Xu Zhuo's head exploded.
His body acted before his mind, he suddenly embraced the person in front of him, wishing to meld him into his own flesh and blood.
"You-" Du Ziyu exclaimed.
"Don't move!" Xu Zhuo said sharply, then softened his tone, coaxing and imploring, "Be good, let me hold you, just for a while."
His body was burning, he deeply understood what "blood boiling" meant for the first time, truly afraid that he couldn't control his animalistic instincts and would tear the person in front of him to pieces.
No, he couldn't scare him.
Xu Zhuo warned himself, what he wanted was long-lasting, scaring him off in a moment of impulse would make him regret it later!
Du Ziyu's head lightly rested on his shoulder, muttering with dissatisfaction, "You still haven't answered me."
Xu Zhuo lowered his head and pushed him gently, his voice hoarse, "Isn't this answer sufficient?"
The person in his arms shrank slightly, as if wanting to escape, but in the end, he held back and didn't move, his breathing slightly quickened, like a cat being held by the neck, becoming docile and quiet.
He didn't expect the Buddhist chant he often recited in college would come in handy today.
Xu Zhuo silently chanted two rounds in his mind, finally suppressing the restlessness in his body, released his arms, but the other didn't get up.
"Ziyu?" Xu Zhuo called.
"Mm..." Du Ziyu made a low, muffled sound, lifting his head from his shoulder in a daze.
Xu Zhuo looked at his drooping eyelids and asked softly, "Are you tired?"
Du Ziyu nodded.
Xu Zhuo led him to sit in front of the desk and said, "Do you often work overtime? Last time, you didn't leave until midnight. The employees don't work as hard as you do."
Du Ziyou sat in a chair, although he was tired and yawning, his posture was still upright, like a primary school student sitting attentively in a classroom.
"The recent days have been busy with the acquisition," he said, "so busier than usual."
Xu Zhuo stood behind the chair, massaging his shoulders through the thin white shirt. Instead of having other thoughts, he expressed concern, "Now that the contracts are all signed, you should relax. Look, starting now, you don’t need to sit so straight, lean against the back of the chair."
Under his guidance, Du Ziyou moved awkwardly like a robot, and whispered, "It feels strange."
Hearing this, Xu Zhuo felt uncomfortable. He was strict with himself and never relaxed, not even at home.
"You can get used to it," Xu Zhuo said, leaning closer to his head, "my massage technique is professional. I'll come to your house every day and help you relax, and you'll get used to it in a few days."
Du Ziyou "hmphed" with confidence, and glanced at him with shy eyes, “Who are you? Why do you want to come to my place every day?"
Xu Zhuo was charmed by the gaze and still loved his lively appearance.
Exaggerating, Xu Zhuo said, "Oh, I haven't introduced myself properly, have I?" He extended his right hand, "Mr. Du, hello, my surname is Xu and my given name is Zhuo. I'm your subordinate's subordinate, but currently, the most important identity is your admirer."
Du Ziyou, who was eloquent just now, blushed and averted his eyes, refusing to look at the clearly defined hand in front of him.
Xu Zhuo continued, "I am 24 years old, a local single, with an outgoing personality, consider myself responsible, and I like swimming, traveling, and Du Ziyou. I have done household chores since I was young, not good at cooking but willing to learn, and can adapt to any room temperature. So please, guide me in the future."
He moved his extended hand.
Du Ziyou could not hold back his smile and suddenly raised his hand and pat it with the back of his hand, all while mumbling a few words.
"What?" Xu Zhuo couldn't hear clearly and bent down to listen.
His head felt hot, so he raised his voice, "I said, you don't need to learn to cook, we have a housekeeper!"
Both corners of Xu Zhuo's mouth were about to reach his temples, while Du Ziyou fled as if escaping, stood up, and continued, "The dinner should be ready, let's go down."
Without waiting for the person behind, he walked hastily, almost as if fleeing for his life.
When they reached the spacious living room, Du Ziyou had subdued his smile and was sitting formally at the long table while the maid served him soup.
Xu Zhuo sat next to him and told the maid, "I can do it, you sit down and eat first."
The maid smiled and shook her head, saying, "That's not proper. Please eat, I'll go down first."
They had such rules? Xu Zhuo also had a maid at home, but they always ate together at the same table, and it was not as formal as this.
But it wasn't his home after all, and it wouldn't be polite to act too casually, so he didn't say more.
Du Ziyou ate in a very cultured manner, the bowls and chopsticks didn't make any noise, he didn't search for dishes with his chopsticks, chewed carefully, and spoke only after swallowing the food in his mouth.
"Party?" he blinked in confusion, "But I was already planning to attend, why do you also need to invite me?"
Xu Zhuo smiled, "The implication is quite different. If you go alone, it's in the capacity of the boss, but if you go at my invitation, it's as a family member."
Though it was teasing, he said it in all seriousness.
Embarrassed and annoyed, Du Ziyou glared at him while holding the bowl, "Who said you are my family member?" Pausing, he shifted his gaze away, "You are always sweet-talking, I don't know which words are true and which are false."
But you love listening to them.
Xu Zhuo could only think this in his mind, pondering his recent behavior, which seemed little different from the playboy on TV, no wonder his crush had doubts.
He gazed at him and said seriously, "Words may not reflect true feelings, but genuine feelings can be expressed through words, and then proved through actions. So in the future, let's have more contact and give me the opportunity to prove myself."
Du Ziyou suddenly caught onto his logic, circling back, "Should I be happy to have such a eloquent employee like you?"
"Thank you for the compliment, boss. I will work hard and strive for a promotion and raise, so that I can become a higher-up who can directly interact with you, boss," Xu Zhuo replied.
Du Ziyou couldn't hide the smile on his face, he really loved to hear sweet words.
After thinking for a moment, he asked with a hesitant expression, "Are you... doing well at Bingyou?"
Xu Zhuo was somewhat surprised, as it was the first time they discussed work matters.
Nodding, he said, "It was busy during the first few weeks due to the Qixi Festival, and it also forced me to adapt quickly to the new environment, turning misfortune into a blessing. We have fewer projects and they are not difficult in the past two weeks."
He briefly mentioned the progress of the current project, and Du Ziyou paused when he heard Lin Gaohan's name, "You ended up choosing him in the end?"
Xu Zhuo nodded and asked, "Does he have any issues?"
Du Ziyou replied, "Not really. He used to be part of our circle," as he mentioned the "circle," a faint shadow passed over his face, "but then something happened at home, and I heard he entered the entertainment industry. Never expected him to do so well now."
Xu Zhuo sighed, "It's said that small fire relies on adding wood, and great fire relies on fate. Maybe he was born for this industry."
Du Ziyou remained silent.
Xu Zhuo noticed that when discussing work matters, Du Ziyou exuded a confident aura, which was rarely seen when they were alone. He recalled their few interactions and realized that Du Ziyou had shown him vulnerability, helplessness, and stubbornness; they struck a chord with him, as if they were tailor-made for him, no wonder he had unknowingly fallen in love.
But he also liked him the way he was now, in control and full of vitality.
Could this be what love is to a lover's eyes?
Xu Zhuo couldn't help but laugh. He felt beyond help, as if he was drowning in love.
After dinner, Xu Zhuo had no reason to stay, so he bid farewell after getting Du Ziyou's contact information, and the maid prepared some snacks for him to take home.
Holding the small box, he asked Du Ziyou who was seeing him off, "Do you still like the green bean cake from last time? I'll go get some more."
Du Ziyou glanced at the maid next to him and answered expressionlessly, "It's okay."
Xu Zhuo was a little disappointed, thinking that he likes sweet things.
"Oh, it seems like the stove isn't turned off yet," Aunt Wei ran back to the kitchen.
Du Ziyu watched her leave, looked at Xu Zhuo, and whispered, "I like that mung bean cake, and I want more."
Xu Zhuo smiled and said, "Okay," he took a half step closer, lowered his voice, as if exchanging secret information, "It's only good when it's fresh, I'll send it to you once a week from now on."
Du Ziyu blushed and nodded.
"Oh, by the way," Xu Zhuo suddenly remembered something, "the suit I exchanged at your old house last time, did you bring it back?"
"Uh, uh?" Du Ziyu's eyes dodged, "I think I forgot, maybe not."
Xu Zhuo sighed and said, "Forget it, mainly because of my father, he keeps nagging in my ear every day, asking me to tell him where I was that day."
"He insisted that I did something unspeakable, got the suit torn, and dared not show it to him. I really can't clear my name even if I jumped into the Yellow River."
He said pitifully, Du Ziyu opened his mouth, and finally said, "I remember, maybe I brought it back, I'll go get it for you." blushing, he turned and left.
Xu Zhuo watched him go up the stairs, half squinting.
He seemed to have discovered some incredible truth.