The Domineering CEO's Vain Trophy Husband 16

Hearing Ji Shuangcheng's words, Ming Yao instead looked toward Lin Zhi, waiting for him to make the introduction.

Before Ming Yao had even glanced over, Lin Zhi had already spoken: "This is Mr. Ji Shuangcheng, a friend I've recently made."

Ming Yao swept his gaze over Ji Shuangcheng's slightly damp hair tips, a conjecture taking shape in his mind. He pressed his lips together lightly and responded with a somewhat cold indifference: "Hello."

They must have soaked in the hot spring together, and this person had even walked right up to Lin Zhi's room door — clearly up to no good.

He could sense the other party's signals of wanting to get acquainted, and had no intention of giving him a warm welcome, but he didn't make it obvious either, so as not to let Lin Zhi notice anything amiss.

Ji Shuangcheng astutely sensed that the air around Ming Yao seemed to have grown even colder, as though he had absolutely no desire to get to know him. Though given the other party's status and standing, this was actually quite normal.

Ji Shuangcheng read the room and said: "Then I won't intrude any further. We'll be in touch."

Although he somewhat regretted not being able to get any important information from Lin Zhi, he had already come prepared to learn nothing at all. Not only had he managed to find out a little something, but he had also unexpectedly come face to face with Ming Yao — an unexpected bonus. Perhaps he might leave an impression on him, and there would be another opportunity to get acquainted next time.

The words "we'll be in touch" were naturally directed at Lin Zhi, who gave a nod and smiled as he watched him leave.

Ming Yao gripped the edge of the wheelchair armrest and looked toward Lin Zhi asking: "Would you like to come in and have something to eat?"

Ming Yao naturally would not have Lin Zhi eat leftovers. Although the person in charge from Kaifeng had barely touched those refreshments before opening the door Ming Yao had already sent Special Assistant Gao a message telling him to have someone replace them.

"Sure, since President Ming has so graciously invited me, it would be rude to decline."

Lin Zhi would play right along with Ming Yao's act — otherwise, what would have been the point of having Ming Yao come all this way?

Although, if he turned around right now and went back to his own room, it might make Ming Yao stew for a while. Ming Yao had already seen him and Ji Shuangcheng go their separate ways, so naturally he wouldn't read too much into it — and without reading too much into it, he wouldn't feel any pang of insecurity, nor would the encounter leave a deep impression.

It wasn't that Lin Zhi wanted to provoke Ming Yao's jealousy as a way to create a sense of crisis. Otherwise, his words when telling Ming Yao he was going to meet someone else wouldn't have been so mild.

He hadn't said anything not because he wanted Ming Yao to jump to conclusions, but because he wanted Ming Yao to clearly understand that he had no right to ask.

Even though they were legally married, even though they had kissed, even though there was an excessively ambiguous arrangement between them — so what? That boundary had been drawn by Ming Yao himself. He had no right to interfere in his social life or ask where he was going. After all, their relationship hadn't reached that point.

Lin Zhi casually pulled the door shut behind him. Inside the natural wood-styled room, low stools sat before a small table.

Not far away was a bed, and out on the balcony there was a small private indoor hot spring pool. Ming Yao, however, was in a full suit and tie — clearly with no intention of soaking.

The villa's attendant arrived quickly. The young woman gave a light knock on the door, came in to clear the refreshments from the table, and set out a fresh spread of delicate tea snacks.

Hot tea poured from a gray-green crackle-glazed teapot, clear and translucent, carrying a faint, gentle fragrance.

Ming Yao, however, had no attention to spare for that crisp, slightly bitter scent. He caught the faint, elusive fragrance of osmanthus — and it wasn't coming from the snowy confection.

Lin Zhi picked up an exquisite snow dumpling and brought it to his lips. Osmanthus powder added both fragrance and beauty to the treat; inside was a cream filling, sweet but not cloying, similar to a snow skin mochi.

"The flavor is surprisingly quite good. Hu Tong said it wasn't much, so I didn't order it. I really can't take the word of a friend with different taste buds. If he hadn't had something come up and left early with his companion, President Ming, you could have met him too — he's the younger brother of the owner of Qiming Real Estate."

Lin Zhi used the warm damp towel nearby to wipe the traces of food from his fingers, the tip of his tongue sweeping away the last bit of cream on his lips.

It sounded like idle small talk to ease the atmosphere, intentionally revealing several pieces of information.

Ming Yao's hand, resting at his side, involuntarily tightened. A sharp, acrid feeling threaded its way into his chest one strand at a time, bringing with it a faint ache.

Very good. Not just soaking in the hot spring together — they had soaked in it alone, just the two of them. Yet, he could not press further. He had no right to demand anything.

Lin Zhi had promised him he wouldn't kiss other men, wouldn't be intimate with other men — but he had never said he wouldn't soak in a hot spring with someone else.

Those clearly delineated terms, each and every one of them, said the same thing: he had no right to interfere in Lin Zhi's social life. A faint ache passed through his mind, causing his emotions to ripple. Ming Yao lowered his gaze to conceal the darkness in his eyes, and made a low, brief sound in response.

After finishing his praise of the refreshments, Lin Zhi moved on to something else, saying: "The hot spring here really is quite nice. Since President Ming came to discuss business, aren't you going to try a soak? It's good for you.”

Lin Zhi smiled and continued: “The pool I soaked in today had a rather interesting shape — like butterfly wings. The Shu embroidery on the screen divider was beautiful too. It's a pity I only got to see the back side of the embroidery today. It seems to use double-sided embroidery, and Mr. Ji got to see the front side. I didn't quite get around to discussing that with him."

Ming Yao's heart gave a small stir, as though he had grasped something from those words. It seemed that Hu Tong's companion leaving early had actually been a good thing. Although it had left Lin Zhi and Ji Shuangcheng soaking in the hot spring together, they had still been separated by the screen.

That was just as well — it kept Ji Shuangcheng, with his ulterior motives, from taking any advantage.

Ming Yao's mood brightened. He was just about to speak when he heard Lin Zhi murmur to himself: "Maybe there'll be a chance next time."

Next time?

They were going to soak together again???

"Hu Tong set things up to get you two acquainted. He has ties to Qiming?" Ming Yao's brow furrowed slightly, and his tone slightly cooled as he laid bare Ji Shuangcheng's hidden agenda.

“There's some connection, though a collaboration hasn't gotten off the ground yet. Come to think of it, they seem to be interested in that project we've recently been working on with the government. But I'm not very familiar with that side of things, and tomorrow I'm being transferred to a different project anyway. Don't worry, President Ming — I didn't say anything I shouldn't have."

Lin Zhi slowly took a sip of tea, his manner shifting from casual to earnest.

Ming Yao was pleased by the sense of solidarity implied in his words — that they were on the same side. He thought to himself that as long as Lin Zhi knew Ji Shuangcheng had impure motives, that was fine. But even so, Lin Zhi was still willing to keep in contact with him.

Then again, they were all adults. In the business world, you saw the same faces everywhere. Sometimes, mutually exploitative situations didn't need to be called out at all — it was simply the way of the world. There was no need for Lin Zhi to sever ties with the man over something like this.

Ming Yao's mood rose and fell, shifting between sunny and cloudy.

He hadn't even realized that in an extremely short span of time, his emotions had been entirely led — even controlled — by Lin Zhi.

Watching Ming Yao's expression take on a slightly contemplative look, Lin Zhi's fingers gently traced the rim of his teacup as he prepared to carry out the final step of tonight's plan.

In a hot spring room with its own private bath, it would truly be a shame to not seize the opportunity — and while he was at it — give Ming Yao a little nudge, making the memory all the more vivid in his mind.

Lin Zhi was just about to open his mouth when the sound of a phone vibrating suddenly rang out in the room. Lin Zhi pulled his phone from the pocket of his bathrobe and answered the call.

"Lin-Lin, you're done soaking huh... um... I just finished dealing with something... Oh... Right, I had a relaxation package arranged for you too. You must be exhausted from work, and a massage after a hot spring is the best. However, the attendant said you didn't answer when they knocked; you weren't in — where did you go? Did you leave already?"

It was Hu Tong calling, and he sounded a little hesitant.

Second Young Master Hu usually called Lin Zhi by his full name. Sometimes, when he was in a particularly good mood and feeling sentimental, he'd call him "Lin-Lin" — but this time he said it with a clear edge of guilt.

He knew Lin Zhi and Ji Shuangcheng had both gotten out of the pool, and he wanted to make it up to Lin Zhi by seeing the invitation through to the end — give him the full service, let him feel at ease. But the attendant told him Lin Zhi hadn't answered the door, and was probably not in. He'd been worried that Lin Zhi had left without a word because he was unhappy, so he hurriedly called to check.

He felt at fault as the one who'd arranged this, he'd bolted before the conversation had even started. That really wasn't great — but he genuinely couldn't stand sitting through business negotiations, listening to people dance around things with layers of hidden meaning. For him, it was as unbearable as having ants crawling all over his skin.

Lin Zhi laughed and teased: "I haven't left. I'm next door chatting with someone. Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Second Young Master."

Lin Zhi hadn't put the call on speaker, but he wasn't holding the phone pressed tightly to his ear either. Combined with the fact that he and Ming Yao were sitting fairly close, Ming Yao had heard Hu Tong's voice clearly. After the call ended, Lin Zhi opened the door.

The attendant who had come to serve Lin Zhi was a young man, sunny and handsome, carrying a tray with towels and essential oils. When he saw Lin Zhi, he froze for a moment, then revealed a somewhat flustered smile.

There was the bashfulness of an adolescent boy hidden in that expression — quite different from the polished, professional smile one offered a guest.

Ming Yao took in his expression without missing a thing, and mentally added another mark against Hu Tong. Not only had he invited Lin Zhi to soak in the hot spring, he'd even arranged for this kind of person to give Lin Zhi a massage?

Just imagining that scene was enough to make Ming Yao's expression grow grim.

Ming Yao had just been about to say they could leave now — he'd barely gotten the first syllable out — when he heard Lin Zhi decline the attendant's service.

Lin Zhi closed the door. When he turned back around, he was holding the tray with the towels and essential oils in his hands.

Ming Yao's heart gave a small lurch. Surely Lin Zhi wasn't planning to... but he was wearing his suit trousers — that would be rather inconvenient.

"Mr. Ming, where were we?"

Lin Zhi walked over to the guest bed and took out the essential oil.

It happened to be osmanthus-scented as well. The pale golden liquid shifted in the dim warm light, releasing a rich and heady fragrance.

Lin Zhi didn't undo his bathrobe. Instead, he curved his legs slightly.

The oil flowed slowly down his calf to his ankle, spread evenly by Lin Zhi's hands.

The scent of osmanthus grew richer and more intense, like a cloud of mist that refused to dissolve.