Su Xingyan remained silent, gritting his teeth as he glared indignantly at him.
Yan Chong seemed to come to a realization, a cold smile forming on his lips. “Ah, none of the above.”
“Is it because I kissed you, held you, and saw you at your absolute worst and most disheveled state, so you hate me this much, hm?” Yan Chong pinched his chin, staring into his eyes with a cruel smile. “Do you hate me, or do you hate yourself?”
“Are you crazy! Do you even know what you’re saying!”
Su Xingyan was so enraged his whole body shook. Opening his beautiful eyes wide, he instinctively grabbed the pillow behind him and threw it at Yan Chong, shouting the harshest insults he knew. “You bastard! Lunatic! Scoundrel!”
Yan Chong merely chuckled quietly at him. Seeing that he had run out of steam, Yan Chong reached out a long arm and pulled him into an embrace. “Feeling better? You’ve been suffocating yourself these past few days.”
He figured this man was indeed deeply unhappy. Except even when unhappy, he kept it bottled up, nearly suffocating himself.
Su Xingyan was out of breath, his eyes red with anger. Unsure of how to respond to Yan Chong’s question, he could only grit his teeth and glare stubbornly at him.
Yan Chong looked down at Su Xingyan. As if afraid he hadn’t vented his anger, he smiled craftily and added. “Su Xingyan, do you know… your lips taste really good.”
Unsurprisingly, Su Xingyan gritted his teeth and shoved the pillow onto his face, nearly suffocating him.
After fooling around for a bit, the sun had set behind the mountains. Su Xingyan was completely out of energy, drooping his eyelids as he took deep, rapid breaths. Sitting at the head of the bed, Yan Chong smoothly pulled Su Xingyan into his chest, anyway, he truly had no strength left to struggle, having spent it all beating him.
Yan Chong smiled and asked. “Alright, can we eat now, President Su?”
“The food’s going to get cold, and I’ll have to make it for you all over again.”
Su Xingyan raised his eyes and looked at the dishes on the cart, only then realizing that Yan Chong had cooked them himself.
Su Xingyan’s eyes shifted, staring at him meaningfully without a word. After a moment, he retracted his gaze and said. “I want to eat crab roe pastries from Rongbing Ji.”
Yan Chong frowned slightly; he wasn’t familiar with these pastries. “I’ll order delivery for you.” Saying that, Yan Chong reached for his phone, but Su Xingyan said coldly. “They don’t do delivery.”
Yan Chong: ?
“Then I’ll have the butler go buy it for you.”
“No.”
Su Xingyan said. “You go buy it for me.”
For a second, Yan Chong thought he had misheard. Realizing what was asked, Yan Chong pointed to himself and asked again. “Me? Go buy it for you?”
Su Xingyan looked at him, speaking as a matter of fact. “Mhm.”
Yan Chong almost laughed out of anger. No one had ever dared to command him like this. But he understood in his heart. Su Xingyan was likely furious about being locked up and was now getting his revenge. Su Xingyan was a man who always paid back his grudges. Quite wicked, really.
Yan Chong looked at him with amusement. “Su Xingyan, do you think I’ll actually go buy it for you? Do I look like I have a mental problem?”
Su Xingyan just stared at him, his clear eyes calm, repeating his request word by word. “I think you will go buy it for me.”
Although Su Xingyan was the eldest son of the Su family, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he had been brought up well-mannered, modest, and polite, without a spoiled temper. Yet he was ultimately a young master raised in luxury, every gesture carrying an innate nobility.
It was as if the world was naturally supposed to revolve around him.
Just then, his phone rang. Outside the window, the spring rain continued unabated, softly washing over the gloomy city of Ronggang. Pedestrians on the streets hurried along under umbrellas. Heaven and earth were shrouded in darkness and gloom.
Listening to the pitter-patter of rain outside, Yan Chong answered the call from his assistant, Tang Chao. The approval documents for the project had arrived, requiring Yan Chong’s signature. Tang Chao asked if he should deliver them to Guanlan Residence. Yan Chong didn’t speak. After staring at Su Xingyan for half a minute, he suddenly narrowed his eyes and smiled, replying. “No need, I’ll come over personally.”
Hanging up, Yan Chong narrowed his eyes and slowly stood up. “I happen to need to drop by the company. On my way back, I’ll buy it for you.”
“Anything else you want to eat? Might as well buy it all together.”
Su Xingyan caught the mockery in Yan Chong’s words. Following him with his eyes as he stood, he remained silent. He was still sick, his usually cold, elegant face was pale, making him look strangely obedient. Like a precious, pampered cat, Yan Chong thought.
“But don’t even think about running. Stay right here and wait for me to come back.”
Yan Chong’s thin lips curved upward. He suddenly ruffled Su Xingyan’s hair, then slid his hand down to Su Xingyan’s waist, expertly swiping his phone. The moment Yan Chong’s hand touched his waist, Su Xingyan’s eyes widened in shock, his body shuddering delicately. He reached out to strike his hand, but Yan Chong nimbly dodged, damn it. Su Xingyan cursed internally. Next time, he should tie this bastard up and beat him.
Holding up the phone, Yan Chong smirked at him. “Confiscated. Stay put and don’t play any tricks.”
Su Xingyan: ?
Su Xingyan gritted his teeth, glaring with deep resentment. Bastard. This man is a total bastard. Though even if Yan Chong hadn’t taken it, he couldn’t use it anyway. His phone had long since powered off.
Yan Chong quickly changed his clothes and left. The vast villa fell into dead silence, leaving only the noisy sound of rain. Closing his eyes, Su Xingyan decided not to torture himself. He got out of bed, walked over to the food cart, picked up the bowl and chopsticks, and slowly ate. He had to admit, that bastard Yan Chong was surprisingly good at cooking, whether Chinese or Western cuisine, it was no worse than a professional chef’s.
Perhaps because he felt better after eating, Su Xingyan took a deep breath, regained his composure, and stood up slowly. Yan Chong’s concern wasn’t entirely unfounded, he indeed still had a low fever, and standing up made him feel groggy. Controlling himself, Su Xingyan walked around and somehow ended up in the study.
Su Xingyan looked up, taking in the solemn, cold decor of Yan Chong’s study and an entire wall of grand bookshelves. Glancing over, he saw obscure, complex foreign books on economics.
Su Xingyan then remembered that Yan Chong had earned his master’s degree in economics.
Su Xingyan wasn’t particularly interested in these, in university, he had followed his father’s arrangement to study history.
Retracting his gaze, Su Xingyan was about to walk downstairs when a walnut wood picture frame on the bookshelf caught his eye. The girl in the photo looked to be four or five years old, pure and adorable, holding a lollipop while smiling softly at the camera.
She looked remarkably gentle and quiet.
Except, who was this girl? A relative of Yan Chong’s? But he didn’t recall the Yan family having such a young close relative.
Su Xingyan froze for a moment, then instinctively reached out to take the frame for a closer look. Just as he lifted it, his fingers brushed against a child’s smartwatch hidden behind the frame. Su Xingyan slowly pulled it out, both its style and functions appeared to be state of the art. Taken aback, a faint smile crossed his lips.
Relying on his memory, Su Xingyan tapped the dial pad and called his assistant, Shao Qing.
“Shao Qing, it’s Su Xingyan.”
Su Xingyan spoke calmly. “Do you know… any locksmiths?”
Shao Qing was about to say yes when Su Xingyan added. “The kind that doesn’t check IDs.”
Shao Qing: “…?”
“Su-Su-President Su?”
Shao Qing’s eyes widened. She raised the phone in disbelief, looking at the unfamiliar number. The voice clearly belonged to President Su, but how could the words coming out be so absurd and unimaginable? Was this really not a voice changer???
Su Xingyan closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and didn’t bother to explain much. “…I’ve been locked in. Bring someone over to pick the lock, quickly.”
Shao Qing: “!!!”
Fifteen minutes later, Shao Qing frantically brought a locksmith over to pick the lock. Legitimate locksmiths were strictly regulated; not only did they require official IDs, but their schedules also had to be registered with their employer. President Su couldn’t provide ID in his current state, and after all, this wasn’t his own lock. After much thought, Shao Qing drove to the poorer district, found a roadside locksmith, made up a dramatic and heartbreaking story about being locked out of home without an ID, and handed over 5,000 HKD. Finally, she persuaded the master to come.
“…This lock of yours is really high-end. If it weren’t for my decades of experience in the trade, anyone else really wouldn’t be able to crack it. But I gotta state upfront, I don’t have a replacement for this kind of luxury lock. If you want me to install another one like it, I can’t help ya. But I can swap it for a cheap one, tell you what, since we’re acquaintances now, I’ll sell you this lock for three thousand! One price, I’ll install it right away!”
The old master rambled to himself while pulling a brand-new electronic lock from his backpack and presenting it to Shao Qing, it was on a completely different level from the original lock of Yan Chong’s that he had smashed to pieces.
Shao Qing could only smile apologetically, sneaking glances at Su Xingyan. “President Su, should we install a new one?”
Su Xingyan sneered. “Install my foot.”
Shao Qing: ?
It was her first time hearing President Su use profanity. He seemed truly furious.
Shao Qing shrank her neck. “But without a lock, the door can’t close. What if a thief gets in…”
Su Xingyan: “Then let the thief steal everything from his house.”
Su Xingyan spoke with venom.
Shao Qing had never seen this side of President Su before, standing trembling and not daring to say another word. “Then, President Su… shall we go?”
“Mhm.”
Su Xingyan kept a cold face, turning around to leave, when he suddenly paused.
“Wait. Give me a minute.”
By the time Yan Chong returned, the rain had cleared up significantly. Rongbing Ji was a time honored dessert shop in Ronggang, the only one in the entire city. Funnily enough, this old brand didn’t originate in Ronggang, rumor had it that the owner originally hailed from the Jiangnan region and married into a family in Ronggang with his craft. Rongbing Ji never offered delivery, selling out daily, and when Yan Chong arrived, a long queue had already formed outside the shop. Holding umbrellas, people chatted while waiting in line, seemingly long accustomed to it.
Yan Chong nearly laughed out of frustration at the sight of the dragon like line. Su Xingyan wasn’t playing hidden schemes, he was playing everything out in the open. Did he really want to eat crab roe pastries? He clearly just wanted to torment him.
Having endured the wait and finally brought them back, Yan Chong carried the pastry box to the main entrance, only to find the iron courtyard gate wide open. Walking further in, he saw the shattered remains of the electronic lock scattered all over the floor in front of the security door.
Yan Chong: ?
Taking a deep breath, Yan Chong slowly walked inside.
Su Xingyan hadn’t left without leaving anything. He had actually left him a note, his handwriting matched his character, clean, elegant, and grand, though there were scratch marks at the top. It seemed he had started to write an angry insult, thought better of it, and crossed it out for the sake of decency.
[Gone. Don’t come looking for me.]
The rain had stopped. Holding the note, Yan Chong’s thin lips curved into an inexplicable smile. The Su family’s upbringing was indeed strict, even when pushed to absolute fury, the kid could at most drop a harsh phrase and still feel the need to retract it.