Don't Frown

Under Zhong Mohan's control, the game character seemed to come alive, leaping across in one swift move. The two of them successfully entered the next level.

Wen Chengze was not usually someone who liked playing games, but playing with Zhong Mohan today suddenly made him get the fun of gaming.

Having another hobby to pass the time with was pretty nice too.

Though Zhong Mohan was not particularly interested in games either, he was immensely interested in teaching Wen Chengze.

Every time he put an arm around Wen Chengze, he felt a thrill that surpassed even the pleasure of winning an award for the first time.

After they cleared the game, Zhong Mohan finally went to prepare lunch for them.

"Is there anything you especially want to eat for lunch?"

Wen Chengze leaned against the table and watched Zhong Mohan open the refrigerator. "No, anything is fine."

In truth, Wen Chengze was usually quite picky about food, but he was only fussy in familiar surroundings. When he was out, he did not have so many finicky habits.

Zhong Mohan raised a brow at Wen Chengze's words.

As far as he knew, Wen Chengze seemed rather picky.

There were not many dishes he liked, nor did he enjoy trying new foods. Even for the few dishes he did eat, his requirements were demanding.

Sweet dishes had to be tender and just the right amount of sweet, while the soup had to be fresh and flavorful. He also loved seafood, but could not tolerate even the slightest fishy smell. As for Western food, he did not seem to like that much either.

During those years abroad, Wen Chenglin had found no fewer than five chefs for Wen Chengze.

Zhong Mohan sighed. He did not think Wen Chengze telling him he was not picky was a good sign. Only when Wen Chengze freely told him what he liked and disliked would it mean that he had truly accepted him.

He hoped Zeze would not be so sensible in front of him.

Still, it was fortunate that he understood Wen Chengze's tastes. Everything he had bought yesterday was something Wen Chengze liked, and as for the rest, he could let Zeze try them.

Though Wen Chengze did not much like trying new things, if they were going to be together in the future, Zhong Mohan had to give him enough stimulation if he wanted to hold on to Zeze for the rest of his life.

This time, Wen Chengze did not merely stand by and watch. He helped Zhong Mohan out, though all he did was wash the vegetables.

Whenever he turned to look at Zhong Mohan, Wen Chengze truly felt that watching him cook was a kind of enjoyment.

His fingers were long and strong, his knuckles distinct and attractive. One hand held the kitchen knife, the other pressed down on the vibrant green vegetables. The knife rose and fell, his movements smooth and continuous, pleasing to the eye.

Wen Chengze found it strange too. How could someone make even cooking look like sculpting a work of art?

Looking at Zhong Mohan's profile, Wen Chengze thought it was probably because of Zhong Mohan's temperament and looks.

After all, he was the man countless netizens jokingly called "the lover they most wanted to sleep with."

Thinking of that title, Wen Chengze could not help laughing.

Zhong Mohan paused. "What is it?"

Wen Chengze shook his head. "Nothing. Keep going."

Zhong Mohan did not press him and obediently continued.

Since there were only two of them eating, Zhong Mohan did not make too much food. It was ready very quickly.

The two sat facing each other at the dining table. Zhong Mohan served Wen Chengze a bowl of soup. "Careful, it's hot."

The rich aroma tempted Wen Chengze to drink it right away, but seeing the steam still rising from it, he could only give up on the idea.

Seeing that all the dishes were his favorites, Wen Chengze was not surprised. He guessed that, in front of Zhong Mohan, he was now practically transparent. There was probably nothing about him that Zhong Mohan did not know.

After enjoying a delicious lunch, Wen Chengze began to feel lazy.

"If you're sleepy, go rest for a while." Zhong Mohan pointed toward the bedroom.

"What about you?"

"I'll deal with a few things, then I'll come back."

Wen Chengze yawned. "You must be pretty busy, right?"

While they had been playing games that morning, Wen Chengze had noticed Zhong Mohan's phone screen constantly lighting up with incoming messages. They were probably work matters.

He did not tell Zhong Mohan to go work. He knew Zhong Mohan was someone who understood priorities, but since he had not said anything, Zhong Mohan had simply set his work aside and accompanied him in peace while they played games. Wen Chengze had to admit that it made him very happy.

"It's fine. Nothing major. There are so many people there; I don't need to handle everything myself."

"You've already spent the whole morning with me. If there really is work to do, go take care of it. I'm an adult. I can take care of myself."

"It's fine, I'm not that busy. I'll be done in a moment. You're staying in my home now. Nothing is more important than you."

These past two days, Zhong Mohan had been spouting sweet words at the drop of a hat. Even Wen Chengze, who considered himself cold-hearted and detached, was having a hard time handling it.

He turned and went straight into the bedroom, pretending to be expressionless. "Then I'm going to sleep now. Make yourself at home."

Watching the bedroom door close, Zhong Mohan laughed softly. It was the first time he had realized that Wen Chengze looked like this when he was shy.

His whole face was cold, and his words sounded as if he wanted to draw a clear boundary between them, yet his reddened ears told an entirely different story.

Standing at the door to his own bedroom, Zhong Mohan said softly, "I'll be in the study. There's hot water in the kitchen. When you wake up, drink some water first, or just call me."

A voice soon came from inside the room. "Got it. You're so annoying."

The voice was utterly spoiled, but to Zhong Mohan, it sounded exactly like coquettishness. In a very good mood, he went into the study.

But when he faced work, Zhong Mohan was no longer in such a good mood.

Zhong Mohan rarely skipped work in the first place. The fact that he had ignored company matters for an entire morning had already left his subordinates amazed. When he finally started working that afternoon, however, he still seemed to be in a terrible mood. Even though it was an online meeting, every attendee unconsciously sat up straighter, terrified that Zhong Mohan would call on them.

The reason Zhong Mohan was unhappy was actually quite simple. Much of the work did not need to go through him at all; the people below could simply discuss it and reach a conclusion. Yet for some reason, everything had been sent to him today. During the meeting, several people kept rambling on without getting to the point for ages, wasting his time. How could Zhong Mohan not be angry?

The moment he thought of Wen Chengze lying in his bed, covered by a quilt filled with his scent and immersed in sweet dreams, he could not find a word besides irritation to describe how he felt about facing this work.

Though Zhong Mohan was extremely frustrated, he could not truly ignore work matters. Thus, his beautiful afternoon was wasted.

Wen Chengze had good napping habits. He woke up after half an hour, lay in bed in a daze for a moment, then sat up.

Zhong Mohan's bedroom had soft carpeting. Wen Chengze did not put on shoes; his fair, tender bare feet stepped directly onto the carpet as he wandered around the room.

Noticing a bookshelf near the balcony, Wen Chengze walked over curiously.

The bookshelf contained every kind of book: ancient texts, popular science books, books on performing arts, finance, computers, even medicine. There were also some books whose names Wen Chengze could not identify, though their contents looked profoundly advanced.

Wen Chengze casually pulled out a few books and could tell at once that Zhong Mohan had read all of them. Some even had notes in the margins, written with great care.

After putting the books back, Wen Chengze suddenly felt that Zhong Mohan's current position was definitely not due solely to his family background.

Everything he possessed was inseparable from his own hard work and talent.

People like that were the most frightening.

When he left the bedroom, Wen Chengze paused at the door, then went back to the bed and put on his slippers.

It was still quiet outside. Wen Chengze figured Zhong Mohan was probably still in the study.

After standing in the living room for a while, Wen Chengze walked over to the coffee machine.

He studied it for a few seconds, then took out the coffee beans from beside it and began making coffee unhurriedly according to the instructions.

The lazy afternoon sunlight fell over the young man in his soft white sweater, making the scene beautiful beyond measure.

Once the coffee was ready, Wen Chengze carried two cups to the study door and knocked lightly.

"Come in."

The moment the study door opened, Zhong Mohan caught the aroma of coffee.

When he saw the young man carrying coffee inside, Zhong Mohan's eyes lit up.

"You made this?" Zhong Mohan took the coffee from Wen Chengze and tried a sip. It was clearly bitter, acidic coffee, yet somehow he tasted sweetness.

Wen Chengze sat in the chair beside him. "Is there a second person in the house?"

"There's still a while to go. Wait beside me?"

Wen Chengze nodded. "Mm. Keep going. I'll look at my tablet for a while."

Zhong Mohan had accompanied him in playing games that morning. In the afternoon, it was only right for him to return the favor by accompanying Zhong Mohan while he worked.

For some reason, the people in the meeting felt that after the pause of several minutes, their boss's mood seemed to have improved considerably.

Wen Chengze turned on his tablet. As soon as he opened Weibo, he heard Zhong Mohan speaking fluent foreign languages.

Zhong Mohan was holding an international meeting? Then Wen Chengze belatedly realized that perhaps it was not appropriate for him to sit here and listen to another company's internal meeting.

After thinking for a moment, Wen Chengze sent Zhong Mohan a WeChat message. "You're in a meeting. Should I go out first?"

There was no reply, but Zhong Mohan took hold of Wen Chengze's hand. His meaning was obvious: there was no need to avoid it.

Since Zhong Mohan had said so, Wen Chengze did not move. As for the hand being held, he did not pull it away either.

He was a little captivated by Zhong Mohan's pronunciation.

Zhong Mohan had a pleasant voice. Every language sounded good when he spoke it. His foreign accent was impeccable, making him sound like an exceptionally refined gentleman of noble birth. Listening to him speak was a pleasure.

At that moment, the only thing every attendee knew was that the oppressive pressure that had made them unable to breathe earlier had suddenly vanished.

After admiring Zhong Mohan working seriously for a while, Wen Chengze lowered his head to look at his tablet, concealing his slightly quickened heartbeat.

Weibo seemed unusually lively today. When he opened the trending searches, Wen Chengze frowned.

He was not surprised to see Qiao Siyu trending, but why was his own name on the list too?

Just as Wen Chengze frowned, a large hand smoothed over his brow. "Don't frown."

The elegant tone instantly soothed away all his irritation.

Wen Chengze froze, and so did the hundreds of people in the video conference.