DLRAS Chapter 108

Chapter 108: Don’t make a sound.

Chen Wengang’s breath caught in his throat. He felt that there was a hidden meaning behind Huo Niansheng’s words, yet he also felt unsettled. Huo Niansheng, drenched and looming over him, looked like a fish leaping from the water. Water droplets from his hair fell onto Chen Wengang’s cheeks, and their lower bodies were pressed together, radiating the warmth of a man.

Huo Niansheng looked at the person beneath him for a long time, patiently waiting for him to open himself up.

Chen Wengang wanted to speak but hesitated, and in the end, he didn’t say anything at all.

The phone left by the door rang—a life-saving signal that shattered the stalemate. Huo Niansheng initially ignored it, but Chen Wengang urged him with his eyes to answer. It rang for a while before finally cutting off. There was a pause, and then the caller insistently redialed.

Huo Niansheng clicked his tongue in annoyance, finally rising to wipe his hands.

“What is it? Oh… I see. Hmm, got it.”

When he returned, Chen Wengang had already retreated into the water. Huo Niansheng looked down at him; by this time, their positions had reversed.

Chen Wengang was half-submerged, his arms draped over the edge of the pool, his eyelashes fluttering. He gazed up at Huo Niansheng, hovering between closeness and distance thanks to the buoyancy of the water, as if he would dive back into the depths if he were touched just once more.

Huo Niansheng chose not to startle him further: “I need to rest for a bit. You swim first.”

Chen Wengang pushed off the pool wall and darted away, his movements fluid.

However, he swam half-heartedly. He reached the other side with freestyle, then returned with backstroke, floating in the water and watching the sky move little by little, until he bumped head-first into a solid, muscular chest. Huo Niansheng had reached out to block him: “Keep swimming and you’ll hit the wall.”

Chen Wengang stood up; the pool water reached his chest, and the shimmering light reflected on his face.

Huo Niansheng wiped the water from his face, following the bridge of his nose: “How can you do backstroke but not find your way?”

Chen Wengang smiled, pursing his lips, and rested his chin on Huo Niansheng’s broad shoulder. He squinted, looking back at the path he had swum. This was a private pool; there were no lane lines dividing the water. The expanse of blue was square, like a boxy fish tank.

With skin pressed against skin, Chen Wengang felt he was the fish—hiding in the highest, most secluded place, yet still in the corner of a fish tank.

In the end, he still couldn’t help but return to Huo Niansheng’s side.

There was lemonade on the tray nearby. He stretched his arm out but couldn’t reach it, so Huo Niansheng picked up a glass for him.

Chen Wengang lowered his eyes and took a sip, making conversation: “Who was that calling you just now?”

“Huo Zhenfei.”

“What did he want?”

“Wang Qiming, the Young Master Wang, is organizing a gathering and inviting people to go play on his piece-of-junk boat.”

Huo Niansheng spoke nonchalantly, not knowing if he cared or not, focused only on snatching the lemonade to drink. With lips pressed against lips, Chen Wengang was teased until he choked. He glared at the man and simply shoved the whole glass at him, telling him to drink his fill.

Huo Niansheng bit the straw that Chen Wengang had just used, sipping loudly: “Huo Yingfei is going, and Huo Zhenfei wants me to go watch over him.”

Chen Wengang replied, “Oh.”

He was somewhat familiar with the name Wang Qiming.

Not long ago, regarding that batch of expense forms at the Huo Foundation that he felt were problematic and refused to sign, the entertainment companies and holding companies involved in the capital flow had beneficiaries surnamed Wang. The Wang family was a prominent clan in the city, and this Wang Qiming was a young scion of that family.

The foundation had numerous transactions, and using them for tax avoidance or balancing the books was not unexpected.

Chen Wengang drew a line in his mind—behind Wang Qiming was the Wang enterprise, and behind Huo Yingfei was the faction of Huo’s Second Uncle.

In that light, it was no wonder Huo Zhenfei was concerned and wanted to send someone he trusted to check on what they were up to.

Chen Wengang hooked his arm through Huo Niansheng’s. Naturally, the boat trip was meant to happen; Huo Niansheng hadn’t said whether he was going or not.

He didn’t press for an answer. While on the topic, he brought up the incident where Huo Lingchong had forced him to sign the documents.

He also mentioned what Huo Yingfei had come over to whisper—

Huo Niansheng laughed: “Is that how he talks about me?”

Chen Wengang wrapped his arms around his neck: “He said you were unfaithful and paranoid. How do you explain that?”

Huo Niansheng pressed his waist, pulling him close: “How come I feel like that’s not what he meant?”

Chen Wengang tightened his hold: “I don’t care, those were the only two words I heard.”

Huo Niansheng rested his forehead against his: “Yes, I am exactly what he described. Who told you not to find out sooner?”

Chen Wengang tightened his embrace around his shoulders. In truth, he didn’t care at all what Huo Niansheng said. He cared even less about what other irrelevant people had said; it was just a passing comment. He only wanted to consume Huo Niansheng’s scent and feel his presence—every second, in this very moment.

If he couldn’t feel entirely at ease with Huo Niansheng by his side, he wouldn’t know what to do.

They stayed in the pool until the drag-racers began their activities, then showered and returned to the bedroom.

The next day, there were no more activities to be found. After noon, they prepared to head home.

Before leaving, while Chen Wengang was helping the housekeeper clean up the kitchen, Huo Niansheng went to the study alone. He re-checked the files in the safe; there were no signs that the seals on any of them had been tampered with, and the surveillance was working properly. He restored the bookshelf to its original state.

On the drive back to the city, Chen Wengang grew sleepy in the afternoon and dozed off against the seat.

Huo Niansheng glanced at him sideways. His face was calm, but his heart was a chaotic storm.

In truth, the files weren’t necessarily all that important, yet they were significant. Going on this trip, he felt it was time to tell Chen Wengang things he needed to know, but at the same time, Huo Niansheng wanted to confirm some things he cared about.

Since there was no doubt that Chen Wengang held secrets, it was hard for Huo Niansheng not to wonder.

What does he know? What has he seen? Did he have the same dreams?

If Chen Wengang had retrieved all his memories in those dreams, many of his reactions seemed to have a reasonable explanation.

But there was no evidence.

Huo Niansheng was momentarily distracted while turning the steering wheel to the left and rushed to straighten the car. The corner they had just passed was where he had thrown the ring. Did Chen Wengang know about that, too? What happened afterward? In such circumstances, where could they have ended up?

Huo Niansheng had no leads to this day, so he chose to probe—which he thought was the method that would cause the least damage.

However, Chen Wengang’s reaction was greater than he had anticipated.

Huo Niansheng’s gaze dimmed, and his mood was heavy. On one hand, he felt he had hit on the crux of the matter; on the other, he felt he had triggered a switch that should never have been touched. He was like someone blindfolded, trying to take a pearl from a clam; he might get nothing, or he might get his hand pinched instead.

Perhaps in the worst-case scenario, by being too impatient, the clam would never open for him again.

Huo Niansheng remained silent the entire way and didn’t wake Chen Wengang until they reached the parking lot.

The two returned to the apartment. The housekeeper had been on leave for two days; she was bored from the lack of work and happily set out to make them dinner.

Chen Wengang helped her peel scallions. The old woman and the young man huddled in the kitchen, chatting about how eggs at the supermarket were a few cents cheaper due to a sale.

As per custom, once Huo Niansheng sat at the table, the housekeeper stopped chatting and returned to the kitchen to eat her own meal.

As for the friction in the villa’s study, neither mentioned it again after it passed.

Afterward, Chen Wengang reflected on his behavior; he had acted like a child unable to accept reality, willfully covering his ears and saying he wouldn’t listen, as if ignoring the truth would prevent any bad things from happening. In reality, Huo Niansheng was in the right; he simply couldn’t accept it emotionally.

Huo Niansheng didn’t bother him with these things anymore, but Chen Wengang knew he wouldn’t change his mind.

For some psychological reason, Chen Wengang even went to request Lawyer Zhu to help him draft a personal will—

Giving back as good as he got: if he were to die accidentally, all assets under his name would be inherited by his partner in their entirety, without a cent left over.

Lawyer Zhu agreed to this request quite readily, and the process was simple; everything went smoothly from the signing to the notarization.

But only after it was all finished did the great lawyer speak slowly: “Are you having a spat with your boss?”

Chen Wengang sat in the office chair opposite him, stunned for a long time: “Was I that obvious?”

Lawyer Zhu, who was already quite familiar with him, showed a professional smile: “—It’s almost written all over your face. You drafted this document not as if to express love, but as if you’re settling a grudge.”

Chen Wengang smiled bitterly and rubbed his brow in front of him: “Rest assured, my distribution of assets is sincere; it’s not a momentary impulse. In case anything happens to me, the people I care about—he won’t fail to take care of them. My business—he shouldn’t just abandon it… I just want him to experience what this feels like for now.”

Lawyer Zhu watched him, unsure if he understood or not.

Chen Wengang sighed: “I’m not angry at him; I’m angry at myself. I hate myself for being so anxious about gains and losses. I have obtained everything, and by anyone’s account, my life should be complete, yet I hesitate day after day—unable to say what should be said, unable to do what should be done, only capable of letting my imagination run wild and throwing tantrums… Is this just a case of ‘a fool worrying about nothing’?”

Lawyer Zhu comforted him: “That’s normal. In reality, everyone has pressures that others can’t see. Do you need psychological counseling? I’ve been seeing a psychologist myself recently, and I find the results quite good. I can introduce you if you need it.”

Chen Wengang declined his kindness.

But he knew where he was collapsing.

Even Huo Niansheng noticed the signs; Chen Wengang seemed to cling to him even more tightly. If they were out of sight of each other for more than a few hours, he would send something—even if it was just an emoji, a word, or punctuation—as long as he got a reply. If Huo Niansheng didn’t reply, he wouldn’t pester him; instead, Huo Niansheng would feel guilty himself. Lawyer Zhu had warned him that Chen Wengang’s anxiety might be quite serious—every time Huo Niansheng saw a message on his phone that hadn’t been answered for more than a quarter of an hour, he couldn’t help but recall the image of Chen Wengang biting the temple of his glasses.

Since he had caused this, Huo Niansheng had to develop the habit of checking messages promptly, not even daring to keep his phone on silent.

Previously, Huo Niansheng would pick Chen Wengang up from work when he had time, or they would see each other when they got home in the evening. Now that Chen Wengang got off work early, if Huo Niansheng was busy, he would go to the other man’s office, sit quietly, and wait for him to go back together.

It was only on this day that he occasionally didn’t have time to find Huo Niansheng.

A fixed funding project for the Huo Foundation had run into trouble. It was a mistake in the link Xiao Gao was responsible for—mixing up the material lists for two different projects. Chen Wengang helped him resolve it. Time was tight, and the two of them stayed long after work to proofread until very late.

In reality, Xiao Gao had never worked overtime before, and certainly not until it was pitch black outside.

“I wonder if there will still be buses by the time I’m done… the last one might stop soon…”

“Can’t you get back by subway?” Chen Wengang glanced at him.

Xiao Gao whispered: “Only the bus goes direct. Where I live requires four subway transfers… Chen-ge, it’s not for me to say, but we wage-earners are different from someone like you who has a car to pick you up. I even hesitate for a long time just to take a taxi.”

Chen Wengang couldn’t help but look up: “Wouldn’t you have avoided this if you had been more careful next time?”

Xiao Gao thought he was unhappy and didn’t speak further.

It was past nine before they were basically finished. The entire 19th floor had only their office light still burning, creating a gloomy atmosphere.

There was a sudden movement outside the door, and Xiao Gao yelped: “Who’s there?”

Chen Wengang hadn’t expected this young man to be afraid of the dark. Startled by the young man grabbing him, he walked out to look left and right:

“There’s no one there. There’s nothing.”

Xiao Gao was a bit creeped out and didn’t want to stay, so he hurriedly packed his things and left after saying goodbye.

So, Chen Wengang was left alone. He walked to the pantry to wash the tea-stained cup. When he returned to the office and pushed the door open, he was suddenly seized by a hand reaching out from nowhere, his mouth covered as he was dragged inside, and a warm breath sprayed against his ear: “Don’t you dare scream.”

Support me on Ko-fi