Fan Qing had forcefully removed Jing Yuan, handing him off to the bodyguards.
Calmly, he dialed Jin Si’s number.
“Mr. Jin, I’ve handed the person over. Is that all right?”
For the first time, Jin Si let out a hoarse laugh.
“I see you can actually put me to good use. This could be considered… your private matter, right?”
Fan Qing remained composed.
Suppressing the urge to rush after Nie Luo, he skillfully engaged Jin Si.
“But, Mr. Jin, you should also know that Jing Yuan is backed by Zhuo Yuan. If I’m not mistaken, Zhuo Yuan is the opponent you’ve been trying to deal with, right? I trust that by handing Jing Yuan over to you, you’ll be able to extract the information you need.”
“You are indeed clever.”
Jin Si sighed, then raised an eyebrow.
“And I suppose you know… the favor you owe me now isn’t fully repaid, right?”
Fan Qing’s gaze remained calm, his tone steady.
“You flatter me, Mr. Jin. You are Er Shao’s brother, and Nie Luo is friends with him, so we are all family. If you need anything in the future, just say the word.”
His words were so natural that even Jin Si, on the other end, fell silent for a moment.
After a long pause, Jin Si’s pale face broke into a smile.
“For once, you’ve really made me laugh, Fan Qing. Clever kid. My praise for you was not wasted.”
He paused, the first hint of genuine warmth in his voice.
“Fine. Since you called me Jin Da Ge, I’ll handle this favor.”
He finished speaking and raised his eyebrow slightly, a touch of mischief in his tone.
“But do you think Nie Luo knows we’re family?”
Fan Qing remained composed.
After all, debts aren’t to be worried about, and the more lice, the less it itches.
He smiled faintly.
“In our family, unless there’s an accident, Nie Ge is in charge. I follow his lead.”
Jin Si was momentarily stunned, then let out a frustrated laugh.
“Little sly one.”
All he had done was get Nie Luo to act as a makeshift spokesperson once.
This kid was smart.
He chuckled but didn’t mind.
He was always tolerant of his younger brother.
Especially when the younger brother was clever.
“Have them escorted downstairs. The car is waiting.”
Fan Qing relayed the order to the bodyguards, ignoring the fleeting shock and resentment in Jing Yuan’s eyes.
“Thanks, Jin Da Ge.”
“All right, go see your man now.” Jin Si laughed and scolded lightly, then paused.
Fan Qing’s anxious heart softened slightly as he read the subtext in Jin Si’s words. The note about his “assistant” clarified everything.
He quickly sent a message to Jin Yi, then retrieved the information Nie Luo had sent him earlier.
The dim light barely reached the most secluded corner outside the men’s restroom, marked with a “Cleaning in Progress” sign.
An employee passing by glanced in, muttered a curse under his breath, and hurried to another floor.
Nie Luo sat on the closed toilet lid, leaning back slightly to regulate his breathing. He even had the leisure to check his phone for a moment.
Footsteps approached briskly, and soon he heard the voice he had been waiting for.
“Ge?”
At once, Nie Luo’s expression softened.
He tapped lightly on the doorframe with his knuckles.
Fan Qing pushed the door open swiftly.
In the confined space, Nie Luo’s composed yet subtly mysterious presence struck him immediately.
Closing the door behind him, Fan Qing looked at Nie Luo’s flushed face and instinctively licked his dry lips, his gaze darkening slightly, voice becoming huskier.
“Ge… are you all right?”
Nie Luo simply looked at him, silent.
Fan Qing smiled lightly at that, his voice carrying a teasing tone.
“Waiting for me?”
He moved closer, knees brushing as they faced each other.
Nie Luo let out a faint sound, “Mm.”
His fingers instinctively laced with Fan Qing’s. Placing them at his lips, he pressed a soft kiss, tinged with a hint of grievance.
“Glad you came.”
He hadn’t expected Jing Yuan to appear suddenly—it had caught him off guard. The trouble Jing Yuan had caused was headache enough, but fortunately, he had avoided it. Both understood exactly what he meant.
“Yes, I came.”
Fan Qing exhaled, a quiet relief settling in his chest. He had arrived just in time. Jin Si’s intel had come at the perfect moment. Otherwise… the thought of what might have happened made his heart race.
Suddenly, Nie Luo’s hand rested on the small of his back.
Fan Qing, though not ticklish, felt the heat of that touch, intense and immediate.
“Don’t overthink it.”
Nie Luo’s palm gently soothed his back.
Fan Qing exhaled, pressing a soft kiss to Nie Luo’s lips.
“Nothing, just… I should have come to you sooner.”
Nie Luo lightly bit at his ear.
“Mm.”
His response carried a touch of grievance. Fan Qing sensed it, nearly unable to suppress a smile, his words hurried.
“I had planned a surprise for you today.”
“Too slow,” Nie Luo countered, his canines grazing another spot.
He wanted to leave his mark on his boyfriend’s neck—but stopped himself. Not now.
“I don’t want to hear your excuses,” Nie Luo murmured, extending his free arm to wrap Fan Qing’s waist fully against him.
His lips pressed against Fan Qing’s, the kiss deliberate and sincere. Their entwined embrace lingered long before breaking.
Fan Qing, slightly tired but with a spark of interest in his eyes, leaned half against Nie Luo’s chest.
“Ge, you’re more proactive today, hm?”
Nie Luo’s gaze darkened, tinged with both grievance and confusion.
“I’ve always been proactive—it’s you…”
He hesitated.
“What did I do?” Fan Qing raised an eyebrow, sensing he’d missed something in Nie Luo’s words.
Nie Luo looked at him, earnest and reproachful.
“At the dorm that time.”
He reaffirmed, slightly aggrieved.
“You clearly… but then you went to shower.”
Fan Qing realized, for the first time, that he had somehow fallen short, even compared to Jin Er Shao.
Suddenly, a phone rang in the restroom.
Nie Luo tensed. Fan Qing’s expression froze.
Another ring followed immediately.
Nie Luo: …
Fan Qing: …
Fan Qing: “…Hello?”
“I remind you, no matter how ‘urgent’ your business is, I only handle Jing Yuan’s side of things. Nie Luo’s matters, I’m not cleaning up for him, you understand, Fan Qing?”
Jin Si’s voice carried amusement as he watched Fan Qing approach.
After hanging up, Jin Si lazily reached out a finger.
Fan Qing sighed, allowing his fingertip to meet Jin Si’s.
“Hurts your finger again?”
“No, but you’re here, aren’t you?”
Jin Si, half-lazy, let his fingers slip into Fan Qing’s palm.
The assistant choked back a breath.
“…You really are something.”
Indeed, he didn’t say anything more. The two of them simply stayed there—one standing, one sitting—in quiet company.
After a while, the assistant suddenly remembered something.
“You just said… Fan Qing… ‘younger brother’?”
He wasn’t entirely sure about the last two words. Did this person actually call someone his brother?
There was already a Jin Er Shao—wasn’t that enough of a handful?
Jin Si squinted slightly, lips twitching.
“Yes.”
His eyes narrowed into a thin slit. “He’s a clever one.”
The assistant raised an eyebrow and quickly understood.
“You mean… it was Fan Qing who suggested it?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Jin Si turned his head, exhaling slowly toward the assistant.
“And what, do you think I wanted a little brother?”
“Fair enough.”
But…
The assistant let out a light chuckle, his tone loaded with subtle meaning.
“Not a bad deal, actually. Fan Qing really is clever.”
“Do you think I’d make this deal for nothing?”
The pressure of his fingers was just right, warm enough to convey a quiet sense of comfort. Jin Si slowly closed his eyes.
But not for long—he opened them again.
“Rested enough. Time to deal with that Zhao-family business.”
The assistant released his hand, a bit helpless.
“So if you’re still busy, why call me over?”
Running back and forth wasn’t considered trouble? Oh, right—it was he who had to run.
Of course, Jin Si didn’t think it was troublesome.
“You came at just the right time to handle Jing Yuan’s mess.”
Jin Si straightened, towering over the assistant by nearly a head.
“With Fan Qing as your younger brother now, you’ll have your hands full.”
The assistant was speechless.
So this man had not only found himself a “younger brother,” but also assigned him a bunch of new tasks?
He followed Jin Si, speaking lightly.
“So today’s Christmas… no rest for you either?”
Jin Si’s tall frame paused. He said nothing.
The assistant walked past him to the front, his tone laced with teasing.
“Someone mocks Jin Er Shao for working overtime on Christmas, yet they’re no better themselves. And they’re dragging me along too.”
Indeed, it was somewhat infuriating.
He slid into the warm car, Jin Si’s tall figure following. The car started moving.
After a while, Jin Si spoke, calm and deliberate.
“During holidays, you should be together for it to count as celebrating.”
His gloved hand rested lightly on the assistant’s, casual yet intimate.
“Otherwise, why would you come to me?”
He thought, silently, that if the person beside him was free, there was no reason for them to celebrate elsewhere. Holidays, after all, were best spent together at work.
The assistant, after searching for the right words, brushed against the glove’s soft lining.
It was fine. He wasn’t meeting this man for the first time—he already knew the man’s mischievous nature.
Snowflakes began to fall outside.
The assistant glanced out the window, his mood inexplicably lightening.
Indeed, having someone by your side—that was what made a holiday.