The gesture was indeed a bit presumptuous, but Cen Chi had only brushed against him for a second before withdrawing his hand.
Ironically, the patch of skin he’d touched, chilled to the bone, now seemed reluctant to part with that fleeting warmth.
“I’m alright. But they should be arriving soon.”
He glanced toward the port. Yet in the next moment, Cen Chi did something completely unexpected—
He shrugged off his suit jacket and draped it over Chi Zhan’s shoulders. Cen Chi’s frame was on the leaner side, and surprisingly, the jacket fit loosely on Chi Zhan. The lingering warmth from Cen Chi’s body seeped into him, spreading rapidly through his limbs like a silent blaze.
“This should keep you warm,” Cen Chi said with a gentle smile.
Chi Zhan stood stunned for a moment, then finally murmured, “…Thanks.”
Jiang Yi had just logged in and rushed over to the scene—only to be greeted by the sight of Secretary Chi, dressed sharply in a white formal suit and looking extra striking after some styling, standing on the deck wearing a clearly-not-his black suit jacket… chatting with another man.
When he took a closer look at that man, Jiang Yi’s pupils practically shook.
Wasn’t that the infamous playboy—Cen Chi?!
The very same so-called “Fatal Doctor” who, with his smile as bait and patience as camouflage, could quietly worm his way into someone’s life—appearing harmless, yet impossible to shake once you got entangled with him.
…Okay, maybe that was a bit dramatic. But still, not far off.
Why the hell was Chi-ge involved with him again?
Jiang Yi rushed forward, only to be stopped at the entrance.
“Excuse me, invitation please,” the staff member said.
“Chi-ge!” Jiang Yi called out, appealing to Chi Zhan for help. Technically speaking, they were just tag-alongs brought along by Zhou Yanxing and Chi Zhan. A moment later, Chi Zhan came over to explain the situation, and Jiang Yi was allowed through.
“Chi-ge, let’s head inside,” Jiang Yi said, shooting Cen Chi a wary glance, his voice laced with feigned sweetness. “It’s freezing out here.”
“Where’s Xiao Jia?”
He turned to Cen Chi and handed the jacket back.
“Doctor Cen, we’ll head in first.”
Cen Chi looked at him with a faint smile but didn’t take the jacket. It was as if he were waiting for something.
Chi Zhan paused, suddenly remembering.
He hesitated, then lowered his voice to correct himself.
“…Ah-Chi.”
Jiang Yi didn’t catch the last part clearly, but at that moment, the atmosphere between the two grew so thick, so unbreachable, that it made his skin crawl. It felt like no one else could insert themselves between them.
Once inside the yacht, Jiang Yi blurted out nervously, “Chi-ge, what’s going on between you and Cen Chi? Don’t let him fool you!”
But Chi Zhan seemed distracted, and suddenly, a thought occurred to him: What if he lied and said Cen Chi was his boyfriend?
He dismissed the idea almost immediately.
Zhou Yanxing and Cen Chi clearly had a close relationship. They’d even gotten wasted at a bar together—any lie like that would be too easy to expose. It was way too risky.
The other guests soon arrived, and Chi Zhan led them to their rooms.
Only Chi Zhan and Zhou Yanxing had been invited by Young Master Bai, so they were the only ones assigned rooms. Chi Zhan’s was a sunroom on the fifth floor, while Zhou Yanxing had the royal suite on the sixth.
Chi Zhan’s room had a single bedroom, but the living room sofa was large enough to make do.
Jiang Yi stuck to Chi Zhan like a loyal pup, following him wherever he went. When Chi Zhan knocked on Zhou Yanxing’s door, it opened after a brief pause.
Zhou Yanxing stood there, coatless in just a white dress shirt. A laptop sat open on the coffee table behind him—he’d clearly been working.
His expression was frosty, his gaze sharp as a blade, as though irritated by the intrusion on his personal time.
“What’s his deal?”
Jiang Yi clutched at Chi Zhan’s sleeve and tried to shrink back as much as possible.
“If there’s nothing going on, stay in the room. There’s no room for him on the ship, is there? Where’s he sleeping?”
“Xiao Jiang’s staying in my room.”
“You’re sharing a room?” Zhou Yanxing scowled. “Whose side are you on, mine or his? Let him sleep on the damn deck.”
He always seemed to fixate on these minor, completely irrelevant details.
Chi Zhan sighed.
“There weren’t any rooms for them. My room can just about fit three. Or I can check if any rooms have opened up.”
Zhou Yanxing clearly couldn’t comprehend the concept of three people cramming into a single room. He frowned.
“You stay with me. Let those two squeeze together. And make sure they don’t wander. If they’ve got nothing to do, they stay in the damn room.”
“Trying to sound all proper when you just want Chi-ge to sleep in your bed!”
Jiang Yi couldn’t hold back any longer, bursting out angrily.
Zhou Yanxing crossed his arms and finally gave Jiang Yi a proper look. He raised an eyebrow.
“Where he sleeps… what’s it got to do with you?”
“Of course it matters!” Jiang Yi puffed up his chest and stood on tiptoe—still several heads shorter than Zhou Yanxing. All the resentment, anger, and frustration from being constantly overshadowed boiled over. “You’re just trying to sleep with Chi-ge! Don’t fall for it, Chi-ge! I’ll expose this fake gentleman right now—”
Chi Zhan hurried to cover Jiang Yi’s mouth, but it was already too late. Zhou Yanxing’s expression had gone completely dark.
“You’re fired,” Zhou Yanxing said coldly. “Get out.”
“Fire me? Fine! You think I’m scared of you? If you won’t keep me, someone else will! Just because you’re some fancy CEO doesn’t mean you can play dirty. If you like Chi-ge, then compete fair and square!”
Jiang Yi was on a full-on rampage now. Worst case, he could just delete the character and start over. Chi Zhan quickly dragged him away.
“Um, President Zhou, Xiao Jiang’s probably just exhausted. I’ll take him to rest. We’ll come back later.”
“Let him explain,” Zhou Yanxing’s voice was calm but eerie. “Tell me exactly how I’m scheming. How am I a fake gentleman?”
There was no telling whether he was truly calm… or just livid beyond reason.
Chi Zhan wouldn’t dare add fuel to the fire. He quickly escorted Jiang Yi out, only returning after some time.
“Did he get off the ship?”
“The ship’s already sailing…”
“Tell him to jump. Swim back.” Zhou Yanxing sneered. “He seems capable enough.”
Chi Zhan sighed.
“He was just speaking without thinking. I’ll talk to him.”
