Chapter 30#

Phoenix Man (16)#

After finishing his confession and succeeding, Yu Zhao was heady with excitement for a while. When he calmed down, he saw Qiao Yi looking at him with a smile. His face, which hadn’t fully lost its flush, turned bright red again.

Actually, back when Wang Cheng had pursued him for a while and proposed dating, he had agreed. But back then, it wasn’t like this—it didn’t give him this dizzy, unreal feeling of floating on clouds.

He asked softly, “Is it real? I’m not dreaming, am I?”

Qiao Yi said with a smile, “It’s real, you’re not dreaming. If you still don’t believe me, how about I prove it?”

Yu Zhao followed his lead and asked, “How would you prove it?”

Qiao Yi countered, “How do you want me to prove it? Pinch you, or kiss you?”

Yu Zhao’s hands were under the table. He secretly pinched his own thigh—it really hurt!

He looked up at Qiao Yi with anticipation. “Can we try the second option?”

After all, they were in a small private room in the coffee shop, just the two of them. Qiao Yi stood up, walked over to Yu Zhao, lifted his chin, and then bent down to kiss him.

Although it was just a kiss on the cheek, he held it for a good few seconds, making sure Yu Zhao could feel his warmth, before slightly pulling back and whispering in Yu Zhao’s ear, “Now? Does that prove it?”

“Y-yes, it does!”

Yu Zhao came to his senses belatedly, covering his cheek with his hand. His eyes were wide open, and he felt like his head was so hot it might steam.

By the time they left the coffee shop, Yu Zhao’s face was still as red as blood.

Since it was already quite late, Qiao Yi drove him directly to his place.

Yu Zhao was still living in that old building. Qiao Yi didn’t go up; he just suggested, “Since you have plenty of funds now, you might consider finding a better place to live.”

Previously, Yu Zhao had been trying to save money, but now there was no need to be so frugal.

“Mainly, there’s still a month left on the lease, and this place is close to the shop. Once I have some free time, I’ll start looking for a place.”

Qiao Yi nodded. “I’ll keep an eye out for you too. You can tell me your budget and what kind of place you’d like.”

Yu Zhao didn’t have high demands for a rental. “Something close to the school here, more spacious, bright, with sunlight—that’s enough.”

He added, “Between a thousand and two thousand. I’m living alone, so there’s no need for a big suite.”

Qiao Yi noted down all his conditions. Then he accompanied Yu Zhao for a full hour of strolling along the street. They didn’t do anything particularly intimate.

The most they did was, as they walked, somehow their hands ended up holding each other. The orange streetlights cast their shadows on the ground—paired shadows, together.

After confirming they were boyfriends, Qiao Yi’s life seemed no different from before. No, there were some differences.

Previously, Yu Zhao had always seemed a bit shy and reserved in front of him. But once that window paper was pierced, the other person became bolder.

To be more precise, the other person had always been passionate and bold; it’s just that before he succeeded, he had been a bit anxious and uncertain.

They strolled together, and no matter how busy the week, they would have meals together a few times. Neither of them had been particularly fond of watching movies, but gradually they became enthusiastic about the activity.

Of course, they went to couple’s private rooms, and during the gripping parts of the plot, they would hug or kiss, just like the male leads in the movies.

Many things were trivial little matters, but even the most boring activities, when done together, could bring a unique flavor out of the monotony.

Just like when they were kids—playing the simplest repetitive games in the eyes of adults, yet they could still take endless joy in them and feel genuine happiness.

Holding hands, hugging, kissing, or even going further—due to differences in upbringing and personality, they had disagreements, but rarely. And every time, within ten seconds, one of them would take the initiative to back down.

From the old broken building to the newly rented apartment, and then to Qiao Yi’s place, living together with his boyfriend became a matter of course, as natural as water flowing into a channel.

For Qiao Yi, this situation was actually somewhat unusual. After all, in terms of family background, the two didn’t match. In terms of education and career, their conditions weren’t exactly equal.

As for personal conditions, Yu Zhao couldn’t even compare to Qiao Yi’s ex-husband. His family situation was also poor—he had a frequently ill mother and a younger sister.

Not to mention Lu Yi, even the original Qiao Yi might not have ended up with Yu Zhao.

After learning that their son was actually together with the “other man,” Qiao’s parents were naturally extremely unhappy.

“Yu Zhao is also a victim. He was deceived by Wang Cheng.”

Qiao’s mother had some dissatisfaction with Yu Zhao. “Who knows if he’s lying? Even if he’s not, he’s still foolish.”

Qiao Yi said, “Then your son, I, wasn’t blind to have fallen for Wang Cheng. A blind man matches a fool—a perfect pair, most suitable.”

That was what he said.

She couldn’t argue with her son, so she simply refused to agree.

Qiao Yi said, “You gave birth to me and raised me, and I will repay your kindness in raising me. But the person I’m with isn’t someone who makes you feel comfortable; he’s someone who makes me feel comfortable. If I deny Qiao Yi, then in this world, I probably won’t find anyone more suitable for me.”

He wasn’t deliberately going against his mother; he was genuinely speaking from the heart.

Although Yu Zhao fell short in certain hard conditions, his appearance was Qiao Yi’s type—a gentle, non-aggressive beauty, with tenderness soaked into his bones.

But he wasn’t blindly saintly, nor was he pretentious. Even after suffering hardships, he could still maintain an optimistic and positive attitude.

Like a little sun, he warmed people’s hearts.

After Yu Zhao moved into his place, they were close and intimate, yet they still gave each other space. Yu Zhao’s presence was everywhere, but when Qiao Yi wanted to be alone, the other would quietly brew a pot of tea and silently withdraw, leaving enough room for him.

Although under certain conditions they truly weren’t well-matched, the more they lived together, the more comfortable Qiao Yi felt.

Actually, he could have simply called the other person out, gotten the marriage certificate directly, and presented it as a fait accompli. But for the sake of a long-term life together, he still wanted to get his parents’ blessing first.

At first, Qiao’s mother was firm, saying she disagreed and that was that.

Call her autocratic and overbearing if you will. The first marriage was ruined because they let things be, allowing their son to choose what he liked, and that’s how such a mess came about.

Qiao’s parents also knew that their son, having gone through a failed marriage, it wasn’t easy for him to regain confidence. They saw that he, once lively and outgoing, had become more reserved and steady.

But they would rather break jade than settle for tile. Their son was becoming more and more outstanding; he should aim high rather than settle for less.

However, after some time, the two didn’t break up at all. Instead, their relationship grew more harmonious, and they even moved in together. They started cohabiting early without any new conflicts arising. As time dragged on, the parents’ resolve began to waver.

Although they still had concerns, under Qiao Yi’s unremitting efforts, combined with some covert observation, Qiao’s parents finally relented.

By then, Yu Zhao’s career had begun to succeed. In his spare time, he didn’t forget to study. Except for missing two years of university atmosphere due to family reasons, he wasn’t inferior to others.

Of course, it wasn’t just because of his efforts to improve himself. The main reason was that they discovered Yu Zhao was incredibly capable and virtuous.

Parents tend to spoil their children and can’t bear to see them suffer. They also knew that other people’s children were brought up spoiled.

Although their own child wasn’t the type to let an oil bottle fall without picking it up, out of selfishness, they still hoped their child would be taken care of by the other half.

Yu Zhao was a very energetic person. Not only was he energetic himself, but he also kept his other half full of vitality.

After getting to know him for a while, they found that he was simply too good at taking care of people. He cooked delicious meals and did household chores beautifully. With Yu Zhao’s supervision, Qiao Yi ate three meals on time, and even during the busiest times, his complexion was healthy and rosy.

Rare, truly rare—that point was indeed rare. With their minds loosened, they even urged Qiao Yi to settle things with him quickly.

After getting their promise, Qiao Yi brought the person home to meet his parents.

Then, on that day, Qiao Yi took out the ring he had custom-made earlier and proposed to his boyfriend of one and a half years, with whom he had lived for half a year.

First, a long-overdue meeting with the parents, then a proposal. Although his boyfriend didn’t do anything particularly creative or romantic, he just bought an anniversary cake and asked him to cut it. When Yu Zhao did, out popped a delicate little ring box.

He stared at the ring for a long time, then bit it with his teeth. It hurt—it was real.

After biting the ring, Yu Zhao said weakly, “Quick, quick, help me up.”

Qiao Yi quickly supported him. “What’s wrong? Not feeling well?”

Supported by his boyfriend, or rather fiancé, Yu Zhao leaned against Qiao Yi and said, “No, I’m just so happy I might faint.”

If you explode like fireworks in the sky, you’ll eventually fall. On such a happy day, fainting would be bad—what if Qiao Yi thought he was unhappy and got cold feet?

The corners of Qiao Yi’s mouth curled up. “I’m very happy too.”

He turned his face and looked at his boyfriend leaning on his shoulder. “If you’re really so worried, how about we go get the marriage certificate today?”

Yu Zhao, who had just been feigning weakness, immediately perked up. “Yes, yes, yes!”

Marriage was never about careful calculation; it was all about impulse!

“I’ll go get the household register! You wait!” Without hesitation, Yu Zhao didn’t back down.

By the time they got their household registers and stamped the red seal, the Civil Affairs Bureau was about to close.

After getting the little red book, Yu Zhao flipped through it over and over. Even though he thought the photo made him look a bit silly, he couldn’t stop being happy.

His brows and eyes were full of joy, as if he had just won the lottery—a grand prize of fifty million.

No, his man was worth more than fifty million!

Qiao Yi wasn’t the type to show extreme joy, but infected by Yu Zhao’s happiness, his eyes were also brimming with delight. However, getting married and stamped wasn’t really becoming immortals. Life still had to go on. “So, what are we eating tonight? Go home and eat the cake, or buy some groceries and cook?”

The cake he had prepared for Yu Zhao, after the ring was cut out, had been completely forgotten by the two of them.

Right, the Civil Affairs Bureau staff had gone to eat too; they also needed to eat.

“On such an important day, how can we just eat cake?”

Qiao Yi looked at him laughing and deliberately put on a serious face. “But buying you the ring emptied my savings. What do we do?”

Yu Zhao was generous. “I’ll treat you! We’ll have a big feast, eat and drink well!”

Despite saying they’d eat and drink well, Yu Zhao ended up eating very bland food that day, without a single bit of chili. Because for him, on the night of the wedding, there were more important things to do…

After impulsively getting the certificate, the two finally reported to their respective families. Yu Zhao’s side was fine—his younger sister couldn’t make decisions for him, and his mother felt she had been a burden to her son for so long. Seeing her son find such an outstanding and excellent partner whom he liked, even if it was a man, she had no reason to oppose.

As for Qiao Yi’s side, although Qiao’s parents had relented, the fact that their son didn’t say a word and acted first, seeking forgiveness later, naturally led Qiao’s mother to give him a thorough scolding.

At times like this, reasoning was useless. Qiao Yi quietly waited until his mother finished her spittle-flying tirade, then respectfully asked his matriarch, “The certificate is already issued. You don’t want your son to have a third marriage, do you?”

Qiao’s mother glared at him. “Ptoo, ptoo, ptoo—shut your crow’s mouth! What third marriage? I’m saying you need to prepare the wedding quickly.”

Insisting on Qiao’s mother’s insistence, even though it was a second marriage, Qiao Yi’s wedding was still held very grandly. Relatives, friends, and some people with vested interests—all the guests who should be invited were invited, including that uncle who had helped Qiao Yi a lot back then.

After divorcing Qiao Yi, Wang Cheng still worked at the same company. It was a big company. Although Wang Cheng’s education and abilities weren’t bad, other employees in the company were equally excellent. The reason he got promoted so fast was largely due to Qiao Yi’s influence.

During the divorce proceedings, Wang Cheng was distracted and made some mistakes. Although he wasn’t fired, the director talked to him. The promotion that was originally promised was given to another hardworking newcomer in the office.

Naturally, Wang Cheng was indignant. He went straight to the general manager’s office for a talk. The result was a big quarrel; things went sour, and Wang Cheng, in a fit of anger—though he still didn’t dare to resign.

Actually, before that, other companies had tried to poach him. But comparing the benefits and development, he chose to stay at his current company.

But back then, they had come to him, so naturally they offered high terms. Now he was going to them—he was already in management himself. If he jumped ship, it had to be upward, not downward. Whether they needed people or were willing to take him was another issue.

Even if they agreed to take him, they would definitely lower the price. Wang Cheng later had someone test the waters, and sure enough, they lowered the price hard. The originally promised position couldn’t be fulfilled either. The harsh reality poured a bucket of ice water on him.

His heated head cooled down, and he had no choice but to endure in the company, comforting himself that nine out of ten things in life don’t go as planned.

Compared to his peers, he was actually doing okay. Although he got nothing out of the first divorce, his salary base was still there—500,000 before tax, 350,000 after tax.

He was under thirty. Even though he had no house, no car, no savings, and his family couldn’t provide any help, as long as he saved a bit and had some extra investment plans, he wouldn’t live too poorly.

But Wang Cheng was clearly not such an optimistic person. When life goes badly, one can’t help but dwell on the past. After divorcing Qiao Yi, in theory, they had no contact, but he spent no small effort to find out some of Qiao Yi’s recent situation.

The other had also quit his job and started a business—a venture capital firm, no less.

Someone like Qiao Yi, running a venture capital firm? At first, he dismissed it, thinking Qiao Yi was just burning money on a whim, relying on his parents.

Later, when he heard Qiao Yi had made money, he thought darkly that it was just dumb luck and he would eventually lose it all.

But in less than two or three years, Qiao Yi not only succeeded but was also getting married—success in both career and love.

He inquired to find out who his ex-husband’s new spouse was. The result? It was none other than Yu Zhao, who had screwed him over back then.

With Qiao Yi’s help, Yu Zhao not only opened a small restaurant but later also a hotel, in the most bustling area, with excellent business.

Wang Cheng didn’t see Yu Zhao’s efforts, nor would Yu Zhao go around publicizing his early hardships.

Because of this, Wang Cheng felt that if he hadn’t divorced Qiao Yi, that hotel would have become his.

There’s a saying: if you’re doing badly, I feel better.

Wang Cheng had been hoping all along that this dog couple would fare poorly. But after learning about their recent situation and hearing others’ envious words, he went mad with jealousy.

On some day off, he made a special trip to Yu Zhao’s new hotel. When he came back, he fainted from sheer anger and was hospitalized for half a month. It wasn’t until his father came from the countryside to take care of him that he slowly recovered.

Only then did he admit that he had always held a grudge against these two people. But holding a grudge was useless. They stood higher and farther than him, and they would only keep getting better. His mentality completely collapsed.

Later, Wang Cheng also got married. Comparing to Qiao Yi, he naturally didn’t want to use his hard-earned money to support someone else. But then again, wealthy people were also shrewd; they weren’t like the naive young girls in college easy to fool. Everyone talked about conditions and matching family backgrounds.

Wang Cheng wasn’t willing to have children himself, so he didn’t look for an older man. Instead, he found a very wealthy older woman with a terrible personality.

He also had his own children, changed companies, and tried to climb up through the woman.

But that woman was also clever. She borrowed the seed of a young guy to have test-tube babies, had a few children, and then neatly dumped Wang Cheng.

After that, Wang Cheng married a third time, finding a local woman who was older and unmarried, average in all aspects. They started bickering over trivial matters, and his attitude toward life was very negative. His days grew worse and worse.

Life left very distinct, ugly marks on him. Soon, he turned into the kind of guy he used to look down on the most—a big beer belly, greasy, bitter, and cynical old man.

By the latter half of his life, the most impressive thing he could talk about was that he once had a marital relationship with the well-known local entrepreneur Qiao Yi. How pathetic.

Later, both Yu Zhao and Qiao Yi had wrinkles on their faces. Yu Zhao went first. The next day, Qiao Yi, who had still been in good spirits, was found by their adopted child Qiao Yue—he had stopped breathing in bed.

Having lost two close relatives in a row, Qiao Yue was devastated and burst into loud sobs.

In places unseen by human eyes, shimmering fragments floated out from the bodies of Yu Zhao and Qiao Yi, accompanied by a mechanical, cold voice that humans couldn’t hear: “Memory extraction in progress… 1%… 2%… 10%… 100%. Extraction complete. Memory sealing in progress… Sealing complete. Random world selection.”

“Selection complete: The President’s Substitute Lover: The Gray Prince.”

“Target subject deploying… Target deployment complete.”

When Lu Yi woke up, his head was throbbing with pain. Chaotic memories poured into his mind. After sorting them out, he remembered that he had somehow clicked that virus-infected computer button, and then ended up in a strange world. It seemed he had to collect fragments of Yu Ke in order to save him.

He didn’t know exactly how to collect them. He only had a vague feeling that he needed to take revenge on the scumbag and completely change the original owner’s fate.

Whether it was heaven’s revenge or something, he was still called Lu Yi, but the same person had a different fate.

As the youngest director of the Lu Group, he had a harmonious family and the envy of the world. But this world’s Lu Yi not only came from a poor family but also had parents who were anything but worry-free.

Bad family conditions aside, the key was that Lu Yi’s current mother wasn’t his biological mother but a stepmother. After his biological father married the stepmother, he essentially became a stepfather as well.

Because he lacked love from childhood, the original owner was easily seduced by the playboy Li Tang. After getting together with the original owner, Li Tang dumped him, telling him it was just a bet with friends—he had been fooling around with the poor guy for fun.

Then the original owner drank pesticide and tried to commit suicide. As a result, Li Tang, moved by the original owner’s love, came to beg for forgiveness. During that time, many things happened—in short, a lot of heart-wrenching drama and messy debts.

Later, the original owner found out that while Li Tang was with him, he was also with boyfriends No. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 at the same time.

All these men were substitutes for another man.

The original owner couldn’t take it and tried to kill himself again. This time, he wasn’t saved—he really died.

When Lu Yi woke up, it was right after the original owner’s first suicide attempt.

After fully sorting through the memories in his mind, he opened his eyes and saw a young, handsome face. The man had a pair of peach blossom eyes, flirtatious and romantic.

Seeing that Lu Yi had finally opened his eyes, the man rushed over and said with deep emotion, “Lu Yi, I really didn’t know you loved me this much. I was wrong. I still want to be with you. Please forgive me.”

Staring at the handsome face so close, Lu Yi moved his lips and then coldly spat out three words: “No. Get lost!”