Ta Da!😎 Another update!😎 Abbie's on fire!😌 But unfortunately, the fire is fake and the chapter is shitty.😆 No, not kidding, I mean really this is so bad that I laughed my head off while giving a read over!😂 God, I'm so pathetic! Don't expect much from this story, guys. It's gonna be a sucker. Take it as a warm up because the sequel of Red Balloon will come after this!😏

Now, on an IMPORTANT note-

If you guys come across any of my stories, ANY (including the short stories; excluding Ask The Sexpert), on another site other than Wattpad, and under someone else's name, REPORT it first then notify me. I have never authorized anyone to publish any of my stories anywhere else other than here!

If you come across a story which have an almost similar plot like one of mine, or copied scene, let me know immediately. We all get our inspiration from somewhere but copying without getting a permission or declaration is a breach. It might be coincidental but as someone whose work had been stolen before, I am paranoid.

And about this story, something I totally forgot to mention in the previous chapter-

This story is set in a world where gay relationship is as natural as a straight one. No one flips about their children being gay here.

And, JingYu's family is nuts. Expect a hell lot of nuttery from them!😂

Also, I'm so thankful to all those who welcomed me back! Ah, how I missed you, guys!😍😘

Now, off you go!

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Chapter-2

JingYu's family home was on the other end of the earth and WeiZhou doubted he could ever get back to civilization alive again.

"What do you mean this is a hotel?! This...this.." he flailed his arms at the decrepit building because his tongue refused to work, "this is a shoe box! With windows!"

The man whom the words were intended for stood beside him, entirely careless, counting money like some goblin. WeiZhou fumed.

"This is the best we got here. Take it or stay on the streets. No one's forcing you," JingYu muttered, now counting the small changes.

"Do not forget that I'm paying you to treat me-" With voice raised, WeiZhou was working up an epic rant when he was cut short.

"No, you aren't," JingYu shot back, "I booked my ticket with my own money and I paid for the car that we both took. So far, I am the one who's been paying."

Speechless by the audacity of this man, who is still under his payroll, still a pesky assistant, an incredulous laugh left WeiZhou, "And who pays you? Huh? Whose money you've been paying with? Mine! You work under me. I pay you," he jabbed an accusing finger in the air to emphasize his point.

And the bastard laughed. He. Laughed.

"Uh, not really. The owner of our company is paying me, which you are not," JingYu refuted, smooth and effortless.

WeiZhou stared. "How did you suddenly develop a spine? Did you rent it from somewhere because I clearly remember you never had any in this past couple of years," he said with a slow smirk that was feral. Then he dropped it and came closer, voice dipping down dangerously, "Do not forget, Mr. Huang, that I can fire you in a blink," he snapped his fingers, "just like that."

But instead of being intimidated, JingYu stared back at him; his taller frame giving him the advantage of looking down. "You certainly can but you won't. Not only because I am a vital part of this elaborate lie you've made up but also you know very well if you hire some professional actor to 'replace' my role in it, there remains the high probability of you being blackmailed by them later on. So, no, you won't fire me."

"And how do I know that you won't blackmail me?" WeiZhou asked in that same low voice. His jaw hurt from clenching.

JingYu grinned, teeth reflecting the dazzle of the afternoon sun, "You don't. Now, enjoy your stay here. I gotta go." He hitched up his duffel bag and proceeded to leave.

All grievances evaporating immediately, WeiZhou's eyes popped up in shock. "Go? Go where? You can't leave me here! It's- no, wait! You can't leave me here!"

JingYu's shoulders visibly sagged and he muttered something looking up at the sky which WeiZhou was pretty sure was some kind of slang directed at him.

"Look," JingYu started, turning at him, "you are the one who wanted to come here and stay. Why are you nagging now?"

"I didn't know your family lives in the middle of a rice field!"

"It's an agricultural province! Everybody lives in the middle of a rice field here!"

WeiZhou opened his mouth and closed it; reluctant to tell that he had absolutely no idea how farmers lived. "I-," he hesitated, bit his lips and coaxed out, "then I'm coming with you."

"What?..........No! No way! No no no no no! Absolutely not!"

Rolling his eyes, WeiZhou explained, "Look, I'll have to meet your family at some point. Not that I am overjoyed to stay with you, mind, but this way I can kill two birds-"

"What's with you and killing birds? No! Just- just no. There's no way I am going to spend the next few days with you 24/7!"

An impish happiness filled WeiZhou's insides. "Then I am definitely going to stay with you," he said cheerily, "Let's go, shall we?"

His assistant glared at him openly which he replied with one of those smiles that he used with the people he wished never existed.

"Okay, suit yourself, then. Don't complain later," saying this JingYu spun on his heels and began to walk, leaving WeiZhou to carry his own luggage.

The audacity of that bastard!

XOXOXOX

As WeiZhou struggled with his Louis Vuitton luggage bags to drag them over a ridge, he watched the other man approaching a hut looking house. It was not exactly a hut, per say, but it had one of those slanted, asbestos roofs that poor people had. He would have almost pitied JingYu had he not have to stay there for the next few days also. Therefore, he would rather pity himself.

While he huffed and puffed to get there, JingYu was hollering at the house like an uncouth disaster that he was, announcing his arrival.

And then people began to pour out like ants from an ant pit. First came out a tiny human, sprinting, falling and almost rolling on the ground in its haste, followed by an older woman with yellow ochre three quarter trousers and a green top; another woman, older than the previous one, in a pink and magenta floral dress with a read apron that had dark patches on it. Behind them came out an older man in navy blue track pants and a fuchsia, fuchsia, coloured shirt . All laughing and yelling, making a racket in this otherwise deserted area.

WeiZhou's eyes stung from all the colours.

"What is it? A crayola family?" He muttered in a daze and was shot back with a low growl of, "Shut up!" from his assistant, who was now approaching the crowd- because that many people should be considered a crowd- all smiles and opens arms.

"Oh my baby!" The lady with green top held JingYu's face, stretching her arms all the way up to reach that lamp post, "Didn't you say you would be coming this weekend?"

"Why, aren't you happy that I came earlier?" JingYu replied with a fake pout and WeiZhou wanted to puke.

A grown man trying to fake a pout was not something he ever wanted to witness again.

"Who's that?" That tiny human spoke, pointing its tiny, sticky finger at him.

So, finally they registered that there is another person, a dazzling, magnificent presence nonetheless, standing there, watching their antics? WeiZhou sniffed.

"Oh, um-"

"You brought a friend!" The apron lady exclaimed with a clap, "Oh my! Our JinJin has brought a friend!"

"JinJin?" WeiZhou mouthed at JingYu and as he was readying a mocking smile to throw at him, his own balance toppled over. Without his notice the Apron Lady had flown at him and now held him in a hug!

His eyes almost bulged out of their sockets in shock. After growing up, the only person that had ever held him, in a manner of speaking, was his tailor! He looked down with the expression of a man whose legs had been swallowed up by a shark and saw two squinty eyes and a row of uneven teeth looking at him.

"What a lovely boy! I can tell he's a good boy by just looking at him!" Apron patted his cheeks! Patted. His. Cheeks!

WeiZhou gathered all the strength he could manage to give a shrug that would have this mad woman fly far away from him but he didn't have to waste his effort in the end.

"Nans! No! Just-" JingYu grabbed her and unglued her from WeiZhou, "no, don't do that! He's-" he pursed his lips, exhaled and inhaled and began, "He's Xu WeiZhou, my-"

"The Devil!" A small voice yelled out and all the eyes went to that Tiny Human who was now looking at WeiZhou with awe in his eyes.

A beat of silence in which everyone else looked at each other awkwardly while WeiZhou arched a meaningful eyebrow at JingYu.

"Oh, hush, you cheeky brat! Always running your mouth without any thought!" The Green Top tried for damage control.

And immediately Tiny Human's head started to receive knocks after knocks.

"Yeah..well...um.." JingYu hurried to finish what he started before any more inside information leaked out, "He's Xu WeiZhou...my.." he cleared his throat once, twice, "my boss."

WeiZhou openly rolled his eyes. Chicken, he mentally pulled a face and decided to take the situation in his own hand. He took a step forward to the old people that was currently looking at him as though he had just landed from an UFO, gave them his most fatal winning smile and said, " I am his boyfriend."

A cow mooed nearby.

A crow cowed away.

A donkey brayed.

Then all hell broke loose.

A collective gasping sound, and everyone started talking at the same time, with different high pitches. Someone tugged at his one arm, someone shook the other, there was more cheek patting and WeiZhou was certain that someone kicked him in the shin.

No wonder JingYu was hesitating. If only WeiZhou knew before.

And before he knew, he was dragged inside the house. To be executed, he was sure of it. He was going to be murdered by these mad old hags and they would bury his corpse somewhere in the field and grow turnips over his grave and he would never be able to leave the country ever again. Oh, he was so sure of it.

On the verge of tears, just when WeiZhou was contemplating kneeling down and begging for his life, the cacophony subsided just the way it started.

"Oh, we are so happy!" Green Top exclaimed with sheen of tears and for a brief moment WeiZhou thought if this was their expression of happiness then how it would be when they were angry. He was not looking forward to experience it, he decided. "I am JingYu's mother. This is such a surprise! Oh, my heart can't take it!" She clasped her hands in front of her, "I never guessed that he was....but that doesn't matter! Not at all! I'm just so happy that he has found someone!"

"A very pretty someone," Apron chimed in and took over the conversation. "You see," she mock whispered at WeiZhou conspiratorially, "our JinJin here, he never brings anyone home. Doesn't even mention of dating or anything. For a while we thought he had a," she paused to deepen her voice dramatically, "weenie problem." She help up her forefinger and thumb in a little gap, which, with horror WeiZhou realized, was supposed to symbolize his assistant's 'weenie'.

"Nans!" JingYu's voice pierced through everyone's eardrums.

"Oh, shut it. It's not like he doesn't know-"

"Okay, all right," he hastily spoke over her, "Si- WeiZhou," he looked at him, "This is my Mum," indicating Green Top. "My Pop, grandpa," indicating Fuchsia, who shook hands with him. "And this blabbermouth is my Nana," he scowled at the old lady in apron who just waved a dismissive hand at her grandson and pinched his boyfriend's cheek.

"And this little monkey is my nephew." The said monkey stuck his thumb in his mouth in reply.

WeiZhou never regretted a decision more. He managed to squeeze out a toothy smile, "Hello."

"Oh, so lovely," JingYu's Mum said, "Now, come come, meet Mama. The others will be home later, come, dear."

As the people filed out from the room to another, WeiZhou stared at JingYu with something akin to terror, "There are more?"

"Shh! Quiet. They'll hear you," JingYu furiously whispered and WeiZhou was about to tell him exactly where he should shove his caution when Grandpa Huang popped his head from the doorway.

"What are you two doing there? Come come, meet Mama."

XOXOXOX

Mama, as it turned out, was a thousand years old pile of warm clothes, wool, white hair, loose skin, wrinkles and gums. She was JingYu's great grandmother. If the situation was better and WeiZhou was more forgiving, he would have sympathized with his assistant. He could not even handle his only grandmother and here this poor sod was cursed with two!

"Mama, our JinJin has come home and has brought his special someone," Grandpa Huang went near the old woman and told slowly. Then gestured for WeiZhou to come near.

He did and leaned in.

Two wrinkly hands came out of the blankets and held his face. What is with these people's obsession with holding his face?

"My My! What a pretty face! So beautiful!" Mama said with kind wonder in her voice, "But she is a bit boyish for a girl."

"Ahem," JingYu coughed from behind and came closer, "He is a boy, Mama. My- ahem- my boyfriend."

"Oh my! Is that so?" Her face broke into a gummy smile, "What a pretty boy!"

"T-h-a-n-k y-o-u, M-a-m-a. It's s-o n-i-c-e t-o m-e-e-t y-o-u," WeiZhou greeted the old lady with his highest voice and slowest pace.

"Er...she is old, not deaf. Even the dead can hear you," JingYu muttered in his ear and WeiZhou cheeks flamed up in hot embarrassment.

"And funny too!" Mama giggled like a child, showing toothless gums.

Xu WeiZhou was a hundred years old with an aching back when Mama finally let go of him.

XOXOXOX

He was still needed to meet other two and half family members who were not home at the time, and have dinner with all but WeiZhou, with much effort, excused himself, stating migraine and tiredness. Any more of this chaos and he was afraid of doing something that would overturn his entire plan.

But of course, his ordeal was far from over.

"What do you mean we'll share the room?" JingYu asked incredulously.

"Don't be shy! We might live in the village but we are not that backdated. We know that you two live together," JingYu's mother replied with a kind of cheer that filled WeiZhou with a sense of foreboding.

"W-what? No! No, we don't! What're you talking about?" JingYu replied, flustered.

The woman looked confused, "But....you- you two are boyfriends and you brought him home to meet us, isn't it? Then why would you- I thought-"

"You thought right, Madam," WeiZhou jumped in before his blockhead of a fake boyfriend could spoil everything, "We are indeed together and close," he looked at JingYu and gave, what he expected to be a smitten smile, but JingYu only grimaced back. "But we do not live together in the same house at the moment," he informed her.

"So...you mean you two-" there was a frown forming in between her brows and WeiZhou lost all hope for subtlety.

"What I mean is," he explained, "he is being shy."

Doubts clearing immediately, her face positively glowed. She laughed, "Kids being shy of their parents is such a bizarre thing! But no more of that. Either you sleep here or share with Mama. You need to take care of your boyfriend." she chastised JingYu, smiled at WeiZhou and said, "Anything you need, just tell him. We don't have much. You'll have lots of problems here but know that we are so very happy that you came."

"Likewise, Mada-"

"Call me Auntie, please. Family don't speak with each other like that!"

It caught WeiZhou off guard and he could not form an immediate response to it. His own family was really small, could not even remember the last time he had called someone auntie and never in his life someone called him their family in spite of being a stranger.

He heard JingYu growling and stomping after his mother, "What would he need take caring for at night? Changing diapers?" But the words did not quite register to his brain. He bit his lip with a frown.

"Why did you do that for?" JingYu came back in the room and accused him.

"What else should I have done?" WeiZhou snapped because honestly how could someone be this dense? "She was clearly smelling something fishy. And go sleep in the living room after everyone has gone to bed, problem solved."

"And what will happen when someone goes to toilet and sees me?"

"You have a toilet in your living room?"

"No, it's in our front yard. And they'd have to cross the living area to go there."

WeiZhou stared at him unblinking. An outhouse toilet? He'd have to go all out in the yard to do his business? Who are these people, cavemen?

"What about your great grandmother? Does she-" he could not continue, too horrified.

"She has a toilet built specially for her in her room and sometimes she uses the bedpan."

WeiZhou closed his eyes. He would be grateful if he came out with his sanity intact by the end of the week.

"Do you want wash up? Come, I will show you to the bathroom."

"No, that's all right. I'm fine."

"But that was a long journey and-"

"I said I'm fine, thank you," he replied with a subdued heat and JingYu shut his mouth.

"Then...you take the bed. I'll just sleep-" JingYu stated and WeiZhou rounded at him.

"Of course, I will take the bed! That goes without saying! Do you expect me to sleep on the floor?"

"Oh no, Your Majesty, how can I expect anything so plebeian from you?" JingYu mocked.

The nerve of the man! "Sarcasm is the lowest form of it, I hope you do know that," WeiZhou shot back.

"Say those who can't use it successfully."

Enamel ground on enamel and WeiZhou began to unpack his luggage with furious vigour, "Get out and don't disturb me before tomorrow."

"You do know we have to share this room, right?"

"Oh, I know that very well. I know that I'd have to share this pigsty with an idiot like you but unless your head falls off from sleep, do not come here," he warned and glared for emphasis.

Oddly, instead of getting angry, JingYu laughed out. He laughed in his face but said nothing, which only helped to fuel WeiZhou's irritation more.

"Oh, um, another thing," JingYu spoke. Only his head was inside the room, body behind the door.

When WeiZhou looked at him in question, he added, "It isn't true what Nans said. I, um, I don't have a- you know- weenie problem or anything."

"Please, get out and never speak again."

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Any thoughts?😶