Contract Couple – CH27

Chapter 27

Luo Yi was good-looking—young, tall, stylish. He looked twenty-six or twenty-seven, dressed in trendy white casual wear, rings on his fingers, attentive to detail. When he saw Fang Jing Yao, his eyes lit up. But the smile forming on his lips faded the moment he noticed Zhuo Yifan beside him.

Fang Jing Yao looked entirely different—T-shirt with bold letters, baggy camo pants, flip-flops. He looked like a man taking a stroll after lunch, and his expression was slightly awkward.

Luo Yi said, “It’s great to see you. I came this time to talk to you—”

Zhuo Yifan took a step forward, impatient. “You done? Move. I’m checking out.”

Luo Yi shifted aside, still wanting to speak to Fang Jing Yao. But Fang Jing Yao had nothing to say to him. After a brief nod of greeting, he said to Zhuo Yifan, “Done? Then let’s go.”

Luo Yi followed a few steps, calling, “Jing Yao, you’re still angry, aren’t you? I came this time to explain everything—”

Zhuo Yifan moved in between them, though shorter, his presence no weaker. “What are you doing? You can talk without crowding in like that. And what’s there to explain? You know exactly what you did—plagiarized, didn’t you?”

Luo Yi pressed his lips together and said coolly, “I’m talking to him. Move aside.”

Zhuo Yifan snorted. “Funny. My master and I are heading home—you blocking us isn’t enough, now you’re telling me to move? Who the hell are you?” He flicked his ear, then mock-flicked at Luo Yi.

Luo Yi nearly lost his temper at the childish act, but with Fang Jing Yao there, he held back and said coldly, “Please give us a little privacy.”

That line made Zhuo Yifan bristle instantly. He could tolerate Long Yu, but this guy? No chance. Folding his arms, he sneered, “Privacy? You? You’ve got plenty of ‘selfish,’ but I’m not sure about the ‘human’ part.”

Luo Yi said angrily, “Zhuo Yifan!”

Zhuo Yifan didn’t back down a single word. “Luo Yi, I know what you’re thinking. You think that if you coax my master, everything will be fine again? I don’t think you’ve figured out the situation yet. The work you plagiarized was mine. The one who reported you was me. What are you looking for my master for?”

Luo Yi had prepared a whole speech before coming. He did feel guilty toward Fang Jing Yao, and this time he came intending to reconcile—after all, after years of cooperation and emotional ties, it wasn’t easy to sever it all at once. But he hadn’t expected Zhuo Yifan to be here. The speech he’d planned was completely disrupted. Adding to that, he was a proud man by nature; after making some name for himself in the industry, he was even less likely to bow his head easily. Now he frowned at Zhuo Yifan, his face turning cold. “Our matter—you can deal with it however you like. But between me and Jing Yao, we’ll handle it our own way.”

Zhuo Yifan let out a disdainful “tch” before Luo Yi could finish. “You mean the lawsuit I filed against you? Nothing more to say about that. My master already knows.”

Luo Yi froze and looked up at Fang Jing Yao. “You know?”

Fang Jing Yao assumed he was referring to what had happened half a month ago and nodded. “Yeah, I know.”

Luo Yi’s brows drew tighter together—clearly, this wasn’t the response he had expected.

The three of them each had their own thoughts and fell silent. The scene became unbearably awkward.

Just then, a business van stopped outside the revolving door. Han Qiaoye got out, one arm in a sling. When he saw the three people standing there—two of whom he recognized—he was startled, then smiled. “Jing Yao, what’s going on? What are you doing here?”

Fang Jing Yao had planned to check on Han Qiaoye later after helping Zhuo Yifan settle in. He hadn’t expected to run into him now. “I’m helping Yifan move his luggage. The hotel had a bit of an incident yesterday, so I didn’t feel safe leaving him here alone.”

Han Qiaoye nodded. “Perfect timing. I’ve been having meetings nearby these past few days. Where are you moving to? I’ll give you a lift.”

Fang Jing Yao replied politely, “No need, it’s really close—just across the street in that complex.”

Han Qiaoye chuckled. “Come on. If Long Yu finds out I saw you and didn’t offer to help, he’ll give me grief for sure.”

He gestured for his assistant to take Fang Jing Yao’s suitcase, then went over to grab his laptop bag too. Fang Jing Yao quickly refused—he couldn’t possibly let an injured man carry anything—and hurried to take it back himself. Han Qiaoye didn’t insist, just walked alongside him, teasing quietly, “You’re letting Yifan stay with you, huh? Did you report it to the boss at home?”

It took Fang Jing Yao a second to realize he meant Long Yu. He laughed. “Of course! I filed several pages of applications!”

Han Qiaoye burst out laughing. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced back at Zhuo Yifan and raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing? We’re helping you move—get a move on.”

Zhuo Yifan was still blocking Luo Yi, not giving him a single chance to approach his master. Hearing Han Qiaoye, he finally followed along.

Luo Yi called after him, his expression dark. “That man with Jing Yao—who is he?”

Zhuo Yifan narrowed his eyes. Who else could it be? That flamboyant, peacock-like Han Qiaoye, of course. Other than his face, the guy didn’t seem to have many redeeming qualities… Wait. Actually, that face itself was kind of aggressively good-looking.

Zhuo Yifan’s expression turned mysterious. He looked at Luo Yi and said, “Not telling you.”

Luo Yi was so furious he nearly exploded. He had never met anyone this childish!

Feeling smug and triumphant, Zhuo Yifan strutted off to the van, thoroughly satisfied. When he climbed in, he saw Han Qiaoye.

Today, Han Qiaoye was dressed even more flamboyantly—slim tie, fitted vest, one arm bandaged and hung around his neck, draped in a jacket, looking like a wounded rogue. When he saw Zhuo Yifan, his eyes lifted lazily. “What took you so long? What were you talking about out there? Get in—we’ll take you over.”

He didn’t look like some one-armed hero—more like the charismatic leader of a demon cult, radiating dangerous charm.

Zhuo Yifan glanced at his arm, feeling a little guilty, and deliberately sat beside him. “Does your arm still hurt? Is it any better now?”

Han Qiaoye said flatly, “Don’t move.”

Zhuo Yifan: “??”

“That seat’s not for people,” Han Qiaoye said, flicking the seat next to him and raising his eyebrows with a teasing half-smile. “It’s for my bag.”

Zhuo Yifan: “……”

At that moment, he felt like punching someone, even though he wasn’t drunk.

Fang Jing Yao knew his apprentice too well and quickly stepped in to ease the tension. They chatted casually on the ride—it wasn’t the first time they’d met, but conversation mainly revolved around recent events.

Han Qiaoye said, “I was staying at a hotel too, but there was a fire downstairs last night. The upper floors weren’t affected, but for safety, I decided not to stay there anymore.”

Zhuo Yifan, who’d dropped him off at his place yesterday, muttered from the backseat, “Your house is nearby. Why stay in a hotel at all?”

Han Qiaoye’s sharp ears caught that instantly. He sneered, “What’s it to you? If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have to move back home now.”

Zhuo Yifan shut up immediately and sat quietly.

Han Qiaoye drummed his fingers on the armrest, tilted his head toward him, and said, “You said last night you’d compensate me. Don’t tell me you’re planning to disappear and not make good on that?”

Zhuo Yifan pouted. “I’ll pay up. I keep my word.”

Han Qiaoye chuckled. “Good.”

The car soon entered Fang Jing Yao’s residential complex. Han Qiaoye didn’t stay long—he had a meeting soon and left after dropping them off.

After settling Zhuo Yifan in, Fang Jing Yao called his mother to update her.

Mother Fang now understood the relationships among them clearly. Seeing how well Fang Jing Yao and Long Yu had been getting along lately, she was in an excellent mood. She happily accepted Zhuo Yifan and even asked if Jing Yao was living comfortably at Long Yu’s place. Fang Jing Yao answered everything one by one.

While the two chatted, Zhuo Yifan was busy playing with the cat.

Huang Bao’er had long forgotten Zhuo Yifan. The moment it saw him, it bolted straight under the bed. Zhuo Yifan crouched down with a toy to tease it, and before long he was just playing by himself—the toy mouse was actually kind of fun.

Huang Bao’er wasn’t having it. It wriggled out from under the bed, having grown up spoiled and never having to share toys before. It pounced to grab the mouse, but Zhuo Yifan kept teasing it, making sure it could never catch it. Before long, the cat was panting, tongue out.

Zhuo Yifan sat cross-legged, laughing his head off.

Fang Jing Yao came over and smacked him on the back of the head. “That’s not how you play with a cat! Out of three tries, you’ve got to let it catch it once, got it?”

Huang Bao’er seized the chance, bit down on the toy mouse, flicked its tail right across Zhuo Yifan’s face, and ran off.

Fang Jing Yao pointed out the cat’s food and treats to Zhuo Yifan, explaining how much to feed each time. Once Zhuo Yifan memorized it all, Fang Jing Yao got ready to head home.

Zhuo Yifan said, “Master, won’t you stay for lunch? I just heard Auntie say she’s on her way over.”

Fang Jing Yao checked his watch. “No, Long Yu’s coming home for lunch.”

Zhuo Yifan grinned. “I get it, hehe~”

Fang Jing Yao laughed and tapped his forehead. “What nonsense are you thinking, you little brat?”

At the door, Zhuo Yifan still couldn’t resist whispering, “Master, you really don’t want some videos for… study purposes? I can secretly send you some. I’ve got plenty—lots of different types, all kinds…”

Fang Jing Yao stopped at the doorway, scratched his cheek awkwardly, and muttered, “Uh… just… pack them up and send them to my email. The full collection.”

Zhuo Yifan saluted. “Yes, sir!”

Fang Jing Yao left, reassured.

As soon as he was gone, Zhuo Yifan swiftly opened his computer and zipped up the files. Being a filial disciple, he sent the same package to two people—his master, Fang Jing Yao, and his “grandmaster,” Dr. Long.

Long Yu replied even faster than Fang Jing Yao. The automatic email notification popped up: “Thanks, received.”

Author’s note:
Long Yu: “Yifan, good job today.”
Yifan: “Don’t worry, Master-Grandpa, I’m the king of file compression!”
Long Yu: “…Ahem. I meant protecting Jing Yao.”
Yifan: “I know, hehe~~”

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