The Domineering CEO's Vain Trophy Husband 11

Lin Zhi settled into the passenger seat and thanked the man behind the wheel.

"Don't mention it. Hu Tong asked me to come pick up our esteemed guest — I couldn't very well let you get soaked in the rain." The man said with a teasing smile as he folded the umbrella away.

"He's always joking around. I'm Lin Zhi. Nice to meet you."

"Ji Shuangcheng."

On the way to their destination, Lin Zhi and Ji Shuangcheng exchanged light conversation.

Ji Shuangcheng wasn't a local — his family had emigrated– and three generations back they had been Shanxi merchants. He'd always felt drawn to the mainland, had come back to live for a stretch at one point, and now was here to explore business partnerships.

He had studied art history and had become friends with Hu Tong through that.

When they arrived, Hu Tong was already standing at the entrance with an umbrella, waiting for them.

Lin Zhi got out first while Ji Shuangcheng went to parked.

Hu Tong jutted his chin: "How'd it go? He's the new friend I wanted to introduce you to — someone my brother's connections brought over. I've been asked to show him around for a few days. You like doing business, so you two should have plenty to talk about."

One had to admit that Hu Tong was a loyal friend. The business world was both large and small — sometimes brokering a meeting took ten roundabout turns, and personal connections were everything. Whether Lin Zhi would ever find it useful, he wasn't sure, but the fact that Hu Tong had made the introduction showed he cared.

"He seems decent enough. But don't expect me to talk business here — too gauche." Lin Zhi said lightly.

Hu Tong burst out laughing: "I never said you couldn't."

Once Ji Shuangcheng joined them, the three went inside together.

The showroom was full of artists, and naturally the conversation revolved around art. Lin Zhi didn't talk business, and neither did Ji Shuangcheng — it wasn't quite the right setting.

Ji Shuangcheng was very warm toward Lin Zhi, with a kind of cultivated friendliness that held a trace of deliberate charm.

Lin Zhi couldn't tell whether it was because he was Hu Tong's friend, or because he came out of the Ming Family's company earlier. Not that it mattered much either way.

"The rain still hasn't let up. Would you allow me to drive you home in a while?" Ji Shuangcheng glanced out at the rain-streaked window and offered. The gathering was winding down and people were beginning to leave.

Lin Zhi nodded and thanked him with a smile.

He never turned down warmth that stayed within bounds. Perhaps they'd become the kind of friends who could be useful to each other.

While Lin Zhi was making pleasant conversation at the exhibition. Meanwhile, at the Ming residence a standoff was unfolding between a man and a dog.

The rainy weather made Ming Yao's legs terribly uncomfortable. To suppress the sensation — or to clear his mind of its restless clutter — he had gone up to the second-floor gym to work out.

It wasn't long before he came face to face with a small white fluffy head. The Samoyed was crouched in the doorway. His naturally smiling face turned toward him, its bright dark eyes fixed on Ming Yao.

"Get out."

Ming Yao looked at Lin Zhi's dog with an expressionless face and issued the order of expulsion.

The dog seemed incapable of understanding human speech, and instead of leaving, he trotted over to Ming Yao on his short legs and circled him excitedly with his tail wagging.

Ming Yao frowned. The pup was even more adorably innocent.

Nuonuo had caught the scent he liked. Every time he smelled that scent, his owner would offer something delicious.

Ming Yao watched the little dog lie down in front of him as if waiting for something, and decided he would simply leave instead.

Nuonuo stared at the retreating figure without understanding, trotting after his wheelchair, he let out a soft little whimper.

"What do you want with me? Go find your owner," Ming Yao muttered to himself: "Then again — he hasn't come back at all. He might not come back tonight. For all you know, you were just a passing fancy to him."

Nuonuo didn't understand a word he said. Instead of leaving, he bounded cheerfully around his legs, then suddenly turned and scampered off toward the stairs.

Dogs were fast — he was gone in moments.

Ming Yao gave a cold huff: <Like owner, like pet.>

After working out, sweat-damp clothes clung to his skin, and the humid air combined with the aching in his legs made his mood sink even further. He lowered his eyes and pressed the elevator button.

With nigh gradually deepening; the rain kept washing over the world, filling the air with the sound of constant collision.

On that one rainy night, someone had ignored his order to leave and climbed into his bed — claiming it was to fulfill some money-earning task. Tonight, there wasn't a single sound. It seemed that when had others to entertain, the money wasn't worth caring about anymore. Not the least bit professional.

Ming Yao pulled up the security feed to the house. Only one lamp was still on in the living room; everywhere else had gone dark.

The dog was curled up asleep in the soft bed in the living room, looking perfectly content.

Ming Yao knew Lin Zhi hadn't come home yet. If he had, the housekeeper would have turned that lamp off.

He stared at the security footage for a moment, his mind drifting.

A few minutes later, Nuonuo, who had been snoozing in his bed, suddenly pricked up its ears and bolted to the front door, spinning in circles in excitement.

Something stirred in Ming Yao. Without thinking, he zoomed in on the screen.

"Were you waiting for me to come home, little one?"

The home security system recorded audio, so Lin Zhi's voice came through clearly from Ming Yao's laptop.

When Lin Zhi smiled, his voice grew lighter. After having something to drink, it softened further still — sweet enough that even the senses could taste it.

"So good. Come here."

Lin Zhi scooped Nuonuo into his arms and pressed kisses to the top of his head and cheeks.

Though he was barely two months old, the puppy already weighed about four and a half kilos. Lin Zhi held him for a moment, then set him down and ruffled his head.

In the lamplight, Lin Zhi's faintly flushed face looked as though it had been brushed with rouge, the smile at the corner of his lips soft and warm.

Ming Yao snapped the screen shut.

After his affectionate reunion with the dog, Lin Zhi returned to his room.

He showered, then towel dried his hair while opening an app on his phone.

The footage showed a low angle — the camera was embedded in Nuonuo's collar.

The close-fitting fabric traced the soft lines of his back. Lin Zhi murmured softly: “good boy.”' Though whether he was praising Nuonuo or referring to something else entirely was anyone's guess.

Having heard Ming Yao muttering to himself, Lin Zhi smiled and tapped his phone screen.

"So childish, talking behind a dog's back."

When faced with a person he was drawn to — and a Mission Target in need of salvation — Lin Zhi's patience and tolerance ran high. Thinking about Ming Yao's aloof and imperious nature, the way he kept everyone at arm's length, yet here he was in private, grumbling to a little dog — it was rather endearing, Lin Zhi thought.

Ming Yao, who had never once been described as endearing in his entire life, was currently sitting with a document in hand, distracted, his eyes drifting toward the movement at his door.

When the door handle turned, a faint light came into Ming Yao's eyes — and then, by force of habit, his expression went cold again.

"I came to see you."

Lin Zhi's opening line was much the same as before. He slowly scanned Ming Yao's face.

Ming Yao had fine features — the kind of face that looked handsome even when he was scowling. Because of the dominance that exuded from him, even his inability to walk couldn't diminish the fact that he was someone out of the ordinary.

His strength concealed his fragility. Like a hawk sculpted from solid ice, it left an enduring mark across the territory it surveyed.

And of course, his clean form — unmarred by even a speck of impurity — made him all the more impossibly striking.

Ming Yao knew Lin Zhi had only come to check off his daily task. How perfunctory — cuddling the dog first, then showering, then ambling in without any urgency, not even worried that he might already be asleep.

He kept his eyes on the document in his hand and said, his tone entirely flat: "Get out."

The words came out neither cold nor sharp, nor particularly loud.

"It seems Mr. Ming is in good spirits tonight. Then I won't disturb you any further."

Lin Zhi stepped back out of the door and snapped a photo of Ming Yao with a beaming smile, and gave a cheerful wave.

Ming Yao's head jerked up sharply — but the door was already closing, and through the narrowing gap he caught the last glimpse of Lin Zhi before it shut.

Everything fell silent. A heavy, almost dead quiet.

The black bedsheets crumpled under his grip. Documents scattered across the floor. Ming Yao pressed his hand against his leg, which ached with an almost unbearable sharpness, his eyes dark and cold.

He had known all along what sort of person Lin Zhi was. It was he himself who had told Lin Zhi not to say those ridiculous things anymore, not to cross the line. Lin Zhi was complying perfectly with his wishes — so why did it feel so insufferable?

Ming Yao frowned, unable to make sense of it.

He needed to arrange Lin Zhi's transfer as soon as possible. Get him out of his sight.

Besides, not a single one of the things Lin Zhi had promised had come to pass — he had a car and didn't need rides, no one at the company had given him trouble, and he had absolutely no reason to play the role of Mrs. Ming in front of anyone. In fact, the household staff no longer even called him that. He was Mr. Lin now.

As long as Lin Zhi was kept at a distance — surely that would bring the quiet he was after.

Lin Zhi came down the stairs and switched off the hallway night-light.

Thinking of Ming Yao's reaction, the smile in his eyes deepened.

System No. 01 worried: [Host, are we really just leaving like this? I have a feeling the Mission Target might be a little upset.]

[Our System No. 01 really does have a talent for reading people. Don't worry about him being upset — it means things are going quite well.]

If even System No. 01 could tell Ming Yao was upset, then he must have been making it rather obvious.

System No. 01 was puzzled: [Being upset means things are going well?]

[People are complicated. Anger isn't always just anger. Rejection isn't always just aversion. There are many people in this world who desire and refuse at the same time — because being loved has nothing to do with how capable you are. Anyone can end up being abandoned.] Lin Zhi cradled a cup and took a sip of water, exhaling a soft, quiet sigh.

System No. 01: [Is that how it is for Host too?]

[No, not me, I was born surrounded by love.] Lin Zhi said, the corners of his eyes curved upward.

From the moment he came into the world, everyone had told him what a remarkable person he would one day become.

Then everything turned upside down in an instant. Still young, he had followed his family as they were driven out of the circle of wealth and influence; from the glamorous world to the far edges of nowhere. He became the one lifeline everyone clung to, carrying the weight of all their hopes on his shoulders, watching them die or lose their minds, forever urged onward, never permitted to stop.

When he was hurt, they suffered a hundred times more than he did.

System No. 01 marveled: [No wonder Host is so kind!]

System No. 01 felt it had struck incredible luck — this assignment was going more smoothly than anything it had ever seen!

Hmm? Why had it said 'ever seen'? It should have said 'since the dawn of time'!

Lin Zhi accepted the system's praise without a hint of guilt, switched off the light, and went to sleep.

Outside, the rain fell without any intention of stopping.

When Lin Zhi woke in the morning he felt dizzy and weak — probably from the chill he'd caught the day before in the rain. Even after washing up, he hadn't improved, so he swallowed two pills and lay back down, sending Ming Yao a message.

System No. 01 reminded: [Host, you didn't finish it.]

[Why would I finish it.] Lin Zhi forced out a reply and drifted off again.

Ming Yao, just arriving at the basement level, looked down at his phone.

Lin Zhi: Mr. Ming, today I–

And nothing more.

Ming Yao replied. A full minute passed with no response.

He glanced at the housekeeper beside him: "Has Lin Zhi gone out?"

"I haven't seen Mr. Lin leave today," the housekeeper replied.

Ming Yao had been about to ask the housekeeper to go check, but thought it over and decided he would go himself — no point waiting around for a second-hand answer.

Lin Zhi had sent him a message. If something had actually happened, Grandfather would worry. Since he was already planning to arrange a transfer for Lin Zhi, going up to check wasn't entirely unreasonable.

Having assembled several perfectly sensible justifications, Ming Yao pressed the button for the fourth floor.