It's still dark and the living room is dark.
The white marble walls and black sofas seemed to be covered with a layer of cold fog. It was about twenty-three degrees in the room, and the air was filled with the unique smell of incense in the house and the smell of dry wool carpets.
The sleeping position of Xu Sheng and Tang Zhi was so close that it was almost comical. Tang Zhi moved slightly and touched Xu Sheng's chin that was resting on top of his head.
He smelled the cologne on Xu Sheng's body and the faint smell of alcohol that had almost disappeared.
Xu Sheng's body was very warm, and his right hand pressed heavily on Tang Zhi's ribs, warming Tang Zhi's stomach through the thin pajamas.
The curtains were not closed last night, and the sky outside the French window was gray. Tang Zhi didn't look at the weather forecast, but looking at the rain clouds pressing on the top of the mountain, he felt that there would be no more sun today.
Tang Zhi had only slept for a few hours and had no dreams, but he seemed to be fully awake. The side of his face was pressed against the carpet, and the friction produced a slightly rough warmth.
He was not sure whether he should wake Xu Sheng up, so he wanted to move Xu Sheng's hand away from him. Unexpectedly, with just a slight movement, Xu Sheng showed an uncomfortable expression, and then hugged him forcefully again. Tight.
Tang Zhi was a little nervous and raised his head carefully, only to see Xu Sheng frowning, looking displeased that his dream was disturbed.
After two seconds, Xu Sheng hugged Tang Zhi uneasily and moved, as if he was about to wake up.
Tang Zhi's body reacted faster than his brain and he closed his eyes tightly.
Everyone knows that in such a situation, the person who wakes up first will be embarrassed, but Tang Zhi is determined to show his humility and give this rare opportunity to the noble Xu Sheng, leaving Xu Sheng to face the consequences of being drunk alone.
Not long after, Tang Zhi felt that the body next to him suddenly stiffened, and Xu Sheng woke up.
Xu Sheng froze motionless for a long time, as if he was shocked to find that he and Tang Zhi had slept on the floor all night.
After a long time, the hand that was pressing on Tang Zhi's abdomen was raised, and with a little hesitation, he pressed Tang Zhi's shoulders.
For a moment, Tang Zhi felt as if Xu Sheng wanted to push him away. However, he put his hand on Tang Zhi's shoulder for a few seconds, but finally did not push him, as if he was worried that the movement would be too big and would wake Tang Zhi.
If an ordinary person was so careless, Tang Zhi would think it was because the other party was polite.
But Xu Sheng is different. Xu Sheng did not recommend Tang Zhi, obviously because he had an arrogant personality and was very face-saving. He did not want to face such a dilemma and wanted to sneak away while Tang Zhi was still sleeping.
Tang Zhi admitted that he had some childish revenge mentality. He lifted one leg and put it on Xu Sheng's leg, getting closer to Xu Sheng, and then pretended to be sleeping soundly and happily.
He seemed to hear Xu Sheng grinding his teeth, so he shrank into Xu Sheng's arms.
After a while, Xu Sheng probably finally completed the psychological counseling for himself. He gently held Tang Zhi's knees, carefully moved Tang Zhi's legs away, then circled Tang Zhi's wrists and carefully placed them on the ground. .
Tang Zhi's skill at pretending to be asleep was so good that Xu Sheng didn't notice it at all.
Xu Sheng worked hard for five minutes before completely peeling Tang Zhi off his body, gently placing Tang Zhi's wrist on the carpet, and then sat up facing the window.
Tang Zhi squinted to make sure that Xu Sheng's back was facing him, then he boldly opened his eyes and looked at Xu Sheng's back. He saw that Xu Sheng had torn off his tie and was sitting quietly with his shoulders on the armrest of the sofa.
After lying on the ground all night, Xu Sheng's white shirt was terribly wrinkled, with a small edge sticking out from the edge of his pants.
His shoulders are broad, and his back looks very reliable. His right hand is pressed on the carpet, with a big palm and long fingers. He is holding a dark blue tie gently, as if he is in a daze.
In fact, Tang Zhi remembered that Xu Sheng's palms were soft and warm, whether warm or not had nothing to do with Tang Zhi.
The sky became a little brighter, and the sunlight added a dull white edge to Xu Sheng's silhouette.
After sitting for a while, Xu Sheng raised his hand and stood up using the strength of the sofa.
Tang Zhi thought that he would not look at her again, so he did not close his eyes. Unexpectedly, he suddenly lowered his head and met Tang Zhi's eyes.
Tang Zhi was startled, and it was too late to pretend to be asleep, so he pretended to have just woken up, adjusted the focus of his eyes, and blinked slowly at Xu Sheng.
"..." Xu Sheng looked at Tang Zhi without saying a word.
Tang Zhi sat up slowly, looked up at Xu Sheng, and asked, "Mr. Xu, are you awake?"
Xu Sheng said nothing.
Tang Zhi paused for a few seconds and explained to himself: "The driver sent you back yesterday. You were very drunk and drove him away."
"I want to help you back to your room, but you must hold me."
Xu Sheng's face darkened visibly.
Tang Zhi was very unkind and vindictive. He never forgot what Xu Sheng said about his betrayal and dissatisfaction with his desires. Seeing Xu Sheng's increasingly ugly face, he couldn't help but start to express himself freely: "I want to get up, but you hold me -"
"—Okay," Xu Sheng interrupted him with a dark face: "I got it."
Tang Zhicai stopped, looked at Xu Sheng with eyes full of kindness and understanding, and nodded.
Xu Sheng ignored him and still didn't turn on the light. He walked to the bar and poured himself a glass of water.
Tang Zhi stood up, pressed his ribs that were sore from being pressed, and stood not far away to look at Xu Sheng.
Xu Sheng put his tie on the bar and drank water slowly. He looked completely different from Xu Sheng who was drunk last night, but he didn't seem to have changed at all.
He seems to be used to staying alone in this house. He doesn't pursue relatives and doesn't need companions.
Tang Zhi stood aside, hesitated again and again, and finally asked, "Is Miss Xu okay?"
Xu Sheng paused with his hand hanging in the air, put down the cup, then glanced at Tang Zhi, and then asked calmly: "Do you really care about her?"
Tang Zhi looked at him for a while and said honestly: "I don't hate her as much as you think."
Tang Zhi sometimes has a good memory, sometimes he has a poor memory. The way Xu Keyu held him anxiously and tremblingly at his cousin's birthday party seemed like a long time had passed and he couldn't remember clearly.
Her shadow in Tang Zhi's heart became very faint, leaving almost only the part that was as miserable as him.
Tang Zhi waited for a moment and then heard Xu Sheng tell him in a low voice: "It's been a few days since the operation, but I haven't woken up yet."
Xu Sheng spoke briefly and did not say what the specific situation was. It's just that Tang Zhi irresponsibly guessed that since he hadn't woken up for a whole week, the situation might still be a bit critical.
"What about Assistant Jiang?" Tang Zhi asked again.
Xu Sheng paused and said, "My ribs are broken and I'm still in the hospital and need to recuperate."
"But I won't break my promise to you." Xu Sheng added.
Before Tang Zhi could speak, he suddenly heard a soft rustle at the back door near the basement, as if the servants and chef were coming.
Xu Sheng glanced in a certain direction as if he suddenly remembered.
Tang Zhi followed his gaze and realized that he might be looking at the butler's room, so he told him: "The butler fell down yesterday and went to the hospital. He never came back."
Xu Sheng frowned.
Suddenly, the light in the living room was turned on, and the room became bright.
A middle-aged maid, who Tang Zhi had never seen before, wearing a foreman's uniform, came up from the basement steps.
"Who are you?" Xu Sheng looked at her and frowned even more tightly.
"Master, I am Siqin," she leaned forward slightly and bowed to Xu Sheng, "Alan has something urgent to go back to her hometown. I will take her place as the foreman for a while."
Xu Sheng paused for a few seconds and asked her, "Have I seen you somewhere?"
She smiled at Xu Sheng: "I used to be at Dong Jin's house."
Tang Zhi was really not familiar with the Xu family's interpersonal relationships. It took him a few seconds to realize that Jin Dong was talking about Xu Sheng's uncle Xu Jin.
Xu Sheng stared at her with his back straight and did not reply.
Behind her were several other maids, some with old faces and some with new faces. Seeing that Xu Sheng remained silent, she led the people inside.
Tang Zhi had a strange feeling, as if she was about to represent Xu Jin and come to occupy Xu Sheng's position and Xu Sheng's home.
But before she took a few steps, Xu Sheng stopped her.
"No need," Xu Sheng said slowly, "I will find the foreman myself. You can go out first."
She raised her head, was stunned, and said with some hesitation: "But... Jin Dong—"
"—Get out." Although Xu Sheng's voice was relatively calm, it gave people an inexplicable chill.
No one in the room dared to make a sound, and no one dared to move. Wherever Tang Zhi looked, everything seemed to be still life.
The clock in the living room struck seven o'clock.
After all, the maid didn't have the guts to conflict with Xu Shengsheng, so she backed away and left, and the room became quiet again.
But the light was still on, and Tang Zhi saw a layer of green stubble on Xu Sheng's chin, and his shirt was still very wrinkled.
He stood proudly and lonely in the living room, but it made Tang Zhi feel some indescribable discomfort.
"Mr. Xu," Tang Zhi said to him, "I'm going to make breakfast."
Xu Sheng glanced at Tang Zhi but did not answer. Tang Zhi said again: "I'm very hungry."
"You can go take a shower first," he told Xu Sheng, "and you can eat when you come down."
After a while, Xu Sheng said: "Okay."