40: staring

Yan Qinghe's birthday was quite vibrant and satisfying. Even the alarm clock in the morning couldn't ruin his good mood.

But Yan Zhuohua was different; he even felt like he was going to die in bed last night. Before losing consciousness, he was still distracted thinking about how he was wearing a red dress—dying like this, and on a birthday too, would he turn directly into a vengeful ghost with soaring resentment? Before he could figure it out, he was caught spacing out and received an even more cruel punishment, losing consciousness instantly.

When he was woken by the alarm this morning, he was dazed for a full minute before realizing he was still alive.

Countless complaints finally boiled down to one sentence: "Sheng Xufeng, I'm definitely going to kill you!!!"

Given his current state, Yan Zhuohua was destined to be unable to go to work today. Yan Qinghe used his public office for private gain and approved a day of paid leave for his Deputy Director Yan.

Yan Zhuohua didn't want to pay attention to this person whose head was full of ways to set traps and take advantage of him, but since the real gift hadn't been given yet, it was pointless to keep dragging it out.

“Wait...” Yan Zhuohua realized how dry and painful his throat was as soon as he spoke. He swallowed hard before managing to force out the next sentence: “I haven't given you the gift yet.”

Yan Qinghe was called back and immediately turned around full of expectation; hearing Yan Zhuohua's words, he was so happy he even forgot he was still a “guilty party.”

“Wasn't the gift already given last night? I liked it very much. Can we switch to a black one next time?”

“...”

“...”

Silence. As soon as Yan Qinghe finished speaking, he realized he seemed to have caused a big disaster. Dammit.

Yan Zhuohua no longer had the energy to complain about this rogue.

Forget it, he didn't have any means to punish Yan Qinghe anyway; he could only accept his fate.

“The two boxes on the coffee table over there, bring them here.”

Seeing that the other was still willing to talk to him, Yan Qinghe's eyes lit up, and he quickly brought the two boxes over.

“The rectangular one is a bottle of perfume; I blended it myself when I went to B City last time. It's the scent of woods after rain.” Yan Zhuohua's throat couldn't take it after a few sentences, so he rested for a few seconds before continuing, “The square box is a jade pendant; my father gave it to me on my seventh birthday. Now, as a birthday gift, I'm giving it to you.”

Yan Qinghe was busy opening the perfume box to spray some on himself, but when he heard the origin of the second gift, he paused.

“This was left to you by your father, I...”

“I'm still angry and my throat hurts; you'd better not make me waste energy trying to persuade you,” Yan Zhuohua said coldly.

“...I will take good care of this gift.” Yan Qinghe was sensible. “I love both of these gifts... just as much as the one from last night!”

He still couldn't resist expressing his affection for the first birthday gift.

Then he hurriedly fled the bedroom under Yan Zhuohua's murderous gaze.

After sleeping some more, it was almost noon when Yan Zhuohua got up. He struggled slightly to pick up the water Yan Qinghe had prepared for him in the morning and took a few sips; only then did he feel like he had regained some strength.

Once his strength was back, he could settle the score.

Yan Zhuohua opened his phone and made a voice call directly to Sheng Xufeng.

The other side picked up quite quickly.

“What's up, Zhuohua?” Sheng Xufeng's new little girlfriend had put in a lot of effort last night, and Sheng Xufeng was currently riding high on success.

“What kind of gift did you prepare?” Yan Zhuohua got straight to the point.

“...” Sheng Xufeng was startled by the hoarse voice on the other end of the phone, then realized, “Hahahaha, what's wrong with your voice, hahahaha! Was it too much exertion last night?”

Yan Zhuohua got off to a bad start, his momentum greatly diminished; now he could only force himself to continue: “What the hell are you laughing at! It's all because of the gift you helped me prepare yesterday!”

These words left Sheng Xufeng a bit confused.

“The gift I prepared? Could the gift I prepared have this kind of effect?” Sheng Xufeng was bewildered. “A pair of couple's watches could make Yan Qinghe that excited? Is he that easily stimulated?”

“?” Yan Zhuohua felt there was something wrong with Sheng Xufeng. “What couple's watches? You sent a red dress! There was even your signature on the package; did you think I wouldn't recognize it?”

“...I sent couple's watches. I just got them at an auction a while ago—sapphire and diamond-encrusted, handmade mechanical couple's watches. They happen to be elegant and simple, and the price wasn't low either; they're very suitable for the two of you.” Sheng Xufeng retorted, “The one I prepared for my new little girlfriend was actually...”

Sheng Xufeng realized.

“F*ck! It was swapped by that woman!”

“Heh.” Yan Zhuohua made a mocking sound.

“Just you wait, I'll definitely get it back for you!” The sound of packing things already came from Sheng Xufeng's side. “I've sent her so many expensive gifts and pocket money, yet she actually swapped the items...”

“Don't rush, a little more time won't hurt,” Yan Zhuohua said. “I have something to ask you.”

“What is it?” Sheng Xufeng stopped what he was doing.

“Are the people from the Fu Family who came this time staying at your hotel?”

“Yeah, my brother even told me to pay more attention.”

“Then listen to your brother and pay more attention, and then give me a copy of the observation report.”

Sheng Xufeng was a bit puzzled. “Why are you paying attention to them?”

“Don't ask. Just keep an eye on them as usual.” Yan Zhuohua explained, “I only need to know when they go out and if they have contact with anyone at the hotel; don't worry about anything else. Remember to keep it confidential.”

These things were basically under Sheng Xufeng's nose; it could be said to be effortless.

“Alright, I'll take care of it for you.” Sheng Xufeng didn't ask further and agreed directly.

Business settled, Sheng Xufeng started acting up again: “That dress of mine, was the effect really that good?”

“...Sheng Xufeng, can you have some shame?” Yan Zhuohua got angry just mentioning it. “Men really aren't anything good! Their heads are full of messy things!”

“You're a man too.”

Yan Zhuohua hung up the phone.

It's all Yan Qinghe's fault! He's made his head so muddled that he can't even win an argument with Sheng Xufeng anymore.

At 6:20 PM, Yan Qinghe returned home on time; as soon as he entered, he smelled the aroma of food.

“It seems Zhuohua's anger has mostly subsided; he's even willing to cook for me.” Yan Qinghe thought to himself, and his body unconsciously moved toward the kitchen.

Yan Zhuohua was bringing the last dish to the table; he looked up and saw Yan Qinghe, then instructed him to go wash his hands and serve the rice quickly.

At the dinner table, seeing that Yan Zhuohua was acting normally, Yan Qinghe spoke tentatively: “I heard some gossip today.”

Yan Zhuohua looked up in surprise; since when did this man like listening to gossip?

Yan Zhuohua's reaction was too obvious, so much so that Yan Qinghe guessed his thoughts without even thinking.

“Didn't you say yesterday that someone from the Zhao Family spoke strangely? So I paid a bit of attention.” Yan Qinghe picked up some food from the farther dishes and put it in Yan Zhuohua's bowl.

“Zhao Zijing originally had her eye on Sheng Xulin, but who would have thought Old Master Zhao found her a second-rate family? Now they're making a huge scene at home.”

Yan Zhuohua swallowed the food in his mouth. “I already knew about this.”

“No, not just that. I heard that Old Master Zhao has also been frequently accompanied by that illegitimate daughter, Zhao Zijing, lately. That Zhao Zijing keeps hinting that she will marry better than Zhao Zijing, so the conflict has intensified.”

“Zhao Zijing would marry better than Zhao Zijing?”