Jiang Luo leaned against the doorframe, swaying slightly as he turned, his gaze flicking to Huo Zongzhuo’s glasses. “You nearsighted?” he asked.
Huo Zongzhuo steadied him gently. “Astigmatism—only wear them for reading.”
Jiang Luo let out a soft chuckle. “You’re getting old.”
Huo Zongzhuo escorted him to the room, pulling a room card from his pocket. “Looks like you had a lot of fun.”
“Danced with the girls?”
Jiang Luo turned his head, smiling. “I like to have fun, but I’m not much of a dancer. I just watch others at the club.”
He tilted his head, teasing: “Are you imagining something? Must I always have a girl with me at the club?”
Huo Zongzhuo swiped the card, opened the door, and flipped on the lights. “You smell of perfume; I guessed you danced with someone.”
“I didn’t,” Jiang Luo said, trudging into the room and collapsing onto the sofa by the bed, leaning back, tugging at his collar.
Huo Zongzhuo poured a cup of warm water and looked at him. “So you drank with a girl?”
Jiang Luo leaned back, letting out a muffled laugh that shook his chest. “Why do you always ask about girls?”
“You really are my dad—going to a club, asking all these questions, worried I ran off with some girl.”
“Okay,” Huo Zongzhuo said, yielding. “I won’t ask anymore.”
He handed the warm water to Jiang Luo gently. “Take a few sips, soothe your throat.”
Jiang Luo, too tired to lift his hands, moved his mouth toward the cup. Huo Zongzhuo helped him drink a few sips.
Once finished, Huo Zongzhuo squatted in front of him, hands resting near Jiang Luo’s legs. “Drunk? Go to bed early.”
Jiang Luo leaned back, eyes already closed, motionless. Huo Zongzhuo stayed quietly beside him, observing the pale skin, the long, dark lashes, and the serene face. His heart softened.
He truly, increasingly liked Jiang Luo.
It hadn’t started this way. At first, he was merely attracted to Jiang Luo’s looks, curiosity piqued by chance encounters and their interactions in business. His initial interest wasn’t love—it was curiosity.
He thought it would fade with time, that any affection was fleeting. Business and making money were the main themes of his life.
Yet now, watching Jiang Luo sleep, tracing the lines of his face, Huo Zongzhuo felt a deep, growing fondness. He liked Jiang Luo—more and more.
The next morning, they ate breakfast together as usual. Jiang Luo sighed while eating small wontons. “I have such a weak tolerance… didn’t even drink much yesterday.”
“Did you vomit?” Huo Zongzhuo asked.
“Nope,” Jiang Luo replied.
“Your phone?”
“Don’t know where it is, maybe in the car. I’ll check later.”
Huo Zongzhuo raised an eyebrow: “You drank and drove?”
“No, I was too drunk to drive. A colleague drove. The girl didn’t drink.”
Huo Zongzhuo nodded, silent for a moment, then asked unexpectedly: “Have you been seeing anyone recently?”
Jiang Luo almost choked on his wonton. “What girlfriend? I’ve been busy with loans, international calls, the post office, and town government. Where’s the time or energy?”
Huo Zongzhuo was deliberately testing him, trying to see if there was a girl around.
Jiang Luo calmly said, “I’m gay. Not interested in women, okay?”
Huo Zongzhuo cleared his throat. “Don’t joke about that. It’s not as open here; such words can get you into trouble.”
Jiang Luo smirked: “You asked if I have a girlfriend or like any girls. I don’t.”
“No girlfriend—just ‘parents.’” He paused, playful: “German company is my dad, Jiuxiang Town government is my mom. Waiting for our little family to reunite, then with the bank’s one million, live happily ever after.”
Huo Zongzhuo laughed. “That plan worked brilliantly—so smart. How did you think of it?”
“Just on the spot,” Jiang Luo said. “I thought of the town government—they’re local. I thought of Vice Mayor Wu Dayong. I knew he genuinely wanted achievements, for the town and the people.”
Huo Zongzhuo listened attentively.
“Then I had to figure out how to make them willing to endorse me. They wouldn’t do it without benefit. So I offered shares and dividends. But why would they invest? Why guarantee me? That’s where foreign capital comes in—the German company. With that, the town government would consider it.”
Huo Zongzhuo nodded. “Very clever.” He paused. “And the German company? Did you use a translator?”
“English,” Jiang Luo replied smoothly.
Huo Zongzhuo was surprised.
Jiang Luo smiled: “What, impressed? English isn’t hard. I’m not bad at it.”
Huo Zongzhuo nodded approvingly.
Yet something felt off in Huo Zongzhuo’s mind. On the way to the new company, he realized—how could Jiang Luo be good at English? No university, no formal study, no environment to learn it. Where did he get that foundation?
Huo Zongzhuo found it illogical but didn’t think too deeply.
Jiang Luo, later, also realized that his extraordinary talent, unmatched by his age—including fluent English—was unusually conspicuous. But he didn’t care. Who would have guessed he had a past life?