Chapter 14.1: “I dare not take Mr. Duan’s bed.”

Duan Zhuxian had probably just taken a bath. He was wearing a soft black long-sleeved shirt and pants, with the tips of his hair slightly damp.

Jiang Yao stared at him, his gaze sweeping from head to toe and back again, and finally landed on the topmost button tied up, a question inadvertently popped up in his mind—

What happened to his habit of being half-naked after a bath?

Jiang Yao curled his lips.

Forget it, not a single word from Duan Zhuxian’s mouth was true. It’s not worth fussing over.

Across four or five meters of air, the two of them just stared at each other stiffly for a few seconds.

Duan Zhuxian’s eyebrows raised slightly, and he laughed shortly: “Why has Young Master Jiang suddenly come to me for shelter?”

The tease was evident in his tone.

Jiang Yao reflexively wanted to retort, but realizing he was in a position of asking for help, decided to let it go this time.

“Yeah.” His tone was half a notch lower, “My brother is watching, can I just make do with a spot on the floor, is that okay?”

“No.”

Duan Zhuxian dropped that words as he rubbed his fluffy black hair that had been blown dry, and walked to the bedside table to close an open book, then stuffed it into the drawer.

Jiang Yao sneaked a glance, it seemed related to trauma stress.

Although, given their relationship of being rivals and also in marriage alliance, Duan Zhuxian’s reaction was within expectations, but hearing that firm refusal still made Jiang Yao feel a bit disappointed.

Moreover, the master bedroom was very large, not only divided into sleeping and leisure areas but also included a small tea room built of rosewood, so having one more person wouldn’t really take up much space.

“I know this might be a bit difficult for you,” Jiang Yao, holding his bedding, took two steps forward stubbornly, and said towards that somewhat cold back, “But you promised to act with me. Mr. Duan, you’ve handled transactions worth billions, you wouldn’t go back on your word for such a small matter, would you?”

Jiang Yao’s tone was somewhat anxious, with his speech slightly slurred from drinking, it sounded like he was complaining in Duan Zhuxian’s ears.

After Jiang Yao finished his plea, Duan Zhuxian turned around leisurely.

“What I mean is, there’s a sofa, no need to sleep on the floor.”

Jiang Yao was startled, then uttered an “Oh.”

It seems that someone wasn’t completely heartless after all.

Duan Zhuxian said, “Choose between the sofa and the bed.”

Jiang Yao joked, “I dare not take Mr. Duan’s bed.”

He walked over to the sofa and was just about to spread out his blanket when he suddenly realized that what he had just said seemed to have ambiguity.

Immediately, a certain damned night that should have been buried forever but was still fresh in both of their memories, slowly surfaced in his mind.

And the cause of that time, happened to be fighting over a bed.

He suddenly felt a chill down his spine, but also harbored a glimmer of hope——

Perhaps Duan Zhuxian, being someone important, was too forgetful to make that connection?

He turned around nonchalantly, only to meet Duan Zhuxian’s seemingly amused expression, and he felt a prickling heat rush to his face from his back.

Jiang Yao, what’s wrong with you? Are you digging a hole for yourself to jump into?

Jiang Yao cursed himself in his heart, coughed lightly, and said, “Don’t overthink it.”

Duan Zhuxian raised his eyebrow, “What do you think I would think?”

Jiang Yao’s face instantly caught fire, his blood rushing to his ears, causing his temples to buzz.

His face must have been so red that it was unbearable to look at.

But then Jiang Yao thought stubbornly, let it be red. After all, his face turns red when he drinks, so this blush was like water merging into water.

“I’m such a sunny and cheerful person, how would I know what your dark brain is thinking?”

Jiang Yao acted as if it was nothing, and without waiting for Duan Zhuxian’s response, he said, “I’m going to use your bathroom for a shower,” and quickly grabbed his pajamas and slipped into the bathroom.

After the shower, Duan Zhuxian was already sitting on the bed, with a laptop on his lap, and a pair of glasses on his nose that he unusually wears, hiding his usually unfathomable eyes behind the reflective lenses.

Upon seeing this scholarly yet degenerate appearance, Jiang Yao couldn’t help but tease, “Tsk, working in the bedroom, what’s wrong with you?”

He remembered that Duan Zhuxian usually worked overtime in the study.

Duan Zhuxian looked up slightly upon hearing this, the reflective light from his glasses disappearing, and his lightly coloured lips uttered three words: “I like it.”

As the words were spoken, the gaze behind the glasses landed squarely on Jiang Yao’s face, hitting right on a heartbeat.

Perhaps due to the quiet of the late night, Duan Zhuxian’s deep voice lingered in the bedroom, which was filled with a sense of privacy, inexplicably adding a texture to the moment.

Jiang Yao felt as if something had lightly grazed his eardrum, causing a tickling sensation.

He unconsciously rubbed his ears, shifted his gaze away, and with a snap, turned off the main light, yawning as he plopped down onto the sofa.

“Then you keep working. I’m going to lie down in tribute.”

Since Duan Zhuxian was still working, the bedside lamp was on, spreading its glow to the sofa on the other side, leaving only a thin layer of light.

This environment should have perfectly met Jiang Yao’s requirements for sleeping brightness: not too dark, nor too bright. Yet, from the moment he touched the pillow, his sleepiness seemed to be gradually drained away.

After lying there for ages without falling asleep, Jiang Yao simply turned towards Duan Zhuxian, and started a conversation. He selectively shared the complaints his brother had vented to him earlier that evening, aiming to guide Duan Zhuxian away from any potential triggers that could exacerbate his brother’s rebellious mindset, and to cooperate as much as possible in completing the task their parents had set.

During this time, Duan Zhuxian neither looked up nor made a sound, leaving it uncertain whether he was listening.

After talking to the air for quite some time, Young Master Jiang’s patience wore thin, and he snorted coldly, “See, this is the tragic end of business marriages, and yet some brainless people are still rushing to get married.”

After saying this, he opened his half-closed eyelids and glanced at Duan Zhuxian.

Duan Zhuxian also looked up at him, finally speaking, “We will not end up like that.”

His tone was firm.

Jiang Yao paused for a moment, then scoffed, “Yeah, the barefoot are not afraid of those with shoes. With our broken relationship, it can’t get any worse.”

After speaking, he provocatively raised his eyebrows, ready with a hundred sentences waiting for Duan Zhuxian to retaliate.

Unexpectedly, Duan Zhuxian, as if deaf, lowered his gaze and continued to browse his emails.

?

Jiang Yao was left speechless.

What did Duan Zhuxian mean by that?

Was he acknowledging that his interpretation was correct, or implying that he had misunderstood?

The more Jiang Yao pondered, the more he realized that Duan Zhuxian’s rank had risen.

Compared to the past when they would fight for three hundred rounds, the current Duan Zhuxian often left a vague statement and quickly ended the confrontation, leaving Jiang Yao disoriented and at a loss.

It was like when riding a roller coaster, suddenly stuck at the top, hanging in mid-air without going up or down.

A one-sided verbal attack was uninteresting, so Jiang Yao closed his eyes, and decided to force himself to sleep. Fortunately, the sleepiness finally came back.

In a daze, a deep and calm voice unexpectedly reached his ears, sounding like a voice from the sky.

“Because your brother and your sister-in-law have no emotional foundation.”

Another ambiguous statement.

Look at what he said, isn’t Duan Zhuxian’s rank just improved?

But right now, Jiang Yao was too sleepy to care about the expression on Duan Zhuxian’s face when he said those words, or how much irony was intended.

It took a while before Jiang Yao muttered, “Fine, we’ve been fighting for so many years, I suppose that’s a kind of emotion…”