Chapter 22 Part 1:
Forced Kiss, The Little Assistant’s First Kiss (Part 1/2)
Chen Shuo hung up without a word and quickly blocked Li Ge. He soon received a text message from another unknown number.
“So easily scared?”
He stared at it for several seconds, then deleted the message with a cold expression. When he returned to the ward, he noticed something was wrong. He Yan’s parents had made a surprise visit, and Yuan Feng was dealing with them alone.
The ward was a small suite, and laughter could be heard from inside, the atmosphere harmonious. Chen Shuo sat quietly on the sofa in the living room, listening to the conversation shift from prenatal care to the baby, then from family to the countryside, even raising chickens and ducks. Finally, the topic revolved around He Yan, including some of his childhood anecdotes, which amused Yuan Feng.
“Hahaha, he’s such a grown-up, and still, haha…”
Since they were already here, Chen Shuo dismissed the idea of reporting to He Yan.
However, He Yan’s parents’ next move was even more surprising. The next day, they went to Jinxi Bay to take care of Yuan Feng. The baby’s grandmother even moved in with her luggage. Yuan Feng thoughtfully reported this to He Yan, leaving Chen Shuo with nothing to do.
Having worked for only one day and then being on vacation again, Chen Shuo felt a bit unaccustomed to the sudden idleness. He went to the bookstore and bought all the Chinese, math, and English textbooks and workbooks from second grade to junior high, choosing a day to deliver them to Yuan Feng.
After becoming completely idle, Chen Shuo suddenly realized a serious problem.
Pregnancy was a long process. After Yuan Feng gave birth, He Yan might want to start a family. What would he do with his salary then?
He Yan was willing to pay, but he felt embarrassed to accept it for free.
No matter how unambitious he was, Chen Shuo adhered to the principle of mutual benefit. Thinking that he might lose his job and his savings wouldn’t be enough to pay off the remaining mortgage, he gradually became anxious and started to contemplate his life.
There was no absolute stability as long as he was alive. People were always striving for a living, dealing with various unexpected situations, and even he couldn’t avoid it.
Finally, Chen Shuo placed his hopes on Yuan Feng, deciding to become a part-time tutor. He would spend two to three years teaching Yuan Feng up to a high school level, which should be enough to pay off his mortgage. Then he would wait for He Yan to return from his business trip and ask for instructions.
His anxiety relieved, he changed into casual clothes, carrying his gym bag. Just as he opened the door, he froze, a look of surprise flashing across his eyes, but quickly returning to normal.
“We’re so in sync, I was just about to knock when you opened the door.” Li Ge teased Chen Shuo shamelessly, “Inviting me in?”
Several days had passed since the sexual harassment at the hospital. Chen Shuo had expected Li Ge to harass him again, but he didn’t expect him to resort to such a despicable tactic, it was simply perverse.
Seeing the little assistant finally reveal his emotions, his cold expression seemingly angry, Li Ge felt a sense of satisfaction. He knew that Chen Shuo’s usual robotic demeanor was an act.
“Don’t think I’m a pervert, perverts aren’t this open about it.” Li Ge said frankly, “I got your address from your boss.”
“…” For a second or two, Chen Shuo didn’t know how to control his emotions.
This small apartment behind him was his only private domain in this world, a place where he could completely relax. And now, Li Ge had invaded his private domain, like a wild beast with primal desires, attempting to occupy his territory.
“Mr. Li.” This was Chen Shuo’s last polite address.
This guy was putting on his robot act again. Li Ge deliberately provoked Chen Shuo, “I’d rather hear you call me ‘husband,’ the price for changing your address is negotiable.”
Chen Shuo: “…”
Since communication was impossible, Chen Shuo gave up. What subordinate and superior, what servant and master, the person in front of him was just a pervert who didn’t understand human language.
He directly pushed him away, closed the door, bypassed Li Ge, and walked straight towards the elevator.
Excessive teasing wasn’t fun. Li Ge knew when to stop, quickly catching up and stopping Chen Shuo, “Why are you so easily scared? Alright, don’t be angry. I like you, you don’t reply to my messages, don’t answer my calls, and even block me, what am I supposed to do? I have to come and pursue you, don’t I?”
Chen Shuo: “…”
“Who else would I go to such lengths for?” Li Ge patiently coaxed Chen Shuo, “Only you, you’re always on my mind, I can’t let you go.”
Having personally experienced the playboy’s tactics, Chen Shuo admired the little lovers Li Ge had kept. It was said that money was hard to earn, and shit was hard to eat, they deserved their earnings.
“Move.”
Just wanting a taste of something new, Li Ge hadn’t put in so much effort in a long time. The uncooperative little assistant was indeed difficult to handle, there was no opening.
He lowered his stance and tried to please him, “Going to the gym? I’ll give you a ride.”
Chen Shuo ignored Li Ge. Reaching the elevator, he was about to press the down button when he thought there might be people inside, and he didn’t know what Li Ge would say in public.
“If you don’t say anything, I’ll take it as a yes.” Li Ge pressed the down button.
Suddenly, the sound of a closing door came from the hallway. Chen Shuo judged from the sound that it was his neighbor across the hall, a nosy but kind-hearted middle-aged woman. She had tried to set him up with a girl when he first moved in, and he had been avoiding her ever since.
The little assistant was dressed in black, a windbreaker with sweatpants and sneakers, different from the formal attire Li Ge had seen before. His entire aura had changed, much more energetic.
This was more like a human.
The more he looked, the more he craved. His gaze traveled downwards, but before he could appreciate enough, Chen Shuo turned and ducked into the stairwell, then belatedly realizing where the opening was.
“Darling!”
Li Ge deliberately raised his voice and chased after him into the stairwell, seeing that Chen Shuo actually stopped. As expected, a man’s pride was paramount. This guy was also afraid of being seen and misunderstood by others, quite thin-skinned.
He looked down at Chen Shuo, who was standing on the stairs, raised an eyebrow, and chuckled, “Why did you stop when I called you? Keep running, I’m chasing you.”
The motion-sensor light turned on, and his laughter echoed in the quiet stairwell, so frivolous and annoying. Chen Shuo looked up and saw Li Ge’s condescending air of superiority under the light, equally frivolous and annoying. Like a feudal remnant who thought he could decide his life and death, taking himself too seriously.
“I’ve said I’m not gay.” Chen Shuo said in a low voice.
“I’ve also said I’m pursuing you.” Li Ge slowly walked down the stairs step by step, “Not gay, then we can just have a physical relationship.”
Chen Shuo: “…”
Li Ge stopped one step above Chen Shuo, half a head taller, still looking down at him, “Do you accept this proposal?”
Smelling the faint scent of cigarettes on Li Ge, Chen Shuo walked down a few steps, retreating to the landing.
It was only at this moment that he felt he had truly grown up, able to remain calm in the face of a homosexual’s advances, unlike his impulsive self back then who would have beaten someone to a pulp.
He was now a complete adult, rational and mature, used to weighing the pros and cons, considering the consequences, thinking about himself. If he crippled Li Ge, Chen Meifang would definitely be sad and scold him for being a bad influence.
He couldn’t resort to violence under any circumstances.
“I don’t want to lay my hands on you, stop sexually harassing me.” Chen Shuo said calmly.
Li Ge was briefly stunned, then straightened his attitude, “Fine, I apologize, I’m sorry, okay? Let me ask in a more subtle way, how can I be with you?”
“…” Chen Shuo had enough, why was this dog shit so persistent?
“I don’t know what you lack, so I came empty-handed, I’ll make it up to you next time.” Li Ge added, “Actually, there’s a radar between homosexuals, I knew you were one of us as soon as I saw you, don’t you believe me? Let’s make a bet.”
“Do you understand human language?” Chen Shuo repeated, “I don’t want to lay my hands on you.”
Li Ge, raised in a honeypot, had lived a smooth-sailing life until twenty-eight, never experiencing any setbacks. The difficult little assistant was, in his opinion, just a matter of time.
He chuckled, pressing closer to Chen Shuo, “I also want to lay my hands on you. If you think this is sexual harassment, I admit it.”
Chen Shuo thought Li Ge was referring to the first half of the sentence and didn’t think too much about the second half. Wasting his breath here was fruitless, and he was harassed again and again. He ignored Li Ge again and was about to go downstairs when a sudden force caught him off guard. His body was slammed against the wall, almost making him fall. Before he could react, his head was cupped by two hands. His eyes widened slightly, and his backpack slipped from his grasp. It wasn’t until a warm, soft, unknown object forced its way into his mouth, licking his teeth and tongue, that he realized what Li Ge had done to him.
Then, a loud “bang” echoed in the stairwell, crisp and forceful. The atmosphere instantly became tense, as if even the air was trembling. The black backpack lay quietly in the corner.
Li Ge got up from the floor, supporting himself with one hand against the wall, rubbing his aching cheek, looking at the stunned little assistant in front of him, chuckling, “I won the bet, straight men don’t react this slowly.”
Chen Shuo silently bent down to pick up his backpack, patting the dust off it.
“Ouch… I didn’t expect you to hit so hard.” His teeth also ached from the punch, and there was a bloody taste in his mouth. Li Ge spat a mouthful of bloody saliva onto the floor, “But it was worth it, that was your first kiss, right?”
Seeing Chen Shuo ignore him, carrying his bag and turning to go downstairs, he shouted half-persuadingly, half-threateningly, “As long as I set my sights on someone, I will get them. It’s okay if you don’t accept me today, I’ll come back tomorrow, and every day after that. I’ll fucking chase you every day, try leaving Beicheng if you can.”
Chen Shuo seemed not to hear him, but his pace quickened. He went to the seventh floor, took the elevator to the parking lot, got into his car, but didn’t start it. He just sat there, going nowhere, quietly sitting.
An hour later, he got out of the car, went upstairs, and went home. Without even changing his shoes, he went into the bathroom to rinse his mouth. After several cups of water, he felt it wasn’t clean enough, so he grabbed his toothpaste and toothbrush, squeezed out a large amount, and brushed his teeth vigorously, wanting to quickly forget that strange sensation.
Li Ge wasn’t much better off. The left side of his face was completely red and slightly swollen, aching terribly. He secretly vowed to make the little assistant scream and beg for mercy one day.
How dare he, hitting him so hard.
Li Ge, mindful of his image, didn’t dare to show his face at the company and stayed home for a few days. When He Yan returned from his business trip, he immediately called him for help.
“Brother, just give Assistant Chen to me, I have a lot of things to do at the company, I really can’t handle it. When have I ever asked you for anything? Help me out.”
He Yan: “So that interview with the real estate website before, was that a ghost asking me to return a favor?”
“No, you’re too petty. Don’t worry, I know you have your wife, I haven’t contacted that person for a long time.” Having not contacted the little assistant for a few days, Li Ge was waiting for this.
He had a temperamental little pregnant man at home now, he didn’t even have time to coax him, let alone keep another lover. If Chen Shuo was willing to go over and help, He Yan didn’t mind and hoped Chen Shuo could adapt to a different environment.
He Yan: “Fine, contact Chen Shuo yourself, if he’s willing to come over, then he can come over.”
Li Ge: “That won’t do, you have to ask him personally.”
He Yan: “What are you up to?”
Li Ge: “He might not come if I ask, he listens to you.”
His cousin was acting strangely. He Yan suddenly realized and immediately questioned him. So, Li Ge wasn’t looking for an assistant, he was looking for a lover.
His intentions exposed, Li Ge dropped the act and said openly, “I like Chen Shuo, I’ve been thinking about how to pursue him these days, brother, just help me out.”
“What are you thinking? Don’t bother him. I’m boarding the plane now, goodbye.” He Yan hung up the phone and sent his cousin a text message, warning him to stop his nonsense.
His plan foiled, Li Ge was very unhappy. He was just talking big that day, he didn’t have the patience to wait at that apartment every day.
He had already kissed him, wasn’t it only right to fuck him?
Chen Shuo indulged in watching palace dramas at home for a few days. A new suspense drama had recently been released, and he planned to change his taste. He could only focus when watching dramas.
Until his boss’s exclusive ringtone rang.
Chen Shuo: “CEO He.”
He Yan: “Come to the company at noon, I have a package, pick it up and bring it to the airport, I’ll be there around one o’clock.”
Chen Shuo: “Okay, CEO He.”
He Yan: “Are you at the hospital?”
“Sorry, I’m not at the hospital.” Chen Shuo explained, “Your parents are at Jinxi Bay, they’re accompanying him for the checkup, I haven’t been there recently.”
There was silence on the other end. Chen Shuo, worried about losing his job, was about to apply to be Yuan Feng’s tutor when his boss spoke.
He Yan: “What’s going on between you and Li Ge?”
Remembering what happened in the stairwell that day, Chen Shuo had a headache and answered truthfully, “I’ve clearly rejected his advances, there won’t be any further involvement. I’m very sorry for causing you trouble.”
He Yan: “Okay, ignore him.”
After picking up He Yan from the airport, Chen Shuo found an opportunity to make his request, and it went surprisingly smoothly. However, according to He Yan, he had to wait until Yuan Feng was three months pregnant and the fetus was stable before he could start tutoring.
His job was temporarily secured, and the playboy was temporarily quiet. But Chen Shuo didn’t feel any relief, who knew when another unexpected situation would arise.
“Chen Shuo.” He Yan, considerate of his assistant, knew it wasn’t easy for Chen Shuo to be pestered by his cousin, so he said, “Take a week off, I’ll transfer 100,000 from my account, go relax.”
Chen Shuo was flattered.
He couldn’t bring himself to spend the bonus and saved it in his account to pay off his mortgage. There was nothing to relax about, nowhere was as comfortable as his own private space.
But to avoid Li Ge, the ticking time bomb, Chen Shuo still withdrew three thousand yuan, packed his luggage, brought his laptop, turned off his phone, and drove to the outskirts of Beicheng, staying at a homestay for a week.
While Chen Shuo was relaxing, Li Ge was getting increasingly impatient.
The little assistant was really capable, how else could he stay indoors for a whole week? Wasting his precious time, he went there twice but didn’t catch him. If people didn’t know better, they would think he was planning a burglary. Fortunately, he was handsome and had an outstanding temperament, so he wasn’t easily misunderstood.
Fuck, there was always next time.
When Chen Shuo returned, it was time for Yuan Feng’s checkup. Yuan Feng was very excited to see him, “Assistant Chen, good morning!”
“Good morning.” Chen Shuo immediately opened the back door.
“No need to be so polite, I can do it myself.” Yuan Feng smiled and got into the car, waving at the man standing outside and patting the seat next to him.
He Yan got in.
The two people in the back seat were chatting, one talking, the other listening. Chen Shuo looked straight ahead, driving quietly.
After a week of not seeing him, he felt that He Yan had changed a lot. He didn’t find a replacement, and even tried to understand the pregnant man’s mental health, caring more about Yuan Feng than before.
So when he heard that He Yan wanted to buy books, Chen Shuo didn’t care if it was related to pregnancy or not, choosing only highly rated books, even buying books like “Overcoming Pregnancy and Postpartum Anxiety,” “Pregnancy and Childbirth Encyclopedia,” and “First-Time Dad.” He sincerely hoped these books could help He Yan.
If He Yan and Yuan Feng started a family like this, he would be very supportive, even if he lost his job. He had long regarded Yuan Feng as a friend and didn’t want the child in Yuan Feng’s belly to become a left-behind child like him, that would be too painful.
Rarely thinking about his childhood, Chen Shuo took out his phone and browsed online forums to distract himself, waiting for Yuan Feng to come out.
Yu Rui’s WeChat message came at just the right time, complaining again.
Yu Rui: [Whoever wants this shitty job can have it, I’m not doing it anymore!]
Yu Rui: [Sigh, Mr. Li was scolding people again just now, he was thirsty and asked me to bring him a cup of coffee, and guess what, I got scolded too.]
Yu Rui: [He’s been really irritable lately, Assistant Chen, are you still busy? When are you free for a drink, my treat.]
Seeing the words “Mr. Li,” Chen Shuo had the urge to delete Yu Rui’s contact, but it wasn’t the right time yet. It wouldn’t be good if Li Ge showed up at his doorstep, he had to maintain their social connection.
Chen Shuo: [Has Mr. Li been at the company recently?]
Yu Rui: [Not really, he disappeared for a few days a while ago and didn’t even attend important meetings.]
Chen Shuo suddenly remembered the incident in the stairwell that day and guessed why Li Ge hadn’t been to the company. He deserved it, not getting his head bashed in was already lenient.
Yu Rui: [Everyone breathes a sigh of relief when Mr. Li leaves work, it’s not easy.]
Chen Shuo: [He left work?]
Yu Rui: [Yeah, he just came to hold a meeting and scold us.]
Chen Shuo looked at the time. It was not yet eleven o’clock. Leaving work so early, he shouldn’t be going to his apartment, right? He had cut off contact with the outside world while at the homestay, so he didn’t know if Li Ge had been there or not.
Chen Shuo: [Did Mr. Li leave work this early last week?]
Yu Rui: [He left at three o’clock in the afternoon for two days, probably for a date. Speaking of this, I’m so angry, he doesn’t cherish such a beautiful girlfriend, such a scumbag, he could give her to me.]
Unable to find out anything, Chen Shuo randomly sent an emoji. Soon, a call from an unknown number popped up on the screen. His heart skipped a beat, and he immediately put his phone on silent.
Li Ge had used two phone numbers. The one he usually used had already been blocked by Chen Shuo. This current one was the new number that had only sent him one text message before, mocking him for being easily scared.
After the call automatically disconnected, he decisively blocked the number.
