Liking

Wen Shuang was muddleheadedly ushered into the car by Xuan Zhe, his whole body still burning up. He reached for the window, only for the man to swat his hand away—not too hard.

"Don't you have any common sense?" Xuan Zhe asked coldly.

Wen Shuang did not dare act up when Xuan Zhe spoke like that. He obediently sat beside the Great Devil King, and drowsiness soon washed over him. His head began to nod again.

Someone gently pulled him by the waist, and Wen Shuang naturally rested his head on Xuan Zhe's shoulder. The awkwardness and incongruity in his heart had already faded considerably. Something stirred at the tip of Wen Shuang's heart, but he had no intention of digging into it. Through the haze, he looked at Xuan Zhe's incomparably handsome profile, watching light and shadow crisscross his face through the car window. The man's gaze remained steady. "President Xuan..."

"Hmm?" Xuan Zhe looked over.

"Will I pass out from the fever if I'm alone?" Wen Shuang was genuinely worried about that.

Xuan Zhe turned to instruct the driver, "Go to Clear Day Manor."

Wen Shuang was not only relieved now—he felt as though he had swallowed a lead weight. He closed his eyes and fell asleep at once. A golden thigh really was the best!

The scenery outside sped past, but Xuan Zhe paid it no attention at all. His entire focus was on the person in his arms. He worried that too much force would wake him, yet too little would fail to support him properly. There was barely any flesh at his waist; a light press of the fingers was enough to feel it. Just as he had imagined, it was very soft... Xuan Zhe wore a proper expression and a handsome, refined face, yet he was doing things even a seasoned hooligan might not dare do.

When the car hit a bump, Wen Shuang's body tilted slightly forward. Xuan Zhe immediately held him tighter. The young man seemed to be cold again and nuzzled into his arms, instantly leaving President Xuan thoroughly satisfied.

Wen Shuang coughed twice. Xuan Zhe gently stroked his back, then heard him mumble, "Xuan Zhe..."

President Xuan: "..." He really liked me.

How should he describe it? His heart had just sprouted wings and fluttered joyfully through the air.

By the time they reached Clear Day Manor, the family doctor had already arrived. Wen Shuang completely let down his guard and lost consciousness. Xuan Zhe carried him upstairs. After a round of examinations, there was nothing serious—just a cold from catching a chill.

"I'll come again tomorrow. If he isn't better within three days, then it's a matter of his constitution," the doctor said.

Xuan Zhe nodded, his gaze never leaving Wen Shuang. He thought the little quail was cuter when he was lively and bouncing around.

Wen Shuang suddenly dreamed of something unpleasant. More precisely, it was not about him, but about the original owner of the body. The scene was blurry, though he could vaguely make out a study. The original owner handed a contract to a man whose features he could not see clearly and said earnestly, "I can serve you at any time."

The man gave a derisive laugh, casually tossed the contract aside, and said coldly, "Get lost."

Wen Shuang could vividly feel the original owner's anger and humiliation, but what concerned him more was why he had no memory of this. What the hell kind of trap is this?

Then heaven and earth abruptly flipped. Wen Shuang nearly threw up, and the scene before his eyes changed.

"Stop sleeping. Eat something." Xuan Zhe lifted Wen Shuang up. A bowl of porridge sat on the table beside them.

"Okay," Wen Shuang answered softly, his mind still not entirely clear. It was not until Xuan Zhe fed him two spoonfuls that he realized their position was somewhat intimate. The tips of his ears and his neck rapidly turned red.

Xuan Zhe pretended not to notice. Wasn't he quite dependent on me while he was unconscious?

"O-okay." Wen Shuang withdrew from the territory Xuan Zhe had claimed. That oppressive strength and dominance still made his heart tremble.

Xuan Zhe did not care at all about Wen Shuang's avoidance. More accurately, no matter what Wen Shuang did now, President Xuan could automatically categorize it as evidence that he liked him. He was utterly unreasonable. "Feeling better?"

Wen Shuang answered honestly, "I can feel that I'm hungry, but I still have no strength at all, and my throat hurts."

Feeling hungry meant that bowl of porridge had not filled him up. Xuan Zhe said nothing and turned to leave. When he returned, he carried another bowl of porridge and two small dishes. There even seemed to be a sesame flatbread on one of the dishes?! Wen Shuang instantly perked up. He did not dare eat in bed again, so he jumped down and headed for the little table, only for Xuan Zhe to stop him with a warning look. "Put on some clothes."

Xuan Zhe had taken sick leave for Wen Shuang. Since there was nothing else to do, Wen Shuang simply stayed there.

Through their daily interactions, Wen Shuang felt that Xuan Zhe did like him a little... He was in an excellent mood. Whenever his body did not feel too bad or the weather was especially clear, he went out into the yard to tend the flowers and plants. Clear Day Manor was cleaned regularly, but there were no live-in servants because Xuan Zhe was extremely repulsed by the presence of outsiders.

The yard was full of hydrangeas and kalanchoes, their seeds scattered all over the ground. Wen Shuang carefully collected them and set them on the windowsill. In the afternoon, someone delivered fresh ingredients. Wen Shuang would first inspect them, then decide what to make for dinner.

For four days in a row, Xuan Zhe could smell food the moment he returned home. It made him pause blankly more than once. At last, the place no longer felt so cold and lifeless.

"You're back?" Wen Shuang carried out the dishes. It was quite a spread.

"Mm." Xuan Zhe looked composed. "I'll go change first." In truth, even his steps were incredibly light.

After dinner, Xuan Zhe unusually did not go to the study to work. Instead, he turned on the projector in the living room, as though waiting for something.

"What's wrong?" Wen Shuang came out after tidying everything up. His fever showed signs of rising again, so he sat on the sofa holding a blanket. He actually wanted to lie down more.

"The show airs today." Xuan Zhe looked so serious that Wen Shuang thought it was some important meeting. After a moment of stunned silence, he realized it was the variety show for ordinary people that he had joined. He could not quite explain how he felt and only asked, "Do you watch every episode?"

Xuan Zhe did not meet his eyes. "Power One invested in it. Of course I have to watch."

Wen Shuang beamed but did not expose him.

At eight-thirty, the show began right on time. Wen Shuang watched as Xuan Zhe even turned on the scrolling comments.

[Ahhhh, is it finally here? Is it finally happening?]

[Raise the Ning-Shuang banner high!!!]

The air seemed to chill by several degrees. Wen Shuang noticed and asked with extreme caution, "President Xuan, would you like some fruit? I'll peel some."

Xuan Zhe appeared perfectly calm. "Do as you please."

But Wen Shuang could only hide for a few minutes. By the time he returned, the scrolling comments were unbearable to look at. The reason was that when he had first entered the villa, he had nearly fallen, and Jiang Ning had performed a "hero saves the beauty" moment. Then it reached the part where the two of them stayed in the same standard room, holding identical room keycards as they stared at each other. Countless viewers were posting [I ship it] and [I'm shipping this so hard]. Wasn't that like throwing lime directly into President Xuan's eyes?

Wen Shuang swiftly put the fruit platter on the table, intending to flee immediately. "President Xuan, I want to go upstairs and sleep."

"Sit." Xuan Zhe's tone allowed no argument.

Wen Shuang could only wrap his little blanket tighter around himself.

Since there were cameras in the room as well, every move Wen Shuang and Jiang Ning made was exposed. You shower first, I'll shower after; you don't have enough clothes, wear mine. The viewers watched in rapt fascination, while Wen Shuang felt colder and colder down his spine. It was definitely the editors' fault. What kind of soundtrack was that? Why did they have to put pink hearts around them? It clearly was not like that!

Xuan Zhe suddenly said coolly, "Does Power One pay you so little that you can't afford clothes?"

Wen Shuang: "...No, this is entirely an editing issue."

Xuan Zhe continued watching. When Wen Shuang entered carrying a pile of mushrooms, the comments uniformly spammed "666." There were even comments about worshipping a lucky koi. Half an hour later, the topic had made the trending searches. Wen Shuang had been so focused on Xuan Zhe's reactions that he had not noticed the online trends. Otherwise, if he opened his phone now, his Weibo would surely have exploded with comments like "Please bless me, lucky koi, so I can get rich next month" and "Please let me pass my exams, lucky koi."

When the other guests appeared, the comments quieted noticeably. It was mostly their own fans cheering them on. But when it came to Chen Zong and Wu Tan, things became especially unsettled.

[Pfft, two weirdos together. The production crew really knows what they're doing.]

[Watch what you say, commenter above. What standing does Chen Zong have, and what standing does Wu Tan have?]

[Oh my, has Chen Zong fallen so far that he has to compare himself to an ordinary person? Oh~ Well, he can't beat Jiang Ning, yet he insists on forcing himself in just to get humiliated.]

A massive flame war immediately erupted. Coldness flashed through Xuan Zhe's eyes. He did not care whether they were tearing each other's hair out or doing anything else. His long fingers tapped lightly against his knee twice as he asked in a deep voice, "Are there any more scenes like the one just now?"

"N-no!" Wen Shuang forced a smile. "There was nothing from beginning to end. The show is just hyping things up."

Xuan Zhe said irritably, "You two seemed pretty cooperative to me."

Wen Shuang shrank his neck and did not dare say another word.

Yet the storm was still ahead.

Back then, Wen Shuang had discovered snacks stuffed into the wardrobe. After transferring them into his bag, he happened to run into Jiang Ning coming out after his shower. So he rather domineeringly shoved him back inside. Then a fast-forward indicator appeared on the screen, with a clock spinning wildly. Wen Shuang sensed Xuan Zhe's breathing suddenly grow heavy. He felt as if a sword were hanging over his head, yet the scrolling comments were still fanning the flames!

[Holy shit? Did I ship them the wrong way around? Wen Shuang's shove just now was so manly!]

[Whatever! Anything goes! Somebody! Kill me to celebrate for these two!]

[I can be fake, but Shuang-Ning must be real!]

[I ship it!!! Sisters, party tonight!!!]

Wen Shuang spoke with difficulty. "I took Jiang Ning to eat the snacks. They were the ones you had someone put in my wardrobe, President Xuan."

"Mm." Xuan Zhe responded in a tone that revealed nothing. He had asked Cao Nanyu to handle that matter.

But when the fast-forward ended and Jiang Ning came out again... his face was flushed, and he wore an intoxicated expression. The key was that his lips were bright red...

The scrolling comments were filled with question marks and exclamation marks.

Xuan Zhe slowly looked over as well.

Wen Shuang could no longer sit still. He jumped up in panic, feeling that any explanation before such "irrefutable evidence" would be pale and powerless. "N-no! It was boneless chicken feet! Jiang Ning's lips turn red after eating just a little. We only ate chicken feet!"

Almost at the same time, Jiang Suqing's tearful accusation reached Xuan Zhe: [What did that little bastard Wen Shuang do to my little brother?!]

Xuan Zhe typed: [Get lost!] I haven't even questioned you, and you're already making a fuss.

The editing and post-production team had to be masters of the industry. In any case, President Xuan's blood pressure soared from watching. Xuan Zhe knew Wen Shuang was telling the truth, but any man would be angry at that scene, much less him, whose possessiveness was several times stronger than that of ordinary people.

Xuan Zhe took a shallow breath and stood. "I'm going upstairs."

His tone was too cold, and Wen Shuang immediately lost his composure.

"No, how can you be so unreasonable?" Wen Shuang rushed over to block him, but his foot struck the corner of the table. He stumbled and lost his balance at once. Xuan Zhe's pupils contracted sharply. He caught him in a single motion and said sternly, "Can't you walk properly?"

Wen Shuang pointed accusingly at the table corner. "It tripped me."

Wen Shuang might not have known just how soft his tone was. It sounded less like an accusation and more like a spoiled complaint. He wore oversized pajamas, and with that flailing motion, his collar fell open to reveal a stretch of skin. Pale, and thin. Xuan Zhe had no idea where all the food he ate went. As he thought that, his gaze gradually deepened. His voice became slightly hoarse. "So you're explaining yourself to me now?"

"What else would I be doing?" Wen Shuang blurted out.

Xuan Zhe asked, "Why do you need to explain?"

Wen Shuang opened his mouth, only to find himself suddenly speechless.

That was right. Why did he need to explain?

Because he did not want Xuan Zhe to misunderstand. To misunderstand that there was something between him and someone else.

"You don't want me to misunderstand?" It was as though Xuan Zhe had seen straight through Wen Shuang. He raised a hand and pinched the young man's chin, applying slight pressure to force Wen Shuang to meet his eyes. This time, there was no way to escape. Xuan Zhe's gaze remained sharp, as if he wanted to cut open Wen Shuang's heart and see the truth inside. He pressed forward step by step, gripping the air tight as though he had seized Wen Shuang's entire life in his hand. "Do you know what that means?"

Wen Shuang really was having a little trouble breathing. A faint sheen of moisture spread through his eyes, washing away the dust on his heart and revealing a truth he could no longer avoid.

Liking...

He liked him...

"What?" Xuan Zhe's deep voice was as seductive as a siren's call. He moved closer inch by inch. "Speak louder."

"I... like you..." Wen Shuang could not stop his body from trembling. The red mole on his ear seemed ready to drip blood. Across both his lives, this was the first time he had ever said such words. But on second thought, it was not something shameful. If they liked each other, then... then it was fine... huh?

Something soft touched his lips. An incomparable cold fragrance enveloped his body. The hand at his waist suddenly tightened. Only when the tip of a tongue lightly licked at the seam of his lips, signaling for him to cooperate, did Wen Shuang realize that he was kissing Xuan Zhe...

Xuan Zhe was always the one to take the initiative. For some reason, Wen Shuang's inexperience pleased him immensely, giving him the illusion that he had claimed this person's first kiss.

Something nimble swept through his mouth. Wen Shuang could not quite keep up. He unconsciously clung to Xuan Zhe's shoulders, a muffled moan escaping through his teeth.

It nearly drowned Xuan Zhe.

In the moment Xuan Zhe opened his eyes, he saw an eye-catching comment on the projection: [Ahhhh, Wen Shuang and Jiang Ning look so good together!!!]

Good together, my ass, Xuan Zhe thought.

"Mine." He took the time to remind someone, finding the sensation in his palm utterly unique—better even than he had imagined, making it impossible to let go.

An abrupt phone ringtone sounded then, ringing again and again without pause.

The call ruined the atmosphere. Wen Shuang struggled faintly, and Xuan Zhe released him. His voice trembled as he said, "Yours..."

Wen Shuang meant, Your phone? But Xuan Zhe misunderstood, thinking Wen Shuang was responding to what he had just said. His mood completely brightened.

The call was from Zhu Lian. The woman sounded extremely excited. "Wen Shuang, you're about to blow up! Go repost Jiang Ning's Weibo right now!"

Xuan Zhe pulled Wen Shuang fully into his arms, stamping him with his mark through absolute possessiveness. At that moment, any topic involving Wen Shuang and another man was a provocation to him. A hint of wickedness appeared in Xuan Zhe's eyes as he questioned in a deep voice, "What does Jiang Ning posting on Weibo have to do with Wen Shuang?"

Zhu Lian: "..."

"P-President Xuan?"

Xuan Zhe continued, "I hired you at great expense so you could help someone dig into my wall?"

Once Zhu Lian understood, she nearly wanted to prove her innocence through death. "That's not it, President Xuan!"

"You and Cao Nanyu can report to the finance department together. Don't expect the bonuses for the next three months." Xuan Zhe spoke coldly. He had only told Cao Nanyu to send Wen Shuang some food. He had not told him to send boneless chicken feet that made Jiang Ning's lips turn red after one bite, resulting in the entire internet shipping this Shuang-Ning couple!

Irritated. He only wanted to hide this person away.

Xuan Zhe hung up directly, then discovered Wen Shuang staring at him with a lovestruck expression.

President Xuan became pleased again. "Am I good-looking?"

Wen Shuang flirted without realizing it and answered honestly, "You're the best-looking."

The ultimate ceiling of looks and strength in the whole novel! He was ridiculously awesome, okay?!

Wasn't that practically delivering himself right to Xuan Zhe?

One kiss was not enough. Xuan Zhe held the back of Wen Shuang's head and continued what they had left unfinished.

Wen Shuang was tossed into a mass of soft cotton. His mind was completely useless. When he regained awareness, he was in the master bedroom. This was Xuan Zhe's room, filled with his personal style—walls in shades of gray and black, without the slightest trace of warmth.

But none of what had just happened was a dream...

Wen Shuang turned over, habitually hugging the blanket in his arms. His eyes shone brightly. Did what they had done... count as making things official?

Oh, mother... Wen Shuang still felt an intense sense of unreality. He was actually in a relationship.