Qi Mu could not concentrate on the report at all.
His thoughts began running wild.
Why does Jiang Shao have to torture me like this? He might as well just get straight to it. Even if Jiang Shao told me to get a room with him right now, it wouldn’t be this unbearable. Worst case, I’d close my eyes, open them again, and it would be over. I could just pretend I got mauled by a dog. But this vicious dog…
He had a bone right in front of his mouth and refused to eat it, insisting instead on treating Qi Mu like a toy.
He would not even give Qi Mu a clean end to his suffering.
Now that Jiang Shao was in a good mood, he felt like teasing Qi Mu again. Deliberately puzzled, he asked, “President Qi, why aren’t you reading the report?”
Qi Mu did not want to answer.
But punishment came swiftly.
His lashes trembled. After a long while, he had no choice but to part his lips and let out a suppressed breath. “I—I’m reading…”
Jiang Shao refused to let him bluff. “You haven’t even turned the page.”
Why ask when you already know perfectly well?!
Embarrassment and anger crossed Qi Mu’s face.
But Jiang Shao pushed his luck further, criticizing him in a cool, teasing tone. “President Qi isn’t very focused on his work.”
Qi Mu tightened his grip on the report, practically exploding with rage. Don’t go too damn far!
At that moment, a knock suddenly came from the door.
Qi Mu’s pupils contracted in alarm.
Just as panic seized him, Jiang Shao immediately released him, took one long step aside, and stood several paces away.
Then he raised an eyebrow at Qi Mu and reminded him with a low laugh, “President Qi, someone’s looking for you.”
Qi Mu had not expected Jiang Shao to let him off.
He had thought his reputation was about to be destroyed today…
He sat there in a daze. A moment later, he snapped back to his senses and quickly looked himself over. After confirming there was nothing visibly wrong with him and that his clothes remained neat, he said calmly, “Come in.”
It was Zhan Xiao Hui.
She had been organizing the report in such a hurry earlier that she had forgotten to attach one of the supplementary documents. Only now had she remembered and brought it over.
She handed the attachment to Qi Mu, then glanced at Jiang Shao.
Come to think of it, Jiang Shao had supposedly come to deliver a report over an hour ago. Why was he still here?
And it was not even a long report. How had the two of them spent over an hour without noticing an attachment was missing?
Zhan Xiao Hui looked between them in confusion.
Jiang Shao still wore his usual languid expression, standing several steps away from Qi Mu, while Qi Mu sat steadily behind his desk, looking cool and composed.
The two of them appeared perfectly normal. Nothing seemed wrong at all.
Yet for some inexplicable reason, Zhan Xiao Hui found the atmosphere strangely peculiar. She secretly glanced at the side of Qi Mu’s neck and, sure enough, saw a small red mark. His ears also seemed slightly red. Was he embarrassed?
This was seriously weird!
Qi Mu grew uncomfortable beneath Zhan Xiao Hui’s stare and lightly cleared his throat. “You can go back now.”
Zhan Xiao Hui nodded hurriedly. “Oh, okay.”
She turned and returned to the office.
Only after the door closed did Qi Mu turn and look warily at Jiang Shao.
When he saw that Jiang Shao showed no intention of approaching again—
He finally released a faint breath.
He had escaped another disaster.
That single hour had felt more torturous and endless than an entire year.
However, Qi Mu keenly noticed that Jiang Shao’s mood seemed to have improved. His gaze shifted as he remembered what Jiang Shao had said after kissing him last night—that he had merely collected a little interest. Jiang Shao also appeared to have thoroughly enjoyed himself today…
Tentatively, Qi Mu asked, “Does today… count toward the principal?”
Jiang Shao raised an eyebrow.
Looking at the hope mingled with unease in Qi Mu’s eyes, he graciously said, “It counts.”
Great. At least that hour of suffering wasn’t wasted.
Qi Mu only hoped Jiang Shao would get bored quickly and let him go.
But immediately afterward, Jiang Shao chuckled and added, “Let’s count it as one ten-thousandth of the principal.”
Qi Mu’s vision went dark.
All that only counts as one ten-thousandth?!
At this rate, I’ll never finish paying him back in this lifetime!
＊
Zhan Xiao Hui returned to the office in a daze.
She replayed what she had just seen.
Then a thought suddenly struck her. Why did Jiang Shao and President Qi seem kind of shippable?
One was a refined, abstinent-looking president, the other a gloomy, ruthless, roguishly handsome guy. Now that she thought about it, that pairing was actually pretty good…
Zhan Xiao Hui opened the slacking-off group chat.
Xiaoxiao the Gluttonous Fish: I personally confirmed it just now. President Qi really does have a hickey on his neck.
Hopelessly Addicted to Gossip: I TOLD YOU AAAAAAH! I wish I could’ve seen it myself! I’m so jealous of you people in the President’s Office!
Xiao Linzi: Then the goddess probably left it. Her possessiveness is intense, wow.
Professional Slacker: The goddess is fierce. Thumbs up.jpg
Hot Guy Enthusiast: Sob sob, my male god is gone, but if the other person is the goddess, I can only reluctantly give him up.
Everyone was discussing it enthusiastically. Zhan Xiao Hui also believed Xu Wei Ran was the likeliest answer, but something else interested her more now…
Xiaoxiao the Gluttonous Fish: Haven’t you guys noticed that Jiang Shao and President Qi are pretty shippable too?
The group remained completely silent for an entire minute.
Only then did another message appear.
Xiao Linzi: Are you okay?
Professional Slacker: Did your brain short-circuit?
Hopelessly Addicted to Gossip: Stop randomly matching people together. Speechless.jpg
All About Money: Shipping everything will only hurt you.
Zhan Xiao Hui received no support from the group.
Fighting alone, she stubbornly sent another message.
Xiaoxiao the Gluttonous Fish: Shipping everything keeps my diet balanced.
＊
Jiang Shao returned to the office in an excellent mood.
He had actually been reluctant to leave, but Qi Mu had meetings afterward, so Jiang Shao had no choice. He could not bear to truly make things difficult for him.
He only felt that the time had gone by far too quickly.
How had an entire hour disappeared in the blink of an eye?
Still, it did not matter. Jiang Shao would have plenty of other opportunities. The thought that going to work meant seeing Qi Mu, that going to work meant he could do anything he wanted to Qi Mu, that going to work meant watching Qi Mu get embarrassed… Suddenly, Jiang Shao looked forward to work immensely.
Apparently—
People really could enjoy going to work.
Qi Mu remained busy for the rest of the day.
He attended several meetings and only became free in the evening, then stayed behind at the office to work overtime.
He had not been at the company for more than a week. Although some work could be handled from home, a considerable amount had still accumulated.
By nightfall, almost everyone had left.
At around eight—
Jiang Shao came over.
Qi Mu glanced at the congee in Jiang Shao’s hand and lost focus for a moment.
Before that mistake had happened…
Jiang Shao used to come over at night often. Whenever Qi Mu skipped dinner or worked late, Jiang Shao would bring him something to eat and quietly, patiently keep him company.
During that period—
Qi Mu had tacitly allowed Jiang Shao’s presence.
Even though he knew it was not entirely appropriate, he never drove Jiang Shao away.
He told himself it was merely because he had no reason to send Jiang Shao away.
They had spent many peaceful nights like that.
Only under Jiang Shao’s companionship and care had Qi Mu finally realized that he had been lonely before.
He had even begun to feel unaccustomed to nights when Jiang Shao was absent.
He simply refused to admit it.
Not until today—
Could he no longer continue deceiving himself. And only now did he finally understand… why Jiang Shao had behaved that way back then.
Unfortunately, matters had still reached this point.
Qi Mu had thought Jiang Shao would no longer come.
Even if he did, Qi Mu assumed it would only be to collect his payment, not to bring him dinner.
Yet Jiang Shao still brought food as though nothing had changed.
For a moment, Qi Mu’s emotions became complicated.
Jiang Shao opened the lid of the bowl and pushed the congee in front of Qi Mu. Lazily, he asked, “Skipped dinner again?”
Although phrased as a question, both of them already knew the answer.
Qi Mu looked at the bowl of congee. Steam blurred his vision, making his eyes sting. He remembered all those previous nights, those ordinary, quiet moments that had nevertheless seeped deeply into his heart, leaving his chest aching and numb.
Why are you still doing this?
You’re clearly so angry. So furious you looked like you wanted to kill me.
You could simply collect your payment. You don’t need to do any of this.
So why are you still…
Qi Mu quietly sniffed and said nothing, afraid he might accidentally expose his emotions.
The freshly opened congee was still rather hot. He looked away, removed his glasses and set them aside, then ate some of the other food first.
There were fragrant potstickers, fried mini spring rolls, osmanthus rice cakes, and several other snacks, a little of each.
It was rather a lot.
After casually eating two or three things, Qi Mu was no longer particularly hungry. By then, the congee had cooled enough, so he picked up the spoon and began drinking it.
It was pleasantly warm.
His stomach felt much better.
Unlike before, Jiang Shao did not sit far away and pretend their relationship was merely that of superior and subordinate. He brazenly dragged a chair over and sat directly beside Qi Mu.
He stared at him without restraint.
Qi Mu always ate slowly and neatly. He never wolfed his food down or scattered anything around. The table before him remained perfectly clean, and even while eating, he looked gentle and elegant.
He first ate a few snacks before starting on the congee. He raised the spoon to his mouth, his pale pink lips parting as he swallowed the congee. With each swallow, the beautiful Adam’s apple on his long neck slid up and down.
Jiang Shao became absorbed in watching.
Before, he could only watch secretly and never dared stare as openly as he did now.
The longer he watched, the more restless he became.
It seemed anything Qi Mu did could excite him.
Even something as simple as eating.
Jiang Shao watched as Qi Mu slowly drank. A little congee accidentally clung to his lip, and Qi Mu extended the tip of his soft red tongue to lick the white smear away.
Jiang Shao’s Adam’s apple moved abruptly.
He could no longer restrain himself.
And now, he did not need to.
Qi Mu had been eating perfectly well and had finished less than half the bowl when a shadow suddenly fell over him and the spoon in his hand was snatched away.
Qi Mu: …
I knew Jiang Shao was still angry.
Maybe Jiang Shao had gotten angry simply from watching him eat and changed his mind about letting him have the food.
Qi Mu calmly accepted reality. He had never expected Jiang Shao to continue treating him exactly as before anyway.
He prepared to clear the table himself.
There was no need to trouble this ancestor any further.
But Jiang Shao bent directly over him, braced one hand against the desk in front of Qi Mu, scooped up some congee with the other, and brought the spoon to Qi Mu’s lips.
Qi Mu froze.
Seeing that Qi Mu remained motionless, Jiang Shao looked steadily into his eyes and lightly tapped the spoon against his lips. “Open.”
Qi Mu: …
What sudden whim possessed this ancestor now? Why does he want to feed me?
Qi Mu was already a grown man, long past the age when anybody needed to feed him. The idea embarrassed him so much he could barely stand it. He genuinely did not want Jiang Shao feeding him.
But he looked at Jiang Shao’s unmoving hand and the increasingly obvious displeasure in those dark eyes.
In the end, Qi Mu compromised… and opened his mouth, taking Jiang Shao’s spoon between his lips.
He swallowed the congee.
His peripheral vision swept toward the bowl. More than half remained. Jiang Shao could not possibly intend to feed him all of it!
Qi Mu was so embarrassed he could practically dig a hole into the floor with his toes.
What kind of bizarre hobby is this?
Yet Jiang Shao appeared delighted by Qi Mu’s flushed embarrassment. He scooped up another spoonful and fed it to him.
Resistance was useless.
It would only provoke Jiang Shao’s anger.
Qi Mu drew a deep breath and reluctantly swallowed.
Being fed by another person was humiliating and irritating enough, but Jiang Shao was still curious about everything. Sometimes he poked Qi Mu’s lips with the spoon; other times he tapped his teeth. If Qi Mu did not open his mouth quickly enough, congee would end up smeared around his lips.
Qi Mu was mildly obsessed with cleanliness and could not tolerate having congee all over his face, so he had no choice but to cooperate and open his mouth, swallowing the congee before Jiang Shao could fool around.
Anything to keep himself from becoming even more disheveled.
Jiang Shao had never imagined—
That one day he could become so absorbed in another person that even the trivial act of feeding him would bring endless amusement. He nudged Qi Mu’s lips with the spoon, watching him frown tightly before ultimately opening his mouth and obediently eating, as though Jiang Shao were teasing a disobedient kitten.
And in the end, the kitten still had to submit to his tyranny.
It gave Jiang Shao an immense sense of accomplishment.
Qi Mu soon became smarter, however. He began cooperating. The instant Jiang Shao raised the spoon, he lowered his head and opened his mouth, depriving Jiang Shao of many opportunities to tease him.
The corner of Jiang Shao’s lips rose slightly. You think cooperating will let you get through this faster?
It would not be that easy.
Qi Mu finished another spoonful and glanced at the bowl. Good. Half of it was gone. If he endured a little longer, they would finally finish.
He quickened his pace. The moment Jiang Shao lifted his hand, Qi Mu immediately leaned down and took the spoon into his mouth.
Qi Mu swallowed.
But this time, Jiang Shao did not withdraw the spoon. Instead, he suddenly pressed downward, pinning Qi Mu’s tongue beneath it. Before Qi Mu could react, Jiang Shao rotated the spoon and ground it lightly once.