Chapter 4.27 – One Year Of Separation

Sensing Zhu Jing Yi’s abnormal behaviour, Shen Zheng Duo straightened his back and walked towards her, asking, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

“No, nothing.” Zhu Jing Yi instinctively moved to block him but was unable to prevent Shen Zheng Duo from approaching her.

At a distance, Shen Ze was hugging Xiang Han and planted a kiss on his forehead, appearing extremely tender and intimate.

This caused Shen Zheng Duo’s eyes to widen. His face turned green in an instant and the words were stuck in his throat for a long time before he finally bellowed out, “You scum!”

When Xiang Han and Shen Ze returned, they could immediately sense the tense atmosphere.

Zhu Jing Yi was sitting on the sofa, her face deathly pale. Seeing them enter, she abruptly stood up and her figure seemed to sway. With trembling lips, she finally managed to speak in a weak voice, “Little Han, come with me.”

Xiang Han glanced uncertainly at Shen Ze but followed behind her.

After they left, Shen Zheng Duo stood up and roared, “Bastard, kneel down!”

Shen Ze noticed the glass shards from the shattered window and glanced outside, immediately understanding what happened. Without a single word of excuse, he slowly knelt down without losing his calm.

This became a situation that made Shen Zheng Duo unsure on how to proceed. Pacing around the room, he finally spoke, “Tell me, both of you…”

“It’s as you think it is,” Shen Ze honestly admitted, his tone flat without a single shred of guilt.

“You!” Shen Zheng Duo choked with his anger and instinctively looked around for a weapon to bash him with. But after searching through the room, he was unable to find a single object that was suitable and returned in anger, “Look at you, what kind of attitude is this? Do you know who he is? That’s your Aunt Zhu’s son, your brother! He’s not a woman and he’s not someone unrelated to us!”

He purposely emphasised the words ‘brother’ and ‘son’, growing increasingly angry with each word. He furiously kicked Shen Ze’s legs and fumed, “If I was any younger, I would have already broken your legs.”

Shen Ze hunched over a little but quickly straightened his back once more and spoke, his tone heavy, “It’s useless to beat me. I was born naturally bent, I can’t change it.”

“Nonsense! Our family has never produced a homosexual all these generations. Where did your genes come from?”

“According to experts, this gene is usually inherited from the maternal side,” Shen Ze calmly stated.

Shen Zheng Duo choked over his words once more. He finally lost his temper, “I’m not here to discuss the matter of heredity. I don’t care if you’re naturally bent or not. In any case, it’s impossible for you to be with Little Han. I want you to break up with him.”

Shen Ze fell silent for a moment before shaking his head, “I’m sorry.”

Shen Zheng Duo angrily kicked him once more and fell back on the sofa, panting while glaring furiously at him, “In that case, you can continue kneeling until your head becomes clear.”

Shen Ze knelt for a while before frankly telling him, “Dad, we’ve already been together for almost three years. The feelings between us is not a momentary infatuation. I’ve earned some money over these years. I can buy a house in the city after graduation…”

“What are you trying to say? You want to elope and never return again?”

Shen Ze hesitated before speaking, “If you and Aunt Zhu are willing, we’ll definitely come back often.”

So, if they weren’t willing, these two wouldn’t return?! It was truly a waste of his efforts to have raised him all this while! The more Shen Zheng Duo heard, the worse his headache became and he simply turned around, deciding to ignore Shen Ze. 

On the other side, Xiang Han wasn’t faring any better. After pulling him upstairs, Zhu Jing Yi broke down crying, causing Xiang Han to feel helpless. “Little Han, tell me. What’s going on between you and Shen Ze?”

“Ah?” Xiang Han instantly lost his composure. It took him a moment before he managed to speak, “Mom, I like him. We’re already together.”

Zhu Jing Yi was so angry that she pushed him hard, “What the hell are you thinking? You’re both men and brothers recognised by law. How could you do such a thing? Listen to mom, break up with him immediately.”

Xiang Han’s expression twisted, he tried to explain, “Mom, I really like him. Moreover… he’s not my real brother.”

Zhu Jing Yi fumed, “Does that mean you can be together? Do you think homosexuality is an easy road to walk on? Even husbands and wives can get divorced, do you think you can stay with Shen Ze forever? Moreover, you two can’t have children. What will you do when you get old?”

“But I also can’t go and harm other women?” Xiang Han couldn’t help asking.

Zhu Jing Yi became speechless.

In the end, of the two people, one knelt in the living room while the other was shut in his room.

Zhu Jing Yi silently went downstairs, her eyes red with anger as she hooked a finger at Shen Zheng Duo and signalled him to come over. The two of them went inside the study room with a deep sigh.

“Shen Ze said he’s naturally bent. Do you think he’s lying?”

“There’s such a saying. What if he was really born like this? Little Han is right, it’s not like they can harm other women.” Zhu Jing Yi felt conflicted.

“How can you be convinced by them?” Shen Zheng Duo’s expression tensed as he reiterated, “We must be firm on our stance. This needs to stop.”

Saying this, he went on his computer and searched up the matter of sexuality before looking for ways to cure it.

Zhu Jing Yi also looked on from beside him but her face quickly paled. She stood up straight, “No way, what kind of treatment is that? That’s clearly torture. I won’t let Little Han go through such a thing.”

Shen Zheng Duo’s scalp also grew numb and he hurriedly closed the search.

Both sides remained in a deadlock all the way until dawn when Shen Zeng Duo finally allowed Shen Ze to get up and called Xiang Han to come downstairs. “If your homosexuality is innate, it’s not easy for us to change it. However, legally, the two of you are brothers. How could you get together? What if word gets out, what will people think? They’d say our Shen family raised a step-son into a wife.”

Rubbing his sore knees with a frown, Shen Ze’s movements halted slightly when he heard it. He said, “We intend to… stay in the city.”

Zhu Jing Yi’s eyes reddened and she turned to look at Xiang Han.

Xiang Han was silent for a moment but finally nodded, his heart full of guilt.

Zhu Jing Yi’s tears began to fall once more and Shen Zheng Duo spoke, his tone heavy, “It’s better to separate. What if it’s not innate? You two are still young and inexperienced in matters of love. It’s normal to feel pain when separated but life is long. Who hasn’t been a little wild when they were young? After a few years, you’ll realise it’s actually not a big deal.”

“That’s right.” Zhu Jing Yi added, “When two people are together, there are many things you’ll have to face. It’s not enough to simply rely on infatuation. Moreover, the relationship between you two will pose an even bigger problem. It’s better to break it off early and cool down, take some time to think it through…”

Xiang Han had never found himself in such a situation before and was momentarily at a loss for what to do. Logically speaking, this was merely a virtual world and there was no need to care too much about it. But emotionally, he found himself unable to accept it. After all, the pressure Shen Ze faced was real.

In fact, the best method was perhaps to distance themselves for the time being and give Shen Zheng Duo and Zhu Jing Yi some time to accept them. But would Shen Ze be willing? Xiang Han glanced towards Shen Ze in silent inquiry.

He didn’t wish to see this matter be blown out of proportion. This way, everyone would only get hurt by it.

Shen Ze seemed to understand the implications in his gaze. Their eyes locked for a moment before he subtly nodded, an action very indistinct.

In reality, from what he could see, his father and Zhu Jing Yi had also made some degree of compromise. At the very least, they didn’t use coercion to force them. And even if they continued fighting, there wouldn’t be any more advantages.

 Shen Ze understood this point and hence, decided to take a step back, “Once school starts, I will apply to study overseas. After a year, if the feelings between us remain the same, I hope you two… will accept us.”

Zhu Jing Yi released a breath but Shen Zheng Duo was still worried, adding, “Okay, but in this year, you are not allowed to maintain any contact with each other. If after one year, you guys are still… we’ll agree.”

Shen Ze looked at Xiang Han before grinding his teeth, “Deal.”

This matter was concluded as such. Xiang Han was also relieved and threw a smile at Shen Ze.

Shen Ze’s gaze darkened. He hadn’t said anything earlier but after Shen Zheng Duo and Zhu Jing Yi went to sleep, he silently crept inside Xiang Han’s room.

Xiang Han, in a state of sleep, felt a weight crush him down and was startled awake. Seeing a dark figure on top of him, he nearly cried out in fright until Shen Ze covered his mouth and whispered, “It’s me.”

Xiang Han exhaled with worry, “How did you come in? What if Uncle Shen and my mom find out?”

“We’re going to be separated for a year. Will you miss me?” Shen Ze cut him off.

“…I, probably will.” Xiang Han’s face was covered in black lines.

“Take away the word ‘probably’.”

“Yes, alright. I will!”

Shen Ze was finally satisfied, groping him for a while before continuing, “One year is too long. You need to compensate me before I leave.”

“Eh… Do you think my mom and Uncle Shen will give you the chance?” Xiang Han felt the situation getting out of hand and hurriedly grabbed the cheeky hand.

Shen Ze kissed him, “I will find one.”

“How?”

“Like, now.”

Xiang Han didn’t hesitate to send him a flying kick from within the blanket, saying helplessly, “You’re still in the mood for this after everything that happened today?”

Perhaps their actions must have caused a commotion as Zhu Jing Yi began knocking on his door, asking, “Little Han, why is it so noisy in your room?”

Xiang Han was shocked and exclaimed, “Nothing, I just fell from the bed.”

“Open the door,” Zhu Jing Yi said.

Xiang Han quickly stuffed Shen Ze into his closet and opened the door, panting as he asked, “What is it?”

Zhu Jing Yi went into the room and looked around. Bending forward, she picked up the blanket which had fallen onto the ground and said, “Nothing. Be more careful when sleeping.”

“Okay.” Xiang Han nodded. After Zhu Jing Yi left, he urged Shen Ze, “Hurry back, I don’t know if Uncle Shen will go to check your room.”

Shen Ze’s brows furrowed and he finally left, extremely reluctant. Just as he returned to his room, Shen Zheng Duo appeared.

The two men glared at each other for a long time before Shen Zheng Duo asked, “Where did you go?”

“To drink water.” Shen Ze turned around to enter his room.

From then on, Shen Zheng Duo and Zhu Jing Yi became an insurmountable barrier. When school started, Shen Ze was still unable to find an opportunity to find Xiang Han alone. 

He had thought the situation would lighten up once school started. However, he never expected Zhu Jing Yi to accompany them back. The days they spent before Shen Ze went abroad was one where they couldn’t even look at each other openly, having to slip around just to sneak in a kiss. It was simply unbearable.

This day, Xiang Han didn’t have afternoon class. So, he went to the lab to find Shen Ze.

Wearing a white coat, Shen Ze appeared cold and distant. But once he saw Xiang Han, his eyes immediately lit up and hurriedly dragged him to the toilet. They got entangled in a passionate kiss and a hand stealthily slipped under Xiang Han’s clothes.

Xiang Han was kissed until he could barely catch his breath. Grabbing the hand that was roaming over his body, he whispered harshly, “Are you crazy? Someone could come in anytime and they would hear everything. Moreover, my mom is keeping a tight watch on the time, and waiting for me to return.”

Shen Ze drowned him in a tight embrace for a long time before suppressing the raging lust and spoke, his voice tight, “I’m leaving next week. Can’t you take one afternoon off?”

“Uh…”

“After this, we won’t be able to meet for a whole year and we can’t even call…”

“Okay, okay. I’ll try.”

Shen Ze’s eyes were practically shining to the point of emitting light. At night, as he returned, he silently took out those things that hadn’t been used for a long time.

***

T/n: Glad to see Shen Ze suffering a little. Also, there’s only one more chapter left to this arc! Hope you guys are enjoying this series~ I’ve updated my patreon, so donors can read up to 10 advanced chapters^^ Do support me if you can~

Chapter 4.27 – One Year Of Separation

Sensing Zhu Jing Yi’s abnormal behaviour, Shen Zheng Duo straightened his back and walked towards her, asking, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

“No, nothing.” Zhu Jing Yi instinctively moved to block him but was unable to prevent Shen Zheng Duo from approaching her.

At a distance, Shen Ze was hugging Xiang Han and planted a kiss on his forehead, appearing extremely tender and intimate.

This caused Shen Zheng Duo’s eyes to widen. His face turned green in an instant and the words were stuck in his throat for a long time before he finally bellowed out, “You scum!”

When Xiang Han and Shen Ze returned, they could immediately sense the tense atmosphere.

Zhu Jing Yi was sitting on the sofa, her face deathly pale. Seeing them enter, she abruptly stood up and her figure seemed to sway. With trembling lips, she finally managed to speak in a weak voice, “Little Han, come with me.”

Xiang Han glanced uncertainly at Shen Ze but followed behind her.

After they left, Shen Zheng Duo stood up and roared, “Bastard, kneel down!”

Shen Ze noticed the glass shards from the shattered window and glanced outside, immediately understanding what happened. Without a single word of excuse, he slowly knelt down without losing his calm.

This became a situation that made Shen Zheng Duo unsure on how to proceed. Pacing around the room, he finally spoke, “Tell me, both of you…”

“It’s as you think it is,” Shen Ze honestly admitted, his tone flat without a single shred of guilt.

“You!” Shen Zheng Duo choked with his anger and instinctively looked around for a weapon to bash him with. But after searching through the room, he was unable to find a single object that was suitable and returned in anger, “Look at you, what kind of attitude is this? Do you know who he is? That’s your Aunt Zhu’s son, your brother! He’s not a woman and he’s not someone unrelated to us!”

He purposely emphasised the words ‘brother’ and ‘son’, growing increasingly angry with each word. He furiously kicked Shen Ze’s legs and fumed, “If I was any younger, I would have already broken your legs.”

Shen Ze hunched over a little but quickly straightened his back once more and spoke, his tone heavy, “It’s useless to beat me. I was born naturally bent, I can’t change it.”

“Nonsense! Our family has never produced a homosexual all these generations. Where did your genes come from?”

“According to experts, this gene is usually inherited from the maternal side,” Shen Ze calmly stated.

Shen Zheng Duo choked over his words once more. He finally lost his temper, “I’m not here to discuss the matter of heredity. I don’t care if you’re naturally bent or not. In any case, it’s impossible for you to be with Little Han. I want you to break up with him.”

Shen Ze fell silent for a moment before shaking his head, “I’m sorry.”

Shen Zheng Duo angrily kicked him once more and fell back on the sofa, panting while glaring furiously at him, “In that case, you can continue kneeling until your head becomes clear.”

Shen Ze knelt for a while before frankly telling him, “Dad, we’ve already been together for almost three years. The feelings between us is not a momentary infatuation. I’ve earned some money over these years. I can buy a house in the city after graduation…”

“What are you trying to say? You want to elope and never return again?”

Shen Ze hesitated before speaking, “If you and Aunt Zhu are willing, we’ll definitely come back often.”

So, if they weren’t willing, these two wouldn’t return?! It was truly a waste of his efforts to have raised him all this while! The more Shen Zheng Duo heard, the worse his headache became and he simply turned around, deciding to ignore Shen Ze. 

On the other side, Xiang Han wasn’t faring any better. After pulling him upstairs, Zhu Jing Yi broke down crying, causing Xiang Han to feel helpless. “Little Han, tell me. What’s going on between you and Shen Ze?”

“Ah?” Xiang Han instantly lost his composure. It took him a moment before he managed to speak, “Mom, I like him. We’re already together.”

Zhu Jing Yi was so angry that she pushed him hard, “What the hell are you thinking? You’re both men and brothers recognised by law. How could you do such a thing? Listen to mom, break up with him immediately.”

Xiang Han’s expression twisted, he tried to explain, “Mom, I really like him. Moreover… he’s not my real brother.”

Zhu Jing Yi fumed, “Does that mean you can be together? Do you think homosexuality is an easy road to walk on? Even husbands and wives can get divorced, do you think you can stay with Shen Ze forever? Moreover, you two can’t have children. What will you do when you get old?”

“But I also can’t go and harm other women?” Xiang Han couldn’t help asking.

Zhu Jing Yi became speechless.

In the end, of the two people, one knelt in the living room while the other was shut in his room.

Zhu Jing Yi silently went downstairs, her eyes red with anger as she hooked a finger at Shen Zheng Duo and signalled him to come over. The two of them went inside the study room with a deep sigh.

“Shen Ze said he’s naturally bent. Do you think he’s lying?”

“There’s such a saying. What if he was really born like this? Little Han is right, it’s not like they can harm other women.” Zhu Jing Yi felt conflicted.

“How can you be convinced by them?” Shen Zheng Duo’s expression tensed as he reiterated, “We must be firm on our stance. This needs to stop.”

Saying this, he went on his computer and searched up the matter of sexuality before looking for ways to cure it.

Zhu Jing Yi also looked on from beside him but her face quickly paled. She stood up straight, “No way, what kind of treatment is that? That’s clearly torture. I won’t let Little Han go through such a thing.”

Shen Zheng Duo’s scalp also grew numb and he hurriedly closed the search.

Both sides remained in a deadlock all the way until dawn when Shen Zeng Duo finally allowed Shen Ze to get up and called Xiang Han to come downstairs. “If your homosexuality is innate, it’s not easy for us to change it. However, legally, the two of you are brothers. How could you get together? What if word gets out, what will people think? They’d say our Shen family raised a step-son into a wife.”

Rubbing his sore knees with a frown, Shen Ze’s movements halted slightly when he heard it. He said, “We intend to… stay in the city.”

Zhu Jing Yi’s eyes reddened and she turned to look at Xiang Han.

Xiang Han was silent for a moment but finally nodded, his heart full of guilt.

Zhu Jing Yi’s tears began to fall once more and Shen Zheng Duo spoke, his tone heavy, “It’s better to separate. What if it’s not innate? You two are still young and inexperienced in matters of love. It’s normal to feel pain when separated but life is long. Who hasn’t been a little wild when they were young? After a few years, you’ll realise it’s actually not a big deal.”

“That’s right.” Zhu Jing Yi added, “When two people are together, there are many things you’ll have to face. It’s not enough to simply rely on infatuation. Moreover, the relationship between you two will pose an even bigger problem. It’s better to break it off early and cool down, take some time to think it through…”

Xiang Han had never found himself in such a situation before and was momentarily at a loss for what to do. Logically speaking, this was merely a virtual world and there was no need to care too much about it. But emotionally, he found himself unable to accept it. After all, the pressure Shen Ze faced was real.

In fact, the best method was perhaps to distance themselves for the time being and give Shen Zheng Duo and Zhu Jing Yi some time to accept them. But would Shen Ze be willing? Xiang Han glanced towards Shen Ze in silent inquiry.

He didn’t wish to see this matter be blown out of proportion. This way, everyone would only get hurt by it.

Shen Ze seemed to understand the implications in his gaze. Their eyes locked for a moment before he subtly nodded, an action very indistinct.

In reality, from what he could see, his father and Zhu Jing Yi had also made some degree of compromise. At the very least, they didn’t use coercion to force them. And even if they continued fighting, there wouldn’t be any more advantages.

 Shen Ze understood this point and hence, decided to take a step back, “Once school starts, I will apply to study overseas. After a year, if the feelings between us remain the same, I hope you two… will accept us.”

Zhu Jing Yi released a breath but Shen Zheng Duo was still worried, adding, “Okay, but in this year, you are not allowed to maintain any contact with each other. If after one year, you guys are still… we’ll agree.”

Shen Ze looked at Xiang Han before grinding his teeth, “Deal.”

This matter was concluded as such. Xiang Han was also relieved and threw a smile at Shen Ze.

Shen Ze’s gaze darkened. He hadn’t said anything earlier but after Shen Zheng Duo and Zhu Jing Yi went to sleep, he silently crept inside Xiang Han’s room.

Xiang Han, in a state of sleep, felt a weight crush him down and was startled awake. Seeing a dark figure on top of him, he nearly cried out in fright until Shen Ze covered his mouth and whispered, “It’s me.”

Xiang Han exhaled with worry, “How did you come in? What if Uncle Shen and my mom find out?”

“We’re going to be separated for a year. Will you miss me?” Shen Ze cut him off.

“…I, probably will.” Xiang Han’s face was covered in black lines.

“Take away the word ‘probably’.”

“Yes, alright. I will!”

Shen Ze was finally satisfied, groping him for a while before continuing, “One year is too long. You need to compensate me before I leave.”

“Eh… Do you think my mom and Uncle Shen will give you the chance?” Xiang Han felt the situation getting out of hand and hurriedly grabbed the cheeky hand.

Shen Ze kissed him, “I will find one.”

“How?”

“Like, now.”

Xiang Han didn’t hesitate to send him a flying kick from within the blanket, saying helplessly, “You’re still in the mood for this after everything that happened today?”

Perhaps their actions must have caused a commotion as Zhu Jing Yi began knocking on his door, asking, “Little Han, why is it so noisy in your room?”

Xiang Han was shocked and exclaimed, “Nothing, I just fell from the bed.”

“Open the door,” Zhu Jing Yi said.

Xiang Han quickly stuffed Shen Ze into his closet and opened the door, panting as he asked, “What is it?”

Zhu Jing Yi went into the room and looked around. Bending forward, she picked up the blanket which had fallen onto the ground and said, “Nothing. Be more careful when sleeping.”

“Okay.” Xiang Han nodded. After Zhu Jing Yi left, he urged Shen Ze, “Hurry back, I don’t know if Uncle Shen will go to check your room.”

Shen Ze’s brows furrowed and he finally left, extremely reluctant. Just as he returned to his room, Shen Zheng Duo appeared.

The two men glared at each other for a long time before Shen Zheng Duo asked, “Where did you go?”

“To drink water.” Shen Ze turned around to enter his room.

From then on, Shen Zheng Duo and Zhu Jing Yi became an insurmountable barrier. When school started, Shen Ze was still unable to find an opportunity to find Xiang Han alone. 

He had thought the situation would lighten up once school started. However, he never expected Zhu Jing Yi to accompany them back. The days they spent before Shen Ze went abroad was one where they couldn’t even look at each other openly, having to slip around just to sneak in a kiss. It was simply unbearable.

This day, Xiang Han didn’t have afternoon class. So, he went to the lab to find Shen Ze.

Wearing a white coat, Shen Ze appeared cold and distant. But once he saw Xiang Han, his eyes immediately lit up and hurriedly dragged him to the toilet. They got entangled in a passionate kiss and a hand stealthily slipped under Xiang Han’s clothes.

Xiang Han was kissed until he could barely catch his breath. Grabbing the hand that was roaming over his body, he whispered harshly, “Are you crazy? Someone could come in anytime and they would hear everything. Moreover, my mom is keeping a tight watch on the time, and waiting for me to return.”

Shen Ze drowned him in a tight embrace for a long time before suppressing the raging lust and spoke, his voice tight, “I’m leaving next week. Can’t you take one afternoon off?”

“Uh…”

“After this, we won’t be able to meet for a whole year and we can’t even call…”

“Okay, okay. I’ll try.”

Shen Ze’s eyes were practically shining to the point of emitting light. At night, as he returned, he silently took out those things that hadn’t been used for a long time.

***

T/n: Glad to see Shen Ze suffering a little. Also, there’s only one more chapter left to this arc! Hope you guys are enjoying this series~ I’ve updated my patreon, so donors can read up to 10 advanced chapters^^ Do support me if you can~