The next morning, Ji Qingyan opened his eyes to find himself encircled in someone’s arms, his back pressed tightly against the chest of the person behind him. He struggled slightly, and the arm around his waist suddenly tightened, firmly pinning him against that chest.
“Don’t move…”
Lu Qi buried his face into the back of Ji Qingyan’s neck, nuzzling against his neck like a puppy. The moment Ji Qingyan moved even a little, Lu Qi whimpered pitifully.
Ji Qingyan was amused by his whimpers—he must still be half-asleep.
He tried to pull away the arm wrapped around his waist but found it impossible to move. Even asleep, Lu Qi had such strength. With difficulty, Ji Qingyan turned over, bringing his face close to Lu Qi’s.
Lu Qi slept peacefully, his usually deep eyes now tightly shut. His hair was disheveled, a few strands falling over his brows, softening his usual sharpness and giving him the air of a boy next door.
Whether awake or asleep, Lu Qi’s face was flawlessly handsome.
Ji Qingyan reached out and touched Lu Qi’s cheek. It felt nice, and he couldn’t resist giving it a few pinches. Sleeping so soundly, he didn’t even realize he was being taken advantage of. How foolish.
Feeling the unusual sensation on his face, Lu Qi groggily opened his eyes. Looking down and seeing Ji Qingyan, he drowsily closed them again, wrapping his arms tightly around Ji Qingyan’s shoulders, his voice thick with sleep.
“Mmm, Wife~”
Thinking he was still dreaming, Lu Qi shifted, burying his face into Ji Qingyan’s chest. He even managed to rub one of the pajama buttons loose, like a large dog nestling into its owner’s embrace to act spoiled.
What had he just heard? Lu Qi actually called him Wife?
Ji Qingyan reached out, cupped Lu Qi’s head, and lifted his face, frowning as he said, “I’m not your Wife. Lu Qi, wake up.”
As he spoke, he lightly patted Lu Qi’s cheek, trying to rouse him.
Lu Qi opened his eyes and finally woke up.
“You are my Wife,” Lu Qi muttered softly, his voice so low Ji Qingyan couldn’t make it out.
Ji Qingyan slapped the back of Lu Qi’s head, saying impatiently, “Now that you’re awake, get up quickly. We still have to go to work later.”
Lu Qi released his shoulders, reached back to touch his head, and looked at Ji Qingyan in disbelief. “Ji Qingyan, you actually hit me.”
“Does it hurt that much?” Ji Qingyan sat on the bed, fastening his pajama buttons as he glanced down at the man sprawled on the mattress.
“Mmm, I need a kiss to feel better.” Lu Qi’s face was buried in the pillow, his voice muffled.
Now Ji Qingyan understood—he was perfectly fine.
Ji Qingyan kicked his butt through the blanket, saying irritably, “Get lost. Don’t act like a pervert first thing in the morning.”
“Who’s the pervert here?” Lu Qi shot up from the bed.
Ji Qingyan couldn’t be bothered to argue. He picked up his phone and checked the time—7:30.
He put on his glasses and got out of bed, turning back to look at the man still standing on the mattress. “Are you having breakfast?”
“Yes!”
Lu Qi also climbed out of bed, thinking to himself, How is this any different from living together?
“I’ll go back to wash up first and come over later. Make a little extra.”
“Got it.” Watching him leave the room, Ji Qingyan shook his head with a smile.
He had slept well last night, waking up unusually refreshed and clear-headed. Lu Qi’s method seemed quite effective after all.
The doorbell rang just as Ji Qingyan had finished setting breakfast on the table. He went to open the door.
Lu Qi appeared to have dressed up meticulously, even styling his hair deliberately. He wore a burgundy shirt with the top button undone, revealing his collarbone and a small portion of his chest. The hem of the shirt was tucked into his pants, accentuating his perfect inverted triangle physique—broad shoulders and a narrow waist, even more impressive than a model’s.
Ji Qingyan sized him up for a few seconds, fell silent for a moment, and then asked hesitantly, “Are you… preparing to get married?”
Lu Qi glanced down at his outfit and asked nervously, “What? Does it not look good?”
This shirt had been chosen for him by Shi Zaiqing, who had insisted in the mall that it would look great on him. Lu Qi now felt a pang of regret, wondering if Ji Qingyan thought he looked too flashy.
Ji Qingyan’s eyes held a hint of admiration as he smiled and said, “It looks very good. It’s just the first time I’ve seen you wear something other than black or white, so I was a bit surprised.”
Lu Qi immediately breathed a sigh of relief and followed Ji Qingyan into the living room. There, he saw two plates of steamed dumplings and buns on the dining table, along with two cups of soy milk.
Ji Qingyan sat down in a chair and said to Lu Qi, “I only know how to prepare simple breakfasts. Please make do with this.”
It turned out that his idea of preparing breakfast was simply taking frozen dumplings and buns out of the fridge and steaming them.
Knowing that Lu Qi had a big appetite, Ji Qingyan had steamed extra dumplings and seven buns.
Lu Qi was never picky about food. He buried his head in his meal, taking half a bun in one bite. Though he ate heartily, it didn’t come across as crude—instead, it was rather pleasing to watch.
Ji Qingyan elegantly took a sip of soy milk, using Lu Qi’s face as a visual accompaniment to his meal.
Ji Qingyan didn’t have a large appetite and felt full after eating just a little. Lu Qi, on the other hand, ate five buns and quickly finished the remaining dumplings. Noticing that Ji Qingyan still had some soy milk left in his cup, he asked, “Not drinking it?”
“I’m full. Can’t drink any more.”
Without hesitation, Lu Qi reached over, took his cup, tilted his head back, and downed the remaining soy milk in one go. He placed the empty cup on the table and wiped the corner of his mouth with his hand.
“That’s the one I drank from,” Ji Qingyan said.
Lu Qi leaned back, crossed his arms, raised an eyebrow, and said with a roguish grin, “I’ve already tasted your saliva. What’s the big deal?”
“Lu Qi!” Ji Qingyan glared at him, flustered and angry.
“Oh, is President Ji getting shy?” Lu Qi tilted his head and smiled, finding his irritated expression amusing. “I’m just joking. Don’t take it seriously. I’ll go wash the dishes now.”
After teasing him, Lu Qi quickly tried to make up for it by gathering the bowls from the table and heading toward the kitchen.
Ji Qingyan watched his figure in the kitchen and muttered under his breath, “Why is he so annoying?”
Upon arriving at the company, Ji Qingyan went to the pantry to pour himself a cup of coffee. It wasn’t yet working hours, and several employees were still chatting inside.
As he walked out with his coffee, he suddenly overheard their conversation. Standing around the corner, he remained unseen.
“Don’t you think President Ji and Young Master Lu are such a great match?”
Another person chimed in, “I thought I was the only one who thought so! Last time, I saw President Ji fixing Young Master Lu’s collar, and Young Master Lu kept staring at him—like he wanted to do him right then and there.”
“I bet President Ji is the one who gets topped.”
Ji Qingyan’s hand holding the coffee trembled slightly. He hadn’t expected his employees to discuss such topics so openly in private. He scoffed quietly to himself—he was definitely not the one who got topped.
He slipped one hand into his pocket and turned to leave the tea room.