Yo! The update is here! 💃*potato dance*💃

Point to be NOTED: I don't drink. At all. Never have. Never want to. My experience of drunkenness are all second handed, while handling my friends. So, chances are that...I will fuck up.😢

But I had so much fun while writing this chapter that I have no regret!😎

See, I don't rant now. I'm a good potato.💃😌

Comments and votes make these boys happy!😍

Off with the read!😘

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Chapter-4

When JingYu's family proposed a day's activity as a whole family WeiZhou vehemently disagreed...silently, internally.

He would have made it loud and clear and verbal had he known that their idea of activity would be plucking cabbages!

When he emerged from his room wearing a Saville Row dress shirt and a matching pair of trousers everyone stared at him. Well, they probably had never seen anyone as well dressed as him, so, WeiZhou was going to ignore the stares but then JingYu's mother spoke up hesitantly.

"That might not be fitting for what we are going to do today, dear. It will get ruined, I'm afraid."

WeiZhou looked down at his attire. Why, the villagers might get scared of seeing someone civilized? Seeing him puzzled, she explained, "Do you have something less....fancy? A plain t-shirt and shorts, maybe?"

"Are we going to the beach?" WeiZhou perked up. Because that must be it! Maybe there was some hope left for him to enjoy this vacation, after all. "I didn't bring any shorts but I'm sure this would be fine," he said happily.

"There's no beach around here," JingYu said and cleared his throat. WeiZhou suspected that the prick was trying not to laugh.

"Then?"

"We're going to pick cabbages, all of us!" Declared JingYu's grandpa cheerily. "JingYu, why don't you lend him some of your clothes?"

WeiZhou never knew there was a tenth circle of Hell!

XOXOXOX

"I refused to go to..to this cabbage plucking! What kind of madness is this?!" WeiZhou was going nuts! It had been only two days and already his sanity was on the edge.

" 'Kay. Then stay home with Mama and Nans," JingYu replied while ruffling through his wardrobe. He pulled out a pair brown shorts and a yellow tee and gestured at WeiZhou to take it.

WeiZhou looked at the offered pile as though they were a can of worms, "I'm not wearing your clothes! No way!"

JingYu shrugged, "Suit yourself. Go, wear your pajamas, then." He smirked and looked pointedly, "Your satin pajamas."

WeiZhou almost swallowed his tongue. It was not his fault that his skin was delicate and could not handle rougher material while sleeping! "Just because you are a Neanderthal does not mean everyone else is," he chewed out.

And fifteen minutes later he emerged, swimming into clothes that were three sizes too big on him.

JingYu gave him a once over, looking at the shorts that came well down the knees, upon two hairy legs.

"You're kinda tiny," JingYu remarked, not taking his eyes of the large garment.

WeiZhou yelped and sprang up, hands covering protectively over his crotch area. "I'm not!" He protested indignantly. "I'll have you know that I am, in fact, well above average and do not have a weenie problem, unlike someone," he said, squinting his eyes accusingly at his assistant.

JingYu looked up at the ceiling, "Oh. My. God." Then stared at WeiZhou, "I was talking about the clothes. The size of the shorts! But thanks for scarring me for life. I'll have to bleach my brain now."

WeiZhou's lips thinned.

XOXOXOX

"I'm peeling!!!" WeiZhou cried, "Peeling!"

They were sitting on a ridge, taking a break.

"No, you're not, stop being a drama queen," JingYu muttered, taking large gulps of water. And before WeiZhou could start another epic rant, JingYu placated, "Yeah, you look kinda raw." And he did. His skin was angry red, splotchy. He looked like....."Like a skinned chicken," slipped out of JingYu's mouth. Oops!

WeiZhou did not say anything. More like he couldn't, for a moment. Just looked at him. Then he burst out.

"That's because you decided to throw me into the hell fire! I've been roasting in this heat for hours! Picking cabbages! Cabbages! This is what my life has turned into! Cabbage picker in used, oversized clothes, burnt like a toast! And you have the audacity to mock me?!"

"That's because you refused to wear the damned hat!" JingYu was not going to be yelled at either.

"Oh, the hat! Wow! And you think that goddamned straw hat was going to block 450 degree Celsius heat, do you?" WeiZhou asked with a smile that was decidedly manic. One word and he would bite JingYu's head right off his shoulder.

"At least it would have protected your face from looking so unfortunate," JingYu snorted while sipping his water.

When the return jab never came he looked at his side to see WeiZhou sitting stiff, lower lip jutting out and mouth turned into a sad moue. Staring ahead, sniffing every now and then; his fingers rubbing at some parts on his hands that looked sore.

And suddenly JingYu could not mock him anymore. There sat the man whom he had worked for for the past two years, had seen him in all his cold, indifference. Sitting in that big office, being as inapproachable, unattainable as it could be. Had seen him squeezing out profits from any and every opportunity. And JingYu had loathed him, had gave him his grudging respect.

But the man sat beside him now, looking red, raw, pitiful, sniffing angry tears, rubbing his sore hands, wearing JingYu's old, frayed shirt and shorts, trying to cover his head with a handmade straw hat, was a far cry from the dictator that ruled their office. A comical figure, really. But JingYu could not laugh.

How could he? Yes, this person was solely responsible for whatever was happening to him now, but how could JingYu mock him knowing the reason behind why WeiZhou was taking the trouble? How could he, knowing that he himself had taken advantage of the situation also? How could he, knowing that if WeiZhou wanted to, he could very well have declined his family's offer and just shut himself off in that tiny room, could have overlooked the sentiments of JingYu's family members....but he didn't. He complained, ranted, gave JingYu's eardrums the punishments of their lives but he still plucked cabbages with them in this scorching heat.

"Yo, chill," JingYu spoke and gave a gentle nudge to WeiZhou's shoulder, "It's not that bad, honest."

WeiZhou did not answer, did not turn, just sniffed once.

JingYu chewed on his lips, "Tell you what, Boss, let's go grab a beer after sundown, yeah? It will cool you down."

A few moments passed without any reply. Then WeiZhou said, still not looking, "Considering the condition of this place, I might end up having an alcohol poisoning."

A wide smile spread across JingYu's face, "Nah, it's not that bad. You'll see."

"If I am still alive."

XOXOXOX

"I'm pu'ple! Purple!" WeiZhou wailed and flailed his arms, hitting JingYu in the process, who was trying to manoeuvre him to stay upright.

They indeed went to grab a beer after sundown and 'a beer' turned into several shots of the village's special brew. Fine by JingYu. He quite enjoyed a drinking night once in a while and he was glad that WeiZhou did not make a fuss in joining him. But now....he did not feel the same.

Because WeiZhou was a sad drunk. With a tolerance level made of tissue paper.

The worst kind there was.

"I'm puuuuuuhple. I'm an eggplant nowww." One arm flung across JingYu's shoulder, WeiZhou told the sky with actual tears in his eyes. "An eggplant."

JingYu huffed a laugh, "A drunk eggplant, apparently."

"I'm not drunk!" WeiZhou protested with all the enthusiasm of a drunkard.

"Nah, just sloshed," JingYu replied, half dragging, half carrying the eggplant.

"Not s- sol- sl-" WeiZhou tried, "Sauced either."

"Hah," JingYu outright laughed. It was funny.

And WeiZhou stopped and began to slide down. The more JingYu tried to haul his deadbeat weight up, the more he decidedly pulled himself down.

"The hell are you doing?" JingYu was rapidly losing his patience. All the sweet buzz he got from alcohol was completely gone now.

"I refuse to go wi' you!" WeiZhou sat down on the side of the small road they had taken. "You in-sulted me."

"I did not!"

"You did."

"And now you want to...what? Camp for the night here?" JingYu asked incredulously. All he wanted was to chill for a couple of hours. He did not sign up for this, he did not.

"Yes," WeiZhou said stubbornly, then looked up at JingYu, mouth turning down, "Can we sit here? Pleeeease?"

Comically sad eyes wide and round, face open and eager, looking at JingYu as though his life depended on JingYu's answer. He sighed and sat down beside the fool.

"It's so pretty," WeiZhou was looking at the sky now. "So pretty. Everything is so pretty here," he sniffled. "I hate it." Sniffled again.

"O-kay," JingYu said with caution. Weary of triggering the waterworks that threatened to come down full force from the man's eyes and nose.

They sat quiet for a minute or two.

"They are stars," WeiZhou looked at JingYu and pointed at the sky.

"Really? I couldn't have guessed," deadpanned JingYu. Honestly, this was so silly that he was experiencing second hand embarrassment.

"Yeaaaaah," giving a dopey smile, he nodded his head. His lose locks flopped over his sunburnt, red forehead, making him look........oddly adorable.

JingYu cleared his throat and cricked his neck.

"Stars blink," WeiZhou stated with a wise nod. "Do you know what else blinks?"

"Humans....maybe?"

"Frogs!"

"Ah, yes, frogs," JingYu agreed, wishing nothing but to just lay there and go to sleep. All he wanted was a drink and a peaceful night, for fuck's sake! And this was what he got instead.

"I had a frog once," WeiZhou went on. His voice turned small and watery again, "It used to blink at me." His lower lip wobbled, "It was so creepy, you know?"

JingYu rubbed his face vigorously.

"Know what else' creepy?"

"No, I don't know and I don't wanna know but I'm sure you're gonna tell me anyway."

"Your Dad."

JingYu was rubbing his eyes and almost poked himself with that slurred declaration.

"What?"

WeiZhou nodded and kept nodding.

"The fu- hey! Leave my Dad alone!"

"C'eepy frogs..c'eeeeepy dads," WeiZhou singsonged. He was swaying side to side even sitting down.

JingYu stared at him. The fuck was wrong with this tosser now? "What's your problem with my Dad anyway? I've been watching you looking suspicious of Dad. What's going on here actually?"

No answer came while WeiZhou stared and picked on his big toe of his left foot.

"Oi," JingYu nudged him to remind he was still in the world of living.

" 'Cuz he's niiiiice," he replied, still examining his toe as though he did not know how it got there.

"Excuse me? My Dad's creepy for," he blinked quickly, "for being nice?"

" 'Cuz dads aren't nice," suddenly WeiZhou roared, spitting out the word 'nice' as if it was something nasty, "dads are scoundrels," he leaned towards JingYu to emphasize his statement.

JingYu looked at those glazed out eyes, flushed face, floppy hair and sensed something.

"Hey, Boss, how was your Dad?" He asked quietly.

Momentarily, the drunken dullness cleared out of WeiZhou's face and his eyes became sharp.

"A scoundrel," he whispered at JingYu's face, "he was a scum that should have never been born." Then he turned away and gazed at nothing particularly.

"Why so?" JingYu asked. He felt guilty for coaxing out information from someone inebriated but his curiosity got the better of him.

WeiZhou had begun swaying again. He did not answer for a long moment.

"Dropped my M-mum like a sack of po'atoes when Gram'ma didn't give 'im a penny. I was- I was still in the-" he pointed at the general direction of his chest, "in the tummy, y'know?"

JingYu bit his lip. He wasn't so sure anymore that he wanted him to go on. This was an intrusion. He was listening to something he shouldn't have, not without permission, at least. But WeiZhou did not stop.

"I dint e'en know 'ow he look'd like till I was old-er..ol-der? Old'r."

The eyes that were unfocussed and staring at the darkness ahead of them welled up with tears and JingYu had this sudden and immense urge to hug him. And he did so. Not quite a hug but he draped his arm around WeiZhou and patted his shoulder.

"Yeah, all right. Don't cry now. He was a bastard and we won't speak of him anymore, yeah?" He consoled and also tried to put a stop to this topic of conversation. Not only seeing this otherwise formidable man cry did funny things to his chest but also, he did not want to pry anymore.

"Yeaaaah," WeiZhou slurred and sat there, a droplet of tear rolling down his cheek. JingYu thought of wiping it off but decided against it.

"It blinks."

Apparently the blinking saga was still on. JingYu squinted at the place where WeiZhou was pointing and saw nothing but some hazy clouds. "Yeah," he agreed nonetheless.

"D'ya know what else blinks?" Asked WeiZhou with all the seriousness of a child who was about to prove its parents wrong.

"Frogs," JingYu replied, remembering the previous answer.

"Nooo!" WeiZhou's face scrunched up in incredulity at JingYu's stupidity. "QiuQiu!"

"Riiiiiiiiight," said JingYu, placating. Honestly, who the fuck thought this man was the Devil incarnate? More like a cranky chipmunk.

"But QiuQiu can't walk, can't talk..." WeiZhou lamented, "That's so saaaad." He nodded at JingYu, "Bu'- bu' when he cries people pick him up. That's.....not sad." He shook his head with a frown. Confused at this great contradiction.

"Yeah, not so sad at all, you goose," JingYu could not help but ruffle his hair. He was liking this sozzled version of Xu WeiZhou more and more.

" 'M an eggplan'!" The goose protested with visible displeasure.

"Sure you are. You ready to go home now?"

WeiZhou thought for a moment, blinking slowly, then shook his head, "No."

Heaving a sign, JingYu repositioned himself with one knee up with his elbow resting on it. This was kinda.....peaceful. Soft, quiet night, shadowly darkness all around, a slight nip in the air, his companion rattling on about some inane things. This, all of this felt very domestic to JingYu. A small smile marred his face.

"I lllike your teeth."

JingYu started by this declaration. "My...teeth?" He swiped his hand over his mouth self consciously; tongue sliding over the upper row.

"Yes," WeiZhou nodded. "Pointy." And he tried to jab his finger to JingYu's eyes.

"Err.....okay," JingYu caught that flailing hand and put it safely away from his face.

But not deterred by it, WeiZhou brought his hand up again and rubbed a finger against his cheek. "I wish......you could bite me," he sighed wistfully.

And something short circuited inside JingYu's brain. The fire alarm went off.

"What?"

"Teeth."

"Yeah, no- but....bite you?"

"Yessss," Curling his lips WeiZhou clicked his teeth to show how biting works.

A brief pause, then, "You know what, I think we should definitely go home now." JingYu cleared his throat loudly and made to get up.

"You're kinda pretty..."

His arse flopped down on the ground again.

"Umm..I'm not sure if you want to really talk about it 'cause tom-"

"Pretty." Pinching JingYu's cheek, WeiZhou smiled brilliantly, his whole face lighting up.

Swallowing to moisten up his dry throat, JingYu hesitated. On one hand, he knew this was all booze talking, not necessarily true. On the other....his boss just called him pretty! His very rich, handsome, cranky boss, who was also his fake boyfriend, had just called him pretty!

Christ on a broomstick!

"Hey, boss," he was sitting ramrod straight, eyes on the ground, "Uh...are you gay?"

Oblivious to JingYu's situation, rocking back and forth while sitting cross legged, WeiZhou shrugged, "Mmmm....dunno."

"So...um...you have a....girlfriend?"

"Nope."

Shit, thought JingYu. "A boyfriend, then?"

WeiZhou shook his head first, then stopped in confusion, then grinned. "Yes," he nodded childishly, "you."

Double shit

"Uhhh....so, have you ever been with anyone?"

WeiZhou did not answer. Instead he brought his face real close to JingYu's. His alcohol scented breath ghosting over the other's skin.

"I check you out when you're n-not lookin', heh." Smiling sloppily, WeiZhou sucked his lower lip in, giggling.

And on the opposite, JingYu was experiencing a brain freeze. Checking him out? WeiZhou was checking him out? When he wasn't looking? When? How? Wait, where?

"Uh...you mean...here? Like, in my home?"

WeiZhou's answering grin was dopey and impish at the same time as he shook his head, "In- in th' office too."

Christ fucking Jesus! His buzzed brain could not take this level of gay!

"You know what," JingYu jumped and stood up, "we should definitely go home now. Ooh! Look at the time! Even sleep has gone to sleep by now! Come on, let's go!"

WeiZhou looked up at him from the ground, focus and body both unsteady, "Noooow?"

"Yes, now. Come on, let's go. Come on."

His mouth turned down like a kicked puppy, "But tha's so saaad!"

"Terribly," JingYu agreed promptly, "terribly sad. Come, get up."

He pulled WeiZhou's slack body up and when it became clear that in no way the man was capable of walking that far, JingYu hitched him up on his back. Flailing limbs dangling from everywhere.

"Hold on to me tight. Don't slip and slide to the ground."

"Sliiiide to th' ground," came a singsong mutter and JingYu tightened his grip around WeiZhou's thighs.

"Don't slide!"

"Mmm."

Silence stretched on, as did the road. One huffed from the exertion, another hummed tunelessly.

"Gotta- hic- pee," WeiZhou hiccupped.

"We're almost there. A couple of minutes more."

"Y' pee in the- hic- garden 'nyway."

From experience JingYu knew that hiccupping wasn't a good sign. He quickened his pace. And surely, right on cue WeiZhou said, "Gotta puke-hic."

"Damnit. Almost there. Hang on."

He then felt the back collar of his tee pulled back and WeiZhou's nose and hair tickled his neck. Was the little rascal shoving his mouth inside his shirt or something?

"Ca- can I puke- hic-puke here?" came WeiZhou's muffled voice and JingYu hitched him up so hard that WeiZhou's chin collided with JingYu's skull.

They both groaned out.

"Don't you dare puke on me, you drunk pillock!" JingYu warned and broke into a jog, WeiZhou bouncing on his back like a baby koala.

" 'K- hic-'kay."

As he ran, JingYu's mind went back to the things that were revealed to him tonight. It was a lot to take in.

There's no way this slob was telling the truth, he thought. He's boozed up to his eyeballs. Couldn't really trust the words of a drunk now. Shouldn't. Then he remembered what WeiZhou had said about his father. Those did not sound fabricated. But If he were to believe those, he would have to believe the rest too, which he was not ready to do just yet.

He tried to shake off the mixed feelings but they buzzed around his head like a persistent mosquito.

His boss had a thing for him? Even before this fiasco? His boss was gay for him? For someone whom he had been treating like a slave for the last two years?

"Bli- inks."

WeiZhou mumbled sleepily from behind, head lolling on JingYu's shoulder.

"Nah. That can't be right." JingYu concluded.

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