Half a month later.

Ning Zhiyuan walked into the Cen An Building again. This time, there was no need to trouble anyone at the front desk with a phone call for registration. He held a family ticket to visit the internal photography competition exhibition hosted by Cen An.

The exhibition was in the small multifunctional exhibition hall on the second floor. It was during working hours, and there were quite a few people coming to view the exhibition.

The exhibition was open to the public, and people could enter with complimentary tickets. Today was the last day of the exhibition.

Hundreds of photographic works, all carefully selected through several rounds, were showcased in the final exhibition. Each work had annotations indicating the shooting time, location, and relevant background information. The column for the photographer’s name was intentionally left blank to ensure fairness, allowing the public to vote solely based on their impressions of the works.

Since Ning Zhiyuan was already here, he took his time, carefully examining each piece of artwork and occasionally stopping to appreciate and judge.

While he was engrossed in the exhibition, someone came over to greet him, unexpectedly Cen Zhe.

Rare to encounter him here, the two of them paused and chatted for a few moments.

“Are you busy with work? I heard that since you started working here, you’ve been taking the lead in working overtime every day. Surprisingly, you have time to come and see a photography exhibition?” Ning Zhiyuan asked with a smile.

Cen Zhe helplessly said, “Not really. I used to be accustomed to staying in the lab all day and often looked up to find that it was already dark outside. It’s not intentional overtime. Since today is the last day of the exhibition, I came to see it before it ends.”

Ning Zhiyuan asked him, “You’ve been working at Cen An for a few months now, right? How do you feel?”

“It’s okay. Anyway, I’m doing something related to technology here. Dealing with people is a bit troublesome, I’d rather deal with data and code.” Cen Zhe said with some distress.

“If there’s something you can’t handle, just ask Cen Zhisen. He should be willing to help you out,” Ning Zhiyuan reminded him.

“Sen Ge is quite busy too. If I can handle it without bothering him, it’s better not to bother him,” Cen Zhe shook his head. He also asked Ning Zhiyuan, “Why do you have time to come here today? Did Sen Ge give you the tickets?”

“I just finished some errands outside,” Ning Zhiyuan casually said. “Since I was passing by, I came over for a casual look. It’s quite interesting.”

Cen Zhe agreed, “I think it’s interesting too. I don’t know much about photography, but these works look impressive. I’d like to learn if I have the chance.”

“There are many photography training courses available. If you want to learn, you can enroll,” Ning Zhiyuan jokingly said. “But the premise is that you have to have time. If you continue to leave work every day at nine or ten, then you really won’t have a chance to learn.”

Cen Zhe laughed, “I’ll try my best. It’s different here from school. I always take the lead in working overtime, which is not so good. It’s better to leave work early and learn something else.”

While they were chatting, someone from the former investment department saw Ning Zhiyuan and came over to greet him, saying, “Manager Xiao Cen!”

After saying it, he noticed Cen Zhe beside him and suddenly felt a bit awkward. Although Cen Zhe had just joined the company not long ago, the Crown Prince was basically known by everyone. Calling him “Manager Xiao Cen” in front of him might make things awkward.

However, the two people involved seemed very relaxed. Ning Zhiyuan exchanged a few words with the person, who quickly found an excuse and said he had to leave for work.

Ning Zhiyuan looked at the person’s back as he walked away, feeling somewhat amused. He asked Cen Zhe next to him, “Has anyone also called you ‘Manager Xiao Cen’? Are you used to it?”

Cen Zhe looked helpless and quickly waved his hand, “How can I be considered a ‘Manager’? It sounds strange.”

He had just graduated with a Ph.D. not long ago and had only been with the company for two months. He was just a middle-level manager and couldn’t be considered any kind of “Manager”. However, there were indeed some people who, in order to flatter him, addressed him like that. There were even some mischief-makers on the internal forum who started threads comparing the two “Manager Xiao Cens,” taking advantage of anonymity to stir up trouble without being held accountable.

As for why Ning Zhiyuan knew about it, it was because he had a broad network of contacts within Cen An. Without him paying special attention, many people would take the initiative to tell him about it.

Ning Zhiyuan chuckled, “It doesn’t matter. Sooner or later, you’ll get used to it.”

Cen Zhe appeared even more helpless, and Ning Zhiyuan comforted him with a laugh, “It’s okay; you’ll get used to it in the future.”

Afterward, Cen Zhe had something to do and left early, and Ning Zhiyuan continued to stroll through the exhibition on his own.

Among the various works, he saw the photos taken by Cen Zhisen. Cen Zhisen had not told him what his competition entry was, and there was no need. The practice that night was indeed just an excuse. The exhibited works were actually the ones Cen Zhisen had taken of him in Hawaii—surrounded by a school of fish in the coral reef, colorful tropical fish kissing his outstretched fingertips.

The person in the photo wore a face mask, and half of his face was covered by the flowing hair drifting with the water. It was not easy to recognize him, at least most people probably wouldn’t be able to.

Looking at the tag next to the work, apart from the shooting time and location, the brief introduction only had a few simple words: “His world.”

Ning Zhiyuan smiled gently. In Cen Zhisen’s eyes, his world had such colors and brightness.

As Cen Zhisen’s message came in, Ning Zhiyuan had just filled in the work number on the back of the ticket and casually tossed it into the nearby voting box.

Cen Zhisen: “Where are you?”

Ning Zhiyuan replied: “Cen An Building.”

Cen Zhisen had just finished the executive meeting and, seeing this message as he walked out of the conference room, stopped by the corridor’s glass window. In the bright sunlight, a slight smile appeared on his lips. “Here to see the photography exhibition?”

“Yes,” Ning Zhiyuan replied. “To see the works you exhibited under the pretext of official business.”

Cen Zhisen: “It’s not an excuse. This event is an extra employee benefit for the company. You can shoot whatever you want.”

They exchanged messages back and forth, chatting about trivial matters.

The assistant waited on the side for a long time before finally couldn’t help but remind Cen Zhisen if he should return to the office.

Cen Zhisen finally sent a message to Ning Zhiyuan: “Come upstairs.”

Ten minutes later, Ning Zhiyuan walked into Cen Zhisen’s office. Cen Zhisen was sitting in front of the desk, reading documents, occasionally taking a sip of coffee.

“You won’t let me drink coffee, but you have three cups every day,” Ning Zhiyuan complained.

Cen Zhisen calmly finished the last sip, put down the cup, and gestured. “Come here.”

Ning Zhiyuan approached, and Cen Zhisen stood up, reaching out to pull him closer. Lifting him up onto the desk, Cen Zhisen let Ning Zhiyuan sit, bent down, placed his hands on both sides of the desk, and met Ning Zhiyuan’s smiling eyes. “Why do you have time to come today?”

“If I don’t come with the ticket, I won’t have a chance to see it. Besides, I just finished errands and happened to have time,” Ning Zhiyuan explained.

“Where did you go?” Cen Zhisen asked.

Ning Zhiyuan looked at him and two words popped out of his mouth: “Patent Office.”

Cen Zhisen wasn’t surprised. The patent dispute between Cen An and IC Technology had not yet been resolved. Ning Zhiyuan was determined to file a counterclaim against the invalidity of Cen An’s patent and wouldn’t easily give up.

“Good luck to you,” Cen Zhisen said.

“Same to you,” Ning Zhiyuan said casually. “Good luck to Cen An too.”

His raised hand slowly played with the collar of Cen Zhisen’s shirt, which didn’t have a tie. “I just met the new ‘Manager Xiao Cen’ at the exhibition.”

“Cen Zhe?” Cen Zhisen furrowed his eyebrows slightly. “What did you talk about?”

“Nothing much.” Ning Zhiyuan’s fingertips went inside a bit, lightly touching the skin beneath the shirt fabric. “Just chatted casually.”

Cen Zhisen stared into his eyes. Despite the seemingly casual conversation and the slightly lowered gaze, his eyes seemed to carry a hook. Ning Zhiyuan was always like this, or rather, he was like this in front of him.

“I’ve specifically instructed that there will be no one in the company calling him ‘Manager Xiao Cen’ in the future,” Cen Zhisen said, as if explaining to him.

Ning Zhiyuan chuckled. “Cen Zhisen, you don’t think I mind this, do you? I think I’ve told you before that I don’t like this title. Being called that way always feels like people are looking down on you. Now that I can easily let go of this title, it’s good, right? Moreover, Cen Zhe was originally supposed to be ‘Manager Xiao Cen.'”

“I mind,” Cen Zhisen insisted. “I can’t imagine anyone else.”

Ning Zhiyuan raised an eyebrow. “Cen Zhisen, which one is more important to you, me or Cen Zhe?”

“You.”

“So, I’m more important than your brother?”

“Yes.”

A playful smile appeared in Ning Zhiyuan’s eyes. “What about before, when i was considered your brother? Between me and others, who was more important?”

“You.” Cen Zhisen’s answer was clear, without any hesitation.

“Is that so?” Even knowing that Cen Zhisen was trying to comfort him, Ning Zhiyuan felt genuinely happy.

“Just now, I chatted with Cen Zhe,” he said. “I reminded him that if he encounters anything he can’t handle, he should come to you. I said you would definitely be willing to help him out of trouble.”

He seemed to have a hidden meaning, and Cen Zhisen silently waited for him to continue.

“But, Cen Zhisen, I wasn’t sincere,” Ning Zhiyuan got closer, his breath intertwining with Cen Zhisen’s. “I know you will definitely help Cen Zhe, but I still feel uncomfortable. It’s like my brother has been taken away from me. I can give my parents and my family name to him, but not you. You belong to me alone. I don’t mind the title ‘Manager Xiao Cen’ being given to him, I can give him everything else, except you.”

Cen Zhisen asked, “Am I the only exception?”

“Yes,” Ning Zhiyuan continued, “He also mentioned wanting to learn photography. I suggested he take a class. I didn’t tell him that his real brother is an expert. I don’t want you to teach him, and I definitely don’t want you to photograph him. Cen Zhisen, you said you haven’t photographed people before, so besides me, you are not allowed to photograph anyone in the future.”

This possessiveness, almost distorted, he no longer planned to hide. Since Cen Zhisen had indulged him, he must take responsibility to the end.

However, these words made Cen Zhisen particularly pleased. “Zhiyuan, I’ve also said it before. You are different from them. There is no difference between Cen Zhe, Cen Fei, and Cen Cong. But you are different. Even if I have more brothers and sisters, what I give you is unique, and no one can take it away.”

Ning Zhiyuan smiled again. “I will remember those words.”

“Even if you forget, it doesn’t matter,” Cen Zhisen said. “I can record it and send it to you.”

Foreheads pressed against each other, breaths intertwining even closer, Ning Zhiyuan reminded him, “The door to your office isn’t locked.”

Although he said this, he didn’t actually care. Even if someone outside wanted to come in, they would naturally knock on the door.

Cen Zhisen’s hand stopped at his lower back, repeatedly massaging the dimples on both sides. “Do you want to try here?”

Ning Zhiyuan turned his head and glanced at the slightly messy desk behind him. “I don’t mind, anyway, it’s your desk that’s dirty. But Cen Zhisen, you don’t carry a set with you, do you?”

“In the drawer, I bought it a few days ago,” Cen Zhisen said, unapologetic and not hiding his perverted nature.

Ning Zhiyuan chuckled. “Well, it’s up to you then.”

“Do you want to?” Cen Zhisen insisted on getting an answer from him.

Ning Zhiyuan nodded with a smile. “Yes.”

Cen Zhisen also smiled and went to lock the office door.

Ning Zhiyuan’s gaze fell on the display cabinet by the desk, and he saw the music box. He picked it up, opened it, and wound it up.

Cen Zhisen walked back, glancing at what he held in his hand. “Do you like this?”

Ning Zhiyuan replied, “I bought it, so, of course, I like it.”

Embraced in the enchanting and dreamlike melody, they shared a hug.

Cen Zhisen completely lifted Ning Zhiyuan’s shirt, his hands roaming freely into his waistband from the back, kneading his ass without any barriers. Ning Zhiyuan leaned backward, tilting his head back to breathe heavily.

Cen Zhisen lifted Ning Zhiyuan’s legs, wrapping them around his waist, and pressed down.

The office desk could hardly bear the weight of their bodies, and scattered documents covered the floor.

Their bodies pressed together were covered in sweaty stickiness. Ning Zhiyuan caught the hand that roamed incessantly on him, hooking his fingers with Cen Zhisen’s and repeatedly tracing the ring on his little finger with his fingertips.

Cen Zhisen sensed it, and his scorching breath approached Ning Zhiyuan’s ear.

“Zhiyuan, I love you.”

Ning Zhiyuan tasted the surging warmth in his body, accumulating at his chest.

The musical sound in his ears was repeating the most ethereal and melodious climax, and that moment felt like his soul was also plucked, floating and drifting, unable to settle.

He could only barely tilt his head up, finding Cen Zhisen’s lips and kissing him eagerly and passionately.

Outside the window, the twilight gradually merged into the night, while the passion in the office continued to steam and boil.

Occasionally, someone knocked on the door or the phone rang, but no one paid any attention.

They shared this world together.

When the lights outside the window lit up completely, Cen Zhisen went to the lounge to take a shower, and Ning Zhiyuan casually put on his shirt, leaning against Cen Zhisen’s desk, looking out the window.

Cen Zhisen always reminded him to smoke less, but he still lit a cigarette and held it between his fingers.

After winding up the music box again, it continued to play. In the repetitive melody, he kept recalling Cen Zhisen’s words, “I love you,” as if today was the first time he truly felt it.

Cen Zhisen loved him, and this realization stirred waves in his heart, perhaps eventually unleashing a tidal wave that would engulf them both.

A warm body covered him, and Cen Zhisen took the cigarette from his hand, “You’re being disobedient again. Don’t smoke here; go take a shower.”

Ning Zhiyuan turned around, met his eyes, paused for a few seconds, and the lingering warmth in his heart surged even more than before.

“Ge.”

“Hmm?”

Ning Zhiyuan smiled and approached, exchanging another heated kiss with the person behind him.

The taste of love, he might have finally sensed a bit of the prelude.