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Chapter 45: Chen Wengang gave him what he wanted, so he should give something accordingly.
When Amanda announced the visitor, Huo Niansheng happened to receive a call from Chen Wengang.
His feet were still propped up on the table as he glanced at the caller ID and answered, “Wengang, what’s up?”
Amanda pushed the door open in front of him: “Mr. Huo, Mr. Chen is here.”
She stepped aside to reveal the person behind her: “I just saw him at the front desk without an appointment, so I brought him up.”
Huo Niansheng put his feet down: “What brings you here?”
Chen Wengang entered with a smile: “Hope I’m not disturbing?”
This building wasn’t under Huo’s main headquarters; he was currently the chairman of a subsidiary responsible for investment.
It was past seven, and most people who should have left for the day were gone, but there were still quite a few burning the midnight oil. When Chen Wengang arrived, he noticed lights still on in the middle floors, radiating determination through the windows.
He had helped Chen Xiangling move during the day and was dressed casually in a light cotton shirt that clung comfortably to his body. Despite lacking structure, the pure cotton fabric felt comfortable against his skin. His plain, straight-cut jeans lacked embellishments, but his envy-inducing long legs made up for it.
Huo Niansheng instructed his assistant, “Go get some drinks.”
Chen Wengang hurriedly declined, saying, “No need to bother.”
Amanda’s professional smile was standard. “Sure, there are beverages in the pantry. Just let me know what you’d like.”
Chen Wengang thanked her and watched as she closed the office door behind her.
In the evening, he had left Chen Xiangling’s place with Lu Chenlong and dropped Lu Chenlong’s little brother, Xiao Bao, home. After leaving the brothers at their doorstep and declining an invitation to dine together, he intended to head back to his own place.
However, he got stuck in traffic on the elevated highway. The red taillights formed streams of light, and looking into the distance from the bridge, rows of residential buildings were illuminated, each light representing a family, perhaps with their own domestic symphonies behind every lit window.
He contemplated returning home to the routine of washing up, showering, and going to bed, knowing he had to return to work at Zhengshi tomorrow.
The endless cycle of work and scheduling seemed never to relent.
Suddenly, he felt an urge to see what Huo Niansheng was up to.
Coincidentally, at that moment, Lawyer Zhu called him, likely finishing his busy schedule, saying he needed to meet in person to sign something.
So, it made sense to meet Chen Wengang at Huo Niansheng’s company’s front desk.
After signing with Lawyer Zhu, who promptly left for the day, Chen Wengang encountered Amanda returning from dinner.
As soon as Huo Niansheng closed the door, he embraced Chen Wengang teasingly, saying, “Is today a role reversal for work inspections?”
Chen Wengang understood the reference to their last visit to the special education school. Just the thought of it brought back memories from that evening; even though there were no outsiders present, his face was still flushed with embarrassment.
It seemed like his clothes couldn’t contain him anymore; his ears were burning, evident in Huo Niansheng’s eyes.
It was already after work hours, and Chen Wengang wasn’t too concerned about formalities. Huo Niansheng indeed led him to the office desk, looking around.
It felt somewhat delicate.
In his past life, Huo Niansheng used this office, and despite being together for seven years, Chen Wengang had never stepped inside—knowing Huo’s suspicious nature, he never inquired about his career or the affairs of the Huo family, maintaining a seemingly innocent “kept” relationship.
The first and last time he entered was with Amanda and Lawyer Zhu to pack up Huo’s belongings after his passing.
The office, once shrouded in memories, still retained the aura of a big boss. Huo Niansheng’s black desk was spacious enough to gallop on, neatly organized with file boxes, with not a single sheet of A4 paper in sight. The office computer was still on, displaying the screensaver.
Chen Wengang accidentally brushed the keyboard, bringing the system interface back into view.
He quickly looked away, not dwelling too much, refocusing his attention, and turning to embrace Huo Niansheng’s neck.
In the same playful tone, he said, “If I had known you were going to work overtime, I wouldn’t have come to disturb you.”
Suddenly, Huo Niansheng held his armpit, catching Chen Wengang off guard, and gently pressed him down onto the broad desk.
With his hands resting on Chen Wengang’s shoulders, Huo leaned in, seemingly unconcerned. “When you walked in just now, did I look busy to you?” he said, almost proudly, “While others work overtime, I’m just pretending to be busy.”
Their proximity increased, testing the waters, their lips brushed against each other’s.
The kiss was light, filled with playful intent.
Chen Wengang closed his eyes, feeling content.
Sitting on the desk, his feet couldn’t reach the ground. He lifted his feet and slowly rubbed Huo Niansheng’s calf.
He lifted his hand to support Huo Niansheng’s arm, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his lips. “Since you’re not busy, why didn’t you come find me?”
Huo Niansheng protested, “I knew you were studying for exams, that’s why I didn’t disturb you, giving you time to review.” He pulled open a drawer and took out a stack of newspapers, as if to prove his point. “And how do you know I haven’t been thinking about you?”
A glance revealed Chen Wengang’s own photo. It was the last issue of the school newspaper for the semester, featuring his interview.
His face grew even hotter, instinctively reaching out to snatch it. “You…”
Huo Niansheng, however, raised his hand to avoid him. “What are you grabbing for? This is the newspaper I picked up from the newspaper stand at your school when I was there the other day. It’s free; you can get one yourself if you want.” He teased, shaking the newspaper open and leaning down beside Chen Wengang, “I’ve been thinking these days; next time we meet, I’ll make you read it yourself while from behind I…”
Chen Wengang covered his mouth with his hand.
Huo Niansheng pulled his hand away, kissing his wrist, causing tingles to run through his palm all the way to his throat.
“I also carefully read this interview. It’s very cute. Asking about your usual study habits and the social practices you’ve done in college. And finally, asking if you’ve ever been in love, what your ideal type is—mature, steady, calm. Who are you referring to?”
Chen Wengang lifted his drooping eyes, staring at him with a smile. “It’s all just general talk, nothing serious.”
Huo Niansheng nibbled his ear, “Then tell me the truth… What kind do you like?”
Chen Wengang tilted his head slightly, whispering in his ear, “I like someone who’s in their prime, honest, and down-to-earth…”
Before he could finish, a muffled grunt interrupted him, wiping the smile off his face. He begged for mercy, arching his body and clutching Huo Niansheng tightly.
Huo Niansheng merely touched him gently, not pressing him against the cold, hard desk.
After a tender embrace, he suddenly asked, “Have you not been sleeping well lately?”
Chen Wengang looked at him. “Yeah, how did you know?”
Huo Niansheng rubbed his scalp: “I can tell by how tight your scalp feels,” he said, suddenly enthusiastic. “Go lie down; I’ll give you a massage.”
There was a lounge in the office suite, with a single bed for resting and the air conditioner folded into thin blocks.
Chen Wengang hesitated for a moment about which side to lie on, and Huo Niansheng decided the position for him, pressing him down.
Chen Wengang turned his head, resting it on his arms, and looked at Huo Niansheng. As his fingers pressed and massaged his scalp, Huo Niansheng’s expertise in this area was commendable. His fingers moved down to his neck, pressing on pressure points, massaging down to the sore shoulder blades, with a few light cracks.
In modern times, few are spared from the fatigue of long hours of sitting. Chen Wengang squinted, almost sighing in comfort.
His demeanor made Huo Niansheng think, amusedly, that he resembled a cat.
Light and clingy.
Especially after the neck and shoulders were massaged, Chen Wengang instinctively turned over, lying in Huo Niansheng’s arms, turning to another side, and asking him to continue massaging his head.
Huo Niansheng didn’t mind at all, continuing the task diligently. As his fingertips pressed upward, from the Baihui acupoint to the Fengchi acupoint, he looked down, seeing the person in his arms enjoying the peace with closed eyes. He suddenly spoke up, “How’s your health been lately?”
Chen Wengang said, “I’m fine now. Why do you ask?”
“How about your mood?”
“It’s nothing, really.” Chen Wengang realized, “I haven’t had any episodes recently.”
That’s a good thing. Huo Niansheng massaged him for a while and then asked, “If you’re in a good mood, why not go out this weekend? Do you have time?”
With their relationship, it was time to enjoy themselves and relish the sweetness of it all; it was only natural. By now, Huo Niansheng understood what Chen Wengang’s personality desired. He wanted companionship, dates, and constant care. Chen Wengang gave him what he wanted, so he should reciprocate. Huo Niansheng was a man of his word—not necessarily a good person, but certainly fair.
However, Chen Wengang thought for a moment and politely declined for the day, “This Saturday won’t work; we have plans.”
Huo Niansheng, sensing that it didn’t sound like work, asked, “What plans?”
Chen Wengang explained, “It’s for the children at the welfare home. They can’t go out freely on their own, so volunteers take them out to play. We agreed to take two of the kids out.” He sat up, considering, “Why don’t you come along?”
Huo Niansheng stared at his neat forehead and straight nose, probably not paying attention to what he was saying.
Chen Wengang sat up straight, gazing at him intently, his gentle, serene eyes fixed on his face.
Their gazes locked.
Huo Niansheng didn’t possess the inherent compassion for the poor and weak, but somehow, in Chen Wengang, it complemented his personality perfectly, genuine and unpretentious. It seemed like this was how he was meant to be, and what Huo Niansheng wanted was exactly what he was.
Huo Niansheng probably didn’t even realize what he had agreed to. “Sure, just let me know the time, and I’ll see you then. I’ll come pick you up.”
As for the troublesome tenants in the old house of Chen Wengang’s family, Lu Chenlong initially said, “Don’t worry, you don’t need to come over every day, and don’t let Ling Ling come either. I’ll keep an eye on them for you. People always have their reservations. I don’t believe they can keep stalling forever.”
In less than twenty-four hours, Chen Wengang received a series of videos from him.
Busy with work, Chen Wengang asked what was going on.
Lu Chenlong replied with a crying laughter emoji, “Just see for yourself.”
Opening the videos, it was indeed not something that could be easily explained in a few words.
Early in the morning, Lu Chenlong took his younger brother, Xiao Bao, out to their intervention class and saw four or five burly men knocking on the door of Chen Wengang’s house. One of them was quite polite, coming over to ask him, “The owner of this house is surnamed Chen, right?”
Each one of them had muscular builds and rolled-up sleeves, revealing tattooed arms. The one who approached them had two dragons tattooed on his arms.
Lu Chenlong was taken aback but nodded, “Yes, that’s right.”
At that moment, the lady of the house came to open the door, also surprised, “Who are you? What do you want?”
As she spoke, the master of the house also urgently came out, and Lu Chenlong stood aside, watching the commotion. The leader of the group showed them the contract, “This is our lease agreement. Mr. Chen rented this house to us, and the lease starts today.”
The master of the house frowned and tried to push them out, “Don’t pull this stunt. I’m telling you, we’re not afraid! I’m calling the police right now!”
The tattooed man with the dragon tattoos on his arms grinned but remained diplomatic, “Even if you call the police, the current tenants of this house are us. It’s not easy for you, and it’s not easy for us either. Don’t we all need a place to stay? Look, you can’t just leave us homeless, can you?”
Ignoring the lady’s protests, they barged into the courtyard, armed with camping chairs and plastic sheets. They spread the plastic sheets on the ground and started playing cards.
Out of anger, the master of the house did call the police.
But even when the police arrived, there was nothing they could do: “How can we arrest them? They are also renting the house now. You should move out as soon as possible.”
Unfortunately, Lu Chenlong didn’t have time to witness the whole commotion. Seeing that he was almost late, he quickly picked up his brother and rushed off.
When he returned later, the atmosphere in the restaurant was lively, with everyone chatting animatedly. They said those people seemed to be still in the courtyard, not doing anything else but playing cards. They even bought bread and beer at noon, enjoying themselves. When they asked to use the bathroom, the lady reluctantly allowed them in, but it took almost two hours for everyone to take turns.
So, Lu Chenlong’s videos were more or less like this: “Unbelievable, where did you find these people?”
Chen Wengang remained calm, “It wasn’t me. It’s probably the debt collection company my lawyer hired.”
Debt collection companies are usually used to deal with debtors. To be honest, it was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut to clear out the tenants. They usually didn’t even take on such personal matters, and their involvement was largely due to the favor from Lawyer Zhu.
Yesterday, Chen Wengang was called to sign a contract, and he had a pretty good idea of what Lawyer Zhu was up to.
Lu Chenlong seemed impressed, “How do you know so much?”
Chen Wengang just smiled, “In big companies, you learn a thing or two about these things.”
“Do you think Zheng Corporation also does this?” Lu Chenlong muttered, “Are you sure it won’t cause you any trouble?”
“It usually doesn’t. They are ‘professionals,’ so to speak. Let’s just say, they probably understand the law better than you and me.”
After hanging up the phone, Chen Wengang sat for a moment before getting up to dial another number in the stairwell to thank Lawyer Zhu and inquire about the fees.
Lawyer Zhu remained courteous, saying, “No need to thank me; forget about the fees. We have to chase project payments every year, and for long-term partners, we consider it part of the service. It’s hard to quantify, and it wouldn’t be right to charge you.”
Chen Wengang was decisive; there was no trace of being overly kind on his face this time, “Thank you for your efforts. Next time, let me treat you to a meal.”
Lawyer Zhu replied, “Of course, that sounds great. If you have any issues, feel free to contact me anytime.”
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