Chapter 60 “Like You, Want to See You.”

The last ray of sunset was swallowed by the night. After leaving the horse ranch, the four of them drove to a nearby hot spring hotel.

After changing clothes, the others were all bare-chested, while Jiang Yao wore a white bathrobe, even fastening the buttons. Standing in the swirling mist, his brows and eyes were more subdued and serene than usual, a stark contrast to his usual carefree style.

His companions eyed him curiously, “Why is Young Master Jiang so covered up for the hot springs? Not going to show off those muscles?”

“Recently I haven’t been working out much.”

Jiang Yao’s tone was casual, but in his heart, he cursed Duan Zhuxian hundreds of times.

When he was changing clothes earlier, he was even shocked by the array of marks in varying shades of red and blue on his body.

The people around him felt a bit regretful but also slightly relieved without knowing why.

These young men were carefree and pampered, accustomed to extravagance from a young age. The youthful vigor that should have been theirs was long diluted by indulgence in wine, women, and wealth.

However, Jiang Yao was different. He was not only naturally good-looking but also exceptionally capable and self-disciplined. Always the “ideal child” in the eyes of others, his friends both admired and envied him.

As he entered the water, the thin fabric clung to Jiang Yao’s skin, faintly outlining the muscles of his chest and abdomen.

Unable to resist showing off, Jiang Yao picked up his phone, took a selfie, and posted it on social media with the caption: [Hot springs.]

Barely half a minute later, he received a message from Duan Zhuxian: [Nice bathrobe.]

Jiang Yao immediately caught the underlying meaning and resisted the urge to roll his eyes, replying, [Just preserving your reputation.]

Duan Zhuxian: [What reputation?]

Jiang Yao knew Duan Zhuxian was playing dumb, so he typed with a cold smile: [The mighty Mr. Duan is actually a wolf in sheep’s clothing.]

After sending the message, he instinctively felt that Duan Zhuxian would come back with something provocative, and his face involuntarily grew hot.

To his surprise, Duan Zhuxian changed the topic: [I’m dining nearby.]

Jiang Yao was caught off guard, so he didn’t reply and exited the chat app.

Someone asked, “You haven’t even had much to drink, why is your face red, Young Master Jiang?”

Jiang Yao, trying to appear calm, said, “The water temperature is a bit high, it’s making me hot.”

After chatting and drinking with his friends, it was suddenly ten o’clock. Jiang Yao, unlike his carefree friends, had to work the next day, so he prepared to leave early.

In the hotel’s bathroom, he took a quick shower. After turning off the shower, he could hear the intermittent sounds of conversation from the hot spring pool outside—

“Word has it that someone from the Duan family recently got locked up, one of our generation. The charges are serious, but they haven’t been sentenced yet. There might still be a chance.”

“Even if they haven’t been sentenced, it’s a sure thing they’ll be eating prison food. After all, getting locked up so quickly must have something to do with Duan Zhuxian.”

The one speaking was Wang Cen. Back in school, every girl he pursued had a crush on Duan Zhuxian, so he harbored a one-sided grudge against him.

Jiang Yao had never cared about this before, especially since he himself had been the one most at odds with Duan Zhuxian.

But now, he found Wang Cen rather annoying.

Someone asked, “Why would he get his own family member locked up for no reason?”

Wang Cen replied, “To eliminate competition.”

The person next to him was puzzled, “He’s already the most capable among the Duan family’s younger generation. Who could possibly compete with him?”

Wang Cen sneered, “What good is being capable? He’s not well-liked in the Duan family. How else could he stand out without resorting to some underhanded tactics?”

The other two, hearing this gossip for the first time, were skeptical. “You sure you’re not just making this up because you don’t like him?”

“It’s true.” Wang Cen lowered his voice. “My old man has connections with the Duan family. Apparently, it’s because of his birth mother…”

The sound of the door being forcefully pushed open interrupted the conversation.

“Wang Cen, I never realized before how much of a gossip you are,” Jiang Yao said as he stepped out of the bathroom, fully dressed. His face, flushed from the steam, had lost its smile and looked somewhat cold.

Wang Cen, caught up in the conversation, hadn’t realized the implications of Jiang Yao’s relationship with Duan Zhuxian. Now he sensed the awkwardness but tried to save face, “Oh, Young Master Jiang is defending him now? Have you forgotten how you used to target Duan Zhuxian?”

Earlier, when Jiang Yao heard Wang Cen badmouthing Duan Zhuxian, he felt a surge of anger. This wasn’t the first time Wang Cen had shown hostility towards Duan Zhuxian in front of him.

Jiang Yao was still trying to understand these strange feelings.

It turned out it was “protectiveness.”

Jiang Yao raised his eyebrow, and a cold smile playing on his lips, “You’re right. I am protective. Duan Zhuxian is my person now. It’s only natural that I protect him.”

He walked towards the hot spring pool, looking down at Wang Cen, and added, “Also, spreading rumors is illegal. Don’t let it blow up and become something you can’t handle.”

With that, he turned and left the private hot spring suite. Outside, he encountered a waiter holding a bouquet of roses.

“Hello, is Mr. Jiang Yao inside?” the waiter asked.

Jiang Yao said, “That’s me.”

The waiter smiled and handed the flowers to Jiang Yao. “A gentleman asked me to give these to you.”

“Which gentleman?”

“He didn’t reveal his name.”

After the waiter left, Jiang Yao looked down at the roses in his arms, with furrowed brows.

His attention was entirely on the flowers, so he didn’t notice someone approaching until he was suddenly pushed against the wall, and the unpleasant smell of alcohol hit him.

Jiang Yao looked up to see a somewhat familiar man grinning at him.

“Jiang Yao, finally seeing you again. Let’s see where you run off to today.”

As soon as the man spoke, Jiang Yao remembered him. He was the idiot who had confessed to him at the horse ranch before, surnamed Xu. He couldn’t recall the full name, but after being ignored several times, Xu had vowed to block Jiang Yao every time he saw him.

Jiang Yao hadn’t expected him to follow through on that threat. Clearly, this guy had a death wish.

With a blank expression, Jiang Yao clenched his fist, ready to deal with the drunk, when he suddenly noticed a tall, imposing figure standing not far away, near the private suite door.

It was Duan Zhuxian.

Jiang Yao didn’t know how long he’d been there or if he’d heard his earlier protective remarks. This hotel’s soundproofing was terrible.

But he had no time to care about that now. The more important thing right now was that he was being cornered, holding a bouquet of roses, while his legally recognized spouse and romantic partner, the world’s number one king of jealousy, was quietly watching from the side.

Jiang Yao felt a wave of frustration and dread wash over him.

Damn, this was a nightmare.

He kicked the man in front of him hard and shouted, “Get lost! Don’t let me see you again!”

The man named Xu, stumbled back, clutching his kicked shin. When he looked up, he met Duan Zhuxian’s icy gaze. When he realized who the tall man was, he sobered up halfway and fled as if his life depended on it.

Jiang Yao took a deep breath to calm himself before looking over at Duan Zhuxian. The coldness in Duan Zhuxian’s deep eyes was gone, replaced by an unreadable expression, like an unfathomable, dark lake.

Jiang Yao immediately walked toward Duan Zhuxian. “I was just about to head home. Is your dinner over?”

Perhaps because of his guilty conscience, his tone was unusually soft.

Duan Zhuxian responded with a soft “mm”: “I thought you might still be here, so I came to check. Looks like I arrived just in time.”

Jiang Yao felt at a loss for words. Duan Zhuxian’s remark sounded particularly awkward, but he didn’t bring up what had just happened.

As they walked down the corridor leading to the exit, Jiang Yao glanced around.

Duan Zhuxian asked, “What are you looking for?”

Jiang Yao grumbled, “This place is a mess; there isn’t even a trash can.”

Duan Zhuxian raised an eyebrow, “A trash can?”

“Yeah, to throw this thing away.”

Jiang Yao deliberately avoided looking at Duan Zhuxian’s expression. He walked left and right with some frustration, holding the handle of the bouquet roughly. The delicate petals couldn’t withstand the rough treatment and began to fall to the carpet.

Among the falling petals, there was also a gold-embossed card.

Duan Zhuxian bent down to pick it up before Jiang Yao could.

Jiang Yao immediately moved to snatch it back but couldn’t; Duan Zhuxian held it too tightly.

The card bore a printed message, just six words long, that made Jiang Yao’s heart tighten and his head ache.

“[Like you, want to see you.]”

The deep voice echoed suddenly in his ear, each word clear and deliberate, making his eardrums buzz and his back prickle. Even though his chest felt hollow, his heart still pounded erratically.

The card was signed with just the letter “X,” which Jiang Yao immediately associated with the surname “Xu,” and the drunkard’s face flashed in his mind.

He quickly snatched the card back, crumpling it forcefully and letting his hand fall to his side.

“Just some nonsense, don’t look at it.”

As Jiang Yao spoke, he glanced up at Duan Zhuxian, only to find that his expression remained unchanged. There wasn’t a trace of displeasure, not even a hint of jealousy.

Duan Zhuxian responded with an ambiguous “mm.”

From the moment Jiang Yao noticed him, all of Jiang Yao’s guilt and panic were evident in his eyes.

Duan Zhuxian placed his hand on Jiang Yao’s back, gently guiding him forward. He suppressed a smile and said casually, “Stop looking for a trash can. The flowers are pretty; it would be a shame to throw them away.”

Jiang Yao: “?”

Just then, the waiter who had delivered the flowers happened to pass by and saw Duan Zhuxian and Jiang Yao walking together.

Driven by professional courtesy, he was about to say something congratulatory when a look from Duan Zhuxian silenced him.