Zhao Yisen’s fingertips trembled slightly; it was the first time he had felt such an overwhelming surge of emotion.
The excitement, the stolen intimacy, the icy temperature of the desk, and the scorching breath of Gu Jia left him dizzy, rendering him completely unable to resist.
“!!!”
The blurred figure in front of the glass door paused in disbelief, then turned and walked away, looking dejected.
Assistant Jiang, who had failed to stop the person, felt his job security slipping away. After a moment of despair, he belatedly called the control room, ordering them to immediately revoke all elevator access to the top floor.
That day, multiple meetings scheduled in the top-floor conference room were canceled for no reason.
…
In front of the desk, Gu Jia withdrew the hand he had slipped inside Zhao Yisen’s white shirt and straightened up.
Looking down, he noticed that Zhao Yisen’s face was red almost to the roots of his ears. His fair fingers were clenched together, trembling slightly, and his waist was shaking as well.
“…”
Gu Jia lifted his thumb, which had been pressing against Zhao Yisen’s lips.
The rough pad of his thumb brushed over the thin lips, creating the illusion of a kiss.
Zhao Yisen felt a faint electric current surge through his body. He lowered his head and bit his lip, savoring the sensation and when he realized what he was doing, his face turned bright red in an explosion of color.
“…” Heh.
Witnessing this scene, Gu Jia let out a cold laugh.
In his previous life, although he acted ruthlessly in the business world, in terms of personal morality, he could be considered an upright gentleman who never forced himself upon others.
But now, he suddenly felt that the principles he had insisted upon were nothing more than words to be carved onto a tombstone utterly meaningless.
Staring at Zhao Yisen, the scene before him and the memories of his past life tore at each other. Gu Jia felt as if he were going insane; the heart in his chest hammered violently. After the intimacy of their skin, an even more terrifying thought grew out of thin air: a desire to destroy everything about the person before him.
“…”
Zhao Yisen didn’t know what was happening; his eyes were cast down, and his breathing was still ragged.
Taking a deep breath, Gu Jia slowly clenched his fists.
After a few heartbeats, the young CEO stepped back a few paces and raised his hands to tidy his clothes, as if nothing had happened.
Grabbing Zhao Yisen’s wrist, he led him into a suite within the CEO’s office a space decorated with high-end finishes that included a shower.
Using a black card to grant access, Gu Jia threw a towel and a set of fresh clothes into Zhao Yisen’s arms. He stared at him for a moment, ultimately saying nothing, and turned to leave.
Zhao Yisen: “…?”
…
After a cold shower, the flush on his face gradually faded, and Zhao Yisen finally calmed down.
Changing into the clothes Gu Jia had provided, he sat blankly in the office.
Checking his watch, it was already 4:00 PM. He had a dinner engagement with President Huang that evening to discuss raw material supplies.
Raw materials, the broken cash flow, Gu Jia… with too much information to process, Zhao Yisen felt his brain had ceased to function.
His chaotic thoughts were like a tangled ball of yarn. As he pondered, a question suddenly popped into his mind: Why did Gu Jia put a thumb there?
Did he feel that I didn’t trust him? That I didn’t ask him for help?
Or was it some other reason…
He felt a faint, lingering sense of disappointment.
Dragging his heavy legs, Zhao Yisen walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and stared blankly into the distance.
A moment later, his secretary called.
“President Yi, the things you ordered have been purchased. Tonight’s dinner with President Huang is at the Zuixianju restaurant, and the driver is waiting downstairs for you.”
“I understand.”
Hanging up, Zhao Yisen sighed, deciding to put these messy thoughts aside for now.
…
That night, Zuixianju.
“Little Yi, good to see you again!”
As soon as Zhao Yisen walked into the door, President Huang stood up enthusiastically from the table.
Although President Huang was seventy years old, he was still full of spirit, looking at him with a beaming smile.
“President Huang!”
Zhao Yisen’s smile was a bit strained at first, but he was soon infected by the elder’s high spirits. He smiled and pushed open the door
And then he saw Gu Jia sitting behind the door, completely obscured by it until that moment.
The smile on Zhao Yisen’s face vanished instantly.
“Cough, cough, cough…”
He coughed as if his lungs were about to come out.
“I’m the one who called President Gu here,” President Huang said, giving Zhao Yisen a concerned pat on the back. “Don’t be so formal. I know you both are busy with work; it’s rare that you can have a meal together.”
Zhao Yisen closed his eyes tightly, struggling.
President Huang, you are truly thoughtful.
The Zuixianju restaurant focused mainly on Zhejiang cuisine. The West Lake Vinegar Fish served first was elegantly presented, with a glossy, alluring color and an irresistible aroma. Yet, sitting with Gu Jia, Zhao Yisen had no appetite to enjoy it properly.
Gu Jia acted as if nothing were out of the ordinary, picking up a piece of the fish, tasting it, and then setting his chopsticks down with an expressionless face.
In fact, the man was still wearing the same clothes he had on during the day.
The cold suit, the black tie he had wrinkled with his own hands.
“…”
Zhao Yisen suddenly felt his ears grow hot.
President Huang had an outgoing personality; perhaps due to his age, he loved to recount his youthful experiences, and once he started, he was unstoppable.
Zhao Yisen nodded along while listening, gradually growing hungry, his gaze wandering toward the dishes on the round table.
Coincidentally, the dramatic-looking West Lake Vinegar Fish turned in front of him.
Remembering that Gu Jia had eaten some earlier, Zhao Yisen decided to follow suit and picked up a piece.
!!!
This bite was soul-shaking.
The moment the fish meat entered his mouth, an intense blend of vinegar and fishy odor struck him like a head-on collision.
Yue.
Zhao Yisen felt as if he had tasted the silt from the bottom of a lake.
Tears welled up in his eyes. Chef, the fish you cooked must have died with its eyes open!
As the muddy taste slowly dissipated, Zhao Yisen frowned: Wait, that’s not right. Gu Jia also ate this fish; why was his expression so calm and composed when he set his chopsticks down?
Zhao Yisen’s eyes widened in confusion.
Seeing this, President Huang thought the restaurant’s West Lake Vinegar Fish must be quite good and suited the young man’s taste.
He picked up a piece of fish and commented casually, “This restaurant’s fish is truly authentic…”
Don’t—
Before Zhao Yisen could reach out to stop him, President Huang had already swallowed the fish.
The next moment, a rainbow spewed from President Huang’s mouth.
Zhao Yisen couldn’t bear to look… This is truly a sin.
Before he could finish his lament, he saw the old man coughing violently, spinning the whole plate of West Lake Vinegar Fish in front of Zhao Yisen, looking at him with pity.
“Cough, cough, Little Yi suffered while studying abroad… If you like it, eat more.”
“Waiter,” he even thoughtfully called the staff over, “remove the bones and put all the meat in a bowl.”
Facing this overwhelming, hard-to-refuse kindness, Zhao Yisen fell silent.
This was clearly a misunderstanding, but he couldn’t bring himself to reject the old man’s face.
What to do?
While the waiter processed the fish, Zhao Yisen’s eyes fell on the other person at the table.
I’ve got it.
Across from President Huang, Gu Jia was staring down, lost in thought. A moment later, a small bowl filled with fish meat was placed in front of him.
Zhao Yisen looked at him “affectionately.”
“President Gu, eat more.”
Gu Jia: “…”
Zhao Yisen felt that his actions killed three birds with one stone: by asking for Gu Jia’s help, he demonstrated his trust in him, preserved President Huang’s face, and saved himself from being buried at sea along with this fish.
Anyway, Gu Jia seemed to like it quite a bit.
President Huang, who had been nearly poisoned by the fish, sighed emotionally as he looked at Gu Jia. “The bond between young people is truly wonderful.”
Under President Huang’s scorching gaze, Gu Jia offered a stiff smile, picked up his chopsticks, and swept his gaze toward Zhao Yisen.
Zhao Yisen inexplicably sensed a hint of murderous intent in that look.
…Must be because he’s too moved.
Putting the West Lake Vinegar Fish aside, after three rounds of drinks, the dinner finally got to the point.
Raising his wine glass, President Huang got straight to the point: “Little Yi, how is the progress of your villa complex project, and how much raw material is still estimated to be lacking?”
! Zhao Yisen immediately took the document out of his briefcase and handed it to President Huang, saying, “President Huang, the specific statistical figures are all here. The total amount is probably just under thirty million.”
“Thirty million…”
President Huang flipped through the proposal, looking somewhat hesitant.
Gu Jia’s eyes were indifferent as he swallowed the fish meat in his mouth.
Thirty million was not a small sum.
Asking for help from others was not that easy.
He watched Zhao Yisen as if watching a play, only to see the young man reach into his briefcase and pull out
Zhao Yisen pulled out a pair of kuaiban (bamboo clappers).
President Huang was instantly interested, putting down the proposal and watching Zhao Yisen with surprise and excitement.
As it turned out, President Huang was a big fan of xiangsheng (crosstalk) and a veteran kuaiban enthusiast.
Zhao Yisen raised his hands, and the sharp, rhythmic sounds of the bamboo clappers echoed throughout the private room.
With the rhythmic clacking of the bamboo, he recited a rhyming chant about the advantages and future development of the villa project, adding a catchy, auspicious segment: “…May you have wealth arriving from all directions, joy knocking at your door, dragons soaring and tigers leaping—may your whole family be happy!”
“Good, good, good!”
President Huang stood up and applauded.
“I never imagined that, having studied abroad, Little Yi would know how to play the kuaiban!”
To be honest, Zhao Yisen hadn’t imagined that a skill he learned in middle school would come in handy at a time like this.