Chapter 136 Double Happiness

Chapter 136 Double Delight

When Huo Zongzhuo arrived at the company, Xue Zhizhong was already in the office, sitting on the sofa and sipping tea the secretary had given him.

The office door opened, and Huo Zongzhuo walked in. Xue Zhizhong quickly set down his partially drunk tea, stood up, and adopted a fawning expression: "President Huo, you're here."

Huo Zongzhuo ignored him, making straight for the desk. Standing beside the chair, he took off his suit jacket and hung it on the back, loosened his watch strap, unfastened his cuffs, and rolled up his sleeves. Only then did he turn his gaze to Xue Zhizhong, gesturing expressionlessly for him to come over.

Xue Zhizhong approached, thinking Huo Zongzhuo had something to tell him, his beady little eyes wide with anticipation.

But after rolling up his sleeves, Huo Zongzhuo reached out, grabbed the man's collar, and pulled him close. Staring at him, face blank, he said, "How long have you had someone tail Jiang Luo?"

What?

Xue Zhizhong was confused.

"How long?"

Huo Zongzhuo’s expression and tone were calm, but his aura was imposing, exuding palpable pressure.

Xue Zhizhong felt it and answered honestly, "A... a few months."

He panicked internally, unsure why President Huo was asking this.

Didn’t Huo Zongzhuo get what he wanted that night?

"A few months? When did it start?"

Huo Zongzhuo fixed him with a cold stare.

Xue Zhizhong, both confused and guilty, replied truthfully, "From... from that dinner at Heping Restaurant."

That was after the time Xue Zhizhong tried to procure a young man for him.

As soon as he finished speaking, Huo Zongzhuo slapped Xue Zhizhong across the face, snapping his head to the side.

The man remarked calmly, "Did I not warn you not to do anything foolish?"

Xue Zhizhong was stunned, his heart sinking instantly.

It wasn’t because he had been slapped, but because of Huo Zongzhuo’s tone and attitude.

He immediately thought back to that night a few days prior.

Did Huo Zongzhuo not sleep with Jiang Luo?

Or did something go wrong?

That shouldn’t be!

"President Huo, I..."

Xue Zhizhong tried to explain.

Huo Zongzhuo released him and said coldly, "Go see Secretary Wen and get the contract for the Plot 5 cooperation."

"The glass and landscaping contracts for that area are all yours now."

What?

Xue Zhizhong was stunned.

After finding Secretary Wen and leaving the company, Xue Zhizhong rubbed his slapped cheek, feeling inwardly overjoyed.

He had no idea why Huo Zongzhuo had slapped him and then given him a lucrative deal. All he knew was that the "offering" from that night a few days ago had paid off.

Hahaha.

Xue Zhizhong was ecstatic, rubbing his cheek as he walked off, beaming.

Supplying glass and handling landscaping for Plot 5—he was going to rake it in!

Hahaha!

If it meant making money, he wouldn’t mind taking a slap—he’d even be willing to be Huo Zongzhuo's dog.

Meanwhile, Huo Zongzhuo was busy writing something in his office when Wang Junqing, Old Fourth, and Old Third entered. The three walked in silently, not daring to utter a word, and quietly approached the desk.

As soon as they got close, Old Fourth slapped his own face twice—the sound sharp and crisp.

Huo Zongzhuo was too busy to scold them. Without even looking up, he said calmly, "Docked two months' pay. Get out and go find Secretary Wen."

Old Fourth opened his mouth to speak, but Old Third quickly pulled him back. The three left as quietly as they had entered, off to Secretary Wen’s office.

But when they reached Secretary Wen, she took three thick envelopes from her drawer and handed them over.

Wang Junqing and the others opened them and saw that they were stuffed with cash.

Old Fourth blurted out, "Is this a mistake? Why are you giving us money? Weren’t our salaries deducted for two months?"

"They were deducted," Secretary Wen adjusted her glasses. "The deduction stands."

"But this money is also from President Huo."

"I didn’t make a mistake."

The trio was baffled.

Jiang Luo, in high spirits from good news, arrived at Shengfei Factory. Before sitting down, he called for Xiao Lu and told him to go to the finance department and approve bonuses for the entire factory—200 yuan each.

Xiao Lu: ??

Xiao Lu was confused, "What... what’s the occasion?"

Jiang Luo plopped down behind his desk and said, "Holiday bonus."

Xiao Lu: "What holiday?"

Jiang Luo: "The 'Boss Is in a Great Mood and Feels Like Giving Money' holiday."

Xiao Lu: "..."

Xiao Lu left. Shortly after, Zhang Ningfu entered, pulled something from his pocket, and handed it to Jiang Luo with a smile. "Boss Jiang, my divorce is final."

Jiang Luo: !!

Jiang Luo laughed, "Awesome! Way to go!"

Two happy events at once!

Jiang Luo immediately got up, went to the safe, dialed the combination to open it, took out several stacks of cash, tossed them all onto the table, and gestured to Zhang Ningfu: "As promised, here's your divorce payout. Take the whole lot."

Zhang Ningfu was startled—this much?

Last time, wasn't it only three thousand?

Jiang Luo waved a hand dismissively: "Take it, take it all. I'm in a good mood, so just take it. Don't refuse and kill my buzz."

Just then, Wang Chuang also came in. Jiang Luo casually grabbed a few more stacks from the safe and tossed them onto the table, giving Wang Chuang a look that said, "This is for you."

Wang Chuang was also shocked: "Holy shit, what's going on?"

He then asked Jiang Luo: "Xiao Lu said you're giving bonuses to the whole factory? What happened?"

"I'm just in a good mood."

Jiang Luo closed the safe door, peeled the wrapper off a lollipop, and stuck it in his mouth.

Wang Chuang and Zhang Ningfu locked eyes, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes.

Confused, but respectful.

Zhang Ningfu tucked away his divorce papers, took the money meant for him, and left.

As soon soon as Zhang Ningfu left and the office door closed, Wang Chuang habitually plopped his rear on the desk edge, picked up a stack of money, and toyed with it while asking Jiang Luo: "Where have you been these past few days? You were totally unreachable."

"Couldn't get through to you on the phone either."

"Finally called Mr. Huo, and he told me you were busy with something."

"What was it? You didn't come to the factory for days."

"Zheng Bin and You Junyu also asked me where you were."

"What happened that night? You went to the bathroom and just disappeared."

"We searched everywhere, worried something had happened to you."

Jiang Luo slumped back in his chair, propped his feet on the desk corner, and sucked on the lollipop: "Nothing happened."

His tone was cocky and dismissive. "Just slept with your boss Huo."

"Cough! Cough!"

Wang Chuang choked mid-breath.

Wait, what?

Wang Chuang stared in shock. "For real?"

Jiang Luo affirmed with a calm expression: "Yeah."

"We've been doing it daily these past few days."

Wang Chuang sucked in a breath, lowering his voice: "Are you two together now?"

"Yep."

Jiang Luo's expression was pretty pleased with himself.

"Way to go, you two!"

Wang Chuang was pleasantly surprised and immediately laughed. "No wonder you told Xiao Lu to hand out bonuses as soon as you got here. So that's why!"

"Hell yeah!"

Jiang Luo finally laughed too, his eyes crinkling with obvious happiness.

Wang Chuang pressed him: "How did it even happen?"

"Didn't he not like men?"

Jiang Luo had no clue about the specifics of that night—all he knew was that they slept together.

He thought for a moment: "Must've been drunk and shamelessly persistent."

Wang Chuang approved: "Nice!"

"So you're together now?"

"Mm."

Jiang Luo nodded.

"No wonder you're so generous."

Wang Chuang scooped up all the stacks of money on the table, without a second thought. "I've worried about you two so much."

His face said, "This money is rightfully mine."

"Alright, bask in it."

Wang Chuang took the money and left to get back to work.

Leaving Jiang Luo sitting happily behind his desk, savoring his lollipop and sweetly reminiscing.

Suddenly, Wang Chuang stuck his head back in and whispered: "By the way, did you top him or did he top you?"

Jiang Luo: ?

Wang Chuang: "How do two men sleep together? Anal? Won't it hurt when you take a dump later?"

Fuck you!

Jiang Luo grabbed a folder from the desk and flung it at him.

Wang Chuang cackling with laughter, closed the door, and took off.

Jiang Luo was so happy and excited, and it took him a while to settle down and concentrate on work.

But just as he began reviewing the documents he needed to look at, there was a quick double knock at the door, and Mr. Huo Zongzhuo walked in.

"What brings you here?"

Taken aback, Jiang Luo quickly put his things down and stood up.

Just as he stepped forward, Huo Zongzhuo pinned him against the wall by the window, tilted his head for a kiss, and whispered, "I can’t stop thinking about you at work—I can’t focus on anything."

Jiang Luo smiled, grabbed Huo Zongzhuo’s collar, and pushed the man back against the wall instead, leaning in to kiss him.

They kissed, tongues entwined, breaths mingling, so absorbed they forgot everything else until they finally pulled apart.

Jiang Luo pressed his hands against the man’s chest, holding him in place, and planted a soft kiss before murmuring, "Me too, I’ve been thinking of you nonstop. I just tried to read something earlier but couldn’t concentrate."

He added, "I’m so happy—I even had the finance department hand out bonuses to the whole factory as soon as I arrived."

Huo Zongzhuo chuckled; that was exactly the kind of thing Jiang Luo would do. And he had done similar things himself.

Huo Zongzhuo raised a hand to rest on Jiang Luo’s waist and reminded him, "Don’t forget to get curtains put up on this window later."

Jiang Luo snorted, "Are we having a secret affair here?"

Huo Zongzhuo replied, "Let’s just pretend we are."

Jiang Luo leaned in again, and their lips met once more.

Then he began kissing Huo Zongzhuo’s jaw, chin, and throat.

As they kissed, they could hear footsteps and voices outside—it really did feel like a secret tryst.

Jiang Luo’s hands got frisky too; he unbuttoned Huo Zongzhuo’s shirt, slipped his hand inside, and let his fingers wander, riling him up until he was hard.

"You’re hard already?" Jiang Luo asked knowingly, his hand drifting lower, messing around on purpose.

Huo Zongzhuo took a deep breath and warned, "I’d stop that if I were you."

"Or what?" Jiang Luo wasn’t scared at all.

So Huo Zongzhuo swiftly turned him around, pinning Jiang Luo against the wall with his chest, their lower bodies pressed tightly together, so Jiang Luo could feel him pressed against him.

Jiang Luo tilted his head back and whispered, "You’re not thinking of…"

Huo Zongzhuo kissed him but didn’t actually take things further.

Like they were sneaking around, they stayed hidden in the dim space by the window, sharing intimacy a while longer.

Later, Jiang Luo left the office, went and cut a big piece of cloth, and stuffed it into the window frame to block the glass.

Huo Zongzhuo reminded him, "If you pull the curtain every time I come, people will get suspicious."

Jiang Luo pulled him toward the sofa and said, "Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing."

"I’ll have someone get real curtains installed soon."

"From now on, my office will have fabric covering the window 24/7."

Now even less in the mood to work, Jiang Luo sat close to Huo Zongzhuo on the sofa, shooting the breeze.

After a while, Jiang Luo said, "Let’s go back to Su City and visit Mom."

"Okay."

Huo Zongzhuo had been thinking the same thing. "She’ll be very happy to hear the news."

Jiang Luo was surprised. "She knows about us? Does she also know you like me?"

"Yes."

Huo Zongzhuo explained, "I told her everything a long time ago. She’s always hoped I’d settle down with someone, and she knows I like you."

Jiang Luo was astonished. "And she accepts it?"

Huo Zongzhuo elaborated, "She’s very open-minded. She believes it’s fine whether I like men or women."

"When she found out I liked you, she even encouraged me."

"That’s amazing!"

Jiang Luo exclaimed joyfully, wrapping his arms around Huo Zongzhuo in a tight hug. "Then let’s go back soon and share the good news with her."

"Okay."

Huo Zongzhuo’s eyes were filled with tenderness.