Time seemed to slow infinitely, the air in the room became stagnant. A bead of sweat hung precariously from Shen Duoyi's chin as his heart pounded rhythmically in his chest.

Qi Shi'an watched him, and that hint of desire and longing showed no signs of diminishing—if anything, it grew stronger. The back of his hand felt warm as Shen Duoyi grabbed it, forcing him to move the palm that had been covering the other's eyes.

Shen Duoyi held his hand: "Let's go take a shower. The service staff will be coming in soon."

Qi Shi'an showed no embarrassment; instead, his eyes gleamed with mischief as he turned the tables and gripped Shen Duoyi's wrist: "Why don't you help me then?"

The single-person bathroom had a shower stall and changing room. He pulled Shen Duoyi into one, roughly removing the bathrobe that had been soiled with sweat and massage oil. After stripping completely, he reached for the other's collar.

Shen Duoyi stared at Qi Shi'an's sweat-dampened chest, nervously clutching the thin cord around his waist.

He stammered: "I-I'll do it myself."

Qi Shi'an withdrew his hand but kept his eyes fixed on the other who was 'doing it himself'.

The small knot of the cord came undone, and the bathrobe immediately loosened. Shen Duoyi pulled open the front, revealing his shoulders and neck. Qi Shi'an could no longer contain himself. In less than a second, he reached for the switch, and hot water instantly poured down. He pulled Shen Duoyi's waist against himself and lowered his head to bite the other's collarbone.

"...Don't!" Shen Duoyi's bathrobe was crumpled messily against his body as Qi Shi'an's urgent and passionate kisses fell on his neck. He tilted his head back directly into the flowing hot water and accidentally choked on a mouthful in his panic.

Qi Shi'an finally stopped, turning around to block the spraying hot water with his back while holding the violently coughing Shen Duoyi in his arms, patting his back to help him catch his breath. Shen Duoyi coughed until his eyes and nose were red. After calming down, he looked up and wrapped his arms around Qi Shi'an's neck.

Steaming with heat, he asked: "Do you want to?"

That tone and expression were full of hesitation and nervousness, forcing Qi Shi'an to snap back to his senses in an instant.

"Duoyi," Qi Shi'an regulated his breathing, gradually becoming calmer. He lowered his head to brush away Shen Duoyi's hair from his forehead, "I want you desperately, but neither the environment nor the timing is right. I couldn't bear to let you suffer in a place like this. I know you're very nervous and not ready yet."

Shen Duoyi rested his cheek against Qi Shi'an's shoulder: "I really don't want to do it here, but my nervousness isn't from fear or rejection."

He lifted his head to kiss Qi Shi'an's mouth corner: "It's because I like you so much."

Hot water poured onto their scalps, flowing down their hair strands. Their embracing bodies were enveloped and washed by the hot water, the white foam gradually disappearing as their kisses became increasingly gentle.

I like you so much.

It was already late night when they left Yamenting. There were three or four missed calls on the phone. Qi Shi'an drove while Shen Duoyi returned calls from the passenger seat. The call connected after just one ring, and Grandpa Shen's scolding immediately came through.

Shen Duoyi hurriedly explained: "After dinner with Meng Liang, I went out with some colleagues and forgot to let you know."

"Where did you go playing so late at night?" Grandpa Shen yawned, "What kind of colleagues are so undomesticated? Are you heading back soon?"

Shen Duoyi answered: "On my way home now. Go to sleep first, I promise I won't do this again." After hanging up, he said with some frustration: "I got carried away and didn't report to the old man."

Qi Shi'an said seriously: "Don't say that undomesticated colleague was me, I need to establish a positive image."

Shen Duoyi was dropped off at home. It was nearly dawn, and passing vehicles had drastically decreased. Qi Shi'an stood on the street with his hands in his pockets waiting for a taxi, taking quite a while before finally getting one.

The evening's conversation with Zhang Yiming had been forcibly interrupted, so it needed to be continued first thing the next day at work. The two senior partners hadn't had a private meeting in a long time. They sat on the office sofa and finished two cups of tea before beginning.

They first studied the details of the newly signed cooperation, then continued planning the next phase of the "Advanced Platform", and finally had a brief casual chat. Zhang Yiming said: "After you suddenly left last night, I left too and ran into You Zhe at the Sisha Club."

Qi Shi'an responded quickly: "Discussing business?"

"Mm, he congratulated us on this signing, his information is quite updated." Zhang Yiming said, "It was too late to inquire then, but I asked around this morning. Their foreign exchange division also signed a big deal, on par with ours."

Qi Shi'an nodded: "It's not easy for anyone. Let's not worry about all that. We've been so busy since the traffic acquisition plan started, and now we've taken another step forward. Should we reward the employees?"

Zhang Yiming loved lively occasions: "We're already calculating the bonuses. How about this - let's have a dinner gathering at Park Hyatt tonight, my treat this time."

Qi Shi'an recalled the suffocating feeling of being surrounded by executives at the last gathering, and more importantly, being seated far from Shen Duoyi. With selfish intentions, he said: "Let's have free seating this time, so people won't feel constrained."

Zhang Yiming agreed: "No problem, I'll sit next to someone I like."

After receiving the dinner notification, the department was filled with joy. Team Leader Qi had just returned from marriage leave, and was catching up on progress in Shen Duoyi's office.

"Why didn't you take a few more days off to properly spend the honeymoon with your wife?" Shen Duoyi said.

"Traveling for too long gets tiring, and we haven't moved into the new house yet, but I already keep thinking of work." Team Leader Qi spread out the planning sheet, "Love and bread can't be had both ways, but love can't exist without bread."

Shen Duoyi kept his head down looking at documents: "Why do you sound like you're already regretting getting married?"

Team Leader Qi laughed a couple times without answering, and returned to his office after finishing his work. Shen Duoyi continued working, and it took him seven or eight minutes to realize - he had gone on the business trip to negotiate the cooperation, Team Leader Qi wasn't there then, could he be feeling regretful about missing out?

There was no use thinking too much about it. He twirled his pen and stopped pondering.

That evening after work, all Ming'an employees arrived at the Park Hyatt Hotel for dinner. The atmosphere was like an annual company party. Zhang Yiming had made grand arrangements, booking an entire floor of banquet halls and lounges.

Before starting, he announced: "Since I don't know everyone's preferences, I've arranged for a buffet. Please sit wherever you like and don't worry about hierarchy or seniority. After more than two months of hard work, Mr. Qi and I would first like to say 'thank you' to every employee."

With Zhang Yiming having said everything, Qi Shi'an was spared the effort. He led the applause, and the atmosphere gradually became relaxed. As the dinner began, the banquet hall became very lively. Shen Duoyi was holding a porcelain plate getting food when someone placed a crab leg on it.

"I remember you liked this at the welcome party last time." Qi Shi'an appeared beside him, "Would you like some cupcakes? I'll go get two freshly baked ones."

Shen Duoyi discreetly looked around. Even in the chaos, people would still notice the boss. He answered quickly but cautiously: "Then I'll get drinks. Let's sit in that corner."

Working together, they soon began their dinner in the corner, turning the company gathering into a secret date. Qi Shi'an opened a packet of powdered sugar and sprinkled it on a cupcake, then placed it on Shen Duoyi's plate, asking with concern: "Did you get scolded when you got home last night?"

Shen Duoyi immediately bit half the cupcake: "No, grandpa was already asleep when I got home last night, so it was delayed until this morning. He dragged me out of bed before I was even fully awake and gave me an earful."

They had created their own little bubble at the table. The laughter and chatter from outside couldn't attract their attention. Whether it was the cups and plates on the table or the half-eaten cupcakes, confined to this corner, there remained only their occasionally meeting gazes and their conversations.

Shen Duoyi noticed another packet of powdered sugar on the table, so he tore it open and poured it all over the remaining half of the cupcake, then held it up saying: "You finish this half?"

Qi Shi'an immediately refused: "I don't like sweets, and you added so much sugar."

Shen Duoyi coaxed: "Just eat it, after you eat it your sweetness level will increase."

"Why do I need my sweetness level to increase?" Qi Shi'an frowned, "I go for the sexy vibe."

Screams erupted from the front of the banquet hall - it seemed Zhang Yiming was organizing some kind of game with prizes. Everyone had gathered at the front making a commotion, leaving the middle and back quite empty.

Shen Duoyi took advantage of this moment to lean slightly out of his seat and fed the half cupcake into Qi Shi'an's mouth. Qi Shi'an mumbled as he swallowed it, saying unhappily: "Isn't this forced feeding?"

Shen Duoyi was delighted: "This way when I kiss you it'll be sweet."

The other person clearly froze for a moment, and he finally realized his own unusual behavior - where was his mature and steady demeanor? He was acting like a lovesick fool who had just started dating. Shen Duoyi felt embarrassed and lowered his head to work on the crab leg, staying quiet for a long while.

Qi Shi'an deliberately kicked him under the table: "Aren't you going to give me a kiss while I'm still sweet?"

With a "crack," the crab leg was split open. Shen Duoyi kept his head down picking out the meat, glancing up only to catch sight of the other person. He thought to himself that since he was already acting like a fool, it didn't matter if he went all the way, so he shamelessly replied: "I'm kissing you in my mind, and it's sickeningly sweet."

Six plates of food, a mix of meat and vegetables, Western and Chinese cuisine. Qi Shi'an spooned some tofu into his mouth, chewed a couple times before swallowing. Seeing Shen Duoyi about to start cracking shells again, he reached over and took the crab leg, saying: "Eat something else first, I'll get the shell off for you."

Shen Duoyi returned the favor: "Then I'll peel shrimp for you."

They each busied themselves preparing food for the other, getting their hands messy. Qi Shi'an's thoughts drifted far away, and he couldn't help saying: "Will it be like this every day in the future? Going home together after work, then cooking and eating together, me picking crab meat for you, you peeling shrimp for me."

Shen Duoyi smiled: "We haven't even been together for ten days, and you're already thinking so far ahead."

Qi Shi'an said: "Because I like you so much too."

The steamed crab legs and boiled prawns were delicately flavored, but the atmosphere surrounding their table was intoxicatingly rich. They explored boundaries with careful probing, while also launching all-out offensives with righteous devotion.

The noise and laughter hadn't stopped, but Qi Shi'an and Shen Duoyi had already finished dinner. They got up wanting to walk around and perhaps spend some time in the lounge.

The lounge had a singer performing, making it feel like the Tokyo bar. They stood at the entrance for a while, and after hearing enough, turned back. Zhang Yiming was already slightly tipsy, flying around the room with a glass of red wine, looking more like a host than a boss.