Chapter 145

Chapter 145

A heavy silence hung between them.

Yu Chuang grabbed Ji Mian’s arm and marched straight into the Ji Group building.

"What are you doing?"

"Take me inside. I want to see it."

Ji Mian stared at Yu Chuang striding ahead, wondering who was really in charge here.

A few minutes later, they reached Ji Mian’s office—surprisingly spacious. Adjacent to the office was a private lounge.

Yu Chuang hadn’t said a word since they entered the building, and Ji Mian couldn’t shake his unease.

"Done looking? Can we leave? I’m kind of… hungry."

"What are you after with Mingsheng?"

"What?"

Yu Chuang’s gaze bore into him. "You married me for Mingsheng’s value to the Ji Group, didn’t you?"

Yu Chuang had already filled in the blanks, sparing Ji Mian the need to explain.

Too afraid to believe, too scared to hope, he resorted to self-delusion.

Ji Mian stared blankly, lips pressed tight, refusing to take the out Yu Chuang had handed him.

A knock at the office door interrupted them. Ji Mian turned and called, "Come in."

A man in his fifties stepped inside. He was one of the old-timers who’d often tear up in front of Ji Mian when he first took over the Ji Group.

"Thought you’d left for the day," the man said with a smile, setting a stack of documents on the desk. "When you have a moment, CEO, please review and sign these."

Ji Mian: "..."

Most internal documents were confidential, and the man delivering them couldn’t help but glance curiously at Yu Chuang.

Yu Chuang knew he couldn’t linger in Ji Mian’s office.

"Mind if I use the lounge?" He needed a moment to collect himself.

Ji Mian nodded and sank into his chair. He hadn’t even eaten dinner yet, and now he was stuck working overtime.

Many of the Ji Group’s long-time employees felt deeply connected to the company. When the Ji Group went bankrupt, they’d been devastated. Lately, the Ji Group had begun to bounce back, and many were pulling all-nighters. Ji Mian, at the heart of it all, felt guilty if he left even an hour early.

Yu Chuang entered the lounge.

Ji Mian’s lounge was just as spacious, more like a full-sized bedroom. A bed for naps or overnight stays sat in the center, along with a wardrobe and all the usual bedroom furniture.

A wooden coat rack stood beside the bed.

Yu Chuang hesitated, then stepped closer.

A suit jacket, dress shirt, and tie hung on the rack—clearly Ji Mian’s usual attire.

Earlier, before dinner, Ji Mian had deliberately changed out of this outfit.

It’s not unusual to change clothes after work, but Yu Chuang couldn’t shake the thought that Ji Mian was deliberately keeping something from him.

Even his whereabouts—Ji Mian seemed unwilling to share them.

Yu Chuang scanned the entire lounge, his gaze darkening slightly.

Just how many secrets was this man hiding? How much had he concealed?

A faint fragrance lingered in the room, its source unclear. Yu Chuang was used to it; everything about Ji Mian seemed to carry a scent, stirring something in him.

He glanced at the wardrobe beside him, hesitated for a moment, then reached out and opened the door.

Inside hung a few comfortable casual outfits, and the other furniture in the lounge showed signs of use, indicating that Ji Mian often stayed here overnight.

At least, there were no other men’s clothes.

He closed the wardrobe door, chiding himself for snooping into others’ privacy.

Yet his gaze drifted involuntarily to the cabinet beside Ji Mian’s bed—where such items are usually kept.

Though in the year Yu Chuang had spent with the Ji family, he’d never seen Ji Mian involved with anyone… but a man in his twenties or thirties is often driven by strong desires. Who knew if Ji Mian had a secret lover all these years?

A competitor of Mingsheng had faced a similar scandal: the chairman was caught cheating in the lounge by his wife one day. The wife, hot-tempered and wealthy, didn’t care about her husband’s reputation in the company, even throwing his underwear out.

The incident became the talk of the company, causing a scandal.

"..."

Yu Chuang looked away, telling himself, *He should trust him; there couldn’t be anything like that inside.*

But then he thought, *Why should I believe him? Their marriage wasn’t built on any emotional connection, let alone trust. They were in an even worse place than that chairman and his wife!*

Yu Chuang’s expression turned grim.

After a moment, he stepped forward.

After wrestling with himself, Yu Chuang bent down slightly, pulled the drawer handle, and opened it.

He could see everything inside the drawer: only a few velvet boxes of different sizes, nothing else.

Yu Chuang had a good idea what was in those velvet boxes. The small ones likely held accessories like cufflinks, while the larger one probably contained a watch.

He picked up the watch box and sat on the edge of the lounge bed.

Knowing Ji Mian, if he were to keep one, it would be his favorite. But Yu Chuang remembered that Ji Mian’s most valuable watches had been sold off.

In the years he’d been away, what new model had Ji Mian acquired? To value it more than those others…

Yu Chuang mused, opening the lid.

A stunning deep blue caught his eye.

...

Ji Mian finally finished his work, escorted the person out, and locked the office door, turning off the lights and pretending he’d left to avoid more work.

Then he rushed to the lounge to see how Yu Chuang was doing.

As soon as he pushed the door open, he found someone sitting hunched over by his bedside, not reacting when Ji Mian walked in.

Ji Mian frowned and walked closer to Yu Chuang, gently bumping his knee against Yu Chuang's leg. "Hey, I'm ready."

Suddenly, his knee was grabbed from behind as Yu Chuang hooked his hand around Ji Mian's knee.

Yu Chuang finally looked up, quietly gazing at him.

Ji Mian felt a shiver down his spine under that gaze. "What..."

Before he could say more, Yu Chuang abruptly pulled, dragging Ji Mian's leg and his whole body towards him.

Before Ji Mian knew it, he was already sitting on Yu Chuang's lap.

The sound of a zipper—

Yu Chuang pulled open the jacket, showing just a thin shirt underneath.

Ji Mian raised an eyebrow and pressed his hand against Yu Chuang's forehead. "What do you think you're doing?"

We're still at work; whatever they wanted to do would have to wait until they got home.

He trusted Yu Chuang to know better.

Yu Chuang looked up, staring at him for a while, then slowly pulled Ji Mian's hand away from his forehead.

Ji Mian was still in shock when, in the next second, his other hand was also grabbed by Yu Chuang.

His slim wrists were easily twisted behind his back, held back by Yu Chuang's single hand.

"Mmm—" He felt a sudden warmth on his chest.

Yu Chuang's tongue teased through the thin fabric.

Ji Mian's entire body tensed up, struggling to keep it together, but a moan slipped out. It began as a soft whimper, but after a certain someone did something, his voice suddenly cracked.

"...Yu... Yu Chuang!"

Yu Chuang paid him no mind, completely absorbed in what he was doing.

"...Let's go back, okay?" Ji Mian pleaded with him for the first time.

Yu Chuang stopped, tilting his head in thought.

"No."

Ji Mian: "..."

*

There were no supplies for this kind of thing in Ji Mian's lounge, so he was the only one being tormented.

He had kicked off his pants in discomfort, and the thin shirt on his chest was damp in two spots.

Ji Mian was nearly in tears: "...What am I going to wear later?"

Yu Chuang said, "There are clothes in the wardrobe. I saw them."

"Saw them?" His wardrobe was closed.

"Who said you could go through my stuff?" A thought flashed through Ji Mian's mind, and he wanted to turn to look at Yu Chuang.

Unfortunately, the other man held onto his wrists until the very end, not even letting go when pulling his pants down.

Yu Chuang remained silent. Noticing Ji Mian turning to seek him out, he leaned in and captured his lips in a kiss.

Yu Chuang gazed intently at Ji Mian's flushed face. Ji Mian's eyes were glistening with tears, welling up in his eyes, even his long lashes were wet with tears.

How pitiful. But he had it coming.

A few minutes later, Yu Chuang finally released Ji Mian. The latter gasped for air, turning his face to the side, dazed and disoriented from the kiss, the fleeting thought in his mind vanished.

A faint "whoosh" sound came from behind Ji Mian's head.

His foggy mind snapped back to clarity.

Turning his head, he saw the bedside drawer had been opened.

Because he often stayed overnight at the company, Ji Mian had a number of personal items in his restroom: a change of clothes, ties, and his usual accessories: cufflinks and... a watch.

Before he could see if Yu Chuang had found the drawer's contents, the next second, Ji Mian's left wrist, tightly held behind his back by Yu Chuang, suddenly felt a chill.

It was the unmistakable coldness of metal.

He clearly felt the cold metal band of the watch encircling his wrist, and with a soft "click," the watch clasped shut.

Ji Mian's hands, which had been held tightly for over half an hour, were finally released by Yu Chuang.

With his hands free, Ji Mian didn't move, his entire body stiffened, frozen in place.

Seeing him motionless, Yu Chuang pressed himself against Ji Mian's back, leading his left hand in front of him.

The deep blue watch face, set against Ji Mian's reddened wrist, was stunningly beautiful.

"Mr. Ji, young master..." Yu Chuang kissed Ji Mian's ear with his lips, "Tell me, am I being presumptuous?"

"..."

Ji Mian couldn't speak.

Yu Chuang's voice was hoarse, "Just give me one reason, I promise I won't overthink it."

"..."

When the Ji Family went bankrupt, Ji Mian sold all his watches, and some temporarily unsellable antiques were given as gifts to manage relationships.

Only Yu Chuang's watch remained.

After the Ji Group showed signs of recovery, Ji Mian was busy all day and had no mind to buy new watches. In his restroom's drawer, only this watch was kept. There was no explanation for it.

"Speak, Mr. Ji?"

Ji Mian was silent for a long time, finally weakly accusing, "...I didn't ask you to go through my things."