Qi Mu spent half an hour fussing in front of the mirror, but no matter what he did, he could not conceal the hickey. In the end, he could only give up in defeat.
It was not as though he had never considered refusing Jiang Shao or outwardly complying while secretly doing the opposite, but he eventually abandoned the idea. Based on what he knew of Jiang Shao, this ancestor could only be handled by smoothing his fur. If Qi Mu behaved obediently, Jiang Shao might lose interest quickly and stop tormenting him. But if he courted death while Jiang Shao was still furious…
Qi Mu did not dare imagine what Jiang Shao might do.
Fortunately, as president, nobody cared how late he arrived. It was already after ten when he reached the company, and there was not much foot traffic at that hour. Most people were already inside their offices.
Qi Mu did his best to keep his expression calm and walked through the lobby with an indifferent air.
Whenever he encountered someone who greeted him, he merely nodded faintly.
Only after reaching his office did Qi Mu finally exhale. His composure just now had been entirely feigned. In reality, he had been suspicious of every person who looked at him.
Fortunately, nobody seemed to have noticed.
＊
Zhan Xiao Hui had arrived at the company early. Mondays were always busy, so she had not had time to check the slacking-off group chat, but messages had been pouring in continuously. She finally found a gap in her work and opened the chat.
There were already 99+ unread messages.
Zhan Xiao Hui hurriedly scrolled upward, terrified she had missed some enormous piece of gossip.
And what she saw really was enormous.
The message that had blown up the entire chat was:
Hopelessly Addicted to Gossip: BREAKING NEWS FROM THE FRONT DESK INTELLIGENCE CENTER—A HICKEY HAS BEEN DISCOVERED ON PRESIDENT QI’S NECK!
All About Money: Seriously? Couldn’t it be a mosquito bite?
Xiao Linzi: What mosquitoes are there at this time of year?
Hopelessly Addicted to Gossip: My little sister at the front desk swears on her life that, based on years of experience chasing celebrities, that was DEFINITELY a hickey!
Hot Guy Enthusiast: Sob sob sob, my male god has been claimed.
Professional Slacker: Nobody panic. This old man shall investigate.
Xiao Linzi: If it really is a hickey, could the goddess have left it?
Xiaoxiao the Gluttonous Fish: I’m going to deliver a report to President Qi right now! Excited.jpg
Hopelessly Addicted to Gossip: Remember to observe carefully.
Zhan Xiao Hui excitedly organized the reports on her desk. She had not quite gotten into work mode that Monday and had been sleepy and unmotivated, but now she suddenly possessed the will to fight.
Conveniently, a report President Qi had asked for earlier was already finished. She could deliver it now for his review.
But Zhan Xiao Hui had only just stood up—
When a shadow descended over her.
Zhan Xiao Hui: …
Jiang Shao stood coldly in front of her like some shadow god who appeared and disappeared without warning.
Zhan Xiao Hui asked softly, “Do you need something?”
Jiang Shao simply pulled the report from her hands. “I’ll deliver it for you.”
No—
The tiny Zhan Xiao Hui inside her heart fell to her knees, reaching out with streams of noodle-like tears pouring down her face.
But outwardly, she smiled. “Then thank you.”
Zhan Xiao Hui obediently sat back down.
Only after Jiang Shao disappeared from sight did everyone in the office dare breathe loudly again.
Zhan Xiao Hui opened the chat.
Xiaoxiao the Gluttonous Fish: It’s not that I didn’t want to go. He was seriously terrifying just now T T
Xiao Linzi: I can testify. He really was.
Professional Slacker: It’s fine, it’s fine. There’ll be plenty of chances later. No need to rush.
Xiaoxiao the Gluttonous Fish: Jiang Shao doesn’t know about this group, right?
Xiao Linzi: Definitely not. Nobody invited him.
Xiaoxiao the Gluttonous Fish: Soul leaving body.jpg. He scared me half to death. For a second I thought he knew something.
Hopelessly Addicted to Gossip: You people are really embarrassing. A whole group of seniors getting frightened like that by some newcomer. Eye roll.jpg
Professional Slacker: Why don’t you come try it yourself?
Xiao Linzi: You don’t understand how scary he is.
＊
Jiang Shao pushed open the door to Qi Mu’s office and walked inside.
Who comes in without knocking?
Qi Mu looked up nervously. The instant he saw it was Jiang Shao, he relaxed. If it was this ancestor, barging in without knocking was perfectly normal.
Because of what had happened last night, Qi Mu still felt lingering apprehension. He cautiously asked, “You… need something?”
Jiang Shao lazily set the report in front of Qi Mu, raised an eyebrow, and teased irreverently, “I’m delivering a report, President Qi.”
Qi Mu glanced down.
This was the report he had assigned Zhan Xiao Hui last week.
In the past, he might have assumed Zhan Xiao Hui had sent Jiang Shao to deliver it. Now, however, he knew better. Jiang Shao had probably taken the initiative to find an excuse to come over…
Sure enough, once Jiang Shao put down the report, he walked around the desk.
He lifted Qi Mu’s chin and kissed him directly.
Qi Mu immediately went rigid and instinctively shoved Jiang Shao away!
Jiang Shao had barely touched him before being pushed back. His eyes darkened unhappily. Qi Mu had been so obedient last night. Was he planning to go back on his word after a single night?
Only after pushing him did Qi Mu realize what he had done. He looked at Jiang Shao’s suddenly gloomy eyes, swallowed nervously, and hurried to explain. “I—I wasn’t saying you couldn’t… It’s just that we’re at work right now.”
Jiang Shao folded his arms and stared coldly at Qi Mu.
In truth, he had not meant anything in particular just now. After an entire night, he simply wanted to see this man and kiss him again, so he had.
But seeing Qi Mu so frightened immediately soured his mood again.
Qi Mu was really that afraid of other people seeing.
That made sense. Jiang Shao himself was not fit to be seen.
Jiang Shao had never intended to make things public right now anyway. Qi Mu cared so much about propriety and appearances that Jiang Shao could not bear to truly put him in a difficult position or subject him to criticism. Even if they ever did go public, he would make certain to choose a completely safe and appropriate time.
He would absolutely never, ever hurt this man.
However, Jiang Shao lowered his eyes and looked at Qi Mu’s uneasy face.
Qi Mu looked at him as though he were some unscrupulous bastard who might humiliate him at any moment.
The combination of hurt and anger surged inside Jiang Shao again.
At the same time, a rebellious impulse rose with it.
If Qi Mu already regarded him as that kind of villain, wouldn’t Jiang Shao be disappointing his reputation if he did not do a few things befitting one?
A mocking smile appeared at the corner of Jiang Shao’s lips. He said coolly, “It’s fine if President Qi doesn’t want to. I can go chat with Yu Yue Ning instead. You keep working.”
With that, he pretended to turn and leave.
Before he had even taken a step, Qi Mu grabbed his sleeve.
Unsurprised, Jiang Shao turned back. “Did President Qi have something else to say?”
Qi Mu pursed his lips and whispered, “I didn’t say I was unwilling.”
Jiang Shao considerately reminded him, “But we’re at work.”
Qi Mu looked into Jiang Shao’s dark eyes and saw the teasing mockery hidden there. How could he possibly fail to understand exactly what Jiang Shao wanted?
His fingers trembled uneasily around Jiang Shao’s sleeve. Watching Jiang Shao gradually lose patience, Qi Mu finally lowered his lashes and forced out the words in a strained voice. “Even during work hours… it’s okay.”
As though unwilling to force him, Jiang Shao confirmed again, “President Qi is sure?”
With enormous difficulty, as though preparing to die for a noble cause, Qi Mu nodded.
Jiang Shao finally chuckled. Looking down at him from above, he spoke calmly and without warmth. “President Qi said it himself.”
Qi Mu remembered last night’s intense kiss and how he had looked after going home. Last night, there had been only the two of them at the company. Today, if Jiang Shao did something like that again, there was no way it would leave absolutely no traces…
Someone could easily notice.
But he had no other choice.
Qi Mu closed his eyes.
He prepared himself for Jiang Shao’s raging storm.
But Jiang Shao’s kiss never came.
The office remained completely quiet.
There was no howling wind.
No torrential rain.
Uneasy, Qi Mu cracked his eyes open, only to discover that Jiang Shao was no longer in front of him.
Where did he go?
Suddenly, an arm reached around from behind and gently circled his shoulders.
Qi Mu nearly jumped.
Does this guy walk without making any sound?
Jiang Shao stood behind Qi Mu’s swivel chair, one arm around his shoulders while his other hand slipped beneath his suit jacket and rested over his chest through his shirt.
Jiang Shao rested his chin on top of Qi Mu’s head and lowered his face to sniff him. Even Qi Mu’s hair smelled like him—clean and refreshing, with a faint sweet citrus scent, probably left behind by his shampoo.
Jiang Shao loved Qi Mu’s scent. Unable to resist, he nuzzled him. Looking down from above, he could see Qi Mu’s straight nose and the golden frame of his glasses.
Qi Mu’s scalp was also very, very pale, even a shade lighter than his skin.
Jiang Shao barely restrained himself. Holding Qi Mu like this, he gave a low chuckle. “Keep working, President Qi. Don’t mind me.”
Qi Mu was bewildered.
Jiang Shao’s movements were so gentle that he neither mussed Qi Mu’s hair nor wrinkled his clothes. Qi Mu was genuinely surprised. Did Jiang Shao only want to hug him?
If that was all…
Hadn’t Qi Mu misunderstood him just now…?
He felt nervous and slightly guilty.
Jiang Shao’s presence enveloped him from behind. Although gentle, it remained as overwhelming as ever. Qi Mu forced himself to gather his attention and looked down at the report.
He had barely read two lines when his expression changed slightly.
Qi Mu hurriedly pressed his lips together, suppressing the sound that had nearly escaped him without warning, his entire body becoming deeply uncomfortable.
He knew Jiang Shao would never let him off that easily.
He had let his guard down just now!
Jiang Shao quickly found the toy that interested him. Ever since playing with it once on the cruise ship, he had been unable to stop thinking about it. Naturally, he would not let such a perfect opportunity pass.
No matter what he did or said, Qi Mu already treated him like some terrifying beast, so Jiang Shao might as well enjoy himself.
He was like a mischievous teenager.
Like one of those rotten boys who used to pull girls’ ponytails from the desk behind them at school.
He simply enjoyed bullying Qi Mu.
The little things responded honestly to the slightest touch, far more honestly than Qi Mu himself.
Jiang Shao squeezed here and there, playing so happily that he could not put them down. The last time, he had not been entirely rational or sober. This time, he could feel every change clearly and savor it at leisure.
He squeezed the left, then the right.
When one side deflated, the other swelled; when that one subsided, the first rose again. Jiang Shao kept switching hands as though afflicted with obsessive-compulsive disorder, determined to make both sides exactly the same.
Suddenly, he remembered something from before.
Occasionally, he had passed Zhan Xiao Hui’s desk without meaning to.
Zhan Xiao Hui loved decorating her workspace, which was covered in all sorts of small toys and ornaments.
After all, work was too boring. People had to find some entertainment.
Jiang Shao remembered that among the pile of objects on Zhan Xiao Hui’s desk was a little yellow-chick squishy stress toy. The chick was only about the size of a fingertip, adorably round and stupid-looking. When squeezed, it flattened, then puffed back up after a while and even made little chirping noises. For some time, Zhan Xiao Hui had loved it and would squeeze it whenever she had nothing else to do.
Jiang Shao had always looked down on that sort of thing.
Besides, only a few days later, Zhan Xiao Hui stopped playing with it. The little yellow chick lost favor, and she bought some new ornament instead.
Clearly, such a thing had no real use.
Absolutely meaningless.
But now Jiang Shao suddenly felt that stress-relief squishies were actually quite meaningful. Take, for example, the little things currently in his hands, which were every bit as cute as one of those squishy toys.
One squeeze and they would puff up round and full, then after a while they would slowly subside by themselves.
Squeeze them again, and they obediently swelled once more.
They did not chirp, but Jiang Shao could hear faint panting.
Exactly like that little yellow-chick squishy stress toy.
Extremely cute.
Something he could play with endlessly without becoming bored.
Jiang Shao gradually calmed down. Even his anger dissipated. Apparently, squishy stress toys really did work wonderfully.
How miraculous.
Qi Mu, however, was nowhere near as relaxed as Jiang Shao. Quite the opposite. He was suffering terribly.
The arm around his shoulders remained exceedingly gentle, only tightening slightly whenever Qi Mu tried to get up or evade him, revealing the strength and dominance hidden beneath that gentleness.
Qi Mu could only sit there. He stared at the report before him, his fingers crumpling the paper.
What on earth is so fun about this?!
If last night had been a violent storm crashing down alongside thunder—
Then today was an endless fine drizzle in the warm spring rain of March.
Qi Mu clenched his jaw and gritted his teeth, praying only that Jiang Shao would grow bored soon and let him go.
But Jiang Shao showed no signs whatsoever of becoming bored. He was like a husky that had discovered a novel new toy, overflowing with energy and seemingly capable of playing all day.
More than an hour passed.
Qi Mu had nearly gone numb.
He stared blankly downward. The report in front of him consisted of only two thin pages, yet he had not turned even one.
Jiang Shao was distracting enough on his own…
And Qi Mu still had to divide his attention toward the hallway. Although nobody in the entire building except Jiang Shao would normally barge in without knocking, what if someone did?
Every second, every minute, his nerves remained stretched taut. He could not relax for even an instant.
Qi Mu gave a quiet, bitter laugh.
He had thought Heaven had finally opened its eyes and decided to spare him.
Who would have guessed—
He had merely been kicked straight into a mud pit by Heaven.