MCL CH29

Chapter 29: Hiding a Beauty in a Golden House, He Plays Quite Lavishly.

No one could have ever imagined that the funeral of the century for the former Chief Executive would end in such a chaotic manner.

The subsequent cleanup was handled entirely by Ju Ze. All invited guests were properly taken care of under his swift and decisive arrangements. Just as the outside world said, the Wanyuan Corporation’s presidential assistant had been Yan Xingzhou’s right-hand man ever since he appeared by his side. No matter what problem arose, he would always resolve it perfectly in the most effective way.

When Lin Xi was researching the Wanyuan Corporation before, he had heard about this assistant’s competence. He just never expected that, in a situation that would leave anyone overwhelmed, Ju Ze could not only arrange everything methodically but also have the spare energy to show him such meticulous care. 

Even if it was for Yan Xingzhou’s sake, with a bit of “love me, love my dog” involved, it was still enough to make Lin Xi think that if he were still in his former high position, he would poach this Assistant Ju at any cost and cultivate him carefully. After all—he really was too useful.

Lin Xi went back to his room, took a shower, and came out wearing the clean clothes Ju Ze had prepared for him. He could already smell the faint aroma of cooking.

As he came downstairs, Ju Ze had just finished a phone call. When he looked over, the originally very serious expression behind his glasses instantly melted into a gentle smile. “It seems the clothes President Yan arranged for you fit you very well.”

Lin Xi returned a smile but didn’t speak, simply pulling out a chair and sitting down.

He wasn’t surprised at all that these clothes had been arranged by Yan Xingzhou.

After all, from the style to the fashion, everything perfectly matched the preferences of “the great Executive Lin.”

You could say it was practically slapping his identity card on his face.

Ju Ze was always sharp when it came to emotional fluctuations. He glanced at Lin Xi and asked, “Mr. Lin, is there something you don’t like?”

“I like it,” Lin Xi smiled, looking completely harmless, but the pronunciation of each word was a bit too standard. “This outfit, I really, like, it, so, much.”

Ju Ze was about to say something else when his phone suddenly rang.

He answered it, and after a few responses, he ended the call and looked over at Lin Xi. “President Yan has some matters to attend to, so he won’t be coming down for dinner. I will arrange for a separate portion to be sent up to him later. If you are hungry, please go ahead and eat. There’s no need to wait for him.”

“Mmm, okay,” Lin Xi replied, and without any ceremony, he picked up his chopsticks.

Ju Ze’s work was not yet finished, and there was never anyone else in Yan Xingzhou’s villa, which made for a rather lonely dinner.

Lin Xi ate listlessly, bite after bite, until he finished the last spoonful of soup.

He tidied up his bowl and chopsticks unhurriedly and stood up from his seat. Ju Ze had just finished another call and looked over. “Mr. Lin, are you heading back to rest?”

Lin Xi’s gaze swept over Ju Ze’s expression. After standing up, he didn’t rush to leave. Instead, he raised his eyes with a smile. “Assistant Ju, you’ve wanted to say something to me since we got back, haven’t you?”

Ju Ze did not avoid Lin Xi’s gaze, but one could notice his expression pause subtly after that sentence.

With a quick glance, Lin Xi took the initiative and sat back down, resting his chin on his crossed hands with a smile. “If it’s inconvenient to say, let me guess. You must have heard Yan Xingzhou tell me to go to his room tonight, so you’re hesitating whether to give me a heads-up about some things.”

Ju Ze pushed up the glasses on his nose. “Mr. Lin is indeed a smart man.”

Lin Xi was noncommittal about this praise and continued, “It’s not a matter of being smart or not. It’s just that some of today’s events could easily give rise to some rather subtle ideas. For example, that conversation between the blond, blue-eyed foreign handsome man and President Yan before we left the funeral. It’s hard not to think that President Yan’s private life is a bit lavish.”

Speaking of which, he gave Ju Ze a harmless smile. “Assistant Ju, what you want to talk about is probably related to that so-called ‘three-person date’, right? Or perhaps, when that handsome blond man isn’t available to visit, does President Yan often host some other creative recreational activities by himself? It’s obvious that besides me, who is temporarily staying here, there should be someone else living in this villa, and it should be a permanent resident. But when I was choosing a room a while ago, I already looked at all the guest rooms here. Adding to that your somewhat overly hesitant attitude, it’s clear you’re worried about what might happen tonight.”

As he reached the end of his words, Lin Xi’s gaze meaningfully flickered toward the corridor leading to the second floor, the curve of his lips becoming more pronounced. “So there is only one last possibility, and that is—that person lives in Yan Xingzhou’s room.”

[I knew it! You’ve been so quiet since we got back. I thought you were worried about your cover being blown, but it turns out you’ve been stewing over this all the way from the funeral?!?]

Lin Xi ignored the noisy voice in his head and just stared fixedly at Ju Ze.

Under his gaze, Ju Ze’s expression actually became calmer. But from his understanding of him over this period, the subconscious gesture of pushing up his glasses still betrayed a slight inner turmoil.

“Mr. Lin, I’m actually very grateful for your appearance,” Ju Ze said, looking at Lin Xi. “I’ve been by the president’s side for quite some time now. Ever since I came to Wanyuan Corporation, I’ve always felt that for a living person, his usual life seemed to be missing something. But after meeting you, it was the first time I saw him take such a great interest in someone. I’m not sure if this kind of interest is healthy, but regardless of the reason, if possible, I also very much hope you can continue to stay by the president’s side. It’s just that there are some things I really need to solemnly remind you about.”

He looked as if he was about to do something very important. “As you guessed, in a way, there is indeed a ‘person’ in the president’s room. It’s not convenient for me to explain too much to you. I can only say that if you have ever thought about developing something with the president, please do not take anything you might see tonight to heart. Please believe me, that ‘person’ is only the president’s past. As long as you can walk toward the future with him, then he will absolutely not become an obstacle between you two.”

As his words fell, a brief silence descended around them.

Finally, Lin Xi gave his honest evaluation: “Assistant Ju, what you’ve just said really sounds like that PUA course.”

Ju Ze also gave a helpless, bitter smile. “Perhaps. But I think you will understand what I mean.”

“Alright, I understand.” Lin Xi nodded. This time when he got up, he went straight upstairs without looking back. “Thank you for your kind reminder. I’ll go back and think about it now.”

Ju Ze’s line of sight was cut off as he turned the corner of the stairs.

Lin Xi went all the way back to his room. After closing the door, the surroundings fell completely silent.

He walked to the bed and casually fell back, lying in a very comfortable starfish position on the large bed.

The light from the ceiling cast a soft halo around him. Lin Xi slowly narrowed his eyes, and for some reason, he suddenly laughed out loud.

[Don’t laugh like that. It sounds creepy.]

Lin Xi raised an eyebrow slightly. “I’ve always laughed like this.”

[Not really. Your expression right now is three parts mockery and seven parts coldness. Commonly known as a smile that doesn’t reach the eyes.]

“I just find it interesting,” Lin Xi said after a brief silence, trying to state his feelings objectively. “From what Samuel said, he must have snuck into Hua Country through irregular means several times, and his purpose was to have that so-called ‘three-person date’ with Yan Xingzhou. Heh, hiding a beauty in a golden house… To associate that phrase with Yan Xingzhou takes a bit too much imagination.”

[If you’re so bothered by it, why don’t you go find him?]

Lin Xi: “I’m bothered?”

[Or if you’re really curious about what kind of ‘beauty’ can make your old flame—ahem, old partner—cherish them so much…]

Lin Xi: “There’s nothing to be curious about.”

[…………]

Sensing the brief silence that had fallen, Lin Xi asked, “Why do I feel like you’re quite keen on me going to find him?”

[Hee hee hee, of course not.]

Almost without pausing, the voice in his head continued, [So, are you going?]

“…”

Lin Xi slowly closed his eyes. With a long, drawn-out exhale, his tone became noticeably prolonged. “I don’t know yet. Let me… think it over carefully.”

The outskirts were quiet, and unconsciously, the night began to deepen.

As time ticked by, the figure on the bed remained there peacefully, as if truly fast asleep.

Who knows how much time had passed.

It wasn’t until Lin Xi finally opened his eyes again that he realized it was already close to midnight.

Thinking it over carefully… and I’ve been thinking until now.

Could it be that Yan Xingzhou is still waiting for me?

Lin Xi lowered his gaze, then suddenly flipped off the bed and briskly grabbed the jacket hanging nearby, draping it over his shoulders.

[Oh my, I knew you were still going to… AHHHHH what are you doing… AHHH!]

Hearing the voice in his head fall completely silent, Lin Xi was satisfied and pushed the door open to leave.

If he was really going to see Yan Xingzhou, regardless of what happened next, it was necessary to make certain inappropriate things temporarily physically disappear.

The villa’s corridor was empty. The lights had clearly been left on for him, casting Lin Xi’s shadow long on the floor.

He walked all the way to the room in the farthest corner, only to find that the ajar door was not locked.

“President Yan, are you there?”

Lin Xi’s words fell, but there was no response from inside for a long time.

He reached out, pushed the door open, and walked in.

What met his eyes was a quaint study that perfectly matched Yan Xingzhou’s aesthetic. But the executive chair in the middle was empty; the familiar figure was not there.

Lin Xi stepped inside. His gaze swept around, finally landing on the photo frame on the desk.

It was the same photo from the office in the inner world.

His gaze lingered on it for more than ten seconds before moving away. After some observation, his eyes fell on the door on the inner side of the room.

There’s another room.

Lin Xi: “…”

Looking at the half-open door, the phrase “hiding a beauty in a golden house” couldn’t help but surface in his mind again. Although it was a bit unfair to Yan Xingzhou, in that instant, several very fancy and novel ways to ‘play’ did pop into his head.

When he reached the door, Lin Xi even gave a symbolic cough. Still no response. After thinking for only a fraction of a second, he continued through the door without any mental burden.

He had intended to just take a look and leave, but the moment he stepped inside, he sensed something was wrong. He looked down at himself. “Huh?”

It was as if an invisible force had instantly enveloped him. Every cell in his body seemed to subtly vibrate in that moment.

Lin Xi had noticed the changes in his body immediately.

The familiar feeling was enough for Lin Xi to determine that this room was undoubtedly connected to the independent world created by Yan Xingzhou.

And at this moment, under the influence of that man’s consciousness, this body of his had clearly…

For confirmation, Lin Xi glanced at the strands of hair falling beside his ear.

They were no longer that striking, eye-catching red, but black.

Is it because this is what that man subconsciously desires? So in this world, I have once again changed back into my original “body.”

“You’ve come.”

A sudden voice pulled Lin Xi back from his thoughts. He looked up, and the scene that met his eyes was just like the office he had seen in the inner world during the day.

Yan Xingzhou was sitting on a chair not far away, watching him without blinking.

Who knows how long he had been sitting there in that position. The night leaking in from outside seemed to coat him in a thick, dark layer.

Half of his face and body were deeply plunged into shadow. He looked very calm, yet he exuded a dangerous and tense chaos from within.

As if not at all surprised by Lin Xi’s appearance, Yan Xingzhou extended a hand in invitation. “Come here.”

As this scene fell into his eyes, for some reason, for that one instant, it gave Lin Xi a feeling—that although he was speaking to him, the man in front of him was not looking at him. At least, not the him of the present.

Lin Xi glanced up at Yan Xingzhou, and suddenly, an absurd possibility surfaced in his mind.

After a brief silence, he stepped forward and cooperatively walked over.