At the dining table, Hank suddenly said, "Stephen, the company is doing well now, and you are getting busier. It's about time to let Josh help you. After all, he has work experience for the company. He could be of some assistance."

"Dad is right." Stephen looked at his husband," But Josh takes care of our household affairs and works hard most of the time. I don't want him to be too tired."

Hank understood his son and believed in his son-in-law's words. He looked at his son with stern eyes: "What kind of achievement can a grown man have if he doesn't strive for success and just stays at home every day doing nothing?"

"If you really want to be helpful, it's not about cooking a few meals or doing some laundry for him. You should share the pressure in his career. It would be great if the two of you could work together. I can see you eventually becoming useless staying at home."

"Josh also has a job. He teaches at an art school," Stephen explained.

"Can that be considered a proper job? Let me tell you, after the New Year, you go back to the company. How can you let Stephen do all the work for our family?"

At this point, Hank finally revealed the essence of his words. He didn't want the fate of the company to be solely reliant on Stephen because he was not his own son.

Joshua remained silent throughout and only nodded at the end, saying, "I know."

As they drove back, the night gradually fell.

At a certain moment, all the streetlights on both sides of the road lit up. One by one, the streetlights flashed past them, repeatedly illuminating their faces and then extinguishing them. The atmosphere in the car was somewhat suppressed, and Stephen turned on the stereo.

"Dad said you should return to the company after the New Year. Do you have any preferred position?"

Joshua shook his head, "I haven't worked for several years, and I'm not familiar with the company's current business."

"I happen to need an assistant. Would you like to give it a try?"

Stephen was aware of his father-in-law's concerns, and Hank's worries were not unfounded. Since Hank's hospitalization due to a stroke and months of recovery treatment five years ago, he was unable to return to work, and the company was fully entrusted to him.

If he ever wanted to leave the company, he could take all the current clients, leaving Hank with an empty shell.

However, he had never intended to do so. Hank had shown him kindness, and that small factory provided him with a foundation to showcase his abilities. Without Hank, he wouldn't be where he was today. Moreover, Hank had entrusted his own son to him, and just with that trust alone, he couldn't be the traitor .

He proposed a suggestion that would satisfy everyone, but he didn't expect Joshua to say, "Steve, I can't do this job."

"It won't be very difficult, I'll tell you how to do it."

The car quietly glided through the night, and Joshua contemplated for a while. In the end, it seemed like his emotions were on the verge of breaking down, but he mustered up courage and timidly pleaded, "Steve, I really can't do this kind of job..."

Silence gradually spread, and Stephen could somewhat understand the meaning behind his husband's words.

Joshua had little social interaction and no friends. His social skills had become rusty. Dealing with adults in the world of social interactions seemed challenging to him after years spent interacting with children.

Stephen had no intention of pressuring him further. "I understand, I'll talk to Dad about it."

"Thank you."

He clearly felt Joshua breathe a sigh of relief, and strangely enough, he felt relieved himself.

Perhaps there was no turning back from infidelity, as it would forever leave a mark. Regardless of the reasons, he had violated the vows made in marriage, leaving an eternal stain on their relationship. Others might not know, but he himself knew, and while he wouldn't repeat it in the future, the fact of what had been done in the past wouldn't change.

Stephen suddenly realized that he could never confront his husband with a clear conscience, even if Joshua perhaps would never discover the truth.

But that didn't matter.

Getting something extra also required paying an extra price, and Stephen had understood that when he chose to have an affair for the first time. Of course, this price included guilt and the torment of carrying an unspeakable secret.

"Josh, why did you say Yes when I proposed to you back then?"

"Huh?"

"I mean when I proposed to you, I thought you would reject me."

As he asked this question, Stephen found it strange that after so many years, it was only today that he remembered to ask.

Joshua smiled and remained silent.

 (Recall the past)

Stephen could never forget the first encounter with Joshua.

When he was admitted to the top national university from a small town, he moved to this city.

Bright children tend to mature earlier, and he had realized early on that he was different and had seen through the hypocritical side of this politically correct world. Therefore, he had never revealed his orientation to others.

After graduation, most of his classmates either pursued further studies domestically or abroad, while those who chose employment opted for large companies or government agencies.

However, he chose to work for a private enterprise simply because Hank hoped to recruit genuine talent to comprehensively innovate the company. He would rather be a big fish in a small pond, as such a platform would enable him to truly display his skills.

Hank did not break his promise and granted him ample space and authority. He and the boss immediately hit it off, wholeheartedly treating the company's future as his own career.

Until one day, Hank called him and said there was a personal matter that he wanted his assistance with. Hank's own son was about to graduate and join the company, and he asked for help with guiding him.

This was like a bucket of cold water poured on his burning ambition. The boss had a son, so there was no way it would truly be his turn. Stephen cited his heavy workload and difficulty in freeing up time as reasons, suggesting that the boss consider temporarily assigning this task to others.

It's unclear how Hank weighed the matter, but in any case, the request for him to assist with his son was left unresolved. Stephen, on the other hand, began considering a job change.

He remembered it was summer, the season of graduation. Unlike now where the factory was located on the outskirts and the office in the city, at that time, the factory and office were in the same place.

That day, he brought a few German clients to visit the workshop, persuading them to place orders with the company.

The workers in the factory generally had a low level of education, and there were only a few university graduates working in the office. Everyone looked at Stephen, who spoke fluent German to the foreigners, with curiosity and admiration.

They visited all the different factory areas and finally arrived at the CNC machining area, where they encountered another business manager with his own group of people at the entrance.

There was a new face in that group who was tall and slim, wearing a white shirt and khaki casual pants. The shirt was loose with the hem tucked into the waistband, revealing a slender waist like that of a young girl. He had a round buzz cut, with neatly trimmed hair that appeared freshly cut.

The other manager glanced at the foreigners behind him and greeted him first. "Oh, congrats. Thanks to you, our business miraculously expanded worldwide."

Stephen had no interest in responding to this ambiguously snide comment. His attention was focused on the person next to him. "Are you also escorting clients?"

"This isn't a client; he's our boss's son." The manager turned his head to the person beside him. "Come, young boss, let me introduce you. This is Mr. Lu, who is our sales champion every quarter. If you have any questions in the future, you can just ask him. He will definitely be able to help you."

Stephen extended his hand. "Hello, I'm Stephen."

"Joshua, nice to meet you."

A pair of cool hands landed on Stephen's palm, gently shaking his hand. The man then raised his eyes and made eye contact, but quickly lowered his gaze, his ears turning red.

"Nice to meet you. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions."

After this simple conversation, Joshua continued to follow the other manager to learn about the equipment in the CNC area.

Stephen also led the clients inside, introducing and answering their questions.

However, his hand that had just shaken with Joshua's hand seemed to be sticky, perhaps tainted by his slight sweat, causing his palm to feel slightly clammy.

Subconsciously, he glanced towards the corner. That tall and blurred figure constantly occupied the edge of his vision, yet even so, Joshua's face in his mind was exceptionally clear.

A melon seed-shaped face with a single eyelid and thin lips, their lines simple and gracefully beautiful, exuding a delicate and elegant charm. The three small moles on their face were unforgettable at a glance. Their simple beauty implied a profound meaning.

What deepened this impression even further was the aura they radiated. Stephen didn't need a keen sense of smell to perceive that they were of the same kind.

This was completely different from the boss' son he had imagined.