By the time Yan Xi finished washing up and getting ready, Shi Ye had already served breakfast at the table: clear white porridge and steamed mushroom dumplings.
The porridge was freshly made, and the dumplings were reheated after thawing. While neither dish required high culinary skill, they were perfect for settling the stomach on a morning after a night of heavy drinking. Yan Xi sat down at the table and asked, “You actually know how to cook?”
“I lived alone for a few years, so I cooked out of boredom.”
Shi Ye separated the dumplings on the plate, sliding half over to Yan Xi’s side, fearful that he might accidentally eat them all. Yan Xi picked up his chopsticks and said, “Thank you.”
Shi Ye sat opposite him, his gaze sweeping over Yan Xi’s tightly fastened collar before taking in his stiff, upright posture. A slight smile touched the corner of his mouth. “Brother Yan, I have a question. Do you mind?”
Yan Xi nodded. “Go ahead.”
“Do you drink often?” Shi Ye stirred his porridge slowly with a spoon. “Your tolerance seems quite average.”
Yan Xi’s chopsticks paused in mid-air for two seconds. As a man, being told so bluntly by his own intern that his alcohol tolerance was poor was rather embarrassing.
“I rarely drink,” Yan Xi explained helplessly. “I tend to have memory gaps when I get drunk. Counting last night, that was only the second time I have had a drink in the past six months.”
The spoon in Shi Ye’s hand stopped moving. He looked up, seeming skeptical. “Weren’t you a CEO’s assistant before? You must have had many business engagements. How could you not drink often?”
Yan Xi finished the dumpling in his mouth at a leisurely pace before replying, “My former boss, President Fang, took good care of me. During business dinners, he always made excuses for me in advance and never let others pressure me into drinking.”
Shi Ye narrowed his eyes. “Oh, it sounds like President Fang was a decent person.”
“He was fine,” Yan Xi replied flatly.
“By the way, you just said last night was the second time you drank in six months,” Shi Ye continued persistently. “When was the last time?”
“I forgot,” Yan Xi answered vaguely. “Let us eat.”
He felt he had said too much today. He had always been someone who buried his emotions deep, rarely sharing his feelings or thoughts with others. The sudden openness made him feel uncomfortable and even regretful.
It was not until they finished eating and were clearing the table that Yan Xi noticed Shi Ye looked unwell. His eyes were circled by faint dark shadows, indicating he had not slept well. A sudden association with last night’s dream made Yan Xi feel flustered. “Xiao Ye, I did not do anything strange last night, did I?”
Shi Ye looked at Yan Xi, recalled the moment carefully, and said, “No, you were quite quiet after you got drunk. But…”
The sudden hesitation made Yan Xi’s heart tighten. “But what? Did I say anything nonsensical?”
Shi Ye looked puzzled. “You said you wanted to give me money.”
Yan Xi’s chopsticks clattered onto the table.
“Brother Yan, why would you want to give me money out of the blue?” Shi Ye was dressed in loungewear, his hair falling naturally against his forehead, and his expression perfectly fit that of an innocent college student. “Who do you take me for?”
Yan Xi slowly and expressionlessly stacked the bowls and chopsticks, took a deep breath, and replied, “A caregiver.”
“A caregiver?”
“Yes,” Yan Xi said as he turned to walk into the kitchen, leaving Shi Ye with a calm back. “I must have mistaken you for a caregiver, which is why I wanted to pay you.”
“Oh, I see,” Shi Ye realized, hiding a smirk as Yan Xi walked away.
Because the effects of the hangover had not fully worn off, Yan Xi chose to take the subway to the store. Shi Ye mentioned that he was going for a morning jog, so they parted ways at the subway entrance once again.
As Shi Ye strolled along the sidewalk, he took out his phone and saw an email from Duan Wenbin: “What is your problem? You did not answer over a dozen calls last night, and then you blocked me? What is the meaning of this?”
Shi Ye opened his contacts, unblocked Duan Wenbin, and called him back. “You had better have something urgent.”
Duan Wenbin, still half-asleep, mumbled like he was dreaming, “What could I have that is urgent? I just wanted to tell you that the guys are back and we are planning an outing, but you did not give me the time of day.” He then began to demand an explanation: “What on earth were you doing last night?”
Shi Ye stopped at a red light. “I was sleeping.”
“Bullshit! When have you ever slept before midnight?” Duan Wenbin woke up in frustration. “Find a better excuse.”
Shi Ye counted the seconds on the red light and did not respond.
Duan Wenbin suddenly realized, “Wait, do not tell me you were sleeping with someone?”
Shi Ye scoffed, remaining silent.
“Damn it!” Duan Wenbin stammered in excitement. “I am sorry! I am a dead man! Forgive me! Did I interrupt your fun?”
The light turned green, and Shi Ye walked across the crosswalk. “Obviously! Your dozen calls were like buzzing flies. You ruined the mood completely.”
“My bad! I will make it up to you later, okay? You go back to what you were doing.” Fearing a reprimand, Duan Wenbin hung up quickly.
Shi Ye tossed his phone into his pocket and headed toward the shopping district. In reality, Duan Wenbin was not the only one who had interrupted Shi Ye the previous night.
Time shifted back ten hours:
Unable to withstand Duan Wenbin’s relentless calls, Shi Ye blocked him and prepared to turn off his phone when it suddenly began to vibrate again. The three characters displayed on the screen pulled him out of the vortex of desire. After tucking Yan Xi in and promising in a husky voice that he would be back soon, Shi Ye went into his own room, locked the door, and answered the call.
“What do you think you are doing?” The voice of a middle-aged man on the other end was filled with clear anger. “I heard you have not been to the company in days. What is going on!”
Shi Kangping, Shi Ye’s father and the Chairman of YK, had immediately replaced the previous CEO upon taking office. Shi Ye leaned against the headboard, stretching his legs out in an awkward position. “Dad, I am currently inspecting company projects.”
“Are a few inconsequential projects worthy of you inspecting them personally?” Shi Kangping was not a particularly strict father, but they were now linked not just by blood but by company hierarchy; reprimanding his son was also a way of scolding a subordinate. “It took so much effort to get you that CEO position. The old man has not spoken to me in months, and now that you have it, you are acting like a slacker. Do you really think business is a child’s game?”
During the previous equity acquisition, Shi Kangping had used aggressive tactics that caused issues, angering the elder Shi. Shi Kangping blamed all of that on Shi Ye. Shi Ye looked at the ceiling and said lazily, “I understand. I will return to normal soon.”
“Also,” Shi Kangping added, “prepare yourself to meet the daughter of the Wen family, as we discussed.”
“Dad,” Shi Ye’s attitude shifted abruptly. “I have already said there is no room for negotiation on that matter.”
Shi Kangping’s anger flared further. “As long as you are a son of the Shi family, you will not act recklessly!”
The moment the call ended, Shi Ye slammed his phone onto the bed. After wasting over twenty minutes, he returned to Yan Xi’s bedroom, only to find him already asleep.
The other party had rejected his temptation and activated the sleep evasion skill.
Shi Ye sat by the bed for a while, took out his pajamas, changed Yan Xi into them with gentle hands, and then left.
In the autumn afternoon, the streets were quiet, radiating a lazy atmosphere. Taking advantage of the lack of customers, Yan Xi sat at the counter, moving his mouse across the computer screen and doodling, essentially slacking off. Having studied design for several years, his basic skills were solid; drawing in his spare time kept his hands nimble and occasionally helped him land freelance work for extra cash.
Half an hour later, Yan Xi sighed and put down the mouse. No, it did not feel right. He used to practice on a tablet, but his tablet was with that scumbag. The mere thought of Cheng Zhen filled Yan Xi with irritation. He did not want to see that hypocritical face again, but the tablet held a large amount of personal data and important information that he had to recover.
Closing the software, Yan Xi called toward the back room, “Xiao Ye, I need to go out to handle some business tonight. You can head home yourself after work.”
Shi Ye pushed open the storeroom door, holding a box of electronic price tags. “Got it. What are you going to do?”
Yan Xi wore the expression of someone heading to a funeral. “Picking something up.”
Shi Ye placed the box into the cabinet under the counter and said considerately, “Brother Yan, are you not feeling unwell today? If you need something picked up, I can run the errand for you.”
Yan Xi glanced up, a spark of light flashing in his eyes. This was indeed a great idea; it would solve the problem without him having to show his face. However, the clever intern might inevitably guess the true relationship between him and Cheng Zhen.
Shi Ye clapped his hands. “Do not worry, Brother Yan. Just give me the address and contact number; I will definitely bring it back to you in perfect condition.”
Yan Xi struggled with how to explain. “It is just that person who came to the store last time…”
“Yeah, yeah,” Shi Ye interrupted, looking as if he understood perfectly. “I will not ask questions; I will just get the item. Do not worry, Brother Yan.”
Although the intern had only been there for a few days, Yan Xi could see he was a reliable young man. Relieved, he handed over his keys. He then sent a message to Cheng Zhen, stating that he would send someone over to return the keys and collect the tablet, hoping for his cooperation.
As soon as their shift ended, Shi Ye left with the keys. Watching the intern’s energetic retreating figure, Yan Xi’s eyelid twitched suddenly.
There should not be any accidents, right?