Chapter 43 - 1#

“……”

Give a hand?

When Jing Shun first heard those words, he thought Chi Gui had gotten into some accident. He quickly wheeled himself out of the room in his wheelchair.

Ding-dong.

The elevator by the spiral staircase opened on cue.

Wei Di and the butler helped Chi Gui out, supporting him on both sides. Chi Gui’s eyes were half-lidded, his steps unsteady, and on his face was an unprecedented look of painful drunkenness.

Their eyes met. Jing Shun immediately cleared the hallway and let them take Chi Gui back to his room.

The butler hurried off to find hangover medicine, while Wei Di stayed to settle Chi Gui in the master bedroom.

Jing Shun lingered at the door, not daring to enter without permission. “Wei Di, how did Chi Gui get this drunk?”

Wei Di explained with a troubled expression, “Tonight’s banquet had a lot of local officials from Macau. They’re all heavy drinkers, and once they got going, they insisted on toasting Mr. Chi.”

Chi Gui’s tolerance for alcohol was above average, but far from legendary.

In the past, when faced with unavoidable banquets, he always drank with restraint and never overindulged.

Under normal circumstances, no one would dare to force him to drink. But Macau’s officials didn’t care about that.

Those officials and businessmen even said that if Chi Gui refused, they’d switch to toasting the Zhang family partner—Zhang Yazi, who was sitting nearby.

“Mr. Chi is a gentleman. He was worried that Ms. Zhang would be unsafe if she drank too much, and he didn’t want to come off as too high-and-mighty at that kind of official-business banquet. So he drank a bit more than usual.”

The real problem was that Chi Gui hadn’t eaten much to line his stomach, and the toasters were mixing red wine, white liquor, and beer. His tolerance couldn’t handle that kind of abuse.

Before leaving the banquet hall and hotel, Chi Gui had barely managed to stay clear-headed.

Perhaps it was because he got into his own car and let down his psychological guard, or because the ride home was long—he ended up sleeping off his drunkenness.

Wei Di had been with Chi Gui for years, but this was his first time encountering such a situation.

Just as he finished explaining, the butler returned with warm water and hangover medicine.

Wei Di looked at Jing Shun in the wheelchair, hesitated for a moment, but still advised, “Mr. Jing, you should go to bed first. We’ll take care of Mr. Chi.”

He did want to create a chance for his boss and Mr. Jing to be alone, but considering Jing Shun’s legs made it inconvenient, he probably couldn’t move Chi Gui’s bulky frame.

At that moment, Chi Gui was sitting on the edge of the bed, eyes closed, silent. One hand pressed against his temple, which felt like it was about to explode from the alcohol. His expression didn’t look good—it was hard to tell if he was awake or completely blacked out.

Jing Shun frowned with concern but didn’t want to cause trouble. “Alright. Call me if you need anything.”

“Mm.”

Baobao crawled out of his dog bed to watch the commotion. The bold little thing even went up to Chi Gui and sniffed him. “Woo~”

Jing Shun was afraid Baobao would disturb Chi Gui, so he called softly, “Baobao, come back! Don’t be naughty!”

“Woo!”

Fine, I’m coming!

Baobao trotted back to Jing Shun’s side and left the master bedroom with him.

…

The night was deep.

Jing Shun lay in bed, still worried about the drunk Chi Gui. Even his usually effective sleep medication lost its power.

“……”

Just one look.

Just make sure he’s okay and I’ll be fine.

It can’t always be Chi Gui caring for me unilaterally, right?

After convincing himself silently, Jing Shun couldn’t resist sitting up in bed. He remembered the honey on the tea bar in his room, brewed a cup, and then wheeled himself out.

Chi Gui’s door wasn’t locked. No one answered when he knocked, so Jing Shun carefully pushed it open—

Only a dim lamp was left on the bedside table.

Chi Gui had already changed into his usual black pajamas. He was lying on his side under the covers, seemingly asleep.

Jing Shun was afraid of waking him, so he slowed his wheelchair and placed the steaming cup of honey water—which he’d taken the liberty to bring—on the nightstand.

“……”

I’ve heard that people who’ve been drinking get thirsty when they wake up in the middle of the night. I wonder if Chi Gui will need it?

Jing Shun thought to himself, then shifted his gaze to the bed.

In the lamplight, Chi Gui’s expression was restless. Up close, Jing Shun could see sweat beading on his forehead and his brows tightly knit, as if he were dreaming of something unpleasant.

Jing Shun hesitated for two seconds.

He pulled a tissue from the side and carefully reached out to wipe the sweat from Chi Gui’s brow.

The moment his fingertips touched Chi Gui’s forehead, Chi Gui, who had been sound asleep, suddenly grabbed his wrist. “Who?!”

When he opened his eyes, his gaze was deep with drunkenness, filled with vigilance and aggression.

“……”

The bruise on Jing Shun’s wrist had faded but wasn’t completely gone.

Now, Chi Gui’s grip was harsh, and Jing Shun winced in pain. “Ah…”

He couldn’t break free, so he had to endure the pain and state his name. “It’s me, Jing Shun.”

“……”

Chi Gui’s burning gaze lingered on his face. The wariness in his eyes and the strength in his grip gradually dissipated.

Their eyes met in the dim light—one clear-headed, the other drunk.

A strange shyness curled around Jing Shun’s heart. He pulled back his hand and rubbed his wrist. “I just brought you some honey water. Did I wake you? I’ll go now. Rest well.”

As his wheelchair backed up a step, Chi Gui grabbed his wrist again and murmured, “Don’t go.”

But this time, his grip was much gentler.

Jing Shun froze. “What?”

Before Jing Shun could react, Chi Gui, driven by impulse, pulled him closer. “Don’t go!”

Caught off guard, Jing Shun was tugged forward like a puppet with broken strings. The world spun, and his back hit the soft, faintly scented bedding.

When he opened his eyes again, Chi Gui was already looming over him.

“……”

Bang!

Jing Shun felt his heart explode, his mind went blank, and even his breathing stopped.

Instinctively, he raised his hand to push against Chi Gui’s chest, his voice tight. “Chi Gui, you…”

Chi Gui said nothing.

He only gathered the slender, flushed wrist beneath him and pinned it back onto the bed.

His drunken gaze settled on the reddened mark on Jing Shun’s wrist, and he gently rubbed it with his thumb, over and over, as if handling something extremely precious and fragile.

The faint pain slowly faded, replaced by a subtle, numbing itch.

Jing Shun couldn’t bear such delicate, wordless teasing. He tried to pull free. “Chi Gui, I’m fine. You don’t have to…”

“Don’t move.”

Chi Gui leaned in close, his head lowered. His voice was tender yet demanding. “Be good.”

“……”

They were far too close. Jing Shun was pinned down with nowhere to retreat.

Their breaths seemed to dance together, faintly mingling. Hearts pounded fiercely, as if they were about to kiss.

Jing Shun fell silent, a blush spreading from his cheeks to his neck.

He could smell the scent on Chi Gui—the remnants of alcohol mixed with the familiar tea fragrance. It was like a spark that could set the prairie ablaze. Instead of repulsing him, it was unexpectedly alluring and seductive.

An uncontrollable emotion began to surface.

Jing Shun fell into the deep pool of Chi Gui’s eyes, unable to escape.

Chi Gui’s gaze wandered slowly over the face before him—from brows and eyes to the tip of the nose, to the lips—again and again, as if trying to confirm something, to remember something.

His expression shifted from the hazy, drunken gleam to an intense, undeniable emotion.

Was it love?

Or guilt.

“……”

Jing Shun read that complex sentiment and froze for a moment.

Suddenly, Chi Gui turned his head and buried it in the crook of Jing Shun’s neck. In a hoarse, almost fragile voice, he pleaded, “Don’t go.”

“Don’t leave.”

“Baobao.”

Jing Shun felt a faint warmth at his neck. The hand he had raised hesitated, then gently came to rest on Chi Gui’s back. He wasn’t sure. “Chi Gui?”

Was he crying?

How could that be?

Before Jing Shun could process it, even more painful words of apology reached his ears.

“I’m sorry.”

“I came too late. I’m sorry…”

Each word struck heavily on Jing Shun’s heart—but none of them were meant for him.

The bubbles of ambiguous tension that had risen suddenly burst.

The hand around his wrist loosened and fell away, leaving Jing Shun’s heart feeling hollow and empty.

The vague, elusive questions that had been buried deep inside seemed to have found a clear answer at that moment—

No wonder Chi Gui, with his status and position, would rather choose someone like him—a person with limited mobility—to “act out a play”? It wasn’t as if there were no other actors in the world who could play the part.

No wonder, despite their contractual relationship, Chi Gui took such good care of him.

So that was the real reason, hidden so deep.

During this time, Chi Gui had indeed looked at him, but it was more like he was seeing someone else through him. Was it unrequited love? Or a missed opportunity?

Jing Shun didn’t know. All he knew was—

He had gradually come to depend on the man before him, and had nearly fallen into the warmth and affection that was never truly his.

…

Chi Gui felt as if he were trapped in a very long dream.

The plane landed smoothly on the private tarmac of Hai City International Airport. The cabin door opened, and snowflakes, large under the night sky, landed one by one on his shoulder.

Assistant Chen Yiming immediately held a black umbrella over him and accompanied him into the black car that had been prepared in advance.

“Sir, I already had Uncle Lin tidy up the house. Shall we go back now?”

“No rush. First, drive out of the airport.”

Chi Gui watched the snow fall heavier and heavier outside the window, without any hurry to choose a destination.

Chen Yiming and Wei Di, seated in the front passenger seat, exchanged a glance—both knowing the story in their hearts:

Four and a half years ago, Chi Gui had made a decision against the objections of most shareholders, relocating most of his business operations in Hai City overseas, establishing a new Chi Corporation headquarters abroad.

As for the businesses he couldn’t move, he left them in the old headquarters in Hai City, even willingly handing control to the eldest branch of the family.

No one could guess the reason behind Chi Gui’s decision. Some privately mocked him, thinking he was digging his own grave!

But they were all wrong—

Over those four years, Chi Gui, with his ruthless methods and determination, had carved an unstoppable path for Chi Corporation’s new shell overseas.

Countless overseas companies would retreat at the sight of Chi Gui and his corporation, no one daring to compete.

There was even a rumor in the business world: “That Chi Gui has no fear of death. There’s no one left in this world who can control him. Believe me, even if a robber put a gun to his head, he’d risk the trigger going off just to fight back!”

As his longest-serving assistants, Wei Di and Chen Yiming knew even more—

Chi Gui had missed the person he held most dear. That person had publicly accepted the confession of Chi Gui’s nominal nephew—Chi Sheng.

Chi Gui was bogged down by other affairs. He had missed his chance.

To avoid disturbing that person, and to force himself to suppress the feelings he shouldn’t have, Chi Gui was willing to settle overseas.

As for the local businesses left in Hai City, they were merely a silent gesture of generosity to Chi Sheng’s family, all for Jing Shun’s sake.