Chapter 70
After fiddling with things for a while, Jiang Heng finally remembered there was another person in the office.
He said considerately, “Assistant Li, you can go do your work. I’ll just wait for him here.”
Li An said with a serious face, “CEO Lu asked me to stay and take care of you. I won’t neglect my duties.”
The truth was, he found this unusually beautiful teenager unsettling.
He had been working for Lu Yichuan for years and had never seen this person before. He had suddenly appeared, requiring him to personally escort him from the lobby and bring him to Lu Yichuan’s own office.
And…
The more he looked at Jiang Heng, the more familiar he seemed.
Li An had never met the deceased Jiang family young master, only knowing he was incredibly important to Lu Yichuan, so he had paid attention discreetly.
He hadn’t noticed anything unusual at first glance, but now, looking at the boy’s lively expression, the familiarity grew stronger.
He had the aura of someone from the past.
After four years of Lu Yichuan’s self-destructive behavior, his sudden return to power coincided with this boy’s appearance; Li An couldn’t help but overthink.
The office was warm, and after sitting for a while, a faint flush appeared on Jiang Heng’s face.
He took off his down jacket, revealing a light-colored sweater underneath, only keeping his hat on.
The teenager’s frame was slender, his exposed neck pale and delicate, a few strands of silver-gray hair escaping his hat, framing his face, not looking out of place, but rather like…a mischievous spirit.
He sat in Lu Yichuan’s chair for a while, then got up and paced around the office, finally stopping by the large French windows.
Night had fallen, the sky a hazy blue, soon to be swallowed by the darkness. The city lights below twinkled, a silent, vibrant display.
Jiang Heng put his hands in his pockets, straightened his back, narrowed his eyes, and exuded an aura of…CEO-like dominance.
For a moment, Li An even thought he was about to declare, “Look, man, this is the empire I built for you.”
Actually, that was exactly what Jiang Heng was thinking.
But he was wearing light-colored jeans and white sneakers. With his hands in his pockets, he looked less like a CEO and more like a middle school student whistling at girls.
He regretfully abandoned his CEO persona and returned to Lu Yichuan’s chair, playing Happy Xiaoxiaole.
Lu Yichuan wouldn’t let him play other games.
Jiang Heng, like any ordinary high school student, had a weak will and was easily addicted to games, so most of his entertainment had been banned before the Gaokao.
The only game he was allowed to play was Happy Xiaoxiaole.
He wasn’t very good at it and often got stuck on levels, unable to play after running out of lives.
Li An listened to the cheerful background music of the game, silent.
He couldn’t understand how this…Jiang Xiao Miao…was connected to Lu Yichuan.
After observing them together, he could clearly sense that they were completely different.
Li An had met Lu Yichuan in university.
Despite his gentle appearance, the man was more driven than anyone. How else could he have built such a successful company at such a young age? Li An himself had also become more driven because of him.
Of course, hard work alone wasn’t enough.
When he had first met Lu Yichuan, he had seemed like a workaholic, maximizing every minute of every day.
Although he didn’t show it, Li An had sensed his urgency, his desire to expand, his ambition for power. It was as if he had given himself only a few short years to break free from the Lu family, to become…clean.
Only when he was clean, could he deserve something precious.
Lu Yichuan seemed to be naturally emotionally detached. Even when he smiled, no one could truly reach him; he treated everyone with equal disdain. But he was good at hiding it, masking his true nature behind a gentle façade, undetectable to all but those closest to him.
Because of this, all his interactions with others were purely transactional. Give him one point, and he would demand three in return.
In all these years, he had only seen one exception.
And four years later, he saw another.
Even though he had only interacted with Jiang Heng for less than an hour, his years of experience told him that this boy was different.
Li An looked at him.
Was the boy’s appearance a coincidence, or was it orchestrated? And what was his purpose for staying by Lu Yichuan’s side?
No one answered. The game sounds from the chair gradually faded, the phone slipping from the boy’s hand as he slumped against the chair, fast asleep.
Li An picked up the phone from his lap, covered him with a thin blanket from the lounge, and left the office.
Lu Yichuan’s meeting didn’t end until six.
The dinner was scheduled for seven. He had told Jiang Heng to come at six, intending to…trick him into coming early, but unexpected problems with the project had dragged the meeting out, leaving Jiang Heng waiting.
As soon as the meeting ended, the department heads scurried out like rabbits, and the only sound in the corridor was the click of men’s dress shoes against the floor.
The secretary, like a ninja, followed him silently in her high heels.
Her eyes were downcast, but her gaze kept flicking upwards, her hand reaching for her phone to inform the secretarial team about the CEO’s foul mood.
But as soon as she pulled it out, she saw 99+ unread messages in the group chat.
Lu Yichuan continued walking, the secretary trailing two and a half steps behind, quickly scanning the messages and summarizing them into a single sentence:
Assistant Li had brought an incredibly handsome young man into the CEO’s office.
Oh…the secretary breathed a sigh of relief, just a visitor…
Wait, a visitor? A handsome young man?
Startled, she lost her ninja skills, her high heels clicking loudly against the floor.
Secretary: “…”
She discreetly looked up and saw that the CEO hadn’t noticed, his eyes glued to his phone, a chuckle escaping his lips.
The coldness he had exuded in the meeting room instantly vanished.
Lu Yichuan looked at the pictures of the crudely drawn pig’s head and turtle, saved them, and pushed open the door to the secretarial department.
Li An and a few secretaries were in a heated discussion, the room falling silent the moment he entered.
Lu Yichuan, uninterested in their gossip, unbuttoned his cuff and asked Li An, “Where is he?”
Li An adjusted his glasses, resuming his professional demeanor. “Mr. Jiang Xiao Miao is asleep in your office. I didn’t want to disturb him, so I came out.”
Jiang Xiao Miao…
Lu Yichuan paused, then, under the watchful eyes of the secretaries and Li An, entered his office.
The room was quiet, only the hum of the air conditioner. A small figure was curled up in his chair, his delicate chin buried in the blanket, his long eyelashes casting shadows on his face, his fluffy hat askew, revealing a pair of twitching ears.
Lu Yichuan stood there for a few seconds.
Then he approached, removed the hat, unbuttoned his cuff, his palm warm as he gently cupped the boy’s ear, his long fingers brushing against his cheek.
He bent down and kissed him.
…
Jiang Heng was awakened by a kiss.
His mind was still hazy when a tongue slipped into his mouth, the wet sound making his ears burn.
The scent of a mature, woody cologne filled his senses, a hidden note beneath it making him dizzy, his limbs weak.
His mouth thoroughly explored, Lu Yichuan finally pulled away, leaving Jiang Heng’s lips glistening, a soft pink, like a ripe peach, ready to burst with sweetness.
Sweetness that he tasted, swallowed, leaving him wanting more.
It took Jiang Heng a long moment to recover, his eyes hazy. “Lu Yichuan, what are you doing?!”
Sneaking a kiss while he was asleep!
The man leaned against the chair, one hand supporting his weight, the light above casting long shadows, his eyes dark, a storm brewing beneath the surface, barely contained.
Lu Yichuan took a deep breath, suppressing his desires, then straightened up, stepping into the light, resuming his composed demeanor.
His eyes curved into a smile. “Obviously, I’m kissing you.”
Jiang Heng: “…”
Seriously, did he not know? And how could he be so shameless, talking about something so private without even blushing?
Little Jiang Heng glared at him.
Lu Yichuan, unfazed, smoothed down his cat ears and put his hat back on. “Let’s go, time for dinner.”
Jiang Heng fidgeted with the pom-poms on his hat. “Roasted pigeon?”
Lu Yichuan removed the blanket and helped him put on his jacket. “Roasted pigeon.”
“Hee hee!”
He wrapped Jiang Heng in his orange down jacket like a little sun and put on his own black overcoat.
Jiang Heng circled him. “I just realized, my clothes are so childish!” He looked at the man’s refined, almost aloof appearance. “This is what a real man looks like!”
The real man looked down at the hat perched on his head. “Not yet.”
He said casually, “Still a virgin.”
“…”
Jiang Heng’s eyes widened in shock, and the inappropriate thoughts in Lu Yichuan’s mind vanished instantly. He ruffled the hat and chuckled. “Just kidding. Let’s go eat roasted pigeon.”
“…”
The startled kitten was silent, the flush from the kiss still lingering on his face, a mixture of innocence and allure.
Lu Yichuan stood at the door, his hands in his pockets, his gaze lingering on the boy’s exposed neck.
Delicate, pale, just the right size for his hand.
And a collar around it, with his name on it, a declaration of ownership.
As if awakened, yet not fully.
The bud was blooming too slowly, the wind and snow outside too cold, and Lu Yichuan realized he couldn’t wait any longer.
So he decided to…speed things up.
“So, when are you going to make me a real man?”
Jiang Heng opened his mouth, then closed it.
Better to stay silent.
The man leaned against the doorframe, watching as the little sun zipped up his jacket, covering his neck, his hands in his pockets, his cheeks puffed out, then, like a small cannonball, he launched himself past Lu Yichuan.
Lu Yichuan followed him.
Several heads popped up from behind the desks in the secretarial department, then quickly disappeared.
“Lu Yichuan!”
Jiang Heng, almost at the elevator, turned back, one hand on the doorframe, not noticing the hidden audience.
He glared at Lu Yichuan and declared loudly, “I’m breaking up with you!”
Lu Yichuan, standing two meters away, said calmly, “Roasted pigeon.”
Damn him! Using his weakness against him!
Jiang Heng hesitated. “Break up after dinner!” He held up three fingers. “Three days!”
“I won’t say a single word to you for three days!”
“That’s called a cold war.”
Jiang Heng: “…”
Seeing his impending explosion, Lu Yichuan adjusted his askew hat. “I was wrong. How about a one-day breakup? Three days is too long.”
Jiang Heng punched him weakly. “Lu Yichuan, you’re so annoying! Three days!”
The man led him towards the elevator. “Let’s talk about your junk food expenses.”
“…Two days.”
“Over three hundred yuan.”
“I wasn’t the only one eating.”
“Three hundred yuan…”
“You’re so annoying! A day and a half!”
Lu Yichuan sighed, a hint of regret in his voice. “Fine.”
Reaching the elevator, Jiang Heng suddenly slapped his forehead. “I forgot my phone!”
He rushed back to the CEO’s office, bursting into the secretarial department, then froze…
…staring at four or five faces staring back at him.
