Chapter 38 No Special Feelings at All

Chapter 38: No Special Feelings at All

Guan Junshan's business was soon finished, or maybe it wasn't that important. When Yang Yue received the call, Lin Haoda had just ordered a second steak from the waiter.

Lin Haoda looked at him, assuming he was being called away by Guan Junshan for work, and offered proactively: "I'm fine, you can go ahead."

Yang Yue clutched his phone, paused for a moment at that, and asked, "President Guan, could you wait another twenty minutes, please?"

An indistinct voice came through the phone; Guan Junshan might have asked something, and Yang Yue replied with a "Yes." Then he lowered his gaze, glanced at the menu beside Lin Haoda's hand, and said honestly, "One steak."

Lin Haoda sat in his seat, his back straightening slightly, nervously wringing his hands.

After Yang Yue hung up, Lin Haoda asked anxiously, "What's wrong? Are we in a hurry?"

"We can cancel the order," Lin Haoda said quickly before Yang Yue could speak. "I'm already full."

"It's fine." Yang Yue stopped him, giving a gentle smile, and repeated what Guan Junshan had said on the phone: "We'll wait until you've finished eating before we leave."

Lin Haoda let out a long sigh of relief, but after a moment, it dawned on him and said in a low voice, "I'll eat faster."

About twenty-five minutes later, they walked out of the restaurant.

Guan Junshan's car was parked by the roadside, all its windows tightly sealed, looking like a flawless, smooth black marble block sitting quietly in the shade.

Lin Haoda walked ahead. As he pulled open the passenger door, a gust of cold air escaped through the gap. Yang Yue came over and called after him, "Mr. Lin," then said nicely, "I get a bit carsick, and I'm used to sitting in the front."

"Sorry," Lin Haoda immediately understood, letting go of the handle. "I didn't know."

He then moved to the rear door, reached for the handle, but stopped, hesitating as he looked at his own reflection in the glass.

Yang Yue asked him, "What's wrong?" Lin Haoda pointed to the ice cream cone in his hand and asked softly, "Does President Guan not like these?"

Yang Yue was taken aback, didn't answer right away, thought for a moment, and then said, "No one has ever eaten anything in President Guan's car."

Lin Haoda, with sudden boldness, pressed further, "And himself? Does he never eat either?"

Yang Yue wanted to tell him "Yes," but before he could speak, the dark window suddenly lowered. Guan Junshan sat in the back, his face stern, side light streaming in, making him look extraordinarily handsome.

"Get in the car."

Lin Haoda was startled, turned his gaze, and flustered, greeted him, "President Guan."

He tried to hide the ice cream cone behind his back but failed. Guan Junshan stared at his hand with deep, intense eyes.

Lin Haoda quickly explained, "I'll finish it outside before getting in, it won't take long."

"Is that so," Guan Junshan was clearly skeptical, but he didn't press further. He met Lin Haoda's eyes, frowned, and said, "Get in first."

Lin Haoda had no choice but to duck and get into the car.

The air conditioning was very strong, making his teeth chatter from the cold. The car door clicked shut, and the windows slowly rose, sealing off all external sounds.

Aside from the sound of the engine starting, the cabin became very quiet.

Guan Junshan went back to looking at his documents, and Yang Yue, sitting in the front, occasionally exchanged a few words with him.

In order to disturb them as little as possible, Lin Haoda sat up as straight as he could while carefully avoiding accidentally brushing against Guan Junshan. He also made sure not to make any unseemly noises while eating his ice cream. But Guan Junshan looked up from the stack of reports resting on his knee, his expression still sour, and stared at Lin Haoda, who seemed very busy, for a while. He hesitated for a moment and then finally asked, "Why do you always like eating such sweet things?"

The last person who asked this was Lin Haoda's aunt. Then she launched into a complaint, saying Lin Haoda had expensive tastes but no money to back them up, always picking expensive things to eat like cakes, ice cream, and pudding, eating them nonstop.

Of course, Guan Junshan wasn't Lin Haoda's aunt. He might have just been curious. Lin Haoda generously overlooked his blunt question, turned his face slightly, and mumbled, chewing on the crunchy cone, "I like it."

He looked up at Guan Junshan and asked, "President Guan, isn't there anything you like?"

"..." Guan Junshan averted his gaze and didn't answer.

"Actually, I didn't have to bring it into the car," Lin Haoda continued, unbothered by his lack of response. "But the steak was too hot when it was served, and I only had five minutes left to eat."

Guan Junshan frowned. "So?"

Lin Haoda glanced at him again, paused for two seconds this time, looking as if he wanted to complain but held back, looking silently aggrieved. He said through gritted teeth: "...Never mind."

Guan Junshan found it baffling and called him by his full name: "Lin Haoda."

Yang Yue looked over from the front mirror and explained on his behalf, "Mr. Lin burned his lip on the steak."

Lin Haoda sat there, waited for him to finish, and let out a soft "Hmph," looking very pleased with himself and as if he had suffered terribly from Guan Junshan's tyranny.

Guan Junshan couldn't help but laugh and called him out: "You don't need to come up with an excuse just to eat an ice cream cone."

Lin Haoda looked a bit unconvinced, pursed his lips, and turned his face toward the window. The car drove on for a while and stopped at a red light. Lin Haoda had finished his ice cream and was wiping his hands with a wet wipe.

Guan Junshan's gaze fell on his fingers, and suddenly, as if suddenly feeling generous, he asked, "Does it still hurt now?"

Lin Haoda paused, didn't look up, and mumbled, "It doesn't hurt anymore."

"Lin Haoda," Guan Junshan couldn't help himself, staring at his profile, "I wasn't trying to rush you."

The car started moving, passed over a speed bump, and jolted slightly.

Guan Junshan paused for two seconds before continuing, "It's just that if you keep taking your time, we'll both miss the flight."

The air was quiet for a moment. Then Lin Haoda suddenly called out, "President Guan," furrowing his brow. "What flight?"

Guan Junshan opened his mouth as if to speak, then pointed at his phone, reminding him, "Work email."

Lin Haoda opened his phone, opened the latest email, read a few lines, then looked up at him again, his eyes a bit dazed. "We're leaving Hong Kong this afternoon?"

Guan Junshan grunted in agreement. "There's a bit of an emergency at the Beijing office; we need to fly over as soon as possible."

Lin Haoda nodded and asked a slightly redundant question: "Do I have to come along too?"

Seeing Guan Junshan staring at him without expression, he lowered his head awkwardly, rubbed his nose, and added, "I thought my work was done."

Guan Junshan's Adam's apple moved. After a few moments of silence, the word "done" from Lin Haoda lingered in the narrow cabin, mingled with the sweet, creamy scent of the ice cream, penetrating his nose, his ears, and finally seeping into his chest, spreading to some place inside him.

He had never experienced this before. He lowered his eyes to look at his palm, which was also slightly burning.

A rare emotion spread through his chest.

It was a faint

Guan Junshan heard him say that and nodded with great satisfaction. "After we get there, I'll find time to arrange it."

The driver parked the car at the entrance of Lin Haoda's hotel. Guan Junshan gave him fifteen minutes to pack his bags, and Yang Yue also got out of the car to help him check out at the front desk.

Perhaps because he had learned from last time, this time Lin Haoda was quick and came out of the elevator in just eight minutes.

The driver took them to the airport and unloaded the luggage from the trunk. There were three suitcases in total—Lin Haoda pushed one, while Yang Yue carried one in each hand.

It was Lin Haoda's first time using the VIP channel, and he was warmly welcomed by the staff. He really wanted to sneak a photo as a souvenir.

But Guan Junshan walked very fast, and Yang Yue, pushing two suitcases behind him, occasionally had to stop and wait for Lin Haoda, who was lagging behind, looking torn between the two.

They stopped briefly in the members-only lounge. Guan Junshan sat alone on one side, separated by a semi-open screen, while Lin Haoda and Yang Yue sat on the other side.

With about an hour left before boarding, Lin Haoda was bored and wanted to go out for a drink. Yang Yue recommended a coffee shop on the second floor, saying he had a membership card.

The two huddled together whispering about what to order, chattering like a couple of sparrows—especially Lin Haoda.

Guan Junshan, through the gap in the screen, turned his head and glanced over from a distance.

After five minutes of ordering, Lin Haoda stood up to go out. Yang Yue called him back, saying he would go with him to pick up the coffee.

Lin Haoda was about to say "No need," since it was just a few steps and only two cups of coffee, but at that moment, Guan Junshan on the other side of the screen suddenly called his name.

Before Lin Haoda could react, he saw Guan Junshan's figure rise from the sofa, then walk around the screen and stand a few steps away.

Guan Junshan exchanged a glance with him. Lin Haoda said, "Mr. Guan," and asked, "What's the matter?" Guan Junshan took a couple of steps forward and urged, "Let's go." Then he added, "Aren't you going to get the coffee?"

Silence hung in the air for a few seconds. Yang Yue and Lin Haoda on the sofa exchanged a look, but no one spoke. Guan Junshan frowned, perhaps thinking Lin Haoda's hesitation was disrespectful. He looked away, walked past them, and headed straight for the exit.

Lin Haoda turned his head, watching his back. He hesitated, his lips moving as if to speak, but in the end, he followed him out.