Croatia was in the Eastern Time Zone, which was exactly seven hours behind Beijing time. In other words, when Wen Jiaxuan woke up at 7:00 AM here, it was only midnight for Wu Zehao over there.
Wen Jiaxuan set ten alarms between 6:50 and 7:00 AM, one minute apart, afraid that he might oversleep. Because Boss Wu said he would send a WeChat video for inspection at 7:00 AM, and if Wen Jiaxuan is still sleeping, he’ll deduct 100 Chinese Yuan from his salary.
That’s right, he’ll deduct money for sleeping in even before settling the salary. It was as if he was not treating him like a human being, not at all.
At 6:58 AM, Wen Jiaxuan struggled to get up, then opened WeChat, his eyes vacant as he stared at the screen, waiting for Wu Zehao’s video call.
With two minutes left until 7:00 AM, Wen Jiaxuan waited, and his mind drifted back to yesterday afternoon.
Yesterday, after Wu Zehao had finished Wen Jiaxuan’s interview, he left in the afternoon.
Before leaving, Wu Zehao asked Wen Jiaxuan to add him on WeChat. Without much thought, Wen Jiaxuan opened WeChat, entered Wu Zehao’s ID in the search bar, and sent a friend request.
“Where did you get my WeChat ID?” Wu Zehao asked strangely.
“Didn’t you show me before to prove that you’re not a scammer? I vaguely remember it was your name abbreviation plus your birthday,” Wen Jiaxuan honestly said, “Later, I found your ID card and saw your birthday, so I knew.”
Wen Jiaxuan chuckled, thinking Wu Zehao would praise him for being clever.
But Wu Zehao’s face turned serious, and he asked without expression, “So, you knew how to contact me when you found my ID, but you deliberately waited until the evening when there were no trains to come and stay at my doorstep?”
Wen Jiaxuan’s expression instantly froze on his face. He had forgotten an old saying, “Being too clever can sometimes be foolish.”
Wu Zehao, in a playful manner, pinched Wen Jiaxuan’s cheek as if teasing and not actually angry, saying, “Crafty little fox.”
“Ouch, that hurts,” Wen Jiaxuan turned his head slightly, avoiding Wu Zehao’s hand. He then covered his reddened cheeks and glared at Wu Zehao, displeased.
“Let me remind you again, don’t go upstairs,” Wu Zehao pulled his suitcase and headed outside. “If I come back and find anything amiss on the second floor, there won’t be any discussion…”
“Just leave,” Wen Jiaxuan interjected.
This boss was quite… suspicious.
“Is there something secretive on the second floor?” Wen Jiaxuan followed Wu Zehao outside and asked curiously.
“No,” Wu Zehao replied, looking straight ahead without turning his head.
“Then why are you so afraid of me going up there?”
“It’s not fear,” Wu Zehao pushed open the courtyard gate. “It’s private space, I just don’t like others going in.”
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.
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In fact, if you think about it from the other perspective, Wen Jiaxuan also didn’t like others entering his own bedroom.
“When I’m not here, be a good boy and write articles. I’ll be back in ten days,” Wu Zehao walked out of the courtyard, and Wen Jiaxuan didn’t follow.
“Let me confirm again, it’s a 3,000-word article, right?” Wen Jiaxuan held onto the courtyard gate, half of his body poking out.
“Yes,” Wu Zehao nodded. “Just try to write it, don’t feel pressured.”
Wen Jiaxuan nodded. “Stay safe, have a smooth journey.”
Travel media needed to constantly monitor the travel safety trends in various countries and share them promptly with people planning trips.
Unlike other media that simply share news, “Zeyou Travel” went further by providing in-depth analysis of the underlying reasons, helping people understand the “what” and “why.”
This time, Wu Zehao tasked Wen Jiaxuan with analyzing why it was not advisable to go to Israel and Turkey. Wen Jiaxuan spent the entire night yesterday gathering information and was almost ready; he just needed to start writing.
Looking at the time, it was 7:01 AM, and Wu Zehao hadn’t sent a video call.
Wen Jiaxuan’s head bobbed up and down, on the verge of falling asleep at any moment.
Speaking of it, Wen Jiaxuan being able to stay wasn’t easy at all. He not only had to conquer the formidable Wu Zehao but also endured a scolding from Wu Zehao’s brother last night.
In the end, Wen Jiaxuan played the pitiful card, saying how hard it was for him to find a job based on his abilities and that he wanted to challenge himself. Only then did Wu Yiran reluctantly agree.
Of course, Wen Jiaxuan was well aware that the main reason for Wu Yiran’s agreement was because the company he found happened to be a magazine publisher.
“You’re going to work in the magazine industry. Why didn’t you go to Dad’s place?” Wu Yiran was genuinely puzzled. “Is there any publishing company in the industry bigger than Dad’s?”
“It’s different,” Wen Jiaxuan stubbornly replied. “If I went to Dad’s place, it would be because I was arranged there. Staying here is something I fought for on my own.”
As the saying went, forcibly obtained melons weren’t sweet, and the same went for gifts.
Wu Yiran naturally understood this principle and didn’t say anything more.
Furthermore, Wen Jiaxuan hadn’t forgotten to ask Wen Yiran to help him obtain a temporary ID card and send it to him. In theory, obtaining a temporary ID card requires the person to be present, but in the Wen family’s case, they had a relative working at the police station. Moreover, it was for a temporary ID card, not an official one, so it didn’t pose much of a problem.
It was 7:03 AM, and Wu Zehao still hadn’t sent a video call.
Wen Jiaxuan wore a contented smile, it seemed like his boss had completely forgotten about this. How great!
Wen Jiaxuan tossed his phone onto the coffee table and pulled up the small blanket over himself, preparing to return to his dreams. However, before he could find a comfortable position, the sound of “ding, ding, ding” startled him.
It was his boss.
Wen Jiaxuan quickly sat up straight, ready for the call, and pressed the green call button.
The image quickly appeared, a pure white screen.
Wen Jiaxuan tilted his head, still pondering what the white thing was, when Wu Zehao’s voice came: “Lazybones, are you up?”
His voice was deep and tinged with weariness.
“I’m up,” Wen Jiaxuan didn’t dare to admit that he had just crawled out of bed.
“Really?” Wu Zehao’s face appeared on the screen, and it was only then that Wen Jiaxuan realized that the white thing was Wu Zehao’s shirt.
“If you’re up, why are you wrapped in a blanket?” Wu Zehao asked as he unbuttoned his shirt. When he reached the third button, Wen Jiaxuan clearly saw the defined chest lines.
Wen Jiaxuan couldn’t help but imagine Wu Zehao without his shirt. He knew Wu Zehao had a well-defined chest, the result of years of fitness.
“This?” Wen Jiaxuan glanced at the small blanket covering him. He explained, “Well, because I took a shower yesterday, and my clothes were washed. I don’t have anything to wear.”
As Wen Jiaxuan spoke, he loosened his grip on the blanket with his left hand, causing the right side of the blanket to slide down from his shoulder, revealing his round shoulders, beautiful collarbones, and a large expanse of skin on his chest.
Wu Zehao’s hand paused while unbuttoning his shirt, and his gaze fixed on a somewhat hidden, rosy spot. He subtly raised an eyebrow, saying, “Are you… completely naked under that blanket now?”
“Yes,” Wen Jiaxuan completely let go of his left hand, and the blanket slid off his body, revealing his fair upper half.
Wu Zehao cleared his throat slightly and shifted his gaze away. He asked, “Have you been writing the article properly?”
“Yes, I have. I gathered a lot of information last night,” Wen Jiaxuan replied, unaware of Wu Zehao’s unusual reaction. “I’ll start writing today.”
“Good,” Wu Zehao sat down on the sofa. “You haven’t been running around the second floor, have you?”
“No, not at all,” Wen Jiaxuan straightened his posture and moved his phone farther away, ensuring his entire upper body was visible. “If I went to the second floor, why would I be without clothes?”
Wu Zehao’s closet was on the second floor. If Wen Jiaxuan could go upstairs, he would have fetched clothes long ago and wouldn’t need to wrap himself in a blanket to hang laundry.
Wu Zehao glanced at the screen upon hearing this but quickly averted his gaze, looking elsewhere. He asked, “Do you want to see the night view?”
“Yes!” Wen Jiaxuan perked up. “Did you go to King’s Landing today?”
“I’m in King’s Landing right now.”
King’s Landing was actually a fictional name, the capital in “Game of Thrones,” but the filming location was in Dubrovnik, a port city in southeastern Croatia.
Wu Zehao opened the window, adjusted the camera, and asked, “Can you see it?”
Outside, the sky had darkened, and Wen Jiaxuan could only see the iconic red rooftops through sporadic lights. Despite this, it was enough to excite him. After all, as a “Game of Thrones” fan, he had always wanted to make a pilgrimage to this sacred place.
“It’s really King’s Landing!” Wen Jiaxuan wished he could jump through the camera to Wu Zehao’s side. “I really want to go!”
“Well, you can come on your own in the future,” Wu Zehao said nonchalantly.
Before Wu Zehao left, Wen Jiaxuan had expressed the same sentiment. He wanted to visit King’s Landing, and it would be great if he could go with Wu Zehao.
Of course, Wen Jiaxuan had mentioned it on a whim back then, just a passing comment, not seriously wanting to be a freeloader.
Firstly, getting a visa takes time, and secondly, Wen Jiaxuan didn’t have the money for a trip. However, upon hearing this, Wu Zehao replied somewhat seriously, “I enjoy traveling alone.”
Thinking about it, Wen Jiaxuan suddenly found it strange. “Why are you wearing formal attire for your trip? I remember you were in casual clothes yesterday.”
“Today, I went to meet with several guest house owners to discuss cooperation. I just got back,” said Wu Zehao.
“I see,” Wen Jiaxuan blinked, “No wonder you were late.”
“What, you want to fine me for being late?” Wu Zehao asked.
“No, no, I wouldn’t dare. You’re the boss,” Wen Jiaxuan quickly replied.
Wu Zehao smiled and turned the camera back. He looked at the screen and said, “Hurry up and get to work. I’m going to rest for a bit.”
“Yes, boss,” Wen Jiaxuan straightened his chest and mischievously said, “Boss, take it easy, and come back soon.”
Wu Zehao looked at the bright cherries on the screen and abruptly ended the video call without saying a word.
1 a.m., Croatia, in the hotel bathroom.
Wu Zehao showered while his head throbbed, looking at the warm and muddy water in his hands. He thought that little troublemaker was indeed quite powerful, even able to trouble him from thousands of miles away.
Muddy water??? Wu Zezhao you beast 😭
Oh wow
Wu zehao is down bad for wen jiaxuan 😂😂 also, i think theres a typo for his brother’s name? It’s wen yiran not wu yiran, right?