Chapter 59 [VIP]

Jiang Zhuochen strode confidently into Xu Xing's bedroom, curiously looking around. The decor here matched the exterior perfectly—simple and elegant—but the arrangement and placement of each piece of furniture clearly showed careful thought.

He walked over to the bed, his eyes lighting up immediately. Although the guest bed was also large, this one looked incredibly soft and comfortable.

Without any hesitation, he threw back the covers and slipped inside. The faint fragrance emanating from the other person immediately filled his nostrils, making him want to roll around on the bed. He pulled the covers up, leaving only his eyes showing, and blinked twice at Xu Xing. "I'm going to sleep."

Xu Xing walked to the bedside and smiled at the obedient appearance. This person had been interacting with his master in the illusion just like this, naturally exuding an arrogant and domineering air. Every move he made was full of spirit, drawing people's attention to him unconsciously.

"Go to sleep." After he finished speaking, he reached out and pressed the switch on the wall, plunging the bedroom into darkness instantly.

Jiang Zhuochen's eyes hadn't adjusted to the darkness when the rustling sound of the bed collapsing beside him reached his ears clearly, making his heart itch a little. He smiled and closed his eyes in relief.

An atmosphere of absolute silence spread, gradually calming his restless heart, yet sleepiness remained elusive. Jiang Zhuochen lay in bed for a while, then quietly turned over, trying to make out Xu Xing's profile in the darkness, his thoughts drifting away.

Can't sleep?

Jiang Zhuochen snapped out of his daze, his gaze unexpectedly meeting Xu Xing's. He gently nuzzled the pillow, his voice as soft as a feather's whisper: "Is it really you?"

Xu Xing sighed almost inaudibly, stretched out his long arm and pulled the person into his arms, placing a soft and comforting kiss on his lips.

"It's me."

Those two simple words seemed to possess a magical power, effortlessly soothing the last trace of uncertainty in Jiang Zhuochen's heart. He suddenly looked up, covering his lips where he had just been kissed, his eyes widening in shock.

"Do, what to do..."

Xu Xing chuckled, the night unable to conceal the obvious mischief in his words: "Don't you like me so much that you can't even kiss me?"

A burning sensation spread from his ears to his face, and Jiang Zhuochen stubbornly retorted, "I like you, but you never said you liked me. If anyone's going to kiss me, it's not you."

"Then kiss me." Xu Xing readily changed his mind. He moved closer, forehead to forehead, their warm breaths mingling, his voice low and gentle as if coaxing, "If you kiss me, I'll like you."

Seeing the mockery in his eyes, Jiang Zhuochen, enraged and embarrassed, shoved him away. "No kissing! If you don't like it, you don't like it."

Xu Xing's smile deepened. He easily pulled his irritated little apprentice back, pressed the back of his head against his wrist without a word, lifted him slightly, and lowered his head to kiss those lips precisely. It was no longer a light touch at the corner of the mouth, but a complete kiss between their lips, gentle yet with undeniable strength.

The person in his arms trembled, their jaw was easily opened, and the smacking sounds of their lips and teeth touching made his body heat up rapidly. Only after kissing the person until they were soft did Xu Xing pull away a little.

Seeing that the other person was dazed and confused, he gently wiped his wet lips with his fingertip and said softly, "I like it."

His brain, a complete mess, took a while to process those two words before he was overwhelmed by immense joy. Jiang Zhuochen restrained himself from laughing too foolishly, reaching out and stretching like an octopus to hug Xu Xing, then flipping him over to pin him beneath him, burying his face in the crook of Xu Xing's shoulder.

"Hehe...Does Master like me?"

Xu Xing was amused by his reaction and reached out to pinch the back of his neck. "Yeah, I like you."

After smoothing the person's hair, he kissed their earlobe and asked, "Can you sleep well now?"

Jiang Zhuochen shrank back shyly, then lay still, letting out a soft, sticky hum from his throat:

"Um…"

The next morning, Jiang Zhuochen noticed the empty bed next to him. Remembering that he had to go to work, he muttered something in dissatisfaction, threw off the covers, and got out of bed.

After finishing breakfast, he examined the longevity lamp closely, his mood brighter than ever before, yet a sense of melancholy slowly crept in. Why had his master's soul been ejected? Was it because he hadn't collected enough soul fragments, resulting in a weak soul body lacking sufficient power to fuse with it?

Should he hurry up and find the remaining souls as soon as possible?

He couldn't wait to go out and find Xu Xing. He drove all the way to the company entrance and walked into the lobby excitedly. This time, he didn't need to ask anything. As soon as the receptionist saw him, she immediately gave him a warm and sweet smile.

She bowed slightly and said, "Mr. Jiang is here. Just take the president's private elevator up."

Jiang Zhuochen paused, then politely replied, "Thank you."

He pushed open the office door without warning and was startled by the gloomy atmosphere inside. Seven or eight pairs of eyes were focused on him, making him feel a chill down his spine.

Jiang Zhuochen chuckled dryly, intending to close the door and let them do as they pleased.

"Come in."

Hearing the sound, Jiang Zhuochen stopped closing the door and met the gaze of the president who remained motionless in his office chair. The president's expression, which had been as calm as still water, had subsided at some point, and a hint of pleasure appeared in his eyes.

Xu Xing raised his chin, gesturing to Jiang Zhuochen: "Go sit over there for a while, I'll be done soon."

Thanks to him, for the next ten minutes, Xu Xing's attitude was like a gentle breeze, leaving his subordinates bewildered and confused as they left.

With the office quieter, Jiang Zhuochen became bolder. He walked over, placed his hands on the edge of the desk, and asked expectantly, "Are you free? Let's hurry up and find the rest of the souls, okay? I want to collect them all as soon as possible."

Xu Xing shook his head, rejecting his suggestion. "You need to rest and recover now. Your spiritual power hasn't recovered much. There's no need to rush. Your soul won't run away."

Jiang Zhuochen stared at his living master before him, thought for a moment, and decided that a few more days wouldn't make a difference, so he nodded in agreement.

But he couldn't stay still. Looking around, he dragged a chair from the lounge to sit next to Xu Xing, rested his chin on the smooth table, and complained in a drawn-out tone, "But I've been locked up here for days, I'm so bored."

Xu Xing put down the documents, helped the slumped man straight, and, under the man's puzzled gaze, unbuttoned his shirt one button at a time. After checking his shoulder injury and confirming that it was alright, he said, "Since you're feeling bored, I'll take you out for a walk in a couple of days when you're feeling better."

Jiang Zhuochen immediately perked up, "What do you want to play?"

"No rush, you'll find out in time." Xu Xing casually patted the top of his soft hair. "Now, think about what you want to eat later?"

Jiang Zhuochen's attention was immediately diverted. After searching his mind, he blurted out a name: "Eight Treasure Soup".

"What eight treasures?" Xu Xing asked, following his lead.

Jiang Zhuochen rattled off the list as if it were his own treasure: "Fire Spirit Dates, Mystic Ice Lotus, Dragon Beard Vine, Jade Marrow Mushroom, Star-Patterned Shell, Phoenix Tears, Nine-Turn Ginseng..."

Xu Xing raised an eyebrow. "And there's one more?"

Jiang Zhuochen shook his head and smiled smugly: "That's right, what's the other treasure? I don't know. Master used to bring it to me, and I was so busy drinking it that I never asked about the recipe."

Xu Xing tapped his forehead, his words full of indulgence: "Come on, let's see if there are any heavenly treasures you want in this mortal world."

The rare treasures of the cultivation world are all born from heaven and earth, or are formed after a cultivator's hundred years of tempering, making them extremely rare. However, the precious or cheap items of the mortal world can all be found in one place: the marketplace.

Jiang Zhuochen peeked around, intrigued by the dazzling array of goods. But when he saw what Xu Xing was carrying, he paid no attention to it.

He quickly and loudly corrected them, "The Fire Spirit Dates aren't big red dates, and the Mystic Ice Lotus is a lotus flower, not a lotus root..."

Xu Xing interrupted him helplessly: "Please have mercy, little cultivator. This is the human world, a place where people live on rice. There are no treasures for you here."

Jiang Zhuochen tugged at his sleeve, her expression unusually innocent: "Can't Master conjure it up?"

Xu Xing pushed the shopping cart forward, a smile playing on his lips: "Okay, I'll conjure it up for you in a bit."

Back at the villa, Jiang Zhuochen declared with a straight face that he was not good at cooking and refused to help out. He just circled around Xu Xing, who was wearing an apron, like an impartial supervisor.

He watched Xu Xing skillfully handling the ingredients, and suddenly remembered that his master used to serve him the soup directly. He couldn't help but ask curiously, "Master, you can cook too?"

"Hmm." Xu Xing continued moving. "Sometimes I don't want people to come to my door, so I learned a little bit myself."

"Wow," Jiang Zhuochen praised insincerely, "Master is so amazing."

Xu Xing was choked by his words, and after a long while, he smiled silently. He poured a bowl of the cooked soup for Jiang Zhuochen, and waited until it was almost cool before letting the other person eat it.

"Let's see if this is your eight-treasure soup?"

Jiang Zhuochen suppressed a laugh, sipping his soup slowly, a sly glint in his eyes: "Yes."

Xu Xing saw through it but didn't say anything. He just reached out to steady the other person when the other person was so smug that he almost buried his face in the bowl.

For the next two days, perhaps to make time to go out, Xu Xing brought his work back home over the weekend and barely left his study.

Jiang Zhuochen wanted Xu Xing to accompany him, but didn't want to bother him too much, so he decided to go out and have fun by himself. However, he forgot to take his hat before leaving, so he had to come back. After taking the hat, he forgot his phone, and he had to run back and forth several times.

Xu Xing watched the figures running up and down outside the door, his mind gradually distracted. He tapped the table a few times with his fingertips, pausing his browsing of documents, and called out to Jiang Zhuochen as he passed by again.

Jiang Zhuochen finally finished checking and made sure he hadn't forgotten anything. He stopped in his tracks after passing the study door when he heard the sound. He leaned back and whispered, "Did you call me?"

Xu Xing waved to him, "What's wrong? Why are you running around?"

"Get your things." Jiang Zhuochen took a step forward and was about to go inside when he suddenly remembered something and stopped in his tracks.

Xu Xing looked puzzled and patiently asked, "Aren't you coming in?"

Jiang Zhuochen drew a line down towards the door with his index finger, raised his chin, and began to bring up old grievances: "It seems someone told me that I'm not allowed to enter his study casually anymore."

Xu Xing, realizing what was happening, chuckled to himself: "Who's so ungrateful?"

Jiang Zhuochen glared at him and said sarcastically, "Anyway, it wasn't you. Maybe the housekeeper told me."

"I see." Xu Xing leaned back in his chair, his attitude very cooperative. "I'll talk to her for you, okay? So she won't be angry anymore, alright?"

“I think he’s right.” Jiang Zhuochen wasn’t buying it and took a step back in a pretentious manner. “The study is a sensitive place, full of secrets that outsiders can’t know. We need to be careful.”

The emphasis on the word "outsider" gave Xu Xing a headache. He stood up and walked towards Jiang Zhuochen, putting his arm around his waist and pulling him into his embrace. "Not an outsider."

He leaned down and kissed the other person's ear, coaxing, "It's my fault, don't be angry, okay?"

Jiang Zhuochen firmly refused him: "No!"

He spent so much effort getting everything sorted out, and the other person negated it all with a single sentence. Keep in mind, even in his most desperate times, he hadn't been served tea or water by anyone, and this person was giving him attitude!

I'll be angry for at least another day.

"What would it take for you to come in?" Xu Xing's tone became even gentler, and he hugged her even tighter.

Jiang Zhuochen stretched out a finger to push his shoulder, and when he sensed that the other party had no intention of loosening his grip, he withdrew it and said confidently, "You're not coming in no matter what."

"Alright then." Xu Xing sighed. "If you don't like it, there's no need to keep it. I'll have someone come and tear it down tomorrow."

“…Huh?” Jiang Zhuochen was dumbfounded.

"Hmm." Xu Xing looked at him calmly.

Jiang Zhuochen was taken aback by the deep, unwavering look in those eyes, and an absurd thought arose in his mind: this person seems to really be true to his word…

He was both amused and exasperated, and slapped Xu Xing across the face: "You have a serious problem."

Xu Xing's chuckle escaped through his fingers, burning Jiang Zhuochen's hand so much that he trembled and covered the wound even more tightly.

He pulled his hand away, looked into the other's face, and made a gentle yet firm promise: "From now on, you can go wherever you want in my place without any worries."

Jiang Zhuochen finally broke into a smile. He suppressed his smile slightly and reluctantly agreed, "Alright, then I forgive you."

A note from the author: