[At home]
The car glided to a smooth stop in front of a dimly lit apartment building. The engine purred for a moment before Shi Wang switched it off, plunging the interior into a quiet that amplified the sound of the blustery night wind outside.
"We're here," Shi Wang announced, a calm in his voice.
Yang Zi stretched slightly, then turned to the back seat, a relieved sigh escaping him.
"Thanks so much."
But the immediate concern was Jiang Shao. Slumped heavily in the back, his head lolling against the window, he was utterly oblivious.
Yu Han was already unbuckling his own seatbelt, then leaned over to gently shake Jiang Shao's shoulder.
"Jiang Shao? Hey, we're here. Time to wake up."
Jiang Shao only managed a low, incoherent groan, a faint snore following it.
Yu Han sighed, a mix of exasperation and affection on his face. He carefully unbuckled Jiang Shao's seatbelt and, with a practiced maneuver, began to hoist the larger man.
"He's really out cold tonight," Yu Han grunted, half-dragging, half-carrying Jiang Shao out of the car.
He propped Jiang Shao against the car door for a second, getting a better grip on his shoulder. "Alright, let's get you inside."
With considerable effort, Yu Han began to guide the stumbling Jiang Shao towards the building's entrance.
While Yu Han wrestled Jiang Shao's dead weight, Yang Zi turned back to Shi Wang, a grateful smile on his face. "Thank you again."
Shi Wang gave a small, knowing smile. "Don't mention it. Just make sure he drinks plenty of water tomorrow. And you, Yang Zi,"
he added, his voice taking on a slightly more serious, paternal tone.
"When you go in, make sure you put on some more clothes. The winds at night are cruel, especially after you've been out."
Yang Zi was bewildered.
--------------
The front door clicked shut with a heavy finality, echoing the annoyance that etched itself onto Yu Han's features.
He practically heaved Jiang Shao onto the long, plush sofa in the living room, a soft groan escaping his own lips from the effort.
"Just what I needed. A relapse, in my living room."
There was frustration, yes, but beneath it, a flicker of something else – a deep-seated weariness. He sighed, a sound that carried the weight of too many past hurts.
Turning sharply, Yu Han stalked into his bedroom. He re-emerged seconds later, a rolled-up warm blanket tucked under one arm and a soft pillow in the other hand.
He tossed the pillow onto the sofa, maneuvering Jiang Shao's heavy head onto it with a surprising gentleness that belied his earlier grumbling.
Then, with an almost aggressive thoroughness, he unfurled the blanket and pulled it up, covering Jiang Shao completely, from his chin down to his feet. It was a gesture born of grudging responsibility, not affection.
"Don't go freezing to death and causing more trouble. Idiot."
Once inside, Yu Han stripped off his clothes with a sense of urgency, replacing them with a worn t-shirt and loose sweatpants.
He barely registered the familiar textures as he moved, his mind already spinning into a chaotic vortex. He dropped onto his bed, the mattress sighing under his weight, and stared up at the ceiling.
Li Hao's voice... "I'll give you a job...come to me....Whip me.."
Yu Han clenched his jaw. Come to you?No. It was... something far more insidious. He squeezed his eyes shut, and the images came unbidden, unwelcome, and disgustingly vivid.
The warmth of Li Hao's's hand on his back. The familiar scent that had once been comfort, now a painful trigger. The way their bodies had fit, a dance of muscle memory and unspoken needs. The lingering taste of desperation and something that felt horrifyingly like old tenderness.
"How could I? How could I have let it happen again? With him? The man who... who tore me apart., who made me feel worthless for so long."
A wave of nausea washed over him. He could still feel the phantom ghost of Li hao's touch, and each memory was a fresh stab of betrayal, not from Li Hao's, but from his own body, his own weakness. His own, inexplicable yearning for something that was long dead and buried.
" It's disgusting. I'm disgusting. To go that far... with the very person who ruined me. What does that make me? A fool? A masochist?"
He buried his face in his hands, trying to scrub away the images, the taste, the lingering feeling of being utterly compromised.
The disgust curdled in his stomach, a bitter, acrid taste. He hated Li Hao for being able to still evoke such a reaction, and he hated himself even more for succumbing.
It was a vile, unpardonable mistake, and the memory of it burned him from the inside out. He felt utterly, wretchedly defiled.
------------
[Morning]
The sun, already high in the sky, streamed through the gap in Yu Han's curtains, doing little to alleviate the dull throbbing behind his eyes.
He groaned, a sound that seemed to reverberate painfully in his skull. His stomach, not to be outdone, let out a mournful rumble.
"Ten o'clock. Ugh."
He dragged himself out of bed, a vague, blurry memory of last night's 'celebration' attempting to surface, only to be promptly suppressed by another wave of headache. The only thing motivating him was the promise of food.
He stumbled into the living room, the aroma of something savory – ginger? – already luring him towards the kitchen. But first, a sight that made him pause, a wry, pained smile touching his lips.
Slumped unceremoniously on the living room sofa, a crumpled blanket barely covering him, was Jiang Shao.
He was definitely still in the land of the unconscious, mouth slightly agape, one arm dangling precariously off the edge.
Through the kitchen doorway, Yang Zi was humming softly, expertly stirring a pot on the stove. He glanced up as Yu Han appeared, a gentle, knowing smile already on his face.
"Look at this guy," Yu Han muttered, mostly to Yang Zi, but loud enough that he hoped a sliver of it might penetrate Jiang Shao's drunken slumber.
"Sleeping like a pig after all the trouble he caused last night."
He still had a vague memory of Jiang Shao trying to serenade a potted plant at 3 AM. A mischievous grin touched Yu Han's lips despite his headache.
He walked over to the sofa and delivered a swift, but not too hard, kick to Jiang Shao's posterior. "Wake up, you bastard!"
Thwack!!!!!
"Ouchh!"
Jiang Shao let out a pained groan that was more whimper than shout.
His eyes fluttered open, squinting against the soft morning light, then squeezed shut again immediately. He clutched his head with both hands, his face contorted in agony.
"My head! Oh, my head is bursting! What happened?"
"Morning, you two," he said, his voice calm and soothing.
"Glad you're finally joining the land of the living, Jiang Shao. Yu Han, you too." he gestured vaguely towards the bathroom.
"Wake up and go wash up. Brush those teeth. I've made hangover soup for you guys. It's almost ready."
--------------------
The sleek, dark sedan glides smoothly through the city traffic, the hum of its high-end engine a low thrum.
Inside, LI HAO , impeccably dressed, sharp features usually softened by a thoughtful frown, stares out the window, seeing nothing of the passing cityscape. His gaze is distant, unfocused.
"Yu Han.." Li Hao said in low voice.
Li Hao shifts, a restless energy under his polished exterior. He runs a hand over his brow, a faint tremor in his fingers.
He closes his eyes for a moment, the memory vivid, almost painful.
"Last night… completely sober. Not a drop of alcohol. So what got into me? What possessed me to… to kiss a man? And not just kiss. To go that far. It's impossible. For me."
His jaw tightens. He was Li Hao, the formidable CEO, the man who built an empire, whose life was meticulously planned, whose future was a straight, unswerving line. This… this was a curveball from a universe he didn't know existed.
"Yet… whenever I see him, there's something. A pull. A jolt. Something… in my heart. Is this… attraction? But… a man? How can this be?"
He opens his eyes, staring blankly at the polished dashboard. He was so deep in the bewildering labyrinth of his thoughts, he didn't notice the car had slowed, then stopped.
" Mr. Li? We've reached the office."
Li Hao startles, his head snapping up. He blinks, the image of Yu Han momentarily replaced by the familiar grandeur of his corporate headquarters. He lets out a slow, deliberate sigh, pushing down the swirling chaos inside him.
He reaches for the door handle, a sudden weight on his shoulders as he prepares to step back into the world where he was only Li Hao, the CEO of LI R&D PRIVATE LIMITED.
Li Hao steps out of the car, adjusting his cufflinks. He's instantly met with the familiar deference of his staff. A flurry of movement as the doorman springs to attention, a young intern nearly drops a stack of folders.
"Good morning, Mr. Li!" A staff greeted.
LI HAO," Morning."
He strides towards the gleaming glass doors of the building, his posture impeccable, his expression carefully neutral. His thoughts, however, remain tethered to the man who had so unexpectedly upended his world.
Inside, the grand lobby hums with the subdued energy of a top-tier corporation.
Employees, well-dressed and busy, pause their conversations, lower their voices, and offer respectful greetings as Li Hao walks past.
Everyone who see him, greeted him,"Good Morning, Mr. Li."
Li Hao offers a series of almost imperceptible nods, his gaze fixed straight ahead. He was a force of nature here, a man of power and unquestionable authority. The mask of the CEO fit perfectly, concealing the turmoil beneath.
"Your first meeting is at ten. Mr. Chen from investments is waiting in the conference room." Gang Zi told him.
"Understood. Be there in five."
As Gang Zi moved to step out. His hand was on the frame, his body half-turned.
"Gang Zi."
Li Hao's voice, low but with an undeniable edge, cut through the quiet. Gang Zi froze, his movement halting instantly. He turned fully, pulling his hand back from the door, a deferential question in his eyes.
"Yes, Mr. Li?"
Li Hao was still seated, a half-empty teacup beside him, his gaze sharp and unwavering.
"Yu Han. I need everything on him."
Gang Zi blinked. A faint frown creased his forehead, a flicker of confusion crossing his features before he could entirely mask it.
"Everything?" he repeated, his voice carefully neutral. "If I may... I already ran a comprehensive check on him that night, remember? wondering if he'd missed something. "Has there been a development I'm not aware of?"
Li Hao dismissed his query with a subtle, almost imperceptible wave of his hand. His eyes, however, were anything but dismissive. They were intense.
"That was that night, Gang Zi. Things change. Or perhaps our understanding changes. I want a fresh, deeper dive. Assume nothing from the previous report. Contact information, current address, his daily routine, his financial situation, his family history, his social circle... who he talks to, what he reads, where he eats, his habits, his fears. Every single detail."
Li Hao leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping an octave, making it more of a command than a request.
"I want to know what makes him tick, what motivates him, what could break him. Leave no stone unturned."
Gang Zi stared for a moment, the 'why again?' still lingering in his mind, visible only in the slight tightening of his jaw.
He didn't fully understand the sudden urgency or the need to re-investigate someone they'd already cleared, but Li Hao's tone left no room for further questioning. The Boss wanted it, he would get it.
He straightened his posture, pushing the nagging confusion aside.
"Understood, Boss," Gang Zi said, his voice firm now. He gave a sharp, decisive nod. "Consider it done."