55

Zhou Chaosheng and Jiang Yuanye silently met each other's gaze for a moment before walking back into the villa together. While passing through the corridor, Zhou Chaosheng took the initiative to speak: "Sit on the sofa for a while, I'll get you some water."

"Alright, thanks."

"If you need to rest, you can go straight to the second floor. Any of the rooms there, you can sleep in."

"Then what about you? Where do you usually sleep?"

Just as they reached the living room, they ran into Wiesen, who looked completely dazed, his mouth hanging open, seemingly unable to believe that Jiang Yuanye was here.

Zhou Chaosheng's gaze swept over his subordinate. He pointed toward a room near the staircase and said, "I sleep there."

Jiang Yuanye nodded knowingly, then chuckled softly. Tilting his head, he looked at Zhou Chaosheng and said, "Then can I sleep in your room?"

Zhou Chaosheng: "...."

Wiesen was so shocked that his jaw nearly hit the floor.

Was he blind, or was he dreaming? Why was President Jiang here with President Zhou? Weren’t these two supposed to be arch-enemies?

Wiesen was utterly confused as he watched the unexpectedly harmonious atmosphere between them. It felt like adding a third person into the scene would be one too many.

Luxembourg, located in the mid-latitudes, had an average temperature of 5-15°C in May, which was on the colder side. The villa’s floor heating had been running continuously, so as soon as Jiang Yuanye entered from the chilly outdoors, he took off his thick coat and draped it over his arm.

Zhou Chaosheng walked to the open kitchen to pour him some water.

Under Wiesen’s gaze, Jiang Yuanye sank lazily into the sofa, tilting his head back against the cushions, casually crossing one leg over the other.

He closed his eyes for a few seconds, then opened them again to look toward the man in the kitchen. Their heights were about the same when he wore height-increasing shoes, almost 1.88 meters. He was thin, but not the frail kind; his body was proportionate, lean yet strong.

Jiang Yuanye bent forward slightly, resting an elbow on his knee while propping his chin in his hand, eyes following Zhou Chaosheng’s back. His gaze trailed from the well-defined muscles all the way down to where they disappeared into his waistband, openly admiring the view without restraint.

At the same time, a thought crossed his mind.

That ass is quite perky.

Wiesen hesitated before greeting him. "Uh… President Jiang, hello."

"Hello."

"Are you here for work?"

Jiang Yuanye chuckled. "Nope."

"I specifically came to see your boss."

Wiesen’s eyes slowly widened. "..."

Oh my god, breaking news!

Zhou Chaosheng walked over with a glass of water, naturally sitting beside Jiang Yuanye and handing it to him. "It's warm."

Jiang Yuanye took it without hesitation and drank.

Zhou Chaosheng glanced sideways, watching as his Adam’s apple moved slightly, swallowing all the warm water he had poured.

"Wiesen, wait outside."

Zhou Chaosheng’s tone was gentle but left no room for argument.

Wiesen: "...Alright."

After Wiesen left, Jiang Yuanye set the glass down on the coffee table and smirked. "You sent him away just so you could be alone with me?"

Zhou Chaosheng shot him an exasperated look. "You're overthinking it."

Jiang Yuanye shrugged. "Alright, I’ll just pretend I am."

Saying that, he shifted to face Zhou Chaosheng, one leg bent across the sofa while his left arm rested behind Zhou Chaosheng, as if enclosing him within his space.

"So, what is it you want to say to me in private?"

Zhou Chaosheng stared at Jiang Yuanye for a long moment. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something about him was different from two months ago. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but there were certain moments like right now, when Jiang Yuanye looked at him where he could sense something unusual.

After a pause, Zhou Chaosheng finally spoke:

"Let’s reschedule our flight for tomorrow. Is that okay?"

Jiang Yuanye raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised. "Are you asking for my opinion?"

Zhou Chaosheng nodded. "Yes. The schedule is a bit rushed, and after such a long journey to get here, if you have to sit on a plane for several more hours, it’ll be too exhausting."

Jiang Yuanye had already known from the moment they were at the door that Zhou Chaosheng was concerned about him. Even when Zhou Chaosheng’s tone was harsh, he could tell it wasn’t intentional.

He had already been surprised when Zhou Chaosheng apologized to him earlier. But now, hearing him calmly discuss changing their plans, even taking the time to explain why, just because he was worried about his health.. it was beyond anything Jiang Yuanye had expected.

When Jiang Yuanye made his decision to come here, he had already factored in the 30+ hours of flight time. He had taken long-haul flights for business trips before, even longer ones than this, so he had carefully planned everything in advance before coming to find Zhou Chaosheng.

But Zhou Chaosheng’s concern was something he had never planned for.

He hadn’t expected Zhou Chaosheng to care about him.

He hadn’t expected Zhou Chaosheng to sit down and patiently discuss changing their itinerary just for his sake.

"Jiang Yuanye, what are you thinking about?"

A low, rich voice pulled Jiang Yuanye’s thoughts back. He returned to his senses and looked at Zhou Chaosheng, momentarily stunned, then lowered his head and said, "Nothing..."

Seeing that Jiang Yuanye still hadn’t responded to his suggestion, Zhou Chaosheng assumed he was being stubborn again and said with a bit of frustration, "Jiang Yuanye, can you just listen for once?"

"Huh?" Jiang Yuanye’s lips parted slightly, his pupils contracting, as if finding Zhou Chaosheng’s words unbelievable.

"Listen to what?"

Zhou Chaosheng was speechless, feeling like Jiang Yuanye had not only failed to clear his head after flying all this way but had somehow gotten even dumber.

"I said, change your itinerary. We'll fly to Iceland tomorrow instead. Today, just rest properly."

"...Oh."

"That's it? Just one word?"

Jiang Yuanye stared blankly at Zhou Chaosheng’s expression, watching as he got angry. Somehow, even when upset, Zhou Chaosheng still had an undeniable charm. His expression never crumbled, and he looked... good.

Lowering his eyes, Jiang Yuanye felt his heart beat a little faster.

"Ah... whatever you say."

His tone carried a trace of barely concealed panic.

Zhou Chaosheng’s unreadable gaze lingered on Jiang Yuanye’s face, bringing forth a subtle, inexplicable emotion. It was as if a researcher was studying his experiment.

He was observing Jiang Yuanye.

From the smallest expressions to the subtlest body movements.

He was analyzing, dissecting, and identifying this person, trying to understand every little detail—attempting to uncover why Jiang Yuanye was treating him this way.

"So that’s settled?"

"...Mm."

"You don’t mind losing your deposit?"

Jiang Yuanye was momentarily taken aback. He hadn’t expected Zhou Chaosheng to hold onto that point. With some helplessness, he said, "What else can I do? You’re so worried about me. I can't throw a fit over a little money, can I?"

Zhou Chaosheng raised an eyebrow slightly.

Jiang Yuanye leaned back on the sofa, hands resting behind his head, and continued, "Besides, money can always be earned back..."

He paused for a second, then added softly,

"But if I make you mad and you break up with me, then I’ll really have nothing left."

Zhou Chaosheng’s heart skipped a beat.

"...What do you mean?"

Jiang Yuanye squinted slightly, smiling faintly. "Exactly what I said. There's only one you."

Zhou Chaosheng. One and only.

Hearing these words, Zhou Chaosheng’s mind momentarily froze.

He turned stiffly to the side, lowering his eyes to look at the man leaning against the sofa. Before he knew it, he blurted out the question that had been on his mind for so long but had never been spoken,

"Jiang Yuanye, do you like me?"

Time seemed to stop flowing between them.

For a moment, it felt as if a thin, transparent membrane separated them from the rest of the world, isolating all sounds and distractions. In their eyes, only each other existed.

Zhou Chaosheng held his breath, staring intently at Jiang Yuanye, watching closely, not missing a single microexpression or movement.

Jiang Yuanye was sitting in the sunlight. The morning light filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a warm glow over him, illuminating his white shirt with a soft, golden sheen.

No one knew how long passed before Jiang Yuanye finally moved.

"If I didn’t like you, why would I be with you?"

Jiang Yuanye shifted his position, resting his head on one hand as he looked at Zhou Chaosheng. His eyes held an indifferent amusement.

As if...

The question was completely unnecessary, as if he had never even considered it.

Zhou Chaosheng had expected this answer, yet his heart still sank uncontrollably, a sudden weight dragging it down.

A feeling of helplessness washed over him, making him lose the will to press further.

So from the very beginning,

Jiang Yuanye had never invested even the slightest bit of genuine emotion.

Even now, he was still lying.

Zhou Chaosheng lowered his eyelashes, his hand tightening into a fist at his side, fingers digging into his palm without noticing the pain.

He couldn't help but wonder,

Was he really that detestable?

So much so that,

Jiang Yuanye thought it was worth spending all this time and effort on him, just to get revenge.

So inviting him to Iceland, making transoceanic calls, sharing his daily life, taking pictures of breathtaking sunsets, confessing to him by the riverside...

Was it all just an act?

Zhou Chaosheng’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly.

He had known all along. From the very start, he had known.

Jiang Yuanye hated him.

Because of the project he had taken away, Jiang Yuanye had harbored resentment, wanting to get back at him. Calling them a couple, calling him "baby". It had all been deliberate.

He blinked slowly, each movement feeling painfully heavy, as if razor blades lined his eyelids, cutting with every blink—sharp, dry, and excruciating.

Not knowing what he had figured out, when he opened his eyes again, there was an inexplicable malice in his tone, aimed straight at the person sitting beside him.

"That’s something you should answer."

Zhou Chaosheng asked word by word, "Why do you like me?"

Jiang Yuanye was momentarily stunned, as if he hadn’t seen such an aggressive Zhou Chaosheng in a long time.

Panic followed immediately after. He felt as if his heart had been ripped out, bloodied and exposed before Zhou Chaosheng without any cover.

For now, he didn’t want to be seen through.

This was his unspeakable, uncertain secret.

He couldn’t—no, he didn’t want Zhou Chaosheng to know his hidden thoughts.

Jiang Yuanye took a light, sharp breath.

He couldn’t even begin to imagine what kind of emotions would surface in Zhou Chaosheng’s gaze once he regained his memories.

Disgust? Loathing?

Or…

A deep-seated hatred?

Jiang Yuanye yawned, pretending to be unbearably tired, evading the question.

"Ah, I’m sleepy. Let’s talk about this some other time."

Without waiting for Zhou Chaosheng’s response, he turned and ran straight upstairs.

Zhou Chaosheng remained seated on the sofa, watching as Jiang Yuanye’s figure disappeared around the corner of the second floor. Only then did he retract his gaze.

Lowering his eyelashes, he let out a soft breath.

As expected…

It was all fake.

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