Formatting 12

Chapter 12: Blurred Vision, Interested

The area around the apartment had complete facilities, including a 24-hour pharmacy and a Chinese restaurant that operated until late at night.

What troubled Chen Shuo was what kind of ointment to buy. He had absolutely no experience in this area, only knowing that homosexuals engaged in anal sex, but nothing more.

The lovers He Yan had kept before were all experienced and never bothered Chen Shuo with such matters; they only complained that He Yan didn’t visit them enough.

Chen Shuo couldn’t help but worry. If this one didn’t know anything, his work wouldn’t be smooth, unlike the drama queen Lin Yuzhi.

Parking in front of the pharmacy, he didn’t rush to get out. He opened his phone browser and searched for keywords like “how to reduce swelling and pain after anal sex for gay men.” The online doctor’s recommendations came up, both oral and topical medications.

Remembering the names of the medicines, Chen Shuo went into the pharmacy and directly asked the salesperson for both oral and topical medications, not forgetting the disposable gloves. When checking out, he was still a bit worried. If he bought the wrong medicine, this trip would be a waste.

“Hello, besides erythromycin ointment, are there any other ointments that can reduce swelling and pain?”

“Yes, yes, yes.” The middle-aged saleswoman, with a discerning eye, brought a box of ointment and introduced, “This one works well, my husband uses it too.”

Seeing the box of “Mayinglong Musk Hemorrhoids Ointment,” Chen Shuo almost lost control of his expression and immediately explained, “It’s not hemorrhoids, but it’s for that area, needs to reduce swelling and pain.”

The saleswoman thought Chen Shuo was embarrassed and said with a smile, “Oh, nine out of ten men have hemorrhoids, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Just use this, it treats the symptoms, it’s better than your erythromycin.”

“…” Chen Shuo didn’t like this misunderstanding.

Explaining would only make things worse. To prove that he was the lucky one out of “nine out of ten men,” Chen Shuo decisively rejected the saleswoman’s recommendation, ignoring the hemorrhoid ointment, paying and leaving.

Then he found a Chinese restaurant. Considering that his boss might also be hungry afterwards, he carefully selected from the menu, ordering loofah and tofu soup, cold okra, scrambled eggs with cucumber, steamed pork ribs with garlic, and boiled chicken legs.

When Chen Shuo arrived at Jinxi Bay 26-1601, more than an hour had passed. His boss opened the door for him personally.

“Sorry, CEO He. These dishes took an extra ten minutes, it’s for two people.”

“It’s okay.” He Yan instructed his assistant, “Put everything on the table, no need to change your shoes.”

Chen Shuo quickly went inside and placed the packaged food, medicine, and contract on the table. Throughout the process, he was light-footed and low-key, almost without a presence.

“Chen Shuo.”

“Yes, CEO He.”

Coincidentally, the lover He Yan had just kept was one of the people involved in Fei Fan’s car accident that day, and also the most seriously injured one, named Yuan Feng.

Yuan Feng had delicate features and fair skin, especially those innocent eyes that looked at He Yan, making He Yan unable to resist and become interested, deciding to keep him on the spot.

As a result, there was a huge misunderstanding. He Yan was played by the cunning boy. He, a veteran in love, had rarely been wronged like this. Not wanting to lose out, taking advantage of his good mood tonight, he directly brought the boy to his knees.

As a result, he went a bit overboard. The little lover cried and begged for mercy, then cunningly refused to sign the contract, clamoring for food.

The “keeping” contract wasn’t legally binding. The purpose of He Yan forcing Yuan Feng to sign it was to emotionally bind the little lover and remind him that this was just a clearly priced, mutually beneficial cooperation.

The relationship existed as long as the contract existed. Once the contract ended, so did the relationship.

“The boy in the room is called Yuan Feng,” He Yan briefly explained to his assistant, “Yuan as in one yuan, Feng as in harvest. Give him another check for 50,000 tomorrow and help him move.”

Chen Shuo: “Okay, CEO He.”

“Okay, go back and rest.” Remembering that the little lover was a money-grubber, He Yan added, “Deliver the check in the morning, his arm is broken, don’t let him do any work.”

Chen Shuo: “Okay, CEO He.”

Friday, the first day back at work, Chen Shuo woke up on time at seven o’clock. He first fed the few companions in his fish tank, in case he didn’t have time to go to the gym today, then went to the balcony to hit the punching bag for a while.

He made a simple cup of oatmeal, finished it, and went out, preparing the check and planning his itinerary for the day before setting off for Jinxi Bay, arriving at exactly 9:30 am.

Chen Shuo was conscious of not entering casually even though he knew the door lock passcode. He knocked lightly a few times, and soon footsteps could be heard from inside.

He wasn’t sleeping in. He noted his first impression of the new lover. This was better than Lin Yuzhi, perhaps a good sign, or perhaps he had bought the right ointment last night.

As the door opened, he was met with a delicate and fair face, a thin young man with a broken arm in a sling. Seeing the confusion in the other person’s eyes, Chen Shuo promptly handed over his business card and politely introduced himself.

“Hello, Mr. Yuan. My name is Chen Shuo, I’m CEO He’s personal assistant. You can call me if you have any questions.”

“Uh, hello, hello.” Yuan Feng took the business card with a confused look and glanced at it, thinking to himself: This man is so handsome, why doesn’t CEO He just eat what’s close to him, working and fucking at the same time, how perfect would that be?

Yuan Feng’s appraising gaze made Chen Shuo uncomfortable, but he couldn’t say anything.

He immediately took out the check from his briefcase and handed it over, “The 150,000 yesterday was your living expenses, this 50,000 is compensation and emotional damages.”

Unexpectedly, Yuan Feng not only didn’t accept it, but also found the amount too high, asking if they could deduct 30,000.

Saints who regarded money as dirt were rare, even Lin Yuzhi was just acting. Chen Shuo wasn’t sure what Yuan Feng was up to. Not accepting the money was causing him trouble.

He pushed the check forward a bit more, “CEO He specifically instructed me to give this to you, please accept it.”

“Oh.” Yuan Feng accepted the check and then asked, “How many phone numbers does CEO He have?”

So eager to contact CEO He, it really wasn’t a good sign. Chen Shuo politely refused, “Sorry, I can’t answer that question.”

“…” Perhaps embarrassed, Yuan Feng didn’t ask further.

“Mr. Yuan, we can start moving now.” In Chen Shuo’s eyes, work came first, and he didn’t want to have too much contact with his boss’s lover.

Yuan Feng: “Oh, thank you.”

Chen Shuo: “You’re welcome.”

The summer heat was scorching. Chen Shuo had originally planned to hire a moving company to handle it, saving himself the trouble, but Yuan Feng firmly disagreed, insisting that he didn’t have much luggage. In the end, he only brought a few clothes and two pairs of shoes.

Remembering his boss’s instructions, Chen Shuo packed the clothes and shoes himself, not letting Yuan Feng touch anything. The consequence was that Yuan Feng kept chattering beside him, asking him if he was hot and turning on the electric fan for him.

Chen Shuo disliked excessive enthusiasm from strangers and didn’t respond much to Yuan Feng throughout the process. However, arriving at this shabby rented room in the old residential area, he was a bit surprised.

Among the lovers He Yan had kept before, none were this poor.

The outdated furniture in the rented room also brought back some bitter memories for Chen Shuo. When Yuan Feng thanked him again, he tried to treat it normally, but unfortunately, the chattering started again on the way back to Jinxi Bay.

“Assistant Chen,” Yuan Feng secretly inquired, “How often does your CEO He change lovers?”

“Sorry, Mr. Yuan,” Chen Shuo endured with difficulty, looking straight ahead and saying expressionlessly, “I’m driving, I need to concentrate.”

Yuan Feng: “…”

As soon as they arrived at Jinxi Bay, Chen Shuo hurried to the trunk to retrieve Yuan Feng’s meager luggage. Unexpectedly, Yuan Feng came over to try and get closer to him again, not resting even with his broken arm.

“You’ve worked hard, Assistant Chen, let me take it.”

“It’s no trouble, it’s my job.” Chen Shuo felt resistant and avoided Yuan Feng’s hand.

Yuan Feng persistently tried to grab the luggage, “How can I let you carry everything, let me take one.”

“Don’t worry about it, this is what I should do.”

“…”

After going upstairs, Chen Shuo was truly scared. Yuan Feng kept making strange moves, first asking to address each other by name, then asking to have his fingerprint added to the door lock, seizing every opportunity to get closer to him.

Finally opening the door, Yuan Feng made another strange move. Chen Shuo declined his offer and quickly put down the luggage. As he turned to leave, his arm was suddenly grabbed by the other party.

“Don’t go! Why are you being so polite? You worked hard to help me move, have some water before you leave.” Yuan Feng greeted him warmly.

“Mr. Yuan, please don’t do this.” Chen Shuo quickly avoided Yuan Feng and strode away, feeling apprehensive even after reaching the elevator. It was the first time he had encountered someone so frighteningly enthusiastic.

In the afternoon, Chen Shuo went to Hengxin Group.

Actually, a text message would suffice for reporting his work, but he wanted to gauge his boss’s attitude, privately hoping that He Yan would find a quieter lover.

Contrary to his wishes, as soon as he finished reporting the move, he received a new task.

At his boss’s request, Chen Shuo called Yuan Feng in front of He Yan, informing him that CEO He would be going to Jinxi Bay in the evening, his tone extremely respectful and distant.

The trip to the company wasn’t entirely in vain. Chen Shuo heard from Secretary Shao Tong that He Yan would be going to a neighboring city tomorrow to inspect a project, and Shao Tong would also be going with him, for at least a week. This was good news.

He thought he could rest for a while, but before he could relax, he received a call from He Yan early the next morning. Yuan Feng needed a laptop, specifying a domestic brand, but not a specific model.

To avoid mistakes, Chen Shuo reluctantly called Yuan Feng, but Yuan Feng rambled on and on, even subtly inquiring about his sponsor’s situation, no longer wanting the laptop and wanting to exchange it for cash.

It wasn’t a big deal, but it was annoyingly trivial.

Chen Shuo wouldn’t create trouble for himself, so he refused Yuan Feng, saying he needed to confirm with CEO He, then directly chose a random laptop based on recommendations and delivered it to Yuan Feng that afternoon.

That evening, he sat on the sofa, rewatching the palace drama, “Empresses in the Palace” again, not really paying attention, just listening to the sound to de-stress.

At the same time, the CEO of Gewu Media was also feeling annoyed.

“Fuck, this life…” Li Ge chatted with Dong Mo intermittently, “I have money, I lack nothing, life is quite enjoyable, but why do I still feel empty?”

“Don’t drink anymore, there’s a male model performance soon.” Dong Mo stopped Li Ge from drinking.

Li Ge scoffed, suddenly curious, “Wait, aren’t you interested in my cousin? Why are you still thinking about male models?”

“Just to satisfy my cravings, it’s not like I’m doing anything.” Dong Mo said.

The atmosphere in the bar reached a climax. Li Ge leaned lazily on the sofa, listening to a group of thirsty men making a fuss, cheering for something called a “live show.”

He wasn’t interested in hunks, wouldn’t even look at them naked, but he couldn’t refuse Dong Mo’s invitation, it wouldn’t be appropriate to not give him face.

The lights flickered, and the music started. A man wearing a baseball cap strode onto the stage, instantly attracting everyone’s attention.

He was shirtless, his muscular chest exuding masculine charm and power. He wore tight-fitting pants that outlined his perfect figure. Following the rhythm of the music, the man took off his baseball cap and tossed it into the air, moving wildly.

Seeing his old classmate’s gaze gradually becoming focused, Dong Mo teased, “Isn’t he great? This male model is quite popular, you have to get in line if you want to book him.”

Li Ge smoked, and in the hazy smoke, as he watched, his vision somehow blurred, and the male model’s face turned into the handsome face of the little assistant surnamed Chen.

“It’s good to know the boss.” Dong Mo asked Li Ge, “Interested?”

Li Ge stubbed out his cigarette, chuckled, and commented, “Good physique, but not good-looking.”

Dong Mo: “…”