The email backlog was minimal, with just a few scattered messages. After quickly replying to them, Ji Chengyi then proceeded to discuss next year’s new development areas with the company’s vice president over the phone. The conversation was brief, and Ji Chengyi hung up shortly after.

Just as he finished the call, there came a knock on the door.

Ji Chengyi assumed it was Lin Jindu returning.

He got up to open the door.

As the door swung open, there stood the tall figure of Lin Jindu outside.

Ji Chengyi looked up at him, “Mr. Lin.”

Lin Jindu nodded and stepped inside, saying, “Director Li mentioned there are no available rooms, but they will provide us with an extra blanket.”

Ji Chengyi wasn’t surprised by this outcome. He closed the door and turned to Lin Jindu, saying, “It’s alright, thank you for your hard work, Mr. Lin.”

Turning to face him, Lin Jindu asked, “Is Mr. Ji planning to let me sleep on the floor?”

Unfazed by the direct question, Ji Chengyi responded calmly, “I thought the bed might be a bit cramped for Mr. Lin. However, if you insist, I can sleep on the floor instead.”

Lin Jindu found Ji Chengyi’s objective analysis amusing, almost making him want to laugh, “Mr. Ji’s reasoning makes sense. This bed does feel a bit cramped for me.”

Just as their conversation ended, there came another knock on the door.

Lin Jindu furrowed his brow, and his gaze turned cold as he looked towards the door.

“Hmm?” Ji Chengyi didn’t notice Lin Jindu’s change in expression and walked towards the door, asking, “Who is it?”

“It’s me, Mr. Ji,” Assistant Xiao Chen’s voice came from outside.

Ji Chengyi went to open the door.

Lin Jindu stood behind Ji Chengyi, his gaze passing over his head towards the door.

Seeing only Xiao Chen and two staff members holding a blanket outside, his previously furrowed brow relaxed, and his gaze calmed down.

“Mr. Ji, do you need the blanket?” Xiao Chen asked.

Ji Chengyi nodded, “Yes.”

Xiao Chen reassured them and stepped aside for the staff members to enter, saying, “Please bring the blanket in.”

The two staff members placed the blanket at the foot of the bed.

After setting it up, they turned to Ji Chengyi and Lin Jindu, asking, “Do you need anything else, Mr. Ji and Mr. Lin? If not, we won’t disturb your rest.”

Lin Jindu remained silent.

Ji Chengyi shook his head, “No, thank you both for your hard work.”

The staff members replied, “No problem, please rest early.”

Ji Chengyi nodded, “Yes.”

The two staff members followed the assistant downstairs.

Ji Chengyi closed the door and turned to Lin Jindu, saying, “Mr. Lin, shall we make do for the night?”

Lin Jindu nodded, “It seems we have no other choice.”

Ji Chengyi suggested, “Mr. Lin, you should freshen up now. It’s getting late.”

Lin Jindu nodded again but didn’t move.

Ji Chengyi raised an eyebrow, “Is there something else, Mr. Lin?”

In the warm light of the room, Ji Chengyi tilted his head slightly. His black hair fell on his shoulders as he looked up, accentuating his long neck and fair complexion. Perhaps due to the light gray cotton pajamas he wore, there was an added sense of soft comfort about him, making it a visual delight to behold.

However, Lin Jindu wasn’t engrossed in the conversation.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Lin Jindu spoke up, “Mr. Ji, I overheard a conversation between Xiao Chen and Yu Heyan at the staircase just now.”

Ji Chengyi didn’t respond immediately. He first thought about Lin Jindu’s expression upon returning and then speculated, “So, Mr. Lin, are you dissatisfied with how I handled the situation?”

Internally, Lin Jindu marveled at Ji Chengyi’s intelligence as he quickly grasped his thoughts with just a single sentence.

Maintaining a calm demeanor, Lin Jindu nodded, “Yes, technically, it’s your private matter, and I have no right to intervene. However, as your business partner, I do hope that you will handle things wisely and not let insignificant people cause any negative impact on you or on Keao. Otherwise, I may need to reassess our cooperation in the future.”

The underlying threat in his words was evident to anyone listening.

Ji Chengyi naturally picked up on it as well.

Strangely, instead of being offended, he felt a slight urge to laugh. However, he kept his composure because Lin Jindu’s expression was exceptionally serious at that moment.

He suppressed the urge to smile and calmly replied, “Rest assured, Mr. Lin, such handling is indeed beneficial for artists.”

Anticipating a possible rebuttal from Lin Jindu, Ji Chengyi explained further, “After all, if an artist faces widespread brand terminations within a short period, their commercial value would be in question.”

Quick to understand investment strategies, Lin Jindu swiftly grasped Ji Chengyi’s seemingly gentle approach was gradually squeezing Yu Heyan’s value space.

Of course, this was all in the context of Yu Heyan’s lack of cooperation.

“If he cooperates, will you do nothing, Mr. Ji?” Lin Jindu paused and asked.

After a moment of contemplation, Ji Chengyi nodded, “Yes.”

Ji Chengyi was a principled individual with clear boundaries on various matters.

For Ji Chengyi, Yu Heyan’s infidelity was a matter of morality.

However, if he were to retaliate against Yu Heyan’s infidelity in various ways, it would reflect on his character.

Ji Chengyi wouldn’t compromise his own principles for the sake of revenge against someone of questionable character.

Therefore, he wouldn’t cross that line.

Observing Ji Chengyi’s eyes, Lin Jindu could probably understand his thoughts. Although he felt a bit sorry for Ji Chengyi, he ultimately didn’t say more, “Since Mr. Ji has his own principles, I won’t say more. Rest well, Mr. Ji, I’ll go out for a meeting.”

Glancing at the time, Ji Chengyi suggested, “If Mr. Lin doesn’t mind, we can connect in the room. The cameras in the public areas outside are still on.”

After a moment of consideration, Lin Jindu nodded, “Alright, then let me disturb you, Mr. Ji.”

Ji Chengyi shook his head, “No, I’ll just wear headphones.”

With a nod, Lin Jindu turned to the small table, opened his laptop, and accessed the meeting software.

While waiting for the meeting to start, he fetched his headphones from his computer bag.

Turning back to the table, he noticed Ji Chengyi had already put away his laptop.

Lin Jindu glanced at him.

Ji Chengyi explained with a gentle smile, “I’ve finished my work. You can focus on yours, Mr. Lin.”

Lin Jindu nodded, “Then, Mr. Ji, please rest.”

Ji Chengyi nodded in return and walked away to store his laptop.

After putting away the laptop, he retrieved his headphones, eye mask, and travel pillow from his luggage.

He then headed towards the bed.

Meanwhile, Lin Jindu was still setting up for the online meeting, and he was surprised to see Ji Chengyi carrying a pillow and a travel pillow. However, he didn’t inquire further, understanding that Ji Chengyi was someone who even brought shower gel from home.

In the midst of his thoughts, Lin Jindu couldn’t help but wonder if Ji Chengyi was an extremely sensitive individual lacking a sense of security. Only such a person would bring along familiar items on a long trip…

As the meeting began, Lin Jindu refocused on the voices coming through his headphones.

Unaware of Lin Jindu’s reactions, Ji Chengyi replaced the pillow on the bed with his own, took off his shoes, and climbed into bed. He turned to face the wall, put on his eye mask and headphones, preparing to listen to soothing music to fall asleep.

In reality, Ji Chengyi didn’t usually listen to music to sleep, as wearing headphones for too long would make his ears ache. However, with someone else in the room, he felt it would be difficult to fall asleep without external distractions.

While Ji Chengyi and Yu Heyan had been together for three years, their actual time spent sleeping together was minimal. Yu Heyan often resided on set, and Ji Chengyi frequently went on business trips. Thus, Ji Chengyi had not truly gotten accustomed to sharing a bed or a room with someone else.

Even with the soothing music in his headphones blocking out the external sounds, Ji Chengyi had a feeling he would likely struggle to fall asleep that night.

However, to his surprise, he drifted off into a deep slumber within just ten minutes of lying down.

Ji Chengyi: “…”

—

Half an hour had passed since Lin Jindu finished the video conference. He shut down his computer, removed his headphones, and habitually stretched his neck.

Mid-stretch, his movement halted as his gaze fell upon Ji Chengyi.

Ji Chengyi had shifted from facing the wall to facing Lin Jindu, with his eye mask covering half of his face, and the blanket partially concealing his delicate chin. Only a slightly upturned nose was visible, rising and falling gently with each breath.

His sleeping posture was quite neat.

Lin Jindu’s gaze traveled upwards, landing on Ji Chengyi’s tousled hair due to the eye mask. Normally, Ji Chengyi was always impeccably groomed, so it was the first time Lin Jindu had seen him looking so… playful.

Although he felt a wave of amusement, he refrained from smiling just yet.

However, before he could even raise a smile, an absurd thought crossed his mind — he wanted to ruffle Ji Chengyi’s hair…

As soon as the thought emerged, Lin Jindu couldn’t resist and rose abruptly from his chair.

Lin Jindu, perhaps afraid of waking Ji Chengyi, moved with utmost care. He approached the bed silently, then slowly crouched down.

Although he hadn’t noticed from a distance, now that he was closer, Lin Jindu could hear Ji Chengyi’s serene breathing. His breath was truly gentle, like that of a peacefully sleeping kitten.

Interestingly, Lin Jindu wasn’t particularly fond of fluffy animals. When he encountered cats or dogs in the neighborhood, he would subconsciously avoid them. Yet, for some reason, he found himself involuntarily associating Ji Chengyi with a cat.

Upon reflection, Lin Jindu realized it might be because Ji Chengyi used an orange cat avatar, leading to a subconscious association.

However, regardless of his initial thoughts, in the present moment, the sight of Ji Chengyi sleeping peacefully evoked a sense of tender affection…

So much so that Lin Jindu found himself unconsciously reaching out, inching closer to Ji Chengyi’s tousled hair.

Yet, before his fingertips could make contact with the soft strands, Ji Chengyi suddenly sensed something and swiftly pulled down his eye mask, opening his eyes and gazing straight ahead.

Lin Jindu: !

Ji Chengyi: ?

Lin Jindu: “…”

Lin Jindu and Ji Chengyi locked eyes, the silence filling the room.

Neither of them spoke.

Ji Chengyi looked bewildered, as if unsure of his surroundings and who Lin Jindu was. On the other hand, Lin Jindu didn’t know how to explain the situation.

In that moment, the previously quiet night grew even quieter, almost as if the air in the room had frozen, moving at an incredibly slow pace.

It was then that Lin Jindu realized, without the aid of a stethoscope, he could distinctly hear the sound of his own heartbeat…

Thump, thump.

The heartbeat was strong and forceful.

After a while, Ji Chengyi broke the silence, “Mr. Lin?”

Despite his efforts to remain composed, his hoarse voice with a hint of softness still carried a subtle charm, much like an unconsciously swaying cat’s tail.

Lin Jindu: “…”

Trying to steady himself, Lin Jindu calmly responded, “I apologize if I disturbed you, Mr. Ji. I noticed a mosquito on your head, so I shooed it away.”

“Oh…” Ji Chengyi murmured in a drowsy state, uncertain if he believed the explanation, as he looked at Lin Jindu with sleepy eyes, “Thank you, Mr. Lin.”

Lin Jindu: “…”

Retracting his hand, Lin Jindu then stood up, “You can go back to sleep, Mr. Ji. I’ll go freshen up.”

Ji Chengyi continued to watch him, nodding in acknowledgment.

Lin Jindu fiddled with his fingers before heading to change his clothes.

He then proceeded directly to the bathroom.

As he heard the bathroom door close and lock, Ji Chengyi blinked slowly, absentmindedly ran his hand through his hair, seemingly unaware of the previous interaction. He adjusted his eye mask and settled back into sleep.

—

Lin Jindu finished his shower quickly, taking less than five minutes. As he stepped out, he glanced at the bed to see Ji Chengyi sleeping peacefully with his travel pillow. Feeling reassured, Lin Jindu gathered his dirty clothes into a laundry bag, placed a towel on his damp hair, and prepared to leave.

Before leaving the room, Lin Jindu turned off the lights and adjusted the air conditioning temperature slightly higher. Pausing for a moment, he glanced at the blurry figure on the bed in the dim light.

After a brief moment, Lin Jindu redirected his gaze and left, closing the door behind him.