Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter
Chapter 2
Edited by Asa
Li Shuo did not fall into a deep sleep. Groggily, he heard the flight announcement about the plane preparing for its descent.
He touched his eye mask, about to remove it.
A big hand gently covered his hand, and a magnetic voice sounded in his ear. “They’ve just turned the lights on in the cabin, it’s very bright.”
Li Shuo finally woke up properly, and registered that this was Zhao Jinxin’s voice. Closing his eyes before removing the mask, he waited for his eyes to adjust to the light before slowly opening them.
In front of him was a cheerful, handsome, smiling face. That face was really very good looking, especially those limpid, alluring eyes. Having those eyes focused on a person, the person’s heart would tremble, and they would lose all ability to concentrate. Just with his eyes and a smile were enough to make a person throw away all their defenses.
Although this person was young, he was an old hand in romance, and should not be underestimated. If he wanted to enchant Li Shou, his skills were not quite up to par yet. Li Shou pushed Zhao Jinxin away lightly, and thanked him dispassionately.
“You were sleeping, so I didn’t wake you up. I’ve asked them to leave a meal for you.” Zhao Jinxin pointed at the food on his table. “We’ll be descending soon, have something to eat. The prawn salad isn’t too bad.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Then drink something.” Zhao Jinxin passed the bottle of mineral water over. “Or would you like a cup of coffee?”
Li Shuo took the bottle. “Water is fine.”
Zhao Jinxin smiled at him, as though admiring a pottery work, and needed to calm himself down to slowly study it.
It was not exaggerated to say that after Li Shuo went through puberty, the number of people who had expressed their interest in him or even chased after him explicitly was enough to fill up this Boeing 747. This included people of all sorts of races, and some were even more direct than Zhao Jinxin, but few were as confident as him.
It really made him uncomfortable, but it was fairly fresh to him as well.
Finishing the water, Li Shuo planned to go to the restroom to wash his face. As he closed the door, he looked behind him, afraid that Zhao Jinxin would try to make his way in again. Seeing the obviously weary face in the mirror, he paused for a few seconds, and could not help laughing.
In this trip, he had received a very novel surprise, which made the originally long flight a little less boring. Hence, what was there to get angry about?
Opening the door of the restroom, he immediately saw Zhao Jinxin on the seat looking at him with his chin in his hand. It looked as though he was waiting for the moment he exited the restroom to smile at him.
Li Shuo smiled faintly, while returning to his seat composedly. He had already thought of how he should politely and firmly reject Zhao Jinxin should he continue insisting on asking for his phone number.
However, Zhao Jinxin only chatted casually with him about the weather, and the plane then landed. Until the two people exited the aircraft, Zhao Jinxin did not mention anything inappropriate again.
In the arrival hall, Zhao Jinxin reached his hand out to him. “It’s fate that we’ve met, we’ll see each other again if there’s an opportunity.”
Li Shuo too poisedly shook his hand. “Bon voyage.”
Zhao Jinxin took two steps back, then grinned. “We’ll definitely see each other again.” His smile was crafty and confident, and it was so good looking that it seemed to light up its surroundings.
Li Shuo smiled lightly, and did not take it to heart.
Li Shuo’s family chauffeur was already waiting at the airport. When he saw the old man who was always neat and tidy with a kind appearance, a warmth welled up within him. “Uncle Guang.”
“Lambert.” Uncle Guang was full of smiles. “The flight actually landed on time.”
Li Shuo gave him a hug, smiling. “Why are you so surprised? Do you especially like waiting for me?”
“Who likes waiting for you?” Uncle Guang feigned anger. “You only come back once or twice a year, who wants to wait for you?”
Li Shuo laughed brightly. “I’m at fault, I’ll definitely come back more often. Let’s go, let’s go home.”
On the road, Li Shuo called home to check in.
Uncle Guang glanced at him through the rearview mirror. “You really must come back more often. Sir and Madam always reminisce about you. Now that they’re older, they’re especially afraid of loneliness.”
“I will.” Li Shuo recalled the reason why his dad called him back, but he did not understand it fully as his dad was also not able to clarify it over the phone, only saying that it had something to do with the En Nan Group.
His dad used to be one of the directors in the top three accounting firms in the United states. Because of his heart issues, he retired early, and then was rehired by his friend — the chairman of the board of directors of En Nan Group — as the accounting consultant. En Nan Group was a huge American company trading in exports using aircrafts. The chairman was also Chinese, and had been friends with his dad for many years. His dad was someone who could not remain still, but his body was no longer able to handle high intensity work anymore. As such, he signed on to be the accounting consultant, and lived a semi-retired life.
Thinking over it, could it be that his father was once again hoping that he would take over the company? In university, Li Shuo had long clearly rejected joining his father’s firm. Now that he had his own career back home, it was even more unlikely that he would return.
Li Shuo was unable to guess what was going on, and so decided to stop guessing.
He looked at the scenery passing by, feeling that it was both strange and familiar. Having left America after graduating from university, he would only return a couple of times each year. Ever since he was a child, he had always liked mathematics, and so learnt accounting as well. However, he felt that this city was too saturated, as all the large companies were already intimately connected with various firms. He wanted to have his own career, but was unable to dissociate himself from his father’s influence. This made him feel that working was meaningless, and so he returned to China. He was also very thankful for his decision at that time, as it allowed him to have what he had now.
Li Shuo looked at his phone. It was still the middle of the night back in China. That person usually woke up at 7 in the morning, and was always very punctual. Giving an understanding smile, his head lowered as he sent a text. “Xiao-Chengxiu, I’m home already. Give me a text when you’re awake, I want to let you speak with my mom.”
If these two people started talking to each other, it would definitely be a situation where one was warm and enthusiastic while the other would be stammering. Thinking about the scene, Li Shuo could not help but want to laugh.
His phone suddenly beeped. Li Shuo was extremely surprised. Was Li Chengxiu not asleep at this hour? Could it be that he was waiting for his flight to land? Unlocking his phone in anticipation, Li Shuo realised that it was a text from an unknown number. Curious, he opened it, and on the screen appeared a bare chest. The image only captured the body below the neck and above the waist, and the person looked as though he had just taken a shower, the shiny smooth skin beading with water. That figure was really very impressive, the pecs firm and supple. The abs were like bricks, an eight-pack clearly delineated, and the lines of the adonis belt emphasising the slender waist and disappearing below the image, attracting the viewer to fantasise.
Li Shuo’s throat bobbed as he swallowed, staring at the photo for a few more seconds.
Friends who were familiar with him all knew that he liked the boyish, pleasant type. They would usually be slender, gentle, and made him feel protective over them. Men always like the adorable, gentle and meek ones best, but they also would not dislike the fiery and sexy type as well. Just like the one in this photo, it really made a huge visual impact.
He smiled, casually saving the photo in his album, but did not reply. It was likely that the photo had been sent wrongly.
A while later, his phone beeped again. It was still that unknown number, and this time it was a text. “Don’t like it?”
Li Shuo cocked his brow, responding, “Who r u?”
“Send me an X, I’ll show u something hotter.”
Li Shuo thought that it was probably some friend who knew that he was back in America and was teasing him. He replied, “xxxxxxxxxxx”
Soon, a text came in. Li Shuo swiftly opened it, and as expected, the other party had sent an even wilder photo. This time, it was below the waist, and the man was only wearing a pair of underwear. The muscles of those thighs were tensed, and under the black boxer briefs was a bulge, with long, slender fingers hooked into the edge of the boxers and tugging it down slightly. A shadow of damp pubic hair could vaguely be seen, and it was so lewd that Li Shuo was a little unsettled. He coughed lightly, and pulled at his collar uncomfortably.
Uncle Guang glanced at him through the rearview mirror. “What’s wrong? Is it too warm?”
“Oh, no.” Li Shuo’s fingers tapped quickly on his screen. “Who the hell r u!”
He was very curious as to which ass of a friend had sent a model’s photo to tease him. Looking at the colour of the skin, he knew that the person was Asian, and that friend really understood his preferences. After sending the text, he thought about it, and decided to just give that person a call.
The phone only rang for a moment and was rejected. Very quickly, a text came in. “Like it? Baby, I can do way better.”
Li Shuo burst out laughing. He ignored this person who was trying to be mysterious, and waited to see who was the one who could hold on longer.
After about ten minutes, Li Shuo repeatedly looked at those two photos. They really made a person’s imagination run away. Human beings were very strange. Even though all sorts of completely nude and revealing photos could now be seen on the internet for free, such partially concealed images would actually make the viewer even more curious.
He was now very curious. What sort of a face would accompany such a good figure so as to not to waste it, and who exactly was the one who sent him these images?
Until the car arrived at home, his feet just touched the ground; Only when his parents were welcoming him back did his phone finally beeped. In the end, he could not stop his curiosity, and while greeting his parents, he unlocked his phone. That handsome smiling face on his screen nearly made him puke blood.
Zhao Jinxin?!
“Xiao-Shuo.” Mrs Li hugged him happily, “Are you tired?”
“I’m not. Mom, your new hairstyle is really pretty…” Li Shuo did not have time to readjust the expression on his face. He looked a little awkward, and quickly shoved his phone back into his pocket.
Mrs Li smiled as she touched her hair. “What’s wrong? Why are you so flustered?” She looked uncomprehendingly at her son who was usually very sedate.
“No, it’s fine. Dad.” Li Shuo wrapped an arm around Mr Li’s shoulders, laughing, “Dad, you’ve gotten fat.”
Mr Li chuckled, “I’m not fat. I’ve been working out recently, and I bulked up a little.”
“Working out is good. Let’s go, get into the house.” Li Shuo was secretly wondering how Zhao Jinxin had gotten his number. He even sent him such extremely provocative photos to make fun of him, and he actually fell for it, making him seethe with anger.
After entering the house, Li Shuo was still a little distracted. He was both angry and amused, and while there was a break in the conversation, he added that number to his blacklist.
He did not really like forceful people, especially with regard to such matters. Once he was placed in the more passive role, he would feel uncomfortable. He had always planned his life systematically, with great self-control. Everything was in his hands, just like the logical and organised numbers that he liked so much.
This time, he had returned in a hurry, and so did not bring too many things. However, he did let his assistant to quickly pick up some presents, especially those for his mother.
Mrs Li had always lived a well-off, comfortable life. When she married Mr Li, a poor little fellow, no one had expected anything much from them. However, after getting married, she was pampered by her husband, and after giving birth, she was pampered by her son. Her entire life was calm and smooth, and she was an unassuming, simple and cheerful woman. She would be happy no matter whether it was a gift of jewellery or a fruit basket, and she always had a smile on her face.
She looked through the presents Li Shuo had brought with him, then spoke with great anticipation, “Xiao-Shuo, where’s your boyfriend’s photo? Quick, let us look at it.”
Li Shuo laughed, pulling his phone out and selecting the photo album. Wanting to look for Li Chengxiu’s photos, instead, the first photo that appeared was the lewd half naked photo of Zhao Jinxin that he had saved just now!
Alarmed, his hand shook, but it was too late to take it back. Mrs Li’s eyes were sharp, and she clutched at his wrist. “Wow, his body is so good!”
“No no, it’s not this one.” Li Shuo’s face burned slightly, quickly sliding past the photo. “This is a wallpaper from the internet.” He could not help cursing Zhao Jinxin. Having been a model son since young, he no longer remembered the last time he had embarrassed himself in front of his parents, how mortifying.
Mr Li was sitting on the sofa opposite. He could roughly guess what had happened, and revealed a sly smile.
Mrs Li bubbled with laughter, poking at Li Shuo’s face with a finger. “Aiyah, it’s rare to see you embarrassed.”
Li Shuo coughed lightly. He quickly found Li Chengxiu’s photo and showed him to his mother.
On the screen was a delicate and fair face, his eyes black and bright. His nose was a little round, and his jawline was very sleek. Soft hair clung to his cheeks, and on his face was a heart-stirring smile. This face was not stunning, but it was very pleasant and grew on people. The first impression it lay on others was harmless and docile.
Mrs Li’s eyes brightened. “I can immediately tell that he’s very good-tempered.”
“Yes, he’s very gentle, and the food he cooks is delicious. He’s also extremely good at taking care of people,” Li Shuo was delighted.
Ever since the first time they met, Li Shuo knew that Li Chengxiu fulfilled at least 80% of what he was looking for in a partner. He also appeared right at the time when he was at the age of looking to settle down, and it really was what they called the “right time and right person”. As such, he did something that went against his principles — he snatched Li Chengxiu from someone else. Although doing this had resulted in some trouble, he weighed his gains and losses, and he did not regret it.
He liked Li Chengxiu, and he only fought to get the person he liked next to him. He even saved Li Chengxiu from being harmed by that person.
“Why didn’t you bring him over this time? Mr Li asked.
“He has to work, and also you’ve called me back so urgently, how would he have time to apply for a visa?” Li Shuo asked curiously, “Dad, why did you call me back this time in such a hurry? Does it have something to do with the En Nan Group?”
Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter
- ISMM Chapter 45 - May 11, 2023
- BTTC Chapter 55 - April 25, 2023
- BTTC Chapter 54 - April 18, 2023
How did Zhao Xinjin get his number?! Did he search in this cellphone while Li Shuo was in the bathroom? Shameless.
But he catched Li Shuo’s attention already, so I guess it paid off.
Thanks for the chapter!