In the end, Xue Bao Tian still failed to kill Sheng Yu. A few days ago, Sheng Yu had gone out on assignment, following a wealthy businessman to an island. It was said that before he left, he had also packed up Tong Yan, who was on annual leave, and taken him along.
Xue Bao Tian was not the type to swallow anger silently. Sitting on the sofa in Yan Ye’s office, he sent Tong Yan a message: I’ll recommend you some things to help display your ferocity. Seven times a night. Finish off Sheng Yu.
After sending several pictures over, Xue Bao Tian tossed his phone aside. He lifted his eyes and looked at Yan Ye’s back.
The man was making coffee, his technique already much more practiced than last time. Night was drawing near, and the office lights were on. A beam of ceiling light poured down, outlining his body from shoulder and back to lower waist, like a sharp sword, casting a long reflection against the dark window.
That nearly perfect reflection stirred something in Xue Bao Tian’s heart. He got up and walked closer, leaning against the office desk. Tilting his head slightly, he saw that his own figure was also reflected on the same floor-to-ceiling window.
Covered by the same beam of light, their shadows reflected on the same pane of glass. This seemed to be… intimacy.
Just that one thought made Xue Bao Tian feel as if his heart had been stuffed with pulling strands of honey, impossible to tug apart or cut through, sweet and sticky.
Fuck. He laughed softly. So fucking girly. His fingers went into his pocket to search for cigarettes. After feeling through every pocket, however, he found only an empty cigarette box.
After searching around Yan Ye’s office desk and finding nothing, Xue Bao Tian asked, “You really quit smoking?”
The rich, fragrant smell of coffee had already spread out, wrapped in lamplight until it seemed thick and gentle. Yan Ye turned around and walked closer with the coffee, giving a soft “Mm.” “I was afraid I wouldn’t be allowed into Master Xue’s bed, so I quit.”
Xue Bao Tian, using Yan Ye’s hand, touched the hot coffee with his lips and lifted his head to ask him, “Was it hard to quit?”
Yan Ye’s callused fingertips slowly slid from Xue Bao Tian’s temple to his jaw, gently lifting it upward. He bent down and kissed away the white foam on his lips. “With you by my side, nothing counts as hard.”
Xue Bao Tian froze faintly, and immediately after, for the first time in a hundred years, he became shy. His cold white skin was wrapped in a layer of warmth beneath the light, his eyes lowered, dense lashes covering them, as though he no longer dared to meet those gentle eyes.
He secretly looked at the figures on the window. The two blurred silhouettes were so close they were almost inseparable. He was sitting against the office desk, half embraced and half held by the tall man, trapped in his arms.
He suddenly thought of that word, “shackles.” So it was actually a good word.
The office was utterly quiet, and the ambiguous atmosphere made Xue Bao Tian faintly nervous. Naturally, he refused to admit it. Master Xue had fought a hundred battles and cleaved through waves; there was no reason for his heart to tremble in some little ditch.
Suppressing the flutter in his chest, his mouth, usually so sharp and vicious, seemed to turn clumsy after being kissed, and he grabbed at a topic at random.
He flipped through the documents on Yan Ye’s office desk and mocked, “You barely know how to write a few characters. What use do you have for such a big office desk?”
Yan Ye lowered himself, bracing both hands on the desk, and suddenly leaned closer, his hot breath spilling over the ear of the man leaning backward.
“It wasn’t of much use before. Now it is.”
The stacks of documents were shoved into the corner at once. A large palm gripped Xue Bao Tian’s waist and lifted him, setting him on the desktop.
“Baobao, do you still want coffee?” His low, mellow voice reached the curve of Xue Bao Tian’s ear. Before Xue Bao Tian could answer, Yan Ye made the decision for him.
The coffee, now at just the right temperature, was held in his mouth. The man abruptly turned aggressive, pressing Xue Bao Tian down onto the desk and bending to kiss him.
The mellow fragrance of coffee spread between their teeth. Liquid slowly passed into his mouth, his Adam’s apple moving faintly. The coffee he passively swallowed had no discernible taste, yet it left him dizzy as strong liquor. Yan Ye’s gentleness lasted only an instant before turning fierce, overwhelming his senses from every direction…
As the heated kiss deepened, Yan Ye’s warm palm slipped beneath the hem of his clothes and moved upward inch by inch, lingering midway for a long time before finally reaching the cigarette scar.
Nimble fingers worked the buttons open in reverse. Yan Ye took another sip of coffee, bent down, and kissed the pale scar.
The coffee, slightly warmer than body temperature, seemed to scald the tip of Xue Bao Tian’s heart. The wet trail sliding slowly down his collarbone made him feel like the white latte art floating on coffee, left for the barista to shape however he pleased.
After lingering there for a long time, Yan Ye continued downward. In matters like this, he had never been good at controlling himself and always left traces proving he had been there.
When he reached a sensitive place, Xue Bao Tian hurriedly called out, “Yan Ye, don’t…”
The man lifted his eyes slightly, and the sight before him hooked his gaze until it darkened sharply.
Against the broad, dark-brown office desk, pale skin gleamed like a magnificent glazed-jade vessel, precious enough to shatter at the slightest touch.
No longer domineering or arrogant, stripped of his usual cold malice, the man seemed almost like a living sacrifice laid upon an altar, carrying panic, expectation, and a strange devotion, fragile enough to be slaughtered at will.
Yan Ye seemed to hear the blood surging through his own veins. Holding himself back with obvious effort, he coaxed in a voice already gone hoarse, “Two Hundred, call me Brother Chi.”
“Brother Chi…”
“So good.”
Yan Ye emptied the coffee in the cup and bent down once again…
Xue Bao Tian’s fingers on the desk abruptly curled, tightly clutching a calligraphy practice sheet covered with his own name!
“I turned down that business.” On the sofa, Yan Ye held him in his arms. No one knew where he had picked up this wicked little habit, but he slowly poured lukewarm coffee into the hollow of Xue Bao Tian’s collarbone, bit by bit, then bent down and sucked it into his mouth.
Xue Bao Tian was limp with exhaustion and too lazy to argue with him. His cigarette craving, however, was vicious. Rubbing his fingers together, he asked hoarsely, “You’re sure Sheng Yu was behind it?”
“Mm. We checked. He really did have contact with the client.”
“Even if he made moves behind the scenes, you don’t have hard evidence, so you can’t exactly make a public issue of it. If you turn down a job delivered straight to your door, can you justify that to the company?”
“This job came because of my name. If I take a better one during the same period, one that earns the company even more money, then turning this one down becomes perfectly reasonable.”
Xue Bao Tian was so bothered he pushed away the head in front of him. “You have a better option?”
Yan Ye nodded. “Yes. They came to discuss it with me at almost the same time.” He gathered the person in his arms even tighter. “So recently, I have to go on a business trip.”
“Where?”
Avoiding his gaze, Yan Ye bent down and kissed the hollow of his neck again. “Guangxi.”
“How long?”
“At most half a month.” Yan Ye’s voice stirred into the clear glow of moonlight; within his solemnity, a faint worry could be heard. “Two Hundred, promise me you’ll behave during this time. The bodyguard I picked for you cannot leave your side. Go less to places like bars and nightclubs if you can. Don’t make enemies with people. If there’s someone you can’t stand, I’ll help you deal with them when I come back.”
Xue Bao Tian rested his chin on the man’s shoulder and said lazily, “What if the one I can’t stand is you?”
Yan Ye reached out and rubbed his hair. “Then look at me more. If you look long enough, naturally, I’ll become pleasing to the eye.”
Xue Bao Tian rolled his eyes. “Rats and cats have been looking at each other for several thousand years, and they still haven’t fucking shaken hands.”
The corner of Yan Ye’s lips curved up, but no smile stirred in his eyes. His deep gaze looking toward the corner of the wall was colder than the night itself, faintly carrying a hidden gleam.
“Wait for me to come back.”
On the fifth day after Yan Ye left, Xue Bao Tian was bored out of his fucking mind. During the day, work kept him occupied, but once he got off, he always felt as though something were missing beside him. His heart was empty and hollow… How should he describe it?
Crouching by the roadside, he turned his head and saw the large iron wok for sugar-roasted chestnuts in the alley.
Clicking his tongue, he added the second half of the sentence: his heart was so empty and hollow it could fit a whole big wok inside.
After crouching there and peeling chestnuts for a while, Xue Bao Tian clapped his hands and supported himself on his knees as he stood. Midsummer had already passed, but the high temperatures refused to leave. At this hour in the evening, there was no wind, leaving a fine layer of sweat on his body.
The luxury car was parked by the roadside, the air-conditioning blasting inside. The driver was leisurely scrolling through videos of beautiful women, and even through the glass, Xue Bao Tian could see a whole screenful of bouncing cleavage. He tossed the oil-paper bag of chestnuts to the bodyguard beside him and headed toward the car in utter boredom.
After only two steps, he seemed to think of something and turned back, pointing at the chestnut shells on the ground as he ordered, “Pick them up and throw them in the trash can.”
The newly appointed bodyguard was an acquaintance, Song Zhi Xin. When Xue Bao Tian had fallen on hard times, in order to protect his father and sister from harassment, he had hired bodyguards from Yanyue Security. Back then, Yan Ye was still Zhang Chi and had secretly given Xue Bao Tian a discount. This fellow cost eight hundred a month.
Xue Bao Tian was lazy. At first, when he could not remember Song Zhi Xin’s name, he would occasionally call him “Song Eight Hundred.” After calling him that a few times, he realized something was wrong. Why did this guy get six hundred more than him?
Song Zhi Xin did not talk much, but he was attentive. The smile squeezed out by this rough-faced big man made Xue Bao Tian’s eyes ache.
He thought he had borrowed Yan Ye’s light. After all, the relationship between the two of them had already spread through Yanyue like wildfire. During the time Yan Ye was imprisoned, Xue Bao Tian held down Yanyue, and Sheng Yu slapped the table and shouted, “Who do you think you are? You don’t have the slightest relationship with Yan Ye!”
Xue Bao Tian knew best how to reinforce his momentum. With cold, sharp eyes, he lit a cigarette and exhaled a smoke ring. He had just been about to speak unhurriedly when he heard a girl standing behind Sheng Yu kindly explain, “He has the kind of relationship where he once slept with General Manager Yan in an eighty-yuan-a-night motel.”
Fuck. Xue Bao Tian choked on the cigarette and almost passed out.
Pulling himself out of that less-than-pleasant memory, Xue Bao Tian looked at Song Zhi Xin beside him and kindly warned, “Don’t force a smile when you don’t have one. However you normally work, work the same way with me. There’s no need to give me special treatment because of my relationship with your General Manager Yan. I seriously can’t take it.”
Song Zhi Xin’s smile did not lessen as he said seriously, “It has nothing to do with General Manager Yan.”
Xue Bao Tian raised a brow, interest coming to him. “Then that smile of yours, like an iron bucket that became a spirit, is purely because you have an opinion about me?”
Slowly putting away the smile, Song Zhi Xin returned to his reserved, rigid appearance. He thought for a while before saying, “I don’t have an opinion about you. I just want to… curry favor with you.”
What kind of scene had Xue Bao Tian not seen? One look at this Song Eight Hundred told him the man was not holding in anything good. He took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth, glancing at the large, burly man and signaling for him to continue.
Sure enough, the big man stammered, “Your sister and I are dating. I wanted to curry favor with you, little brother-in-law.”
The red glow on the lighter’s tungsten wire had not yet faded when a mouthful of smoke that had only just passed through his throat was coughed out. Xue Bao Tian lowered the car window and took several breaths of fresh air before finally suppressing the coughing that shook his chest.
Putting out the cigarette, he raised a vicious gaze. “Did our Xue family dig up your Yanyue ancestral graves in our last life or something? Is that why, in this life, one after another, all of you come to sleep with…”
He forcibly swallowed the rest of the sentence, then cursed, “Fuck.” “My sister doesn’t know how to refuse people. You’re just taking advantage of weakness. I’m warning you, don’t play any tricks, and don’t use my sister as a ladder for people like you to climb to the heavens. Stay away from her!”
Song Zhi Xin froze, then seriously thought for a long while before saying in a low voice, “I never thought about that issue. Thinking about it now, it really would make you misunderstand my motives. But I just like your sister. I don’t have any other intentions.”
Xue Bao Tian gave a scoffing laugh. “Back then, Wei Hua sounded far more sincere than you. When he was currying favor with me, he wanted so badly he could kneel down and serve as my mounting block.”
Song Zhi Xin fell silent. He turned his head to look out the window, leaving only one gloomy sentence. “Time reveals a person’s heart.”
Fuck long enough and all you’ll learn is what someone’s like in bed, not their fucking heart. Xue Bao Tian cursed inwardly, pulled out his phone, and sent Yan Ye a message: Change my bodyguard.
Ever since Yan Ye had gone on his business trip, he had contacted Xue Bao Tian very little. Today, however, he replied to this message instantly, though there was only one question mark.
Xue Bao Tian lowered his head and edited the text. Just then, the car in front suddenly changed lanes, and the driver slammed on the brakes. Xue Bao Tian’s body abruptly pitched forward, his finger slipped, and the message was sent.
He skimmed it. Close enough. The meaning was clear.
Song Zhi Xin’s phone rang almost seamlessly right after Xue Bao Tian sent the message.
Xue Bao Tian was somewhat impressed by Yan Ye’s efficiency and mentally gave the little idiot a point of merit. Sinking back into the seat, he looked coolly at Song Zhi Xin.
Song Zhi Xin answered quickly. The voice faintly audible through the receiver carried anger. That did not seem like Yan Ye’s style. He was the kind of dog that never showed its teeth; when he bit, he never did it where people could see.
“On what grounds are you suspending me?” Song Zhi Xin asked in a low voice. “I haven’t made any mistakes at work, nor have I violated any of the company’s rules.”
No one knew what Yan Ye said on the other end of the phone, but Song Zhi Xin abruptly looked toward Xue Bao Tian, his gaze sharp and furious.
Xue Bao Tian crossed his legs in the spacious back seat of the car, revealing his signature coldness and malice. “I’m your employer. Of course I can replace you at any time.”
“According to the contract, you can replace me at any time, but you can’t casually slander me.”
“Slander? I’m fucking stating facts.”
For the first time in front of Xue Bao Tian, the tall, sturdy man displayed sharpness and pressure.
“I did not harass you!”
“Harass who? …What!”
Xue Bao Tian hurriedly went to look at the message he had just sent.
He harassed me…
Where was the word “sister”? Fuck! Xue Bao Tian instantly grew guilty. He drew back his long legs, put his feet together, straightened his spine, and murmured, “Eight Hundred, don’t panic. Don’t panic. Let me explain.”
Carefully taking the phone from Song Zhi Xin’s hand, he turned his back and placed it beside his ear.
“Brother Chi, I missed one word in the message just now. The one he harassed was my sister.”
The other end was silent for a long while before Yan Ye’s helpless voice finally came through. “Old Song told me he was dating your sister. At present, I wouldn’t call it harassment. If you’re worried, I’ll look into it properly when I get back. But right now, I owe him an apology. I spoke too harshly just now. I’d already even decided how I was going to beat him.”
His voice paused, and gentleness wrapped around the man’s faintly tired tone. “Two Hundred, say you miss me, and I’ll let this misunderstanding go.”
They had spoken very little since Yan Ye left on his business trip. Only now, hearing that familiar voice gone slightly hoarse, did Xue Bao Tian realize that “one day apart feels like three autumns” was not the same kind of exaggeration as saying a car flew down the road. Apparently, it was fucking real.
He looked at the stream of cars outside the window and gave a soft “Mm.”
The other side seemed to laugh. “I’ll take that as you having said it.”
After hanging up the phone, Yan Ye’s gentle voice still filled Xue Bao Tian’s ears: “Two Hundred, be good and wait for me to come back.”
Lowering his eyes, he savored the feeling for a while. By the time he raised his eyelids again, Xue Bao Tian was back to his usual careless, roguish self. He tossed the phone to Song Zhi Xin. “Sorry. Sent it wrong. But stay farther away from my sister from now on. Stop hanging around in front of her.”
Song Zhi Xin put away his phone without agreeing. He merely said in a businesslike tone, “We don’t discuss private matters during work hours. Please comply, President Xue.”
Fuck. Who the hell started it?
The next day, Xue Bao Tian was in a meeting when his secretary pushed open the door and placed a note in front of him.
The female secretary had always been brisk and capable, but today she looked conflicted. “A child said he had something urgent to see you about and swore that once you saw the note, you’d meet him. I must’ve had lard clouding my judgment too, because I actually agreed to bring the note in.”
Xue Bao Tian’s life had never had much to do with children. He even found himself annoying, let alone kids.
Drawing his brows together, he unfolded the note. The handwriting was neat and orderly, but there was only one word: “shackles.”
So it was him. Little Trash.
Xue Bao Tian thought for a while and asked, “Where is he?”
“Conference room.”
Xue Bao Tian pushed open the conference room door and saw Little Trash stuffing candy into his pockets. Both pockets were bulging, and the candy tray used for guests had already been emptied.
Caught in the act, the child did not show the slightest shame. He stood up from the oversized sofa and said urgently, “Pretty boy, my boss is in danger!”
Xue Bao Tian’s steps paused, and his gaze turned sharp. “Who did you say is in danger?”
“My boss. Your lover. Yan Ye.”
!!!