Futile Devices Scans

Qi Mu did not return home until after he had taken Yu Yue Ning back. By then, it was already past two in the morning, and Qi Mu fell asleep almost the moment his head touched the bed.

The next morning, he got up and washed, turned down several unimportant invitations, and found himself oddly unaccustomed to the thought that he finally had two free days for the weekend.

Qi Mu looked around his empty, quiet home. After a little thought, he went to the supermarket alone, bought some ingredients, and cooked himself a meal.

He spent the next two days resting at home. By the time he left for work on Monday, Qi Mu felt considerably refreshed.

He arrived at the company punctually at nine that morning.

Zhan Xiao Hui came knocking on his door first thing and said, “President Qi, your itinerary for the summit was arranged a month ago. Since we’re only booking a hotel for Jiang Shao now, the hotel you’re staying at is already fully booked.”

Qi Mu asked, “What about the flight? Can you still book him a ticket?”

Zhan Xiao Hui said, “The flight isn’t a problem. The main issue is the hotel. Everything available is quite far away.”

Qi Mu asked, “Approximately how far?”

A troubled expression appeared on Zhan Xiao Hui’s face. “This industry summit is fairly large, and all the decent hotels nearby have already been booked. I checked online, and even the poorer hotels still available are almost an hour away. Any slightly better hotel would be even farther. It’s difficult to find anything suitable on such short notice.”

Qi Mu understood.

He had reserved a high-end hotel beside the venue because staying there would make attending the events more convenient. However, now that the hotel had no rooms left, they would have to choose somewhere else. It was not that Zhan Xiao Hui could not find a hotel at all. She was simply uncertain about his expectations and did not know what standard of hotel she should book for Jiang Shao, so she had come to let him decide.

This really was a somewhat troublesome problem.

If he made Jiang Shao stay alone in a cheap, low-grade hotel, he might offend this formidable ancestor and activate the Long Aotian’s face-slapping mode. But if he booked Jiang Shao a distant hotel and made him wake up two hours early every morning to come and meet Qi Mu… Qi Mu still wanted to live a few more years and had no intention of committing suicide just yet.

Besides, Qi Mu himself was not someone who liked putting on airs. When he had first joined the company and started from the bottom, sharing a standard twin room with colleagues during business trips had been perfectly normal. If Jiang Shao were merely an ordinary employee… then under these circumstances, two grown men would most likely just share accommodations and make do.

After a moment of consideration, Qi Mu said, “I remember you booked me an executive suite?”

Zhan Xiao Hui nodded. “Yes.”

Qi Mu said, “That’s fine. Let him stay with me.” There were two bedrooms, after all.

Zhan Xiao Hui smiled. “All right.”

In truth, she had already considered that possibility before coming to ask him. It was difficult to find a suitable hotel now, and President Qi’s suite had two bedrooms. Having the two of them stay together was the simplest and most convenient solution, sparing her the trouble of racking her brain over another hotel booking. But as an employee, she could hardly arrange her boss’s accommodations herself. Since the boss had suggested it personally, there was no problem.

Working for the right boss really made everything easier.

Only after the office was empty again did Qi Mu reveal a thoughtful expression.

Although the decision he had just made seemed perfectly ordinary, it actually involved a degree of risk. Jiang Shao was not an ordinary employee, and in that dream, he had clearly detested men approaching him. But… Qi Mu had never approached him in that way, had he?

Ever since learning what the future held, Qi Mu had always been careful to maintain boundaries. One could even say he had deliberately distanced himself. He should not have left Jiang Shao any room for misunderstanding.

At that thought, Qi Mu relaxed slightly. As long as Jiang Shao did not misunderstand, this would merely be an ordinary business trip. There was no need for him to act overly cautious. Letting things proceed naturally would appear far more normal.

Their flight was in the evening.

At six that afternoon, Qi Mu prepared to leave and naturally called for Jiang Shao to come with him.

Jiang Shao wore a black hooded sweatshirt and carried a gray backpack over his right shoulder. He looked neat and unencumbered, as though he had packed very little. There was no smile on his stern face. When he heard Qi Mu, he did not answer. He merely raised his eyelids and glanced at him before silently following.

Qi Mu instinctively sensed that Jiang Shao seemed to be in a poor mood, looking as though someone owed him money. But then he reconsidered. Who would dare owe this formidable ancestor money?

Qi Mu shook his head, ignored it, and got into the car.

Driver Zhou took the two of them to the airport.

Driver Zhou usually liked finding opportunities to chat, but today, sitting in the driver’s seat, he felt as though chilling winds were constantly emanating from the young man beside him. For the entire journey, he remained unusually silent and did not say a single word.

The moment Qi Mu entered the car, he sat in the back and began reading on his tablet, completely unaware of the oppressive atmosphere in the front. The summit would begin the next day, and he wanted to use the time to familiarize himself further with its schedule and arrangements while considering which people he might meet and what business opportunities he could explore…

Qi Mu did not put away his tablet until they arrived at the airport.

They first collected their boarding passes. Since there was still some time before boarding, the two of them went to wait in the VIP lounge.

As soon as they sat down, an attendant came over and asked what they would like to drink.

Qi Mu smiled. “Black tea, thank you.”

Jiang Shao replied coldly, “Nothing.”

Qi Mu glanced at Jiang Shao before looking away and continuing to read his tablet. The attendant soon brought over his black tea and placed it beside him. Qi Mu continued reading the documents, occasionally lifting the cup for a sip.

Jiang Shao sat on the sofa opposite Qi Mu with his arms folded across his chest, his jaw tightly clenched as he stared at the engrossed man before him.

Heh.

What a hypocritical performance.

He had clearly been out fooling around with someone until the middle of the night over the weekend, yet the moment it was time for work, he once again appeared impeccably dressed. His cold, restrained appearance now made him look like a completely different person from the man in the photograph.

Jiang Shao had always understood what the second-generation heirs in this social circle were like. He knew how much filth and corruption lay hidden beneath the surface and had seen the sordid reality concealed beneath their glamorous appearances. For people who possessed so much wealth, maintaining a clean private life was practically an expensive luxury.

As a wealthy heir who had grown up within this circle, Qi Mu was naturally the same kind of person. Jiang Shao should not have been surprised.

Yet he felt strangely deceived. Perhaps it was because… he had only just begun to believe that Qi Mu might genuinely be a good person, someone different from the others, only for reality to slap him across the face.

In truth, even if Qi Mu did occasionally perform good deeds and was perhaps not inherently malicious, when it came to his private life, he was no different from the wealthy heirs Jiang Shao knew.

He was already so busy with work, yet he still did not forget to indulge himself at night, rushing off to private clubs whenever he had a moment to spare.

And worse, he was involved ambiguously with another man.

Jiang Shao’s knife-like gaze fell upon Qi Mu. He scrutinized the man’s lips, earlobes, and the small section of neck exposed above his collar. His skin was as fair and immaculate as ever, without the slightest mark. The rest of his body was tightly concealed beneath his suit, revealing nothing at all…

There was naturally no way to know what the two of them had done that night.

For some inexplicable reason, irritation rose within Jiang Shao. His gaze almost seemed intent on piercing through Qi Mu’s clothes. Even he did not know what he cared about. He took out his phone and accidentally opened his conversation with Lu Jin Wen again.

Two days had passed, but the final message in the chat was still that photograph, accompanied by the words: “Your boss.”

Jiang Shao stared at it for a while before letting out a cold laugh.

He did not care who Qi Mu was with. He would never fall into Lu Jin Wen’s trap and ask him about it.

Whoever Qi Mu spent time with had nothing to do with him. Qi Mu was merely his boss.

He absolutely would not ask!

Jiang Shao stared fixedly at the photograph, pressed and held it, and hovered his finger over the delete button. A few seconds later, however, he withdrew his hand and abandoned the idea.

If he really deleted the photograph, would that not make it seem as though he cared? Keeping it was the only way to prove that he felt nothing about it.

Jiang Shao shut off his phone with a rigid expression. Reflected in the black screen were his cold, hostile eyes.

Jiang Shao simply closed his eyes.

Time passed quickly.

Before long, an attendant came to inform Qi Mu that they could begin boarding.

Qi Mu stood and was about to call Jiang Shao to come with him when he saw Jiang Shao rise first. With a cold expression, Jiang Shao strode past him, stirring a gust of chilly air in his wake.

Qi Mu: “…”

He was now absolutely certain that someone had offended Jiang Shao.

He had no idea which unlucky fool had provoked this formidable ancestor. Silently lighting a candle for the unfortunate person, Qi Mu thought that anyone who offended a Long Aotian would probably meet a truly miserable end.

But Qi Mu was not meddlesome enough to ask Jiang Shao about it. First, they were not that close. Second, he could not expose the fact that he knew Jiang Shao’s true identity.

Qi Mu walked out with an indifferent expression.

Because their tickets had not been purchased together, their seats were not beside each other.

Qi Mu was very satisfied with the distance between them. Away from the temperamental Long Aotian, he could continue working in peace.

Jiang Shao’s seat was diagonally behind Qi Mu’s, two rows back. The seatbacks obstructed his view, leaving him able to see only the arm Qi Mu had resting on the armrest. Beneath the cuff of his silver-gray suit, a section of pale wrist was exposed, adorned with a sapphire watch. His fingers were long and clearly jointed. As he moved, the bones of his wrist shifted gently beneath his skin, like snow-covered mountains rising and falling in a winding range.

The image of Qi Mu together with that other man surfaced in Jiang Shao’s mind once again.

What would it feel like to be stroked and touched by a hand like that…?

Jiang Shao was suddenly horrified by his own thought. He withdrew his gaze somewhat awkwardly, closed his eyes coldly, and refused to look at Qi Mu again.

He would not be deceived by this man’s appearance.

…

The flight from City C to City D took only a little over an hour. Qi Mu removed his glasses, rubbed his eyes, gathered his things, and disembarked.

A vehicle sent by the hotel was already waiting at the airport. It was a luxurious black business van, and the driver respectfully opened the door for them.

The vehicle traveled smoothly along the late-night road and soon reached the hotel.

The hotel lobby was magnificent, with glittering crystal chandeliers hanging from the lofty domed ceiling and floors polished brightly enough to reflect a person. After they completed the check-in procedure, an attendant carried their luggage and escorted them upstairs.

The attendant stopped outside a door and said, “We hope you both enjoy your stay.”

Jiang Shao had been somewhat distracted throughout the journey. Because he was in a poor mood, he had neither initiated conversation with Qi Mu nor asked about their itinerary.

Only now, standing before the door and hearing those words, did he suddenly return to his senses and realize—

Qi Mu had…

Arranged for the two of them to share a room?

Jiang Shao’s expression instantly grew grave, accompanied by a trace of discomfort that even he failed to notice. He would never have entertained such thoughts before, but only two nights earlier, Qi Mu had been out fooling around with another man late at night. His sexual orientation was clearly unusual. And now he had arranged for Jiang Shao to stay with him…

What was the meaning of this?

Jiang Shao stared at him coldly.

Qi Mu had no idea that Jiang Shao had imagined so much in such a short time. Aside from appearing to be in a poor mood, Jiang Shao had acted normally until now. Yet just as they were about to enter, he suddenly looked surprised and displeased. Had Zhan Xiao Hui not informed him beforehand?

Qi Mu had no choice but to explain. He certainly did not want Jiang Shao to misunderstand.

He raised a hand and pointed toward the room on the right side of the sitting area, saying to Jiang Shao with complete openness, “You can stay in this room.”

Only then did Jiang Shao take in the interior. He quickly realized that this was a luxury suite with two bedrooms… Qi Mu had no intention of sharing a bedroom with him.

At most, they could only be considered roommates traveling together on business.

For some inexplicable reason, Jiang Shao felt slightly disappointed.

Seeing that Jiang Shao no longer appeared troubled, Qi Mu relaxed and nodded. “There are events tomorrow, so you should rest early.”

With that, he turned and entered the room on the left without hesitation.

Jiang Shao stared at the door that closed before him.

Qi Mu’s movements had been clean and decisive, without the slightest hesitation. Even Jiang Shao, who believed himself adept at reading people, could detect no hidden meaning beneath them.

Yet Jiang Shao remained standing there for a long time, his gaze fixed upon the tightly closed door.

As he continued staring…

A mocking smile of sudden understanding appeared upon his lips.

He believed he had finally figured it out.

Perhaps Qi Mu’s previous kindness and tolerance toward him had simply been because Qi Mu treated everyone that way. But why had Qi Mu brought him on this business trip? For work this important, Qi Mu could clearly have brought another experienced employee—even Zhan Xiao Hui would have been suitable. Yet Qi Mu had deliberately selected him, a newcomer, and had even arranged for the two of them to stay together… Surely it could not have been merely to save the cost of another room?

Qi Mu clearly treated him differently.

Everything in this world happened for a reason. Qi Mu must have some objective in behaving this way.

All this time, Jiang Shao had been trying to understand that objective. Until he uncovered the truth, the mystery would continue to trouble him.

At this moment…

He remembered the sight of Qi Mu with his arm around another man. The answer began to emerge faintly in his heart. He believed he finally understood what Qi Mu wanted.

Because aside from this, he could think of no other explanation.

The corner of Jiang Shao’s mouth lifted slightly.

Although Qi Mu appeared cold and distant, maintaining clear boundaries and conducting himself so flawlessly that no one could find the slightest fault…

Jiang Shao had seen far too many games of playing hard to get.

Did Qi Mu believe that pretending to keep his distance would make Jiang Shao lower his guard?

He truly was an expert at disguising himself.

Unfortunately for Qi Mu, the person he had encountered was Jiang Shao.

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