Chapter 75: Don’t Say Anything!

Chapter 75: Don't Say Anything!

The following morning, Jing Yi slept in, and as he opened his eyes, Li Wenzhao had already left the bed.

After getting dressed and stepping out, Jing Yi caught sight of Li Wenzhao seated on the sofa, absorbed in his tablet.

Li Wenzhao held the tablet in one hand, the other propped on the armrest, his gaze lowered in silence. His broad, straight shoulders and strikingly handsome, aloof appearance made him quite the sight.

Jing Yi peeked from around the corner, stealthily observing.

Li Wenzhao seemed to have noticed his presence long ago, not even lifting his eyes. "Up already?"

Jing Yi: "Yeah."

He then walked over and looked at Li Wenzhao. "You're not upset with me, are you?"

Li Wenzhao appeared puzzled. "Upset about what?"

Jing Yi stammered. "...About last night." His final words might have ruined the mood.

After that, Li Wenzhao remained silent for a long time.

It seemed like he was quite upset.

Li Wenzhao's eyes darkened.

Jing Yi's heart sank. Oh no, he's really angry.

"What's there to be upset about?" Li Wenzhao stood up and gestured for him to eat. "Do you really think I'm that petty?"

Jing Yi opened his mouth, his face flushing. "Not at all."

He smiled happily, his eyes crinkling as he tiptoed after him, tilting his head with a bright look. "The eldest young master is as magnanimous as a prime minister, able to forgive and forget."

Li Wenzhao didn't look at him, maintaining a calm and handsome demeanor. "No need to flatter me."

Jing Yi chuckled. "It's completely sincere."

Li Wenzhao slightly lowered his gaze.

As the young butler approached, his profile faced the floor-to-ceiling window. His fair, delicate face glowed, his soft eyelashes resting gently, and his lips curved, appearing particularly tender.

Li Wenzhao recalled the somewhat urgent and forceful kiss from the night before and suddenly leaned down to kiss him again.

Jing Yi: "………?"

He gently pressed against Jing Yi's chattering lips, then quickly pulled back, his dark eyes reflecting light.

Jing Yi's cheeks immediately turned hot. "Why, why so sudden..."

"Good morning kiss."

Oh...

Jing Yi pursed his lips, which still seemed to carry the lingering warmth, tingling slightly.

His entire face was red, almost burning.

His eyes wandered, landing on Li Wenzhao's lips, their thin shape also tinged with a faint redness.

Jing Yi watched for a moment, swallowed, stood on tiptoe, tilted his face up, and imitated Li Wenzhao’s gesture, gently brushing his lips.

"...Good morning kiss."

Li Wenzhao arched his eyebrows in surprise.

Jing Yi grew nervous under his gaze, scratched the back of his head, and stammered, "W-why are you staring at me..."

Before he could finish, Jing Yi saw Li Wenzhao suddenly loom closer. His eyes widened in surprise as he was pushed back, bracing himself against the corner of the dining table, leaning back, and then feeling a soft press on his lips.

This kiss wasn’t fleeting, nor was it as intense and domineering as the night before. Li Wenzhao’s movements were slow and tender. Jing Yi’s mind grew hazy and warm, his body responding instinctively.

Finally, overwhelmed, he gently patted Li Wenzhao’s shoulder, turned his head away, and gasped for air.

"Wait, wait a moment..."

Before he could catch his breath, Jing Yi suddenly froze, his body tensing up.

He froze stiffly, then mechanically lowered his head.

Li Wenzhao seemed to notice the shift too, his eyebrows lifting with amusement.

"Don’t say a word." Jing Yi covered his mouth, his eyes wide.

From the intimacy and brief breathlessness, a few involuntary tears welled up in the corners of his eyes, making him look both pitiful and utterly endearing.

Li Wenzhao obliged, staying perfectly still.

Jing Yi swallowed thickly, pushed Li Wenzhao aside, and hurried into the bathroom.

Li Wenzhao tilted his head, exhaled slowly, a faint smirk tugging at his lips as he followed.

He stood at the bathroom door, rapped lightly with his knuckles, and called, "Jing Yi."

"..."

The bathroom door shut, and Jing Yi stood in the middle of the room, his face a mix of disbelief and panic.

It was just a kiss—how could he...?

Get it together, Jing Yi.

He avoided looking down, took a few deep breaths, and reassured himself: It’s morning, everyone’s a little impulsive. A splash of cold water would fix it.

"Jing Yi?" Li Wenzhao’s voice drifted through the crack in the door.

Jing Yi: "..." (silent)

Even more awake now.

"Not a word."

Jing Yi shut his eyes, trying not to think or listen, but the harder he tried to ignore it, the sharper his awareness grew—and the more he felt.

Li Wenzhao stood outside the door, eavesdropping on Jing Yi’s inner turmoil.

The young butler was too flustered to mask his thoughts.

His shyness and embarrassment were laid bare.

Li Wenzhao could barely hold back a smile, the corners of his mouth twitching as he leaned against the wall, speaking to Jing Yi through the door, "It's getting late. If we delay any longer, we'll be late for work."

He narrowed his eyes slightly and murmured, "Need a hand?"

From the bathroom came a sharp, "Don't speak!"

"..."

In the cramped space, Jing Yi stared blankly at the scene before him, feeling as if he had fallen apart. Li Wenzhao's voice was more arousing than anything else. What had been slightly awkward before now completely trapped him, unable to leave the bathroom.

The word "help" from Li Wenzhao reverberated in his mind, and his mind flashed with the image of the other's long, rough fingers.

The next moment, his eyes widened slightly as a tingling sensation ran down his lower back, and he couldn't suppress a muffled groan.

After a moment, Jing Yi stared dumbly at the bathroom door, stunned.

"…………"

·

·

Though Li Wenzhao seemed to be left out, the thrill of the thoughts just a door away was enough to unsettle him. Sensing that Jing Yi's thoughts had quieted down, he turned and left, heading to the kitchen to gulp down two glasses of cold water.

As soon as he set the glass down, he heard a "click" not far away.

The bathroom door opened.

Then came the sound of hurried footsteps fading away, followed by another "click" as the main bedroom door locked.

Li Wenzhao: "..."

He chuckled softly, trying to quell the restlessness in his chest, and turned to gaze at the expansive river view outside the window.

Outside, the cold wind howled, the river water was icy, and the vast scenery was oddly soothing.

Jing Yi dashed into the main bedroom, tidied up, and changed his clothes.

Looking at the closed door, he felt a pang of shame about stepping out for the first time.

"Do you need to take the day off?" came Li Wenzhao's voice from outside the door.

Jing Yi immediately replied, "No need."

Summoning courage from who knows where, he flung the door open, directly meeting Li Wenzhao's gaze, his face flushed unnaturally, "I'm going to work."

He wasn't so fragile as to hide at home over such a trivial matter.

Seeing his serious demeanor, Li Wenzhao smiled, "Alright, shall we go then?"

Jing Yi stepped forward, charging ahead like a soldier, "Let's go."

Li Wenzhao tilted his head, holding back his laughter, and followed.

The young butler has a strong sense of self-esteem, needing to be patiently coaxed and indulged.

·

·

Arriving at a company filled with drudgery and resentment, Jing Yi finally felt that he had truly stepped out of the awkwardness.

Amidst the sea of resentment, he no longer felt so shy around Li Wenzhao.

"Eldest Young Master, focus on your work," he even tried to comment on Li Wenzhao's work progress, "Shen Shubai could come back at any time."

Li Wenzhao: "..."

The silly, eccentric young butler was back.

At work, Jing Yi, holding a hot milk tea he had just fetched from the tea room, was about to enter when he saw Xu Mian walking out of the secretariat with a small box, looking downcast.

Jing Yi raised an eyebrow, wondering if he was quitting or had been let go.

Xu Mian also noticed Jing Yi and, after a moment of hesitation, defiantly lifted his chin, "What are you looking at?"

Jing Yi looked around, "Are you speaking to me?"

Xu Mian: "Who else? Am I talking to a ghost? Don't think that just because I'm leaving, I've lost. Assistant Jing, don't underestimate the young and struggling. The tables will turn. You won't be able to keep up with me in the future!"

"..." Jing Yi held the hot milk tea to warm his hands, whispering, "Are you okay? Did I say anything to you?"

Xu Mian said, "The way you're looking at me is disgusting."

Jing Yi rolled his eyes, "Did you lose your brain at birth? Just looking at you is an insult? Are you that inviting of insults? Why hasn't the military used your face to test bulletproof vests?"

Xu Mian: "..."

"Why are you looking at me?"

Jing Yi: "What's wrong with looking at you? I haven't even blamed you for blocking my view. Why are you so fierce? Just so you know, I've had my rabies shot, so I'm not scared of you."

Xu Mian: "..."

"Assistant Jing," Fan Ming appeared at the secretariat door, glancing at Xu Mian, "Why are you still here?"

Xu Mian's face turned red and white, and he finally stomped away.

"Jing Butler, don't take it to heart, that's just how gamblers are," Fan Ming comforted.

"Got it, thank you, Secretary Fan," Jing Yi walked over, glancing at Fan Ming, "You don't look so good, didn't get much sleep last night?"

Fan Ming was startled, a faint blush appearing on his face, "Really..."

"Yes," Jing Yi said seriously, "You've got some serious dark circles, are you working too hard?"

Fan Ming coughed sharply, "Jing Butler, don't talk nonsense."

"...?"

Jing Yi frowned suspiciously, "I'm just saying you're tired from work, is that so wrong?"

Fan Ming coughed lightly, turning his face away.

At that moment, someone rushed out of the secretariat, carrying a stack of files, accidentally bumped into Fan Ming.

Fan Ming: "Ouch."

"Sorry, Secretary Fan, I didn't mean to," the new assistant apologized stiffly, "The finance department needs these files urgently, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going, I'm sorry."

Fan Ming winced and rubbed his lower back, "It's okay, go on, just watch it next time."

The assistant nodded, "Thanks, Secretary Fan!"

It all happened so fast. Jing Yi was too stunned to react at first. He quickly stepped forward to help Fan Ming, ready to guide him to the office for a rest. Glancing up, he caught a glimpse of red marks peeking out from Fan Ming's collar.

Jing Yi was speechless.

Noticing Fan Ming holding his lower back, Jing Yi started to piece things together.

Fan Ming quickly tugged at his shirt to hide the marks. He said awkwardly, "Um... Jing Butler, I have things to do, I'll go ahead and get busy."

Jing Yi mumbled, "Oh, okay..."

After Fan Ming left, Jing Yi wandered back to the CEO's office.

Li Wenzhao was slipping off his jacket, heading to the restroom for a nap. "Wanna join me?"

Jing Yi shook his head, "Not tired."

Li Wenzhao loosened his tie. "I'll catch some Z's. If you get tired, just come in."

Jing Yi muttered, "Sure."

Lost in thought, Jing Yi felt a pinch on his cheek. "What's on your mind?"

Jing Yi replied, "Nothing, go get some rest."

Li Wenzhao gave him a look, then headed to the restroom. He'd had a rough night and was dragging at work. He needed a quick nap before the afternoon meetings.

As the door shut, Jing Yi rested his chin on his hand, still lost in thought.

Before his rebirth, he didn't read many BL novels, mainly preferring fantasy and anime. He only picked up a novel now and then to kill time.

So, he had no idea BL novels could be... this intense?

Things he had previously overlooked suddenly became hazy and distant, unclear in their entirety.

Would he and Li Wenzhao... end up like that too?

Jing Yi's imagination heated up his face.

A few seconds later, he strangely realized that he didn't seem to be repulsed by the idea.

But his mind remained blank; he urgently needed some theoretical knowledge to fill the gaps, so he wouldn't be at a loss when it came to the real deal.

Hmm, in front of his boyfriend, there couldn't be any points deducted.

Jing Yi turned to look for his phone, didn't find it, and grabbed his work tablet instead.

He exhaled a few breaths of hot air, bent his head, and typed in a few keywords. The screen displayed several points of attention.

"..."

"..."

"..."

Jing Yi turned his head, his face flushed. He genuinely wanted to fill in the theoretical knowledge in this area, but such interfaces always had some messy pop-ups shaking out.

Jing Yi squinted, avoiding the screen, and swiped across it. However, he accidentally hit a button that redirected him, and the screen instantly went black.

Jing Yi: "..."

After a frozen moment, he yanked open the drawer and shoved the tablet into the deepest corner, his face turning bright red.

His heart sank. "Shoot."

His tablet was now a complete disaster.