Chapter 81: “Xie-laoshi, What Do You Look Like When You Cry?”
Xie Shibai dried his hair and changed back into his own clothes. He looked at the wound on the corner of his lip in the mirror, and his brow furrowed. The wound was very obvious; anyone who looked at it would know how it had been caused.
At the thought of going out and facing the camera later, and how this mark would be impossible to hide, Xie Shibai felt a bit annoyed.
The culprit was still taking his time in the shower.
“Lu Ciheng,” Xie Shibai said in annoyance. “You’re so slow.”
The sound of flowing water in the shower was clear, but there was no response for a long while.
Xie Shibai’s brow lowered. His mind actually began to hallucinate news stories he’d seen about people slipping and fainting in the shower. His hair-drying movements paused. He stood in front of the glass door of the shower stall. “Lu Ciheng? Are you still not done?”
After a few seconds, Lu Ciheng’s voice came from the shower.
“Mm.”
The voice was slow, somewhat low, hoarse, and sticky. Hearing it made his heart inexplicably skip a beat.
“Almost.” Once more words were spoken, that hoarseness became even more obvious, and it was faintly accompanied by the sound of restrained panting.
Xie Shibai’s breath hitched. He felt that the voice wasn’t right.
A voice came from inside the shower, low, thick, and carrying a slight pant. “Xie-laoshi, call my name again.”
Xie Shibai hesitated for a brief second. The sounds from the shower weren’t very clear under the cover of the flowing water, and the noises Lu Ciheng was making were also muffled.
Adults usually have a tacit understanding.
Xie Shibai touched the slightly itchy wound on the corner of his lip, feeling even more annoyed.
“Are you a child? Do you need someone to accompany you while you shower?”
The voice behind the door was muffled, carrying a low, hoarse laugh. “Mm. What should I do, Xie-laoshi? I can’t do it without you.”
Xie Shibai looked at the glass door and didn’t speak.
Lu Ciheng’s throat felt tight. Staring at the figure behind the glass door, his eyes, filled with intense desire, were pitch black. He was even tempted to pull the person in.
No one would come to the locker room. They could stay for a long time.
The wall of the shower was very cold, so Xie Shibai would have no choice but to cling to him.
He could be lifted up…
They would be very, very close. It would be negative distance.
It would reach his stomach.
Maybe even deeper.
Lu Ciheng’s panting was scalding, and his eyes were faintly red. He used a bit of strength with his hand.
The air was damp and chaotic.
Xie Shibai heard the low, hoarse question from inside the shower. Ignoring the location and the voice, it sounded like they were just chatting.
“Xie-laoshi, what do you look like when you cry?”
Xie Shibai’s fingertips curled slightly. He stared at the glass door of the shower stall. After a few seconds, his lips curled up. “Want to know?”
“Mm.”
Xie Shibai said, “Come closer to the door and I’ll tell you.”
Lu Ciheng’s breath tightened. His fingers pressed against the door, his gaze crimson as he restrained himself from looking at the doorknob.
In the next second, the shower door was slammed hard once. The “bang” was sudden and could easily startle someone.
Lu Ciheng was dazed for a few seconds. After a while, a low, hoarse laugh escaped his throat.
He’s angry. Truly cute.
After Lu Ciheng came out of the bathroom, he kept clinging to Xie Shibai. His dark eyes stared fixedly, and he tried every way to coax him. “Xie-laoshi.”
Xie Shibai’s face was cold. “Get lost.”
Even after being scolded, Lu Ciheng followed behind Xie Shibai honestly. As long as Xie talked to him, it was a reward to him.
The netizens in the livestream didn’t know what had happened. Judging from the final scene where the two disappeared from the camera’s view, they must have been intimate behind their backs.
[What did you do behind our backs!]
[Did Lu-gou make Xie-laoshi angry again?]
[What’s going on? Hurry up and lean in to let Xie-laoshi give you a beating!]
[He wants to, but Xie-laoshi isn’t paying him any attention.]
[LOL, why does it feel like LCH is wagging his tail?]
[Beagles are just like that.]
[Wait! Why is the corner of Xie-laoshi’s mouth broken?]
The netizens observing with magnifying glasses in the livestream discovered the tiny mark on the corner of Xie Shibai’s mouth. They immediately went to check and found that Lu Ciheng also had one on the corner of his mouth.
[They kissed in the locker room behind our backs!]
[Their lips are even bitten!]
[Wow, that kiss must have been intense.]
[So Lu-gou bit Xie-laoshi’s mouth, making Xie-laoshi angry, and he can’t be coaxed.]
[He actually bit Xie-laoshi’s mouth! Bad dog, good cat!]
[How can you kiss behind our backs! Is there anything we can’t see!]
[Exactly! Exactly!]
The other three pairs had just finished touring the base, and they said their goodbyes and returned to the cottage.
After returning to the cottage, Xie Shibai briefly put the matter aside and prioritized handling his work.
The Xie family was in a total mess. Xie Huacheng had plunged into the trap earlier than he and Chen Qisheng had anticipated.
The brief delegation of power from Old Master Xie had caused him to lose himself. He couldn’t distinguish whether the cake in front of him was real or a carefully sculpted piece of plastic. The collateral branches of the Xie family were also no pushovers. Xie Huacheng was overwhelmed, only thinking about making Old Master Xie see him in a new light and taking over the Xie family so he could finally hold his head high and fiercely refute the claims that “the father is not as good as the son.”
Decades of being suppressed had already caused him to lose the ability to remain calm. He wanted to dabble in every industry, attempting to complete the business map that even Old Master Xie hadn’t finished. But he forgot that blind investment and expansion would only consume a building that was about to tilt. The Xie family was no longer what it used to be; a few failed decisions could easily destroy it.
And the Xie family should end in the hands of Xie Huacheng, who longed to possess it.
The more confident Xie Huacheng was, the faster he would die.
Chen Qisheng said, “No wonder your grandfather didn’t feel at ease letting your dad inherit the line of succession. The Xie family is about to be finished in his hands. Your stepmother looks glamorous on the surface, but in reality, she’s borrowing money everywhere to fill the holes. It’ll only be a couple more days. However, things on your grandfather’s side are a bit strange. The style of intervention doesn’t look like him at all.”
Xie Shibai took a glance and guessed who had done it.
Chen Qisheng: “But the internal division in the group is very serious. Estimated-wise, it’s on the brink of bankruptcy.”
Xie Shibai gave an “Mm.” Filing for bankruptcy didn’t mean actual bankruptcy; it was just a restriction on consumption. In reality, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. He wanted to make sure Xie Huacheng had absolutely nothing left.
He stood on the balcony for a while, letting the wind blow. His calm face appeared icy. “Wait for the right moment, then give him a piece of information.”
Let a person in a desperate situation feel hope. Let them exhaust everything to climb up, only to find that it is also a dead end.
Chen Qisheng expressed his understanding. “And your grandfather…?”
Xie Shibai: “When I return to the country, I will go to see him.”
Chen Qisheng realized what Xie Shibai meant. Anyone could see that the way Old Master Xie was currently being handled was clearly due to the person in charge hiding something; otherwise, it wouldn’t be so gentle. He treated Xie Corp as his own child and would absolutely not allow his child to become like this.
Chen Qisheng thought for a few seconds and recalled the special assistant who most frequently appeared by Old Master Xie’s side.
So it was a dog wanting to sit at the table and be the master.
Chen Qisheng changed the subject. “I’m going to take my annual leave as soon as you get back!”
Xie Shibai caught sight of Lu Ciheng, who had walked past the balcony an unknown number of times. His lips curled up slightly. “Didn’t you already finish your annual leave?”
Chen Qisheng said solemnly, “I’m prepaying next year’s annual leave.”
Next time, he would prepay the year after next, and the year after that. If he didn’t prepay for a few decades, it wouldn’t be fair to his work efficiency.
Lu Ciheng passed the balcony for the n-th time. His gaze immediately stuck to Xie Shibai’s face. He grit his teeth and thought: Aren’t they talking about work? Why is he laughing so happily? He’s never laughed like that at me.
Chen Qisheng looked like a straightforward guy, but who knew he had some tricks up his sleeve.
Lu Ciheng thought for a few seconds. He scooped up Potato the puppy, who was playing happily, and walked over. His deep voice carried a hint of deliberate malice, his tone low and drawn out. “Husband.”
Xie Shibai’s eyes widened in shock. His hand shook, and he hung up the phone.
On the other end, Chen Qisheng looked at his phone with a confused expression. What did he just hear?
Potato the puppy struggled wildly in Lu Ciheng’s hands.
The netizens waiting in the livestream were dazed for a few seconds. The subsequent words disappeared as the balcony door closed.
[Am I hallucinating?]
[I just wanted to say that Lu-gou looks so jealous, and now he’s just straight up calling him ‘Husband’ to compete for favor?]
[Lu-gou, you really do have some tricks.]
[From another camera angle, Xie-laoshi seemed so shocked he accidentally hung up the phone. Although I don’t know who he hung up on, at least it shows that this address is effective (x)]
[Lu-gou, you really are a dog!]
[It’s like a beagle being quiet then suddenly causing trouble.]
[Hey, if you’re jealous and competing for favor, why are you kidnapping our Bobbi!]
[The licking dog is afraid he can’t win on his own, so he’s bringing the kid along to sell a sob story.]
[The words are harsh but true, LOL. Too scheming.]
Xie Shibai realized he had hung up the phone. He turned his head and glared at Lu Ciheng. “What are you shouting blindly?”
Lu Ciheng innocently held up the round Potato. “Lu Biao said it wants to take a shower.”
Potato the puppy: ?
Its fat, chubby body struggled even harder, letting out a miserable wailing.
Who wants a shower! You’re killing the dog!
Xie Shibai: “…”
He took the puppy from Lu Ciheng and said coldly, “Since when did you understand dog language?”
Lu Ciheng’s eyes curved. “Because I’m Xie-laoshi’s puppy.”
A massive human-shaped canine. His shoulders and back, hardened from years of lifting weights, were as sturdy as mountains. Wearing a sleeveless black shirt, the muscles in his arms bulged, and veins appeared when he used strength. He seemed to have a body dysmorphia regarding his own size, leaning in and saying stickily that he was a puppy.
Xie Shibai’s gaze landed on the veins on Lu Ciheng’s hand. He remembered that Lu Ciheng also had them on his lower abdomen—below his abs, like winding tree roots.
He looked away, petted the puppy’s head, and let it go play. Afterward, he ignored Lu Ciheng and sent a message to Chen Qisheng.
Lu Ciheng’s dark eyes stared at Xie Shibai’s actions as he sent the text. He immediately leaned in, his arm skillfully circling Xie Shibai’s waist. His hand covered Xie Shibai’s phone screen. “Xie-laoshi, should we have a bit of ‘reciprocity’?”
Xie Shibai shifted his attention to Lu Ciheng’s face. He had already become accustomed to this very clingy way of hugging. He tilted his head. “What kind of reciprocity?”
The corners of Lu Ciheng’s lips curled up, his tone filled with joy. “For example, I just called Xie-laoshi ‘Husband.’ Reciprocity means Xie-laoshi has to call me that too.”
Xie Shibai looked at him sideways, a hint of a half-smile in his eyes. He saw through what Lu Ciheng was thinking at a glance; the man had high-handedly arranged a forced buy-and-sell under the guise of reciprocity.
His voice carried a hint of nonchalance. “Then what do you want me to call you?”
Lu Ciheng was a bit excited. If he were allowed to choose, he would definitely want to hear every kind of address once.
Once wasn’t enough; he had to hear it many times.
And hearing it like this wasn’t enough. He wanted to hear it elsewhere—wanted to hear him crying and calling out when they were merged into one.
Xie Shibai drew out his tone, unhurriedly pronouncing each word with deliberation and a hint of a competitive desire to tease him. “Call you ‘Gege’?”
Lu Ciheng’s breath suddenly tightened. His dark eyes were filled with intense heat. The way he looked at Xie Shibai was like a dog that had seen a bone.
Xie Shibai’s hand braced against Lu Ciheng’s chest. “It seems you really like this address.”
Lu Ciheng nodded immediately. Just as he was about to speak, in the next second, Xie Shibai used force. Taking advantage of Lu Ciheng being off guard, he pushed him away. A hint of malice was hidden in his eyes, like he had successfully pulled off a prank. “You really dare to dream. You’d better go to sleep; dreams happen faster that way.”
Because he understood Lu Ciheng’s personality too well, he had already guessed what might happen next. Xie Shibai quickly walked toward the bathroom, deciding to use a physical barrier to let Lu Ciheng suffer for a bit.
Before Xie Shibai could breathe a sigh of relief, a hand suddenly grabbed the doorframe in the last second before the bathroom door closed. The broad hand had veins bulging, and the force with which he gripped the edge of the door made one’s heart skip a beat.
Lu Ciheng’s dark eyes were deep and scorching. A smile carrying a hint of danger curled on his lips. “Xie-laoshi, why are you running?”
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