Chapter 102: The Fruit of SuccessÂ
The two walked downstairs side-by-side. Just as they entered the elevator and were about to press the button, a pair of hands grabbed the elevator doors.
The sudden appearance of the fingers made Chen Jiamu shrink back in fright. Only after seeing who it was did he let out a silent sigh of relief.
Sun Yuan had thought the people in the elevator were colleagues. He was about to say hello, but when he looked up and saw who was there, he wished he could dig a hole and jump into it.
“Bo… Boss.”
Sun Yuan didn’t dare enter; he shrunk back outside, not wanting to squeeze in.
“Come in, or youâll be waiting a long time.”
Behind him, Chen Jiamu saw his hesitation. After exchanging a look with Li Xi, Li Xi blocked the elevator doors from closing.
“Chen… Chen Jiamu!”
“You! Why are you here?”
Sun Yuan hadn’t noticed there were two people in the elevator. It was only when Chen Jiamu spoke that he realized the man behind Li Xi was him.
“Stop dawdling and get in.”
After Li Xi blocked the door three times, Chen Jiamu couldn’t resist urging him.
Sun Yuan then lowered his head and scurried into the elevator, but he only dared to stand in the corner to minimize his presence.
“I won’t eat you, what are you afraid of?”
“Could it be youâre afraid of…”
Sun Yuan wasn’t particularly tall, being half a head shorter than Chen Jiamu.
Currently, he was huddled in the corner, looking very much like a plump emperor penguin.
Because he was wearing so many layers of clothes, he looked quite round.
Seeing such a cute appearance, Chen Jiamu suddenly felt playful and leaned in to tease him.
Sun Yuan was so startled by Chen Jiamuâs action that he pressed himself tightly against the elevator wall, his ears quickly turning red.
“I… Iâm not.”
By his count, it had been almost four months since he last saw Chen Jiamu. Their first meeting was in early autumn, and seeing him again, it was already winter.
He had once asked people to find out news about Chen Jiamu, but it had led nowhere.
Later, he heard that Chen Jiamu was the young boss of the Chen Corporation in Bei Cheng, and he gave up any thought of approaching him.
They were from different worlds, after all. He was just an ordinary commoner.
And the other was a wealthy young master he couldn’t hope to reach…
Looking at Li Xi beside him, Sun Yuan suddenly understood why Li Xi had given him a back-door entrance back then.
Everything had a trail to follow. Both men were on the same level. Naturally, everything between them was normal.
Moreover, he had discovered… he wasn’t the only one who liked Chen Jiamu.
Li Xi was one of them. He wondered if Chen Jiamu knew.
One night when he went to deliver files, he saw Li Xiâs phone wallpaper. Although the face was youthful, he recognized it at a glance.
That boy on horseback with a brilliant, sunny smile was clearly a younger Chen Jiamu…
If it were a girl, he could understand it as a secret crush. But since it was a man, he didn’t need to be told to know his intentions.
Both of them liked the same person…
“Haha, why so scared?”
“Itâs been a few months, and youâve put on quite a bit of weight. What, the food has been too good lately?”
Chen Jiamu straightened up and looked Sun Yuan up and down. Seeing that his cheeks seemed wider, he assumed the boy was one who liked to eat in winter but didn’t exercise.
Although he had only interacted with Sun Yuan for a short time, he could see the boy was kind-hearted.
“Ah?”
“Is… is that so!”
Sun Yuan touched his face, his expression awkward. He hadn’t expected Chen Jiamu to have observed him.
A hint of sweetness rose in his heart, but as he glanced at Li Xi, that sweetness was instantly swallowed by bitterness.
“Itâs fine, youâre still handsome.”
“Work hard here at Jingyi and aim for a million-dollar annual salary.”
As the elevator doors opened, Chen Jiamu and Li Xi stepped out together.
After Sun Yuan stepped out, he stood by the elevator motionless, quietly watching Chen Jiamu and Li Xiâs backs as they walked further and further away.
Until they disappeared through the companyâs front doors.
“Little Sun, what are you looking at?”
Since he stood there for so long, the girl at the front desk noticed him. Hearing her call, Sun Yuan shook his head with a bitter smile. “Nothing.”
After leaving the entrance, the two got into the car and headed for their agreed destination.
In the car, Li Xiâs tone was a bit sour. “Are you very close with that Sun Yuan?”
Chen Jiamu heard the emotion in his tone. He chuckled and leaned back in his seat, tilting his head to stare at him with darting eyes. “What, jealous?”
“Our relationship is alright. He looked after me quite a bit. Thereâs nothing wrong with a quick chat.”
“Don’t worry, Iâm still yours.”
After Chen Jiamuâs explanation, Li Xiâs expression softened considerably. He glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and gave a small “hmpf.”
But not long after they drove off, Li Xiâs phone rang.
The screen displayed the name “Song Jin.” Chen Jiamu picked it up for him. Seeing him nod, Jiamu pressed the answer button.
“Xiao Xi, can you come back at the end of the month?”
“What is it?” Li Xi kept his eyes fixed on the road ahead.
“Your uncle and I want to hold a banquet at home at the end of the month.”
“I… I want to marry him.”
When Song Jin finished speaking, Chen Jiamu and Li Xi weren’t surprised. Ever since that incident at the Song house, they had guessed the outcome.
“Okay.”
Li Xi agreed quickly, without a moment’s hesitation. This actually caused a few seconds of silence on Song Jinâs end; she had thought Li Xi would try to persuade her. She hadn’t expected him to agree so readily.
“Then itâs settled. Weâll wait for you to come back.”
Song Jin hung up, and Chen Jiamu put the phone away. He stared silently ahead. “Aunt Song finally reached the ‘fruit of success.'”
“I heard that after all these years, sheâs finally living for herself once.”
Li Xi pursed his lips and glanced at him, the corners of his mouth turning up. “Yes.”
“Aunt Song reached her fruit of success. What about us?”
“When are you going to give me my status, Gege?”
The topic suddenly turned to himself, leaving Chen Jiamu stunned for a few seconds. Staring at Li Xiâs profile, Chen Jiamu suddenly turned serious.
“After Aunt Songâs banquet at the end of the month, letâs go to Holland.”
“Weâll get our marriage license there too.”
“That way, I will forever be your legitimate lover.”
Hearing the word “lover” for the first time, Li Xi was momentarily dazed. Blinking, he slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road.
“Jiamu…”
Li Xi turned his head to stare at Chen Jiamu blankly, memories with him flashing through his mind. He wanted to say many things, but only two simple words came out.
Yet those two words outweighed a thousand others.
“Iâm here.”
“So, what do you say? We go to Holland for the license.”
Chen Jiamu smiled brightly, the tenderness in his eyes almost overflowing. He stared straight at him. Li Xi suddenly unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned over.
Pressing Chen Jiamu into the passenger seat, a long, deep kiss fell upon his lips.
“Okay.”
Li Xi and Chen Jiamu didn’t have a world-shaking romance; they only had a relationship as gentle as water.
Chen Jiamu would sometimes wonder why he had fallen for Li Xi so easily. Thinking back, perhaps it was that meeting from their youth.
The seed he had planted himself had finally grown into a towering tree four years later.
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