Qi Mu’s pupils practically quaked. He stared at Jiang Shao in disbelief, unable to say a word.
In the end, Jiang Shao was the one who broke the silence. He gave a soft laugh and glanced sideways at him. “President Qi, are you going on a business trip this weekend?”
Qi Mu’s heart was beating impossibly fast.
Thump, thump, thump.
It felt as though it might burst straight out of his chest.
Why is Jiang Shao here?
There is no way this is some coincidence!
Under Jiang Shao’s quiet gaze, Qi Mu felt every pore on his scalp prickle. It took all his effort to tell himself to stay calm.
Don’t panic.
I’m only going to meet a client. I’m not doing anything shameful, and the weekend is my own time. I’m free to do whatever I want. Is Jiang Shao seriously going to control my private life too?
I have absolutely no reason to feel guilty!
Qi Mu drew a deep breath and said slowly, “I’m only going to see a friend. It doesn’t count as a business trip.”
Without waiting for Jiang Shao to question him further, he asked in return, “Why are you here?”
Jiang Shao raised a brow and shrugged. “I’m going to A City to look around too. Is that not allowed?”
Qi Mu was silent for a moment. “Of course it is.”
The plane soon took off.
Qi Mu looked away and stopped glancing at Jiang Shao, pretending the man beside him did not exist. To avoid the awkwardness, he closed his eyes.
Unexpectedly, he actually fell asleep.
The flight from C City to A City was not very long.
Before much time had passed, Qi Mu felt someone touch his arm. A soft laugh sounded beside his ear, making it feel faintly numb and ticklish. “President Qi, wake up.”
Qi Mu opened his eyes and saw Jiang Shao’s smiling face, looking at him with a meaningful expression.
Qi Mu silently retrieved his luggage and got off the plane.
He pretended the two of them really had just happened to run into each other.
But from the moment Qi Mu got off the plane until he reached the arrivals hall, Jiang Shao followed leisurely beside him the entire way, showing no intention of leaving.
They were nearly out of the airport when Qi Mu finally could not help asking, “Why are you following me?”
Jiang Shao wore a smile, his tone completely matter-of-fact. “I’m President Qi’s assistant. Of course wherever you go, I go.”
Qi Mu: “…It’s not work hours right now. You don’t have to follow me. Weren’t you going to look around?”
“That won’t do.” Jiang Shao spoke with complete seriousness, stepping closer and looking steadily down at him as he enunciated each word. “No matter when or where, President Qi will always be my number-one priority.”
Qi Mu’s face heated.
How can he say something that ambiguous with such a straight face?
Mortified, Qi Mu turned away and trudged toward the exit.
Fang Ming Qian was already waiting there. He smiled when he saw Qi Mu emerge, but the moment he noticed Jiang Shao beside him, that smile froze on his face.
Qi Mu never said he was bringing Jiang Shao with him!
Qi Mu groaned inwardly. He could not shake Jiang Shao, so he had no choice but to bring him along. He only hoped Jiang Shao would not go too far later, otherwise…
Otherwise, there really wasn’t much Qi Mu could do about it.
Qi Mu adjusted his expression and smiled politely at Fang Ming Qian. “Sorry to make you come all the way here to pick me up.”
Fang Ming Qian pretended not to notice Jiang Shao and replied warmly, “It’s no trouble. Let’s go.”
Behind them, Jiang Shao curled his lips mockingly. How attentive. You even came to the airport in person to pick him up, then claim it’s no trouble. Does a big boss like you really have this much free time?
But when the sarcastic words reached his lips, he swallowed them. He did not want to make Qi Mu angry right now.
Fang Ming Qian and Qi Mu both tacitly avoided mentioning Jiang Shao.
They reached the parking lot.
Fang Ming Qian had not brought a driver today and was driving himself. Qi Mu felt awkward sitting in the back. He could hardly treat Fang Ming Qian like a chauffeur.
So Qi Mu started toward the front passenger seat…
But Jiang Shao crossed past him in one long stride, pulled open the rear door, then raised a brow and smiled at Qi Mu. “President Qi, please get in.”
Qi Mu: “…”
He looked at the tall man in front of him and met those deep black eyes. After a moment of silence, he obediently climbed into the back seat.
Jiang Shao sat down beside Qi Mu afterward and said evenly, “President Fang, you can drive now.”
Fang Ming Qian’s temple twitched.
Although Jiang Shao’s behavior looked perfectly normal and his tone was calm without any obvious provocation, there was simply something inexplicably irritating about him.
Jiang Shao remained completely composed. Qi Mu was only allowed to sit in his passenger seat, not any other man’s.
The car remained silent the entire way. Not one of them spoke.
Qi Mu awkwardly looked out the window.
An hour later, they arrived at the restaurant.
Fang Ming Qian had booked an upscale French restaurant. The lighting inside was dim, someone was playing the piano in the center of the room, and silver candlesticks stood on the tables, giving the place an unmistakably romantic atmosphere.
Jiang Shao tugged disdainfully at the corner of his mouth. His intentions were as obvious as Sima Zhao’s.
Just thinking about it made him a little unhappy.
Fang Ming Qian’s intentions were practically written all over his face. Could Qi Mu truly not tell at all?
Qi Mu truly could not.
He had no attention to spare for the restaurant’s romantic atmosphere. His mind was completely occupied with what he would do once they sat down to eat and how he could prevent a catastrophe from occurring…
Only when they reached the table did Qi Mu come back to himself. He took a deep breath and said, “Jiang Shao, sit beside me.”
That way I can keep an eye on him!
The corner of Jiang Shao’s lips lifted as he sat beside Qi Mu.
Fang Ming Qian frowned faintly. He might as well have been making eyes at a blind man. Qi Mu’s attention was entirely on Jiang Shao.
He remembered that the last time they met, the two men had still seemed fairly distant. How had they grown noticeably closer in such a short time?
Fang Ming Qian looked thoughtfully at the two of them.
Keeping his composure, he asked, “Is there anything you’d like to eat?”
Qi Mu said, “You can order.”
Fang Ming Qian casually ordered a few dishes.
With Jiang Shao sitting beside him, Qi Mu was somewhat quiet today and did not take the initiative to make small talk.
Fang Ming Qian set down the menu and smiled at Qi Mu. “Is there anywhere you’d like to go this afternoon? I can show you around.”
Qi Mu’s tone was polite and distant. “I haven’t visited your company before. I’d like to take a look.”
Fang Ming Qian nodded. “All right.”
The two chatted sporadically.
Qi Mu had originally worried Jiang Shao would interrupt, but Jiang Shao was unexpectedly quiet. He neither acted recklessly as he had last time nor mocked Fang Ming Qian.
Gradually, Qi Mu relaxed.
Jiang Shao lounged lazily to one side and swept a disdainful glance over Fang Ming Qian. He was Qi Mu’s boyfriend now.
He was not going to act impulsively like last time and make Qi Mu angry.
Even if Fang Ming Qian had ulterior motives, so what? He could hardly cause any trouble right under Jiang Shao’s nose.
Before long, the steaks arrived.
The server placed one in front of each of them.
Qi Mu picked up his knife and fork and was about to start eating when Jiang Shao suddenly reached over and pulled Qi Mu’s steak in front of himself. With a perfectly natural expression, he said softly, “Eat something else first. I’ll cut this for you.”
Fang Ming Qian’s expression shifted slightly. Wasn’t this far too intimate? Could it really still be explained as something an assistant would do?
He immediately looked at Qi Mu suspiciously.
Qi Mu hesitated for only an instant before silently allowing Jiang Shao to do as he pleased.
It’s only cutting a steak. As long as Jiang Shao doesn’t cause trouble, he can cut it if he wants…
Fang Ming Qian’s heart sank. Jiang Shao’s excessive attentiveness could just barely be explained as flattering his boss, but Fang Ming Qian’s instincts told him things were not that simple.
Qi Mu looked at Fang Ming Qian. “By the way, I’d like to discuss our cooperation going forward…”
Fang Ming Qian suppressed his doubts. “Perfect. I was thinking the same thing.”
The two of them began discussing business.
Jiang Shao had no interest in their conversation. He merely cut the steak neatly into pieces, set it in front of Qi Mu, then handed him a glass of lemon water. “Drink this. Don’t have any alcohol.”
Qi Mu casually accepted the lemon water and took a sip without thinking much about it. Jiang Shao had been taking care of him this way lately, and he had already grown used to it.
That tiny gesture only made Fang Ming Qian’s mood sink further. The atmosphere between the two men was far too ambiguous. Jiang Shao cared for Qi Mu with such practiced familiarity that this was obviously not the first time.
What surprised Fang Ming Qian even more was that Qi Mu had grown accustomed to it too, to the point that he did not even notice anything unusual.
Although Jiang Shao had not caused trouble this time, deliberately targeted him, or even looked at him much, Fang Ming Qian somehow felt worse than he had last time.
Because he could vaguely see in Jiang Shao the unhurried composure of a victor.
All it took were a few ordinary gestures to make his different status obvious.
The difference in intimacy was immediately clear.
Although Fang Ming Qian was displeased, he was someone who knew how to keep his feelings hidden and did not reveal much of it.
After lunch, they went to Tuoyuan Power.
Tuoyuan Power’s building was very new and tall, standing out even among the surrounding high-rises. The lobby was still busy on the weekend, and everyone who saw Fang Ming Qian greeted him respectfully as President Fang.
Fang Ming Qian showed Qi Mu around the company.
Jiang Shao walked half a step behind them.
Following at an unhurried, lazy pace.
Qi Mu had no idea what a complicated mix of emotions Fang Ming Qian was experiencing. He quickly slipped into work mode, first touring Tuoyuan’s R&D center and then looking at its newest vehicle prototypes, his mind constantly considering possibilities for cooperation.
Fang Ming Qian said, “This is one of the company’s concept cars. It’s still in the testing stage. If you’re interested, you can try it.”
Qi Mu smiled. “All right.”
It was a beautiful silver car with smooth, streamlined lines and a distinctly futuristic feel.
Qi Mu got in and tried it briefly, then drove a lap around the spacious hall to feel how smoothly it handled. The car really was extremely well designed.
While Qi Mu was testing the car, someone came over looking for Fang Ming Qian.
Someone had noticed that he was at the company.
Fang Ming Qian had no choice but to tell Qi Mu, “Something came up. I need to step away for a moment. I’ll be right back.”
Qi Mu nodded. “Go ahead. Don’t worry about me.”
He intended to take a closer look at the car. A vehicle went through many steps from design to finished product, from concept to production, and required a great many components. Qi Mu wanted to consider which of those Qi Corporation might be able to supply…
Suddenly, the front passenger door opened and Jiang Shao got in.
Qi Mu did not pay much attention at first, assuming Jiang Shao merely wanted to look at the car too, until a large hand landed on his leg.
A scorching palm pressed through the fabric of his trousers and gave his thigh a squeeze.
Qi Mu’s expression changed instantly.
We’re out in public!
But that hand remained restless, slowly squeezing his thigh here and there. Qi Mu’s face flushed faintly, and he hurriedly reached down to move it away, only to walk straight into a trap when Jiang Shao seized his hand tightly instead.
Unable to pull free, Qi Mu lowered his voice and snapped, “Let go of me.”
Jiang Shao looked deeply at him from the side, an unruly smile at the corner of his mouth. He raised a brow. “What’s wrong with holding my boyfriend’s hand for a moment?”
Qi Mu said anxiously, “But we’re outside.”
Jiang Shao’s smile faded slightly. “What are you afraid of? No one in A City knows you.”
Does Fang Ming Qian not count as a person?
But on second thought, Fang Ming Qian was not here right now…
Qi Mu: …He actually had no comeback.
Qi Mu said quietly, “He’ll be back soon.”
Jiang Shao grew even more displeased at that. Are you really that afraid of people knowing about us? Am I really someone you can’t be seen with?
I’ve already endured this for an entire day!
He did not mind pretending to be Qi Mu’s good employee in front of other people, but he absolutely refused to do that in front of a romantic rival.
If I weren’t afraid Qi Mu would get angry…
Jiang Shao’s gaze swept past Qi Mu, suddenly turning icy, and a mocking curve appeared at the corner of his lips.
He abruptly leaned closer, bracing both hands on either side of Qi Mu. One palm covered the back of Qi Mu’s hand, his thumb stroking it slowly. His black eyes were outwardly calm, yet dark with the heaviness of an approaching storm.
Lowering his head close to Qi Mu’s ear, his hot breath brushed over him as he said slowly in a low, hoarse voice, “You know how to make me let go.”
Qi Mu’s ears heated.
Of course he knew.
But before this, they had always been somewhere no one else was around. Never out in public in broad daylight!
Jiang Shao kept Qi Mu’s hand firmly pinned beneath his own. He did not urge him aloud, but his posture left no room for doubt.
Clearly, he had no intention of stopping until he got what he wanted.
Qi Mu’s heart pounded as his nervous gaze swept around them. After confirming no one was in the hall, he quickly tipped his head up and brushed a light kiss against Jiang Shao’s cheek.