Once he regained consciousness, Shen Qiyu had already changed into Shen Jiayan. He could smell the delicious aroma of milk and slightly browned toast in the air and licked his lips. Eh, Iâm hungry.
âYour Excellency Host, youâre here to complete a mission, not to eat!â the little black cat clawed at Shen Jiayanâs shirt to try and stop him. Shen Jiayan simply went downstairs with the cat hanging off his body.
He didnât speak, but replied in his head âIâll only have strength to complete the mission after I eat.â
I knew it! The cat jumped off the Shen Jiayanâs body.
The Shen father was sitting at the breakfast table reading his newspaper, his forehead knitted tightly behind his golden spectacles. His lips were curled into a frown, marking him as a stern and hard to approach man. But once he saw his youngest son descend the steps, the Shen father adjusted his glasses and smoothed out his forehead. His frown relaxed, though the first words out of his mouth was a reprimand. âYour older brotherâs already left for the company, but youâve gotten up this late.â
Shen Jiayan didnât miss the fleeting changes in the manâs face and suddenly understood that he doted on Shen Qiyu after all. He could guess why the man had broke apart him and Gu Jing: 1) because a male-male relationship defied the common principles of yin and yang and couldnât be allowed within the Shen family, and 2) he thought Shen Qiyu didnât love Gu Jing much at all if he couldnât persist in his views.
Once he figured this out, Shen Jiayan began his act of a spoiled child. âWith dad and big brother here, all I have to do is worry about eating, drinking, and playing. Isnât that enough?â
Shen Jiayanâs peach blossom eyes curved up as he smiled into two crescents, evoking the image of his long-dead mother. The Shen father felt his heart soften every time his youngest son play spoiled. The child had lost his mother at a very young age while his older brother and him had been busy with business. They rarely had time to look after the boy beyond indulging him at every opportunity.
The Shen father knocked Shen Jiayan upside the head, but it was only a light tap. âAll you can do is run your mouth. Hurry and eat breakfast!â
âOh,â Shen Jiayan sat down and docilely ate his meal. He spread blueberry jam over the perfectly prepared slice of toast, then rolled it up to eat. A drink of milk accompanied a big mouthful of bread to give him utter satisfaction.
âYour Excellency Host, donât forget your mission,â the little black cat was invisible to everyone else, so it simply sprawled on the table to glare at Shen Jiayan with its dark brown eyes.
Shen Jiayan almost choked on his toast and coughed a few times before blinking at his father. âDad, I want to go play in H City for a few days. Donât you have a company there too? Can you give me that one?â
âThere is a branch company in H City, but if you want to work, just go to your older brotherâs branch. Why run off so far away?â his father knit his brows.
Shen Jiayan simply grabbed his fatherâs arm. âDad, you and big brother are in charge of the company here. What kind of things could I accomplish like that? But the branch companyâs different. I can rely on my own skills to work hard.â
âYou donât have the skills to accomplish anything!â his father scolded, but still relented in the end. âFine. Iâll give them a call later and have them listen to your arrangements.â
Shen Jiayan kissed his father on the cheek. âThanks, dad!â Then he went upstairs to pack his things for H City.
His father was left rubbing his face in dislike. âHeâs already so old, but still acts like a child.â
By his side, Attendant Wang couldnât help but wonder. Old master, shouldnât you stop smiling while saying such things? Your grinâs so wide itâs almost reaching the back of your ears.
H City was located right next to F City. It only took a couple of hours to reach there by car. Shen Jiayan had his hands on the steering wheel as he spoke to the black cat in the passenger seat. âSystem, help me check what Gu Jingâs schedule is tonight. I want to create a meeting by chance.â
âThereâs a banquet tonight being hosted by Old Dong. Gu Jing was able to gain a firm foothold quickly in H City precisely because of his support. To repay his kindness, Gu Jing will definitely attend the party,â the black cat said as it licked its paw.
Shen Jiayanâs peach blossom eyes glittered. âIf thatâs the case, Xu Chenle will be there as well?â
The black cat switched to licking its other paw. âOf course. Heâs Gu Jingâs personal secretary, after all. Moreover, this isnât any ordinary banquet. Xu Chenle blocked a bullet for Gu Jing, thus earning his deadset affections.â
âLooks like I have no choice but to go,â Shen Jiayan grinned. âHowâs that, can you get me an invitation card?â
âThereâs no need. The Shen fatherâs branch company would have received one originally. But Your Excellency Host, are you planning to block that bullet for Gu Jing instead?â
âWeâll see,â Shen Jiayan said carelessly. He wasnât a masochist, so heâd like to avoid that possibility if he could.
The black cat knew its host was a lazy type who disliked troublesome things, so it stopped asking to shake itself and step elegantly on the car seat. âThen where is Your Excellency Host going now?â
âFirst, the company,â Shen Jiayanâs eyes curved into a grin. His hazy gaze was almost electric, making anyone who saw it numb. âItâs been ages since Iâve seen Gu Jing, so itâs better to have a reasonable pretext.â
The black cat buried its face in its paws and sighed with emotion over its hostâs expression. Really, he was nothing but wicked. The original Shen Qiyu was a pampered, spoiled child. Beyond his delicate looks, he was nothing, but his host had mixed his own personality and looks with the body to create a devastating combination. And in a world that judged by looks, too!
â
When the branch company heard that the familyâs ignorant, incompetent son was coming to their office, all of them were filled with despair. But that only lasted until the moment they saw him in person. After that, news spread like wildfire throughout the companyâs group chat.
ďź Well dang, did you see the young master? That slim waist, those long legsâIâve taken pictures of them both and Iâm going to lick them 10 times tonight!
ďź Send them to me, Iâm begging you!
ďź Me +1. With looks like that, itâs fine even if the young master doesnât know anything! Even if he doesnât do anything, he can still be a vase for everyone to admire and improve their mood.
ďź Heehee, I can deliver documents to the young master later. Iâd just like to ask:Â are you all jealous yet?
ďź Iâm rolling on the floor upstairs
ďź God, Iâm so jealous that my faceâs changed beyond recognition.
Currently, the subject of everyoneâs gossip, Shen Jiayan, was sitting in a chair. His slender fingers were flipping through the pages detailing the companyâs current financial affairs. Long lashes framed a pair of peach blossom eyes as his lips curved up into a grin, handsome and distinct. It was impossible to look away from him.
By his side stood a woman named Linsa[1] dressed in immaculate clothes without a hair out of place. Her neat and tidy looks belied the storm currently raging within her heart. Young master has such good skin. I canât see a single pore out of place. Itâs white and tender. I wonder what kind of man would match to his looks?
Shen Jiayan smoothed out his lips as he tapped the most recent report in his hands with an unhappy gaze. âLast month we maintained a 10% profit, but why isnât there any this month? Instead, we suffered losses?â
Linsa recovered her wits and replied, âYoung Boss, Iâm not sure why, but the Jing Xiu Group has been constantly against us this month. We lost an advertisement agreement when they snatched it away, and weâve been losing clients as well.â
Jing Xiu Group?
âThatâs Gu Jingâs company,â the cat reminded him as it stuck out its tongue.
Shen Jiayan raised his brows with interest before curving his eyes into a captivating smile. âI understand. Donât worry about that for now, Iâll take care of it tonight.â
âAlright,â Linsa immediately agreed. Her confidence in the young boss grew as she spoke, âAre there any other instructions, young boss?â
âHelp me prepare a formal suit for Old Dongâs banquet.â
âYes,â Linsa understood implicitly that this was how her boss would resolve the issue âtonight,â so she agreed quite quickly.
Shen Jiayan rested a black fountain pen against his lips as he chuckled to himself. Weâll be meeting for the first time tonight, Gu Jing. Please instruct me well.[2]