The comic convention was bustling with crowds and featured a dazzling array of cosplayers and figurines. Shi Yu and Hao Shuai had spent nearly the entire day wandering around and gathering many spoils of war. As evening fell, the sunset cascaded over the polished car body like a waterfall and blurred its original color.
Hao Shuai sat in the driver’s seat holding two cups of coffee and handed one to Shi Yu. He apologized for the wait. Shi Yu thanked him and nodded slightly while holding the paper cup with both hands to take a sip. The rim felt delicate against his lips. The interior of the car was filled with a rich coffee aroma that combined milky sweetness with a hint of astringent bitterness.
Hao Shuai noticed two Iron Man figurines resting on the lap of Shi Yu and remembered how long he had lingered in the Marvel exhibition area. He smiled and noted that Shi Yu liked Iron Man. Shi Yu confirmed this with a nod. Hao Shuai mentioned that Duan Jinghuai also liked Iron Man.
Shi Yu paused and looked sideways to clarify if the man meant Duan Jinghuai. Hao Shuai chuckled and asked if there were a second person by that name. The beautiful brows of Shi Yu knit slightly as a look of confusion flickered in his eyes. He thought that was not right because back in school, the thing Duan Jinghuai hated most was Iron Man.
During their third year of middle school, Jiang Yu had given Shi Yu a collector’s edition metal key ring for his birthday. Shi Yu had cherished it, only to be mocked by Duan Jinghuai for several days. However, Shi Yu remembered that later, during a classroom cleanup, that key ring was accidentally thrown away. When Duan Jinghuai found out, he went to the school backyard without a word and dug through the entire garbage pile to find it.
Seeing him covered in filth, Jiang Yu had scoffed and asked if the brain of Duan Jinghuai had been kicked by a donkey to make him dig through trash. Jiang Yu noted he could just buy another one since it was not a limited edition. Duan Jinghuai had not responded. With his eyelids drooping lazily, he had tossed the key ring to Shi Yu from a distance then grabbed his jacket and walked away. Thinking of this, the coffee on the tip of the tongue of Shi Yu seemed to turn a bit more bitter.
Hao Shuai started the engine, and the car vibrated slightly. Shi Yu fumbled with his seatbelt, licked his lips, and asked if Hao Shuai was sure about that. Hao Shuai laughed and confirmed it. He noted that Duan Jinghuai cleared out an entire floor of his villa to build a figurine display cabinet. He mentioned the man has collected at least one or two hundred of them, including several life-sized ones.
Hearing this, the eyes of Shi Yu widened, and his dark pupils slowly lit up. Hao Shuai noted it was tempting but said there was nothing they could do because Duan Jinghuai does not let anyone touch them. He mentioned that last time Xie Jingting just touched a few of them and got cursed out because the man treasures them like crazy. The car window was halfway down, and the chaotic sound of traffic drifted past. Shi Yu looked down at the figurines on his lap with a lost expression.
Early in the morning, Duan Jinghuai received a call from Xie Jingting. The latter claimed his new lover was clamoring for a vacation next week, but the case he was working on was too urgent to be delayed. He asked Duan Jinghuai to handle it in exchange for a five percent profit share. Duan Jinghuai had just woken up. With his eyelids drooping, he mocked Xie Jingting for squandering money and told him not to come begging when he goes bankrupt.
Xie Jingting noted that everyone knows Duan Jinghuai is the only workaholic among them. He mentioned that yesterday Hao Shuai ran off to the comic convention and did not come back all night. He added that the assistant of Hao Shuai just called asking for him because they have a meeting. Duan Jinghuai let out a light and mocking scoff. He suggested that calling hotel suites would probably be more efficient.
Xie Jingting laughed but did not deny it. He asked Duan Jinghuai to guess who Hao Shuai went to the convention with. Duan Jinghuai was adjusting his tie in front of the mirror. It felt a bit tight this morning. After several uncomfortable adjustments, he frowned and replied impatiently, asking what that had to do with him. Xie Jingting noted that Hao Shuai had posted on his Moments.
Giving up on the tie, Duan Jinghuai grabbed his suit jacket and asked if there was anything else. Xie Jingting said no. As soon as the word was out, Duan Jinghuai hung up. He thought it was ridiculous for someone to call him first thing in the morning to talk about the love life of Hao Shuai.
Duan Jinghuai grabbed his jacket and walked downstairs. Looking at the gloomy weather outside, he felt a strange blockage in his chest. His driver was already waiting outside the villa. He sat in the back seat and called his assistant to go over the meeting agenda for the morning. After hanging up, the murky air had not dissipated. He tapped into the Moments of Hao Shuai. Hao Shuai had posted five or six times yesterday alone.
Duan Jinghuai patiently scrolled through the messy selfies and gaudy photos but could not see anything unusual for a long time. He wondered who Hao Shuai had gone with because there was not a single person in the photos. Duan Jinghuai grew impatient, and his scrolling speed increased. He felt he was being nonsensical by letting his mind be disturbed by the words of Xie Jingting.
Just then, a photo flashed by. He froze and scrolled back. It was a photo of Hao Shuai posing with a life-sized Spider-Man model. In the corner of the photo, there was a slice of a face that seemed to glow. Dark deer-like eyes reflected a few glints of light and carried a pure allure. It was Shi Yu.
The face of Duan Jinghuai instantly turned cold, and his gaze darkened. He could recognize Shi Yu from half a face or even just a swirl of hair. The chest of Duan Jinghuai rose and fell. Hao Shuai had asked Shi Yu to a convention, and Shi Yu had actually gone. Even worse, the words of Xie Jingting echoed in his ears. His knuckles turned white as he gripped his phone.
The district was crowded. The car pulled up to the office building, and a valet hurried over to open the door. Duan Jinghuai stepped out while buttoning his suit jacket. With a cold and grim expression, he strode toward the Junyi building. The valets left behind whispered among themselves about whether it was the handsome Young Master Duan from next door. They wondered why he was there without an assistant and noted he looked like he was here for a fight. One mentioned that President Shi gave special orders that Young Master Duan has the privilege of unimpeded access.
Duan Jinghuai pressed the button, and the elevator hummed as it moved upward. As he rested his fingers on the handrail, he took a deep breath. His gaze inadvertently landed straight ahead. Suddenly, his pupils constricted. The dedicated executive elevator of the President was descending from above. Hao Shuai walked out of it while looking disheveled and wearing the same outfit from the convention.
A few minutes later, the elevator reached the top floor. The doors opened, and Assistant Sun bowed slightly. When he looked up, the expression froze on his face. The jaw of Duan Jinghuai was tight, and his face was so dark it looked like a storm was about to break. Assistant Sun reacted quickly and winked frantically toward the back. Duan Jinghuai ignored everyone and walked toward the office of the President. Before the secretaries could even announce him, the door was pushed open.
Shi Yu looked up from his documents. Seeing the cold and glaring eyes of Duan Jinghuai, he blinked blankly. Assistant Sun stood at the door and apologized for not stopping him in time. Shi Yu noted it was fine and told him he could leave. Assistant Sun withdrew and closed the door. As the door shut, the staff who had been startled by the intruder snapped back to reality and whispered. They wondered if the situation was business or personal and noted that Duan Jinghuai looked like he wanted to eat someone alive. One colleague suggested calling security just in case.
Inside the office, Shi Yu calmly watched his computer screen. He was tightly buttoned into a well-tailored suit. A pair of gold-rimmed glasses sat on his high bridge. Duan Jinghuai narrowed his eyes. He had never seen Shi Yu wearing glasses before. The lenses made those beautiful eyes look ambiguously alluring. The already cold features of Shi Yu appeared even more distant yet made one want to invade. A vision flashed through the mind of Duan Jinghuai of Shi Yu wearing those glasses and lying reluctantly beneath him with a distracted frown. A surge of desire rose from deep within him.
On the surface, Shi Yu was handling business, but his heart was a tangled mess. He had just struggled out of a whirlpool only for this man to show up unannounced. He parted his lips slightly, turned around without showing any emotion, and asked coldly if President Duan had business. Duan Jinghuai stared at him for a few seconds before tilting his head. He claimed he was looking for Hao Shuai.
Shi Yu frowned while not knowing what game the other was playing. Duan Jinghuai stood beside him with a piercing chill. He propped one hand on the desk and the other on the back of the chair of Shi Yu before leaning down. He noted the assistant of Hao Shuai could not reach him for a meeting this morning. Hot breath brushed against the nose of Shi Yu. He looked up into the eyes of Duan Jinghuai and said calmly that Hao Shuai had just left. Duan Jinghuai pressed closer and noted he saw him. Duan Jinghuai gave a light laugh that did not reach his eyes. Through gritted teeth, he noted he heard Hao Shuai spent the whole day in a tender land and asked who the beauty was.