Little Thing, He Waited to See

Dilanda's invitation was impeccably gentlemanly. Though he was middle-aged, it was easy to see that he had been quite the heartthrob in his youth. But the excessive kindness in his features made it impossible for Wen Shuang to put his hand in Dilanda's.

It felt like dancing with his dad. There was no spark at all...

"Ahem." Wen Shuang cleared his throat and instinctively turned to look at Xuan Zhe.

Xuan Zhe immediately looked away.

If nothing else, Xuan Zhe was truly unparalleled at staying uninvolved and promptly burning bridges.

Wen Shuang's fingers twitched. He thought it was fine, just a dance. But just as he was about to stand, Dilanda asked in G Country's language, "Wen Shuang, are you together with President Xuan?"

Dilanda had noticed something from Wen Shuang's movements. As someone with experience, he could not say much about President Xuan due to their business partnership, but he could not go around ruining someone else's relationship. Dilanda liked both men and women, and he did have some interest in Wen Shuang. Still, he had needed to ask what the young man thought. Now, though, it seemed there was no hope. Then again, how could Wen Shuang possibly leave his homeland to follow him? Besides, Xuan Zhe truly was excellent. If Dilanda did not dislike people who were so sharp and imposing, he might even have considered a fleeting romance in Hua Nation. G Country's openness meant that his affections came quickly and went just as quickly.

How could that be?! Wen Shuang thought. Was he tired of living, dating Xuan Zhe?

Even so, when he saw the hidden emotion in Dilanda's eyes, as though a negative answer would prompt the man to launch a fierce pursuit, Wen Shuang wavered. Xuan Zhe could not understand them anyway, and his identity was the best shield! So Wen Shuang politely said, "No, sir. I'm currently pursuing President Xuan."

"Wow~" Dilanda cried out. In G Country, nothing was more romantic than publicly admitting that one was pursuing another person. The sky, the breeze, and all things in the world bore witness. Dilanda completely abandoned his thoughts, gracefully lowered his head in a gesture of refusal, then turned to find a beautiful female companion.

The violin began to play. Dilanda changed into a black tailcoat, his spirits high.

Wen Shuang was happy to have avoided a minefield too. He reached for the pastries on the table, then felt it might not be appropriate after picking one up. Carefully, he held it out toward Xuan Zhe. "President Xuan, would you like one?"

Xuan Zhe's eyes were dark, nearly eclipsing the deep night itself. His emotions had always been difficult to read. He said stiffly, "No."

If one listened closely, that stiffness carried a hint of awkwardness.

Seeing this, Dilanda shot Wen Shuang an encouraging look.

Dilanda had a wonderful time that night. With Wen Shuang livening up the atmosphere from time to time, everyone played until two in the morning before finally leaving.

The moment Wen Shuang got into the car, he could barely keep his eyes open. He had been hungover last night and had not fully recovered yet. His limbs ached, and the back of his head throbbed, but Xuan Zhe was sitting beside him, so he could only force himself to stay alert.

"President Xuan, I'll take you home first," Cao Nanyu said.

Xuan Zhe replied indifferently, "I'm not in a hurry. Take the one with glue on his eyelids home first."

Wen Shuang: "..."

Cao Nanyu did as instructed. As they neared Wen Shuang's place, Wen Shuang searched himself... searched again! One more time! Wait. Wen Shuang sucked in a breath and suddenly widened his eyes. Where were his keys?!

Unwilling to give up, he searched back and forth, shifting from side to side. He quickly calculated that, if worse came to worst, he could make do with a hotel for the night. Then he miserably realized that both his ID and keys were in his previous jacket. Wen Shuang was not someone who misplaced things. On the contrary, he had a habit of checking whether he had everything before leaving home. He had not noticed anything at the time. It was more like some kind of perception had been blocked.

Sure enough, this world had a grudge against him.

"Do you have nails growing out of your ass?" Xuan Zhe finally lost patience and turned to look at him.

"It's worse than that..." Wen Shuang looked at the Great Devil King and forced out a stiff smile. "President Xuan, does a company as large as ours provide temporary staff housing? For handling emergencies and such."

Xuan Zhe narrowed his eyes. "Like leaving both your brain and your keys at home?"

The moment he finished speaking, Wen Shuang lowered his little head, looking as if he were saying, "My fault. Scold me however you want." Cao Nanyu saw it through the rearview mirror and could not help wanting to reach out and ruffle his hair.

"Just drop me off at that intersection," Wen Shuang said quietly. Fortunately, he had brought his phone. These days, a smartphone could get you anywhere. He refused to believe he could not find some little inn that did not require ID for check-in. As for friends... ha. The original owner had offended everyone under the sun. What friends could he possibly have? It was already good enough that no one threw knives at him when he walked down the street.

Wen Shuang took out his phone to check the time, but the screen flickered twice and went black.

No matter how he pressed it, there was no response.

It was dead.

"Bullshit!" Even Wen Shuang, with his good temper, swore this time. He was being targeted! Forget the keys for now—his phone had been charging ever since he got home. How could it have died after only a few hours? This damn heavens clearly wanted him dead on the streets!

Xuan Zhe glanced sideways and saw that the usually cheerful, carefree man had a rare serious expression. There was anger on his face, but also grievance. At the intersection Wen Shuang had named, Cao Nanyu had just rolled down the window when they immediately heard clanging noises mixed with curses outside. It seemed Wen Shuang would not only have to sleep on the streets—he might also have to challenge a "boxing champion."

Yet Wen Shuang suddenly felt relieved. Truly, when every direction under your feet was a minefield, closing your eyes was instead the most peaceful choice. Let it blow up, then.

Xuan Zhe was not someone bound by conventional thinking. Wen Shuang's attitude gave rise to a vague suspicion in his heart, along with an indescribable strange feeling.

Wen Shuang did not dare delay Xuan Zhe any longer and reached to push open the car door. But a long, slender hand caught his wrist. Ignoring Wen Shuang's surprised gaze, Xuan Zhe instructed Cao Nanyu, "Go to Clear Day Manor."

Cao Nanyu: "..." He was used to it.

It took Wen Shuang a long while to understand what Xuan Zhe meant. He secretly asked, "President Xuan... are you going to provide me with a place to stay?"

Silly child, saying that out loud would damage the Great Devil King's dignity.

Sure enough, black lines seemed to fall across Xuan Zhe's forehead. "Say one more word and get out!"

Wen Shuang immediately shut his mouth.

The familiar room, the familiar scent—Wen Shuang had clearly only been here once, yet it felt incredibly welcoming. Like a little beast inspecting its territory, he walked around the place, then nodded in great satisfaction. He had been drunk when he came here last night and had not looked closely. Now, standing before the floor-to-ceiling window and looking at the winding lights that seemed to lie beneath his feet, a sense of fulfillment welled up inside him.

Xuan Zhe would not come out again. After washing up, Wen Shuang lay on the bed and stared at the moonlight reflected on the ceiling. His eyelashes trembled lightly, and he fell asleep within two seconds.

The next morning, Xuan Zhe woke punctually under the pull of his biological clock. The enormous manor had always been quiet, and there had always been only him. Perhaps in the past he might have had some thoughts about it, but now Xuan Zhe's heart had been tempered a thousand times over, and he no longer found anything amiss. As usual, he picked up a shirt, opened the door in casual pants, and planned to head to the training room. But the morning breeze slipped in through the gap, carrying the scent of food along with a burst of noise. The warmth of everyday life crashed unexpectedly into his chest.

Xuan Zhe failed to keep up with the rhythm and froze for a rare moment.

Someone was cooking in the first-floor kitchen, humming a song.

Hearing the movement, Wen Shuang poked his head out from the kitchen, full of energy as he waved the spatula in his hand. "Morning, President Xuan!"

Xuan Zhe braced both hands on the railing, his shirt in one hand. His abs appeared and disappeared with the movement, his early-morning hormones practically exploding. "What are you doing?"

"To repay President Xuan for taking me in," Wen Shuang answered with a smile before ducking back into the kitchen.

Xuan Zhe raised an eyebrow slightly. He waited to see.