CH 11

With Xia Shu’an’s hug constantly in his mind, Shen Boyan couldn’t concentrate all afternoon; even his favorite work couldn’t keep him focused.

The work that only took two hours to complete was delayed until 3 p.m. It was supposed to be an emergency meeting, and after the meeting, Shen Boyan let a few assistants go first.

He was sitting in front of the work desk, still somewhat absent-minded. On the computer screen was an email about the overseas expansion plan, which was a major project for the company. For this reason, he sent many company backbone to work overseas and even sent his confidants to keep an eye on it. In the past, he dared not miss a single word, but at this moment, the mixed Chinese and English text on the screen is dim, as if losing its original appeal.

Shen Boyan sat for a while but still closed the email so as not to make a wrong judgment due to a lack of concentration.

He was about to get up and move around a bit when his cell phone on the table vibrated, and the screen showed the name of an old friend. Shen Boyan’s attitude toward outsiders is questionable, but toward friends, he has always treated them with the utmost sincerity. There has never been a so-called class difference.

As soon as the phone was connected, there was a laughing voice. “President Shen, I heard that we have a sister-in-law?”

Shen Boyan smiled and said, “Who told you? Lu Cai, that kid, is still young.”

“Why do you care who told me? Are you secretly dating someone?”

The word “dating” made Shen Boyan feel happy. He leaned back on the chair and said, “It’s nothing secretive. I plan to introduce him to you guys another day.”

“No need, just do it today; come to my place tonight; I’ll call Ming Pei too; let’s get together.”

“OK.”

Shen Boyan hung up the phone, slid his fingertips on the edge of the phone a few times, then picked it up again and dialed a number.

After a few rings, the phone was picked up.

“Hello.”

A lazy voice pierced Shen Boyan’s eardrums through thousands of meters of radio waves. The young man’s voice was sticky with a bit of confusion from just waking up, pulling the distance between the two of them in an instant.

Shen Boyan’s fingertips felt an indescribable shudder, and his heart felt numb.

His voice was still steady, and because it was softer, it showed some deliberate gentleness: “Did you just wake up?”

“Hmm.” There was a slight sound of clothes rubbing against each other, as if he were sitting up.

“I just woke up from a nap.”

“What did you have for lunch?”

“I ate…seafood rice. Aunt Yu’s cooking is delicious.”

“Aunt Yu’s craftsmanship is pretty good.”

Shen Boyan praised: “Then what did you do?”

“Then?” Xia Shu’an said while recalling “Then I sorted out my clothes, put the toiletries in their usual places, walked around the house, and basked in the sun on the balcony…”

Xia Shu’an was like a child being asked about his kindergarten life by his parents, counting his itinerary one by one. This process was extremely tedious and boring, but the man on the other end of the phone listened patiently, occasionally inserting a few words, as meticulously as a first-time pet owner.

After confirming that Xia Shu’an did not hide anything, he said, “I want to introduce you to a few friends tonight. Let’s go out for dinner together.”

“Okay.” Xia Shu’an agreed without even thinking about it. Perhaps because his “docility” pleased Shen Boyan, the man’s tone remained gentle, and he didn’t make things difficult for Xia Shu’an. He hung up after saying a few more words.

…

…

At half past five in the afternoon, Shen Boyan walked down from the company building.

There is a cafe under their company, and Xia Shu’an is waiting for him there. The outside of the cafe is covered with a layer of transparent glass, and Shen Boyan caught a glimpse of him when he walked to the lobby.

It’s already October. Xia Shu’an is wearing a brown trench coat with a white shirt, which is very typical for business elites. In this building, 6 out of 10 people dress this way, but with his face, he is destined to stand out from the crowd.

The young man is looking down at the book. In the warm golden light of the cafe, his neck is bent into an elegant arc, and the soft light spreads on his white and soft cheeks like the delicate glossy finish of an oil painting.

He looked down at the book intently, with a few strands of black hair sticking to his cheeks, like a student who didn’t know much about the world.

He was very focused on the book, but he didn’t realize that there were several people around him, all secretly looking at him.

The man swept a glance at those people; his eyes dimmed, and some obscure emotions appeared in his pupils.

Xia Shu’an, on the other end, was waiting downstairs. It had been a while since he had received Shen Boyan’s message that he was “coming down”. After the storyline ended, he woke up from the book world. Seeing that the person had not yet arrived, he couldn’t help but look up.

As soon as he raised his eyes, he met the gaze of the man at the side door of the lobby.

Xia Shu’an subconsciously raised his hand and stood up with his palm propped on the page.

“You’re here.”

Shen Boyan watched him slowly approach himself. The people around him showed expressions of regret or surprise as he left. His lips ticked up, and he said, “Let’s go.”

“Ok.”

Because there’s a high probability that they’ll be drinking tonight, Shen Boyan asked the driver to take them there. Xia Shu’an noticed that Shen Boyan was in a good mood when he got in the car. He didn’t know the reason, but in short, he was happy.

Shen Boyan thoughtfully explained to him: “We are going to a bar later; you don’t need to force yourself to drink if you don’t know how to drink.”

“We are all friends; you can relax a little bit.”

Xia Shu’an nodded obediently and said, “I understand.”

Ever since Shen Boyan saw him, there was an itchy feeling in his chest, which made him want to talk more with Xia Shu’an, so he picked a topic at random: “How are you getting used to moving here? If there’s something you don’t like, you can talk to me or the two aunties.”

“Ah, there is one.” Xia Shu’an immediately said “The roof balcony is empty. I want to convert it into a piece of land for growing vegetables or flowers; is that okay?”

Upon the first request from his lover, Shen Boyan answered without hesitation, “Yes.”

“Great!”

His tone obviously fluttered, and there was a kind of childlike joy. Shen Boyan smiled lightly and scratched the tip of his nose. Although Xia Shu’an felt that this action was very greasy, all in all, it was good that he was happy.

The top floor of Shen Boyan’s villa is a flat floor, similar to a large open-air balcony. Shen Boyan clearly used it as a place to bask in the sun before. In addition to a sofa bed, there is also a sunshade umbrella, and the excess space is filled with decorations that have not been fully utilized.

At noon, Xia Shu’an asked the two aunts if they could let him grow vegetables on the roof. The aunts showed embarrassment, so Xia Shu’an didn’t make things difficult for them. Now that Shen Boyan mentioned it, he simply made the request.

He is majoring in agriculture and has an interest in gardening. He also has a small garden in his own home for him to tinker with. However, the reason why he wants to grow vegetables on the roof instead of in the garden is because when he was in a stalemate with Shen Boyan, he was locked up at home and could not even leave the door, let alone grow vegetables in the garden. He regretted it a lot at the time. Why didn’t he buy some soil and play with it to pass the time?

Now that he has this piece of land, at least he can have something to do when he is locked at home.

Shen Boyan consciously fulfilled a small wish of his lover with a look of complacency on his face.

He was satisfied, and Xia Shu’an was also satisfied. Under the staggered lights and shadows of the city, the young man had a peaceful smile on his face.

The author has something to say:

Xiao Shu: As long as I lie flat enough, no one can beat me.