Shen Zhu followed Wilson into the executive elevator, riding it straight up to the fifteenth floor, which was reserved entirely for Su Xingque’s private office and meeting area.
Since this floor was practically devoid of other employees, Wilson simply led him directly into the CEO’s office.
Su Xingque’s office was just like the man himself—stylishly minimalist and bone-chillingly cold. Sitting on the small sofa, Shen Zhu scanned the decor. His mind, however, was occupied with calculating exactly when he could wrap up this little mission and slip away to have some fun.
Lately, he had been forced to play the role of the perfectly obedient, well-behaved boy back at the Su estate. Having had zero opportunities to go hit the nightclubs and secure his bags, the complete lack of income was beginning to make the highly money-minded young man feel incredibly anxious.
Consider this my final test of Su Xingque, Shen Zhu resolved silently.
If Su Xingque still remains completely indifferent to my proactive “advances” today, then I am going out to put a nice splash of green on his head!
The office door clicked open with a soft lock-turn, startling Shen Zhu mid-motivation. He instinctively smoothed down his clothes and stood up, only to find that Su Xingque wasn’t alone.
The representative of the foreign investment firm was holding a project proposal right in front of Su Xingque’s face, trying to capitalize on every second to nitpick “issues.”
In truth, they weren’t issues at all—just a bunch of trivial hair-splitting designed to project an air of professional rigor and strictness.
Su Xingque was thoroughly irritated by the noisy representative. On the surface, however, he still had to maintain business decorum, forcing a polite, stiff smile that didn’t come naturally to him as he explained and negotiated.
If the Su Corporation weren’t currently at a critical juncture of restructuring and upgrading, desperately needing to expand its capital chain, he wouldn’t have bothered dealing with someone like this.
The representative took a few steps into the room before finally looking up from the proposal. Spotting Shen Zhu standing quietly in the corner and the insulated lunch box sitting on the coffee table, the representative’s eyebrows shot up.
A massive wave of curiosity washed over his face.
“And who might this be?” The representative looked at Shen Zhu’s delicate features and slightly flustered eyes, immediately taking an interest in this clean-cut boy.
After spending so much time in the deceptive, cutthroat business world, it was rare to see someone who looked so pure and untainted.
Only then did Su Xingque realize there was a whole other person in his office. He shot a sharp glare at Wilson, who had followed them in.
Wilson gave a subtle shrug, signaling that he had no idea the representative would doggedly follow the CEO all the way back to his private office after the meeting ended.
Since the boy was standing directly in his private office with a lunch box prominently displayed on the table, it clearly painted a picture of intimacy. If Su Xingque didn’t openly acknowledge their marriage, it would easily be misconstrued as a messy personal life, leaving a bad impression on the foreign partner.
“This is my partner,” Su Xingque introduced to the representative.
The representative’s attention instantly shifted entirely to Shen Zhu, and the tense, adversarial atmosphere from the meeting room miraculously thawed.
Unsure of whether his presence was disrupting Su Xingque’s business, Shen Zhu stood with his hands clasped in front of him, hesitating over whether he should walk over and say hello.
Idiot. I’ve already introduced you, and you still don’t know enough to come over and greet him? Su Xingque felt a vein throb at his temple, the irritation in his chest flaring up.
He forced a smile and gestured. “Come over and say hello to the representative.”
Shen Zhu nodded. He walked over naturally, looping his arm through Su Xingque’s, and offered a warm greeting.
The moment Shen Zhu’s hands lightly clasped around his arm, that bizarre sensation washed over Su Xingque once again.
The heavy, suffocating frustration that had accumulated in his chest from an entire morning of tedious meetings instantly vanished, as if a gentle breeze had swept through, smoothing away every trace of his negative emotions.
“Your mother came to the estate out of nowhere this morning and insisted I bring you lunch,” Shen Zhu whispered close to Su Xingque’s ear, wanting to preemptively clarify so Su Xingque wouldn’t think he had presumptuously shown up to ruin his business.
The investment representative seemed to thoroughly enjoy watching young couples be affectionate. Seeing Shen Zhu stand on his tiptoes to whisper in Su Xingque’s ear, the representative’s eyes lit up.
“Why don’t you two eat first, and we can resume our discussion afterward?” Though the representative said this, his feet didn’t move an inch toward the door.
This subtle behavior didn’t escape Su Xingque’s notice. He decided to play along, putting on a show of marital bliss with Shen Zhu to cater to the client’s mood.
In any case, Shen Zhu is obsessed with me. He should be thrilled about this, Su Xingque thought.
“Why don’t you join us?” Su Xingque extended the invitation.
“Have you eaten yet?” Su Xingque wrapped his hand around Shen Zhu’s waist, guiding him forward while intentionally walking ahead of the representative.
Of course I haven’t eaten! Your mother literally chased me out of the house to find you so we could bond over a meal, Shen Zhu complained bitterly in his head.
However, the lunch box only contained enough food for two. Shen Zhu could only sacrifice his own stomach. “I’ve already eaten. You two go ahead and eat.”
Throughout the meal, Shen Zhu played the role of a perfect arm-candy accessory, clinging close to Su Xingque’s side. He continuously served food and poured water for both Su Xingque and the representative, throwing in generous helpings of affectionate public displays.
The representative was so thoroughly entertained by the sweet couple that when Su Xingque shifted back into business mode after lunch and asked what other improvements were needed on the proposal, the representative dithered for a second. Recalling his actual job, he shook his head vigorously.
“No problems, no problems at all! This is perfect as it is. Here’s to a happy partnership!”
The client who had been giving the entire company a massive headache for over half a month was solved just like that.
After seeing the representative off, Su Xingque sat behind his desk, watching Shen Zhu, who was curled up on the sofa packing away the lunch box containers.
For someone who had been treated like a golden child and a genius since youth, experiencing a sense of defeat was a first—and to make matters worse, the person who had solved his problem was the very person he looked down on the most. The corner of Su Xingque’s mouth twitched, and he instinctively prepared to unleash his usual mockery.
Can’t he even speak some proper pleasantries? He’s stiff as a board.
Who gave him the right to make himself at home in my office?
Unfortunately, though the harsh words swirled in his mouth, they never crossed his lips.
“If there is anything you want, just tell Wilson or the butler,” Su Xingque said, picking up a file from his desk and skimming through it.
As expected, a man who measures everything in terms of transactions and benefits, Shen Zhu thought, his hands pausing mid-task.
With a quick shift in his calculations, he walked over to the desk. Wringing his fingers, he asked softly, “So, was sir just putting on a show earlier?”
Su Xingque didn’t look up, but his hand turning the page froze for a split second.
“But the things I want, they can’t give me.” Shen Zhu pressed his advantage.
“And what is it you want? The stars and the moon?” Su Xingque sneered.
I don’t have such high demands, I just want to secure some cash, Shen Zhu grumbled internally.
But making money requires strategy. You have to cast a long line to catch a big fish. I must keep my composure.
“Aren’t you my stars and my moon, sir?” Shen Zhu delivered a line so incredibly cheesy it made even his own skin crawl.
Before Su Xingque could blow a fuse, he quickly seized the moment to voice his actual demand:
“I, I just want to be allowed to properly take care of you at the estate.”
The subtext was clear: he wanted the freedom to move about the estate as he pleased, and the right to hover around Su Xingque’s line of sight.
Su Xingque finally deigned to look up at him.
Shen Zhu lowered his head, but after a few seconds, he looked back up to meet Su Xingque’s gaze with absolute determination, looking for all the world as though he had summoned immense courage.
His phone buzzed with an incoming text. Su Xingque glanced down at it, set the device aside, and then fixed Shen Zhu with a deeply meaningful, searching gaze.
“Very well,” Su Xingque said, his lips curling into a slight smirk.