The Gentle, Sickly Beauty Is Won Over By The Loyal Big Shot - Chapter 22

“I’m fine, my throat just feels a little uncomfortable. I think I haven’t been drinking enough water, it’s nothing serious.” Seeing Gu Han trotting over, Qi Ran stretched his arms out from under the covers. “Come here, give me a hug.”

Gu Han leaned down and pulled Qi Ran into his arms. “Baby, I’ll go pour you some water right now.”

“Why did you hear me coughing?” Qi Ran teased Gu Han. “Is the soundproofing in Jianchen’s houses really that bad?”

“How could it be bad? Although Litian Mingzhu is one of Jianchen’s earlier developments, the materials used are the same as what we use now, the very best.” Gu Han smiled and lightly flicked Qi Ran’s forehead. “You didn’t close your door, your room is right at the top of the stairs, and the dining room is directly below. Of course it’s easy to hear.”

“I knew you’d care about that, but why aren’t you angry?” Qi Ran felt a bit disappointed that his teasing didn’t fully land. He muttered softly, “I just wanted to bully you a little. Your temper is always so good, even when you argue, you’re so gentle. Hmph.”

“Of course I care about the reputation of the houses, because Jianchen is the result of all my hard work, it’s like my child. But I care about you more.” Gu Han cupped Qi Ran’s face, his thumb gently stroking the delicate skin at the corner of his eye, as he spoke softly. “I promise you, Ranran, I will never be harsh with you. I’ll be gentle with you for a lifetime. If you think this house isn’t good enough, I’ll build a villa district specifically to your liking in the future. You can choose the house number first, okay?”

“I don’t want that. I was just teasing you. I like this house very much.” Qi Ran hugged Gu Han’s waist tightly and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. “I just want you to stay with me for the rest of my life.”

“I will definitely do that,” Gu Han kissed Qi Ran’s lips. “Because I promised you that I would love you for a lifetime.”

Qi Ran said nothing more. He held Gu Han for a long time, and only after kissing his lips again did he say, “Darling, go finish your dinner. By the time you get back, I might already be asleep. You can wake me up then, and we’ll sleep together.”

“My Ranran is still a patient right now, why would I toss you around?” Gu Han’s eyes were full of indulgence, with a hint of tenderness mixed in. “Sleep for a while. If you’re still awake when I return, I’ll coax you to sleep.”

Gu Han went back downstairs. By the time he reached the dining room, the food had gone cold again. He put the wraps and wontons into the microwave. Standing by the kitchen island waiting for the food to heat up, he took out his phone to see if there was any news in the staff group chat.

However, nothing much ever happened in Jianchen’s department group. It was mostly team building photos, dinner gatherings, professional flattery, and long strings of “Received” messages. Gu Han scrolled through the records for a long time before realizing this.

So, he sent a message to Yu Shen: [Shen, I heard you mention that Ruihao has a project preview coming up. When is the meeting?]

Yu Shen must have been busy, as he replied after a short while: [It’s in the next couple of days; the date isn’t set yet. I heard from Cheng Dan that it might be tomorrow, at the main venue of the Real Estate Convention. A lot of media will be there. You know how high-profile the developers in the Litian Special Zone are, and we are the same way.]

Gu Han: [Compared to Ruihao, Jianchen is considered low-key. So, do you guys really have a plan to sabotage Ruihao’s pre-sale launch? From the information I’ve gathered, this pre-sale is extremely important to them, at least half of their performance for the next six months depends on this new development.]

Yu Shen: [Lu Ming told me to leave it to him. I don’t know the specifics yet. You told me to trust him, so I’m trusting him.]

Gu Han smiled: [Trust him, then. We’re all on the same side. By the time, have you put meeting Cheng Dan privately on the schedule yet?]

Yu Shen: [I’m thinking about it, but we’re still discussing the details. It’s a sensitive time right now. Qi Ran’s “fake resignation,” the launch event, followed by the promotion and the opening of the sales office, all of Ruihao’s big events are happening at once. It would be very troublesome for Cheng Dan if he were seen meeting me. We can only wait a bit.]

Gu Han: [Then I’ll leave the arrangements to you.]

Gu Han’s food was ready. He was about to end the conversation for the day when Yu Shen sent another message: [Chairman, to be honest, I instructed Lu Ming to use very crude methods to sabotage the launch. You won’t be unhappy about that, will you? He said he was afraid of being exposed and implicating Jianchen. At first, I told him he was being too soft-hearted, but thinking about it now, I agree with him.]

Gu Han replied: [What is there to fear? If anything happens, Jianchen’s legal department will handle it. Just go ahead with it. As long as no one dies, the dirtier and cruder the methods, the better. I’m glad you and I share the same attitude toward Ruihao. If all goes well, we should be working together until the day I retire.]

Yu Shen: [Chairman, it’s my honor.]

Ending his talk with Yu Shen, Gu Han ate his dinner in peace. When he ate, he liked to watch random videos, summaries of foreign classics, shop visits, or game videos. As long as they looked decent, Gu Han wasn’t picky; he just wanted to relax.

Ever since coming into contact with the big yellow dog Qi Ran was raising, Gu Han had started searching for pet videos, wanting to learn how to raise this Chinese rural dog together with Qi Ran.

Originally, Gu Han had been quite resistant to being around pet dogs, but now, he wanted to understand everything about Qi Ran’s life.

While Gu Han was watching a video, Hamburger smelled the food and came in from the garden. The dog sat at Gu Han’s feet, looking up at him expectantly, begging for a bite.

“What is it, Hamburger?” Gu Han waved a spoon with a wonton in front of the dog. “Do you want to eat this?”

Hamburger whimpered and acted spoiled, rubbing against Gu Han’s leg, eyes filled with longing.

“Hamburger, you’re so polite and well-behaved.” Gu Han stood up. “Come on, lead me to your bowl. I’ll share some meat with you.”

Hamburger was very smart and could understand words. He trotted ahead to show Gu Han where his bowl was, looking back every few steps as if afraid Gu Han wouldn’t keep up.

“I said I’d give you some,” Gu Han tried to pet the little dog’s head. His touch was very light; he still wasn’t quite used to it. “Little Hamburger, I won’t go back on my word.”

While Gu Han was feeding the dog, Yu Shen was still in the office. At this hour, twilight in the Litian Special Zone had passed, and it was nearly dark. All the staff had gone home, leaving only a few people on shift rotation.

Yu Shen wasn’t working overtime in the traditional sense; he just had a flexible schedule. If he felt motivated, he’d work through the night, if not, he’d sleep until the afternoon before heading in. Many people said his lifestyle would shorten his life, but Yu Shen didn’t care. Life was boring anyway, dying early wouldn’t be a bad thing. At least for now, he was fine, and his health markers were normal.

So, Yu Shen chose a time when everyone should have been off work to send a message to Cheng Dan: [Is it convenient?]

Cheng Dan replied instantly: [Still working overtime. Just as well, if you hadn’t messaged me, I would have messaged you. Are you home yet? If you’re already home, it’s fine. But if you’re still at the company, I’m warning you, there are people staking out the Jianchen campus waiting for you or your car. They didn’t meet their quota today and won’t give up easily. If they don’t meet their quota, they don’t get paid. While those ex-convicts won’t do anything too extreme, for safety’s sake, I suggest you sleep at Jianchen tonight and wait until dawn to go home.]

Yu Shen frowned: [You mean, if they can’t plant a listening device, they haven’t completed Ruihao’s task?]

Cheng Dan: [Exactly. Most of those ex-convicts are gamblers and are desperate for money. If you run into them head-on now, while your life won’t be in danger, it certainly won’t be a pleasant experience.]

Yu Shen: [This is too rampant. This is a society ruled by law, yet my personal safety is being threatened.]

Cheng Dan: [There’s no other way. They are the dregs of society living outside the law. If they just block you without physical harm, there’s no way to convict them. So, I suggest you be careful.]

Yu Shen replied: [Thank you. However, I messaged you because I have something to discuss.]

Cheng Dan: [Please, go ahead.]

Yu Shen: [I plan to find someone to sabotage Ruihao’s launch event and make Zhou Cheng look like a fool in front of the media. But I was thinking with our Chairman and Qi Ran living together, plus Qi Ran’s fake resignation to join Jianchen, these things are linked too closely. If we strike at the launch event, there’s a high probability Jianchen will be suspected. Do you have any other companies we could shift the blame to, to provide us with some cover?]

Cheng Dan: [That’s simple, Manager Yu. Proceed with your plan. As for shifting the blame, I have a way.]

Afterward, Yu Shen reported everything Cheng Dan had said to Gu Han and asked if there was a place he could stay. Gu Han replied: [There’s a room reserved for you on the 19th floor, room 1913. It has water and electricity. Wipe down the AC before you use it. The key is in the left drawer of my office desk. Yu Shen, make sure to stay safe. Notify security that no outsiders are allowed into the Jianchen campus tonight. If anything happens to you, I’ll immediately tear off the mask with Ruihao.]

Yu Shen laughed and replied: [Don’t worry, Chairman. I only became “precious” after I started making money in real estate with you. I’ve seen all sorts of storms before. Don’t worry about me, just focus on your private world with your little beauty. Jianchen has me. I’ll play Zhou Cheng to death for you. Dammit, pushing his luck, he actually dared to piss on my head.]

Looking at Yu Shen’s reply, Gu Han felt as if he had traveled back ten years. That was what Yu Shen was like when they first met, a lean young man, an intellectual who had carried bricks on a construction site, full of energy and with a fierce look in his eyes.

Ten years ago. Everyone was so young then. The longer one lived, the more one became filled with a sense of stagnation.

This was why Gu Han always wanted to protect Qi Ran’s pride and his willful little temper. People who had suffered too much found it hard to retain those natural, cute traits.

Gu Han replied to Yu Shen and cleaned the dining room thoroughly, even washing the dog’s bowl. When he returned to the second floor bedroom, he found that Qi Ran hadn’t fallen asleep yet. He was wrapped completely in the duvet, looking listless.

Gu Han was worried. He sat on the edge of the bed. “Ranran, not asleep yet?”

“I slept for a little bit and then woke up again.” Qi Ran reached out from under the covers and grabbed Gu Han’s arm. “Gu Baby, are you tired? Can you sleep with me?”

“Of course, but I don’t have any clothes to sleep in.” Gu Han held Qi Ran’s hand and, as usual, brought it to his lips for a kiss. “I’ll order some from the nearest shopping mall, okay?”

“No need, no need! I just remembered. I have a pair of pajamas I bought that were too big. I was working so much overtime then that I didn’t have time to return them, so I just washed them and kept them.” Qi Ran threw off the covers and scrambled out of bed. He ran out barefoot, his snowy-white feet hitting the floor, not even caring if it was cold. “Wait for me to find them.”

“Why are you running out barefoot?”

Gu Han chased after him and scooped Qi Ran up by the waist. “You’ll be uncomfortable if you catch a cold. Your stomach isn’t good, you need to take care of yourself.”

Qi Ran wriggled out of Gu Han’s arms and grumbled flirtatiously, “I know my stomach isn’t good. Why are you being so fussy? Such a nag.”

“Are you tired of me already?” Seeing that Qi Ran couldn’t reach the clothes on the top shelf of the wardrobe, Gu Han put an arm around his legs and lifted him up with one hand, letting him sit steadily on his arm. “It’s okay. Ranran’s puppy will always love Ranran, so he will keep nagging you.”

“You’re so strong, it’s scary,” Qi Ran teased as he grabbed the pajamas. “If you bully me in the future, I won’t even be able to fight back.”

“This strength is for protecting my wi…. er, for protecting my Ranran. I’d never bully you.” Gu Han had let a word slip. In an instant, his face turned red. That heart-fluttering, shy feeling he’d had when he was with Qi Ran at the hospital came rushing back.

“Friend.” “This strength is for protecting my wife.” “I’m lonely most of the time, luckily I have you.”

While chasing his “wife,” Gu Han was becoming a walking encyclopedia of awkward slips of the tongue.

Qi Ran saw everything. One only blushed like this when they were truly moved. Not wanting to make things difficult for Gu Han, Qi Ran pretended he hadn’t heard anything. He focused on the pajamas, spreading them out while sitting on Gu Han’s arm. “These… you can definitely wear them. Hehe, they’re my favorite Teddy Bear pajamas. They might be a little childish for you… but I like them, so you’ll have to suffer a bit.”

“It’s not suffering. The clothes you chose are very cute.” Gu Han smiled indulgently. “I like them.”

“Put them on, I’ve washed them.” Qi Ran pushed Gu Han out of the room and half-closed the door, looking at him through the crack. “I’m going to change now. See you in a bit.”

Gu Han looked at the bear pajamas in his hand, then at the closed door, and muttered a bit petulantly, “We’re both men, what’s wrong with changing together?”

“No,” Qi Ran answered from inside the bedroom. “Right now I’m just very shy. Maybe we can change together in the future, but definitely not now.”

Gu Han hummed and took the clothes to the second floor sitting room, planning to change on the sofa. He took a few steps, then suddenly turned back, confused. “Wait, wasn’t the door closed? How did Qi Ran hear me?”

Was the soundproofing in Jianchen’s old projects really that bad?

But now that he was with his “wife,” it wasn’t the time to think about work. Gu Han put on the pajamas and found that they fit perfectly. The fabric was soft and comfortable, but it was covered in prints of fluffy little bears. Gu Han couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“So he likes things like this?” Gu Han was still looking at the patterns. “Truly cute.”

“They fit so well!” Qi Ran had also changed into his pajamas, which were similar to Gu Han’s, making them look like a couple. He came hopping out of the bedroom barefoot and wrapped his arms around Gu Han’s waist. “You have a great figure.”

Gu Han leaned down and hoisted Qi Ran over his shoulder, letting him rest steadily against him. “Not wearing socks again, are you? If I catch you again, I’m going to have to teach you a lesson.”

“Teach me a lesson now then,” Qi Ran challenged him sweetly. “I’m still not going to wear socks in the future anyway.”

Gu Han carried Qi Ran into the bedroom and lay down on the bed with him. Gu Han might have fantasized about throwing Qi Ran onto the bed, but in reality, Qi Ran’s body was too frail for any rough handling. So, Gu Han carefully held him, pinning his wrists to the bed and kissing him.

This time, Gu Han was a little rough. He tangled with Qi Ran’s soft tongue, kissing him so deeply he couldn’t catch his breath. Only then did Gu Han let go, rubbing Qi Ran’s chest to help him feel better.

“Is this how you punish me?”

Qi Ran was panting, his face flushed. He raised a snowy-white hand to grab Gu Han’s collar, continuing to provoke him. “Old man, are you too old to even get intimate?”

“Of course not. I have plenty of strength. It’s just that Ranran is shy and sick right now, so I can’t bully you.” Gu Han leaned down and lightly bit Qi Ran’s lip. “I will definitely satisfy Ranran. I’ll meet all of Ranran’s needs.”

“Very good. I like a puppy like that.” Qi Ran naturally burrowed into Gu Han’s arms, letting him hold him as they prepared to sleep. “It’s strange, I’ve been feeling a bit dizzy since this afternoon. Let’s sleep; maybe I’ll be better when I wake up.”

As Gu Han held Qi Ran, he felt that his body temperature was slightly high. Gu Han reached his hand under Qi Ran’s top, feeling his back to check the temperature of his skin.

“You’re so warm.” Gu Han felt Qi Ran’s waist and then his forehead. Indeed, it was higher than normal. Qi Ran had a fever. Afraid that Qi Ran would feel cold, Gu Han pulled him tightly into his embrace, using his own body to warm him while pulling up the covers. “How did you get a fever? Shall I take you to the hospital now?”