Z Province lay in the central region, which wasn’t typically known for heavy rainfall. But this year was different—typhoon weather had combined with convective rains to make things unusually wet.
The city’s drainage system wasn’t up to par, so water levels kept rising. Shops on the ground floor had all suffered some degree of flooding damage.
Qi Jing leaned against Bo Chengyan’s shoulder. When he came to in a daze, he realized they’d changed locations. Outside the window, the sky hung dark and heavy. Construction workers were out on the roads in the light drizzle, clearing fallen branches.
“About five more minutes. Get some more rest.”
Bo Chengyan lifted a hand to pull the blanket over him again, then took hold of Qi Jing’s wrist.
The bones were easy to grip.
His hand was too small, slipping through the gaps between his fingers. It didn’t feel right.
Better to just clasp the wrist firmly.
Like a shackle.
Qi Jing squinted, puzzled why they were leaving so early this time. He asked, and the answer he got was:
“Playing a little trick.”
“Will you cooperate with me, Little Jing?”
Bo Chengyan’s expression remained even throughout, but when he glanced sideways, there was an inexplicable pressure to it.
[He doesn’t seem very happy?]
The boy wasn’t sleepy anymore. His chin sank into the blanket as he stared at the man beside him.
One second. Two seconds.
Qi Jing was scooped up—blanket and all—from the reclined seat onto Bo Chengyan’s lap. He was still a bit dazed.
“I’m not happy.”
Total control was hard to achieve.
Unless you went to inhumane extremes.
But not with Qi Jing. He was too small. Even though he was an adult, his bones were naturally slender, like a deer’s or a bird’s—beautiful and fragile.
Locking him away would block out the wind and rain.
But it would also shut out the sun.
Bo Chengyan didn’t think he was that cruel yet.
At least, he needed to keep up appearances.
“Why?”
The boy reached out with his slender arms, wrapping them around him. His breath was warm, like something freshly plucked from its nest.
“Bad weather.”
“No helping that…”
Qi Jing was just an ordinary person. He couldn’t change the weather.
But he could try another approach.
He leaned in and kissed Bo Chengyan’s chin.
~~~
The hotel was surprisingly nice. When Qi Jing got to the room, he saw unopened clothes and some bags waiting.
They contained clean toiletries—someone must have bought them ahead of time.
Breakfast was delivered too.
Qi Jing wandered around aimlessly, thinking the place was huge. But soon he heard the tap of fingers on the table.
Bo Chengyan was on the phone. Qi Jing walked over.
He tilted his head up to look.
“Yes, I’ll attend. Ling Yue will bear the responsibility he should.”
Qi Jing had no interest in eating. He just stood there, head tilted, watching the man on the phone. Honestly, he didn’t understand much of it.
But it sounded like attending various meetings.
Disaster relief stuff?
The thought made a string in his mind tighten slightly.
It felt familiar—disaster relief, flooding.
He didn’t remember much from back then…
The call ended.
Qi Jing felt his earlobe being gently stroked. He looked up.
“Why aren’t you eating? Have your breakfast first.”
Bo Chengyan was strikingly handsome, especially in a suit—like a seasoned business magnate.
Which he was.
Qi Jing rubbed his eyes, figuring he was overthinking things. He took small sips of the corn porridge.
He eyed his rice ball eagerly.
Bo Chengyan was unwrapping it for him.
“Where’s Jiang Xiuyuan?”
Bo Chengyan paused slightly, looking down at him. “Is he your friend?”
“Yeah.”
Qi Jing did have the right to make friends freely.
But sometimes, supervision was necessary. Bo Chengyan reminded him: “He’s been diagnosed with depression, from what I hear. His emotions might be unstable—self-harm isn’t a first for him.”
“I don’t recommend meeting him.”
Qi Jing hadn’t known that. He was just worried about the guy.
After all, they’d both started out as little birds.
Bo Chengyan touched his cheek gently, his tone mild. “Of course, if you want to see him, that’s fine. I’ve assigned you bodyguards.”
No need to restrict him.
He could ensure Qi Jing’s safety.
~~~
People’s connections mostly formed in shared environments. Qi Jing had plenty of friends at school, but out in the world… Jiang Xiuyuan was the only one he was close to.
“He’s in 1408.”
The usher said it politely.
Five-star hotels weren’t common in Z Province, so Qi Jing hadn’t expected the coincidence—they were staying in the same one.
996 had been there during breakfast, tucked into the rice ball wrapper. It could sniff it out.
That sense hadn’t been adjusted.
【Why are you here?】
Qi Jing replied in his mind: 【To make a donation.】
Dead serious.
996 wasn’t convinced. Couldn’t you donate online? Coming in person usually meant business interests or tricky projects.
【I went to Macau again, so probably…】
“Please, come in.”
Interrupted again.
Jiang Xiuyuan stared for a good while when he opened the door, then said blankly, “Qi Jing?”
He hadn’t expected to see him again.
With Z Province’s weather and the transport disruptions, that guy shouldn’t…
Qi Jing almost hadn’t recognized him either. Back at the clubhouse, Jiang Xiuyuan had been all made up—with a lip piercing, ear piercings, eyebrow piercing…
And black nail polish.
Fancy crop top.
But now, nothing.
Jiang Xiuyuan was actually quite delicate-looking. His black hair hung down, his face pale. The nail polish was gone, his fingers limp.
Like a game character reverted to its default skin.
“Come on in.”
The room was a mess.
Broken bottles, shattered bowls.
Jiang Xiuyuan felt awkwardly self-conscious for once. He wasn’t even wearing shoes. He scrambled to clean up and accidentally cut his finger.
Qi Jing thought for a moment, then said to the bodyguard, “Could you wait outside?”
Very earnestly.
“Not really.”
Qi Jing looked disappointed and tried another tack. “Then could you stand at the door? I won’t close it.”
Too many strangers made things worse.
The bodyguard seemed to hear something in his earpiece and didn’t argue. He stepped outside.
Qi Jing went to help pick up the plates, but Jiang Xiuyuan stopped him. “No, no— you’ll get cut.”
He pulled Qi Jing to the sofa and said, looking down, “You sit tight. I’ll… um…”
The young man glanced around, grabbed a glass of juice, then muttered, “No.”
He swapped it for a sealed one.
“Drink this.”
Probably cleaner.
Jiang Xiuyuan thought a bit neurotically. Once the plates were cleared, he sat down.
“Sorry, I broke them. Did I scare you?”
Qi Jing shook his head and just asked, “Did you get your money back?”
That might be the real issue.
Jiang Xiuyuan shook his head. “No, Chen Zhuo’s keeping me locked up here. I can’t leave.”
That night, his phone had died. The old house was pitch black; he didn’t know how to get out.
He hadn’t called the police.
Didn’t want to waste their time.
He’d waded through the water bit by bit, lost and confused, until a blinding light hit him.
Not an angel coming to save him.
A devil who’d dragged him away.
“I’ll pay you back first.” Jiang Xiuyuan thought it over. He’d saved some money—not sent to his parents yet…
It was enough to live on.
Qi Jing’s million had to be returned.
“You, wait a sec.”
“Why’s he keeping you here?”
The young man blinked, then answered, “To fuck me.”
Qi Jing felt his skin heat up. He sat there stunned, speechless.
Jiang Xiuyuan explained: “I deserved it. I’m a kept man—signed a contract for two years, and it’s not even been one yet.”
“Selling myself… that’s how it is.”
The young man smiled mildly. “How’d you get here? Did President Bo bring you?”
Qi Jing couldn’t help tensing up. He wasn’t stupid, just a bit slow on the uptake.
Goldfinches were different.
He was glimpsing the true face of that role.
He’d just been lucky.
Qi Jing opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about me. I was jealous of you.” Jiang Xiuyuan propped his chin, looking at the much younger boy.
His eyes drooped slightly. “But you didn’t do anything wrong. People’s lives are different. Treating what others have as your own loss? That’s pathetic.”
“Besides, you seem…”
The young man considered carefully: “Like you’d really stir up possessive urges.”
“Not sure if that’s the right way to put it.”
Qi Jing sat on the sofa, legs together, fidgeting with his fingers.
“I don’t get it.”
Jiang Xiuyuan changed the subject. “Why’d you come find me?”
“To see if you’re okay.”
The boy said it without thinking.
Jiang Xiuyuan’s mind buzzed. He forced a smile. “Say that again.”
Qi Jing repeated it.
Okay?
No one had ever asked if he was okay.
All he ever heard were vicious words—cheap slut, disgusting, you’re so filthy…
Jiang Xiuyuan covered his face, convinced he was sick. Otherwise, why would one sentence make him want to cry?
“I… I…”
He could barely string words together.
Until the young man reached out and pulled him directly into a hug.
The room was under surveillance.
A setup that blatantly violated basic human rights.
“Why? Didn’t I console him?” Chen Zhuo was utterly baffled. He leaned against the desk and tilted his head to glance at the man beside him.
“Is this my reward?”
There had been no betrayal.
He had very honorably passed along the message.
Truth be told, Chen Zhuo didn’t see the big deal. Most outsiders were speculating that their relationship had soured because of that marriage alliance in Macau.
Frankly, it wouldn’t make a difference anyway.
For one thing, their interests were still aligned.
For another, their friendship endured.
Chen Jiangqiao was always dreaming up one wild scheme after another—probably from binge-reading too many of those over-the-top tycoon housewife novels. She’d even lined him up with a few good-looking sweet-talkers from government agencies, then blissfully fantasized about herself as the heroine in one of those CEO romance stories.
Chen Zhuo was pretty skilled at sweet-talking his own sister.
The only thing he wasn’t good at…
“No, Qi Jing just wanted to see you.”
As Bo Chengyan rose to leave, Chen Zhuo suddenly called out. “Actually, Jiang Xiuyuan likes you… You can’t pretend you don’t know.”
“No impression.”
Just three flat words.
Chen Zhuo arched a brow, a strange feeling stirring in his chest—though he hadn’t even finished exhaling that breath of relief.
“If you’re just doing this on a whim…”
“I wouldn’t recommend it.”
With that, he walked away.
Both remarks had come out of nowhere.
Chen Zhuo idly tore open the bandage on his hand with his teeth. The bloody wound hadn’t healed yet. He lowered his gaze.
At least…
It wasn’t a stab to the chest.
Tch. He could pull off pure romance too.
~~~
Qi Jing only stayed a short while, blissfully unaware that he’d been watched the entire time, from the moment he entered the room until he left.
“Thank you. I’m back in my room now—you can get off work, right?” Leaning against the doorframe, Qi Jing pursed his lips and asked politely.
The bodyguard opened his mouth to respond, but a voice crackled through his earpiece. He switched his words.
“Yes.”
“Goodbye.”
The bodyguard departed.
Only then did Qi Jing close the door and let out a long breath of relief. Being tailed felt so weird.
He didn’t like it.
He had just settled onto the sofa when his phone buzzed—a notification from his bank account.
One million five hundred thousand credited.
Qi Jing frowned. He hadn’t asked Jiang Xiuyuan to pay him back. Where had this come from…
–Thanks, little friend, for your generous bailout. Consider the rest me treating you to candy.
Unknown number.
It wasn’t until noon.
Bo Chengyan picked up his phone from the dining table and glanced at it casually. “Chen Zhuo.”
“No worries, no need to pay it back.”
Qi Jing furrowed his brow and took his own phone. His waist was tugged forward slightly as he asked, thoroughly puzzled, “Is he paying back the money for Jiang Xiuyuan?”
“I only gave out one million.”
Bo Chengyan lifted his gaze to meet Qi Jing’s, asking keenly, “Does it feel off?”
“Yeah.”
Qi Jing said earnestly, “I don’t know Chen Zhuo. The one I know is Jiang Xiuyuan.”
“Why is he paying me back on Jiang Xiuyuan’s behalf… Did he tell him?”
The young man had subtly picked up on the oddity. He was no longer the clueless innocent he’d once been.
Bo Chengyan replied calmly, “Then send it back to him.”
Qi Jing settled naturally onto his lap, watching as he tapped out the message on the phone. His waist was held steady.
“Jiang Xiuyuan doesn’t like him.”
“Mm.”
“Can’t Chen Zhuo just cancel the agreement?”
“Not sure.”
“Keeping a sugar baby is a bad idea.”
“Right.”
“Where are you going?”
The young man looped his arms around Bo Chengyan’s shoulders and leaned in close, sniffing at his collar. His breath ghosted over the other’s Adam’s apple.
Bo Chengyan paused for a beat.
