Chapter 60 Liking

Chapter 60: Liking

The music blared, the dancing was frenzied, and lights strobed everywhere.

The club was packed, almost entirely with young men and women.

With free drinks all night and someone throwing money around, everyone in the club was having a blast. Not only did Wang Chuang and a few unfamiliar young women head to the dance floor to shake their hips, but even the older Accountant Xue wasn’t spared—after drinking quite a bit, he was also dragged to the dance floor by colleagues to sway his old waist.

Around Jiang Luo, young women came in wave after wave.

He was in a good mood, and though he wasn’t particularly interested in chatting or laughing with them, if someone struck up a conversation, he was willing to exchange a few words.

A woman leaned in close amid the rousing music, covering her mouth as she asked, "You’re a big boss already at such a young age?"

Jiang Luo lounged lazily against the sofa, his posture relaxed, and quirked a smile: "I’m 38 this year."

"No way."

"Exactly."

Jiang Luo let out a quiet huff of laughter.

…

Huo Zongzhuo knew Jiang Luo had taken the company staff to the club to have fun. He didn’t go because he neither liked drinking nor dancing. Jiang Luo was young and energetic; if he enjoyed playing, he should go. Huo Zongzhuo waited for Jiang Luo at the hotel, taking the opportunity to call his mother.

The door to Huo Zongzhuo’s room had been left open the whole time, and he hadn’t slept. He sat on the sofa, wearing glasses, doing some light reading.

"Wow, Boss Huo, quite the refined taste."

A little after 1 a.m., Jiang Luo returned, his jacket slung over his shoulder, leaning casually against the doorframe. He was clearly quite drunk, his face flushed, his hair tousled, with one side of his bangs sticking up. Leaning against the doorframe, he looked flushed from drink and smiled into the room.

Huo Zongzhuo put down his book and stood up to walk over: "Back so early? I thought you’d play until three."

As he approached, he caught the distinct smell of alcohol on Jiang Luo, along with the slightly pungent scent of perfume mixed with cigarette smoke.

Huo Zongzhuo didn’t need to think twice to guess that many young women had likely approached Jiang Luo at the club tonight—maybe they drank together, or even danced.

Huo Zongzhuo could imagine all this, but he wasn’t jealous. Jiang Luo was young, good-looking, and wealthy—it was only natural he attracted women.

"What three o’clock?"

Jiang Luo balled up the jacket on his shoulder and shoved it into Huo Zongzhuo’s arms, looking both exhilarated and exhausted. "I’m old, can’t keep up anymore. Those lights were hurting my eyes."

Huo Zongzhuo found it amusing. He shook out the jacket, smoothed it, hung it over his arm, then reached out to hold Jiang Luo’s arm, intending to guide him back to the room across the hall: "Can you walk?"

Jiang Luo leaned against the doorframe, turning unsteadily, then glanced at the glasses on Huo Zongzhuo’s face and said, "You wear glasses?"

Huo Zongzhuo supported him and explained: "Astigmatism. I wear them for reading."

Jiang Luo chuckled: "You’re getting old too."

Huo Zongzhuo escorted him back to his room, fishing the room card from the jacket pocket: "Looks like you had a lot of fun."

"Did you dance with girls?"

Jiang Luo turned his head and smiled: "Although I like to have fun, I’m not much of a dancer. When I go to clubs, I usually just watch others dance."

Then he tilted his head and chuckled: "What are you imagining about me? Do I have to have girls with me at a club?"

Huo Zongzhuo swiped the card, pushed the door open, inserted the card to activate the power, and turned on the light, casually remarking: "You smell like perfume, so I guessed you danced with girls."

"Didn’t dance."

Jiang Luo walked into the room, with no energy left, and plopped down on the sofa by the bed, leaning against the backrest, head slightly tilted back, tugging at his collar.

Huo Zongzhuo filled a glass with warm water, looked at Jiang Luo, and said: "Then you drank with girls?"

Jiang Luo leaned back against the sofa, chuckled deeply, his chest vibrating a few times: "Why do you keep bringing up girls?"

"You’re just like my dad, questioning everything after a trip to the club, afraid I’ll run off with some girl."

"Alright."

Huo Zongzhuo walked over, compliantly: "I won’t ask anymore."

He handed the warm water to Jiang Luo, gently saying: "Take a few sips, sober up a bit, moisten your throat."

Jiang Luo was too tired to lift his hand, so he moved his mouth toward the glass.

Huo Zongzhuo saw this and brought the glass to his lips, helping him drink a few sips.

After drinking, Huo Zongzhuo set the glass down, crouched in front of Jiang Luo, placed his hands beside Jiang Luo’s legs, and said softly: "Drunk? Get some sleep early."

Jiang Luo leaned back against the sofa, grunted in agreement, his eyes already closed, and he didn’t move anymore.

Huo Zongzhuo knew Jiang Luo was asleep now. He didn’t wake him, didn’t make a sound or move, just stayed crouched, silently watching Jiang Luo.

He looked at Jiang Luo’s face, at his fair skin, at his long, dark eyelashes when his eyes were closed.

Huo Zongzhuo watched for a moment, feeling a deep tenderness in his heart.

He really, truly, really, liked Jiang Luo more and more.

It wasn’t like this at first.

Initially, he just thought this young man was good-looking, caught his eye, and then happened to see him buying stocks at the Jing'an Branch and making bets with others. He found it interesting and was curious. Later, they met again in Wencheng, and he felt there was some fate between them.

What purpose could there have been in the initial approach?

None, of course.

He was just gay, not a pervert. He didn’t see someone attractive and likable and immediately think about how to get them into bed.

It all started with a casual interest and curiosity, and a few chance encounters in different settings.

Did he like him back then?

A little.

At first, Huo Zongzhuo didn’t think much of it.

He felt what attracted him to Jiang Luo was mostly his face, his youth, his personality, that boldness.

After all, he was mature and rational, thinking this interest was like a flowering period—always limited. Maybe over time, he wouldn’t find it so special, and the liking would fade.

When it came to liking someone, Huo Zongzhuo had no experience, but he didn’t think it was a big deal.

His whole life, business and making money have been what his life was all about.

So from the very beginning, Huo Zongzhuo didn't think he would like Jiang Luo for very long.

He and Jiang Luo, even if they got along, were bound to end up as just regular friends in the future.

But now...

Huo Zongzhuo looked at the sleeping Jiang Luo, his eyes quietly tracing the lines of Jiang Luo's face as he slept, his heart full of tenderness.

His feelings, the increasingly clear, definite, and growing liking and happiness he felt when facing Jiang Luo—he could sense it all clearly.

He really did like Jiang Luo, and even more so as time went on.

Huo Zongzhuo stared at Jiang Luo for a long while, his gaze growing deeper and softer.

The next morning, Jiang Luo and Huo Zongzhuo met for breakfast in the dining room like they always did.

Jiang Luo ate his wontons with a spoon and sighed ruefully, "I really can't hold my liquor. I didn’t even drink that much yesterday."

Maybe the alcohol was fake?

Huo Zongzhuo, sitting across the table, glanced at him. "Did you throw up last night?"

Jiang Luo: "No, I didn’t."

"It's just that I can't find my mobile phone. Maybe it’s in the car. I’ll look for it later."

Huo Zongzhuo immediately asked, "You drove after drinking?"

Jiang Luo lifted his eyes. "No, I was too drunk and had no energy to drive. A colleague from the company drove—a woman. She didn’t drink."

Huo Zongzhuo hummed in acknowledgment and said nothing more. After a moment, he suddenly asked out of the blue, "Did you get a girlfriend recently?"

Jiang Luo nearly choked on his wonton soup.

He looked up, baffled. "What girlfriend? I’ve been busy with loans, making long-distance calls, running back and forth between the post office and the town government. When would I have the time or energy for that?"

His expression clearly said, "What kind of joke is this?"

Huo Zongzhuo had asked deliberately, just to find out if there were any women around Jiang Luo.

Knowing there weren't, Huo Zongzhuo felt relieved. Still, he couldn’t resist probing further: "When you went to the club yesterday, didn’t you meet any women you liked?"

"I smelled perfume on you when you came back."

Jiang Luo’s reply made Huo Zongzhuo choke on his congee.

As Jiang Luo stood up to get more food, he said casually, "I’m gay. I don’t like women, okay?"

Huo Zongzhuo: "Cough..."

Cough, cough.

Jiang Luo returned with a steamed bun and sat down. Huo Zongzhuo said, exasperated, "Don’t joke about that. China isn’t like abroad; it’s not that open-minded. Saying things like that could cause trouble."

Jiang Luo, of course, knew that. He snorted, "You’re the one who asked—going on about whether I have a girlfriend or like any women."

"What’s with you, first thing in the morning?"

Huo Zongzhuo raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, admitting fault.

Jiang Luo continued unhurriedly, "No girlfriend, just my parents."

"The German company is my dad, and the Juxiang Town Government is my mom."

"I’m just waiting for our family of three to reunite, along with the ten million from the Bank of China, so we can live happily ever after."

Huo Zongzhuo laughed when he heard this.

He couldn’t help but praise, "That was handled brilliantly. Too clever for words."

Then he asked, "How did you come up with it?"

Just thought of it on the spot, really.

Jiang Luo explained his reasoning: "I applied for a loan from the bank, but they thought the amount was too high and wouldn’t approve it. So naturally, I started thinking about how to get the bank to approve it."

"I figured I needed someone influential, or an organization, willing to sign as a guarantor for me."

"That’s when I thought of the Juxiang Town Government—after all, my factory is in their town."

Jiang Luo took a bite of his bun. "Then I thought of Deputy Town Mayor Wu Dayong."

"I’ve had dealings with him before," mainly in his previous life.

"I know he’s someone who genuinely wants to achieve something—for the town government, for himself, and for the local people."

Huo Zongzhuo listened attentively.

Jiang Luo continued, "Then I thought about how to get the town government and Wu Dayong to agree to endorse and guarantee for me."

"Next, I realized that without some benefit, the town government wouldn’t be willing."

"What benefit could I offer them?"

"Can’t just give them money directly, right?"

"So I thought about the factory again. Since it’s in the town, expanding the factory, upgrading equipment, and hiring more people could solve local employment issues. Profits would mean more tax revenue."

"But those aren’t direct benefits for the town government."

"That’s why I thought of offering them shares and dividends."

But why would the town government take shares?

And why would they provide a guarantee?

What’s so special about their factory?

Jiang Luo then thought that if their factory had foreign investment, given how much importance is placed on foreign capital domestically these days, the town government would likely consider it.

So, in turn, Jiang Luo thought of the German company selling the equipment.

After listening, Huo Zongzhuo nodded in approval. "That’s a very good line of thinking."

Then, remembering something, he asked, "How did you communicate with the German company? Did you hire a translator?"

Jiang Luo: "In English."

Huo Zongzhuo was a bit surprised.

Jiang Luo smirked: "What's that look for? English isn't difficult, and I speak it pretty well."

Huo Zongzhuo nodded: "That's good."

But his gut told him something was off.

Later, while driving to the new company, it suddenly clicked what was wrong—how could Jiang Luo speak English so well?

Although English was now included in the college entrance exams, Jiang Luo hadn't taken the exams, hadn't continued his studies, and wasn't around English speakers. Where'd he pick up English?

Did he learn it while living with his adoptive parents?

Just thinking about it made it clear that was impossible.

Why would a regular family bother with English?

Huo Zongzhuo felt this didn't make logical sense, but he didn't overthink it, or see it as a real issue.

What problem could there possibly be?

So he knows English - big deal.

It never crossed Huo Zongzhuo's mind to think of reincarnation.

It was Jiang Luo who soon realized it himself—had he stood out too much and been too abnormal by displaying intelligence beyond ordinary people, abilities unmatched for his age, including speaking fluent English?

Who cares.

Jiang Luo snorted.

Who would ever guess he had a past life?

Or who could point at him and say this was his second life?

Nobody even buys ghost stories.

Who would believe this?

There was no need to worry at all.

Jiang Luo quickly shoved these thoughts aside.