Chapter 12 – “Sentimental,” Jiang Zhan said as he pursed his lips that had been kissed.

Jiang Zhan almost believed his fancy words if it weren’t for the fact that he was nearly exasperated by Jiang Li several times who did not even call him once during his three-day-business trip.

But he could not deny that he was a little happy in the depths of his heart because of these words, which he couldn’t determine whether they were true or false.

It’s to no surprise that Shen Yuzhi stated that having a kept man can enliven one’s life.

“When are you going to return?” Jiang Li inquired after noticing that he had not said anything.

Jiang Zhan leaned back in his leather chair, closing the meeting documents in his hand. His fingers tapped on the arm of the chair slowly. “Tomorrow.”

He still had a meeting that afternoon, and his flight was scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.

“Ah, I see.”

Jiang Li sounded dissatisfied, and Jiang Zhan noticed something was amiss “What transpired? Is there anything else you’d like to do?”

“Nothing, just that…” Jiang Li came to a halt and asked tentatively, “Do you have a soft spot for fluffy things? I have a plan that requires your approval.”

Fluffy things that require my permission…

Jiang Zhan’s heart shook, and he had an epiphany.

Despite the fact that he had no previous relationships or kept anyone, he had friends who opened entertainment clubhouses. He was familiar with some of the interests on bed or SM between men and women or men and men; he had also seen many sex toys at Phoenix Coast, such as ‘cats ears,’ ‘fox tail,’ or ‘dog collar.’

When he saw the youngsters wearing pink cat’s ears to serve people in the clubhouse, he thought they were sissy and didn’t care.

When he was asked by Jiang Li, he involuntarily imagined Jiang Li wearing cat ears and calling him ‘Master,’ which looked… cute.

He could not control his heartbeat and had to change his posture to suppress his racing heart. He then attempted to sound calm “What is it that you are hesitating about? Simply state your intention.”

“Do you mind if I get a pet?”

“…”

What nonsense is it that he’s so lonely that he can’t sleep? In Jiang Li’s eyes, I’m not even worth as much as a small animal.

The pink scenes that Jiang Zhan had overimagined earlier faded into the air, and he held his breath in his chest.

“Repeat that.”

“Do you mind if I get a dog or a cat?”

“Yes.”

“…”

Jiang Zhan cut the call without waiting for Jiang Li’s response after he finished answering. He tossed his phone aside and resumed reading the meeting materials.

After reading the documents for a while, he irritably pushed them aside and dialed Ji Shu’s number. “Move the afternoon meeting up two hours and assist me in changing my flight to this evening,” he said.

Jiang Zhan smiled coldly after informing Ji Shu.

Owning a pet? I’ll let you know who’s the one who owns a pet.

……

Jiang Li, on the other hand, was perplexed by Jiang Zhan abruptly hanging up the phone. He couldn’t pinpoint which words enraged him. Even if he disliked pets, there was no reason for him to be upset, right?

“Is he insane?”

Jiang Li scolded at a lower volume, then checked System’s tablet to see if his favorability had dropped. He then decided to memorize the script in order to distract himself from his emotions, as he was about to join the drama crew in two days.

Jiang Li discovered that his words had become real that night after spending half a day memorizing the script. He could not get any sleep. He had been turning back and forth for quite some time and was still unable to sleep. It was nearly one o’clock in the morning.

Jiang Li reflected on many events from his previous life, most likely because he was on the phone with Mother Jiang. He remembered the love and care his parents gave him when they were alive, the loneliness in the orphanage, and the suffering he experienced when he first entered the entertainment industry.

After being alive for so many years, he felt bereft that he had not been able to meet someone he loved to spend the rest of his life with.

But at least in his previous life, he had some friends with whom he could converse; he couldn’t even find one here.

Jiang Li sighed on the bed, thankful that System was still with him.

“Are you sleeping, Little Cutie?”

“Data does not require sleep.” System’s voice echoed.

“But Host needs to rest right now. Humans require seven to eight hours of sleep per night, and it is best to sleep before 11 p.m. The human body undergoes metabolism at night, particularly…”

The voice of the system was as robotic as usual, and it sounded unnatural. However, in this silent night, it could provide a wonderful sense of comfort, as if someone was nearby to care for him.

As Jiang Li listened to System nagging, the loneliness in his heart faded. He then smiled and asked when it had finished nagging “You’re actually a nanny system right? I can’t sleep even more after you nag.”

“…”

The system went silent, putting an end to the plan of asking him to sleep earlier. “What would you like to discuss?”

“Anything, I just want to pass the time.”

After a while of chatting between a human and a system, Jiang Li felt his throat getting a little dry, so he got up and went to the living room to get some water. He was about to enter the dining room when he heard the door from the porch open.

Jiang Zhan was still on a business trip somewhere else, so Jiang Li’s first thought when he heard the sound was that a thief had entered. His second step was to dash into the kitchen and pull a sharp kitchen knife from the knife rack. He intended to confront the thief directly.

His steps were light and quick; he intended to strike first. His footsteps came to a halt as he approached the wine rack and noticed the person coming in from the porch.

“It’s you?”

It was none other than Jiang Zhan who came in.

Jiang Zhan was dressed in a metallic grey shirt with two buttons undone on his collar and a tired expression on his face. When he saw Jiang Li, his footsteps came to a halt, and his gaze was drawn to the kitchen knife in his hand, which was gleaming in the sunlight. “Jiang Li, what do you want to do?” he said coldly, when he saw where the blade was facing.

Jiang Li was so taken aback that he forgot to keep the knife. To avoid misunderstandings, he kept the knife after he asked. “I thought a thief had broken into the house, I didn’t think it was you,” he said awkwardly.

“A thief?”

Jiang Zhan heard and threw the blazer in his hand towards the sofa, his vision still clinging to the knife in his hand, “So you were planning to risk your life against the thief?”

Although Jiang Zhan was enraged that Jiang Li had called him earlier to ask for permission to own a pet, he also suspected that something was wrong with Jiang Li’s mood. He thought he had run into a problem he could not solve. He then asked Ji Shu to reschedule the meeting, rushed to the airport after dinner, and boarded the first flight back.

But he did not expect to be greeted by a knife when he got home. Not only was he misunderstood, but Jiang Li wanted to confront the thief directly, which enraged him even more.

If a thief broke into the house and brought weapons with him, what should he do if something happened to Jiang Li?! Will he be able to see Jiang Li in perfect health the next day?

As he considered this, he felt fear in his heart. His face was stormy, and the interplay of light and dark in his eyes indicated that he was on the verge of going insane.

Jiang Li assumed Jiang Zhan was blaming him for mistaking him for a thief, so he quickly returned the knife to the kitchen. He then came back out and said, “President Jiang, please accept my apologies. That was not on purpose. I didn’t think it was you because you said you’d be home tomorrow.”

So it’s my fault to return earlier?

Jiang Zhan remained silent, keeping a straight face and staring at him, his rage unabated.

Jiang Li noticed and realized he could not confront him head-on. He then changed the subject and said softly, “You should be exhausted after rushing back, right? Would you like to take a bath first? I’ll assist you in preparing warm water for the tub.”

Jiang Zhan remained silent, so Jiang Li took that as an agreement and dashed into the bedroom.

Jiang Li fell into a trance in the bathroom while preparing bath water for Jiang Zhan.

Although he had no idea why Jiang Zhan had suddenly reappeared, he was not only stunned but also filled with joy at Jiang Zhan’s sudden reappearance.

It was as if the person appeared from heaven when he was down and needed someone to talk to.

“Why are you laughing so stupidly alone?”

The sound from Jiang Li’s back brought him back to reality, and he turned his head to see Jiang Zhan standing behind him. He was looking at Jiang Li while undoing his sleeve buttons.

Because Jiang Zhan had taken a nap on the plane, his hair was not neatly slicked up like usual, some of his bangs on the left side had fallen and blocked his eyes, his cold, hard aura had diminished significantly, and a sense of gentleness flowed out.

Jiang Li got up and walked to him when the water in the bathtub had reached more than 80% of its capacity. He then extended his hand and assisted him in undoing the buttons on his sleeves.

“I’m just happy when I think of the fact that I don’t need to sleep alone tonight.”

“…”

The water in the bathtub naturally ebbed and flowed, and Jiang Li finally took another bath.

It was nearly 4 a.m. when they both lay down on the bed.

Jiang Li grabbed Jiang Zhan’s neck in the dark, forcing him to turn around and kiss him on the lips. “Thank you for coming back tonight,” he said quietly.

It was not an act to capture at the time; it was just his true feelings from his heart.

“Sentimental,” Jiang Zhan said as he pursed his lips that had been kissed.

Despite what he said, he reached out his hand and gently and softly touched his hair.

Jiang Li heard what he said and smiled silently. He said nothing and closed his eyes as sleepiness set in.

Jiang Li was not in Jiang Zhan’s bed the next morning when he awoke. Among the few times they had slept together, this was the first time Jiang Li woke up earlier than him.

It was still early, and Jiang Zhan was not used to waking up late. He drew back the blanket and climbed out of bed. He wanted to know if Jiang Li had gone out. When he stepped out of the bedroom, he noticed a faint aroma of rice.

Jiang Li was making breakfast in the kitchen while wearing a white T-shirt and a black casual short.

Jiang Li had previously invested in a Chinese restaurant chain. He had learned to cook from the head chef in his spare time, so it was natural that cooking would be one of his strongest skills.

The kitchen’s equipment was complete, and there were hypermarkets nearby, making it easy to get the food needed. If he had no other obligations and was too lazy to go out, he would cook at home.

He smiled as he heard the door open and saw Jiang Zhan had already woken up “Are you awake? First, take a seat, breakfast will be ready soon.”

His brows and eyes curved in a warm smile.

Jiang Zhan’s heart skipped a beat when he saw Jiang Li’s smile. He could not tell if it was his smile or the sun outside that was brighter at that moment. He felt as if his heart had been hit by something, and his ears had turned warm.

At the same time, System’s voice echoed in Jiang Li’s mind.

“Congratulations Host. Male lead’s favorability has increased by 20%, the current favorability is 42%.”