Chapter 82

Ye Zhi’s palms were also sweaty.

The warmth from where he was covered felt hot and searing. The other person’s palm was very dry, with no movement at all, just holding his hand, as if simply wanting to teach him something.

“Not bad,” Huo Youqiao praised, releasing his hand.

Ye Zhi’s heart felt like it had just gone through a storm, with raging winds and torrential rains, earthquakes and tsunamis. Even without physical contact, it would take a while to calm down. Ye Zhi felt reluctant to part, and even had a vague thought that he didn’t need to do everything perfectly just now. Maybe making a small mistake would make the warmth last longer.

He thought the solo time together would end there, but Huo Youqiao had no intention of getting out of the car. Instead, he asked, “How was your day?”

Ye Zhi hurriedly replied, “We bought a lot of beautiful clothes, Ranran is very happy. She found a suitable playmate in the children’s playground, and the two little girls built a sandcastle together.” He dutifully described everything his little employer had experienced today to his big employer, conveniently omitting the encounter with Huo Youcheng.

“They had a great time playing and made plans to play together again next time, so we came back late. Are you hungry? I’ll cook right away.”

“No need, I ordered food on the way back. No need to prepare dinner.” Huo Youqiao looked at him. “What about you? Did you have fun?”

Ye Zhi’s breath became erratic, and he whispered, “I had a great time too.”

“You didn’t buy clothes for yourself? Did you receive the message I sent later?”

He did receive it. He hadn’t noticed the vibration before seeing Huo Youcheng, but he noticed it later. Ye Zhi hurriedly said, “I have clothes, no need to buy, thank you.”

The other message after asking him to help buy clothes was to let him buy for himself too, using his supplementary card.

The employee benefits were really good.

Ye Zhi dared not think too much and was afraid that more solo time together would reveal something. “It’s not very safe for Ranran to be alone inside. Shall we go in quickly?”

Huo Youqiao said, “Secretary Lin is inside.”

“Hasn’t he finished work yet? Does he still have work to do at night?” Lin Xiuming usually stayed here because there was still work to be done. Huo Youqiao, as the mayor of Central City, had a busy schedule with many meetings to attend every day, and even if there were unexpected situations after work, he had to work. He rarely had a truly restful day.

“No,” he said these two words but didn’t explain why.

Ye Zhi gradually became less nervous and realized that there was a strong smell of alcohol in his nose. Finally, he couldn’t help but look at the man’s face. With this look, he noticed more details that he hadn’t noticed before.

Huo Youqiao’s gaze was somewhat unfocused, and his posture wasn’t sitting straight but rather leaning to the side. His complexion was a bit rosier than usual.

A possibility emerged in his mind, and Ye Zhi leaned closer, asking softly, “Did you… drink too much during the socializing today?” He was certain after asking, because Huo Youqiao’s reaction was slower than usual. Ye Zhi was a little curious. “What kind of socializing was it? You actually drank too much.”

“It was a routine inspection, but I met a former colleague who could drink well and was good at persuading others to drink. We drank from noon until an hour ago when it ended.” Huo Youqiao didn’t deny it, reaching out as if to pinch his nose but forgot he was wearing glasses, so he touched the lenses directly.

He had never shown such embarrassment in front of him before, and Ye Zhi couldn’t help but smile. “Can I take them off for you?” Without waiting for Huo Youqiao’s response, he reached out to remove his glasses, doing so gently.

But before his hand could be put down, it was grabbed.

Ye Zhi was stunned. Although the car was very expensive, the interior space was not large. Originally, sitting together didn’t create much distance, but now that they were closer, there was a sense of ambiguity.

The dome light was off, leaving only the glow from the dashboard and screen illuminating their faces. A flush spread rapidly across Ye Zhi’s face, his heart pounding irregularly. He tried desperately to conceal it but also didn’t want to withdraw his wrist.

“Do you still want to know why I was distant from you back then?”