Qi Mu forced his eyes wide open and refused to blink, determined not to lose on sheer nerve, until his eyes began to sting.
Just when he was about to reach his limit—
Jiang Shao suddenly looked away and lowered his eyes.
Qi Mu: “…”
That’s it? I won?
It felt like punching a wad of cotton. All that anger was still bottled up inside him with nowhere to go.
Jiang Shao lowered his eyes coldly.
It’s not as though I’m admitting defeat. This man has absolutely no idea how to take care of himself, and I haven’t forgotten that. Today just isn’t the right time to settle accounts. So what if I let Qi Mu have this one?
Jiang Shao knew perfectly well when to stop while he was ahead.
But losing your temper was the sort of thing that depended on momentum: the first burst was strongest, the second weaker, and by the third, there was nothing left.
Qi Mu had failed to get his anger out once, then twice, until he had held it in for too long.
Now nothing he said would feel satisfying.
So he fell silent as well.
Only awkwardness remained, flowing soundlessly through the room.
Remembering what had just happened—
Qi Mu felt as though he could dig an entire castle out of the floor with his toes. He cautiously studied Jiang Shao, trying to determine exactly how much of the man’s sanity had returned…
Elio’s Notes: “Digging a castle out with one’s toes” is Chinese internet slang for being so embarrassed or secondhand embarrassed that your toes curl as though they could dig into the floor.
Jiang Shao’s face was difficult to make out beneath the dim light. All Qi Mu could see was that his expression had returned to its usual cold indifference.
There was absolutely no sign that he was the lunatic who had been running wild just moments ago.
Unable to judge the situation, Qi Mu did not dare speak rashly. Who knew what might set Long Aotian off again? What if he still had not fully sobered up and suddenly pounced on Qi Mu a second time?
The cramped, dim room felt like a cage.
Qi Mu quickly assessed his situation. The safest thing to do was leave this dangerous place first. Whatever reckoning needed to happen could wait until later.
So he tentatively stood up. When Jiang Shao showed no reaction, Qi Mu swiftly snatched the stomach medicine off the floor, yanked open the door, and fled!
Bang!
He slammed the door shut behind him. The sound-activated light in the corridor came on, and Qi Mu stared at the closed door behind him for a long moment.
No monster smashed through it.
Nor did the man open it.
Qi Mu finally let out a slow breath, only then feeling as though he had truly escaped with his life.
It seemed he really could not afford to be careless in the future.
Being alone with Long Aotian was simply too dangerous. A Long Aotian who was not in his right mind, especially, was something that needed to be kept at a strictly enforced distance.
Qi Mu covered his neck with one hand.
Then he went downstairs, called a ride, and headed home.
On the way, Qi Mu sat in the back seat of the ride-hailing car staring out the window, visibly uncomfortable. He kept feeling as though the driver was secretly glancing at him. Surely the man had not noticed anything?
But the driver never said a word.
Perhaps Qi Mu was simply being paranoid.
…
The next day, Qi Mu went to work as usual.
Zhan Xiao Hui came in carrying some documents. When she noticed the Band-Aid on his neck, she did not think much of it and merely asked with concern, “President Qi, what happened?”
Qi Mu replied calmly, “I scraped it by accident.”
Zhan Xiao Hui gave an “oh” and did not ask anything further. She took the signed documents and left again, privately wondering how President Qi had managed to scrape his neck. What had he scraped it on?
Once he was alone—
Qi Mu quietly breathed a sigh of relief. He had actually been extremely nervous just now. He checked his reflection in his phone screen and confirmed once again that none of the teeth marks were showing before finally relaxing and returning to work.
A little after ten that morning, Zhan Xiao Hui knocked on his door again.
She asked in confusion, “President Qi, did you make an appointment with President Dong? He brought some people over and said you were expecting him.”
Qi Mu considered it briefly. “Yes. Let him in.”
Still thoroughly puzzled, Zhan Xiao Hui went to bring them over. President Qi actually closed the deal last night? Why didn’t he mention it beforehand? Then I could at least have made arrangements in advance.
Before long, Dong Wei arrived.
He came forward with a broad smile and enthusiastically shook Qi Mu’s hand. “President Qi, we meet again.”
Watching from the side, Zhan Xiao Hui was astonished.
She had worked at Qi Corporation for several years and had met Dong Wei a few times before. The man relied on his seniority and age to put on airs in front of President Qi, and he had never once signed a contract without making things difficult first. This was honestly the first time she had ever seen him behave with such eager enthusiasm!
Qi Mu gave his hand only a brief shake before withdrawing his own, his brows faintly furrowing.
Dong Wei had indeed said yesterday that he would come, but the circumstances at the time had been so unusual that Qi Mu suspected he had simply been drunk and that his promise could not be taken seriously.
He had not expected Dong Wei to actually show up today.
That abrupt reversal from arrogance to deference made it impossible for Qi Mu not to wonder.
Seeing Qi Mu remain so reserved, Dong Wei would normally have made several sarcastic remarks. Today, however, he felt only nervous, worried that Qi Mu was still holding yesterday’s events against him.
Dong Wei’s eyes shifted as he said, “I’ve already brought the contract. Would President Qi like to look it over?”
He gestured for his assistant to take it out.
Qi Mu accepted the contract and carefully read through it line by line.
It followed the same standard format as before and was largely unchanged. The only difference was that this time, the price was extremely fair, without the excessive bargaining Dong Wei normally insisted on, and even the payment period was shorter than before… Not only was there nothing wrong with the contract, its terms were actually better than before.
Qi Mu glanced at Dong Wei.
The man was staring at him expectantly, almost as though he were afraid Qi Mu might refuse.
Qi Mu suddenly had an absurd feeling.
He felt as though he had somehow become one of Long Aotian’s women. In the dream, whenever Long Aotian was dealing with matters involving his harem, he would occasionally protect one of his harem members by face-slapping some cannon fodder. Afterward, that cannon fodder would go from arrogant to deferential and respectfully come bearing benefits.
Now Dong Wei was the cannon fodder who had been slapped in the face, while Qi Mu was one of the harem members Long Aotian had protected.
The thought horrified Qi Mu.
Even his face went a little pale.
The teeth marks on his neck had stopped hurting long ago, yet now they suddenly seemed to sting again.
His entire body felt uncomfortable.
As though he were sitting on pins and needles.
Seeing Qi Mu’s expression change, Dong Wei became even more nervous. He edged forward in his seat and cautiously asked, “Does President Qi have any thoughts about the contract? Just tell me. Everything is negotiable.”
Qi Mu: “…”
Help. This is making it even more convincing.
Afraid Dong Wei might say something even more earth-shattering, Qi Mu gave a light cough. “There’s no problem. We’ll go with this.”
Dong Wei breathed a sigh of relief.
The contract was signed with unprecedented ease. From beginning to end, the entire process took less than ten minutes.
Seeing that Qi Mu had no intention of keeping him there, Dong Wei tactfully stood up. “Then I won’t take up any more of President Qi’s time.”
Qi Mu breathed a sigh of relief as well.
He told Zhan Xiao Hui, “Please see President Dong out.”
Still somewhat dazed, Zhan Xiao Hui replied, “All right.”
After everyone had left—
Qi Mu lowered his head and stared blankly at the contract on his desk.
There were two copies. Dong Wei had taken one, while the other remained with him.
He thought back to every previous meal he had endured with Dong Wei. Every single time, Qi Mu had drunk until he vomited and the whole world seemed to spin before he could finally secure the contract after untold effort. Yet this time, it had been so effortless that it almost felt like a dream.
The longer Qi Mu stared at the contract, the more abruptly he shot to his feet.
His office had its own private restroom. He went inside, locked the door, and stood before the mirror before peeling the Band-Aid from his neck.
The teeth marks were still clearly visible. The skin had not been broken or bled, but the marks would not disappear so quickly.
They were glaringly conspicuous.
Like a mark Long Aotian had left behind.
When exactly had Jiang Shao seen Dong Wei yesterday? Was it when they had both gone to the restroom? But hadn’t Jiang Shao been completely drunk at the time? And yet… what if Jiang Shao had never been drunk in the first place?
But how could that possibly be? If Jiang Shao had not been drunk, how could he possibly have done those things to Qi Mu?
Had Jiang Shao lost his mind? Qi Mu was a man!
Qi Mu did not dare think any further.
The more he thought about it, the more terrifying the implications became.
Flustered, he slapped the Band-Aid back over the ugly teeth marks, hiding them from view.
He should stop thinking about it.
Maybe this was simply Long Aotian’s protagonist luck at work?
Whatever the reason, Qi Mu had benefited from borrowing some of Long Aotian’s luck, so perhaps he should simply let the whole drunken episode go. Besides, what was the point of arguing with a drunk?
It would be better to let the matter end here.
Digging too deeply would do neither of them any good. Sometimes deliberately muddling through things was not such a bad idea.
…
Zhan Xiao Hui returned after seeing Dong Wei out.
As Dong Wei and his assistant prepared to leave, he spotted Jiang Shao standing in the shade outside the building, arms folded across his chest as he leaned casually beneath the eaves. Dong Wei immediately turned to his assistant. “Go wait in the car. I’ll be there in a minute.”
Dong Wei walked toward Jiang Shao with an ingratiating smile. “Were you waiting for me?”
Jiang Shao gave him a cold glance.
This idiot had made everything far too obvious. What if Qi Mu noticed something was wrong?
If Jiang Shao had known, he would have given Dong Wei a few more warnings yesterday.
Jiang Shao’s intolerance for idiots flared up again, but afraid Dong Wei might go around talking, he said impatiently, “You know what you’re not supposed to say once you leave here, right?”
Dong Wei hurriedly swore, “I absolutely haven’t told anyone about you!”
Jiang Shao thought that at least the man was not stupid beyond saving.
He lifted his chin. “Go.”
Dong Wei actually wanted to ingratiate himself a little more, but seeing Jiang Shao’s foul expression, he did not dare say anything else. He awkwardly turned and left.
He had no idea what he had done wrong.
He figured that since Jiang Shao worked for Qi Mu, the two of them must have an unusually close relationship. Maybe this was just some private role-playing game the big shot was into? That was why Dong Wei had been so attentive toward Qi Mu. In any case, he certainly would not go around telling anyone.
A secret was only a secret if he alone knew it. If everyone knew, then it was no longer a secret.
Besides, the big shot clearly had no desire to reveal his identity. If Dong Wei went around broadcasting it, wouldn’t that be the same as saying he had lived too long? He had no desire to go keep Liu Long company!
…
Qi Mu’s life appeared to return to normal.
Whenever he occasionally encountered Jiang Shao at the company, they merely nodded and passed one another.
As though nothing had happened that night.
Qi Mu believed that as long as he kept his distance from Jiang Shao, everything could remain in a superficial state of balance. He even deliberately tried to avoid seeing Jiang Shao, but heaven seemed determined to work against him…
For instance, after finishing a meeting that day, Qi Mu was walking back toward his office when Jiang Shao once again came toward him from the opposite direction.
This was already the fifth time he had run into Jiang Shao today.
Why was the man haunting him like a ghost?
Was the Qi Corporation office building really not big enough?
Qi Mu was beginning to regret transferring Jiang Shao to the President’s Office. At first, he had only wanted to keep Jiang Shao nearby so he could watch him and prevent Long Aotian from causing trouble somewhere in the company beyond his reach. Now he was discovering that being too close was no good either. He could not even avoid him when he wanted to.
Qi Mu gave him a cool nod and walked past Jiang Shao into his office.
Jiang Shao watched Qi Mu leave until the closing door cut off his view.
His eyes darkened.
He had expected Qi Mu to be angry with him over what happened that night. He had also expected Qi Mu to question him about Dong Wei. He had anticipated every possible way Qi Mu might lose his temper, every possible thing Qi Mu might say, and had prepared a response for all of them in advance. But in the end…
Qi Mu said nothing at all.
Not only had he never questioned Jiang Shao even once, he was actually avoiding him without seeming to realize it.
An inexplicable frustration rose in Jiang Shao’s chest.
Qi Mu’s behavior had rendered all of his preparations useless. If Qi Mu refused to make a move, how was Jiang Shao supposed to respond?
Was Qi Mu really planning to keep avoiding him like this forever and pretend that nothing had happened?
Jiang Shao badly wanted to ask Qi Mu what he was thinking, but Qi Mu was constantly busy. If he was not in a meeting, he was away on business, running nonstop from one thing to the next. There were almost always other people in his office as well. If Qi Mu deliberately avoided him, Jiang Shao could not even find an opportunity to speak to him alone…
At noon, Jiang Shao got himself lunch from the company cafeteria and sat alone in a deserted corner.
That was right. To make his penniless-employee persona more convincing, he had been eating in the cafeteria lately. Jiang Shao did not particularly enjoy crowded places and always sat alone in a corner. At first, people occasionally came over to strike up conversations, but because Jiang Shao was always so wonderfully warm and friendly whenever he opened his mouth, gradually no one came over anymore.
The food at Qi Corporation’s cafeteria was quite good and counted as one of the employee benefits. There was braised pork for lunch today, and the cafeteria auntie gave Jiang Shao two extra pieces.
But Jiang Shao had no appetite whatsoever.
The metal chopsticks in his hand bent slightly beneath his grip. Irritated, Jiang Shao threw them onto his tray.
Then he got up and went to the kitchen.
As company president, Qi Mu did not come downstairs to eat in the cafeteria. If he needed to eat at work, one of the kitchen aunties would pack up his meal and have it delivered to his office.
When Jiang Shao arrived, Auntie Zhao was already carrying Qi Mu’s lunchbox and preparing to take it upstairs.
She smiled and greeted him. “Xiao Jiang.”
Jiang Shao immediately put on the demeanor of a well-behaved junior. “Auntie Zhao.”
Auntie Zhao smiled. “Did you need something, Xiao Jiang?”
Jiang Shao said, “You’re so busy back here. Why don’t I take it up for you?”
Auntie Zhao looked at Jiang Shao approvingly. What a thoughtful boy. Giving him those two extra pieces of pork wasn’t wasted on him! In truth, she had merely thought the handsome young man was nice to look at and had been in a good mood, so she had given him two extra pieces. Oh, right—she had also heard that Jiang Shao was President Qi’s cousin. In that case, Jiang Shao delivering President Qi’s lunch was such a touching display of cousinly harmony. Why wouldn’t that be fine?
Auntie Zhao readily handed him the lunchbox. “All right. Then I’ll trouble you with it.”
Jiang Shao smiled. “It’s no trouble.”
Without suspecting anything, Auntie Zhao went back to work. There was plenty to keep her busy in the kitchen.
The moment Jiang Shao turned away, the expression on his face faded.
Carrying the lunchbox, he took the elevator directly to Qi Mu’s floor.
When he reached the office door, Jiang Shao’s expression tightened slightly. He stood there in silence for a moment before finally raising his hand and knocking.
A familiar, clear and gentle voice came from inside.
“Come in.”
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