When they reached the 40th floor of the apartment, as soon as the door was closed, Xiang Mingzhang carried Chu Shichen to the decorative cabinet in the entrance hall, and swept all the perfumes and key plates on it down, which rolled all over the floor with a clang.
Chu Shichen's bag also fell to the ground. He freed his hands and put them around Xiang Mingzhang's shoulders.
The two kissed lightly and separated at the touch. Xiang Mingzhang pressed his hand against Chu Shichen's forehead and asked, "Director Chu, are you adapting to the new department?"
With a solid wall behind him, Chu Shichen felt weak physically and mentally, and said, "I can't adapt."
"Don't pretend to be weak." Xiang Mingzhang said, "I have adapted to the 21st century like a duck to water since the Republic of China. Changing departments is nothing."
Chu Shichen was exposed and asked, "What about you? Are you used to having a new secretary?"
Xiang Mingzhang said: "Not adaptable."
"Don't pretend." Chu Shichen stroked Xiang Mingzhang's short hair. "I heard that you were very tolerant of the new secretary, so why were you so picky with me at that time?"
Xiang Mingzhang retorted, "Stop slandering me. What am I picking on you for? You just became my secretary and went on a business trip to Nanjing with me. I didn't scold you even once when you made a mistake."
Chu Shichen had done only a few bad things, and that one was indeed not unfair. He had mistakenly believed that Xiang Mingzhang would have a night of indulging in a casual relationship with a female guest, which led to the misunderstanding.
He hypothesized laggingly: "What if the guest I met that night was not a female guest, but a male guest."
Xiang Mingzhang asked: "So?"
Chu Shichen said: "Will you really indulge yourself once?"
Xiang Mingzhang said with all his strength: "Then when I ask you to go to my room late at night, it's not just to deliver a document."
Chu Shichen felt his whole body lighten, and everything in his vision was turned upside down for a moment. When he came to his senses, Xiang Mingzhang was carrying him upside down on his shoulders, like a captive being captured.
Walking from the entrance to the bedroom, Chu Shichen was thrown onto the big bed. The mattress was soft and he didn't feel any pain, but he felt dizzy from the bounce.
Xiang Mingzhang stood condescendingly beside the bed, reached out to take off Chu Shichen's shoes, picked up a scattered corner of his clothes, pulled it, and easily stripped off Chu Shichen's coat.
Chu Shichen was sweating a little after being filled with cold wind on the street. He said, "I haven't showered yet."
Xiang Mingzhang agreed with him, but also gave him an order: "Take off your clothes, and let's go wash them together."
Floor-to-ceiling windows surrounded most of the room, and the single-layer gauze curtains could not block out the brilliant lights outside the window. Chu Shichen hesitantly unbuttoned his clothes and only took off his suit jacket.
Xiang Mingzhang pressed the control panel on the bedside, and the bathtub began to automatically fill with water and heat up. He thought Chu Shichen was too slow and asked, "Did Mrs. Chu buy this dress for you?"
Chu Shichen said: "No, it was custom-made at a tailor shop."
Xiang Mingzhang thought that it wouldn't be a waste of the kindness even if it got broken, so he picked up Chu Shichen, went into the bathroom, kicked the door, and then there was a slight tearing sound.
The buttons fell off, the tie clip fell to the ground, and Chu Shichen warned angrily: "Don't do anything stupid."
"I'll compensate you with a new one." Xiang Mingzhang's movements were forceful, and he coaxed her, "You are so reserved, you took the initiative to come to me, and asked to stay, and you are jealous. Do you think I have the ability to be so slow?"
The two of them washed for a long time and returned to the bedroom. Chu Shichen went to the window to close the curtains, then turned around and saw Xiang Mingzhang opening the drawer of the bedside table.
The desk lamp was dim, and Xiang Mingzhang's muscular lines were cast into shadows. He unpacked the items skillfully while staring at the window with hooked eyes.
Chu Shichen had the illusion that Xiang Mingzhang was a superior who had a private relationship with him, issuing him ambiguous instructions and calling him by his secret nickname.
"Qing Shang, lie down on the bed."
The buildings outside the sky were magnificent and endlessly dazzling. The huge screen shrank into a pink spot of light, which flashed tirelessly for two hours.
Xiang Mingzhang finally became gentler. He stood up and put on his bathrobe, then went to pour a glass of water and brought it to Chu Shichen. Chu Shichen drank half the glass while lying down. The white water flowed down his cheeks, making the pillow as wet as the sheets.
After quenching his thirst, Chu Shichen covered his bloated and sore abdomen and felt hungry. They had not eaten dinner after working all day.
Xiang Mingzhang went to look for his phone and asked the restaurant in the apartment to prepare some food. Chu Shichen got out of bed wrapped in a bathrobe, without wearing anything underneath, and tied his belt tightly.
He walked slowly to the living room and noticed a pile of documents spread out on the coffee table, with Xiang Mingzhang's frequently used tablet computer mixed in among them and four or five sticky notes attached to them.
It is inevitable that the new secretary is unfamiliar with the business when he suddenly takes office. Moreover, Xiang Mingzhang is used to Chu Shichen's mode of "assisting more than obeying orders", and feels that he has to do everything by himself all of a sudden.
It just so happened that old Xiang Yue was busy with a lot of things, and the arrangements on both sides conflicted, so everything went haywire. Xiang Mingzhang simply took charge of it himself, so this week was busy and tiring with both big and small things.
After Xiang Mingzhang made a phone call to order food, he discovered that no one was in the bedroom. He went to the living room and saw Chu Shichen sitting on the sofa, his dark blue bathrobe slightly open, revealing his slender, clean calves and half of his red knees.
His hair was disheveled and he adjusted his sitting position very slightly. It was obvious that his body was not fully recovered. Only his face was calm, and he looked at the table full of papers without any warmth.
Chu Shichen sorted the documents into categories, opened the schedule on his tablet, deleted the completed tasks, and rearranged the to-do items for next week.
Xiang Mingzhang took a blanket, walked over to cover Chu Shichen's legs, inserted his fingers into Chu Shichen's hair and gently pulled it back, and asked, "Are you cold?"
Chu Shichen shook his head, and when Xiang Mingzhang sat down next to him, he squeezed into the other's arms.
Those files all belong to the old Xiang Yue. The business volume in just one week after the New Year has been considerable. Chu Shichen feels that Xiang Mingzhang's work focus before was on Xiang Yue Communications, but in the new year it seems that he is more inclined towards his own family.
At Xiang Mingzhang's level, everything must be carefully considered. Chu Shichen asked: "Is old Xiang Yue busy?"
Xiang Mingzhang said: "Grandpa had an attack during the New Year, which made everyone quite nervous."
For an elderly person who has been ill, any slight disturbance could be fatal. Xiang Xingzhao used to be in power, and many people hoped that he would recover, and there were also many who hoped that he would abdicate.
On the first day of the new year, it was Xiang Long, who had never been seen before, who caused the turmoil in the Xiang family. Chu Shichen had a question in his mind: "When you said you knew the whereabouts of your father, was it true or were you just bluffing them?"
Xiang Mingzhang said: "It is true that there is a whereabouts."
Xiang Mingzhang said calmly: "I know. I know exactly how much he spends every month, how many times he moves, and who he associates with."
Chu Shichen keenly understood that Xiang Mingzhang had not only found Xiang Long, but was monitoring Xiang Long. He said, "I thought you didn't care about him and didn't care about him."
"If I hadn't given him money, he would have starved to death long ago." Xiang Mingzhang said contemptuously, "I take care of him because he is still useful. When his money is used up, whether he lives or dies will have nothing to do with me."
It was Xiang Xingzhao who took the initiative to mention Xiang Long that day. Chu Shichen said, "Your grandfather misses your father very much."
Xiang Mingzhang said: "I was able to find him thanks to the old man."
Xiang Xingzhao never gave up looking for Xiang Long for many years. Later, Xiang Mingzhang grew up and was relied upon the most in both public and private matters. He took the initiative to take over the search for Xiang Long's whereabouts.
In front of Xiang Xingzhao, Xiang Mingzhang missed his father and hoped that the family could be reunited.
However, Xiang Mingzhang found Xiang Long, but concealed the truth. It was not until Xiang Xingzhao fell ill with brain dementia that he occasionally mentioned it, revealing his hidden disgust for Xiang Long.
Chu Shichen couldn't help but wonder, apart from lying to Xiang Xingzhao, was Xiang Mingzhang sincere in everything else
If not, why
The big order that Xiang Yue got last year has entered the implementation stage, and the situation is relatively stable. Xiang Mingzhang said: "I can't take care of both sides for the time being. You are now on the same level as Peng Xin, and you will cooperate with each other in managing the business."
Chu Shichen said: "Don't worry."
The doorbell rang and the restaurant came to deliver food. There were more than ten kinds of dishes. Xiang Mingzhang randomly picked a movie, a Hong Kong comedy.
Chu Shichen didn't even laugh, and commented several times: "Why are these people so exaggerated?"
Xiang Mingzhang was amused: "Have you never been to a modern movie theater?"
Chu Shichen had never been to a zoo, an amusement park, or a karaoke bar. The last time he wandered around was in Guangzhou. He said, "I've been paying attention recently, and it seems like I'm not being followed."
Xiang Mingzhang said: "If you find out, it won't be called tracking."
"Didn't they find out in Guangzhou?" Chu Shichen watched the video hundreds of times, freezing it again and again. "It seems like Alan wanted to see us clearly, so he didn't cover it up."
Xiang Mingzhang said: "He thought you were Chu Shichen and lost his memory."
Chu Shichen said jokingly: "Then he won't come in front of me next time."
Xiang Mingzhang just felt relieved and said, "You should learn some self-defense skills. Or you can join the club and practice fighting with me."
Chu Shichen didn't like being a warrior. When he was young, he ran fast and spoke loudly at home. When he grew up, his parents would correct him if he slammed the table or kicked the leg of a stool.
He stirred the cream soup with a spoon, lowered his eyes and nodded, and asked in a graceful manner: "Where can I buy a revolver?"
Xiang Mingzhang was stunned for a moment: "Master Shen, modern China is a society ruled by law. It is illegal to own a gun privately."
Chu Shichen readily said "Oh", but with a hint of regret in his voice.
Xiang Mingzhang thought he knew everything about this man, but it turned out that there was still a lot he didn't know. He asked curiously, "Why, can you still use a gun?"
In troubled times, we must protect ourselves, and even save our lives at critical moments. Chu Shichen put his index and middle fingers together, pressed them lightly against Xiang Mingzhang's chin, lifted them up, and slid them to his Adam's apple, and said, "My spear skills are not bad."
Xiang Mingzhang rubbed his slightly cool fingertips and swallowed. It was as if something was on fire, burning from his Adam's apple to his chest. He pulled Chu Shichen into his arms, lowered his head, and glanced down the back collar of his loose bathrobe.
There were red palm prints between Chu Shichen's shoulders, and probably also on his waist. Xiang Mingzhang asked, "Did I press too hard? Does it hurt?"
Chu Shichen turned his face away: "It's okay."
Xiang Mingzhang noticed something was wrong: "What's wrong?"
The first time in Manzhuang... Chu Shichen admitted that he was very interested. He hesitated and said, "I'm not used to you pressing me from behind."
Xiang Mingzhang asked: "Why?"
Chu Shichen said: "I think you want to tame me."
Men have a desire to conquer in bed, especially when it comes to an impeccable partner like Chu Shichen. Xiang Mingzhang did not deny it immediately and said, "You can tell me what you like and what you are not used to."
The night was still long. After dinner, Chu Shichen returned to the bedroom and lay on his back.
The bedside table drawer was not closed, Xiang Mingzhang felt around and found nothing: "It's all used up."
Chu Shichen hooked Xiang Mingzhang's hand and covered his left cheek, murmuring, "What does it feel like to not have to."
Xiang Mingzhang's eyes flickered. He believed that three times was the limit. He had endured it once, twice, and the third time he compromised he could only blame Chu Shichen for his superb tactics, which left him helpless.
He stroked the delicate skin under his palm and warned fiercely: "You will be responsible for the discomfort tomorrow."
Chu Shichen felt that he had changed, from being ashamed to think about it and talk about it, to being unable to bear it and asking for things. It was Xiang Mingzhang who made him like this.
Before he could blame him, Xiang Mingzhang suddenly bent down and kissed his forehead.
He closed his eyes and heard Xiang Mingzhang say, "From behind I am not trying to tame you. There are other reasons."
Chu Shichen asked: "What is it?"
The bright lights were not as charming as Xiang Mingzhang's tone. He confessed, "You have a beautiful back."
(End of this chapter)