Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Jiang Zhuochen turned and sat on the bed, a flicker of unease crossing his face. He picked at the bedsheet and replied, "It's nothing. Have you eaten yet?"

Xu Xing's thoughtful gaze swept over the room. "Alright then. I'm going to eat."

"Wait!" Jiang Zhuochen called out and hurried to the doorway. Seeing Xu Xing look back, he asked, "Will you be back earlier tomorrow afternoon?"

"Not sure." Xu Xing had intended to ask what was wrong, but paused upon seeing the other's dejected expression. "Probably not as late as today."

Jiang Zhuochen perked up. "I'll wait for you!"

Then, the next day, Jiang Zhuochen discovered that not only was Xu Xing not late, but the timing was so early he almost wondered if Xu Xing had ducked out of work. No sooner had he finished buying and setting things out than Xu Xing walked in.

However, since Xu Xing had mentioned finishing work early in the morning when they went to the amusement park a couple of days ago, he didn't think much of it.

Sitting on the living room carpet, he waved Xu Xing over. "Come here quickly."

The coffee table was covered with small cakes of various sizes. Jiang Zhuochen held the game controller, excitedly waiting for Xu Xing to join him.

Xu Xing came to a halt two steps away, raising an eyebrow. "What's all this?"

"Are you tired?" Jiang Zhuochen looked up, a coaxing smile on his face. "Need a break? Have something to eat?"

Xu Xing leaned down slightly and picked up a packaged box. The creamy scent wafted out from the seams, filling his nose. "Bought these for me?"

"Yep." Jiang Zhuochen answered without hesitation. During his stay at the villa, small cakes had appeared for breakfast every other day or so. It must be because Xu Xing likes them, right?

That's why he suddenly realized yesterday that just playing games would be too monotonous; he needed to appeal to his tastes. With a table full of cakes and game cartridges, he was sure Xu Xing wouldn't be able to resist.

Xu Xing offered no explanation. He put the cake back in its place and sat on the sofa behind Jiang Zhuochen. "Is this what you were hiding last night?"

"I wasn't hiding it," Jiang Zhuochen corrected him. "I just wasn't ready yesterday."

Xu Xing gave a knowing nod. "You know how to use this controller?"

"No, I found it in a drawer." After saying this, Jiang Zhuochen thought of something and hurriedly added, "It was in the living room. I didn't go through anywhere else. Zhao Li said it's really fun, so I bought a new one to play with you."

He was too quick to justify himself, causing him to miss the flicker of complex emotion in Xu Xing's eyes. Not giving the other time to respond, he continued, asking eagerly, "Do you want to play?"

Xu Xing met his gaze. The other now resembled a toddler on the street who would cry if you didn't buy them candy. The very thought of refusing felt sinful.

In the few seconds of silence, even the flow of air seemed to halt. Jiang Zhuochen's mouth unconsciously turned down at the corners, deeply feeling this person was too hard to please. Several days had passed, yet he still seemed unmoved by either kindness or pressure.

His unseasoned mind was simple and easy to read, always making Xu Xing want to tease him. Xu Xing's fingertips twitched slightly. He pushed himself up from the sofa armrest, stood up, and picked up the controller from the coffee table.

Jiang Zhuochen perked up immediately. He patted the carpet beside him. "Sit. I bought a lot of cartridges. There's definitely something you'll be interested in."

As Jiang Zhuochen turned to pick out a cartridge, Xu Xing allowed a slight smile. "Just play whatever you want."

Just like at the amusement park, he was leaving it all up to Jiang Zhuochen. He wasn't having it. He gathered a pile of cartridges and placed them in front of Xu Xing. "You choose. Play what you like."

But when Xu Xing actually started choosing, Jiang Zhuochen couldn't win at any of the games. He lost every single round, until he finally cracked.

He threw the controller aside, grabbed a small cake in a huff, and took a bite, not caring about getting cream all over his face.

Xu Xing could only sigh. He pulled out a tissue and wiped his face clean. The action felt so natural that neither noticed anything amiss. The cloyingly sweet milky scent clung to Xu Xing's fingers in that brief moment, daring to creep further up. He rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, his throat feeling itchy.

"You were the one who told me to choose."

Jiang Zhuochen shot him a glance. He looked exactly the same, but without a trace of the gentleness and patience his Shizun had shown him. Couldn't he go easy when he saw Jiang Zhuochen couldn't play?

"I'm not angry," Jiang Zhuochen refused to admit it. "I'm just hungry."

Xu Xing couldn't help but chuckle. Clearly, he was the one who said he'd appease him, but these past few days felt more like he was acting spoiled, wanting Xu Xing to coax him instead. The anger in his heart had long since extinguished, leaving only residual warmth slowly flowing through his meridians.

A reminder popped up on his phone nearby. Xu Xing remembered he had a cross-border meeting to attend soon. He put down the controller and advised, "Don't eat too much. We'll have dinner later."

Then he picked up his phone and left.

Jiang Zhuochen stared in disbelief. After spending the whole afternoon playing with him, this man just left so decisively??

He kicked away the controller Xu Xing had put down, angrily wolfed down most of the remaining cakes, and went to lie on his bed, too full to eat dinner.

Once his temper subsided, he became listless again. He took the Long Life Lamp out from his sea of consciousness, circling his finger in the lamp's flame, his thoughts drifting.

He had grown up wild and unrestrained. When he first arrived at Wangxian Valley, he feared nothing and was always getting into trouble whenever he had free time. His Shizun would personally step in each time to clean up his messes. He let him throw tantrums and run away from home, only to steadily carry him back to his room when he was exhausted from his antics, then light a stick of calming incense.

After three years by his Shizun's side, he hadn't learned a shred of steadiness. How could he blame others?

The scorching light from above made Jiang Zhuochen's eyes sting. He raised his forearm to block the light source. He had to find his Shizun, no matter how difficult the process.

Having comforted himself, he quietly began planning his next steps.

He went to the guest room door, raised his hand, then gently lowered it again. The living room was still littered with messy packaging from the opened boxes. He figured the other probably wasn't hungry either.

Seeing that he had annoyed the other, Xu Xing felt a twinge of regret. Worried Jiang Zhuochen might not want to see him now, he thought it over and decided to try appeasing him tomorrow.

But as he sat in his office with a stern face, about to berate the cowering manager in front of him who couldn't even handle a market survey properly, his phone on the desk rang.

He glanced at the caller ID, waved for the manager to get out, and answered the call.

Jiang Zhuochen's inquiring tone came from the other end. "Can I come to your company later?"

"Sure." Xu Xing paused. "Why do you want to come?"

Jiang Zhuochen didn't answer directly, mumbling vaguely, "Remember to tell the receptionist not to stop me."

Before Xu Xing could say, 'You don't need to ask me in the future, come whenever you want,' the other simply hung up. His confusion deepened. He let out a sigh, his gaze returning to the documents.

Within two minutes, the secretary knocked and entered the CEO's office, handing over several documents requiring signatures. Her barely contained excitement was impossible for Xu Xing to ignore.

"Something good happen?"

Last time Jiang Zhuochen visited, Secretary Liu had been fortunate enough to be by Xu Xing's side and caught a glimpse of him. This handsome young man, both in appearance and the fact that he appeared alone by the CEO's side, had attracted quite a bit of attention within the company.

Therefore, when she received the internal call and listened to the receptionist's incoherent description, she was so shocked her jaw nearly dropped. Since Xu Xing usually handled matters professionally and didn't scold people without reason, the employees didn't feel too much pressure interacting with him.

Secretary Liu peeked her head in slightly, her tone laced with laughter. "The receptionist just told me that the young Mr. Jiang from before is here."

"I know." Xu Xing continued working without pause. What was so exciting about that?

"Well... he also brought..." Secretary Liu bit her lip. How should she put this...

Unable to get the words out, Xu Xing put down his pen. "Brought what?"

A soft sound came from the office door not far away, slowly revealing half of a head. Now, Secretary Liu didn't need to say anything; Xu Xing could see for himself.

Secretary Liu lowered her head, tightly biting her lower lip, watching the scene ahead from the corner of her eye.

Jiang Zhuochen pushed the door open with his back, carefully cradling a huge bouquet of flowers.

The bouquet was so large it nearly filled the doorframe, the rich scent of red roses quickly flooding the entire office, leaving Xu Xing’s mind blank.

Almost moving on instinct, Jiang Zhuochen shuffled inside and pressed the flowers into Xu Xing’s arms, his tone soft and dejected: “Don’t be angry anymore, okay? I’ve used up all the moves my sister taught me… If you keep being mad, I really have no more ideas.”

The petals brushed unintentionally against Xu Xing’s cheek, like a pebble tossed into a lake—small ripples on the surface, but a tidal wave beneath.

After a brief silence, the earlier blankness was replaced by an immense sense of absurdity, tugging at his temples until they throbbed, leaving him not knowing whether to laugh or cry. His heart clenched sharply, then softened uncontrollably. The moment he looked up, he caught the secretary’s peeking gaze, and the next second, the door was firmly shut.

In the vast office, only the two of them remained. Xu Xing casually set the flowers on the desk and, seeing the other’s bewildered expression, pulled him into a tight embrace, letting out a deep sigh—feeling as though this troublemaker was truly here to vex him.

Xu Xing tightened his arms. “Alright, I’m not angry anymore.”

Jiang Zhuochen was stunned by this sudden move, stiffening for a moment before the sigh laden with too many emotions brushed past his ear. The warm breath seemed tinged with a hint of helplessness and indulgence, and he instinctively buried half his face against Xu Xing’s neck.

The room fell so quiet that the only sound was their mingled breathing. After a long while, Xu Xing loosened his hold slightly and pinched Jiang Zhuochen’s cheek. “Which sister taught you such a desperate move?”

“Huh?” Jiang Zhuochen looked up, revealing his almond eyes, wide with confusion and a touch of innocence.

Jiang Zhuochen didn’t know many people in this world, so even without him saying it, Xu Xing could roughly guess. He looked down at him, his eyes filled with undisguised teasing. “First the amusement park, then playing games, and now bringing such a huge bouquet of flowers—do you have any idea that walking around like this is enough gossip fodder for this building for a year?”

“It’s because you ignored me,” Jiang Zhuochen shot back, raising his voice a little. “It’s not like people are just lounging around during work hours! I hardly saw anyone on my way here.”

Xu Xing’s gaze swept carefully over his face, not calling out his slight embarrassment and forced composure.

He raised a hand and gently pressed his fingertip beneath Jiang Zhuochen’s eyelid, his voice soft. “Didn’t sleep well last night? Because you were thinking about how to make it up to me?”

The cold-tipped finger sliding over his skin sent a faint shiver across his skin—the gesture was far too intimate, exceeding the boundaries of their current relationship.

Jiang Zhuochen’s heart skipped a beat fiercely, as if it had skipped a beat, then began pounding wildly. He instinctively turned his head to avoid it, but was held in place by that gentle yet firm pressure, unable to move.

“Yeah,” Jiang Zhuochen lowered his gaze, he grumbled, throwing caution to the wind. “Who told you to be so hard to please? The moment you’re unhappy, you just go cold and ignore people, and when I beg for forgiveness, you blow me off.”

Jiang Zhuochen clicked his tongue. “So annoying!”

Xu Xing was amused by his petulant tone. The dissatisfaction that had arisen from the other’s evasion vanished like a popped balloon, replaced in an instant by a deeper, more turbulent emotion—gentle and overwhelming, spreading without reason.

“Mm, it’s my fault.”