Jiang Ling was so angry that he wanted to rush straight to Huo Junnian’s house to “theorize” with him, but before long, he suppressed that thought.
No, if I want to go back and reclaim my pride, I need a proper reason, Jiang Ling thought, frowning.
He had indeed been impulsive today; he should not have rushed in so recklessly. But at that time, he could not really be blamed. In that situation, how could he just stand by and watch Huo Junnian rekindle an old flame with his former lover? He could not exactly barge into Huo Junnian’s house now, kick open the door, and tell him confidently, “The reason I did all those stupid things today is that I am interested in you.”
Could Huo Junnian accept that? Of course not!
In the very first second those words left his mouth, the man would likely stuff him into a burlap sack and deliver him overnight to Jiang Qicheng. And then? A severe beating from his father.
Tsk. Jiang Ling let out a light clicking sound. He was not stupid enough to walk into his own trap. Now that Huo Junnian had provided a convenient excuse, it would be a waste not to use it. Jiang Ling snorted; he was a man of great ambition and would not get hung up on such trifles. After reading the message, he turned off his phone, pretending he had never seen it. He might swallow this silent loss, but that did not mean he was not angry in his heart.
On the other side, Huo Junnian stared at his phone for a long time, watching the “typing” notification disappear from the chat box. Minutes passed, and there was still no movement. So, he is not replying? Huo Junnian raised an eyebrow slightly, then turned off the screen and placed the phone on the desk.
He sat in the chair Jiang Ling had occupied during the day, recalling the image of the youth shedding his disguise and looking as furious as a little cheetah. He could not help but laugh. Gradually, however, the smile faded. He took a cigarette from the drawer and lit it. Amid the swirling smoke, he narrowed his eyes.
Teenagers are so difficult to handle. Jiang Qicheng could not manage his own son, so he dumped him on Huo Junnian and ran back to be a hands off manager. Truly impressive. Was his father not afraid that Huo Junnian would lead the boy astray? He even suspected that Jiang Ling’s “good boy” act was a trap set by the father and son together.
Just like that, a week passed without any contact. Both knew exactly what was going on. Just as Huo Junnian thought the stalemate would continue indefinitely, something changed. One morning, as he drove out to work, he saw the youth leaning against the railing by the main gate. Carrying a shoulder bag and with his arms crossed, the boy was watching him.
Huo Junnian stopped the car. Seeing the car stop, Jiang Ling immediately straightened up, walked over, and tapped on the car door with one hand. The window rolled down, revealing the man’s handsome and refined features; he was looking at Jiang Ling with a hint of a smile in his eyes.
They stared at each other for a few seconds. Jiang Ling said nothing. Huo Junnian raised an eyebrow and spoke first. “Coming here so early, have you had breakfast?”
“I ate.”
“Getting in?”
Jiang Ling looked down and, without hesitation, pulled open the door, tossed his bag inside, and slid into the passenger seat. Now that he was no longer pretending, Jiang Ling’s posture was much more relaxed than before. He leaned back against the seat, adjusted it until he was comfortable, and then turned to look at the man beside him.
“Going to the company?”
Huo Junnian had been watching him quietly since he got in. Only when the youth finally looked at him did he smile and say, “Where else?”
“What are you laughing at?” Jiang Ling frowned slightly.
Huo Junnian did not speak; instead, he curled his finger toward the youth with a smile on his lips. Jiang Ling’s gaze flickered, and his voice softened. “What are you doing?”
“Come closer.”
Jiang Ling hesitated but leaned in anyway. He did not know what Huo Junnian wanted to do, and his lowered eyelashes trembled imperceptibly. “Are you done yet?”
“Do not be in such a hurry.” Huo Junnian ignored the boy’s urging and reached out unhurriedly to pluck a leaf from the top of the boy’s head. “There.” He held the leaf out in front of Jiang Ling.
Jiang Ling looked at the leaf, his expression shifting subtly before he pulled back and said expressionlessly, “You are going to be late for work.”
Huo Junnian raised an eyebrow and said pointedly, “Late is late. I am the boss, anyway. Except for a certain someone, no one else dares to give me an attitude.” With that, the car began to move forward slowly.
Jiang Ling felt something was not right with that statement; there were hidden meanings in his words. He turned his head and looked at the man disapprovingly. This was absolute slander; when had he ever given him an attitude?
“What made you think of coming over today?” Huo Junnian asked.
“I come when I want to. Why, am I not welcome?”
Huo Junnian laughed. “Of course not. You are welcome whenever you come. Did you tell your grandfather about this?”
Jiang Ling snorted. “You do not need to worry about that. Grandpa already agreed; I am staying at your place until school starts.”
“A week until school starts?” Huo Junnian pondered for a moment. “It is a good time to relax for a few days.”
They soon arrived at the company. Since it was his second visit, Jiang Ling was more familiar with the place. He entered the elevator with Huo Junnian and suddenly asked, “What am I doing at the company?”
“At a company, you work, of course.”
“No, I mean you are working. What about me? What do I do?”
“You?” Huo Junnian looked over, a faint smile on his lips. “You are working with me, of course.”
“Me? Working?” Jiang Ling looked back in surprise. Was he joking? He had not even graduated from high school; where on earth was he going to work?
Clearly, this was a meaningless conversation. As they spoke, the elevator arrived. When the doors opened, they met Secretary Li in the hallway before they even reached the office. Seeing a familiar face, Jiang Ling was about to say hello, but Secretary Li caught his eye and hurriedly walked in the opposite direction.
Jiang Ling was speechless. Am I really that scary? Huo Junnian laughed at the scene. Jiang Ling turned and saw the smile on the man’s face, frowning in dissatisfaction. “I am not some kind of monster!”
“You might not be a monster, but the scene you caused here the other day has made you famous.” Huo Junnian pushed open the office door and made a gesture of invitation. “Little Master Monster, please come in.”
Jiang Ling’s eyes widened at the teasing. “What the hell?”
“I am joking with you. She should be busy with other things; she will be back in a while.”
Huo Junnian brought Jiang Ling into the office, and soon there was a knock on the door. “Come in.”
“President Huo, there is some information here that needs your signature.” Secretary Li walked in with a file. Seeing Jiang Ling, she greeted him with a standard smile. “Hello, Young Master Jiang.”
Jiang Ling stared at Secretary Li’s face for a few seconds. There was indeed nothing unusual about her expression. He looked accusingly at Huo Junnian, who was watching the fun from the side. Is it fun to tease me?
“President Huo, if there is nothing else, I will go and get busy.”
Huo Junnian nodded. “Alright, you can go.”
As soon as Secretary Li left, Jiang Ling, who had been holding back, could no longer sit still and went straight to Huo Junnian. However, as soon as he approached, something was stuffed into his arms.
“For you.”
“What is this?” Jiang Ling looked down at the stack of documents in his arms and looked at Huo Junnian with a face full of questions.
“This is the work you need to do today.”
Jiang Ling was shocked. “Are you joking?”
“I am not joking. It is very simple.” Huo Junnian beckoned to the youth. “I can teach you. It would be boring for you to sit here alone, so I found something for you to do.”
Teach me? Jiang Ling looked at Huo Junnian’s smiling face and felt a sudden jolt. He quickly understood. If Huo Junnian was teaching him personally, it was not impossible to learn. He cleared his throat, clutched the documents, and slowly approached the man. “Then teach me.”
“Come here and sit.” As Huo Junnian spoke, he grabbed Jiang Ling’s wrist and pulled him to the desk, pressing his shoulders to seat him in the executive chair.
The moment Huo Junnian approached, Jiang Ling smelled a faint scent of cedar; it was clean, with a hint of bitter coffee in the base notes. Large palms rested on his shoulders with a firm but gentle pressure. At that moment, the warmth of the man’s palms seemed to burn through the fabric of his clothes. He was completely enveloped in the other man’s presence.
Jiang Ling felt a faint sense of heat rising; his ears were burning, and his breathing grew deeper. “The documents on the left are one type, and the ones on the right are another. You just need to categorize them.”
“And then?” Jiang Ling asked as he tilted his head back. His gaze fell on the man’s perfect jawline and prominent Adam’s apple, which moved up and down with his speech.
“After you finish these, you can go and play for a bit, then wait for me to get off work.”
Huo Junnian’s voice was pleasant, steady, and rich, with a warm and magnetic quality. Only occasionally, when he was teasing him or was happy, his voice would rise slightly with an unintentional air of casualness that could tug at a person’s heartstrings.
“It sounds simple.” Jiang Ling licked his dry lips, feeling the surrounding air become thin.
“Simple?” Huo Junnian raised an eyebrow and looked down.
The moment the man looked down, Jiang Ling quietly averted his gaze. He looked down at the documents on the desk, his heart beating fast, but he said calmly, “It is very simple; I feel like I can finish it in a few minutes.”
Hearing this, Huo Junnian stood up. “Alright, since Ah Ling is so confident, go ahead and do it.”
The moment Huo Junnian stood up, Jiang Ling breathed a sigh of relief, but he was immediately caught by the man. “Why the sigh? Did you just talk big earlier?”
Jiang Ling’s body stiffened, and he said stubbornly, “I did not.” After speaking, he stood up, took the stack of documents, and sat on the sofa in the office. His fingers gripped the paper tightly, and without looking up, he said, “Do not disturb me. If I do not finish in a few minutes, it is definitely your fault.”
Huo Junnian replied, “Alright, I will not disturb you. Take your time.”
An hour later, Jiang Ling had mostly finished organizing. His gaze fell on Huo Junnian, who was still working. Before he had been watching for long, he was caught. “If you are finished, you can give the documents to Secretary Li.”
Jiang Ling’s body stiffened. He wondered if Huo Junnian had eyes in the back of his head; otherwise, how could he know Jiang Ling was looking at him without even raising his head? Jiang Ling went out to find Secretary Li.
“Is there anything else I can help with?”
Secretary Li took the documents and was somewhat flattered. She hurriedly said, “No, Young Master Jiang, you can just give them to me.”
Jiang Ling knew Secretary Li might be afraid of troubling him, but he did not want to go back and disturb Huo Junnian’s work yet. “Do not be so polite. I will not cause trouble. I might not be able to help with professional things, but I can try simple tasks. I am bored anyway.”
Hearing this, Secretary Li thought for a moment. Highly professional tasks were clearly beyond his reach. She looked at the documents in her hand; they were organized very formally, likely under President Huo’s arrangement. So she said, “Do you know how to use a computer? I have some information that needs organizing here. If you do not mind the trouble, would you like to try?”
“Of course.” Jiang Ling agreed without hesitation.
Secretary Li’s opinion of the straightforward youth improved slightly. After the previous experience, she had thought he was a hot tempered and difficult young master, but he was actually quite easy to talk to. She said with a smile, “Alright, come with me.”
In this way, Jiang Ling worked at Huo Junnian’s company for half the day. When Huo Junnian finished his work, he suddenly realized that Jiang Ling had not returned since he went out. He made a call, but no one answered, so he went out to look for him curiously. He soon found Jiang Ling at the secretarial desk. The youth sat in front of the computer, staring at the screen with a serious expression, seemingly completely unaware of the man’s approach.