Chapter 30
“What are you doing here?” Murong Cheng hugged Murong Yan tightly, their bodies pressed close.
Murong Yan’s warm lips brushed against his ear. “I missed you too.”
“Not celebrating New Year’s at home?” Murong Cheng asked.
Murong Yan didn’t answer directly. “I saw the fireworks you sent and wanted to see you.”
“It’s the fourth day of the New Year. Not as lively as New Year’s Eve,” Murong Cheng said, looking at him. “But tomorrow is the fifth! Everyone will be setting off firecrackers early in the morning. How long are you staying?”
Murong Yan: “Leaving tomorrow.”
Murong Cheng pouted. “Just one night?”
Murong Yan’s expression didn’t change. “I have something to do on the sixth.”
Murong Cheng: “Just for one night, you flew all the way here?”
Murong Yan looked at him intently. “Yes. I wanted to see you.”
Murong Cheng’s heart skipped a beat.
Just to see him, Murong Yan had spent over a day traveling, just for one night?
He hadn’t explicitly declared his love, but Murong Cheng felt overwhelmed by affection, his heart light and joyful.
He smiled, his eyes sparkling, and reached up, his arms circling Murong Yan’s neck, pulling him into a kiss.
“Where are you staying tonight?” They walked side by side into the supermarket near Murong Cheng’s apartment complex. He absentmindedly picked up a bottle of dark soy sauce from the condiment aisle.
“Haven’t booked a hotel yet. Are there any hotels near your place?”
There were, but they weren’t in the city center, more like guesthouses. They weren’t even one-star, let alone the five-star hotels Murong Yan usually frequented.
Murong Cheng: “I’ll find something for you.”
Murong Yan took the soy sauce to the cashier, while Murong Cheng searched for nearby five-star hotels on his phone. The closest one was over three kilometers away.
He showed Murong Yan the search results. “Is this one okay?”
Although a five-star hotel, it didn’t look as luxurious as the ones they had stayed in before.
“3.3 kilometers? That far?” Murong Yan noticed the distance first. “I didn’t bring a driver.”
Murong Cheng: “How did you get here from the airport?”
Murong Yan: “Taxi.”
They paid for the soy sauce and left the supermarket.
“That’s the closest five-star hotel,” Murong Cheng said, sighing, and searched again.
Murong Yan shrugged. “It doesn’t have to be five-star. Just somewhere close to your place.”
They walked back towards Murong Cheng’s apartment complex.
Footsteps approached from behind. Murong Cheng turned around and saw his mother, Xing Li.
“Mom, how did you get here?”
His parents had driven to their homestay and should have come from the underground parking lot, while he and Murong Yan had used the pedestrian entrance.
“Aren’t you waiting here? I asked your father to drop me off at the gate. Did you buy the vinegar?”
“Yes, yes,” he quickly took the plastic bag from Murong Yan and handed it to his mother.
She opened the bag. “This is soy sauce.”
Murong Cheng’s eyes widened. “What?”
He peered at the bottle. She was right.
Embarrassed, he mumbled, “I’ll go buy some vinegar then.”
He had been too distracted by Murong Yan to pay attention to what he was grabbing from the shelves.
“No, you don’t know which brand. I’ll go,” Xing Li said, pulling out her keys. “You go home first.”
She handed the bag back to him, then noticed the stranger beside her son.
“You are…?”
“Hello, Mrs. Murong,” Murong Yan greeted her politely, about to introduce himself when Murong Cheng interrupted.
“He’s my boss!” he blurted out.
Murong Yan paused, then nodded.
“Xiao Cheng’s boss! Hello, hello!” Xing Li said warmly, extending her hand.
Murong Yan shook her hand, bowing slightly.
Xing Li looked at him curiously. “What are you doing in H City? Are you here to see Xiao Cheng?”
Without waiting for an answer, she turned to her son. “Xiao Cheng, is there something going on at the company? You should go back then!”
“No, Mom!” Murong Cheng grabbed her arm. “CEO Murong is here for a meeting, just passing through, right, CEO Murong?”
He winked at Murong Yan.
Murong Yan nodded. “Yes, Mrs. Murong, nothing’s wrong at the company. It’s the holidays. I’m just passing through and decided to visit.”
Xing Li’s attention shifted. “Your last name is also Murong?”
Murong Yan: “Yes.”
Xing Li beamed. “What a coincidence! Murong isn’t a common surname. Xiao Cheng, why didn’t you mention your boss also has the same last name? So, Mr. Murong, where are you staying? Why don’t you join us for dinner tonight?”
Murong Yan glanced at Murong Cheng.
Xing Li understood his look. “Mr. Murong, don’t be shy. You must have taken good care of Xiao Cheng in A City. We’d like to show our appreciation. H City might not be as grand as A City, but our seafood is excellent. My husband bought some fresh seafood today. Home-cooked food, clean and delicious. If you’re not busy, please join us. Right, Xiao Cheng?”
Murong Cheng couldn’t refuse. He looked at Murong Yan. “So… CEO Murong, would you like to join us for dinner?”
Murong Yan readily agreed. “Yes, thank you for the invitation.”
Xing Li continued enthusiastically, “Don’t worry, Mr. Murong, we run a homestay and often cook for our guests. Our cooking is quite good. By the way, where are you staying? If you haven’t booked a hotel, why not stay at our homestay? It’s very clean and comfortable, just as good as a hotel! After dinner, Xiao Cheng can take you there and stay with you! We have a spacious three-bedroom suite available, just cleaned today.”
Murong Cheng hesitated, glancing at Murong Yan. “Mom, the homestay isn’t necessary… CEO Murong always stays in hotels. He’s not used to homestays.”
To his surprise, Murong Yan agreed readily. “Not at all. I’ve heard great things about H City homestays. I’d love to experience it. I’ll pay the regular rate, of course.”
Xing Li waved her hand dismissively. “You’re Xiao Cheng’s boss! We can’t possibly charge you! Just relax and enjoy your stay! I’ll go buy the vinegar now. Xiao Cheng, take your boss home! There’s fruit on the balcony. Wash some for him!”
Xing Li hurried off. Murong Cheng led Murong Yan back to their apartment.
There was indeed a lot of fruit on the balcony, all beautifully packaged, gifts from relatives. He selected a few local specialties: a mango, some rose apples, and guavas, and carried them to the kitchen.
“Let me help,” Murong Yan followed.
The kitchen was small compared to his luxurious apartment, and they were practically bumping into each other.
But two pairs of hands were faster than one. They quickly washed, peeled, and cut the fruit, arranging it on a plate in the living room.
They heard the door open. His parents were back.
His father, Murong Maohua, greeted Murong Yan warmly, thanking him for taking care of his son.
Leaving Murong Cheng and Murong Yan to chat and eat fruit, his parents put on their aprons and went into the kitchen.
An hour later, a delicious-looking meal was served.
“Mr. Murong, Xiao Cheng, dinner’s ready!” Xing Li called out.
Steamed egg with sea urchin, scallops with garlic and vermicelli, and a steamed grouper, specially bought to impress the CEO.
“We weren’t sure what you liked, so we prepared a little of everything,” Xing Li said, taking off her apron.
“Please, call me Xiao Yan,” Murong Yan said politely.
Xing Li shook her head. “That wouldn’t be appropriate. You’re Xiao Cheng’s boss.”
And also his husband.
Murong Cheng chimed in, “Mom, really, it’s fine. CEO Murong… he’s still young. Don’t make him sound old.”
“Alright, alright, let’s eat before the food gets cold! Try our cooking,” Xing Li said, handing them chopsticks.
His mother’s cooking was always delicious, and tonight, she had pulled out all the stops.
Murong Cheng, engrossed in the food, forgot to serve Murong Yan and received a kick under the table from his mother.
He quickly served Murong Yan a piece of fish. “Try this. The fish here is very fresh.”
Xing Li glared at him. “Use the serving chopsticks! I put them out for a reason!”
Murong Yan: “It’s alright, Mrs. Murong.”
He took a bite of the fish and nodded. “This is delicious.”
Serving chopsticks… why would they need those? He and Murong Yan shared everything.
He grumbled inwardly but still picked up the serving chopsticks and diligently served Murong Yan.
His parents kept asking about his work, and Murong Cheng listened awkwardly as Murong Yan fabricated stories about his “capable” and “quick-witted” assistant who had been “promoted” for his “outstanding performance” and often accompanied him on “demanding” business trips that required “frequent overtime.”
Murong Cheng wanted to disappear.
Overtime… did spending nights in bed with Murong Yan count as overtime?
After dinner, using the excuse of having more work to do, Murong Cheng quickly escorted Murong Yan to the homestay.
The available suite was a spacious three-bedroom apartment with a good layout and the best decor among their homestay units. Although not as luxurious as a five-star hotel, it was clean and comfortable.
He gave Murong Yan a tour of the apartment, showing him the bedrooms and the balcony with its night view of the sea.
“So, what do you think? Not bad, right?” he asked, tilting his head.
The night air was cool and refreshing.
Murong Yan nodded. “It’s nice.”
“Tired? You have another flight tomorrow,” Murong Cheng gestured towards the bathroom. “Go take a shower.”
Murong Yan nodded and went into the bathroom.
Just as Murong Cheng was about to leave the room, he realized something.
“Wait… where’s your luggage?”
Murong Yan had arrived empty-handed, with no suitcase, no bag, nothing.
Had he left without packing anything?
Murong Yan turned around. “Didn’t have time. It’s just one night.”
Just one night.
If it were a hotel, Murong Yan could have slept naked.
But this was his family’s homestay.
Murong Cheng frowned. “What are you going to wear after your shower?”
Twenty minutes later, Murong Cheng returned, breathless, carrying a bag of clothes.
Murong Yan had just finished his shower, emerging from the bathroom, water dripping from his naked body.
Murong Cheng fumbled with a towel, his face burning as he wrapped it around Murong Yan.
“Aren’t you cold?”
Walking out of the shower like this…
Murong Yan: “Not really.”
Murong Cheng retrieved a pair of pajamas from the bag. Light blue, with little yellow ducklings printed all over, a gift from his grandmother. He found them childish and had never worn them.
“Here,” he said, holding them out, his ears turning red. “Don’t judge. They’re pure cotton, good quality.”
“They’re cute,” Murong Yan said, looking at him intently.
“I don’t usually wear these…” Murong Cheng mumbled.
He was shorter than Murong Yan, so the pajamas were slightly small.
They fit him perfectly, but on Murong Yan, they looked like they belonged to a younger brother. The sleeves were too short, the pants became capris. The usually imposing CEO looked surprisingly adorable in the duckling pajamas.
Murong Cheng couldn’t help but chuckle.
“This one suits you better,” Murong Yan said, pulling out a plain gray pajama set from the bag.
Murong Cheng quickly stopped him. “That’s mine!”
Murong Yan pointed to himself. “This one suits you better.”
“But I really do wear this!” Murong Cheng insisted, holding onto the gray pajamas. “I wore it yesterday! The one you’re holding is new.”
Murong Yan: “I don’t mind wearing your pajamas.”
Murong Cheng: !!!
He quickly took off his jacket, about to change into the gray pajamas.
Possession was nine-tenths of the law. Murong Yan couldn’t possibly steal his clothes from him, right?
But the CEO let go, watching as he undressed.
The pajamas had buttons, but in his haste, Murong Cheng simply pulled them over his head. Just as he did, he felt Murong Yan approaching. A moment later, he was lifted into the air.
Murong Yan carried him to the bed.
He realized, too late, that he had been tricked.
The CEO’s voice was husky, his lips brushing against his cheek, then nibbling on his earlobe.
“If you really don’t like it, we can skip the pajamas altogether.”
