After that, he wasn’t quite sure what happened. All he knew was that he must have returned to that glaringly white bed in a daze and eventually fallen asleep.
The next day, when he woke up, he was the only one in the bed.
Then, Zhao Chenxing went abroad.
He didn’t tell him. To be precise, he was informed that day…
*
In the [Xiaoyao] live stream room, the audience was currently mocking Zhan Wen and Zhou Jiayu.
It was because the two of them had arrogantly wandered around, only to end up back at the same Western restaurant that was hiring waitstaff.
A chilly autumn breeze swept past their faces, carrying fallen leaves. Film Emperor Zhan’s mouth twitched slightly, and Zhou Jiayu, feeling the low pressure around him, dared not speak.
[Hhhh, this is truly hilarious! The joke’s on Zhan Wen!]
[Going around in circles and still ending up here!]
[Love at the corner~ The boss is saying to you: Saranghae~]
[I can almost hear the restaurant saying to them: Today you ignore me, tomorrow you can’t afford me!!]
[Mr. Zhan: Maybe you should just delete me, I grit my teeth and order you to say this!]
Ding! The door of Xitu Lanya Restaurant was pushed open from the inside.
A man walked out of the restaurant, dressed in a well-tailored suit that accentuated his slender and well-proportioned figure. The suit tightly wrapped around his hips, outlining a perfect peach shape.
The man, at the boss’s signal, came to ask what the two people standing at the door meant.
“Excuse me, do you two need something?” The guy’s voice was magnetic, not greasy, and his golden hair fluttered in the autumn wind.
Zhan Wen looked him up and down carefully, then smiled and asked, “Are you a waiter here?”
“Yes, are you here for the job advertisement?” The guy said, pointing to the poster stuck on the door.
Zhan Wen didn’t reply, so Zhou Jiayu chimed in, “Yes, we’re here to apply for the waiter position.”
Hearing that they were indeed here for the job, the guy visibly relaxed and said, “You should have said so earlier. Standing at the door for so long, the boss thought you were here to cause trouble. Come on in with me.”
Zhan Wen followed the guy inside, his gaze slightly lowered. The live stream viewers thought he was reluctant to enter the restaurant, but in reality, Mr. Zhan was just admiring a certain beautiful shape.
“Aili Jie, they’re here to apply,” the guy said to a woman in her thirties at the cash register.
Upon hearing this, the woman looked up from a pile of accounts, her eyes lighting up when she saw Zhan Wen’s face. She quickly came out from behind the cash register to welcome them, “You’re here for the job, that’s great! Have a seat. Xiao Liang, get them some water.”
“You came just in time. Ever since a few waiters quit one after another a few days ago, the restaurant has been struggling to keep up.” Aili herself had even started taking on multiple roles, “The job ad was only posted this morning, you really are a godsend! You must be sent by God to save me!”
Before the guy could finish pouring the water, Aili had already spilled out her recent troubles to them like beans.
Zhan Wen, lacking interest, crossed his arms and surveyed the Xitu Lanya Restaurant.
The restaurant wasn’t big, probably because it was next to the square, where the rent was too high, and there weren’t any large shops nearby. However, despite its small size, it was luxuriously decorated and high-end. Even though it was past mealtime, there were still a few couples in the restaurant whispering sweet nothings.
Zhan Wen snorted, interrupting Aili’s passionate outpouring, just as the guy brought the water over.
“Oh, I was so busy talking about myself that I forgot the main thing.” Aili scanned the two people sitting across from her, refocusing on the obviously more handsome Zhan Wen.
“Do you have any work experience?” Aili really wanted to hire them on the spot, especially since handsome men were hard to come by, but she still had to follow the process.
“No.”
???
Aili thought she had misheard. Did the handsome man across from her just say ‘no’?
“Um? Sorry, I think I had a moment of tinnitus. What did you just say?” Aili couldn’t believe it. Was there really someone applying for a job with this attitude? She thought she must have misheard and gave them a chance to correct themselves.
Seeing that Zhan Wen was about to repeat ‘no,’ Zhou Jiayu quickly interjected with a smile, “Sister, of course, we have. Look at this great location, and you’re so kind-hearted, it must be a good job.”
Hmm, that’s more like it.
After asking for their names, ages, and other basic information, Aili discovered that the handsome man was already 35! Wow! Isn’t that just perfect~
“Mr. Zhan, you’re already 35.”
“Yes, what’s the matter?” Zhan Wen, naturally proud and disliking lies, didn’t falsify his age, “Can’t be a waiter, right?”
After saying that, Zhan Wen was ready to stand up and leave. The look in the boss lady’s eyes made him uncomfortable, like a fish on a chopping board, making him feel uneasy all over.
The boss lady, though looking frail, moved quickly and grabbed Zhan Wen’s hand, even sneakily touching it a couple of times.
Zhan Wen felt deeply violated, even as a grown man, and immediately shook off Aili.
Zhan Wen’s eyes were full of disgust, and just as he was about to speak harshly, Aili interrupted him.
“Mr. Zhan, why the rush~” Aili, not angry at being shaken off, said with a smile, “I have an even better job for you~”
Zhan Wen didn’t want to know. He took a deep breath, suppressing his discomfort, and said in a low voice, “I’m over your age requirement. If I enter a profession, I must follow its rules.”
“That’s not how it works. Rules are dead, but people are alive.”
“Although you can’t be a waiter, you can help me at the front desk with the accounts~”
[Dbq! Laughing and crying!]
[Mr. Zhan! Run fast.jpg]
[She! Wants! To! Seduce! You!]
*
Jiang Liyue had a deep sleep. When he opened his eyes, he couldn’t even tell if he was in reality or in ‘Huan World.’
He raised his eyes and was momentarily blinded by the sunlight, using his hand to shield his eyes. Once he adjusted, he saw Zhao Chenxing’s slender neck and prominent Adam’s apple, leading up to a delicate jawline.
He always knew his brother was good-looking. Even though others always said he was the better-looking one between the two of them, he stubbornly believed those people were blind.
“Awake?” Zhao Chenxing noticed him shielding his eyes and slightly moved his legs, which had gone numb.
Jiang Liyue didn’t hear what Zhao Chenxing said. He only felt the warmth at the back of his head, as his brother had lent him his legs as a pillow, afraid he might be uncomfortable.
Thinking this, Jiang Liyue slightly turned his face. The knee pillow was too comfortable, no wonder so many couples liked this position.
He was awake, but he had no intention of getting up, Zhao Chenxing thought.
In fact, he even turned over, burying his entire face in Zhao Chenxing’s abdomen, and then Zhao Chenxing felt Jiang Liyue wrap his arms around his waist.
“Hey hey!” Zhao Chenxing’s stomach was tickled by Jiang Liyue’s hair, and he used his hand to brush his hair aside, saying, “You’re an artist, mind your image!”
Jiang Liyue withdrew his left hand from behind Zhao Chenxing’s waist, glanced at the indicator light on his wristband, which was flashing red. Then he wrapped his arm back around, lazily saying, “No one’s watching now.”
Zhao Chenxing was amused, “But you can’t just be lazy like this, we’re still on work time.”
Jiang Liyue, buried in Zhao Chenxing’s abdomen, took a deep breath and said in a muffled voice, “These years, I haven’t been lazy even once.”
Hearing this, Zhao Chenxing’s hand, which was playing with Jiang Liyue’s hair, paused.
“Just for a while~” Jiang Liyue said, “Okay? Brother.”
Zhao Chenxing was puzzled, “Tell me, is there something in my stomach? Worth you inhaling like crazy?”
…
Jiang Liyue never heard the kind of response he imagined from his brother.
For example, he thought his brother would helplessly and dotingly say, “You’re acting so spoiled, how can I refuse?”
Every time he heard his brother’s unusual responses, he just felt that his brother’s thought process was out of the ordinary.
Actually, Zhao Chenxing’s thought was, “You’re comfortable, but my leg’s numb!”
He couldn’t understand why, when he used to rest his head on Jiang Liyue’s lap, Jiang Liyue never said it was numb. Was it the wrong position?
In the past, he was the one who liked to be lazy, preferring to rest his head on Jiang Liyue’s lap to watch TV, and then fall asleep while watching.
Maybe to outsiders, especially his high school classmates, it seemed like Zhao Chenxing was the one accommodating Jiang Liyue.
But the truth was, between the two of them, Zhao Chenxing was the one being indulged. No matter what he asked Jiang Liyue to do, Jiang Liyue would do it for him without hesitation, which turned him into a ‘young master’ who had everything done for him.
*
[Wuxin is live!! Sisters, come! Gather!]
[Is brother okay now!!]
[Wuwu, it’s so good to see brother again!]
[By the way, they haven’t returned for so long, were they just waiting for Jiang Liyue to wake up? What were they doing?]
[Didn’t you see they’re discussing how to make money now?]
At this moment, Jiang Liyue had already stood up from the steps, his height almost reaching the sunshade umbrella.
Zhao Chenxing was still sitting on the steps, lazily stretching and yawning, “We can only make money in the square now.”
Hearing this, Jiang Liyue frowned, feeling guilty, “I’m sorry, it’s all my fault for not completing the punishment…”
Zhao Chenxing waved his hand, unconcerned, “What’s it got to do with you? If you trace it back, it’s because I slept in.”
“Sorry, I didn’t wake you up in the morning…”
Zhao Chenxing didn’t quite understand Jiang Liyue’s thought process at the moment, “Are you a ‘sorry’ expert? Apologizing non-stop? I already said it’s not your fault.”
Jiang Liyue wasn’t like this before. It felt like this trip back home changed more than just him.
Seeing Jiang Liyue still wanting to say something, Zhao Chenxing quickly said, “If you apologize again, then it’s—”
“Wrong, wrong, it’s your fault!” After saying that, Zhao Chenxing laughed himself.
Seeing Zhao Chenxing wasn’t really angry, Jiang Liyue quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhao Chenxing squinted his eyes, scanning the square, mentally calculating for a few seconds before saying, “Being punished here isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”
“What do you mean?” Jiang Liyue raised an eyebrow. The square was full of people, and the shops were on the streets around the square, arranged in a web-like pattern. They were restricted to the circular square centered around the fountain.
Zhao Chenxing had just yawned, his eyes misty and looking quite attractive. He raised a sly smile and said, “Did you forget where I studied abroad?”
Others might forget, but Jiang Liyue wouldn’t. This city was probably etched into his bones, he wouldn’t forget.
“This is my home turf, how can I let them down?” Zhao Chenxing smiled, his eyes full of confidence and determination.
[What the heck?! The assistant studied abroad?]
[Do you know what a sea turtle is? Just a gilded title, useless!]
[Is Zhao just bragging? I don’t believe you have any good ideas.]
[Please don’t embarrass brother!]
*
At this moment, at the headquarters of NEURON in North America.
Luo Ning, wearing high heels, didn’t even knock and directly pushed into the CEO’s office.
Luo Ning: “Why didn’t you tell me Zhao Chenxing is participating in that variety show?”
In the CEO’s office sat a young man around 25, looking very shrewd. He was the rising star in the tech circle, NEURON’s founder, Xi Hongzhuo.
“Luo Ning, it’s not that I didn’t tell you, I just found out about it too.” Xi Hongzhuo rubbed his temples, “I didn’t expect Chenxing to run back home and join a variety show, people who are completely unrelated…”
“The variety show organizers must have given you the list in advance, how could you not know?” Luo Ning leaned assertively against the CEO’s office door, while the subordinates working overtime outside perked up their ears to listen to the gossip.
What’s going on, are the two founders arguing? Are they going to split up?
“The variety show suddenly aired ahead of schedule, and the list was only updated yesterday. It was on my desk, and I didn’t have time to look at it.” Xi Hongzhuo had been overwhelmed with work due to the company’s upcoming IPO, and hadn’t had time to go over every little thing, “Besides, even if you know now, you can’t go there, you have so many projects on hand.”
Luo Ning directly ignored the latter half of Xi Hongzhuo’s sentence and said, “No matter how busy I am, I will still care about the co-founder of our company.”
“Moreover—” Luo Ning curled her lips and said.
“He’s still my boyfriend, you know, I’m already eager to see him!”
After saying that, Luo Ning left the CEO’s office gracefully, leaving Xi Hongzhuo alone to clean up the mess she left behind.