“When are we leaving?” Wen Qi lowered his head, his fingers quickly scrolling across the mouse to confirm that the data on his computer was entirely accurate.
Taking a brief moment to spare a question for Duan Linrang, Wen Qi had decided to finish the task assigned by his store manager beforehand, right after they arrived home.
Like an attached clingy spirit, Duan Linrang stayed within half a step of Wen Qi, tapping his fingers lightly against the desk. “Whenever Qiqi gives the word.”
“I’m not the one who’s officially invited to this tonight, you know,” Wen Qi turned his head to look at him for a second before blurting out, “I’m just being brought in by you as a family member.”
Not receiving a reply from Duan Linrang right away, he went back to checking the data.
Duan Linrang parted his lips, silently repeating the word “family member” that Wen Qi had just spoken. Although the speaker meant nothing by it, the listener took it to heart.
“Alright, once you’re done with your work, we’ll go,” Duan Linrang said.
“It’ll be quick, it’s just a piece of gaming data.”
Duan Linrang raised a hand to prop up his chin, responding to Wen Qi with doting indulgence. Once he realized Wen Qi was only eighteen, he completely abandoned any lingering thoughts of entering into a marriage alliance with the youth before him.
Eighteen was indeed an adult, fully of age to walk into a marriage with a twenty-six-year-old mature man.
Yet eighteen was also terribly young, resembling a child still untainted by the world. He wanted to let Wen Qi see the world he had once witnessed himself, and at the very least, elevate Wen Qi to the heights he used to occupy so he wouldn’t remain confined to such a small place like Beijing.
A marriage alliance was out of the question, but that didn’t mean other things were impossible.
He could not tolerate any other man meddling in their relationship.
From beginning to end, the only thing Duan Linrang forced himself to do was wait.
Before long, Wen Qi sent the new data report to his store manager, shut down the computer, and told Duan Linrang, “Let’s go.”
Duan Linrang grabbed Wen Qi’s wrist. “Does Qiqi plan on going in this outfit?”
Wen Qi blinked in surprise. “What’s wrong?”
Duan Linrang snapped his fingers.
Having waited close by, Ding Tong pushed open the bedroom door. Placing a package at the foot of the bed, he said, “This is a custom-tailored suit made specifically for the Young Master.”
Startled for a moment, Wen Qi pointed blankly at himself in disbelief. “Me?”
With a wave of his hand, Duan Linrang motioned for Ding Tong to leave, then stepped forward to open the black packaging box.
Opening his eyes wide, Wen Qi saw a white suit.
Duan Linrang smiled. “Consider it a gift from me to celebrate your great exam scores.”
“It must be very expensive.” Wen Qi stepped forward, a stinging sensation pricking at the bridge of his nose. “Didn’t you say that meal we had was the gift? You shouldn’t spend so much effort on me, how am I ever going to repay you?”
Duan Linrang mused for a moment. “We can talk about repayment later. The important thing right now is that we have a banquet to attend together, so go try it on and see if it fits.”
Wen Qi acknowledged softly, “Thank you.”
Duan Linrang’s gaze deepened. “Gratitude is another thing we’ll talk about later.”
“Alright.”
With that, Wen Qi headed into the dressing room.
Ding Tong walked back inside. “President Duan, yours has arrived.”
“Understood.”
The wait felt extraordinarily long.
It had been a very long time since Wen Qi last wore a suit, and unlike ordinary formal wear, this one had been custom-made for him by Duan Linrang.
Standing in front of the full-length mirror, he found that the suit fit him with surprising perfection. It accentuated his slender leg lines while neatly tailoring the curve of his waist.
With a slight flush on his cheeks, he mustered up the courage to push open the dressing room door, only to find that Duan Linrang had been waiting for him the entire time.
Pressing his lips together, he asked:
“How does it look?”
Duan Linrang looked him up and down. To say he wasn’t paying attention to the youth’s slender waistline and the skin visible beneath the shirt would simply be a lie.
He was a man, after all.
And a gay man at that.
“It looks great,” Duan Linrang replied. Taking out a black bow tie he had prepared in advance, he bent down personally to fasten it around Wen Qi’s collar with extremely practiced movements.
“I have a question.”
“Ask away,” Duan Linrang prompted.
Stepping closer, Wen Qi could even catch a faint whiff of Duan Linrang’s subtle men’s cologne. “How did you know my measurements?”
Duan Linrang chuckled. “A hunch.”
“Really?”
“Must I answer?” Duan Linrang said earnestly. “Back when the nurse had me steady you, I figured it out by feel. And last time, when you hugged me after I retrieved your mother’s belongings.”
Hearing this, Wen Qi’s heart tumbled into chaos.
Every effort Duan Linrang had poured into him, every embrace, every tear—the man had quietly and firmly etched them all into his memory.
It made Wen Qi realize once again just how wonderful it felt to be valued by someone.
Duan Linrang adjusted the bow tie, resting both hands on Wen Qi’s shoulders. “Mhm, Qiqi looks like he’s grown up quite a bit.”
With unpractised awkwardness, Wen Qi echoed him, “No matter what, Duan Linrang, thank you. I really will repay you in the future!”
“Alright,” Duan Linrang softened. “I’m looking forward to it.”
“President Duan, the car is ready.”
Ding Tong knocked on the door to remind them.
Shortly afterward,
A Rolls-Royce Phantom glided to a halt downstairs outside the banquet hall.
Duan Linrang stepped out of the car in a black suit and white bow tie on long, slender legs. He cut an imposing and majestic figure, moving with effortless grace as he slowly straightened his collar.
Wen Qi stepped out from the other side, locking eyes with Duan Linrang for a split second.
“You’re here.”
Bathed in the brilliant lights, Qi Yunyuan strolled over from inside the hall. His eyes immediately locked onto the handsome and refined Wen Qi, who looked nothing short of an alluring stunner. “How is your recovery coming along? Do you remember me?”
Before an answer could be given, a frowning Duan Linrang caught Qi Yunyuan’s attention first.
With a sheepish smile, Qi Yunyuan lowered his voice. “Linrang, your… possessiveness is off the charts. What’s wrong with a doctor checking up on his patient? Why treat a brother like this?”
Waving his hand, Wen Qi chimed in, “I’m recovering quite… quite well, Dr. Qi, thank you for your concern.”
“Ah, no need, no need just dreading how someone might eat me alive later,” Qi Yunyuan muttered sarcastically.
Ignoring him entirely, Duan Linrang turned to Wen Qi. “Let’s go inside, Qiqi. The evening breeze is getting a bit cold.”
“Is it cold?” Wen Qi tugged at the hem of his jacket. “I can lend you my clothes…”
“No need…”
Every word and phrase utterly air-mailed past Qi Yunyuan.
Left standing frozen in place, Qi Yunyuan let out a heavy sigh. Between a brother obsessed with love and himself, whose romantic buds had yet to sprout, he silently prayed for the heavens to send him a woman.
Or another man would do, too.
He quickly strode to catch up with the pair, muttering to himself: Truth be told, Wen Qi really is breathtakingly gorgeous. No wonder Duan Linrang keeps him hidden away like a treasure.
If it were me, I’d definitely lock up a stunner like that and keep him all to myself, enjoying life together forever.
“I’ve prepared a separate VIP room for you two. When Linrang goes off to socialize later, Wen Qi can rest comfortably over there.”
Plucking two glasses of wine from a passing waiter’s tray, Qi Yunyuan handed one to Duan Linrang and kept the other for himself.
Duan Linrang accepted the glass.
A staff member guided Wen Qi upstairs.
Resting a hand on Duan Linrang’s shoulder, Qi Yunyuan complained, “You sneaky bastard, even getting matching custom suits you might as well just broadcast your relationship to the world. Weren’t you afraid you’d suffocate us?”
“…Get lost.”
Staring at Wen Qi’s retreating figure as he walked further away, Duan Linrang lightly swirled his wine glass. “Where is Elder Qi?”
“Oh, my dad is over there chatting with the Sun family,” Qi Yunyuan pointed toward the back corner. “The Sun Corporation managed to rise up and reach this level entirely on its own overnight. I reckon it has a lot to do with Chairman Sun’s daughter, Sun Qingyang, I think her name is. Want to go take a look?”
“Mhm.”
Year after year, the Duan Group consistently claimed the top spot among all companies in Beijing, followed closely by the firm founded by Qi Yunyuan’s father.
Recently, however, the Sun Corporation had single-handedly upended those unshakable rankings.
They had tied directly with the Qi family.
The two men walked toward the crowded gathering.
Virtually all the prominent and influential figures in Beijing had turned out for the Sun family tonight.
Including the Wen family.
Releasing Wen Wenyan’s hand, Wen Jiangwu instructed, “Walk around and mingle, I’m going to go say hello to the Chairman of the Sun Corporation.”
Wen Wenyan asked sweetly, “Do you want me to accompany you, Dad?”
“Look at you, you’re still young, go mingle and make friends with other young people instead.”
“Alright.” Giving Wen Jiangwu a sweet smile, Wen Wenyan turned around, his expression shifting into a sharp, piercing look as his gaze fell on Wen Xi. He offered an inscrutable smile. “Little sister, I suppose your older brother is here tonight as well. You don’t need to follow me around.”
Wearing a demure, plain off-the-shoulder long dress and low-heeled shoes, Wen Xi brushed past Wen Wenyan and spoke in a soft voice, “I’ll find a place to sit. I won’t cause any trouble for older brother or second brother.”
Since the Qi family’s banquet permitted invited guests to bring two family members along, and Wen Xi’s younger brother had refused to attend, she had simply been brought along to fill the quota.
Wen Xi hid away in a corner of the sofa, drinking in solitude.
The laughter and merriment around her had nothing to do with her.
Just as Wen Wenyan had said, even though she knew Wen Qi was attending this banquet, she couldn’t afford to go cause him any trouble.
“President Sun… President Sun, let me toast to you, I’m from the Zhang family…”
Noticing the sea of people surrounding the Sun family members, Qi Yunyuan clicked his tongue. “Why are a bunch of grown men so lacking in manners? Move aside, make room!”
At that declaration, the crowd instantly went silent.
A heavily made-up woman stood wearing a golden, floor-length slit gown that exposed her slender, shapely legs, her wavy hair swept over her shoulders with her hands cupping a wine glass.
Parting the crowd from the outside in, Qi Yunyuan cleared a path and personally rescued Sun Qingyang from the mob. “Ms. Sun, are you alright?”
Putting down her wine glass, Sun Qingyang smiled with refined grace. “I’m fine, thank you.”
With her every expression brimming with effortless charm, Qi Yunyuan stared in a daze, blurting out foolishly, “As long as you’re okay.”
He quickly turned to introduce Duan Linrang standing right behind him, “This is the Duan Group”
Before he could finish his introduction, Sun Qingyang stepped forward with a light, graceful step, cutting him off. “President Duan, I’ve heard so much about you. It’s my absolute honor to meet you here tonight. I am Sun Qingyang, the daughter of the Chairman of Sun Corporation, and I currently serve as the General Manager.”
Qi Yunyuan scratched his head awkwardly.
Duan Linrang nodded slightly. “Ms. Sun, a pleasure.”
Tossing her lustrous hair over her shoulder, Sun Qingyang continued, “I’ve always admired successful people like you, which is why I’ve worked so hard to climb up. On a personal level, I’ve been very eager to meet you in person.”
Duan Linrang’s demeanor remained icy.
He had heard too many flattering remarks; none of them carried the weight of a single word like “family member” from that fellow Wen Qi.
“I hear President Duan is still unmarried,” Sun Qingyang noted.
Unable to squeeze a word in, Qi Yunyuan felt an inexplicable irritation bubble up inside him until Sun Qingyang brought it up. Just because President Duan isn’t married doesn’t mean he doesn’t have someone in mind.
As for why he felt annoyed his father and Sun Qingyang’s father had reached a certain tacit understanding: the original plan was for Qi Yunyuan to get acquainted with Sun Qingyang.
Yet after barely exchanging a few sentences, Sun Qingyang had set her sights on Duan Linrang instead.
Ignoring Qi Yunyuan completely, Sun Qingyang repeated her question.
After a brief pause, Duan Linrang smiled faintly. “I am currently unattached.”
“We certainly have plenty of reasons to get to know each other better,” Sun Qingyang said brightly.
“I’m not interested in women,” Duan Linrang stated flatly.
Still hoping to push further, Sun Qingyang persisted, “How do you know unless you try?”
Without answering, Duan Linrang stood up coldly, ready to leave. Just before walking away, he dropped a final sentence: “I’ve already tried. I’m interested in men, my apologies.”
He couldn’t blatantly spell out that the man he currently fancied was waiting for him right upstairs.