Chapter 6: The Times We Know/Arc 1.5

A few days later, Chen Xiang finished all the publicity events for 'Two Lovers' and took a break from acting. Zhou Jian decided to use this opportunity to spend as much time with his lover as possible. After a bit of convincing, he got Chen Xiang to agree to come to the office with him during his vacation.

Zhou Jian requested Wang Tao to buy a few games and novels for Xiang Er. It's been four days since Chen Xiang started staying at the company. The young boy would lie down on the leather couch in his lover's office, while the older man worked at his desk.

Sometimes when Chen Xiang was bored, he would sit on Zhou Jian's lap and watch him work. The two were as intimate as a newlywed couple and Wang Tao would try not to look at them too long lest his dissolve crumbles.

Zhou Jian had always been that man that no one could imagine in a relationship. Everyone quickly realized how cold and indifferent he was. But now he's here laughing, smiling and even kissing his lover with no shame at all.

[ Maybe it's because of how pure Chen Xiang is. Zhou Jian had been surrounded by scheming and two-faced people for so long that someone so genuine was new to him. That's probably why he fell. If that's the case, he would never fall for me. I'm not very pure after all and my face is mostly expressionless unlike Chen Xiang's face which is rich with emotions. ]

Wang Tao clenched his hands behind his back as he listened to his boss whisper things in his lover's ears. Chen Xiang was ignoring him while playing a video game on his phone as he sat on the handsome man's lap. The young boy still seemed slightly uncomfortable despite having done this frequently. He was hiding it well but Wang Tao still picked up on it and was confused by this the past few days.

"Wang Tao, are you okay? You've been in a daze lately."

Zhou Jian raised an eyebrow as he looked at his assistant.

"Huh? No, I'm fine."

Wang Tao quickly snapped out of his daze and assured him.

Zhou Jian skeptically looked at him before deciding not to push for answers. He returned his attention to the lunch in front of him which his lover made.

Wang Tao inwardly berated himself for his behavior and hid his embarrassment behind his expressionless mask. The tips of his ears were dyed pink but they were hidden by his long silver hair.

Remembering something, he quickly informed his CEO of the meeting he had scheduled. Zhou Jian, although reluctantly, lifted Chen Xiang off his lap and stood up. Before leaving, he quickly gave his beloved a kiss on the head and said he loved him.

Due to the angle, Zhou Jian missed the flash of disgust and ridicule across Chen Xiang's face. Even if the older man didn't see, Wang Tao did. He quickly suppressed his shock and surprise as he doubted his own eyes.

[ Why is he disgusted? Aren't the two in love? They're so intimate that it's hard to believe Chen Xiang is acting. I mean, with his skills it's not impossible but that means he's been deceiving Zhou Jian all along. ]

[ Could I have seen it wrong? But this would explain the discomfort I noticed earlier. Maybe that's how couples are…No, that wouldn't make any sense. Then why? ]

Wang Tao once again went off into a daze as he tried to figure it out. His boss quickly snapped him out of it, asking why he's just standing there. Wang Tao turned to see the CEO waiting at the door and quickly followed him out. Once the meeting began he temporarily forgot about it.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Two days had passed and Wang Tao had been picking up on more and more red flags from Chen Xiang. He could no longer ignore it and pass it off as a weird quirk in the boys personality or a human thing he didn't understand.

After the morning meeting concluded, the two were heading back to the office. He was concerned about the boy's intentions and so decided to check for himself.

Using his mind reading ability, he listened in on Chen Xiang's conversation with his system.

[ Host! ] The hovering blue ball called.

[ What? ] The young boy lay lazily on the sofa, scrolling through Weibo.

[ Why are you in a relationship with Zhou Jian? Are you in love with him? ]

[ Of course not ] The boy rolled his eyes and showed an expression of disgust.

[ Huh? Then why'd you accept his confession? ] The system tilted to the left expressing its confusion.

[ That's simple, it's because he's the most powerful tool in this world. My missions are completed much faster when I ask him to help. Besides, it's fun knowing how easily you can manipulate people. Zhou Jian was known as the most desirable and unapproachable young man but now he's simply a slave to love. ]

The boy smirked evilly as he raised his chin slightly in arrogance. It was obvious that he considered this a great accomplishment. Chen Xiang greedily thought of how much Zhou Jian spoiled and spent on him. His system expressed that it didn't understand and asked for an explanation but Chen Xiang just shut it up.

Meanwhile Wang Tao paused in his steps as he took in all the information. The disbelief was slowly replaced by anger, frustration and worry. He thought of how heartbroken the man would be if he found out and was enraged at the fact that Chen Xiang dared to use Zhou Jian like that.

Feeling a murderous aura, Zhou Jian quickly turned around and spotted his assistant a few steps behind, clenching his fists in anger.

"Wang Tao? What's wrong?"

He expressed his concerns as he'd never seen so much emotion on the man's face before. His assistant would rarely show emotions on his face, only through his eyes when around Zhou Jian.

Even then, the emotions in his eyes flashed by quite quickly and one would have difficulty catching them if their eyes weren't sharp like Zhou Jian's. After years with his assistant, the CEO had become quite skilled at picking up on the other's mood from the smallest actions.

Wang Tao's face was beginning to show more of his emotions lately and at first Zhou Jian thought it was a good thing but now he was unsure. The emotions shown weren't very positive and the man seemed to be unaware of his slips.

Most likely, the emotions were too much for him to hide anymore and we're slipping through his mask more often.

Hearing the question, his assistant seemed slightly startled. The man immediately reverted back to his expressionless state, retracting his murderous aura.

"I'm fine. I had just remembered something. Can I go?"

"...Sure."

Zhou Jian raised his eyebrows as he observed Wang Tao.

"Just remember that you can talk to me okay?"

Nodding quickly, Wang Tao went off quickly. Standing there, the CEO was perplexed, unable to comprehend the reason for Wang Tao's recent behaviour. Seeing that he couldn't get far, Zhou Jian shifted his attention.

[ Xiang er must be bored by now. ]

Zho Jian's eyes softened as he thought of his adorable lover and continued towards his office.