To avoid the morning rush hour traffic, Ji Qingyan had made it a habit to leave for the company half an hour earlier.
A low-key business sedan cruised along the road, the interior unusually quiet.
The man sitting in the back seat wore a white shirt paired with a black vest. His long legs were crossed, and a laptop rested on his lap. His slender, clean fingers tapped unhurriedly on the keyboard, the veins on the back of his hands clearly visible.
Those well-defined hands had the shirt sleeves slightly rolled up, revealing a silver wristwatch on his slim wrist. Ji Qingyan rested his slightly curled fingers against his lips, his gaze focused intently on the content displayed on the computer.
He lowered the car window. A heavy rain had fallen the night before, leaving the air fresh and crisp. The warm sunlight shone on his face, adding a touch of gentleness.
Suddenly, he caught sight of a familiar figure—tall and imposing—and Ji Qingyan noticed him instantly among the crowd.
Lu Qi walked along the street in a simple shirt and black pants, sipping soy milk. In his hand, a transparent plastic bag held a steamed bun.
A car pulled up beside him from behind. Lu Qi glanced casually and saw Ji Qingyan sitting in the back seat.
“Morning. Out for a walk?” Ji Qingyan greeted him first.
“Heading to the office,” Lu Qi replied, pausing briefly before adding, “I suppose you could call it a walk.”
It was hard to imagine someone of his status reduced to walking to work. “Where’s your company?” Ji Qingyan asked.
Lu Qi glanced at his phone and gave an address.
What a coincidence—it was near Ji Qingyan’s company. “Get in. I’ll give you a ride. It’s on my way.”
“Give me a moment.”
Lu Qi picked up the steamed bun and finished it in two bites, then downed the remaining soy milk in one go. After tossing the trash into a nearby bin, a pair of slender, elegant hands extended a tissue out of the car window. Lu Qi’s attention was drawn to those hands.
Seeing no response, Ji Qingyan waved his hand slightly. Only then did Lu Qi snap out of it, accepting the tissue to wipe his mouth.
The other car door opened, and Lu Qi bent down to slip into the back seat. Noticing the laptop on Ji Qingyan’s lap, he thought to himself how busy bosses must be, having to handle work even on the way to the office.
Ji Qingyan reached out, closed the laptop, and set it aside. “Why walk to the office? Where’s your car?”
Lu Qi adjusted his posture, settling into a more comfortable position with his hands resting on the armrests on either side.
“It’s in the garage. I couldn’t find the car keys before leaving, and since the company isn’t far, I figured I’d just walk. Consider it a stroll—a chance to enjoy the scenery.”
“I thought perhaps Young Master Lu was trying to experience the simple life.”
Hearing this, Lu Qi gave a light chuckle and looked at him. “Did you sleep well last night?”
“Quite well.”
After that, the conversation lulled, and the car fell silent. Ji Qingyan reopened his laptop and resumed his work.
The car came to a smooth stop in front of Yasen International. Lu Qi placed his hand on the door handle, about to step out, but suddenly sat back and turned to look at the person beside him.
Ji Qingyan glanced up at him, a questioning look in his eyes. “Hmm?”
Under the other’s puzzled gaze, Lu Qi leaned closer. With a gentle touch, he brushed down the collar of Ji Qingyan’s shirt. The mark on his neck hadn’t faded yet, resembling a red plum blossom adorning the side of his neck.
Lu Qi pressed his fingertip against it, gently rubbing the spot. When his slightly cool hand touched Ji Qingyan’s neck, Ji Qingyan flinched backward, only to be caught by a large hand gripping the nape of his neck the next second, pulling his body forward along with it.
Their faces were very close. Ji Qingyan lifted his eyes to look at Lu Qi’s face, seeing his own reflection in Lu Qi’s eyes.
Lu Qi avoided his gaze, looking instead at his neck, his tone firm: “Don’t move, let me see. Why hasn’t it faded yet?”
“It probably won’t fade that quickly,” Ji Qingyan said.
Lu Qi frowned, touching it again as he looked at Ji Qingyan’s face and asked, “Does it hurt?”
This was a question Lu Qi had wanted to ask back at the hotel but hadn’t found the courage to voice then.
Ji Qingyan shook his head: “It doesn’t hurt.”
He raised his hand to encircle Lu Qi’s wrist, staring directly into his eyes, then suddenly smiled and teased, “What, haven’t left any on your girlfriend?”
Seemingly teasing, but actually probing.
Lu Qi answered honestly: “I’ve never been in a relationship. Where would I get a girlfriend?”
“What about you?”
“What?” Ji Qingyan pretended not to understand his question.
The hand gripping the back of his neck tightened slightly. Lu Qi asked expressionlessly, “Have you ever been in a relationship?”
Ji Qingyan: “You…”
As if knowing what he was about to say, Lu Qi added, “Don’t make me guess.”
He didn’t know why he was so fixated on getting an answer from Ji Qingyan.
Ji Qingyan swallowed the words he was about to say. He shook Lu Qi’s wrist, his gaze lingering on Lu Qi’s face, deliberately avoiding a direct answer.
“Do you want to hear me say yes, or no?”
Suddenly, Ji Qingyan noticed Lu Qi’s eyes turning fierce, staring at him without saying a word.
If he teased any further, it might become hard to placate him. “I haven’t been in a relationship. What, are you going to introduce me to a boyfriend?”
Hearing that Ji Qingyan had never had a boyfriend, Lu Qi’s expression visibly softened. He released Ji Qingyan’s neck and said to him, “My friends aren’t reliable. You wouldn’t be a good match.”
“Are you saying I’m not good enough for them?”
Lu Qi stared at him for a few seconds. “No, they’re not good enough for you.”
He felt no guilt about disparaging his own friends because he was telling the truth.
Ji Qingyan smiled and let go of his hand. “If you don’t get out of the car soon, you’re going to be late.”
Lu Qi checked the time; he still had ten minutes before work. “Then I’ll head up first.”
Just as he was about to open the car door to get out, his arm was suddenly grabbed. A gentle voice sounded in his ear: “Wait a moment.”
Before he could react, Ji Qingyan leaned over to straighten his tie for him, explaining, “Your tie was crooked.”
Lu Qi looked down at the perfectly straightened tie and said, “Thank you.”
After getting out of the car, Lu Qi spoke to Ji Qingyan through the car door: “By the way, are you free at noon?”
“Yes, why?”
“I’ll come to your company to have lunch with you at noon.”
“Alright, I’ll wait for you.”
After Lu Qi entered the company, Ji Qingyan let the smile fade from his lips and said to the driver, “Let’s go.”
The partition in the car rose, and the driver had no idea what had just happened in the back.