free

Chen Chao rested for three days, during which Steve stayed by his side and helped him with miscellaneous tasks.

Trot would occasionally appear on the first floor of the villa to deliver urgent documents to Chen Chao that could not be delayed or handed over to others.

Chen Fei thoughtfully took over most of Chen Chao's work, and except for some matters that Chen Chao really couldn't let go of, Chen Fei almost cleared Chen Chao's schedule.

Because of his illness, Chen Chao finally had a few rare days where he could openly and legitimately do nothing.

Chen Chao fell asleep after returning from the hospital that day and didn't wake up until the afternoon. After waking up, he lay in bed and dealt with a few urgent matters, but before he knew it, he started to feel sleepy again.

Steve checked his temperature on his forehead and found that he still had a slight fever, so he forcefully took away his computer, made him drink water and eat something, and then let him sleep for a while.

Chen Chao didn't struggle at all, eating when told to eat and sleeping when told to sleep, being incredibly obedient. Steve couldn't help but wonder if his eldest son had lost his mind due to a fever.

The next morning, Chen Chao's fever finally subsided. When he woke up, the usual coolness returned to the corners of his eyes.

Steve is a light sleeper and will wake up at the slightest sound. He woke up as soon as Chen Chao made a move.

"Boss, are you feeling better?" Steve reached out and touched Chen Chao's forehead, finding that the fever had gone down.

"Much better." Chen Chao nodded, then added after a moment's thought, "But I still don't seem to have much strength."

“It’s normal.” Steve got up to pour Chen Chao some water. “The doctor said that even if your fever goes down, you need to rest and recover. You need to let your body recover.”

Chen Chao's face darkened upon hearing this, clearly indicating his displeasure.

Steve placed the water on Chen Chao's bedside table and turned to go to the bathroom to wash up. Chen Chao drank the water while lying in bed, and after a while, he also got up to wash up.

After washing up, Steve went downstairs to make breakfast. Chen Chao took his laptop downstairs, sat on the sofa to check work messages, and saw if there was anything urgent to deal with.

He looked at it for a while and then felt relieved. Fortunately, nothing too serious had happened recently, otherwise he really wouldn't have been able to enjoy his sick leave in peace.

Breakfast was a ham sandwich with heated milk. Steve's cooking skills were basically limited to home-style dishes; he never made anything fancy.

Chen Chao never cared what he ate; he simply enjoyed sitting on the sofa, watching Steve busy in the kitchen, and then the two of them eating together.

This kind of ordinary daily life, which is so mundane to ordinary people, is something he has never had before.

He lost his mother at a young age, and his father was always busy with work, so his daily life during his childhood was almost entirely taken care of by servants. Due to his social status, his relationships with most people around him were polite but distant.

He cherished the tranquility and warmth of sitting on the sofa watching his loved one cook. He longed for the warm sunshine that flowed peacefully through time.

After finishing his meal, he remained seated on the sofa, his mind blank, quietly watching Steve clear the table and wash the dishes.

Morning light streamed through the window, illuminating Steve's earnest, busy face. His fair skin and blue eyes seemed to possess a touch of ethereal purity. Chen Chao couldn't help but smile, finding the feeling of having no schedule and being able to waste time without restraint truly wonderful.

Steve finished washing the dishes and sat back down next to Chen Chao. Chen Chao reached out and hugged him, then turned his head and kissed him.

"Come out for a walk with me, let's get some fresh air."

"good."

On a weekday during the day, there weren't many people on the street. Steve asked Chen Chao where he wanted to go, but Chen Chao couldn't answer for a moment.

He was extremely disciplined due to safety concerns, and even when he had a break, he never wandered off. He honestly didn't know what was worth visiting in Gelald, the capital city where he lived every day.

"Where do you want to go? I just want to get some fresh air, I don't care where I go."

Steve hesitated for a moment, then turned the steering wheel and drove onto the suburban highway. It wasn't a holiday, so there weren't many cars on the highway. Steve immediately accelerated to the speed limit that would get him a ticket from the police and rolled down the window.

A strong wind rushed into the car, lashing against his skin. The wind noise was so loud that it drowned out all other sounds. Chen Chao felt the scenery rushing past him with the wind, and his face was soon numb from the wind.

But for some reason, he felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

Such a strong wind, such a rapid speed, such unbridled freedom.

Because of safety concerns, he always rode in a smooth car with the windows closed, and he had never felt such a sharp wind before.

The endless wind brushes against my cheeks, seemingly carrying away all my troubles, or perhaps singing a song for life.

It's a wonderful feeling.

Steve drove for about thirty minutes, then parked the car at a nearby service area.

"Boss, was it fun?" Steve asked Chen Chao, turning his head to the side, his eyes filled with barely suppressed laughter.

Chen Chao reached out and rubbed his face, which was numb from the wind. He was clearly in much better spirits than in the morning: "It felt great. But only you would dare to do this to me."

“Sniper rifles are inaccurate when moving at high speeds, which is why I dared to open the window. Besides, it’s late summer now, and the temperature is still warm enough that a little breeze won’t bother you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have dared to do it.” Steve had clearly considered everything carefully.

"I need to report my departure from the capital," Chen Chao reminded him.

"So I have to stop here, otherwise I'll really be out of the loop." Steve shrugged helplessly.

Seeing Steve's expression, Chen Chao couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"How did I end up with such a clever little devil like you?" Chen Chao couldn't help but reach out and pinch Steve's cheek.

"Boss, I'm not trying to be mean, but most of the time your life is no different from being in prison."

When we go on missions, danger is real, but what haven't we been to, on land and in the sky? What haven't we done? I've seen vultures on the grasslands, killed giant pythons in the rainforest, and traversed mountains and dived underwater. Do you know what the world is like underwater after freediving to 50 meters? The colorful fish, the astonishing tranquility—you'll fall in love with it after just one try.

But you're never allowed to do such dangerous things. So all I can do is take you with me on the highway, staying close to the speed limit, and occasionally letting loose a little.

Chen Chao relaxed and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes to imagine the world Steve had described. It was indeed an alluring and wonderful world, but it was also the freedom he had given up long ago.

"At least you checked it for me," Chen Chao said sincerely.

The window had already been rolled up when the car stopped. Chen Chao leaned over and kissed Steve's lips, forcefully stealing the saliva from Steve's mouth. At that moment, he suddenly wanted to possess the person in front of him, the person who had seen the world for him.

Steve curled the corners of his mouth slightly, pressed the button at his side, reclined the driver's seat, and lowered the center console armrest to make it easier for Chen Chao to move around.

“Boss, you’ve only just recovered from your fever.” Steve didn’t resist, but there was some worry in his voice.

"It's none of your business." Chen Chao gently bit Steve's neck, then changed his mind after a moment's thought. "Or you can do it?"

“Okay.” Steve hugged Chen Chao and somehow deftly turned around, changing their positions.

In the lingering afterglow, Steve slumped into Chen Chao's arms, panting heavily.

Chen Chao gently hugged him, played with his hair, and praised him tenderly, "You did a great job."

Steve leaned against Chen Chao's chest, listening to Chen Chao's steady heartbeat, and smiled happily.

Chen Chao was praising him, that's great.

By the third day of his rest, Chen Chao's physical strength and mental state had basically recovered, but a phone call from Chen Xi caused his head to ache again.

Chenxi said she was going to take Kevin home for dinner, to the house in the Central District.

"Did you tell him?" Chen Chao asked on the phone.

"Not yet, but I promised him I would be honest about everything. I think bringing him back directly would show more sincerity."

"Are you sure bringing him directly into the central district won't scare him? At most, he knows you as a rich girl. And is it appropriate to bring someone who knows nothing directly to Father?" Chen Chao said helplessly.

"Then what do you suggest? I don't want to lose him. I already told him I would take him home." Chenxi was clearly getting anxious.

"Lust has clouded his judgment. Chenxi is usually quite clever, how come she can't even react to something this simple?" Chen Chao couldn't help but rub his temples.

“Bring me here tonight, I’ll talk to him.”

"Brother..." Chenxi hesitated, "You won't do anything to him, will you?"

What do you think I'll do to him?

"Don't scare him," Chenxi said guiltily.

“If I had a problem with him, I wouldn’t have let you talk to him for so long. Okay, take him with you here first. Taking him home would only scare each other.”

Chen Chao hung up the phone and turned around to see Steve inspecting the refrigerator.

“There’s not enough food left at home for four people,” Steve said.

Chen Chao casually hooked Steve up and led him upstairs: "I'll call the chef, you don't need to serve them."

Steve laughed and obediently followed Chen Chao to the bedroom.

Chenxi's boyfriend, Kevin, is a complete bookworm. At least, that's Chenchao's assessment.

Kevin's parents were ordinary workers in the central region, and their family wasn't wealthy. But Kevin had excellent grades since childhood, went directly to university in the capital, Gailal, and stayed there after graduation, working as an accountant in a fairly large company.

Kevin is straightforward and somewhat stubborn. His inability to tolerate injustice has caused him a lot of trouble since childhood.

When Chen Chao investigated Kevin, he learned that Kevin was being ostracized at work, and his boss didn't like him much either. After all, the finance position in many companies requires a certain degree of flexibility.

Having seen too many cunning and shrewd people in Chenchao's position, he didn't find Kevin's personality annoying at all.

That's why he never interfered in Chenxi and Kevin's affairs; he knew Chenxi wouldn't suffer a loss with Kevin.

However, people with this personality type are also the least tolerant of lies, especially lies from close friends and family. The only way for Chenxi to win them back is through honesty and sincerity.

Chen Chao called the chef to work downstairs while he and Steve changed clothes upstairs. Chen Chao chose a dark blue suit with a subtle pattern for himself and a dark gray one from the same collection for Steve.

Chen Chao deliberately didn't choose a particularly formal cut, nor did he wear any accessories. On their first meeting, he didn't want to put too much pressure on Kevin.

When everything was ready and the clock struck six, the doorbell of Chen Chao's villa rang.