Chu Shangluo slowed down his typing and glanced at Ren Jiaoming. “The one I like wants to keep boundaries with me. Honestly, that’s a little heartbreaking,” he said. However, there was no trace of hurt on Chu Shangluo’s face.

Ren Jiaoming remained expressionless. He had seen many people like Chu Shangluo, who treated love as a form of hunting. He didn’t have much to say, only feeling disgusted by it.

Once the new contract was drafted, Ren Jiaoming reviewed it and signed his name. Chu Shangluo, with a flushed face, looked at Ren Jiaoming but didn’t say anything more hurtful. Usually, someone as talkative as him had unexpectedly grown quiet for once.

When Lin Zhi picked up the signed contract to give it to Chu Shangluo, he noticed that Chu Shangluo had fallen asleep in the massage chair, his face unnaturally red. He reached out and touched Chu Shangluo’s forehead, shocked by how hot it was.

“Boss?” Lin Zhi called out to Chu Shangluo several times. When he didn’t respond, Lin Zhi tried to move him to the bed. However, the sleeping man was unusually heavy. Lin Zhi, who had been sitting in an office for years, tried several times but couldn’t lift Chu Shangluo. Instead, he ended up with a flushed face. Panting and in a panic, he tightened Chu Shangluo’s bathrobe, not daring to look at him anymore. He turned to Ren Jiaoming, who was about to leave, and said, “Please help me. I can’t move him.”

Ren Jiaoming paused, glanced at Lin Zhi with a strange expression, then looked at Chu Shangluo, whose bathrobe had slipped down to his shoulder. He walked over, bent down, and lifted Chu Shangluo into his arms. The man in his arms had a very high body temperature, which made Ren Jiaoming, who usually felt cold, slightly uncomfortable.

When Lin Zhi saw Ren Jiaoming set the boss down and prepare to leave, he hurriedly said, “Secretary Ren, can you stay and take care of the boss for a bit? I’ll call the doctor, and you can take care of him until the doctor arrives. There are still some things I need to handle at the office, so I’ll head back.”

Ren Jiaoming replied, “That’s not part of my duty according to the contract.”

Lin Zhi was speechless.

Ren Jiaoming left, and Lin Zhi had no choice but to wait for the doctor. He crossed his arms and watched Chu Shangluo, muttering, “I really don’t get what you see in him. He’s cold and puts on an act, hard to control—probably lacks any charm!”

Chu Shangluo, in a half-dazed state, just so happened to overhear this. He wanted to tell Lin Zhi that if you could get a cold person to drop their facade, that in itself would be a kind of charm.

Chu Shangluo’s cold was unusually severe this time. He felt dizzy all day, and even someone who usually appeared as healthy as he did was now experiencing what it truly felt like when illness strikes suddenly and hard. But with such a large company, there was no time for him to rest, so to reduce the time spent traveling back and forth, Chu Shangluo simply decided to stay at the company.

Lin Zhi was worried that Chu Shangluo couldn’t take care of himself and insisted on hiring a personal assistant to look after him. Chu Shangluo waved him off. “I’m not six years old, I don’t need one.” After sending Lin Zhi away, Chu Shangluo casually ordered takeout, opened a bottle of red wine, and, while drinking, habitually lit a cigarette. When he finally lifted his head from the pile of documents, it was already past midnight, and the takeout had long since gone cold. He ate a bite, turned off the computer, and went to his room. When he took a shower, he noticed the water was cold but didn’t mind much. He rinsed quickly and went to bed.

The next morning, when Ren Jiaoming arrived at the company, Chu Shangluo was sitting there with an IV drip, holding a cigarette in his mouth, and hoarsely yelling at someone on the phone. “A shipment that expensive, just gone like that? The surveillance was broken? You can’t even figure out who did it? Are you useless? Who was on duty that day?” The smoke filled the room, and there were leftover takeout boxes on the desk. Ren Jiaoming frowned and wiped away the ash that had fallen onto his desk.

When Chu Shangluo hung up the phone, he pinched his brow and said to Ren Jiaoming, who was sitting at the desk next to him, “You’re here so early. Have you eaten? Should I order you some takeout?” The only response was the sound of Ren Jiaoming typing on his keyboard. Chu Shangluo, who hadn’t eaten breakfast because he had no appetite, was now feeling a dull pain in his stomach. He opened his drawer and carelessly searched for stomach medicine.

Just then, Lin Zhi came in with some documents, saw how pale Chu Shangluo looked, and glanced at the takeout on the desk. “The medicine is in the second drawer on your left,” he said. Chu Shangluo took the medicine, and as he reached for the cold tea on the table, Lin Zhi instead placed a cup of warm water in his hand. Lin Zhi glanced at Ren Jiaoming, who was seemingly indifferent, and angrily said, “The previous secretaries could take care of your life. This one, though, is getting double the salary and barely doing anything.”

Chu Shangluo didn’t stop Lin Zhi. He was curious to see Ren Jiaoming’s reaction. However, Ren Jiaoming showed no reaction at all, which disappointed Chu Shangluo a bit. But his dissatisfaction didn’t last long. Thinking about the shipment that had been lost, he turned to Ren Jiaoming. “There’s something. Last night, a box of wine went missing from the warehouse. It was meant for a partner, and it’s not available on the market. The problem is, the surveillance system broke down last night, and we can’t figure out who did it. I’ve heard you’re good at investigating things like this. I’ll leave it to you to handle. I need a response as soon as possible.”

“Mm,” Ren Jiaoming replied, standing up to leave. He was a man of action—when he said he would do something, he did it without dragging his feet.

Chu Shangluo watched Ren Jiaoming’s back as he walked away. This was his first test for Ren Jiaoming. While he liked Ren Jiaoming’s appearance and thought about spending a night with him, what he valued more was Ren Jiaoming’s ability. Ren Jiaoming was well known in the business circles of Beijing. When the Jiang family was on the verge of bankruptcy, it was Ren Jiaoming who helped stabilize their company. Later, after Mr. Jiang passed, Ren Jiaoming still managed the company with remarkable competence, even handling the incompetent Young Master Jiang.

Chu Shangluo knew how hard it was for the Chu family to get to where they were today. But in the past two years, he had realized that he couldn’t manage everything alone. He really needed someone capable to help him push forward. While waiting, Chu Shangluo smoked two cigarettes and drank a cup of coffee. He gazed tiredly out the window at the busy traffic below. He hoped he hadn’t misjudged Ren Jiaoming.

A few minutes later, there was a commotion outside the door, followed by the door to the office being pushed open.

Ren Jiaoming walked in, and a young man was thrown in front of Chu Shangluo by two security guards. The young man climbed up and glared at Ren Jiaoming, shouting loudly, “You’re just a damn worker! My surname is Chu! Chu Shangluo is my uncle! Our whole family has contributed so much to this company! Who the hell are you, a newcomer, to hit me!”

A crowd of employees had gathered by the door, all of whom were Chu Shangluo’s relatives and knew Chu Han, who was throwing a tantrum on the floor. They anxiously watched Chu Han, hoping he would shut up quickly. Chu Shangluo had a notoriously bad temper, and when he was upset, he could be violent! Chu Han pointed at Ren Jiaoming and shouted at Chu Shangluo, “Uncle Chu, I just had a little drink, and he hit me! What kind of logic is that? Why don’t you control your dog!” The employees watching were sweating for Chu Han. This was Ren Jiaoming, the chief secretary. On his first day, Chu Shangluo had already taken him on a tour of all the departments, clearly valuing him. The previous secretary didn’t even get that treatment.

Chu Shangluo furrowed his brows and pulled the needle out of the back of his hand. Chu Han still hadn’t noticed Chu Shangluo’s expression. Seeing Ren Jiaoming’s indifferent face made him even angrier. He clenched his fists and lunged at Ren Jiaoming. “It’s all your fault! You made me lose face in front of so many relatives!”

Ren Jiaoming coldly looked at him and was about to reach out, but Chu Shangluo stepped in front of him, blocking his way. Ren Jiaoming paused, retracting his hand. Chu Shangluo kicked Chu Han, sending him tumbling to the ground. “Throwing a tantrum should be done in the right place,” he said.

Chu Han was stunned. Seeing the displeasure on Chu Shangluo’s face, he felt both wronged and scared. In front of outsiders, his own uncle had hit him like this. He suddenly burst into tears. “I didn’t do anything wrong! I found a box of wine on the street, and since it was still within the expiration date, I drank one bottle. Then he came in and wouldn’t let me drink it, and when I disagreed, he hit me!”

Chu Shangluo glanced at Ren Jiaoming, who was standing straight and showed no reaction. The security guards, however, couldn’t take it anymore. “Boss, don’t listen to him turning things around. We tried to reason with him at first, but after he got drunk, he made the first move. That’s when we had to act!”

“Lying again?!” Chu Shangluo was so furious that he kicked Chu Han again, completely forgetting that he was still unwell. The result was that his body suddenly went weak, and he stumbled backward. In the next moment, a strong hand caught him around the waist.

Chu Shangluo froze, looking in surprise at Ren Jiaoming, who was supporting him. Suddenly, the anger he had toward Chu Han vanished. He kicked the now humiliated Chu Han, saying, “Since I’m in a good mood, get out of here.”

Chu Han, completely embarrassed, ran out of the room. The crowd of people sighed in relief and dispersed. However, they were puzzled as to why Chu Shangluo seemed to calm down so quickly. Normally, Chu Han would have been severely reprimanded.

At that moment, Chu Shangluo was lost in the satisfaction of having Ren Jiaoming support him. He didn’t care what his relatives thought. He stared at Ren Jiaoming’s cold eyes and placed his hand over Ren Jiaoming’s hand on his waist, saying ambiguously, “Secretary Ren, your hand is a little cold. Are you cold?”

The consequence of getting too carried away was that Ren Jiaoming immediately withdrew his hand without hesitation.

Lin Zhi was quick on his feet and caught Chu Shangluo, who was about to fall. Ren Jiaoming and Chu Shangluo pulled away from each other, with Ren Jiaoming saying, “Only one bottle of alcohol is missing; the rest of the alcohol I brought back. The missing bottle can be easily replaced. I looked at the people you’re supposed to send it to, and Mr. Lin recently had liver disease and can’t drink alcohol, so it’s better to send him good tea and supplements. As for who did it, I checked the surveillance of several nearby areas and saw a suspicious person. That person is one of Jiang Jia’s subordinates. Should I arrange a meeting with Jiang Jia?”

Chu Shangluo cursed Jiang Jia for being hopelessly stupid in his mind. “Not yet. His stupidity might not have been his idea. Keep investigating this.”

“Okay.” Chu Shangluo, holding a cigarette, watched Ren Jiaoming handle things so well. He thought to himself that Ren Jiaoming had effortlessly exposed his previous employer and was quite dedicated to his job. This made Chu Shangluo admire him even more.

While thinking, Chu Shangluo unknowingly smoked another cigarette, and the office filled with the scent of smoke. Seeing that the ashtray was full, he instinctively thought of asking the secretary to clean it, but then remembered that Ren Jiaoming seemed to have a bit of a cleanliness obsession. He quickly changed his words, “Lin Zhi, could you empty the ashtray?”

After saying that, he walked over to the window and opened it. Fresh air rushed in, and the smoke gradually dissipated. Chu Shangluo observed Ren Jiaoming’s subtle expression changes and noted that, indeed, the cleanliness-obsessed secretary didn’t like the smell of smoke.

Lin Zhi quickly wiped the desk and said, “Boss, you’re still sick. Don’t open the window.”

“It’s fine, it’s too stuffy in here,” Chu Shangluo replied. He waited until the smoke had cleared before closing the window. Feeling a little cold, he poured himself a cup of hot water and then noticed a red mark on Ren Jiaoming’s fair hand.

He frowned, “Did that happen when you hit Chu Han?”

Ren Jiaoming replied faintly, “It’s nothing.”

“How can it be nothing? You should go to the infirmary and apply some medicine. If you don’t go, I can help you with it,” Chu Shangluo said.

Ren Jiaoming paused for a moment, then turned and walked out.

Lin Zhi looked at Chu Shangluo, thinking to himself, *Your nephew is beaten up and has a swollen face, and you have no reaction, but when someone who hit him has a small scratch, you’re concerned about it? Talk about double standards!*

At this moment, Chu Shangluo seemed distracted, thinking how difficult it was to chase someone. He sank into the soft couch and said to Lin Zhi, “I should smoke less. From now on, when clients come, take them to the reception room. Don’t let them smoke in here.”

Lin Zhi, of course, had no idea that Chu Shangluo had noticed Ren Jiaoming didn’t like the smell of smoke. He was just pleased thinking that the boss was finally paying attention to his health.

The so-called “illness disappearing like pulling silk” occurred because Chu Shangluo didn’t follow the proper schedule for taking medicine, eating meals, or following a healthy routine. Instead, he kept drinking, taking cold showers, staying up late, and indulging in various bad habits. As a result, his cold dragged on for several more days. During this time, he remained sickly and lethargic, and even his usual teasing of Ren Jiaoming became less frequent.

By the eighth day, Chu Shangluo’s cold had finally improved significantly, but the secretary who had been with him day in and day out, Ren Jiaoming, had caught the cold instead.

Chu Shangluo wasn’t one to miss such a good opportunity to show some affection. Ren Jiaoming had always been lukewarm toward him, and he thought that maybe this was his chance to improve their relationship. That evening, after Chu Shangluo’s suggestion to accompany Ren Jiaoming to the doctor was rejected, he sent Ren Jiaoming a few text messages checking in on him, but they all went unanswered.

However, Chu Shangluo was not one to give up easily. He managed to find Ren Jiaoming’s address, bought some cold medicine, and headed to his place. The night was cold and windy, and Chu Shangluo, sneezing, knocked on the door for quite a while. What he received in response was a cold, indifferent voice saying, “I’m fine.” There was no thank you, no invitation for the shivering CEO to come in and have some hot tea.

Chu Shangluo knew that Ren Jiaoming didn’t like him crossing boundaries, but looking at the closed door, he couldn’t help but feel a little hurt. “I’ll leave the cold medicine at your door. Please remember to come out and get it,” Chu Shangluo said, and turned to leave. He hadn’t gone far when he heard the sound of the door opening. Under the dim streetlights, Ren Jiaoming grabbed the medicine bag, threw it into the trash, then took out a handkerchief to wipe his hands, which he also discarded into the trash.

Chu Shangluo, who had been somewhat hopeful, suddenly felt as if a thousand pounds were weighing down on his feet, and he couldn’t move. After a long while, he snapped out of it. Ren Jiaoming had already gone back inside. Chu Shangluo wanted to confront him but ultimately didn’t.

The next day, Chu Shangluo was angrier than usual. It was unclear who had angered him, but Lin Zhi had been yelled at twice already. As Chu Shangluo angrily flipped through documents, he chain-smoked, letting the smoke drift toward Ren Jiaoming’s desk. It wasn’t long before Ren Jiaoming found himself in a cloud of smoke.

Lin Zhi frowned, not out of concern for Ren Jiaoming inhaling secondhand smoke, but because he was worried about Chu Shangluo’s lungs. He had barely smoked in the past few days, so why was he suddenly smoking so much? Was he risking his health?

Chu Shangluo lit another cigarette, and seeing Ren Jiaoming remain unbothered, as if he had no sense of smell, he suddenly deflated. He realized how childish he had been. Why should he get upset? He wasn’t a child anymore.

After the anger subsided, Chu Shangluo turned his gaze toward Ren Jiaoming. Noticing that Ren Jiaoming seemed to be breathing heavily, Chu Shangluo remembered that Ren Jiaoming had caught the cold, and having inhaled so much smoke must have made him uncomfortable.

He got up and opened the window, then made a steaming cup of ginger tea for Ren Jiaoming. Ren Jiaoming only glanced at it before placing it at the corner of his desk, and he never touched it until the end of the workday.

Chu Shangluo’s hard-earned calm was once again replaced by anger.

Lhaozi’s Note: If you like my translations, please do support me in Ko-fi, thankyou so much! https://ko-fi.com/lhaozi_23