Chapter 65

Bo Chengyan was reviewing documents in the small study. The assistant beside him couldn’t help glancing over several times.

How had he suddenly ended up in his boss’s neighborhood?

Slumming it for a day?

“Nothing else?”

Bo Chengyan frowned as he asked, setting the materials aside with a light brush of his fingertips.

Harbor City was full of big shots from every circle imaginable. Even without solid leads, narrowing them down wasn’t too hard.

“Pretty much nothing. We didn’t track anyone with a net worth under ten billion dollars. Do you want us to…”

“No need.”

Bo Chengyan’s tone was even as he glanced down at his wristwatch. He simply instructed, “Head back for now. Just deliver the rest of the files here from now on.”

“You worked hard this morning.”

His voice was mild and polite.

Once the Chief Assistant left, he let out a yawn. It was barely morning—the wage slaves hadn’t even clocked in yet…

Damn capitalists.

Right then, a text message popped up on his phone.

【Payroll deposited: …xxxxxx…】

The Chief Assistant carefully counted the zeros, grinning so wide it felt like his face might split. He only snapped out of it after bumping into an auntie with permed hair.

“Hey, what’s with you young people these days? Not even watching where you’re going!”

The young man didn’t look up. “Pardon!”

The permed-hair auntie: “…”

In the elevator, the assistant felt downright enlightened. He was happy to be Ling Yue’s wage slave for life, thrilled to serve as the gatekeeper of his boss’s romance.

A hundred-meter commute, three hundred yuan reimbursed for breakfast.

A six-figure monthly salary? He damn well deserved it!

~~~

Bedroom—

It was around six in the morning. The person on the bed was still sleeping soundly, his dark hair splayed across the pillow, the skin of his jaw pale and lustrous.

The door made a soft sound.

The curtains were still drawn, leaving the room lit only by a small bedside lamp. Bo Chengyan stood by the bed, watching him for a moment.

Still early.

He seemed to think the boy was too young and let him sleep another half hour.

But just then, the alarm started beeping insistently: beep-beep-beep-beep.

The teenager on the bed frowned, reached under his pillow for his phone, and shut it off with a smack.

“Mm…”

Qi Jing rubbed his eyes and sat up, groggily preparing to get out of bed.

He caught sight of the figure in his peripheral vision and froze, instinctively scooting back a little. There were still faint marks on the inside of his supporting arm.

“Why are you standing by the bed—”

Darkness shadowed the boy’s face as the man blocked the lamp. Warm skin pressed against the cool shirt, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

His body was tugged upward.

“Why up so early?”

The voice was low and slightly puzzled.

Qi Jing’s legs felt weak, slipping downward despite himself, but a hand caught him right at the knee, the palm enveloping it completely.

“Hm?” The voice deepened.

Only then did he realize he hadn’t answered. He braced a hand on the man’s shoulder, his dark pupils fixed for a couple of seconds.

Bo Chengyan’s gaze was fully lowered, the straight line of his nose casting a natural shadow beneath his brow as he watched.

“I’ve got to prep for the CET-4/6 exams.”

“The semester’s almost over, and… I haven’t studied much at all.”

His tone was earnest.

He got up at six, finished washing up in fifteen minutes, and was at his desk before half an hour had passed.

Just like a high schooler.

Bo Chengyan only sat with him for a bit before the boy looked up, troubled. “Go out.”

“I need to practice speaking.”

His voice was muffled.

Perhaps because there’d been no strict upbringing, the boy had grown used to speaking in straightforward declarative sentences. Proper and direct.

No inner turmoil at all.

The chair was solid wood with a soft cushion underneath. Qi Jing tilted his head up at the man, an iPad in front of him.

His expression was perfectly serious.

Just that his earlobes were a bit red.

High school had been in the International Department, where English was a strong suit and spoken classes were all taught by native speakers.

There was no way the boy could do poorly.

He was just… uncomfortable.

Especially in front of Bo Chengyan—like worrying a parent might nitpick his mistakes.

Shy.

But—

“CET-4 speaking? Practice with me.”

Qi Jing had been about to refuse, but the iPad was already taken away. He reached out in a hurry, but his palm was caught.

Bo Chengyan just glanced at the screen, switched to a different language mode, and started asking questions casually.

It felt entirely different.

Authentic. And exacting.

Qi Jing tried to pull his hand free but couldn’t budge it—like being back in freshman year, memorizing clauses.

He stumbled through his answers, performing terribly.

He named some favorite foods.

After all, the last part of the speaking exam was partner interaction.

Pretty childish stuff.

When he finished, his ear tips were burning red.

“Little Jing likes potatoes? I didn’t know that.”

The tone was neutral.

“And you can make potato chowder, one of the staples of Chinese cuisine? Where’d you learn that?”

Even Qi Jing caught on eventually. His skin heated up as he yanked at his wrist, but his fingers were pried apart and firmly interlaced.

A shadow fell over him.

Amid the indistinct haze.

Their foreheads touched lightly.

“Are you a little kettle or something? One touch and you boil over.”

The meaning was ambiguous.

Qi Jing hadn’t paid much mind to his own temperature—maybe just from nerves—but he didn’t know it happened in bed too.

When his mind was foggy, his mouth had been checked many times by those pinching fingers.

It faded eventually afterward.

“No, I’m not.”

A muffled denial in the end.

Breakfast looked plentiful, but the boy just stared in confusion. After hesitating forever, he transferred a hundred yuan to Bo Chengyan.

It was almost like striking a match.

When asked why—

—I have money too. I have money.

—I was going to make my own breakfast, but then…

—B-Bo Chengyan.

Qi Jing was perched on his lap, pajamas loose and rumpled. His breathing quickened; he barely dared glance sideways.

“You sure know how to say my name.”

Bo Chengyan had to admit, when the boy in his arms called his name, it did have an effect.

It made him pause.

But this was daytime.

“Let me down…”

Same old trick.

“Little Jing—”

Before the words finished, his chin got a soft kiss.

Qi Jing’s hands rested on the man’s shoulders, his gaze clear and direct.

~~~

Some time later, Lin Se had a new session.

But after hearing what happened—

“So obedient?”

Bo Chengyan’s brow furrowed. He said gravely, “Lin Se.”

The young man just shrugged, utterly baffled. “What kind of luck did you stumble into?”

“He really likes you. Doesn’t even need me to smooth things over.”

Most of the time, relationships between people should follow the natural order: know each other, then love.

Every logical chain worked that way.

“He’s dating you.”

Lin Se said without looking up. “Or rather… redefining your relationship in the way he thinks makes sense.”

Parenting and being parented.

It was inherently unbalanced.

Unfair.

“Parents raise kids, and the kids support them later in life. He…”

“He doesn’t need to support me.”

Lin Se fell silent, thinking at least it hadn’t started from early childhood. Otherwise, with this approach, it would’ve been spoiling without limits.

“Eighteen to twenty-five… or college years, that’s the key period for reshaping and stabilizing his worldview.”

“Proper guidance and support might be better.”

…

Sessions were just sessions—not mandates.

Bo Chengyan never believed growth required invented “setbacks.” “Tough love” had no place in his book.

Qi Jing could try redefining things, but it wouldn’t change his view.

Equality, as such, didn’t exist here.

If they were peers, fine—excusable. But with such an age gap, it was inherently one-sided. Letting the younger one stumble around blindly for “equality”?

No chance.

He was there to be relied on.

Independence and freedom didn’t conflict with love.

…

The weather grew cooler, and Capital University’s finals arrived right on schedule.

Qi Jing had built a solid foundation in high school. The big lectures and general ed classes were no trouble, and he’d diligently memorized and noted his major courses. The exams went smoothly.

The moment he stepped out the gate, there was that understated black car.

Bo Chengyan had been personally driving him lately—partly because it was close, partly to avoid needless hassle.

Like cab fare.

Or rather, money for drivers…

Qi Jing had his own theory: boyfriends could be used, but extra expenses should be shared. He took it seriously.

Though Bo Chengyan didn’t fully agree with Lin Se’s take, he didn’t outright reject the boy’s approach.

Just wanted normal couple dynamics.

Fine.

Any point requiring money from him? Switch the driver to “boyfriend” and call it done.

Once Qi Jing got in the car, he buckled up without looking up. “Supermarket…”

Nothing wrong with compromising.

They went.

He grabbed a cart.

Qi Jing wandered up and down the aisles, clutching the shopping list he’d made himself. He picked up steaks, frozen dumplings, blueberries, juice, toilet paper…

A lot of stuff.

Checkout came to nearly two grand.

It was downright extravagant.

The young man checked his balance carefully—until—

“When are you going to tell me?”

Bo Chengyan’s tone was perfectly calm.

He still hadn’t heard the full story about those assets, that certain something, and the people from Harbor City.

Perhaps it was his youth, or maybe some other hesitation holding him back.

Qi Jing opened his mouth to spill everything right then, but suddenly his nape was tugged, forcing him to take half a step forward. A solid body blocked his way.

He tried to look up, but firm fingers pinned his neck in place. He couldn’t budge.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of someone wearing a mask, phone raised.

It lasted only a few seconds.

“Nothing to worry about.”

Qi Jing often felt a flicker of confusion in moments like these. Something had happened—he sensed it vaguely.

But it had been brushed aside with effortless ease.

~~~

That evening—

Qi Jing stood in the kitchen, watching Bo Chengyan with rapt attention as he prepped the ingredients, heated the oil, seared the food… and plated it all up.

He himself had no idea how to cook.

To make things fair, though, the young man decided to tackle the dishes by hand—no dishwasher.

“When are you done playing around?”

Bo Chengyan reached out, clamped a hand around Qi Jing’s wrist, and pulled him close. His expression remained serene as he asked.

Qi Jing stood off to the side, his waist encircled and drawn forward a little.

“I’m not playing…”

Bo Chengyan rephrased it with gentlemanly poise. “Little Jing, my current role is your boyfriend, right?”

It wasn’t hard to understand at all.

The young man just wanted to break free completely from the sensation of being “kept.” It wasn’t outright dislike—more like he couldn’t quite sort out his feelings.

Nurturing like that usually happened within family ties.

It muddled things for him.

So they had to start over, one step at a time.

“Yes.”

“Then when do we move on to the next step?”