WIL CH 26

Chapter 26: Feelings He Never Noticed

In the office, Kong Zhao had his head buried on his desk, looking completely drained. The surroundings were quiet, not a place for loud conversations. Lin Xi quietly sat down in the empty seat beside him and gently tapped his shoulder.

No response.

Lin Xi used a bit more force and patted his shoulder again.

Only then did Kong Zhao slowly lift his head, his face full of exhaustion.

“Lin Xi, what is it? I’m dead tired.”

“Kong Zhao, did you see the trending searches yesterday? The two of us were on the hot search again.”

Don’t even mention it. Because of that damn hot search, he had suffered terribly last night—his first time ever being forced. Even now, his whole body still ached. Lu Mingyu usually looked so refined and well-mannered, but who would’ve thought he was such a beast in private? All Kong Zhao did was drink from the same cup as Lin Xi, and he hadn’t even gotten mad about being secretly photographed. Meanwhile, Lu Mingyu was already drowning in jealousy.

“Of course I saw it,” Kong Zhao snapped angrily. “If I find out who did it, I’ll tear them apart with my own hands. Those heartless bastards actually dared to secretly photograph me.”

His attitude was completely different from the last time they’d trended. Back then, he’d been the one telling Lin Xi not to care. This time, he was so furious his face had turned red. Thankfully, Wen Feng had quickly had the video and posts taken down last night.

Lin Xi said, “It was probably the two people sitting at the corner table. They kept looking at us yesterday. I didn’t expect them to be secretly filming.”

“They’d better pray I never see them again,” Kong Zhao said fiercely. “Otherwise, I’ll beat them every time I do.”

“But when I checked again this morning, everything was gone. Same as last time. Only my own post is still there—yours completely disappeared,” Kong Zhao looked at Lin Xi suspiciously. “Lin Xi… do you have some kind of powerful backer?”

“…Ah.”

Only now did Kong Zhao realize that, despite working with Lin Xi for nearly four years, he had never once heard him mention his family or personal background. Lin Xi seemed lonely—yet at the same time, strangely well protected. Both times they’d trended online, everything was taken down incredibly fast. Without some kind of backing, that shouldn’t have been possible.

A protector? Could Wen Feng be Lin Xi’s protector?

Thinking back to what Wen Feng had said on the phone last night, Kong Zhao understood a little more. Wen Feng didn’t want Lin Xi’s face exposed to the public. His temper seemed milder than before—still angry, but not explosively so. Lin Xi only had to cautiously soften his stance, and Wen Feng would stop pressing the matter.

Lin Xi avoided Kong Zhao’s gaze, unsure how to explain Wen Feng’s existence.

He hesitated and said vaguely, “Maybe the person who posted it deleted it themselves. My video wasn’t anything worth watching anyway.”

Kong Zhao didn’t believe him at all. He seriously wanted to shove a mirror in front of Lin Xi and let him see what kind of face he had—so stunning, yet completely lacking self-awareness.

“The comments under that video yesterday? You were the one getting praised the most.”

“Really?” Lin Xi replied. “I didn’t read them carefully. What they said was too strange… they were all randomly blessing ^[1]us. I only read a few before I didn’t dare continue.”

Those groundless fantasies invented by netizens made him instinctively wary of the online world.

Kong Zhao shot him a look of utter disdain. Last night, it was precisely because of those so-called blessings that Lu Mingyu’s jealousy had completely exploded. He’d originally planned everything step by step, intending to lure Lu Mingyu fully into his trap—but now? One swing, straight to a home run.

“I’m uninstalling social media,” Kong Zhao growled, deleting the yellow-icon app right in front of Lin Xi.

Even after deleting it, he still couldn’t vent his anger. Sitting at his desk, he punched the air repeatedly. In the process, his black hoodie was tugged aside, exposing his collarbone to the open air.

Lin Xi immediately noticed the obvious marks. He pointed at Kong Zhao’s collarbone, worry clear in his voice.

“Kong Zhao, what happened there? It’s so purple—such a big bruise.”

Hearing that, Kong Zhao quickly pulled his clothes back into place, covering it up.

“Bitten by a dog.”

“……”

What kind of dog bites someone on the collarbone?

As Lin Xi was puzzled, something suddenly clicked in his mind, and the tips of his ears flushed almost imperceptibly red.

Wen Feng used to bite his collarbone often too. Every time, it would take several days before the marks finally faded.

“Th-then… remember to apply some ointment,” he said, even stuttering over his words.

After saying that, he hurried back to his own seat.

Kong Zhao felt a little awkward as well. He stopped leaning over the desk and began pretending to work seriously.

These past few days, Wen Feng had been watching over Lin Xi more and more closely. Every morning, he wouldn’t let Lin Xi get out of the car until he saw him properly wearing a mask. Even at noon, Lin Xi wasn’t allowed to go downstairs to pick up lunch—Assistant Liang was already waiting for him at the front desk.

Seeing Lin Xi hurry over, Assistant Liang greeted him proactively.

“Mr. Lin, this is today’s lunch.”

Lin Xi accepted the paper bag and thanked him politely.

“Thank you. Sorry to trouble you, Assistant Liang.”

Assistant Liang remained standing there for a moment, his gaze lingering as if he had something more to say.

So Lin Xi asked, “Assistant Liang, is there something else?”

“Well, it’s like this—President Wen’s birthday is coming up soon. I just wanted to let you know. Of course, you may already remember. I’ve simply been an assistant for so long that I’m used to reminding my boss of important dates like these.”

Lin Xi froze for a brief moment, then nodded.

“Yes, I know. Thank you for the reminder, Assistant Liang.”

Assistant Liang smiled. “It’s all part of my job. I’ll be going then, Mr. Lin.”

“Alright.”

How could Lin Xi ever forget his birthday? Every year since they were married, he had never once forgotten. But even if he remembered, what difference did it make? There was nothing inexpensive on Wen Feng’s person—any random item he owned was already a luxury. What right did Lin Xi have to give him a gift?

He lowered his gaze to the bracelet on his wrist. In the daylight, it seemed even more valuable than usual, the gemstone at its center catching and reflecting the light with every step he took.

That night, as he lay in bed, Lin Xi stared blankly at the calendar on the bedside table. Wen Feng’s birthday fell on the second day after the beginning of winter. A man whose body was always so warm—yet born in the heart of winter.

Lin Xi was held in his arms from behind, his entire body steeped in Wen Feng’s unique warmth and scent. Wen Feng slept deeply—he seemed exhausted these past few days. When Wen Feng got busy, did he also skip lunch? It seemed Assistant Liang had mentioned before that when things piled up, he didn’t even have time to eat.

Lin Xi shifted slightly in his embrace. In the darkness, his bright eyes shone like two tiny stars.

It seemed that only like this did Lin Xi dare to look at him openly.

Only where he was not being watched did he allow himself to reveal feelings so deep that even he himself hadn’t fully realized them.

Again and again, he traced Wen Feng’s features with his gaze. When sleep finally washed over him, he sank into slumber, nestled against the chest that held him.

The next morning, before leaving for work, heavy rain began to fall outside. The car was parked in the courtyard—only a few steps away.

Wen Feng placed the umbrella into Lin Xi’s hand. Lin Xi thought he was being asked to hold it himself, but in the next second, he was lifted off the ground.

Caught off guard, Lin Xi wasn’t prepared at all, and the umbrella tilted awkwardly.

Looking into the man’s deep-set eyes, he said, “It’s just a few steps. Why are you carrying me?”

Wen Feng glanced at his canvas shoes.

“Your shoes get wet easily.”

“But there’s no standing water at the entrance,” Lin Xi replied. “They won’t get wet.”

The villa’s drainage system was well-designed—the ground was only damp.

Wen Feng’s tone was cool, with a hint of sharpness.

“Why do you talk so much? Hold the umbrella properly.”

“I am,” Lin Xi said, one hand resting on his shoulder while the other held the umbrella steady.

Wen Feng set him down in the passenger seat. Along the way, the rain grew heavier, the windshield wipers swinging back and forth without pause.

When they arrived downstairs at the company, Lin Xi refused to let him carry him no matter what. If his coworkers saw, there would be endless gossip.

Wen Feng didn’t insist, but the look he gave him was somewhat strange. Lin Xi waited for a while before finally hearing him say,

“Wear your mask properly. Don’t go wandering around these next few days—”

“…After work, wait for me to pick you up, or have Assistant Liang come for you. Lin Xi, this time you must listen.”

Lin Xi didn’t understand why Wen Feng was restricting his freedom, but his words were filled with concern, and his expression was grave.

His thoughts wavered. Looking into Wen Feng’s eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to argue.

“Alright, I understand. If you’re busy, just have Assistant Liang pick me up.”

“Mm.”

Lin Xi took a mask out of his small bag and put it on, then got out of the car under the umbrella. Wen Feng watched his figure walk into the building and disappear from sight before starting the car and driving away.

***

At the top floor of International Trade Building Company, Assistant Liang stood in Wen Feng’s office, holding a stack of documents.

Beyond the vast floor-to-ceiling windows, mist and clouds hung low. The cityscape was obscured by the heavy rain, countless droplets sliding down the glass.

Several framed photographs were arranged on the marble desk. Wen Feng sat in a black leather executive chair as Assistant Liang handed him the documents.

“President Wen, this is Jiang Boqing’s recent movement trail. However, it was cut off three days ago. He may have changed all his contact information and tampered with his identity records.”

Wen Feng flipped through the documents briefly before setting them down on the desk.

“He was reported to the police a few days ago. He shouldn’t have left the country yet.”

The police had been searching for three days, and the people Wen Feng had sent out had also found nothing. Assistant Liang said, “If even the police can’t locate him, our people may return empty-handed as well.”

Wen Feng turned his gaze toward the window. The clouds at high altitude grew darker and heavier. His fingers tapped lightly against the desktop.

“Catching him is only a matter of time. But before that, Lin Xi must be closely watched. I’m worried he might take this opportunity to escape together with Jiang Boqing.”

“President Wen, how could Mr. Lin leave with him? I can tell he still cares deeply about you.”

Wen Feng let out a cold laugh.

“And where do you see that he cares about me?”

“Mr. Lin remembers your birthday.”

When Assistant Liang had reminded Lin Xi of Wen Feng’s birthday, it was clear that he already knew the date.

“But I’ve never received a gift from him. Even the things I gave him in the past—he wouldn’t even look at them.”

Assistant Liang didn’t know what to say. It felt as though there was some kind of misunderstanding between the two of them.

Wen Feng’s expression turned cold. He withdrew the faint, barely perceptible trace of disappointment in his eyes.

“Make sure everything is foolproof. Under no circumstances can those two meet again.”

“Yes, President Wen.”

He would not give Lin Xi any chance to leave him. Even if Lin Xi didn’t care about him, it didn’t matter. As long as he stayed obediently by his side, that was enough.

(To be continued…)
Translator’s Note: Wen Feng’s paranoia about Jiang Boqing never ends. The man has already disappeared from the scene, yet Wen Feng treats every little detail like a potential escape plan. Trust Lin Xi, Wen Feng… really!