Han Yue kept at it until well past two in the morning.
He did not have any particularly bad habits in bed. Throughout the entire process, he rarely spoke, focusing only on what he was doing. In this regard, he was actually quite traditional—his only problem was that he had far too much stamina.
He liked pinning Chu Ci beneath him, kissing him while taking him. Their bodies would be pressed tightly together, their breaths intertwined. To an outsider, it would look like an intimate embrace between lovers.
The sounds Chu Ci made were fragmented and heavily suppressed. Only when Han Yue finally climaxed did Chu Ci clench his teeth and silently turn his head away.
Han Yue was obsessively insistent about finishing inside him. No amount of pleading ever worked. Once he had made up his mind, he would do things his way.
Just as when he had first met Chu Ci—after only ten minutes of conversation, he had already decided that he had to make this man his. Once Han Yue set his mind on something, no amount of persuasion could change it.
“…Go to sleep.”
Han Yue patted Chu Ci’s face, then rolled over and wrapped an arm around him from behind.
His body was exhausted and aching. Mentally, he was overwhelmingly tired. Yet sleep would not come.
Chu Ci lay motionless on his side, staring at the heavy shadows filling the bedroom.
Han Yue was beginning to get sleepy, but he knew Chu Ci was still awake, so he did not immediately close his eyes.
He had not always been like this.
In the past, he would fall asleep immediately after satisfying himself and wake up the next morning in an excellent mood. Chu Ci, however, would always remain cold and distant.
Later, Han Yue sought advice from Pei Zhi, who in turn consulted several of his mistresses before returning with an answer.
“This won’t do. Afterward, you need to comfort him. Talk to him. Give him little gifts or something. Most importantly, you can’t just satisfy yourself and go to sleep. If you really care about him, wait until he’s asleep before you sleep.”
Han Yue nodded, indicating that he understood.
After “understanding,” he bought a Vacheron Constantin Saltarello watch and presented it to Chu Ci after they finished one night.
The result was that Chu Ci threw it straight out the window.
Afterward, he refused to speak a single word for an entire month.
Han Yue never did anything that foolish again.
His eyelids grew heavier and heavier, but years of military training had sharpened his senses enough that he could still tell Chu Ci was awake.
To stay alert, he casually asked:
“Why were you driving that junk car again today?”
The so-called junk car was a secondhand white Honda that Chu Ci had bought with his own salary.
His family lived elsewhere, and he had been working alone in Beijing for less than two years. He had not saved much money. Financially, he could only support himself.
Even this three-bedroom apartment was rented.
Han Yue had once left a Mercedes-Benz S600 at his place.
Although he had phrased it as, “I’ll leave the car here with you,” it was obviously meant as a gift.
Chu Ci had no choice but to accept it.
Yet he never drove it.
Han Yue even suspected that he had never opened the door.
“I came straight from work. Didn’t have time to switch cars.”
Chu Ci answered flatly and fell silent again.
“…Oh.”
After thinking for a moment, Han Yue asked,
“When I went to the Metallurgical Research Institute yesterday, what was that office director talking to you about? He looked kind of strange.”
“Nothing. I forgot.”
Chu Ci closed his eyes.
“I’m sleeping.”
Han Yue hated being brushed off.
He was about to press further, but seeing that Chu Ci had genuinely closed his eyes, he reluctantly lay back down.
Less than five minutes after closing his own eyes, he was snoring loudly.
In the darkness, Chu Ci opened his eyes again at some point.
He stared blankly at a drifting point in the void, his gaze empty and cold.
The next morning, Han Yue learned that the incident involving Hou Yu’s cousin had exploded into a major scandal.
Hou Yu’s cousin, Hou Hongchang, was an idiot.
Not only had he run a red light while drunk, but he had also struck a migrant worker’s child.
The child was thrown more than ten meters through the air and died immediately upon hitting the ground.
The accident occurred in downtown Beijing, not far from a police outpost.
Many people witnessed it.
After realizing what had happened, Hou Hongchang slammed on the gas and attempted to flee.
He only made it a dozen meters before several taxi drivers risked everything to block his path.
In the process, he rammed several taxis.
One vehicle’s door was completely crushed out of shape.
If the story had ended there, Hou Yu would not have wanted to strangle his cousin personally.
The problem was that Hou Hongchang was drunk out of his mind.
Apparently believing himself to be untouchable, he got out of the car, dragged one of the taxi drivers into the street, and beat him savagely while roaring:
“A good dog doesn’t block the road! I’ll beat you to death, you bastard!”
Police arrived within three minutes.
As they attempted to intervene, Hou Hongchang shoved one officer aside and pulled out his phone.
“Hello, Uncle! It’s Hongchang! The police detained me—send someone to get me out!”
The entire sequence lasted less than twenty minutes.
Reporters arrived just in time for the climax.
The crowd was furious and repeatedly attempted to attack Hou Hongchang.
Police formed a perimeter to maintain order.
One traffic officer was shoved to the ground by Hou Hongchang.
Several taxi drivers shielded the badly beaten driver and stood protectively in front of the victim’s body and grieving parents.
Nearby, a plainly dressed migrant-worker couple knelt beside the street, clutching the still-warm body of their child.
Their cries were so heart-wrenching that they nearly fainted.
“They should just give him the death penalty.”
Han Yue folded his newspaper.
“Your cousin’s a menace to society.”
Hou Yu glared at him.
“When your older brother got into trouble, why weren’t you saying that? He killed two people.”
“How do you know I wasn’t?”
Han Yue replied calmly.
“I suggested that my father bring him home and beat him to death with a belt in front of the ancestral tablets.”
“Unfortunately, my mother cried and scolded me, saying I had no brotherly affection.”
“Oh right!”
Hou Yu slapped the table.
“My aunt said the exact same thing to me.”
He pointed at the headline on the front page:
‘Official’s Son Kills Child in Downtown Traffic Accident; Thousands Gather in Public Outrage’
“Which reporter wrote this? My mom and aunt want to tear down his house.”
“Were there really thousands of people there yesterday?”
“No idea. Maybe.”
“When I picked him up from the police station, there were crowds lining the streets.”
“Some people even threw water bottles at me.”
“I felt like a rat crossing the street.”
“This morning I checked online—unbelievable.”
“The story’s on the front page of every major portal website.”
“It’s getting more attention than a concert by Andy Lau.”
“So I told my mom, ‘You can tear down one reporter’s house, but can you tear down the homes of every netizen posting about it?'”
“What did she say?”
“What else could she say?”
“She and my aunt cried and cursed for half the night.”
“But they’re planning to contact some old military subordinates and try to control the websites and online discussions.”
Han Yue frowned and shook his head.
Before he could respond, the bedroom door clicked open.
Chu Ci emerged carrying his laptop.
Expressionless, he crossed the living room and headed for the front door.
Throughout the entire process, he behaved as if nobody else existed.
He did not spare the two men in the living room so much as an extra glance.
To him, they might as well have been air.
Hou Yu quietly asked:
“…You didn’t hit him last night, did you?”
“No.”
“Then why does he…”
Han Yue watched as Chu Ci changed his shoes and stepped outside.
Suddenly he called after him:
“Where are you going?”
“…Work.”
“Remember to come back early tonight.”
Chu Ci paused briefly without turning around.
Then he slammed the door shut.
Bang!
The sound echoed through the apartment.
Hou Yu jumped.
“What a temper…”
He clicked his tongue.
“Han Yue, if you’re living under the same roof every day, why not move somewhere better?”
“This place looks old. Small, too.”
“What were you thinking, giving someone a place like this?”
“I didn’t.”
Han Yue replied.
“He rented it himself.”
“What?!”
Hou Yu was stunned.
After a long moment, he asked incredulously:
“Don’t tell me that after all this time with you… he’s never spent a single cent of your money?”
Han Yue suddenly lifted his eyes and fixed Hou Yu with a gaze as sharp as lightning. He stared at him in silence for several seconds. Hou Yu began to tremble under the pressure. Only then did Han Yue say calmly:
“If you say one more word, I’ll call the court right now and have them sentence your cousin to death immediately. Try me.”
Hou Yu shivered. “…No, no, forget it. Let’s drop it.” He immediately made a zipper motion across his mouth.
Chu Ci walked into the lab. Assistant Xiao Wang pointed toward his office and reminded him in a low voice:
“The director is inside.”
Chu Ci nodded, adjusted his expression, and pushed the door open.
The chubby office director was indeed sitting behind the desk with his legs crossed, already bored from waiting. The moment he saw Chu Ci enter, he rushed forward eagerly.
“Engineer Chu! You’re finally here! Have you thought about what I told you the other day? Manager Xu has been waiting for a long time—he’s been pushing me nonstop these past two days…”
While plugging in his laptop, Chu Ci said without looking up:
“Putting his name as first author on the final paper is fine, I don’t mind. But if anything goes wrong with the paper, is he going to take responsibility? Don’t push it onto me then.”
The director choked for a moment.
“…You know Manager Xu is a relative of someone above him. He doesn’t understand any of the technical stuff… how could he possibly take responsibility?”
“Then what exactly are we saying here?” Chu Ci replied coldly. “I spent months on this project. In the end, he gets the credit and pushes me aside. If nothing goes wrong, fine. But if something does go wrong, I’m the invisible one who did everything from start to finish and gets dragged out to take the blame? So I get none of the credit when things go well, but I die first when things go wrong?”
The director wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“…Don’t put it like that. Just work a few more late nights, double-check the numbers again. Why would there necessarily be problems…”
Seeing Chu Ci’s displeased expression, he quickly leaned in and lowered his voice:
“Think about it, Engineer Chu—he’s above you, he’s a leader! When leadership asks you to do something, that’s the organization assigning you a task. It’s an honor. Don’t be so stubborn. You’re still young and already an engineer; your future is very promising. Why care so much about a small project or a paper…”
Chu Ci gave a cold laugh, sat down, and opened his computer without saying another word.
The director took this silence as reluctant agreement. Relieved, he quickly slipped out to report back to his superiors.
After work in the evening, assistant Xiao Wang came in with documents.
“Engineer Chu, the dinner gathering has been moved to Tiantan East Road. Will you be able to go?”
The department held a monthly team dinner, which had been delayed by two days this month and ended up overlapping with Han Yue’s return to Beijing.
Han Yue had always been against Chu Ci going out with colleagues or friends. Whenever he was back in Beijing on leave, he required Chu Ci to come home early every night, and he himself never stayed out late either.
Chu Ci paused for a moment.
“…I understand.”
Xiao Wang nodded. “Then I’ll just count you in.”
That evening, as expected, Han Yue called. Chu Ci turned his phone to silent and casually tossed it onto the passenger seat, letting it vibrate unanswered.
By the time Han Yue had called thirteen times, Chu Ci had already parked at the hotel entrance and turned off the engine.
The phone was left behind in the car.
At gatherings like this, young engineers were always the most popular presence. Chu Ci was good-looking and more popular with the younger female colleagues than most. The department had booked the entire hall, and drinks flowed freely. Soon, Chu Ci felt slightly intoxicated.
At that moment, someone patted his shoulder from behind.
“Engineer Chu, I have to toast you!”
Chu Ci turned around.
“Manager Xu?”
Xu Zhongyi stood there unsteadily, holding a glass that had already spilled part of its contents.
“Engineer Chu, I— I really have to thank you for that project! If it weren’t for your high moral character and selflessness, my academic performance this year would’ve been—would’ve been really damn hard to handle…”
“Manager Xu, you’re drunk,” Chu Ci said, standing up and stepping slightly aside. “Xiao Wang, come escort Manager Xu out.”
Assistant Xiao Wang hurried over in a panic, almost stumbling before he could even steady himself. Xu Zhongyi shoved him aside and, slurring badly, shouted:
“What’s wrong, Engineer Chu? You don’t respect me? You must drink this cup! If you don’t drink, you’re not helping me!…”
Many people in the hall turned their attention toward them. Chu Ci frowned and said in a low voice:
“Xiao Wang, go get the director.”
Xiao Wang nodded and ran off at once.
Suddenly, Xu Zhongyi lost his temper like a bull. He slammed his glass down hard.
“Engineer Chu, you won’t even give me this bit of face? What are you? How dare you not give me face?!…”
Chu Ci turned to leave, but Xu Zhongyi suddenly took two steps forward and shoved him hard. Chu Ci staggered, and before he could regain his balance or turn around, Xu Zhongyi—drunk and reckless—threw a punch that sent Chu Ci crashing back into a chair.
Only then did several drunken colleagues react and rush forward, grabbing Xu Zhongyi and forcing themselves between the two men. The office director also hurried over, his fat body shaking as he ran, panicked:
“Calm down, everyone calm down! Engineer Chu, are you alright? Manager Xu! Quickly, help Manager Xu sit down!”
The hall was in chaos, with everyone craning their necks to watch the scene.
At that moment, Hou Yu, Pei Zhi, Han Yue, and the rest of their group just happened to walk in through the hotel entrance.
As they walked, Pei Zhi joked:
“This time we should make Hou Yu put the money down at the counter first, so he doesn’t slip away when it’s time to pay again. Hey, Hongchang, this is your ‘shock-relief’ dinner today—you better keep an eye on your cousin!”
Hou Hongchang followed behind arrogantly, hands in his pockets, his hair styled into a flamboyant spiked look.
“Fine! Easy!”
Han Yue wasn’t speaking with them. Instead, he kept repeatedly dialing his phone, his expression growing darker by the second. As they passed through the hall, his gaze casually swept across the room—and paused.
Inside, a company dinner was underway. In the center, two people seemed to be in a confrontation, surrounded by others trying to break it up.
Han Yue’s eyes locked on it for a few seconds.
Then suddenly, he snapped his phone shut and strode forward.
Hou Hongchang was startled. “What’s wrong with Han Yue?”
“Han Yue! Hey, Han Yue!” Pei Zhi quickly chased after him. Then he saw the commotion in the hall and inhaled sharply.
“…This is bad.”
Hou Yu caught up. “What? What is it?” Then he said, “Oh—wait, isn’t that Engineer Chu?!”
Xu Zhongyi, drunk and fueled by brute force, was barely being held back by several people. He nearly broke free again.
“What the hell are you? You’re nothing! I’m giving you face and you still refuse it? I’ll make sure you can’t survive in this field if I get serious—try me!”
Several young engineers who were on good terms with Chu Ci surrounded him. Someone stood in front of him to block Xu Zhongyi in case he broke free again.
Chu Ci had been hit in the back and was feeling unwell, slightly dizzy, and still seated, unable to stand properly.
Suddenly, a hand patted his shoulder.
“Are you alright?”
Chu Ci instinctively replied, “I’m fine.”
Then he saw a familiar figure step out from behind him and walk straight toward Xu Zhongyi in full view of everyone.
Chu Ci was shocked.
“Han Yue!”
Han Yue ignored him completely.
He was dressed in a way that made it obvious he came from wealth and power, and his expression was so cold and terrifying that the people nearby subconsciously stepped aside.
He walked straight up to Xu Zhongyi.
At that moment, Xu Zhongyi was still being held back, still shouting obscenities:
“I can fire you with one word! Pack your things and get lost! Using your project is already me giving you face—how dare you act all high and mighty in front of me—”
Before he could finish, Han Yue suddenly swung a heavy punch.
Bang!
Xu Zhongyi was knocked straight to the ground.
Han Yue, who had grown up in a combat unit, put no restraint into the blow. It shattered two of Xu Zhongyi’s teeth on impact. Blood and froth spilled from his mouth as he collapsed, unable to move. The crowd erupted in screams.
“If he’s acting all high and mighty with me, fine,” Han Yue said coldly, flexing his wrist. His expression was violent and dark.
“But how dare he act high and mighty with you?”
He gave a cold laugh.
“I won’t just make you pack up and leave. One word from me, and I can have you—dead.”