Chapter 4 A Perfect Sleeping Partner Secretly Snuggled Up Towards Him with a Pillow...

Because they used the same shower gel, when Li Baidong came out of the bathroom, he also had a faint scent of freesia on him, which was somewhat similar to Xing Lan's scent, yet also somewhat different.

Li Baidong is like a self-aware pet dog, only daring to jump confidently onto its owner's bed after washing itself clean.

He stared with interest at the aromatherapy diffuser that Xing Lan had placed on the bedside table. It was a very delicate frosted glass bottle containing several beautiful purple crystals and exuding a faint rose fragrance, which was very elegant.

Li Baidong smiled and said, "This aromatherapy diffuser is really beautiful, brother. I didn't expect you to have such a refined taste in life."

Xing Lan glanced at him indifferently, lifted the blanket and lay down on the other side of the bed, raised her hand to put on a blackout eye mask, and prepared to go to sleep.

Li Baidong turned to look at him.

Xing Lan has a small face, fair skin, and black hair.

A dark green silk eye mask covered most of his face, revealing only his slightly red lips and well-defined jawline.

The bedroom bed was large. Although Li Baidong and Xing Lan were both quite tall, they were also quite thin, so there was plenty of room for them to sleep together.

Li Baidong slightly raised the corners of his lips, and taking advantage of Xing Lan's blindfold not seeing him, he secretly hugged his pillow and snuggled a little closer to him.

A few seconds later, I was hit a little more.

Xing Lan's breathing was even, completely unaware.

Li Baidong's movements as he quietly approached became increasingly bold.

Just as their shoulders were about to touch, he suddenly stopped, his voice very soft, his tone rising in a cheerful cadence.

Goodnight, brother.

-

Xing Lan slept very well last night.

He didn't remove his blindfold until the alarm clock rang, and slowly opened his eyes.

The other side of the blanket was empty, with only a trace of warmth remaining in the rolled-up corner.

Li Baidong is a very good sleeping partner. He sleeps very well and has none of the bad sleeping habits that adult men often have. He also has a fresh and pleasant scent that is unique to young men.

Like a glass of light mint liqueur in a treehouse on a rainy day, it makes you feel at ease just by being near it.

Xing Lan didn't know how long it had been since she had a good night's sleep, and her long-tense nerves gradually relaxed.

After changing his clothes and stepping out of the bedroom, he heard Li Baidong greet him with the same energetic spirit as the protagonist in a shonen anime: "Good morning, bro!"

Li Baidong wore a white T-shirt and a beige apron today.

The boy has broad shoulders and strong muscles. Because of his great physique with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, he looks a bit out of place in an apron. He doesn't look like a proper chef; he looks like a male model shooting a home improvement advertisement.

Xing Lan pulled out a chair and sat down at the dining table, when Li Baidong immediately served him the breakfast he had just prepared.

It was a steaming bowl of curry fish ball noodles, with a soft-boiled egg and a few fresh green vegetables added. Putting aside the taste, the colors alone were pleasing to the eye.

"You got up so early? Did you have early class today?"

"I don't have class, but I have to go out for something else later." Li Baidong smiled and pointed to the table next to him. "Brother, you should try this noodle dish. It's my specialty. I learned the recipe from a master chef at a noodle shop."

Upon tasting, the noodles are chewy and smooth, the fish balls are bouncy and tender, and the soft-boiled egg is cooked to perfection, releasing its tempting orange-yellow yolk with a gentle poke.

Xing Lan took a bite and nodded in approval, saying, "It's pretty good."

Li Baidong sat opposite him, resting his chin on his hand and smiling at him.

Xing Lan felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze and looked up: "Aren't you going to eat?"

“I’ve already eaten.” Li Baidong straightened his back and sat up a little more upright, proudly listing each item one by one, “I also fed the cat, walked the dog, and mopped the living room and kitchen floors.”

He snapped his fingers and raised an eyebrow smugly: "Brother, with me here, you won't have to worry about anything in the morning. Just go to work without any worries."

Xing Lan turned her head and glanced at a dog on the carpet next to her, which was sticking its butt out and chewing on a carrot toy.

No wonder this guy didn't say a word just now.

In the past, if we fed it even a little late, it would lie by the door and howl loudly. The gluttonous little thing couldn't stand being hungry.

Turning her gaze away, Xing Lan slowly ate her noodles and looked at Li Baidong, saying, "You've done so much this morning, shouldn't I thank you properly?"

Li Baidong blinked and said with a smile, "We live under the same roof, so we're practically family. As the saying goes, a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative."

“Brother, you’ve been so good to me. If it weren’t for your help yesterday, I wouldn’t have been able to set up the fox cat tree properly. Of course, I have to do something for you too.”

Xing Lan was about to speak when his phone suddenly rang.

After hanging up the phone, he frowned, put down the bowl of noodles he had barely eaten, and hurried off to work.

What kind of company is so vicious that it won't even let its employees have a proper breakfast?

Li Baidong stared at Xing Lan's departing figure as she closed the door, and pouted somewhat unhappily.

But his eyes soon lit up again.

He sat down in the seat Xing Lan had just sat in, and without any hesitation, began eating the noodles Xing Lan had just eaten, along with the soft-boiled egg that Xing Lan had only taken a small bite of.

The noodles were a little cold, but they had a unique sweetness.

Li Baidong picked up the bowl and drank every last drop of soup.

-

As soon as Xing Lan arrived at the company, she went straight to the conference room. Pushing open the door, she immediately saw President Liao sitting in the center with a cold expression. The others did not dare to look up and remained silent.

Xing Lan walked to a spot and sat down, calmly asking, "Has Shiweijia confirmed that they no longer want to cooperate with us?"

Shiweijia is a long-established local restaurant in Ning City, and one of their company's important long-term clients.

The previous collaborations went very smoothly, with no major issues and the advertising results meeting expectations.

"Not only do they not want to cooperate with us, but I've heard they're already contacting other advertising companies in private," General Manager Liao said coldly, tapping the conference table with his finger.

A few seconds of silence fell over the air. Xing Lan pondered for a moment, then looked up at President Liao again.

“I have dealt with Mr. Chen from Shiweijia. He is quite old and very cautious. He will not make a decision easily unless he is fully aware of the situation.”

"As long as it's not officially confirmed, we still have a chance to fight for it."

He thought for a moment and suggested, "I'll try to meet with Mr. Chen in the next few days and ask him what his concerns are."

Upon hearing this, Deng Hao immediately retorted with a sneer, "What's the point of meeting them? Since they don't want to cooperate with us, you'll just be offering a cold shoulder."

“Didn’t that new chef company show interest in us a while ago? Now that Shiweijia wants to terminate its contract, we can work with the new company right away,” Deng Hao said, turning on his computer.

“I’ve checked. Their business is doing very well recently. Although they are competitors with Shiweijia, their development is no worse than theirs.”

“Xinchushang is a rising star this year, and its foundation is not as deep as Shiweijia. It’s uncertain how big they can grow or how far they can go,” Xing Lan analyzed rationally. “Rather than signing a contract with them and completely losing stable old customers, I would suggest trying to win back Shiweijia.”

"So what if it's a new company? Which company doesn't start from scratch?" Deng Hao glared at Xing Lan, his voice growing louder. "To achieve such results in such a short time shows that they have great potential!"

"Metabolism, the ebb and flow of tides, the new waves pushing the old waves forward... this is the law of nature!"

"Biodiversity seeks advantage and avoids harm, shunning all possible risks." Xing Lan looked back at Deng Hao calmly. "This is also a natural law."

The two couldn't reach an agreement on this point. Deng Hao argued until his neck turned red, but Xing Lan remained calm and composed, making the overly agitated person opposite him look like a clown.

President Liao glanced at Deng Hao, who was practically leaping around the conference room like a wild ape, then looked at Xing Lan, who was dressed in a white shirt and had a cool expression, and lowered his head to rub his temples.

"Alright, since the matter with Shiweijia hasn't been resolved yet, there's really no need to rush into contacting new clients. Whether it will work out is another matter, and we might end up with a bad reputation for being untrustworthy."

"Xiao Xing, take some time to talk to President Chen and see how you can win them back. Listen to their terms. I'm leaving this to you."

Xing Lan nodded.

"Alright, meeting adjourned."

Deng Hao stared wide-eyed at President Liao in disbelief, wanting to offer a few more suggestions, but was completely ignored.

"Mr. Liao, I think..."

"Little Deng." After following him all the way, President Liao finally stopped.

Just as Deng Hao was about to cheer up, he was patted on the shoulder: "The orchids in the conference room are almost wilted, go and water them."

Deng Hao's upturned lips instantly disappeared.

-

There is a coffee shop downstairs from Xinglan Company. It has a unique decor and a quiet atmosphere, making it a great place for many working people to rest and recharge.

A new guy came to this coffee shop today. He's supposedly a very young man. He's a bit dark-skinned, but incredibly handsome. He's tall and thin, always has a smile on his face, and is well-behaved and polite—a typical younger, charming guy. He's especially likable.

Around noon, many female employees went to see what was going on.

Xing Lan didn't want to watch the handsome guy's antics, but he loved a dessert called Blue Heart at the coffee shop.

Named Blue Heart, it's actually a blueberry-flavored mille-feuille cake with a sweet and sour taste and rich layers, which Xing Lan really likes.

He's a bit sentimental; once he likes something, he'll repurchase it repeatedly. A quick check of his purchase history at this store reveals dozens of entries, almost all for the same small cake.

As usual, Xing Lan went out to buy a cake during her lunch break. As soon as she stepped into the coffee shop, she heard Deng Hao's loud voice filled with resentment.

"What abilities does Xing Lan actually have? He's just good-looking and lucky. He takes advantage of President Liao's favoritism and puts on airs at the company all day long."

"Who in the whole company doesn't know he likes men? Last Valentine's Day, he, a grown man, received more flowers than all the girls combined. It's disgusting that men are involved with men."

"It's utterly ridiculous to leave a piece of ready-made fat meat untouched and insist on plucking the moon's reflection from the water! He claims he'll win back Shi Weijia, but what will he use to do so? His face or his ass?"

Xing Lan paused, her eyes lowered slightly, half of her body shrouded in the shadow cast by the beechwood door frame, obscuring her facial expression.

"ah!"

The next second, Deng Hao suddenly shouted, followed by a series of curses.

"—Damn it, do you even have eyes?"

"This coffee was so hot, it's all spilled all over me!"

Xing Lan quietly raised her eyes and saw a familiar figure in the bright and clean coffee shop.

A note from the author:

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