Chapter 27: The Entrepreneurial Involution King Returns to the Scene
Liang Bo was an honest and trustworthy good boy; when he said he wouldn’t “shoot up” in height, he didn’t “shoot up.”
Eighteen, nineteen to early twenties was exactly when young men grew taller. Shou Jiaxun had grown nearly ten centimeters in these few years, but Liang Bo managed to keep his word, maintaining the perfect “scaffolding” height of 190cm.
The last time they met, President Shou only reached Liang Bo’s shoulder. Now his forehead could reach Student Liang’s chin.
Surprised and delighted, President Shou opened his arms and actively gave his old friend a warm hug: “Oh my! I really didn’t expect the new assistant to be you. Did you interview with our company on purpose to give me a surprise?”
Liang Bo politely hugged him back and explained with a simple smile: “No… the company entity you posted the recruitment information for online was ‘Yunfeng Era Media’. I only found out during the interview yesterday that it’s the same company as ‘Indeed Trade’.”
Shou Jiaxun patted his new assistant on the shoulder with a gratified look: “Indeed, still the Student Liang I know.” —Incredibly honest.
Then he turned sideways to clear the doorway, gesturing for the other to drag the luggage in, and immediately began assigning work: “We are going to the client’s company to present the proposal at 1:30 PM, so we go downstairs to eat around 11:00; you need to book a business car in advance, I’ll send you the address right away.
The road isn’t too far, but there might be traffic, so we must be in the car before 12:15.
Now I have to start preparing the proposal draft. You help me iron the suit neatly, then tidy up this place… it’s really too messy.
…Eh? Don’t you need to take something to write this down?”
Liang Bo’s eyes looked slightly blank, and his expression gradually morphed from the initial surprise to a little confusion; it took two seconds for him to give feedback: “Oh, it’s okay, I can remember.”
Shou Jiaxun could finally focus on his proposal slides, even though he was only wearing a bathrobe and his hair was still dripping water.
He fished out a box of gland blocking patches and a pack of cigarettes from his suitcase, then immediately sat down at the desk, verified his fingerprint to open the computer: “Bo-er, hurry up and add me on WeChat, I’ll send you the client’s address.”
Workplace newcomer Assistant Liang scrambled to take out his phone and stepped forward to scan the electronic QR code already open on President Shou’s computer screen.
At the same time, Shou Jiaxun had already replaced the patch on the gland at the back of his neck with a new one, lit a cigarette, and took two leisurely deep drags: “After you finish ironing the clothes, help me blow-dry my hair. There’s a dryer in my suitcase.”
“…Okay.”
Liang Bo had just uttered the word “Okay” when his phone ding-donged, receiving the client address sent by President Shou.
—”It’s best to keep phone calls and texts on vibrate only. Remember to switch to flight mode during the meeting.”
—”Also, did you bring formal wear? Wearing this outfit to see a client isn’t very professional.”
Liang Bo looked down at his casual clothes and sneakers. He felt a breath stuck in his throat, unable to swallow it or exhale it.
He thought that reuniting with Shou Jiaxun in a foreign country would at least allow for five minutes of catching up… but he didn’t even use five sentences.
Little President Shou from four years ago always looked busy, and now he looked even busier.
After staring blankly for a moment, Assistant Liang immediately opened the notepad on his phone and muttered softly: “I’d better write it down… Iron clothes, change clothes, order food, order car, flight mode for meetings… President Shou, anything else?”
“Hair,” President Shou tapped the cigarette ash, reminding him casually.
“Oh right, right, blow hair, tidy room.”
For the next hour, Assistant Liang spun around the room like a top; President Shou sat at the desk smoking and reciting his speech, steady as Mount Tai.
It was as if an invisible barrier separated the two, each busy with their own affairs, simply like a parallel universe split within the same room.
It wasn’t until Liang Bo brought the portable hairdryer over to dry Shou Jiaxun’s hair that Shou Jiaxun paid attention to him again: “Pour me a glass of water.”
Assistant Liang hurriedly put down the dryer to pour water, then came back to tend to President Shou’s short hair.
“Boss, what hairstyle do you want?” Assistant Liang endured and endured, but finally couldn’t hold back, imitating a salon boy’s tone to tease his old acquaintance.
“Heh… hmm…” President Shou smiled beautifully: “Blow dry, tidy it up with hair wax, can you do that?”
“I can… after all, I grow hair too.” Assistant Liang spoke more and more narrowly.
Shou Jiaxun finally raised his face, seriously looked at his old friend for a moment, then patted the other’s arm: “Thanks for your hard work.”
A very formulaic comforting sentence, and he quickly turned his attention back to the desk: “Survive today, and you’ll be a qualified ‘Special Assistant’.”
If Liang Bo had never met him before, he should definitely express his loyalty at this time, saying: “Don’t worry, I can definitely do it.”
But right now, Assistant Liang’s mindset was complicated. Opening his mouth, he felt his tongue tied. After hesitating for a long time, he actually asked President Shou back: “What if I can’t survive it?”
“Then go back to being friends,” President Shou said while picking up his phone to scroll through messages.
Soon he saw the group chat invitation sent to him by Guo Duoyu a day ago. Shou Jiaxun tapped it twice, only to have a “Invitation has expired” prompt pop up.
Liang Bo asked: “Do you have time to meet friends often now?”
Shou Jiaxun threw the phone aside and looked back at the computer, chuckling softly: “Afraid… not.”
Assistant Liang looked embarrassed: “You busy yourself, don’t mind me.”
“Mmhmm.”
Liang Bo busied both hands with President Shou’s hair, but his eyes kept involuntarily glancing at the patch on the back of the other’s neck. When Shou Jiaxun’s hair was eighty percent dry, he finally spoke the words in his heart: “President Shou, your patch is crooked. Shall I reapply it for you?”
“Mmhmm.”
Shou Jiaxun extinguished his cigarette and lowered his head slightly, cooperating with Assistant Liang to change the tape.
Liang Bo bent his waist and back to get close to President Shou’s gland, gently picking up the edge of the tape with his fingernail tip and peeling off the crooked patch.
As expected… there was no scar from being marked at all.
Shou Jiaxun timely lifted a new patch over his shoulder, presenting it to Assistant Liang.
Liang Bo helped him cover the jade-white, flawless Omega gland squarely.
…
Four years ago, Liang Bo was probably the first among his teammates to develop feelings for the little fruit stall owner and want to put it into action to pursue him seriously.
However, those bastards all made moves faster than Little Student Liang.
For a period of time, Shou Jiaxun practically became the must-discuss topic for their basketball team after meals.
Usually starting from how cute Little President Shou looked and how sweet his smile was; to Little President Shou actually already living with a boyfriend and actively requesting to end the marking.
Everyone described it vividly, as if they had seen with their own eyes Shou Jiaxun being pressed onto the bed by a dark, strong boy biting his neck, seeing clearly how many drops of blood were bitten out and how many tooth marks the Alpha left.
For eighteen or nineteen-year-old boys just reaching adulthood, “Love” pretty much stopped at the single matter of marking.
Love him, mark him, and ensure he carries only your scent forever.
Conversely, an Omega who has already been marked can only marry the Alpha who marked him.
A decent Alpha wouldn’t touch a marked Omega, and of course, a decent Omega would absolutely never accept another Alpha’s pursuit after being marked.
Little Student Liang was secretly disappointed for quite a long time because of this, apart from agonizing over the issue that Shou Jiaxun might have already been marked by an Alpha, he was also shy about pursuing a subject of “public discussion.”
Until he was sent abroad by his family for preparatory courses, thoroughly cutting off contact with Little President Shou, and ending the ambiguous feelings quietly sprouting in the green youth’s heart.
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