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38. Chapter 38
Unbeknownst to Yu Antong, the employees at Xing Lixuan's company were all looking forward to seeing the boss's spouse. After buying an insulated box, he packed the ready meals and took a cab to Xing Lixuan's office.
Despite being married for some time, this was Yu Antong's first visit to the company. He only knew its name, not its address. Upon entering the taxi, he instructed the driver, "To Jiang Yue Group, please."
"Hold tight." The driver struck up a conversation en route, "Young man, you work at Jiang Yue Group? It's a major company; they must pay quite well."
"No," Yu Antong chuckled, "I don't work there, but my spouse does."
The driver gave him another look, "So young and already taken? I was thinking if you were single, I could introduce you to my niece. She's a university graduate and quite a beauty. You two would be a perfect match. Such a pity!"
Yu Antong didn't expect a matchmaking attempt during a taxi ride. Smiling, he replied, "Your niece will surely find someone even better. I'm already married." And we're expecting a baby soon.
"Your partner must be quite accomplished to be in Jiang Yue Group. This year, my niece tried for a position there but couldn't make it. They say it's really tough to get in." The driver sure was talkative, continuing the conversation.
Yu Antong replied, "Yes... he's quite impressive." As for how challenging it might be to get into Jiang Yue, Xing Lixuan probably doesn't feel it that way. After all, he's the boss.
Yu Antong wondered whether all chatty drivers happened to cross his path or if all cab drivers were naturally talkative. Every time he took a taxi, the driver was always chatty.
Yu Antong mused that once their child was born, he'd definitely get his driver's license.
Xing Lixuan had indeed suggested hiring a personal driver for him, but he felt that since he rarely went out, it wouldn’t be worthwhile. He thought it might be more convenient to learn driving himself in the future.
From Xianren Banquet to Jiang Yue Group wasn’t far. In a short while, the driver pulled over and announced, “We’re here.”
“Thank you.” Yu Antong paid the fare and stepped out of the car, carrying the thermal container.
Towering office buildings stood tall in front of him, with the modern silver lettering of ‘Jiang Yue Group’ prominently displayed at the top. It was hard to miss.
Most companies rent a floor or several floors in an office building. However, owning an exclusive building in the high-priced central business district clearly showcased the strength of Jiang Yue Group.
Yu Antong walked in, addressing the receptionist, “Hello, I have an appointment with Mr. Xing.”
The receptionist looked up at the handsome young man and replied with a smile, “Hello, may I have your name please? I’ll check the appointment records for you.”
“I’m Yu Antong,” he said. “If there’s no appointment recorded, would you like me to call Mr. Xing directly?”
[Note: omitted the link since it seems to be unrelated to the context.]
“No need,” the receptionist replied promptly upon hearing his name. “Mr. Xing’s office is on the 23rd floor. You can use his exclusive elevator, and once you exit, turn right.”
She remembered the explicit instructions about the CEO's spouse – who would be foolish enough to deny him entry?
Yu Antong nodded and smiled, “Thank you.”
Oh, that smile! He's beyond gorgeous, no, that’s not the right word, nor is 'handsome' sufficient.
The receptionist mentally berated herself for not having the right vocabulary, thinking, “All I can muster is gasping in awe!”
A colleague whispered, reciting an old verse, “From a distance, he shines like the morning sun; up close, he's radiant like a lotus emerging from clear water.”
“All the poetic phrases I learned in school have finally found their match today,” the colleague continued. “Mr. Yu's elegant and radiant smile makes me envy Mr. Xing so much.”
The receptionist who interacted with Yu Antong looked in admiration at her colleague, “I never knew you were so learned!”
Yu Antong entered the elevator, noting the time. It was half-past twelve; thankfully, he wasn't late.
Exiting on the 23rd floor and turning right, he walked down a corridor flanked by semi-transparent glass-walled offices. At the very end was Xing Lixuan's office.
“Hey, hey, he’s here!”
“I see him!”
“I think we made eye contact! Do you think he noticed?”
“Don’t worry, it’s hard to see clearly from outside.”
“Mr. Yu has such long legs, and even though he’s wearing a puffer jacket, you can still tell he has an amazing physique.”
“Absolutely, and coupled with that otherworldly good looks, are we sure he’s not a celebrity?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Who needs to be a star when you can be the CEO's spouse?”
"Mr. Xing is indeed a lucky man."
"No wonder Mr. Xing speaks so tenderly of his wife. If I had such a partner, I'd wake up smiling from my dreams."
...
Unaware that he had been discreetly observed by the floor’s staff, Yu Antong approached the door to Xing Lixuan’s office and knocked twice.
Anticipating Yu Antong's arrival based on the time, Xing Lixuan stood up to open the door. As expected, it was Yu Antong. "Darling."
Xing Lixuan took the lunchbox from Yu Antong’s hands, ushered him inside, and helped him remove his coat, hanging it on a coat rack. "Why didn't you wear the longer down jacket?"
Yu Antong pouted, "It doesn't look good."
Preferring not to wear something so bulky when going out and without Xing Lixuan's supervision, Yu Antong acted against his wishes. Now, bringing lunch to Xing Lixuan at the office, he had unknowingly fallen into the trap.
"What if you catch a cold?" Xing Lixuan didn’t chide him further.
"Sit here," Xing Lixuan said, pulling out the chair behind his desk. "This chair is higher; it’s comfortable."
Yu Antong inquired, "Where will you eat?"
Placing the lunchbox on a side table, Xing Lixuan sat on the sofa and said, "I'll eat here."
Although there was a dining table in the adjoining rest room, he wanted to be with Yu Antong.
"Such a lavish meal," Xing Lixuan commented as he opened the lunchbox. The container had three tiers: the top two sections each split into two, containing four different dishes, and the bottom layer was filled with rice. "Are you sure you don't want more?"
Yu Antong gently patted his stomach, "I just ate, and I'm still full. You eat before it gets cold."
Nearing the end of his meal, Xing Lixuan looked up and asked Yu Antong to pour him a glass of water, just as he caught him yawning. "Tired?"
"Mhm," Yu Antong rubbed his eyes and sauntered to the water dispenser, filling a glass with hot water. "I feel like taking a nap."
"Don't go back yet," Xing Lixuan suggested, pointing to a door in the room. "Rest in there for a bit before you leave."
Xing Lixuan adjusted the room's thermostat, "There are pajamas in the small wardrobe. Change into them if you're uncomfortable."
The resting room wasn't large but was well-equipped. Yu Antong opened the wardrobe, "Why do you have pajamas in your office?"
"Sometimes I worked so late that I ended up sleeping here," Xing Lixuan explained.
Yu Antong teased, "Planning to sleep with me?"
"I won't sleep now. I have some documents to review," Xing Lixuan replied as he exited the room.
Shortly after, Yu Antong appeared in Xing Lixuan’s pajamas, "I can't sleep. Join me?"
Perhaps it was the unfamiliar surroundings, but although he felt drowsy earlier, Yu Antong now found it hard to drift off.
Xing Lixuan glanced up. The pajamas, a tad oversized on Yu Antong, made him look even more delicate.
Xing Lixuan closed the file he was holding, placing it aside, then pinched Yu Antong's pouted cheek, saying with a smile, “Such a delicate one, aren't you?”
Yu Antong huffed, “Delicate? I carried that lunchbox all the way for you. My hands are sore, but you didn't hear me complaining, did you?”
Xing Lixuan's grin widened, thinking Yu sounded even more delicate as he protested. Changing into his pajamas, he joined Yu on the bed. Despite being just a queen-sized bed, the two men fit comfortably. “Where does it hurt? Let me massage it for you.”
Yu Antong placed his arm on Xing's abdomen, “Massage my arm, please.”
As Xing Lixuan gently kneaded his arm, Yu soon drifted to sleep, and shortly after, Xing dozed off too.
By 2 p.m., it was time for the staff on the 23rd floor to start their afternoon shift.
“The First Gentleman hasn't left the office yet, has he?”
“Doesn't seem so.”
“Anyone delivering documents to Mr. Xing's office? I think I know what the CEO and his spouse might be up to.”
“Me! I do have some documents to deliver.” The voice belonged to the same female assistant.
After double-checking the papers for mistakes, she pumped her fist, declaring, “I'm heading into the fray for some intel. Wait for my report, comrades!”
“Go on! We'll be waiting.”
“Knock, knock, knock!” The assistant rapped lightly on the door, receiving no response.
Just as she was about to knock again, a wild thought froze her in place. She imagined scenarios best left unspoken.
Visions of Mr. Xing and his husband maybe getting frisky in the office, against the desk, by the window…
Tsk, tsk, can't think about that!
Having recently read a risqué office-themed manga, her mind betrayed her as those images kept popping up.
Clear your mind, clear your mind!
“Come in.”
The deep, magnetic voice startled her out of her reverie, and she shook off those inappropriate thoughts.
Xing Lixuan had awakened earlier but was careful not to disturb Yu Antong while getting dressed, thus taking a bit longer than usual.
As the assistant entered, she caught Xing adjusting his shirt's topmost button and straightening his sleeves.
Oh my! Had something intense just transpired?
Surely, the First Gentleman must be too exhausted to even stand, resting in the lounge!
Her gaze involuntarily darted to the resting room, then quickly averted, “Mr. Xing, here's the real estate data from Jiangbei you requested.”
“Mhm.” Taking the documents, Xing Lixuan skimmed through, satisfied with the presentation, “Well done. You can go now.”
The female assistant, with grace in her heels, turned to leave. As the door closed behind her, her eagerness to share the latest gossip became nearly impossible to contain.
She hurried back to the office, announcing, “Everyone, everyone, it's sensational, absolutely sensational!”
“What happened? What's going on?”
“What did you see?”
Seeing her colleagues' peaked curiosity, she teasingly withheld, “Let me grab a sip of water first. Got to keep the voice clear.”
A coworker swiftly handed her a cup of warm water, urging, “Stop being such a tease! Spill it!”
The assistant playfully flicked her hair back, “Well, it’s not a big deal. When I walked in, Mr. Xing was adjusting his attire. The First Gentleman was nowhere in sight, probably in the lounge. That's about it.”
“Ugh!” one remarked dismissively, “What's so sensational about that? Are you trying to get a rise out of us?”
“Oh my gosh!” another chimed in, catching on quickly, “Is it what I'm thinking? Is it? Is it?!”
It didn't take long for the rest to grasp the insinuation.
“Holy smokes!”
“Holy smokes!”
“That is truly sensational!”
Author's note: Tongtong: What happened?
Female assistant: Oh, nothing much, hehe.
Mr. Xing: I wish there was something.
A big thank you to the angels who generously supported me between 2020-01-16 19:51:06 to 2020-01-17 20:47:53!
Special thanks to these generous angels: demonseyes with 63 bottles; yunn with 25 bottles; Xinxin Zhu with 20 bottles; Ji Ji Fu Ji Ji and Qing He Bei Qu each with 5 bottles; Hua Jiu Qi Qiu with 1 bottle.
I deeply appreciate all your support. I'll keep up the hard work!
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