Xie Chengnan suddenly became very busy. He began following Shen Qinian everywhere, attending social engagements and preparing for the launch of their company.
Jiang Yuan knew he was busy with serious matters and didn't want to disturb him. Their schedules rarely aligned; often, Xie Chengnan had already left for work before Jiang Yuan woke up, and by the time Xie Chengnan escaped his evening business dinners, Jiang Yuan was already asleep.
By the time Jiang Yuan realized it, it was already Sunday night. Xie Chengnan had been like a missing person all weekend. If it weren't for the breakfast that appeared on the dining table every morning and Jason hovering around him from time to time, Jiang Yuan would have suspected the man was a figment of his imagination.
Jiang Yuan sat cross-legged on the living room sofa, playing with his phone. Propping his head with one hand, he scrolled through his chat history with Xie Chengnan with the other.
The two of them barely spoke. Looking through the logs, it was almost entirely Xie Chengnan telling him he couldn't come home for dinner, and Jiang Yuan replying with a brief "Oh" to acknowledge it.
Yet, he had reread these few pages of meaningless records several times. He couldn't even muster the interest to go out and have fun.
Jiang Yuan felt his behavior was both foolish and pathetic, much like a pervert who, after being neglected by a boyfriend, obsessively stalks their WeChat every day.
The young master let out a dissatisfied "tsk," grabbed his car keys, and decided to head out to Zhang Siyi’s gathering to vent the inexplicable resentment building up inside him.
Jiang Yuan didn't expect that a spontaneous trip out would lead him to run into the very man he hadn't seen for six whole days.
Xie Chengnan, who had been missing for days, was currently standing in a hotel corridor smoking a cigarette. His expression was stern. The man opposite him was leaning against the wall with his head down, his slightly long hair obscuring his profile, though his silhouette looked familiar.
Jiang Yuan’s eyes curved as he called out happily, "Xie Chengnan!"
Xie Chengnan turned his head, and the man standing opposite him also looked up. It was Jiang Shiyi.
The smile on Jiang Yuan’s face vanished instantly.
Jiang Shiyi’s clothes were a bit disheveled. Although they had been straightened, there were still obvious wrinkles on his shirt as if it had been crumpled. The corners of his eyes were red, and his expression was unnatural. The moment he saw Jiang Yuan, he looked utterly flustered.
Jiang Yuan asked coldly, "What are you two doing?"
Knowing that Jiang Yuan disliked him having contact with Jiang Shiyi, Xie Chengnan reflexively extinguished his cigarette and walked over to explain. "Qinian and I are here for business. We happened to run into President Jiang and were just chatting."
Jiang Yuan looked at Jiang Shiyi suspiciously. The other man turned his head slightly, looking dejected, seemingly afraid to meet his eyes. As he moved, his loose collar shifted to reveal a small patch of snowy-white skin on his neck. The fresh hickeys exposed to the air glared back, sharply provoking the young master's nerves.
"Just chatting?" Jiang Yuan looked at Xie Chengnan with a half-smile, though his voice lacked any warmth. "Can a few words of 'chatting' reach all the way to the neck?"
Xie Chengnan was somewhat confused. "What’s wrong with the neck?"
Jiang Yuan was so angry he laughed. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Don't you know what you've done?"
Xie Chengnan looked back at Jiang Shiyi. Jiang Shiyi had already regained his senses and was covering the marks on his neck. He looked at Xie Chengnan with pleading eyes, his mouth opening as if to say something, then closing again.
When no explanation came from Xie Chengnan, Jiang Yuan felt a surge of fury rise in his chest. He turned and walked away.
Xie Chengnan reached out to stop him but failed. Realizing the young master was truly angry, he turned back and said quickly, "My apologies, President Jiang," before taking off to chase after him.
All along the way, Xie Chengnan tried to grab Jiang Yuan’s hand, only to be violently shaken off. Xie Chengnan didn't dare use too much force for fear of hurting him. Finally, hardening his heart, he pushed open the door to an empty private room and dragged the boy inside, pinning him between his own body and the wall.
It was pitch black inside the room. Jiang Yuan struggled but couldn't break free. He snapped, "Get away from me!"
As soon as he heard his own voice, Jiang Yuan faltered. He was clearly exploding with rage, yet when he spoke, his voice carried a trace of grievance from deep in his throat. The young master felt like a tiny kitten whose fur had been rubbed the wrong way—all hiss and no bite.
Filled with guilt and self-reproach, Xie Chengnan raised a hand to ruffle his hair soothingly. "Jiang Shiyi and I really did just run into each other."
Jiang Yuan didn't speak, suppressing his temper as he waited for the rest.
Reflecting on the young master's series of reactions, Xie Chengnan realized that if he didn't clear things up now, he’d be packing his bags and leaving immediately. He sighed and explained, "The hickeys on him were likely left by Qiao Song. I was at the door of a private room earlier and saw Qiao Song dragging him inside..."
Jiang Yuan’s stiff, resistant body finally softened, and he leaned quietly into Xie Chengnan’s embrace.
"Why didn't you say that earlier?" Jiang Yuan asked, somewhat dissatisfied.
Xie Chengnan felt a bit helpless. "Jiang Shiyi didn't want this to get out and reach his boyfriend's ears. He must have noticed me too; he called me out just now because he wanted me to keep his secret. I couldn't exactly tell you right in front of him."
Jiang Yuan huffed and said crossly, "Then why are you telling me now?"
Xie Chengnan gave a low laugh, his voice full of indulgence. "You’re already this angry. Who cares about him anymore?"
The young master didn't want to admit it, but he was pleased by those words.
Seeing that he had calmed down and was no longer struggling, Xie Chengnan let go and asked, "Which room are you in? I'll walk you there."
Instead, Jiang Yuan looked up and asked, "Are you done with your business?"
Xie Chengnan rubbed his brow, his voice sounding tired. "The guests are still there. We still need to get some permits approved if we want the factory to officially start production..."
"I get it." Jiang Yuan stopped pressing him. "I'm in booth V1. Come get me when you're ready to leave."
"Alright," Xie Chengnan agreed with a nod.
The two of them walked out of the private room one after the other, neither mentioning Jiang Yuan’s sudden outburst again.
Jiang Yuan wanted to use the restroom and waved Xie Chengnan away. However, when he picked the nearest one, he found the door locked, and the sound of two men arguing drifted from inside.
An exasperated male voice roared, "Jiang Shiyi! You fucking cuckolded me!"
Jiang Yuan raised an eyebrow. Why was he running into this sort of drama everywhere he went today?
On the other side of the door, Jiang Shiyi said anxiously, "Chou Xu... listen to my explanation..."
"Fine, explain! Explain to me where those things on your body came from!"
Jiang Shiyi was at a loss for words. After a long pause, he said with a sob in his voice, "It wasn't voluntary..."
"You're a grown-ass man! If it wasn't voluntary, who the fuck could touch you?!" Chou Xu clearly didn't believe him. He kicked the door violently and cursed, "Fuck!"
Jiang Shiyi murmured, "I didn't dare offend him..."
"The great President Jiang actually has someone he's afraid to offend?!" Chou Xu sneered. "Then tell me which bastard it was. I'll go find him!"
"Don't!" Jiang Shiyi panicked. "Don't ask. You can't afford to offend him either... If you can't accept it, we... we..."
"We what!" Chou Xu became even more volatile. "What were you going to say?!"
Jiang Shiyi said in a low voice, "We... let's break up..."
"You fucking want to break up with me?!" Chou Xu kicked the door again, even harder this time. "Did that guy satisfy you that much?! You fucking want to break up with me?!"
Jiang Shiyi’s cry of alarm followed, along with the sound of something heavy hitting a partition.
"Shit!"
Even through the door, Jiang Yuan could feel that Chou Xu’s rage had reached its peak.
"What is this?!" Chou Xu roared like a madman. "Tell me what this is?! You were gone for twenty minutes and you managed to cheat on me from head to toe! You're something else!"
Jiang Yuan frowned, realizing the situation had spiraled far beyond his imagination. It was clearly inappropriate to keep listening at the door.
He turned to leave, feeling for the first time that Jiang Shiyi was quite pathetic. He was young, wealthy, and successful, yet he didn't know the meaning of contentment. If he hadn't been so obsessed with social climbing and clawing his way up, he wouldn't have been in a position where he was afraid to offend Qiao Song, landing himself in such a mess.
But none of that had anything to do with Young Master Jiang. Jiang Yuan walked back with his hands in his pockets, thinking to himself: as long as Jiang Shiyi stayed away from Xie Chengnan, he could mess around with whoever he wanted. It was his business.
***
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