Chapter 101

Chapter 101

Xie Qingyue: "Spacious and practical."

He answered frankly, his eyes behind the lenses glancing at Chen Zui with a hint of provocation.

Chen Zui truly relished his spirited demeanor.

The two settled into the spacious and practical SUV, and they drove off.

Ao Tian was now fully in spectator mode. Let the flirting commence—it was eager to see who would outmaneuver whom.

"I'll take you back. I still have work to do," Xie Qingyue said. His driving was steady, calm, and unhurried, and his speech was slow, each word enunciated smoothly and precisely.

"Not having dinner?"

Chen Zui didn’t go along with his plan.

So Xie Qingyue conceded: "Then I’ll take you back after we eat."

Chen Zui: "But I’d like to cook myself, to thank you for your care."

After pushing his advantage further, he offered Xie Qingyue an acceptable compromise: "You can work while I cook."

It was a perfect arrangement, and with the added temptation of a meal cooked by him, who could refuse?

Xie Qingyue: "Then let’s go to the supermarket first."

This time, Chen Zui didn’t argue. Just as a "click" sound was heard, the figure in Xie Qingyue’s peripheral vision disappeared. He turned to look and saw that Chen Zui had reclined the seat, stretching out flat.

Xie Qingyue’s eyes narrowed slightly, and his grip on the steering wheel tightened.

Chen Zui tilted his head and smiled at him: "SUVs are so comfortable to lie in. I’ll take a nap."

He closed his determined, seductive eyes. The glow of the sunset streamed through the car window onto his face, warm and gentle, yet this person possessed a heart full of holes, like a honeycomb briquette.

Xie Qingyue averted his gaze. Thankfully, he was a disciplined man, able to focus on driving even with Chen Zui lying right there in his car.

But his mind still wandered a little.

After all, he’d had that dream.

Chen Zui pretended to doze, noticing the faint rose fragrance of the car’s air freshener. He sniffed a few more times, having not smoked for a long time.

The two bought a lot of groceries at the supermarket and went to Xie Qingyue’s home. Xie Qingyue’s kitchen had never seen use—he didn’t like outsiders in his home, so he hadn’t hired a cook. He mostly ate out.

Now, the fridge was stocked with groceries.

Chen Zui: "Go ahead and work. From now on, this is my battlefield."

It was unclear whether Xie Qingyue had any reaction to this, but Ao Tian was truly dazzled by its host. If it had a physical form, it would definitely be chin in hands, with a look of admiration and starry eyes.

Xie Qingyue actually felt somewhat guilty about this. Out of courtesy, he should have stayed to help, but his work was indeed urgent.

"Sorry to trouble you. Let me know if you need anything."

He didn’t go to his study but took his laptop to the living room, put on a headset, and started an online meeting, occasionally glancing toward Chen Zui in the kitchen.

He actually knew how to cook—it made him seem like a domestic type all of a sudden.

A man who could cook always had a certain husband material vibe.

And husband...

Xie Qingyue’s eyes darkened.

As his thoughts wandered, Chen Zui tapped his phone, and the sound of "Learning Home Cooking with Yueyue" echoed from the kitchen. Xie Qingyue’s wandering thoughts paused—so he was winging it?

Chen Zui had seemed so confident earlier; he’d thought Chen Zui actually knew how to cook.

He couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.

It was kind of cute.

The last employee joined the meeting on screen, and he got back to work.

Chen Zui put on an apron and started washing the vegetables. He filled a basin with water and scrubbed each leaf aggressively, drenching half the apron before even finishing the vegetables.

After preparing everything, he started chopping.

Chen Zui took out the kitchen knife. The weight felt just right. He’d rarely used a kitchen knife as a weapon—it wasn’t practical to carry. But kitchen knives were indeed great; indispensable for cooking, ordinary and unremarkable, yet lethal in a fight.

He admired the brand-new, unused knife.

For a moment, he hesitated to use it for chopping.

Chen Zui admired it for a while before starting to chop. While he was good at cutting down people, he was clumsy with vegetables. He worked slowly, and the results looked messy.

Xie Qingyue glanced at the kitchen again. Chen Zui, wearing an apron, was preparing their dinner in his kitchen.

He felt a warmth in his chest.

His subordinates noticed their boss was in a much better mood today.

Chen Zui chopped and chopped, and as expected, an accident happened—he nicked his hand, and bright red blood immediately bubbled up. It was indeed a sharp, effective knife.

Chen Zui raised an eyebrow. Even as blood trickled out, he remained calm, setting down the knife and holding his bleeding hand over the trash can.

"Mr. Xie."

Xie Qingyue looked over, his eyes questioning.

Chen Zui: "Do you have a band-aid?"

Xie Qingyue bolted up. His gaze followed Chen Zui’s still arm to his hand, where blood was beading into droplets at his fingertips, falling into the bin.

He took an urgent step forward, then returned to his laptop: "Hold on a sec."

He took off his headset, turned off the sound, and hurried over to Chen Zui with the first-aid kit.

Chen Zui: "It’s fine. Just a cut."

Once, during a mission, he’d been injured—half his finger cut off—and he’d just wrapped it with a cloth to stop the bleeding. When Ao Tian restored this body, it not only repaired the missing parts but cleared every one of his countless scars.

Xie Qingyue grabbed his hand. The cut was on his index finger, as wide as the fingertip itself: "Even a cut hurts."

He disinfected the wound first. The band-aid was almost immediately soaked through with blood, and he had to replace it twice before the bleeding stopped. Then he carefully wiped away the blood around the cut with a wet wipe.

Chen Zui stared curiously as Xie Qingyue diligently tended to such a minor wound—so this is the kind of care one could receive when injured.

Even injured, Chen Zui’s mood was pretty happy now.

“Alright, thanks for your help. You should get back to work; I’ll continue cooking.”

Xie Qingyue took Chen Zui by the arm and pulled him out of the kitchen. “Your hand shouldn’t get wet. We’re not cooking tonight; let’s just order in.”

“Wait? But I’ve already prepared all the ingredients.” Chen Zui’s tone carried a hint of a whine, especially as his dark eyes locked onto Xie Qingyue.

Xie Qingyue said, “We’ll cook tomorrow. They won’t spoil in the fridge.”

It wasn’t up for debate—a rare display of assertiveness in front of Chen Zui.

This time, Chen Zui gave in and followed his arrangement. “Alright, what would you like to eat? I’ll place the order.”

Xie Qingyue let out a relieved sigh, glad Chen Zui listened sometimes. “You decide. I’ll eat anything.”

He put all the food away in the fridge, washed his hands, and then got back to his meeting. Chen Zui sat not far away, quietly placing the takeout order.

In the living room, only Xie Qingyue’s voice could be heard from time to time, discussing professional terms Chen Zui couldn’t understand. With nothing else to do, Chen Zui openly watched Xie Qingyue, mapping out the lines of his brows, his lips, and the chest muscles beneath his shirt with his gaze.

His staring gradually made Xie Qingyue sit up more formally.

Forty minutes later, the takeout arrived, and the gaze fixed on him finally shifted away. Xie Qingyue nodded for him to eat first, but Chen Zui, of course, didn’t start without him.

Another twenty minutes passed before Xie Qingyue’s meeting finally wrapped up.

Xie Qingyue only had ten minutes to eat, with another meeting scheduled right after. The previous meeting had eaten into the reserved time, so the two ate quietly.

After the meal, as Xie Qingyue came out of the bathroom and prepared to return to his seat, he noticed Chen Zui, who had cleared the table, sitting back on the sofa. He didn’t want to experience being stared at like that again.

He changed course.

A jigsaw puzzle was set down in front of Chen Zui.

Chen Zui looked at Xie Qingyue.

Xie Qingyue said, “Something to keep you busy.”

Chen Zui felt like a restless kid being handed some random toy by a parent to keep him occupied.

He opened the puzzle.

Xie Qingyue’s meetings dragged on endlessly, one after another. Hours passed, and Chen Zui had already completed most of the puzzle.

Xie Qingyue lit a cigarette to wake himself up.

Glancing at the time on his laptop, it was already midnight. He picked up his phone and sent Chen Zui a message: “Go ahead and get some sleep. The guest room is right across from the kitchen.”

Chen Zui asked, “How much longer will you be?”

Xie Qingyue took a deep drag of his cigarette. “Two more meetings.”

Chen Zui was stunned. So this was how hard bosses worked—he had thought they just signed papers. Putting down the puzzle, he stood up, gave Xie Qingyue a nod, and left the living room.

Xie Qingyue dove back into the meetings. The next one was with overseas employees, and it was even more involved.

He had originally planned to move to the study, but…

He glanced over at the bedroom where Chen Zui was sleeping.

Just the thought of it kept him motivated to work overtime. Xie Qingyue leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples, a cigarette still in his hand. In his headphones, two subordinates were arguing over a collaboration case.

It was daytime on their end, and they were full of energy.

Only he, the boss… He checked the time again—two minutes to two. Suddenly, the bedroom door opened. He looked up and saw Chen Zui walking out in just his underwear.

The underwear was his—brand new.

His own underwear hugging Chen Zui’s…

Xie Qingyue’s eyes followed Chen Zui as he took a slow drag of the cigarette. This was his reward for working overtime.

Chen Zui took milk from the fridge, heated a cup, and placed it on the coffee table.

He sat down again and silently continued working on the puzzle.

Xie Qingyue looked at the warm milk. Earlier, only a part of his heart had felt warm; now, his entire chest felt warm all over. Pulling a late night, someone was waiting for him and had even brought over a cup of hot milk.

This must be happiness.

Xie Qingyue spoke.

Chen Zui heard words he didn’t understand. He turned to look at Xie Qingyue, who was saying something. Because he couldn’t understand, he thought Xie Qingyue looked especially hot at that moment.

Xie Qingyue ended the video call and removed his headphones.

Exhausted, he leaned back and let out a long sigh.

Chen Zui said, “You’re so busy. You really didn’t need to take on that role.”

Xie Qingyue straightened up again. “I can handle it.”

He picked up the cup. “Thank you.”

The warm milk soothed the day’s fatigue. Just as he set the cup down, his phone rang. The caller ID read: Bu Yan.

Exchanging a glance with Chen Zui, he answered the call.

“Qingyue, haven’t you finished filming yet? I tried video calling Chen Zui, but he didn’t answer. He really doesn’t take me, his patron, seriously!”

The voice was loud enough that even without speakerphone, Chen Zui and Xie Qingyue, sitting close, could hear it clearly. Their eyes met silently, and the cozy atmosphere quickly shifted.

“We’ve finished filming. He’s probably asleep at this hour.”

Xie Qingyue didn’t miss a beat lying, clearly seeing a playful smile flicker in Chen Zui’s eyes, which made his face grow warm.

“Even if he’s asleep, he should get up to answer my video call. That’s the basic duty of a lover.”

“I can’t let this slide. Since you’re often on set now, teach him a lesson for me. Make him suffer a bit.”

Xie Qingyue’s eyelids drooped and then lifted as he subtly turned up the volume. “You really want him to suffer?”

"He needs to suffer to learn who's in charge."

"That kind of person shouldn't be shown kindness, or he'll definitely take advantage. You don't have to accommodate him for my sake."

Xie Qingyue shot Chen Zui a flustered glance, then deliberately yawned: "I'm exhausted. I've been in meetings until now, I'll hang up first, we'll talk tomorrow."

He quickly hung up the phone, then said apologetically: "I apologize on behalf of Lu Buyan. He's actually not a bad person, he just talks tough. Don't be upset, and I won’t take it out on you because of him."

Ao Tian said: "So it turns out the one who stabs you in the back might really be a brother."

This was really using Lu Buyan as a stepping stone, trampling on him hard.

Most people would probably find this kind of backstabbing his friend despicable, but Chen Zui’s feelings were completely the opposite. The more thoroughly Xie Qingyue betrayed his brother for him, the more delighted, excited, and eager he became to have this person.

Chen Zui had never been in a proper relationship; he didn’t understand it.

He could only use the simplest, most direct way to verify the other’s love for him.

Xie Qingyue had already had a long day today, so Chen Zui didn’t push further. Instead, he stood up, leaned in close to Xie Qingyue, raised his thumb to the other’s lips, and slowly wiped away the remaining milk.

Then he brought his thumb to his mouth, stuck out his tongue, and licked from bottom to top.

"Don’t waste it."

"Goodnight, President Xie."

Chen Zui strode back to the guest bedroom on his long legs.

Xie Qingyue froze for a while, then slowly licked the part of his lips that Chen Zui had touched.

It was clear he wanted more.

—

The next day, Xie Qingyue wasn't filming today and went to the company for more meetings.

He left a message for Chen Zui: "Feel free to drive any car in the garage. The keys are all here."

Then he hurried off.

For a moment, it seemed as if Chen Zui was being kept by him.

Chen Zui didn’t head out until the afternoon. Today was his scene with another actor, Wen Hao—the police officer in the photo.

The scene involved him tracking the other person and then killing them.

Director Xue and the action director crowded around them, as the scene also involved fight scenes.

The action director held Wen Hao’s arm, explaining the movements to Chen Zui.

"This won’t cause the most damage." Chen Zui grabbed Wen Hao’s other hand. "It should be done like this here."

He demonstrated the movement without using force.

The action director’s eyes lit up: "You know your stuff."

Chen Zui, who had accidentally revealed his professional habits, said with a smirk: "I studied it for a while."

Everyone curiously asked him several questions.

Then the action director explained: "Your way does have more killing power, but it doesn’t look good on camera."

Film is a visual language—even violence needs to be aesthetically pleasing.

Chen Zui nodded in understanding.

Director Xue patted his shoulder: "Since you’ve studied it, give us a demonstration. Let me see how to make you look good on camera."

Wen Hao quickly chimed in: "Try it with the action director."

Just don't pick me.

So everyone stepped back, and the crew watched.

Chen Zui hadn’t stretched his legs in a long time, not since coming to this world.

The action director was also quite excited: "Let’s spar a bit."

Chen Zui didn’t spoil the mood: "Alright."

Director Xue called "action," and the action director began with tentative attacks. Chen Zui dodged smoothly, observing as he moved.

Xie Qingyue hurried over after finishing his work. From afar, it looked lively, and as he approached, he saw Chen Zui swing his long leg and kick toward the action director. The stability and power clearly showed he had training.

A thought suddenly popped into his head: "Man, what other surprises are you hiding?"

Everyone else also went "Ooh!"

Impressive.

Xie Qingyue’s gaze was completely fixed on Chen Zui. He was already in costume, wearing a black windbreaker, exuding a cold, fierce aura.

Such swift, precise movements made him seem more dangerous.

Like a beast hunting its prey.

Xie Qingyue’s heart pounded wildly, as if he were the one standing opposite Chen Zui, becoming the prey under his gaze.

Chen Zui sensed the gap between himself and the action director and didn't use his full strength. The other person was just doing his job; there was no need to show off.

The two exchanged moves in an exciting back-and-forth.

When it ended, everyone applauded and cheered.

The action director could tell Chen Zui had gone easy on him, not making him lose face: "Thanks."

After seeing Chen Zui’s skills, Director Xue got a new idea—he had to add an action scene for Chen Zui. Today’s little spar didn’t count.

Filming didn’t end until after 10 p.m.

Chen Zui changed out of his costume, and when he came out, Xie Qingyue was already waiting for him.

Before he could say anything.

Chen Zui: "Let me take you home."

Xie Qingyue followed Chen Zui to his parking spot and saw a sleek motorcycle.

It was his.

He didn't expect Chen Zui to pick this motorcycle.

Chen Zui had already handed him the helmet: "Didn't know you rode a motorcycle."

Motorcycles are pretty dangerous.

And Xie Qingyue seemed like the type to put safety first.

So when he saw this motorcycle in the garage, he was really surprised, even thinking it might've just been a gift to Xie Qingyue.

Xie Qingyue didn’t actually know how to ride, but most guys probably dream of owning a motorcycle, so his garage naturally had to have one.

"I can't ride."

"That's even better."

Chen Zui swung his leg over the motorcycle, tilted his head with a smirk: "Hop on."

Xie Qingyue, in his suit, sat down.

"President Xie."

"Hold on tight."

"If you fall, it’s not my fault~"

Xie Qingyue's gaze fell on Chen Zui's waist.

This embrace was for safety.

A solid excuse.

His arms wrapped around Chen Zui’s waist; the man's body, hard from low body fat, was firm.

The motorcycle revved and took off, Xie Qingyue's heart leapt into his throat, his arms instinctively tightening around Chen Zui.

The scenery on both sides whizzed by, the wind making it feel like they were flying.

Totally thrilling.

An adrenaline rush Xie Qingyue had never experienced before.

Good looks, great figure, knows martial arts, good at acting, rides a motorcycle, and is even into cooking.

Xie Qingyue felt Chen Zui had nothing wrong with him; he’s wasted on Bu Yan.

Chen Zui thrived on excitement.

Compared to motorcycles, flying a helicopter and doing flips in the air was even more thrilling and exhilarating, and the feeling of skydiving was pretty great too.

Although he had mastered these skills as a mercenary, he genuinely enjoyed them.

"President Xie."

"Hmm?"

"Your hand is about to grab my brother if it goes any lower."

"Non-drivers aren't allowed to hold the handlebars~"

His laughter came through the helmet, wild and carefree.

It made Xie Qingyue really want to pinch him!

But his hands moved upward, away from trouble.

——

By the time they got home and finished getting ready, it was almost midnight.

They should’ve each gone back to their rooms to sleep.

Chen Zui: "President Xie, should we run through our scene for tomorrow?"

Xie Qingyue paused as he took his water cup back to his room because tomorrow he and Chen Zui were filming a kiss scene.

He looked at Chen Zui sitting on the sofa as if he owned the place.

If he agreed, it would be a total line crossed.

But this was part of the work; he was just making sure the shoot went smoothly.

It was only a rehearsal, no feelings involved.

Refusing would make it seem like he was guilty.

He put down the cup: "Okay."

Ao Tian: "Let's say to temptation, give us a little more~"

Heh heh heh.

It turned off its visual sensors.

Chen Zui wasn't totally sure Xie Qingyue would agree, but as long as he asked, there was a possibility.

The two of them seriously each took their scripts.

This kiss scene takes place after Chen Zui killed Wen Hao; Chen Zui was amped up.

At this point, Xie Qingyue already had his suspicions about Chen Zui, but he couldn't let him notice, so he had to act normal like always while also seeming a little off.

Chen Zui yanked Xie Qingyue over, had him sit on his thigh.

It was a totally possessive, wrapped-around hold.

The script just said he pulled Xie Qingyue over to sit on him.

He raised his hand and grabbed Xie Qingyue’s chin: "You came back late today."

Xie Qingyue, thinking about what he and Chen Zui were about to do, kept his gaze fixed on Chen Zui's lips, which looked so kissable.

His heart was pounding out of his chest.

He said his lines in a stumble: "Yeah, there was a last-minute meeting."

Then he leaned his head against Chen Zui’s: "So tired…"

With this closeness, their noses brushed.

They were using the same toothpaste, the fresh minty scent blurring the line between their breaths.

Their gazes were like drizzling rain, weaving them together, threatening to soak everything.

Chen Zui: "I've missed you."

His voice was soft, warm.

Edging closer to Xie Qingyue's lips.

Xie Qingyue’s hand, resting on his own leg, clenched into a tight fist, his trembling eyelashes grazing Chen Zui’s cheek.

He was about to kiss Chen Zui.

With this wordless lover.

It was immoral.

Just as Chen Zui’s lips were about to meet his, Xie Qingyue suddenly turned his head away, and the kiss landed on his jawline.

Chen Zui: "Seems like morality wins again."

He lifted his head: "What is it, President Xie?"

Xie Qingyue took a deep breath: "It’s nothing. Let's take it from the top."

This time, omitting the earlier part where Chen Zui pulled him over.

Xie Qingyue leaned his head against Chen Zui's once more: "I'm exhausted…"

He was working.

This kiss held no personal desire.

He would uphold his morals, completely selflessly.

"I've missed you so much."

Chen Zui moved closer to Xie Qingyue’s lips once more, his hungry eyes that seemed to devour.

Their lips met.

In that instant, both felt an unprecedented satisfaction.

Lips pressed firmly together.

An open mouth claimed the other’s lips, gently biting.

Moving against each other.

Parting lips.

A deft tongue slipped through.

The kiss grew loud and wet.

Overwhelmed by the kiss, Xie Qingyue offered no resistance; his clenched fist loosened and wrapped around Chen Zui’s neck.