A Mix of Both

"Damn, I can't believe Auntie went on and on about it the entire day." Lai Mingjie almost spat out as he walked with Xu Rouguang along the streets. Even though Lai Mingjie was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he opted to not even make use of his car—he didn't even own one. He enjoyed walking around a lot and basking in the sun whenever possible. He was so used to inconvenience that remedies rarely attracted him. Then again, whenever needed, he would just borrow someone else's car... along with the owner to drive around for him.

"About what?" Xu Rouguang wasn't aware of Liu Qiu's hidden meanings behind every giggle. He just thought she was lively and excited all the time. That was why he didn't know why Lai Mingjie was pissed about her actions.

His boss didn't need to ask to find out how clueless Xu Rouguang was. He only needed to take a look at his curious face, and Lai Mingjie just had to shake his head. The entire workday was filled with her teasing. The boss was ticked off while the new secretary had no idea what was happening... and the fact that it was not nice at all. The night had come, and so he just took Xu Rouguang to meet with someone. Of course, Liu Qiu thought wrongly of it again.

They just continued walking until they passed by closing shops, the streets finally getting dimmer and dimmer every minute. Lai Mingjie's eyes landed on a shop that sells apparel. He eyed at a certain mannequin and found the scarf familiar. It looked similar to what he got from Xu Rouguang when they first met... also the one that Brother Blue ripped apart.

"Say, Rouguang, do you remember that blue scarf you lost to me?" Lai Mingjie turned to his companion. "I, uhh, had it for a few days... but I lost it, too..."

"Oh, I see." The general only chuckled politely. "It's okay. I can just get a new one. No need to feel bad about losing it."

"I still wanna feel bad... I'm not planning to return it. It was so cozy." Lai Mingjie began grumbling, even drowning his voice as he shrunk into his muffler and almost four layers of clothing. "Look at this! I look so big because of all these thick clothes. Not to mention they're awfully heavy."

"If that's the case..." Xu Rouguang took a few steps forward and spun to block Lai Mingjie's path. He then reached out for Lai Mingjie's aviators, holding the sides with just his fingertips.

A rush of energy channeled into the aviators, and Lai Mingjie could feel the change in the atmosphere around him. The cold wind on his face vanished as it got warmer. Moreover, even his body started feeling light. Heat crawled around him, but it didn't make him sweat under his thick clothing. It was the same comfort he had when he had that scarf.

Xu Rouguang smiled at him, sliding his hands down to feel his boss' cheeks. "There. Still feeling uncomfortable?"

Yeah, it's warm. Too warm. Lai Mingjie was feeling warm straight from his heart which never happened before. Well, not that he remembered it happening at all. A wild blush surfaced on his cheeks again, but this time, he wasn't able to hide it from the general. Neither was he willing to move: these hands were so warm and soft that he wanted to drown in their feel.

Then again, the distant rumble of an engine woke Lai Mingjie up. They were in the middle of a street, and people were still passing by. He then cleared his throat and took one of Xu Rouguang's wrists down. He needed to close his eyes to alleviate some shame off of his ego. "Rou... Rouguang, we're outside. Don't ever do something stupid in public again."

Instead of any kind of apology, Xu Rouguang only pinched Lai Mingjie where his remaining hand was. Who was he to resist? Lai Mingjie's face was a dashing young man who had a golden stature. This man was a prince to most humans, and he was revered like he was before. The only downsides were that he cared too little about being human and that he was physically weak. Of course, he would pinch those cheeks he could barely touch when Lai Mingjie wasn't dazed.

He then stepped back and looked around like he didn't do anything at all. That was a flirtatious power move depending on the state of their relationship. However, Xu Rouguang was feeling less and less of a stranger... willing to risk the chance of being friends.

Xu Rouguang then noticed the familiar surroundings as he looked, impatient for Lai Mingjie's reaction to his move. "Jie, where are we going? Are we going to that cake shop you frequent?"

Lai Mingjie's eyes flickered. Was this goon loudly flirting with his boss just now? That didn't seem to be part of the shy and awkward Xu Rouguang he saw days ago. Perhaps with all the kindness he was showing the general, it led to something stirring inside his head... and inside Lai Mingjie's heart. He should probably regard it as his human side playing a game.

He only sighed and ignored Xu Rouguang until he mentioned about the cake shop. The demon king then chuckled, "How do you know? Were you stalking me? Oh, wait"—he groaned—"Auntie must have told you."

"A mix of both." The general laughed out as he decided to lead the way. It was known to him what their destination was after all.

"Hey, wait. Don't go there. Humans aren't allowed in there—more so with immortals." Lai Mingjie jogged to catch up with the other man, making sure he was walking ahead of him now. The great Emodao would never walk behind someone else.

"Ah, Director Cheng did say so, too." Xu Rouguang nodded and let him do what he liked. The general only kept on watching him as they walked, eyes twinkling as the faint light reflects and gave a beautiful glow to Lai Mingjie's profile.

Instead of entering the Bloodvein Café through the entrance, Lai Mingjie and Xu Rouguang took a detour and went to the backdoor. The bouncer guarding that place twisted his face as he saw the human with the demon king. Though he was aware that Lai Mingjie would be taking a human with him that night, he still didn't want this man to pass him by without fright on his eyes. When Lai Mingjie made his way in, the bouncer suddenly stepped out from the side to block Xu Rouguang.

The bouncer, who thought of him as a normal human, eyed at the man like Xu Rouguang was an ant he could crush. "You better watch your eyes down there. Everyone you stare at could gobble you up neatly."

A smile drew across Xu Rouguang's lips as his eyes turned cold in a blink. "I'll cut my way out of their bellies then."

The rush of thin, cold air made it hard for the bouncer to breathe. He didn't have the choice but to step back and eventually let the man through. His breathing came back to normal, but his knees grew shaken. He could only clutch at his crossed arms to steel himself again. That was a gaze of a headhunter... a kind of immortal no demon would want around them.

"Good job at almost getting us kicked out." Lai Mingjie only laughed. Despite his words, he still patted Xu Rouguang with a 'job well done' gesture. He then kept his arm around Xu Rouguang and walked him down the stairs. "Oh, yeah, be prepared. This is one hell of a place!"