Chapter 3015: Willful Taming 32

Chenshu caused a scene at the banquet; with Jin Chen's near-overbearing indulgence and blatant protection beforehand, in the second half of the feast, not a single person dared to utter another word about it.

The host, Xie Chang, seethed with anger he had nowhere to vent, sat in the chief seat with a dark face, forcing himself to keep up appearances. Who else would dare to touch this jinx? Didn't you see the bodyguards Jin Chen brought with their hands on their guns? Jin Chen can be this arrogant—what can we do?

Thus the latter half of the banquet grew eerily quiet; guests ate with heads down, voices hushed to an extreme low, and occasional exchanged glances were filled with unspoken understanding.

Chenshu, however, was quite bold-hearted.

He had caused a disaster, and the spark of anger provoked by Xie Shiyun's taunt also dissipated; now he felt only refreshed and clear-headed.

Chenshu sat back beside Jin Chen, uncaring of others' looks, then picked up his knife and fork and began diligently serving Jin Chen: the steak cut to bite-size, the fish carefully deboned, the soup served at the right temperature, even the post-meal fruit arranged into a pleasing little tower.

But he was clearly absent-minded, his gaze occasionally drifting toward another part of the banquet hall—the important partner that Xie Chang had highlighted at the start, Si Qian.

Jin Chen slowly sipped the soup Chenshu had just served him, set down the spoon, pinched the hand Chenshu used to serve him vegetables, and said, 'This soup isn't tasty.'

Chenshu immediately came to his senses, pushed that bowl of soup away from Jin Chen, then took a clean small bowl and refilled it with the soup Jin Chen usually likes at home, carefully blowing on it.

"The taste on the cruise ship definitely can't compare to home; I also think the food here isn't tasty."

In front of Jin Chen, he acted completely carefree and defenseless, as if the thug who had just pressed Xie Shiyun's head against the table weren't him. Jin Chen saw this, found it endearing, and secretly sighed; if he were to do something bad, he wouldn't hide it well—after a few more glances, Si Qian would notice.

Jin Chen reached out and pinched Chenshu's cheek, humming, 'Not eating, let's go.'

"Oh oh, okay." Chenshu put down his knife and fork, picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth, his movements crisp.

Jin Chen stood, wrapped his arm around Chenshu's waist, and they left the table together; the bodyguards behind followed in trained formation, the entourage imposing.

As they left, the tense atmosphere in the banquet hall finally eased a little, and the guests hurriedly rose from their seats.

Xie Chang watched Jin Chen's party disappear at the banquet hall entrance, slammed his silver chopsticks on the table, 'How outrageous!!' He let out a low roar, his chest heaving, clearly furious.

Peng Wenqiang sat beside him, his expression also unpleasant, but he held his composure better than Xie Chang.

He raised his wine cup, took a slow sip, 'Fifth Lord, lacking forbearance spoils great plans. Tomorrow... is the main event.'

Xie Chang gasped a few rough breaths, hearing Peng Wenqiang's words, not knowing what he thought of, he laughed with a distorted face and also raised his wine cup, 'You're right.'

——

The night deepened, the cruise ship sailed on the high seas.

Chenshu wanted to wait for Jin Chen and them to finish their talk and return, so he simply moved a chair to the balcony, wrapped himself in a soft wool blanket, and sat facing the sea.

The deck lights had mostly gone out, only a few small night lights glowed faintly in the passageway. Chenshu looked up at the moon; tonight its edges were somewhat blurred, as if soaked by sea mist, scattering across the sea surface in fragments, making one's eyes sore.

He leaned back against the chair, mentally reviewing tomorrow's tasks, going over the plan from start to finish, only then feeling a bit chilly; he stood up to move his stiff neck and shoulders, pulled the blanket tighter, and turned back indoors to warmth.

He pushed open the glass door between balcony and bedroom, only to discover Jin Chen had already returned, sitting at the suite's living-room desk looking at internal structure diagrams, with a few handwritten notes scattered nearby, their script sharp.

Chenshu walked up behind him, said nothing, wrapped his arms around his waist, interlocking fingers over his abdomen, then buried his face in the back of his neck. His nose lightly rubbed the slightly protruding bone there, greedily inhaling Jin Chen's unique scent; smelling it made all fear seem to vanish.

Jin Chen rarely saw Chenshu this silent. Usually the little dog would cling a few times, then demand to be held, whining and begging for attention to disturb his work; that bit of thought about tomorrow's plan was temporarily set aside, he put down his pen, exerted a little force, and lifted him up steadily, letting Chenshu sit astride his legs face-to-face.

Jin Chen wore only a snug black undershirt, his arms solid; Chenshu nestled in his embrace, his whole body enveloped, from behind barely seeing his face, only a tuft of fluffy hair at the back of his head visible; this always felt especially safe, and Chenshu lovingly buried his face in the crook of his neck, rubbing.

Jin Chen steadily supported his lower back, 'What do you want to tell me?'

Chenshu wasn't at all surprised to be guessed by him; indeed, from the feeling of being easily seen through, he savored the affection that belonged solely to him.

Given Jin Chen's connections and means in Writing City, if he really wanted to investigate, turning over that deep grudge of his bloody past would be no trouble. But Jin Chen didn't do that; he left the right to know and to confess to Chenshu himself.

The night is still long, isn't it? Long enough to recount a lengthy tale filled with blood and tears, and long enough to soothe those old scars with embraces and kisses.

Chenshu lifted his face and lightly kissed his chin, then slowly along the jawline to the corner of his lips.

"Kiss me." Chenshu said softly, his voice tinged with a nasal pleading.

Jin Chen pinched his chin and kissed him; Chenshu somewhat obsessively enjoyed Jin Chen's dominant, controlling kiss at times like this, his trembling fingertips slowly resting on Jin Chen's shoulders, pressing harder and becoming more entwined.

This was a very long kiss; Chenshu's cheeks flushed crimson, his gaze also appearing somewhat misty.

He got off Jin Chen's legs, stood straight, and under Jin Chen's gaze lifted his hand to undo the sleepwear buttons; the sleepwear slid down his skin and piled at his feet.

The youth's fair, slender body, bearing some old scars, was exposed in the warm light; then Chenshu dove back into Jin Chen's embrace, pulled over the soft, fluffy down blanket, and wrapped them both tightly, forming a small world of just the two of them.

He tucked himself into Jin Chen's embrace, his face pressed against his warm chest, and finally spoke.