Just as Chi Zhan was about to leave the bedroom, Zhou Yanxing stepped in front of him, blocking the door.
Chi Zhan looked at him, puzzled.
“Is there something else?”
“Mhm.” Zhou Yanxing looked down at him from above, though his presence didn’t feel as intimidating as usual. Maybe it was the casual clothes—without the sharp suit and slicked-back hair, he seemed less like the fearsome CEO and more like a regular man. That disarmed Chi Zhan a little.
“Did you do that on purpose just now?”
Chi Zhan blinked slowly.
“What?”
“The kiss.”
Chi Zhan hadn’t expected him to bring that up again. His heart skipped.
“That was just an accident. I didn’t mean to—”
“An accident?” Zhou Yanxing cut in, voice low. “Then kiss me now. I’ll let you leave.”
“…?”
***
Chi Zhan was momentarily speechless.
What the hell was this logic? Because the kiss had been accidental, he now had to do it again—on purpose—to “balance things out”?
That was some grade-A tyrant nonsense.
He tried stepping to the right. Zhou Yanxing, with his long legs, mirrored the move instantly. Chi Zhan tried the left. Zhou followed without missing a beat.
His handsome face practically radiated one message:
I’ll stand here until you kiss me.
Chi Zhan tried to keep it civil.
“…President Zhou, my boyfriend is still outside. Don’t you think this is inappropriate?”
“What’s inappropriate about it?” Zhou Yanxing countered, clearly unbothered by the so-called “boyfriend.” “It’s not like you’re kissing me in front of him. Or do you want him to watch?”
How did he manage to make every single word sound like a red flag?
The standoff dragged on. Neither of them moved.
Then came the sound of approaching footsteps—a knock at the door.
Chi Zhan looked at Zhou Yanxing, but the man showed no intention of letting him go.
Time ticked on. Then, with a loud buzz, the robot vacuum suddenly activated. “Watering program initiated…”
It rolled forward slowly, sensors scanning its path. When it reached the door and found it blocked by Zhou Yanxing, it bumped into him—twice. Then a nozzle popped out of its head.
“Commencing watering… sshhh—”
Chu Xingxiao knocked again. At that exact moment, the door swung open.
Chi Zhan stepped out and said, “What is it?”
“Gege, do you want salted duck eggs?” Chu Xingxiao asked innocently.
It was obviously just a pretext. When Chi Zhan hadn’t returned after so long, Chu Xingxiao had peeked into the living room, only to realize both Chi Zhan and Zhou Yanxing were missing. A wave of unease hit him immediately.
He knew exactly how shameless this old man could be—no doubt using the moment to sneak in a move. There was no way Chu Xingxiao would let that happen. If Chi Zhan hadn’t come out, he’d have broken the door down himself.
But on the surface, he stayed calm. In a room full of rivals, he had to hold himself with dignity. As the “boyfriend,” he couldn’t afford to look weak. “President Zhou’s here too?”
“Yeah.” Chi Zhan pressed his lips together and glanced to the side. Zhou Yanxing stood there, completely soaked. That earlier composed, in-control image? Gone.
All thanks to the robot vacuum, which had blasted him with water from head to toe. He looked like he’d been hit by a monsoon.
Chi Zhan knew he shouldn’t laugh… but he couldn’t stop the corners of his lips from twitching. Deep down, he was absolutely thrilled.
Finally. Karma.
Zhou Yanxing wiped the water from his face. The usual overbearing aura was nowhere to be seen.
“Gege, stay away from him,” Chu Xingxiao said, pulling Chi Zhan to his side. “You’ll get your clothes wet.” He turned to Zhou, all fake concern. “Maybe you should clean up, President Zhou? In your current state… it’s a bit unsightly.”
“……”
Surprisingly, he didn’t lose his temper. Without a word, he turned and walked toward the bathroom.
It was still Chi Zhan’s robot, after all. He probably should check on it. But just as he turned to go, he caught a brief flash of red from the robot’s sensor.
…Wait. That wasn’t just the vacuum.
It was the system.
Clearly, it had reached its breaking point—and started lashing out indiscriminately at all the romance targets.
Zhou Yanxing’s sweater had soaked up water like a sponge. When he wrung it out, it twisted into a pitiful, wrinkled mess. Chi Zhan walked over and said, “You’re not supposed to wring out sweaters like that.”
Zhou shot him a glance.
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“Not at all.”
He asked Zhou to take off the sweater and change. While Zhou was in the bathroom, Chi Zhan went to fetch fresh clothes—and happened to find the black shirt Zhou had lent him once. It had been dry-cleaned already. Perfect timing.
When he returned, Zhou had already taken off his wet shirt and tossed it into the washing machine, standing there waiting like he owned the place. As Chi Zhan was about to hand him the clothes, someone suddenly covered his eyes.
“Don’t look at dirty things,” Chu Xingxiao whispered. “I’ll help him. Gege, you go,” he said, and gently nudged Chi Zhan out of the room.
Chi Zhan couldn’t even get angry. With a wry smile, he let it go and headed for the kitchen to check on dinner.
Out in the living room, Qi Song sat quietly on the sofa, gently stroking a small black-and-white plush cat. It was actually a hand warmer—something Chi Zhan used sometimes while watching TV, a gift from Christmas.
When Qi Song saw him come out, he lifted his gaze slightly.
There wasn’t any discernible emotion in his expression, but for some reason, Chi Zhan still felt a twinge of guilt.
“Are they all your friends?”
“…You could say that.”
He turned toward the kitchen, but Qi Song stood up and followed.
Chi Zhan was caught off guard.
“You don’t have to help. There’s nothing left to do…”
“I just want to spend a bit more time with you,” Qi Song said softly. His pale eyes reflected Chi Zhan’s image, quiet and sincere. “Is that okay?”
“…Of course.”
He could never say no to Seven.
