It must be admitted that this statement was quite impactful and softened Chu Cheng's heart.
Thinking about going too far with this barely twenty-year-old kid, Chu Cheng loosened his tie and looked at Lao Chen, "Let's go home."
"Okay, Chief Chu," Lao Chen exclaimed internally, "for the second time! This young man really has some skill!"
Sulan Qiao's brain was buzzing like it was soaked in alcohol, but his sense of hearing became more sensitive. Hearing those words, he felt relieved and finally closed his eyes in reassurance.
He had seen through the game halfway through tonight. Chu Cheng deliberately made him drink, probably to retaliate for his previous provocations.
So, he took the opportunity and bet on the last half bottle. Half was to avoid ruining the cooperation with the Chu Group, and the other half was to be ruthless to himself, getting himself drunk to avoid going home.
He had indeed used some tactics, confident that Chu Cheng would not leave him behind.
In the end, he still won.
This person was inherently gentle and gentlemanly.
The hotel was a bit far from Chu Cheng's home, and the slight jolting of the car made Sulan Qiao uncomfortable, stirring up his stomach.
As the car passed over a speed bump, the sudden jolt caused the stomach acid to surge up his throat. He hurriedly sat up, holding onto the front seat's backrest, trying to calm himself.
Chu Cheng, who had been resting with his eyes closed, immediately opened his eyes and grabbed his arm, preparing to roll down the window. "If you dare to vomit in my car, you're dead—"
Before he could finish the sentence, Sulan Qiao suddenly pushed Chu Cheng aside, interrupting the warning, and bent over and vomited on the floor.
He reacted quickly, swiftly raising his legs, but unfortunately, the scattered floor mat underneath him became dirty.
This kid always seemed to test his limits at any moment, leaving Chu Cheng exasperated.
The traffic light happened to be red, and Lao Chen stepped on the brake and looked back, his voice shaking, “Chu, Chu Chief, um, um, don't argue with a drunk person. After I take you home, I'll go wash the car."
Chu Cheng wiped his face, his tone icy, "Don't let me see this car for half a month."
"O-okay, I'll switch to the white one tomorrow." The red light turned green, and Lao Chen opened all the windows to maximum, swiftly starting the car, fearing that Chu Cheng would just open the door and leave.
This little model had quite the nerve.
Sulan Qiao, who had just vomited, frowned pitifully and looked at Chu Cheng with his legs outstretched, "Do you have some water? I want to rinse my mouth."
So many things to deal with.
Chu Cheng pursed his lips and threw a bottle of water from a nearby box to him, finding himself increasingly upset.
The wind howled in through the wide-open windows, dissipating the smell somewhat.
After rinsing his mouth, Sulan Qiao couldn't put his foot down in that part of the floor. He silently moved closer to Chu Cheng, and in one sway of the car, nestled up against Chu Cheng, “Chief Chu, please don't be angry."
"Feeling sober?" Chu Cheng looked down at the person leaning on his shoulder, a meek expression without blinking, as if he were the one at fault.
This kid just loved to play innocent, and the key was that it actually worked.
Sulan Qiao shook his head slightly, his lips rosy, "Not completely sober, still dizzy."
Chu Cheng cautioned, "If you vomit on me again, you know the consequences."
"I won't, I know my limits," Sulan Qiao moved his head to his neck, adopting a more comfortable posture, his voice softening, "Thank you for taking me in tonight, Chief Chu."
The tugging on his neck irritated Chu Cheng, who directly loosened the scrunchie and sneered, "Knowing your limits, that's something."
Sulan Qiao ignored Chu Cheng's cold tone, rubbing against his neck. His consciousness gradually blurred as he did so.
In the end, Chu Cheng still did not push him away; he had manners and did not want to deal with a drunk person.
"Mr. Chu, we've arrived," Old Chen lowered his voice, got out of the car, opened the door, and touched the soundly sleeping person. "Do you need my help?"
Chu Cheng glanced over and saw the young model sleeping peacefully. "Hmm, carry him upstairs."
Old Chen bent down, his old bones crackling. Just dragging Su Lanqiao off the seat had exhausted all his strength. He awkwardly smiled, "Mr. Chu, I, I can't carry him..."
Su Lanqiao, pretending to be asleep, was about to laugh. He had woken up from the commotion just now but had kept his eyes closed, feeling drained of energy and having a bit of a cramp in his stomach.
Chu Cheng reluctantly took off his coat and threw it to Old Chen, then bent down and easily lifted Su Lanqiao horizontally. He slightly raised his chin and instructed, "Go and open the door."
Old Chen had been following Chu Cheng for nearly four years, and it was the first time he had seen him take care of someone like this. He was so shocked that he wanted to share it with someone.
He collected his widened eyes and quickly went to open the villa door after entering the password.
Su Lanqiao didn't dare to breathe as they walked, afraid of alerting Chu Cheng. His face was close to the black suit buttoned up on Chu Cheng, and it felt cold to the touch. The strong hand around his waist brought him a sense of security.
Chu Cheng carried him directly to the second floor and placed him on the bed in the guest room.
At that moment, some memories naturally came back, inevitable at the same place with the same person. But the same mistake would not be repeated again. He pulled a blanket from the closet and covered Su Lanqiao with it, then closed the door and left.
In the darkness, Su Lanqiao slowly opened his eyes. His stomach still felt uncomfortable, but his mind was clear. The game of being a spokesperson was just a passing impulse, and his tricks were nothing but petty skills in front of Chu Cheng. Every day spent with Chu Cheng was one day less. He had a clear understanding of this.
A strong voice was tempting him, urging him to go upstairs and take a look. So he did.
The third floor was quiet and dark, with no light at all. He slowly turned the doorknob, and the room was dim as well.
Su Lanqiao gathered his courage and walked to the side of the bed, bending down to look at the person on the bed, whose relaxed brows were still tightly knit even in sleep.
He leaned in slowly, his lips almost touching the man's forehead, when suddenly the sharp eyes opened, carrying a hint of playfulness. "What are you looking at?"
"Seeing if you're asleep or not," Su Lanqiao replied unsteadily, taken off guard by the sudden opening of the eyes.
In the darkness, he couldn't see Cheng's expression clearly, but his voice was low as he patted the bed, "Want to come up?"
The voice was too tempting, like a hook that pierced straight into his heart.
"Can I?" Su Lanqiao's cat-like eyes sparkled with excitement.
His bare feet were warm and moist on the carpet.
"No, sleep downstairs by yourself," Chu Cheng switched to a lying position, slowly closing his eyes, his voice becoming indifferent. "Remember to close the door when you leave."
Su Lanqiao pursed his lips. If he didn’t want to sleep, he wouldn’t. He didn't care!
—
Early the next morning, Su Lanqiao was awakened by thirst. He opened his eyes, took a moment to adjust, and then remembered that he was at Chu Cheng's house.
His phone was vibrating frantically. He rubbed his forehead, groped around for a while in his coat, and finally found his phone to answer it.
Yue Xi's voice came through, "Bro, there's huge news at the morning, get up."
"What's up?" Su Lanqiao's voice was hoarse from last night's drinking.
Yue Xi cleared his throat and said, "There are two things, one good and one bad. Which one do you want to hear first?"
Su Lanqiao rubbed his forehead, "Don't keep me in suspense, tell me the good news first."
"The good news is that your endorsement was officially announced on Weibo, and Star Media quickly contacted me, saying they wanted to sign both of us together," Yue Xi's voice was filled with excitement. "Think about it, if you want to continue modeling, this is a good choice."
Su Lanqiao gave an affirmative hum, "And the bad news?"
There was a moment of silence on the phone, then it buzzed, and Yue Xi sent a bunch of photos. "The bad news is, after last night's party, you were photographed getting into the car with Mr. Chu. It's unclear who did it, but it was leaked to the media. The media also wants a hefty sum for silence, it's a headache."
Yue Xi chuckled awkwardly, "I know you wouldn't do this kind of thing, but what happened last night? How is Mr. Chu planning to handle this?"
The questions bombarded his ears like a machine gun, making Su Lanqiao's head buzz.
Yue Xi wasn't wrong. He had indeed done such a thing. Although the intention was not for the endorsement, once it happened, it became a handle. It was inexplicable and irreconcilable, no matter how he tried to explain it.
He clicked on the link, and several crooked photos jumped out from the screen, capturing their departure from the hotel and getting into the car, all the way to the door of the house. It was like a series of consecutive drama shots.
Su Lanqiao quickly flipped to the last one, which showed Chu Cheng holding him horizontally. The angle of the photo made their actions look intimate and affectionate.
No matter who was in the photo, they would be seen as acting, but how would Chu Cheng react?
There was a knock on the door. Chu Cheng was standing idly at the door, his voice devoid of warmth, "Su Lanqiao, care to explain the photos?"