Chapter 16

Chapter 16

After closing a rare major deal, Shen Yue was in a great mood and immediately gave himself two days off, going home to sleep the day away.

He hadn't allowed himself such indulgent rest in a long time. By the time he woke up, it was already the next day. Having slept for so long, his mind struggled to catch up with his body, leaving him in a daze. He lay in bed for a while before his head gradually cleared.

It was 9 a.m. When Shen Yue’s phone screen lit up, over a dozen missed calls and messages popped up one after another, dazzling him.

Rubbing his eyes, which were having trouble focusing after such a long sleep, Shen Yue got out of bed to wash up while scrolling through the messages. Most of them were from Zhong Yuan, sent persistently though intermittently, starting from noon the previous day until that morning.

Zhong Yuan: [I’m sorry, Mr. Shen. Should I not have come? I didn’t mean to upset him.]

[I just wanted to bring you some soup. You didn’t say I couldn’t come today. If I’d known, I definitely wouldn’t have.]

[Mr. Wei didn’t misunderstand anything, did he? I can explain everything. You didn’t argue with him because of me, did you? It’s all my fault. Just blame me—it has nothing to do with him.]

[Maybe I should apologize to him. I know he’s special to you, and I don’t want to put you in a difficult position. Whatever the mistake, it’s mine. I shouldn’t have overstepped or worried about your stomach without permission.]

His attitude was polite, his tone gentle, and he took all the blame upon himself, as if the argument with Wei Jinchuan the day before was entirely his fault and had nothing to do with the other party involved.

Shen Yue had always been more responsive to softness than harshness. Though he could tell Zhong Yuan was retreating to advance, the other’s attitude still moved him. He immediately typed: [It’s not your fault. He was being unreasonable.]

Zhong Yuan replied instantly, as if he’d been waiting or had set a special alert: [You finally replied, Mr. Shen. You didn’t argue with him yesterday, did you?]

Shen Yue’s eyelids twitched. Given Wei Jinchuan’s earnest apology the day before, it was hard to say if it even counted as arguing.

He never liked sharing his private life as gossip, so he didn’t elaborate and simply typed: [It’s fine.]

[That’s good.]

[Maybe I shouldn’t have said that? Watching you secretly is my own business—how could I mention it to you in advance?]

[It’s okay if you don’t want me to come. I don’t want to cause you trouble. You don’t think I’m strange, do you?]

[I’m sorry. I just feel he’s not worthy of you—not that I am either. But if it were me, I would never have put you in such an awkward situation yesterday.]

[...]

The messages that followed were increasingly filled with backhanded compliments, with Zhong Yuan “unintentionally” pointing out how unworthy Wei Jinchuan was, while apologizing and claiming he didn’t mean it that way.

Shen Yue had seen all kinds of tricks over the years. If he actually believed Zhong Yuan’s “I didn’t mean it that way,” he’d be naive.

But so what? No man could resist others vying for his affection, especially when both Wei Jinchuan and Zhong Yuan were outstanding individuals. Shen Yue would be lying if he said he felt no vanity at all. Moreover, given the unsettling nature of that disturbing dream, even though Wei Jinchuan had been behaving better lately, it was impossible for Shen Yue to let go of his reservations entirely.

On the other hand, Shen Yue disliked trouble, and Zhong Yuan was currently causing more trouble than pleasure. According to Shen Yue’s usual principles, he should cut ties with Zhong Yuan.

But…

Wei Jinchuan’s hostility toward Zhong Yuan inexplicably surfaced in his mind, sparking a sense of contrariness. Staring at the chat box, Shen Yue finally typed after a long pause: [Come over.]

Feeling it wasn’t enough, he quickly added: [You can come now.]

From that moment, the chat box showed “typing…” for a long time, but no new message came through.

Shen Yue sent his location directly.

After exiting the chat with Zhong Yuan, he dealt with another friend request—again from “Nian Bai.” Since Shen Yue had blocked him last time, the person had persistently used alternate accounts to add him, refusing to take no for an answer. If it weren’t for the IP address not matching, Shen Yue would have thought it was a scammer.

He declined the request as usual, then checked the missed calls from while he was asleep. Surprisingly, aside from one call from his brother an hour ago, all the others were from Wei Jinchuan.

…Wei Jinchuan?

Why was he calling so many times?

His thumb hovered briefly over the sappy nickname he hadn’t yet changed. Shen Yue had meant to scroll down to his brother’s missed call record but accidentally redialed Wei Jinchuan instead.

The moment the ringtone sounded, Shen Yue came to his senses. He was about to hang up, but Wei Jinchuan answered even faster—after just one ring.

“Hello?”

Wei Jinchuan’s voice sounded slightly distorted over the phone, but his anxiety was unmistakable: “Linda said you took the day off. What’s wrong? Are you sick?”

Since the call had already connected, hanging up was no longer an option. Shen Yue reluctantly accepted it: “No.”

Wei Jinchuan asked, “Then when are you coming in?”

“Not sure yet.” Shen Yue’s voice was still thick with sleep. “Why? Is there something you need?”

Wei Jinchuan paused. “I have something to give you.”

Shen Yue yawned. “If it’s work-related, ask Linda. I’m not at the office right now, so it’s not convenient for me to handle.”

“It’s about Fu Jingbie,” Wei Jinchuan explained. “I finished writing the self-criticism. Didn’t you say you wanted to see it today?”

So that was it. Shen Yue said, “Just leave it there. I’ll look at it when I get back.”

“No,” Wei Jinchuan insisted stubbornly. “You said you’d look at it today.”

His inflexibility made Shen Yue both annoyed and amused. “It’ll still be there if you leave it on my desk. I can look at it anytime. Anyway, that’s enough for now. I’m going to get more rest. You—”

“Are you at home right now?” Wei Jinchuan interrupted before he could finish.

The question made Shen Yue's heart skip. Though Wei Jinchuan’s tone was calm and even, he sensed an inexplicable danger, as if being watched by some predatory animal. It made his scalp tingle.

Suppressing the uneasy feeling, Shen Yue steadied himself and replied, “Yes.”

Wei Jinchuan said, “Wait right there,” and before Shen Yue could react, the call disconnected with a dial tone.

Shen Yue was left stunned, his sense of dread intensifying.

There’s nothing to be afraid of, he reassured himself. Wei Jinchuan doesn’t know where I live. Even if he did, I have so many properties—he might not find the right one.

Though he tried to rationalize it, Shen Yue remained on edge. It wasn’t until Zhong Yuan arrived that he began to relax slightly from that uneasy state.

Hearing that Shen Yue hadn’t eaten breakfast, Zhong Yuan headed straight to the kitchen to prepare food as soon as he set his things down.

“All done.”

After preparing the meal, Zhong Yuan served Shen Yue the noodles, helpfully mixing in the seasoning to make it easier for him to eat.

He took off his apron and sat across from Shen Yue with a smile. “Lighter food is better in the morning. Since you like spicy food, I’ll make something spicier for lunch.”

Zhong Yuan had always been a good cook, and he’d improved even more since they broke up. Though Shen Yue preferred strong flavors, the seemingly bland noodles unexpectedly suited his taste. After taking a bite, he praised sincerely, “You’ve really got skills.”

“Really?” Zhong Yuan was flattered. “I was afraid it might be too bland for you.”

After the meal, Zhong Yuan voluntarily cleaned up. Seemingly unable to sit still, he noticed Shen Yue looking at his nails, which had grown a bit long, and offered, “Want me to trim them for you?”

If he hadn't said anything, Shen Yue wouldn't have even noticed his nails had grown. Hearing this, he spread his hands and said, "There's no need—I can still do this kind of thing myself."

Zhong Yuan insisted, "There's nothing else to do right now anyway, and I'm already here. You can play on your phone or watch TV; I'll be done in no time."

Shen Yue thought to himself that his phone addiction wasn't actually that bad. Seeing Zhong Yuan’s persistence, he didn’t argue further and simply extended his hand.

His hands were always cold, and Zhong Yuan was startled by the chill the moment he took hold of them. Instinctively, he wanted to warm them up, and he couldn't help but rub them with his fingertips.

Shen Yue looked at him and squeezed back lightly.

Zhong Yuan felt a sudden stir, his thoughts beginning to wander. Raising his eyes to the man lounging lazily on the sofa, he said, "Mr. Shen."

He was always like this—usually addressing him respectfully as "President Shen," but whenever desire stirred even slightly, it became that restrained yet suggestive "Mr. Shen," as if being able to pin this "gentleman" down and bully him was a point of great pride.

Shen Yue met Zhong Yuan’s flustered gaze and said with a faint smile, "What, trying to seduce me again?"

Zhong Yuan’s ears flushed even redder. His bright eyes fixed intently on Shen Yue, filled with an intense possessiveness that starkly contrasted his well-behaved appearance. "May I?"

An unspoken intimacy had begun to permeate the air. One sitting, the other half-reclining, Zhong Yuan’s gaze drifted slowly downward until it settled on those soft, vivid lips. As if bewitched, he took both of Shen Yue’s hands, lifting them upward, and leaned in.

He wanted… to do something.

His eyes grew increasingly captivated as the distance between them narrowed. Just as Zhong Yuan was about to kiss Shen Yue—

Right then, the doorbell rang.

The crisp sound broke the unspoken intimate atmosphere between them. Zhong Yuan stared at Shen Yue for a long moment before he finally managed to regain his composure.

He stood up helplessly. "Please rest for a bit—I’ll get the door."

Shen Yue was too lazy to move and had just nodded when his eyes flicked to his phone’s lock screen. There, he saw a message from Wei Jinchuan sent exactly a minute ago: [Open up. I’m at your door.]

---

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Author's Note:

Wei Jinchuan: Caught in the act!!! Thank you to baby Gui Lingxing for donating a bottle of nutrient solution, baby A Calm Koi for donating a bottle of nutrient solution, baby Ah Gui for donating a bottle of nutrient solution, and baby Must Know All Things for donating ten bottles of nutrient solution! Baby Shen Yue thought the aunties had forgotten about him after he took two days off, but it turns out the aunties still came to support him. He was so touched today at kindergarten he almost cried. When his mom came over to ask, he stubbornly insisted, "I wasn’t," while clutching his nutrient solution—what a tsundere little fool!