“Maneuver?” Lian Que raised his eyes, his long, curled eyelashes fluttering slightly. “How do we maneuver?”
“The prize money is one million; I’ll just make up the difference and give it to you directly,” Chen Xingjian proposed.
Yet a flash of joy crossed Lian Que’s face for only a split second before his spirits dimmed right back down: “I’m not the kind of person who only cares about money.”
Right now, it wasn’t about the prize money at all; it was about that lingering frustration stuck in his chest that he couldn’t swallow down no matter how he tried to digest it. It felt like there was a balloon inside his body, blowing up larger and larger until it was just about to burst.
Chen Xingjian’s gaze was filled with skepticism, lingering on Lian Que’s face for a couple more turns. “You really don’t care about a million?”
“I still care a little bit,” Lian Que added after failing to hold out for even three full minutes.
Frowning, he continued, “But I want to participate in the audition even more. Lian Cheng can go, but I can’t what kind of logic is that?”
The interview time on the invitation letter was the day after tomorrow. With just three days like this, it was hard to say whether the bandages on his head could even be removed, let alone heading out to attend an interview.
“Forget it, there will be other exhibitions in the future. It’s no big deal, I don’t care at all.” Lian Que mentally prepared himself, comforting his own thoughts.
Assuming his brows weren’t knitted tightly together and his tone wasn’t so defot, what he said might actually have carried a tiny bit of credibility.
Lian Que wasn’t the type to trap himself in a dead end. Once he pulled the covers over his head and figured things out on his own, that was the end of it.
Who cares about Lian Cheng? Saving up ten million to run away as soon as possible was the real priority.
Still, there was an even more important issue at hand.
“Sir, we did sign a marriage agreement, after all.” Lian Que looked up at Chen Xingjian, his tone pitiful.
This form of address Sir was truly a rare occurrence from Lian Que, who had been huffing in frustration and calling Chen Xingjian by his full name not too long ago.
“When you’re asking for favors, you really do know how to roll with the punches,” Chen Xingjian remarked.
Lian Que was quite unsatisfied. “How can this be called rolling with the punches? And it doesn’t count as asking for a favor, I have completely valid reasons for doing this.”
Chen Xingjian grew intrigued, tilting his head to gesture for Lian Que to continue.
Lian Que ran his little mouth non-stop, sounding remarkably persuasive: “Since I’ve already signed an agreement with Sir, am I not nominally Sir’s person? The Lian family came right at my head with a strike wasn’t that essentially slapping Sir in the face? Sir surely can’t just let them bully people like this.”
Ironclad and soundly argued.
Trying to drag Chen Xingjian down into the muddy waters to deal with the Lian family together Sima Zhao’s intent was as clear as day to everyone passing by.
Even Assistant Zhao, who had just rushed over to deliver documents to Chen Xingjian, paused in his tracks and laughed teasingly, “Mr. Lian has quite the clever abacus going. No wonder President Chen is willing to stick with you.”
It was just a pity that President Chen had always disliked getting involved in such messy affairs, finding them troublesome. It seemed Mr. Lian’s little abacus was likely miscalculated this time.
“Don’t try to slander me. I’m acting entirely out of consideration for Sir, clean and innocent.” Lian Que struggled to push his upper body upright from the bed, tugged on the hem of Chen Xingjian’s shirt to seek agreement, and asked, “Sir, am I right?”
Sitting with his legs crossed in the chair, Chen Xingjian tapped his fingertips against his knee in deep thought for a moment. “That does make some sense.”
Assistant Zhao: …Wasn’t President Chen someone who disliked wading through murky waters before? Could it be that his 24-step guide to promotion and salary raises was now outdated and useless?
Listening from the sidelines, Lian Que felt stirred to action and decided to press his advantage further: “Sir, I’ve suffered such a severe injury and I’m already upset. If you’re not even willing to stand up for me, my temper will only flare up more and how am I supposed to take care of you then?”
“What do you want to do?” Chen Xingjian prompted.
Lian Que beamed with joy, nearly forgetting the pain on his head entirely: “Of course I want them to pay up! They cracked my head open without a word, so of course they need to spend some money to compensate me! Naturally, it would be even better if they’re willing to come over in person and apologize.”
Chen Xingjian let out a soft chuckle. “Compensations and apologies—you’ve thought of quite a complete package.”
Catching the underlying tolerance in Chen Xingjian’s words and knowing that his request was already seven or eight parts successful, Lian Que felt bubbles of triumph effervescing in his heart.
He flipped out from beneath the covers, stealthily resting his head against Chen Xingjian’s shoulder with a proud expression: “Isn’t that all because Sir is here? Without you, I would have already been swallowed bones and meat by the Lian family—how would I ever dare dream of making them come over to apologize?”
His warm, damp breath brushed against the back of Chen Xingjian’s neck. Radiating a cozy, soothing fragrance, Lian Que crashed straight into his arms, continuing his nonstop chatter while practically praising Chen Xingjian to the heavens.
A pair of elegant butterfly shoulder blades peeked out from his collar, swaying loosely in a way that inexplicably reminded Chen Xingjian of that night when Lian Que had obediently lain on the bed, letting him toss him around however he pleased.
Once you actually tasted the vibrant, gorgeous rose, you realized inside it was just a tart, bitter green plum plucked straight from the branch, devoured whole by him before the morning dew on the fruit could even be wiped away.
A fragmented, ragged gasp suddenly reached Lian Que’s ears, sending a numb shiver straight down his spine and making his brain feel as though it had just exploded.
As ill luck would have it, Chen Xingjian added a parting sentence at that exact moment, his vocal tone seemingly laced with lingering, unfulfilled desire:
“It’s a pity you’re injured.”
Lian Que’s face flushed red on the spot. Picking up on the subtext in Chen Xingjian’s words, he no longer dared to lean close to Chen Xingjian’s body, yet pulling away abruptly would look far too awkward.
Turning his head sideways, he carefully pressed a light peck against the outer rim of Chen Xingjian’s ear, brushing his tongue tip lightly against the warm-radiating skin as he pulled back.
“Sir, my injuries aren’t heavy. I’ll heal very fast.”
Chen Xingjian’s pupils darkened abruptly. Standing straight up from the chair, he said, “Get some good rest. I’m heading to the company.”
Flustered, Assistant Zhao bid farewell to Lian Que, silently resolving to update his 24-step guide to getting promoted and getting a raise immediately.
Inside the car, Chen Xingjian loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his collar before finally feeling his breathing return to a smooth rhythm.
Sitting in the driver’s seat, Assistant Zhao glanced at Chen Xingjian’s expression through the rearview mirror and inquired, “President Chen, are we heading straight to the company now?”
“Not yet.” Hesitating for a moment, Chen Xingjian made his decision. “Let’s head back to the old family residence.”
“The old residence?” Assistant Zhao was taken aback. President Chen had been angered to the point of smashing bowls and chopsticks last Chinese New Year and hadn’t stepped foot back there for any holidays since; why on earth was he suddenly going back today?
Chen Xingjian murmured an assent, casually picking up a bottle of backup ice water in the car to chug a couple of mouthfuls. “Going to talk some business.”
Assistant Zhao shrunk his neck slightly. Who on earth used the phrase “talk business” when talking about paying a visit to their own biological mother? If they returned to the old estate, there was a fair chance he’d end up storming out and slamming doors in anger again.
Yuanhe had always been managed by President Chen’s mother. Mr. Lian had suffered an injury recently and desperately wanted to participate in the audition, and coincidentally, President Chen was heading back today to talk business with his mother.
Gripping the steering wheel a bit tighter, Assistant Zhao felt as though he had stumbled upon some monumental piece of earth-shattering news.
The car made a U-turn and headed toward the old estate.
As the tree shadows outside the car window flashed backward in a blur, Chen Xingjian suddenly spoke up: “Assistant Zhao, I remember you keep a little cat at home, right?”
Assistant Zhao gave a vague response. “President Chen, are you thinking of raising a cat too?”
Chen Xingjian didn’t reply.
Just when Assistant Zhao assumed Chen Xingjian wouldn’t speak again, Chen Xingjian muttered: “Whatever cats and dogs like at home, you still have to go through a bit of trouble to fetch it for them.”
Cats and dogs my foot he certainly wasn’t signing a marriage agreement with a pet he kept at home.
Yet having weathered plenty of major storms, Assistant Zhao praised Chen Xingjian’s holy name on the spot, remarking that with President Chen planning ahead, his home’s cats and dogs would undoubtedly be thrilled, and so on and so forth.
Before long, the old estate came into their field of vision.
Assistant Zhao pulled the car over to the side, waiting for Chen Xingjian to step out: “President Chen, remember to negotiate nicely with your mother. Whether your little cat at home gets to be happy rests entirely on your single thought.”