KC | Chapter 54

Raindrops slid off the leaves, cicadas rang out in the damp air, sunlight shone through the green shade onto his face, and after being washed by the shower, the leaves looked even brighter. Chen Xi stepped onto the wet dirt path, and the sound of water droplets sliding down could be heard from under his feet from time to time.

Mud rose over the edges of his shoes, the wet ground was very soft, one step sank with every step, and Chen Xi wanted to quickly cross this muddy stretch, but the faster he walked, the deeper he sank, just like the path to signing a key client, every step had to be stepped on solidly, steady and sure, haste makes waste. This was a hard road, trapped in the mire, it was very hard to turn back, the road twisted and turned, like a flickering future, with too many uncertain factors.

Chen Xi had not known where the client was before, running blindly in the mire, and the key client list had given him the direction forward. The so-called shortcut to success was probably nothing more than, after having a goal, courageously moving forward without looking back.

Chen Xi had walked for less than half a quarter of an hour when, all of a sudden, a dazzling light flashed overhead. He looked up and saw a tall figure standing at the end of the tree-lined road.

Lin Yiran held an umbrella, wearing a gray and white sports outfit, standing in front of the light, brighter than the sun itself.

The heavy pace and the rhythm of his heartbeat sped up in sync. The road that had originally seemed dark now had an end in sight, and his muddled legs filled with strength. Chen Xi walked through the filth, carrying the wet mud behind him, and ran toward his light.

After the torrential rain, leaves that could not bear the burden floated overhead. Chen Xi rushed into the umbrella, and Lin Yiran took it away.

Chen Xi grabbed the hand above his head, and Lin Yiran gently tightened his hold in return. The surging warmth spread through their overlapping palms, and his drenched, cold body felt that warmth.

In the lingering rain, one umbrella, two people, hands clasped together.

Before Chen Xi could speak, Lin Yiran said first, “How did you end up in such a miserable state, drenched like a drowned dog.”

Chen Xi: …

The nice atmosphere was ruined by you. You’re the dog!

Lin Yiran took out a string of car keys and gave them to Chen Xi, pointing toward the stage and saying, “My car is parked over there, behind the stage, under the second willow tree.”

Chen Xi: ?

The rain had just stopped and time was tight. I was already busy enough with activity setup and display arrangements, why should I care about your car?

Lin Yiran put an arm around Chen Xi’s shoulder, circled him into his embrace, and turned him around so he faced the stage direction. “You go warm up in the car first, follow the direction I said, get ready, 1, 2, 1, go!”

Chen Xi was like a little Lego block, being pushed forward by Lin Yiran, and thought: People say, “Three days apart feels like three years,” but mine is, “Three days apart and then we meet and roll.” What did you mean by “I heard it” on that phone call before? Wasn’t it you who had been messaging me these past few days and just talking to me on the phone a moment ago? Why is it that when we meet, you don’t let me speak and just chase me away? Could it be that you’re schizophrenic too, and the one making phone calls and sending messages is a different person from the one here now?

–

The little block with hardly any meat on his body puffed his cheeks in anger, swung his arms, found the car, and kicked hard at the wheel, kicking up a foot of mud.

Huh, this car was not right!

Lin Yiran cared most about his outward image. In Chen Xi’s impression, the Cadillac had always been clean and bright, but today it was stained with filthy marks, which did not fit common sense.

Two hand-lengths of mud were smeared on the car door, the tires were wrapped in wet dirt that had not dried, and the raindrops on the privacy glass were mixed with mud, slanting nearly 180°. It must have been driven very fast for the raindrops to smash out this unbelievable angle.

So, Lin Yiran, who seemed so at ease, had actually sped over 120, crushed through potholes and picked up mud, and rushed here at full speed without caring about his image.

Ha, that old beast was pretending to be calm, he must have been dying of anxiety inside.

The corners of Chen Xi’s lips lifted, and he pulled open the car door.

The inside of the car was much warmer than outside, probably because the air conditioner had been turned up when they were nearing the parking spot. The engine had just been shut off not long ago, so the car still felt warm.

Early autumn weather was hot, and when it rained, the air conditioner was mostly set to cold air to blow the windshield. When Lin Yiran was nearing the parking spot, he had switched to warm air to blow inside the car, and for who, there was no need to say.

The not-so-spacious space was filled with the scent of aftershave mixed with fragrance, a little like the one on Lin Yiran, faint, impossible to tell whether it was perfume or something else.

Chen Xi sat in the driver’s seat. The leather seat cushion showed serious signs of wear, and a Starbucks tote bag was placed on the passenger seat.

Because he had received the old pervert’s vanilla latte before, Chen Xi subconsciously felt that the tote bag with the Starbucks logo could be opened.

But what if it was not?

Uh, anyway, the opening of the tote bag could be folded back. If it was not, then just close it up.

So, for once, this moral model did not stick to morality, and carefully unfolded it along the folded crease at the bag opening. Inside the bag were:

sportswear, a towel, vanilla latte.

So that was why he did not let me speak, to reduce the time spent on small talk and let me change clothes faster.

The emotions I had carefully hidden had all been discovered by him.

Sweetness spread to my limbs, and from the inside out, everything was warm.

He was afraid the wet clothes and pants would dirty Lin Yiran’s car, so he wanted to use the Starbucks bag as a pad. When he spread the bag flat, he found there was another thing inside, underwear, and it did not look new.

Chen Xi: … The stuff was prepared thoroughly enough, the clothes were all pretty clean, but this thing looked like it had just been taken off… Should I praise you, or should I curse you?

The sports outfit was the same as the one Lin Yiran was wearing, both in black and white. Lin Yiran’s was black on top and white on the bottom, while Chen Xi’s was white on top and black on the bottom, and the style was about the same.

The white top had no brand tag at the collar, so the size could not be seen, but the style and fabric were both pretty good. The black sports pants had loose, baggy legs, obviously not Chen Xi’s size, but fortunately the waistband was drawstring, and if the drawstring was tied tight, it would not fall off. That old beast was actually quite thoughtful.

Chen Xi used the towel to dry the water off his body, and with disgust, put on the secondhand underwear. At this moment, he finally understood the wonderful use of the drawstring, it could cinch both at once.

The shoulder line of the top was a little wide, and Chen Xi was completely wrapped in the oversized sportswear, as if he were being held in Lin Yiran’s arms.

After taking a sip of the steaming vanilla latte, the chill was instantly driven away.

These few things brought Lin Yiran’s meticulous care and rogue nature into full play.

Chen Xi laughed and cursed, “You drove the car so fast, so it was to squeeze time to buy vanilla latte, take off underwear, and find matching couple outfits. You sly old pervert!”

–

“Ah-choo!” He had been out in the wind and rain before and nothing had happened, but the moment he got into the car, he sneezed. Chen Xi once again sighed that he really was a wretched life that could not enjoy blessings.

The phone rang, and Lin Yiran called with a voice message.

“There’s something in the bag on the passenger seat,” he said. His background noise was very loud when he spoke, as if he was busy with the display setup.

“Ah, what’s inside?” Chen Xi pretended not to know even though he knew clearly, wanting this shameless guy to say it himself.

“Haha.” Lin Yiran called because he was afraid the little fool would be too proper and not know to open the bag, but now it seemed he had already finished opening it, and maybe even put it on.

“There are slippers and a hair dryer in the drawer in front of the passenger seat, your hair isn’t fully dry yet, dry it some more.” Lin Yiran had originally wanted to bring sports shoes, but he did not know Chen Xi’s size, and slippers would be fine, no worry about them being too big.

“Mm-mm!” Chen Xi opened the drawer and not only found slippers and a hair dryer, but also a pile of toiletries and a blanket. It seemed Lin Yiran had really turned the car into a home.

“I’m hanging up.”

“Mm-mm!” The workaholic with a fierce sense of career put on the slippers, blow-dried his hair, held the half-cup of vanilla latte that was left, and got out of the car to work.

Lin Yiran had not eaten today and had rushed over in the rain, so he was a little hungry now. He wanted to smoke a cigarette, but when he saw the no-smoking sign, he held back.

There was still half an hour before the performance started, and the Pingsheng trainees entered one after another after lunch. The noisy middle school and high school students would become the swarming office wage slaves in a few years. Only in their teens could they live for themselves, and once they entered society, experienced the wear of time and the pressure of life, they probably would not be as pure as they were now.

Lin Yiran had seen too many people change, including himself. Chen Xi was one of the few among these people who remained clear and untainted.

He thought: Maybe this is the reason I care about Chen Xi.

–

Chen Xi could not say exactly when he had started liking Lin Yiran. Maybe it was when he taught him the技巧 of negotiating a deal, maybe it was when he casually held a cigarette in his mouth, most likely it was during everyday work. Every time he saw the good news of Lin Yiran signing deals in the work group, every time Lin Yiran walked past his workstation, Chen Xi could not suppress his racing heartbeat.

Chen Xi, in a crowd, would see Lin Yiran at first glance, just like three years ago. As long as he looked at him, he could not take his eyes away.

It was Lin Yiran who changed his stereotype of sales, and it was also Lin Yiran who made him feel: a man who works seriously is super handsome.

Lin Yiran was standing beside the stage talking with Guan Chao. Most of the time he was listening, occasionally offering suggestions for the placement of certain props. His gaze was focused, calm and confident, and every movement and gesture revealed elegance and composure. Only the mud stains on the uncleaned edge of his shoes exposed the urgency from just now.

He wore his clothes and hurriedly came to his side.

He had wanted to say a lot, but when he got there, he suddenly got stuck. Lin Yiran gave a soft laugh, as if he had guessed what he was thinking, and took the initiative to start: “General Manager Guan has worked hard these past few days.”

This sports outfit was one he often wore, because during exercise the tag would always prick his neck, so he had taken it off. The clean little one was skinny and small, like a child accidentally wearing an adult’s clothes. His thin calves swayed inside the pant legs, and he wanted to follow the loose pant legs upward, to touch whether Chen Xi was going commando, or wearing his.

The innocent little Chen Xi was full of sweetness, how could he guess the twists and turns in the old pervert’s mind.

Chen Xi obediently said, “This Pingsheng job really depended on you, thank you, General Manager Guan, you helped me so much.”

“No need to be polite, it’s part of my job, all things I should do,” Guan Chao said with a smile. “The one who really should be thanked is President Lin, the sound system had some issue just now, and President Lin borrowed one from the scenic area.”

“Ah, the sound system could still have problems, this really is…” It really was a case of bad luck piling on bad luck, bad things coming in pairs. Luckily Lin Yiran was here, otherwise if an unexpected situation came up, he really would not know what to do.

Chen Xi said with a red face, “Th, thank you, Brother Lin.”

Because there were outsiders around, Lin Yiran only smiled while looking at the drawstring pants, and said nothing. The refined scum did his duty conscientiously, his movements elegant and his behavior proper, successfully playing the role of a steady superior.

The props that feared rain were placed on stage in orderly fashion, and the stage that had been soaked by rain looked even brighter. The actors were rehearsing their transitions, the staff busily moved around the stage, and the display setup was proceeding in an orderly manner.

The heart that had been hanging there finally settled. Before the rain stopped, he had handled everything for him, as if this rain had never come.