Xia Shule followed Yan Zhiyi away, though his curious gaze still kept darting back to watch the drama.
Once they got into the car, Yan Zhiyi kept fiddling with his phone. Xia Shule had no idea what he was doing and simply assumed he was handling work, so he quietly watched the scenery beside him.
This time, no one stopped him from leaving with Yan Zhiyi, and he did not have to report to anyone.
As soon as they entered the building, special assistant Li Changbin appeared promptly at Yan Zhiyi's side. He showed no surprise at seeing Xia Shule there, merely nodding in greeting before continuing his work briefing.
Xia Shule assumed it was because they had seen each other not long ago. He thought nothing of it and followed along without a care.
"President Yan, the wedding arrangements are almost finalized. Please take a look."
"And the proposed guest list includes all the prominent figures in Jingjiang."
"At the old gentleman's birthday banquet a few days ago, Mr. Jiang administered the drug in a surveillance blind spot. However, we found his fingerprints on the discarded drug packet."
"The surveillance footage captured Mr. Zhou's clothes and profile, so we can confirm that they were accomplices. However... there's a strong chance Mr. Jiang could escape conviction."
"Initially, Mr. Jiang put the drug in four glasses of milk, presumably because he knew Mr. Xia liked drinking it. Fortunately, none of our guests drank them by mistake."
"We also got the bartender to talk. He said Mr. Jiang promised him a million once the job was done, which was why he did it."
"The handkerchief has already been destroyed..."
Xia Shule, listening intently in secret: He really is the president's assistant. Anyone who makes it to a position like this is no ordinary person!
Yan Zhiyi's gaze swept over Xia Shule's wrist. This evidence still was not enough... Had he arrived even a little later that day, the young man might have lost his life.
If something had truly happened, he would never have gotten to know this loyal young man, and they would not have what they had today.
Those eyes were best kept bright forever.
"Can you trace the source of the drug?"
Li Changbin looked troubled and glanced at Yan Zhiyi's expression.
Yan Zhiyi's face was cold, his voice utterly flat. "Speak."
"We investigated thoroughly but found no purchase records. Then we checked both the legal market and the black market, even overseas. This drug has been banned for years and went out of production long ago. So we have reasonable grounds to suspect it was... it was..."
Yan Zhiyi glanced sideways at him. Unable to withstand the pressure, Li Changbin blurted out, "We suspect it was... leftover stock Jiang Shou had from back then."
*!!!!* Xia Shule was stunned, but he made no sound, merely staring wide-eyed behind Yan Zhiyi.
"That bastard..." Yan Zhiyi muttered.
Only after eagerly listening to all this drama did Xia Shule remember that the incident involved him. His wide-eyed expression vanished at once, replaced by a serious look.
Li Changbin continued his briefing in the elevator. "Everything has been handed over to the police. By now, Mr. Jiang is probably already at the station."
"Good," Yan Zhiyi said.
If this evidence was not enough to convict him, that was fine. He had plenty of means that did not involve legal proceedings.
"What if the punishment isn't enough?" Xia Shule voiced his worry, his little face scrunched up and his lips pursed in a pitiful pout.
Once again, Yan Zhiyi could not resist stroking Xia Shule's fluffy head. It still felt just as nice. "Not satisfied?"
One look at Xia Shule's expression made it clear he definitely was not. "No! I wish I could cut him into a thousand pieces!"
As he spoke, he sliced his hand through the air twice like a blade. His little expression turned fierce, but he did not look intimidating at all. Instead, he was impossibly cute.
I want to kiss him...
Keeping his gaze fixed on Xia Shule's lips, he said, "It's all right. I'll make sure he's punished."
Yan Zhiyi recalled how the young man had looked that night. The glaring red of his blood had shaken him to his core. Even now, remembering it felt like a knife twisting in his heart.
He had never thought he could become so deeply absorbed in a relationship with someone in such a short time. But that was the truth, and his heart did not lie.
Because... he was the first person... to speak up for him.
It was shallow, but it moved him deeply.
"Really?" Xia Shule looked aggrieved, his eyes like a puppy's. "Boss~ Make sure you really make him pay!"
His little fists kept swinging, as though he were trying to punch someone through the air.
He was too adorable. Yan Zhiyi could not take it. He reached out and took Xia Shule's soft hand, holding that smooth, tender skin firmly in his palm.
Li Changbin: As long as I keep my head down far enough, no one will notice me.
Yan Zhiyi held his hand all the way to the office. Once they were inside, Li Changbin could finally breathe openly again.
Xia Shule noticed that the office, which had been immaculate on his last visit, now seemed to have an extra leisure area off to one side.
Several cushions and plush toys sat on the sofa, along with a snack cart identical to the one in his father's office. Almost everything on it was something he liked to eat.
There was a tablet, comic books, spot-the-difference books, novels, a Switch, and an enormous box of Lego.
There was far more here than in his father's office!
He suddenly remembered how the man had kept fiddling with his phone in the car. Had he arranged all this then?
With that thought, he asked, "Did you arrange this while we were in the car?"
"Yes." Yan Zhiyi's expression was gentle. "Do you like it? I didn't know what you liked to play, so I had a bit of everything prepared. I was worried you'd get bored coming to work with me."
Xia Shule agreeing to stay within his sight was already a blessing to him. He had never expected him to agree in the first place.
So Yan Zhiyi did his best to make things even better, not wanting Xia Shule to feel bored when they were together.
Holy shit...
This man was just too...
Xia Shule remembered what he had promised him before their marriage: he would behave and listen, would not ask for more, and would not covet a place that did not belong to him.
If he had known, he would not have made such absolute promises. At least then he would still have some room to maneuver now.
But he had sounded so certain back then. The man had probably only married him because he believed him.
Each harbored his own worries, afraid the other would be dissatisfied with him.
"Ah..." At the thought, Xia Shule let out a helpless sigh.
Beside him, Yan Zhiyi assumed he was dissatisfied and immediately panicked. "What's wrong? Don't you like it?"
"No, no!!!!" Terrified of being misunderstood, Xia Shule shook his head and waved his hands. "I love it! I was just thinking about something else."
Xia Shule looked at the little splash of color standing out in the spotless black, white, and gray office. For some reason, it felt so intimate. "You're really so thoughtful. After these two days together, I feel like I'm starting to fall in love with you."
He spoke his true feelings as a joke, and it genuinely startled Yan Zhiyi.
"Really? Then that's wonderful." Yan Zhiyi's expression remained unchanged, but his voice was husky.
Li Changbin remained standing there. They still had work to go over shortly.
After settling Xia Shule in, Yan Zhiyi got to work. Xia Shule could not have been more comfortable, playing and snacking away. Ah~ Lazy people really did have their own kind of luck.