Chapter 62 Part 1

The shock Jiang Xiao received was no less than a missile launching into Earth, blasting his remaining drowsiness into smithereens, leaving not a trace.

Was it Lu Moxing?

It seemed like it really was.

If he remembered correctly, Lu Moxing was supposed to be sleeping in the living room.

Jiang Xiao gently withdrew the hand resting on CEO Lu’s waist, glancing back and forth at his face but unable to discern anything. He studied the other man’s pajamas, his heart racing with trepidation, terrified of waking him. But before he could pull his leg back, a deep male voice sounded.

“Awake?”

Lu Moxing opened his eyes silently, his dark, profound pupils completely devoid of light. He stared expressionlessly at Jiang Xiao, making his hair stand on end.

“…CEO Lu.” Jiang Xiao feigned nonchalance and asked, “Why are you here?”

“Can’t I be here?” Lu Moxing countered flatly, though his tone held a trace of almost imperceptible irritation, likely morning grumpiness from Jiang Xiao disturbing his sleep.

Jiang Xiao laughed sheepishly. “You should have told me earlier, I would have just slept on the floor.” He sat up as he spoke, his hair fluffy and messy. “I don’t have a great sleeping posture.”

It was more than just not great.

It was practically hugging people to death. Several times, Lu Moxing wanted to push Jiang Xiao away. When Jiang Xiao slept, he was like sticky candy, clinging to him and not letting go.

Lu Moxing had never experienced anything like this before. After a night of tossing and turning, he hadn’t slept well at all. Seeing Jiang Xiao still acting as if nothing was wrong made his temple twitch.

Lu Moxing: “Who told you that?”

“Friends,” Jiang Xiao said as he turned into the bathroom to brush his teeth, his voice muffled. “So CEO Lu, I really wasn’t lying.”

Jiang Xiao was indeed a bit surprised. He only remembered staying up late playing games with Si Mingyu, after which Si Mingyu left and Lu Moxing came in. They’d even chatted for a bit, but as for the specifics, Jiang Xiao couldn’t recall clearly anymore.

After washing up, Jiang Xiao pondered over outfit coordination. It was a date day, after all, so he needed to dress thoughtfully to show respect. Beside him, Lu Moxing’s icy gaze was too intense, making it impossible to ignore.

“Yesterday’s text message,” Lu Moxing suddenly spoke, “you didn’t send it?”

“What?” Jiang Xiao paused, realizing Lu Moxing meant the heartbeat message. He thought for a moment and said, “I did send it. Wasn’t it a mandatory show task?”

Lu Moxing gave a cryptic smile. “Heh.”

Jiang Xiao had absolutely no idea how he’d provoked Lu Moxing again. He went into the walk-in closet to change, glancing at Lu Moxing, who showed no sign of rushing out, instead focusing with a serious expression on a morning video meeting on his computer. He truly took his work everywhere, determined to cement his workaholic persona. Jiang Xiao tiptoed out, careful not to disturb him.

By then, Lu Moxing had styled his hair back and changed into a new black shirt, his aura cold and imposing, looking sharp and full of authority. But recalling Lu Moxing’s hair sticking up wildly when he first woke up, far from his usual elite image, he resembled a boy-next-door.

Jiang Xiao couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.

Lu Moxing… wasn’t actually that much older than him, was he? Why did he always speak like an old man? Had he read too much domineering CEO literature?

Going downstairs, Jiang Xiao had thought he’d gotten up quite early, only to find someone was already brewing coffee in the kitchen, the entire room filled with its aroma.

Taking a deep, appreciative breath, Jiang Xiao looked over curiously. The person had his back to him, tall and lean with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. The bright light cast a golden glow over him. But the only thought that crossed Jiang Xiao’s mind was—

Oh no, everyone was changing clothes today, what if he recognized the wrong person? That would be embarrassing.

With that thought, Jiang Xiao retracted his gaze, stared straight ahead, and headed for the door.

“Jiang Xiao?” Ji Yanli caught the reflection in the window. Seeing him about to leave, he turned and invited, “It’s still early. Care for a cup of coffee?”

Jiang Xiao stopped in his tracks, looking hesitant.

Ji Yanli smiled gently. “It’s very good.”

Ji Yanli’s tone was soft and light, yet it was impossible to refuse him. Jiang Xiao said, “Sorry for the trouble.”

Jiang Xiao obediently sat at the dining table, observing Ji Yanli. Today, Ji Yanli wore a cream-colored shirt under a black vest, his sleeves rolled up as he made coffee. He exuded the genteel courtesy of a university professor, yet also the gentle, approachable charm of a coffee shop owner.

If one had to sum up Ji Yanli’s style, it would be understated elegance.

Ji Yanli handed him a coffee cup. He was indeed skilled at making coffee, even having the leisure to create a cream latte art on top—pointy ears, long whiskers, a cute cat face.

“Mmm… delicious,” Jiang Xiao said.

“How did you sleep last night?” Ji Yanli’s words seemed to carry a hidden meaning. “CEO Lu didn’t seem to sleep in the living room last night.”

That was a long story. Jiang Xiao said, “…Slept pretty well.”

“Have a meal before you go?” Ji Yanli asked again.

Jiang Xiao gulped down the coffee and shook his head. “I have things to do. I’ll leave first.”

Ji Yanli still wore a gentle smile, as if he hadn’t noticed Jiang Xiao’s deliberate distance. “Happy dating.”

A private car was already waiting outside, seemingly ready to take him directly to his destination. After thinking for a moment, Jiang Xiao opened his phone map and told the driver, “Please take me to this place first.”

Perhaps it was psychological, but Jiang Xiao felt a faint pain in the back of his neck. Maybe he’d slept badly and strained it, especially after having several nightmares about being chased by ferocious beasts.

Then Jiang Xiao scrolled through his phone and discovered someone had sent him heartbeat texts yesterday—five of them, in fact.

That meant everyone had sent their messages to him?

Jiang Xiao: “…”

The first one read:

Big Brother, the game was fun, let’s play again next time =^_^=

There was no need to guess; this was definitely from Si Mingyu.

The second one:

Watch a movie together sometime?

This one was probably from He Chen.

But Jiang Xiao was a bit surprised. He’d seen He Chen and Ji Yanli as inseparable, never expecting the message to come to him.

The third:

See you tomorrow.

Hmm… this one was hard to guess. Si Lin or Ji Yanli? He’d check the next one.

The fourth:

Do you think this place is the real world?

Jiang Xiao: “??”

Jiang Xiao frowned slightly, not because the question was strange, but because he couldn’t guess the sender’s intent.

Of course, this couldn’t be a normal world, but did it matter? Could it be that the other person had found some clue and wanted to tell him? But who was it?

The tone of this message was somewhat like Lu Moxing, but would that guy actually discuss this kind of topic with him?

The fifth was very short, just two words:

Goodnight.

He couldn’t tell who’d sent the last two. As Jiang Xiao pondered, he suddenly noticed a cloud-uploaded video in his notification bar with a duration of over seven hours.

Jiang Xiao: “?”

Jiang Xiao tapped it open, thinking hard, but couldn’t remember what this video was about at all. Last night, he’d been so incredibly tired he’d practically fallen asleep the moment his head hit the pillow, his memory virtually disconnected.

“We’ve arrived,” the driver said.

Jiang Xiao put his phone away, pinned a mini camera to his chest, and decided to check what that seven-plus-hour video contained later. Half an hour later, he finally reached his destination.

The Aquarium.

Tourists streamed endlessly into the aquarium on the weekend. Even in such a crowd, Jiang Xiao spotted his date at a single glance—

Si Lin.

Lawyer Si wore a black trench coat today, paired with his gold-rimmed glasses. His face was coldly pale, his demeanor poised and composed, his aura serene. As Jiang Xiao approached, there was even a young girl trying to ask for his WeChat.

Someone actually dared to ask Lawyer Si for his WeChat. Jiang Xiao just found it amusing. As he walked over, he happened to catch Si Lin’s reply.

“Sorry, I have a partner.” Si Lin looked up as he spoke, his dark eyes landing squarely on Jiang Xiao contained a hint of a smile within the tranquility. “He’s here now.”

The girl turned curiously. Seeing Jiang Xiao, her eyes gleamed even brighter. Without a trace of rejection’s disappointment, she said, “Wishing you two a long, happy life together!”

The surrounding crowd jostled Jiang Xiao back and forth, making him feel like a sardine in a can. Just as he was struggling to push his way out, he felt a hand grasp his. A pull later, and Si Lin had drawn him out of the throng.

“Lawyer Si, you actually got here before me.” Jiang Xiao pretended he hadn’t heard Si Lin’s earlier words and smiled. “Looking very handsome today.”

Si Lin said calmly, “You too.”

Normally this would be a mutual flattery segment, but coming from Si Lin, it inexplicably felt more genuine.

Jiang Xiao’s suitcase didn’t contain anything like dress shirts, so he’d worn a T-shirt with denim overalls and a messenger bag. His fluffy bangs fell loosely. His long, straight legs revealed graceful ankle lines as he walked; he looked good in anything.

Si Lin lowered his eyes, raised a hand, and placed it on Jiang Xiao’s shoulder. They were close, making the gesture particularly intimate. Jiang Xiao could even hear someone nearby squeaking quietly about how “perfect they look together.”

Jiang Xiao felt a bit awkward. However, Si Lin merely adjusted the strap of his overalls, saying, “It was twisted.”

Jiang Xiao uttered an “Ah.” By the time he reacted, Si Lin had already withdrawn his hand, walking on his left side, and naturally took his hand. “The aquarium is open now.”

Distracted, Jiang Xiao was already led inside by Si Lin.

The interior was less crowded, with fewer watchful gazes. Jiang Xiao looked around, and Si Lin, as if performing a magic trick, produced a bouquet for him.

Sunflowers in full bloom.

“They’re just like you,” Si Lin said.

“Thanks, they’re beautiful.” Jiang Xiao scratched his head. “Uh, I brought a gift too, but it’s food.”

He then pulled elegantly wrapped… jianbing guozi and soy milk from his messenger bag.

Jiang Xiao had initially thought his date might be Lu Moxing and had wanted to tease him a little; plus, the jianbing was genuinely delicious, so he’d specifically searched for the best shop. He hadn’t expected Si Lin to be the one, which was terribly embarrassing.

Si Lin, however, showed no trace of a strange expression, merely saying he “hadn’t eaten yet,” and then joined Jiang Xiao in the resting area for breakfast.