The next morning, Lu Yin Zhen woke up early. Seeing that it was just past seven, he noticed several WeChat messages popping up, including one from “Cen Fengzhi.” Lu Yin Zhen clicked on the WeChat message.

After reading it, his drowsiness gradually disappeared. He replied to Cen Fengzhi: “10 o’clock.”

Then he sent him the address of Chongjin Garden.

Song Mianfeng was still asleep, and the two of them were close, as if lying sideways in his arms. His sleeping posture was obedient and quiet, his chest rising and falling lightly as he breathed. The loose pajamas revealed his collarbone and a small piece of white jade, which was the longevity lock he had personally put on him, and Song Mianfeng had never taken it off.

Some inexplicable romantic thoughts stirred within Lu Yin Zhen. He swallowed, leaned down, and placed a kiss on the tear mole at the corner of Song Mianfeng’s eye.

With a soft “good morning.”

Lu Yin Zhen’s acquaintance with Cen Fengzhi traced back to when Cen Fengzhi was still working at his previous company.

Cen Fengzhi graduated from university and joined a leading game company in the industry. He was truly talented. Lu Yin Zhen had previously invested in a project of their company, which was also the first project negotiated by Cen Fengzhi. Through their work interactions, they got to know each other.

In various aspects, Lu Yin Zhen quite admired Cen Fengzhi.

But it stopped at admiration.

Cen Fengzhi was a workaholic, and at that time, Lu Yin Zhen hadn’t considered any romantic plans. Later, he went to S City and met Song Mianfeng. Even considering Cen Fengzhi a friend was a stretch, let alone further understanding and development.

Putting aside other factors, Cen Fengzhi now had his own company and was facing financial difficulties. In order to develop the game, apart from financing, there seemed to be no other option. Since both Meng Yihe and Meng Shuangling thought highly of this project, Lu Yin Zhen didn’t mind taking some risks and cooperating with Cen Fengzhi once again.

At 9:50, Cen Fengzhi arrived early downstairs at the Meng family’s residence.

After breakfast, Song Mianfeng accompanied Mrs. Meng in the living room, reading while Mrs. Meng listened. When Meng Ze led a stranger into the house, Mrs. Meng was momentarily surprised. Her gaze fell on the bouquet of flowers the man was holding, and she raised an eyebrow slightly.

It was also the first time Mrs. Meng had seen Cen Fengzhi. Being handsome naturally made her curious to take a few more glances.

Meng Ze explained to them, “This is Young Master’s client,” without introducing Mrs. Meng and Song Mianfeng to Cen Fengzhi in detail, apparently deeming it unnecessary.

Cen Fengzhi didn’t expect Lu Yin Zhen to live with his family, especially since he brought a bouquet of flowers. It didn’t seem like a business meeting, nor did it seem like a visit to a friend’s house. He could only awkwardly smile and consider it a greeting, then followed Meng Ze upstairs.

Mrs. Meng patted Song Mianfeng’s hand gently and smiled warmly. She didn’t say anything but her actions prompted Song Mianfeng to withdraw his curious gaze and continue reading from the book.

Meng Ze led him to Lu Yin Zhen’s study on the third floor and knocked on the door. “Young Master, Mr. Cen is here.”

Regarding the relationship between Cen Fengzhi and Lu Yin Zhen, Meng Ze was also somewhat puzzled.

During the days when Lu Yin Zhen was recuperating at home, although he still dealt with work as usual, aside from Meng Yihe and Meng Shuangling, he only met with his assistant. Most clients were usually handled by company personnel. Now suddenly, Cen Fengzhi appeared, claiming to be a client, and Lu Yin Zhen was receiving him in the study, which was an uncommon treatment for an outsider.

But as for how special Cen Fengzhi was, Meng Ze wasn’t entirely sure.

All sorts of thoughts finally turned into a curious glance. Meng Ze pushed open the door and made a welcoming gesture to Cen Fengzhi.

Lu Yin Zhen brewed a pot of tea, poured two cups, and sat down on the sofa. Only then did he glance at the flowers Cen Fengzhi placed on the coffee table.

A large bunch of snow-white petals with a hint of light green at the flower core, wrapped in long, narrow leaves. The fragrance was refreshing, very pleasant to smell in the hot summer days.

Lu Yin Zhen didn’t recognize this flower and was somewhat puzzled. “What are these for?”

Cen Fengzhi looked at him, carefully assessing his face. After not seeing each other for a few months, Lu Yin Zhen seemed to have lost some weight, and although his face still carried a sickly pallor, he remained as clear and beautiful as before. His jet-black pupils seemed to contain a spring scene, wrinkling his brow like a chilly spring wind, awakening some hidden thoughts.

“Visiting you—though it seems you’re already much better. These flowers are a bit late.” Cen Fengzhi took out a folder from his briefcase and briefly skipped over this issue. “This is the project proposal.”

Lu Yin Zhen couldn’t deny it and responded, “I have indeed improved a lot recently.”

Not many people knew about his return to B City, and news of his illness was kept tightly under wraps. Perhaps Meng Yihe or Meng Shuangling mentioned it to Cen Fengzhi, leading to this unexpected start. Lu Yin Zhen didn’t think much about it and took the folder, flipping through it.

The project proposal was detailed, including team valuation, financial budget, valuation feedback, effectiveness, feasibility, and risk assessment. By the time Lu Yin Zhen finished going through a stack of reports, another cup of tea had been poured.

After Lu Yin Zhen finished reading and turned back to the first page, flicking the corner of the paper, his gaze fell on the words “Hundred Ghosts Nightwalk Works.” He asked casually, “Is this game a derivative of ‘Nineteenth Floor’?”

Cen Fengzhi thought Lu Yin Zhen might ask about the progress or concept of the game, or about investment returns, but he didn’t expect Lu Yin Zhen to ask about the original work.

However, it wasn’t surprising that Lu Yin Zhen knew about “Nineteenth Floor.” The book had become a major IP, with the adapted film receiving high praise and undoubtedly holding great commercial potential. Obtaining the copyright wasn’t easy.

“The original work is ‘Nineteenth Floor,’ and the world view and framework are based on the settings in the original work. Most of the main plotlines are retained, but some characters have been added, and the related subplot was also personally written by the author.” Cen Fengzhi took out another folder. “I signed a contract with the author and obtained the copyright before restarting this project. This is a photocopy. You can take a look.”

“No wonder you’re so short on funds.” Lu Yin Zhen glanced at the contract copy, almost without hesitation, closed the folder, and said, “Go back and draft the contract. I’ll invest ten million, and I’ll take 15% of the shares.”

Lu Yin Zhen trusted Cen Fengzhi’s ability, conduct, and team. The only issue was that Cen Fengzhi’s company had just been established and was facing many challenges. This game required a considerable amount of investment, and there was also the uncertainty of his previous company. For a seed project, a ten million investment was already significant, and offering only 15% of the shares was Lu Yin Zhen’s biggest concession for subsequent financing.

Lu Yin Zhen’s decision was too decisive, and Cen Fengzhi was stunned for a moment before understanding his intention. “You’re investing so much but only taking 15%…”

Lu Yin Zhen lifted the tea and took a sip. “If I take more, do you think your project will still need financing?”

Cen Fengzhi was speechless for a moment. Indeed, Lu Yin Zhen had made the most generous investment offer, but only took a small share of the company. This was a huge benefit for the company, but personally, he was reluctant to let Lu Yin Zhen do this. Ultimately, it was just a trace of admiration hidden in his heart that was at play.

Lu Yin Zhen was overly generous, making Cen Fengzhi’s heart beat anxiously, and he even had some speculations that Lu Yin Zhen might have different feelings for him.

“You…” The words reached his lips, but turned into a joking remark, “Are you a fan of ‘Hundred Ghosts Nightwalk’? You’re investing so much in this project.”

Lu Yin Zhen chuckled softly, his tone gentle. “You could say that.”

“My boyfriend’s sister really likes it.” Lu Yin Zhen said, “So I have an unusual request. If possible, I’d like a few signed copies of ‘Hundred Ghosts Nightwalk,’ his new book, called ‘Widow,’ right?”

“Widow” was a series just completed by Hundred Ghosts Nightwalk this year, consisting of three parts. Lu Yin Zhen had seen news about the pre-sale of the new book in Song Mianfeng’s friend circle a few days ago. He thought that if he received a set of personally signed “Widow,” Song Mianfeng would surely be very happy.

Cen Fengzhi was somewhat dazed after hearing this, and his thoughts slowed for a moment. “…Boyfriend?”

“Yes, boyfriend.” Lu Yin Zhen’s face carried a tenderness that belonged only to Song Mianfeng, and even his smile was filled with a subtle spring-like charm. “Didn’t you see him downstairs just now?”

Cen Fengzhi recalled the man downstairs holding a book and reading it aloud to Mrs. Meng in a warm voice. The handsome face appeared in his mind, as unforgettable as a glimpse of a stunning beauty. He slowly raised the corners of his mouth, forcing a smile. “I did, and you two are well-matched.”

Work was finished, and there was nothing more to discuss in private matters, so Cen Fengzhi bid farewell.

Whether Lu Yin Zhen had sensed something or not, Cen Fengzhi neatly put away his thoughts and the project proposal, then politely bid farewell.

Indeed, he harbored feelings for Lu Yin Zhen that went beyond mere fondness, but that was different from liking or loving someone. Moreover, he was currently preoccupied with work and had no time to dwell on these matters. So, despite feeling a bit disappointed and disheartened, he still wished Lu Yin Zhen well.

That person really seemed well-matched with Lu Yin Zhen.

He told himself that.