Chapter 108
JackieC, thank you for the Ko-fi!
Editor: Casey
Only after he was satisfied with how much everyone had praised Shi Qing did Tan Mingjin get down to business. He handed the documents in his hand to his assistant.
Actually, it would be better to let his assistant come up and collect them, but Tan Mingjin was worried Shi Qing would not be comfortable in the lounge of a foreign place. Therefore, he simply took the papers and went downstairs.
“President Tan, are you heading back?”
The assistant wondered if he had misheard.
What did he hear just now?
The overtime fiend Tan Mingjin was leaving early??
He was leaving early!!!
Even though Tan Mingjin was the highest authority in the company, the man who built his own fortune through hard work had an astonishing level of self-control. Despite being the president, he still worked a solid 8 hours a day at minimum.
He’s even voluntarily worked overtime, and it wasn’t uncommon for him to sleep in his office when things were really busy.
After working by his side for so long, the assistant’s seen him come in early and leave late, but never did he see Tan Mingjin leave early if there wasn’t an emergency.
His heart was filled with confusion and shock, but he kept a professional smile on his face.
“I see. Would you like me to arrange for a car?”
“No need.”
The handsome man waved his hand slightly, the corners of his lips seemed to curl up slightly like he was in a good mood.
“I’ll leave with Shi Qing once he’s awake.”
The assistant: “......”
So President Tan is actually capable of something like being in the office without working?
Is red rain about to fall from the sky next?
Although he was very curious, the smile on the assistant’s face remained respectfully professional in consideration for this month’s bonus.
“Alright. I’ll be downstairs. Please let me know if you need anything.”
The assistant kept a smile on his face until Tan Mingjin got into the elevator and left. Then he dropped the act and cursed with an armful of documents.
The previously quiet lounge immediately erupted into lively discussions, all of which were about Tan Mingjin’s reaction just now.
“What’s going on? Didn’t people say that President Tan and the young master weren’t on good terms? It didn’t seem that way from what I saw! In fact, the president seemed eager to spoil him in every way...”
“That’s right! Who spread that rumour? Can’t they even try to make it convincing? I really thought the young master’s days were numbered.”
“Now I know why they say children are the chains that hold men down. Just look at our President Tan, he’s always cold and serious, but his voice is so soft when it comes to the young master.”
Someone else went to ask the assistant: “Ge, what in the world is going on, ah? Why is President Tan treating him even better than a blood-related son??”
The assistant: “......”
How was he supposed to know?
If he knew, he would have been promoted and given a raise already.
But as Tan Mingjin’s assistant, he was with him nearly 16 hours a day. It would be too humiliating to admit that he didn’t know.
The assistant coughed dryly and said in a serious tone.
“This is a family matter for President Tan. Don’t talk about it so casually.”
As soon as he said this, the colleagues who had just been openly discussing it immediately shut their mouths.
The assistant was somewhat relieved to see this.
Although he was technically only an assistant on paper, he was the president’s assistant.
That meant in ancient times, he would’ve been the head eunuch. Everyone had to give him some face.
As he grew complacent, the assistant suddenly stiffened.
Pei!
There’s no way he’s a eunuch!
****
At this moment, Tan Mingjin arrived upstairs.
His office has a private lounge inside. When he bought the building for renovation, Tan Mingjin, who was already a workaholic, specifically asked for a lounge to be installed so that he could have a place to sleep after working late into the night.
Tan Mingjin was not the delicate type. Because it was still in the company building, he just went with the bare minimum for the lounge; a cupboard and a bed.
He thought it was fine when it was just him using the space, but Tan Mingjin could vaguely recall that Shi Qing was very high maintenance in every way.
They moved when Shi Qing was 14, pretty much half a grown-up already. Thus, he was very picky about the furnishings in his bedroom.
Shi Qing whined incessantly then that the bed was so uncomfortable that he had nightmares every night. It got to the point that Tan Mingjin just gave him the money to order the bed he wanted.
Because of this, the man didn’t know if the bed in the lounge was comfortable enough for Shi Qing.
Tan Mingjin thought about having the lounge renovated sooner than later since Shi Qing would be coming here more often.
As he carefully opened the door, he saw the youth entangled in the blanket on the bed, sound asleep.
His expression, which was always twisted with unruliness and defiance, was now at peace.
The man saw that Shi Qing was asleep, so he approached him silently in a deliberately slow fashion. He gradually sat by the edge of the bed and smiled as he looked down at his nephew’s very domineering sleeping face.
Tan Mingjin rarely saw Shi Qing sleeping before. Now that he’s gotten a good look, he wanted to chuckle.
What a domineering person. He tries his best to occupy as much territory as possible, even when asleep.
Then he glanced at little Shi Qing nearby.
This time, the little guy wasn’t on the youth’s shoulder, he was on top of Shi Qing.
Since Shi Qing was lying on his back, so was he.
His little body was arranged the same way as well, with all four limbs spread out like the character 大. His little face was ruddy from sleep, with his little mouth slightly ajar and snoring lightly.
Sometimes, his little brows would furrow, or he would kick his tiny legs. He would also raise his tiny hand occasionally to rub his tender face in displeasure.
His obviously dreaming appearance could easily melt the hearts of others.
Tan Mingjin smiled as he watched over the two for a while. Then he gently tugged the blanket from the youth’s hands and snugly covered him with it.
The always arrogant and overbearing Shi Qing was now entirely covered by the blanket, except for his porcelain face.
Now that he thought about it, it was strange how this child’s features normally appeared showy, but they seemed tranquil when he quietened down. His nose was slightly lifted and his lips were ruby red and moist.
Shi Qing got his looks from his mother rather than his father. At least, that was what Tan Mingjin thought since he’s never met that girl before.
But his delicate features did look a bit like Tan Mingjin when he was still a teen in school.
At that time, he had many suitors that were attracted to his beauty and academic achievements, but Tan Mingjin was solely focused on earning money. Afterward, when he achieved success, established his company, and expanded his influence to what it was today, Tan Mingjin began to pay attention to his physique.
Over time, his figure became tall and slender, and he radiated an aura of dignified stability. It dissuaded many girls from pursuing him like before.
So even if Tan Mingjin had raised Shi Qing, few people suspected that he was the president’s illegitimate son.
“Wu......”
While the man’s thought strayed, the sleeping Shi Qing murmured restlessly again. His formerly obediently still body stirred.
Tan Mingjin subconsciously reached out to pat his shoulder. As he got closer, he heard the youth mumble for him. “Uncle......”
He was stunned and actually a little flattered.
Did Shi Qing actually feel close enough to Tan Mingjin to call for him even in his dreams?
This time, it was the sleeping youth instead of little Shi Qing who made the man’s heart melt.
His gaze softened as he patted Shi Qing lightly on the back. He quietly coaxed with his deep voice, “Uncle is here.”
He wondered what Shi Qing was dreaming of?
His childhood?
Or a time when they played together?
While Tan Mingjin was thinking about this, Shi Qing called out again.
“Uncle......”
The youth cried out again in a daze, making duck lips with closed eyes. His rather pretty ruby red lips were pushed into a circular shape.
His porcelain face was slightly flushed as he rubbed restlessly against the blanket. “Mua! Mua! Mua!”
A corner of the blanket fell off, exposing little Shi Qing as well.
The little guy was curled up with fluttering long eyelashes and a flushed face, giggling quietly.
Although he didn’t kiss the air like Shi Qing did, because his little hand happened to be beside his face, the little guy ended up occasionally kissing the back of his own hand.
Tan Mingjin didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
He suspected that Shi Qing was dreaming of his childhood, when his paternal grandmother hadn’t passed away yet. Because she only had one grandson, the old lady spoiled him rotten.
The little guy was unbelievably overbearing, demanding kisses from everyone and getting angry if they didn’t play along.
At that time, Tan Mingjin was so busy that he rarely came back, so the little guy never had a chance to ask him for a smooch. He heard about this behaviour from Shi Qing’s grandmother over the phone.
In the blink of an eye, this child has already grown this big.
Looking at how the youth under the blanket kept making duck lips like he was stubbornly waiting for a kiss, Tan Mingjin smiled and stroked his head.
“Good boy, sleep well.”
After being touched on the head, Shi Qing became docile. He moved his body slightly, making the quilt slid off his shoulders again. However, this time his loose clothing followed suit.
A round and pale shoulder was exposed to the air.
Shi Qing has always liked to wear loose and baggy clothes to appear trendy. Before, Tan Mingjin found his fashion choices strange and unruly.
He didn’t find Shi Qing’s aesthetic abnormal anymore, but there should be a limit to how loose his clothes were.
Shi Qing’s skin was very pale and delicate. He was born with good looks and a well-proportioned body. His exposed shoulder made him appear dainty and even more beautiful.
For the first time, the man realized how attractive the child he had raised was.
He looked at the completely relaxed figure of the child sleeping in his bed, how reassured and comfortable he seemed to be. Something flashed through his mind.
His mouth also seemed to be a bit dry.
“Ba-dum! Ba-dum”
His heart was beating harder too.
Tan Mingjin felt that he’s been staring at Shi Qing for too long.
So he reached out and gently tugged on the youth’s loose clothes, covering that pale shoulder.
Shi Qing’s eyes were closed, but he still felt the increasing temperature in the air.
The youth then turned over, seemingly unintentionally. In the end, his left side remained covered, but his right shoulder was now the one exposed.
Tan Mingjin’s breathing slowed a little more.
His heart was beating even faster.
The man turned around almost subconsciously.
He didn’t even bother to think about why he averted his eyes when they were both men here.
Besides, it was just a shoulder. Plenty of men had their shoulders exposed in the summer, so what was he hiding for?
Despite this reasoning, his heart wasn’t beating any slower.
Whether he closed his eyes or not, the image of Shi Qing nestled in the blankets and sleeping peacefully was all he could see.
Tan Mingjin licked his lips. His eyes fell on the bedside table.
Shi Qing’s eyes remained closed throughout. He sensed the man turn around and rustled through something.
He shrank deeper into the covers.
[Tongtong, we did it.]
By the bed...
The man frowned solemnly. He stared at the white expanse of skin with a rapidly beating heart.
He reached out slowly...
And pulled the loose clothing up again.
Then he immediately secured it with the clips he had just retrieved from the bedside table.
“Whew!”
After making sure it was firmly clamped, Tan Mingjin breathed a sigh of relief.
This way it won’t fall off again.
Clips are so useful.
He glanced uneasily at the other side. Eventually, he reached out again.
Gathering Shi Qing’s clothes tightly, he clamped them using a second clip.
There, all done!
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