Shen Li was afraid of ruining Ji Zhouye’s appetite, but Ji Zhouye misinterpreted his good intentions, thinking he was putting on airs. It really was hard trying to be a good person.
Without holding back at all, Ji Zhouye dragged Shen Li up from the bed. “Why would I misinterpret your good intentions?”
Shen Li pressed his thin lips together and asked tentatively, “Did I say something I shouldn’t have?”
Thinking back carefully, what he said didn’t seem to have any problems. From which sentence had Ji Zhouye started getting angry?
Recalling their previous conversation, he figured Ji Zhouye might have thought that after taking the money, he didn’t want to be a lover anymore and wanted to act like a dishonest deadbeat, which was why he asked that way.
That must be why he was so furious.
For a brief second, he also considered another possibility: that Ji Zhouye was still angry because he still liked him. But as quickly as the thought came, he dismissed it.
The odds of that happening were even lower than winning the five-million-dollar lottery jackpot.
With a cold expression and utter indifference in his eyes, Ji Zhouye warned, “If you ever dare talk nonsense or ask reckless questions again, I will smash your mouth.”
Shen Li: “As if.”
“President Ji, you just said today that resorting to physical violence is wrong.”
Ji Zhouye’s dark eyes narrowed. Shen Li lost his nerve and chuckled. “If President Ji hits someone, it must definitely be the other person’s fault. Don’t worry, President Ji. I always keep my word. Since I’ve taken your money, I will definitely never turn into a deadbeat.”
Ji Zhouye’s expression didn’t soften at all. Looking at his flippant attitude, he couldn’t even be bothered to argue. He let go of him and walked toward the bedroom door. “Get down here for dinner. Don’t make me say it a second time.”
Ji Zhouye’s reaction confirmed Shen Li’s guess.
A CEO sitting in such a high position really had an overwhelmingly strong sense of suspicion. Ji Zhouye’s paranoia was completely unnecessary; even if he genuinely only wanted the money and didn’t want to hold up his end of the bargain, he wouldn’t dare.
Right now, he was nothing more than an ant. If Ji Zhouye wanted to, he could crush him to death with just a flick of his finger.
During dinner, Ji Zhouye didn’t say a single word to him.
Adopting the mindset that saying less meant making fewer mistakes, Shen Li buried his head and focused entirely on his food.
As soon as he finished eating, he went out to the courtyard to smoke a cigarette. It wasn’t as hot as it had been in the afternoon; the drooping flowers and plants had regained their vitality, and flying bugs circled the porch lights.
After smoking two cigarettes, he went back inside. Fearing that Ji Zhouye would be disgusted by the smell, he headed straight into the bathroom to take a shower.
On Sunday, aside from handling work tasks online, he spent his time playing video games. It had been a long time since he had been able to unwind and game like this.
Ji Zhouye came out of the study to get a glass of water, his gaze landing on the person curled up on the sofa playing a game.
Noticing that stare, Shen Li lifted his gaze. “Want to play? I’ll carry you to victory.”
Ji Zhouye withdrew his gaze and headed upstairs without a word, acting as if nothing had been said, yet somehow communicating everything.
After securing a penta-kill, Shen Li was taken down by a defensive tower.
He ran a hand through his hair, respawned, and pushed all the way up to the enemy crystal to claim victory.
He tossed his phone aside and drank half a glass of water.
Monday was the busiest day of the week, and Shen Li didn’t get a moment of free time until past three in the afternoon.
Just as Ling Feng finished reporting on work and was about to leave the office, Shen Li called out to him.
“Hold on a second.”
Ling Feng stepped back toward the desk. “Is there anything else, President Shen?”
Shen Li put down the documents in his hand and hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Let me ask you something. If you want to keep staying by someone’s side, what should you do?”
Ling Feng thought about it. “That depends on what kind of person this someone is.”
Shen Li tapped his fingertips rhythmically against the desktop. “Someone you like.”
“Does he like you back, then?”
“It’s not me.” Shen Li gave a light cough. “He used to like me, but now he probably doesn’t.”
“Used to like you? Your first love? Didn’t you guys get back together? How are you still running into this kind of problem?” Ling Feng remembered him mentioning once that his boyfriend was his first love.
Shen Li crumpled a piece of paper into a ball and tossed it at Ling Feng. “It’s not me.”
Ling Feng picked up the paper ball from the floor and threw it into the trash can. “Fine, fine, not you.”
He pondered for a moment and said, “If the other person still has feelings, then take the initiative to flirt, create opportunities, and tell him you can’t live without him and want to spend a lifetime together.”
“And what if the other person doesn’t…” like me? What should I do then?
Shen Li left the rest of the sentence unspoken.
“If the other person doesn’t like you…” Ling Feng thought earnestly. “If they don’t like you, then I’m out of ideas.”
Shen Li: “…”
He really shouldn’t have counted on him.
Stumbling over his words, Ling Feng offered, “If you’re bold enough, I’d suggest…”
“What?” Shen Li eyed him suspiciously.
“Use force to win him over.”
Shen Li’s face darkened as he pointed toward the office door. “I told you it wasn’t me. The door is right there. Get out.”
Ling Feng had grievances he couldn’t voice. “President Shen, you know as well as I do that I’ve been single since birth and have never been in a relationship.”
“Get out. With an attitude like that, you’ll never find a girlfriend in this lifetime.”
Ling Feng scurried toward the exit, shouting right before the office door closed, “I’m not looking for a girlfriend. I’m looking for a boyfriend.”
Before Shen Li could react, he slammed the door shut and bolted without looking back.
Shen Li stared at the office door and muttered under his breath, “He won’t find a boyfriend either.”
Suggesting forced affection at every turn, it would be a miracle if he ever found a partner.
Shen Li stared blankly at his phone for a while. Since Ji Zhouye didn’t like him right now, was there any way to make him fall in love with him all over again?
Conventional methods definitely wouldn’t work, especially given the complicated history between them.
Putting his phone down, he rapidly tapped at the keyboard and typed into the browser search bar: How to make someone fall in love with you all over again.
By the time he scrolled to the last page, he still hadn’t found the answer he was looking for.
Even the search engine seemed to think his past mistakes were unforgivable and refused to help. Shen Li let out a soft sigh.
Chasing someone is hard, and chasing the same person a second time is even harder.
Thinking back to when Ji Zhouye used to pursue him, he figured Ji Zhouye must have felt just as lost back then.
They say letting go is better for both yourself and the other person, but ever since their reunion, he simply hadn’t wanted to let go. That embers-to-flames desire to hold him in his arms had been reignited.
The next day, on the way to pick Ji Zhouye up from work, they passed by a lottery outlet. Shen Li parked the car by the roadside, went inside, and randomly bought five tickets.
Ji Zhouye was sitting in the passenger seat. As he fastened his seatbelt, he noticed a lottery ticket slip that had fallen out of Shen Li’s pocket. “Did you go buy lottery tickets?”
Shen Li lowered his gaze, picked up the ticket, and shoved it back into his trouser pocket. “Yeah. Who knows, maybe I’ll win.”
Ji Zhouye didn’t say anything.
Putting on a flippant, unserious expression, Shen Li tested the waters. “Let’s make a bet. If the prize money on this ticket is over five hundred…” Then I’ll chase you.
He left the rest unsaid.
Ji Zhouye asked, “If it’s over five hundred, what then?”
“If it’s over five hundred, I’ll treat you to dinner, drinks, and a movie. Deal?”
Shen Li patiently waited for Ji Zhouye’s response.
After a few seconds, Ji Zhouye slowly spoke, “Deal.”
Waiting for the draw results was agonizing for Shen Li, feeling like each day dragged on like a year. When the drawing day finally arrived, he parked himself in front of his computer early, even though he knew the probability of winning over five hundred was microscopic.
The first ticket: nothing.
The second ticket: nothing.
The third ticket: nothing.
The fourth ticket: nothing either.
Shen Li closed his eyes. It looked like winning was out of the question.
Matching the numbers on the fifth ticket, Shen Li’s expression shifted from blank expectation to a face full of absolute smiles.
He won.
He actually won.
Five million.
Forget five hundred, he had five million.
Clutching the lottery ticket, Shen Li went to the study to find Ji Zhouye, knocked on the door, waited for a response from inside, and pushed the door open.