After waking up from his sleep, Wen Qi heard from Ding Tong that Duan Linrang had taken advantage of the interval to head to the company to handle official business and would not be able to return for a while.
“Is that so? Thank you, Special Assistant Ding.”
Bending over with his head lowered, Ding Tong replied, “This is only my duty.”
“Oh right, may I ask you a personal question? It’s about your President Duan.”
With a smile hanging upon his lips, Ding Tong answered, “More than happy to.”
“Does your President Duan have any hobbies?”
Ding Tong replied: “That exceeds the scope of what I am able to answer.”
“Then,” Wen Qi asked with a slightly graver expression, “regarding the arranged marriage proposed by Wen Jiangwu, had I signed the agreement, what benefits would Wen Jiangwu have gained? Was it really just as simple as a business partnership?”
Step by step, interlocking each point, Ding Tong laid out the raw truth:
“The agreement stipulated that once you, Young Master, signed it, the Duan Financial Conglomerate agreed to partner with the Wen family, with the partnership rights firmly resting in the hands of the Wen family. The moment the Duan Conglomerate released those partnership rights, it meant the Wen family would secure a foothold in the monopolistic technology and resource industries operated by the Duan Conglomerate, and the industry would no longer ostracize the Wen family’s existence. Simultaneously, the Wen family could also acquire a technical fee valued at five billion.”
“What?” Staring in disbelief, Wen Qi gestured with a hand shaped into the number five. “Five billion! This is a completely predatory contract, isn’t it?!”
Instead of answering directly, Ding Tong stated: “The document was drafted by President Wen and submitted to the company. When he first received the document, President Duan rejected it outright.”
“Why did he agree to it later on, then?” Wen Qi inquired.
“The moment the arranged marriage partner was switched from the Wen family’s second young master to you, President Duan agreed.”
Wen Qi plunged into deep contemplation.
“Young Master needn’t worry, the agreement has already been annulled,” Ding Tong said, right as a servant announced that dinner time had arrived.
“Young Master, please go downstairs to dine first. President Duan gave instructions that if he fails to return in time, you may eat ahead.”
Wen Qi waved his hand. “I’m not very hungry.”
After offering a couple of persuasive words and finding Wen Qi entirely unyielding, Ding Tong had no choice but to let the matter rest.
Carefully lying flat upon the bed, Wen Qi lowered his hands to rest them across his abdomen.
He was quite certain that even if Duan Linrang had been temporarily struck by a sudden surge of lust, it wouldn’t have been worth agreeing to the terms of a predatory contract to that extent.
Yet he had only come to deeply understand someone like Duan Linrang recently, making it impossible for them to have ever crossed paths or met by chance in the past.
Grumbling with resentment, Wen Qi thought, Five billion—that’s enough to sell myself off to Duan Linrang. Wen Jiangwu is so shameless, turning me straight into a commodity…
Fortunately, by the time he expressed his willingness to sign, the agreement had long since been voided.
It had nearly allowed that group of blood-sucking vampires in the Wen family to strike it rich overnight.
Pulling the quilt up to cover his entire head, he failed to notice the bedroom door being pushed open.
Carrying a steaming hot dinner, Duan Linrang placed it onto the table and spoke in a soft tone: “Qiqi, it’s time to get up.”
Abruptly flinging off the quilt, Wen Qi locked gazes with him face-to-face.
“You… how did you manage to return so quickly?” Wen Qi’s eyes looked dazed.
“While handling official business outside, I still found myself worrying whether you had woken up and whether you had eaten on time. Longing grew into an illness, so I simply brought the files back with me,” Duan Linrang said.
“I—I just woke up,” Wen Qi stammered out awkwardly.
Duan Linrang chuckled. “Does Qiqi mean to say that Special Assistant Ding would lie to his superior?”
“…” Reluctantly crawling out of bed, Wen Qi instantly latched onto a sufficiently good excuse. With a hint of teasing woven into his words, he said: “You weren’t here, and I didn’t want to eat alone.”
Duan Linrang acknowledged with a hum: “You can eat obediently now.”
Curving his lips into a smile, Wen Qi felt a mysterious sense of reassurance wash over him simply by having Duan Linrang around.
“Aren’t you eating?” Shifting his gaze back to the table where only his own meal was set, without waiting for Duan Linrang to answer, Wen Qi hoisted his rice bowl with one hand while grabbing hold of Duan Linrang with the other to lead him downstairs, speaking in a spoiled, petulant tone:
“I said I don’t want to be by myself.”
Duan Linrang fell in step with Wen Qi’s pace, his gentle, limpid eyes capturing every single movement of Wen Qi’s that was capable of melting his heart.
They took their seats at the dining table, the delicacies still warm.
“Is it good?” Duan Linrang asked. “If it doesn’t suit your palate, I’ll have the auntie make adjustments tomorrow.”
Shoveling a mouthful of rice into his mouth, Wen Qi nodded immediately: “Delicious, don’t worry about whether I like it or not, I’m not a picky eater. The auntie cooks so well, if I were picky it’d be my fault.”
Once he finished speaking, Wen Qi muttered in a small voice: “I’ve only been here a couple of days, and you care about me so much, I don’t even know how to repay you.”
“Repay.” Letting out a soft laugh, Duan Linrang murmured those two words under his breath.
“What are you laughing at?” Puzzled, Wen Qi asked, “I didn’t say anything wrong.”
Duan Linrang asked him, “What do you plan to use to repay me?”
“That depends on you.”
Duan Linrang asked, “Meaning, am I allowed to make a wish?”
“Mn… allowed just once.”
Smiling as he looked at him, Duan Linrang uttered a magnetic, drawn-out hum of agreement: “Alright, I’ll make a wish: I hope our Qiqi eats his fill and sleeps soundly.”
“…” Accusing him of foul play, Wen Qi protested: “You… don’t be like this, I will eat well and sleep well, that doesn’t count.”
“How does it not count? If that doesn’t count, there aren’t many ways left for Qiqi to repay me,” Duan Linrang said. “So I beg Qiqi, you must definitely make my wish come true.”
A delicate and lingering voice resonated throughout the entirety of Wen Qi’s mind, striking against the chambers of his heart over and over again.
He averted his gaze from Duan Linrang; that gaze was scorching hot and overwhelmingly piercing, seeing right through the youth’s hidden, fluttering palpitations.
“I, you…” Wen Qi wished he could bury his head straight into his rice bowl. Once a bizarre state of mind began spreading, it became completely unstoppable.
Wen Qi required countless moments to confirm that he had already fallen in love with Duan Linrang.
Yet at this very moment, whether it was countless moments or just a single sentence—
Trusting Duan Linrang was the opening theme song of love.
Narrowing his eyes, Duan Linrang caught a flush of red staining his own vision as it mirrored the handsome, slightly blushing face of the youth. He restrained the urge to continue teasing and flirting with Wen Qi.
“Let’s eat.”
“Mn…”
After finishing dinner, Wen Qi should have been like usual, preparing to play games to pass the time.
“What on earth are you spacing out for, Wen Qi? All the bros are here, still not planning to start the game?”
Absent-minded and hearing his bros calling out to him, Wen Qi slowly snapped back to his senses. Pressing a hand to his forehead as he stared at the computer, he apologized: “Sorry, I wasn’t listening just now, I was worried my hand-feel might be off and drag you guys down from climbing stars.”
“No worries, worst case you can just hang your support on our heads, besides, climbing stars isn’t as important as our bro.”
True to his word, Wen Qi immediately swapped to the support role and queued up for a match.
“By the way, where are you living right now? We haven’t seen each other in ages.”
His friends chattered away in a cacophony of voices.
“When’s there time to meet? Right after the college entrance exams I went straight into the factory to gain work experience, earning a bit of cash to upgrade my noble VIP status in this game. The overall economic climate is bad right now, nobody wanted to hire me even when I disguised myself as a long-term worker. Luckily my family has a bit of resources.”
“Yeah, I just got off work, had to juggle three part-time jobs before things finally stabilized.”
“Did Wen Qi find a job yet?”
Scratching his head, Wen Qi replied:
“Not yet, recovering from injuries at a friend’s place. I plan to go check out job hunting in a couple of days.”
“I saw the news, those murderous animals in the Wen family—not a single one of them treated my baby Wen Qi right. If I ever live to snap, I’ll be the first one to charge in and f***ing wreck them!”
Wen Qi: “…… Living is good, living is good.”
“It won’t be long before scores come out, I figure I can’t escape a tongue-lashing, my good days are coming to an end.”
Mentioning checking college entrance exam scores triggered an unavoidable wave of grievances.
“Go ahead and lock in support for Wen Qi first, exams and stuff don’t matter anyway, I’m factory material through and through anyway, if I actually manage to get into a university just for show I’d be happy too. I’m saying out of our group, can it really be true that only Fourth and Wen Qi are the ones capable of getting into college?”
The “Fourth” they referred to rarely spoke up, offering a flat hum of acknowledgment, causing the bustling chat squad to instantly chill by a few degrees.
Staring blankly at the computer screen, Wen Qi felt his long-unsettled heart finally cool down bit by bit. That guy Duan Linrang the moment he took up weight in one’s heart, he became impossible to shake off.
Like a mentally attached clingy spirit.
Deflated, Wen Qi felt like his brain was literally going to explode!
“Nice positioning on that heal, Wen Qi, ultimate rescue.”
This sentence dragged Wen Qi right out of the whirlpool of continuous heart-fluttering, prompting him to decide to focus entirely on the game first.
Not long afterward, Wen Qi’s friends logged off the game citing various reasons, leaving Wen Qi alone in the game lobby.
Though the hour had already reached past midnight, staying up late was second nature to Wen Qi. Furthermore, closing his eyes brought up nothing but Duan Linrang, making it impossible for him to fall asleep anyway.
Just then, a knock sounded outside the door.
“Qiqi, you’re still in the gaming room.” Not a question, but a confident assertion, Duan Linrang pushed open the door and beckoned to him. “Come over here, time to go to sleep.”
The moment he laid eyes on Duan Linrang, Wen Qi’s heart hammered violently. Obediently removing his headphones from around his neck, he walked slowly toward Duan Linrang.
“Are you done with your work?” Wen Qi asked. “I wasn’t playing, I was just spacing out.”
Upon entering, Duan Linrang had spotted the idle computer. “I know, sitting for long periods is bad for your health.”
He asked once more: “What were you spacing out about all by yourself?”
Averting his gaze, Wen Qi answered, “A secret.”
“Alright, what kind of currency can buy this secret?” Duan Linrang’s palm landed upon Wen Qi’s shoulder.
Feigning deep thought, Wen Qi replied, “Priceless, perhaps.”
Disappointed, Duan Linrang muttered, “Looks like it can’t be bought.”
He accompanied Wen Qi into the master bedroom. “If anyone ever wants to share their secrets with me, I’m all ears. Alright, go lie down and brew some sleepiness.”
Tugging on Duan Linrang’s wrist, Wen Qi asked, “Are you… going to be very busy with work tomorrow?”
“Busy or not depends entirely on the value of the sentence you want to tell me next after grabbing my hand.” Duan Linrang smiled warmly.
His breathing tense, Wen Qi continued holding onto Duan Linrang without letting go as he suddenly mustered up his courage: “I can’t sleep, can we chat for a bit? Let’s sleep together.”
Taking a step closer toward Wen Qi, Duan Linrang lightly pinched the lobe of Wen Qi’s ear and said, “I have no work tomorrow.”
Raising his head to look at him, Wen Qi felt his tension dissipate significantly: “You agreed.”
“It’s my absolute honor to be able to stay and keep you company while you chat.”
Sharing the same bed, after deep and thorough deliberation, Wen Qi finally voiced the doubt that had been nagging him while chatting with Ding Tong.
“The moment I signed that agreement, you were willing to agree to Wen Jiangwu’s predatory contract terms, Duan… never mind, we didn’t know each other before. A full five billion even if I sold myself to you, I wouldn’t be worth that price, let alone letting Wen Jiangwu get his hands on that kind of money…”
Duan Linrang fell silent for a short while.
Following that, he parted his lips to explain: “I said it before, Qiqi, you are worth it. Even if you had signed the agreement straight away back then and become my arranged marriage partner, that sum of money would never have flowed into the Wen family’s pockets. Defaulting on agreements is a specialty of mine. No matter how they treated you, I have plenty of ways to bring them to heel.”
“Aren’t you afraid they’d come knocking and making a scene to ruin your reputation?”
Duan Linrang parted his thin lips: “If we’re counting how many times they’ve wanted to come knocking and make a scene, we’d have to start counting from over a dozen years ago.”
Then, he appended: “Qiqi, you know that nowadays, the only way they can get a chance to see me is through you.”
Hearing this, Wen Qi had to admit that Duan Linrang’s strength spoke for itself.
If not for receiving such heavy affection, how could he and Duan Linrang possibly be lying in the same bed right now?
Hesitating on the verge of speaking, Wen Qi murmured, “Before our names were printed together on that agreement, we were complete… strangers. To say ‘I like you’ to a complete stranger and be willing to spend money to settle things Duan Linrang, I’m really curious.”
Resting sideways on the bed, Duan Linrang gazed lovingly at Wen Qi curled up against the edge of the mattress, inching closer with affectionate yearning. “Curious whether my affection for you is true or false?”
“Pretty much.” Wen Qi couldn’t quite describe it.
Half-teasing, half-serious, Duan Linrang answered: “When I found out my arranged marriage partner was Qiqi a boy who is both extremely pretty and remarkably kind-hearted for the sake of this arranged marriage, I spent the entire night brainwashing myself with self-conquest.”
“What, what the hell… what kind of nonsense is that?! Hey!”