Hook, line, and sinker.
Noticing Su Xingque’s gaze landing on his ring finger, Shen Zhu felt a surge of secret delight. Feigning a look of panic, he quickly hid his hands behind his back.
Nothing captured a person’s heart quite like the feelings slip out through subtle, inadvertent gestures.
Su Xingque took in Shen Zhu’s every movement. He chose not to bring up the ring, simply placing the cake box onto the coffee table without mentioning who it was actually for.
“Were you angry this morning?” He patted Shen Zhu’s head, his agitated mood gradually settling down.
Angry? Of course I was angry! But did he dare say it? Absolutely not. Shen Zhu knew this was a critical phase for building their relationship. Suffering a few minor grievances was only par for the course.
Besides, for a short-tempered tyrant like Su Xingque, treating him this well was already a massive step forward.
“I wasn’t angry,” Shen Zhu said, knowing exactly what would sound the most endearing. “I was just worried that if I stayed there, I’d make you even angrier.”
Unaccustomed to handling such warm, slightly intimate moments, Su Xingque didn’t pursue the topic. He turned around, preparing to head upstairs.
Shen Zhu wasn’t about to let the opportunity slip—especially after staying up half the night waiting for him. He immediately grabbed the cake and followed closely behind.
Since the man had gone out of his way to bring back food, it meant Su Xingque was finally willing to throw him a few bones. Today it was cake; tomorrow it could be designer bags. As long as he kept up the hard work, luxury cars, villas, and black cards.
Would all be well within his grasp!
At that rate, his dreams of becoming filthy rich were just around the corner!
“Did you buy this for me, sir?”
“You bought so much of it.”
As Shen Zhu spoke, he watched the other man’s reaction. Ahead of him, Su Xingque’s back stiffened visibly.
He really can’t handle being teased, Shen Zhu thought, biting his lip to keep from laughing out loud.
“I really like—”
Before the word “you” could leave his mouth, Su Xingque suddenly spun around, his face completely expressionless. “The department manager sent it over.”
Startled by the abrupt movement, Shen Zhu’s foot missed the next step as he went to climb the stairs. His upper body pitched backward.
Oh, great. Behind him was a half-flight of stairs. Rolling down from this height would easily guarantee a fracture and a concussion.
Shen Zhu squeezed his eyes shut, as if closing his eyes could somehow shield him from reality.
But the anticipated pain never came. A powerful force gripped his wrist from the front, pulling him back upright with a sudden yank.
His forehead collided with something hard. Steadying himself, Shen Zhu opened his eyes to find Su Xingque staring down at him.
Su Xingque had caught him in the nick of time, and due to his momentum, Shen Zhu had crashed right into his chest.
“Cough.” Shen Zhu choked on his own saliva.
Su Xingque was equally startled by his own split-second reflexes. He released his grip on Shen Zhu’s wrist, looking down at his palm in disbelief.
The moment Shen Zhu had slipped, his heart had leaped into his throat.
Was he worried about the little thing falling?
The feeling was entirely too bizarre.
“I’m sorry, sir,” Shen Zhu took the opportunity to act spoiled, looking up with eyes deliberately brimming with tears. He went out on a limb, reaching out to gently smooth the crease between Su Xingque’s brows. “Don’t frown, sir. I’ll head back to my room so I’m not hovering around your line of sight.”
Please don’t hit me, Shen Zhu prayed. He knew he was playing a risky hand, fully prepared to succeed or burn in the attempt.
“No need,” Su Xingque blurted out.
Shen Zhu’s eyes lit up instantly. “Then, should I brew some coffee for you?”
Su Xingque gave a quiet grunt of agreement and continued upstairs.
Turning back down, Shen Zhu headed to the kitchen to store the cakes in the fridge. As his foot hit the bottom step, Su Xingque’s voice called out from above.
“If you like it, I’ll buy some for you tomorrow.”
Su Xingque’s deep voice was incredibly magnetic, though it sounded a bit strained—perhaps out of sheer embarrassment.
“Then it has to be you buying it for me,” Shen Zhu replied with a bright smile, tilting his head.
It felt as though a kitten had lightly scratched Su Xingque’s heart, steering his mood from irritation toward a strange, tranquil calm. Lacking any real experience with flirting, Su Xingque couldn’t bring himself to continue the banter.
Watching the stiff, awkward retreat disappear behind the study door, Shen Zhu puckered his lips and shivered, trying to shake off the goosebumps rising on his arms.
Forget Su Xingque, even I could barely stomach my own acting just now.
Regardless, today was a resounding victory! Humming a cheerful tune to chase away his remaining sleepiness, Shen Zhu brewed two cups of coffee and brought them into the study. He curled up in his designated corner, directing a barrage of starry, affectionate looks at the man behind the desk.
Su Xingque seemed exceptionally busy tonight, dealing with files far more complex than usual. Shen Zhu watched him flip through the documents without pause, his expression growing increasingly grim.
The projects that had run into snags during the day weren’t massive, but the real trouble lay in the fact that they had stalled simultaneously, triggering a cash flow bottleneck for the company. If not resolved quickly, it could spiral into a full-blown operational crisis.
The relentless, high-intensity work left Su Xingque utterly exhausted. The tightly wound string in his head felt ready to snap at any second, and his neck and shoulders ached from hours of sitting.
During a brief pause between phone calls, Su Xingque leaned back, planning to stretch his aching neck for a few minutes.
His gaze collided unexpectedly with the little thing curled up on the sofa. Su Xingque froze, completely forgetting to listen to what his assistant was saying on the other end of the line.
With his cheek resting in his hand, Shen Zhu was staring straight at him. His eyes were visibly unfocused, clearly struggling to keep his heavy eyelids open.
Yet despite his exhaustion, the little thing still insisted on staying here. Even when he ignored him in his busy state, even when he had treated him so terribly before, the boy was still willing to offer him his undiminished affection, guarding him with every action.
People born into wealthy families were usually cold-hearted and calculating. Su Xingque was no exception—his temperament had only grown colder and more detached due to being ostracized by his relatives since childhood.
In his entire life, Meng Jing was the only one who had ever shown him a modicum of warmth.
Seeing Shen Zhu keeping him company like this, and recalling their interactions over this past period, Su Xingque felt a sudden, powerful tug in his chest.
Perhaps I can accept this affection.
After all, it is Shen Zhu who is offering it so willingly.
Su Xingque hung up the phone and walked over to Shen Zhu.
Dazed from his sleepy stupor, Shen Zhu sat quietly on the sofa, his eyes slowly tracking Su Xingque’s steps.
Su Xingque reached out and cupped Shen Zhu’s cheek. The exhaustion built up from hours of work vanished in an instant.
“Sleepy?”
Shen Zhu had no idea that his few minutes of spacing out from sheer boredom had been romanticized into an entire tragic melodrama in Su Xingque’s head. By the time he snapped out of it, Su Xingque was already standing right in front of him, a warm palm resting against his cheek.
Wild as Shen Zhu used to be, he was never one to let himself be taken advantage of, and he had never allowed anyone to touch him.
His face flushed red instantly. Shying away from the touch, he forced himself to stay in character:
“N-No, I’m not.”
“Go back to sleep now,” Su Xingque said, seemingly displeased by Shen Zhu’s retreat. He reached out further, gently ruffling the boy’s hair.
“Accompany me to the office tomorrow, alright?”