Only after sitting down on the comfortable small sofa did Lin Haobai finally let out a sigh of relief. Feeling that his hand was still tightly held, he quickly tried to shake it free.
It wouldn’t budge.
Before he could say anything, Ren Tianxing followed the motion and slid right up beside him. The small single-seat lounge chair suddenly had to accommodate two men over six feet tall. It creaked twice, the soft cushioning seeming to tremble, pressing their bodies even closer together.
From shoulder to arm to hip to thigh, Lin Haobai could feel every part of himself fitting snugly against the other man without the slightest gap.
Ren Tianxing lowered his head as he leaned in, his soft hair brushing directly against Lin Haobai’s neck. The familiar scent and warmth spread around him.
Lin Haobai instinctively felt that something about the atmosphere wasn’t right. A vague sense of danger made him want to jump up.
But before he could move, Ren Tianxing released the large hand that had seemed ready to hold on forever.
Already unsettled by the subtle intimacy, goosebumps prickling along his back, Lin Haobai immediately prepared to stand up and switch seats once his hand was freed. The room was absurdly spacious anyway, if Ren Tianxing wanted this sofa, he could have it.
But how could Ren Tianxing let such a good opportunity slip by?
The moment he saw Lin Haobai’s long legs about to move, he pressed one hand firmly onto the other man’s solid thigh, while the other arm rested along the back of the sofa. His beautiful head then buried itself into Lin Haobai’s neck like an affectionate puppy.
Lin Haobai instantly stiffened, as if he had turned into a figurine.
“Be good. Let me rest for a bit.”
With that, Ren Tianxing closed his eyes, as though he had truly begun to fall asleep.
Lin Haobai really wanted to push the head off his neck. But when he lowered his gaze, he saw the faint dark circles beneath those now-closed beautiful eyes. He knew the other man was genuinely tired.
Every time he entered his figurine form, whether day or night, what he saw most often was Ren Tianxing working tirelessly. Although this guy’s tongue could be as sharp as poison at times and as sweet as honey at others, most of the time he was conscientious and devoted to his work.
He had once thought that all wealthy tycoons spent their days traveling and indulging in hobbies, simply enjoying life. Ren Tianxing’s existence showed him that some people, despite being extremely rich, still worked incredibly hard.
And he liked people who worked hard.
At that thought, his rigid body finally relaxed.
Forget it. His good friend had gone through something so nerve-racking today, he’d just take the loss and let him lean on him for a while.
At that moment, he didn’t realize that just a few steps away stood an extremely comfortable bed. Lying on it would surely have been far better than resting against his firm, solid shoulder.
Nor did he realize that as his body relaxed, the other man shifted his full weight onto him. Two strong arms wrapped him completely in an embrace, and warm lips rested against his neck, curving slightly upward.
For a time, the room was filled with a warm, harmonious atmosphere.
When the person beside him gradually leaned closer, breathing evening out, Ren Tianxing, who had been pretending to sleep with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his beautiful eyes.
They were clear and bright; one glance was enough to tell he hadn’t been asleep at all.
Looking at Lin Haobai’s face, which appeared especially youthful in sleep, he curled his lips slightly.
Carefully steadying the other man’s upper body, he slowly lifted his head. Of course, before doing so, he deliberately brushed his lips lightly against the neck he had long been coveting.
The motion made Lin Haobai’s body tremble instinctively. He quickly reached out, stroked the other man’s hair, and patted his back in reassurance.
Once he confirmed that Lin Haobai’s breathing had evened out again, he rose smoothly and lifted him up in a bridal carry. The tall, well-built body was gathered effortlessly into his arms as he walked toward the large bed ahead.
After laying him down on his own bed, he bent and pressed a light kiss to his forehead. Then he picked up his phone and headed to the conference room next door.
Lin Haobai felt as if his whole body were drifting, like duckweed floating on water. He tried to reach out and grasp something, but he couldn’t move. The surroundings were comfortable, the temperature just right. He knew, he had slipped back into his figurine form again.
He had meant to keep Ren Tianxing company while he rested. How had he ended up falling asleep too?
Before he could think further, his body came to a stop. He sensed that he was back in the usual place. The familiar scent told him he was in Ren Tianxing’s pocket. Hadn’t he said he was tired? Hadn’t he asked him to stay and rest? Why was he running around instead of resting?
“Boss, we’ve found out what happened.”
A calm voice sounded. Tucked inside the pocket, Lin Haobai had no idea who it was.
“Good.”
Ren Tianxing’s familiar voice, edged with indifference, responded with a single word. Then came the rustling sound of papers being flipped, documents in hand.
Lin Haobai felt as though a swarm of tiny insects were crawling inside his chest, making him unbearably itchy with curiosity. He desperately wanted to see the documents too. They had to be about the car chase earlier that day.
Sure enough, after about ten minutes, he heard Ren Tianxing speak again. “Send lawyer’s letters to the owners of those vehicles. At the same time, report this incident to the traffic police. Whatever procedures need to be handled or investigations conducted, cooperate fully.”
“Boss, aren’t we going to do anything?” The head bodyguard made a gesture across his neck.
Even though Lin Haobai couldn’t see it, the tone alone carried a dangerous implication.
“No. We are law-abiding citizens. The police will take care of arresting criminals,” Ren Tianxing said, his gaze fixed on the complex transfer routes in the report, stopping at a familiar name.
After a moment, he looked away and calmly instructed the bodyguard to cooperate with the authorities.
He then tossed the documents onto the table, producing a crisp bang.
“Hmph. Such petty tricks, and after more than a decade, they still dare to use them.”
Ren Tianxing thought of the incident from over ten years ago and compared it to today. He knew the other party was trying to repeat the same scheme. But society had progressed; it was no longer the chaotic, lawless era of the past. Those who tried to fish in troubled waters and break the law, before long, he would make sure they suffered a crushing defeat, one they would never recover from.
Lin Haobai felt as if he had just overheard something significant.
But what exactly had happened more than ten years ago?
After pondering for a moment, he simply shook the thought away. As the saying went, what wealthy family didn’t have its own stories? Perhaps something major had happened to the Ren Group back then. He had only been a child at the time, it was normal that he knew nothing about it.
Let the rich worry about the troubles of the rich. He would just focus on being his little Best Actor, making more films, earning money, and saving it up.
Just as he was thinking about how many zeros were in his bank savings, he sensed Ren Tianxing moving again. Then he heard him speaking to the housekeeper. “Uncle Cheng, prepare more seafood for dinner. Xiao Bai likes it, especially prawns. Make sure the kitchen picks large, fresh, live ones. Just boil them plainly, no need for anything fancy.”
The housekeeper nodded with a smile, utterly indulgent toward the young master who seemed so full of life.
“All right, all right, Young Master. I understand.”
Hearing that he had specifically instructed the housekeeper to prepare his favorite dishes, Lin Haobai suddenly felt that his earlier indifference toward Ren Tianxing’s affairs had been too cold.
A wave of guilt made him reflect on himself.
He seemed to have become terribly stingy. Even though this good friend treated him so well, just a slight sense of insecurity had made him think about distancing himself. That was truly unfair. How could he be so selfish?
This was awful.
At that moment, Lin Haobai felt like a supervillain. He began to wonder whether, from now on, he should sincerely cherish and treat properly the only good friend he had in his life.
Author’s Note:
The secret is slowly being revealed…