Chapter 103
This Saturday, following an episode at Galen Technology, the company's employees, from top to bottom, lost their enthusiasm for ongoing work.
The employees who occupied the cubicles were significantly affected.
The recent episode was a thrilling palace saga, embodying elements such as intrigue, opportunism, the will to burn bridges, and the negative outcome of petty theft attempts. This saga was so sensational and classic it was difficult to stop dwelling on it, overshadowing the palace drama series that previously held their attention.
The employees spent their entire afternoon engrossed in a dedicated WeChat group, filled with frequent golden phrases and countless emojis. Anyone who briefly put down their phone to get a drink would return to find 99+ new messages. Even though there were only seven or eight people, the group chat mirrored the activity of one with a hundred members.
Li Yu, being one of the main characters in the group chat, was, of course, not in this secret group. Having achieved his goal and successfully winning over his beloved, he was in high spirits and extremely productive throughout the afternoon. Apart from being engrossed in the ocean of codes, Li Yu would occasionally glance at Mu Cai, sitting in the transparent office, to replenish energy drained by coding. He did not notice the peculiar smiles on his fellow colleagues' faces, illuminated by the light of their phone screens.
Eventually, when it was time to finish work, all the other colleagues in the cubicles tidied up their desks at lightning speed, slipped into their slippers, and dashed out of Galen Technology's office area. Only Lin Xingchen, who alone occupied an office room, didn't take the hint or was deliberately slow in packing up.
However, after the afternoon's triumph and with Mu Cai's support, Li Yu no longer paid any heed to him. He sat up straight and peeked from his cubicle, his cool eyes displaying a hint of fervor as they locked onto the figure standing up and closing the laptop in the transparent office.
The young man came out from behind his desk. He wore a casual blue-striped shirt on top and dark blue casual jeans below, the creased legs tucked into work boots.
Li Yu's eyes unabashedly trailed from the wonderful curve of the man's waist and hips down to his slim, straight legs, finally resting on the work boots he had just put on the ground.
He seemed to always see Mu Cai wearing boots.
Based on the information Li Yu had gathered, men who enjoyed boots often had hidden sadistic tendencies or preferences. He had also heard from a bartender while working at a club that the second young master of the Mu family had a slight fetish for the world of S and M.
If Mu Cai was an S, Li Yu's thoughts couldn't help but wander. His eyes sparkled, revealing some restlessness and desire.
Completely unaware of being the object of imagination, the man in the transparent office picked up his military green coat, which hung at the edge of his chair. He placed the coat on his arm and moved around his desk. As he emerged, he looked up to see Li Yu sitting in the cubicle, gazing at him in a trance.
Seeing Li Yu's unblinking stare, Mu Cai assumed he must be famished from waiting, so he quickly offered a comforting smile, "I'll be right out."
Although the two weren't that far apart, the soundproofing of the office was excellent. Li Yu hadn't had a chance to hear clearly what his crush said when he already walked away and turned off the office lights. Images of the scene he had just witnessed lingered in his mind as the person of interest emerged, a charming smile curling the corner of his red lips and his glistening eyes reflecting Li Yu's figure: "Have you finished your work? Can we go now?"
Li Yu immediately replied, "Of course."
Ever since he heard what Mu Cai said at noon, he had felt extremely motivated, even during lunch. Upon returning to work with a slightly full stomach, Li Yu was impressively efficient and completely immersed in his tasks. He was eager to finish his work as quickly as possible so that he could be with Mu Cai as soon as they were off duty. His brain worked at full speed, his fingers flying over the keyboard, taking only a few sips of water in between, just so that he could be with Mu Cai right after work.
Hearing Li Yu's answer, Mu Cai was quite satisfied. He asked directly, "Shall we go for dinner together later? Is there anything you'd like to eat?"
Li Yu quickly shook his head, "I'm fine with anything."
He wasn't picky about food — spicy or not, oily or light, he could eat anything, be it rice or noodles.
As long as he could be with Mu Cai, Li Yu couldn't care less about what he ate. Gazing at the man standing before him, Li Yu noticed Lin Xingchen in the separate office behind Mu Cai, his heart overflowing with satisfaction, pride, and joy.
Mu Cai didn't seem to mind discussing their date out in the open. This indicated that to Mu Cai, Li Yu wasn't someone to be kept hidden away! Although their verbal agreement was about being a sugar... baby, Li Yu firmly believed that given time, he could make Mu Cai’s support turn into true love!
Mu Cai was somewhat stumped upon hearing Li Yu’s unpicky response. He tilted his head slightly, propped a finger up against his chin, appearing to ponder deeply, "That makes it a bit hard though."
Both "anything is fine" and "whatever" were seemingly simple responses but in reality were the most difficult to deal with. Especially when the other person was also easy-going and didn't have any strong preferences, this made things even more complicated.
The places where Mu Cai usually dined were too expensive for Li Yu. If Li Yu had not yet recognized Mu Cai's identity, Mu Cai might have unhesitatingly taken him there and insistently paid the bill. After all, a sugar... daddy must act the part.
However, now that he realized he was dealing with his lover in a different role, things had changed. This was Mu Cai's first experience with a less affluent partner, and he had no idea whether Li Yu, in this world, would insist on splitting bills or even paying for them because of his pride. And Mu Cai himself was uncertain whether he should protect Li Yu's wallet or his dignity.
The man in front of him, his eyebrows furrowed like distant mountains, a faint smirk curling at the corner of his red lips, and his glossy eyes filled with puzzlement. Seeing Mu Cai in this seemingly distressed state, Li Yu hurriedly suggested, "Or, or I could cook for you."
Upon his words, he felt like he might have misspoken.
To cook for Mu Cai, he would have to use a kitchen. And if he needed to use a kitchen, that meant he'd have to go to Mu Cai's home. No matter how one looked at it, he was currently Mu Cai's lover. As lovers, after having dinner, what usually happens at night, Li You can't help but feel embarrassed.
Mu Cai didn't notice the other party's expression, nor did he realize how much the person in front of him had thought. He only thought the proposal was excellent. After all, in the previous world, although Qin Zhongjin never cooked for him as a soul body, he had tasted the cooking of Gu Yunchen and Claire, which was all very delicious.
"Even though my love has taken on a new identity, such a skill wouldn't be lost, would it?" Mu Cai wondered.
Li Yu, having not received a response from Mu Cai for a while, started to feel somewhat panicked and uneasy. "Why isn't Cai Cai paying attention to me? Could it be because he thinks I've overstepped?"
Just as he was wallowing in regret and feeling wronged, he saw the person standing in front of him laugh.
Mu Cai's soft black hair draped over his ears, his shiny eyes curved into crescents, and his charming red lips curled up. "Sure, but you'll have to cook well then. After all, I'm quite picky," he said.
Even such a domineering statement sounded uniquely adorable when he said it.
Li Yu laughed and nodded immediately, his voice was gentle beyond belief, "Of course." In his mind, he added, "my little Cai Cai."
He then followed Mu Cai out of the Galen Technology office area.
Meanwhile, in the secluded office, Lin Xingchen stood alone, his gaze obscure as he watched the scene before him. After a pause, he finally mustered the courage to pick up his phone and dialed his boss's number.
________________________
Mu Cai and Li Yu had a splendid feast in the house Mu Cai was about to move into.
There was no denying that Li Yu's cooking skills were indeed commendable. In comparison with the worlds they had witnessed before, it didn't seem like he had regressed at all. It appeared the cooking skill was something he always carried with him.
As Mu Cai was contentedly tidying up the empty plates, Li Yu stopped him: "Let me do it."
Looking at Li Yu's eagerness, Mu Cai couldn't help but laugh. "No need. We have a dishwasher at home. I don't need to wash the dishes by hand. I just have to wipe the dishes slightly before putting them in the dishwasher for sterilization, it's not tiring."
Only then did Li Yu loosen his grip awkwardly.
Having grown up in a small frontier town, he had hardly seen anyone use this type of machine at home. He had been busy in the kitchen for so long and didn't even know which one was the dishwasher; he could only step aside.
However, Mu Cai only picked up a few dishes and stopped. He turned towards Li Yu, his eyes twinkling as if there were stars in them. "I can't hold so many alone. Could you help by carrying a few as well, and then help me wipe them? After that, we can put them in the dishwasher."
His words weren't subtly put, but Li Yu, being intelligent, immediately understood his intentions.
Mu Cai wanted to show him how to use the dishwasher!
If this was the only time they were cooking together, naturally Li Yu didn't need to learn. But if they were to cook here many more times in the future, then of course, he would have to learn it!
Did Mu Cai just implicitly extend an invitation for them to live together?
Meeting Li Yu's stunned and delighted gaze, Mu Cai's long eyelashes trembled once. “Hurry up and bring those plates over,” he said calmly.
Despite his attempt to conceal it, the faint blush on his ears betrayed him.
Li Yu swiftly replied, "Alright!"
Having eaten their meal, Mu Cai called for Li Yu to take a bath.
He didn't have any ulterior motives, it was just a personal habit. After dinner and with nothing else to do, he could take a bath to relax and then lay in bed on his phone until he felt sleepy and could then go to sleep directly.
Li Yu initially thought Mu Cai had some other ideas in suggesting the bath, his mind fluctuating between excitement and helplessness. It wasn't until he noticed Mu Cai's natural demeanor, devoid of any hint of shyness, that Li Yu realized he had misunderstood.
The quick surge of disappointment in his heart was immediately followed by self-deprecation for his own impulsive anticipations, akin to a horse in heat. Dejectedly, he collected the change of clothes that Mu Cai had found for him and headed to the bathroom.
After Li Yu emerged from the bathroom, Mu Cai went in for his bath. Just before stepping in, he seemed to remember something and instructed Li Yu, "There is toner in the bedside table, you can use it to moisturize your face to prevent it from getting dry and flaky. The TV remote should be in one of the compartments of the television cabinet, you can look for it."
He didn't watch the TV in his bedroom that much, but Li Yu might want to. So, Mu Cai recalled from his original body's memory and reminded him.
When Mu Cai finished his bath and emerged from the bathroom carrying the scent of steam with him, he saw Li Yu sitting on the bed with his back towards him, apparently looking at something.
He casually asked, "Don't you want to watch TV?"
Ordinarily, this would have been a casual question, but upon hearing it, Mu Cai saw Li Yu's back shiver slightly.
This made him wonder if something was wrong.
Walking over, Mu Cai probed, "What's wrong? What are you looking at? Why are you…"
Before he could finish his sentence, he saw Li Yu turn around. His eyes were dark and stormy, as if a storm was brewing in them. In his hands were two pairs of handcuffs and a small leather whip.
Mu Cai's words came to a halt.
Wait, what was this? And why was it in Li Yu's hands? Where did he find this?
Mu Cai mulled over this only to come to a shocking recollection.
The original owner of his body, was an 'S' involved in the circle in the original plot. Although he wasn't the degrading type, he used to keep some moderate props in his bedroom on ordinary days.
Like these in front of him now.
Maybe when Li Yu was rummaging through the drawers looking for the remote control, these things were exposed.
The young man who stood before him was dressed in a light blue home suit. He was slender with a delicate and fair face, and there was still slight steam on his hair. His red lips were slightly parted, revealing a look of confusion in his eyes, and the expression on his face was quite innocent.
Li Yu's Adam's apple bobbed.
To be honest, he was quite shocked when he first saw these props.
After all, normal people wouldn't like such things.
But then, Li Yu looked at Mu Cai, who was showing a slight blush on his face and seemed a bit flustered. For some reason, he found himself inexplicably interested in these items.
The thought of having the delicate whip in the other's hand lightly hitting his sensitive spots, the shy face giving him light lashes on his body; and then, perhaps, receiving a kiss as a reward afterward, made Li Yu feel a shameful surge of excitement in his body.
Like bewitched, he walked forward, one hand forcefully grabbing Mu Cai who was ready to flee, while the other forcefuly put the handcuffs and the whip into the other man's palm.
In a hoarse voice, Li Yu said, "Do you want to use these on me?"
Flustered, Mu Cai responded, "No, I didn't..."
But Li Yu suddenly leaned in close, greedily taking in the faint scent of Mu Cai's neck, whispering, "I had unwarranted thoughts about you, without your permission. Please punish me, master."
________________________
Author's Note:
Concubine Li: I have grasped the Emperor's likes. Only I can get promoted through serving the Emperor in his bed, who else if not me?
Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter
No comments:
Post a Comment