Jealousy and Memories

What “concern for employees”? This man was clearly looking down on him.

Lin Yan’s teeth itched with suppressed rage, his eyes darkening. The man before him cocked an eyebrow, a faint, mocking smile playing on his lips as he scrutinized Lin Yan with a piercing gaze.

Chu Nian, though unaware of the specific silent battle occurring between the two, could feel the heavy atmosphere. He stepped between them, creating some distance.

The moment Chu Nian drew near, Lu Jinnian obediently pulled his hand back, shifting his gaze and acting as if nothing had happened.

“Brother,” Lin Yan said, tugging at Chu Nian’s sleeve before looking up at Lu Jinnian. “President Lu, Brother Chu Nian and I have other business to attend to. We won’t disturb you further.”

With that, he gripped Chu Nian’s wrist, intending to pull him away.

Chu Nian blinked. He was led forward a few steps by Lin Yan, but in the next second, a surge of heat hit his other hand. A powerful tug from behind forced him to a halt.

Lin Yan spun around, his eyes locking onto Lu Jinnian’s hand gripping Chu Nian. His gaze turned icy as he spoke with sheer impatience: “Let go.”

Lu Jinnian tilted his head, tightening his grip on Chu Nian’s hand. Ignoring Lin Yan entirely, he looked down at Chu Nian: “Accompany me back to the office.”

“He’s already off the clock!” Lin Yan’s brow knitted tighter; his loathing for this man was reaching a peak. “Just because you’re the boss, does that mean you can make employees work overtime whenever you please?”

Lu Jinnian let out a sharp “Tsk” and rubbed his ear dismissively. Then, he lazily lifted his eyelids, his dark pupils devoid of emotion. He sneered, “I can certainly make him work whenever I want, because I am the boss.”

“I can also make it so you never set foot in that company again after tomorrow.” He narrowed his eyes like a cunning wolf. “Because… I. Am. The. Boss.”

The two tall men stood in a silent standoff as the last sliver of twilight was buried by the encroaching night. Chu Nian felt the wind pick up; despite it being summer, the breeze sent a chill down his spine.

Pulled back and forth like a coveted toy, Chu Nian finally hit his limit and violently shook them both off.

Lin Yan’s hand went empty. His pupils shrank in shock as he looked at Chu Nian blankly: “…Brother?”

Lu Jinnian, on the other hand, said nothing.

Chu Nian rubbed his aching arm and turned to Lin Yan with an apologetic look: “Lin Yan, you go ahead. I’ll go with President Lu back to the office.”

“But…” Lin Yan started to protest.

But before he could finish, almost the instant the words left Chu Nian’s mouth, Lu Jinnian grabbed him, pulled open the car door, and stuffed him inside. The door slammed shut, and the car sped away.

“Chu Nian!!”

Lin Yan stared at the disappearing taillights, the veins in his temples throbbing. He stood there, fists clenched tight.

************************************************

Lu Jinnian didn’t take Chu Nian to the office. Instead, he took a long, winding route back home.

He sat in the driver’s seat, staring straight ahead with an expressionless face. A man Chu Nian didn’t recognize was in the passenger seat, though he turned around to greet Chu Nian when he first got in.

He Xing, having witnessed the entire “asura field” drama from inside the car, saw his friend return with a face like thunder. He wisely kept his gossiping mouth shut, shrinking into his seat like a quiet quail.

Sitting in the back, Chu Nian was initially surprised that Lu Jinnian was driving himself. Then he met Lu Jinnian’s icy gaze in the rearview mirror; the man looked at him briefly before looking away as if he weren’t there, though the car’s speed continued to climb.

Confusion was soon replaced by irritation. Chu Nian didn’t understand why Lu Jinnian was being so inexplicably moody. He seemed to have grown increasingly petty lately, constantly giving Chu Nian the cold shoulder.

Chu Nian felt disgruntled and refused to speak. He turned his head away, intentionally avoiding Lu Jinnian’s gaze, though his heart felt heavy and bitter.

[Heh…]

[Are you going to give me the silent treatment for that man?]

After a long while, a resentful snort echoed in Chu Nian’s mind. He instinctively turned his head.

Lu Jinnian didn’t speak.

He Xing didn’t speak.

But the voice in his ear began to ramble incessantly.

[I really don’t see what’s so great about that guy. He’s not as handsome as me, not as tall, and definitely not as rich.]

[Is your taste really that bad?]

[Does being younger just replace everything? Wake up, Chu Nian!]

[Only I love you the most! Only I can give you the happiness you want!]

[I need to find someone to ask if I can change the age on my ID to be younger.]

Chu Nian: ?

What on earth is Lu Jinnian rambling about now?!

The hyperactive mental activity caught Chu Nian’s attention. He listened as Lu Jinnian shifted from cursing Lin Yan for being a “little green tea,” to complaining that Chu Nian’s heart had been hooked away by said tea, to finally pitying his own unrequited love.

Listening to it all, Chu Nian couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

Perhaps overhearing it, Lu Jinnian’s inner voice vanished instantly. Realizing something was wrong, Chu Nian quickly coughed to hide his embarrassment.

[…You actually have the nerve to laugh.]

[It seems you won’t know how angry I am until I show you some real consequences!]

Suddenly, Lu Jinnian slammed the horn twice. The deafening blast nearly made He Xing drop his phone in fright. Even a dog on the roadside was startled and began barking furiously at the car.

Lu Jinnian pulled over, rolled down the window, and shouted at the dog:

“What are you barking at?!”

Then he rolled the window back up and drove off with a flourish.

Watching this sequence of events, Chu Nian felt like Lu Jinnian deserved a highlight reel for “Most Bizarre Behavior.” He caught a glimpse of the corner of Lu Jinnian’s mouth twitching upward.

Is he better now?

Chu Nian shook his head helplessly. So childish.

*******************************

Arriving at the villa, Lu Jinnian brought the car to a smooth stop. He Xing, claiming he had things to do, had escaped halfway through the trip, leaving only Chu Nian and Lu Jinnian for the final stretch.

Lu Jinnian got out first. Just as Chu Nian went to open his door, Lu Jinnian snapped: “Don’t move!”

Chu Nian pulled his hand back, watching as Lu Jinnian walked around the back of the car, pulled the door open, and practically hauled him out.

He led Chu Nian inside without a word. His grip was so tight Chu Nian was sure his wrist would be bruised. He stumbled after Lu Jinnian, his gaze falling on the man’s brisk, steady stride.

There wasn’t a hint of a former fracture in that walk. Chu Nian frowned.

When did Lu Jinnian’s leg get better?

He wasn’t snapped out of his thoughts until he was pulled into a bedroom and heard the door lock. Leaning against the door, he saw Lu Jinnian turn around, blocking his path. Chu Nian blinked in confusion and whispered, “This… isn’t my room.”

“What is your relationship with him!” Lu Jinnian ignored the question, his hands gripping Chu Nian’s narrow shoulders, his eyes still burning with anger.

Chu Nian was stunned. So he’s still not over it.

Lu Jinnian ground his teeth, his breathing ragged from walking too fast. His hot breath brushed against Chu Nian’s bare skin, and his cheeks were even tinged with a faint flush.

“You mean Lin Yan?” Chu Nian said. “He and I… we just knew each other a long time ago. It’s nothing.”

Lu Jinnian let out a sharp laugh. “Really? You can’t tell he’s actually interested in you?”

Chu Nian licked his lower lip. He had noticed. Lin Yan’s flustered look earlier was obvious to anyone.

But…

“Does it have anything to do with you?” Chu Nian asked suddenly.

The look in Lu Jinnian’s eyes faltered. His breathing became even more erratic.

Chu Nian tilted his head up, his beautiful face devoid of any particular expression. “Lu Jinnian, are you jealous?”

Lu Jinnian instinctively moved to deny it.

Chu Nian didn’t give him the chance. He raised a finger and pressed it against Lu Jinnian’s lips: “Or… are you going to say again that I’m just ‘desperate to find a replacement’?”

The man before him trembled slightly. He turned his head away, dodging Chu Nian’s finger. “We have a contract.”

“Yes, but there are less than three weeks left,” Chu Nian said calmly. “Once the contract ends, we have no relationship whatsoever.”

Lu Jinnian’s face turned deathly pale in an instant.

His lips quivered, and his grip on Chu Nian’s shoulders tightened painfully. The next words were practically hissed through his teeth: “If you betray me before then, you won’t see a single cent.”

Facing the threat, Chu Nian merely raised an eyebrow unbothered. He knew Lu Jinnian; even if he actually ran away during the contract, Lu Jinnian wouldn’t be able to do anything about it—he’d probably even send the money anyway.

Lu Jinnian’s heart wasn’t hard to read. In fact, it was surprisingly simple.

But…

Lu Jinnian raised his head, his ink-dark pupils fixed on Chu Nian. The rims of his eyes were faintly red, his brow slightly furrowed, and several faint teeth marks were visible on his lip.

Being stared at so intensely, Chu Nian felt a bit self-conscious.

What kind of look was that?

Lonely. Pitiful. Begging.

Like a puppy terrified of being abandoned. Terrified that Chu Nian would leave.

Chu Nian took a breath. He hadn’t expected Lu Jinnian to ever look at him like that. The desire to end the contract as quickly as possible, which had been lingering in his mind, vanished instantly. He actually felt a pang of pity.

“Lu Jinnian,” Chu Nian spoke, breaking the uncomfortable silence. “Does your leg not hurt anymore?”

Lu Jinnian froze. His hands slipped from Chu Nian’s shoulders. In the next second, the rims of his eyes turned even redder, his mouth turned down in a piteous, aggrieved pout: “…It hurts.”

He wasn’t lying. His leg really did hurt.

In his momentary fit of rage, even Lu Jinnian hadn’t expected to lose control of his emotions so completely. His imposing posture collapsed the moment Chu Nian spoke. His dulled pain receptors suddenly became hypersensitive, and a piercing ache flooded his entire body.

The man before him always seemed to easily dismantle his defenses, leaving him utterly defeated.

It was like this now. And it was like this seven years ago.

Looking at Chu Nian, Lu Jinnian felt as if he had been transported back to a sweltering afternoon seven years ago—the sound of cicadas was endless, yet a gentle breeze had brushed past his ears.

He remembered a math exam paper covered in black and white text, the margins filled with solutions. The moment he set his pen down, a clear, gentle voice had come from behind him.

“You’re really amazing.”

“I can’t believe you solved this problem.”

Lu Jinnian’s pen had slipped, the tail of the last digit dragging across the page.

He had turned around to see a youth who had appeared behind him at some unknown moment. The boy’s head was lowered, his normally straight back slightly curved. Sunlight lingered on his curled eyelashes. He wasn’t looking at Lu Jinnian, but rather past his shoulder at the math problem on the desk.

Lu Jinnian’s heart had pounded wildly. Behind his black hair, his eyes had widened as he stared unblinkingly at the beautiful profile of the person beside him.

That was the first time in his eighteen years of life that anyone had ever called him amazing.