Chu Shichen had many dreams. He regained consciousness, was drowsy for a few minutes, and then slowly opened his eyes.
He was lying on a double bed. The room was large and unfamiliar. The floor-to-ceiling windows had the same structure as those in the president's office. There was still some warmth beside him, indicating that someone had shared the bed with him before.
Chu Shichen's memory was fragmented and not coherent enough. He felt dizzy. He remembered that he drank with Xiang Mingzhang and got drunk in the office. After that...
Suddenly, the door opened.
Xiang Mingzhang walked in with slow steps, the third button of his shirt had broken, leaving his neck exposed, and in his hand was the shoes that Chu Shichen had left in the office.
This is Xiang Mingzhang's private lounge, located on the top floor of the building. He has superior physical strength and is usually too lazy to come up. He only comes here to rest for a while when he works all night.
Xiang Mingzhang stopped beside the bed, put down his leather shoes, and found that Chu Shichen's eyes were open, his black hair was messy, his skin was too pale after the alcohol wore off, and the remaining weariness made him look both cold and fragile.
The two looked at each other for a moment, and Xiang Mingzhang said, "Awake?"
Chu Shichen tried to prop himself up, but as soon as he moved, he was overwhelmed by fatigue. The blanket slipped off his shoulders, and he realized that he was naked.
The scene from last night suddenly came to Chu Shichen's mind. He remembered Xiang Mingzhang kissing him. They both lost control and got entangled on the desk...
Chu Shichen couldn't bear to think about it anymore. His clothes were scattered around him. He picked up the wrinkled shirt and put it on, fastening the buttons one by one from bottom to top.
The scenery on his chest was put into his clothes, and Xiang Mingzhang's gaze moved to Chu Shichen's face. His sleepiness faded away, and he tried his best to stay calm, but shame and panic still revealed itself.
Xiang Mingzhang said: "I have a spare coat, but it may not fit me well."
Chu Shichen refused with a hoarse voice: "No need."
He put on his clothes silently, thankful that today was Sunday and no one was at work. If this embarrassing look was seen by a third person, he didn't know how he would bear it.
Xiang Mingzhang took a step closer to the bedside. Chu Shichen looked up like a frightened bird and said, "Don't come over here."
Xiang Mingzhang paused, his heart sinking.
Chu Shichen put on his trousers and got out of bed. He didn't have time to put on his shoes, so he walked barefoot on the cold marble floor. He tried his best to stand straight so that he wouldn't look so embarrassed.
After a long silence of more than ten seconds, Chu Shichen said, "Mr. Xiang, everything that happened last night was an accident. Just pretend it never happened."
The tone of the statement sounded extremely certain, and Xiang Mingzhang repeated: "It never happened?"
"Yes, I think this is good for both of us." Chu Shichen said with all his strength, "We were all drunk last night and lost our minds. We should forget about it by dawn."
Xiang Mingzhang had no expression, so it was hard to tell whether he was happy or angry. After a while, he said, "I guess you had a one-night stand like this before."
Chu Shichen had always sneered at the behavior of second-generation rich people, and now he was no less inferior. He simply admitted everything and said self-deprecatingly: "That's right, didn't Qian Hua say it? This is my nature. It's not the first time I have had a relationship with someone."
Xiang Mingzhang said: "Don't flatter yourself. It was just a mutual comfort and entertainment. You and I can't be considered a casual couple."
Chu Shichen's cheeks were slightly hot, and he suppressed his shame: "Then no one owes anyone anything, so there's no need to worry about it."
"Of course." Xiang Mingzhang said, "Even if we really went to bed, I wouldn't necessarily take it to heart."
Chu Shichen didn't care: "I won't be sentimental, and I won't tell anyone about your orientation, so don't worry."
Xiang Mingzhang's cheekbones tensed for a moment, and he said nonchalantly, "That's best. It's just an impulse after drinking, and it'll all be over when you wake up."
Chu Shichen finally put on his shoes and left the room. With the door closed behind him, he stroked his hair dejectedly.
Xiang Mingzhang stood by the bed for a long time without moving. The pillows and mattresses were messy, all showing signs of intimacy.
Last night he had sex with Chu Shichen on his desk and did everything except the last step.
The office was inconvenient and lacked a lot of things. The key point was that Chu Shichen was too unfamiliar and too nervous. He didn't look like a playboy who had been immersed in the world of love at all.
But that undisguised reserve made Xiang Mingzhang lose control.
At the last moment, Chu Shichen couldn't even bite the agate ring on his finger. He tried to restrain himself, but he could only say with red eyes and a hoarse voice: "Xiang Mingzhang, it hurts."
Xiang Mingzhang stopped, and using all his endurance, he picked up the scattered clothes, wrapped Chu Shichen in layers, and carried him horizontally to rest.
Now the building is deserted and the remaining warmth is gradually fading away.
Twenty minutes later, the driver knocked on the door and came in. He had received a call early in the morning and hurried to get it done. He said, "Mr. Xiang, I brought a suit as you requested, and a bowl of bird's nest porridge."
Xiang Mingzhang said coldly: "No need, just throw it away."
It was just a one-night-stand, animal behavior caused by alcohol, and it's not worth taking seriously at all.
So what if he lost his memory? His nature is hard to change. He just treated it as a way to pass the time, relieve his boredom, and have a good meal.
Chu Shichen returned home. Fortunately, his family had gone camping and would not notice that he had not returned home all night.
His limbs ached when he went upstairs, so Chu Shichen went into the bathroom and filled a pool with warm water. His clothes were wrinkled, so he took them off, but he didn't dare to look at his body closely in the mirror.
But the more he avoided it, the clearer he remembered it. Everything that happened last night emerged in his mind one by one, starting from the kiss and ending with the fingers pulling away... Chu Shichen scooped up a handful of water and splashed it on his face, feeling like he was going crazy.
His thigh was extremely painful, and the inside was red and swollen as if the skin was scraped off. He suddenly remembered the tattoo Qian Hua mentioned. Would Xiang Mingzhang be suspicious
Forget it. There is no way to verify such private matters, so just deny it.
Chu Shichen thought with a headache that he had actually done such an inappropriate thing with Xiang Mingzhang. Apart from the identities of superior and subordinate, he was not even sure if they could be considered friends.
If it counts, then my behavior last night was even more ridiculous. If it doesn’t count, then we can’t be friends in the future.
Yisi's condition had just improved, but he became dizzy and confused.
What's more, he is a fake Chu Shichen, a man from the last century. If he uses this identity to get into trouble with Xiang Mingzhang, how will he deal with it if he is discovered
Will he be considered a liar or a lunatic
So last night could only be an accident. With the bottle of vodka, Xiang Mingzhang had a grudge against "Chu Shichen"'s past, but he was infatuated for a while and abandoned his rationality in the contradiction. He was drunk and palpitated, and collapsed after a long period of depression. In the distress, the city gate was lost.
It should not be counted and cannot be counted.
The warm water in the pool had already turned cold. Chu Shichen shivered. He wiped his face and touched his swollen lips. It turned out that kissing someone felt like that. It could make people become weak and lose their guard. They really had no future at all.
Chu Shichen wrapped himself in his water-stained nightgown, crawled into the quilt, and fell asleep in a daze.
I had a headache, a sore throat, and pain everywhere. Then I heard Mrs. Chu's voice in a daze.
When he woke up, the four golden flowers had returned from camping and were standing in a row beside the bed. Chu Shihui's sun hat was still on her head.
Mrs. Chu asked worriedly, "Xiaochen, why are you still sleeping? Are you sick?"
There was a beeping sound in my ear. Aunt Tang held up the thermometer and said in shock, "It's almost 39 degrees. My God, I finally got smarter. If I get back to my original IQ, something bad will happen."
Chu Shihui once said "last breath" beside the hospital bed, but now she said pitifully: "Brother, please don't die."
"Pah, pah, pah!" Mrs. Chu said, "Your brother was blown up by a yacht and survived. He is so lucky!"
Chu Shichen's head was buzzing from the noise, and he asked tiredly, "What time is it?"
Sister Xiu replied: "It's almost eleven o'clock, Monday."
Chu Shichen rubbed his eyebrows. He had been in a coma for a whole day and night, and his limbs were weak. He really didn't want to go to the hospital, so Mrs. Chu ran to get him some antipyretic medicine.
The phone was out of battery, so Chu Shichen plugged in the charger, turned it on and opened WeChat. He stared at the chat list for a while, and at the top were the three words "Xiang Mingzhang".
As if feeling guilty, he unpinned Xiang Mingzhang.
After taking the antipyretic medicine, Chu Shichen drank half a bowl of white porridge. He felt better and was no longer sleepy. He leaned against the pillow in a daze.
Mrs. Chu brought out some Polaroid photos of the camping trip and told him about the fun things that happened in the past two days. She said, "Next time when you have a day off, our whole family will go together."
Chu Shichen agreed: "Okay."
Mrs. Chu's eyes turned and said, "Working so hard, it's only right to have some leisure time, a balance between work and rest, but don't overdo it, or you'll get sick and suffer."
Chu Shichen understood and covered it up, "I didn't."
"Don't lie to me." Mrs. Chu raised her hand and pointed, "There's a red spot on my neck."
Chu Shichen covered it and pinched his collar.
Mrs. Chu said, "Xiaochen, you have lost your memory. I don't want you to know how bad you were in the past, because it's all in the past and you have become very well behaved."
Chu Shichen felt extremely ashamed.
"It's normal for adults to have needs. You're so young." Mrs. Chu said, "But you have to promise mom that you won't mess around. Finding a stable boyfriend is good for both your mind and body."
Chu Shichen was stunned, even more shocked than when he was in the bar. Mrs. Chu actually knew about it and talked to him so calmly
He couldn't believe it, and fearing that he might have misunderstood, he couldn't help but test it out: "Mom, there is a male colleague in the company who is just like me."
Mrs. Chu asked curiously, "Are you interested in him?"
Chu Shichen hurriedly denied: "No, not at all."
Chu Shihui came to Mrs. Chu to help unpack her luggage. She stood at the door without knowing when: "Is he handsome?"
Chu Shichen was shocked again. It turned out that everyone in the family knew about it except him.
Mrs. Chu and Chu Shihui left and closed the door. Chu Shichen sat against the head of the bed for a long time. He threw off the quilt and got out of bed, then took out the piano case from the cabinet.
The pipa inside had never seen the light of day, so he took it out and wiped it carefully.
I chose this one not because it was expensive, but because it was similar to the one my mother had.
He knew very well that he was not blessed with the opportunity to live in harmony with others, so after his father died, he asked the old housekeeper to take the pipa back to Ningbo and bury it with his father as a memorial.
Chu Shichen plucked the strings lightly, and his heart was filled with joy. His father and mother would never have thought that someone had actually given him a pipa.
The gentleman's agreement is still on the table, the ink is still there, not to frame him, Xiang Mingzhang has already compensated him, not to fire him at will, Xiang Mingzhang said last night that he would never fire him again, not to let him peel apples, indeed he didn't, instead he poured wine for him.
Her fingertips hooked on the strings, covering up Chu Shichen's low sigh.
In Xiangyue Park, a business car stopped steadily in front of the building entrance.
Xiang Mingzhang came back from the regular meeting. It was almost noon and the atmosphere in the office was a little relaxed. As soon as he appeared, everyone perked up again.
When I passed the secretary's office, I saw that the doors and windows were closed and there was no one inside.
Xiang Mingzhang entered the office and found that every corner had been cleaned. On the desk, all the documents that had been wet and wrinkled that night were discarded. The pen had rolled down and the tip was broken. The remaining half bottle of vodka was spilled on the carpet and was removed and replaced with a new one.
Those who don’t know would think there was a “fierce battle”, but in reality, no trace was left and the other party didn’t even acknowledge it.
Assistant Guan knocked on the door and came in, handed over a document, and said, "Mr. Xiang, this is the attachment for the SDR supplement."
Xiang Mingzhang took it and said calmly, "Why didn't Secretary Chu deliver it?"
Assistant Guan said, "Secretary Chu is on sick leave."
Xiang Mingzhang twisted the page footer without looking up: "What happened to him?"
"It seems like he caught a cold and has a high fever." Assistant Guan said, "My voice was hoarse over the phone. Didn't Secretary Chu tell you?"
Xiang Mingzhang said: "I have a meeting in the morning, so I don't have time to care about anyone asking for leave."
Assistant Guan was stunned for a moment, and she could sense that Xiang Mingzhang was holding back some displeasure, so she said with a wink, "Then I'll leave first. Call me if you have any instructions."
Just as he turned around, Xiang Mingzhang asked again: "How many days of leave did Chu Shichen take?"
Assistant Guan understood that the boss was not happy with the secretary's request for leave, so she paused and replied, "One day."
Xiang Mingzhang frowned. He only needed to rest for one day when he had a high fever. It was not enough time for the IV drip. He said, "Give him two more days. Tell him to come back after he recovers."
Assistant Guan didn't understand again: "Okay, is there anything you need to pass on?"
"No." Xiang Mingzhang touched the wine stain on the table and said, "Don't mention me to him."
(End of this chapter)