TMCOC CH 17

Chapter 17: The More You’re Used to It, the More of a Brat You Become (IV)

Du Linghe thought, somewhat speechlessly, What exactly does this guy take me for?
In Wei Gaochen’s eyes, was he some kind of moody tyrant who could snap at any moment?

“No matter what, Du Corporation and Wei Corporation have been openly competing for years,” Du Linghe said calmly. “We’re not stupid enough to deal with you directly in public.”

He released his grip and leaned back against the sofa. “President Wei has his own principles when it comes to doing things—but don’t take them too far.”

Wei Gaochen hadn’t expected him to say something like that. He blinked, suddenly curious.

“Do rivals in a competitive relationship usually talk to each other like this?”

“Better to give a reminder than let a rival be too stupid,” Du Linghe replied pointedly.

That instantly killed Wei Gaochen’s interest in continuing the conversation. He grumbled,
“So the reason President Du dragged me here was just to give me a workplace lecture? If that’s all, can I leave now? I still have a pile of meetings waiting for me.”

His obvious attempt to slip away made it clear—right now, Wei Gaochen’s interest in Du Linghe had dropped to rock bottom.

Seeing the man unconsciously act a little petulant, Du Linghe didn’t look displeased. Instead, he studied him quietly for a few seconds.

“…Weren’t you resting at home? Why do you look so exhausted?”

The man sprawled on the sofa still had a sharp mouth, but the weariness surrounding him was impossible to hide. Du Linghe raised his hand again and gently touched Wei Gaochen’s face.

Wei Gaochen half-squinted at him, wary at first—but under the light, unhurried strokes, his expression quickly turned dazed.

Even someone as dense as Du Linghe could tell now that Wei Gaochen’s condition was strange—especially since he himself seemed to be the cause.

Wei Gaochen liked being touched by him. The moment Du Linghe got close, he relaxed. Even when he got annoyed and tried to push him away, there was barely any strength behind it. As long as Du Linghe softened his tone slightly, Wei Gaochen would unconsciously listen.

It was like smoothing the fur of a bad-tempered cat.

Without making it obvious, Du Linghe shortened the distance between them—and just as expected, Wei Gaochen slowly leaned into his arms.

“Feeling sleepy again?” Du Linghe asked.

He lightly scratched under Wei Gaochen’s chin. Between the touch and the familiar scent, Wei Gaochen’s entire body loosened, drowsiness and comfort dragging his IQ dangerously low…

Still, he stubbornly clung to his last line of defense and replied with his usual sharp tongue.

“I want to sleep—and preferably never wake up. What CEO isn’t stressed and exhausted?” he complained. “Looks like President Du’s been living pretty comfortably lately.”

The hand scratching his chin almost turned into a choke. Du Linghe closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths before continuing.

“Then sleep a little longer,” he said, checking the time. “You can stay here another forty minutes.”

“N-no, I should go,” Wei Gaochen said—even as his face stayed pressed firmly against Du Linghe’s palm.

Du Linghe: “……”

He suddenly had no idea what to do with this stubborn, contradictory man.

Beep—beep—beep.

The system’s voice rang out abruptly.

【System Reward Adjustment in Progress】
【Stress level has increased instead of decreasing. Reward automatically upgraded】
【Enhanced Reward Restarted】
【Duration—Fourteen Days and Ten Hours】

Hearing the system, Wei Gaochen regained a bit of clarity. He glared at the man who clearly enjoyed touching him far too much.

“…If you hadn’t dragged me out today, I could’ve rested properly,” he said irritably. “You can let go now. You’ve rubbed me raw— it hurts!”

“You’re the one clinging to my hand,” Du Linghe stated matter-of-factly. “And I’m not using any force. Your skin’s just too delicate.”

“…I—I didn’t!”

Wei Gaochen looked like he was about to bite Du Linghe’s hand, but it was only a bluff meant to scare him off. Unfortunately for him, President Du had already realized that Wei Gaochen’s resistance was purely superficial this time. He simply pulled the man straight into his arms.

“You seem to like this.”

With the system’s enhanced reward mechanism activated, the moment Wei Gaochen got close to Du Linghe, it was like a cat inhaling the finest catnip—his whole body went limp instantly.

Du Linghe cautiously ran a hand down his back. Wei Gaochen felt as though all his rationality had vanished.

I like this. It feels so good. Light and relaxed…

…Wait? Why had he resisted so much before?

In his dazed state, Wei Gaochen couldn’t help but question himself.

…Maybe it was instinct—the instinct that a villain shouldn’t get this close to the protagonist.

After all, the man who was unexpectedly gentle with him right now was the very protagonist who, in the original storyline, would push him straight toward a tragic death.

From a villain’s perspective, that plot development made sense. Since accepting the system’s mission, Wei Gaochen should have accepted his role.

But he was far too pathetic.

More than once, he had woken from midnight dreams where he lost everything to Du Linghe—defeated and utterly humiliated.

He truly didn’t want to go back to being poor and miserable again.

Lost in his emotions, Wei Gaochen didn’t notice that he had already wrapped both arms around Du Linghe, rubbing against him. Du Linghe indulged him, letting him cling close—he even seemed to be in a good mood.

Du Linghe’s hand slid to Wei Gaochen’s waist. The man had supposedly been resting for days, yet his waist felt even slimmer than after that banquet before… This guy really wasn’t taking care of himself.

“Mmh—don’t. Don’t touch there…”

Wei Gaochen complained softly, pushing Du Linghe’s hand away and glaring at the man lounging lazily on the sofa.

Du Linghe turned his hand and caught Wei Gaochen’s instead. The defined knuckles and rough calluses shifted Wei Gaochen’s attention for a moment. He watched as Du Linghe’s fingers brushed lightly over the back of his hand, then slowly lifted it toward his lips.

“Mm.”

A light, shallow kiss—without any lust behind it.

“—!”

Wei Gaochen felt like he was about to explode. He stared at their joined hands, then at Du Linghe, as if unable to process what was happening.

“Hm? You hate this too?” Du Linghe asked. “Don’t you quite like kissing?”

When did I ever say that—

Wei Gaochen was about to retort when Du Linghe suddenly leaned forward and kissed him—first his eyes, then his nose, then the corner of his lips. While Wei Gaochen was still frozen in shock, Du Linghe chuckled softly and brushed his lips against his mouth again.

“Troublesome.”

Du Linghe’s low voice sounded beside his ear.

For a brief moment, Wei Gaochen completely understood how the female lead had fallen for this man. When Du Linghe didn’t wear his usual cold expression—when he looked at you with softened eyes—it genuinely felt like you were loved.

Ridiculous. How could this man possibly look at him that way?

That’s what Wei Gaochen thought—yet his face flushed uncontrollably. The mouth that usually ran nonstop with sharp remarks now stayed tightly shut.

Between him and Du Linghe, there should only be hatred. This kind of intimacy was crossing the line…

When he saw Du Linghe leaning in again, Wei Gaochen nervously shut his eyes.

Completely vulnerable. Almost pitiful.

Du Linghe leaned closer—his breath brushing against Wei Gaochen’s skin—but after several seconds, the expected kiss never came.

Wei Gaochen: “…?”

Du Linghe simply watched him with ill humor, clearly amused by how thoroughly he had him cornered.

“Aren’t you usually full of opinions? Why so quiet now?”

The teasing made Wei Gaochen flush with embarrassment and irritation. He opened his eyes and tried to break free from Du Linghe’s arms—but Du Linghe had no intention of letting go. Instead, he tightened his hold.

Wei Gaochen was practically sitting on Du Linghe’s lap now. The arm wrapped around his waist wouldn’t budge no matter how hard he pushed. Grinding his teeth, he truly looked like he wanted to bite the man in front of him.

Childish revenge.

He messed up Du Linghe’s hair and tugged his neatly tied tie loose. Not to be outdone, Du Linghe ruined the clothes Wei Gaochen had carefully straightened just half an hour ago. Their behavior was nothing like that of two company CEOs.

“Childish jerk—I’m leaving. Let go!”

“You started it.”

Wei Gaochen must have been cursed or something—whenever he got close to this man, his IQ plummeted.

He shoved at Du Linghe. No matter how comfortable it felt, he refused to continue.

“Stop moving—damn it, Wei Gaochen, are you trying to challenge me?”

His struggling brushed somewhere it shouldn’t have. Du Linghe’s expression darkened as he grabbed Wei Gaochen’s wrist firmly.

Wei Gaochen felt something awkward against him and froze for a split second—then struggled even harder, squirming in a way that made Du Linghe’s face darken significantly.

Just as Du Linghe was on the verge of pinning him back down onto the sofa again—

There was a knock on the office door.

Du Linghe’s secretary called politely from outside the door. Only then did the two presidents, who had been tugging at each other’s clothes, finally stop.

The moment Du Linghe loosened his grip, Wei Gaochen shot away with a whoosh, retreating to the other sofa. He clutched at his loosened collar and stared at Du Linghe warily.

Du Linghe, meanwhile, was in no better condition. His once perfectly tailored suit was in complete disarray, and even his hair had lost its earlier meticulous neatness. The faint crease between his brows revealed his discomfort—Du Linghe, who had a slight obsession with cleanliness, clearly wasn’t pleased. Still, he responded to the secretary outside.

“Henry, come in.”

The secretary entered the president’s office properly and composedly. For a split second, he was inwardly stunned by the scene before him. Then he forcefully suppressed his gossiping instincts and kept his eyes respectfully forward, pretending not to notice the two CEOs’ disheveled appearances.

He first nodded to Du Linghe, then turned to Wei Gaochen.

“President Wei, you have a visitor waiting outside.”

At the Du Corporation office?

Wei Gaochen’s brow twitched. A bad premonition rose in his chest.

(To be continued)