Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Shen Yue now avoided Wei Jinchuan as if he were the plague—how could he possibly want him to take responsibility?

Wei Jinchuan’s words had frightened him so much that he hadn’t slept a wink. He searched online and even asked others to help him contact a spiritual master, but no matter what he tried, he couldn’t figure out why his body was acting beyond his control. By the time he arrived at the company the next day, the usually image-conscious young Mr. Shen had dark circles under his eyes and a dazed look; even his hair hung limply, as if something had drained all his energy.

*Knock, knock.*

Just as he was dozing off, a series of knocks woke him. Shen Yue shook his head to clear his mind and resumed his usual demeanor. “Come in.”

He leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed, still mulling over the events of the previous day. He wondered if he had offended some deity and decided he must take some time off to visit a temple and pray.

“Mr. Shen.”

A voice interrupted his thoughts. Shen Yue opened his eyes to see a man standing in front of his desk, handing over some documents with both hands.

“These are the additional clauses for the Boyue project. Linda asked you to review them. If there are no issues, we’ll send them to Boyue for confirmation.”

Shen Yue nodded and took the documents with one hand. But before he could withdraw his hand, he felt a light, deliberate touch brush against his palm.

It was as fleeting as a dragonfly touching water, so quick it might have been an illusion.

Shen Yue looked up. The man didn’t avoid his gaze, instead staring at him openly and boldly, a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing on his lips, his entire expression blatantly suggestive.

Two seconds later, the recently discussed additional clauses were casually set aside.

Shen Yue sat by the expansive floor-to-ceiling window, his back to the light, so half of his face was shrouded in shadow. The soft daylight outlined his elegant figure; the interplay of light and dark made him resemble a porcelain statue gilded with divine radiance.

Shen Yue had never been provoked like this before. Perhaps there had been instances in the past, but those were either with people he already knew or in dimly lit bars and clubs where flashing lights created a haze.

But now, in broad daylight, at only their first meeting, and in a solemn office environment, the man’s desire was laid bare—as if with a single command from Shen Yue, he would immediately press him down onto the desk.

Shen Yue’s gaze shifted from the face that perfectly matched his type to the man’s ID badge. He curved his lips into a smile. “New here?”

The suggestive lilt at the end of his question was subtle yet provocative, like a hook effortlessly stirring primal desires.

The man’s throat went dry, his gaze growing intense. “Yes.”

Shen Yue met his eyes, then suddenly stood and walked over to him, using one hand to tug on the lanyard around the man’s neck.

The distance between their faces abruptly closed. Shen Yue exhaled softly, his warm breath brushing against the man’s face and leaving a blush. Seeing the flustered look in the man’s eyes, some of the irritation from the earlier provocation finally faded.

He lowered his gaze and began examining the badge. “Name?”

The man didn’t understand why Shen Yue was asking when the badge clearly displayed his name. But he was utterly captivated by Shen Yue’s aloof, buttoned-up appearance—it made him want to tear off those prim and proper clothes and reduce him to a panting, pleading mess beneath him.

He licked his lips. “Jiang Fan.”

*Jiang Fan.* Shen Yue looked at the two characters on the badge and laughed.

That laugh could have meant many things—approval, provocation, or mockery. But as Shen Yue stepped back, it was clearly not a friendly laugh.

“Jiang Fan.”

Shen Yue repeated the name, his hand still holding the badge, sliding it upward until it reached Jiang Fan’s impeccably tailored suit collar. With two fingers, he tucked the thin badge into the gap between the suit jacket and shirt.

Because of Jiang Fan’s well-developed chest muscles, only the top edge of the badge slipped in, leaving most of it and the black lanyard hanging awkwardly outside.

Without changing his expression, Shen Yue returned to his seat and raised an eyebrow. “You’ve got quite the nerve.”

Jiang Fan was stunned. “You’re rejecting me?”

“Surprised?” Shen Yue leaned back, and in this position, the light from the window finally kissed his narrow, expressive eyes, softening the sharp edge of his disdain.

He smiled lightly, a faint curve of his lips. But with a face like his, even the slightest smile carried a captivating charm.

Jiang Fan stared at him, spellbound, truly feeling that if he could have a night of passion with Shen Yue, it would be worth dying right there in bed.

No wonder so many people threw themselves at him, even if it meant just exchanging a word or catching a glimpse.

He watched as Shen Yue, still smiling, delivered a ruthless verdict: “Go see Linda for your termination notice. I assume you know where her office is?”

…

After dealing with Jiang Fan, Shen Yue reviewed the additional clauses for the Boyue project and closed his eyes to rest for a while.

Not long after, Linda pushed open the door to his office, her high heels clacking. *Knock, knock.*

It was odd—she didn’t knock when the door was closed, but once she pushed it open, she suddenly remembered her manners. Dressed in smart business attire, Linda stood at the doorway. “May I come in?”

Shen Yue rubbed his temples and replied softly, “Come in.”

Linda chuckled, stepped inside, and thoughtfully closed the door behind her.

Shen Yue watched her movements. “Why close the door? Is there something that can’t be said with it open?”

“What does it matter? Everyone in the company knows your sexual orientation anyway,” Linda shrugged casually as she walked over to him. “Besides, what I’m about to say next is something others shouldn’t hear.”

Shen Yue nodded, used to her antics, and waited to hear what she had to say that required such secrecy.

Linda held up the termination notice. “I went through so much trouble to find someone with the professional skills our company needs, plus a body and face that suit your preferences. How could you just fire him like that?”

Shen Yue immediately understood what she meant. “You arranged for him?”

Linda had sent people his way before, but this was the first time she’d placed someone directly in his office. No wonder—Shen Yue had wondered how anyone could be so bold as to make a sexual advance at their boss on their first meeting.

“Yeah,” Linda grinned. “I heard from Director Zhao that falling for a straight guy wasn’t your fault, but at least you came to your senses. Three months of abstinence must be tough, right? Didn’t you like the one just now? He was quite lively.”

She sighed regretfully.

Shen Yue shot her a sidelong glance. “Not busy lately?”

“Not exactly,” Linda, having worked with Shen Yue for years, knew he was about to assign her more work. She quickly raised her hands in surrender. “Fine, if you don’t want Jiang Fan, you don’t want him. Not a fan of office romances? I’ll tell HR to hire someone uglier next time, okay?”

Without waiting for his response, she slipped away like a shot.

Shen Yue watched the door bang shut with a wry smile.

He rubbed his temples. Recently, because of that absurd dream, he’d been too distracted to focus on work, leaving many tasks piled up. Finally having some time today, Shen Yue set his phone to silent and dove into a busy day.

There was a lot to handle, and by the time he was almost done, it was very late. Having sat all day, his body felt stiff, every joint creaking as if rusted.

The employees had long since left, and his office was the only one on the entire floor still lit. Shen Yue stretched, gazing down at the city’s vibrant nightscape. The fatigue of the day lifted a bit, and he prepared to head home.

He checked his phone—luckily, it was still before midnight. He could still have a shower when he got back.

Just as he was thinking this, a call came through. Shen Yue checked and saw it was Zhao Lian, so he picked up. "Hello?"

Having worked overtime all day, Shen Yue hadn’t even had a proper meal. His voice was thick with exhaustion, startling Zhao Lian. "Yue? What’s wrong? You sound like you’ve been completely drained of your soul."

Shen Yue glanced at the mountain of documents on his desk and wasn't in the mood to get into it. "What’s up?"

"Oh, nothing much. I just couldn’t reach you and was worried something had happened," Zhao Lian sounded like he’d been drinking. "Are you okay, Yue? Who were you hanging out with today? Your voice sounds off."

Shen Yue rolled his eyes internally. "I was on a date with work at the office. If you’re really that interested, you can join us next time."

"Hard pass," Zhao Lian knew all too well how Shen Yue became consumed by work. Just imagining the scene made him shudder. "Done for the day? Wanna grab a drink?"

Shen Yue checked the time on his phone and laughed in disbelief. "It’s 11:30 p.m. You’re asking me to go drinking now?"

"Well, I called you so many times earlier, and you didn’t pick up!" Zhao Lian whined. "Same thing yesterday—you just took off without a word and left me there. I couldn’t reach you, and I thought you’d been kidnapped by traffickers."

Thinking of Wei Jinchuan, Shen Yue mused that it wasn’t exactly traffickers, but it wasn't far off.

As it was, he didn't have anyone else to vent his frustrations to. Since he’d caught up on his backlog and had some free time the next couple of days, he could afford to go to the office a bit later tomorrow. He made a snap decision. "Fine, send me the address. I’ll be right there."

Zhao Lian blew him a kiss over the phone, hung up, and quickly sent the location.

The address Zhao Lian sent was the same bar they’d visited just the day before.

When Shen Yue arrived, Zhao Lian happened to be in the restroom. Following the bartender’s directions, Shen Yue found the booth Zhao Lian had reserved and waited. But no sooner had he sat down than someone else approached to hit on him.

"Sorry," Shen Yue declined the advance. "I’m with someone."

The person expressed regret and left reluctantly.

As soon as one left, another showed up. Shen Yue was used to this sort of thing and expertly brushed off several men and women before the commotion around him finally settled down.

The bar was rather warm. Shen Yue took off his jacket and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, finally getting some relief from the heat.

Suddenly, a shadow fell over him, blocking what little light there was.

Assuming it was yet another person trying to hit on him, Shen Yue looked up, ready to deal with it, but instead found himself staring into a pair of deep, angry, mocking eyes.

Wei Jinchuan glanced at the murmuring, restless crowd around them and then at the pale skin exposed by Shen Yue’s open collar. He couldn't help himself; he leaned down and adjusted Shen Yue’s collar, pulling it closed.

His gaze was cold and heavy, his lips parting as if to reprimand him. But Shen Yue was quicker—before Wei Jinchuan could speak, he caught his hand, gently folding Wei Jinchuan’s fingers into his own.

"Jinchuan, what took you so long?"

Author's Note:

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Shen Yue is just so adorable, so incredibly cute—I could just eat him up in one bite!