Xia Wennan pursed his lips; the softness of Ming Luchuan’s touch felt as if it had yet to fade, and it took quite some time for him to snap out of his daze.
In the dim light, Xia Wennan’s entire face was beet-red. He reached out and seized Ming Luchuan’s lapels. “What the hell?!” He appeared angry, but in reality, his fury was a miniscule thing, and the reason why he put up an angry front was because he felt that the kiss tasted unexpectedly nice—he even faintly hoped that Ming Luchuan would continue.
This was too humiliating. He was completely useless, and Xia Wennan had no choice but to mask that fact with anger.
Ming Luchuan lowered his head and looked down at his hand. “Didn’t you ask me how I kissed you before?”
“Use your words! Not your—” Xia Wennan abruptly cut himself off halfway through, realising that his words had come out wrong.
“Not my?” Ming Luchuan inquired.
Xia Wennan’s mind was a jumbled mess. He knew he could never gain the upper-hand in a back-and-forth with Ming Luchuan, so he let go of the man’s hand and said, “Get out please, I want to sleep.”
Ming Luchuan got to his feet.
Xia Wennan couldn’t keep his eyes from following Ming Luchuan, gaze roving over his long, straight legs, all the way to his prominent Adam’s apple. Ming Luchuan was still dressed in his suit pants and button-up shirt. His tie had been removed, but his shirt remained tucked into the waistband of his pants, his perfect, broad shoulders tapering into a slender waist. Xia Wennan had known from the start that Ming Luchuan’s appearance was superior to other alphas, however, without realising it, he’d gradually begun to become aware of Ming Luchuan’s attractiveness as a male alpha. It was a subtle thing, because he’d only ever been attracted to female betas and omegas before.
And thus, Xia Wennan recalled the earlier kiss, along with what Chen Wenchu had said at lunch.
Did he still need to ask his remaining questions? Hadn’t Ming Luchuan told him long ago? If, by chance, he did ask Ming Luchuan: What else have we done? And Ming Luchuan proceeded to strip naked to give him a first-hand play-by-play… What should he do then?
Xia Wennan felt ashamed just thinking about it. He shooed Ming Luchuan away again, saying, “Hurry along.”
“Can’t stand seeing me that much?” Ming Luchuan asked him.
“I really can’t,” said Xia Wennan.
After a brief silence, Ming Luchuan turned on his feet and exited Xia Wennan’s room, closing the door on his way out.
Xia Wennan laid there facing the ceiling and let out a distressed groan. He wasn’t sure if he was hallucinating, but after Ming Luchuan kissed him, the pheromone scent on his body seemed to intensify. He lay there for a while until he couldn’t take the scent any longer, crawling out of bed and going to the bathroom to take a shower, attempting to cover up the pheromone scent with body wash.
Even so, Xia Wennan’s pheromone scent didn’t completely fade until a few days later. The wound on his nape, on the other hand, was slower to heal.
During this period of time, Xia Wennan tried to appear as natural as possible in front of Ming Luchuan, but that kiss had caused a subtle shift in their relationship. For example, Xia Wennan would subconsciously pay more attention to Ming Luchuan; he’d notice when Ming Luchuan didn’t come to the cafeteria for lunch, and at today’s company quarterly meeting, Xia Wennan’s gaze never strayed from Ming Luchuan as he absent-mindedly listened to the reports.
When the meeting concluded, Ming Luchuan told Xia Wennan to stay behind.
Xia Wennan looked up at him, hearing quiet tittering from those on their way out around him.
“What is it?” Xia Wennan spoke once they were the only ones left in the room.
Ming Luchuan leaned back, reclining on his chair, slowly twirling the pen in his hand as he gazed at Xia Wennan. “You were staring at me.”
“It was a meeting. Who else am I supposed to be looking at if not you?”
“How come you didn’t look at me during the last meeting?”
“Can’t I genuinely pay attention this time?”
A brief silence descended upon Ming Luchuan. “Xia Wennan, did you remember something?”
Xia Wennan froze up at the question before shaking his head. “No.”
“Has therapy not been effective at all?”
Every week, Xia Wennan insisted on going to the hospital for a re-examination and therapy session, but he had yet to make any progress in recovering his memories. If it weren’t for Lin Shuqiu’s constant encouragement, he probably would have lost all hope by now.
As it happens, the doctor had encouraged him to interact with the people and the environment around him, as there was a possibility that a certain moment could trigger his memories. His current environment was the same as it had been prior to his amnesia, and as for people… he looked at Ming Luchuan and had no choice but to admit that, despite living and working with him, the amount of time they spent together was far from enough.
“What did we used to do together?” Xia Wennan asked Ming Luchuan. He’d tried so hard to regain his memories already, but he’d never thought to ask these questions. “Is there some place we used to visit together before?”
Ming Luchuan didn’t immediately respond and merely looked at him in silence for a moment before saying, “The lab.”
“What?”
“The place we spent time together.”
“The lab downstairs?”
“No, this is Ming Yan’s new building. I’m talking about the old lab we used to rent.”
The answer stunned Xia Wennan. “Could we go back there and have a look?”
“It should be doable. When I have time, I’ll take you there next week.”
Xia Wennan gave a nod. “Is there anything else?”
“You mean anything else we did?”
“Yeah.” Xia Wennan propped his face on one hand while his other hand lay on the table, knuckles rapping the wooden tabletop. “It might help me get my memories back.”
Ming Luchuan looked at him for a moment, then said, “Come here.”
“What for?” Xia Wennan immediately raised his guard, straightening his back as he returned Ming Luchuan’s gaze.
“Come here,” Ming Luchuan repeated.
Xia Wennan was freaking out, his mind a mess. “Not going.”
Ming Luchuan then stood up, straightened out the hem of his suit, and slowly made his way towards Xia Wennan.
Xia Wennan reflexively leaned back in his chair, the chair beneath him shifting back with the movement. On the surface, he showed no signs of cowardice, but his inward panic was undisguisable.
Ming Luchuan didn’t stop for one second and continued advancing.
Xia Wennan wheeled his chair backwards, retreating until his path was cut off by his back hitting the wall. When he came to halt, he pointed a finger at Ming Luchuan and said, “Don’t mess around, there are CCTVs in here.”
Ming Luchuan suddenly sneered. “Who told you there were CCTVs in the meeting room?”
Xia Wennan paused, looked up to locate them, and found that there were indeed two CCTVs on the corners of the ceiling.
Ming Luchuan saw his movements and said, “The CCTV is never on.”
“Don’t play tricks on me,” said Xia Wennan.
“Then, would you like to try?” After Ming Luchuan spoke, he stood in front of Xia Wennan and directly picked him up from his chair, turned around, and set Xia Wennan down on the table.
Xia Wennan felt both nervous and guilty at the same time; nervous because he was genuinely a little worried of what Ming Luchuan would do next, and guilty because resisting was obviously an available option, yet he’d allowed Ming Luchuan to do as he pleased, which made his worries seem like a sham. He could only fix his gaze at Ming Luchuan, asking, “What does that mean?”
“Didn’t you ask me what we did before?” said Ming Luchuan.
Though Xia Wennan grasped his underlying meaning, he still found it slightly hard to believe. “Right here?”
Ming Luchuan didn’t speak and merely stared at him.
Xia Wennan’s thoughts were in disarray. His head was bowed, his eyes fixed at the ground while his heart throbbed madly. “What—what are you doing?”
Ming Luchuan lifted his chin and slowly, slowly moved his lips closer.
While Xia Wennan was debating whether to close his eyes, the door of the meeting room suddenly flew open. Ming Luchuan’s female assistant, an omega who’d always been a little rash and tactless, stood at the doorway, stupefied. “President Ming?”
Xia Wennan’s face burst into a crimson flush. His body reacted faster than his mind, and before he knew it he was lifting a leg and kicking Ming Luchuan in the chest, who took two steps back from the assault. Afterwards, he hopped off the meeting room table and ran out without a look back.
Xia Wennan pursed his lips; the softness of Ming Luchuan’s touch felt as if it had yet to fade, and it took quite some time for him to snap out of his daze.
In the dim light, Xia Wennan’s entire face was beet-red. He reached out and seized Ming Luchuan’s lapels. “What the hell?!” He appeared angry, but in reality, his fury was a miniscule thing, and the reason why he put up an angry front was because he felt that the kiss tasted unexpectedly nice—he even faintly hoped that Ming Luchuan would continue.
This was too humiliating. He was completely useless, and Xia Wennan had no choice but to mask that fact with anger.
Ming Luchuan lowered his head and looked down at his hand. “Didn’t you ask me how I kissed you before?”
“Use your words! Not your—” Xia Wennan abruptly cut himself off halfway through, realising that his words had come out wrong.
“Not my?” Ming Luchuan inquired.
Xia Wennan’s mind was a jumbled mess. He knew he could never gain the upper-hand in a back-and-forth with Ming Luchuan, so he let go of the man’s hand and said, “Get out please, I want to sleep.”
Ming Luchuan got to his feet.
Xia Wennan couldn’t keep his eyes from following Ming Luchuan, gaze roving over his long, straight legs, all the way to his prominent Adam’s apple. Ming Luchuan was still dressed in his suit pants and button-up shirt. His tie had been removed, but his shirt remained tucked into the waistband of his pants, his perfect, broad shoulders tapering into a slender waist. Xia Wennan had known from the start that Ming Luchuan’s appearance was superior to other alphas, however, without realising it, he’d gradually begun to become aware of Ming Luchuan’s attractiveness as a male alpha. It was a subtle thing, because he’d only ever been attracted to female betas and omegas before.
And thus, Xia Wennan recalled the earlier kiss, along with what Chen Wenchu had said at lunch.
Did he still need to ask his remaining questions? Hadn’t Ming Luchuan told him long ago? If, by chance, he did ask Ming Luchuan: What else have we done? And Ming Luchuan proceeded to strip naked to give him a first-hand play-by-play… What should he do then?
Xia Wennan felt ashamed just thinking about it. He shooed Ming Luchuan away again, saying, “Hurry along.”
“Can’t stand seeing me that much?” Ming Luchuan asked him.
“I really can’t,” said Xia Wennan.
After a brief silence, Ming Luchuan turned on his feet and exited Xia Wennan’s room, closing the door on his way out.
Xia Wennan laid there facing the ceiling and let out a distressed groan. He wasn’t sure if he was hallucinating, but after Ming Luchuan kissed him, the pheromone scent on his body seemed to intensify. He lay there for a while until he couldn’t take the scent any longer, crawling out of bed and going to the bathroom to take a shower, attempting to cover up the pheromone scent with body wash.
Even so, Xia Wennan’s pheromone scent didn’t completely fade until a few days later. The wound on his nape, on the other hand, was slower to heal.
During this period of time, Xia Wennan tried to appear as natural as possible in front of Ming Luchuan, but that kiss had caused a subtle shift in their relationship. For example, Xia Wennan would subconsciously pay more attention to Ming Luchuan; he’d notice when Ming Luchuan didn’t come to the cafeteria for lunch, and at today’s company quarterly meeting, Xia Wennan’s gaze never strayed from Ming Luchuan as he absent-mindedly listened to the reports.
When the meeting concluded, Ming Luchuan told Xia Wennan to stay behind.
Xia Wennan looked up at him, hearing quiet tittering from those on their way out around him.
“What is it?” Xia Wennan spoke once they were the only ones left in the room.
Ming Luchuan leaned back, reclining on his chair, slowly twirling the pen in his hand as he gazed at Xia Wennan. “You were staring at me.”
“It was a meeting. Who else am I supposed to be looking at if not you?”
“How come you didn’t look at me during the last meeting?”
“Can’t I genuinely pay attention this time?”
A brief silence descended upon Ming Luchuan. “Xia Wennan, did you remember something?”
Xia Wennan froze up at the question before shaking his head. “No.”
“Has therapy not been effective at all?”
Every week, Xia Wennan insisted on going to the hospital for a re-examination and therapy session, but he had yet to make any progress in recovering his memories. If it weren’t for Lin Shuqiu’s constant encouragement, he probably would have lost all hope by now.
As it happens, the doctor had encouraged him to interact with the people and the environment around him, as there was a possibility that a certain moment could trigger his memories. His current environment was the same as it had been prior to his amnesia, and as for people… he looked at Ming Luchuan and had no choice but to admit that, despite living and working with him, the amount of time they spent together was far from enough.
“What did we used to do together?” Xia Wennan asked Ming Luchuan. He’d tried so hard to regain his memories already, but he’d never thought to ask these questions. “Is there some place we used to visit together before?”
Ming Luchuan didn’t immediately respond and merely looked at him in silence for a moment before saying, “The lab.”
“What?”
“The place we spent time together.”
“The lab downstairs?”
“No, this is Ming Yan’s new building. I’m talking about the old lab we used to rent.”
The answer stunned Xia Wennan. “Could we go back there and have a look?”
“It should be doable. When I have time, I’ll take you there next week.”
Xia Wennan gave a nod. “Is there anything else?”
“You mean anything else we did?”
“Yeah.” Xia Wennan propped his face on one hand while his other hand lay on the table, knuckles rapping the wooden tabletop. “It might help me get my memories back.”
Ming Luchuan looked at him for a moment, then said, “Come here.”
“What for?” Xia Wennan immediately raised his guard, straightening his back as he returned Ming Luchuan’s gaze.
“Come here,” Ming Luchuan repeated.
Xia Wennan was freaking out, his mind a mess. “Not going.”
Ming Luchuan then stood up, straightened out the hem of his suit, and slowly made his way towards Xia Wennan.
Xia Wennan reflexively leaned back in his chair, the chair beneath him shifting back with the movement. On the surface, he showed no signs of cowardice, but his inward panic was undisguisable.
Ming Luchuan didn’t stop for one second and continued advancing.
Xia Wennan wheeled his chair backwards, retreating until his path was cut off by his back hitting the wall. When he came to halt, he pointed a finger at Ming Luchuan and said, “Don’t mess around, there are CCTVs in here.”
Ming Luchuan suddenly sneered. “Who told you there were CCTVs in the meeting room?”
Xia Wennan paused, looked up to locate them, and found that there were indeed two CCTVs on the corners of the ceiling.
Ming Luchuan saw his movements and said, “The CCTV is never on.”
“Don’t play tricks on me,” said Xia Wennan.
“Then, would you like to try?” After Ming Luchuan spoke, he stood in front of Xia Wennan and directly picked him up from his chair, turned around, and set Xia Wennan down on the table.
Xia Wennan felt both nervous and guilty at the same time; nervous because he was genuinely a little worried of what Ming Luchuan would do next, and guilty because resisting was obviously an available option, yet he’d allowed Ming Luchuan to do as he pleased, which made his worries seem like a sham. He could only fix his gaze at Ming Luchuan, asking, “What does that mean?”
“Didn’t you ask me what we did before?” said Ming Luchuan.
Though Xia Wennan grasped his underlying meaning, he still found it slightly hard to believe. “Right here?”
Ming Luchuan didn’t speak and merely stared at him.
Xia Wennan’s thoughts were in disarray. His head was bowed, his eyes fixed at the ground while his heart throbbed madly. “What—what are you doing?”
Ming Luchuan lifted his chin and slowly, slowly moved his lips closer.
While Xia Wennan was debating whether to close his eyes, the door of the meeting room suddenly flew open. Ming Luchuan’s female assistant, an omega who’d always been a little rash and tactless, stood at the doorway, stupefied. “President Ming?”
Xia Wennan’s face burst into a crimson flush. His body reacted faster than his mind, and before he knew it he was lifting a leg and kicking Ming Luchuan in the chest, who took two steps back from the assault. Afterwards, he hopped off the meeting room table and ran out without a look back.
