My Arranged Marriage Partner Has Two Faces 22

Chapter 22

“What’s the situation? Have they left?”

“No, they’re on the wall.”

“On the wall again?!”

Xi Chongyang jumped up. “That brat still hasn’t given up? Quickly get someone to knock him down.”

“It’s not the young master.” The housekeeper quickly stopped him. “It’s Second Young Master Zhong who’s on the wall.”

The air suddenly fell silent.

Xi Chongyang silently retracted his leg and sat back on the sofa. “Xiaoyao…”

“Should we have someone knock Second Young Master Zhong down?”

Xi Chongyang looked at him as if he was crazy. “Knock him down? Quickly get someone to watch him and call the doctor. If Xiaoyao gets hurt, he needs immediate treatment.”

He stroked his cane, puzzled. “Why did Xiaoyao climb the wall? Could it be that Xi Shi bullied him?”

That shouldn’t be the case. According to his in-laws, his grandson-in-law knew martial arts and even took down a group of security guards at Chenxi International a few days ago. Xi Shi wouldn’t be able to bully Zhong Yuxiao.

“Is Xi Shi still outside the wall?”

“Inside.”

The housekeeper recounted Xi Shi climbing over the wall, a knowing smile appearing on his face. “They are in the garden now. The young master is picking flowers. I think he wants to give them to Second Young Master Zhong. Sir, it seems their relationship has made significant progress.”

Xi Yue loved flowers, and the old residence’s garden was maintained by professionals, filled with seasonal flowers all year round, a riot of color.

After autumn arrived, the garden was replanted with chrysanthemums. White ones were considered bad luck, so most were other colors: yellow, red, pink, purple, everything.

Besides the colorful clusters, daisies were everywhere, full of vitality.

Xi Shi picked a budding chrysanthemum and handed it to Zhong Yuxiao.

“What’s this for?”

Giving him a chrysanthemum, Zhong Yuxiao’s first reaction was that Xi Shi was looking for a beating, but then he thought, the number one top in Lincheng wouldn’t obediently lie down.

“Can’t you tell?” Some people had face blindness, and Xi Shi had flower blindness. The flowers in the old residence changed with the seasons, and he couldn’t tell whether he had picked a chrysanthemum or a rose. “I’m bribing you.”

Flowers were beautiful, his first choice for gifts.

Xi Shi shook the flower in his hand, a hint of pleading in his voice. “Gege Zhong Er, don’t ask.”

He didn’t want to talk about the reason he didn’t want to work at the company.

Zhong Yuxiao didn’t press him. He had only asked casually to change the subject. Since Xi Shi didn’t want to talk about it, he naturally wouldn’t pester him.

As for the reason, he would find out sooner or later.

Zhong Yuxiao took the flower. “Don’t give flowers randomly in the future, I thought you were hinting at something.”

“Huh?”

Zhong Yuxiao broke off a section of the stem and tucked the flower into the pocket on his chest. The petals of the unopened chrysanthemum were slightly closed, not as flamboyant as when in full bloom.

Wearing a flower on his chest, different people had different styles. On Zhong Yuxiao, it looked reserved and understated.

If it were him, it would look as flashy as a butterfly, unsuitable whether it was a bud or a full bloom.

Too flamboyant.

“You said my taste is bad, yours isn’t so good either.”

Thinking it looked good was one thing, saying it out loud was another.

Xi Shi climbed back onto the wall, his movements wide, his shirt pulling out of his waistband. “What you’re wearing now is also a floral shirt.”

The scent of white musk mixed with a heavy woody fragrance drifted over, different from common gentlemanly colognes, wild and unrestrained, perfectly matching Xi Shi’s playboy image.

Zhong Yuxiao raised an eyebrow slightly. “What cologne are you wearing?”

Zhong Yuxiao was particularly inquisitive today, seeming to have an endless desire to explore. Xi Shi vaguely sensed the subtle change in his attitude but couldn’t figure out the reason.

“I forgot the name, it’s a niche foreign brand. It smelled good, so I ordered a set.” He lifted his wrist and sniffed. “Doesn’t it smell good?”

Xi Shi smiled. “I think it smells very…sexy.”

“Indeed.”

Quite flamboyant.

Zhong Yuxiao glanced at him. “Different from the common cologne scents in shopping mall restrooms, it doesn’t smell cheap, very sexy, makes me hard.”

Xi Shi froze, his mind blank for a few seconds.

“…Which kind of hard?”

Zhong Yuxiao didn’t like wearing cologne. The sandalwood scent of his shower gel mingled with his body heat, cutting through Xi Shi’s preferred sexy fragrance and filling his nostrils.

Zhong Yuxiao smiled faintly, his gaze drifting towards Xi Shi’s lower body. “Which kind of hard do you think?”

That glance was like a spark, Xi Shi’s breath hitching, a wave of heat rushing through his abdomen.

Was Zhong Yuxiao teasing him?

Why would Zhong Yuxiao tease him?

Xi Shi had heard this kind of conversation many times, but coming from Zhong Yuxiao, it was different. He could tease others back, but with Zhong Yuxiao…

It felt like after teasing him, he would be pinned down and taken right there.

Xi Shi lowered his eyes and kicked Zhong Yuxiao’s foot.

They sat facing each other on the wall, their long legs dangling. They were about the same height, and their legs were about the same length.

Xi Shi said something unrelated to hardness. “My legs are longer than yours.”

Zhong Yuxiao paused and followed his gaze downwards.

Their legs were about the same length, right?

If they had to compare, his legs should be longer, after all, he was a few centimeters taller than Xi Shi. It wasn’t obvious when they were wearing shoes, but facts spoke louder than words.

“Hardness is secondary, length is key.” Xi Shi said confidently. “If you’re hard, I can take advantage of my length.”

“…”

Teasing and running, Xi Shi was the biggest coward.

He jumped down from the wall, put his hands on his hips triumphantly, and laughed loudly. “Zhong Er, you’re still too inexperienced when it comes to teasing.”

Before he finished laughing, Zhong Yuxiao was standing in front of him.

“Holy shit, how did you get down?”

“I flew down.” Zhong Yuxiao sneered, grabbed the back of Xi Shi’s neck, and pushed him forward.

“What are you doing?”

“Finding a place to compare whose legs are longer.”

“…”

Help!

Zhong Yuxiao dragged him back home. Before they even entered, he received a call from the academic affairs office.

“If you have work, go ahead and do it.” Seeing a turn of events in the leg length competition, Xi Shi’s eyes lit up. “The flowers of the motherland are waiting for your cultivation, Teacher Zhong. A great gardener can’t keep the flowers waiting.”

“Continue.”

“What?”

Zhong Yuxiao put his hand on Xi Shi’s lower back and whispered, “Continue praising me, let me see the extent of Gege Xi’s vocabulary.”

The distance between them shortened, their gazes meeting. Zhong Yuxiao suddenly remembered what the little girl at the tailor shop had said.

Xi Shi hadn’t asked for a kiss; he wanted to taste those lips.

Sandalwood and white musk intertwined and blended, their breaths mingling, enticing and intoxicating.

With a single thought, desire arose.

He had been attracted to Zhong Yuxiao at first sight and left his private contact information.

But he didn’t expect Zhong Yuxiao to be his fiancé.

He really didn’t want to get married, and he really didn’t want to have anything to do with Zhong Yuxiao.

He carefully typed out the three rules on his phone, truly wanting to draw a clear line with Zhong Yuxiao.

But—

He couldn’t deny the fact that he was constantly drawn to Zhong Yuxiao.

The buried desire was aroused again. Xi Shi’s throat bobbed. Sensing his tense body relax, Zhong Yuxiao pressed him against the door.

Their breaths mingled, and just as they were about to touch, the electronic lock beeped.

Xi Shi jolted and abruptly pushed Zhong Yuxiao away.

Zhong Yuxiao, caught off guard, stumbled back and fell onto the hallway floor.

“Ouch—”

Realizing what had just happened, Xi Shi’s face turned pale, and he gasped for breath. “You…”

He stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence, his trembling hands entering the passcode, and he slipped inside the apartment with lightning speed.

The door slammed shut with a bang.

Zhong Yuxiao sat on the floor, looking bewildered.

Had he just been rejected?

Even sitting in his office at Lincheng University, Zhong Yuxiao hadn’t fully recovered.

He had never been kissed, nor had he ever been curious about it. Perhaps because he had never been in a serious relationship, and his body had experienced pleasure too early, the pursuit of desire became instinctual, and he didn’t care about innocent, child’s play-like contact.

Wanting to kiss Xi Shi was a sudden impulse, and Zhong Yuxiao hadn’t expected to be rejected.

Xi Shi was open-minded and interested in him. Originally concerned about his identity, he took the initiative, and they should have hit it off.

But Xi Shi not only rejected him, but also rejected him quite ruthlessly.

Zhong Yuxiao frowned, doubting his own charm.

“Teacher Zhong, are you listening?”

Zhong Yuxiao snapped back to attention and absentmindedly hummed in agreement.

“I know this is a difficult request, but there’s really no other way. Teacher Zhong, your classes are too effective, the students are crowding the president’s office.”

The dean of academic affairs praised him profusely, his vocabulary far richer than Xi Shi’s, showering him with compliments. “So, the lecture is set for this Saturday afternoon. Teacher Zhong, please go back and prepare.”

Zhong Yuxiao blinked slowly, took the lecture flyer from the dean, and left the academic affairs office in a daze.

Lincheng University held public lectures every semester, with the speaker chosen by student vote. Zhong Yuxiao had heard about it, but the voting for this semester had already ended before he arrived.

It was said that some students went to the president and requested a revote. The president then had someone survey all the students, and surprisingly, two-thirds of them actively responded, so the president directly instructed the academic affairs office to hold another vote.

In the new round of voting, Zhong Yuxiao, who had only taught two classes, topped the list, becoming the speaker for this semester’s public lecture.

For the teachers of Lincheng University, this was an honor. Every year, the lecturer was a highly respected senior professor with a great reputation in the field, a true mentor to many students.

Zhong Yuxiao had a headache. He wasn’t worried about the lecture itself, but since he became the speaker, what would the person who was originally chosen think?

Returning home, he didn’t see Xi Shi. The osmanthus flowers in the living room were in full bloom, their fragrance filling the air.

Zhong Yuxiao sat on the sofa with his laptop, preparing for the lecture while occasionally glancing at the time.

It was nine o’clock, and Xi Shi still hadn’t returned.

Zhong Yuxiao took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling irritated.

Except for when they first moved in together and Xi Shi would go out drinking when he was upset, he rarely stayed out all night. Even if he had something to do, he would let him know.

Zhong Yuxiao checked his phone. No messages, no calls.

He was the one who was rejected, the one who lost face, so why was Xi Shi the one who ran away?

Zhong Yuxiao stared at the osmanthus flowers on the table, his eyes darkening.

The clock on the wall ticked away, and as the sun rose above the horizon, everything that had been slumbering in the twilight gradually awakened.

Zhong Yuxiao opened his eyes and stood up from the sofa. He had fallen asleep while working, and although the indoor temperature was constant, he felt sore all over from sitting for so long.

Xi Shi hadn’t come back all night.

Realizing this, Zhong Yuxiao’s expression darkened.

For several days, Xi Shi didn’t come home.

If it weren’t for Xi Chongyang’s post on his social media, Zhong Yuxiao would have suspected that Xi Shi had died in an accident.

[Xi Chongyang: The brat has finally grown up.]

The accompanying picture showed Xi Shi working at the company.

These past few days, Xi Shi had been living in his office.

Not only was he not dead, he had also developed a sense of career ambition. Congratulations.

Zhong Yuxiao expressionlessly liked the post, exited the app, and returned Xu Linfeng’s call. “What’s up?”

Xu Linfeng had called him several times during class.

“Night, I’m back in China, let’s hang out!”