Category: Love Genius Qian Xiaoke (Page 1 of 3)

       Qian Xiaoke thought Jiang Tongyan was a bit amusing.

       “You’re not my boss, so how do you know my boss will pay?” Qian Xiaoke said. “If I were Chairman Cheng, I wouldn’t be friends with you.”

       Jiang Tongyan wasn’t in the mood to bicker with Qian Xiaoke about trivial matters. Right now, he felt like he had stirred up a hornet’s nest.  

       “This is just unbelievable,” Jiang Tongyan said. “We’re all neighbours living here, can’t those young couples behave a bit?”

       “Young couples?” Qian Xiaoke said, sitting there with a perfectly calm demeanour. “Not at all. The tenant of that room is a guy, and he brings back a different person every day.”

       “…Then we really have to move!” Jiang Tongyan was about to explode. “What’s wrong with you, Qian Xiaoke? No, what’s wrong with all of you?”

       “What? Who’s all of us?”

       “He’s behaving like that, and none of you neighbours are calling him out?” Jiang Tongyan felt like he was turning into a walking of thousands of whys. He looked at Qian Xiaoke, his head full of question marks. “Hasn’t anyone talked to him? No one’s doing anything?”

       “We have, but it’s useless,” Qian Xiaoke said. “Everyone living here is like an unwanted stepchild. The landlord’s nowhere to be found, and the agent’s unreachable. What can we do?”

       If there was a way out, who wouldn’t want to leave this place?

       Besides, calling the police wasn’t an option either. Did they have any evidence that the guy was engaged in something improper? No. Plus, if they really did call the police, once the authorities saw the state of this place, that’d be it. No one would be able to stay here, and they’d probably lose their rent money, too. In the end, they’d be the ones who suffered.

       Qian Xiaoke said, “We poor people have a lot of things we’re helpless about.”

       The noise outside was giving Jiang Tongyan a headache. “How are you so calm?”

       “I’ve gotten used to it.” Qian Xiaoke opened a drawer and pulled out a small plastic bag full of earplugs. “Want to try, Chairman Jiang? They work great.”

       Irritated by the noise, Jiang Tongyan took the earplugs and, under Qian Xiaoke’s patient guidance, put them on.

       The world suddenly became quiet, and even Qian Xiaoke in front of him seemed more endearing.  

       Sure enough, if Qian Xiaoke were mute, he’d be an adorable, likable little guy.  

       What a pity…

       With the earplugs on, Jiang Tongyan felt the world was a much better place. He could finally calmly inspect Qian Xiaoke’s ‘bedroom’.

       This ‘bedroom’ was really nothing to write home about.

       The room was quite spacious for Qian Xiaoke, but for Jiang Tongyan, it was so small he could barely stretch his legs.

       The window was tiny—Jiang Tongyan guessed even sunlight had to struggle to squeeze through.

       The desk by the window was the kind of old, rickety wooden school desk he’d only seen in vintage TV dramas. The paint was peeling, and it wobbled with the slightest touch.

       On the desk was an air conditioner that was supposed to be white but had turned yellow. Jiang Tongyan asked, “Does that AC even work?”

       “It does,” Qian Xiaoke said, “but I don’t use it. Keep your voice down—why are you yelling so late at night?”

       “Huh?” Jiang Tongyan’s ‘huh’ was thunderously loud.

       Frowning, Qian Xiaoke reached over and removed his earplugs. “Dude, lower your voice!”

       Jiang Tongyan had forgotten he was still wearing earplugs.

       “I said, does your AC even work?” Jiang Tongyan tilted his head to look at the filthy, outdated AC unit hanging there. It looked like turning it on would release toxic gas.

       “It works, but I don’t use it much. I only turned it on once or twice during unbearably hot summer days,” Qian Xiaoke said. “It’s too noisy.”

       “Alright, if you can avoid using it, don’t use it.” Jiang Tongyan put the earplugs back on and continued his ‘inspection’.

       Qian Xiaoke’s bed wasn’t great either.

       The bed wasn’t small, but it didn’t look comfortable. Jiang Tongyan couldn’t understand how Qian Xiaoke could live such a rough life.  

       “What’s this?” Jiang Tongyan took out the earplugs and said to Qian Xiaoke, “You don’t even have a properly sized bedsheet?”

       Qian Xiaoke avoided eye contact, looking a bit embarrassed.

       He did live a rough life, but it was all to save money.

       The bed was a double bed that came with a mattress when he rented the place. The mattress was mediocre—so mediocre it even had a few cigarette burns in it. But that wasn’t a big deal. He could make it more comfortable by laying a mat and covering it with a bedsheet. But, of course, he didn’t.

       Qian Xiaoke couldn’t bring himself to spend money on the mattress. Right now, the bed was covered with the single-sized bedding he’d used back in college.

       Back then, he had two thin, single-sized mats to switch between. Even now, he used the same setup: a single mat on one half of the double bed, with the other half piled with clothes and random odds and ends.

       Jiang Tongyan, frustrated, said, “So sloppy!”

       Qian Xiaoke pouted, “A set of bedding is expensive.”

       “Cut back on a few bowls of spicy hot pot, and you’d save enough.”

       “I only eat ten yuan spicy hot pot usually, it’s cheap, don’t lecture me.”

       Jiang Tongyan turned his head, saw Qian Xiaoke looking wronged, and waved his hand, deciding to drop it.

       Jiang Tongyan felt he was truly a good person, too soft-hearted.

       He turned around, intending to compliment the room to make Qian Xiaoke happy, but all he saw was an old, tattered sofa.

       How bad was this sofa?

       It was one of those leather sofas from who-knows-what era, with the surface ruined and the springs sticking out.

       Jiang Tongyan asked, “Why haven’t you thrown this thing away?”

       Qian Xiaoke patiently taught this clueless boss Jiang about the ways of the world, “It’s left by the landlord if you throw it away, they’ll deduct it from your deposit when you move out! Idiot!”

       “…Oh.” Jiang Tongyan learned something new, albeit useless, and didn’t even argue about being called an ‘idiot’.

       “Why don’t you put your clothes in the wardrobe?” There was clearly a wardrobe in the room, albeit small, but not so small as to justify leaving clothes on the bed.

       Qian Xiaoke sat on the edge of the bed, swinging his skinny legs, “Take a look yourself.”

       Jiang Tongyan wasn’t in the habit of rummaging through other people’s things, but with the owner’s permission, he couldn’t refuse.

       He walked over and pulled the door…

       “Damn!” The door fell off.

       Jiang Tongyan jumped, “Why didn’t you tell me it was broken?”

       Qian Xiaoke burst into laughter, falling back onto the bed, “If I told you, it wouldn’t have been funny, hahaha!”

       Jiang Tongyan, with a dark expression, turned to look at Qian Xiaoke, feeling the urge to hire a hitman.

       An eye-roll from Jiang Tongyan made Qian Xiaoke shut up.

       After looking around, there wasn’t a single part of the room that satisfied Jiang Tongyan, with the noise from outside being the most irritating.

       He put his earplugs back in and went to the window to enjoy the breeze.

       The autumn night’s wind was quite pleasant. Although Jiang Tongyan kept complaining about Qian Xiaoke’s place, now that he was full and tired, sitting by the bed to catch a breeze felt pretty good.

       Feeling comfortable, he didn’t know when he fell asleep.

       Qian Xiaoke was originally sitting cross-legged, playing a mobile game. He was about to complete his puzzle game.

       After being tired from playing, he turned around to find Jiang Tongyan asleep, looking quite comfortable.

       Holding his phone, Qian Xiaoke quietly called out, “Jiang Tongyan!”

       The sleeping figure didn’t move, like a dead pig.

       Qian Xiaoke stared at him for a while, then clicked his tongue.

       Jiang Tongyan was really handsome, good-looking, good physique, and rich, but his personality and sexual prowess were lacking.

       Lying beside him, Qian Xiaoke felt pity for him for the umpteenth time.

       An apple bitten by God, what a pity.

       Qian Xiaoke felt a sense of compassion for Jiang Tongyan, sighed, and mumbled, “Life is hard, treasure what you can.”

       The next morning, Jiang Tongyan woke up feeling disoriented. He first looked at the ceiling and then at the person beside him, snoring away.

       Everything seemed off.

       “Shit!” Although Jiang Tongyan was never one for good temper around Qian Xiaoke. His upbringing prevented him from swearing, but he couldn’t help it this morning.

       Qian Xiaoke was startled awake, jumping up from the bed.

       “Huh? What?” Qian Xiaoke was still groggy, his world not yet awake.

       Jiang Tongyan looked at him, “What’s going on?”

       Qian Xiaoke, still sleepy, continued to doze off sitting on the bed.

       Jiang Tongyan grabbed his shoulders, shaking him melodramatically, “Wake up!”

       It was no use.

       Unless it was time for work, nothing could wake Qian Xiaoke up.

       “Qian Xiaoke!” Seeing no response, Jiang Tongyan got an idea, “There’s a thief in your house!”

       Qian Xiaoke shuddered, “Where?”

       He reached under his pillow and pulled out a kitchen knife, which scared Jiang Tongyan stiff.

       “…Qian Xiaoke, let’s talk this out, what are you doing with that?”

       Qian Xiaoke, holding his knife, looked around, not seeing any thief, only Jiang Tongyan cowering in the corner.

       “Where’s the thief?” Qian Xiaoke asked.

       Jiang Tongyan took a deep breath and took the knife from him.

       “You sleep with that under your pillow?”

       “Of course,” Qian Xiaoke said, “We pretty boys are in danger; if someone breaks in to rob or worse, I need something to defend myself.”

       Jiang Tongyan wanted to mock his ‘pretty boy’ comment. ‘Pretty boy’ my foot, ‘madman’ would be more fitting.

       But seeing the rickety door that looked like it would fall apart with a kick, having a knife for self-defence seemed reasonable.

       “There’s no thief,” Jiang Tongyan said, “Why am I here?”

       “…Did you lose your memory?” Qian Xiaoke said, “You fell asleep here last night.”

       Jiang Tongyan hadn’t lost his memory, “I’m asking why you didn’t let me sleep on the bedding!”

       Why was Qian Xiaoke on the bedding while he was lying on a pile of clothes?

       Who knew if they were even clean?

       Qian Xiaoke pretended not to understand, got off the bed, and stretched.

       “Chairman Jiang, pay up.”

       “Huh?”

       “You stayed here last night, I need to charge you,” Qian Xiaoke said, “My place isn’t comparable to your five-star hotel, so I’ll give you a discount. How much is a night at your place?”

       “3688.”

       Qian Xiaoke raised his hand, digging in his ear, “How much?”

       “3688,” Jiang Tongyan said, “What’s wrong?”

       Qian Xiaoke took a deep breath, reminding himself he wasn’t anti-rich.

       “Okay, since we’re good friends, you stayed here last night, so 368 yuan will do.”

       “I’ll give you nothing!” Jiang Tongyan stood up abruptly, only to bump his waist on the table corner.

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       Jiang Tongyan never expected to hear such serious and reasonable words from Qian Xiaoke. He had always thought Qian Xiaoke was just a silly little liar who only knew how to charm men.

       “What are you looking at me for?” Qian Xiaoke looked up. “Keep staring, and I’ll start charging you.”

       Jiang Tongyan sneered, “You are so ugly, who wants to look at you.”

       “Don’t think I don’t know. You were staring at me—I caught you.” Qian Xiaoke took a sip of beer just as the barbecue stand owner brought over the skewers they had ordered.

       A large number of skewers of meat strung with bamboo and metal skewers were placed on an iron plate covered with a plastic bag.

       Jiang Tongyan immediately started complaining. 

       “… Look how dirty it is.” Jiang Tongyan pointed to the front of the skewer, “Black.”

       Qian Xiaoke rolled his eyes. “You’re so sheltered!”

       He grabbed a napkin and wiped the skewer. “Just eat it. It’s not going to kill you.” 

       Qian Xiaoke handed the skewers to Jiang Tongyan, and Jiang Tongyan leaned back in disgust.

       “…You’re such a weirdo,” Qian Xiaoke glared at him. “If you don’t want to eat it, forget it. Just watch me eat instead.”

       That’s just fine, Qian Xiaoke thought smugly to himself. More for me! 

       Jiang Tongyan sat there, sipping his beer in small gulps, watching as Qian Xiaoke devoured the skewers like a whirlwind sweeping up fallen leaves. Just watching it gave Jiang Tongyan a headache.

       He had truly never seen someone eat so messily. 

       And yet, he had also never seen anyone eat with such gusto.

       “Is it really that good?” Jiang Tongyan couldn’t wrap his head around it. 

              The skewers in front of them smelled alright, but they didn’t look appealing at all—some were even slightly burnt. How could anyone eat that?  

       “You know what,” Qian Xiaoke shook his head, “I really look down on you rich people.”

       Jiang Tongyan squinted at him, then glanced at the rapidly diminishing pile of skewers.

       Is Qian Xiaoke a pig?

       How can he eat this much?

       And so fast?

       He looked so fair and skinny, but when he ate, he was like the Marshal of the Heavenly Reeds!

       Jiang Tongyan watched as a mountain of bamboo skewers piled up next to Qian Xiaoke. He couldn’t hold back anymore and finally said, “Can you slow down? No one’s going to steal your food.”

       “What if they do?” Qian Xiaoke replied. “What if you suddenly get tempted and try to take it from me?”

       Jiang Tongyan snorted. “Don’t worry. That’s not going to happen.”

       But sometimes, life slapped you in the face faster than you expected.

       The skewers didn’t look appetizing, but they really smelled good. Jiang Tongyan hadn’t eaten dinner, so the aroma was a real test of his self-control.

       He took a sip of his beer.

       “Is it really that good?”

       Qian Xiaoke eyed him warily. “What do you want?”

       “Nothing,” Jiang Tongyan said. “I’m not going to fight you for it. I don’t care.”

       He said he didn’t care, but his stomach growled loudly.  

       Qian Xiaoke couldn’t hear Jiang Tongyan’s stomach growling, but he could tell that the guy was tempted. Taking a bite of meat, he smiled while staring at Jiang Tongyan across from him.

       “Stop staring at me,” Jiang Tongyan said, mimicking Qian Xiaoke’s earlier tone. “Keep staring, and I’ll charge you.”

       “Are you hungry?” Qian Xiaoke asked, grinning. “Or maybe just tempted?”

       “…None of your business.” He was starving—absolutely starving.

       However, Jiang Tongyan was someone who cared too much about maintaining pride, so he could only suffer in silence.

       “Are you sure you don’t want to try it?” Qian Xiaoke held a skewer out in front of Jiang Tongyan. “Do you know what this is?”

       Jiang Tongyan leaned back to avoid it, but then he heard Qian Xiaoke say, “Lamb kidney.”

       Lamb kidney? What does that do for men?

       Qian Xiaoke looked at Jiang Tongyan with a mischievous smile full of meaning.

       “Qian Xiaoke, I’m warning you—don’t start with your nonsense.”

       “I didn’t say anything! I’m just telling you that this is grilled lamb kidney. It’s delicious,” Qian Xiaoke said innocently. “Seriously, give it a try. Just one bite.”

       If it were anything else, Jiang Tongyan might have been able to resist.

       But this was a kidney.

       A kidney!

       Sure, sitting at a dirty roadside barbecue stand eating lamb kidneys wasn’t exactly fitting for a dignified CEO like him, but as a man with certain… unspoken concerns, kidneys were incredibly tempting.

       “You really don’t want to eat it?” Qian Xiaoke teased. “Oh my, what a pity.”

       Just as he was about to pull the skewer back, his wrist was suddenly grabbed.

       Jiang Tongyan put on an air of nonchalance. “I’m just doing this to give you face.”

       Holding back his laughter, Qian Xiaoke played along. “Alright, alright, thank you for honoring me with your presence.”

       He watched, eyes twinkling, as Jiang Tongyan hesitated and then cautiously leaned in to take a tiny bite.

       How to describe it?

       Jiang Tongyan chewed carefully, mulling over the taste as if savouring it for the first time. He probably chewed at least ‘eighty times’ before swallowing and taking a sip of beer.

       “How is it?” Qian Xiaoke asked. “Tastes good, doesn’t it?”

       Jiang Tongyan really didn’t want to admit it, but he couldn’t deny that it was surprisingly delicious.

       “It’s… alright. Tell the owner to bring over ten more skewers.”

       Qian Xiaoke burst out laughing and didn’t stop for a full five minutes.

       Some doors to new worlds, once opened, could never be closed again. Some magical experiences, once entered, were impossible to leave behind.

       Starting with one lamb kidney skewer, Jiang Tongyan discovered the beauty of roadside barbecue. By the time they finished, both he and Qian Xiaoke had stuffed themselves so full their stomachs were practically bulging.

       Qian Xiaoke had initially promised that the cost would be no more than 50 yuan per person, but the two of them somehow managed to eat nearly 300 yuan worth of food. It wasn’t because the barbecue was expensive—it was just that they ate a lot. And that didn’t even include the cost of the beer.

       Once they were finally full, they got up to leave. Qian Xiaoke commented, “Every time I burp, it smells like barbecue,”

       He added, “Chairman Jiang, I’ve figured out when you’re at your most charming.”

       Jiang Tongyan perked up. “Oh? Let’s hear it.”

       “When you’re paying the bill,” Qian Xiaoke said. “Honestly, next time I’ll record it so you can go home and admire it yourself.”

       Jiang Tongyan rolled his eyes. “I shouldn’t have expected you to say anything serious.”

       Qian Xiaoke laughed, grabbed his bag of sliced bread, and walked leisurely beside Jiang Tongyan.

       It was getting late, and Qian Xiaoke yawned.

       Jiang Tongyan glanced at him. “You’re tired already?”

       “Isn’t it normal to feel sleepy after eating so much?”

       “You’re the kind of person with absolutely no self-control.” But just as he finished saying that, Jiang Tongyan yawned too.

       Qian Xiaoke leaned against him, laughing so hard his stomach hurt, thinking this guy was just too hilarious.

       The two wandered to the entrance of the neighbourhood. Qian Xiaoke said, “Chairman Jiang, this is where we part ways.”

       Jiang Tongyan glanced inside the neighbourhood but stayed rooted in place, unwilling to leave.

       He had ulterior motives.

       “Hmm? What’s wrong?” Qian Xiaoke asked, noticing his hesitant demeanour. “Don’t want to part with me? Don’t tell me you’ve really fallen for me? Let me warn you—that’s a bad idea!”

       Of course, Qian Xiaoke was joking. By now, he’d figured out that no matter what, Jiang Tongyan wouldn’t fall for someone like him.

       He deliberately raised an eyebrow and poked Jiang Tongyan’s shoulder. “I’m a heartless and ruthless person, you know!”

       “…Move aside.” Jiang Tongyan glared at him. “Who would want to like you?”

       “Hmph.” Qian Xiaoke pouted and turned to leave.

       “Hey,” Jiang Tongyan couldn’t help but call out to him again.

       “What now?” Qian Xiaoke turned back. “Too much lamb kidney, and now you’re feeling it?”

       Feeling it, my ass! If only he were!

       Jiang Tongyan asked, “Are you going straight home?”

       “Yeah,” Qian Xiaoke replied. “Even miracle-working doctors need to clock out and rest, you know.”

       “…You really can’t talk properly, can you?”

       Qian Xiaoke chuckled. “What do you want? You’re so awkward. Can’t you just say what you mean?”

       “I want to visit your place,” Jiang Tongyan admitted, curious about the so-called ‘shared rental apartments’ and the infamous ‘partitioned rooms.’

       “Huh?” Qian Xiaoke looked baffled. “Why?”

       “Curiosity,” Jiang Tongyan said. “I want to see the pigsty.”

       “…Where do you get off with this superiority complex? Calling us hardworking folks pigs?”

       “No, I’m specifically referring to you,” Jiang Tongyan said. “You’re the pig.”  

       Qian Xiaoke was about to die of frustration but eventually relented and brought him home.

       A doctor is kind hearted.

       Right now, Jiang Tongyan was his patient.

       Qian Xiaoke felt he was far too kind to indulge this guy like this.

       “It’s late. Come in, take a quick look, and then leave. Don’t disturb the others,” he said.

       At this moment, Jiang Tongyan looked like an emperor in disguise, visiting the common folk to observe their lives.

       He followed Qian Xiaoke upstairs, curious to see the house that had apparently made Qian Xiaoke’s life so miserable.

       Qian Xiaoke unlocked the door and pushed it open, revealing a pitch-black hallway. Although it was already autumn, the air was still oppressively stuffy. It was obvious the place hadn’t been properly ventilated in days.

       Jiang Tongyan, standing behind him, frowned.

       “Keep it down,” Qian Xiaoke whispered.

       “…I haven’t even made a sound!” Jiang Tongyan felt unjustly accused.

       Qian Xiaoke stepped aside to let him in. Once inside, Jiang Tongyan finally saw that what should have been a living room had been partitioned into two rooms. No wonder there were no windows—there was absolutely no ventilation. 

       After shutting the door, Qian Xiaoke navigated the dark hallway, leading Jiang Tongyan to his room.

       As they passed one of the partitioned rooms, certain *indescribable* sounds drifted out.

       “What’s going on?” Jiang Tongyan lowered his voice.

       Partitioned rooms weren’t soundproof at all. Even the smallest noises could be heard loud and clear, let alone… those kinds of sounds. While Qian Xiaoke was somewhat pure, he had long grown used to falling asleep to such noises.

       But Jiang Tongyan wasn’t used to it. He was even more innocent than Qian Xiaoke!

       Qian Xiaoke put a finger to his lips to shush him, quickly dragging him toward his own room.

       He unlocked the door and shoved Jiang Tongyan inside.

       “Don’t make a fuss!” Qian Xiaoke said. “You’ve really never seen the world, have you?”

       “Is this kind of ‘world’ something I need to see?” Jiang Tongyan was starting to lose his temper. “You actually live here every day?”

       Poor living conditions and lack of ventilation were one thing, but who were these people he was living with?

       “Aren’t you worried something might happen one day?”

       Sitting on the bed, Qian Xiaoke pouted. “What’s the point of worrying? The rent’s already paid. What am I supposed to do—stop living here?”

       He set the bag of bread aside, opened the window, and let some air in before bed.

       Jiang Tongyan stood there, while an indescribable sounds outside seemed to echo right by his ear.

       “This won’t do,” Jiang Tongyan said. “You need to move out immediately.” 

       Qian Xiaoke looked at him like he was an idiot. “Move out? Easy for you to say. Why don’t you give me the money?”

       Jiang Tongyan: “…Cheng Sen will give you the money!”

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       Qian Xiaoke knew he had done something pretty stupid and had been feeling down about it for quite a while, but there wasn’t much he could do about it.

       “Don’t talk about me anymore,” Qian Xiaoke muttered, “I’m already very upset.”

       He curled his lips and squatted on the ground in frustration. He exuded an unmistakable air of melancholy.

       Jiang Tongyan looked down and watched Qian Xiaoke squatting and fiddling with a discarded rose someone had left on the side of the road.

       “Isn’t it dirty?”

       “Huh?” Qian Xiaoke looked up at him.

       Jiang Tongyan looked down at him, “Maybe the flower has been stuck with poop.”

       “… Jiang Tongyan, are you disgusting!” Qian Xiaoke suddenly felt that he was dirty.

       “I’m kindly reminding you not to touch anything.” Why is he like a child, so careless?

       Jiang Tongyan said, “By the way, isn’t the place you’re living in currently illegal? If you keep staying there, wouldn’t that make you a lawbreaker?”

       “Shh!” Qian Xiaoke quickly stood up and covered his mouth, “Can you stop saying stuff like that?”

       He was nearly scared to death! 

       Jiang Tongyan frowned, “Take your stinky hands away!”

       He couldn’t believe Qian Xiaoke had touched that dirty flower and then used the same hand to touch his mouth! Even someone without a germaphobe would lose their mind over this.  

       Qian Xiaoke reluctantly took his hand away, “Don’t yell, I’m scared.”

       “Why can’t I see that you’re scared?” Jiang Tongyan said, “If you’re so scared, why are you still living there? You’ve got some nerve.”

       “What else can I do? I’ve already paid the rent, the agent ran off, and we can’t find the landlord. What choice do I have?”

       Jiang Tongyan, who had lived a comfortable life, couldn’t quite comprehend Qian Xiaoke’s situation. He then said something that made Qian Xiaoke want to punch this rich guy in the head. 

       Jiang Tongyan said, “It’s just a bit of rent. What’s more important, money or safety? Don’t you have any sense?”

       “…” Qian Xiaoke was visibly displeased.

       Normally, Qian Xiaoke was a good-tempered, warm, and easygoing person who never argued with others. But Jiang Tongyan’s comment struck a nerve.

       “Jiang Tongyan, you are really not a good person.” Qian Xiaoke turned around and walked away. His back screaming: very angry, do not disturb.

       While Qian Xiaoke fumed, Jiang Tongyan remained clueless. 

       “What’s wrong? What’s wrong with what I say?” Jiang Tongyan followed, “What’s with your temper? You get angry when you disagree with me!”

       “My temper? Did you even listen to what you said? Is that a human language?” Qian Xiaoke’s face was full of unhappiness, and he looked back at Jiang Tongyan, “Do you know there is a saying called ‘Why not eat meat’?¹This references an idiom from ancient Chinese history. It describes a tone-deaf remark from someone in privilege, similar to Marie Antoinette’s “Let them eat cake.” It conveys how disconnected a person is from the struggles of others. The question you just asked is practically the same thing.”

       Jiang Tongyan certainly was clueless, “What does it mean?”

       “Look it up yourself. I can’t be bothered to explain.” Qian Xiaoke shook his hand and walked away with a step that didn’t recognise his relatives.

       Qian Xiaoke left, and Jiang Tongyan followed closely behind him. While following him, he looked up the meaning of the sentence behind him.

       After checking, he began to reflect on himself and asked, “How much do you earn a month?”

       “After deducting the five social insurances and one housing fund, the actual salary is barely 3,000 yuan.”

       “How much is the monthly rent for your house?”

       “1,500 yuan.” Qian Xiaoke turned around, “Do you understand now?”

       “…I understand.” Jiang Tongyan was a little annoyed, thinking that what he had just said was simply stupid. “I’m sorry.”

       Qian Xiaoke was stunned.

       “Huh?” A few seconds later, his face was full of question marks, “What did you say just now?”

       Jiang Tongyan wasn’t the type to apologise easily. It wasn’t about pride—he simply rarely made mistakes. His earlier blunder was so elementary and was the first time in his life. It became a stumbling block even in his own mind.

       “Did you eat dinner tonight?”

       Qian Xiaoke hugged his bread tightly.

       “I’ll treat you to dinner.” Jiang Tongyan said, “Malatang, the kind that costs 36 yuan a bowl.”

       As the saying goes, “No reward without effort.”

       Qian Xiaoke remained cautious, suspecting Jiang Tongyan might want to poison him.

       “Why would you treat me to a meal for no reason?” Qian Xiaoke asked. “Didn’t I already say today’s session was a trial and totally free?” 

       Jiang Tongyan frowned, “What are you thinking? I’m… apologizing to you.”

       “Ah?” What? Qian Xiaoke didn’t understand him.

       “Didn’t I make you unhappy just now?” Jiang Tongyan said, “I’m treating you to a meal. I haven’t eaten yet, either.”

       After processing for a moment, Qian Xiaoke suddenly grinned. “For real?” 

       “If you don’t want to eat, forget it.” Jiang Tongyan thought to himself that it was lucky it was dark; otherwise, this brat would have noticed his face turning red—how embarrassing!

       “Eat, eat, eat!” This time it didn’t feel undeserved—Jiang Tongyan was expressing a sincere apology. If he didn’t accept, wouldn’t that mean he wasn’t willing to forgive him?

       Qian Xiaoke gave himself a sufficient reason.

       Jiang Tongyan sneered, “You shameless foodie!”

       Qian Xiaoke didn’t hear what he said and happily led him out of the neighbourhood.

       He was happy, and Jiang Tongyan was inexplicably happy too.

       Jiang Tongyan found that Qian Xiaoke seemed to have magic that could influence other people’s emotions. 

       It was pretty awesome.

       How did he do it?

       Jiang Tongyan also wanted to learn.

       The two of them walked out of the neighbourhood, and Qian Xiaoke said, “We’ve already eaten spicy hot pot today. It’s not good to eat it again, right?”

       Jiang Tongyan glanced at him sideways, thinking: I said I want to eat spicy hot pot because you like it. What’s wrong with you?

       But since he had already upset Qian Xiaoke earlier, Jiang Tongyan, not being the kind of person who intentionally stirs up trouble, spoke cautiously as he was trying to make amends. “So, what do you want to eat?”

       Qian Xiaoke looked around and then pointed to the barbecue stall on the side of the road.

       Jiang Tongyan frowned.

       “This…” He looked at the roadside stalls and was indeed somewhat sceptical about the sanitary conditions. Still, he had already upset Qian Xiaoke, so Jiang Tongyan spoke very cautiously, “Why this all of a sudden? Or… I noticed a pretty decent restaurant on the way here. How about we go there?”

       Qian Xiaoke didn’t want to; he just wanted to eat barbecue.

       When he passed by earlier to buy bread, he had already drooled over the place. He had resisted buying it then, but now that someone was treating him, he intended to eat it to his heart’s content.

       Qian Xiaoke twisted his little face and said, “I’m not going. I just want to eat this barbecue.”

       Those big meat skewers, just looking at it, made him feel good.

       He pulled Jiang Tongyan’s sleeve, “Chairman Jiang, let’s just eat this.”

       Qian Xiaoke also added, “The average cost per person won’t even exceed 50 yuan, I swear. I’ll control myself!”

       It wasn’t about the money, but that comment made Jiang Tongyan feel a little uncomfortable.

       He had never known Qian Xiaoke well before, so he thought that this guy was mentally abnormal and very troublesome. However, on the other hand, he had to admit that Qian Xiaoke was not a bad person. After all… he was willing to take responsibility for him.

       After what happened just now, Jiang Tongyan was suddenly moved by the poor guy’s hard work. It was not easy for him to live so lively with so little income.

       Fine. Let’s eat.

       I’ll sacrifice my life for you.

       Jiang Tongyan said, “Let’s go.”

       With that, he followed the cheering Qian Xiaoke to the slightly grimy barbecue stall, “Don’t hold back. Eat all you want. If you want, we could even rent out the whole stall.”

       Qian Xiaoke just laughed and didn’t think deeply about it.

       He thanked him repeatedly, then trotted to the barbecue stall. He then found an empty seat, sat down, and wiped the stool opposite obediently.

       “Chairman Jiang, sit down!” Qian Xiaoke was in a good mood when there was something delicious, and now he liked Jiang Tongyan.

       Jiang Tongyan was a little disgusted, and the smoke from the barbecue next to him drifted over, choking him and rolling his eyes.

       “Why do you have to go to this place when you don’t want to go to a good restaurant?”

       “It’s delicious,” Qian Xiaoke said, “You don’t understand, this kind of roadside stall has the best taste!”

       Jiang Tongyan thought: Well, I don’t understand, and I don’t want to understand.

       “And barbecue is something that you have to eat for the atmosphere.” Qian Xiaoke suddenly raised his hand and shouted to the boss, “Boss, order!”

       The boss came over with a plastic menu. Qian Xiaoke ordered a lot and handed it to Jiang Tongyan after ordering, “Chairman Jiang, do you want to add more?”

       “No, you can take care of it.”

       Qian Xiaoke laughed and decided to order these first and add more if it was not enough.

       “Chairman Jiang, do you know what you must have with barbecue?”

       “What?” Jiang Tongyan had hardly eaten it. With his status and position, he would go to high-end restaurants with an average cost of several thousand yuan per person!

       “Garlic!” Qian Xiaoke mysteriously grabbed a head of garlic from the table next to him and put it on the table for the two of them, “Also, ice-cold draft beer!”

       He stretched out his hand, “Chairman Jiang, give me 20 yuan.”

       “Huh?”

       “I’ll buy draft beer,” Qian Xiaoke said, “10 yuan a cup, it’s delicious!”

       Jiang Tongyan wanted to complain that he was stingy and didn’t even want to pay 20 yuan.

       But since he was treating, he had to pay.

       He gave Qian Xiaoke a hundred yuan and then watched the boy run away like a rabbit.

       When Qian Xiaoke returned, he was holding a large glass of draft beer in one hand, and the change was still in his palm.

       He put the draft beer on the table and returned the rest of the money to Jiang Tongyan.

       “Can this thing taste good?” Jiang Tongyan has drunk a lot of beer, but this is too cheap. 10 yuan for such a big cup, won’t it upset your stomach after drinking it?

       “It tastes good,” Qian Xiaoke said, “Try it.”

       In the autumn, the breeze was already quite cold at night. After a sip of iced draft beer, Jiang Tongyan got goosebumps.

       But!

       It tastes really good!

       Jiang Tongyan was very surprised, “Not bad.”

       “See! I told you, you rich people are ignorant!” Qian Xiaoke said, “In fact, not all expensive things are necessarily good, and not all cheap things are necessarily bad.”

       Jiang Tongyan actually thought that what Qian Xiaoke said at this moment carried a certain wisdom.

       “The quality of things in this world can’t always be measured by money,” Qian Xiaoke said with a faint smile, holding the large beer cup in both hands. He took a sip, leaving foam all over his mouth. “What suits you best is what’s truly good.”

---

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       Qian Xiaoke said he would sleep, but he was woken up after a short sleep.

       The tenants in the partitioned room across from him started quarrelling for some unknown reason, and it seemed like they even got into a fight.

       Qian Xiaoke, being timid, didn’t dare go watch the commotion. He curled up on his bed, trembling, with his ears perked up, listening to the noise.

       The argument outside was pretty intense, and it really sounded like it had turned physical. After a long while, Qian Xiaoke heard the people outside finally leave, and the world became quiet again. He let out a sigh of relief. Only then did he remember that he hadn’t eaten dinner yet.

       He moved to the window and realised he didn’t feel very hungry. Thinking to himself: Forget it, I won’t eat. Skipping dinner will save me money.

       In the end, he felt so hungry.

       This must be fate, he thought—fate destined him to go hungry, and he couldn’t escape it.

       Qian Xiaoke stretched his body, took his mobile phone, keys and coin purse and went downstairs.

       The coin purse was shaped like a fluffy little dog’s head, and it was super cute. He had bought it from a street vendor outside the apartment complex for ten yuan and liked it very much.

       It was almost completely dark outside. He jogged downstairs, planning to buy a bag of sliced bread—eight slices per bag. If he rationed it, eating two slices each evening, it would last him four days.

       Qian Xiaoke felt that he was really good at budgeting!

       He walked downstairs and walked out of the community.

       Recently, every time it got dark, there would be stalls downstairs. On one side were food vendors selling skewers and other snacks, while on the other were stalls selling small goods. Business seemed pretty good for all of them. 

       Qian Xiaoke even considered setting up a stall himself. After all, he had plenty of free time after work. Using that time to make extra money seemed like a great idea.

       But he was the kind of person who thought a lot but acted little. When it came to actually doing it, he worried about everything—fearing that if he stocked up on goods and couldn’t sell them, all his money would be tied up.

       Because of this, he had not been able to successfully ‘start a business’ until now.

       Qian Xiaoke walked along the path to the convenience store, looked around at the things people were selling, asked about the prices, and did a simple market research.

       After finishing his ‘research’, Qian Xiaoke went to buy bread. When paying, he took out a few one-yuan and fifty-cent coins from his small coin purse, counted them carefully, and handed them to the cashier.

       When he came out, he smelled the aroma of barbecue all the way, and his mouth was drooling.

       Not wanting to embarrass himself, Qian Xiaoke trotted home.

       But then he got a fright.

       As they all knew, group renting was illegal. Qian Xiaoke always thought that theirs should be considered a group renting. Even if it wasn’t exactly ‘group’ housing, it was at least an unauthorised structure.

       In short, it was illegal.

       He lived in constant fear, worried that something would happen and his rent money would go to waste. Just the other day, during the Zhou Mo incident, he had been at home when he heard someone knocking on the door, saying they were from the police station. He was so scared he stayed inside and didn’t dare go out.

       At this moment, he came back with bread. He just went out of the stairwell and saw two uniformed policemen standing at his door knocking.

       Qian Xiaoke was startled and forgot to breathe while standing at the stairs.

       Seeing him coming, one of the police asked, “Do you live here?”

       “No!” Qian Xiaoke panicked and answered while backing away, “I live next door. I forgot to bring my keys. I’m going to ask my partner for the keys. Goodbye, police uncle!”

       With that, he turned and ran, first heading upstairs, then realising that wasn’t right, so he turned and ran downstairs instead.

       Qian Xiaoke ran out of the community with his head down and ran directly into someone’s arms.

       Jiang Tongyan said, “What the hell?”

       Qian Xiaoke’s body trembled, and he looked up and said, “Why are you here?”

       Of course, he deliberately strolled here.

       Jiang Tongyan felt uncomfortable lying in the hotel, took a shower, and was so anxious that he simply went out for a walk.

       This walk brought him here.

       He had heard Qian Xiaoke mention the neighbourhood’s name before, so he knew that this guy lived there but didn’t expect to meet him.

       When he just came over, he saw Qian Xiaoke running around like a headless fly from a distance. It was better to bump into him than others, so he walked over quickly and blocked him. Just like that, Qian Xiaoke ‘threw himself into his arms’.

       “Why can’t I be here?” Jiang Tongyan said confidently, “Is this road yours? Do I need your permission to come here?”

       Qian Xiaoke said ‘Uh’ and then looked back guiltily.

       “Is there really a ghost chasing you?” Jiang Tongyan stood there and smiled at him jokingly.

       Qian Xiaoke raised his hand and made a ‘hush’ gesture, trying to slip away like a thief.

       In the end, before he could slip away, he watched the two policemen come out.

       Qian Xiaoke panicked and suddenly had an idea. He took Jiang Tongyan’s arm and said delicately, “Honey! I forgot to bring my keys!”

       His words were crisp and sweet, and Jiang Tongyan was stunned.

       “Ah?” Jiang Tongyan looked at him with a question mark on his head.

       Qian Xiaoke had an innocent look on his face, “Husband, you came back too late today. I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”

       He dragged Jiang Tongyan into the neighbourhood, and when the two policemen passed by them, he whispered, “Husband, what are we going to eat tonight?”

       The two policemen looked at him, looked at each other, and left expressionlessly.

       Qian Xiaoke dragged Jiang Tongyan into the neighbourhood quickly, pulled him to a corner, and made sure that the two policemen could not see them, then let go of his hand and breathed a long sigh of relief.

       Jiang Tongyan saw a little bit of the doorway, squinted his eyes, and folded his hands in front of his chest, “Qian Xiaoke, did you do anything illegal?”

       “No!” Qian Xiaoke was still panicking.

       He was a coward since he was a child. Not to mention breaking the law, he didn’t dare to wear two red scarves when the teacher asked him to wear one at school. This time, he had truly strayed into trouble and gotten scammed!

       Qian Xiaoke said, “Keep your voice down, don’t let anyone hear you.”

       “If you’re not guilty, what are you afraid of?” Jiang Tongyan said, “Hurry up and confess, or I’ll take you to the police station now!”

       “… Can you be quiet for a while?” Qian Xiaoke was scared to death. This guy was still making trouble here.

       “Then tell me what’s going on.” Jiang Tongyan teased him deliberately, “I’m your husband. What dare you hide from your husband?”

       “Why are you so shameless?” Qian Xiaoke muttered, “Whose husband are you?”

       “Who just now? You called me husband so sweetly that I choked,” Jiang Tongyan poked him on the forehead, “Qian Xiaoke, you’re really something.”

       “Of course, I’m amazing!”

       “I mean, you’re really good at scamming people.”

       Qian Xiaoke snorted and turned to go home.

       How could Jiang Tongyan let him go like this? He raised his hand and hugged him back by the neck.

       “What? Where are you going? Without your husband?”

       “I don’t have a husband like you,” Qian Xiaoke said, “I’ll find a husband who’s ready to go hard at a moment’s notice.”

       Jiang Tongyan was hurt again.

       The result of his injury was that he relentlessly tormented Qian Xiaoke.

       His method of torment? Forcing Qian Xiaoke to accompany him on walks.

       Jiang Tongyan didn’t need to say much. One simple line was enough, “Walk with me or I’ll go complain to Cheng Sen and tell him that you assaulted me this afternoon just to avoid going back to work at the office.”

       Qian Xiaoke thought Jiang Tongyan had absolutely no sense of shame—he could come up with the most indecent things imaginable.

       Helplessly, he had to accompany him.

       But then again, he really didn’t want to go home now, and he was a little afraid, for fear that the two policemen would come back and catch him.

       It was too scary.

       So, he simply accompanied Jiang Tongyan for a walk around the neighbourhood, and on the way, he inspected the street vendors’ business.

       Jiang Tongyan said, “Seriously, tell me, what did you do wrong?”

       “Nothing.”

       “Then why did you run when you saw the police?”

       Qian Xiaoke was so aggrieved that he looked up to the sky and howled and then told Jiang Tongyan about his miserable experience of renting a house.

       When he told the story, he spoke as if his heart was breaking—full of tears and wails, almost like a lament in song. He wanted Jiang Tongyan to understand how difficult life was for poor, struggling people like him, so that he would stop making things difficult in the future.

       As a result, Jiang Tongyan frowned after listening and said after a long time, “Qian Xiaoke, you really are a bit of an idiot.”

---

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       Qian Xiaoke really was a good person.

       Not just a good person but also a good man.

       He sat up in bed and turned to look at Jiang Tongyan, who was lying there, staring blankly at the ceiling with lifeless eyes.

       What joy is there in life, and what sorrow is there in death?

       This phrase was written all over Jiang Tongyan’s face.

       “Chairman Jiang,” Qian Xiaoke patted him gently through the quilt, “Take your time; some things can’t be rushed.”

       Jiang Tongyan really didn’t want to listen to him, so he pulled the quilt over his head.

       What a pitiful sight.

       As a man, he couldn’t get hard, which was really one of the most pitiful things in the world.

       Qian Xiaoke was not a heartless person, and he also shared some responsibility for this. Seeing Jiang Tongyan abandoning himself like this, he couldn’t bear it.

       “Chairman Jiang, don’t be like this.” Qian Xiaoke turned over and lay on top of Jiang Tongyan through the quilt. “Really, trust me. Your illness is probably just caused by too much stress. Relax, and you’ll be fine.”

       Qian Xiaoke suddenly had an idea and slapped Jiang Tongyan.

       He slapped Jiang Tongyan so hard that he almost killed him.

       “I had an idea!” Qian Xiaoke said excitedly, “I had an idea of how to make you relax!”

       Jiang Tongyan peeked out from under the quilt and asked in a muffled voice, “What?”

       “Next time I touch you, I’ll tell you a joke.” Qian Xiaoke said, “You will naturally relax when you smile.”

       Jiang Tongyan knew that he should not have any expectations of this kid.

       “Are you just going to tell jokes like the one about swatting flies?” Jiang Tongyan’s right eyelid twitched. “Why don’t you just drop dead? I’d feel more relaxed if you were gone.”

       “…That won’t work.” Qian Xiaoke said, “I haven’t lived enough.”

       Jiang Tongyan sneered, looked at him, and then suddenly realised that this kid was actually lying on top of him comfortably at this moment.

       How to say it… If it weren’t for the rather awkward predicament they were both in right now, this might have been a heartwarming moment.

       But the problem was, there was no if.

       Qian Xiaoke said thoughtfully, “If you don’t like that joke, I’ll watch some more and find other ones for you. Don’t be so grumpy all the time. I think your inability to get hard might have something to do with your bad temper.”

       “Cut it out,” Jiang Tongyan said, “It’s all your fault.”

       “Part of it,” Qian Xiaoke lay on him and sighed, “But it’s also because you’re just not trying hard enough.”

       After saying that, he realised that he had said the wrong thing again.

       Qian Xiaoke glanced at Jiang Tongyan from the corner of his eye, and Jiang Tongyan said, “You will piss me off sooner or later.”

       Seeing that he had no intention of getting angry, Qian Xiaoke chuckled, “JUst kidding.”

       Qian Xiaoke straightened up and got off the bed.

       Jiang Tongyan watched as he bent over nakedly to pick up the clothes that were thrown on the floor and felt something stirred in him.

       However, for him now, this impulse was very painful.

       Qian Xiaoke picked up the clothes and put them on, and suddenly remembered that he had not done his business yet. After all, he returned to find Jiang Tongyan, not to save the dying and the wounded, but to get a receipt.

       “Chairman Jiang,” Qian Xiaoke said, “Can I reach into your pants pocket for a second?”

       Jiang Tongyan froze, clutching the quilt tightly as he looked at Qian Xiaoke with wary eyes.

       He didn’t hear it clearly just now and heard ‘trouser pocket’ as ‘crotch’.

       It stung a little.

       Even if he couldn’t get it up right now, that didn’t mean this punk could assault him!

       “What the hell is wrong with you?”

       “Nothing’s wrong! I just want to grab something from your pocket.” Qian Xiaoke was a little frustrated because he found that it was already too late.

       By the time he got back to the office, the finance department would likely have gone home, so he would not be able to get his money tonight.

       If he couldn’t get his money, he would feel uneasy, and if he felt uneasy, he would be in a bad mood.

       This matter was all Jiang Tongyan’s fault. He might have gotten the money if Jiang Tongyan hadn’t dragged him.

       “Take it.” Jiang Tongyan said, “Find it yourself.”

       After he finished speaking, he added, “Go wash your hands first, don’t dirty my pants.”

       Qian Xiaoke pouted, “My hands are full of your smell. Do you even dislike yourself?”

       He muttered in a low voice, and Jiang Tongyan didn’t hear it clearly.

       Qian Xiaoke got the receipt as he wished. He then put the trousers away like a treasure. He figured it was almost quitting time anyway, and since his home was closer, he might as well skip the office and head straight home.

       He dressed neatly and prepared to leave.

       Jiang Tongyan was still lying in bed, looking depressed. After Qian Xiaoke left, he slowly stood up like an old man who was about to die.

       Very depressing.

       Jiang Tongyan took his phone and looked at the calendar. He decided to make an appointment with a psychologist after returning to New York.

       =========

       Qian Xiaoke went home.

       It was not yet six o’clock when he got home, a little earlier than his usual time to get off work.

       The hallway was pitch black when he entered his rented apartment.

       The place he rented made people very depressed. In hindsight, he might have been swindled to some extent.

       Back then, Qian Xiaoke was in a hurry to find a new place because the landlord of his previous apartment suddenly wanted it back. At the time, Qian Xiaoke didn’t know any better—he had no idea he could use legal means to protect his rights. Naively, when the landlord told him to move out within three days, he panicked and immediately started searching for a new place.

       Because he was in a hurry, he was careless. Later, Qian Xiaoke also suffered from his carelessness.

       At the time, to save on agency fees, he chose a small, unknown rental agency.

       Normally, agency fees were equivalent to one month’s rent, but this agency only charged half a month’s rent. 

       Half a month!

       So, Qian Xiaoke signed the contract immediately after seeing the house.

       It was a three-bedroom unit, and the monthly rent for the second bedroom he chose was 1,500 yuan. The room was fairly spacious, though the window was a bit small. But that didn’t matter—what was important was that it was both spacious and cheap. 

       The apartment was vacant at the time, with no tenants. The agent had assured him, “It’s a three-bedroom unit meant for three people, all young men. The other two tenants are from neighbouring cities and rarely come to stay. Don’t worry, this apartment is great.”

       Qian Xiaoke nodded repeatedly, thinking that he had picked up a treasure, so after signing the contract, he happily prepared to move.

       The day after Qian Xiaoke moved in, the residents of the other two rooms also moved in, but it was a little different from what the agent said. The two rooms were all occupied by couples, so originally, there were three people living in them, but in the end, there were five people living in them.

       Couples were couples, and five people were five people—Qian Xiaoke tolerated it.

       But he never could have imagined that this was just the beginning.

       One unremarkable Wednesday, everything seemed normal when he left in the morning. But when he returned in the evening, he thought he had walked into the wrong apartment.

       The original living room had disappeared, and as soon as he opened the door, there was a small dark corridor where the living room should have been made into two small partitioned bedrooms.

       Qian Xiaoke was shocked.

       Before he could reach out to the agency for clarification, the two cubicles were already occupied. The three-bedroom, one-living room, one-bathroom apartment had been transformed into a five-bedroom, no-living-room, one-bathroom unit. The number of residents had also increased from the original three to seven or eight people.

       Why ‘seven or eight’? Because one of the guys living in a partitioned cubicle often brought people over—different genders, all unfamiliar faces, and never the same person twice. It left Qian Xiaoke completely dumbfounded. 

       When he finally reacted and wanted to contact the agent, he couldn’t get in touch. The unscrupulous agent had evaporated, and none of them who lived here had the landlord’s contact information.

       At the time, he had paid three months’ rent upfront as a deposit, so even if he had to grit his teeth and endure it, he was determined to stay for at least that quarter. 

       Moreover, even if he moved out later, he knew he wouldn’t get his deposit back, which made him feel even more upset.

       Qian Xiaoke had to pay for his carelessness and could only live there.

       He walked along the dark corridor to his bedroom. When he unlocked the bedroom, he heard the sound of ‘umm, ah, ahng, hnn’ coming from the partition again, which made his ears burn.

       He quickly opened the door, entered the house, and closed the door.

       Qian Xiaoke sighed deeply, put down his things, and lay on the bed thinking about what part-time job he should do to make back the lost deposit. There was still more than a month left for the three months to be over. He estimated that he would have to move anyway. With the current housing prices, renting a house is so expensive!

       He turned over and glanced at the receipt.

       When Qian Xiaoke saw the receipt, he subconsciously thought of Jiang Tongyan.

       It’s good to be rich.

       Rich people could stay in a VIP suite in a five-star hotel for more than a thousand yuan a night, and the price of one night was almost as much as his monthly rent.

       Qian Xiaoke pulled the quilt over his face and decided to sleep first.

       Dreams could have anything in them.

       Muscular men.

       And money.

---

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       Jiang Tongyan’s Chinese language skills were indeed lacking, but even he knew what ‘a father’s love is as steady as a mountain’ meant.

       Not only did he understand ‘a father’s love is as steady as a mountain’, but he also knew the phrase ‘the more you try to cover up, the more obvious it is’.

       “Don’t try to cover it up and make it worse.” Jiang Tongyan said, “Qian Xiaoke, just you wait. One day, I’ll shut your mouth myself.”

       Qian Xiaoke pursed his lips subconsciously and fell silent.

       The two of them remained in a stalemate for a while. Qian Xiaoke felt that this couldn’t continue—he couldn’t just waste an entire afternoon without getting anything done, could he?

       “Are we still going to continue this?” Qian Xiaoke asked, “If we’re not continuing today, I’ll go back first.”

       He felt a little guilty and said tentatively, “I have to take the receipt back for reimbursement.”

       The main thing was the receipt.

       Other things can be discussed later. The most urgent thing is to take receipt back for reimbursement. Although buying a phone for Jiang Tongyan was technically a temporary expense on behalf of the company, even so, he didn’t feel at ease about it.

       If the money wasn’t in his own pocket, his heart just was not at ease.

       But Jiang Tongyan wasn’t like Qian Xiaoke. Having grown up accustomed to wealth, he didn’t think much of covering expenses for the company. It wasn’t a big deal in his eyes—it would be reimbursed sooner or later, so what was the rush? For him, the real focus was, ‘Are we still going to continue this?’

       Are we still going to continue this?

       Jiang Tongyan just wanted to sew Qian Xiaoke’s mouth shut, but now his ears had turned red.

       It was really embarrassing. A proper, rich, and handsome man being flustered by a little rascal like this—how shameful.

       If word got out, he’d probably be laughed at.

       Qian Xiaoke saw that he didn’t respond and was a little anxious. He moved forward, “Chairman Jiang…”

       His tone was soft and his voice was faint, as if he was afraid of startling Jiang Tongyan.

       Qian Xiaoke was afraid of startling him, afraid that this obviously absent-minded person would be jolted back to reality, get angry, and then he would have to coax him again.

       So exhausting.

       Qian Xiaoke, a corporate slave, felt that this field trip was really a bit deadly.

       “Chairman Jiang…” Qian Xiaoke’s faint voice floated into Jiang Tongyan’s ears, soft and gentle that it seemed infused with affection.

       Jiang Tongyan turned to look at Qian Xiaoke and suddenly felt that in addition to the sound of the other party calling his name, he seemed to hear the sound of drums.

       After a few seconds, he realised that it was not a drum sound at all but his heartbeat.

       Jiang Tongyan was unwilling to admit that he was seduced by Qian Xiaoke. It was too shameful; it made him feel blind.

       Just a while ago, on the day he first ran into Qian Xiaoke, Jiang Tongyan had been on a blind date. Zhou Mo had introduced him to a man, a flight attendant who matched Jiang Tongyan’s ideal partner criteria in every way, from looks to temperament to personality. It was as if the man had been born for him.

       What was the word again?

       Tailor-made.

       The moment he saw the other person, Jiang Tongyan really thought it was God’s arrangement. Didn’t they say that if God wants to give a man a great task, he must first make him suffer? He felt that he had failed in so many relationships before and had been intercepted by Shen Huiming so many times, all for this encounter.

       What was that person’s name?

       Suo who?

       He couldn’t remember, anyway, Jiang Tongyan liked him very much.

       In the end, because of Qian Xiaoke, he lost everything.

       That day, his nemesis Shen Huiming, had also been there. Originally, Jiang Tongyan should have left with the Suo-surnamed flight attendant. They might’ve gone for a walk, had a drink, and possibly even defined their relationship. But then Qian Xiaoke stumbled drunkenly into the scene, clinging to Jiang Tongyan and refusing to let go. Jiang Tongyan couldn’t shake him off and had to watch as Shen Huiming left with the flight attendant instead.

       How could he not resent him?

       In his opinion, his other half should be like that flight attendant, a high-class beauty with outstanding temperament, not this Qian Xiaoke who…

       Jiang Tongyan frowned and looked at him, searching his mind, but couldn’t think of a suitable word to describe him.

       However, the truth was this, and the reality was another version of the unfolding.

       Destiny is always elusive, and the thing called ‘love’ contained in destiny? Don’t even try to figure it out.  

       Jiang Tongyan did not intend to define his heartbeat for Qian Xiaoke as ‘love’ at this moment. He got goosebumps all over his body just thinking about it. He figured that, as tasty as spicy hotpot might be, he’d still probably choose a Western restaurant

       “Chairman Jiang, how about… let’s continue tomorrow.” Qian Xiaoke looked at the time and was a little anxious.

       He had to get back to the company before getting off work otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to claim reimbursement for those thousands of yuan today.

       The longer this dragged on, the more risks there were. If he couldn’t file for reimbursement today, he’d probably lose sleep over it tonight.  

       Qian Xiaoke was leaving. Jiang Tongyan should be happy, but he glared at him, “You want to run away?”

       Qian Xiaoke was startled, and thought: What’s this now? Who told me to leave quickly just now?

       “This can’t be called running away,” Qian Xiaoke smiled and was willing to sell his soul for the receipt, “Chairman Jiang, we call it another time.”

       Jiang Tongyan was unhappy. Ever since he’d met Qian Xiaoke, he’d had bouts of irritation now and then.

       “Aren’t you going to treat me? I’m not even hard yet, and you want to leave?” Jiang Tongyan poked his eyebrows with his finger, “You said you were responsible for me. I think you are a scumbag who says one thing and does another!”

       Qian Xiaoke, who was suddenly labelled as a ‘scumbag’, didn’t know why he was secretly happy. Although it seemed very unreasonable at first glance for Qian Xiaoke, who read a little too many novels, most of the ‘scumbags’ in BL novels were still followed by the following labels—handsome, and have lots of admirers.

       “…What are you smiling for?” Jiang Tongyan thought Qian Xiaoke might be the one who should see a psychiatrist.

       No, not a psychiatrist. He should go directly to the psychiatric department; this person was obviously mentally unstable.

       “Nothing, I wasn’t smiling.” Qian Xiaoke said, “I am a kind-hearted doctor. I will massage you for another ten minutes.”

       He glanced at the time again, “Chairman Jiang, I really have something to do today, and we will stop here for another ten minutes of massage today.”

       As he spoke, he reached out and shook his hand again.

       “I’ve been thinking about it. There’s no need to stress if today’s treatment doesn’t work,” Qian Xiaoke said as if it was a serious matter. “This kind of massage is different from other kinds. A proper treatment requires skillful techniques. I’ll go home tonight and study more. Maybe tomorrow you’ll feel better.”

       Jiang Tongyan listened to him talking nonsense with an unhappy face, raised his hand and pulled his hair, “What kind of massage is it?”

       Qian Xiaoke smiled, “That kind!”

       He raised his eyebrows, and his smile was mixed with a little bit of vulgarity, “The erotic kind.”

       Jiang Tongyan: “…”

       Qian Xiaoke thought he didn’t understand and continued to explain, “It’s just like what happened between us before. Before you became impotent, didn’t I touch you?”

       Again with this!

       Jiang Tongyan was really angry. He stood up and flipped Qian Xiaoke to the ground.

       Qian Xiaoke hadn’t reacted yet, so Jiang Tongyan grabbed his wrist, bent down, and lifted him up.

       Qian Xiaoke was shocked. He had never been carried like a princess before. Suddenly, his cheeks flushed, and he felt a little shy.

       He put his arms around Jiang Tongyan’s neck and said shyly, “Hey, Chairman Jiang, what are you doing?”

       After asking, he suddenly felt a little regretful. It was really sad that Jiang Tongyan, who had both good looks and good figures, couldn’t get it hard.

       As his thoughts wandered, Jiang Tongyan had already thrown him on the bed.

       The naked man Jiang Tongyan stood by the bed with cold eyes and said with gritted teeth, “Qian Xiaoke, adults should think about the consequences when they do things.”

       “Huh? What?”

       “You pissed me off.” Jiang Tongyan said, “Didn’t you say I was weak? Today, I’ll let you see how hard gege can be!”

       As he said that, Jiang Tongyan lifted his long legs and got on the bed.

       Qian Xiaoke’s heartbeat accelerated, and his whole body was hot. He watched Jiang Tongyan, who pounced on him like a ferocious beast, and suddenly reminded the first time they had.

       The first half of that time, anyway.

       It was quite intense, exciting, and thrilling.

       If someone else did this to him today, he would definitely kick the other person in the crotch. However, this person was Jiang Tongyan, and half of his virginity was already in the other person’s hands. He wished that this person could quickly take the other half.

       Although he was not very satisfied with Jiang Tongyan’s soul, he still coveted what his c0ck got to offer.

       Qian Xiaoke did not resist at all, ready to check how ‘hard’ gege could be.

       However…

       Jiang Tongyan: “…Just leave. Let’s never see each other again.”

       It just…didn’t happen.

       Devastating.

---

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       How should one describe this kind of feeling?

       Jiang Tongyan’s grasp of Chinese wasn’t great, and after racking his brain, all he could come up with was: ‘subtle’.

       As for what exactly made it subtle, it was something like fog, like rain, and yet like wind. Like a summer fireball or winter ice.

       In short, it was a stimulus that could only be understood but could not be conveyed in words.

       Qian Xiaoke, for his part, wasn’t particularly experienced in this kind of thing. Deep down, he was actually a reserved and conservative person—though hardly anyone would believe that if he said it out loud, he himself firmly believed it to be true.

       Qian Xiaoke said, “I… it’s my first time…doing it with hands.”

       Jiang Tongyan’s back was against the wall, and he dared not breathe. Yet, within seconds, he couldn’t help but start gasping heavily.  

       Qian Xiaoke said, “We’ll just get a feel for it now, then I’ll go back and study properly tonight, and we will start officially tomorrow.”

       From the way he said it, anyone overhearing might think the two of them were about to do something serious and proper.

       Qian Xiaoke touched him very hard, genuinely putting on the demeanour of treating a patient. He suddenly felt that if he really cured Jiang Tongyan one day, Jiang Tongyan should give him a banner with the words: ‘Miraculous Hands Restoring Life to the Lifeless’.

       He really hoped that Jiang Tongyan could get better; otherwise, he would really feel bad.

       As the two of them went through this process, Jiang Tongyan’s mind soared to a climax, but his body remained completely calm—so calm, in fact, that he even felt a little amused.

       This feeling of being willing but unable to do anything was too maddening. Jiang Tongyan thought that before his body recovered, he might have to talk to a psychologist first.

       Qian Xiaoke squatted there to touch him at first, but later, he felt his legs numb, so he just sat on the carpet.

       In the beginning, Qian Xiaoke felt a bit shy about the whole thing. After all, he was quite pure-hearted, and touching someone like that really embarrassed him. His face instantly turned red when his fingers brushed over the area.

       If something like this happened between two normal people, it might naturally lead to a fiery and indescribable event. However, when it came to these two people, even doing this kind of thing seemed particularly upright and righteous.

       Qian Xiaoke was saving the dying and the wounded.

       Jiang Tongyan was simply the injured patient who couldn’t get hard.

       In contemporary society, where the doctor-patient relationship was so fraught, there would be no story between the two of them.

       Qian Xiaoke was shy for a few minutes and then began to complain, “Why don’t you have any reaction at all?”

       Jiang Tongyan frowned.

       Qian Xiaoke worked for a while and then began to complain again, “Can this work? My arm is a little sore.”

       Jiang Tongyan bit his lip.

       Qian Xiaoke continued to work on him. But this time, he was obviously not as serious as before, lazy, and continued to complain, “Why is there no effect at all? Are you a man?”

       Jiang Tongyan raised his hand and slapped Qian Xiaoke’s hand with a ‘slap’.

       Qian Xiaoke’s hand was slapped red, and he felt a little wronged. Later, he realised that he was just a little bit rude, and he couldn’t blame others for this.

       “Ahem,” Qian Xiaoke said, “Don’t be angry.”

       Jiang Tongyan’s face turned blue, and he pulled the towel to cover himself, “Just go.”

       He looked really weak, pitiful and helpless. The nearly 1.9-meter-tall man shrank into the corner of the room, and Qian Xiaoke actually saw the contrast endearing.

       Qian Xiaoke: “I can’t just leave like this.”

       I still hadn’t gotten what I came for.

       Jiang Tongyan couldn’t hear his inner monologue. Jiang Tongyan assumed that Qian Xiaoke felt that the ‘treatment’ of his illness was ineffective, but he didn’t leave because of ‘man’s responsibility’.

       “You don’t have to act so hypocritical here!” Jiang Tongyan looked up and glared at him, “I can see that you don’t want to cure me at all. You just want to humiliate me!”

       Jiang Tongyan had lived for 30 years and was, after all, a favoured child of the heavens—a natural-born success. Wherever he went, he carried himself with an air of authority, like a true big shot. There were plenty of women and men who admired him—though, of course, the only people he had ever liked were those who liked Shen Huiming.

       But no matter what, he, Jiang Tongyan, was also a decent person. He had never suffered such grievances, such crimes, and had never been humiliated like this since he was a child.

       “Just go.” Jiang Tongyan said, “Let’s not meet again in the future, whether we are destined or not.”

       He was scared now. 

       If he couldn’t provoke the guy, the least he could do was avoid him.

       Originally, Jiang Tongyan returned to China this time to finish the last project with Cheng Sen and discuss returning to China for work. He’d been prepared to accept Cheng Sen’s proposal to help out.

       Of course, his decision to return to work in the country had absolutely nothing to do with Qian Xiaoke. It was entirely for the sake of taking care of his grandparents. He believed that filial piety comes first in life, and since his grandparents insisted on returning to their roots in their old age, he decided to come back to accompany and care for them. Otherwise, being so far away, he truly couldn’t feel at ease.

       But now, because of Qian Xiaoke, he was on the verge of losing the will to live. For the time being, he could only let his grandparents down—this useless grandson of theirs had to make a run for it first.

       Qian Xiaoke sat on the carpet and frowned.

       “What’s that expression on your face?” Jiang Tongyan said to him unhappily, “Are you still feeling wronged?”

       “No, not wronged.” Qian Xiaoke said, “I really don’t mean to humiliate you.”

       Qian Xiaoke tried to make himself look more sincere, “I really want to solve this matter; otherwise, I can’t sleep well.”

       “Yes, you should feel uneasy.” Jiang Tongyan glared at him, “Think about who made me like this? Even if I become a ghost in the future, I will not let you go.”

       Run away now and come back as a ghost for revenge later.

       Although Jiang Tongyan didn’t want to admit it, it was indeed a bit cowardly.

       Qian Xiaoke, who was always optimistic, also felt a little depressed by him. He bent his knees, hugged his hands, and rested his chin on his knees with a grievance.

       Jiang Tongyan looked at him sideways and said impatiently, “What’s that face for? Did I make you impotent or something?”

       After Jiang Tongyan finished speaking, he curled his lips and muttered, “Not that it would make much difference if you were.”

       “What are you talking about!” Qian Xiaoke glared at Jiang Tongyan, and his look was a little coquettish, “Don’t talk nonsense!”

       Jiang Tongyan sneered, “That’s right.”

       “Don’t look down on me!” Qian Xiaoke looked at him viciously, “If you provoke me again, I will r4p3 you!”

       Jiang Tongyan had been fuming, but the comment made him burst out laughing. 

       “What are you dreaming about?” Jiang Tongyan raised his hand and pulled Qian Xiaoke’s hair, “Hey, wake up!”

       Qian Xiaoke tsked and grabbed Jiang Tongyan’s hand.

       The two held hands together. Jiang Tongyan was stunned for a moment, but Qian Xiaoke didn’t think there was anything wrong.

       Qian Xiaoke said, “Be serious. Do you want to be cured or not!”

       Jiang Tongyan stared at their intertwined hand without saying anything.

       “I swear, I’m not trying to humiliate you. It’s just… you need to get used to me,” Qian Xiaoke said, “I am a person who speaks like this, with a sharp tongue and a soft heart. My words might sting a bit, but deep down, I’m looking out for you.”

       “For… me?” Jiang Tongyan didn’t know why his heart was beating a little faster, and his body was a little hot.

       Qian Xiaoke said: “Yes, a father’s love is as steady as a mountain. Although this mountain may make you breathless, this is love.”

       Jiang Tongyan, “…Qian Xiaoke, what did you just say?”

       “Nothing.” Qian Xiaoke said, “I said, I can do it, you can do it too, I can get hard, you can definitely do it too!”

---

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       Qian Xiaoke admitted that his life was embarrassing from time to time, but he didn’t think it could be this embarrassing.

       It was obviously a very idol drama plot, but it became funny and scary when it came to him.

       Jiang Tongyan was lying on the ground, and he was lying on top of Jiang Tongyan.

       His first reaction was: WTF! Did I hit his little brother?

       Qian Xiaoke found that since the two met, he had to mourn for Jiang Tongyan’s ‘little brother’ from time to time, which was really… subtle.

       “Chairman Jiang, are you okay?” Qian Xiaoke was concerned about him from the bottom of his heart.

       Jiang Tongyan gritted his teeth and said, “You… Get off me now!”

       “Okay, okay, right now, right now.” Qian Xiaoke turned over and rolled off Jiang Tongyan, lying on the carpet and looking at the person lying there, “Are you okay?”

       Jiang Tongyan took a deep breath, reminding himself that murder was illegal.

       “Qian Xiaoke!” Jiang Tongyan suddenly roared. He grabbed Qian Xiaoke’s wrists with both hands at lightning speed and pinned him down.

       Qian Xiaoke was shocked: Is he going to force himself on me?

       He was shocked but soon dispelled this concern because Jiang Tongyan couldn’t get hard and couldn’t r4p3 him, so there was no need to worry about it.

       However, things were unpredictable; some stories didn’t have an ending, and no one knew where the plot would develop.

       Just when Qian Xiaoke was thinking about it, he found that the bath towel around Jiang Tongyan’s waist had loosened because of the previous action. At this point, it was barely holding on and might as well not have been tied at all. Jiang Tongyan’s alluring figure was now completely exposed before Qian Xiaoke.

       He had to admit that he looked really good.

       Everything about him was perfect.

       Qian Xiaoke couldn’t help swallowing his saliva.

       Jiang Tongyan, about to explode with anger, suddenly noticed the lustful glaze in Qian Xiaoke’s eyes. His emotions grew complicated.

       “What are you looking at?” Jiang Tongyan said in a cold voice, “Stop drooling!”

       Qian Xiaoke didn’t really want to look, but he couldn’t help it.

       Although he thought Jiang Tongyan had a weird temper, a difficult personality, and a bad brain, his appearance was really impeccable. Whether he was wearing clothes or taking off clothes, he was in line with the image of his dream lover.

       It’s just a pity…

       “What a pity…” Qian Xiaoke stared at him and couldn’t help swallowing his saliva.

       As soon as he said, ‘what a pity’, Jiang Tongyan immediately felt sad and wronged. These three words were like a sharp knife piercing his heart.

       It hurt.

       He really wanted to kill someone.

       Or, just commit suicide.

       Jiang Tongyan closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and suddenly let go of Qian Xiaoke’s hand as if he had resigned to fate.

       He sat aside and pulled a bath towel to cover himself, with dark clouds above his head, looking utterly defeated.

       “It’s in my pants pocket,” he raised his hand to touch the cigarette on the table, lit it, and took a puff, “You can take it and go.”

       Qian Xiaoke turned to him, watching him sitting there with his bare buttocks sadly smoking, and a feeling of pity rose in his heart.

       The man in front of him, tall and handsome, was so fragile at this moment that he seemed to be broken at the touch.

       I felt pity for him!

       Qian Xiaoke scooted forward a little. Jiang Tongyan looked at him with disdain and dodged to the side.

       Jiang Tongyan dodged, and Qian Xiaoke scooted again.

       Jiang Tongyan dodged, and Qian Xiaoke scooted.

       In this way, Jiang Tongyan’s buttocks were rubbed hot by the carpet, and he was blocked in the corner by Qian Xiaoke.

       “What on earth are you going to do?” Jiang Tongyan said impatiently, holding a cigarette in his mouth, “You’re not going to stop humiliating me, are you? I have my dignity too! This situation I’m in is partly your fault. I’m trying to be nice and not hold it against you, but don’t push your luck!”

       “No.” Qian Xiaoke raised his hand and put his palm on Jiang Tongyan’s knee.

       Jiang Tongyan frowned and looked at his hand on his knee, “I have mysophobia, please take it away.”

       Qian Xiaoke not only did not take his hand away but also put the other hand on Jiang Tongyan’s other knee.

       “Don’t you understand what I’m saying?”

       “Chairman Jiang, I don’t think this is okay.”

       “Yes, it’s not okay,” Jiang Tongyan said, “You finally figured it out? Then hurry up, jump off the building and die.”

       Qian Xiaoke said seriously, “No, I can’t die yet, what will you do if I die?”

       “…Friend, don’t think too highly of yourself. In my eyes, you’re less valuable than a sprig of cilantro.”

       “You like cilantro very much?”

       What kind of logic was that? Jiang Tongyan couldn’t even muster the energy to retort, “I hate cilantro.”

       Qian Xiaoke rolled his eyes.

       “Don’t change the subject, I’m serious.” Qian Xiaoke said, “Have you ever heard of this saying—whoever hung the bell on the tiger’s neck must untie it?”

       “No.”

       “It means that whoever caused the trouble should clean up the mess.”

       Jiang Tongyan was a little upset, “You mean, I’m the mess?”

       Qian Xiaoke said ‘tsk’ and patted Jiang Tongyan’s knee, “Can you focus on the main point? People like you will definitely fail the college exams every year!”

       “Can’t you speak properly without insulting someone?”

       “You!” Qian Xiaoke was also annoyed. He pulled away the bath towel blocking Jiang Tongyan, “Let me treat you.”

       Jiang Tongyan subconsciously covered his part, “Are you trying to mess with me?”

       When he spoke, he had a cigarette in his mouth, and the ash just fell off and fell on his body.

       How to describe this moment?

       Qian Xiaoke took a sharp intake of breath.

       The reason why he had this reaction was because he thought that men smoking naked were very sexy.

       Qian Xiaoke discussed this with Zhou Mo before, and Zhou Mo said, “You probably like scumbags.”

       Zhou Mo told Qian Xiaoke, “A man who truly loves you should hold you and continue to be affectionate after sex instead of smoking with his bare ass. Most of those who only care about smoking after sex are scumbags!”

       Although he said so, Qian Xiaoke still thinks that naked smoking men are very sexy.

       Especially, the ash falls on the attractive muscles, this scenery was just…

       “Is your father Michelangelo?”

       “My father is Michelangelo?!” Jiang Tongyan poked his forehead with his finger, “No. Who do you care who my father is? Does it have anything to do with you?”

       Qian Xiaoke smiled and said, “Chairman Jiang, I’m serious; I’ll cure you.”

       Jiang Tongyan looked into his smiling eyes. As much as he wanted to curse the little brat, he had to admit that the kid was really cute. He couldn’t bring himself to say anything harsh.

       This was why being a sucker for a pretty face was so dangerous.

       “Cure my ass.” Jiang Tongyan reached out to take the towel that was thrown aside, but Qian Xiaoke grabbed his wrist.

       Qian Xiaoke said, “My mother taught me to be a responsible man since I was a child. Since I’m the one who caused this situation, I shouldn’t escape.”

       Jiang Tongyan looked at him coldly, waiting to see what this kid was up to.

       Qian Xiaoke said, “Let me touch you.”

       “Huh?”

       “Anyway, you’re going to be here for another week. I’ll come and touch you every day.” Qian Xiaoke said, “Maybe it’s like a neck issue that requires physical therapy—there’s a treatment period. We both tried so hard to make it stand up before, maybe because the time was too short.”

       Jiang Tongyan felt a chill on his spine, “What are you going to do to me?”

       “I’ll give you a massage,” Qian Xiaoke said, “Let’s try it today. I’ll go by my feelings, and when I go back, I’ll look for study materials online. I will study more, and maybe it will work one time!”

       As he said that, he really stretched out his sinful hand.

       Jiang Tongyan, on the other hand, didn’t react at all. His back was against the wall, a cigarette in his hand, his eyes looking at Qian Xiaoke—colourful fireworks exploding in his mind.

       Qian Xiaoke, “Is this much okay?”

       Jiang Tongyan: “It’s… okay.”

---

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       Jiang Tongyan was indeed not a human being. He was very mean.

       Not only was he mean, but he was also petty. He said he wanted to write it off, but he still wanted to find a chance to take revenge.

       When he saw that Qian Xiaoke was afraid of the roller coaster, Jiang Tongyan dragged the person to go.

       Qian Xiaoke wanted to cry but had no tears and couldn’t run away.

       Jiang Tongyan said, “You can think of this as a date.”

       Qian Xiaoke: Date? What are you thinking? Who wants to date you? Who wants to date you in this way!?

       The despondent Qian Xiaoke was brought to the amusement park by Jiang Tongyan.

       Jiang Tongyan asked, “Have you ridden it before?”

       “No.”

       “Very good,” Jiang Tongyan laughed, “Remember, remember that your first time belongs to me.”

       What kind of Mary Sue boss’s speech is this? So cringy and stupid.

       Qian Xiaoke rolled his eyes and suddenly suspected that Jiang Tongyan was reading some weird novel.

       However, to be honest, Qian Xiaoke’s ‘first time’ really belonged to Jiang Tongyan, but strictly speaking, this person only took ‘half’.

       When he thought of this again, Qian Xiaoke began to worry again.

       He glanced at Jiang Tongyan, who was busy buying tickets and couldn’t help but feel that the story between them was anything but romantic. Why was it that in novels, love stories always featured bold, sexy, and charismatic characters who, with one passionate encounter, forged a lifelong bond of true love? Yet here he was, stuck with someone impotent, petty, and ruthlessly vindictive.

       Qian Xiaoke felt wronged.

       “The next wave will be ours.” Jiang Tongyan came back after buying the ticket, a little excited.

       In truth, dragging Qian Xiaoke to the roller coaster wasn’t entirely without ulterior motives for Jiang Tongyan. He wasn’t just looking to mess with Qian Xiaoke; he also genuinely wanted to experience what riding a roller coaster felt like.

       He had never ridden one either.

       When he was in school, he wanted to try it. At that time, he went out with the boy he was pursuing. He proposed to ride a roller coaster, but the boy said, “Childish.”

       Then, the guy completely rejected his pursuit for this reason and said, “Shen Huiming would not play such a boring game.”

       It was very hurtful.

       In the years that followed, Jiang Tongyan always wanted to ride a roller coaster, but he never dared to ask for it because he was afraid that others would say he was childish.

       Today, he met a little thing who was much more childish than him. As long as Qian Xiaoke was there, it seemed that no matter what he did, it became reasonable.

       Qian Xiaoke said, “Actually, there is no need to be in such a hurry.”

       Waiting a bit longer was fine, preferably until they got off work.

       How could Jiang Tongyan not be in a hurry? He had been waiting for several years.

       In this way, Qian Xiaoke was rushed to sit on the roller coaster seat.

       Qian Xiaoke asked, “Will you throw me out halfway?”

       “Why would I throw you for nothing?” Jiang Tongyan said, “Don’t worry, I won’t commit a crime for you.”

       Qian Xiaoke thought about it and felt that it was right, and suddenly, he felt relieved.

       However, there was an idiom called ‘making a clever move but ending up with a blunder’ and a saying, ‘lifting a stone only to drop it on your own foot’.

       Originally, he wanted to scare Qian Xiaoke, but Jiang Tongyan almost died on it.

       When riding the roller coaster, Qian Xiaoke was excited and even shouted, “Awesome! Exciting! Oh!”

       As for Jiang Tongyan beside him, he knew this would be thrilling, but he hadn’t expected it to be *this* thrilling. Clutching Qian Xiaoke’s arm tightly, he didn’t dare utter a single word.

       When the two got off the roller coaster, Qian Xiaoke was so excited that he wanted to have another try, but Jiang Tongyan’s legs were weak when he stepped on the ground, and he almost knelt down.

       Life was so wonderful and so unpredictable.

       Qian Xiaoke said, “Chairman Jiang, you are really weak.”

       Just like in bed.

       Qian Xiaoke looked down on Jiang Tongyan from the bottom of his heart.

       Jiang Tongyan hated him and regretted it. He finally realised that God really sent Qian Xiaoke to defeat him. He couldn’t beat this man.

       “Qian Xiaoke, if you say another word, I will throw you into the lake to feed the sharks.”

       Qian Xiaoke: “Chairman Jiang, your level of knowledge is truly a bit concerning. This lake is full of artificial fish—there’s no way there are sharks here.”

       After saying that, he met Jiang Tongyan’s knife-like eyes and immediately admitted his mistake, “Okay, I’ll be fed to the sharks.”

       Jiang Tongyan was upset and sat on the bench in the playground to sulk.

       Qian Xiaoke wanted to laugh when he saw him like this, but he didn’t dare.

       “Chairman Jiang, do you have two more requests?” Say it quickly so I can return to the company after playing.

       “Let’s talk about it later,” Jiang Tongyan said, “You owe me first.”

       Qian Xiaoke looked at him and felt that this development was a bit like Qiong Yao: “Your last request is not to let me be with you, right?”

       “… What kind of beautiful dream are you having in broad daylight?” Jiang Tongyan said, “Wake up.”

       Qian Xiaoke muttered in his heart: Beautiful dream? It’s obviously a nightmare! Who wants to be with an impotent man?

       He realised that his feelings toward Jiang Tongyan were quite complicated. On one hand, he felt a sense of pity; on another, guilt; and yet another part of him thought that this person was not good and he should run away quickly.

       There were really many troubles in life.

       Jiang Tongyan originally wanted to use the roller coaster to trigger Qian Xiaoke, but he didn’t expect to trigger himself.

       He had no more thoughts on the matter. With an evening dinner gathering ahead, he waved his hand, telling Qian Xiaoke to go do whatever he needed to do. As for himself, he was heading back to the hotel to rest and clear his mind.

       Qian Xiaoke saw that he was released and ran away like a monkey without saying a word.

       Jiang Tongyan sat alone on the bench, looking at Qian Xiaoke’s running back in a daze, and suddenly, a sense of sadness surged in his heart.

       Heartless guy.

       Jiang Tongyan rolled his eyes fiercely.

========

       When Qian Xiaoke rang the doorbell, Jiang Tongyan had just finished taking a shower.

       The handsome guy came out of the bath and was admiring his sexy muscle lines in front of the mirror very coquettishly. When he heard the doorbell, he asked impatiently, “Who is it?”

       Qian Xiaoke clutched his schoolbag straps with both hands and replied in a whimpering voice, “Chairman Jiang, it’s me, Qian Xiaoke.”

       When he heard it was Qian Xiaoke, Jiang Tongyan’s brows immediately frowned.

       He pulled the bathrobe over, wrapped it up, and walked out of the bathroom reluctantly.

       “Didn’t I tell you to leave? What are you coming back for?” Jiang Tongyan grumbled as he went over to open the door, “Why are you still haunting me?”

       He opened the door and saw Qian Xiaoke standing at the door with a red face.

       Qian Xiaoke was fair-skinned. If he ignored the love-hate relationship between the two, objectively speaking, he was good-looking and a lovely person.

       At this moment, the fair-skinned lovely person had a red face, standing there looking at him anxiously and aggrieved, which really made him look a little lovable.

       “What are you…doing?” Jiang Tongyan raised his eyebrows.

       Jiang Tongyan suddenly remembered that the boy had said that he was impotent before, so he suddenly closed the door.

       Qian Xiaoke was about to speak, but the door was suddenly closed. He stood there with a lot of question marks on his head and was almost choked to death by the words he didn’t say.

       Half a minute later, the door of the room opened again. Qian Xiaoke looked at the man in front of him and couldn’t help but want to say: Chairman Jiang, you are so flirtatious.

       At this moment, Jiang Tongyan changed his bathrobe into a bath towel, which was wrapped around his waist, covering only the important parts, and his proud and strong but not exaggerated muscles were displayed in front of Qian Xiaoke.

       In order to make himself look more sexy, Jiang Tongyan even put some water on his upper body.

       The water droplets rolled down the lines of muscle, and it was indeed enough to make one’s face flush and heart race.

       Qian Xiaoke was greedy, but he was still rational. He knew how much the man in front of him weighed after taking off his pants.

       “Chairman Jiang,” Qian Xiaoke just glanced at his body and talked about business, “I forgot something very important.”

       Jiang Tongyan raised his eyebrows again, “What is it?”

       “Um… the phone I bought for you, the receipt seems to be with you,” Qian Xiaoke said. “I need to take it back to get reimbursed.”

       Jiang Tongyan: “You came back to me for this matter?”

       “Yes.” What else? To see you, an impotent monster, showing off your body?

       Jiang Tongyan rolled his eyes to the sky and raised his hand to close the door.

       Qian Xiaoke was quick to react and squeezed into the room before Jiang Tongyan closed the door.

       “…What are you going to do to me?” Jiang Tongyan deliberately teased him, “Don’t try to take advantage of me!”

       “I don’t want to take advantage of you, give me your receipt, and I’ll leave immediately.”

       “No.” Jiang Tongyan was annoyed, although he didn’t know what he was annoyed about.

       He turned around and left, not wanting to pay attention to Qian Xiaoke. Qian Xiaoke immediately followed him but stepped on his own shoelaces and threw Jiang Tongyan to the ground in a very idol drama-like manner.

       Jiang Tongyan’s forehead hit the ground, his lips kissed the carpet, and Qian Xiaoke was lying on top of him.

       Jiang Tongyan: “Qian Xiaoke, you’re finished.”

---

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       Qian Xiaoke decided that if he could walk out of this hotel room alive today, he would be careful about what he said and did from now on.

       Jiang Tongyan’s eyes were like torches, and he was about to burn Qian Xiaoke to ashes.

       Qian Xiaoke’s hand holding the chopsticks trembled slightly, and he drooped his head, not daring to look up.

       “Chairman Jiang, I really didn’t mean it.” Qian Xiaoke was very sincere at this moment, “Really, I can swear to heaven.”

       Jiang Tongyan was furious and felt that he was on the verge of death.

       He was already in great pain; why did the instigator always want to expose his scars?

       Jiang Tongyan said, “Qian Xiaoke, I was going to let you go.”

       Qian Xiaoke still didn’t dare to look up, “So now…”

       Qian Xiaoke put down the chopsticks. His ass was still stuck to the chair, and he retreated with the chair, “Are you going to kill me to silence me?”

       “You’re overthinking it. I already washed my hands of it a few years ago.” Wouldn’t it be a bargain for you to kill you directly to silence you?

       Qian Xiaoke: What did he mean? He used to be a murderer?

       He didn’t dare to ask for fear of asking something wrong.

       Qian Xiaoke had once read in a novel about ‘popular science¹Popular science (also called pop-science or popsci) is an interpretation of science intended for a general audience. While science journalism focuses on recent scientific developments, popular science is more broad-ranging. It may be written by professional science journalists or by scientists themselves. It is presented in many forms, including books, film and television documentaries, magazine articles, and web pages.’, which claimed that the businessmen from these prominent families all had murky, unclean backgrounds, and each one was ruthless and vicious—how wicked they were!

       He suddenly felt as if he was the innocent little white rabbit accidentally falling into the wolf’s den.

       Scary.

       He felt that he should do something to prevent the other party from killing him because of his momentary slip of the tongue!

       He was here thinking about making up a story for Jiang Tongyan, and Jiang Tongyan was still staring at him with anger across the way.

       “You just said I was impotent, right?”

       “… No, you misheard it.” Qian Xiaoke said, “I said you were very hard and very fierce.”

       After saying that, he almost bit his tongue.

       Jiang Tongyan: “… Qian Xiaoke, you know, sometimes trouble comes from the mouth.”

       Qian Xiaoke knew.

       He had caused countless troubles because of this mouth.

       “Chairman Jiang!” Qian Xiaoke said, “It is not recommended to do anything illegal or criminal.”

       “Oh? What is illegal or breaking the law?”

       “For example, killing people, for example…raping them!” Qian Xiaoke actually hesitated when he said this because Jiang Tongyan couldn’t get hard, and he probably couldn’t r4p3 him.

       “Tsk.” Jiang Tongyan sneered disdainfully, “Who cares about raping you.”

       “Then are you going to kill me?”

       “I said I don’t kill people anymore.” Jiang Tongyan stood up and put his hands on his belt.

       With his usual way of doing things, he should have immediately taken off his pants and shown Qian Xiaoke what a real man is like. But the problem was, he was actually a bit insecure.

       Qian Xiaoke might not have seen a real man, but back then, Jiang Tongyan had helplessly flopped right in front of him.

       At this moment, Chairman Jiang, didn’t have much confidence.

       He had no confidence, but he had to pretend to be confident.

       He said coldly, “I won’t kill you, but I will torture you as much as possible.”

       “Huh?” Qian Xiaoke instantly went through all the ten tortures in ancient times in his mind.

       “What are you thinking about?” Jiang Tongyan asked.

       Qian Xiaoke: “I… I’m thinking about why you are so handsome!”

       In the following time, Qian Xiaoke used his eloquent tongue to praise Jiang Tongyan for a full five minutes. Jiang Tongyan even doubted whether this kid had taken a breath.

       Heroic and majestic, handsome, chivalrous, invincible.

       “Alright, that’s enough.” Jiang Tongyan broke down. He found that he couldn’t get angry with Qian Xiaoke at all. This kid’s thoughts often deviated and were not on the same channel as normal people.

       Qian Xiaoke continued to flatter Jiang Tongyan like a devout believer, looking at him and saying, “Chairman Jiang, can I ask you a question?”

       “Go ahead.” Jiang Tongyan said, “If you ask a question, it will cost you ten yuan each time. You have just asked one question. Remember to pay the ten yuan when you leave.”

       “…” Qian Xiaoke almost bit his back teeth.

       However, a wise man didn’t suffer a loss in the short term. The priority for Qian Xiaoke then had been to cheer him up, save his life, and secure both his salary and bonuses.

       Of course, the most important thing was the latter.

       Ten yuan was ten yuan, anyway; he already owed Jiang Tongyan twenty yuan, so what’s one more debt? Too many debts wouldn’t weigh you down—he just need not pay them back.

       Who didn’t know how to cheat?

       “Chairman Jiang, I just want to ask, what did you eat to grow up? Why are you so handsome, suave, elegant, and extraordinary?” Qian Xiaoke used almost all the idioms he had learned to praise people throughout his life, and he was a little tired.

       Jiang Tongyan was sober and had seen through Qian Xiaoke’s tricks long ago, but he was in a good mood now that he had calmed down and could play with this kid for a while.

       “Anyway, eating spicy hot pot would definitely not make you look like me.” Jiang Tongyan suddenly remembered something, tapped the table with his fingers, and asked him, “Do you remember Shen Huiming?”

       Shen Huiming?

       Qian Xiaoke certainly remembered.

       He didn’t remember what that person looked like, but he remembered the name in his mind. Because of this name, Chairman Jiang’s thing had never recovered since then.

       How could he not remember it?

       However, Qian Xiaoke was such a smart person, of course he couldn’t say that he remembered it.

       “Shen…what Ming?” Qian Xiaoke pretended to have amnesia, “The name sounds familiar, is he the security guard of our office building?”

       It had to be said that Qian Xiaoke was really good at holding Jiang Tongyan.

       With just this sentence, Jiang Tongyan’s anger completely disappeared.

       Originally, Jiang Tongyan wanted to ask Qian Xiaoke whether he was more handsome or Shen Huiming was more handsome, but now he didn’t need to ask anything.

       Jiang Tongyan said, “Come here. Have something to eat, and I’ll take you out to play in the afternoon.”

       “…Ah?” Qian Xiaoke was shocked for the umpteenth time because of Jiang Tongyan.

       “A reward for you.” Jiang Tongyan said, “Shopping, watching movies, or going to the amusement park, you can choose whatever you want.”

       Qian Xiaoke felt something was wrong.

       He heard that prisoners would be given a good meal before being executed, so was this his ‘last supper’?

       “Chairman Jiang, don’t scare me.”

       “What did I scare you about?” Jiang Tongyan slapped the table, “Hurry up, don’t waste my time!”

       Qian Xiaoke returned and sat down tremblingly, ate the delicious spicy hot pot tremblingly, and then tremblingly glanced at Jiang Tongyan.

       Jiang Tongyan: This kid always took a glance at me. I’m afraid he really loves me.

       Jiang Tongyan: Peeking at me again, am I so charming?

       Jiang Tongyan: This is the third time. I can’t help it; being handsome is really troublesome.

       Jiang Tongyan: Shen Huiming, you really should see how this kid is fascinated by me, so you know what a handsome man is!

       The handsome man, Jiang Tongyan, ate and drank enough. He then took Qian Xiaoke, who was also full of food and drinks but had indigestion and hiccups because of being nervous all the time, to leave the hotel.

       “Let’s go buy a cell phone first,” Jiang Tongyan said, “Do you know where to buy one?”

       Qian Xiaoke nodded repeatedly but was thinking about finding an opportunity to escape.

       He would rather go back to work.

       He would rather go back to work. It was so nice to work inside the company, and it was really too hard to work in the ‘field’. He even had to worry about his life.

       Jiang Tongyan raised his hand and stopped a taxi.

       Jiang Tongyan: “Get in the car.”

       Qian Xiaoke looked at him.

       “Don’t be nervous. I brought money today.”

       Then Qian Xiaoke got in the car.

       The task Cheng Sen assigned to Qian Xiaoke was actually very simple: buy a phone, buy a SIM card. After all, Jiang Tongyan would be staying here for over a week, so it didn’t matter what phone or card he got. It would all be sorted in just over an hour.

       Qian Xiaoke said: “Chairman Jiang, I’ll go back to the company first.”

       “No,” Jiang Tongyan said, “I’ll call your Chairman Cheng, and you can accompany me to walk around this afternoon.”

       Qian Xiaoke’s body trembled for about the 800th time.

       “But I’m still on my work hour now.” He really wanted to go back, but he was scared.

       “Being with me is considered work,” Jiang Tongyan said, “I heard there’s an amusement park nearby. Do you want to ride the roller coaster?”

       Not really.

       Qian Xiaoke was scared to death.

       He wasn’t afraid at first, but then he watched ‘Final Destination’ and became scared.

       “Chairman Jiang, roller coasters are very dangerous.” Qian Xiaoke said earnestly, “What if they throw you out…”

       “Why is it throwing me out instead of you?”

       Qian Xiaoke: I know it! I know it! I know it! You just want to take the opportunity to murder me!

       He took a half step back, “Chairman Jiang, I really didn’t mean it.”

       Jiang Tongyan looked at him inexplicably, “What are you talking about?”

       Qian Xiaoke pursed his lips and said aggrievedly, “We had that kind of thing because of a not-so-beautiful misunderstanding. I know that I hurt you.”

       Jiang Tongyan was a little impatient, “Why are you talking about that again?”

       So annoying. Jiang Tongyan wanted to forget about his impotence, but Qian Xiaoke kept bringing it up.

       Is this guy doing it on purpose?

       “I said, I can be responsible for you.”

       Jiang Tongyan: “…How can you be responsible?”

       Responsible for getting it up again for me? Okay, let’s get a room right away.

       “I gave you money, but you didn’t want it.”

       Jiang Tongyan took a deep breath, “Qian Xiaoke, why don’t you just shut up.”

       “I know, this involves a man’s dignity.” Qian Xiaoke said, “Please don’t torture me like this, just give me a quick death.”

       Jiang Tongyan frowned and looked at him, “What?”

       “Tell me, what should I do for you to let me go?” Qian Xiaoke seemed to be acting in a sad drama at this moment, “As long as you can live better than me, I can do anything!”

       Qian Xiaoke quickly added, “But don’t let Chairman Cheng deduct my salary, thank you.”

       Jiang Tongyan was about to lose his temper, but his last sentence amused him.

       “You can do anything?”

       “Anything is fine.”

       “You can also get a room with me?”

       “… Uh… This… Uh… I’m actually… I’m really not a casual person.”

       Jiang Tongyan sneered, “I’m just teasing you. Who wants to get a room with you?”

       Qian Xiaoke rolled his eyes in his heart, but he had to smile on the surface.

       It was indeed not easy being a ‘corporate animal’. Working for others was never easy.

       Actually, Qian Xiaoke was not afraid of getting a room. Anyway, this guy couldn’t get hard, and he couldn’t take advantage of him.

       “Then what do you want?” This time, it was Qian Xiaoke’s turn to be impatient.

       Jiang Tongyan crossed his arms before his chest and looked at him proudly, “Unconditionally meet my three requirements.”

       “Huh?” This sentence is a bit like Qiong Yao²kind of dramatic, almost philosophical, with a touch of self-deprecating humor.

       “If you agree, your debt will be written off.” Jiang Tongyan said, “I will never threaten you with this matter in the future.”

       Qian Xiaoke felt that this was still a conspiracy, but he still agreed.

       It was a verbal agreement anyway; there was no loss, and when he defaulted on the debt, the other party couldn’t do anything to him.

       “Then you can make demands on me now.” Qian Xiaoke thought: Are you going to sleep with me?

       However, he really thought too much.

       Jiang Tongyan said, “The first request is to accompany me to play the roller coaster.”

       Qian Xiaoke: …Jiang Tongyan, you are really not a human!

---

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