Quick Transmigration: Why did you provoke him? He's love-struck!

Chapter 202 Killing the Cuckoo (17)

Gao Heng was clearly resistant to Yan Zhen asking about these things, and muttered under his breath, "Why are you asking these questions?"

"I'm just worried you'll get scammed," Yan Zhen said. "Who told you to look so silly? These days, even boys need to protect themselves when they're out in the world."

Gao Heng secretly glanced at Yan Zhen's expression. Seeing that she showed no disgust or rejection, and that she was genuinely concerned about him when she asked these questions, he hesitated for a moment before honestly confessing.

The man's name is Xu Chuan, 28 years old, a local. Gao Heng met him on a dating app. The two chatted online and then met in person, and have been dating for more than three months now.

“Xu Chuan—” Yan Zhen repeated the name, then asked Gao Heng, “What kind of person is he? Is he reliable?”

“Very reliable,” Gao Heng said immediately. “He’s also a senior executive at a foreign company, earning hundreds of thousands a year.”

Yan Zhen asked, "Have you slept together?"

Gao Heng was stunned for a moment, then his face turned red.

Yan Zhen could tell from his reaction that the two had already had an intimate relationship, and she reminded him, "Online dating is risky, so please take precautions."

“We’re in a serious relationship; online chatting is just how we met,” Gao Heng said, dissatisfied. “Sis, don’t be prejudiced against him just because we met online.”

His face was full of the mindless protectiveness and trust of someone in the throes of new love, so Yan Zhen simply stopped arguing with him about such a pointless issue.

"Do your parents know you like men?"

Gao Heng shook his head and said worriedly, "How could I dare let Dad know? If he found out, he would beat me to death."

The Gao family only had one son and one daughter. Gao Heng scored low on the college entrance exam, so his father spent a lot of money to send him to a private university.

Mr. Gao had high hopes for his son, not only requiring him to carry on the family line but also hoping he would make something of himself and bring honor to the Gao family.

"Then what will you two do?" Yan Zhen asked, "Keep your secret relationship underground for the rest of your lives?"

Gao Heng dismissed it, saying, "We'll just go on blind dates and get married like everyone else in a few years. Many homosexuals do that. As long as we don't say anything, no one will know."

His attitude was so self-righteous, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Yan Zhen resisted the urge to slap him across the face, softening her voice and coaxing him gently: "But won't you feel regretful like this?"

Gao Heng was taken aback: "What's there to regret?"

"You can never be openly and honestly with the person you truly love in your entire life. You will get married in the future, and he will get married too. Apart from yourselves, no one will witness your unforgettable love."

Yan Zhen sighed, "Life is only 30,000 days long. When you get old and look back on your lives of just getting by, won't you regret not being brave enough when you were young?"

Gao Heng hesitated for a moment: "Sister, I don't understand what you mean..."

“Dad isn’t that scary. Look, last time at the hospital, I pulled out a knife and had a fight with him, but today he still had to shamelessly beg me to come back for his birthday.”

Yan Zhen said, "We were young before and had to submit to his power. Now that he's older, it's time to change the person in charge."

Even if you confess your sexual orientation to him, he might be angry, but he's not going to kill you, is he? You're the only son in the Gao family.

Gao Heng's eyes lit up for a moment, but his expression fell again: "It's precisely because I'm the only son in our family and have to carry on the family line that I can't tell my parents about this."

"Carrying on the family line isn't that important. Think about it, can you even remember your grandfather's name?"

Gao Heng nodded: "Yes."

"And what about Great-Grandpa?"

Gao Heng was immediately stumped.

"You see, at most two or three generations will remember our names. After that, to them, we're just a name on the family tree. Is a name on the family tree more important, or is a life that can only be lived once more important?"

Yan Zhen patted his shoulder and said, suppressing his disgust, "Sexual orientation is innate. If you go against your nature to marry and have children, you will definitely suffer a lot of grievances."

You are my only brother. I hope you can be happy and be with the person you love, instead of enduring a lifetime of resentment and bitterness for the sake of your parents' reputation or for the sake of carrying on the family line.

Gao Heng was deeply moved by her words, and his eyes welled up with tears: "Sister, do you really think so?"

"Of course, when have I ever lied to you?"

Gao Heng rubbed his hands together: "Then...then should I go and tell my parents?"

Yan Zhen paused for a moment: "Let's do it another day. Today is Dad's birthday. Let's not make him unhappy."

Gao Heng thought about it and agreed, then asked, "When would be the best time for me to be honest with him?"

Yan Zhen pretended to think for a moment and said, "Find an occasion where there are outsiders, such as when someone in the clan is hosting a dinner party during a festival, and say it in front of everyone."

Gao Heng was horrified: "Wouldn't Dad beat me to death?"

“I told you, he won’t kill you,” Yan Zhen said earnestly. “When it comes to confessing, you have to be quick and decisive. Make it public to the whole clan at once. If you secretly tell Dad, given his personality, he’ll only pressure you to get married. In that case, being honest will be more painful than not being honest.”

Gao Heng said thoughtfully, "That's true—but I'm still afraid..."

"No rush, think it over carefully," Yan Zhen said. "It concerns your lifelong happiness, so think it through before you speak."

Gao Heng then nodded: "Okay."

As he spoke, he affectionately hugged Yan Zhen's arm and said in a spoiled tone, "Sister, thank you. I didn't expect you to support me being with Xu Chuan."

Yan Zhen glanced at the way Yan Zhen was holding his arm and said with a forced smile, "What nonsense are you talking about? You're my brother. If I don't want you to be well, who else would I want to be well?"

Gao Heng smiled even more broadly.

Yan Zhen looked away and suddenly asked, "Between you and Xu Chuan, who's the one on top?"

Gao Heng: "..."

After having an unpleasant dinner at the Gao family home, Gao's mother went to clean up the dishes, while Gao's father picked his teeth with a toothpick and explained the reason for calling Yan Zhen and Fang Yi home that evening.

"I saw the video account of your studio. Is business pretty good?"

Yan Zhen didn't hide anything: "It's alright."

“How much can I earn in a month?”

Yan Zhen looked up and glanced at Gao's father.

When Gao's father was stared at, he realized that the question had crossed a line. He looked embarrassed, but said defiantly, "I'm your father, can't I even ask this?"

"Ah."

Mr. Gao, who was momentarily speechless, was speechless again.

He found himself increasingly reluctant to talk to his daughter.

But then I thought about my son not having a job yet...

With a grim face, Gao's father said, "Your younger brother interviewed with several companies before the Lunar New Year, but none of them were satisfactory. He graduated more than half a year ago and still hasn't settled on a job."

Since your studio is doing so well, why not bring him in as a shareholder and work together? Once you're pregnant, have him manage the studio for you. With him overseeing things, you won't have to worry about outsiders taking advantage of you.