, Jiang Yi booked a restaurant nearby, with their tables not far apart, both by the window.

In the afternoon, Jiang Yi checked the map and went to buy an electric piano for Yang Yunran.

He had no expertise in music, so he simply chose the most expensive one from Akai, priced at $2500. He didn’t even blink when paying, then had the staff put it in the back seat of his car.

This took him some time, so he couldn’t go to pick up Yang Yunran.

Around 7 o’clock in the evening, Yang Yunran took a taxi over. Jiang Yi had reserved a seat in his name, so when Yang Yunran entered, the waiter led him to the Charles River view seat by the window.

Jesse soon arrived as well.

He was even more handsome than in the photo, especially tall, dressed formally, with a polite demeanor, and meticulously groomed blond hair.

But Yang Yunran couldn’t help but suspect he was facing a midlife hair loss crisis.

They exchanged brief greetings and began to order food. Because it’s impolite to play with your phone during a date, Yang Yunran only briefly replied to Jiang Yi, saying, “Here, met Jesse, he’s even more handsome than in the photo. Thanks for introducing me to a handsome guy, bro.”

Just as he received the message, Jiang Yi entered the restaurant through the main door.

Inside the restaurant, the lighting was warm, with chandeliers reflecting on silverware and porcelain, intricate and delicate. The large windows framed views of the deep blue river.

Jiang Yi glanced at Yang Yunran’s thank-you message, furrowed his brows slightly, then walked in, scanning the room for Yang Yunran.

He was ten minutes late, and Emily was already seated at the scenic spot he reserved. She was dressed up, wearing a cocktail dress, contact lenses, and makeup.

But to his dismay, Jiang Yi found that this spot couldn’t see Yang Yunran. If he sat down, he’d have to turn around to catch a glimpse of him in profile.

So Jiang Yi whispered to Emily, “Sorry, I have a request. Can we switch tables?”

Emily hesitated for a moment, then nodded, “Okay…”

Following his gaze, Emily said, “Jesse and I arrived at the same time. I didn’t expect you to book the same restaurant. Evan, is that your younger brother? He looks like a doll, so cute.”

“Yeah, he’s cute.” Jiang Yi sat down, slightly turning his head, and saw Yang Yunran chatting with Jesse. From his angle, he could only see Yang Yunran’s soft and handsome profile, his eyes crescent-shaped when he smiled.

Jiang Yi’s gaze was very focused, averaging about forty seconds per minute on Yang Yunran.

He was so distracted that he ordered absentmindedly, forgetting basic gentlemanly manners.

He didn’t even hear Emily speaking to him, apparently congratulating him on publishing an academic paper in CSC and achieving academic influence. He responded with a few indifferent words, looking much like he did in the lab.

Jesse was good at socializing and seemed to have Yang Yunran quite amused.

Then the waiter brought a cart with white wine and poured a glass for Yang Yunran and Jesse each.

Emily had long noticed Evan’s distracted demeanor. She also kept turning her head, saying, “How old is your younger brother? He looks very young.”

“Twenty-one,” Jiang Yi replied.

Emily remarked, “Jesse and he seem very compatible. Jesse has always said he wants to find a Chinese boyfriend,…”

“Suddenly everyone found out Evan has a younger brother because you were inquiring about it.”

Jiang Yi saw Yang Yunran finish a whole glass of white wine and now started eating oysters.

He withdrew his gaze and asked Emily, “How many boyfriends has Jesse had?”

Jiang Yi was probing into Jesse’s character; it seemed like Yang Yunran quite liked him. But Jiang Yi’s mood was somewhat sour.

Emily said, “He’s had two… What about your brother Roy?”

…Jiang Yi didn’t know.

He asked a few more questions about Jesse, all of which Emily answered. Then she said, trying to make conversation, “Evan, you really love your brother, don’t you? You’ve been watching him for quite a while.”

Jiang Yi’s expression froze, “I care about him.”

Noticing that Yang Yunran was still drinking white wine, Jiang Yi sent him a message, “You have an early class tomorrow, drink less.”

The screen on the table lit up, and during a break in his meal, Yang Yunran glanced at the message.

…Huh?

He looked puzzled, “How did you know I was drinking? Are you spying on me?”

Yang Yunran turned to look around, carefully scanning, until he spotted Jiang Yi, slightly dressed up and wearing a navy blue casual suit, which he wouldn’t normally wear.

Coming here specifically to watch his date?

…Wait a minute!

Yang Yunran noticed there was a girl sitting across from him.

He immediately lost his appetite.

“Are you on a date with a girl??” His expression turned icy, gripping his phone.

Jesse was in the middle of telling some cultural anecdotes, but seeing Yang Yunran’s reaction, he paused, “Roy?”

Yang Yunran gave him a polite smile, wiped his hands with a napkin, and said, “I’ll go to the restroom.”

Then he messaged Jiang Yi, “Come in.”

His emotions were fluctuating wildly; on one hand, he thought, he and Jiang Yi had broken up, so he could date if he wanted to, it wasn’t a matter of betrayal or not; on the other hand, he felt extremely irritable and wanted to confront Jiang Yi about what he was doing.

—Jiang Yi didn’t think it was a date; he was just helping Yang Yunran investigate Jesse’s character, fulfilling the responsibilities of an elder brother.

Did Yang Yunran want to talk in the restroom? Was there something to say?

Jiang Yi followed him in, and Yang Yunran was washing his hands, looking at him with a cold expression in the mirror.

Jiang Yi said in his usual calm tone, “You should focus on your date, don’t drink too much.”

Yang Yunran’s face was flushed from drinking, and now he stared at Jiang Yi, extremely displeased, with his eyes narrowing.

His face flushed. Yang Yunran didn’t answer; instead, he stared at Jiang Yi sulkily for more than ten seconds, then suddenly pushed open the compartment door and grabbed Jiang Yi’s deep red tie, dragging him inside. “Are you bisexual?”

Jiang Yi said, “…No.”

Yang Yunran applied a bit of force, and Jiang Yi found it hard to breathe as he was pulled down, his head lowered. Yang Yunran gently held his hand, “Relax a bit. She’s Jesse’s good friend. I’ve checked. He’s had two exes and is faithful in relationships. His family consists of well-known professors in academia.”

Yang Yunran still didn’t let go, his hurt expression making it hard for Jiang Yi to resist or look directly at him.

“…It took me a lot of effort to tie this tie,” Jiang Yi sighed, not struggling anymore. He was very close to Yang Yunran, so close that their eyes met, their breaths intermingling, a distance where a kiss could happen at any moment… It made his heart skip a beat.

Jiang Yi subconsciously avoided eye contact, his voice low, “So, do you like Jesse?”

Yang Yunran pulled him down a little more, almost biting his neck, “That’s not important. Do you want me to like him or not?”