Chu Yifeng took Wang Cheng straight out to eat. They went to an upscale restaurant that mainly served Western food. The tableware was all knives and forks, which people who rarely came to places like this might not be used to at first. There were meat dishes, such as steak, but the portions were far too small.
“Boss Chu, I didn’t expect you to like eating at places like this.”
This was Wang Cheng’s first time eating at a Western-style restaurant. He had assumed Chu Yifeng would take him somewhere serving Chinese food. The place was elegant, certainly, but it did not seem very suitable for a rough guy like him.
“You probably haven’t been somewhere like this before. There’s no harm in trying it once in a while. You might have to eat at Western restaurants in the future, so consider this practice.” Chu Yifeng did not think much of it and led him to a seat by the window.
Practice?
Wang Cheng quickly showed him just how well he could adapt to a Western restaurant.
Chu Yifeng ordered one steak medium-well and one well-done. Wang Cheng did not like undercooked food and had absolutely no interest in the half-raw steaks most people preferred. The steaks arrived in less than ten minutes. They were arranged delicately on the plates with a small flower and a little green vegetable garnish, while the knives and forks rested beside them.
Wang Cheng glanced at Chu Yifeng. Seeing him pick up his knife and fork, Wang Cheng copied the way he cut and ate the steak. He looked perfectly convincing and barely made a mistake.
Chu Yifeng gave him a surprised look and smiled. “Looks like I worried for nothing.”
Wang Cheng raised an eyebrow and sighed theatrically. “Copying someone else’s behavior isn’t difficult. You just pick it up as you go. But this kind of etiquette is way too fussy. It really doesn’t suit someone as unfussy as me.”
“You don’t have to care what other people think.”
“That won’t do. If it were just me, I wouldn’t care. But…” Wang Cheng paused. “Now that there’s also you, I should at least consider your reputation, right?”
Chu Yifeng froze for a moment. “You always manage to surprise me.”
Wang Cheng looked at him without understanding why. What was so surprising about that? If the person sitting across from him were someone other than Chu Yifeng, he would have done the same thing. Someone he disliked would be a different matter, though he did not think he would ever sit down to eat with someone he hated in the first place.
One steak was nowhere near enough for Wang Cheng’s appetite, so afterward they ordered several more dishes. Wang Cheng did not stop until he had eaten three steaks. Since they were already here, he might as well eat his fill. The waiter’s gaze became rather subtle, probably because he had never seen someone eat this much. Wang Cheng was long used to looks like that.
After returning to the apartment, Wang Cheng went back to his own place and brought over several changes of clothes. He decided he would sleep at Chu Yifeng’s apartment that night.
“Why are you so enthusiastic today?” Chu Yifeng asked when he saw what Wang Cheng was doing. Normally, Wang Cheng went back to his own apartment as soon as it got late and rarely stayed long.
“My apartment hasn’t been cleaned in half a month. You go live there and see how you like it.” Wang Cheng was not a neat freak, but once a person got used to living somewhere clean, it became hard to tolerate dirt and clutter again. He had even choked on dust when he opened the wardrobe earlier.
“I’ll have Auntie Liu clean your elder brother’s apartment tomorrow too.”
Wang Cheng hesitated. “Wouldn’t that be too much trouble for Auntie Liu?”
“I’ll pay her double.”
“…” And here he had thought it would be free. What a waste of emotion. “Forget it. If my elder brother finds out, he’ll definitely realize there’s something unusual about our relationship.”
“I think your elder brother is a smart man.”
“He’s always been smart.” Wang Cheng completely missed the implication in Chu Yifeng’s words. “I’ll find time to clean the place myself. I’m going to shower first.”
“Want to shower together?”
Wang Cheng answered by throwing his dirty clothes at him, then slamming the bathroom door shut with a loud bang.
The apartment had two bathrooms. Wang Cheng used the one downstairs while Chu Yifeng went back to his bedroom, which had the other. They finished at about the same time. Wang Cheng sat on the living-room sofa drying his hair. Chu Yifeng came downstairs wearing only a bath towel around his waist, his upper body bare and his hair dripping wet.
Wang Cheng casually tossed his own towel at him. “Boss Chu, could you at least put on some clothes? Don’t you own pajamas?” Chu Yifeng caught the towel and put it over his head, not caring that Wang Cheng had already used it. He sat beside him and said, “Dry my hair.”
Wang Cheng climbed behind him. Chu Yifeng’s hair was several times longer than his. After washing it, all the strands fell loose around his face, softening his sharp features and completely stripping away the aloof, aristocratic air he normally carried. Wang Cheng had seen it before, but every time it still struck him.
“Your hair’s pretty soft.”
“Yours can be too once it grows out.”
“No need to comfort me. I know what my hair is like.” He had been bald for many years. It was impossible for his hair to be completely undamaged, and even if it grew back out, the texture probably would not be all that good. He did not care anyway. He was a man. Why fuss over it?
“You can take care of it.”
“No thanks. I’m not a girl.”
Seeing that Wang Cheng did not want to continue the topic, Chu Yifeng let it drop. “How did things go today?”
“I handled it personally, so of course everything went smoothly. Several supermarkets agreed to place an order with me later. The quantities might not be large, but it’s still a good start. How are those permits you said you’d help me with? When will they take effect?”
“Tomorrow.”
“That fast?”
“If I’m handling it, of course it’s fast.”
“Then help me find a printing company too.” Wang Cheng immediately pushed his luck.
“Didn’t you say you wanted to experience life for yourself? Why are you asking me for help now? You only said that this morning and you’ve already forgotten?” Chu Yifeng caught Wang Cheng’s hand and pulled him closer. His hair was almost dry, yet Wang Cheng was still rubbing it.
Wang Cheng casually tossed the towel aside, draped both legs over Chu Yifeng’s lap, and settled into a comfortable position. “This isn’t anything difficult. It’s exactly because it’s a small matter that I’m bothering you with it.”
Only small matters were worth asking him for? That was a first. Everyone else came to Chu Yifeng with major requests, and even then he might not agree. Now someone had such a perfect opportunity and not only failed to treasure it, but did the exact opposite. Apparently, in his lover’s eyes, he was very cheap.
Chu Yifeng pressed Wang Cheng down directly, the towel around his lower body already threatening to slip. “I’ve helped you with so many things. Shouldn’t I get some benefits?”
“You’re really pushing your luck.” Wang Cheng hurried to secure the towel around him so he would not see anything he was not supposed to.
Chu Yifeng suddenly grabbed Wang Cheng’s hand and pulled hard. Wang Cheng accidentally yanked the towel off completely. Chu Yifeng was instantly naked, his skin still damp from the shower. Wang Cheng was pressed into the sofa with nowhere to retreat. This scene of digging his own grave felt strangely familiar.
“Boss Chu, too much indulgence is bad for your health.” Wang Cheng planted a hand against his chest to stop him from pressing down any farther. If he got flattened into a meat pie, the filling would spill out and look terrible.
“My health is excellent,” Chu Yifeng said.
“Healthy people still shouldn’t squander themselves. You have to learn to treasure your body. Once you’re old and regret it, it’ll be too late.” Wang Cheng patiently tried to persuade him to turn back before it was too late. They had only done it yesterday. Again today? Who did it this often?
“Have you ever heard a certain saying?”
“Which one?”
“To die beneath the peony blossom is to die a romantic ghost.”
“…Get lost.”
Chu Yifeng raised an eyebrow. “As a lover, you have an obligation to take care of all your lover’s needs, especially physical ones.”
“Who are you? I don’t know you.” Wang Cheng started pretending ignorance.
“I’m your lover.”
“What’s a lover? Something you can throw away whenever you want.”
Chu Yifeng’s eyebrow rose. “Then I’m your beloved.” As the saying went, soldiers block soldiers and water is stopped with earth. After spending so much time with Wang Cheng, Chu Yifeng had already learned all of his tricks by heart.
“When did you become this hard to deal with? You’re a big boss. You’re supposed to be cold, elegant, cool, handsome, domineering, and impossibly arrogant. I look down on you.” Wang Cheng pretended to accuse him angrily. Chu Yifeng had been so decisive before. When Wang Cheng said he was leaving, the man used to tell him to hurry up and go. Now he was getting harder and harder to shake off.
“Since getting together with you.”
That did seem to be true… Wang Cheng immediately changed tactics, but Chu Yifeng had no intention of giving him another chance to argue and went straight for his weak spot.
Wang Cheng yelped. “Shameless! You can’t launch a sneak attack like that.”
In the end, all his arguing still failed to beat Chu Yifeng, and Wang Cheng gave in. Even with lubricant, the beginning still hurt enough that he had to endure for quite a while before the discomfort eased. What did anyone need to be that well-endowed for anyway? It was hidden inside his pants where nobody could see it. Later, once it started feeling good, Wang Cheng stopped complaining so much. Apparently integrity really did disappear piece by piece. In that sense, he and Chu Yifeng were quite a natural match.
By the time they finished, it was nearly midnight. The shower had been completely wasted. Then they fooled around again in the bathroom, recklessly dragging things on into the second half of the night.
Wang Cheng had not told anyone he was back. The next day, after receiving the permits Chu Yifeng had arranged for him, he prepared to return home. There was too much going on there, and he could not stay away for long.
As for the company, he had already taken leave. Huaying Real Estate was in a growth phase and everyone was busy. Only a few days after he went on leave, the company hired several more new employees, bringing the staff count up to twenty or thirty. Wang Cheng did feel a little guilty taking leave at a time like this, but there was nothing he could do. He had never planned to stay at Huaying Real Estate long-term, so unlike the others, he did not need to work toward promotions and raises. Besides, he had only joined in the first place because of the Fengxia Mountain project. Now that the project was nearly complete, he could more or less count his mission as accomplished.