In an instant, their lips met, and their breath intertwined.

Chu Shangluo kissed Ren Jiaoming’s lips with intensity, the soft, cool touch constantly stimulating his excited nerves. Ren Jiaoming frowned slightly as the mixed scent of wine, candy, and a hint of tobacco from Chu Shangluo filled his mouth. Chu Shangluo, excited beyond measure at kissing the person he liked, became more fervent. He pushed further, extending his tongue to lick Ren Jiaoming’s teeth.

However, in the next moment, he felt his collar tighten, and then their lips separated. After a dizzying spin, Chu Shangluo was thrown out of the car.

He struggled to steady himself, touching his lips, and smiled at Ren Jiaoming. “First kiss, right? How does it feel?”

Ren Jiaoming’s expression was calm, as though the kiss had never happened. He reminded Chu Shangluo coldly, “Young Master Chu, don’t cross the line. I don’t like it.” His gaze was sharp, like a knife, and it struck Chu Shangluo painfully.

Chu Shangluo fell silent for a moment, pushing his hair back slightly to cover his eyes, and smiled. “Just consider me drunk.”

Ren Jiaoming looked at his poorly-formed smile but said nothing, leaving Chu Shangluo with only the coldness of his back.

On the way back, Ren Jiaoming, who was usually cautious when driving, nearly ran several red lights, acting much like a drunk person. But he hadn’t been drinking at all.

After returning home, Chu Shangluo leaned back on the couch and lit a cigarette. His eyes, visible through the smoke, reflected exhaustion. He slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, thinking about what had just happened. That moment hadn’t been entirely impulsive due to the alcohol. He had been sober and fully aware of what he was doing. As for the outcome, there were two possibilities: if he were lucky, Ren Jiaoming might be moved; if not, Ren Jiaoming would probably hate him even more. Without relying on this kiss, maybe over time, he could have won Ren Jiaoming over. But he was Chu Shangluo, impatient and eager for quick results. He couldn’t wait. He had to take the gamble. If he lost, he could always start over. But it seemed like he had lost the gamble.

The next day, Chu Shangluo arrived at the office and saw Ren Jiaoming there. He greeted him as if nothing had happened. “Secretary Ren, you’re here quite early today.”

Ren Jiaoming’s expression remained unchanged, and he simply gave a faint “hm,” seemingly not bothered by what had happened the day before. However, Chu Shangluo knew that Ren Jiaoming was affected by it. Just a few days ago, Ren Jiaoming would make him coffee, but today, his coffee cup was empty. Chu Shangluo glanced at the empty cup, feeling unsettled inside. But he said nothing and made no attempt to explain. He wasn’t the type to force things; if he liked someone, he would show it a bit, but not excessively. That wasn’t his style.

Lin Zhi, who was sitting nearby, sensed that the atmosphere between the secretary and the boss was off today. One was cold, the other clearly unhappy. Though curious, he didn’t dare to ask, but the tension in the air was suffocating. Chu Shangluo was someone who would lose his temper when things bothered him. He could always find an outlet for his anger, except when it came to Ren Jiaoming. Not only because of his feelings for him, but also because Ren Jiaoming was meticulous and flawless in his work, leaving no room to provoke him.

After dealing with business for the morning, Chu Shangluo was at his boiling point. Just then, a call from Jiang Jia came at the perfect time—exactly what he needed to vent. If it weren’t for the drinking session with Ren Jiaoming last night, would that embarrassing incident have happened?

Chu Shangluo answered the phone, ready to scold someone, but the voice on the other end wasn’t Jiang Jia’s.

“Mr. Chu, long time no see. Got time for a game?”

Chu Shangluo furrowed his brow. It was Su Ran’s voice. Su Ran, the youngest son of the Su family, also the most illegitimate one. His tone was cold and arrogant. “I even invited Young Master Jiang. What do you say, Mr. Chu? Are you in? You won’t back out, will you? After all, you took the Jiang family from me.”

In the background, Jiang Jia’s voice could be heard, crying out, “Chu Shangluo… come save me… they’re going to break my legs…”

Chu Shangluo, who had been in the business world for years, was used to many things, but this was the first time he had been threatened so directly. Just when he was angry and needed to let off steam, it seemed like someone had delivered the chance to him.

“Alright, send me the address. I’ll be there.”

“I like someone straightforward like you, Mr. Chu. The address is at the abandoned textile factory in the south suburbs. We’re playing a different kind of game this time.”

The call was then abruptly cut off.

Chu Shangluo stood up, put on his coat, and walked out. As he passed by Ren Jiaoming, he was suddenly grabbed by the arm.

Ren Jiaoming, who had been sitting close to him, had heard the entire conversation since Chu Shangluo picked up the phone. He released Chu Shangluo’s wrist and said, “The south suburb’s textile factory is an abandoned building. It’s being demolished right now. He’s crazy, so get ready before we go.”

Chu Shangluo knew Su Ran was crazy and that he had connections that weren’t exactly clean. Su Ran would do anything, but just with Su Ran alone, Chu Shangluo was confident he could handle it.

Ren Jiaoming added, “He still hasn’t sold off the stocks he bought to take over the Jiang family. If we short Jiang family’s stocks, he’ll lose everything. It’s not small money either. He’s invested badly many times and is no longer valued by the Su family. If his money goes to waste again, he’ll be kicked out by his older brothers who are fighting for the family fortune.”

Chu Shangluo understood Ren Jiaoming’s point. Su Ran, a desperate illegitimate child trying to find a place in the Su family, had no room for error now.

Lin Zhi, who had been unaware of the situation, now understood. Even though Ren Jiaoming seemed confident, he was still worried. “Boss, Su Ran is a mad dog! What if he gets pissed and goes crazy on you? I heard he has a gun! Shouldn’t we call the police?”

Chu Shangluo waved his hand. “No need. It’ll be fine. We’re just playing cards.”

At this point, Ren Jiaoming had already picked up the car keys and said to Chu Shangluo, “Let’s go. I’m coming with you.”

On the way to the southern textile factory, Chu Shangluo sat in the passenger seat, watching Ren Jiaoming, who was focused on driving and silent. He felt somewhat conflicted. Even though he knew Ren Jiaoming was just doing his job, he still found himself relieved by Ren Jiaoming’s protective gesture. It made him feel better because Ren Jiaoming didn’t hesitate to come along.

Chu Shangluo slowly leaned towards Ren Jiaoming, patted his shoulder, and said, “I was drunk last night. About the kiss, don’t take it to heart.”

The four bodyguards sitting in the back: “……”

Did they hear something they shouldn’t have?! Chu Shangluo, seeing that Ren Jiaoming wasn’t saying anything, irritably scratched his head. He wasn’t good at apologizing, and when he finally softened, Ren Jiaoming’s lack of reaction just made it worse. He was about to say something else when the car arrived at the designated location.

Ahead was an abandoned factory, the wind blowing through and the building swaying, seemingly on the verge of collapsing. Chu Shangluo, holding a cigarette, had a bit of a rebellious air. Ren Jiaoming walked beside him, elegant and poised, with four burly bodyguards following behind. As soon as they stepped inside the factory, Chu Shangluo saw Jiang Jia sitting on a chair, holding a hot cup of water, shivering. Surrounding him were a few large bodyguards, while two young men were seated around a mahjong table. One was Wen Yan, and the other was Su Ran. Chu Shangluo had seen Su Ran often at drinking parties, but they didn’t speak much. At those parties, Su Ran appeared refined and gentlemanly, but now he wore brightly colored clothes, a black cap, and a row of ear studs, looking like a street thug.

As soon as Su Ran saw Chu Shangluo, he smiled widely, showing his small tiger teeth, and opened his arms to welcome him. “Ah, Mr. Chu is here! Welcome, welcome!” Jiang Jia, upon hearing the voice, immediately brightened and searched for Chu Shangluo. Chu Shangluo ignored Su Ran, dodged his hug, and sat at the mahjong table, smiling at Wen Yan across from him. “Young Master Wen, you’re here too?”

Wen Yan always looked pale and sickly, his temperament gentle. He subconsciously glanced at Ren Jiaoming behind Chu Shangluo, then softly replied, “I heard from Young Master Su that there was a mahjong game, so I came. I didn’t expect this situation.”

Chu Shangluo didn’t believe his words. Slowly exhaling smoke, he picked up a mahjong tile and casually played with it, asking Su Ran, who was glaring at him, “Young Master Su, what are we playing?”

Su Ran reined in his displeasure and clapped his hands. Two bodyguards received the signal and picked up Jiang Jia, forcing him into the seat next to Chu Shangluo. Su Ran also sat down, a smirk playing on his lips. “Let’s have a game with the four of us. If Mr. Chu and Young Master Jiang win, I’ll let Young Master Jiang go back. If I win, Chu Shangluo, you and Jiang Jia will kneel and bark like dogs ten times.”

Jiang Jia hurriedly grabbed Chu Shangluo’s hand. “Chu Shangluo, don’t agree to him! The deck is incomplete; we can’t win!”

Ren Jiaoming stood behind Chu Shangluo, coldly observing Su Ran. Feeling Ren Jiaoming’s chilling gaze, Su Ran first glanced at him, then at Wen Yan, before turning back to Chu Shangluo with an unpleasant tone. “If you don’t want to bark like a dog, then let me have Secretary Ren for a few days. I want to see what’s so special about the secretary you’re fighting over. After I’ve had my fill, I’ll return him to you.”

The next moment, a mahjong tile slammed into Su Ran’s face. It was thrown by Chu Shangluo. He exhaled smoke at Su Ran and said, “Stop whining. If you want to play, then play. I’m busy and don’t have time to waste with a little brat like you.”

Su Ran, covering his face, cursed, “Who the hell are you calling a little brat?!”

“Talking about you!” Chu Shangluo held a cigarette, quickly shuffling the cards. “To be honest, this is pretty boring. You just graduated from high school, right? You should focus on studying, did too many movies mess with your head? Playing some gangster stuff?”

Su Ran’s face turned ashen, and a few of his bodyguards stepped forward to surround Chu Shangluo. Ren Jiaoming immediately blocked them with his own bodyguards, and the atmosphere became tense. Su Ran motioned for his bodyguards to stop, then sneered. “I’m not playing gangster stuff. It should be Mr. Chu, right? The scene where you knock your own brother silly looks more like something out of a movie, don’t you think?”

Chu Shangluo smirked without smiling, playing a tile. Wen Yan followed by playing a tile, then Jiang Jia, and finally Su Ran. Jiang Jia kept glancing at Chu Shangluo’s hand, noticing that the way he played was unlike anything he’d seen before. Quietly, he whispered in Chu Shangluo’s ear, “Why did you play the 2? You should have played the 1!”

Chu Shangluo smiled. “I don’t know how to play.”

Jiang Jia froze. He initially thought Chu Shangluo was just playing differently, but now he realized the tiles Chu Shangluo had just played were a complete mess. “We’re done for! We have to bark like dogs!”

Su Ran had a smug expression on his face, and after drawing a tile, he pushed his hand of tiles forward, pointing at them. “I win, Mr. Chu, now you can bark like a dog.”

Jiang Jia, distressed, looked at Chu Shangluo and urgently said to Su Ran, “How about I bark twenty times? Just don’t make Chu Shangluo do it! I’ll do it…” Jiang Jia was then silenced by Chu Shangluo, who firmly slapped him on the head. “Shut up.”

Ren Jiaoming, who had been silent, spoke up. “Young Master Su, you might want to check the stock prices you’re holding right now.”

Su Ran paused. “What do you mean?”

He pulled out his phone, checked it, and his face instantly turned pale.

Chu Shangluo let go of Jiang Jia’s mouth and winked at him. “Just giving the bad boy a lesson. You should stop hanging out with people who didn’t even finish high school. The less you study, the worse your brain works. Aren’t you a freshman now? Focus on studying, got it?”

Jiang Jia nodded enthusiastically.

Su Ran was trembling with rage, slamming his hand on the table. His bodyguards rushed forward. Chu Shangluo wasn’t afraid of a fight. Just as he rolled up his sleeves, he saw a clump of dirt appear on the table. Then, there was a sound above them, as if something was cracking, growing louder.

“Crash—” A large part of the ceiling fell, mixed with steel and concrete, catching everyone inside off guard. In an instant, the ceiling hit the floor, and dust filled the air. As the dust settled, the outline of a man emerged.

Chu Shangluo, holding a frightened Jiang Jia in one hand, grabbed Su Ran by the collar with the other. They were only a few steps away from the falling debris. The moment the ceiling collapsed, Chu Shangluo reacted quickly, pulling someone behind him. If he hadn’t, they would’ve been crushed by the debris.

Su Ran’s face turned white, clearly frightened. Chu Shangluo kicked him to the ground, cursing, “Are you fucking stupid? Coming to a high-risk, collapsed factory to play?”

Jiang Jia came back to his senses, looking at Chu Shangluo’s handsome face through the dust. He felt particularly heroic. His eyes reddened, and he hugged Chu Shangluo’s waist, pressing his face against his chest, rubbing against the firm muscles. “Wuwuwu, that scared me! Thank God we’re all fine.”

Normally, Chu Shangluo would’ve shoved Jiang Jia away, but this time he was momentarily stunned because he saw Ren Jiaoming, who was shielding Wen Yan behind him.

Lhaozi’s Note: Everyday update