MCL CH44

Chapter 44: What a petty, score-settling bastard.

After escorting him to the study, Ju Ze turned and left immediately. Although this President’s assistant had always given the impression of being swift and decisive, his current action of turning and leaving without hesitation was so neat it resembled fleeing an apocalyptic scene.

Lin Xi had managed to appear calm and composed on the way here, but after Ju Ze’s display, his steps, just about to enter the study, faltered subtly.

[Yoo-hoo, what’s this? Our great Executive Officer Lin actually has moments of cowardice?]
[Weren’t you having a pretty good time with that preparatory operation of delving into the tiger’s den? Now you’re back and don’t know how to report in?]
[As expected, love is the biggest stumbling block to human progress. No one is an exception.]

“Shut up,” Lin Xi mentally silenced the noisy mouth of a certain King of Contaminants. He once again lifted his eyes to glance at the back of the figure standing before the floor-to-ceiling window, cleared his throat, and walked over after closing the study door.

He could actually guess what Yan Xingzhou was thinking. If their positions were switched, he couldn’t even guarantee that he would be much calmer than this man.

Ever since Lin Xi and the others had left, Yan Xingzhou had been waiting in the study for their return. The black sedan had just passed the intersection ahead, not even having driven into the courtyard yet, when it entered his line of sight. The footsteps and the sound of the door opening behind him were not concealed, so he naturally knew Lin Xi had arrived, yet he continued to look out the window with a calm expression, not turning back.

Not until the approaching sounds stopped behind him did the surroundings fall into complete silence. In this atmosphere where no one spoke first, Yan Xingzhou frowned slightly and finally, slowly, opened his mouth. “You…”

The rest of his words were cut short by a pair of arms that wrapped around him from behind. Lin Xi had silently pressed himself against his back, his fingers gradually lacing with Yan Xingzhou’s.

Yan Xingzhou lowered his gaze to their intertwined hands, the expression in his eyes growing more complex, and he was momentarily lost for words. He could feel Lin Xi’s entire body gently pressed against his back, his heartbeat transmitted through the thin fabric, one beat after another. Only living people have a heartbeat.

In a moment of daze, a scornful curve appeared on Yan Xingzhou’s lips. A man as extremely nitpicky as him hadn’t even realized himself when his demands for this world had dropped to such a low level.

Before his attitude could soften completely, Yan Xingzhou finally spoke first. “Don’t you have anything you want to say to me?”

With their backs to each other, neither could see the other’s expression. But just from the tone of that sentence, Lin Xi had enough to go on. A hint of a smile flashed in his eyes. “You already sent Assistant Ju to follow me the whole way. He should have already reported anything that needed to be reported to you.”

Yan Xingzhou was silent for a moment. “I want to hear it from you.”

“Hear what from me? Why I suddenly want to take the civil service exam?” Lin Xi carelessly pinched and caressed Yan Xingzhou’s slender fingers. “I thought no one could refuse a golden rice bowl. After all, I’m penniless and unemployed right now. I finally tested with a decent supernatural ability strength and can get some attention, so of course, I have to make the most of it. Otherwise, if I miss this opportunity, I might not have such stable financial security.”

To this answer, which was clearly complete nonsense, Yan Xingzhou’s tone was flat. “If you want financial security, I can support you.”

Lin Xi couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “President Yan, you sound so rich and powerful. You don’t even know what I want…”

Before Lin Xi could finish, Yan Xingzhou cut him off. “No matter what you want to do, I can support you for a lifetime.”

He suddenly exerted force with his hands, pulling Lin Xi from behind him. In the next second, their positions were swapped, and he pressed Lin Xi against the edge of the floor-to-ceiling window. An unreadable emotion filled his deep eyes as he met Lin Xi’s gaze without blinking, his words clear. “If I can provide for you, can you give up this idea of ‘taking the civil service exam’?”

Their warm, firm bodies were pressed together again, a stark contrast to the coolness coming from the glass behind them. Sounds came from downstairs; Ju Ze was arranging for the driver to move the car away. If anyone were to look up, they would be able to see the scene in the study. Lin Xi’s peripheral vision glanced at the courtyard below. He met Yan Xingzhou’s gaze and wanted to get up, but he was held firmly in place, unable to move at all.

Inches away, the man’s distinct breath fell lightly on his skin. At this extremely close distance, an intensely ambiguous and dangerous aura emanated from everywhere. Lin Xi maintained the smile on his face and didn’t try to struggle. Instead, he simply reached out and casually draped his arms around Yan Xingzhou’s neck.

With this movement, the two drew even closer. He could feel the person in front of him pause distinctly, but he feigned ignorance and leaned forward, burying his face in the crook of Yan Xingzhou’s neck, gently rubbing against the hair at his temples. “I think you’re being a little too cautious. Yan Xingzhou, what are you afraid of? Is it that… you don’t trust me?”

“It’s not you I don’t trust, it’s those people from the United Administration.” Yan Xingzhou leaned down with the force of Lin Xi pulling him forward. The two had unknowingly ended up completely pressed against the floor-to-ceiling window. 

He lowered his eyes, glancing at the sexy line of Lin Xi’s collarbones. His voice tightened from their intimate proximity, but his tone remained low. “According to your original plan, you probably didn’t expect to be exposed to Gu Beiqiu so early. Now that you’ve attracted their attention, staying by my side is the safest choice. To this day, we still haven’t figured out the specific purpose of what those people did back then. Once your true identity is discovered, no one can be sure what will happen next… Mmph.”

His last words were smothered by Lin Xi’s direct and blatant deep kiss. Gradually, in the heated air, the originally tense atmosphere was replaced by suppressed, restrained breathing.

“…” After the kiss ended, Yan Xingzhou looked down. “Since when did you start liking to shut people up this way?”

“I don’t know, maybe last night?” Lin Xi’s hands had already traveled up to Yan Xingzhou’s chest, unbuttoning his collar one button at a time. After the passionate kiss, the rims of his eyes were slightly red, making his heterochromatic eyes look even more captivating with his gentle, smiling expression. 

“Don’t mind me, you can continue with what you were saying. Although I’ve always found your lectures annoying, as long as it’s you saying them, I’m still very happy to listen.”

Lin Xi’s hand had just touched the glass and still retained a distinct coolness. As he unbuttoned the shirt, he showed no intention of being careful, occasionally brushing against the skin of Yan Xingzhou’s chest. The cold, sharp touch made the muscles there tighten even more. Even though his words were so casual, how could Yan Xingzhou not see that this person was doing it on purpose? But in the current situation, the atmosphere for settling scores had long since vanished. Under the increasingly heavy breathing, his gaze on the culprit before him grew deeper and more intense.

Finally, after the last button was undone, Yan Xingzhou leaned forward fiercely without warning, trapping Lin Xi completely in the narrow space, forcing their eyes to meet. “You’re happy to listen, but you’re not willing to change. Is that what you mean?”

“That’s because I know that the decisions I make never need to be changed.” Lin Xi’s emotions had clearly been stirred as well. His gaze on Yan Xingzhou became more cloying, yet his words were perfectly lucid. 

“Risk and opportunity have always coexisted. You should know my style very well. Among all the people at the United Administration, I was always the most fervent gambler who liked to go for broke. Now that such an excellent bargaining chip has been placed in my hands, how could I not be tempted?”

Yan Xingzhou replied, “Even if we really have to go to the gambling table, I think I would be the bigger chip.”

Lin Xi was slightly stunned, and a smile flashed in his eyes. “Then how could I bear to part with you? Besides, it’s a pity, but the game has already begun.” 

He placed a light kiss on Yan Xingzhou’s jaw, as if to soothe him, then continued to kiss him again and again. “I didn’t discuss it with you beforehand because I thought we should have this kind of tacit understanding… Yan Xingzhou, you should trust me, just like before… What’s more, you are my greatest source of confidence now. As long as you’re here, those people from the United Administration can’t do anything to me, right…”

Unconsciously embracing, not only Yan Xingzhou’s but also Lin Xi’s clothes gradually became disheveled. Even though a cool breeze was constantly blowing in, the freshly changed clothes were gradually getting soaked with a thin layer of sweat again. It was unclear if last night’s intimacy was simply too unforgettable, but in that instant, images from the previous night continuously surfaced in his mind, accompanied by a lingering pleasure that instantly reawakened every cell in his body.

Yan Xingzhou didn’t answer Lin Xi’s words again. He just pressed Lin Xi fiercely against the floor-to-ceiling window, and with his continuous movements, he felt the words of the man before him start to become fragmented, no longer suppressing the low gasps at the back of his throat. He certainly knew that Lin Xi’s every action was intended to divert his attention, but even knowing this, he was still willing to fall into such a trap.

Yan Xingzhou began to rhythmically work the sensitive spots he had discovered the night before, feeling Lin Xi’s body gradually grow softer. His voice was clearly struggling to remain steady. “Of course… The same mistake, I will definitely not… make a second time.”

Such an answer already expressed enough compromise.

Lin Xi let out a soft laugh. At this moment, his whole body was tightly pressed against the floor-to-ceiling window, looking somewhat disheveled, yet he continued to respond to Yan Xingzhou. Increasingly heavy breathing filled the study. Everything was gradually collapsing.

Suddenly, the jarring sound of a cell phone ringing shattered the atmosphere.

Lin Xi’s eyes were glistening. “Don’t… answer it.”

Before his words had faded, he saw Yan Xingzhou restrain his body with one hand while the other reached into his pants pocket and took out the phone. After a glance, he handed Lin Xi’s phone to him. The moment the answer button was pressed, Lin Xi also realized something, and a sliver of rationality struggled to return to his somewhat hazy eyes.

Then, he saw the contact name on the caller ID—Gu Beiqiu.

Amidst the suddenly quickened movements, Lin Xi struggled to suppress the gasp on his lips and shot a silent glare at Yan Xingzhou.

What a petty, score-settling bastard!

Without a doubt, the man was definitely doing it on purpose.