“Enough, stop smiling.” Cheng Ye could not stand it anymore. Chi Yuan had been sitting with him for half an hour without saying a word, suddenly breaking into a smile every now and then. He wondered if his friend had been possessed.
He asked suspiciously, “What happened to you? Your smiling is giving me the creeps.” Cheng Ye shivered at the right moment and teased Chi Yuan, clearly very interested in what he had experienced.
Chi Yuan stopped smiling and gave Cheng Ye a cold glance but remained silent. Now that Cheng Ye had pointed it out, that vague emotion surfaced. To be honest, he did not quite understand why Lu Huai had agreed to him. The words had sounded absurd even when he said them. He had steeled himself and waited, mostly because he did not want to lose face in front of Lu Huai, only for the other man to actually say yes.
Given Lu Huai’s attitude toward that tattoo, it did not seem like he had moved on. Even though the word “game” had come out of his own mouth, Chi Yuan found himself unable to let go of Lu Huai’s reaction. On second thought, Lu Huai had returned to the country, so perhaps he had already broken up with that person. So, that night, his half-hearted compliance might just mean Lu Huai felt the partner did not matter. Since it did not matter, why not agree?
Chi Yuan’s eyes carried a hint of mockery as he curled his lips.
Cheng Ye watched the shifting expressions on Chi Yuan’s face and caught on to something. He added, “Do not be so gloomy. What is it exactly that you are so torn about?”
Chi Yuan shook his head, his expression complex as he denied it. “Nothing.”
After all, he did not know if Lu Huai wanted others to know about their relationship. Chi Yuan decided to wait and see.
Before Cheng Ye could press further, the gloom vanished from Chi Yuan’s face. He pointed to the two cups of coffee on the table and said, “Because you are simply too eloquent, you should pay the bill.”
“This, this! What is this about!”
Hearing Cheng Ye’s angry shout behind him, Chi Yuan finally felt a bit better. He pushed open the office door, only to see Lu Huai sitting on the guest sofa, fiddling with a tea set he had left unused for a long time.
He rubbed his nose, feeling that his change in mindset was happening too quickly. Setting aside the previous mutual dislike, he now found even the way Lu Huai held the teacup to be pleasing to the eye, though his current mood was indeed a bit subtle.
Lu Huai looked up at Chi Yuan, more or less sensing his unease. He stared at the tea leaves in his cup and gestured casually to the seat opposite him.
“Are you not going to sit?”
Chi Yuan suddenly had the urge to run out and check the office sign. Why did Lu Huai seem so at home, as if he were the host?
A retort was already on the tip of his tongue, but when his peripheral vision caught a flash of red on Lu Huai’s neck, his mind went blank. He finally realized what that mark was. Facing Lu Huai’s cold eyes, the words died in his throat.
“What are you doing here?”
Seeing Chi Yuan sit down right next to him, Lu Huai froze for a split second due to the sudden proximity, though he did not show it on his face. He said in a low voice, “Did you forget about the contract?”
Feeling Lu Huai’s slightly stiff back, Chi Yuan frowned, automatically ignoring the stiffness in Lu Huai’s tone and remaining silent.
Receiving no response, Lu Huai turned his gaze, watching in confusion as Chi Yuan grabbed a cushion from the side. Before he could ask, he saw the man tuck it behind his back.
A bit dazed, Lu Huai instinctively straightened his back, but Chi Yuan did not stop there. Seeming to feel that one cushion was not comfortable enough, he grabbed another and placed it behind him as well.
“You…”
Lu Huai’s waist was suddenly gripped. His eyelashes fluttered and his fingertips gripped his cuffs, but he did not push the man away. He heard Chi Yuan sigh.
“Stop stiffening up. Does leaning back feel better for your waist?”
Chi Yuan asked with genuine concern. Lu Huai leaned back following Chi Yuan’s pressure, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes.
He was indeed uncomfortable, but how had Chi Yuan noticed? He had possessed excellent posture since childhood; even when sitting, he was upright and straight. It was perfectly normal for him to sit that way, even if his waist did ache.
After doing what he felt inclined to do, Chi Yuan realized his current posture was far too intimate. His palm was pressed against Lu Huai’s waist and abdomen, and he could feel the underlying tension of his muscles. He withdrew his hand in a momentary lapse of self-control, catching sight of Lu Huai’s slightly pink earlobes. He coughed softly. “What were you saying just now?”
Lu Huai’s expression remained calm as he tried to ignore the ambiguity, keeping his tone as normal as possible. “The contract.”
“You are truly…” Chi Yuan stared at Lu Huai, who still seemed unwilling to say more, and suddenly laughed. Meeting Lu Huai’s hesitant gaze, he shook his head. “Forget it.”
He muttered to himself, “Anyway, it is not going to change anytime soon.”
“Change what?” Lu Huai caught the important word and repeated it, his eyes suddenly turning clear and rising with a touch of playfulness. “Boyfriend?”
He left the word hanging, his gaze fixed on Chi Yuan’s face, his dark eyes finally softening with a hint of a smile.
When Chi Yuan heard the word “boyfriend,” his sharp, phoenix-like eyes dimmed. He felt his heart pound frantically, choked on his own breath, and broke into a coughing fit, forced to avoid Lu Huai’s gaze.
Lu Huai’s voice still held the hoarseness of their intimacy, and the sudden, intimate way he used the term, contrasting with their usual hostility, threw Chi Yuan off balance.
“Hmm?” Taking in Chi Yuan’s reaction, a trace of a smile flickered in Lu Huai’s eyes as he asked deliberately, “Is it not this?”
What kind of wicked intentions were wrapped inside that refined, ascetic shell?
Chi Yuan was speechless, feeling that saying yes would not work, and saying no would not work either. He swept a helpless glance at Lu Huai, and the hand still resting on Lu Huai’s waist applied light pressure, causing the smug-looking man before him to freeze.
Lu Huai gasped slightly. He furrowed his brows, looking at Chi Yuan, who was curling his lips at him, and thought of the culprit who had put him in this state, who had lacked all restraint the night before. Lu Huai lowered his voice, clearly carrying a threat: “Are you feeling smug?”
After forcing Lu Huai to say those words, Chi Yuan chuckled. While he said he dared not, his hands were busy massaging the man with practiced care. “Do you feel better now?”
His voice dropped, and Chi Yuan, sensing Lu Huai’s waist relax, asked casually, “I remember that your health was quite good before you went abroad.”
The intentional or unintentional comparison in his words was a knot Chi Yuan himself did not understand.
Lu Huai stopped smiling at these words, his eyes turning cold once more.
Chi Yuan watched his empty hand in confusion, only to realize Lu Huai had turned his body away, clearly unwilling to talk. He darkened his gaze, rubbing his fingertips together with an unreadable, faint smile. Fine, it was his own meddling.
The atmosphere, which had lightened, suddenly fell silent, and even faintly slipped back into their old standoff.
Lu Huai felt a bit at a loss.
He bit his lip unconsciously, thinking self-deprecatingly that every interaction with Chi Yuan ended this way, and as usual, he was not very good at handling it.
His fingertips pinched the folder, and he sighed, preparing to change the subject back to the contract.
But he saw Chi Yuan stand up, unhurried and wearing a smile.
Chi Yuan felt that he was in the wrong. His lashes fluttered, masking his emotions. Furthermore, it was not as if he did not know Lu Huai’s temper. If he waited for the man to lower his head and speak, it would be better to keep arguing; at least then, those contemplative eyes could linger on him.
Moreover, a vision of Lu Huai’s pained expression flashed through Chi Yuan’s mind. His throat moved, his gaze darkening slightly. Letting Lu Huai have his way was not entirely impossible.
And so, Lu Huai watched as the other man pried his fingers open and took the file.
“Is this the one? Did you really need to come yourself?”
“Yes.”
Feeling Chi Yuan’s inexplicable softening, Lu Huai gave a soft “yes,” his fingers curling awkwardly. He was already used to the guise of their hostility; now that they were facing each other calmly, he felt a bit out of sorts.
He had not yet adjusted to shedding his usual chill, and he had reservations about revealing his true feelings.
A struggle flashed in Lu Huai’s eyes, and just as he was about to say something, his assistant called. He swallowed his words.
“Then I will be going now.”
Watching Lu Huai hang up, Chi Yuan observed him silently. Hearing this, he nodded subconsciously, only reacting once the man was at the door.
“Where are you going?”
The question was too eager. Chi Yuan added a follow-up: “Since we are trying this out, must we not follow the official procedure?”
Asking about a boyfriend’s whereabouts is always right, is it not? Chi Yuan silently completed the thought.
He had not expected Chi Yuan to say this. Lu Huai lowered his lashes to hide his surprise, but his lips curled up involuntarily. “A business trip to B City.”
“Why must you handle everything?” Chi Yuan asked, frowning. “Do you not get tired from working nonstop?”
Lu Huai looked up helplessly. “Has it not always been you who wants to compete?”
“I…” Chi Yuan was speechless, but he was blinded by Lu Huai’s smile. Why had he never realized before that Lu Huai looked so good when he smiled? He gritted his teeth. “I will accompany you.”
Lu Huai was stunned, but he saw that Chi Yuan’s expression was not fake. The other man clearly saw his desire to refuse and immediately blocked him with words.
Chi Yuan’s gaze fell on a certain spot, his smile filled with meaning: “I will take good care of you.”
Still holding a grudge over the word “boyfriend,” Chi Yuan intended to pay it back. He looked at Lu Huai and said, “Besides, we have only just confirmed we are boyfriends; do we not need to cultivate our relationship?”
Seeing the laughter in Chi Yuan’s phoenix eyes, Lu Huai lowered his gaze, turned his head, and left behind one sentence: “Then let us go.”
Lu Huai listened to the hurried footsteps and turned his head slightly, just in time to see Chi Yuan walking side by side with him.
It truly had been a long time apart.
Regaining his composure, Lu Huai’s trip to B City was primarily due to a piece of land waiting for development in their previous collaboration with Xinghe; he had to go for a field inspection, though it was not an urgent matter.
He looked at Chi Yuan, who was holding his laptop and replying to emails, his jawline tight, his brows furrowed, and his expression clearly displaying blatant displeasure.
Lu Huai moved closer, only to catch a glimpse of a line of text.
“Do you just watch me go insane?”
It stood out in the work-related email, looking alarming.
Lu Huai’s eyes turned cold.