Chapter 25 [VIP]

Jiang Zhuochen turned and sat on the bed, a hint of unease flashing across his face. He fiddled with the sheets and replied, "Nothing. Have you eaten?"

Xu Xing glanced thoughtfully around him, "It's alright, I'm going to eat."

"Hey!" Jiang Zhuochen called out and rushed to the door. Seeing Xu Xing turn around, he asked, "Will you be back early tomorrow afternoon?"

"Not sure." Xu Xing wanted to ask Jiang Zhuochen what was wrong, but stopped when he saw the man's disappointed expression. "It shouldn't be this late today."

Jiang Zhuochen roused himself, "I'll wait for you!"

The next day, Jiang Zhuochen discovered that Xu Xing was not only not late, but at that time he even suspected that the other party had left early. He had just finished buying and arranging the things when the other party returned.

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

He sat on the living room carpet and waved to Xu Xing, "Come quickly."

The coffee table was covered with small cakes of all sizes. Jiang Zhuochen held the handle, eagerly waiting for Xu Xing to come over.

Xu Xing stood two steps away from him, raising an eyebrow. "What's going on?"

"Are you tired?" Jiang Zhuochen looked up, a flattering smile on his face. "Want to rest for a while, or have something to eat?"

Xu Xing leaned down slightly and hooked a package box, the aroma of cream wafting through the seams and filling his nostrils. "Did you buy this for me?"

“Yes.” Jiang Zhuochen replied without hesitation. During their stay at the villa, small cakes had appeared for breakfast every few days. Was it because Xu Xing liked them?

So yesterday he suddenly realized that just playing games was too monotonous, and he needed to cater to Xu Xing's interests by preparing something else. With a table full of cakes and game cartridges, he didn't believe Xu Xing wouldn't be tempted.

Xu Xing didn't explain, put the cake back in its place, and sat down on the sofa behind him. "Is this what you hid last night?"

“I didn’t hide anything,” Jiang Zhuochen corrected him. “It’s just that the things weren’t prepared yesterday.”

Xu Xing nodded as if he understood. "You recognize this handle?"

"I don't recognize it. I found it in a drawer." After saying that, Jiang Zhuochen quickly added, "It was in the living room. I didn't touch it anywhere else. Sister Zhao Li said it was a lot of fun, so I bought a new one to share with you."

He was too eager to prove himself, missing the fleeting complex emotions that crossed Xu Xing's eyes. Without giving him a chance to answer, he eagerly asked, "Do you want to play?"

Xu Xing met his gaze. The other person now resembled one of those little babies on the street who would cry if he didn't buy candy. Even the thought of refusing made him feel guilty.

For a few seconds, the silence seemed to freeze, even the air seemed to stand still. Jiang Zhuochen's lips unconsciously curled downwards; he felt this person was far too difficult to appease. Several days had passed, and he was still as unyielding as ever.

His mind, untouched by time, was simple and easy to understand, which always tempted Xu Xing to tease him. He twitched his fingertips, pressed down on the sofa armrest, stood up, and picked up the handle from the coffee table.

Jiang Zhuochen immediately perked up. He patted the carpet next to him and said, "Sit down. I bought a lot of cassette tapes. There's bound to be one that interests you."

As Jiang Zhuochen turned around to pick out a cassette tape, Xu Xing raised the corner of his mouth and said, "Play whichever you want."

Even at the amusement park, Jiang Zhuochen was left to make his own decisions. Xu Xing, displeased, placed a pile of game cartridges in front of him. "You choose, play whatever you like."

But when Xu Xing really got into it, Jiang Zhuochen couldn't beat him in any game. He lost every single one he played until he finally broke down.

He threw down the handle, angrily grabbed the small cake and bit into it, not caring that cream was all over his face.

Helpless, Xu Xing pulled out a tissue to wipe him clean, the action so natural that neither of them noticed anything amiss. The sweet, milky scent lingered on Xu Xing's knuckles for a brief moment, then crept further up. He rubbed his fingertips together, his throat itching.

"You're the one who told me to choose it."

Jiang Zhuochen glanced at him. He looked exactly the same as his master, but he had none of the gentleness and patience his master showed him. Couldn't the master go easy on him when he didn't know how to play?

“I’m not angry,” Jiang Zhuochen denied. “I’m just hungry.”

Xu Xing couldn't help but chuckle. He had clearly said he would coax him, but these past few days it had been more like he was being pampered and asking to be coaxed. The anger in his heart had long since dissipated, leaving only a gentle warmth flowing slowly through his meridians.

A reminder popped up on his phone, reminding Xu Xing that he had an international conference coming up. He put down the controller and said, "Eat less, it'll be dinner time soon."

Then he picked up his phone and left.

Jiang Zhuochen stared wide-eyed in disbelief. After spending the entire afternoon with him, this man actually left so decisively??

He kicked away the handle that Xu Xing had put down, angrily swallowed more than half of the cake, and was so full that he didn't eat dinner and went back to bed.

Once his temper subsided, he became listless again. He took the longevity lamp out of his mind, circling his fingers in the flame, his thoughts drifting away.

He was a wild child, and when he first went to Wangxian Valley, he was fearless and always caused trouble whenever he had the chance. His master would always personally step in to clean up his messes. He let him throw tantrums and run away from home, but when he got tired of making a scene, he would gently carry him back to his room and light a calming incense stick.

Having followed his master for three years, he hasn't learned a single bit of composure. How can he blame others?

The scorching light overhead made Jiang Zhuochen's eyes sting, so he raised his forearm to shield them from the light. He had to find his master, no matter how difficult the process.

He comforted himself and silently planned what to do next.

Xu Xing waited in vain for Jiang Zhuochen, and only after asking the housekeeper who was about to leave did he learn that Jiang had gone back to his room without eating.

He reached the guest room door, then gently lowered his raised hand. A pile of haphazardly opened packaging boxes remained in the living room; he figured the other person probably wasn't hungry.

Realizing he had angered the person, Xu Xing felt a pang of regret. Fearing the other person might not want to see him now, he thought for a moment and decided to try and appease them again tomorrow.

But just as he was about to give his obsequious manager a good scolding in his office, who couldn't even do a proper market survey, his phone rang.

He glanced at the note, raised his hand to tell the manager to get lost, and then answered the phone.

Jiang Zhuochen's inquiring voice came from the other side: "Can I come to your company later?"

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

Jiang Zhuochen didn't answer, but mumbled, "Remember to tell the receptionist not to stop me."

Before Xu Xing could finish saying, "Don't ask me anymore, come anytime you want," the other party abruptly hung up. His doubts deepened, and he exhaled, his gaze returning to the documents.

Within two minutes, the secretary knocked on the president's office door and handed over several documents that needed to be signed. Xu Xing couldn't ignore the excitement on her face.

"Is this some good news?"

When Jiang Zhuochen came last time, Secretary Liu had the opportunity to meet him once while accompanying Xu Xing. This handsome young man attracted the attention of many people in the company, both for his face and for being able to appear alone next to the president.

Therefore, after receiving the call and hearing the receptionist's incoherent description, she was so shocked she couldn't close her mouth. Because Xu Xing usually handled business strictly and wouldn't scold people for no reason, the employees didn't feel too much pressure getting along with him.

Secretary Liu peeked out, her tone laced with a smile. "The receptionist just told me that Mr. Jiang from before has arrived."

"I know." Xu Xing's hands didn't stop moving. What was there to be happy about?

"Hmm...he also took..." Secretary Liu bit her lip, wondering how to phrase this...

Unable to utter a word for a long time, Xu Xing put down his pen and asked, "What did you take?"

A slight noise came from the gate not far away, and half of the back of a head slowly appeared. Needless to say, Xu Xing saw Secretary Liu as well.

Secretary Liu lowered his head and bit his lower lip tightly, glancing at the movement ahead out of the corner of his eye.

Jiang Zhuochen used his back to push open the door and carefully brought out a large bouquet of flowers.

The bouquet was so large it almost filled the doorway, and the rich scent of red roses quickly filled the entire office, leaving Xu Xing's mind blank.

Jiang Zhuochen moved in almost instinctively, stuffed the flowers into Xu Xing's arms, and said in a low, dejected voice, "Don't be angry, okay? I've used up all the tricks my sister taught me... If you keep getting angry, I really won't know what to do."

A petal brushed against Xu Xing's cheek unintentionally, like a pebble thrown into a lake, causing small ripples on the surface but surging waves beneath.

After a brief silence, the previous blankness was filled with a tremendous sense of absurdity, making his temples throb and leaving him both amused and exasperated. His heart clenched suddenly, then uncontrollably softened. The moment he looked up, he met his secretary's probing gaze, and the door slammed shut the next second.

The two of them were left alone in the large office. Xu Xing casually placed the flowers on the table, and pulled the man into his arms amidst his bewildered expression. He sighed deeply, feeling that this ancestor was there to bring him bad luck.

Xu Xing tightened his arms around her. "Okay, I'm not angry anymore."

Jiang Zhuochen was stunned by his sudden action, stiffened for a moment, and then was brushed past his ear by a sigh containing too much emotion. The warm breath seemed to carry a hint of helplessness and indulgence, and he uncomfortably buried half of his face in Xu Xing's neck.

The room was so quiet that only their breathing could be heard. After a while, Xu Xing finally loosened the distance and pinched his cheek. "Which sister taught you this stupid trick?"

"Huh?" Jiang Zhuochen looked up, revealing almond-shaped eyes that were both bewildered and somewhat innocent.

Jiang Zhuochen doesn't know many people in this world, and Xu Xing could probably guess even without him saying so. He looked down at him, his eyes full of undisguised teasing. "Amusement parks and games, and now you've brought over such a huge bouquet of flowers. Do you know that walking around like this is enough for everyone in this building to talk about for a year?"

"It's all because you ignored me." Jiang Zhuochen realized what was happening and raised his voice a little. "There's no time to be so free during work hours. I haven't seen many people along the way."

Xu Xing's gaze lingered on his face, but he didn't expose his embarrassment or forced composure.

He raised his hand and gently pressed his fingertips under Jiang Zhuochen's eyelids, saying softly, "Didn't you sleep well last night? Just because you were thinking about how to coax me?"

The touch of cold fingertips against their skin sent a shiver down their spines; the gesture was far too intimate, exceeding the bounds of their current relationship.

Jiang Zhuochen's heart skipped a beat, as if he had missed a beat, and then he began to beat his heart out wildly. He subconsciously turned his head to dodge, but was pressed down on the spot by the force of the blow and could not move.

“Yeah.” Jiang Zhuochen lowered his eyes and accused in a defiant manner: “Who told you to be so hard to coax? You turn cold and ignore people when you’re unhappy, and you’re so perfunctory when I ask for your forgiveness.”

Jiang Zhuochen clicked his tongue. "So annoying!"

Xu Xing was amused by his childish tantrum. The dissatisfaction he felt because the other person avoided him vanished like a punctured balloon in an instant, replaced by a deeper and more turbulent emotion that spread gently yet irrationally.

"Yes, it's my problem."

A note from the author: