54

 After sending the message, Jiang Yuanye called him.

"I was joking. How could I possibly find someone else?"

Zhou Chaosheng let out a cold laugh. "That joke wasn’t funny at all."

Jiang Yuanye chuckled. "Oh? You care that much? Then why didn’t you reply to me earlier?"

"...I did," Zhou Chaosheng said.

"Forget it, I won’t argue with you about this."

Jiang Yuanye changed the subject. "Do you remember what you promised me a month and a half ago?"

Zhou Chaosheng pressed his fingertips together and said softly, "I remember. Going to Iceland with you."

Jiang Yuanye sounded as if he had discovered a new continent. "Did you just say with?"

Zhou Chaosheng didn’t catch what the other was fixating on. He didn’t think there was anything wrong with what he said. After all, a month and a half ago, wasn’t it Jiang Yuanye himself who said he wanted Zhou Chaosheng to accompany him?

"Hm? Is there a problem?"

Jiang Yuanye laughed. "No, nothing. It’s just that I think..."

"Think what?"

"I think you’re really cute."

Zhou Chaosheng fell silent for a moment.

"...Do you have anything else to say?"

Only then did Jiang Yuanye remember. "Yes! Do you want to go on a road trip or join a tour group?"

Zhou Chaosheng recalled his past frustrating travel experiences. Deep down, he preferred quiet places with fewer people—ideally, just the two of them.

"Up to you. Whatever you prefer."

Jiang Yuanye understood Zhou Chaosheng’s temperament well and knew he didn’t like noisy crowds. So he tentatively asked, "How about a road trip?"

Hearing the hesitation in Jiang Yuanye’s tone, Zhou Chaosheng assumed he was trying to accommodate him and said bluntly, "Don’t you like being around people? If that’s what you prefer, let’s join a tour group. It’ll be easier and more convenient too."

"Hmm... how about we start with a group tour and then do a road trip afterward?" Jiang Yuanye suggested.

"We could just do the whole trip with a tour group."

"That would be way too boring," Jiang Yuanye said sincerely. "A long time ago, I already planned out a whole itinerary for Iceland. A road trip wouldn’t be a problem at all."

"...Are you just compromising for me?"

Jiang Yuanye truly wasn’t accommodating himself.

He simply felt that since he had never been to Iceland before, he was unfamiliar with the place. Unexpected situations might arise, and he might not be able to handle them. So, to be on the safe side, he suggested joining a tour group.

"I’m not."

Jiang Yuanye’s voice was lazy and casual, but what he said made Zhou Chaosheng want to rub his ears.

"A road trip is because I want to spend time alone with you."

The food Wiesen brought over was still warm, with wisps of steam slowly rising. The wide floor-to-ceiling windows framed the neatly arranged trees outside, the gently flowing river, and the evenly scattered stones.

Zhou Chaosheng lowered his gaze, looking at the patches of light broken into countless fragments on the floor. He felt as if his mind had also been sliced into chaotic, scattered pieces—so chaotic that he couldn’t think or respond.

Rationality told him that none of this was real.

But emotions didn’t follow reason.

"...Jiang Yuanye."

He parted his lips, wanting to ask if the other meant what he said, but when the words reached the tip of his tongue, he didn’t know how to say them.

"Hm? What’s wrong?"

"...Nothing, I’m hanging up."

"Are you shy?"

"...No."

"Then why are you hanging up so quickly?"

Zhou Chaosheng let out a soft sigh.

His rationality and emotions tangled and clashed in his mind. They had yet to decide a winner, but he had already tormented him.

"Can you not say things like that in the future?"

Jiang Yuanye was silent for a moment.

"You don’t like it?"

Zhou Chaosheng was lost in thought and didn’t know how to respond.

Seeing that he didn’t reply, Jiang Yuanye assumed his silence meant he didn’t like it. He sighed and laughed lightly, pretending to be relaxed.

"Alright, I won’t say it next time."

Jiang Yuanye paused for a moment, not giving him any chance to speak before continuing, "Alright, I still have things to do here. I’m hanging up first."

"...Mm."

He responded softly.

And just like that, the call was cut off.

Zhou Chaosheng looked at the steaming hot food in front of him, but suddenly, he lost his appetite.

It wasn’t an instant loss, perhaps from the moment the call began, his desire for food had already been doomed to fade away.

He didn’t even feel like sitting anymore.

Getting up, he walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window. As he passed through the fragmented light and shadow, a faint glow settled on him, but it was too light to penetrate the deep shadows buried in his heart.

He thought, people really shouldn’t make any judgments or decisions about the unknown so easily because until the very last moment, no one can predict what unexpected events might occur along the way.

When he reached the window, the world wrapped in lush greenery suddenly unfolded before his eyes. He placed his hand against the glass, the cold touch instantly seeping into his skin, slightly loosening the taut string of his nerves.

Not long ago, he had been staying in a five-star hotel. But within a few days, he had spent two hundred million in Yuyinta National Forest Park to buy a forest villa.

It wasn’t that he had money to burn; he just felt that this place was quite suitable for retirement. One day, when he retired, he could come here to rest.

It was supposed to be a simple thought, yet, unknowingly, his mind drifted to Jiang Yuanye.

Zhou Chaosheng didn’t want to admit that at the moment he decided to buy the villa, he had suddenly thought—Jiang Yuanye would probably like it here.

Once he realized it, he immediately questioned what did it matter whether Jiang Yuanye liked it or not?

He really was getting too deep into this act.

Why would he have such a ridiculous thought?

Zhou Chaosheng couldn’t understand it.

Watching the birds resting on the trees, he decided to let it go. If he couldn’t figure it out, then he just wouldn’t think about it anymore.

—

A week later, after handling all his business affairs in Luxembourg, including the fifth round of financing for Huajie, Zhou Chaosheng finally wrapped things up.

That day, the weather was sunny and pleasant. Just after finishing a call, Zhou Chaosheng was in a fairly good mood. Leaning against the sofa while reading a book, he would occasionally hum along with the music playing from the phonograph.

This behavior was so rare that Wiesen, who was squatting on the ground packing the luggage, couldn’t help but glance over frequently, his eyes full of surprise and disbelief.

What good thing had happened?

Even when Yuanhang Global made a net profit of $34 billion last year, he had never seen his boss this happy…

“Boss, I’m done packing.”

Zhou Chaosheng responded with a hum, “Thanks for the hard work. Sit down and rest for a bit.”

Wiesen was very surprised. “Boss, aren’t we leaving?”

“No.” Zhou Chaosheng closed the book, habitually glancing at his watch. It took about half an hour to get here from the airport, and now, twenty-five minutes had already passed.

"Someone would be arriving soon"

Wiesen was confused and surprised, who was coming?

And more importantly, whoever it was, they could actually make the boss wait for them in person?

Wiesen casually found a wooden chair to sit on, tilting his head slightly to secretly observe Zhou Chaosheng’s every move.

He wasn’t sure if the person the boss was waiting for was about to arrive, but Zhou Chaosheng had stopped reading altogether, keeping his head down as he stared at his watch in a daze.

Normally calm and composed, at this moment, he looked as if he had lost his soul, lost in thought about something unknown.

Tick. Tock.

Zhou Chaosheng sat quietly, as if he could hear the sound of the second hand moving.

He silently counted down in his mind.

When it reached zero, he lowered his head to check his watch. The minute hand had stopped exactly at the number he had predicted.

Without hesitation, he stood up and walked toward the door.

“Boss?”

Noticing Zhou Chaosheng’s movements, Wiesen was momentarily stunned.

“Where are you going?”

Without looking back, Zhou Chaosheng left a single sentence.

“He’s here.”

Wiesen stared at his boss’s tall and slender figure.

“….”

So, who exactly had arrived?

---

As Zhou Chaosheng quickly walked to the villa entrance, his steps suddenly slowed down. He placed his hand on the doorknob and gently pressed down to open the door.

Sunlight streamed in, and a fresh breeze brushed against his face.

He lifted his eyes and saw a black sedan parked not far away along with someone running toward him.

The person was wearing a mid-length, apricot-colored woolen coat. Their well-proportioned figure was elongated into a long shadow by the sunlight, and their fluffy hair appeared to be wrapped in a soft glow under the light.

The movement caused a small flicker of light and shadow.

Feigning indifference, Zhou Chaosheng stood still, watching as Jiang Yuanye waved at him.

"Chaosheng!"

Jiang Yuanye called out while smiling at him. His coat fluttered in the wind, revealing the white inner sweater underneath. The hem was tucked into his pants, cinched at the waist with a belt that outlined his slender frame.

Zhou Chaosheng took a few steps forward, as if responding to the call, but his movements were slow—so slow it seemed like he didn’t care at all.

"Zhou Chaosheng..."

Jiang Yuanye reached him, bringing a gust of wind along with him.

That wind carried the faint scent of Jiang Yuanye’s cologne, drifting to Zhou Chaosheng’s nose.

Slightly breathless from running, Jiang Yuanye bent over, taking a few quick breaths. After adjusting his breathing, he straightened up again.

With a bright smile, he asked, "It’s been a while. Did you miss me?"

Zhou Chaosheng’s hands, hanging at his sides, subtly clenched. He averted his gaze and replied in a neutral tone, "No."

Jiang Yuanye let out a playful scoff, as if he had already expected this answer. He didn’t dwell on the question for long and instead pointed to the black sedan. "I rented that car. Is it okay to park it there?"

"It’s fine."

"Great. Let me go inside and rest for a bit, then we can head out."

The flight from Jinzhou to Luxembourg took thirty-six hours. Jiang Yuanye had been on a plane for a day and a half. Even in business class, sitting for that long wasn’t comfortable, not to mention the seven-hour time difference.

"There’s no rush," Zhou Chaosheng said. "We can go tomorrow."

His original flight was actually scheduled for 1 p.m. today, but he hadn’t expected Jiang Yuanye to secretly fly over to find him. He only found out after the plane had landed.

"It’s fine, I’m not tired. A sip of water will do." Jiang Yuanye craned his neck to look at the open door.

Zhou Chaosheng frowned slightly. "You can change your flight plans."

"Aiya really, I’m fine. I slept soundly on the plane. Plus, the tour group I booked starts its itinerary the day after tomorrow at noon. It takes twenty-one hours to get from here to Reykjavík, so if we leave tomorrow, we won’t make it in time."

Zhou Chaosheng didn’t quite understand why he was in such a hurry. "If you miss it, you can just switch to another group. What’s the big deal?"

Jiang Yuanye’s original plan was to fly to Iceland with Zhou Chaosheng at 1 p.m. "I already paid, and if I switch last minute, the travel agency definitely won’t refund my deposit."

A company owner actually caring about a deposit.

Zhou Chaosheng couldn’t understand it. The happiness he had felt just moments ago from Jiang Yuanye’s unexpected arrival was now completely wiped out by his stubbornness.

Feeling a bit irritated, his brows furrowed slightly. "If they won’t refund it, I’ll refund it for you. If you absolutely have to go today, then go by yourself. I’m not going."

Jiang Yuanye was momentarily stunned by the sudden burst of anger. The joy of traveling so far to see him was doused like a bucket of cold water, leaving him at a loss.

"....."

Zhou Chaosheng saw his eyelashes lower and suddenly realized his tone had been too harsh. His chest tightened.

"...Sorry."

Jiang Yuanye was caught off guard, his initial feeling of grievance instantly replaced by surprise.

The moment Zhou Chaosheng met his gaze, he looked away uncomfortably and muttered, "I shouldn’t have said that."

Jiang Yuanye’s eyes widened, as if seeing Zhou Chaosheng like this for the first time. It was so rare that he almost wanted to pull out his phone and record it on the spot.

"Ah… it’s nothing…"

He said absentmindedly.

In that moment, Jiang Yuanye thought somewhat shamelessly..

If only Zhou Chaosheng could always be like this.

Hey guys! 💕

Since I'll be starting college in the first week of April, I'm trying to finish all the chapters within a month. But if I can't, I'm really sorry! T.T

I've been super busy packing and sorting out paperwork for my enrollment.

If I can't get everything done in time, I'll still try to update on weekends or whenever I get a free moment. Thanks for understanding! 💖

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