Flirting with a Cunning Doctor

Truth be told, the scene was a complete mess, with the two factions locked in a chaotic brawl.

Tang Chen had been worried that once the fighting started, everyone would lose their minds, see red, and potentially draw blood, leading to unwanted accidents.

So, he had his men strike first to gain the upper hand, swiftly subduing and beating down the thugs carrying knives and clubs, before tossing the confiscated weapons aside to be guarded.

From then on, it was a test of pure raw fists.

Since the opposing side was just a bunch of relatively young, low-level hoodlums, they lacked the experience and sheer ruthlessness of Tang Chen’s crew.

It didn’t take long for the victor to become obvious.

Tang Chen seized the opposing side’s petty leader, speaking with a sinister harshness:

“This is someone under my protection. If you ever come to provoke him again, I won’t be as easy to talk to as I am today—drawing blood will be the least of your worries, do you understand?”

The petty leader was only around twenty years old.

Seeing the overwhelming numbers against him and how swiftly and brutally they fought, he knew at a glance they were real underworld figures.

He had long since panicked and nodded repeatedly.

“I understand, I understand! I’ll detour around him whenever I see him in the future!”

Tang Chen let out a cold snort and tossed him aside.

Having finished the brawl, he clapped his hands clean, radiating an overbearing charisma.

Watching this, a smile inevitably colored the depths of Ye Cheng’s eyes.

He tilted his chin toward Li You’s direction and asked:

“Who is that? You seem quite fiercely protective.”

Tang Chen replied as a matter of course:

“He’s my person, obviously.”

The moment the words left his mouth, he realized they sounded a bit ambiguous, so he added another line:

“I mean it in the sense of a friend.”

“Oh—”

The deliberately elongated sound always managed to carry a layer of profound meaning.

Tang Chen shot him a glance and was about to say something, but suddenly knit his brows as his expression completely changed.

Damn it, it feels like another toothache… Why were there so many annoying issues now compared to when I was a domineering villain?

“What’s wrong?”

Ye Cheng very quickly noticed his abnormality.

Tang Chen pressed his lips tightly together.

“Nothing.”

Ye Cheng gazed at him with a half-smile, remaining silent and refusing to turn his eyes away.

Tang Chen gave a soft “tsk,” ground his teeth, and spat out word by word:

“Tooth! Ache!”

Ye Cheng let out a “pfft” and burst into laughter, the corners of his mouth arching incredibly high.

“Open your mouth and let me take a look.”

Having lived together for so many days, Tang Chen knew deeply how relentlessly pestering this guy could be.

To avoid being stared down continuously, he simply opened his mouth.

Ye Cheng pinched his chin, took a look, and said:

“You’ve got internal heat; your gums are swollen and painful.”

Tang Chen covered his mouth with a face full of displeasure, feeling as though every bad thing was actively colliding into him.

“What kind of heat-inducing foods did you eat?”

Tang Chen replied calmly:

“Nothing much.”

A certain someone simply smiled and stared at him.

He stared until Tang Chen felt completely guilty, causing his lips to twitch as he listed them off one by one:

“…Spicy chicken wings, french fries, iron-plate steak, Orleans grilled chicken, potato chips…”

It was a massive, long list that seemed practically endless.

“Tang Chen, you’re quite something. Just how many stomachs do you have?”

Ye Cheng leisurely narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint flashing through them.

During this period, he had eaten dinner with Tang Chen almost every single day and had never seen any of the foods just mentioned, which was sufficient proof that Tang Chen had been sneaking snacks outside of regular meals.

Given Tang Chen’s rebellious personality, not only would he refuse to back down when the other party grew angry, but he would also counter quite arrogantly.

“Not many, not many, just three. One for regular meals, one for junk food, and one for desserts.”

He lifted his lips in a provocative smirk, his smile looking quite punchable.

Ye Cheng:

“Your tooth doesn’t hurt anymore?”

Tang Chen’s expression froze. He subconsciously pouted, looking glaringly displeased.

Ye Cheng smiled in satisfaction and reached out to rub his head.

Though his hand was immediately swatted away unceremoniously, he didn’t grow angry at all. Instead, like someone indulging their own throwing-a-tantrum pet, his smile only deepened.

With the two of them broadcasting their public displays of affection as if no one else existed, the surrounding onlookers had long since grown a bit dumbfounded.

Li You was even more perceptive, discerning the nature of their relationship. After offering his sincere thanks, he contextually teased with good intentions:

“You two have such a great relationship; it actually makes me envious just looking at it.”

“Who has a great relationship with him?! He’s just my dentist!”

Tang Chen was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, instantly bristling as the tips of his ears turned red.

Oh really? He’s also the dentist you’re cohabiting with.

Ye Cheng laughed inwardly, admiring the way his pale earlobes were stained with a beautiful shade of pink.

He was so sensitive; if he were to take that earlobe into his mouth, the young man would likely shudder violently all over, yet still turn back to glare with those bright black eyes—stubborn and awkward, refusing to admit it no matter what.

On the way back, Ye Cheng had Tang Chen detour to a pharmacy to buy him some medicine.

Tang Chen sat in the car with his head lowered, subconsciously using his hand to press firmly against his mouth.

He felt like half of his jaw was throbbing with a shooting pain that was exceptionally torturous, and he was thoroughly beginning to regret his past self-indulgence.

When Ye Cheng returned to the car, he saw him slumped over the steering wheel looking incredibly pitiful, which truly made one unable to help but feel both exasperated and amused.

He reached out to pat him, handing over the medicine and water.

“Don’t cry. Take your medicine first.”

“Cry your sister!”

Tang Chen erupted instantly.

Tormented to the point of tears by a toothache? What a joke.

He grabbed the items crossly, tilted his head back to swallow them cleanly, and then asked:

“When does the medicine take effect?”

Ye Cheng:

“It’s not a magic elixir; it’ll take a few days for you to get better. Also, you are to only eat congee during this period. Don’t eat randomly, or it will heal even slower.”

Tang Chen’s entire face turned black.

For someone who loved food, this was practically a fatal blow; his entire life had plunged into darkness.

And that wasn’t even the worst part.

When he woke up the next day, Tang Chen actually discovered that a patch of his hard palate had swollen up, making his mood even gloomier.

Ye Cheng took a look and remarked heartlessly:

“It seems your internal heat is truly severe.”

Tang Chen shut his mouth, completely unwilling to speak.

Because his palate was swollen, chewing anything was highly inconvenient. Even eating congee had to be done slowly, resulting in what could arguably be considered Tang Chen’s most measured and elegant posture in history.

Originally, if he just had to survive on congee for a few days, he could have endured it; it wouldn’t have been that big of a deal.

But that guy Ye Cheng—a person whose tastes were usually quite light—insisted on having the kitchen staff specifically prepare dishes that were exceptionally fragrant and rich over these past few days.

The mere scent was incredibly enticing, making one’s mouth water.

Ye Cheng sat with a smile on his face, thoroughly enjoying the delicious food.

This only served to make Tang Chen grow increasingly incensed. After enduring it for a few meals, he snapped completely.

Halfway through his congee, he slammed his spoon down fiercely, kicked the table leg with exceptional violence, and stood up abruptly, his chair screeching sharply against the floor.

He shot Ye Cheng a vicious glare, turned, and stormed upstairs—he was thoroughly stuffed on sheer rage and could no longer eat.

The servant watching from the side was startled, her eyes filled with worry.

Ye Cheng, however, remained thoroughly composed, continuing to eat with a leisurely smile.

The servant was bewildered.

Is the relationship between these two actually considered good or bad? The Young Master rarely has this much patience with anyone else, yet occasionally the Young Master’s attitude will suddenly turn incredibly cold, completely ignoring him. And the Young Master’s friend is even stranger; he looks mild-mannered, but sometimes his smile is a bit scary, and he actually dares to intentionally mess with the Young Master like a prank. Watching the Young Master hop around in anger makes him laugh so happily… Still, to be able to interact and joke around without any reservations like this, they must be excellent friends.

After finishing his meal, Ye Cheng turned to the servant and smiled:

“Please bring out a fresh bowl of congee. I’ll take it upstairs to him.”

Meanwhile, inside the bedroom.

Tang Chen was still pacing back and forth in his room, thoroughly enraged by his inability to eat meat.

Just as he was secretly cursing Ye Cheng to vent his frustration, he suddenly heard a soft chuckle.

Tang Chen’s heart skipped a beat, his disgruntled expression freezing instantly.

‘…System?’

A theatrical clear of the throat echoed in his mind. Suppressing its laughter, the system reminded him with feigned solemnity:

[ Host, don’t get too deeply immersed in the role. ]

Tang Chen snapped out of it instantly.

Holy sht, I still have a mission! I was truly driven stupid by that guy’s provocations.*

The role he had consistently performed was that of a domineering villain, but before honing his skills across various worlds, an employee was merely an ordinary person. He didn’t naturally possess the staggering aura of a high-ranking ruler; it relied entirely on acting.

Furthermore, given the company’s humane policies, they weren’t required to actually kill anyone; there were specialized personnel to handle those matters.

Therefore, when playing an exceptionally ruthless and sinister arch-villain, accidents would occasionally happen.

The so-called “overbearing charisma” would accidentally leak out entirely. Those who masked it well would be misunderstood as closet eccentrics, while those who failed to maintain the persona completely ended up looking like total simpletons.

As for the system equipped to each individual, it was essentially the medium connecting the employee to the company, serving as a minor assistant to help during unexpected situations or provide appropriate reminders during the course of a mission.

The system was highly intelligent. In the early stages, it was of great help to inexperienced employees, and Tang Chen used to find it quite endearing.

But once he grew familiar with it, he realized this advanced intelligence… sometimes truly made one grit their teeth, wanting to give it a thorough beating.

Ye Cheng carried the tray upstairs. Just as he was preparing to knock on the door, he caught the sound of Tang Chen speaking inside.

His movements paused, and he very impolitely turned into an eavesdropper.

“I know a lot of people can’t accept homosexuality, but it’s not like I like men on purpose. Liking someone is just liking someone; what else can be done? Although I don’t have a good reputation, I still have a moral compass, alright? He’s about to get married, so why would I go destroy that? Am I insane… The drugging incident was indeed an impulse of mine, but fortunately it didn’t succeed, which is also entirely thanks to Li You… Damn it, you really are more long-winded than Tang Sanzang. I’ll go meet that beautiful lady you mentioned later, alright? Acting as a matchmaker at such a young age—you really are something else.”

Listening to this, Ye Cheng couldn’t help but frown slightly, having also deciphered the ins and outs of the situation.

He lifted his hand and knocked on the door, interrupting the voice inside the room.

The moment the door opened, he caught sight of Tang Chen hastily hanging up his phone.

Struggling to mask his nervousness, the young man feigned composure by lifting his chin, asking haughtily:

“Is something the matter?”

Ye Cheng offered a gentle smile, acting as if nothing had happened.

“You didn’t finish your congee just now. I was worried you’d get hungry soon, so I brought a bowl up for you.”

Tang Chen, who was starved for meat, cast a glance at the tray in his hands. His expression was full of disdain as he pointed toward the desk.

“Thanks. Just leave it on the desk; I’ll eat it in a bit.”

Ye Cheng expressed doubt:

“You’ll just pour it out, won’t you? And then you’ll eat snacks when you get hungry later. If you keep this up, you won’t get better even in a month. I’m going to stay right here and watch you eat.”

Tang Chen glared at him, practically roaring in his heart—

Did I owe you a massive fortune in my past life?!

“Come, sit down and eat.”

Tang Chen let out two grunts.

Weighing the pros and cons in his mind, he still sat down rather reluctantly and picked up the spoon. At the same time, he didn’t forget to mutter:

“This is my house. From now on, the dishes for the next week must be light; there can’t be any exceptionally fragrant dishes like braised pig trotters. You are a guest, and the guest should defer to the host, do you understand?”

He clearly articulated his dissatisfaction. Just like his earlier outburst, his bluntness was enough to make one unable to resist laughing.

It was truly hard to say whether his personality was awkward or straightforward; it was highly contradictory, making one always unable to resist stepping forward to tease him.

“Understood. If I want to eat it, I should do so secretly behind your back, ensuring you can’t see or smell it.”

Ye Cheng nodded and smiled with complete cooperation, though his words weren’t quite as pleasant.

Tang Chen’s movements drinking the congee paused. Curling his lip, he didn’t say anything either, scooping up a massive spoonful as if wanting to fiercely take a huge bite of meat.

However, reality didn’t permit it, and he could only carefully sip a third of the spoonful.

The contrast between his intent and reality, coupled with his aggrieved expression, caused Ye Cheng to turn his face away to secretly let out a brief smile.

While watching Tang Chen drink his congee, he reflected on the phone conversation he had just overheard. The smile gradually faded from his face, and his expression slowly grew dark and unfathomable.

He had thought he was on the verge of pulling in the net, but he never expected the prey would actually attempt to quietly slip out.

Thinking of this, his mood instantly turned thoroughly terrible.

Ye Cheng watched him finish the entire bowl of congee before finally reclaiming the tray in satisfaction, teasing:

“Once you’re fully recovered, I’ll have the servants brew tonics for you every single day to properly condition your body. Otherwise, if this happens again, you won’t be able to eat meat anymore.”

Tang Chen didn’t make a sound. Although he was displeased in his heart, he also knew the man spoke reasonably, so it counted as a tacit acceptance.

In the afternoon, Ye Cheng went to the company to work as usual.

Tang Chen, however, was a bit of an exception today; he had to go out to meet the young mistress of a small family. It was a red thread Yu Shijian had racked his brains to pull, solely wanting to drag his good brother back onto the “right track.”

Yu Shijian had fully considered Tang Chen’s temperament; the woman he introduced was of the gentle and quiet type, while also possessing a hidden foodie attribute.

She was the textbook case of someone who, even if they didn’t work out romantically, would absolutely make an excellent friend. He was playing the long game.

Having known Tang Chen for so long, he indeed understood perfectly that Tang Chen was extremely responsive to soft approaches but entirely resistant to hard ones.

Based on the fact that Tang Chen spent the entire afternoon accompanying Miss Lin to several snack shops, his favorability rating surged rapidly. While they weren’t incredibly close, they had already become companions who could go out to forage for food together.

As they prepared to bid farewell, Miss Lin smiled radiantly:

“Thank you for accompanying me to so many shops. Usually, my parents keep a strict eye on me at home, so I never get to indulge myself. This afternoon was truly so much fun.”

Tang Chen pursed his lips and scratched his hair.

“Don’t mention it. If anything, I should thank you for helping me unlock a new map of delicacies. If we discover anything delicious in the future, we can share the information.”

Miss Lin nodded with a smile:

“I was thinking the exact same thing.”

Then, they very naturally exchanged contact information.

Although due to his toothache, tasting those specialty snacks was merely a matter of taking a single bite, for Tang Chen—who had been oppressed at home into only drinking plain congee—this was already a highly pleasant matter. He was even humming a light, cheerful tune when he walked into the living room back home.

His happiness meant it was now a certain someone’s turn to be displeased.

Ye Cheng sat on the sofa, his hand resting on his knee as he tapped it lightly, speaking with a half-smile:

“Where did you go?”

Tang Chen instantly recalled the things he had eaten haphazardly all afternoon, feeling a bit guilty.

However, in the next second, looking at the man’s slightly darkened face due to his going out on a date, a subtle sense of retaliatory pleasure instantly arose in his heart.

Curling his lip, he lifted his head and squared his chest, saying:

“You’re about to get married anyway, and I’m only three years younger than you. Going out on a date is perfectly normal, isn’t it?”

Ye Cheng’s expression remained unchanged. He patted the seat beside him, saying warmly:

“Come over first. I have something I want to tell you.”

“What is it?”

Tang Chen knit his brows with a hint of suspicion, but he walked over nonetheless.

Ye Cheng rested his hand on the young man’s shoulder, asking about his afternoon date in the tone of an elder.

“It was excellent.”

Tang Chen refused to show weakness, his tone practically carrying a hint of flaunting.

“Miss Lin is very gentle and comfortable to be around. Whatever I say, she catches on very quickly, and our interests are highly similar. We’ve even agreed to go out together again next time.”

“Is that so…?”

Ye Cheng slightly narrowed his eyes. The corners of his mouth were curving upward, but the smile in his eyes slowly vanished.

Keeping his hand resting on Tang Chen’s shoulder, he said warmly,

“Hearing you say that, it seems you have a very good impression of Miss Lin? Since it was a date, you intend to try and develop things further, right? If you both like each other, you’ll formally get together, date for a period of time, and then get married and have children. You’ll consider the family matters together with her—ranging from minor decisions like what dishes to eat, to major ones like how to educate the children… Your future life is intended to look like that, correct?”

Tang Chen froze slightly.

He had only met Miss Lin once; how could he possibly think of things that far into the future all at once?

A relationship was at its most fragile when it had just shown a faint inkling; it couldn’t withstand scrutiny.

The so-called favorable impression was precisely beautiful because it was vague—like looking at a beauty through a sheer veil, inspiring infinite imagination. Suddenly pulling the thin veil away made it far too direct, lacking that subtle charm of words left unsaid.

Ye Cheng suddenly laying everything out on the table like this instead left Tang Chen a bit dazed.

He truly hadn’t anticipated this move.

It was originally a case of an awkward, bratty kid developing feelings for a belly-black doctor and wanting to swiftly sever this uninvited affection, but this was clearly not something that could be resolved in a short amount of time.

Yet the other party insisted on adding fuel to the fire at this exact moment.

It caused the bratty kid, who was already suffering from a secret crush, to plunge into a dilemma once more—was he truly going to give up on the person he liked right before his eyes? To randomly be together with another person and live that kind of life—was that truly what he wanted?

Ye Cheng’s hand slowly slid down from his shoulder, gently stroking his back.

The warmth permeating through the thin fabric practically delivered a scalding illusion.

“Do you truly like that Miss Lin?”

His voice carried a coaxing tone, as if attempting to pull him into another world.

Tang Chen knit his brows, his face full of hesitation and bewilderment, seemingly at a complete loss for what to do next.

Ye Cheng drew closer to him bit by bit, almost pulling his entire being into his embrace.

The overly close distance made Tang Chen feel as though he were entirely enveloped by Ye Cheng. The scent belonging uniquely to Ye Cheng swirled around the tip of his nose. Bearing his body heat, it appeared all the more tightly entwined and beautiful, causing one to subconsciously feel a bit intoxicated.

As expected, this guy is incredibly good at flirting.

Tang Chen, who was practically leaning against the man’s shoulder, experienced a twitch of his lips, feeling thoroughly helpless at his own lack of resolve—he had a hard-on…

A warm, large hand was slowly massaging his back, accompanied by a gentle, low-pitched voice right by his ear. With the slightly moist, hot breath, his ear felt a bit itchy, and his heart was itching fiercely as well.

Excellent. Big brother, you’re the most formidable, alright? This daddy doesn’t want to play anymore!

Tang Chen finally couldn’t endure it any longer. Flirted with to the point of getting harder and harder, he hurriedly pretended to suddenly snap out of it, pushing Ye Cheng away with a face full of panic.

However, the large hand on his lower back pressed down, firmly shackling him in place and making it difficult for him to budge.

This time, Tang Chen truly wanted to let out a bitter smile—the young body’s internal heat was rampant; he couldn’t hold it back, boss.

Meanwhile, Ye Cheng, who had locked him in place without a sound, merely hooked the corners of his lips, letting out a soft laugh of ambiguous meaning.

Originally, he had thought this was merely an impulse-driven hunt—capturing the person and consuming them would count as the conclusion. He never expected that the closer he got to interacting with this person, the more interesting he found him. Slowly, he actually didn’t quite want to let go anymore…

However, no matter what, the predation that had been prepared for so long was finally time to pull in the net.

Thus, Ye Cheng loosened his strength slightly, lightly cradling Tang Chen as he met his gaze seriously.

Having waited for so long, the confession had finally arrived.

“If I say I like you, what would you… do?”

Unexpectedly, a certain someone who was consistently confident and composed to the point of near-arrogance actually carried a hint of careful anxiety in his demeanor.

However, the other party was also a master actor; for a moment, Tang Chen was a bit uncertain whether it was real or fake.

Tang Chen froze, his face full of disbelief.

“What kind of joke are you playing? Aren’t you about to get married?!”

“That is merely my parents’ wishful thinking. Furthermore, the woman already has someone she likes, but her parents don’t agree; I’m merely helping her act as a cover. I will handle those matters properly. What’s most important right now is—what do you think?”

Tang Chen averted his gaze, his awkward temperament arising once more. The roots of his ears turned entirely crimson, and he was so panicked that his words were somewhat failing him:

“I… we are both men!”

Ye Cheng instantly laughed. He suddenly pinched his face, rubbing it minutely, though his movements were exceptionally gentle.

“Are you playing with me? You flirt with me every single day, yet now you say you can’t be together with me.”

“Don’t you mind? Homosexuality is not accepted by society.”

Tang Chen knit his brows, suddenly lifting his eyes to look at him coldly.

“Or are you simply just playing around?”

Ye Cheng’s face was entirely serious, his pupils completely filled by the young man’s reflection. He slightly tightened his hand resting on his waist, speaking slowly:

“Love knows no gender. Furthermore, I truly feel very happy when I’m together with you, especially when I’m teasing you. At a certain moment, I even wanted to keep living like this with you forever.”

This feeling was unprecedented—very strange, yet also very wonderful.

Tang Chen stared intently into his eyes, discerning whether there were any traces of lying within them, yet he couldn’t find a single one.

Inexplicably, he was somewhat dazed.

Under the other party’s seemingly affectionate gaze, Tang Chen finally realized—this guy was for real.

Doing a pursuit mission for the first time, it seemed he was close to approaching success.

Yet his mood was exceptionally complicated. No wonder people said this kind of mission was difficult; one truly could be influenced by it!

Tang Chen averted his gaze, his eyelashes fluttering restlessly.

Suddenly, as if feeling that his consistent hesitation and bewilderment were entirely laughable and unnecessary, he abruptly grabbed Ye Cheng’s collar, forcefully yanking the man down, and kissed him without a shred of hesitation!

Rather than calling it a kiss, it was more like a biting gnaw—like a little wolf pup stamping his own seal of ownership.

Caught off guard by the sudden assault, Ye Cheng froze, letting out a caught-off-guard cry of pain, but the sound vanished completely between their closely pressed lips—moist and scalding.

With zero-distance contact, the breathing of both individuals became thoroughly intertwined, swirling around as sparks seemingly erupted in the air.

Snapping out of his daze, Ye Cheng couldn’t help but feel a bit amused. He lifted his hand to cradle the back of Tang Chen’s neck, intending to deepen this long-overdue kiss.

However, the moment Tang Chen discovered his movement, he forcefully shoved him away with a sharp push.

Ye Cheng was a bit dazed:

“…What’s wrong?”

Tang Chen’s expression was not quite right. He secretly extended his tongue to lick his palate; it was indeed still highly uncomfortable. Why even bother kissing under these conditions?

Ye Cheng looked utterly bewildered, even appearing a bit aggrieved—everything was perfectly fine just a second ago, so why did he suddenly lose his temper again?

He reached out his hand wanting to embrace Tang Chen again, but was immediately avoided.

Tang Chen’s expression was cold and detached:

“I’m going upstairs first.”

He stood up and walked away crisply, without a single shred of lingering attachment.

Left entirely alone sitting on the sofa, Ye Cheng felt thoroughly desolated. He hurriedly caught hold of Tang Chen’s wrist, forcefully pulling him into his embrace.

Ye Cheng curled his lips into a gentle smile:

“I just remembered. Before you are completely recovered, we won’t be kissing.”

Tang Chen let out a slight grunt, curling his lip.