Out Of Control All The Way - Chapter 5

Stepping into Shang Shixu’s office once again, one was instantly captivated by the view outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.

He hadn’t noticed it during the day, but Beijing’s night view was unexpectedly breathtaking.

This building was the tallest in the area. Standing here, the distant twinkling lights of high-rises came entirely into view. Looking down from above, the various streetlights sparkled brilliantly as vehicles occasionally drove past, giving a genuine sense of looking down upon all lesser peaks.

When Shang Shixu turned on the lights, the entire floor-to-ceiling window transformed into a giant mirror, reflecting the two of them inside.

Farther inside, there was another room.

The room was quite spacious, complete with a bed, wardrobe, bathroom, and various appliances, looking very much like a frequently lived-in space.

“Living up to your title as the boss, your office even has a hidden world of its own.”

Shang Shixu put on a helpless expression. “Now you know the bitterness of being a boss. You have to worry about everything, to the point where you can’t even go home.”

“Hey, this idea is great. I’ll do this in the future too.”

“Don’t learn from me.” Shang Shixu chuckled. “Life and work need a balance between labor and leisure. Work is meant to make life better; if you throw yourself entirely into work, wouldn’t that be putting the cart before the horse in the end?”

Jiang Muzhou shook his head inwardly: setting up a room right where you work could save a huge amount on rent.

There were plenty of disposable toothbrushes and towels in the lounge.

Shang Shixu lent him a clean set of pajamas.

Back in front of the mirror-like floor-to-ceiling window, Jiang Muzhou had already noticed a height difference of about five or six centimeters between them. After taking a shower and putting on the pajamas, that was indeed the case, with the sleeves ending up a bit too long.

When it was time to dry his hair, Shang Shixu told him to lie down on the bed for a bit.

Watching Shang Shixu head into the bathroom to wash up, Jiang Muzhou ultimately couldn’t bring himself to sleep on the bed. He tossed his alcohol-scented clothes into the washer-dryer combo and lay down on the sofa in the lounge to catch a brief nap.

Once his clothes were dry, he would leave.

After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Muzhou blinked open his eyes in a haze. The curtains were drawn, and sunlight from outside was sneaking in through the gap.

Jiang Muzhou got up from the sofa, the blanket draped over him sliding off. His clothes had been neatly folded and placed beside him. He sat on the sofa in a daze for a few seconds.

Only then did it belatedly occur to him that the employees outside should have already started work, and he was the only person left in the entire lounge.

He had only intended to take a quick nap and leave before the company staff arrived, but he hadn’t expected to fall asleep.

Irritated, Jiang Muzhou ruffled his hair, pulled out his phone to check the time, and saw that it was already half-past nine.

He dressed, tidied himself up, built up his mental resilience, and pushed down the door handle.

Assistant Chen Jinghuai was tidying Shang Shixu’s desk when he suddenly heard the sound of the door opening. Just as he wanted to say, “Good morning, President Shang,”

Seeing the person who came out, his voice seemed to stall. “Jiang, Mr. Jiang, hello.”

Jiang Muzhou managed to remain composed on the surface. “Assistant Chen, good morning.”

Chen Jinghuai strictly upheld the duties of an assistant, asking nothing while his mind began racing with wild hypotheses.

Seeing that Jiang Muzhou was still wearing yesterday’s clothes, he must have spent the entire night sleeping right here.

Had anyone else ever been allowed into President Shang’s lounge?

No, never.

Even the basic cleaning inside was handled mostly by Shang Shixu himself.

Was this Jiang Muzhou a good friend of President Shang’s? Why hadn’t he seen him before or even heard of him?

Judging by their conversation when they came to discuss business yesterday, they didn’t seem particularly close.

Jiang Muzhou had no idea what Chen Jinghuai was thinking and asked, “Where is President Shang?”

Before Chen Jinghuai could answer, he saw Shang Shixu walking in from outside, carrying two portions of breakfast.

When had President Shang ever bought breakfast?

No, never.

Chen Jinghuai acted as though he saw nothing, but his heart bounded. He desperately wanted to go gossip with the people outside about what on earth was going on, though he had no idea who to share it with.

Shang Shixu had bought quite a variety of breakfast items, not knowing Jiang Muzhou’s preferences, so he had gotten a little bit of everything.

Jiang Muzhou picked out two steamed buns.

Shang Shixu simply watched him finish them in a few bites, then handed over a cup of soy milk.

Taking a sip of the soy milk, Jiang Muzhou let out a breath of relief.

He had gone out drinking before finishing dinner yesterday evening, and with all the alcohol he had consumed, his stomach had been struggling for a long time.

Shang Shixu held his own cup of soy milk and toasted with Jiang Muzhou. “Thanks for yesterday.”

Jiang Muzhou sighed helplessly. “From last night until now, you’ve said that at least three times.”

“Are you implying that friends don’t need to thank each other?”

Jiang Muzhou smiled. “Being President Shang’s friend must be so easy. All it takes is a meal?”

Shang Shixu ignored Jiang Muzhou’s deliberate misinterpretation of his words. “That also depends on whether there is an immediate rapport.”

After finishing breakfast, Jiang Muzhou walked out under the curious gazes of the top-floor office staff, calmly pressing the elevator button.

Only until the elevator began its descent did he finally let out a sigh of relief.

He figured that in such a large company with strict discipline, they surely wouldn’t gossip behind his back about sleeping in.

Following that incident, he and Shang Shixu maintained contact, though not frequently, mostly chatting about work-related matters.

Meanwhile, Jiang Muzhou’s studio also officially went into operation.

Taking inspiration from Shang Shixu, he spent nearly a month finding a suitable place.

The studio space was a two-story standalone building. The first floor served as the office area and lounge, while the second floor functioned as various meeting rooms and small reception rooms.

He gave up his rented apartment and reserved a room at the very back of the second floor of the studio to use as his own dormitory, so he could live and work right there from then on.

For one, it saved on commuting time, and for another, it saved on rent, killing two birds with one stone.

Though it was far from downtown, the bus and subway connections were convenient, and the rent for people working in the surrounding area was reasonable.

Later on, he hired a few employees, and the studio finally began operating in earnest.

Once work started, it meant he began to get busy.

Taking a rare break over the weekend, Jiang Muzhou hopped onto his old friend that hadn’t been started in ages.

He rode all the way to Gu Yubai’s motorcycle shop.

Removing his helmet, he saw Gu Yubai organizing a group gathering of fellow riders at the entrance.

Catching sight of Jiang Muzhou, Gu Yubai called out, “You’ve arrived right on time. Another few minutes and we would have all rolled out.”

Jiang Muzhou greeted a few familiar riders and asked, “Where are you heading this time?”

Gu Yubai replied, “The old route, the Jingchuan line. Want to come along?”

“Maybe another time. I can’t get away lately,” Jiang Muzhou said, noticing Zhang Ning among the group of riders. Zhang Ning was staring right at him with an unfriendly expression.

He nudged Gu Yubai. “Didn’t you end up in the hospital fighting him last time? Have you guys made up now?”

Gu Yubai rolled his eyes. “Made up my foot. He’s clinging on stubbornly and insisting on covering everyone’s travel expenses, gas money, and accommodation.”

Jiang Muzhou understood. They had caught a sucker and were squeezing him for all he was worth.

“Isn’t it a bit much for you guys to do that?”

“I didn’t ask for any of this; he insisted on paying it himself. I couldn’t drive him away even if I tried.”

Jiang Muzhou was a bit curious. “Didn’t you say you two knew each other since childhood? How did you end up fighting? And now things are a mess like this?”

Gu Yubai looked helpless. “We did know each other since childhood, but we parted ways for a very long period in between. People change, and who would have thought he…”

Gu Yubai didn’t finish his sentence. He glanced toward Zhang Ning’s direction, scratched his head, and trailed off with a hesitant look.

Seeing that Gu Yubai didn’t want to talk about it, Jiang Muzhou didn’t press further.

With a few parting words, he said goodbye to them and left.