Right beside the resort was the vast ocean. A cool sea breeze gently brushed against his face, and Liang Ling squinted slightly, turning his head to ask Wen Ming, “Is this what you called Lingyue Bay?”
“Yeah, wasn’t it written on the road sign as we drove in?” Wen Ming blinked and led him into a modern-looking building.
The interior was lavishly decorated, clearly a gathering place for social elites. Liang Ling had an immediate premonition of trouble. If nothing else, this meal was bound to be extraordinarily expensive.
Wen Ming chatted and laughed with a foreign chef for a moment. The chef gave them an OK gesture and then called a waiter to lead them to the top-floor VIP suite.
As soon as they were seated, Liang Ling was captivated by the scenery before him. The entire floor-to-ceiling glass window looked directly out onto the distant, tranquil, mirror-like sea. The myriad lights of the resort and commercial street were scattered like dense stars, and the fountain performance embedded among them was exquisite, looking truly breathtaking.
Wen Ming poured the red wine into a decanter, the corners of his lips curving upward as he said, “This place is newly built and not on the map yet. Since it happened to be called Lingyue Bay, I thought I would bring you to check it out.”
Liang Ling pressed his lips together slightly. Although this had nothing in common with the place he was trying to find, Wen Ming had meant well, so he smiled and said, “Thank you.”
Wen Ming gazed quietly at his face. Without the flush brought by the low-grade fever, his delicate face was fair and refined. Beneath long, slightly curled eyelashes were gentle eyes, and his polite, obedient demeanor made him look like a young deer with still-shaky legs.
He was quite cute.
“You’re welcome. It’s a shame, though. It’s not the place Mr. Liang is looking for.” Wen Ming took a sip of red wine and sighed with regret.
A trace of disappointment flickered in Liang Ling’s heart, but he still shook his head and smiled, “It’s fine. I was just out of my mind with fever and talking nonsense.”
Hearing this, Wen Ming smiled without a word, gesturing with his eyes for the chef to serve the pan-seared foie gras to Liang Ling. “Mr. Liang mentioned working at a malatang restaurant before?”
Liang Ling nodded. “Yes.”
Wen Ming frowned, feeling a trace of sympathy for him. “That must be very hard, and it doesn’t make much money either. Has Mr. Liang ever considered changing jobs?”
Liang Ling was stunned for a moment, then shook his head. “I never thought about it. Besides, I wouldn’t know how to find a good job anyway.”
Wen Ming looked slightly surprised, resting his chin on his hand as he asked, “Why is that?”
“For many reasons.” Liang Ling mumbled for a long time, unable to give a coherent explanation. He certainly couldn’t tell the other person that he had transmigrated here, possessed no academic degrees, household registration, or technical background, and had nowhere to find a job.
Seeing his desolate expression, Wen Ming understood inwardly, and his sympathy deepened. After pondering for a moment, he decided to offer a helping hand out of righteousness: “How about this? If Mr. Liang needs it, you can come work at my company. My assistant just resigned recently, and I’m currently short-handed.”
Liang Ling was slightly startled, finding it hard to believe. “Ah? Really?”
Wen Ming raised an eyebrow slightly, looking displeased at the very memory. “Really. My former assistant’s girlfriend threw a tantrum and demanded he quit and go back to save their romance.”
Hearing this, a sense of respect welled up in Liang Ling’s heart. “I see. Your former assistant is truly a romantic person.”
Wen Ming gazed at him, his fingers stroking the wine glass as he smiled, “So? Is Mr. Liang willing?”
Liang Ling hesitated for a moment. He actually wanted a better job; after all, the pressure of living right now was too high, and he couldn’t possibly work at a malatang restaurant for the rest of his life. But if this job came from Wen Ming…
As if sensing his hesitation, Wen Ming said very considerately, “Don’t overthink it. I just feel that Mr. Liang and I share a strong connection. They say when you’re away from home, you rely on friends, and since Mr. Liang is facing difficulties right now, it’s only right that I help out. If you find a better job opportunity later and want to jump ship, I won’t stand in your way.”
Hearing him say this, a warmth surged in Liang Ling’s chest, and he gratefully said, “Then thank you very much.”
“It’s nothing.” Wen Ming pushed a steaming bowl of wing soup toward him, then changed the subject with a slight cough, “Of course, his resignation wasn’t entirely free of my own flaws. If Mr. Liang finds it unacceptable, you can leave at any time.”
“What do you mean by that?” Liang Ling asked, feeling a bit strange. He was just an assistant helping the CEO handle trivial daily matters. What could possibly be unacceptable?
“Well, because I happen to have a bit of obsessive-compulsive disorder and can be rather picky about food, clothing, and daily necessities.” Wen Ming felt a slight pang of guilt while maintaining a calm exterior. “So handling things might be a bit troublesome. Is Mr. Liang willing?”
Liang Ling stared quietly at Wen Ming’s face, utterly unable to imagine what could be troublesome about a mature, elegant, and considerate man like him. Wasn’t a job like this practically a pie falling from the sky?
“It’s fine, I’m not afraid of trouble.” Liang Ling offered a gentle smile.
Wen Ming curved the corners of his mouth, gracefully raising his wine glass to toast him. “So, is the contract established? Shall we celebrate?”
Liang Ling smiled, picked up his glass to clink it against Wen Ming’s, and drained the red wine in one gulp.
Delighted by his straightforwardness, Wen Ming poured him another glass and quickly led the dizzy Liang Ling into the next topic.
Hot. It was so hot.
Liang Ling felt his entire body plunged into chaos, his forehead burning alarmingly. There seemed to be the sound of flowing water nearby, and wisps of steamy heat drifted across his face, making even breathing feel restricted.
Where on earth was he?
Struggling to open his eyes, Liang Ling found himself soaking stark naked in a pool. Above him was the bright moonlight, and what he was leaning against was a burning hot chest.
“You?!” Liang Ling tried to flee in a panic, but the person behind him pulled him tighter. The man’s chest vibrated as a deep, magnetic voice sounded right beside his ear: “Don’t move. Soak for a bit longer.”
Hearing this, Liang Ling turned his head away in shame and anger. Sure enough, he saw someone lazily leaning against the edge of the pool, and asked angrily, “What do you think you’re doing?”
“What am I doing? You were drunk, so I just carried you here to take a soak. Nothing happened.” Wen Ming said, shrugging with a mixture of exasperation and amusement, baring his upper body as if to prove his innocence. This frightened Liang Ling into immediately turning his head away.
“Stop acting like a hooligan.”
Wen Ming couldn’t understand why Liang Ling was reacting so strongly. “We’re both men. Why are you so easily embarrassed?”
Liang Ling sat with his back to him, sulking. I am an omega.
Wen Ming curled his lips and scooted slightly farther away. “Fine, the center is deep. Come over here.”
Only then did Liang Ling paddle over slowly. Looking at Wen Ming’s wounded expression, he secretly doubted whether he was being overly cautious. It was just soaking in a pool, after all, and the guy hadn’t done anything out of line.
“Um, sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you.” Liang Ling apologized in a soft voice, his nose red with a single crystal bead of water clinging to it.
Wen Ming smiled magnanimously, shrugging his shoulders. “It’s fine. It’s too late today, so I booked a room. Let’s just sleep here.”
Seeing him back away as if facing a formidable enemy, Wen Ming quickly pressed him down. “Relax, I booked two rooms.”
Only then did Liang Ling breathe a sigh of relief and calm down. “I have to go back to work at the shop tomorrow.”
Wen Ming looked at him in surprise, finding it incomprehensible. “You’re already willing to quit, why are you still thinking about that old job?”
Liang Ling refused with a deadpan expression. “No can do. Two more days and I get my paycheck.”
Wen Ming curled his lips, feeling a bit disdainful of this drive to earn money from two sources. “Well, go to sleep first then. I’ll drop you back tomorrow morning.”
Unable to argue with him, Liang Ling had no choice but to agree.
When the two of them stepped out of the pool to change clothes, Liang Ling caught a whiff of that crisp Longjing scent again and couldn’t help twitching his nose. Catching this little movement, Wen Ming smiled and asked, “You seem very sensitive to scents?”
It wasn’t scents. It was pheromones. Too lazy to explain it further to him, Liang Ling replied blandly, “Maybe so.”
“Wait.” Wen Ming suddenly called out to him as Liang Ling, half-changed, turned around. “What is it?”
Wen Ming crossed his arms and leaned against the wardrobe, smiling as he looked him up and down, making Liang Ling feel a bit awkward.
“Mr. Liang has a really great figure, but these clothes are a bit ragged and don’t do justice to your temperament.”
Liang Ling’s face flushed slightly, and he let out a soft “Oh.”
Wen Ming’s gaze lingered on him for a good while before finally letting him go, leading him upstairs to rest.
“Good night, Mr. Liang. Sweet dreams.” Wen Ming stood at the door of the guest room, smiling warmly as he said goodnight.
Liang Ling inexplicably felt a wave of shyness. Wen Ming’s magnetic voice carried an ambiguous intimacy, as if he were wishing his little lover sweet dreams.
“You too.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Liang Ling flushed crimson, frantically swiped his card to push the door open, and locked Wen Ming outside.
Leaving a bewildered Wen Ming standing frozen in the breeze.
“Goodness.” After a moment, Wen Ming couldn’t help laughing out loud.