Miao Yang felt wilted, while Shi Lan was full of energy. As they brushed their teeth, Shi Lan’s large hand landed on Miao Yang’s prickly hair, giving it a good rub. It was surprisingly comfortable. Miao Yang rinsed his mouth, feeling completely listless and wishing he could spray a mouthful of toothpaste at the man. However, when Shi Lan’s sharp eyes looked into the mirror, Miao Yang flashed a beautiful smile.
“Hehe.”
Shi Lan slapped the back of his head. “Stop playing the fool.”
Miao Yang’s head jolted forward.
After rinsing, Shi Lan brought him to the first floor to eat. It was the first time Miao Yang had sat at the dining table with Shi Lan. Feeling the strange stares of the others, Miao Yang felt incredibly awkward and uncomfortable. He scratched his face and whispered to 168, “Why does it feel like I am a little daughter-in-law?”
168: 【Are you sure they are looking at you like a wife, and not like a little fox spirit?】
Miao Yang was speechless.
As soon as Shi Lan picked up his chopsticks, everyone else followed suit. Miao Yang did not stand on ceremony; he stuffed his face with meat and rice. Within moments, his mouth was shiny with oil, and anyone who did not know better would think he was devouring delicacies. Shi Lan’s brow furrowed and relaxed, then furrowed again. The people here were all rough men; while they did not eat sloppily, they were certainly not refined. Seeing this little spike-head acting so quiet and demure, yet grabbing a pig knuckle faster than any of them, you would have thought he had been starved for weeks.
Miao Yang reached out and grabbed a large hairy crab. Shi Lan watched his frantic eating and closed his eyes. He could not tell if he was ashamed of the boy’s behavior or simply thought he was unrefined. Either way, the result was the same!
Miao Yang snatched a moment to look at him. “Brother Lan, eat up! This is all good stuff.”
Everyone else: “…” Oh, this little country bumpkin.
Shi Lan’s face darkened to the point of dripping ink. “Eat your food and shut up.”
Miao Yang curled his lip. “Fine, I was just concerned about you, you unromantic man.”
Shi Lan could not stand the brat anymore, but he ignored him and began to eat slowly. Though, to be fair, he was not actually eating slowly. After the meal, Shi Lan took Miao Yang to his workspace and handed him a labor contract. Miao Yang was pleasantly surprised; after checking that the contract was in order, he signed it.
Shi Lan cupped his face and pinched it with disdain. Miao Yang was stunned. “What are you doing?”
Shi Lan placed his palm behind Miao Yang’s waist. “What do you think?”
Miao Yang bared his teeth, pressing his hands against the man’s chest. “Brother, Brother Lan, stay calm. The environment here is too crude.”
Shi Lan spun him around and pressed him against the office desk. “What are you afraid of? I am holding you.”
With his handsome, mixed-race features, the man had a habit of saying such crude things. Miao Yang did not know what to say. Furthermore, this dog-like man either wanted to break his legs or was up to some other nonsense. Miao Yang suddenly smiled at Shi Lan, hooked his arms around his neck, leaned in, and breathed softly against his skin. His eyes shimmered, and he said, “Fine.”
Shi Lan gripped his waist and hoisted him up, so Miao Yang was already sitting on the desk. He tugged at the hem of Miao Yang’s shirt. Miao Yang’s expression changed; he jumped down, scrambled to the opposite corner, and said defensively, “Are you for real?”
Shi Lan sneered, arms crossed as he watched him. “Do not try to play tricks on me. Do you think I have survived in this society by being naive?”
Miao Yang: “…” He immediately put on a cheeky smile. “Brother Lan, stay calm, I was just making a silly joke.”
Shi Lan walked over, pulled him back, and pressed him into a chair. He looked fierce and rough. Once seated, Miao Yang could not be bothered to struggle, so he slumped back into the chair, fully intending to slack off. Shi Lan stood beside him. Sunlight streamed through the windows, casting beams of light into the room. One standing, one sitting—the scene had a strangely absurd quality to it.
Miao Yang suddenly laughed and looked up at him. “Actually, there is surveillance here. The brothers will see.”
Shi Lan pinched his ear. “So what if they see? They would not dare.”
Miao Yang huffed. “You are not afraid, of course.”
Shi Lan patted his head. “What is there to fear? Rest assured, I would not let outsiders watch me have you.”
Miao Yang: “…”
Heh heh heh, I am not reassured at all.
Shi Lan held him and only sniffed him a few times, doing nothing truly excessive. Miao Yang had guessed that the man would not go too far, otherwise, he would not have been so brazen. Not to mention the surveillance, but to do that here? If Big Boss Qin found out, Shi Lan would lose face and be punished. Naturally, Shi Lan would not do such a thing. He had a status to maintain. Although he was fierce and violent, he was not a man without brains.
Miao Yang was not stupid, either, and understood a great deal. That was exactly why he had intentionally said, “Fine.”
But in his heart, he continued to curse: Die, you pervert.
168: […] It has such a headache having a host like this.
You could say he was not afraid of death, yet he was terrified and a total coward. You could say he was afraid of death, yet he loved to provoke people and was begging to be disciplined. Sometimes, 168 did not even dare to watch and would hide in the black room, terrified that its host would be beaten to a pulp in the blink of an eye.
Shi Lan frowned, watching him sitting lazily in the chair with an arrogant, triumphant expression, and gave Miao Yang’s back a pat. “Get down.”
Miao Yang smiled cheekily. “You got it, Brother Lan.”