Chapter 6#

Qiao Nanqi turned his head and glanced in the direction of the master bedroom.

The door was already closed, only a little light leaking from the crack. It was quiet inside, unknown what the person inside was doing.

In the past, when Zhao Rong saw Qiao Nanqi at home, he would come up and sit aside.

He wouldn’t do anything, just quietly stay there, either looking at Qiao Nanqi or looking at his phone. If Qiao Nanqi felt he was annoying, he didn’t need Qiao Nanqi to mention it; he could understand with just one expression and would get up and leave by himself.

Zhao Rong’s state just now was obviously not the usual state.

But Qiao Nanqi just glanced at the closed door, then withdrew his gaze and continued to deal with the unfinished work from the company.

He didn’t have the leisure to understand Zhao Rong’s fleeting moods and trivial matters.

In the evening, Xia Yuantu came to Qiao Nanqi’s house.

Xia Yuantu was one of the few friends Qiao Nanqi trusted. He had many business dealings with Qiao Nanqi, being both a friend and a right-hand man. He was one of the few who knew about the relationship between Qiao Nanqi and Zhao Rong, and often hung out with Qiao Nanqi and Lu Xingping. Qiao Nanqi didn’t avoid him either, often letting him come home to talk about business.

Today was the same.

Unlike Qiao Nanqi in a slim-fitting shirt, Xia Yuantu was draped in a seasonal trench coat, wearing a diamond stud earring on one ear, and his deliberately long hair was tied into a small tail.

He followed Qiao Nanqi into the study, familiarly sat on the chair beside the desk, and pushed the documents in his hand in front of Qiao Nanqi: “It’s done. Now basically no one in the company doesn’t stand by you; those few from your Qiao family can’t jump around. Also, by next month at the latest, those unclean things Chen Zehe did definitely can’t be covered up.”

—Chen Zehe was that eldest cousin of Zhao Rong.

“But…” Xia Yuantu touched his chin, “I’ve calculated back and forth these past few days, and it’s still not right. We estimated the Chen family’s assets before, which are twice what Chen Zehe has under his hands. I’m sure I haven’t missed anything under Chen Zehe’s name. I checked all those surnamed Chen, nothing. Did we miscalculate?”

Incense was burning in the study, quiet and peaceful.

Qiao Nanqi didn’t speak, directly flipping through the documents to read.

The bright incandescent light was on in the study, and the desk lamp emitted a circle of halo. The light was pale, illuminating the light mole at the end of Qiao Nanqi’s eye more clearly. Once his sharply lined face became serious, it was utterly cold. However, this mole softened all his temperament, and at first glance, he even looked somewhat scholarly.

It is said that people with moles at the end of their eyes are easily trapped by love, but perhaps his mole was too light; he didn’t look like someone trapped by love, but rather like someone trapping others.

Xia Yuantu sat for a while, really bored, and asked casually: “Where’s Zhao Rong? Usually when I come to find you, he’s always wandering around you.”

“In the room.” Qiao Nanqi said.

This villa had three floors, and the number of rooms was in double digits. Qiao Nanqi’s answer was no different from not answering.

Xia Yuantu raised an eyebrow and smiled: “Rare. Did you tell him about those things with the surnamed Chen, and he’s unhappy?”

Qiao Nanqi’s gaze moved from the document and glanced at him.

“Whether he’s happy or not has nothing to do with me,” he leaned back slightly against the chair, his expression as usual, “I didn’t tell him.”

“Your little darling at home likes you so much… such a big thing you didn’t tell him?” Xia Yuantu was stunned for a moment, wanted to say something more, but seeing Qiao Nanqi’s eyes, he swallowed the words back.

Although he and Qiao Nanqi were friends, he didn’t dare to joke about Qiao Nanqi. The only person who could speak unscrupulously in front of this person was Lu Xingping.

Qiao Nanqi rested one hand on the desk, his fingers like jade fan ribs slightly curled, tapping on the desktop one by one.

As if hearing a joke, he lowered his head and eyes, chuckling lowly: “Such a big thing? How big? Unnecessary.”

Qiao Nanqi didn’t take it seriously and continued to flip through the documents in front of him.

Xia Yuantu hesitated for a while before saying: “I, still want to advise you.”

“If you really want to keep going with Zhao Rong like this, then live well. Say clearly what should be said, explain clearly what should be explained. If you don’t want to…”

“When all those messy things about the Chen family are shaken out by you, there is a certain possibility that Chen Zehe and those people will go to jail. Although Zhao Rong doesn’t get along well with Chen Zehe, after all, there is a blood relationship. We don’t know what he will think then.”

“You are different from us. Many of us keep lovers outside, but no one at home. But you and Zhao Rong can be considered a legitimate relationship of marriage and living together, not something that can be ignored casually. You don’t worry about having no one around you. If you don’t talk it out with him now, then break up with him. Anyway, you don’t like him.”

Qiao Nanqi’s expression paused.

In an instant, the image of Zhao Rong always looking up slightly at him with those bright eyes popped into his mind. For so many years, even the angle hadn’t changed much.

He thought for a moment about Zhao Rong’s life after disappearing from his sight.

Qiao Nanqi’s fingertips subconsciously pressed hard on the document, pushing a wrinkle out of the white paper.

Impossible. Zhao Rong couldn’t leave him.

Keeping Zhao Rong by his side was always better than keeping someone unknown outside like Xia Yuantu and others did without knowing their background.

And it wasn’t that he didn’t like him. Just couldn’t be counted as love.

Forget it.

He said: “He won’t cause trouble.”

What Xia Yuantu wanted to say was blocked by Qiao Nanqi’s decision.

He actually wanted to say—what’s the use of being compliant in bed, what’s the use of being obedient in feelings? If interests are really touched, who knows if he will help Chen Zehe play tricks behind their backs? That half of the Chen family’s property is so strange; who knows if it has something to do with Zhao Rong?

Since he didn’t seem to care that much, why keep a hidden danger?

But he still didn’t dare to say it.

On the completely different personalities of Qiao Nanqi and Zhao Rong, one point was the same.

Both were stubbornly jaw-dropping.

Decided things couldn’t be changed; saying it was useless.

Xia Yuantu stopped talking. Qiao Nanqi quietly finished reading these document reports. After confirming they were correct, he closed the folder slowly and talked about some other things with Xia Yuantu.

It was near midnight when Xia Yuantu left.

Qiao Nanqi returned to the master bedroom. The light in the master bedroom was still on, and the room was filled with the faint scent of shower gel that hadn’t had time to dissipate, which was his favorite refreshing orange scent. The young man who came in early was already lying on the bed, eyes closed, breathing steadily, probably asleep.

Zhao Rong’s sleeping posture had always been good.

When Zhao Rong was asleep, he would only lie quietly on one side of the bed. With his eyes closed, his carefully crafted features added a bit of coldness to him instead.

He would also subconsciously sleep towards the edge of the bed, leaving a large space for him, leaving until he himself was about to fall off, barely hanging on the edge.

Completely different from that clever look with a smile and smooth social skills during the day.

Before Qiao Nanqi got together with Zhao Rong, Zhao Rong was often brought to play with their group. People like them more or less had some background, many taboos, sometimes couldn’t play openly, and didn’t dare to force drink on anyone. Someone like Zhao Rong who was willing to have a drink with anyone who came was naturally likable.

Moreover, Zhao Rong’s peach blossom eyes naturally carried a smile. Coupled with slightly red cheeks, he looked even better than usual. They weren’t really serious everywhere people, so they were naturally happy to make Zhao Rong drink.

When Qiao Nanqi first met Zhao Rong, his impression of the fourteen-year-old Zhao Rong was clean, obedient, with the vigor of a teenager, yet moist with a calmness beyond his years.

But ever since Lu Xingping brought Zhao Rong into the sight of their group, what Qiao Nanqi saw more was another side of Zhao Rong.

Not the appearance of wearing a junior high school uniform alone, standing obediently at the door of the ward looking at him, but the appearance of being at ease even when mingling in the crowd.

It was the type of rich playboy that Qiao Nanqi had disliked since childhood.

He didn’t like seeing such occasions.

Especially didn’t like seeing Zhao Rong drinking and laughing with his friends with arms around each other’s shoulders.

Perhaps because seeing it made him feel the other party was incompetent and rotten inside.

Now this sleeping Zhao Rong made him feel exceptionally comfortable—quiet, with no one around, obedient and docile.

Zhao Rong mingling in the crowd annoyed him, but Zhao Rong lying quietly by the bed made his heart itch.

Such quietness eased Qiao Nanqi’s mood. He walked to the bed, suddenly thinking of Zhao Rong listlessly saying “Fine, won’t go” before, his tone flat, without a trace of anger.

He lowered his eyes and thought for a while, the phone screen lighting up and darkening, darkening and lighting up.

Finally, he sent a message to the assistant.

Asking the assistant to pay attention, if Zhao Rong really stayed away from the company in a fit of pique these few days, still keep Zhao Rong’s position in the company.

Anyway, he had no possibility of finding someone he truly liked to accompany him for a lifetime. Keeping Zhao Rong by his side saved worry.

Maybe this sentence of Zhao Rong was acting like a spoiled child or expressing dissatisfaction with him, but what Zhao Rong actually thought, he didn’t have the leisure to care.

It would be fine in two days—Zhao Rong wouldn’t be awkward with him.

On the point of self-knowledge, Zhao Rong had always been qualified.

Zhao Rong should have slept peacefully, but in the middle of the night, not knowing if he felt some noise, when he slowly opened his eyes, Qiao Nanqi was sitting on the other side of the bed.

No lights were on, no curtains drawn. Zhao Rong could only see a tall silhouette.

He was startled. Only after hearing Qiao Nanqi’s slightly rapid breathing did he realize.

Qiao Nanqi had a nightmare again.

Unlike him who slept in total darkness, Qiao Nanqi had a heavy heart and was a light sleeper. In the more than a year they had been together, this person often woke up in shock in the middle of the night.

Male lead, beautiful, strong, and miserable, none can be missing.

This person was the accumulation of all excellent rhetoric in the whole book, so naturally, he also bore those pasts hidden in the book. Qiao Nanqi’s mother not only jumped off a building to commit suicide when he was seventeen but also jumped in front of Qiao Nanqi holding the cat that grew up with him.

This had always been Qiao Nanqi’s nightmare.

As a loyal reader of “The Return”, aside from everything that happened with Qiao Nanqi after transmigrating, looking at Qiao Nanqi’s past alone, Zhao Rong empathized very much. Before transmigrating, he posted words like “heartache for the male lead” in the comment section every day.

Over the past year or so, if Qiao Nanqi woke up in shock at night while at home, he would naturally accompany him by the side. Must comfort the person well so that he wouldn’t be disturbed.

Really doesn’t let a person have a good sleep.

He sighed silently, sat up slightly, and skillfully hugged Qiao Nanqi from behind.

He coaxed like coaxing a child: “Sleep, it’s late.”

Qiao Nanqi only felt a sudden warmth covering his back. The young man’s voice was a bit low in the night, and a bit soft.

His tense body slowly relaxed, his breathing gradually became steady, but he still sat there, not speaking.

The person behind him didn’t speak anymore either, just hugging him from behind neither tight nor loose.

Don’t know how long passed.

Qiao Nanqi gradually felt sleepy.

Zhao Rong seemed to have fallen asleep already. At this moment, rather than hugging, it was better to say he was hanging on his body.

He pushed away Zhao Rong’s hand and lay down. During the movement, the young man should have been disturbed, but didn’t wake up, lying down with the flow, lips slightly parted, seeming to say something.

Qiao Nanqi listened attentively.

“…Disturbing people’s dreams, and hard to coax.”

“Dog thing.”

Qiao Nanqi: “…”

He said: “Shut up.”

Hearing Qiao Nanqi’s voice, the half-asleep Zhao Rong shut his mouth very obediently.

But looking at his sleeping posture not as stable as usual, obviously still muttering in his mind, muttering these words he had never heard during the day, muttering these words completely out of tune with Zhao Rong’s usual obedience.

Qiao Nanqi: “…”

His movement of lying down stopped, his brows slightly furrowed.

This muttering like sleep-talking gave rise to a subtle emotion in him abruptly.

Zhao Rong was annoyed with him.

The irritability that had risen because of the nightmare just now had finally slowly retreated in the quietness, but now, for some reason, it made a comeback.