Cold

Ren Jiaoming grabbed Chu Shangluo’s wrist and threw it away, the cold aura around him becoming more apparent. He calmly stared at the man in front of him, who was wearing a smug expression, and spoke softly, “I can introduce a capable person to Mr. Chu.”

Chu Shangluo glanced at his injured wrist and joked, “Is she as beautiful as Secretary Ren?” Such a provocative comment would have enraged others, but Secretary Ren remained unfazed.

Chu Shangluo’s gaze lingered on the red mole at the corner of Ren Jiaoming’s eye—seductive and alluring. It seemed out of place on the otherwise cool, restrained face but added an intriguing contrast.

Chu Shangluo, who had always had many admirers—both men and women, as well as rivals—had never encountered anyone like Ren Jiaoming. The more Ren pretended to be distant and aloof, the more curious Chu Shangluo became about seeing how Ren would behave when he was truly moved.

Jiang Jia, who had been eavesdropping outside, finally understood what was going on. He rushed in excitedly and said, “Aren’t you just trying to get my secretary? Well, I’ll let you have him, and you can return the company to me, right?”

Chu Shangluo turned to the eager Jiang Jia and replied, “But it seems your secretary doesn’t want to agree to my terms.”

“He has no objections! I’m the boss; I make the decisions! I’ll fire him as soon as I get back!” Jiang Jia said confidently.

Ren Jiaoming glanced at Jiang Jia. Jiang Jia was scared of him and dared not look him in the eye. “Although my father saved you, he’s gone now. You don’t need to worry about me. You definitely wouldn’t want your benefactor to lose even the last of the company, right?”

Jiang Jia, ungrateful, showed no sign of appreciation for Ren Jiaoming. Anyone with sense wouldn’t choose such a boss.

Ren Jiaoming turned to Chu Shangluo and said, “My price is very high.”

Chu Shangluo gave an ambiguous smile, “No price is too high.”

Jiang Jia watched the two men for a moment before quickly walking to Chu Shangluo’s side, forcing a smile, and saying, “So you’re letting me go, right?”

Chu Shangluo nodded, “Go back and continue being the young master.”

Jiang Jia was overjoyed, eagerly shaking Chu Shangluo’s hand. “Thank you! Thank you for helping me get rid of Ren Jiaoming! I hope you two get along well in the future.”

After Jiang Jia left, Chu Shangluo scoffed, “Idiot.”

He turned to the calm Ren Jiaoming, saying, “He’s so stupid, and you’ve helped him for so long. It must have been hard for you. Don’t worry, I’ll never treat you the same way.”

Ren Jiaoming glanced at Chu Shangluo, who had hastily made promises after only meeting him twice. His feelings of disdain deepened, yet his voice remained cold and indifferent as he said, “I’ll come in tomorrow to start.”

Chu Shangluo placed a hand on Ren Jiaoming’s shoulder, smiling, “See you tomorrow, my Secretary Ren.”

Ren Jiaoming replied indifferently, “Mr. Chu, please maintain your distance.” There was a seductive, cold fragrance around him, and as Chu Shangluo inhaled the scent and heard the way Ren Jiaoming said “Mr. Chu,” even someone as thick-skinned as him blushed. When he snapped out of it, Ren Jiaoming had already left.

Chu Shangluo took off his jacket, unbuttoned a few buttons, walked to the window, opened it, and had another sip of cool tea. In the midst of the harsh winter, the cold wind howled in, ruffling his hair. When Lin Zhi entered, he saw the usually confident, smiling boss standing by the window, with the cold wind blowing his shirt tightly against his body, outlining his muscular frame.

“Boss, you’ll catch a cold in this weather,” Lin Zhi said.

Chu Shangluo waved him off, “You go draft a contract. Send it to my computer, and tomorrow, take him to start work.”

Lin Zhi, recalling the cold, intimidating man from earlier, asked, “Boss, is the new secretary’s surname Ren?”

Chu Shangluo nodded, “Do you know him?”

Lin Zhi paused for a moment before answering, “I went to the same high school as him. He’s antisocial and violent. He almost got expelled because of frequent fights. There’s something I’m not sure I should say, but I think his personality doesn’t suit being a secretary.”

Chu Shangluo glanced at Lin Zhi, “Focus on your responsibilities.”

Lin Zhi lowered his gaze and left.

—

The next day, when Ren Jiaoming arrived at Chu Corporation, he did not meet Chu Shangluo. Instead, he was greeted by Lin Zhi. Lin Zhi sized up Ren Jiaoming, who was sitting on the sofa, seemingly oblivious to his presence while reading the contract. He couldn’t help but admire him—no wonder there were girls in high school who knew his name. He was indeed handsome, and it wasn’t surprising that the boss liked him. However, Lin Zhi’s thoughts remained unchanged—such a person was absolutely not suited to be a secretary. The more difficult he was to read, the harder it would be to control him. Who knew when he might replace someone. The boss was just too capricious.

Lin Zhi saw Ren Jiaoming’s gaze fall on the last page with additional terms and explained, “The boss is very busy and doesn’t have time to take care of himself, so he needs someone to manage his daily life. His stomach is weak, and he keeps his regular medicine in the left drawer of his desk. He needs a cup of freshly ground black coffee every morning, goes to the gym once a week, and there are many other details that I will send to you later. Oh, and it’s best if you eat and live with the boss to take better care of him. Here’s the room key.”

Ren Jiaoming did not sign the contract. “Where is Mr. Chu?”

“The boss has a cold today and took half a day off,” Lin Zhi replied quickly.

Ren Jiaoming placed the contract down and stood up, putting on his black coat. Lin Zhi hurriedly added, “The boss said if you have any questions, I’ll take you to him.”

Ren Jiaoming’s tone remained flat: “Let’s go.”

As the Spring Festival approached, the entire city of Beijing was immersed in a busy atmosphere.

Chu Shangluo hadn’t taken a day off in a month, and the half-day he managed to rest was thanks to a cold. He had just finished a shower, still damp, wearing a bathrobe while sitting at his computer, coughing as he made a call. “You’re called Chu Han, right? What can you do?”

“Nothing?” Chu Shangluo rubbed his forehead. “Then you can be a security guard. Call me when you get off the train, and I’ll have someone pick you up.”

After hanging up, Chu Shangluo pulled out the family genealogy from the drawer and wrote down Chu Han’s name. The Chu family was a family-run business. Decades ago, they lived on an isolated island, leading a simple life. Later, considering the island wasn’t suitable for long-term survival, his grandfather, the head of the family, ordered his father and several uncles to bring part of the Chu family to the mainland to make a living, preparing for others who would eventually leave the island. His father was lucky, his business grew larger, and the Chu family expanded from a small county to a big city, eventually becoming the Chu Corporation. Even today, a small part of the Chu family still lives on that island. Every year, the Chu Corporation would take in relatives from the island, providing them with housing and jobs.

Beijing had many family-run businesses, like the Wen and Su families, who had been influential for centuries, and were still prominent today. They formed an exclusive circle of elite families, often excluding those like Chu Shangluo, who had built their wealth from scratch. After all, resources were limited, and no one wanted to see more competition. Although Chu Shangluo often met with them, cooperation was rare. Last year, Chu Corporation’s market value surged, which made the people in that circle envious. They resorted to both open and covert tactics to hinder him, and naturally, Chu Shangluo wasn’t fond of them.

Just as Chu Shangluo put the family tree away, he heard a knock on the door. He sneezed, walked over to open it, and was greeted by a man who stood half a head taller than him, with the cold wind rushing in.

“Come in,” Chu Shangluo said, rubbing his wet hair, coughing as he walked back inside. He sat on the couch, crossed his legs, and his bathrobe hung loosely, revealing a patch of pale skin. Water droplets from his damp hair slid down his flushed cheek, giving him an unexpected allure. In a good mood, he looked at Ren Jiaoming, “I’m happy to see you when I’m sick.”

Ren Jiaoming placed the contract down and looked at Chu Shangluo coldly, “I came to be a secretary, not a servant.”

Chu Shangluo glanced at Ren Jiaoming for a moment, feeling a bit irritated. He was always confident in his appearance, but even dressed like this, Ren Jiaoming remained unmoved. ‘This guy must have been a monk in his past life,‘ he thought. He stood up and walked over to Ren Jiaoming, extending his hand toward his shoulder.

When Ren Jiaoming saw the wet hand, he quickly took a step back to avoid it, though a few drops of water still fell on his perfectly pressed suit. He frowned slightly but then took out a handkerchief to wipe the droplets away and tossed the handkerchief into the trash. “Mr. Chu, we have nothing more to discuss.”

Chu Shangluo, afraid he might actually leave, quickly rearranged his hair and tried a different approach. “Okay, okay, just focus on being my secretary, you don’t have to worry about taking care of my daily needs, alright?”

Ren Jiaoming lowered his gaze and said coldly, “Add one more condition. Our relationship can only be that of superior and subordinate.”

The implication was clear—no other intentions should be held.

Chu Shangluo couldn’t possibly not understand. While thinking to himself that Ren Jiaoming was hard to deal with, he sat back at his computer and started drafting a new contract. His eyes occasionally glanced at the tall, upright Ren Jiaoming, and with a smile, he asked, “What kind of person do you like?”

Ren Jiaoming remained silent, and Chu Shangluo continued, “I have a good intuition. You like men.”

Then he heard Ren Jiaoming reply, “Add one more condition: if you cross the line, I can leave at any time, without being bound by the contract.”