From this indirect and step by step approach, one could also catch a glimpse of Mu Nanqiao’s cunning in the business world.

In any case, the goal was achieved. Boss Mu still pushed and pulled reservedly, answering with slight hesitation: “Yes, do you want to see them? They’re not very good.”

Lu Qi held Xiao Sanhua and thought for a moment. Not very good.

If he had known, he would have taken a good look last time when Mu Nanqiao took off his clothes in the bathroom. He was too embarrassed back then, but now that he thought about it, he was regretful. He opened his mouth and was about to tell him to forget it, but Mu Nanqiao had already put his hands on the hem of his clothes.

Boss Mu, who almost lost his chance, remained calm on the surface: “If it’s just you, it’s okay.”

Since the other person said so, of course Lu Qi sat down in a well-behaved manner, bright-eyed and ready to “learn.”

Seeing him like this, the originally calm Mu Nanqiao became a little embarrassed. He coughed, grabbed the hem of his black housecoat with slender fingers, and lifted it up a little.

Lu Qi: Wow!!

First-rate male beauty! Golden quality!

He had never liked very deep and exaggerated muscle lines, which were very stiff, but the mermaid lines and abdominal muscles in front of him were just right, smooth and beautiful. The sweatpants hung loosely at his hips, and the lines that tucked into the waistband had an unspoken sex appeal.

Lu Qi found another red mole below the concave dimple of his belly button on that cool white skin. This spot was simply eye-searing, unable to be described…..

He had taken the initiative to ask to see his muscles, but now he was blushing. Xiao Sanhua in his arms was still nudging him, making coquettish little chirps, and seemed dissatisfied that his attention was trained on the canine.

Lu Qi quickly covered Xiao Sanhua’s eyes.

Xiao Sanhua: “Meow?”

But the clothes weren’t lifted up enough, and the muscles on the sides of the ribs couldn’t be seen.

Mu Nanqiao pulled them up a little more.

Lu Qi suddenly recalled that he had once cooperated with a Taobao store and drew several sets of game fanart. The store later mailed him a set of samples. On a palm-sized card, the silver-haired character was half-kneeling, hands tied behind his back, and he was wearing a sleeveless black high-collar outfit.

At the time this sort of card appeared, Lu Qi still didn’t understand. He had clearly not drawn a shirt for the character. Then he received a friendly reminder from the store that the specially-coated clothes were temperature changing, and could be “taken off” by using hot air from a hair dryer.

Why did he think of this thing?

Because the man in front of him was also wearing a black short-sleeved shirt, and the process of lifting up the black material really seemed to make it fade like the temperature change card.

The muscles on the sides of his ribs extended smoothly upward. Lu Qi pursed his lower lip and looked up at Mu Nanqiao: “Can…..I…..touch it?”

“That won’t work.” Mu Nanqiao looked down at him with slightly raised eyebrows: “That’s another price. It’s only for a boyfriend to touch.”

“Okay…..” Lu Qi glanced at it reluctantly a few more times and murmured softly: “En, it seems I do still have room for improvement.”

“Have you seen enough?” Mu Nanqiao put down his shirt and asked in a low voice: “Are you satisfied? Does it look good?”

Lu Qi nodded like a chicken pecking rice. “En, en, en, exceedingly good!”

He actually raised his hand and touched the corner of his lips. Of course there was no drool, but this small gesture was so cute that Mu Nanqiao’s Adam’s apple rolled and he looked away with difficulty.

Otherwise, he was truly afraid that he would lose control and push this person down on the sofa and kiss him.

It wasn’t time yet.

“As long as you’re satisfied. Remember to give me a five star rating.” Mu Nanqiao rubbed his soft hair. Refraining from touching him was like drinking poison to quench his thirst, and his voice became imperceptibly hoarse. “I’m going to change my clothes. You should get ready too.”

“Okay.” Lu Qi agreed and stood up.

Xiao Sanhua, who had her eyes covered for no reason, jumped away with a miwu sound, and her foot tripped over the cord of the desk lamp. With quick reflexes, Mu Nanqiao leaned over to hold the desk lamp and shook his head with a smile. “There are some decorations in the apartment that need to be put away. Let’s replace the desk lamp.”

This was indeed the case with cats. Xiao Sanhua loved to push things off the table. In these past two days, there was the paintbrush Lu Qi put on the table, the keys to Mu Nanqiao’s Maybach, and her own kittens…..none of them could escape the claws of this devil with pink footpads.

Lu Qi acquiesced to the idea of changing the desk lamp and nodded, but saw something extraordinary from the corner of his eye.

Mu Nanqiao’s ears were red.

They were really red. Because he had leaned down to adjust the lampshade, he was close to the light source. A bit of light shone through the shells of his ears, so his red-hot ears and earlobes were particularly obvious.

It was as if Lu Qi had discovered a comet that had never been recorded before, and he stared for a long moment. It wasn’t until Mu Nanqiao finished adjusting the lampshade that he exclaimed: “Mu Nanqiao! Your ears are red! You can also be embarrassed!”

Mu Nanqiao: …….

He couldn’t bear it, and raised a hand to flick Lu Qi’s forehead.

Lu Qi yelped and covered his forehead.

“What are you talking about, ah, Wife Xiao Lu? I have a thick face, not crocodile skin. You’ve been staring at my belly for so long, so why can’t I be shy?” Mu Nanqiao said: “Stop flirting with me, and change clothes quickly.”

Lu Qi: ? ? ? 

Who was flirting with whom? It was obviously him who was flirting!

But Mu Nanqiao didn’t give Lu Qi a chance to refute, and turned around to walk out in a hurry.

The door closed behind him and he exhaled, leaning his back against the cold outer door. The charming flash of heat moved by emotion was given a shock by the cold metal behind him, and finally ceased clamoring.

There was only his heart beating in his chest.

Across the door, Lu Qi hummed songs one after another, in a good mood. They gradually became smoother, like Tchiacovsky’s “Dance of the Reed Flutes.”

Bright, lively, like a little sparrow that disturbed people without knowing it.

Leaning against the door, Mu Nanqiao raised his head. Slender fingers lifted up the hair on his forehead, and his eyelashes halfway concealed his pupils.

They also covered the surging emotions in his eyes.

Silly little deer.

Having red ears was sometimes more than just shyness.

. . . . . . .

Fortunately, Sichuan cuisine was not just red peppers. Mu Nanqiao ordered carefully, and strategically avoided the peppers when picking up the dishes, ultimately saving his face as a Boss.

When he looked up at Lu Qi, there was a bit of sweat at the tip of his nose, and his cool white skin was flushed, but he continuously moved his chopsticks.

This Sichuan restaurant wasn’t too big, but the price was affordable and the menu was friendly. You could see the bright fire in the kitchen through the transparent glass, and the hygiene was relatively guaranteed.

Both Mu Nanqiao and Lu Qi were wearing casual short sleeves and sweatpants. The shopkeeper thought they were students from a nearby university and gave them a small cold dish as a gift.

Mu Nanqiao was not warm toward the aunt who served the food, but he still smiled politely and thanked her. He took the plate and put it down with both hands, then poured Lu Qi a glass of water and handed it to him.

Although it was a bit unlucky, Lu Qi still thought of Lin Yuan, who was also a company boss. That dog was very particular about ostentation when he ate. There were many times when Lu Qi went to take the drunk Lin Yuan home. He went to all those star-rated hotels, and even restaurants that refused to let people in casual clothes enter, and they had to show a membership card.

The last time, Lu Qi was treated as a substitute driver. En, the waiting room for drivers and others was also beautiful and luxurious, and there were unlimited fruit and drinks. Ignoring other people’s gazes, Lu Qi ate enough mangosteen before going home by himself, and never picked up Lin Yuan again from then on.

Some people’s upbringing and temperament were not just about eating delicacies from the mountains and seas and wearing high-end, luxurious, limited-edition clothes.

Mu Nanqiao was sitting in the bustle of the mundane world with an upright look. When he saw him looking over, he smiled warmly. “Are you full?”

He couldn’t describe what it was, but he just seemed very at ease. This person could wear a suit and leather shoes, elegant and proud at a banquet, or he could dress casually and blend into the hustle and bustle of a roadside shop without being obtrusive. 

Well, not obtrusive, but his face was still a bit eye-catching.

Lu Qi smiled. There was a small corner of his heart that, after being soaked in warm water for a while, was actually very soft. It just needed an opportunity. If given a light touch, it would open up slightly and grow a small bud.

He smiled very brightly, eyes bent, and answered happily: “I’m done eating.”

“You really like this restaurant?” Mu Nanqiao gave him an amused look. “You’re smiling so happily after eating?”

He didn’t even know how beautiful his smile was. The pear dimple on his cheek was filled with sunshine.

“I’m not smiling just because I’m full, ah.” Lu Qi wiped his mouth with a moist tissue. He suppressed his smile slightly, but his eyes were still bright. “I’ll get the check!”

Mu Nanqiao didn’t argue with him about this. He asked the waitress for a to-go box and packaged the remaining dishes.

When Lu Qi returned from scanning his WeChat, he had everything packed up. Standing at the door of the restaurant with the to-go box in hand, he lowered his head and clicked on a WeChat message.

A woman’s voice came from the receiver. It was very gentle, but compared to the average woman’s voice, it was a little deeper, and it could be heard that she was not of the same age.

Lu Qi subconsciously stopped. Mu Nanqiao was a CEO, after all. Who knew if there might be any trade secrets on his phone? But it was already too late, and he heard the lady saying:

“Come home for your birthday next week, Mom has prepared a surprise for you. We’ll blow up the old house. The procedures for declaring it a dilapidated building have been completed. How about we enjoy the blasting together when you come back?”

Mu Nanqiao’s expression was dumbfounded.

Lu Qi: ……

Could Mu Nanqiao’s childhood composition be “My Mother From a Fighting Nation?”

But Lu Qi heard the key information. On the way back when they were walking to digest, he asked Mu Nanqiao: “It’s your birthday? Then I want to give you a gift. What would you like?”

Mu Nanqiao’s fox eyes looked at him with a smile that wasn’t a smile: “The gift I want is very simple. What you did to me today, I want to do to you. Is that okay?”

His original intention was just to make a small joke, so he kept walking forward carelessly and said casually: “Actually, you can give me anything. I’ll like whatever it is…..”

Realizing that Lu Qi hadn’t followed, he stopped and turned to look in confusion at the young man who was lagging behind.

Lu Qi had followed for two steps before stopping. As if he had come to a decision, he said with a knitted brow: “Then is it too late for me to exercise now?”

He gave a sheepish cough. “I seem to have gained weight recently.”

Lu Qi felt that this seemed fair. They were both grown men, and just looking at their bellies. 

Upon further thought, Mu Nanqiao was the one at a disadvantage. After all, the five-star scenic spot under his clothes and the small park next door could not be compared.

It was just embarrassing. There wasn’t much meat on his waist, but it was soft when pinched and a bit unpresentable, ah.

He waited for a moment, but Mu Nanqiao didn’t reply.

When he glanced up, the other person’s eyes were heavy. There was no smile on his face, and inexplicable emotions surged in his eyes. There was a hint of fierceness hidden in his already deep and handsome features, mixed with a bit of softness. 

Lu Qi blinked and instinctively wanted to run away.

“Lu. Qi.” He actually called him by his first name, and chuckled after calling him. Those complicated and turbulent emotions in his eyes vanished, as if it had all been Lu Qi’s imagination.

He said jokingly: “I’m not a good person. I can’t help but bully you when you’re so so sincere to me.”

He wanted to lock him up and bully him until he cried.

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Chapter Twenty-One << Table of Contents >> Chapter Twenty-Three