Chapter 9.1

“Male lead is finished, kaput!”

　　It was currently the peak dinner rush, so the restaurant was brimming with customers.

　　Before anyone had the chance to probe into this matter, Jing Xi hastened to close the door, providing CEO Duan with an additional layer of soundproofing.

　　During that lapse of time, the staff and his colleague looked at CEO Duan in unison and thought inwardly, ‘To hell with the lack of allure and strong self-regulation! If his bracelet starts ringing as soon as they meet, that must mean he has already taken a fancy to Jing Xi!’ 

　　Yet, there was nary a change in Duan Chi’s expression as he closed his eyes to regain his composure under their scrutiny.

　　As the saying went, “when one door closes, another door opens.” Fortunate for him, his keen sense of smell was of great assistance. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he opened his eyes to fix the person before him with a look. “I picked up a faint metallic scent on you. Have you been wounded?”

　　Upon hearing that, Jing Xi raised his eyebrow and lowered his head to examine his right pinky.

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　　Pwyd Ubk yeele, “Rv xktbv byhl psxlvbkdt vs es okvb xl dsv nsdpwxkdt uswa czsse qsa byzq y xsdvb.”

　　Gqvla y qlo osaep olal lmnbydtle, bl qsanlqwzzu vyxrle esod vbl qzwaau sq vbswtbvp kd bkp xkde yp bkp caynlzlv oyp zyukdt cyal bkp pbsavnsxkdtp. Jlqsal zsdt, vbl akdtkdt qkdyzzu nyxl vs y pvsr.

　　Gv vbyv fwdnvwal, Kkdt Dk bye yd lrkrbydu yde alrzkle vs bkx okvb yd “Xb” alprsdpl. Bdrlavwacle, bl vssj y plyv yde vbswtbv kdoyaezu, ‘Rq kv olald’v qsa vbl qynv vbyv R’x yoyal uswa caynlzlv oldv sqq voknl obkzl sd vbl oyu blal, R oswze byhl clzklhle uswa osaep.’

　　Mbl pvyqq rswale y tzypp sq qawkv fwknl yde bydele kv shla vs bkx. “El’hl saelale y qlo ekpblp kdekhkewyzzu, ps oswze usw zkjl vs pll kq usw’e zkjl yduvbkdt lzpl?”

　　Fjkxxkdt vbaswtb vbl zkpv sq saelap, Kkdt Dk’p qynl casjl kdvs y pxkzl. “Lsrl, R esd’v. Rv pllxp lhlausdl byp saelale vbl ekpblp R’e zkjl vs byhl.”

　　“Rp vbyv ps?” Gp sdl sq UOX Pwyd’p jkdpxld, vbl pvyqq kdvldele vs yppkpv bkx kd pnsakdt psxl casodkl rskdvp okvb Kkdt Dk. Ekvbswv y plnsde vbswtbv, bl ypjle obknb sdlp vblu olal.

　　If none of them were what CEO Duan had ordered, he would simply not go into detail about it. On the flip side, if CEO Duan’s order mainly consisted of what Jing Xi wanted to eat, the staff would then seize this opportunity to compliment him. In any case, CEO Duan alone had ordered four dishes, so the staff refused to believe that he could not get any of them right.

　　Unbeknownst to everyone present in the room, it turned out that CEO Duan had unexpectedly hit the mark! 

　　In that instant, a single thought struck them — What a coincidence! Even the staff’s colleague seated on the side could not help but jump on the bandwagon. “CEO Duan was the one who ordered these dishes. Turns out both of you have similar tastes in food.”

　　Apart from them, this came as a surprise to Duan Chi as well. Without any hesitation, he shot the young man a sideways glance.

　　Yet, Jing Xi decided to feign ignorance about having figured out their plans and turned to them with an innocent smile, while sipping on his glass of fruit juice.

　　Once all the dishes had been served, they started on the food while conversing with each other. Soon, the conversation gradually shifted to the main reason for the meet-up.

　　With that, Jing Xi asked deliberately, “Have you given some thought to the suggestion I gave in the holographic call?”

　　Unanimously, the staff and his colleague had long since prepared their speech.

　　After all, they reckoned CEO Duan would unlikely agree to those sorts of “progressively extended” meet-ups. In order to try and bring about an agreement, their presence was necessary as an intermediary. 

　　Much to their astonishment, Duan Chi actually nodded his head. “I have no comments, but I don’t think there is a need to fix a date for these meet-ups. With my hectic work schedule and frequent business trips, it’d be best to have more flexibility in our planning.”

　　Upon hearing such an utterance, Jing Xi had an inkling that Duan Chi was probably intending to take on a direct approach and make intentional encounters with him.

　　Be that as it may, this realization did not put a smidgen of pressure on him, especially when he had System’s assistance to keep an eye on Duan Chi’s whereabouts and hormones. With feigned innocence, Jing Xi concurred, “Sure thing.”

　　‘What? That’s it?’ 

　　All the preparations the staff and his colleague had gone down the drain, nearly rendering them too flabbergasted even to react.

　　Now that both parties had come to an agreement, their presence was only required for the periodic medical examinations and some extreme situations.

　　Consequently, both of them advised them to do things in moderation and not to hold out until CEO Duan’s limits. With that, it concluded the conversation.

　　Seeing how he had finally completed his assignment, there was no need for the staff to stay by CEO Duan’s side. Once dinner was over, he made a break for it with his colleague gleefully.

　　On seeing this, the remaining two individuals exchanged a look with each other.

　　Duan Chi wondered, “How are you heading back?”

　　Jing Xi answered, “By public transport.”

　　The castle was situated two cities away from his home. Earlier in the day, his family had flown him to the castle for the event. Given the current circumstances, he could only rely on himself to figure out a way to return home.

　　Duan Chi suggested, “Why don’t I send you back?”

　　The unfastidious Jing Xi was never one to hold himself back from reveling in pleasure and luxury, so he readily agreed to Duan Chi’s offer.

　　Stepping onto the aircraft, the two individuals took a seat across from each other. Following the slow descent of the side door, it provided them with a romantic environment with exceptional privacy that was fit for couples.

　　Despite the calm expression on his face, Duan Chi was suffused with happiness. “How did you manage to resolve your family matter?”

　　Jing Xi replied, “I was kicked out of the house.”

　　Noticing he was not too bothered about it, Duan Chi could not help but reminisce about the moments when he actively stirred things up at that time. As amusement set in his eyes, he questioned, “Have you found a place to stay yet?”

　　Jing Xi responded, “Yes.”

　　Before the sound of his voice could fade, Duan Chi let out a sound of acknowledgment. “I heard you’re currently studying at Gese University, so what are you studying?”

　　Having heard this, Jing Xi inwardly thought of how this was a good question, as he did not know the answer.

　　Only after asking System did he discover that he was pursuing a finance degree at Gese University.

　　What’s more, he had always been an affable person, while Duan Chi was a businessman who had had dealings with people from all walks of life. Due to his desire to draw closer to Jing Xi, neither of them had undergone any awkward silences thus far.

　　Having placed his arm on the armrest, Jing Xi was acutely aware of Duan Chi’s eyes roving towards his fingers every now and then. He instead advised sincerely, “The research institute has a store of my blood. If you have reached your limits, you should get a drop of blood from them.”

　　In spite of being caught in the act, not a single ripple disturbed CEO Duan’s countenance. “Due to my heightened sense of smell, I’ve been picking up on a scent of blood.” Leaning forward slightly, he continued calmly, “Now that I’ve smelled it for the entire journey, I do indeed feel somewhat uncomfortable. So how about we do it now?”

　　Shooting a sidelong glance at him, Jing Xi brought forth his generous self and extended his arm to Duan Chi. “Here, take a bite.”

　　Little did Duan Chi expect that Jing Xi would be so forthright.

　　Of course, there was no way he could ever deny himself of such indulgence. With that in mind, he grasped the hand before him and lowered his eyes, zeroing in on the wound on the phalanx of his pinky² 尾指指骨: It refers to the small bone that makes up the bony core of the little finger. You can read more about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phalanx_bone . Without any further conveyance, he raised the hand to his lips.