Lin Ruohuai fell asleep as soon as he lay down last night. Shen Qi didn’t ask about him and Xie Yusheng, and Lin Ruohuai was happy to play dumb—only a fool would bring it up.
He wore an irregularly patterned T-shirt under an offset-buttoned shirt jacket, paired with draped trousers that just brushed the tops of his shoes. The silver chain from last night still adorned his wrist. His skin was pale and smooth, glowing in the light like a fairy from some unknown realm.
Though dressed elegantly and simply, Lin Ruohuai was lively. When Uncle Chen looked up, he was hopping and skipping down the stairs.
Then he was informed that he had to accompany Shen Qi for lunch. Lin Ruohuai seemed to freeze, his mouth opening in a silent “Ah.” He peeked at Uncle Chen and asked, “Is Mr. Shen… cooking?”
Uncle Chen shook his head. “He’s in a bad mood today.”
Lin Ruohuai breathed a sigh of relief instead, saying with a smile, “It’s okay, everyone has bad moods. I’ll go see him.”
Uncle Chen thought to himself that he had indeed chosen the right person.
At lunchtime, Lin Ruohuai very steadily served the dishes, arranging them as if he had done this kind of work every day of his life.
Lin Ruohuai approached the small table, using clean chopsticks to sort the food. As he leaned over, his collar dipped slightly, revealing a broad expanse of pale, slender collarbone.
He twisted his waist to pour water for Shen Qi; his waist was soft and flexible, and other parts of him would likely feel even softer.
His bottom was small, rounded, and looked bouncy—the line from his waist to his hips was charming and beautiful.
Shen Qi watched indifferently, without a trace of being moved.
Except the food tasted bland.
Bland? Then what would have flavor? Shen Qi asked himself.
He looked at Lin Ruohuai, who had finished eating and was folding a napkin. Lin Ruohuai looked up at him from time to time, his wide eyes blatantly observing Shen Qi’s mood without any restraint.
I’m unhappy—will he come to coax me?
Upon reaching this realization, Shen Qi’s overall state didn’t change, but his brow smoothed out, as if some filth clinging to him had been purified at that moment.
Shen Qi reached out without reason. Lin Ruohuai felt his hand with both of his. “Oh, it’s hot again. I’d almost think you have a fever.”
Shen Qi pulled his hand away. “I want a spoon.”
“I’ll feed you.” Lin Ruohuai paused his movements. “Will you let me feed you?”
Shen Qi stared at his moist, pale red lips and said helplessly, “I’m thirsty.”
Lin Ruohuai gave him water and wiped his mouth. A commotion came from outside the window, causing even the floor to vibrate slightly with a thrum-thrum-thrum sound.
Lin Ruohuai’s heart jumped. “What’s that noise outside?”
Seeing Lin Ruohuai’s hand reflexively start to withdraw, Shen Qi pressed his wrist and wiped his own lips with it, the force so great it felt like a layer of skin might come off.
“What are you doing? Your lips are all red. Aren’t you afraid of the pain?” Lin Ruohuai’s gaze swept over his lips; they looked very kissable.
Shen Qi noticed his gaze and pursed his lips. “Go down and take a look.”
He added a “patch”: “Come to the study to find me in ten minutes.”
Lin Ruohuai paused. He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he felt like Shen Qi was being a bit clingy.
Yesterday, it had rained in this area for almost the entire day, with heavy storms in the morning. The surrounding forest and flora had suffered, especially the back garden of the side building where several trees had fallen. They were currently being moved and cleared.
The deep forest carried the cool dampness of post-rain. Sunlight filtered through the branched canopy, casting irregular, dappled spots, while the soil emitted the earthy scent of wet decay.
There were still many weeds to be cleared, and since they were short-handed, Lin Ruohuai joined the group to help. The gardener auntie gave him a green floral straw hat with ribbons that fluttered in the wind.
Lin Ruohuai crouched on the ground, chatting and laughing with the ladies. He was good with his hands and had great stamina; in no time, he had cleared away all the weeds.
“Oh, what time is it?” He sat back, his bottom getting pricked a bit.
Uncle Chen walked over and showed him his watch. Lin Ruohuai stood up in a flash and ran into the main building to find Shen Qi in the study, his hair wind-blown.
The study door was opened rudely. Shen Qi looked up to see Lin Ruohuai with flushed cheeks, wearing a dreamy straw hat, looking adorable and breathless like a flower butterfly that had just flown back.
Lin Ruohuai caught his breath and pursed his lips, revealing small dimples.
Shen Qi’s eyes grew deeper.
Lin Ruohuai suddenly felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles and stopped smiling. He didn’t know why Shen Qi insisted on having him in the study. What could he do? Was Shen Qi just trying to torment him and test his character?
If so, he had found the wrong person; he wasn’t built for that kind of training.
Lin Ruohuai hooked the ribbon on his finger and took off the hat. Before he could speak, he heard Shen Qi ask slowly, “You don’t want to stay by my side?”
Lin Ruohuai blurted out, “I do.”
He walked over to Shen Qi’s side, and the reassuring scent of sandalwood helped him stop sweating.
Shen Qi said with certainty, “You don’t. You even think it’s boring here, that there’s nothing to do but make coffee and find books.”
Lin Ruohuai’s eyes showed unconcealed shock; he didn’t even try to hide it. “How did you know?”
Because when you lie, your eyes open very wide and round, unable to hide a thing, and your nose wrinkles slightly in a sign of annoyance.
Shen Qi didn’t plan to answer.
Recalling the old butler saying Shen Qi was in a bad mood, Lin Ruohuai shook his head. “It’s okay, I’ll stay with you. This is my job, and I still owe you money.”
His honesty was almost heart-stopping.
But it was true. Facing a person like An Jiayun, his boyfriend was useless; in the end, it was Shen Qi who had to step in. It was only natural for Lin Ruohuai to be good to him.
Shen Qi’s mood improved again, but it was followed by a wave of heat. The blood in his body seemed to be boiling, scorching his reason.
Shen Qi was thirsty again.
He didn’t want coffee; he wanted to drink the water Lin Ruohuai fed him.
And he wanted a sip every few minutes—just a tiny bit each time, as if he were just using the water to cool down.
Lin Ruohuai simply stayed put, playing the role of an ancient little eunuch holding a cup. When he handed the cup over, the back of his hand brushed against Shen Qi’s skin, and he trembled from the heat.
Shen Qi’s eyes flickered with a strange light for a moment before returning to clarity. He caught a glimpse of that ugly hat—though it looked decent on Lin Ruohuai. “Where did that come from?”
“It’s the auntie’s. I forgot to return it. I think it looks pretty good; I could buy one as a backup, though there aren’t any like this in the walk-in closet.”
Lin Ruohuai had learned a few days ago that Shen Qi’s stylist was in charge of his clothes. “Will you buy one for me? I can use it for work, like just now. I think I look very pretty wearing it.”
Shen Qi saw through his little scheme and said coldly, “Who am I to you that you can just say ‘buy it’?”
Lin Ruohuai pursed his lips, his dimples vanishing as he immediately behaved himself.
Shen Qi’s eyes were dark and unreadable as he looked at the documents Assistant Lin had brought back for him.
He was making a decision.
Lin Ruohuai hadn’t expected to witness such a “famous scene” like those in TV dramas. He wondered if he should excuse himself, but looking at the long string of professional terms and structural jargon, he couldn’t understand a thing—except for the booking amount at the bottom.
Many, many zeros.
Can you handle that, Shen Qi?
The next second, Lin Ruohuai watched as the contract worth over a billion was rejected. He opened his mouth but said nothing, his eyes filled with the shock of a craving for money.
Shen Qi noticed. Seeing him look like someone who had never seen so much money in his life felt off.
He must have suffered a lot in the past to become like this. Even if they aren’t a couple, Xie Yusheng was his childhood playmate. Xie Yusheng really is a waste.
“Never been in contact with this before?” Shen Qi’s voice was faint, and his breath was hot.
Lin Ruohuai snapped out of it, unsure whether to shake or nod his head. His thoughts flickered for a moment.
In Shen Qi’s eyes, this was him being immersed in the sadness of the past. The Lin family had indeed been miserable, so miserable they had to sell everything at a loss.
Shen Qi was one of the drivers behind it; he was the one who had acquired the Lin Group at that time. But a deal is a deal, made between willing parties; there was nothing to feel guilty about. He didn’t regret his past self, but he felt a touch of pity for the present Lin Ruohuai.
“Lin Ruohuai.” Shen Qi noticed he was daydreaming and “booted up” his brain.
Lin Ruohuai let out a “Zha!” (an ancient servant’s response).
“…”
“…”
Both fell silent.
It was very awkward. Lin Ruohuai closed his eyes and decided to play dead.
Shen Qi spoke first. “Why do you want so much money? Besides the debt, there must be another reason.”
Lin Ruohuai originally wanted to brush it off as before, but he uncharacteristically fell silent for a few seconds. Seeing the depth in Shen Qi’s eyes that seemed to pierce through him, his spirit was shaken. He paused for several seconds before saying, “…I just feel that if we had money, my family might have survived, and I would be living very well.”
Shen Qi’s breath was scorching. It felt as if a nerve ending deep in his brain had twitched; he was sweating from the pain. He could only press down on the armrest, his veins bulging. After a long period of silence, he asked, “How much do you need?”
The people were already dead. Lin Ruohuai now lived only for himself, but for a moment he didn’t know how to answer. He kept his blunt words to himself for now. “Anything is fine; anyway, it’s not enough right now.”
“What if it’s not enough? Will you ask Xie Yusheng for it?”
Lin Ruohuai stole a glance at him. Shen Qi’s gaze was fixed on his cheek, on that tiny, cute dimple.
Neither spoke.
Lin Ruohuai noticed the water cup only had a little left. He turned to the pantry to refill it, a trip that didn’t take long.
The water was warm. Since the banquet, Lin Ruohuai had consciously prevented Shen Qi from drinking cold or iced beverages.
He timed it perfectly and brought the cup to Shen Qi’s lips, but Shen Qi anticipated the move and grabbed his wrist first.
Lin Ruohuai was stunned.
Shen Qi changed the subject: “How much money do you want?”
Thump, thump, thump—it was like a ball rolling and bouncing somewhere, making a noise like a mountain-shaking tsunami.
Lin Ruohuai had the feeling that no matter what amount he asked for, Shen Qi would make it happen.
“Lin Ruohuai.”
Shen Qi called him back from his daydreaming again and pushed a phone toward him. Lin Ruohuai looked down; it was a shopping page filled with various luxury brand hats, with an average price of no less than a hundred thousand.
Shen Qi said in a deep voice, “Whatever you want, I can give it to you.”
So stop going to Xie Yusheng.
That penniless waste.
Lin Ruohuai was dazed by the massive windfall. A mix of gibberish and truth spilled out: “Uh, I, that, my boyfriend gives me a hundred thousand in pocket money every month.”
Shen Qi was unmoved. “Four hundred thousand?”
Lin Ruohuai was shocked.
“Five hundred thousand?”
Lin Ruohuai’s mouth hung open; he couldn’t even speak. “No, I’m not, that…”
How do you say “no”?!
Shen Qi looked at him with deep, burning eyes. “I can give more.”
Lin Ruohuai: “…”