...?
Bai Yi surreptitiously ground his back teeth, glancing at He Chengxiao from the corner of his eye.
He Chengxiao was also bewildered by this turn of events, his face turning even more unpleasant. He grabbed Bai Yi's arm, pulled him up, and shielded him behind his back, "You stay with Old Zhang. I might have to excuse myself for a bit."
Bai Yi whispered in his ear, "Can't bear to part?"
He Chengxiao's body stiffened, his ears turning red, "No... it's just that the mentor said he wasn't having an easy time. I'll explain things to the mentor later."
"I understand," Bai Yi said, lightly pushing his back with a bent finger. "Go quickly."
By the time he sent Zhang Dexing home, it was already past four in the afternoon. The ordered dishes had been delivered to the villa long ago, but there wasn't enough time to cook a meal when he got back. Bai Yi scrolled through the chat interface, which was full of kneeling emojis. Imagining He Chengxiao secretly slacking off while seriously attending a meeting, his brows and eyes softened involuntarily. He pulled out a crescent cookie from the car and gave it to Yan Bo Feng, "Senior, have something to fill your stomach?"
Both he and He Chengxiao were busy. Sometimes they wouldn't have time on the road, so they would ask their assistants to prepare some snacks. His personal assistant, Fang Shi, liked to eat small snacks, so there were plenty of those types of snacks in the car.
Yan Bo Feng didn't refuse. He hadn't eaten lunch and had accompanied them until the afternoon, so he was already hungry, "Thank you so much today."
"It's nothing, we're all family. Where are you going now, Senior?"
They had put on an act to entertain Zhang Dexing, and they had become familiar again. Hearing this, he leaned back in his seat, "Just drop me off at the subway entrance. You probably have a date tonight, right? I saw you kept checking the time."
Bai Yi looked apologetic, "I'm sorry, Senior. I originally said I'd treat you to dinner, but it looks like I'll have to reschedule."
They were silent on the way. When they arrived at the subway entrance, Yan Bo Feng couldn't help but ask, "You and Chengxiao..."
Bai Yi showed him the ring on his left hand, "Our relationship is pretty good right now. Thank you for your concern, Senior."
Yan Bo Feng chuckled, "So many people were pursuing you back then, but you just had to choose him. Looking at Chengfang's development now, it seems you have a good eye."
"Zhuoyue is good too. Senior's development is also very good."
Yan Bo Feng sighed, "I've tried my best... Oh, by the way, there's something I don't know if I should say."
"Go ahead, Senior. Why are you being so polite with me?"
Yan Bo Feng hesitated for a moment, "Then I'll say it... That little assistant of Chengxiao's today... I just feel like he looks a bit like you."
"Like me?" Bai Yi sat up quietly, asking as if it was nothing, "Because of the shirt?"
"That's not it. The shirt on him looks fine on its own, but compared to yours, the texture is too cheap." Yan Bo Feng sat back in the car and took out his phone, opening his album, "Do you remember what you looked like in university?"
Yan Bo Feng seemed to have separately categorized photos of his university classmates. He scanned them and saw many familiar faces, eventually settling on the large photo he opened. In the photo, a dignified young master was standing alone in the stairwell, dragging a large suitcase. His slender figure formed a sharp contrast with the huge luggage. He seemed to be worrying about how to move it upstairs, looking lost and adorable.
"This was freshman year, right? Why do you still have these photos..."
Yan Bo Feng said helplessly, "I was working as a volunteer greeter at the time and happened to pass by, so I took a picture. You know... even though you looked thin, when you lifted such a big piece of luggage with one hand, all of us were really shocked."
He also had a deep impression of the incident Yan Bo Feng mentioned because that was his first encounter with He Chengxiao.
He Chengxiao was also a volunteer at the time. Although his forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, his shirt collar was buttoned up meticulously. He wore a pair of frameless glasses on the bridge of his nose, and behind the lenses, his gaze was restrained and calm, "Classmate, do you need help?"
Bai Yi inexplicably had the thought of teasing him and put on a helpless look, "Senior, my suitcase is a bit big. It might be a little difficult for me to carry it up to the fifth floor alone."
He Chengxiao immediately rolled up his sleeves and reached out his hand, "Let me do it."
But Bai Yi directly intercepted his palm in the air, forcefully shook his hand, and said earnestly, "Then I'll have to ask Senior to cheer me on."
As he spoke, he grabbed the handle of the suitcase with his other hand and lifted it up easily.
...
Bai Yi said helplessly, "What black history..."
"No, very... cute."
Bai Yi put down his hand. He had a pair of beautiful eyes that looked lively and amorous at first glance, but the smile didn't reach his eyes, making him seem somewhat distant, "Thank you, Senior. It seems I have to treat you to this meal no matter what."
The small ripples in Yan Bo Feng's heart immediately dissipated. Bai Yi knew his feelings and had never given him any hope. He didn't say much more, nodding, "Alright, then I'll be waiting even more for He Chengxiao to get jealous."
Time was indeed a bit tight. Bai Yi scooped the noodles out and condensed them into a small ball on a plate. He poured a spoonful of sauce over it, thought about it, and cut a floret of broccoli and inserted it on the side.
He really shouldn't have overestimated his cooking skills.
The young master of the Bai family never did any housework. He had only learned a few deceptive tricks online during his relationship, which were just right for handling some clueless young people who had just entered society. They were not enough to deal with CEO He, who had gone through hundreds of battles. He rolled his eyes and ran upstairs, taking a small box out of the closet.
In the past few years that he and He Chengxiao had been together, they were very compatible in bed, but it didn't seem to be enthusiastic. He Chengxiao always used the excuse of not being able to see him clearly and wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses at that time. When the feelings were strong, a thin layer of mist would rise, blurring the man's gaze. In the second half of the night, Bai Yi would sometimes couldn't help but yawn once or twice. He Chengxiao felt sorry for his body and refused to continue. However, he himself was in a disadvantageous position and inevitably had to be reserved, so it was difficult to say something to keep the other person at those moments. Over time, he always felt somewhat unsatisfied.
Mainly because he was young and full of energy.
Bai Yi sat cross-legged by the window, unfolding the small piece of cloth in the box. The fabric of the clothes was very small, and lace vines crawled up his lower abdomen, opening into gorgeous roses on his chest. Bai Yi's skin in the mirror was very white, and the roses seemed to have broken free from their restraints and grown out of his heart.
They were an old married couple, so nothing was better than giving himself as a gift.
The link was sent to him by Qin Sheng. Bai Yi was also wearing this kind of clothes for the first time. The more he looked in the mirror, the stranger he felt. He simply took out his phone and clicked into the customer service's Moments to browse around, and then withdrew with a blushing face and a pounding heart.
So... so many styles.
That kid Zhuo Shen really eats well usually.
There were still a few hours before night. He Chengxiao seemed to have gone to work after the meeting, and there had been no new messages. He planned to send a message to ask, but after deleting and revising it, he felt that his purpose was too obvious. In the end, he picked an emoji.
[White Rabbit: Question Mark.jpg]
After surfing the web for a while, a call came in from He Chengxiao's assistant, An Ran.
"Hello? Sister An Ran?"
"Little Bai, are you at home? Luhua Yuan?"
"Yes, what's wrong? Is there something wrong with Old He?"
An Ran obviously breathed a sigh of relief, "CEO He ordered a bouquet of flowers for you. It should arrive in a while."
Bai Yi sat up from the bed, "Sister An Ran, does Chengxiao have something to do tonight?"
An Ran flipped through the documents, "Little Bai, CEO He's schedule includes a dinner tonight with Professor Mu Zhenrong of A University. I think... it's a bit strange."
Mu Zhenrong? Chengxiao's mentor?
Bai Yi paused, his fingers clutching the bed sheets, but his voice was still gentle, "Which assistant did he take with him?"
"That's what I wanted to say too... It's a new person. He's a student of Professor Mu, and he's graduating this year and looking for an internship. Professor Mu recommended him to our company."
"Ning Weixin?"
"You know?" An Ran's tone was surprised, "Then I'll be frank. He looked dazed this afternoon. When it was almost time to get off work, I wasn't at ease, so I specifically went to confirm the flower order, and he actually said he forgot."
"That's why I say new people are hard to lead. It seems Sister An Ran has to be a model worker for a while longer."
"Easy to say, as long as the bonus is in place." An Ran hesitated, "Before, he accidentally deleted an important file in the R&D department and was reported to CEO He, causing a commotion to fire him. As a result, he ran directly to ask Professor Mu for help and also took a new improvement plan, saying that he saw the company's system was too old and wanted to help us improve it, so he accidentally deleted it. Professor Mu gave him face, and CEO He didn't want to refuse, so he let him stay for now, but he was also afraid that he would delay things... But CEO He's personal schedule is also very important, like tonight, how could he arrange a dinner today..."
Bai Yi's knuckles turned pink from exertion, and his eyes were filled with a dark light, but his voice was still gentle, "I understand. You can get off work first. Since he's already made the appointment, I can't stop Old He from seeing his teacher, right? But I have to trouble Sister An Ran to send him a message reminding him."
"Okay," An Ran agreed readily.
After hanging up the phone, Bai Yi rubbed his congested fingertips and walked barefoot to the closet. After living together, his and He Chengxiao's clothes were mixed together. The white ones were his, and the black ones were He Chengxiao's. He directly pulled open He Chengxiao's side of the closet, looked at the black clothes that were squeezed into the corner, thought about it, took out a large shirt and put it on over himself. The hem covered the roots of his thighs, leaving a suggestive expanse of snow-white.
He opened the address book, flipped past He Chengxiao, and landed on "Qin Sheng."
The other side answered quickly, "Hello? Why do you have time to call me today?"
"The night is long and lonely, and I'm so bored."
"Beep beep beep..."
The other end hung up directly. A few minutes later, Qin Sheng called back, "You're done for. Zhuo Shen heard it. He's going to report you to your CEO He."
"Then be sure not to stop him."
Qin Sheng was stunned, then understood something, "He hasn't come back yet? He stood you up?"
"Yes, I'm so pitiful. Come and elope with me."
Qin Sheng: "..."
The other end muffled the receiver and said a few words. Qin Sheng's voice became clear again, "I called, but he hung up. What's going on?"
"I ran into a difficult little ghost," Bai Yi said, clamping the phone between his shoulder and ear, picking out a pair of pants to change into, "and also moved a great Buddha."
"Whoa." Qin Sheng was intrigued, "Who is it that can intercept you? Are you getting old and losing your charm?"