On the day of removing his stitches, Lu Wen tagged along under the pretext of “familiarizing himself” with the process. As they were heading out, they ran into Jiang Jia. When Jiang heard that Chu Shangluo and Ren Jiaoming were going to get their stitches removed, he insisted on coming too.

Chu Shangluo kicked him twice and told him to buzz off, but Jiang Jia shamelessly stuck close to him, following right behind. Chu Shangluo, tired of dealing with him, eventually let him tag along.

Unlike other spoiled rich kids, Chu Shangluo wasn’t someone who demanded attention out of delicacy. Instead, his laid-back nature meant he rarely bothered remembering doctor’s instructions or post-treatment care. He considered it all trivial, leaving such responsibilities to his secretary.

When it was time to remove the stitches, Chu Shangluo turned his gaze away. As the slight sting of the procedure spread across his skin, Lu Wen noticed and started chatting with him to distract him.

Ren Jiaoming, having fewer stitches, was done quickly and stood aside, waiting for Chu Shangluo.

Meanwhile, Jiang Jia sidled up to Ren Jiaoming and whispered, “Look at Lu Wen—now that’s what a secretary should be like. And then look at you. Do you even act like a secretary? You should be chairman instead. You boss me around more than my dad does!”

Ren Jiaoming ignored Jiang Jia’s remarks, as usual. Jiang Jia, accustomed to being brushed off, wandered over to join Chu Shangluo and Lu Wen’s conversation.

When Chu Shangluo’s stitches were finally removed, he glanced at the ghastly scar on his arm. Although the wound had healed, the scar remained, a permanent reminder of the pain he endured.

By then, Lu Wen and Jiang Jia were already competing to attend to him—one helping him put on his coat, the other fastening his watch. The surgeon nearby watched this spectacle and thought to himself: ‘No wonder Chu Shangluo has the reputation of being difficult to serve. Even something as simple as removing stitches requires three secretaries at his beck and call. No surprise he’s gone through two secretaries already.’

With Jiang Jia and Lu Wen vying for tasks, Ren Jiaoming was left with nothing to do. However, he seemed entirely indifferent.

Jiang Jia, dissatisfied, sidled up to Ren Jiaoming again and teased, “Hey, all your work’s been taken over. Don’t you have any thoughts about that?”

Ren Jiaoming didn’t even spare him a glance. When Chu Shangluo left, Ren Jiaoming silently followed.

Jiang Jia, annoyed, muttered under his breath and turned to Lu Wen, who was tidying up behind him. “I heard you two were college classmates? Was he always this indifferent back then? His personality is so aggravating.”

Lu Wen chuckled. “Maybe he just hasn’t been pushed far enough yet. Everyone has emotional reactions—it’s just that he’s better at hiding them than most.”

“Pushed far enough, huh? What kind of push?” Jiang Jia mused, eager to see some cracks in Ren Jiaoming’s calm exterior.

Money? No, Ren Jiaoming didn’t lack wealth.
Family? That wouldn’t work either—he had no family.
Desires, attachments, emotions, obsessions—Jiang Jia ran through the possibilities one by one, only to find that none of them seemed to matter to Ren Jiaoming.

Frustrated, Jiang Jia sighed. When he snapped out of his thoughts, he realized even Lu Wen had left the room.

That evening, a project that Chu Shangluo was collaborating on with Chen Tianyun encountered a minor issue. Chen Tianyun, who had known Jiang Jia for a long time, suggested that Chu Shangluo bring Jiang Jia along so they could discuss work and have dinner afterward.

Reluctantly, Chu Shangluo brought the troublesome Jiang Jia. The meeting location turned out to be the same gay bar where Chu Shangyue had wandered off last time. As soon as the three of them entered, history repeated itself—a group of men swarmed over, asking for their numbers.

Chu Shangluo was nearly fed up with Chen Tianyun’s eccentric sense of humor. ‘Seriously, a gay bar for a business meeting?’

Jiang Jia took on the role of a protective guardian, shooing away anyone who tried to approach Chu Shangluo. Ren Jiaoming, with his icy demeanor, attracted fewer advances, but even he wasn’t completely spared. One brave soul mustered up the courage to hand over his phone, only to falter and stammer under Ren Jiaoming’s cold glare.

Once inside the private room, Chen Tianyun kept things less explicit this time, though still extravagant. Five or six young men sat around him, taking turns feeding him fruit.

Chu Shangluo frowned at the sight, annoyed. Slamming his phone down on the table, he crossed his legs and snapped, “Let’s get this over with. I’ve got other things to do.”

Chen Tianyun, his eyes brimming with mischief, laughed. “Chu, you’re as straightforward as ever.” Then, he turned to Jiang Jia. “Jiang, how have you been? I recently acquired a fine steed. Come over sometime and check it out.”

Jiang Jia’s eyes lit up. “Really? I haven’t been to the racetrack in ages!”

Before Jiang Jia could get carried away, Chu Shangluo smacked him. “Still thinking about horse betting? When are you going to pay back that hundred thousand you lost?”

Jiang Jia pouted. “What if I win it back?”

Chen Tianyun laughed. “It’s just for fun. Don’t worry about it. Let’s get down to business.”

As the group began discussing serious matters, Jiang Jia, unable to follow the conversation, grew bored and struck up a chat with one of the leather-clad young men by Chen Tianyun’s side.

“Hey, you’ve been doing this for a while, right? Do you know any way to make someone who basically has no emotions suddenly explode with intense feelings?”

The young man grinned. “Oh, there’s a way.”

“Really? Tell me!”

Taking a sip of his drink, the young man replied, “Love.”

Jiang Jia waved dismissively. “Nah, that’s too hard to pull off. Got anything quicker and easier?”

The young man thought for a moment and nodded. “There is.” He pulled a small white pill from his pocket and placed it in Jiang Jia’s hand with a playful smile. “This little thing? Even a monk who’s sworn off all desires would be begging Buddha to give him back his passions.”

Jiang Jia glanced at Ren Jiaoming, who was calmly discussing work, and laughed to himself. Pulling out a few red bills, he handed them to the young man. “If it works, I’ll come back to you for more!”

Jiang Jia then snuck over to Ren Jiaoming and, while the latter was focused on his laptop, slipped the pill into his water. He watched closely as Ren Jiaoming unknowingly drank it.

Jiang Jia was overjoyed, eagerly anticipating Ren Jiaoming’s composure breaking apart.

By this time, the discussion was wrapping up. Chu Shangluo glanced outside the private room and suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure passing by. He abruptly stood up and rushed out while dialing Chu Zong.

“I’m at that gay bar from last time. I just saw Wang Yuanhao. Bring people over!”

While speaking on the phone, Chu Shangluo weaved through the crowd and exited the bar. He followed Wang Yuanhao into a dark alley and, spotting a brick on the ground, picked it up and struck Wang on the back of the head.

Wang Yuanhao cursed, clutching his head as he fell to the ground. “Who the hell dares to hit me?!”

Chu Shangluo crouched down, grabbed Wang Yuanhao by the collar, and snarled through gritted teeth, “Take a good look at me! Why the hell did you try to hurt my brother?”

The anger on Wang Yuanhao’s face turned into sheer terror the moment he recognized Chu Shangluo. He shoved Chu Shangluo away and stumbled deeper into the alley. Chu Shangluo casually hurled the brick at him, hitting him squarely and causing him to fall flat on the ground.

Fueled by rage, Chu Shangluo grabbed Wang Yuanhao by the collar again and started dragging him out of the alley. However, just as they reached the alley’s entrance, they were blocked by a group of thugs wielding sticks.

Without a word, one of the thugs raised his stick and charged at Chu Shangluo. Before he could react, the thug was already on the ground.

Standing behind the fallen thug was Ren Jiaoming, gripping a stick with gloved hands.

Before Chu Shangluo could step in, Jiang Jia pulled him aside, leaving Ren Jiaoming surrounded by the thugs.

Chu Shangluo looked at Ren Jiaoming with concern and tried to push Jiang Jia away. “Let me go! I need to help!”

Jiang Jia quickly wrapped his arms around Chu Shangluo’s waist and yelled, “Don’t! He doesn’t need help when he fights. Just don’t make it harder for him. He’s unusually… excited today. It’ll be over soon.”

Chu Shangluo froze. “What?”

He turned his attention back to Ren Jiaoming and saw him take down three thugs with alarming efficiency and precision. His movements—fast, decisive, and almost feral—made it clear he didn’t need assistance.

“How is he this good at fighting?” Chu Shangluo asked.

Jiang Jia shrugged. “He’s trained in martial arts. My dad sent him for self-defense lessons because, well, that face of his attracts trouble. Turns out, he didn’t need them. Nobody’s dared to bully him since he was a kid, and anyone who tried ended up worse off. After learning martial arts, he became even scarier.”

Chu Shangluo watched the faint but unmistakable joy in Ren Jiaoming’s eyes as he fought and asked, “Does he enjoy fighting?”

Jiang Jia shook his head. “I don’t know. It doesn’t seem like he enjoys it. He never starts fights, but if someone else does, he finishes them.”

“Then why did you say he’s unusually excited today?”

Jiang Jia’s eyes darted around nervously. Listening to the agonized groans of the thugs, he had a sinking feeling. Normally, Ren Jiaoming fought with restraint, but today he seemed much more ruthless. Jiang Jia suspected it was because of the pill he had slipped him, but he didn’t dare admit it.

“Uh… It’s probably nothing. Did you see his gloves? Once he takes them off, he’ll calm down…”

Jiang Jia couldn’t bear to look at Ren Jiaoming anymore. He swore to himself he’d never mess with him again—this version of Ren Jiaoming was downright terrifying. The thugs were practically being dismantled!

When Chu Zong arrived with reinforcements, he was greeted by the sight of bodies sprawled all over the ground and Ren Jiaoming kicking a large thug like a ragdoll. He shivered involuntarily.

“Secretary Ren, that’s enough—” Chu Zong started to say, but before he could finish, Ren Jiaoming sent him flying with a kick.

Jiang Jia wished he could bury himself in a hole. He never should’ve given Ren Jiaoming that pill. Now everything was a disaster!

Chu Shangluo, seeing that Ren Jiaoming was about to beat someone to death, stepped forward to intervene. But Jiang Jia grabbed him.

“Don’t go! He’ll hit you too!”

Chu Shangluo pushed Jiang Jia away and walked in front of Ren Jiaoming. He looked into Ren Jiaoming’s eyes and was stunned. Was this the same Ren Jiaoming he knew?

Those eyes were no longer calm and indifferent, but glittered with an excited light.

The thug was already clutching Chu Shangluo’s pants in pain, begging for help: “Save me…”

Chu Shangluo snapped out of his daze, frowning and grabbing the thug’s arm. “Alright, the police will be here soon. If you keep this up, the police won’t know what to make of it!”

The next moment, Chu Shangluo was pushed against the wall, his head hitting it hard. The intense pain made him yell, “Ren Jiaoming, can you stop! If you get caught, you won’t have a me to find you!”

Chu Shangluo covered his head and looked at Ren Jiaoming again, who had already stopped.

Chu Shangluo quickly had his men take the thugs away, while Ren Jiaoming stood there, breathing lightly.

Chu Shangluo felt that something was wrong with Ren Jiaoming, very wrong.

Ren Jiaoming’s eyes were slightly clearer now, but he didn’t say anything and quickly walked out of the alley.

Chu Shangluo followed, feeling uneasy. Ren Jiaoming got into his car, and Chu Shangluo followed, sitting in the passenger seat. “What’s wrong with you?”

Ren Jiaoming: “Get out.”

“I’m asking you what the hell is wrong with you? You’re acting strange today!”

Ren Jiaoming opened the door and pushed Chu Shangluo out. “Get out.”

Chu Shangluo didn’t move. “What the hell is going on?”

Ren Jiaoming clenched his fist and got out of the car.

Chu Shangluo saw a strange red mark on Ren Jiaoming’s fair neck and vaguely guessed what was wrong.

He noticed that Ren Jiaoming’s eyes had returned to the same look he had when he was beating people up. Chu Shangluo, who had been angry at Ren Jiaoming’s strange behavior, was no longer angry.

He reached out, through Ren Jiaoming’s black gloves, and grabbed his hand. “You know, there’s another way to release excitement besides fighting.”

Ren Jiaoming seemed to be drawn in, looking at Chu Shangluo. “What?”

Chu Shangluo smiled and whispered two words in his ear, “Make. Love.”

*

Chu Shangluo and Ren Jiaoming returned to the car. This time, he drove. As the car slowly started moving, Jiang Jia chased after them, frantically pounding on the window. “Chu Shangluo, you can’t be in the same car as Ren Jiaoming. He’s dangerous. Take him to the hospital!”

Chu Shangluo stepped on the gas and sped away. He finally had the chance to get Ren Jiaoming, and he wouldn’t be Chu if he didn’t do it!

As soon as they arrived at the hotel, Chu Shangluo was about to take off his clothes when Ren Jiaoming pressed him down on the sofa. Chu Shangluo wanted to tell him to take it slow, that it was their first time, but what happened next was completely out of his control.

Chu Shangluo never imagined that he, a man of 1.8 meters, would be pinned down by Ren Jiaoming and unable to move.

He could hear Ren Jiaoming’s soft panting. Chu Shangluo was so uncomfortable that he was sweating profusely.

Now he had the chance to see Ren Jiaoming’s passionate side, but his vision was blurred by tears.

He didn’t know how long it had been, but Chu Shangluo was about to fall apart. He suddenly remembered Jiang Jia saying that if he took off Ren Jiaoming’s gloves, Ren Jiaoming would be back to normal. He used all his strength to reach Ren Jiaoming’s burning hand and pulled off the glove.

Moments later, Ren Jiaoming’s eyes gradually returned to their clarity. He looked at the scene in front of him and didn’t react for a moment.

Chu Shangluo finally let out a long sigh. “Gege… calm down… I…”

The voice suddenly stopped, and after a moment, everything turned into fragmented syllables. The cleaning lady passing by outside the door listened to the obvious sounds from within and shook her head helplessly. “Youth is so great, so lively.” The next morning, the sounds in the room finally stopped. Just before falling asleep, President Chu, nearly exhausted from his secretary’s torment, thought drowsily, ‘Damn… Jiang Jia, that dog, lied to me. Didn’t he say taking off the gloves would make things normal? Normal my ass…‘