The Ultimate Glow-Up Guide for Straight Men - Chapter 8

Walking into the garden, Shen Zhinan saw an alpha and an omega standing intimately close. The moment their eyes met, his colleague froze awkwardly on the spot.

The air seemed to freeze for a few seconds before the colleague covered his face and stammered, “Carry on, carry on… I didn’t see anything!” Then he quickly fled the scene.

Clearly, he was well-versed in workplace survival tactics knowing what not to see.

After leaving Shen Zhinan’s name behind, the colleague hurried away. Shen Zhinan averted his gaze, too guilty to meet Fu Yanshi’s eyes.

“Zhang Wei?” Fu Yanshi repeated the name Shen Zhinan had hastily made up a name with an exceptionally high rate of duplication.

“Haha, you must have misheard. I just said my name is Shen Zhinan,” Shen Zhinan replied with an awkward laugh.

“Shen Zhinan.” Fu Yanshi enunciated each syllable, feeling that this name suited the omega’s appearance much better.

Yet, for some reason, the name sounded vaguely familiar.

When Fu Yanshi spoke these three words, his tone was soft, and they were standing so close that his warm breath brushed against Shen Zhinan’s cheek, making him feel a slight itch.

Shen Zhinan’s ears began to heat up suspiciously.

Claiming to remember nothing would be a lie. On the contrary, Shen Zhinan often dreamed about those two days.

At his age, full of youthful vigor, it was only natural to harbor fantasies about such intimate matters. Before that night, Shen Zhinan’s sexual fantasies had revolved around characters from adult films. But after that night, he had gone through another heat cycle, and his thoughts were consumed by this person.

His only sexual experience came from this man, and even if Shen Zhinan didn’t want to admit it, he had genuinely enjoyed those two days.

Shen Zhinan had often heard people say that exceptionally beautiful individuals often possess an androgynous quality. Looking at the upper half of this man’s face his captivating peach-blossom eyes, long and thick eyelashes, and fair, jade-like complexion he was indeed strikingly beautiful.

The lower half of his face, with its strong nose bridge and sharp jawline, balanced out the delicate beauty of the upper half, adding a touch of handsomeness.

Such an extraordinarily handsome face surpassed anyone Shen Zhinan had ever seen.

Men really were creatures driven by their baser instincts. Having genuinely enjoyed the experience, being with another man didn’t seem so unacceptable anymore.

Besides, this person was so good-looking, and in this world, relationships between men seemed quite common.

“What’s done is done.” Shen Zhinan tried to meet Fu Yanshi’s gaze directly. “You what exactly do you want?”

But after just a couple of glances, he couldn’t help blushing again.

“I’ve taken a liking to you,” Fu Yanshi stated bluntly, without any of the convoluted thoughts swirling in Shen Zhinan’s mind.

Though Fu Yanshi often joked with He Yanzhou about what he would do once he found this person, the truth was, after searching for so long, he couldn’t let go of the memory of their encounter.

At his age, Fu Yanshi didn’t bother deceiving himself. He openly acknowledged his feelings and decided to follow the trend by playing the role of a patron. “Stay with me, and name your price.”

Are people in the city always this direct?!

Shen Zhinan was so startled by Fu Yanshi’s words that he was left speechless.

Fu Yanshi’s refined features, noble demeanor, and impeccable attire made it clear that he was no ordinary person, especially in such a setting.

“You.” Shen Zhinan stared at Fu Yanshi for a long while, unsure of what to say.

Was this the legendary act of being kept!?

Shen Zhinan was a person with very traditional values. In his view, a real man should stand tall and firm, shielding his family from hardships and going through fire and water for his brothers.

As for being kept, Shen Zhinan couldn’t accept it at all.

He did like money, but he couldn’t accept earning it by selling his body.

The teacher who had taken Shen Zhinan to participate in informatics competitions had been very kind to him. It was the first time Shen Zhinan had vaguely sensed a glimmer of affection. The teacher told him that a person living in this world must have self-respect and self-love.

Not long after, the teacher moved away, and Shen Zhinan was alone again. He stumbled through his growth, but those words were like a seed planted in his heart.

Many of his childhood companions from the orphanage had gone astray, but the seed in Shen Zhinan’s heart grew toward the sunlight, guiding him and preventing him from descending into a dark path.

“I can’t do this!” Shen Zhinan gritted his teeth under Fu Yanshi’s gaze. “You should find someone else!”

With that, he ducked under Fu Yanshi’s arm and tried to leave, but Fu Yanshi pulled him back, refusing to let him go.

Fu Yanshi felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. It was his private number, and at this hour, unless it was something important, no one would call him.

“Put your scent-blocking patch back on properly.” Fu Yanshi frowned slightly as he looked at Shen Zhinan’s bare neck.

Shen Zhinan had removed the patch earlier because he was too hot.

“Give me your phone,” Fu Yanshi said again.

Shen Zhinan hesitated for a moment but eventually took out his phone, whose screen was spectacularly shattered.

Fu Yanshi found it unbelievable: “Doesn’t this cut your hand?” He then entered a string of numbers into the phone and dialed.

Fu Yanshi’s phone in his pocket rang once.

“This is my number,” Fu Yanshi said. “I’ll give you two days to think it over. Send me a message once you’ve made up your mind.”

With that, Fu Yanshi turned and walked back into the banquet hall.

“Hey, you.”

Shen Zhinan wanted to say that he had already made up his mind just now. Waiting two more days wouldn’t change anything.

His one-night stand seemed to be from another planet, as if he couldn’t understand human language.

Shen Zhinan couldn’t help but grumble inwardly. He glanced down at the name Fu Yanshi had entered when saving the number on his phone:

“Fu Yanshi. The name is quite nice. But why does it sound a bit familiar.”

Inside the banquet hall, everything was resplendent and dazzling. Amidst the clinking of glasses, Fu Yanshi watched Shen Zhinan bustling among the guests like a diligent little bee.

Shen Zhinan seemed to notice Fu Yanshi’s gaze. As soon as their eyes met, he quickly averted his, hid behind a plate, and scurried away with quick, small steps.

So foolish.

Fu Yanshi smiled faintly, the corners of his lips curling almost imperceptibly.

“Why are you smiling so radiantly? Has spring finally arrived for you, the eternal virgin Alpha?” He Yanzhou placed a hand horizontally over his brow, following Fu Yanshi’s line of sight. “Who are you looking at?”

“Can you stay away from me?” Fu Yanshi took two steps back from He Yanzhou and sneered. “I don’t want people to know I’m acquainted with a non-mainstream type.”

“Fu Yanshi, what do you mean by that!?” He Yanzhou began hopping with anger.

“Stay away from non-mainstream types starting with me.”

Fu Yanshi circled the banquet hall twice before finally spotting Zhou Qi’an.

“What did you call me for earlier?” Fu Yanshi took a sip of his drink.

“Didn’t you say before that you wanted to inject fresh talent into Fengyuan and host this year’s ACM competition?” Zhou Qi’an replied. “That person over there is the president of Union Institute of Technology. You could discuss co-hosting the event with him.”

Union Institute of Technology’s computer science department and ACM training team were both exceptionally strong, making them the ideal partner for collaboration.

A partnership between a corporation and a prestigious university was the model most likely to gain approval from the regional committee.

Fu Yanshi nodded this was indeed a great opportunity.

“Don’t you think you should take a break?” Fu Yanshi suddenly remarked, noticing the dark circles under Zhou Qi’an’s eyes. “Why put yourself through this? If He Yanzhou never comes to his senses, are you going to keep this up forever?”

“Keeping it up forever wouldn’t be so bad,” Zhou Qi’an said expressionlessly. Ever since realizing his feelings for He Yanzhou, he had accepted that this was just how his life would be.

He had fallen for an empty shell of a person.

Perhaps influenced by the unconventional He Yanzhou, Fu Yanshi asked an equally unconventional question: “Is it worth it?”

A rare smile appeared on Zhou Qi’an’s face. “My feelings for him have nothing to do with him. As long as my little prince stays happy, that’s worth it to me.”

Love could turn even a fool into a prince in someone’s eyes.

Fu Yanshi shuddered at Zhou Qi’an’s words, convinced that his friend was beyond saving. He quickly excused himself to approach the president of Union Institute of Technology, now feeling uneasy about partnering with someone so lovesick.

By the end of the banquet, the crowd around Gu Yunshen had finally thinned out, allowing Shen Zhinan to seize the opportunity to approach and give him the gift he had prepared.

After all, it was Gu Yunshen who had helped him secure his job.

“Happy birthday,” Shen Zhinan said, handing Gu Yunshen a mug. “Brothers for life!”

Gu Yunshen glanced at the blue mug printed with a Doraemon character and politely replied, “Thank you.”

No sooner had Shen Zhinan left than Fu Yanshi approached, placing a car key in Gu Yunshen’s hand. “Happy birthday, Xiao Shen.”

Gu Yunshen’s eyes lit up. His family still treated him like a child even his own brother, Zhou Qi’an, refused to buy him a sports car.

But what alpha his age didn’t love sports cars? Especially one he had been eyeing for so long, carefully chosen by Fu Yanshi.

“Thanks, bro!” Gu Yunshen beamed, a rare, radiant smile on his face.

Fu Yanshi sighed with the wisdom of experience. “Another year older. Make the most of your university days and find someone to date.”

Gu Yunshen chuckled but didn’t respond. Instead, he asked curiously, “What were you doing during your university days, bro?”

Fu Yanshi smiled faintly. “Back then, Fengyuan was just a small startup. I spent every day sleeping on the floor at the office with a bunch of other alphas.”

In his youth, Fu Yanshi had been headstrong and had a strained relationship with his father. To prove that he could establish himself in Shanghai without relying on the Fu family, he stopped asking them for money after graduating high school.

Starting Fengyuan had nearly drained all his savings at the time. He was so broke that he had to live in the office and survived on plain boiled noodles for what felt like ages.

After years of relentless effort, Fengyuan grew from a small startup into the enterprise it was today, a name nearly everyone in Shanghai recognized.

But Fu Yanshi had also ended up delaying himself. Over the years, he had devoted all his energy and time to Fengyuan, and now he had upgraded from a young bachelor to an old bachelor.

“Brother Yanshi, you’ve always been my idol,” Gu Yunshen said, seeming to revert to a childlike state in front of Fu Yanshi. His smile was sincere. “I don’t want to date either. I want to strive for my career, just like you!”

“Good cousin.”

Fu Yanshi gently ruffled Gu Yunshen’s hair.

“Just don’t tell your mom it’s because of me. I’m afraid Ms. Gu would kill me.”