Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Z Province, located in the central region, isn't typically known for heavy rainfall. However, this year proved exceptionally unusual, experiencing not only the impact of typhoons but also intense convective downpours.

The city’s drainage system, being inadequate, led to continuously rising water levels. Ground-floor shops and storefronts suffered varying degrees of damage.

Qi Jing, leaning against Bo Chengyan’s shoulder, awoke groggily to find they had moved. The view outside the window was dim, and along the roads, construction workers toiled in the drizzle, clearing fallen branches.

"About five more minutes. Sleep a little longer."

Bo Chengyan reached for the blanket, tucking it around him again, then clasped Qi Jing’s wrist.

The bones were easier to hold.

His hand was too small; trying to interlace their fingers made him uncomfortable.

So he simply held his wrist.

Like a manacle.

Qi Jing narrowed his eyes, wondering why they had left so early this time. When he asked, the reply was:

"Performing a magic trick."

"Will you play along, Xiao Jing?"

Bo Chengyan’s expression remained neutral, but when he glanced sideways, an inexplicable pressure emanated from him.

*He doesn’t seem very happy?*

The young man was no longer so sleepy. His chin buried in the blanket, he stared at the man beside him.

One second, two seconds.

Qi Jing found himself lifted, blanket and all, from the reclined seat onto Bo Chengyan’s lap, still dazed.

"I’m unhappy."

Absolute control was an elusive goal.

Unless achieved through inhumane means.

But Qi Jing was out of the question—he was too small. Though an adult, his bones seemed naturally slender, like a deer or a bird, beautiful yet fragile creatures.

Locking him away would shield him from the storms outside.

But it would also block out the sunlight.

Bo Chengyan didn’t believe he was that cruel.

At the very least, he needed to maintain appearances.

"Why?"

The young man stretched out his slender arms and wrapped them around him. His breath was warm, as if he had just been taken from a nest.

"The weather is bad."

"Well, there’s nothing we can do about that..."

Qi Jing was only human; he couldn’t change the weather.

So he found another way.

He kissed Bo Chengyan’s chin.

*

The hotel’s conditions were unexpectedly good. When Qi Jing entered the room, he saw unopened clothes and several shopping bags.

Inside were fresh toiletries, likely purchased in advance by someone.

Breakfast was delivered soon after.

Qi Jing’s gaze wandered aimlessly, thinking how spacious it was, but soon heard the sound of fingers tapping on the table.

Bo Chengyan was on a phone call. Qi Jing walked over.

And looked up at him.

"Yes, I’ll attend. Lingyue will take responsibility where it’s due."

Qi Jing made no move to eat, simply watching the man on the phone. Honestly, he didn't understand most of it.

But it was probably about attending various meetings.

Related to disaster relief, perhaps?

At that thought, a faint tension tightened in his mind.

Qi Jing recognized the parallels—disaster relief, floods.

His memories of that time were hazy...

The call ended.

Qi Jing felt fingers gently brush his ear and looked up.

"Why aren’t you eating? You should have breakfast first."

Bo Chengyan was exceptionally handsome, especially in formal wear, exuding the effortless authority of a business tycoon.

Which he was.

Qi Jing rubbed his eyes, thinking he was overthinking, and slowly sipped his corn porridge.

He waited eagerly for his rice ball.

Bo Chengyan was opening it for him.

"Where’s Jiang Xiuyuan?"

Bo Chengyan paused briefly, looking down at him. "Is he your friend?"

"Yes."

Qi Jing certainly had the freedom to make friends.

But at times, he still required oversight. Bo Chengyan cautioned him, "He’s reportedly been diagnosed with depression. His emotions might be unstable, and this isn't his first incident of self-harm."

"I’d advise against seeing him."

Qi Jing indeed didn't know about this; he was simply very worried about the other person.

After all, they were both fledglings at first.

Bo Chengyan reached out and gently touched his cheek, saying softly, "Of course, if you want to meet him, you can. I’ve assigned you a bodyguard."

There was no need for restrictions.

He had the ability to ensure his safety.

*

Most human interactions occur within specific environments. Qi Jing had many friends at school, but in society… the only one he was close to was Jiang Xiuyuan.

"It's in room 1408."

The concierge informed them politely.

Z Province didn’t have many five-star hotels. Qi Jing hadn’t expected such a coincidence—they’d ended up at the same one.

996 had been there since dinner, but they only later spotted it in the rice ball’s wrapper because it could sniff around.

Its sense of smell wasn’t calibrated.

"Why come here?"

Qi Jing thought to himself, "To make a donation."

Dead serious.

996 always felt it wasn’t quite that simple. Couldn’t you just donate online? Showing up usually meant business—either hands-on projects or messy in-person business.

"I made another Macau run, mostly just…"

"Enter."

Cut off again.

Jiang Xiuyuan froze for a long moment when he opened the door, blinking in shock, "Qi Jing?"

He hadn’t expected to see him again.

Z Province’s weather hadn’t improved, and transportation hadn’t fully recovered. He shouldn’t be…

To be honest, Qi Jing almost didn’t recognize him. Back at the club, Jiang Xiuyuan had been wearing makeup, with lip rings, earrings, eyebrow piercings…

Right, and black nail polish.

A flashy midriff-baring top.

But now, there was none of that.

Jiang Xiuyuan actually had delicate features, with black hair falling loosely, his face ghostly pale, his chipped black polish, and his hands limp at his sides.

Like a video game character reset to default.

"Come in."

The place was trashed.

Some bottles were shattered, and there were bowls scattered around.

Jiang Xiuyuan wasn’t one to get flustered, but now he was. He wasn’t even wearing shoes as he frantically tidied up, accidentally cutting his finger in the process.

Qi Jing thought for a moment, then said to the bodyguard, "Mind giving us a minute?"

Very seriously.

"Not an option."

Qi Jing looked a little dejected and tried another approach, "Then can you stand by the door? I won’t close it."

An audience would just make things awkward.

The bodyguard got some earpiece instruction and didn’t push back, stepping outside.

Qi Jing went to help pick up the broken plates but was stopped. "Don’t—you’ll cut yourself!"

Jiang Xiuyuan pulled him over to the sofa, lowering his eyes as he said, "Stay put, wait for me, um…"

The young man glanced around, then went to pour some juice. But as he set it down, he muttered, "No."

He went to replace it with a packaged one.

"Drink this."

Safer this way.

Jiang Xiuyuan finally sat after dealing with the broken dishes, his nerves clearly frayed.

"Sorry, I broke them. Did I startle you?"

Qi Jing shook his head and simply asked, "Any luck getting the cash back?"

That was probably the real issue.

Jiang Xiuyuan shook his head. "No. Chen Zhuo’s got me locked in here. I can’t leave."

That night, his phone had died, the old place was completely dark, and he couldn’t find an exit.

He hadn’t called the police.

Figured it’d be a waste of cops’ time.

He’d sloshed through the floodwaters step by step, lost, until headlights suddenly blinded him.

No guardian angel—

just a devil yanking him into hell.

"I should pay you back first." Jiang Xiuyuan thought for a moment. He had actually saved up some money, though he hadn’t sent it home yet…

Enough to cover basics.

That million from Qi Jing—he owed it.

"H-hold on."

"Why did he lock you up?"

Jiang Xiuyuan hesitated, then answered, "To keep me trapped as his fucktoy."

Qi Jing felt his skin grow hot, staring blankly, speechless.

Jiang Xiuyuan explained, "I deserve it. I became a kept man, signed a two-year contract, and it hasn't even been a year yet."

"Selling myself... that's just how it is."

The young man smiled gently, "Why are you here? Did President Bo bring you?"

Qi Jing couldn’t help but feel nervous. He was slow, not stupid.

A canary is different.

It felt like he’d glimpsed the true nature of such an identity.

Qi Jing just got lucky.

He opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say.

"It’s fine. Don’t mind me. I was jealous of you," Jiang Xiuyuan rested his chin on his hand, looking at the much younger man.

His eyes lowered slightly, "But you’ve done nothing wrong. People are inherently different. Treating others’ gains as your losses? That’s just terrible."

"Besides, you look..."

The young man thought carefully, "Like you’d easily make someone possessive."

"I’m not sure if that’s the right way to put it."

Qi Jing sat on the sofa, legs pressed together, fidgeting with his fingers.

"I don’t understand."

Jiang Xiuyuan changed the subject, "Why did you come to see me?"

"To see if you’re okay."

The boy answered without hesitation.

Jiang Xiuyuan felt his head buzz for a moment, managed a weak smile as he asked, "Say that again."

Qi Jing repeated it.

*Are you okay?*

No one had ever asked him if he was okay.

All he’d ever heard were malicious words—*Are you shameless? Disgusting? You’re so filthy...*

Jiang Xiuyuan covered his face, feeling like he must be sick—otherwise, why would a single sentence make him want to cry?

"I... I..."

He was almost incoherent.

Until the boy simply reached out and hugged him.

There were surveillance cameras in the room.

A downright inhumane setup.

"Why? Didn’t I counsel him?" Chen Zhuo was completely baffled, leaning against the desk as he glanced at the person beside him.

"Is this my payment?"

No backstabbing.

He’d passed the message honestly.

Truth be told, Chen Zhuo didn’t think it mattered. Most outsiders probably assumed their relationship soured because of that marriage deal in Macau.

Honestly, it didn’t change a thing.

First, their interests aligned.

Second, they still had camaraderie.

Chen Jiangqiao was always having wild ideas, probably from reading too many rich-housewife novels. She’d found a few charming, good-looking bureaucrats and started daydreaming about being the heroine of some romance novel.

Chen Zhuo was pretty good at humoring his sister.

The only thing he wasn’t good at...

"No, Qi Jing asked to see him."

As Bo Chengyan stood up to leave, Chen Zhuo suddenly stopped him, "Actually, Jiang Xiuyuan liked you... You can’t tell me you didn’t know."

"No impression."

Three flat words.

Chen Zhuo raised an eyebrow, unsure how to describe what he felt, but before he could exhale—

"If this is just a whim of yours..."

"I don’t recommend it."

And then he left.

Both sentences seemed cut off and vague.

Chen Zhuo absentmindedly bit through the bandage on his hand, the wound still bleeding.

He lowered his gaze.

At least.

He didn’t stab me in the heart.

Pfft. He could do pure love too.

*

Qi Jing only stayed for a short while, clueless that from the moment he entered the room to the moment he left, he’d been watched the whole time.

"Thank you. I’m back in my room now. You’re off duty now, right?"

Qi Jing held the doorframe, biting his lip as he asked politely.

The bodyguard opened his mouth to reply, but his earpiece crackled with a voice.

So he switched his answer.

"Yes."

"See you later."

The bodyguard left.

Only then did Qi Jing close the door and let out a sigh of relief. He found the feeling of being followed very strange.

He didn’t like it.

As soon as the boy sat down on the sofa, a notification popped up in his bank account.

1.5 million yuan had been deposited.

Qi Jing frowned. He hadn’t asked Jiang Xiuyuan to repay the money—where did this come from?

"Thanks for your generosity, kid. The extra is for candy."

The number was unfamiliar.

When noon came.

Bo Chengyan picked up his phone at the dining table and glanced at it casually. "Chen Zhuo."

"Don't worry about it."

Qi Jing furrowed his brows as he took back his phone, his waist tugged forward slightly. He just asked in confusion, "Is he repaying on Jiang Xiuyuan’s behalf?"

"I gave out one million."

Bo Chengyan lifted his gaze to look at him, his gaze sharp as he asked, "Does that seem wrong to you?"

"Yeah."

Qi Jing said seriously, "I don’t know Chen Zhuo. I know Jiang Xiuyuan."

"Why is he repaying me on Jiang Xiuyuan’s behalf… Did he tell Jiang Xiuyuan?"

The boy sensed something was off, no longer so naive.

Bo Chengyan replied calmly, "Then send it back to him."

Qi Jing casually settled onto his lap, watching him process the refund, his waist supported.

"Jiang Xiuyuan doesn’t like him."

"Hmm."

"Can’t Chen Zhuo end the arrangement?"

"Not really sure."

"This sugar baby thing isn't good."

"True."

"Where've you been?"

The boy slid his arms around the man’s shoulders, nuzzling lightly at his collar, his breath warm against the man's throat.

Bo Chengyan went very still.