When An Chutang woke up, there was no one else next to him. He stretched lazily and then touched his somewhat swollen lips. Did I bite myself? he muttered, recalling the strange dream he had dreamt last night. He never expected that, as an adult, he would still dream about his grandfather trying to feed him jelly. In the dream, even though he clearly said he didn’t want to eat such childish snacks, his grandfather stubbornly tried to shove it into his mouth. That jelly was also like a fish, slipping straight into his mouth the moment he wasn’t paying attention. The taste wasn’t bad, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t swallow it down. He could only keep fighting wits and courage with it, rolling and catching it with the tip of his tongue. It seemed he probably really had bitten his own lips last night. He got out of bed and habitually asked the system, Shibal, how many hours do I have left now? Today, Qi Ba didn’t get angry at his incorrigible form of address, instead replying with full vigor, Congratulations, host, your life points have 20 hours and 10 minutes remaining. An Chutang, who had just gotten up, slumped back down onto the bed. Wh-what?! How much did you say? The system’s voice suddenly carried a greasy, sleazy tone. You heard right, it’s 20 hours and 10 minutes. Keep up the good work today, and I wish you a long life to a hundred years old. Though he was happy, after the ultra-short-lived excitement, An Chutang nervously began biting his fingernail. Um… I remember I didn’t touch Li Yan very many times before falling asleep at all. Excluding my sleeping hours, this… The more he thought about it, the more wrong it felt. Looking at the empty bed, he couldn’t help starting slightly. I couldn’t have sleepwalked and done all sorts of things to Li Yan after falling asleep?! He paced back and forth, muttering softly, We’re done for, we’re done for. I must have crossed the line again, and I probably woke him up and got caught! Unfortunately, the system couldn’t roll its eyes. No! You couldn’t possibly have been a better boy after falling asleep! Are you comforting me? Then why is Li Yan gone so early? I said it wasn’t you! Then how on earth did it miraculously increase by so many hours?! It’s… The system paused, abruptly returning to a completely calm robotic tone. You do not yet have permission to know things outside your cognition. An Chutang’s face instantly chilled. Shibal… The system didn’t want to push him too far either; when this young master genuinely got angry, he could be quite terrifying. Well, rest assured, your remaining time is legal and compliant, and Li Yan is definitely not angry either! That’s all I can tell you. Huh? An Chutang’s hanging heart finally dropped a bit. Then it must be that the bed was too small, and we accidentally brushed against each other back and forth after we both fell asleep. He put his smile back on. Thank you, Qi Ba. You really change your face faster than turning a page. Just a second ago you were calling me such a terrifying name. Huh? When did I, oh, just now I was just exclaiming shibal, I wasn’t calling you. Why did you claim that title anyway? …So you knew I am, not, called, Shi, bal, huh! An Chutang rubbed the bridge of his nose, straightened his clothes, and with quiet elegance, ignored the other party’s words as he opened the door to go to the living room. The outer door opened almost at the same time as he did, and he saw Li Yan wearing a military-green short-sleeved shirt with fine beads of sweat dotting his forehead. The muscle lines on his arms were smooth and powerful like carved art, and that texture… An Chutang snapped back to his senses. Li Yan had already naturally closed the outer door, turned around to lift the lunchbox he was carrying, and said, I just got back from running and picked up breakfast from the cafeteria. Eat first while I go take a shower. Oh. An Chutang hurried over to take the lunchbox. Seeing that the other man was in a good mood, he casually and seemingly unintentionally brushed against his fingertips. [Ding! Skin contact increased life points by thirty minutes.] An Chutang felt wonderful inside, while Li Yan raised his eyelids to rest his gaze on the other man’s pale lips. The moment An Chutang looked back, Li Yan met his eyes, let out a light chuckle, and directly turned around to head to the bathroom. An Chutang’s suspended heart finally settled completely, thinking that since Li Yan was wearing a smile early in the morning, he really was a gentle and good person. Yesterday afternoon, Li Yan had already driven the vehicle over to his place. After breakfast, the two of them hopped into the car, planning to pick up Li Guangtao and the others first and head to Haishi to check out the cars. An Chutang asked as he fastened his seatbelt, Is everything alright on the bank’s end? Li Yan started the engine, spinning the steering wheel with one hand. I talked to Branch President Zhang yesterday afternoon; he’ll have things prepared in advance. That’s good, it saves the trouble of withdrawing a little bit every time. By the way, how many cars can you get? Li Yan cast a sideways glance at him, then turned back without asking too many questions. How many do you want? An Chutang’s mind conjured an image of his home garage, especially his newly acquired Pagani, feeling a slight twinge of regret. He fiddled with his fingers and said casually, The more the better, of course. Getting a car here is so difficult, and since we’ll be doing business in the future and cars are indispensable everywhere, of course we can’t miss such a great opportunity. Li Yan’s index finger tapped lightly on the jeep’s steering wheel. What kind of business do you want to partner with me on? This was the first time Li Yan had proactively brought up their business partnership; previously, Li Guangtao was the only one chattering away, and An Chutang had been worried that the other man might have his own plans and leave him out. Now that he finally waited for the other man to ask proactively, he immediately stated his stance, It’s not entirely finalized yet, but back home I usually don’t get involved in business matters. If we cooperate together, I’ll provide the capital, and you act as the CEO, how’s that? Whatever you say goes. He almost blurted out a fifty-fifty share split, but then thought about what would happen if the other man got married one day, wouldn’t he be completely screwed? The best approach was still to keep financial authority tightly in his own hands, serving at least as a leverage point. In a flash of inspiration, he guiltily changed his tune, Let’s do a seventy-thirty split, what do you think? Li Yan chuckled softly. You trust me just like that? Aren’t you afraid your money will go down the drain? Seeing that the other man had no objections to the distribution split, An Chutang let out a breath of relief and said indifferently, Life is about continuous experimentation, right? I trust you; if it doesn’t work out the first time, we’ll just try again. Alright. But, I’m bringing those few guys who hang out with me along. I wonder if Chairman An has any objections? The title Chairman An used to refer to his grandfather. Suddenly being crowned with this title himself, he couldn’t help feeling like they were playing house. Still, An Chutang rather enjoyed it. Then bring them along. You’re the CEO, I’m only responsible for providing the money and not participating in decision-making. Besides, I actually quite like Guangtao. The hand Li Yan had on the steering wheel tightened slightly. You like him? An Chutang didn’t notice the change in the other’s tone. Yeah, he’s motivated, humorous, and pretty loyal. Li Yan’s increasingly dark complexion only improved after An Chutang’s next sentence. The main thing is, he’s your good brother. Your friends are my friends, so whether it’s an annual salary of one hundred thousand or a million, it’s completely up to you. Li Yan curved the corners of his lips. As long as this young master could obediently stay by his side now, anything else was fine to discuss; he had enough patience to wait for the prey to walk right into the tiger’s mouth. We should be able to get at most three cars. After stopping in Haishi for a day to handle the paperwork, we can drive straight over to Nanshi to check things out there, right? This was a plan Li Yan had even before meeting An Chutang; no matter what they did in the future, they always had to go test the waters in Nanshi. An Chutang nodded with considerable interest. As Nanshi was designated as the pilot city at the very forefront of reform and opening up, whatever he needed there should also be much more convenient to get. At the same time, Li Yan had finally been pulled into the same camp as him, and the opening chapter belonging to both of them was about to unfold. From here on out, whether in life or career, An Chutang was ready to tie this man down completely and securely. (Life Countdown: 19 hours 40 minutes)
Chapter 16 - Partnership
Reborn In The 70s As A Spoiled Young Master: Please Let Me Touch You (Sequel)