UAAG CH62

The morning sunlight pierced through the living room window, illuminating the man’s bare upper body.

Zhuo Huan crossed his arms, leaning against the doorframe, and looked at Old Joseph with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile.

Old Joseph suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of bewilderment and helplessness. He stood frozen in place for a long time before letting out two dry laughs. “Uh, since Fu is sleeping, let’s not disturb him. We used to go for a morning run together every day, often running all the way to UAAG. Since we’ve been on break the last few days, and yesterday I thought everyone needed a rest for jet lag, I just came to call him today.”

Zhuo Huan glanced at him and said, “Where’s Su Fei?”

Old Joseph was surprised. He inexplicably thought: Reid actually knows about the three of us running together every morning? I’ve never seen him care about that before.

Old Joseph replied, “Fly refused to get up no matter what today, so I just came to get Fu for the run.” After saying that, he adopted a casual tone, as if asking in passing, “I just really didn’t expect to see you here. Reid, what on earth are you doing here?”

Zhuo Huan hooked the corner of his lip. “I live here.”

Old Joseph laughed along with him. “Why are you living in Fu’s home?”

“Oh, I sold that penthouse apartment. I had nowhere to live, so I’m staying here.”

“Is it to salvage Roger 318?” Old Joseph asked in surprise. He thought for a moment and said, “Why not stay in the UAAG dorms with us? There’s still an empty apartment on the same floor as me and Su Fei.”

Zhuo Huan: “Too small. Not going.”

Old Joseph: “Hey, Reid, 100 square meters is too small for one person?” Seeing Zhuo Huan’s look of disdain, and before Lord Zhuo could start mocking him, Old Joseph nodded to himself, muttering, “Fine, fine, fine. Compared to that 700-square-meter mansion you used to live in, it is indeed a bit small.”

But surely it’s bigger than the 150-square-meter place you and Fu Cheng share together?

Old Joseph didn’t say the rest out loud.

Zhuo Huan stood by the door, clearly having no intention of specifically inviting him in to sit. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t welcome Old Joseph if he asked. If Old Joseph actually said he wanted to come inside, Zhuo Huan would certainly step aside.

But Old Joseph didn’t.

The little American old man smiled. “Then I won’t disturb your rest. By the way, have you had breakfast?”

Zhuo Huan raised an eyebrow. “No.”

Old Joseph: “There’s a breakfast shop opposite the residential complex. They sell Chinese-style breakfast. I think it tastes pretty good, I recommend it to you.”

“Are you buying breakfast for me?”

“…Huh?”

“Thanks. Two orders. One for Fu Cheng too.”

“…”

Half an hour later, his biological clock waking him before his conscious mind did, Fu Cheng rubbed his aching head and woke up in a daze.

The bed beside him was empty, the sheets cold under the quilt, devoid of any lingering warmth. This was no different from the past twenty-plus years; his bed wasn’t supposed to have anyone else in it anyway. Yet, Fu Cheng stared fixedly at the pillow beside him, his gaze gradually clearing. After a while, he truly woke up.

He got up and put on his pajamas.

His waist was sore, and a certain part of his body felt slightly uncomfortable, so his movements as he dressed were slow.

When he put on his slippers and his feet touched the floor, Fu Cheng’s legs went weak, though he managed to stand firm. He opened the bedroom door. As soon as he stepped out, he smelled the aroma of food. He froze for a moment, then walked to the dining room. He saw Zhuo Huan sitting at the table, holding a glass of soy milk in one hand, drinking it intermittently, while his other hand rested on a laptop keyboard.

Fu Cheng walked into the dining room, pulled out a chair, and sat down. He opened a paper bag, took a bite of a bun, and asked, “Buns from across the street? Did you go out to buy them?”

Zhuo Huan looked up at him, then lowered his head back to the computer screen, his voice lazy. “Old Joseph bought them.”

Fu Cheng nodded, chewing on the bun. “Oh.”

A few seconds passed.

Fu Cheng: “…”

The handsome young man looked up sharply, staring straight at the man opposite him. Fu Cheng put down the bun in his hand, and the hand reaching for the soy milk froze mid-air. He stared at Zhuo Huan for a long time before asking, “Why did Old Joseph come here?”

Sensing the sudden shift in the young man’s tone, Zhuo Huan stopped looking at the computer. He raised his head to look at Fu Cheng, the corners of his mouth hooking up. “Why did he come? He came to get you for a run.”

Only then did Fu Cheng vaguely recall that while he was asleep, the doorbell did indeed ring.

Silence stretched for a long time. No one spoke.

Fu Cheng asked, “…You opened the door for him?”

Zhuo Huan raised an eyebrow. “Or else, you?”

Fu Cheng: “Did he say anything?”

Zhuo Huan: “Does kindly buying breakfast for us count?”

The word “us” made Fu Cheng fall silent. He pressed his lips together and asked again, “Did he ask you why you were at my house… How did you answer?”

Zhuo Huan laughed, resting his chin in one hand as he looked at him. “I answered truthfully.”

“…?”

“I had nowhere to live, so I’m living here with you.”

His fingers tightened around the glass of soy milk. Fu Cheng closed his eyes briefly. His lips moved, wanting to say something, but not a single word came out.

In the quiet dining room, the man’s low, husky voice rang out, the final note slightly upturned. “But I poured the soy milk for you.”

Fu Cheng stared blankly at the man in front of him.

“Poured it from the bag,” Zhuo Huan said indifferently. “So, you have to drink it all.”

Fu Cheng: “…”

It was a quiet breakfast. Fu Cheng silently ate his buns and drank his soy milk. After one sip, Zhuo Huan set his soy milk aside. He looked calmly at the computer screen, his fingers clattering across the keyboard, occasionally letting out a “tsk” to express his displeasure, but mostly, his brows remained tightly furrowed.

After Fu Cheng finished breakfast, he silently collected the plates and cups and went to the kitchen to rinse them. After putting all the tableware into the dishwasher, Fu Cheng turned around to find Zhuo Huan leaning against the doorway, watching him silently. He didn’t know how long he had been there.

His heart inexplicably skipped a beat. Fu Cheng walked over with a calm expression. As he passed the man, Zhuo Huan chuckled softly. “What are you worried about?”

Fu Cheng: “Nothing.”

Zhuo Huan: “I didn’t let him see.”

Fu Cheng looked up at him.

Zhuo Huan lifted Fu Cheng’s chin. “See the scratch marks you left on my back with your nails.”

Fu Cheng broke free from his hand and looked at him indifferently. “You’re so boring, Teacher Zhuo.”

Zhuo Huan laughed. He leaned close to Fu Cheng’s ear and whispered into the ear canal, “That’s not what you said last night…”

The low, hot breath, like a feather, passed through the sensitive ear canal. Fu Cheng’s lips parted slightly, and his ears burned. He looked up at Zhuo Huan, his gaze unwavering. After a while, he asked in an even voice, “Do you want to kiss?”

The next moment, the man leaned in and kissed him.

He had never felt such intense emotion before. Being with this person made him want to kiss him, hold him, take off his clothes, and hear him emit suppressed, unbearable gasps.

However, this time, perhaps because they had done it intensely twice just last night, Zhuo Huan kissed him enough and then patted Fu Cheng’s lower back. “I’ll do you tonight.”

Fu Cheng’s voice was a sexy, breathy whisper. “What were you busy with just now?”

“Roger 318.”

Fu Cheng raised his head.

A month ago, a salvage company discovered a piece of the left wing wreckage of Roger 318 near Port Alder, Alaska. Subsequently, Zhuo Huan, Professor Robert, Professor Gal, and others began a detailed flow analysis of the wreckage. Unfortunately, Professor Robert’s supercomputer lab had been requisitioned by the US government, and it wasn’t until the end of last month that time was freed up to formally calculate the data everyone had compiled.

With all the back and forth, a lot of time had been lost.

Zhuo Huan sat on the sofa, his laptop resting on his long legs, frowning deeply as he typed in code. Fu Cheng helped him organize the data and perform simple physics calculations. This was their last chance. Because it took half a month for the supercomputer to calculate the data they wanted, and during that half-month, the ocean and the weather had not paused.

The area they had originally calculated definitely could not remain unchanged. They had to hurry and calculate a new range based on the supercomputer’s data. Only then might they have hope of finding that plane.

Deep into the night, the living room lights were still on.

Fu Cheng went to the kitchen to pour two cups of coffee. When he returned, he saw Zhuo Huan had lit a cigarette, smoking it with a face full of irritability. Looking up and seeing Fu Cheng approaching with the coffee, Zhuo Huan reached out a hand. “Come here.”

Fu Cheng walked over and placed the coffee on the coffee table.

Zhuo Huan extended his arm, pressed down on the back of Fu Cheng’s neck, and planted a light kiss on his lips.

In the boundless night, in the quiet room, Fu Cheng could hear his heart thumping in his chest.

Zhuo Huan had only intended a gentle kiss, but Fu Cheng suddenly closed his eyes and fervently deepened it. He licked at the man’s teeth. After a moment of surprise, Zhuo Huan clasped the back of his head, his tongue extending into the young man’s mouth, sucking his lips wantonly and crazily. The force was so great it was as if he wanted to knead him into his very marrow.

The sounds of panting and wet kisses echoed in the living room for a long time.

Zhuo Huan ended the kiss first. He pinched Fu Cheng’s cheek and laughed huskily, “Don’t be a tease. Go to sleep.”

Fu Cheng lowered his eyes and glanced at him. “Mn.”

…

Zhuo Huan stayed up all night.

Then he was busy for a whole week.

Because Lord Zhuo took the lead in asking for leave, Lina gave the entire UAAG a long vacation.

On Monday, the long vacation finally ended.

UAAG Headquarters.

Su Fei and Old Joseph chatted while organizing files on unresolved air crash accidents. Fu Cheng received an email from the GCAA regarding the investigation report he had written earlier on the Air 411 crash; Maiha had a few places he wanted to confirm with him.

Lord Zhuo, as usual, lay on the sofa with a newspaper casually covering his face, sleeping with his eyes closed.

Su Fei suddenly said, “Eh, how come Lina suddenly disappeared?”

Fu Cheng looked up from behind the computer screen, looked around, and was also quite surprised. “I think I saw her just a moment ago?”

Old Joseph pondered, “It seems like five minutes ago, she took a phone call and then went out? Hmm? Has she not come back yet?”

Just as they were speaking, a crisp ding sounded from the elevator outside the door.

Soon, the sound of women’s high heels stepping on marble floor tiles rang out, accompanied by Lina’s unique voice laced with laughter. She was speaking French, which Fu Cheng and the other two didn’t understand at all. Only Zhuo Huan suddenly pulled the newspaper off his face, looked toward the main entrance, and let out an impatient “Ha.”

The next moment, Lina walked in through the main doors first, gently covering her lips as she chuckled. Behind her was a tall, burly figure. Wearing an expensive, meticulously tailored suit, with white hair styled impeccably with gel, and a straight back, just standing there casually exuded an air of innate nobility.

Sir Romain Conte stopped in his tracks as soon as he walked into the main entrance of UAAG headquarters.

He looked at the exquisitely magnificent miniature marble fountain at the entrance and exclaimed, “Lina, this must be your design. This splendid and elegant pediment relief, the noble and graceful openwork stone carving… My darling, you are always so multi-talented. Why don’t we have a fountain like this in our living room at home?”

Lina laughed. “Papa, since you like it, I’ll have one made for the living room too.”

Zhuo Huan sat up and asked in English, “Why come so suddenly?”

Only then did Romain and Lina look at them.

Romain bowed slightly, performing a gentlemanly salute, and said in English, “I happened to have business in Shen City, so I came to see you all. Reid, long time no see.” Then he looked at Fu Cheng and the other two, gently calling out their names one by one, “And Fu, Old Joseph, and Su.”

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