Chapter 20: The Beginning of the Mystery of Identity
“Not busy today?” Xiahou Qian asked, looking at Chi Shaochen after sitting down. Chi Shaochen didn’t come every day; he had been quite busy lately with the matters of Qianchen Media.
“Everything is handled. Iâll take you to see it tomorrow and, while we’re at it, meet with the high-level executives of Qianchen. These are people who know your identity, including the public-facing boss of Qianchen. As for everyone else, you can decide whether or not to let them know,” Chi Shaochen said.
Indeed, from the moment of registration, Qianchen Media had been under Xiahou Qianâs name. He held 99% of the shares, with only 1% belonging to Chi Shaochen.
When Lu Ke had asked for his ID card earlier, Xiahou Qian thought it was for his work at the bar. He only realized later that it was to register the company. This happened because Xiahou Qian hadn’t expected Chi Shaochen to leave such an important task to Lu Ke.
Perhaps Xiahou Qian had misunderstood the relationship between Lu Ke and Chi Shaochen in his previous life, but through recent contact, he realized he had been overthinking. The two were childhood best friends; they were close, but there was no ambiguity. It was perfectly normal for Chi Shaochen to be closer to Lu Ke than most people, but becoming lovers was impossible. Thinking back on the photos he saw in his previous life, there weren’t actually any truly intimate shotsâthey were just clever uses of visual perspective to cause misunderstandings.
So, his initial jealousy toward Lu Ke was really… Fortunately, Lu Ke and Chi Shaochen didn’t know about it.
“Alright.” Even as he said this, Xiahou Qian had already decided in his heart not to let people know about his ownership. He really had no experience being a boss; it was better to just sing his songs. He would leave everything else to the professionals. Even if the company was his, he knew nothing about management and saw no need to meddle.
In truth, Xiahou Qian simply had no interest in it; otherwise, with his intelligence, learning wouldn’t have been difficult.
Chi Shaochen drove Xiahou Qian home and followed him upstairs.
Chi Shaochen had already made himself at home half a month ago, and the two had shared several “discordant” incidents there. As soon as they entered the door today, Xiahou Qian was embraced from behind by Chi Shaochen. He didn’t struggle, merely wondering if Chi Shaochen wanted to do “this and that” again.
Xiahou Qian was occasionally startled by his own outrageously high level of acceptance for these things. But it truly felt comfortable, so why should he refuse? Chi Shaochen wasn’t just the man he loved; his looks, physique, and aura were beyond reproach. Although he became increasingly rogue-like in bed, being a rogue during those times… was actually quite a turn-on.
Xiahou Qianâs sense of integrity was slowly dwindling after being treated “this way and that” by Chi Shaochen…
Feeling Chi Shaochenâs light kisses on his neck, Xiahou Qian remembered that time in the office when Chi had bitten him. Since then, Chi hadn’t shown any particular obsession with his neck, though Xiahou Qian felt particularly sensitive whenever Chi Shaochen bit him. At this moment, Xiahou Qian felt his legs grow a bit weak.
Damn it, is my body becoming more and more sensitive? What should I do?
However, Chi Shaochen pulled away from Xiahou Qianâs neck at that moment, picked him up, and placed him on the bed before facing him directly…
When Xiahou Qian woke up the next morning, Chi Shaochen had long since left for the company. In his groggy state earlier, he seemed to have heard Chi Shaochen saying goodbye before leavingâwell, a kiss goodbye. But he was so sleepy then that he didn’t even open his eyes before falling back asleep.
He picked up the phone by his pillow and saw it was already past 11:00 AM. Just as he was about to put it down, it suddenly vibrated, and Chi Shaochenâs name appeared on the screen.
“Hello…” Well, after saying just one word, Xiahou Qian felt extreme discomfort in his throat and immediately frowned.
He was a music student and a singer; his voice was as important as his life. He usually had to be careful with his diet to maintain it, but he always forgot after being pinned down by Chi Shaochen. Last night he had cried out in pleasure, but now he was suffering. Fortunately, his throatâs recovery ability was top-notch! He just needed to drink more water to recover quickly; otherwise, he might develop a psychological shadow regarding certain activities.
“There’s warm water in the thermos on the nightstand, and I left throat lozenges next to it. Talk after youâve had the water and the lozenges,” Chi Shaochen said, clearly noticing the poor state of Xiahou Qianâs voice immediately.
From Chi Shaochenâs thoughtfulness, it was clear this wasn’t the first time; otherwise, he wouldn’t have prepared everything so comprehensively.
Although Chi Shaochen was cold to others, he took great care of Xiahou Qian. Xiahou Qian wasn’t used to this side of him at first, but he gradually grew accustomed to and liked the feeling of being pampered. He obediently drank the water and put a lozenge in his mouth, and it indeed felt much better.
“Iâm fine now,” Xiahou Qian said, picking up the phone again.
To Xiahou Qian, everything since his rebirth felt like a beautiful dream. Perhaps he was still sober at the beginning, but as Chi Shaochen treated him better and better, he couldn’t help but start feeling terrified. He feared that one day he would wake up and be back to being the man who had nothing in his previous life. Consequently, he began to let himself sink deeper into this dream.
In his interactions with Chi Shaochen, Xiahou Qian had let go of all reservations. He was very obedient; even when Chi Shaochen made certain requests that made his heart race and his face flush, he cooperated. In one month, his relationship with Chi Shaochen had progressed by leaps and bounds.
The real reason Xiahou Qian hadn’t met Chi Shaochenâs friends yet was that he subconsciously refused to come into contact with anyone or anything that might threaten his relationship with Chi Shaochen, though even Xiahou Qian himself hadn’t realized this yet.
“Iâll come back to pick you up for lunch in a bit, then weâll go to Qianchen in the afternoon.” Although it was the weekend, Chi Shaochen had come to the company early this morningânot because he had unfinished work, but to think about something. And for now, he didn’t want Xiahou Qian to know about this matter.
After hanging up, Chi Shaochen frowned slightly. After so much time, he thought it was over, but unexpectedly, when he held Xiahou Qian from behind last night, he couldn’t control himself as soon as he got close to his neck. As he kissed, he wanted to bite down… as if something there was enticing him. Later, he restrained that impulse, not wanting Xiahou Qian to notice anything. He continued as if nothing were wrong, but he changed his posture and deliberately avoided that forbidden zone.
He hadn’t slept well all night, thinking about this. In fact, he hadn’t just realized this recently. When he first got together with Xiahou Qian, he felt the scent on his neck was particularly pleasant. That one time, he had bitten Xiahou Qianâs neck so hard it remained swollen for days. His own neck had also been bitten hard by Xiahou Qian and took many days to fade. During that time, many people looked at him with surprised, curious, and startled eyes, though because of his status, their gazes weren’t that direct.
After that time, he avoided the neck whenever they were intimate, and everything seemed normal. But until yesterday, he realized he was wrong. It wasn’t just attraction; it should be called a temptation, or even an instinct. But what was on Xiahou Qianâs neck? He knew very well that Xiahou Qian never even used perfume. What exactly was the scent he was smelling?
Chi Shaochen had a headache; he had no clues no matter how much he thought.
Suddenly thinking of something, Chi Shaochen picked up his phone, found Lu Keâs number, and dialed.
“Are you at home? … I’m coming over now.”
After confirming Lu Ke was home, Chi Shaochen hung up, grabbed his things, and quickly left the office. He drove straight to Lu Keâs house.
Chi Shaochen rang the doorbell, and it took a while for Lu Ke to come to the door. He clearly looked like he had just crawled out of bed, but Chi Shaochen didn’t care. He had come to see Lu Ke just to confirm one thing!
Then, Lu Ke saw Chi Shaochen proactively approach him. But looking at Chi Shaochen stepping toward him, Lu Ke took step after step back until he hit the wall with nowhere left to retreat.
“Brother, you… what’s wrong with you today?” Lu Ke looked at Chi Shaochen with a gaze of disbelief. This is too weird!
In fact, Lu Ke wanted to ask if Chi Shaochen had taken the wrong medicine or been provoked, but looking at that cold face, he truly didn’t have the courage. Moreover, Chi Shaochen was clearly in a bad mood; he really didn’t have the guts to “pluck the tiger’s whiskers” right now!
Chi Shaochen pinned Lu Ke against the wall. To an outsider, this posture would definitely be misunderstood, but as Lu Ke had grown up with Chi Shaochen, he absolutely didn’t think in an ambiguous direction. His surprise and disbelief were because Chi Shaochen was not only “repelling strangers” but “repelling everyone except Xiahou Qian.” Yet today, he was proactively approaching himâhow could he stay calm?
However, Chi Shaochen clearly didn’t want to talk much, so Lu Ke could only stand still against the wall, watching as Chi Shaochen walked in front of him. There was about ten centimeters between them. Chi Shaochen leaned his head in… stopped at his neck… and stayed there for at least twenty seconds before pulling away. Simultaneously, he took a step back, returning to the distance Lu Ke was accustomed to.
Lu Ke swallowed. Seeing Chi Shaochen still frowning, he had no idea what Chi was thinking, let alone what he had just been doing.
And what was Chi Shaochen thinking now?
He was thinking that indeed, only Xiahou Qianâs neck had an effect on him. Being so close to Lu Keâs neck just now, he felt nothing but the usual repulsion. But Xiahou Qian was special to him; the fact that he repelled everyone elseâs touch but could accept intimacy with Xiahou Qian already proved that.
He thought of the information he had looked up in the office this morning: Rabies, vampires, accidental ingestion of some medicine, or some unknown disease. Chi Shaochen was sure he hadn’t been bitten by a dog, everything he ate should be safe, and being a vampire was even more impossible. If it was a disease, what kind of disease would it be?
This wasn’t something that could be solved all at once. Seeing that it was almost noon, Chi Shaochen didn’t explain anything to Lu Ke and left directly to drive back to Xiahou Qianâs residence, leaving Lu Ke confused and curious, his sleepiness long gone.
While driving back, Chi Shaochen took out his wireless headset from the front of the car, put it on, and dialed a number.
“Check if there are any hereditary diseases or strange things in the Chi family. From my father to his ancestors, check as many generations as possible… Check the side branches too. Organize everything you find in detail and give it to me.”
After giving the instructions, Chi Shaochen irritably pulled off the headset. Although he was still frowning, he didn’t get too distracted since he was driving. It wasn’t until the car stopped downstairs at Xiahou Qianâs home that Chi Shaochen massaged his temples for a while. He checked himself in the mirror, and after confirming his expression had returned to normal, he went upstairs.
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