DLRAS Chapter 62

Chapter 62: Because I don’t have to pick on him.

All the way here, Huo Niansheng felt like an overreacting, fussy employer.

It took him a long time to convince himself not to dwell on that prophetic nightmare. That was until he stood under this starry sky and saw Chen Wengang looking up—those clear, black-and-white eyes sliding over to him, offering a quiet, elegant smile.

Huo Niansheng realized then, it wasn’t a dream.

More fragments of memory had awakened in his mind. Like countless plankton in the sea, they drifted up and down like snowflakes, born in the morning and dead by dusk, suddenly morphing into a tentacled behemoth. Its slimy, freezing appendages dragged him down into the abyss.

In that chaotic black vortex, what he remembered was Chen Wengang’s cold face.

Chen Wengang, who always greeted people with a faint smile and spoke in a gentle, compassionate tone.

But when had he stopped smiling like that?

No matter how calculating or resourceful Huo Niansheng was, there were things he couldn’t achieve, even if he was willing to pay any price.

This shouldn’t be. When had Huo Niansheng ever experienced such powerlessness?

Huo Niansheng took his hand out and held Chen Wengang’s.

He was still dressed in his business banquet attire, leather shoes shining, though he had taken his jacket off on the way and tossed it in the car.

Freeing his other hand, he loosened his tie. The two walked hand in hand down the street, and Baldy tactfully vanished.

They reached the center of the street where there was a children’s play castle in an open plaza. At this hour, no parents were letting their kids play outside. Huo Niansheng grabbed Chen Wengang, hoisted him up, and set him on top of the slide.

The small slide was too miniature; Chen Wengang’s long legs reached the bottom instantly. He sat as steady as a mountain, with no room to slide.

Huo Niansheng leaned forward, resting both hands on the handrails, playfully trapping him inside.

A slight breeze blew through the summer night. Their breathing drew closer and closer until it overlapped.

Chen Wengang asked him, “Can you tell me what’s really going on?”

Huo Niansheng countered, “What do you mean?”

“Things have been really weird lately.” Chen Wengang sighed. “One after another, everyone is speaking in riddles. You won’t tell the truth, Kang Ming won’t tell the whole truth, and even that woman looking for a job today was hemming and hawing, refusing to speak honestly. What am I supposed to do?”

Huo Niansheng helped tuck a stray hair behind his ear. “Relax, nothing is wrong. And even if there is, I won’t let it happen. Don’t you remember that paparazzi from last time? It’s good to have an extra person watching your back. Has Kang Ming interfered with your normal life?”

Chen Wengang reached out and looped his arms around his neck. “No. But it’s you rich people who are the best at stirring up trouble.”

Huo Niansheng wore an affectionate smile. “What can we do then? Just bear with it, alright?”

Then he asked, “What’s this about a woman?”

“I don’t know. The situation seems a bit complicated. I can’t decide, so I’ll leave it to the person in charge.”

“Then don’t tire yourself out so much.”

Chen Wengang looked up at him. The warm yellow tone of the streetlamp cast a halo around him.

Huo Niansheng suddenly lowered his head, sealing his lips and capturing his breath.

“I just remembered something,” Chen Wengang murmured by his ear. “When I went out this morning, my car broke down…”

Naturally, he didn’t return to the Zheng residence that day. Instead, Huo Niansheng brought him back to Yunding Mansion for the night.

The first thing Huo Niansheng did upon entering was grab his hand to register his fingerprint in the smart lock. “Forgot to do this last time.”

A beep indicated the registration was successful, but Huo Niansheng didn’t let go of his hand.

The second thing he did was carry Chen Wengang into the living room, lay him on the sofa, and tear at his buttons, settling the score regarding his form of address last time—

“Also, how many times have you messed up? Isn’t it time to settle the bill?”

“I don’t remember.” Chen Wengang’s voice carried a soft chuckle. “Were you keeping count?”

Dry wood met a roaring fire, instantly ablaze. The bathroom floor ended up soaked in water.

Eyes blurred with desire, eager and hot breaths sprayed against his neck.

Chen Wengang furrowed his brow, gripping him tightly.

The feeling was actually quite subtle. For so long, they had both endured, investing immense time and patience into romance, as if to prove this relationship wasn’t just about sex. But love and affection ultimately landed on the physical body. It was impossible not to want it. Who wouldn’t?

Huo Niansheng tied his hands to the headboard. He was reveling in a predatory posture when his phone suddenly began to vibrate.

Chen Wengang struggled slightly. Huo Niansheng glanced at the nightstand and suddenly swiped to answer it on his own initiative.

The phone’s owner couldn’t stop him in time, and Zheng Yucheng’s voice came through: “You didn’t come back today…”

Self-explanatory gasps were met with abrupt silence.

Huo Niansheng paused for a moment. “Apologies, we’re busy right now. Is it urgent?”

Five seconds later, the call disconnected. After a long pause, it frantically rang again, vibrating loudly against the desk.

Huo Niansheng slowly reached over and powered off the phone. In the unseen shadows, his gaze was cold and dark.

After a long time, Chen Wengang, face buried in the pillow, slowly regained his clarity and asked, “What were you trying to do?”

Huo Niansheng untied him and kissed the back of his neck. “You’re a man too. Don’t you know how wicked men can be?”

Chen Wengang turned away helplessly, his back to him.

Huo Niansheng, entirely unrepentant, lay down as well. He wrapped his arms tightly around his waist, pulling him into an embrace, and gently rubbed his chin against the top of Chen Wengang’s head. Chen Wengang yawned, rolled over to lie against his chest, and didn’t bother bickering with him anymore.

He had a point, though. Men weren’t just wicked; they were fiercely territorial.

Huo Niansheng asked for another kiss, and Chen Wengang responded softly.

His reaction filled Huo Niansheng’s heart. Huo Niansheng recalled their clumsy first time, but he never thought about or cared what Chen Wengang’s past with Zheng Yucheng was like. That remained true even now. This was his person; every response was molded by his own hands, and every posture was one of absolute acceptance.

The next day, Chen Wengang went to work. Upon arriving at Zheng Corporation’s headquarters, he ran into a familiar manager from the HR department.

The manager stopped him. “Is the contact information your sister registered correct? Is it the phone number starting with 186?”

Chen Wengang froze. “Which sister? What phone number?”

The HR manager, holding a folder under his arm, pulled out a document to confirm with him. “Chen Xiangling, this is your cousin, right? We’ve been trying to contact her to schedule an interview, but we called her twice yesterday and she didn’t pick up. Could you check if the number is wrong?”

Chen Wengang furrowed his brow. “Where did this document come from? Who said she wanted to interview?”

The manager was also confused, not understanding why he didn’t know. “Wasn’t it Junior Mr. Zheng?”

Although Zheng Yucheng had climbed the ranks quickly, he hadn’t yet reached a position where he could officially be called a general manager. But ordinary colleagues found him difficult to address. The clever ones started using the title preemptively, which wasn’t a big deal. He would be promoted eventually; it was only a matter of time.

Chen Wengang was about to say something else when he received a call. He glanced at the screen—it was exactly Chen Xiangling.

Her confusion matched that of the two men present. “Ge, my dad called me this morning.”

Zheng Yucheng was in his office when he heard two measured knocks on the door.

The air conditioning in his room had broken down first thing in the morning. The technician had come to look at it and said repairs would take a while. The air was unbearably stuffy, so he had to leave the door wide open. Chen Wengang stood in the doorway, tapping his knuckles against the wood twice more.

Zheng Yucheng snapped back to reality. “Come in.”

Chen Wengang sat down opposite him and laid the documents out on the desk. “What made you think my cousin needed a job?”

Zheng Yucheng opened his mouth, his expression fluctuating rapidly. “When I called you the day before yesterday… that was originally what I wanted to talk about.”

Not mentioning it was one thing, but bringing it up caused a fresh wave of angry embarrassment to surge in his chest. He guessed his face was already unimaginably ugly.

Chen Wengang crossed his arms and looked at him calmly, waiting for the rest. “Tell me now.”

Zheng Yucheng paused. “It’s not a complicated situation. It’s just that when I went to the docks that day, I heard your uncle mention that she’s graduating next year but her school hadn’t assigned her an internship. It’s not an exception; our company is hiring for clerical roles anyway and has vacancies. It’s a common practice for employees to recommend their relatives and friends. Don’t overthink it.”

Chen Wengang remained composed. “You’re being so generous. How can I not overthink it?”

Zheng Yucheng sat up straight, meeting his gaze. “Are you angry because I interfered without asking?”

Chen Wengang studied his face, not answering immediately.

He scrutinized Zheng Yucheng with a look that was hard to describe.

Zheng Yucheng began to suspect the AC hadn’t merely stopped working, but had switched to heating mode. The office chair, or something else, emitted a suffocating rubber smell. He wasn’t sure if it was an illusion, but his nasal cavity was filled with this unbearable scent of rubber.

After a long moment, Chen Wengang stood up. “I believe you had no malicious intent. At most, you were just ill-considered.”

Zheng Yucheng’s jaw tightened into stiff, cold lines. “Your reaction tells me I’ve done something wrong again.”

Chen Wengang smiled faintly. “You just don’t know how to consider things from someone else’s perspective. Setting aside whether my uncle’s one-sided story is even true, you simply felt that having her parents’ approval meant you could decide everything for her. You never considered that she might have her own ideas, which is why it didn’t bother you that she hadn’t even submitted a resume before having HR forcefully add her profile. You’re so generous. So, when you called the day before yesterday, were you planning to ask my opinion, or just notifying me of the result? Should I thank you now?”

“…”

The door was half open. A secretary walking by heard Chen Wengang’s voice from inside: “This isn’t a feudal society anymore, Zheng Yucheng.“

She was deeply startled. Heart pounding, she hurriedly held her breath and ducked against the wall.

Before stepping out, Chen Wengang said flatly, “Put away your misplaced sense of superiority and think it over.”

Zheng Yucheng abruptly spoke up. “Wait a minute.”

Chen Wengang stopped, waiting for him to finish.

Zheng Yucheng revealed an extremely bitter smile. “I admit I’m not perfect. I have a pile of flaws I haven’t even realized. I did reflect on what you said last time. But I keep wondering, since when did you start picking me apart like this?”

He continued, “It seems to be right after you met Huo Niansheng. Tell me the truth, Wengang, would you talk to him like this?”

Chen Wengang thought for a moment and said, “No.”

Zheng Yucheng stared at him intensely.

Chen Wengang looked back at him calmly and without fear. He knew these insinuations were hurtful, but when he received his cousin’s phone call, the memory of the one million Zheng Yucheng had given Lu Chenlong in their past life suddenly weighed heavily on his chest. Some past grievances had become too pressing to hold back.

Chen Wengang said, “Because I have no need to pick him apart. Huo Niansheng has never given me the opportunity.“

After he left, the secretary doubled back, passing by the door again. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Zheng Yucheng lighting a cigarette inside.

Chen Wengang went to the stairwell and called Chen Xiangling back, telling her it was just a misunderstanding and not to worry about it.

Once the new semester began, Chen Xiangling had moved into a dorm at her prep school to better focus on cramming for her exams.

As for his uncle Chen Zeng and his aunt… Chen Wengang was sitting at his cubicle, tapping his mug as he considered how to deliver a warning, when he suddenly received a message from Luo Suwei. It was about the middle-aged woman again.

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