Chapter 20: Dreaming

Chapter 20 Dreaming

"..."

The black car cruised smoothly along the road.

After Lu Hechi said those words, he waited for a while, but never got a clear answer. Then he leaned on Shen Lanxue's shoulder and slowly dozed off.

About half an hour went by.

Shen Lanxue looked down at the man leaning on his shoulder and said softly, "Yes."

Lu Hechi slept like a log.

He didn't even know when they'd gotten home. It wasn't until the middle of the night, when he groggily opened his eyes, that he realized he was already in bed.

He instinctively reached out, touched the body beside him, pulled it into his arms, nuzzled into it, and breathed in his faint scent.

Drunk and pulled in by that scent, his consciousness slowly sank into a dream.

Hot.

His body was so hot.

Who set a fire?

Lu Hechi listened to the noisy music around him and the wild noise of a crowd getting hyped.

He slowly opened his eyes and found himself sitting in a bar booth, legs crossed, surrounded by a few people, both men and women.

He was holding a drink when someone came to clink glasses with him, the liquid swirling in the glass.

"President Lu, thank you for giving me this opportunity," a man beside him said. "I won't let you down."

Won't let who down? Me?

Lu Hechi took a drink, then chatted with the people around him. Before long, a pretty girl giggled and leaned into him, tracing circles on his chest with her finger.

"President Lu, how are you even better-looking than a celebrity?"

What the hell is this? Lu Hechi's head was spinning. He pushed the woman away and stumbled to his feet.

"President Lu, where are you going?"

Lu Hechi was confused too. Where was he going?

He didn't answer, just turned and walked somewhere quieter.

"..."

His mind went dark.

When he came to again, he was on a big hotel bed, and someone was holding him, seemingly trying to have their way with him.

Lu Hechi was so hot that sweat was beading on his neck. He gasped for breath, trying to push the person away, but that faint fir scent drew him in, and he wrapped his arms around the man and kissed him.

So sweet, so soft.

He wanted more.

"..."

Everything was chaos.

The curtains were tightly drawn, and two blurry figures were tangled together.

Lu Hechi didn't know what he was doing.

Maybe it was love.

He was craving instinctively. The man seemed almost too obedient—he didn't resist, but he wasn't exactly cooperating either.

"..."

The noisy music from the bar faded away, replaced by the sound of waves.

A different dream.

He seemed to be lying on a beach, blue skies and clear sea, rising and falling with the tide.

Gradually.

Sometimes high, sometimes low.

Everyone by the sea knows.

After the tide recedes, only dryness remains.

Only when the waves rush back in does it get wet again.

"..."

It wasn't until the glaring sunlight made his face burn that Lu Hechi slowly opened his eyes, immediately aware of the discomfort down there.

He quickly turned his head to look beside him, then let out a long sigh of relief.

Shen Lanxue was already gone.

He relaxed back onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, not daring to think about last night's dream.

...How could this happen.

It was too real.

Like it had actually happened to him.

And... the faces in his dream looked familiar too, like people from his company.

Was this really a dream? Or a memory from the past?

Lu Hechi couldn't tell. His body was burning up. He gritted his teeth, threw off the covers, and rushed into the bathroom to take a cold shower.

The weather had been heating up these past couple of days, and his inner restlessness was unbearable too.

If he kept lying in bed with Shen Lanxue so innocently, he might one day become the first man to die from lack of release, exploding from the inside.

Lu Hechi thought about this while showering. He was eighteen—an age of burning passion.

Shen Lanxue was twenty-eight—an age of wolf-like hunger. And besides, they were legally married.

Certified for the job.

...So, that's normal, right?

Lu Hechi shook his head, the cold water washing over his body, calming him down.

I can't think about this. No. This isn't right. No, no.

Lu Hechi decided he couldn't go on like this; he needed to find something productive to do.

So after showering and eating, he planned to swing by his company.

Lu Hechi figured, since this was his first time at the company since losing his memory, it'd be best to dress formally.

He opened the closet and scanned the row of clothes—mostly Shen Lanxue's suits, refined and polished, the unmistakable look of a company CEO.

Lu Hechi turned to look at his own streetwear; stylish, sure, but it didn't have any authority.

He started to reach for his own clothes, then pivoted and grabbed a charcoal gray suit from Shen Lanxue's collection—the one he wore most often.

Clothes make the man.

Lu Hechi changed into it, checked himself out in the mirror, and almost fell in love with his own reflection.

The suit was custom-made; it was a bit snug on him, but it accentuated his figure, making him look imposing.

Like one of those cold, domineering CEOs from a novel who could kill with a single glare.

Before heading out, Lu Hechi pulled out his phone, snapped a dozen mirror selfies, picked the best one, and sent it to Shen Lanxue.

"Pic."

"Bro, I'm heading to work now!"

"..."

Guangyao Media.

Su Jianian had crashed at 4 a.m. last night, and by morning she was half-asleep, with dark circles even makeup couldn't cover.

"Did you pull an all-nighter?" Yu You, the receptionist at the front desk next to her, snuck a bite of chicken feet while chatting.

Su Jianian sighed: "My brother got dragged by haters again last night, saying he bullied some rookie artist and slapped him around. I'm so freaking pissed!"

"That rookie artist the haters talk about is Ji Ziyang, from the same company. Who knows what kind of trash he is—he throws his weight around and gives everyone attitude every day."

"And they say my brother bullied him! He might be able to let it slide, but I sure as hell can't!"

Yu You nibbled on her chicken feet; as a receptionist at an entertainment company, she'd heard plenty of gossip.

She blinked, confused: "But I heard Chen Jiadong has someone backing him too, so why would he still get hate?"

"Since when does having a backer stop the hate?" Su Jianian rolled her eyes. "My brother made it all on his own. Don't start rumors."

"Alright, I'll keep my mouth shut."

Su Jianian was about to fire back when the elevator doors slid open.

A tall, handsome man stepped out of the elevator, and the whole lobby seemed to light up.

Her eyes lit up immediately, thinking he might be a new artist coming to sign.

Until he got closer and she saw his face—she shot up from her chair, and Yu You scrambled to her feet right after.

They both said in unison: "Hello, Mr. Lu!"

Mr. Lu—who was none other than Lu Hechi, having just found the place—cleared his throat and was about to speak when a robotic female voice blared from his phone's GPS.

"Congratulations, you have arrived at your destination. Have a nice day!"

The loud female voice echoed through the empty lobby, making it even more awkward.

The two receptionists were speechless.

Lu Hechi was speechless.

Lu Hechi nonchalantly pocketed his phone, acting like nothing had happened. He nodded and strode into the office, copying Shen Lanxue's cold, aloof vibe.

Once he was out of earshot, the two receptionists were still whispering about it.