I love you

Rehabilitation is very physically demanding. In order to improve his declining physical function and muscle levels, Steve pushes himself to his limits every day.

So every day after returning to the villa, he had no energy to think about anything else except cooking.

Chen Chao has clearly not been as busy as he was a while ago. He's even been able to leave work on time two or three days a week and come home for dinner.

Although Chen Chao has never made any demands regarding food, Steve still secretly doesn't want Chen Chao to keep eating the same dishes over and over again.

It's not that every day has to be different, but having the same dish appear three times in a week is a bit excessive.

Unable to predict when Chen Chao would be back for dinner, he prepared different dishes every day. As a result, his meager culinary skills quickly ran out.

He bought a recipe book to look at.

When Chen Chao came back that day, he saw the cookbook that had been left on the sofa and couldn't suppress the smile in his eyes.

"Should I sign you up for a class?" Chen Chao joked.

"Boss..." Steve drawled, clearly trying to sound cute.

"I don't need a professional chef, you don't need to look at this." Chen Chao picked up the book from the sofa and put it aside.

"But actually I quite enjoy cooking, and watching this is a way to relax. I can organize my thoughts while preparing food, which makes me feel at ease."

"Suit yourself." Chen Chao sat on the sofa and gestured for Steve to come over.

Steve put his things down and sat down next to Chen Chao.

"Come home with me this weekend," Chen Chao said, turning to look at him.

"...Huh?" This abrupt change of topic caught Steve off guard. He asked blankly, "Back to the Chen family's main residence in the Central District?"

"Where else could my home be?" Chen Chao asked him in surprise.

Oh no, what am I going to do? Steve was completely flustered.

For Chen Chao, the Chen family's main residence in the Central District might just be an ordinary homecoming, but for the orphaned special agents who were adopted by the Special Security Forces from a young age, it was almost like a pilgrimage. It was the pinnacle of the Special Security Forces' power, a place they had always looked up to.

Steve felt he needed to take a break.

And in what capacity did he go back with Chen Chao? As a follower?

Could it be her boyfriend?

Although I accompanied Chen Chao to a banquet as his male companion, it's normal for someone of Chen Chao's status to change partners casually. But bringing him home completely changes the situation! He's a former minister!

Chen Chao found it rather amusing to watch Steve's ever-changing expressions: "What? Is the Chen family's main residence some kind of dragon's den or tiger's lair that will devour people?"

"No, boss, what's my status when I go back with you?" Steve asked hesitantly, still not quite understanding what was going on.

"Boyfriend," Chen Chao answered naturally.

"Won't this scare the old minister?" Steve asked nervously.

"Dad knows, do you think he couldn't tell why I wouldn't let him have his bone marrow extracted back then?"

Steve felt a little suffocated. "Boss, are you sure the old minister understands what that means?"

"Boss, does taking me back to see the old minister mean you're officially going public with our relationship?"

"I guess so. I didn't plan to announce it with fanfare, but I wanted to formally introduce my father to him so that it would be easier for us to keep in touch in the future."

That's really true!

At this moment, Steve finally recovered from his bewilderment, and genuine joy rose from the bottom of his heart.

Chen Chao actually wanted to introduce him to his family, and Chen Chao was actually willing to publicly confirm their relationship. This really made him feel flattered and overwhelmed.

He only ever wanted to hide in the shadows, to be an outlet for Chen Chao's emotions. He never thought about titles or being the only one for Chen Chao.

He can belong to Chen Chao, but Chen Chao doesn't necessarily have to belong to him.

After all, he understood that in Chen Chao's position, there were many things he couldn't control. Now that Chen Chao was willing to compromise for him and introduce him to his family, he was genuinely happy.

Some of him was so happy he felt like he could fly.

But another part of him remained rational and functioning clearly.

“Boss, you’re the heir,” Steve said hesitantly.

"So?" Chen Chao looked at him, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"You need to have offspring."

"You want me to find a woman?" Chen Chao's voice lowered.

Steve lowered his eyes, which was a tacit agreement.

"But I don't like women, and which woman do you think can handle me?" Chen Chao's voice was already filled with a sense of intimidation.

"But, boss, people of your social class..."

"Are you saying that it's normal for someone of my status to marry someone they don't love, pretend to be together, and then go their separate ways after fulfilling our reproductive duties?"

Steve sensed a dangerous change in Chen Chao's voice; he'd never heard his boss speak to him in such a tone before. He could tell his boss seemed very angry, but he didn't know why.

His fingers twitched involuntarily, and he managed to utter a weak "hmm" from his throat.

In his mind, Chen Chao's description was perfectly reasonable. It was indeed very normal for people of Chen Chao's class to do this.

"Heh, you've certainly planned things out for me well." Chen Chao sneered, suppressing his anger. "So, Lin Yu, what are you going to do after I get married? Will you still maintain this kind of relationship with me?"

“If you want to, boss.” Steve’s voice was very soft as he looked at the ground, so soft that it was almost inaudible at the end.

"Slap!" Steve was suddenly slapped to the ground by Chen Chao.

Chen Chao used all his strength in that slap, and Steve's right cheek swelled up instantly.

Chen Chao stood up from the sofa, his tone icy: "Come up with me."

Steve gritted his teeth as he got up from the ground, his eyes slightly red. He felt wronged; even when Chen Chao was violent before, he had never slapped him.

Moreover, what happened today was clearly not a release of stress, but rather a genuine outburst of anger.

But why?

He followed Chen Chao upstairs, and as soon as he entered the bedroom, Chen Chao pinned him against the wall.

A kiss, tight and relentless, enveloped him. He obediently opened his jaw but felt a sharp pain.

Chen Chao's unrestrained movements caused him to bite his tongue.

He winced in pain and instinctively tried to close his mouth, but he clenched his fists and used the last shred of his reason to control himself.

He can't bite Chen Chao.

His clothes were ripped open, and Chen Chao's actions were anything but gentle.

He was forced to the ground, his naked skin shivering as it touched the cold earth. He gasped for breath, forcing himself to adjust, and brutally suppressing all instinctive resistance.

"Boss..." His eyes welled up with tears, his voice pleading, "Boss, ah!"

"Can you accept me touching other people like this?" he heard Chen Chao say.

"I...ah!" A shameful murmur escaped from his throat, Steve's mind a complete blank. The sensation of Chen Chao's fingers tracing his skin made it impossible for him to think; at this moment, his mind and eyes were filled only with the person in front of him.

Chen Chao slipped his fingers into his mouth, gently stroking the beads of blood that had just appeared from being bitten: "Since you're so magnanimous, how about I kiss other people like this in front of you in the future?"

"No, don't." He was pushed to the edge by Chen Chao, his thoughts shattered. A mix of grievance and affection overwhelmed his mind, drowning out reason.

"Don't want it? That's not what you just said." Chen Chao finally smiled slightly, leaned down, and blew a breath into Steve's ear.

"Do you want me to treat others like this?" Chen Chao asked him again.

Steve felt as if he had been completely stripped of his ability to think, and all that remained in his mind was his most primal instincts. He no longer had the strength to struggle.

“Boss…I…” His voice softened, filled with desperate pleading.

Chen Chao's voice made him involuntarily conjure up an image of Chen Chao holding someone else in his mind.

He felt nauseous, so nauseous he wanted to vomit.

No, he didn't want his boss to hug other people; he wanted his boss to only have him.

"Boss, no, please don't," he pleaded.

"Don't want what?" Chen Chao didn't let him off the hook.

"No, ah! Don't look for anyone else, ahhh!"

"Why? I need a reason," Chen Chao asked in a deep voice.

Why?

Steve pursed his lips, wanting to speak but unable to utter a word.

It was a feeling he had always kept hidden in his heart, but he never dared to say it aloud. He didn't know why, but he always felt that saying it would be overstepping his bounds.

"Lin Yu, tell me the reason." Chen Chao's voice lowered, and the words he uttered were a stern command.

"Because..." The oppressive force of the command made him instinctively want to ask a question, but his chaotic mind was unable to think. Chen Chao could always easily make him surrender.

"explain!"

"Because I love you!" he finally said, finally expressing the deepest, most secret desire in his heart.

In the lingering afterglow, Chen Chao leaned down and gently stroked Steve's hair, kissed his forehead, and softly commanded in his ear, "Call me Chen Chao."

“Boss…?” Steve was stunned. The name was like a deity to him, and he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

"Listen to me, call me Chen Chao." His god was coaxing him.

"Chen...Chen, Chao..." Hesitating, Steve finally uttered the name that had echoed in his mind a thousand times. He thought his face must be a deep purplish-red, burning hot.

"Good boy!" Chen Chao smiled and patted his head in praise.

The moment he was lifted off the ground, he heard his boss whisper in his ear, "I love you too."

"Go fill the bathtub with water." Chen Chao put Steve on the bed, left these words, tidied himself up a bit, and left the room.

Steve was somewhat bewildered. He didn't know what Chen Chao was doing, but the frenzy and joy he had just experienced were still flowing through his body. He felt as if something had been opened up in his heart, and a warm current overflowed from the bottom of his heart, filling his limbs and making him feel incredibly comfortable.

He went to the bathroom to fill the bathtub with water. The huge bathtub's four water outlets started simultaneously, and the steam quickly filled the entire room.

When Chen Chao returned, he was carrying an ice pack. He placed the ice pack on Steve's swollen face and asked softly, "Does it still hurt?"

Steve pressed the ice pack against his own hand, looked at Chen Chao, and shook his head. At that moment, his eyes were as bright and clear as a lake under the midday sun.

"Let's take a bath together for a while." Chen Chao took off his clothes and stepped into the bathtub, and Steve followed him in.

The huge bathtub didn't feel crowded even with the two of them inside. Steve leaned against Chen Chao's chest and whispered, "Boss."

Chen Chao raised an eyebrow and gave him a slightly reproachful look.

Steve blushed and hesitantly called out, "Chen Chao."

"Hmm." Chen Chao was satisfied.

“I’m so happy that you value me so much, but Chen…Chao, is it really okay for you to have a same-sex partner?”