WIL CH 16

Chapter 16:The Handsome Man Being Pampered

Wen Feng held him and asked softly, “So… can I sleep here tonight?”

Maybe it was because he’d been drinking, but Wen Feng seemed less intimidating than usual. His expression was calm, his voice gentle—completely different from how furious he’d been that night. He was always like this: when he was gentle, no one could resist him; when he was angry, he was terrifying. Both sides belonged to Wen Feng, and Lin Xi could never grasp the rhythm of his moods.

This whole house belonged to Wen Feng. He could sleep anywhere he wanted—why would he even need Lin Xi’s permission? Lin Xi had only said those angry words out of frustration that night. Supporting himself up a little, he replied, “Just sleep here then.”

Satisfied with that answer, Wen Feng pulled him into his arms again. His breathing gradually steadied, as if he’d fallen asleep.

Lin Xi carefully slipped out of his embrace. He took off the black dress socks still on Wen Feng’s feet, then started unbuttoning his shirt. The buttons were tiny and a bit hard to undo, so Lin Xi had to lower his head and work at them one by one. Wen Feng’s build was perfect—every muscle of his chest and abdomen sculpted just right. After some effort, Lin Xi managed to remove his shirt; his trousers were much easier—just a tug on the belt, and they slid down smoothly.

Once done, Lin Xi went to the bathroom to fetch a damp towel to wipe Wen Feng’s face and hands. Wen Feng remained deeply asleep the entire time, not moving a muscle, letting Lin Xi tend to him.

When everything was finished, Lin Xi covered him with a blanket and finally climbed into bed himself. But the moment he lay down, Wen Feng instinctively pulled him close again. Facing each other, Lin Xi’s face was pressed against his collarbone, and Wen Feng’s chin rested atop his forehead.

Sleeping like this wasn’t exactly comfortable. Lin Xi tried to shift into a better position, but before he could even move, Wen Feng’s arm tightened around him. He was trapped—his body pressed flush against Wen Feng’s through their pajamas, even their legs intertwined tightly.

Lin Xi sighed and gave up. Wen Feng’s body temperature was high, warming him all over until his skin tingled.

He suddenly remembered a winter back in high school when he’d been staying in the dorms. That year, it had snowed heavily—thicker than he’d ever seen before. When you stepped outside, the snow swallowed your legs up to the calves. The dorm faucets had all frozen, and frost had covered the windows. One night, it had been so cold that no matter how much he curled up, the bed just wouldn’t warm. His feet were like ice. In desperation, he’d filled a plastic bottle with hot water and used it to warm his feet. That’s how he got through that freezing winter.

As his mind wandered, Lin Xi’s eyelids grew heavy. Wrapped in the warmth of the chest against him, he slowly drifted off to sleep.

In the following days, Wen Feng would eat breakfast with him every morning, drive him to work, pick him up at night, and sleep beside him. Assistant Liang would still deliver Lin Xi’s lunch to the office on time every day, occasionally chatting a bit about Wen Feng’s schedule.

For instance, today, Liang pushed up his frameless glasses and said casually, “President Wen has an important meeting with an overseas client today. He’s been so busy he hasn’t even eaten lunch yet—still reviewing documents.”

Lin Xi widened his eyes, unsure what to say. After a moment, he only managed a quiet, “Oh.”

After dropping off the meal, Liang left. Lin Xi carried the heavy lunchbox upstairs. Since Liang came by too frequently, Lin Xi was worried his coworkers might gossip, so he always asked Liang to call him once he arrived so Lin Xi could pick it up himself downstairs.

The housekeeper back at the old residence must have shared some kind of telepathic connection with him—or so it seemed. How else could she always know he liked tomatoes? Every meal she sent included at least one tomato dish. Today it was braised ribs with tomatoes—an unusual combination, but surprisingly delicious. The housekeeper was quite the cook. Lin Xi made a mental note to thank her in person someday.

Other than that one time when Wen Feng came out to his parents right after their marriage, Lin Xi had never gone back to Wen Feng’s family home again.

In truth, Wen Feng’s parents had strongly disapproved of their relationship from the beginning. Back then, Wen Feng had told them plainly that he was gay—that he would never agree to a political marriage, and that they should give up the idea once and for all.

Wen Feng’s father had always been strict. He’d slapped Wen Feng across the face right there in front of Lin Xi. Lin Xi had been sitting beside Wen Feng on the sofa, too terrified to even lift his head. Wen Feng quickly took him away afterward, and since then, he had never brought Lin Xi back.

After lunch, Lu Mingyu called both Lin Xi and Kong Zhao to the meeting room.

“The press conference is in two days. How well have you two familiarized yourselves with the scripts?” Lu Mingyu sat in the middle of the long conference table, while Lin Xi and Kong Zhao sat to the right.

For the past few days, Lin Xi had been reviewing his lines every morning, sometimes even practicing alone to adjust his pacing and tone. “I’ve pretty much memorized it,” he told Lu Mingyu.

As for Kong Zhao, there was even less to worry about. He’d been speaking in public since childhood—whether it was at his birthday parties or his father’s company’s annual meetings, he was always on stage delivering speeches full of self-assured opinions. He was used to the spotlight, and such occasions were practically his comfort zone. Normally, he would have said arrogantly that there was no problem at all.

But today, strangely enough, he said, “Boss, there are still a few parts I don’t quite understand. Could you take another look with me?” His eyes darted around mischievously.

Hearing that, Lin Xi wanted to offer help. “Kong Zhao, what part are you having trouble with? I can—”

Before he could finish saying ‘help you look at it,’ a sharp kick came from under the table.

Lin Xi looked at him in confusion, brows furrowing.

Kong Zhao, hiding his movements from Lu Mingyu, quickly blinked at him.

Lu Mingyu opened the laptop in front of him and asked, “So what exactly don’t you understand?”

Kong Zhao straightened up, putting on an overly serious look. “It’s not that I don’t understand. I mean, I drew the map myself, so I obviously know it best. But I think we could add some more details to it.”

Lu Mingyu’s lips curved in amusement, clearly intrigued. “It’s good that you have ideas. Go on—let’s hear them.”

“Uh, well… Xi Xi, why don’t you head back first? This might take a while. Don’t you still have drafts to finish this afternoon? You should go ahead.” Kong Zhao blinked exaggeratedly at Lin Xi again.

Even Lin Xi, slow as he sometimes was, understood his signal this time. “Alright, I’ll get back to work then.”

As soon as Lin Xi left, Kong Zhao dragged his chair right next to Lu Mingyu, leaning close to look at the computer together. His fingers “accidentally” brushed against Lu Mingyu’s sleeve as he pointed to the copy of the map on screen.

“Boss, look—this area’s on the outer edge, but there are actually a lot of hidden A-grade items and fruits here. I think we could leave some clues and let the players discover this part on their own.”

“Mhm. What else?” Lu Mingyu tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

“Well… um… what else…” Kong Zhao propped his chin on his hand, thinking for a long while but coming up blank.

Lu Mingyu chuckled softly. Lifting the hand that had been on the table, he flicked Kong Zhao on the forehead. “That’s all you’ve got, and you said it would take a while?”

He hadn’t even used much strength, but Kong Zhao still clutched his forehead dramatically. “Ow! That really hurt!”

Lu Mingyu could tell he was faking it but didn’t call him out. Instead, he gently pushed his hand away and said, “Let me see.”

Then he rubbed the spot on Kong Zhao’s forehead. “No problem. Still the same shiny little head.”

Kong Zhao had meant to flirt, but now he was the one being teased. His whole face turned crimson. He quickly pushed Lu Mingyu’s hand away, stammering, “B-Boss, I’m done. My head doesn’t hurt anymore. I’ll go now!”

And with that, he bolted out of the room.

Lu Mingyu watched him flee, shaking his head with a faint smile.

Kong Zhao plopped into his seat with a loud thud—so loud that Lin Xi heard it.

Lin Xi turned toward him, curious at the sight of his flustered expression. “Kong Zhao, what’s wrong? You really ran into trouble with your part?”

Trouble? Kong Zhao thought bitterly. The only trouble I’ve got right now is Lu Mingyu himself.

He sighed and said gloomily, “Lin Xi, have you ever chased someone before?”

Lin Xi froze. Weren’t we just talking about work? How did the topic suddenly shift so far? Scratching his head, he answered honestly, “No.”

Kong Zhao sighed again. “Figures. You’re so handsome, people must always be the ones chasing you.”

“kong Zhao, are you trying to pursue someone?”

“I am. Do you know how?”

Lin Xi really couldn’t teach that. He had always been the timid type — especially in front of someone he liked, he could barely get a word out. Back then, it was Jiang Boqing who took the initiative to confess to him, and later, he ended up marrying Wen Feng. He had never once taken the lead in pursuing anyone.

Feeling a little embarrassed, Lin Xi said to Kong Zhao, “I don’t think I’m very good at it.”

“Forget it. I’ve got nothing to say to handsome guys like you who are always the ones being chased.”

Kong Zhao slumped over his desk, staring gloomily at Lu Mingyu’s office.

Lin Xi didn’t quite understand what he meant. He thought Kong Zhao probably just wanted to be complimented, so he put down his drawing tablet and said earnestly, “You’re a handsome guy too, Kong Zhao. You look really good.”

Lin Xi’s expression was completely sincere — there wasn’t the slightest hint of flattery.

Kong Zhao was amused, and his mood instantly brightened. “You’re right. When I was young, I actually received tons of love letters. Of course I’m handsome.”

Lin Xi couldn’t help but laugh too, his eyes curving into crescents. Kong Zhao really was easy to cheer up.

When work ended that evening, Lin Xi, as usual, walked toward the main entrance. The familiar car was already parked by the roadside. The closer he got, the faster his heart began to race, and even his fingers tightened around the handle of the lunch box bag.

Assistant Liang stepped out of the car and opened the rear door for him. The back seat was empty. Lin Xi’s gaze subtly lowered, but before he could say anything, Assistant Liang explained, “President Wen is still working overtime at the company. He asked me to send you home first.”

“If the company is busy, you really don’t have to drive me home,” Lin Xi said. Wen Feng was still working late, and Assistant Liang still had to go back afterward — it would be quite troublesome. It was already very late, and Lin Xi felt bad about it.

“Mr. Lin, this is President Wen’s order. It’s cold outside — please get in the car first.”

The weather had been getting colder and colder lately. In just the short time they were speaking, Lin Xi’s cheeks had already turned slightly red from the wind.

“Alright, thank you,” Lin Xi said, stepping into the car.

“You’re welcome, Mr. Lin,” Assistant Liang replied politely.

(To be continued…)