Chapter 109: Does President Huo treat you well usually?
Chen Wengang nodded to show he understood.
Someone covered his eyes from behind, slowly pulling them tighter and tying them at the back of his head. With his vision stolen, he held his breath and heard a click—the sound of the other person kicking the door shut. The hem of his shirt was tugged out bit by bit, and a palm slid across his taut muscles, moving upward with a flippant touch.
The voice behind his ear threatened him: “If you dare tell anyone, I’ll ruin you.”
Chen Wengang’s heart hammered against his ribs. He still didn’t speak, instead reaching out to fumble for the other person’s arm, rubbing against it affectionately.
Huo Niansheng swept him up by the waist. The person in his arms offered no resistance. When he was placed onto the cold, hard desk, he only flinched slightly before wrapping his arms around the man, like a clam opening its shell to reveal its soft interior, ready to be harvested.
Huo Niansheng felt a wave of tenderness in his heart, his eyes swimming with desire. He leaned over, bracing his weight on the desk, brushing back his hair as his teeth grazed the skin near his carotid artery, feeling the rhythmic pulsing underneath: “Why aren’t you resisting?”
Chen Wengang chuckled in his ear: “I’m not resisting; staying alive is more important.”
Huo Niansheng, however, was unrelenting: “Is any man who comes along okay?”
“Not you,” Chen Wengang scolded him with a playful kick. “If you act out, I’m calling the police.”
“Go ahead and call them.” Huo Niansheng kissed him, showing no sign of remorse. “The police can catch me once I’ve finished committing the crime.”
A few quick, sharp footsteps echoed in the corridor, then retreated and returned. The door handle rattled a few times, but it wouldn’t budge.
Xiao Gao knocked from the outside: “Chen-ge, have you already left? Chen-ge?”
The room instantly fell silent. No one answered; there was only the sound of two breaths rising and falling. Chen Wengang subconsciously tensed up, his head tilting back, caught between Huo Niansheng’s hand and the hard desk. Huo Niansheng gripped his wrists and kissed them soothingly.
A sliver of light shone from beneath the door gap. Xiao Gao glanced down, saw the light, and knocked a few more times.
Huo Niansheng grabbed his suit jacket and covered the person beneath him completely. Chen Wengang was plunged into darkness; with the light gone, his hearing became sharp. He heard Huo Niansheng walk toward the door.
The door opened a crack, and Xiao Gao ran into an unexpected face.
Huo Niansheng blocked the doorway completely: “What is it?”
“Oh, I…” He became flustered. “Huo… President Huo…”
“Say what you need to say directly.” Huo Niansheng’s gaze was impatient.
“A charger, I—I forgot to bring it… I saw my phone was running out of power halfway through…”
“Go to the convenience store on the street and buy a power cord and a power bank.” Huo Niansheng closed the door. “Come find me for reimbursement tomorrow.”
Xiao Gao was left incredibly awkward. His mind was suddenly filled with salacious imagery; he could guess what was happening inside with his knees. His face flushed bright red: “Then… I’m leaving. You… ahem, I’m going now.”
When he closed the door again, Huo Niansheng flipped off the office lights.
He pulled back the jacket. Chen Wengang was curled up underneath, his spine protruding bone by bone. With his eyes still covered, he was docile and motionless.
Huo Niansheng bowed down to pull his waist, feeling the smooth muscles. Between the recuperation, the diet, and the exercise, he wasn’t as frighteningly thin as before; he was just right. Chen Wengang let out a breath, fumbling to hold his arm as he complained: “Look at what you’ve done.”
Huo Niansheng lay beside him, murmuring: “Who told you not to come home until so late today.”
Chen Wengang tilted his head toward him: “Didn’t I tell you I’d be working late?”
Huo Niansheng didn’t answer, only stroking his spine again and again. Chen Wengang felt his dangerous desire. He was actually quite nervous, struggling slightly, but Huo Niansheng was determined not to let him go. Chen Wengang’s mind was almost blank. Between the sheets, he was submissive most of the time; he would cooperate with whatever Huo Niansheng wanted, but that was always behind closed doors in the dark.
Huo Niansheng was rarely this forceful.
Afterward, he pushed Huo Niansheng away: “Aren’t you afraid of being seen?”
Huo Niansheng knew he cared about his reputation: “I turned off the surveillance before I came in, from the control room.” He held Chen Wengang, coaxing him for a long time. “Who would do something bad without turning off the camera first? What would I do if you actually went to the police tomorrow?”
Chen Wengang rested on his shoulder, his mind blank.
It wasn’t early when they returned to the apartment, but midnight meant no one else was around, and the streets were empty. Huo Niansheng picked up speed, taking a couple of laps on the city highway before heading back. Chen Wengang leaned lazily against the passenger seat, replying to messages, and let out a sigh.
“What’s wrong?”
“Do you remember Cheng Bo? My elementary school classmate.”
“Oh, that small business owner.”
“I just realized he added me to a group chat, saying we should keep in touch often.”
Huo Niansheng glanced at him: “Keep in touch for what? He isn’t planning on introducing you to another girl, is he?”
Chen Wengang smiled and turned off his phone: “No. Nobody touches a wall once and then tries to run into it again.”
During the last elementary school reunion, Chen Wengang had gone. The children from back then were now adults. In contrast, Cheng Bo was the most successful among the group; many others had just graduated or were still in university without much savings, while he already had a house, a car, and a family. Perhaps out of a sense of superiority, he felt unsatisfied afterward and created the group, saying they should help each other out.
Huo Niansheng just smiled at this. He didn’t take Cheng Bo—or Li Bo, for that matter—to heart, but hearing this reminded him of something else.
He suddenly negotiated: “Do you want to move back to Jiangchao Street?”
Chen Wengang was startled: “It’s more convenient for work over here, isn’t it?”
Huo Niansheng turned the steering wheel, his voice indifferent: “Do you ever feel that there’s too little interaction between people here?”
Chen Wengang didn’t speak for a moment. Even Huo Niansheng hadn’t thought that one day his mind would be occupied by such thoughts.
Yunding Building was located in a prosperous area, but high-end apartments lacked the bustle of old-fashioned neighborhood relationships; not knowing your neighbors was the norm. Even if you met in the elevator, most people who moved in here came with an elite level of polite detachment.
Once, when Chen Wengang went downstairs, he saw someone walking a German Shepherd. Huo Niansheng was with him; seeing Chen Wengang glance at it twice, appearing to like it, he mentioned that the dog seemed to have a skin condition. The owner pulled the large dog to his side: “Thanks, but don’t bother yourself.”
In any case, it wasn’t like his old home, where there were neighbors who had watched him grow up and classmates he hadn’t spoken to in years.
After work, he could go to a neighbor’s house for a meal; there were people who would occasionally remember him and call him out. Those people weren’t all refined or gentle; some were realistic, some were worldly, but they had the warmth of the city and the bustle of life. It wasn’t always just the two of them in their own world.
However, thinking of this made Huo Niansheng feel somewhat amused at himself.
Chen Wengang only had eyes for him, only relied on him. In truth, wasn’t that better? Without a doubt, it gave him tremendous satisfaction. It was just that sometimes, Huo Niansheng’s heart was filled with an inexplicable emotion. It was more like unbearable pity—pity to see him cooped up at home all day, pity that he had no friends to visit. If he could kick him out into the sun, that would be for the best. If he liked dogs, he could get one and take it out for walks.
Moreover, Huo Niansheng had planted roses in the courtyard himself; who knew what they looked like now that others were taking care of them.
It seemed his brain was faster than his mouth; he suddenly asked: “Where do you prefer to live?”
Chen Wengang put down his phone and looked at him gently: “Wherever you are, that’s where I am.”
The next day at work, when Xiao Gao saw Chen Wengang, his expression was incredibly awkward. He whispered: “Chen-ge, yesterday, President Huo…”
Chen Wengang said calmly: “It won’t happen again.”
Xiao Gao clicked his tongue in his heart. He was bursting with things to say, but he didn’t dare actually say them. After all, he was the only one who had bumped into them, and if the news leaked, it would likely be his responsibility. He had to beat around the bush: “You two have such a great relationship.”
Chen Wengang lowered his head to work, not taking the bait, not knowing what was going through the young man’s mind.
Xiao Gao had truly been intimidated by Huo Niansheng. In the past, he mostly heard gossip about the Huo family young masters from others’ mouths, and he thought Huo Niansheng was just a playboy—he even felt a bit of disdain. It wasn’t until he faced him head-on that he realized he didn’t even dare to breathe in his presence.
He recalled the face of Huo Niansheng he saw yesterday, thinking it was dark and terrifying. On the other hand, it was hard to imagine Chen Wengang receiving equal and respectful treatment beside someone like that. So, all in all, no matter how superior the life was, he was just a toy.
Thinking this way, he felt a bit more balanced. He looked at the ring on Chen Wengang’s hand: “Is President Huo good to you usually?”
Chen Wengang smiled: “Very good. Why?”
Xiao Gao shook his head and didn’t speak again.
Huo Niansheng had turned off the surveillance on the 19th floor. Although nothing had been leaked, Huo Zhenfei had noticed the cameras being turned off.
He didn’t say anything, but two days later, when he met Chen Wengang in the elevator after work, he looked at him twice.
Chen Wengang greeted him, noticed the other person’s gaze, and smiled: “What is it?”
Huo Zhenfei asked: “Is Huo Niansheng here to pick you up today, too?”
Chen Wengang nodded: “He’s downstairs.”
Huo Zhenfei suddenly said: “Let’s have a meal together later.”
There was no reason to refuse this, so they walked out of the elevator together and met up with Huo Niansheng. They found a restaurant; Huo Zhenfei was the one treating. He actually had business to attend to—it was regarding the cruise party that Young Master Wang Qiming was hosting.
Hearing the name, Chen Wengang thought of Huo Yingfei, but he didn’t interject, quietly eating his meal while listening to their discussion.
Wang Qiming was another playboy who loved to show off his status. Every year, he held this kind of party, inviting a bunch of his fair-weather friends. Since it was certain that Huo Yingfei would attend, Huo Zhenfei’s implication was that Huo Niansheng should follow and keep an eye on him.
Huo Niansheng glanced at Chen Wengang: “I’ll bring Wengang along when the time comes.”
Huo Zhenfei didn’t seem to approve: “You can just go yourself.”
Huo Niansheng smiled at him: “Why? If I asked you to go, would you be afraid to bring your wife and children along?”
Chen Wengang still silently ate his food without saying a word, only topping off Huo Niansheng’s tea.
However, Huo Zhenfei still sensed something. When Chen Wengang went to the restroom, he asked Huo Niansheng: “What’s wrong between you two?”
Huo Niansheng raised an eyebrow: “What do you think could be wrong with us?”
Huo Zhenfei shook his head: “Only the fish knows if the water is cold or warm. As long as you know what this ‘marriage’ of yours is like, that’s enough.”
By the time Chen Wengang returned, the two had already finished their topic and were chatting about other things.
Because they had been drinking, they each called for their drivers after the meal. When they headed out, Huo Niansheng’s car reached the curb first. The driver got out and opened the door. Chen Wengang ducked his head and sat in. Huo Niansheng wrapped an arm around his thin shoulder. He leaned down and squeezed into the dark cabin, as if he were stepping into a bottomless black box, ready to disappear inside. Huo Niansheng followed close behind and sat in the car, like a guardian protecting a flower with strict vigilance.
Huo Zhenfei watched them from the steps without a word.
The taillights flickered and faded into the distance.
