“What?”
Zhou Yangyi was momentarily stunned, and his carefully posed expression immediately collapsed. He wondered what that meant. Was “signal” some new code used in elite circles?
Staring into the deep, dark eyes of Duan Jinghuai, he realized he had lost his composure and quietly adjusted his breathing. He decided it did not matter if he did not understand because he simply had to maintain his poise. However, just as he reset his expression and prepared to ask again, a chime sounded from the phone of the man.
Duan Jinghuai looked down. “Never mind. He replied,” he said.
Zhou Yangyi was at a complete loss. His hand holding the cigarette case was still suspended in mid-air and was left hanging awkwardly. Duan Jinghuai stared at the message Shi Yu had sent after a five-minute delay, and his thin lips moved slightly.
Shi Yu had only replied with “Mm.”
Duan Jinghuai bit his cigarette and let out a sharp breath. He had sent the message first, so he wondered if Shi Yu could say anything else to him. He questioned if the man wanted to talk to him at all. Staring at the cold word, Duan Jinghuai gritted his teeth. He then thought that it made sense because the topic was not exactly substantial. Given the cold nature of Shi Yu, it was hard to keep the conversation going.
After a moment of thought, he began typing again. He sent a message asking for a detailed report on the construction team because he did not trust the people Shi Yu found. It was a deliberate provocation and a way to nitpick. He thought Shi Yu should be annoyed now.
Duan Jinghuai smirked and flicked his cigarette ash. He waited for a moment, and this time the reply came quickly. Shi Yu simply replied with “Okay.”
Duan Jinghuai wondered how even that could be okay. His deep eyes narrowed slightly. He exhaled and ground his teeth. He sent another message stating he wanted the report tonight. He was being aggressive. According to the personality of Shi Yu, the man should have called by now to tell him he was sick. As he hoped, Shi Yu finally stopped replying with single syllables and sent two sentences.
However, Shi Yu replied that he would send it once he organized it and asked if President Duan had anything else. Even through the screen, Duan Jinghuai could feel the cold and professional tone. He felt he was being treated like a stranger again.
Zhou Yangyi watched the changing and unreadable emotions on the face of Duan Jinghuai. He licked his lips while unsure of how to start a conversation. He moved inconspicuously and caught a glimpse of the word “contract” on the phone screen. He understood immediately that when a man encounters trouble with work, he wants consideration from those around him.
He went to the bar to get two special cocktails and handed them to Duan Jinghuai. His voice was soft as he suggested that since it was late, President Duan should not worry about work. He leaned forward slightly with eyes reflecting a naive desire. He noted that the drink was the specialty of the night and that the alcohol content was not high. He mentioned he had tried it and that the taste was quite good.
Zhou Yangyi was wearing loose clothing. As he leaned, his collar slipped slightly and revealed a pale shoulder with a hint of pink. It was a calculated seduction. This was his specialty, and it had never failed with men who liked the pure aesthetic.
The atmosphere turned cold for two seconds. The flickering lights passed over the face of Duan Jinghuai. He stubbed out his cigarette and looked at the man with a mocking expression. He coldly stated that he never drinks anything handed to him by others.
Zhou Yangyi froze. He read a trace of disgust in the eyes of Duan Jinghuai but thought he must have seen it wrong. After calming down, he remembered the room card and the invitation for tonight. He guessed he had just misunderstood. He thought perhaps Duan Jinghuai found him lacking in initiative and wanted to be fed.
He brought the glass closer to the lips of Duan Jinghuai. Suddenly, the face of Duan Jinghuai turned cold. He frowned with displeasure and waved his hand. The drink splashed out of the glass and directly onto the face of Zhou Yangyi before dripping down his chin. He blinked blankly while stunned.
Duan Jinghuai spoke with a hard and angry voice. He asked Xie Jiahao why he brought everyone into the room. Everyone turned to look. Zhou Yangyi turned pale under the mocking stares of others as water dripped from his hair and face. Xie Jiahao heard his name called and hurried over. Seeing the scene, he understood immediately. He turned around and shouted at Xu Hailin to get over there and get the person out.
Zhou Yangyi stared in shock. It turned out he had not been invited by Duan Jinghuai at all. Xu Hailin realized he had caused trouble again. Because he had deliberately made things difficult for Shi Yu previously, he had annoyed Duan Jinghuai and lost a lot of money when their collaboration was stopped. He had been looking for a chance to apologize.
Hearing that Duan Jinghuai had taken a room card from a male star at the villa, he had done some digging and found that the boy was the type Duan Jinghuai liked. He had taken the initiative to bring him along to gain favor, but the plan backfired. He walked up and grabbed the wrist of Zhou Yangyi while calling him a name. He noted that President Duan told him to get out and urged him to leave quickly.
Zhou Yangyi asked about the room card and noted that the man had kept it that night by the pool. Duan Jinghuai frowned and looked at him coldly. That night, he had only spent half an hour by the pool. His mind had been full of Shi Yu, and he had paid no attention to what others were saying or doing. After listening to the nonsense from Xie Jingting, he had gone to get medicine for Shi Yu.
Thinking back, someone had indeed handed him a card. He had thought it was a business card from some fool and had tossed it into the trash after a while without looking at it. Duan Jinghuai withdrew his gaze and took some wet wipes from the table to slowly wipe his fingertips. He noted he has a thing about cleanliness and finds the situation dirty. That action said everything.
The night was thick. Shi Yu sat on the sofa with his legs pulled up and stared blankly at the documents he had organized. It was past midnight. He did not want to trouble his staff with late work, so he opened his laptop to do it himself. The words he had heard that morning kept echoing in his mind. His long fingers hovered over the keyboard then stopped. A breeze from the window swirled around his ankles. The thought that the messages from Duan Jinghuai were sent while he was with someone else made the heart of Shi Yu feel as if it were soaked in lemon.
While he was distracted, a voice call came in from Hao Shuai. Shi Yu was startled and answered. The cheerful voice of the man came through the receiver as he greeted the little beauty and asked if he was asleep. Shi Yu replied that he was going to bed soon.
Hao Shuai explained that he bought two tickets for a comic convention and wanted to ask Shen Zhinian. However, Shen Zhinian had a contract to sign tomorrow and could not make it. Shen Zhinian mentioned that Shi Yu wanted to go and told Hao Shuai to ask him. Shen Zhinian sent a message at the same time, and Shi Yu saw it was true. He had always wanted to go to a comic convention. His mind had been a mess all day, and he felt a change of pace would be good for his mood.
Shi Yu agreed to go. Hao Shuai was surprised that he agreed so easily. Shi Yu asked what was wrong. Hao Shuai laughed and noted he was honored that an ice beauty would agree so easily. Shi Yu was used to the chatter and asked for the time. Hao Shuai replied it would be nine o’clock and said he would send the address.
Shi Yu hung up and let out a long breath. He saved the file and opened his chat with Duan Jinghuai. He noticed a message had been sent two minutes ago asking if his ankle was better. Shi Yu blinked while holding the mouse. He wondered why the man suddenly cared. He questioned if it was because the man saw the ankle of someone else and thought of him.
He looked down at the slight scar on his ankle and remembered the way Duan Jinghuai had kissed it that night. He wondered if the man had a particular fondness for ankles. His thick eyelashes drooped and cast a shadow over his eyelids. After a moment, he sent the file and typed a message. He asked President Duan to contact his assistant if he had business in the future. Without waiting for a reply, he opened the profile and blocked the man.
Inside the booth, Duan Jinghuai stared at those words repeatedly. His jaw was tight and his aura was cold. The people nearby did not know who was on the other end of the message, but they felt a bit of sympathy for that person. Duan Jinghuai moved his jaw. The others thought that the person was in trouble.
Five seconds passed, and he was still staring at the screen with unreadable emotions. The others thought about lighting a candle for the person. Two seconds later, the chest of Duan Jinghuai rose and fell sharply. Just as everyone thought a storm was coming, the handsome man raised his hand to his brow and let out a helpless sigh. The onlookers blinked in confusion because this was not what they expected.
Duan Jinghuai leaned back and licked his dry lips. He was truly frustrated by the cold attitude of Shi Yu. Shi Yu seemed to treat him as nothing more than a one-night stand, and that thought made his heart feel like crumpled paper. He had been drinking, and the alcohol made his heart feel soft. He opened the profile of Shi Yu and stared at it for a while then closed it and opened it again. Finally, his resolve broke. He opened the chat and typed a message. He asked if he should also contact the assistant if he missed Shi Yu.
His palms were moist and his throat moved. He was actually nervous. But as soon as he sent the message, a notification popped up stating the message was rejected. Duan Jinghuai was confused.