Eldest Aunt Guan Meifang had cooked dinner for the two brothers while preparing food for her son. They could eat as soon as they went upstairs. Her cooking was quite good. She had once worked in a restaurant, and although her job had been washing dishes, she often watched the chefs at work and occasionally helped with preparations. Over time, her cooking had improved considerably.
“Big Brother, Doctor James is coming tomorrow morning with his assistants. I’m planning to pick them up at the airport.” Wang Cheng put a piece of spicy eggplant into his mouth.
Wang Ning’an took a mouthful of rice. After a while, he said, “I’ll go with you.” Even if they had been able to secure the doctor’s help through connections, they should go personally to show their sincerity. That was simply good manners.
Wang Cheng suddenly looked up at him, as though there were something he wanted to say but could not quite get out.
“Why do you keep staring at me? Have I got rice stuck to my face?” Wang Ning’an could tell without even looking up.
“It’s worse than a grain of rice.” Wang Cheng shrugged and asked tentatively, “Big Brother, have you ever offended anyone?”
“Whatever you want to say, just say it.” Wang Cheng bit his chopsticks. “Well, when I came to find you just now, I noticed someone taking photographs of you and Eldest Aunt. She only recently arrived in the capital, so he couldn’t have been targeting her. I wonder if he’s an enemy of yours. I wrote down the vehicle’s license plate number.”
Wang Ning’an frowned in surprise. “I have business rivals, of course, but I rarely make personal enemies. I doubt it’s someone with a grudge against me. Give me the plate number. I’ll have someone check who’s secretly watching me.”
After dinner, Wang Cheng gave him the number. He was still uneasy, though. What if the photographer really was an enemy? He worried his brother might not be able to handle it alone. While Wang Ning’an was showering, Wang Cheng sent the plate number to his biological elder brother’s phone and asked him to look into it. Zheng Jingen called almost immediately.
“Chengcheng, has something happened?”
Wang Cheng glanced toward the bathroom, stepped onto the balcony, and briefly told him what had happened.
“Are you certain you saw correctly?”
“My eyesight scores 2.0. How could I get it wrong? He was only a little over thirty meters away, so I’m absolutely sure.”
Elio’s Notes: The 2.0 refers to a score on the decimal visual-acuity scale. A score of 1.0 corresponds to standard 20/20 vision, so Wang Cheng is boasting about exceptionally sharp eyesight.
“All right. I’ll get you an answer as soon as I can.”
“Thanks for the trouble, Brother.”
“It’s nothing. Do you want to speak to Mom?” Now that his biological brother had asked, how could Wang Cheng say no? Otherwise, Mother Zheng might be hurt. Besides, he had a feeling she might already have her ear pressed to the phone to listen to their conversation. Sure enough, the instant he said yes, Mother Zheng’s voice came through.
Wang Cheng planned to sleep over that night. Before turning in, he also gave Pan Zhihai instructions for the next morning’s work.
Everyone at Yazhi was busy now, from the chairman himself down to ordinary employees. There was a shortage of assistants, so the agency still needed to recruit. Even after they found new assistants, many would not be ready to work independently. Senior staff would have to train them for a while before they could be assigned to different artists, among many other things.
Fortunately, Wang Cheng’s earlier decision to make an example of Fang Hui had been a powerful deterrent. Ever since Fang Hui was fired, those with ulterior motives no longer dared stick their necks out.
The next morning, Wang Cheng got up to find breakfast already prepared.
Eldest Aunt had left a note on the dining table. She had just taken breakfast to the hospital, while the food on the table was for the brothers. She told them to eat while it was warm. There were also two bottles of milk that Wang Ning’an had ordered for regular morning delivery.
Wang Cheng rarely drank milk and assumed it would taste like the kind he had tried before. But after one sip, he found the flavor very strange, sour and faintly foul, as though it had spoiled. He almost spat it out.
Wang Ning’an came down a few minutes later. Seeing an opened bottle of milk on the table that someone had already sampled, he looked at Wang Cheng, who was calmly eating a flatbread. “Don’t waste food. Finish it.”
Wang Cheng nearly choked. “Big Brother, I didn’t drink it!”
Wang Ning’an shot him a glance and calmly pointed out a fact. “Auntie doesn’t like this kind of sour milk. She tried a bottle last time and made herself finish it anyway.”
“Well, I don’t like it either,” Wang Cheng muttered. If he had known, he would have poured a little into a bowl to taste first. This cultured sour milk really smelled odd and had a jellylike texture. Even jelly tasted better.
Forced to finish the entire bottle of sour milk, Wang Cheng was thoroughly dispirited by the time they left. The van that had photographed Wang Ning’an yesterday was gone, and there were no other suspicious vehicles nearby. As there would be quite a few people to transport, the brothers each drove their own car. They arrived at the airport at half past ten, but the plane had not yet landed. After another half hour, an announcement in the terminal finally confirmed that James’s flight had arrived.
Passengers streamed out through the arrival gates, including travelers from all over the world. In an international metropolis like the capital, foreigners were hardly an unusual sight.
Wang Cheng craned his neck and scanned the foreigners emerging from the gates, especially those traveling in groups of two or three. When the crowd thinned, several tall figures appeared behind it, standing out from everyone else and easily drawing most people’s eyes. Wang Cheng, however, was transfixed by the man in the center. As though sensing his gaze, the man suddenly looked over. Chu Yifeng smiled faintly, said something in a foreign language to an older-looking man beside him, and the group turned toward them and quickened their steps.
“Hello, Doctor James. It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Wang Ning’an.” Wang Ning’an addressed the doctor in fluent English.
James was an amiable older gentleman. He smiled, shook Wang Ning’an’s hand, and replied with equal courtesy, “I’m very pleased to meet you too.”
“This is my younger brother, Wang Cheng. We’re both relatives of the patient. I’m terribly sorry to put you to so much trouble.” Wang Ning’an placed a hand on Wang Cheng, who was busy exchanging meaningful glances with Chu Yifeng. Wang Cheng coughed twice. “Hello, Doctor James.”
The two shook hands amicably.
Chu Yifeng then introduced James’s two assistants. The scholarly-looking one was named Bowen, while the other, Benson, was almost as tall as Chu Yifeng himself. Once they left the terminal, James and Bowen got into Wang Ning’an’s car, while Chu Yifeng and Benson rode with Wang Cheng. Wang Cheng glanced at the assistant in the rearview mirror. Blond, blue-eyed and handsome, he could easily have passed for a runway model. Yet someone with such striking looks was only an assistant. As if noticing Wang Cheng’s gaze, Benson suddenly smiled at him.
Wang Cheng looked away and turned to Chu Yifeng. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? Isn’t your company busy?”
“The important work is done. Other people can handle the rest. Aimer doesn’t employ useless people.” Chu Yifeng spoke with his eyes closed, yet there was a certain commanding edge to his words.
Seeing fatigue between his brows, Wang Cheng wondered what he had been doing last night. He stopped trying to chat and let him rest.
They had booked rooms at Jinding Hotel. Since they had invited James, they were responsible for arranging accommodations. Wang Cheng used the convenience of his status to book three rooms. He had mentioned it to his grandfather, who was somewhat surprised to hear he had actually managed to invite the famous doctor.
Once the guests were settled, Wang Ning’an went to arrange the hospital visit. Wang Cheng left with Chu Yifeng. Without outsiders around, he spoke much more freely.
“You weren’t out stealing something last night, were you?”
“I was. Want to know what I stole?” Chu Yifeng readily admitted it.
His easy answer made Wang Cheng suspicious. “What did you steal?”
Chu Yifeng suddenly opened his eyes and smiled. “Someone’s heart.”
Wang Cheng stared, then said in astonishment, “Boss Chu, have you noticed you’ve been getting more and more sappy lately? I can barely get used to this version of you. I’ve already got goosebumps.”
“Then I won’t say things like that anymore.”
“Don’t stop!” Wang Cheng hurriedly protested. “If you keep it up, maybe I’ll get used to it soon enough.”
Chu Yifeng seemed not to have slept much for several days. He did not have dark circles, but his complexion had the look of someone who had gone days without a proper night’s rest. As soon as they reached the apartment, he collapsed onto the sofa. Wang Cheng told him to sleep in the bedroom, since he would easily catch a chill in the living room. When Chu Yifeng refused to budge, Wang Cheng simply hoisted him onto his back and carried him upstairs.
“You’re so heavy!” By the time Wang Cheng had climbed the stairs with him, the weight had bent his back.
Chu Yifeng opened his eyes and looked down at the crown of Wang Cheng’s dark head. This was not the first time someone had carried him, but it was the first time a lover had. The feeling was unexpectedly novel.
A stifled chuckle sounded beside Wang Cheng’s ear. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “As a grown man, aren’t you embarrassed? You’ve even got the nerve to laugh.”
“I think this is wonderful,” Chu Yifeng said.
Wang Cheng snorted. “Really? Then how about we switch positions from now on? If you agree, I’ll carry you every day without a single complaint.”
Chu Yifeng seemed to understand what he was angling for. He smiled. “Sure.”
Wang Cheng froze and whipped his head around. “Really?” On second thought, Chu Yifeng could not possibly be so accommodating. He scoffed. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re planning. The same trick won’t work on me twice.”
“You said you wanted to change positions. What’s so difficult about that? We could try ten different positions if you like.”
Only then did Wang Cheng realize how badly he had phrased his request. Once they reached the bedroom, he dumped Chu Yifeng onto the bed. “You’ve already got what you wanted, and you’re still playing innocent. Get some sleep.”
He turned to leave, but Chu Yifeng caught his hand. The next instant, Wang Cheng was pulled onto the bed and Chu Yifeng rolled over him, pinning him beneath his body. He hardly looked like someone too exhausted to walk. Wang Cheng immediately realized he had been tricked.
Wang Cheng tilted his head back. Chu Yifeng bit gently into his throat, leaving an electric tingling sensation.
“Enough. Aren’t you supposed to be exhausted? I still need to go to the company this afternoon.”
Chu Yifeng said nothing. He pushed between Wang Cheng’s legs and stopped his mouth with a kiss before he could speak again. The wet sounds of kissing filled Wang Cheng’s ears. Chu Yifeng’s hands found every sensitive spot on his body until his strength drained away. Wang Cheng wrapped both legs around his waist, and the friction through their trousers made his body burn. His erection tented his trousers uncomfortably. Indulging in lust in broad daylight, he realized he had underestimated someone’s stamina.
The price of surrender was an aching waist. Later, Chu Yifeng claimed he was tired and had Wang Cheng do the work on top, thereby granting his wish to ‘change positions.’
* * *
Wang Cheng picked up his clothes from the floor, astonished by how soundly he had slept. By the time he woke, it was after six in the evening. He had missed both lunch and dinner and his stomach was growling. Chu Yifeng was sleeping even more deeply. How infuriating, Wang Cheng thought through gritted teeth: after days without sleep, the man had still managed to drag him through two rounds.
There were hardly any ingredients in the refrigerator. Resigned, Wang Cheng put on a jacket and went shopping. It was after seven when he returned, and Chu Yifeng still had not woken. Once dinner was ready, he went upstairs to call him.
“You haven’t eaten anything all day, have you? Eat before going back to sleep.” Wang Cheng filled a bowl with rice and pushed chopsticks into his hand.
Chu Yifeng yawned. “Feed me.”
“Of course.” Without hesitation, Wang Cheng picked up a piece of leafy vegetable and held it to his lips. “Boss Chu, open wide.”
One glance told Chu Yifeng exactly what he was scheming. “I’d rather have meat.”
“How can you be so picky? This is a vegetable I love. Are you telling me you intend to reject my heartfelt offering?” Wang Cheng accused him.
Chu Yifeng raised both hands in surrender. “All right, all right. I give up.”
Wang Cheng smiled sweetly. “Before surrendering, eat the vegetable. This is my expression of love.”
Chu Yifeng took the vegetable into his mouth and caught the chopsticks between his lips at the same time, dampening them with saliva. The corner of Wang Cheng’s mouth twitched.
After dinner, Wang Cheng went upstairs to change the bedding they had soiled that afternoon, stuffed their dirty clothes into the washing machine, and came back downstairs to find Chu Yifeng had already washed the dishes. The two then discussed when Chu Yifeng’s grandparents were planning to return.