After finishing the move and a few more kisses, it was already late.
But since the next day was Sunday, with no work, Lu Chen and He Xiaoyuan didn’t rush to their rooms.
Lu Chen suggested having a drink—red wine. He Xiaoyuan happily agreed: “Sure!”
They moved the sofa near the large floor-to-ceiling windows, chatting, drinking, and enjoying the night view together.
He Xioayuan sighed to himself: This is really nice.
So happy.
After finishing their drinks, the two of them wandered around the house hand in hand. Lu Chen said that since He Xiaoyuan had officially moved in, he would show his boyfriend around their new home—he even deliberately took the elevator, starting the introduction with great ceremony from the moment they stepped out.
Hand in hand, they walked out of the elevator. Lu Chen gestured toward the shoe cabinet by the elevator and said, “This is the entryway. From now on, our shoes will go here together. Every day when you come home, you’ll change your shoes here when you get out of the elevator. When you go to work, you’ll change them here too.”
He Xiaoyuan pretended it was his first time here, following Lu Chen and responding with an “Oh.” After that “oh,” he laughed. “What is this, playing house?”
Lu Chen then led He Xiaoyuan into the living room. “This is the sofa. Sit or lie down however you like. From now on, we’ll chat, talk things over, watch movies, hug, and kiss here.”
He Xiaoyuan said, “Mm.”
Holding back laughter, he thought that the two of them were being kind of childish—but in a fun way—doing this in the middle of the night.
They moved on to the dining table. Lu Chen said, “We’ll eat here together. While eating, we’ll talk about interesting things at work or in life.”
Then he added, “Or maybe we’ll just eat and not talk much at all. In that case, I’ll eat while watching you, wondering what you’re thinking about, whether you’re in a good mood, whether work was tiring.”
He Xiaoyuan nodded.
Lu Chen said, “We might also hug and kiss here.”
He Xiaoyuan smiled and rested his head on Lu Chen’s shoulder.
Suddenly thinking of something, He Xiaoyuan lifted his head from Lu Chen’s shoulder, looked at him, and asked, “What if we argue?”
That was possible, right?
Although since they had known each other, they had never really argued or had any conflicts.
But living together meant seeing each other day in and day out. Over time, there would probably be some friction in daily life, wouldn’t there?
Lu Chen turned his head and looked back at him. “That’s okay. I’ll coax you.”
He Xiaoyuan burst out laughing.
Lu Chen looked at his younger boyfriend again and said, “Besides, your personality and temper are both very good. You’re not someone who likes to make a fuss. If you have something on your mind, you’ll definitely communicate it to me.”
“As long as there’s communication, there won’t be much friction.”
Lu Chen continued analyzing, “Most problems in life can be solved with money, and we’re not short on money, so there won’t be that many conflicts we can’t resolve.”
“And since I’m so much older than you, if it’s a small conflict, and it’s my problem, I’ll reflect and change. If it’s your problem, I can be tolerant.”
He Xiaoyuan deliberately said, “What if I can’t change?”
Lu Chen loosened their joined hands, wrapped an arm around his shoulders instead, pulled him into his arms, tilted his head, and kissed his cheek. In a gentle voice, he said, “You don’t need to change. With me, no matter how you are, I like you.”
He Xiaoyuan felt overwhelmed by the cheesiness—and yet he liked it, smiling to himself.
He leaned into Lu Chen’s arms, facing him, lifted his hands to wrap around Lu Chen’s waist, lowered his head into the hollow of Lu Chen’s shoulder, and said, “How can you be this good?”
Lu Chen kissed the top of his head.
When it was finally time to go back to their rooms to rest, Lu Chen still held his hand, walking him all the way to the door of the guest bedroom.
By the door, just as they had agreed beforehand, they hugged and kissed for a while. The kiss left He Xiaoyuan feeling almost light-headed, his soul floating. Lu Chen’s arm was like iron, firm and unyielding as it held his waist.
A low, hoarse “Good night” was spoken amid their tangled breaths.
“Good night.”
He Xiaoyuan felt that maybe because it was nighttime, his legs were a little weak.
Back in bed, he took out the brooch, turning it over in his fingers and looking at it for a bit. Then he rolled over, and with a smile, drifted into a sweet dream.
Early the next morning, clear, bright sunlight poured into the room. Wearing his loungewear, He Xiaoyuan padded downstairs in slippers, thump thump thump, crossed past the sofa, and hurried toward the dining area.
He entered the kitchen and saw that Lu Chen was already at the counter making breakfast. He Xiaoyuan greeted him with a “Morning,” then said in surprise, “Why are you up so early?”
He had deliberately set an alarm last night, planning to make breakfast this morning, but Lu Chen had gotten up even earlier.
Lu Chen said, “Morning.”
He turned slightly and leaned his head closer.
He Xiaoyuan immediately understood. He lifted his chin and leaned in, kissing Lu Chen.
One of them carried the scent of aftershave on his face, the other had just brushed his teeth, his breath fresh.
So the kiss was clean and fragrant. One kiss wasn’t enough—he kissed him again.
After the kiss, He Xiaoyuan looked into the pot and asked, “What delicious things are you making?”
…
What was both amusing and exasperating was that on the very first day of officially living together, not long after breakfast, He Xiaoyuan received back-to-back calls from his eldest uncle, his younger uncle, and others, all concerned and asking about this business of “dating” and “it’s a guy”—what exactly was going on.
While on the phone, He Xiaoyuan paced back and forth in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, explaining that it wasn’t to brush off his aunt’s well-meaning attempt to introduce him to a woman. He really was dating someone, and it really was a man. He liked him and felt they were compatible—that was why he was dating him. It wasn’t because he was afraid his family wouldn’t accept it, nor was he deliberately hiding his sexual orientation. He wasn’t gay.
His eldest uncle still couldn’t quite accept it over the phone. His younger uncle, on the other hand, was much calmer and even asked about the boyfriend’s situation—what he did for a living, how they met, how much he earned, whether he owned a house, whether he was a local, and so on.
But once the younger uncle heard that this partner was more than ten years older than He Xiaoyuan, he said helplessly, “Isn’t that way too much older?”
He Xiaoyuan said, “It’s not that bad.”
His younger uncle continued, “You’re not being scammed by him, are you? He’s that much older than you, has far more experience, is gay, and from what you say, he’s also very well-off financially. A man like that—could he be some kind of womanizer who cheats people out of their feelings?”
Hearing that, He Xiaoyuan felt even more amused and helpless.
He turned his head and glanced toward the sofa, where Lu Chen was sitting, watching him talk on the phone. Lu Chen was waiting calmly; when he saw He Xiaoyuan look over, he raised an eyebrow slightly. He Xiaoyuan smiled, withdrew his gaze, and continued the call, replying to his younger uncle, “No, he’s not. He really isn’t.”
After finishing both calls, He Xiaoyuan bounced back to sit beside Lu Chen. As Lu Chen handed him a glass of water, he asked, “Talking about me?”
After a pause, he added, “Sounds like your family is a bit worried.”
He Xiaoyuan took the water and drank a couple of sips, smiling. “My eldest uncle wants me to be like his son and become a dad in my twenties. My younger uncle thinks you’re rich and so much older than me, so he thinks you’re after me to scam me out of my feelings.”
Lu Chen raised an eyebrow and said, “Should I bring even more gifts when I come calling?”
He Xiaoyuan hurriedly set down his glass. “No!”
That whole pile of Hermès meant for Xu Ruomeng was still sitting there.
If he bought gifts again and showed up with the same kind of spectacle, the whole family would be scared out of their wits.
He Xiaoyuan said sincerely, “Later. In the future.”
Lu Chen pinched He Xiaoyuan’s cheek. “At the company, colleagues can’t know. In private, friends and family don’t know either. This is really a secret relationship, huh?”
He Xiaoyuan leaned over and kissed the tip of Lu Chen’s nose. “Who told you to be the big boss?”
Then he lifted his hand and imitated how Lu Chen usually touched him, smoothing Lu Chen’s bangs back with his palm as he coaxed him. “At the company, there’s no way around it—you know that. As for friends and family, you’ve already met Ruomeng. My aunt and uncles—once they’ve had some time to accept that I’m in a relationship, you can meet them anytime.”
Lu Chen wore an expression of enjoying the affection, gave a soft “Mm,” and accepted it. Then he said, “Tell Yang Yun and the others.”
He Xiaoyuan thought about it. Knowing that Yang Yun was not only President Yang but also one of Lu Chen’s close friends in private, he didn’t hesitate and nodded. “Sure.”
Then he asked, “How are you going to tell him? Just send a message on WeChat?”
Lu Chen wrapped an arm around He Xiaoyuan and tipped him back against the sofa. He unlocked his phone, turned on the camera, aimed it at the two of them with their heads close together in an intimate pose, and efficiently snapped a few photos. Then he sent them straight to Yang Yun.
Yang Yun replied instantly: 【? What does this mean?】
Lu Chen pressed the voice-message button and held the phone toward He Xiaoyuan. He Xiaoyuan understood immediately, leaned his lips close, and said gently, “Good morning, President Yang.”
Lu Chen let go and sent it.
Yang Yun replied again instantly: 【？？？？？？？】
【This isn’t what I think it is, right?】
Lu Chen pressed the voice button again and held the phone up to He Xiaoyuan. He Xiaoyuan grabbed Lu Chen’s wrist and spoke into the phone. “President Yang, where are you right now? At home? Is Teacher Guan there? Do you want to have lunch together later?”
He released his fingers and sent it.
Lu Chen and He Xiaoyuan exchanged amused looks.
This time, Yang Yun called with a video chat. Lu Chen answered, but didn’t hold the phone upright—he set it down sideways. On the other end, Yang Yun saw nothing but a stark white ceiling. His impatient voice came through the phone: “What is going on?!”
Not long after, Yang Yun and Guan Xingping arrived. The moment they stepped out of the elevator, before even changing his shoes, Yang Yun started shouting, “Xiaoyuan! What is wrong with you? You’d even go for this kind of old man!”
“Even if he’s rich, he’s still more than ten years older than you!”
Guan Xingping had already changed into slippers and was walking inside. Hearing what Yang Yun was saying, even he couldn’t stand it. He turned his head and said, “Watch what you say!”
Lu Chen and He Xiaoyuan were sitting on the sofa playing chess. As soon as they heard movement from the elevator, they both looked over.
He Xiaoyuan smiled and greeted them. “Good morning, Teacher Guan. President Yang.”
While changing his shoes, Guan Xingping had already noticed that there was more than one pair of shoes in the shoe cabinet that clearly didn’t belong to Lu Chen. As he walked closer, he asked gently, “You’re living together?”
Yang Yun reacted dramatically. “Living together?! He Xiaoyuan! You’ve really got some nerve!”
…
—
A new workweek began. At the office, He Xiaoyuan was in an excellent mood.
On the desk across from his—Lu Chen’s desk—the roses were gone, replaced by a fresh bouquet of lilies.
He Xiaoyuan glanced at them, the smile tucked away in his eyes and heart, turned on his computer, and prepared for the day’s work.
The case he’d just finished—digging into Fang Dinghao—had wrapped up, and he was currently in a gap period. But after looking over the recent projects the bosses were handling, he already had some ideas. Barring any surprises, he would be joining Chang Bei’s latest project.
He logged into the OA system and opened the backend, planning to learn more about Chang Bei’s current case. As he scrolled up and down the project directory page with his mouse, he suddenly noticed that Qin Chengfei’s project was still grayed out.
He Xiaoyuan paused.
He had noticed earlier that Qin Chengfei’s project directory had turned gray, but he hadn’t thought much of it at the time. He assumed the backend system was glitching. Now that he saw it was still gray, his heart gave a small jolt—something was off.
The project directories in the backend were color-coded: pending review, in progress, completed—all different colors for easy distinction.
And gray meant either the project had failed review, or it had been cut.
Qin Chengfei’s logistics project had started last year. It had passed review long ago. Now that the directory was gray… could it be—
He Xiaoyuan was full of surprise. It was cut?
He straightened up in his chair and leaned back, immediately turning his head to look at the empty workstation to his right.
Only then did it dawn on him—he actually hadn’t seen Qin Chengfei at the office for several days last week. But in the project teams, it was common for some people to be in the office while others were out on site, so He Xiaoyuan had simply assumed Qin Chengfei was on external assignments. Thinking about it now, not only had he not seen Qin Chengfei in the office since last week, they also hadn’t contacted each other at all on their phones.
After a moment’s thought, He Xiaoyuan took out his phone, opened Qin Chengfei’s WeChat, and sent a private message: 【?】
He Xiaoyuan: 【Are you coming to the office today?】
He waited. No reply.
After working for a while, he checked his phone again. More than half an hour had passed—still no response.
So He Xiaoyuan turned to his left and asked Chang Bei, who was across the aisle, “President Chang, was Qin Chengfei’s project cut?”
Chang Bei looked up from his documents and glanced at He Xiaoyuan, giving a casual “Mm.” “I think so? I saw it in the backend too.”
He Xiaoyuan asked, “When?”
He had been busy with Fang Dinghao’s case and hadn’t paid attention at all.
Chang Bei flipped through his documents. “Seems like last week.”
Then he added, “You didn’t know? Oh right, you weren’t at the office last week.”
Only then did Chang Bei set his work aside, swivel his chair a bit, and look at He Xiaoyuan calmly. “It was cut. As for why exactly, I’m not too sure. I just know that day I saw him storm out in a rage.”
Lowering his voice, he leaned in. “Later, I heard Qiao Sixing say that he charged into the big boss’s office. Nobody could stop him.”
He Xiaoyuan was startled. Qin Chengfei’s project had been cut—and he had charged into Lu Chen’s office?
Lowering his voice, He Xiaoyuan asked, “President Qin’s project was cut by President Lu?”
Chang Bei shrugged. Who else would it be?
He Xiaoyuan turned back to his computer and looked at the project directory that had turned gray.
What happened? How could it have been cut?
At noon, before lunch, He Xiaoyuan stood in the corridor outside and called Qin Chengfei, who still had not replied to his messages.
“Beep—beep—beep—”
Once, twice, three times—still no answer.
He Xiaoyuan waited patiently.
Finally, after who knew how many rings, the call connected. Qin Chengfei’s voice came through, slightly breathless. “Hello, Xiaoyuan.”
He Xiaoyuan straightened instantly. “Where are you?”