Chapter 41#

Xiao Wu nodded habitually before reacting: “Prepare another copy? Is there any other handover document that needs to be supplemented?”

Qiao Nanqi was still looking into the ward.

The person in the ward who was going crazy in a wretched state was clearly his father, but he seemed to enjoy watching this scene quite a bit, just looking on calmly without averting his gaze.

He knew he had been losing control again these past few days.

Negative emotions poured in like a dam bursting, even though he had adjusted at Lu Xingping’s place for a long time last night, and even though he knew very well what consequences those current thoughts of his might bring…

But he still couldn’t help himself.

Just like how he still came here today. Even though after achieving his goal, he told himself to forget the past brought by He Nan, last night he dreamed of Qiao Anqing again, dreamed of the moment Qiao Anqing jumped in front of him. He restrained himself for an entire morning, but in the end, he still came here to enjoy He Nan’s ugly state.

After watching for so long, his heart finally felt a bit more refreshed.

“…Sir?”

Qiao Nanqi said: “It’s not a handover document. It’s an agreement, for Zhao Rong to sign. You’ve done something similar before.”

Xiao Wu turned this sentence over in his mind three times before he remembered the last time he had prepared a special agreement for Zhao Rong on Qiao Nanqi’s behalf—the marriage agreement from over a year ago.

Qiao Nanqi said word by word: “Prepare one.”

“I’ll tell you what to write in it.”

Monday.

Late autumn finally ended in yesterday’s heavy rain. The morning sun had just risen, reflecting a thin layer of mist that shrouded the entire Yang City. By the time the mist dissipated, the air remained chilly.

Passersby hurried along, painting a picture of vitality tinged with the loneliness of early winter.

Many people came and went around the Qiao family’s main company area. Zhao Rong wove through the crowd, feeling the occasional glance from others as they turned their heads.

He lowered his head slightly, burying half of his face in his scarf, which eased his discomfort a little.

Just as he walked into the building, he saw Xiao Wu leaning against the front desk, waiting for him listlessly.

There was no one else by Xiao Wu’s side.

Zhao Rong had originally prepared himself to be entangled with Qiao Nanqi again today. Seeing only Xiao Wu at first glance, he was actually stunned for a moment.

“Mr. Zhao,” Xiao Wu stepped forward to meet him, his gaze falling on the scarf around Zhao Rong’s neck. “Has it gotten colder outside?”

Zhao Rong had spent some time in the company previously and got along well with Xiao Wu. Xiao Wu also knew he had a good temper, which was why he was quite casual.

But for some reason, Xiao Wu’s gaze flickered a bit today. He looked at Zhao Rong, hesitant to speak, only asking that one question.

Zhao Rong shook his head: “It’s alright, it just got cold today. I’m afraid of the cold.”

Xiao Wu walked ahead, leading him upstairs: “I’ve prepared the materials and documents for the equity transfer. Please come up with me.”

Zhao Rong was here specifically for this matter today, so he naturally followed.

He originally thought they would go to the administrative office or some meeting room, but to his surprise, Xiao Wu led him to the rest area of the adjacent building.

This rest area was actually similar to high-end apartments, often used for company executives and people who needed a grand reception. Although it was sometimes used for other things, it was vacant most of the time.

Zhao Rong had never been here, but he knew that such places weren’t usually used for office work. He watched as Xiao Wu brought him to an apartment on a higher floor. The inside was as neat as new, like a hotel room ready for check-in at any time. There was no one there; only the long table in the living room held the necessary documents.

Xiao Wu stepped forward and spread out the stacked documents: “See if there are any problems.”

He asked: “Didn’t I just come to pick up a document? Why do we have to be here?”

Xiao Wu paused, the grip in his hand loosening, and the documents he was holding fell back onto the table. He hurriedly picked them up again, organized them quickly, and replied: “Sir said the office area is full today. You’re just here to check the documents for the share transfer, no need for a meeting room.”

He arranged all the documents and said quickly: “Mr. Zhao, please take a look. I have other things to attend to.”

Zhao Rong just felt that Xiao Wu was being more reckless than usual. Seeing him leave in a hurry, he assumed Xiao Wu’s work was being delayed by his small personal grudge, so he didn’t ask further.

Xiao Wu left, leaving him alone in the quiet surroundings.

He walked to the long table, sat down, and began to carefully check the documents needed by himself. He wanted to leave this place sooner, so he looked especially carefully, his eyes constantly scanning the papers.

He didn’t know how long he had been looking—ten minutes, or perhaps dozens of minutes.

Zhao Rong withdrew his gaze, stretched, and stood up, planning to pack the documents and leave.

But just as he stood up, out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly caught sight of a figure that had appeared at the door at some unknown time.

Qiao Nanqi was still wearing a form-fitting white shirt today. The fabric, expensive but not extravagant, outlined the lines of his upper body. The topmost button of his collar was undone, hiding a bit of casualness within his formality.

In one hand, he held a stack of papers that weren’t exactly thin, and in the other, he carried a bag, its contents unknown.

He stood by the door like that, leaning slightly against the doorframe, watching Zhao Rong.

Zhao Rong hadn’t heard a sound at all and didn’t know when this person had arrived.

As soon as his gaze turned, he locked eyes with Qiao Nanqi.

Perhaps it was too sudden, or perhaps it had been too long since he had seen such a well-dressed and unpredictable Qiao Nanqi, he quickly averted his gaze and grabbed the documents on the table, intending to leave.

“I’m finished here. I’ll be going now.”

Qiao Nanqi just lightly set down the brown paper bag he was carrying, turned back, and closed the door.

The moment the door closed, Zhao Rong heard a crisp sound of the lock clicking.

Qiao Nanqi looked at him, his gaze deep and heavy.

“Zhao Rong,” he said, his tone wrapped in a thick layer of tenderness, “have you had breakfast?”

Zhao Rong was stunned.

Qiao Nanqi walked to the long table and took the items out of the bag. An aroma wafted out, and only then did he realize that Qiao Nanqi had brought a bowl of porridge.

“I asked the doctor. Stomach pain can’t be cured quickly; it needs to be nursed slowly.”

He set the two stacks of paper in his hand aside, opened the bowl of porridge, pushed it in front of Zhao Rong, and then seriously unwrapped the utensils. He seemed to have never done such a thing before; his movements were full of awkwardness and stumbling. In the quietness, it took him quite a while to set everything out.

Zhao Rong watched him doing this. He originally wanted to speak and ask, but suddenly forgot what he wanted to ask.

Qiao Nanqi had never done such a thing.

He had also never seen such a Qiao Nanqi.

So he watched Qiao Nanqi finish all this with a blank mind, slowly closing his eyes to suppress the mess in his heart.

After a moment, he said in a low voice: “Qiao Nanqi, I…”

“If you don’t like the taste of this porridge, I can have someone buy a new one, or I can go buy it myself.” As if knowing what he was going to say, Qiao Nanqi immediately cut him off. “Your stomach is uncomfortable. I will help you nurse it back to health slowly. I’ve learned a lot about it.”

“Wherever you want to go to play—with Fang Zhuoqun, with Liu Shun, to night clubs—it’s all fine. If you want me to accompany you, I will try my best to make time. As long as you come home.”

“I…” He paused, his former sharpness seemingly retracted to somewhere unknown. “I’m not very good at saying these things. I know I was very bad before, so in the future, you can bring it up, and I will listen, I will change.”

He placed that stack of papers neatly in front of Zhao Rong—it was an agreement.

An agreement much thicker than the one Zhao Rong had signed with Qiao Nanqi over a year ago.

He walked around the long table to Zhao Rong’s side.

Perhaps Zhao Rong’s current silence gave him some confidence, or perhaps he just wanted to do it; he hugged Zhao Rong from behind and whispered in his ear: “I had Xiao Wu prepare a new marriage agreement. In here, there’s everything I own, plus the Chen family. If you want to add anything else, you can tell me.”

He seemed to be coaxing Zhao Rong: “Be good, sign it, and in the future… we’ll live together.”

The last time they met, in the narrow corridor in front of the bar’s restroom, under the dim light, Zhao Rong had raised his hand to stop Qiao Nanqi from speaking and didn’t listen to anything.

This time, he didn’t interrupt Qiao Nanqi, nor did he even push him away.

The man’s body heat came from behind, and he could feel Qiao Nanqi’s warm breath by his ear.

He didn’t look at the marriage agreement. He quietly looked at the bowl of porridge, listening to Qiao Nanqi say those words that the Qiao Nanqi in his memory could never have spoken.

Perhaps if any other person who had fantasies about Mr. Qiao were standing here, this would be a great “honor.”

Zhao Rong didn’t move at first.

He knew Qiao Nanqi had hugged him from behind, but at that moment, as he felt this closeness like that of ordinary lovers—something the two had never had before—he actually found that there wasn’t a single ripple in his heart.

Even he himself was surprised, so much so that he didn’t move away for a moment.

He had liked this person for so many years; even after leaving, he should have some feeling toward such a hug.

But he didn’t.

Why couldn’t this have come a bit earlier?

If only these words had come two months earlier. No, even one month would have been fine, or even on that day when he first confessed to Qiao Nanqi amidst the glitz and glamour.

He thought.

“I’ve already eaten breakfast,” he said, speaking very slowly. “Thank you.”

Hearing him say “thank you,” Qiao Nanqi clearly paused for a moment. Zhao Rong’s “thank you” didn’t have his usual gentle tone at all; instead, it was slightly cold, as if containing ice.

He sighed and spoke the truth: “Thank you, at least for letting me know that for this past year or so, I was a bit more important than a dog.”

“I’m not—”

“I don’t want to sign it. You’ve always been generous; you were never stingy when giving me money before. The terms in the agreement must be very good, but I still don’t want to sign.”

He looked at the clothes on Qiao Nanqi that he had once carefully selected. “You look good in a white shirt, but I don’t want to spend another year or two carefully selecting shirts that suit you anymore.”

After saying this, he slowly pushed Qiao Nanqi away, picked up the documents on the table, and walked toward the door. In his movement, his arm accidentally brushed the agreement off the table; the papers scattered and fell to the floor with a rustle.

The hot porridge on the table emitted steam, ignored by everyone.

Qiao Nanqi stood in place.

Zhao Rong thought that was the end of it.

But when he reached the door and turned the handle a few times, his movement to open the door came to a sudden halt.

He remembered the sound of the lock clicking when Qiao Nanqi entered the room earlier.

He also thought of Xiao Wu’s constantly dodging gaze when he led him here today.

This possible conjecture was actually quite absurd, but his past experiences made Zhao Rong think of this possibility immediately.

He glanced at the code lock on the inside of the door handle, turned back, met Qiao Nanqi’s gaze, and said in disbelief: “…What are you doing!?”

Qiao Nanqi took a deep breath, knelt down, and picked up the scattered agreement bit by bit.

Holding the agreement, he walked slowly to Zhao Rong. He handed the documents to Zhao Rong and said in a heavy voice: “Don’t worry, I just want you to take a close look at these. It won’t be long.”

This time, his tone returned to the solemnity he usually had at the company. His expression was weary, and the faint mole at the corner of his eye added a touch of gloom.

They were clearly both expressions of displeasure, yet it was completely different from the look of someone who was willing to drink all night at the bar a few days ago.

He didn’t say it directly, but the answer was obvious.

Zhao Rong glanced at the documents in his hand and then at the locked door handle.

He knew Qiao Nanqi wouldn’t actually refuse to open the door for him, but even just wanting him to stay a bit longer and take another look at the agreement, using such a method was already very humiliating.

—How did it turn into this?

When he moved out of Qiao Nanqi’s house, the countless possibilities he thought of were all the quiet end of his relationship with Qiao Nanqi.

Ironically, when they were under the same roof, he never got a single proper look, and now they couldn’t even maintain the peace of a clean break.

No matter how good his temper was, he couldn’t suppress the surge of anger rising in his heart.

He stared at the unopenable door lock for a good while, only finding it somewhat laughable.

He didn’t even try to enter the code. He just raised his hand and, in front of Qiao Nanqi, threw the unread agreement open.

The rustling sound of flying papers overlapped.

Amidst the falling white sheets, he took his phone out of his pocket.

But before he could even open the dialing interface, Qiao Nanqi suddenly stepped through the falling white papers, came in front of him, and snatched the phone away.

With a turn of his hand, he threw it onto the distant sofa.

This person’s movement was too fast; Zhao Rong had no time to stop him before the phone was already thrown far away.

He lifted his foot to go around Qiao Nanqi to get his phone back, but Qiao Nanqi blocked him.

Zhao Rong gritted his teeth: “…Qiao Nanqi!”

Qiao Nanqi’s eyes seemed a bit red.

He stood amidst the scattered white papers all over the floor, in front of Zhao Rong, looking down at him just like before, but he was not composed.

Zhao Rong laughed.

He knew it was impossible to end things properly today.

“Fine, okay, didn’t you say you wanted to talk face-to-face? Let’s talk.”

He gave a cold laugh, took a step forward instead, and looked up into Qiao Nanqi’s eyes, saying word by word: “Do you really like me?”

At this moment, his heart was filled with anger, absurdity, and ridicule. Without waiting for Qiao Nanqi to answer, he almost hurried his speech: “By now, maybe you do. But, Young Master Qiao, Mr. Qiao, you’re telling me you like me now. That might be a blessing to you, but to me…”

“It’s just an irony.”

If he just didn’t like him, then these past eleven or twelve years were actually just a one-sided pursuit, a past of a moth flying into a flame. Qiao Nanqi had never liked him; he couldn’t blame Qiao Nanqi for anything, and one could even say he deserved it.

But if it were only that, Zhao Rong wouldn’t regret it.

After all, even if a moth flies into a flame, that is the moth’s whole life.

But if Qiao Nanqi liked him, then he had knowingly committed those acts, ignoring and slighting him.

“What kind of ’like’ is it? The ’like’ where you stood me up for an entire day on a snowy day and didn’t even pick up a single call? The ’like’ where you never once wore a wedding ring? The ’like’ where you left as soon as you satisfied your needs as if I were a lover? The ’like’ where you had me drive you and Lu Xingping to a piano exhibition? Or the ’like’ where you called me a ‘useless person’ with every breath—mgh!”

As Qiao Nanqi listened to him, the struggle in his eyes grew. By the time Zhao Rong said the words “useless person,” Qiao Nanqi could no longer restrain himself and suddenly pressed down on him.

This person used even more force and moved even faster than the last time, pushing him against the door in an instant. They stepped over the messy papers on the floor. Amidst the rustling, Qiao Nanqi pressed Zhao Rong’s shoulders, lowered his head, and kissed him, blocking those words.

Zhao Rong could never win against him in a struggle.

This kiss triggered the subconscious habits cultivated over the past year or so, yet it was also wrapped in a never-before-seen fervor—it was both familiar and strange.

Zhao Rong couldn’t break free, so he simply gave up. When this person pried open his lips, he bit down hard.

He didn’t know if he bit the person’s tongue or their lower lip; he only felt a faint taste of blood. Yet Qiao Nanqi didn’t even make a sound of pain, nor did he pull back even an inch.

He still kissed him without any rhyme or reason.

Zhao Rong didn’t want to look pathetic in front of this person.

He just leaned against the door, motionless.

This moment was very short, yet it passed very slowly.

Many thoughts flashed through his mind.

He thought about how Qiao Nanqi was still kissing him like this after they had broken up. Clearly, Qiao Nanqi still felt, as before, that they were just having a short temper tantrum or a quarrel, and had never seriously respected his departure.

He thought about Lu Xingping telling him that he needed to think carefully about fulfilling the marriage contract.

He also thought about Qiao Nanqi’s current attitude toward him; then what did Qiao Nanqi’s attitude toward Lu Xingping count as?

And that marriage agreement they were stepping on, which seemed more generous than before but was actually just a larger cage.

Every instance of “not doing honest work,” “useless,” “rotten to the core”…

…

After a while.

Perhaps sensing Zhao Rong’s passivity, Qiao Nanqi’s whole body stiffened, and he stopped.

Zhao Rong leaned against the door, panting. Qiao Nanqi instantly withdrew his previous loss of control and held him cautiously. His low voice actually carried a slight hoarse sob, as if showing weakness.

There was even a hint of pleading.

“You still have feelings,” he said. “You like me, Zhao Rong.”

Zhao Rong tilted his head back, closing his eyes and steadying his breath.

He admitted: “I did like you before.”

Qiao Nanqi’s eyes brightened slightly.

But Zhao Rong’s tone shifted.

“But I’ve changed now.”

“You never understand. It doesn’t matter how many benefits are in that marriage agreement. I won’t sign it. Even if I did, I could never be that person who only had eyes for you again.”

“But you are still the same you. You don’t know how to love someone at all.”