Back on the first floor, as the elevator doors opened, Jing Nian was greeted by a face even more annoying than a ghosts.
Qiu Huai leaned against the elevator door in an extremely flamboyant pose, his bright red suit making his already bewitching face even more ostentatious. He grinned and raised a hand to wave at Jing Nian.
“Hello~ Nian…”
Before he could finish, Jing Nian pushed him aside. “Get lost. You annoy me.”
He had “interrogated” Qiu Huai many times about where Gu Yehan had gone and when he’d be back, but this guy, who usually chattered nonstop like a loudspeaker, refused to say a word when it mattered.
Jing Nian vented all his frustration on him, but instead of getting angry, Qiu Huai eagerly tried to stop him. “Hey… Nian Nian, don’t go! I haven’t even said what I’m here for!”
Jing Nian shot him a sidelong glance. “Showing up right when I get off work—do you have anything serious to do besides dragging me along to ogle people?”
“And that Jiang Jue! I only found out today that he’s the chairman of some corporation! You invited him over to cosplay as a waiter with you, making me think he was a male model! You really went all out to make a fool of me, huh?”
Qiu Huai’s heart skipped a beat. “…What corporation?”
“How would I know? There are so many corporations in the city!”
Qiu Huai secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The higher-ups of Longjing Corporation were appointed by the Heavenly Dao to manage order in the mortal realm. If Jing Nian found out Jiang Jue was the chairman of Longjing, his cover would be blown soon enough.
And Qiu Huai himself wouldn’t be far from death either.
He waved his hand sincerely. “Male models are so boring. Only a big shot’s status is worthy of you, Nian Nian.”
“I was just thinking of introducing him to you! You’ve been single for so long—don’t you want to date someone to relax and unwind…?”
“No. I don’t.”
Jing Nian rolled his eyes. “Besides, what do I need you for? He already…!”
He never should have ordered that damn takeout for Xiao Tu! Now his address was out there!
“He already what?” Qiu Huai wiggled his eyebrows provocatively, twisting his waist back and forth.
“…”
Jing Nian had been clenching his fists, holding back for a long time. Just as he was about to confront him, a young man wearing a mask walked in from outside at the critical moment.
Qiu Huai was too conspicuous. Seeing him, Li He’an approached, removed his mask, and greeted him. “President Qiu, still here so late?”
Jing Nian sized up the other man. He often saw him in movies—he had just won the Best Actor award this year.
While Jing Nian was looking at Li He’an, Li He’an’s gaze also fell on him.
Jing Nian’s features were delicate and beautiful, yet he carried an aloof, melancholic aura that kept people at a distance. Only around familiar people would he show those adorable moments.
A perfect icy-faced kitten.
Li He’an seemed very interested in him. “President Qiu, is this a newcomer? He’s quite promising.”
Qiu Huai scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “Well, he shouldn’t be that new…”
Since the Three Envoys were reinstated, Mei was the first to take office, while Jing Nian was the oldest, most original resident.
It was just that he looked like a kid, seemed naive by comparison, and everyone liked to treat him like a child.
“He’s from the logistics department. It’s normal you haven’t seen him,” Qiu Huai lied.
“I think he’s really good, President Qiu. Don’t let such a rising star go to waste. If he enters the industry, I could mentor him.”
So far, no newcomer had ever received such favorable treatment.
“You can’t force someone if they’re unwilling.”
As soon as Li He’an returned, his agent was looking for him. Qiu Huai brushed him off with a few words and sent him away.
Almost immediately after the agent left, Jing Nian suddenly blurted out, “He’s going to die soon.”
Little Rabbit, who had crawled out at some point and was now perched on his head, nodded in agreement.
After spending so much time with Jing Nian, he had picked up a thing or two.
Qiu Huai sighed with feigned solemnity, “Fame comes at the cost of one’s life. It was his own choice.”
Right on schedule, he let Jing Nian go. By the time Jing Nian left the company, it was already dark outside, and the air was filled with a biting chill.
The blinding headlights and sharp honks of cars filled the entire street.
Feeling cold, Jing Nian tightened his scarf and noticed the stray dog he had fed earlier that afternoon was still there.
His heart softened, and he turned back to a convenience store to buy a sausage and a carton of warm milk. He unwrapped them and placed them in front of the dog.
The little dog whimpered and rubbed against Jing Nian’s leg in gratitude, then took a few sips of the warm milk, its belly already round and full.
It wasn’t actually hungry at all. Out of courtesy, it didn’t refuse Jing Nian’s kindness. Then, holding the untouched sausage in its mouth, it wobbled away.
Jing Nian watched the dog’s retreating figure, frowning slightly and letting out a soft hiss. “Why do I feel… like I’ve been scammed by a dog?”
He had thought the dog was pitiful, but seeing how skilled it was, it clearly wasn’t its first time begging for food.
Little Rabbit peeked out from the scarf with its eyes. “It really was a scam, Nian Nian. You’ve been fooled again.”
Jing Nian watched helplessly as the dog, holding the sausage he had bought from the convenience store, walked right back into the store. He stood there in silence for a long moment.
Every day brings a new scam, each one different.
There’s really no way around it.
Because saying “I’ve been scammed” makes him sound like a criminal.
He couldn’t figure out where he went wrong. He seemed like a smart person, so why was he falling for scams over and over again?
“At least the little dog has a home now and won’t have to suffer in the cold,” Jing Nian comforted himself.
A bright car light shone from the roadside, and the vehicle slowly came to a stop. The window rolled down, revealing a familiar voice.
“A Nian?”
Jing Nian looked up and met Jiang Jue’s gentle eyes.
It was as if this man had a tracker on him—wherever he went, they seemed to run into each other.
He suspected there was a mole.
Jiang Jue parked and stepped out of the car. “Just finished work? Let me drive you home.”
Jing Nian was about to refuse. It was only a short walk, after all—but the other man had already opened the passenger door.
He wasn’t given a chance to say no.
Jing Nian looked conflicted, his desire wrestling with his conscience. Well… just this once?
Yes, just this once.
Definitely not again.
And so, he naturally got into Jiang Jue’s car.
Jiang Jue had deliberately not used his driver today, asking Qiu Huai to keep Jing Nian occupied so he could orchestrate this “chance” encounter.
He leaned over to help Jing Nian fasten his seatbelt, then started the car smoothly. In a gentle tone, he probed Jing Nian’s opinion of Qiu Huai. “Do you work here, A Nian? Qiu Huai seems pretty good—he even allows pets.”
If possible, he hoped Jing Nian would never have to deal with Qiu Huai again. How could a carefully nurtured delicate flower be ruined by a rat?
Between him and Qiu Huai, there was a sense of “kicking the ladder away after climbing up.”
“Do you think Qiu Huai is good?” Jing Nian asked instead of answering, glancing at the rearview mirror.
On the back seat were several paper bags bearing luxury brand logos.
“I’m not comfortable leaving Little Rabbit home alone, so I brought him along.”
Mainly because Little Rabbit loves to be mischievous, and if you’re not careful, he can easily get into trouble.
Jiang Jue shook his head gently, offering no comment about his old friend.
The dim yellow streetlights outside the car window softened the tenderness in his brow. He wanted to focus on the road ahead, but his eyes kept drifting toward the passenger seat.
“There’s a newly opened dessert shop nearby. How about I take you there another day?”
He knew Jing Nian had a sweet tooth. In the past, he had gone out of his way to learn how to make pastries for the child. After much effort, he finally mastered it, and Jing Nian happily devoured them. But then he noticed that the child would lose his appetite for meals after eating too many sweets, so he started learning how to cook instead.
After painstakingly honing his culinary skills to perfection, the child refused to eat anyone else’s food but his. Then, in the blink of an eye, time had brought them to the present.
Now, Jing Nian had switched to Western-style desserts.
To this day, Jiang Jue was still struggling to learn how to use an oven.
Jing Nian leaned his head against the car window, lazily hinting, “I haven’t been in the mood for sweets lately. I’ve had my fill of sugar-coated bullets.”
Now that he knew Jiang Jue’s identity, he didn’t dare to act so recklessly. This kind of seasoned player in the game of love was clearly several levels above him.
As Qiu Huai had put it, over all these years, he had only grown older, not wiser. He was still hopelessly naive and could easily be tricked one day.
A master wasn’t scary; a handsome, wealthy master was.
Jiang Jue understood the implication in his words but merely smiled. “If you don’t feel like sweets, that’s fine. You haven’t eaten yet, have you? I happen to have some free time tonight, so I made a few dishes for you to try. They’re in the insulated box.”
“You know how to cook?” Jing Nian asked curiously.
“Yes.”
“You don’t seem the type.” He couldn’t quite picture a man nearly two meters tall, usually dressed in a sharp suit, wearing an apron and cooking in the kitchen.
This suddenly reminded him of Gu Yehan, and he murmured to himself, “My father knew how to cook too…”
Though Jing Nian’s voice was soft, Jiang Jue heard it clearly and nearly slammed on the accelerator, his grip on the steering wheel tightening abruptly.
The man’s voice sounded a bit strained as he cautiously tried to glean any mention of himself from Jing Nian’s words. “Your father…?”
Jing Nian nodded. “Yes, he’s not around anymore.”
“…I’m sorry.”
Jiang Jue had assumed that, in the other’s mind, he was already dead.
But Jing Nian, idly fiddling with his scarf, dropped a bombshell in a flat, unemotional tone. “He probably ran off to cheat and find me a stepmother.”
Jiang Jue: ??