CTS 27

Shen Mo had spent a long time browsing at the car show, so just from the logo on the key, he knew exactly what kind of price range he was dealing with. Any trace of sleepiness disappeared. He held the key in his hand, unsure whether to accept it or not.

“Mr. Ji…”

Ji Mingxuan didn’t let him finish. He turned off the light and said, “Go to sleep.”

This time, Ji Mingxuan slept soundly. The one who couldn’t sleep was Shen Mo. When he finally drifted off, he dreamed he was being hunted. He spent the entire dream dodging flying weapons, hiding from danger, only to realize in the end that the so-called weapons were nothing more than car keys scattered all over the ground.

The next day, when Ji An’an heard about it, she secretly laughed for a good while.

Shen Mo hesitated for some time, but by Monday, he still ended up driving the car Ji Mingxuan gave him to work. He figured if he didn’t, that pampered man might throw a fit again. Lately, Shen Mo had come to realize that getting along with Ji Mingxuan wasn’t that difficult. The key was to obey him.

Ji Mingxuan had good sense. The car he gave Shen Mo wasn’t anything flashy, but the price still spoke for itself. Driving it to the office drew a bit of attention.

Shen Mo was already used to the snide remarks from his coworkers. He just focused on doing his job and acted like nobody else existed.

Time passed quickly, and before he knew it, the new year had come and gone.

During that time, Zhou Yang had called him several times, but Shen Mo never picked up. The cold war between him and Ji Mingxuan had completely dissolved after the night of the engagement party. Unless something urgent came up at work, Ji Mingxuan would come home for dinner. He even slept in the same bed with Shen Mo every night. Their life together had started to feel almost like that of an old married couple.

Still, Ji Mingxuan had never said clearly what he really felt. Whether their relationship was still a contract or had become something else, he never gave a definite answer.

Shen Mo muddled through his days until the end of January, when he suddenly remembered that the start of spring was coming up.

Ji Mingxuan’s birthday fell on that day.

He hadn’t known before, but now that he did, and especially after accepting the car from Ji Mingxuan, he felt it was only right to return the gesture with a gift.

Just the thought of picking out a gift gave him a headache. Luckily, Ji An’an was more than happy to help him come up with ideas.

“What can my brother possibly want that he can’t buy for himself? Giving him some ordinary gift just feels too boring. So how about this…” Ji An’an’s eyes lit up. “Buy two plane tickets and take him on a trip abroad.”

“A trip?”

“Yeah. That island Zhou Yang and I visited last time was amazing. Beaches, moonlight, the sea… it was unbelievably romantic. One day, we planned to take a yacht out, and when I stepped on deck, the whole thing was covered in rose petals.”

That was probably when Zhou Yang proposed to her. As she recalled it, her expression softened, full of warmth and nostalgia.

But for Shen Mo to take Ji Mingxuan to that same island? That wouldn’t be romantic. It would be torture.

He didn’t want to shoot the idea down outright, so he made an excuse. “It does sound nice, but work gets really busy at the end of the year. I’m not sure Mr. Ji would even have the time.”

“That’s easy. Just ask him.”

And Ji An’an was true to her word. During dinner, she casually brought it up.

Except her way of asking was far too obvious. Ji Mingxuan immediately caught on. “Do I have any free time in early February? Why, what are you planning?”

“Just say whether you’re free or not. If you are, maybe you could go with Brother Shen…”

“An’an.”

Shen Mo quickly cut her off.

Ji An’an blinked and left it at that.

Ji Mingxuan looked between the two of them, eyebrows slightly furrowed, clearly thinking about something. “I’ll have to check next month’s schedule.”

“Then hurry up and ask your secretary.”

“What’s the rush?” Ji Mingxuan glanced at her and said slowly, “Let me finish dinner first.”

After they finished eating, Ji Mingxuan went straight into his study.

Shen Mo had planned to stay in the living room and watch some TV, but Ji An’an nudged him to go ask about the schedule.

“Go on, go now. If my brother doesn’t take it seriously, he’ll forget all about it the moment he turns around.”

Shen Mo could never say no to her, so he gave in.

He had no desire to go to that island, so he figured he’d just walk by the study and pretend he asked. But the door was slightly ajar, and as he approached, he heard Ji Mingxuan on the phone inside.

“Yes, those few days in early February… What meeting? That doesn’t matter. I don’t care how you do it. Move it forward, push it back. Just make sure those days are free.”