Chapter 38

Chapter 38

They're staying the night at Jingying Manor.

Wen Yanxu's bedroom—Wen Jueqian had only ever slept there once, on their engagement night, before they moved into Jing'an Residence together.

That day had been exhausting; they'd crashed the second they got back to the room, and the next morning, they were busy dealing with Wen Yanxu's dads.

Today, he finally got to really look around the place Wen Yanxu had lived in for nearly twenty years.

Calling it a bedroom didn't do it justice—it was a fully loaded mega-suite with a study, sleeping area, living area, bathroom, you name it.

What blew Wen Jueqian's mind was the floor-to-ceiling bookshelf covering the entire wall of the study, packed with actual paper books.

So old-school!

Wen Yanxu brought him a fresh set of pajamas—soft, silky fabric.

"Want to take a bath?" Wen Yanxu asked.

Wen Jueqian nodded.

The smart butler had the hot water ready in no time.

It wasn't so much a bathtub as a small soaking pool. The square pool was edged in black natural stone, polished to a mirror shine.

When Wen Jueqian walked in, Wen Yanxu was crouched by the pool, testing the water with his slender fingers.

Then it hit him: Wen Yanxu had never mentioned they'd be bathing together.

The pool was big enough for the two of them to sit side by side with room to spare. Steam filled the air, hazing their vision.

Wen Jueqian could feel faint brushes of contact under the water.

He sank half his face into the water.

Wen Yanxu looked at him, and his heart went soft.

Like a little kid.

The "bad" things he'd planned to do—like pinning the kitten against the pool's edge and watching his steam-flushed skin take on other colors—

Suddenly, he couldn't go through with it.

"Stop holding your breath."

Wen Jueqian slowly surfaced, exhaling.

In the end, they really did just soak in the tub—which even surprised Wen Jueqian a bit.

After the bath, Wen Jueqian's hair was still damp, only half-heartedly towel-dried.

He sat on the stool by the bed, scrolling through his optical computer, while Wen Yanxu stood behind him, holding a hairdryer.

Warm air blew steadily as Wen Yanxu's fingertips grazed his scalp with just the right pressure. Wen Jueqian set down the optical computer, closed his eyes, and soaked in the feeling of being taken care of.

He remembered his mother, Qin Jingqiu, drying his hair like this when he was little. But as she got busier, that moment never came again.

Wen Jueqian's hair was well cared for—soft strands slipping through his fingers like silk.

Wen Yanxu said out of nowhere, "If you grew it out, it'd look gorgeous."

Wen Jueqian opened his eyes.

Back in high school, his close friend Fang Yulan was always complimenting his hair color and telling him to grow it out.

He'd always brush it off with "It's a hassle."

But the real reason—he'd never told anyone.

His face already looked too much like one—with those striking features and that pale skin, people had mistaken him for an Omega since childhood.

If he grew his hair out, even more people would get the wrong idea.

He didn't want to be seen as an Omega.

That was the reason he'd never told a soul.

But today, after Wen Yanxu said that, Wen Jueqian stayed quiet for a long time.

Then he said, "I don't want to grow it out."

The hairdryer went quiet. Wen Yanxu switched it off, and the room fell still.

"Qianqian." His voice came from behind Wen Jueqian—low, serious. "I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want to do."

"Short hair looks great too."

Wen Jueqian reached back and took his hand—that hand, always dry and warm.

"I know," he said softly.

The next morning, Wen Jueqian woke in Wen Yanxu's arms.

The second he woke, he noticed how weirdly they were positioned.

One of Wen Yanxu's legs had somehow slipped between Wen Jueqian's, the thigh solid and full, radiating warmth and a springy feel through the thin fabric.

Wen Jueqian unconsciously clamped down on that leg—the intimacy of it almost too much.

Then he felt something else.

The morning reactions of both of them were impossible to ignore.

Wen Jueqian's face went red in an instant. He tried to carefully slip out, but the moment he moved, the arm around his waist tightened.

"Awake?" It was Wen Yanxu's voice.

Wen Jueqian froze.

"When did you wake up?"

"Not long ago."

Using the conversation as cover, Wen Jueqian tried to inch away again. His waist was locked, his leg pinned—like a fish in a net, the more he squirmed, the tighter it got.

"Why didn't you call me?" Wen Jueqian tried to keep his tone normal. "We still have work today."

Wen Yanxu's chin rested against the top of his head, his voice carrying the laziness of just waking up: "You were sleeping so soundly, drooling and all. I couldn't bring myself to wake you."

Wen Jueqian instinctively touched the corner of his mouth.

He realized he had been tricked, and looked up to meet those teasing eyes.

He kicked the man, embarrassed and angry.

Wen Yanxu chuckled lowly.

"Alright." He tightened his arm, pulling the man into another embrace before letting go. "Let's get up first."

He rose, freeing Wen Jueqian from that awkward position.

Wen Jueqian immediately sat up, pretending nothing had happened.

They had breakfast at Jingying Manor.

After the meal, He Yishui walked them to the helipad.

"Yanxu, you can go with your father." He Yishui glanced at Wen Shijun's aircraft, the black vehicle parked on the other side of the lawn.

Wen Yanxu declined. "I'll drop Qianqian off at the company first, then go over there."

He Yishui didn't press further, just reminding him, "Be safe on the road."

Since the Jueying Island incident, he had become especially cautious, frequently checking with the security department to confirm their travel arrangements were solid.

Wen Shijun hadn't left yet, apparently waiting for Wen Yanxu.

Hearing that Wen Yanxu would first take Wen Jueqian, Wen Shijun only said to Wen Yanxu, "Come to my office when you arrive at the company." Then he nodded at Wen Jueqian as a goodbye.

It was only after boarding the aircraft that Wen Jueqian turned to ask Wen Yanxu, "Why go out of your way? Just go straight to Aegis."

Wen Yanxu glanced at him.

He said slowly, "Because there's a little cat who overthinks if I'm not careful. Today I need to be extra gentle and attentive with him."

Wen Jueqian's face heated up again.

Wen Jueqian arrived at the company at exactly nine. As he took the elevator, he happened to bump into COO Qin Junyu.

"Good morning, Mr. Wen." Qin Junyu greeted him with a smile. She wore a tailored skirt suit today, with impeccable makeup and a radiant look.

"Morning." Wen Jueqian nodded.

Qin Junyu gave him a second look and suddenly said, "Mr. Wen seems to be in a great mood today! You look great."

Wen Jueqian was caught off guard, instinctively touching his face. "Do I?"

"You do." Qin Junyu blinked. "Did something good happen to you?"

"Maybe I just slept well last night." Wen Jueqian brushed it off and quickly walked toward his office.

After discussing the next phase of the work plan with Qi Yi, an hour and a half had gone by.

Qi Yi looked at him curiously and suddenly asked, "Did something good happen to you?"

Wen Jueqian froze. "Why do you ask that all of a sudden?"

"Let me guess." Qi Yi smiled. "It's about Wen Yanxu."

Wen Jueqian was speechless.

"Other than Fusheng Realm, only things related to him make you this happy."

Wen Jueqian didn't reply and turned to leave.

He went back to his office.

Not long after he sat down, Zhou Jing knocked and entered, putting a document in front of him.

Wen Jueqian quickly glanced over it, signed, and handed it back to her.

Zhou Jing took it but didn't leave right away.

"Mr. Wen, are you in a really good mood today?"

Wen Jueqian looked up. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

Zhou Jing grinned sheepishly, pointing at the corner of her mouth. "You've had a smile on your face all day today."

After Zhou Jing left, Wen Jueqian opened the camera on his optical computer and looked at his reflection on the screen.

Indeed, the corners of his mouth were naturally curved upward, his eyes a bit brighter than usual, and he looked completely relaxed.

"No need to look—you've had that goofy grin all day."

A voice suddenly spoke up from beside him.

Wen Jueqian shut off the camera.

"I'm not grinning like an idiot."

"You are." 99 floated in front of him, bobbing up and down.

"Everyone saw you grinning like that, that's why they asked."

Wen Jueqian reached out and poked at it. "Done with your drama?"

99 floated back to its large screen, where a romantic drama was paused. "Not yet. Want to watch together? This episode just reached the confession scene."

"You watch it on your own." Wen Jueqian smiled and shook his head, returning to work.

Wen Jueqian's good mood lasted for days, even with the Fusheng Realm public beta approaching and daily overtime not putting a damper on it.

One day, just as Wen Jueqian was about to continue working late, he received a message from Wen Yanxu telling him to head home early.

In the elevator, Wen Jueqian pressed the button for floor 38.

Back then, Wen Yanxu's father, Wen Shijun (an alpha), had given the 37th to 39th floors of Jing'an Mansion to the couple as an engagement present.

Jing'an Mansion was the most prestigious residence in Yinmian City, and these three floors were worth a fortune—a sign of Wen Shijun's acceptance of Wen Jueqian as his future son-in-law.

After they moved in, Wen Yanxu and Wen Jueqian only used the 39th floor.

They rarely went to the two floors below them.

So why did Wen Yanxu ask him to go to the 38th floor today? Was he planning a surprise?

Wen Jueqian leaned against the elevator wall, watching the floor numbers climb one by one.

At the door, facial recognition automatically unlocked it, and the main door swung open on its own.

Wen Yanxu was standing right at the entrance, having waited who knows how long.

"Welcome home."

The house was dark, with only the entryway lit.

In the darkness, Wen Yanxu placed his hands on Wen Jueqian's shoulders, guiding him forward.

They reached the living room.

"Xiao Q, turn on the lights."

The lights in every room came on.

Wen Jueqian saw a home that perfectly matched his imagination.

Every corner was exactly as he wanted it.

With every step, his gaze swept over each corner and detail, as if to confirm this wasn't a dream.

His gaze finally came to rest on a wall.

There hung a row of photo frames—some with his pictures, some with Wen Yanxu's, and even more of the two of them together.

Those ordinary, cherished moments of love were all captured and preserved on that wall.

He turned to look at Wen Yanxu beside him.

A smile curved Wen Yanxu's lips, a soft light in his eyes. "I told you I'd follow your preferences completely."

The day after Wen Yanxu made that promise, he had a designer contact Wen Jueqian.

Wen Jueqian had replied a few times during work breaks to select plans and blueprints.

But Wen Jueqian thought it would still take more time.

"Qianqian, this is our home."

Those words carried a love and sense of security that only he could give.

Not a school dorm, not a borrowed room, not a temporary place.

Not a house tailored to He Yishui's tastes, nor one that made him feel trapped—Wen Jueqian no longer had to worry about having to move out at any moment.

"This place will always belong to you."

Wen Jueqian looked at him, feeling a sting in his eyes.

Finally, he simply stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Wen Yanxu's waist.

The lights glowed softly, casting shadows of the two embracing figures.

"Welcome home," Wen Yanxu said again.

==========Author's Note:==========

Wen Yanxu: Petting a kitten's fur feels great.