Chapter 49: Happy Reunion, Part Two

Saturday was supposed to be a day off, but Shen Zhoudu looked far busier than usual after waking up. He kept making calls and contacting people. It seemed that whether it was the people from his family’s side or Meng Weiyu’s family, everyone was confirming tonight’s matter with him.

“Grandpa, Xiao Yu will go with me tonight… It’s confirmed. Don’t worry, he won’t run away…” When Shen Zhoudu said this, he glanced at the other person in the room.

Meng Weiyu was putting on the clothes he would wear to the banquet tonight. He had only managed to button the bottom three buttons of his shirt. His pants were wrong too; he had taken Shen Zhoudu’s pants. After putting them on, he discovered something was not right. For a moment, he was not sure what had happened. He pulled up the zipper and blankly looked at the button.

These pants felt rather uncomfortable.

“Mm-hm, we’re getting ready.” While communicating with the person on the phone, Shen Zhoudu opened the closet and accurately found Meng Weiyu’s pants. He walked beside him and placed them on the bed.

“This one?” Meng Weiyu asked Shen Zhoudu.

Shen Zhoudu nodded, clamped the phone between his shoulder and cheek, then reached out and helped Meng Weiyu button his shirt.

“I know, Grandma. No, I haven’t argued with my parents recently… It’s normal that we meet less often. You know they’re busy, and I’m busy too.” Shen Zhoudu smiled as he chatted with the person on the phone. “Xiao Yu is here today too, but he’s sick, so he probably can’t remember you. Mm, when the time comes, I’ll bring him to see you and Grandpa. Of course I will. That’s the situation, so I’m telling you first.”

Shen Zhoudu left the final button undone, then glanced at the blank Meng Weiyu and said to the person on the phone, “I’ll change clothes first. Let’s talk later.”

After hanging up, he casually tossed the phone aside. Only then did Shen Zhoudu have the chance to explain to Meng Weiyu, “Those are my pants.”

“Ah! I knew something felt weird!” Meng Weiyu finally found the reason. “Why are your pants hanging in my closet?”

“Because this isn’t just your closet. It’s also mine. Before, I only brought down a few sets of clothes I often wore. Of course the rest are still hanging here.” Shen Zhoudu helplessly helped him tidy his shirt. “The waistband button won’t fasten, right?”

Meng Weiyu originally wanted to nod, but then he suddenly realized what Shen Zhoudu meant. He narrowed his eyes at him and said, “You’re saying I’m fat.”

“I’m not saying you’re fat.” Shen Zhoudu smiled helplessly and bent down to pick up the pants on the bed. “It’s just that the button really won’t fasten.”

Taking advantage of Shen Zhoudu’s shifted gaze, Meng Weiyu sucked in a breath and tried to button it.

He succeeded, but it was not very comfortable.

“I already said our pants sizes are different.” Shen Zhoudu arranged the pants he found. “All right, hurry and take them off.”

Meng Weiyu had no choice but to admit defeat and obediently take off the pants.

“You’re just wearing a short-sleeved shirt?” Shen Zhoudu asked with his arms crossed.

Meng Weiyu threw the pants onto the bed and quickly changed into the new outfit. Confused, he said, “It’s the middle of summer. If I don’t wear short sleeves, what should I wear?”

“The air conditioning inside the hotel is very cold,” Shen Zhoudu reminded him.

“It shouldn’t be a big problem.” Meng Weiyu hopped in place and adjusted his pants.

Shen Zhoudu picked up a tie and looped it around his neck.

Although it was a shirt-and-tie combination, it was not a stiff style, so the buttons did not need to be fully done up, and the tie leaned more toward an accessory. Shen Zhoudu opened the cabinet, took out a watch he often wore, and slipped it onto Meng Weiyu’s left hand.

Since he was wearing short sleeves, his arm looked a little empty. Pairing it with a watch looked better.

Meng Weiyu copied Shen Zhoudu’s usual manner and shook his hand, making the watch sound.

Shen Zhoudu noticed that he was deliberately imitating him, so he helplessly shook his head.

Meng Weiyu suddenly pressed one hand against Shen Zhoudu’s chest and forcefully pushed him backward.

Shen Zhoudu looked blank and continued retreating.

Meng Weiyu pushed him against the wall, then stretched out his hand, braced it against the wall, and trapped Shen Zhoudu there.

Shen Zhoudu still did not know what he wanted to do.

“Am I handsome?” Meng Weiyu confidently flicked his hair.

“Pfft.” Shen Zhoudu laughed, but still honestly nodded. “Very handsome.”

“Boring.” Seeing Shen Zhoudu’s calm and composed appearance, Meng Weiyu instantly lost interest and let go.

“I said you were handsome.” Shen Zhoudu’s speaking speed became faster.

Meng Weiyu still proudly wagged his finger.

“Then what do you want?” Shen Zhoudu discovered that only he liked him too much. If it were anyone else, they would definitely end up fighting with Meng Weiyu.

“Reverse it.” Meng Weiyu planned to demonstrate for him.

The two of them were squeezed very close together. When they switched positions, even though the room was clearly large, they still crowded each other and changed places with difficulty.

Shen Zhoudu thought for a moment and braced his hand against the wall.

The moment he finished the movement, Meng Weiyu’s hand immediately grabbed his collar and dragged him over.

In an instant, the two of them were face to face.

Shen Zhoudu first froze for a moment, then took it as normal.

He was not surprised by it because Meng Weiyu was this kind of person. But he was still startled because, logically speaking, the Meng Weiyu in front of him should have a relationship with him that was stuck at a very strange stage.

Actually, if he analyzed it carefully, he should know that if Meng Weiyu had not had even a little good feeling toward him, how could he have agreed to date him only a few days after his confession?

Meng Weiyu grabbed his collar. Originally, he was smiling as he looked into Shen Zhoudu’s eyes. But when he discovered Shen Zhoudu had drifted off, his smile immediately disappeared, and he unhappily tugged at his collar.

“The clothes will lose their shape,” Shen Zhoudu told him.

“Young Master will buy you new ones. A dozen of them.” Meng Weiyu looked at him provocatively.

“I know, I know. You want me to kiss you, right?” Shen Zhoudu reached out, wanting to hold his face.

He knew Meng Weiyu too well. This was a request for a kiss.

Meng Weiyu reached out and mercilessly slapped his hand away.

Young Master was not asking you to kiss him.

Shen Zhoudu looked at his annoyed face and thought for a moment. He once again braced his hand against the wall, trapping him there, then wanted to go over and kiss him.

Meng Weiyu casually waved his hand with an expression that told him to “forget it.” The chance to perform had already been missed.

Shen Zhoudu simply withdrew his hand, hugged Meng Weiyu, and pressed him into his arms.

Meng Weiyu: “…”

Because he was relatively outgoing, everyone could tell that his personality was strange. But in his view, Shen Zhoudu was also very strange, and it was a kind of strangeness that could not be described.

“I’m suffocating.” Meng Weiyu helplessly took a deep breath.

“It’s the perfume scent you like,” Shen Zhoudu told him.

“So the nice scent I’ve been smelling these past few days was this.” Meng Weiyu’s face was buried in his chest, and even his voice changed. “Is it the perfume I picked for you?”

“No. It’s your perfume,” Shen Zhoudu told him the truth.

“I have perfume!” After losing his memory, daily life was full of surprises everywhere.

While Shen Zhoudu went to change clothes, Meng Weiyu followed his instructions and found a bottle of perfume in the cabinet. He sprayed some on, then smelled it in delight.

It really was a scent he would like.

“You secretly used my perfume.” Meng Weiyu turned his head to watch Shen Zhoudu change. “You’re stealing.”

“I paid for it.” Shen Zhoudu emphasized this fact.

Meng Weiyu refused to lose and said, “But it really is my thing.”

“I could tell you liked it.” After experimenting, Shen Zhoudu discovered that the results were shocking. After he used this bottle of perfume, although Meng Weiyu seemed calm on the surface, whenever he actually came close to him, he could not help sniffing hard.

Shen Zhoudu had changed into his inner shirt. His clothing style today was beyond Meng Weiyu’s expectations.

Meng Weiyu had thought a stiff person like him would obediently choose a shirt, trousers, and suit jacket. In the end, Shen Zhoudu wore a plain-colored T-shirt paired with a loose, designed gray double-breasted thin suit jacket.

Shen Zhoudu threw the jacket aside and planned to adjust the position of the T-shirt, but he was hugged from behind.

He turned his head in confusion.

“A little sexy.” Meng Weiyu hugged his waist and satisfiedly pressed against his back.

“So you just hugged me without warning like this?” Shen Zhoudu began considering whether he should buy all the different colors of this outfit’s same design and bring them home.

“When I hugged you before, I never warned you either.” Meng Weiyu liked being intimate with others, but he only liked physical contact with people he was familiar with. The people he was familiar with could be counted on one hand, and among them were girls too, so the main victims were only Shen Zhoudu and Ning Wu.

“That’s true.” Shen Zhoudu no longer cared.

Meng Weiyu poked his head out to look at him and blinked.

“Mm?” If he had not dyed his hair black, his current appearance would be exactly the same as the cat downstairs who only knew how to make trouble and eat.

“Before, when I hugged you, were you secretly enjoying it in your heart?” Meng Weiyu tried hard to look at his face, making a guess.

Shen Zhoudu said as if it were only natural, “Do you even need to ask?”

“Hehe, you could have confessed to me earlier.” Meng Weiyu smiled smugly.

“And then get beaten earlier, right?” Shen Zhoudu smiled reluctantly.

“Where exactly did I hit you?”

“Your face.”

“How could I do something that bad?” Meng Weiyu refused to admit it, then turned and ran away, no longer disturbing Shen Zhoudu as he tidied his clothes.

After Shen Zhoudu finished arranging his outfit, he closed the cabinet, put on the jacket, picked up the glasses on the table, and casually put them on.

Wah, wah wah.

Meng Weiyu sat on the nearby sofa, dazed.

“Let’s go. If we leave now, we can… What do you want to do now?” Shen Zhoudu originally wanted to head out directly, but he discovered Meng Weiyu sitting on the sofa, deliberately putting on a domineering pose. His palm faced himself, and he beckoned at Shen Zhoudu.

In the past, Shen Zhoudu had already noticed that this gesture of his was very rude. It looked a bit like summoning a dog.

Although he had complained about this countless times in his heart, Shen Zhoudu still obediently walked over and bent down close to him.

“Darling, you’re really too sexy!” Meng Weiyu excitedly stretched out both hands, hugged his cheeks, pulled him over, and kissed him heavily.

Shen Zhoudu was completely stunned.

After kissing him, Meng Weiyu bounced up from the sofa in high spirits and hummed a song as he left the room.

He had always been someone with an especially bold style. Before, he had been trapped by his twisted and strange relationship with Shen Zhoudu, which made him appear confused and timid. Once he stepped over this hurdle, he became invincible.

“You called me darling?” Shen Zhoudu hurriedly chased after him.

“You don’t like it? Then what do I usually call you? Like in the contact note, baby? Babe?”

“You don’t know how to say the erhua sound.”

“Who asked you?”

On the way to the hotel, Shen Zhoudu talked nonstop to Meng Weiyu about the arrangements later.

“Our arrival time should be neither too early nor too late. According to the intelligence sent by my friend who already arrived at the hotel, your grandparents, your maternal grandmother, and my grandparents are all there. After we arrive, we’ll go greet them first. My parents should attend this gathering too, but they have something today, so they probably won’t arrive that early. Then there are also a few heads of companies we frequently do business with. If you don’t recognize them, there’s no need to rush to speak. I’ll greet them first. Do you have any other questions?”

“Yes.” Meng Weiyu leaned boredly against the backrest and discovered a serious problem from that long speech. “You actually have friends?”

And a relationship where that friend could help pass along information too.

Shen Zhoudu closed his mouth, annoyed by Meng Weiyu’s indifferent attitude, but he still answered the question first. “A friend from the same major in university.”

“I’ve never seen this person.” He and Shen Zhoudu had been very sticky in university, and he did not remember such a person.

“Chu Lexing.” Shen Zhoudu introduced his friend. “We do keep in touch, but he doesn’t like going out much. Occasionally, I go to his house.”

“What do you go to someone else’s house for?” After being surprised, Meng Weiyu immediately interrogated him.

Shen Zhoudu knew the answer would get him mocked. He said, “Study.”

Meng Weiyu’s silence spread.

Shen Zhoudu knew his answer was ridiculous, but it was true.

“I understand. In short, tonight, aside from going to the restroom, I shouldn’t separate from you,” Meng Weiyu summarized.

Shen Zhoudu nodded. If he was willing to handle it that way, of course that was best.

“Also, you’re not sexy at all now.” Meng Weiyu sobered up.

Shen Zhoudu laughed in anger.

Meng Weiyu felt Shen Zhoudu’s worries were unnecessary. Putting aside other things, when it came to attending banquets and socializing, Meng Weiyu had far more experience than Shen Zhoudu. Even if he did not recognize anyone present, he could still talk eloquently and make others feel delighted.

He was very helpless. The reason he did not point out this situation was because he decided to give his partner a chance to show himself.

Meng Weiyu reached out and grabbed his own bangs.

He really was too considerate.

After getting out of the car, Shen Zhoudu quickly caught up to Meng Weiyu, who had already gotten out. He placed one hand on his back and led him into tonight’s venue.

His nervous appearance made Meng Weiyu doubt his own long-standing image as a social butterfly.

The server standing at the entrance was observing the guests. The moment he recognized them, he took the initiative to step forward, receiving them into the hotel and saying, “The old master and madam have been waiting for you for a long time.”

When the banquet doors were pushed open, beautiful music instantly poured out from behind the heavy closed doors. A classical orchestra played music at one side of the banquet. Celebrities and elites gathered, and shining lights illuminated a place that should have belonged to the night until it looked like daylight. Servers quietly moved through every corner of the banquet, maintaining order without leaving a trace. The glamorous guests raised their glasses to show respect to each other. The hall was full of sincere or false laughter.

“Wah.” Meng Weiyu was too familiar with this kind of occasion.

“Come.” Shen Zhoudu’s hand lightly exerted force on Meng Weiyu’s back, guiding him toward a certain corner.

There was a group of elegant and imposing elderly people there. Meng Weiyu first recognized his own grandparents.

“Grandpa, Grandma.” Shen Zhoudu greeted four people at once.

“Xiao Yu.” In Meng Weiyu’s eyes, an unfamiliar, refined old gentleman who looked rather like a foreigner suddenly opened his arms toward him.

Meng Weiyu guessed this was Shen Zhoudu’s grandfather, Shen Lian, so he wore a sweet smile and welcomed his embrace.

Shen Lian smiled and lightly patted his back, then let go, pulling a little distance between them. He looked at him with relief. “I heard from Xiao Zhou that you weren’t feeling well recently. I was so worried.”

“I originally felt a little unwell, but with Grandpa caring about me, I immediately got better.” Meng Weiyu began showing his skill and smiled as he coaxed people.

“Ai, your words are still so sweet.” Shen Lian looked at him happily. “It just feels like you’re a little shy today.”

What sharp insight.

“Don’t hug my grandson like that.” Meng Yichuan was at the side, very displeased.

“Old Meng, you finally spoke to me.” Shen Lian found it funny. “Your face looks even stinkier than usual today, hahahaha.”

He was a person who spoke without restraint.

“Grandpa lived abroad before he was twenty. His Chinese ability is just like that.” Shen Zhoudu quietly spoke by Meng Weiyu’s ear. It was not that Shen Lian did not want to speak more tactfully; his Chinese ability made him say whatever he wanted directly.

“Has Xiao Yu lost weight?” The old lady standing beside Shen Lian frowned. She was Shen Zhoudu’s grandmother, Che Li.

“It’s all because your grandson didn’t take good care of—” Meng Yichuan raised his hand and was about to point at Shen Zhoudu.

Seeing her old partner’s rude and unreasonable appearance, Fang Yingyao immediately hung a smile on her face and reached out to press his arm down.

“Last time you came to Grandma’s house, Grandma didn’t entertain you well. Next time when you have time, you must come again.” Fang Yingyao smiled and said, “Next time, we won’t call Xiangxiang.”

“The child was raised by us together. Why wouldn’t I have a share in meeting the in-laws?” When Yan Xiangxiang saw Meng Weiyu appear, she detached herself from another circle and came over.

“Grandma.” Meng Weiyu called her, then looked left and right. “Why isn’t Grandpa with you?”

“Today, he has to write something with his students, so he doesn’t have time. That’s why I came alone.” Yan Xiangxiang had originally had a stern face, but after speaking with Meng Weiyu, she immediately softened. She raised her hand, wanting to pull him over.

Shen Zhoudu’s hand rested on Meng Weiyu’s waist and gently pulled him back.

“Hehe.” Yan Xiangxiang had no choice but to stop beside Shen Lian.

“It’s been a long time since both sides of our in-law families have met like this.” Shen Lian was a little excited.

When the others who had originally still been there heard him say this, they all tactfully left.

Without outsiders present, Yan Xiangxiang crossed her arms and put on an attitude that kept people a thousand miles away. She said bluntly, “If we’re talking about direct in-laws, shouldn’t that be our children?”

“I treat my son as if he’s already dead,” Meng Yichuan answered immediately.

“I treat my daughter as if she’s turned into stone,” Yan Xiangxiang did not fall behind him.

“Hahahahaha.” Shen Lian understood the inside story and laughed loudly without caring. “You’re all this old already, yet you still have such rotten tempers.”

“If you truly didn’t care because you were old, you wouldn’t hold this kind of banquet.” Yan Xiangxiang exposed this sly old fox who was deliberately pretending his Chinese was poor.

Shen Lian touched his chin and smiled cunningly. Then he still decided to turn his attention to the young people beside him and asked, “Have you two been well recently?”

“Very loving,” Meng Weiyu answered first.

“Really?” Although Shen Lian looked old, he still controlled the authority of the Shen family business. If not for him supporting Shen Zhoudu from behind, Shen Zhoudu could not have crossed over his parents and managed part of the Shen family’s industry himself. Such a cunning and unwilling-to-lose old man naturally knew the rumors between the two of them.

“Really.” Meng Weiyu was too familiar with this kind of person. He said with true feeling, “We even kissed before coming out today. What problem could there be with our relationship?”

“I also like kisses.” Shen Lian was raised abroad, and his way of expressing affection between lovers was rather passionate.

“Then…” Hearing him say that, Meng Weiyu adjusted his posture and was about to go kiss him.

“Get back here.” Since there were no outsiders here, Shen Zhoudu was too lazy to pretend. With an unhappy face, he pulled Meng Weiyu back to his side.

Meng Weiyu revealed a mischievous smile.

“Looks like there’s no problem.” Shen Lian was satisfied. “At seventy or eighty years old, if I still had to witness my grandson divorce, this old grandpa would be very sad.”

Meng Weiyu spoke without thinking. “Then what did it feel like to see your grandson marry a man?”

Shen Lian said without care, “Many of my male friends are married to men, and my female friends are married to girlfriends. Rather, it’s Buning whose views have problems. What era is this? Young people are even less open-minded than an old man like me.”

“Whether you’re open-minded is your business. Could you please not interfere with my son?” Shen Buning had received the news and only now found this group. Hearing his own father criticize him behind his back, his anger immediately rose. Back then, he originally could have threatened Shen Zhoudu with things like family property. In the end, that threat had not even lasted a few months, and before Shen Zhoudu was shaken, Shen Lian, who was vacationing abroad, ran out to support his grandson, causing Shen Buning to suffer a crushing defeat.

“Where’s Yezi?” Shen Lian asked about his wife.

“She caught a cold and couldn’t come.” As Shen Buning spoke, he glanced at the two people over there. It was good that she could not come, lest she get angered to death.

Facing Shen Buning’s aggressive gaze, Meng Weiyu proudly flicked his hair.

This world belongs to shameless people.

“Xiao Zhou, go visit your mother more often,” Shen Lian said. Within the entire large family, he held a position where his words were final.

“I’ll find a chance to visit her in the next few days,” Shen Zhoudu promised him.

“You go alone.” Based on Zhoudu’s personality, Shen Buning guessed his behavior and warned him in advance.

“Hmph.” Meng Yichuan coldly snorted from the side. “Boy surnamed Shen, when you speak, weigh your own identity.”

There were a full three boys surnamed Shen here. For a moment, everyone actually had to think about who he was scolding.

Meng Weiyu stood in place and looked at this group of old people whose combined ages could be exchanged for one Qing dynasty zombie. Every single one of them was good at talking. No matter what was discussed, the topic never fell flat. They took turns attacking each other.

He felt that his existence was a bit unnecessary.

“Ning Wu is here too.” Amid the verbal sparring, Shen Zhoudu successfully inserted one sentence.

“Oh, Xiao Ning? You two should go greet him.” Shen Lian understood what Shen Zhoudu meant and took the initiative to respond so they could find a chance to leave.

“All right, we’ll go greet him first.” Shen Zhoudu politely smiled and nodded at everyone. “Please continue chatting.”

Please continue arguing.

Watching the two young people leave, Shen Lian smiled in relief. He turned his head and sought the others’ opinions. “They really are a match made in heaven, don’t you think?”

“Yes.” Other than Fang Yingyao, no one answered.

“Hahahahaha.” Shen Lian laughed loudly without caring.

Meng Weiyu and Shen Zhoudu left together. After walking far away, Meng Weiyu said excitedly, “Your grandpa is actually that cheerful. He’s not like you or your dad at all!”

Moreover, he actually accepted the fact that two men were married so calmly.

“Grandpa hates useless people, so as long as you do things well, he’ll be very benevolent.” On the contrary, if someone showed even a little incompetence, he would become darkly angry. Shen Buning had been driven mad like that.

“How did you get him to support us?” Meng Weiyu found it unbelievable.

“Because your husband is very capable.” Shen Zhoudu wanted to show off in a low-key way.

When Meng Weiyu heard him call himself his husband, he instantly laughed happily.

Shen Zhoudu looked at him helplessly.

The atmosphere between the two was relaxed and happy. They walked for a while and found the rarely seen Xiao Jialu wearing a formal dress.

“Lulu.” Meng Weiyu smiled wickedly and called her. “Where’s Ning Wu?”

Hearing a familiar voice, Xiao Jialu immediately looked as if she had seen a life-saving straw and hurriedly ran toward them.

Meng Weiyu looked confused.