KM: Chapter 40

Upon arriving at the company, You Chen took Ji An to the office, instructing him to stay put while he went to take some photos. Ji An nodded, watching his departing figure with a hint of disappointment. However, he soon cheered up, thinking it was already great to come to the company together. He glanced at You Chen's desk but didn't dare to approach, turning instead to sit by the sofa.

Being alone was a bit boring. He didn't like looking at his phone much, so he lifted his head and slowly took in the surroundings of You Chen's office. Jiaxing treated You Chen well, even providing him with a dedicated office.

Yet, as he looked around, he found nothing particularly distinctive, or anything that clearly belonged to You Chen. The office was excessively empty, with You Chen leaving little trace of himself there.

Ji An withdrew his gaze, absentmindedly scrolling on his phone. He inadvertently noticed a notification for wallpaper updates, which made him pause and suddenly turn to look at You Chen's computer.

What kind of picture would You Chen use as his wallpaper?

He couldn't imagine it. Given You Chen's personality, he probably wouldn't care about such things, and the desktop wallpaper was likely the default.

Ji An suddenly remembered You Chen's WeChat profile picture, a standard uppercase letter 'A' in black on a white background. It looked strange, and he didn't know what it meant.

So what would the computer's desktop wallpaper be?

Ji An turned to look at the office door, hesitating for a long time before finally mustering the courage to stand up. He tiptoed to the desk, only to remember he needed a password. He looked at the screen, troubled, thinking he should give up, but his curiosity grew stronger.

He bit his lip, glanced at the door again, then quickly entered You Chen's birthday. It was incorrect. He paused and cautiously entered his own birthday.

The words 'Welcome' lit up on the screen, and Ji An was momentarily stunned. In his daze, he saw his own face.

The wallpaper on You Chen's desktop was a photo of him.

It was from the set of photos You Chen had taken when he said Ji An looked like a puppy.

This photo hadn't appeared in the brand's released images; it must have been kept by You Chen himself.

Ji An stared blankly at the screen, almost able to hear his own heartbeat pounding like a drum.

Suddenly, the door clicked open, startling him. He hastily withdrew his hand from the mouse. You Chen walked in, called him 'baby', and looked up to find him standing awkwardly at his desk with his hands behind his back. He paused, then smiled and closed the door, asking, "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing…"

Ji An, feeling guilty, took a step back, watching as You Chen approached step by step. He shrank back, trying to leave from the other side, but You Chen took a few large strides to sit in the chair, pulling Ji An into his lap by the waist.

Ji An yelped, losing his balance and falling into You Chen's arms, his head spinning. Before he could react, You Chen lifted his left hand to pinch Ji An's cheeks, turning his head to face the screen. With his right hand, he picked up the mouse and asked, "What do you want to see?"

Ji An grabbed You Chen's arm with both hands, weakly protesting, "I… didn't see anything…"

"You unlocked the password. Did you really not see anything?"

Ji An pressed his lips together, not speaking. You Chen leaned down to nibble his ear, and Ji An's shoulders trembled as he heard You Chen ask, "Is the puppy on my screen cute?"

"But it's not very obedient, doing things without admitting it. That's not how a puppy behaves. Puppies are very obedient and honest; they don't lie or deceive."

"Isn't that right, Ji An?"

You Chen deliberately spoke slowly. Ji An's breathing grew more rapid until finally hearing You Chen call his name, the two words falling heavily. His eyes instantly reddened, and he urgently cried out, "I was wrong! I'm sorry, I just wanted to take a look at your computer's wallpaper…"

You Chen made an 'oh' sound and asked, "Now that you've seen it, what do you think? Is it nice?"

Ji An didn't know how to answer, remaining silent. You Chen's hand moved from his cheeks to his ears, pinching his earlobe with slight force.

"Why are you so disobedient today?"

Ji An winced in pain, shrinking back and pressing tightly against You Chen, saying, "It's nice, it's nice."

You Chen still didn't let go, rubbing Ji An's ears until they were red and hot. He asked, "Is that all you wanted to see? Nothing else?"

Ji An thought You Chen was angry about him invading his privacy and, with a sob in his voice, said, "No, nothing else… I was wrong."

You Chen knew Ji An had misunderstood again.

"What did you do wrong?"

"I shouldn't have peeked at your computer."

"Why is it peeking?"

You Chen let go, and Ji An exhaled heavily, wanting to rub his ears, but You Chen caught his wrist, saying, "Don't rub."

Ji An couldn't move, but his ears were really uncomfortable. After holding back for a while, he couldn't stand it anymore. He turned his head and pressed it against You Chen's chest, rubbing to ease the irritating itch.

You Chen's lips curled into a smile, but he deliberately kept his tone stern, continuing to ask, "Why is it peeking?"

"Because… because I didn't tell you…"

"You should indeed tell me."

You Chen turned off the computer.

"But this isn't peeking. I set the password as your birthday, which means you have the right to open it. You can look at whatever you want. All my things are open to you; you can check them anytime."

"But you should be honest with me. Whatever you're thinking, whatever you want, whatever you're doubting, whatever you want to know, you should tell me. When I ask you, you can tell me openly, instead of lying to me and hiding things."

Ji An replied softly, "I understand."

You Chen said nothing.

"I was wrong." Ji An looked up at him, "Are you angry?"

You Chen resisted looking into Ji An's eyes, unable to say anything harsh, and could only compromise, saying, "Not really."

Ji An tried to please him by straightening up to kiss him, but You Chen slightly turned his face, avoiding the kiss. Ji An froze, staring at him blankly, tears uncontrollably streaming down as he choked out his name, "You Chen…"

You Chen leaned back in his chair, looking at Ji An, and asked, "Do you think now that crying and acting spoiled will solve everything, that you can easily dismiss me?"

"I didn't…"

Ji An's shoulders shook, his wrists still held, unable to wipe away the tears and stop You Chen from being angry.

You Chen stared at him for a while. Ji An lowered his head, trying to hide his tears like an ostrich, but then he heard You Chen sigh, who lifted his head and pressed it into his chest.

"How can you say you didn't? You know I can't do anything about you."

You Chen pulled out a few tissues to cover Ji An's tear-streaked face.

"In the future, when I ask you something, answer me properly. Don't lie to me or stay silent."

"Is it hard to communicate with me? Or is it hard to tell me what's in your heart? Sometimes I really want to open your head to see what's inside, since you never tell me anything."

Ji An lay in his arms, repeatedly saying he was wrong and that he would never do it again.

You Chen released Ji An's hand, saying, "You need to learn a lesson, Ji An. Tonight's gift is canceled."

"No, it can't be!"

Ji An, flustered, held onto him, sobbing so much he couldn't speak clearly.

"Don't… You, You Chen… I was wrong… I won't do it again… Don't, don't take it back… Don't, don't take it back…"