The last time he came to Hengrui Group, he was still a down-and-out nobody, nervously passing through layers of notification and waiting for Huo Mingjun to meet him.
A year passed, and while Xie Guan’s image improved slightly, he still looked ordinary. Wearing a hat and glasses for disguise and holding a few cake boxes in his hand like a delivery boy, he was directly welcomed into Huo Mingjun’s office.
This change in treatment did not depend on his rising social status; even the famous actors at the gate of Hengrui dared not act recklessly. Whether in the apartment or the company, he could move freely because Huo Mingjun let down his guard before he even sensed it.
It was as if a clam opened its tightly sealed shell and presented its precious pearls right in front of him.
Xie Guan watched the changing numbers on the LCD screen in the elevator, tortured by his own imagination: “Chasing someone so recklessly, isn’t he afraid of losing both love and wealth?”
He was extremely distressed, and for a while, he couldn’t accept the miraculous turn of events that his “good friend might want to sleep with him.” He couldn’t help but worry about how to catch up with Huo Mingjun and the situation was driving him close to a mental breakdown.
The elevator glided to the twenty-seventh floor, emitting a clear notification sound.
Fang Hui walked briskly out of the assistant’s office, greeting him with a smile, “Good afternoon, Boss Crab, you’re getting more handsome.”
“Thank you, you’re as beautiful as ever,” Xie Guan exchanged compliments with her, and handed her a box he was holding, “I saw a dessert shop on the way here, and bought some cakes. Please share them with Assistant Zhong and Assistant Lu.”
“So polite and even bringing delicious treats, I’m so grateful,” Fang Hui happily took the box, “I’m going to take a photo and post it on Weibo, saying the male god came to our company to deliver cakes. The other colleagues will be so envious, hahaha.”
Xie Guan walked along the corridor towards Huo Mingjun’s office, enjoying the commotion. “Yes, you can even livestream eating for them — then get crowdfunded by your colleagues to finish it.”
Before he finished speaking, the office door was pushed open. Zhong Heguang walked out, politely greeting Xie Guan and urging him, “The boss is waiting for you. Please go in first.”
Xie Guan chuckled at the suggestion, walked into the office, and closed the door behind him.
As soon as the door locked, Fang Hui exclaimed, “Wow! After so many years of hardship, the boss finally has someone sending him a lunchbox of love.”
Zhong Heguang silently took the cake box from her hands.
The outer area was still imposing and unwelcoming, making people unwilling to stay longer. Xie Guan passed the living room and strolled to the entrance of the inner office. Hao Mingjun was sitting at his desk, looking at the computer screen, with a slight frown and furrowed brows. In his usual working state, he often showed no expression, with well-defined features that were a bit intimidating. Xie Guan was accustomed to his amiable appearance and almost forgot the experience of having leg cramps every time he stood in front of him.
His mind was filled with all sorts of thoughts, but as he returned to Huo Mingjun’s side, it miraculously quieted down. Xie Guan suddenly realized that whether being treated as a friend or being liked, there would be no second person to give him this feeling of security apart from Huo Mingjun.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Just like Huo Mingjun’s “fearless dedication” towards his work, Xie Guan has been honed and polished by the grindstone of society for so many years, experiencing the bitterness of isolation and helplessness. He consciously forged a tough exterior like a coat of copper and iron, but he completely couldn’t resist someone holding him in their hands as if he were a precious flower.
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Huo Mingjun immediately sensed something was wrong and gestured for him to come closer. “What’s wrong? You don’t seem too happy. Did something happen during the recording?”
Xie Guan couldn’t resist Huo Mingjun’s soothing tone. He leaned against the desk behind him, and chuckled, “Why ask that? It’s not like there are so many people who can’t get along with me. Do you see me as particularly easy to bully?”
“When you just came in, your face looked like it was about to touch the ground,” Huo Mingjun said. “You didn’t say a word, just stood there with your head down. Can you blame me for thinking too much?”
Of course, only you would think too much.
If it weren’t for his keen sensitivity to Xie Guan’s emotions, always paying attention to his actions, who would immediately notice that he wasn’t in a good mood with just one sentence from him?
Suddenly, Xie Guan bent down and hugged him tightly.
Huo Mingjun was stunned.
“Mingjun,” Xie Guan murmured by his neck, “Mingjun…”
Huo Mingjun’s right hand that was hanging at his side slowly lifted. After a long moment of hesitation, it landed on the fuzzy back of Xie Guan’s head, gently caressing his nape. He sighed tenderly and said, “What exactly has upset you… or are you finding new ways to act cute with me?”
“Nothing,” Xie Guan said hoarsely. “I just wanted to thank you.”
Huo Mingjun hadn’t finished exhaling when he was abruptly lifted again. He hung in suspense, fearing that Xie Guan’s next words might be “you’re really a good person.”
Fortunately, Xie Guan’s sentimentality stopped there. He nonchalantly let go of Huo Mingjun, casually adjusted the flattened collar, and said, “I brought you some snacks. Want to try them?”
Huo Mingjun’s lingering confusion remained, but he didn’t inquire further. He followed Xie Guan’s lead, saying, “Sure.”
Inside the box was an exquisitely crafted tiramisu. Xie Guan handled it with great care, maintaining its perfect appearance, not even spilling a bit of cocoa powder.
On the way to the company, Xie Guan was pondering the dishes from today. At a traffic light, he noticed a famous dessert shop on the street corner, recalling the Italian story that Tan Xiaotian explained during the recording. Decisively, he asked Huang Cheng to pull over, went into the shop, and picked up a piece of tiramisu.
After some thought, he felt bringing only one piece might seem a bit contrived, so he asked the shop to pack a few more pieces of cheesecake and brownies.
Since realizing the enormous truth yesterday, he had been in a state of disarray. Even now, he couldn’t figure out his true motivation for buying a bunch of cakes. He asked Huo Mingjun with anticipation, “Is it delicious?”
Huo Mingjun replied, “Take a bite.”
Xie Guan shook his head, “I’ve already tasted it during the recording. What do you think of the flavor?”
“It’s okay, the taste is quite authentic,” Huo Mingjun took a sip of water to dilute the sweetness in his mouth. “Just a bit too rich. Why did you suddenly think of buying cakes? I always thought you didn’t like this type of dessert.”
“Yeah, I’m not particularly fond of sweets,” Xie Guan said, “If you like them, how about I work on a less rich modified version when I have time?”
Huo Mingjun waved his hand, “Don’t bother, I’m not that interested. These things are more for aesthetics than nutritional value, just for the looks. If you have time, you’d better get started on my six dishes and one soup.”
Xie Guan inexplicably felt happy. It seemed like his nonsensical theory of love might not be entirely without merit.
The combination of poor sleep, early morning recording and a hectic day made Xie Guan’s emotions fluctuate. As he chatted with Huo Mingjun, he suddenly felt tired, turning his head to stifle a small yawn.
Huo Mingjun interrupted, “The stylist is coming at 4:30. If you’re tired, you can take a nap first.”
“In your office?” Xie Guan wiped away a tear, “It won’t be appropriate with people coming and going, isn’t it?”
Huo Mingjun got up and opened the door to the office suite, revealing a small resting area inside. “Sleep here, I’ll wake you up when the time comes.”
Upon seeing the bed, Xie Guan instantly felt too tired to even keep his eyes open. After Huo Mingjun closed the curtains and turned back, Xie Guan was already asleep.
“Why are you so tired?” Huo Mingjun sighed, both helpless and amused. He pulled out a blanket from the bedside cabinet, covered Xie Guan, and raised the air conditioning two degrees higher before quietly closing the door and leaving.
Once outside, his expression immediately turned cold.
Huo Mingjun walked into the living room and called Huang Cheng, “It’s me. What happened to Xie Guan during the recording today?”
Huang Cheng was completely confused, not understanding what was going on. He provided a detailed account of today’s recording process to Huo Mingjun.
Others might not understand, but Huo Mingjun did. Those metaphors seemed like a kind of secret code between him and Xie Guan, conveying some unspoken understanding through such a method.
“He already knows, but he didn’t turn and leave,” Huo Mingjun felt his heart racing uncontrollably, thinking, “My stick is about to bloom.”
At four in the afternoon, Huo Mingjun came in to wake up Xie Guan.
No man could endure seeing the person he liked sleeping in his bed, especially when it wasn’t the first time.
Last time, when Xie Guan was sick, he didn’t harbor any romantic thoughts. But now, by the riverside of this dark and prolonged river of unrequited love, a glimmer of light finally appeared.
He reached out, gently touching Xie Guan’s forehead. His fingertip lingered from the bridge of the nose to the gracefully delicate lips. His heart was filled with feelings he couldn’t express to anyone. However, he restrained himself and just bent down extremely cautiously, fearing that he might do something abrupt. He lightly pecked the space between Xie Guan’s eyebrows like a dragonfly landing on the water.
In a place Huo Mingjun couldn’t see, Xie Guan’s tightly closed eyelids twitched slightly.
“Wake up,” Huo Mingjun shook him through the blanket and said, “It’s time to get up.”
Still half-awake, Xie Guan made a vague sound, turned over, and buried his face in the pillow, stubbornly refusing to open his eyes.
He was always alert when sleeping, and he woke up as soon as Huo Mingjun entered the room. He just didn’t feel like opening his eyes, and who would have thought that this scoundrel was here to molest him? The sensation of something as light as willow catkins on his face made him itch from the bottom of his heart, but he didn’t dare to move. He could only play the role realistically and lie still like a corpse. Then, a completely different sensation landed on his forehead. It took Xie Guan two seconds to react after realizing what it was. His mind exploded with a “boom.”
His premonition came true. The psychological defense that he painstakingly built finally collapsed in this light, fluttering kiss. In an instant, it crumbled to pieces.
They met with a probability of one in ten million, and passed by each other at countless forks in the road. Amidst the vast sea of joys and sorrows, the life of an ordinary person in the world of mortals is nothing more than a speck of dust in the mountains or a drop in the ocean.
Few experiences in life truly move the heart. Encounters were rare and beyond one’s control, like a breathtaking glimpse within the chaos of the universe.
Although Xie Guan mentally prepared himself, he was still overwhelmed in this moment of clearly expressed affection. His heart melted, and for a moment, he felt an indescribable bittersweetness.
With closed eyes, he pretended to reach for his phone on the bedside table, keeping Huo Mingjun’s hand firmly clasped in his own.
“For a grown man, he’s too innocent,” he tried to suppress his emotions, while his mind wandered aimlessly, “Why didn’t he just kiss me on the lips?”
I really like the reflection on love AND the fact that Huohuo wouldn’t romantically kiss him during his sleep. I know it seems romantic but it makes me cringe so hard each time thank you for the chapter and the translation 💐💖💐💖
These two are just too sweet.
Seeing their interactions I feel like I’m eating the sweetest cake made.
Thank you for the update!