The young man's voice was naturally clear, cool and crisp, and utterly captivating.
Plenty of people had tried to plant someone at Gu Shang's side, offering every imaginable type.
There had been the obedient little bunny type-men who pitched their voices so unnaturally high that they gave him a headache. Gu Shang had been so uncomfortable that he simply left the table.
Everyone at the table had exchanged bewildered, regretful looks. So he didn't like sweet, obedient little lovers. Did that mean he preferred spoiled little troublemakers?
The next time, Gu Shang found the person they had arranged wearing gaudy, heavy makeup and choking perfume, swaying their hips all the way over to sit beside him. Naturally, the smell nearly made him abandon even basic courtesy.
Of course, there had also been well-trained boys and girls who knew when to advance and when to retreat, playing the pure, innocent sweetheart. They spoke with practiced tact, offering compliments that could flatter an ordinary man senseless, their voices sweet and cloying. Yet they couldn't hide the calculating ambition in their eyes.
One extra glance was enough to turn his stomach.
Gu Shang had once suspected that this was how his aversion to dirt had developed.
But the young man before him looked freshly bathed, his hair washed and dried, with no styling left in it. He looked as soft and adorable as a plush puppy in a toy store, and his eyes held none of that nauseating gleam.
Gu Shang's gaze darkened. It seemed he really had underestimated this supposedly uneducated, empty-headed pretty face. Had entering society too early made him a better actor than those privileged young men in their ivory towers?
The others were also baffled by the young voice that had suddenly interrupted them.
Seeing that his boss was dealing with a domestic matter, Secretary Chen tactfully paused the meeting.
Ji Mingzhu had come over in high spirits, only for his husband to show no appreciation at all.
The young man froze, then a sense of hurt welled up in his heart.
Hadn't he once been his parents' precious darling, someone they treasured so much they feared he would break in their hands or melt in their mouths?
His soft lips turned down, and he lowered his head, desperately holding back the heat gathering in his eyes.
Ji Mingzhu could bristle with thorns to protect himself, but those sharp teeth and claws were only for outsiders. With his own people, he tucked away every sharp edge, willingly becoming a little kitten they could cuddle and pet, even letting them touch his soft belly.
So when someone he considered one of his own scolded him, he felt hurt, too.
He had only been twenty, and his parents hadn't even arranged a marriage for him.
Then he had woken up one day and suddenly had to marry someone. Did they think he wanted this?
Seeing the young man standing with his head lowered and an unhappy expression, Gu Shang rose and moved closer. "Answer me, hmm?"
He forced the young man to lift his head, then froze.
"...Why are you crying?"
Gu Shang was even more shocked than the crying young man.
I wasn't even that harsh, was I...? I'm much harsher when I single out a subordinate to make an example of them.
But the young man only pressed his lips together, looking aggrieved, and said nothing.
Gu Shang: "..."
The young man remained silent, his slightly reddened eyes brimming with tears that shimmered in the light.
He looked genuinely upset.
Even so, he hadn't said anything harsh to Gu Shang. He simply stood there with red eyes, looking pitiful, as though waiting for someone to cherish him.
Gu Shang's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily. "What exactly is wrong?" he asked gruffly.
As he spoke, Gu Shang began to feel irritated. He had never shown this much patience when questioning anyone. That alone was bad enough, but even after being so patient, he still couldn't get an answer. He had ended up practically coaxing the boy, as though he were the one at fault.
Ji Mingzhu's eyes were slightly red, and his voice had a nasal edge. "I waited so long for you, but you never came. Then I came to find you, and you snapped at me..."
Gu Shang: "..."
He actually felt there was nothing wrong with what he had done, but the young man's accusation left him inexplicably guilty, as though he had deliberately been making things difficult for Ji Mingzhu.
But he clearly hadn't.
He saw the young man press his lips together. A pink tongue flicked over his lower lip, leaving it moist, as though he wanted to say something but hesitated.
Afraid he might launch into another complaint, Gu Shang asked first, "Is there something else?"
A faint pink flush rose in the young man's cheeks as he muttered unhappily, "I'm thirsty!"
He had been thirsty ever since getting into the car, and he still hadn't had any water! He had waited all that time, only to find his husband holding a meeting here.
Damn it! My husband isn't considerate at all!
Before you continue