ABSTIWTVMST Chapter 133

Seeing Ruan Chenxuan’s constipated expression, unable to say a word, Jing Yicheng was in an excellent mood. He left behind a single sentence: “A step late is still late. A miss by a hair’s breadth can lead to a thousand-mile error. You have no chance anymore.” Then, he turned around, got into the car, and happily drove away.

Ruan Chenxuan stood in place for a long moment before letting out a mocking laugh and murmuring, “You think I don’t know?”

He had always known that he and Xu Chenghao were impossible. Not because of Jing Yicheng, but because the other party’s attitude was far too indifferent—so indifferent that he couldn’t even deceive himself.

But… emotions were not something a person could control. Placing someone at the tip of his heart and trying to forget them was almost like digging out his own heart. It hurt, and he couldn’t bear to let go.

As soon as this thought surfaced, a familiar pain in his head followed closely behind, as if reminding him not to forget An Rouyu’s existence.

Ruan Chenxuan himself felt he was despicable. Standing in place, he smiled bitterly for a long time before finally turning and heading into the Ruan family residence.

————

On the other side, Xu Chenghao and Jing Yicheng reconciled at the cost of hurting Ruan Chenxuan. The two seemed to have completely forgotten about marriage and secrets. After a sweet and affectionate lunch, they dived into their busy work schedules.

Jing Yicheng had previously been so overwhelmed with joy that he had casually made a promise about an order—leading to the consequence that he now had to work in the research lab.

Even worse, Xu Chenghao had been tied up these past few days with banquets, follow-up checkups, meeting parents, and visiting patients. He was constantly out and about, causing company affairs to pile up like a mountain. He was so busy that he could barely catch a break, let alone accompany Jing Yicheng to the research lab.

As a result, the two, who had barely enjoyed their sweet time together, were forcibly separated. They could only see each other at night when they returned home. This led to Jing Yicheng’s temper becoming increasingly unpredictable—like an iceberg encasing a volcano, sometimes cold and sometimes explosive.

The entire research lab fell into utter silence, with even the assistants not daring to speak unnecessarily. Aside from strictly handling official matters, they remained completely silent.

On this particular day, Jing Yicheng’s phone suddenly rang—it was a text message, but not from Xu Chenghao’s exclusive ringtone.

The assistant became slightly alert and glanced up at the boss’s expression. Seeing that Jing Yicheng was frowning, seemingly displeased, they silently heightened their vigilance, meticulously checking their work to ensure there were no mistakes.

After a long moment, Jing Yicheng locked his phone and placed it on the desk, tapping his index finger lightly as if deep in thought.

The message was from the people protecting Xu Chenghao. It read: “President Xu is growing chili peppers in the greenhouse. No source of chili seeds has been found.”

No source found…

Jing Yicheng mulled over the sentence repeatedly in his mind. Then, he suddenly recalled an incident when the chili peppers had been taken away, and the bodyguards had also failed to see anyone at the time. A strong sense of unease surged within him.

He didn’t know when it started, but seeing chili peppers no longer made him as happy as before. In the past, when Xu Chenghao gave him chili peppers, he thought it meant trust and affection. But now, all he felt was danger, a deep sense that something was wrong… His instincts were screaming that there was something off about the chili peppers!

Jing Yicheng abruptly stood up, grabbing his car keys and dashing out, leaving his assistant staring in shock.

—He had always trusted his instincts.

——

【Ding—Feedback successful. The Little Chili Pepper mission has automatically updated to version 5.0. Mission requirement: The host must grow 10,000 chili peppers within one month of mission activation. Failure to meet the deadline will result in mission failure. (A complimentary pack of low-grade chili seeds has been provided, with a 40% success rate.)】

【Ding—Little Chili Pepper System Reminder: As the success rate increases, the growth cycle of the chili peppers has also extended. The current timeline is three days for germination, three days for flowering, and three days for fruiting. Please adjust your schedule accordingly and ensure timely harvest.】

Xu Chenghao recalled the system’s announcement and quickly punched numbers into his phone’s calculator. After running the calculations, he determined that to complete the Little Chili Pepper 5.0 mission, he needed to grow an average of 3,334 chili peppers per cycle.

The moment he saw the number, his vision went black. He felt like he was doomed.

Even if the success rate increased by ten percent, relying solely on the greenhouse was absolutely impossible! The chili pepper base had to be used!

Fortunately, the chili pepper base had just been completed a few days ago, making it the perfect time to put it to use. Now, he just had to finish planting in the greenhouse before moving on to the base. By then, he would definitely be able to—

“Haohao!!”

A loud shout interrupted his thoughts. Xu Chenghao barely had time to turn toward the source of the voice before he was yanked into a tight embrace. The grip was so strong it made his waist ache, forcing him to suck in a breath. “Jing Yicheng?”

Jing Yicheng let out a muffled “Mm.” He still held on tightly, as if he wanted to merge their bones and blood together.

Xu Chenghao had no idea what was going on. He could only pat Jing Yicheng’s back in confusion and ask, “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Jing Yicheng remained silent.

Seeing that he wasn’t getting a response, Xu Chenghao tentatively tried to push him away, but the other man instantly tightened his hold even more, his posture tense and uneasy. The sight made Xu Chenghao feel both heartache and puzzlement. “What happened? Who told you something?”

Jing Yicheng opened his mouth but realized that, aside from his instincts and suspicions, he had no concrete reason to explain himself. So, he could only fall back into silence, continuing to hold onto Xu Chenghao without saying a word.

Xu Chenghao stroked his head, soothingly kissed him, and reassured, “If you don’t want to talk, then forget it. Don’t be afraid.”

Jing Yicheng suddenly turned the tables, deepening the kiss as his tongue pried past Xu Chenghao’s teeth, sweeping through his mouth with a lingering possessiveness. Only after a long moment did he let out a satisfied sigh. “Haohao, I don’t want to leave you.”

Xu Chenghao nestled in Jing Yicheng’s arms, trying to steady his breathing. “I never said I was leaving you.”

“I mean, I don’t want to be apart from you for even a single step.” After saying this, Jing Yicheng glanced at him nervously. “Haohao, does this make you feel pressured?”

Xu Chenghao deliberately said, “Of course… just kidding.”

Jing Yicheng immediately relaxed, then bit Xu Chenghao in protest. “You little rascal.”

Xu Chenghao chuckled. Seeing that the screen had frozen, he quickly patted Jing Yicheng’s shoulder as a reminder. “I haven’t watered them yet.”

Jing Yicheng took a step back with him, wrapping an arm around his waist while leaning forward to finally reach the mouse. He clicked the option, and amidst the chorus of ducks quacking, he turned his head and kissed Xu Chenghao again.

Xu Chenghao realized that Jing Yicheng had suddenly become extremely clingy—more than ever before. Although he seemed worried that Xu Chenghao might resist and would secretly glance at him from time to time, his grip on Xu Chenghao’s hand never loosened. Occasionally, he would even nibble at it.

The only time Jing Yicheng would let go was when he was driving… Not because he was particularly law-abiding and insisted on keeping both hands on the wheel, but because he believed that in a confined space, Xu Chenghao had no way to escape.

After moving from the greenhouse to the chili pepper base and planting a large quantity of seeds, Xu Chenghao brought Jing Yicheng back to the company—figuring that, given Jing Yicheng’s current state, he probably wouldn’t want to leave anyway. Keeping him close was more reassuring.

Li Nian was nearly blinded by the sheer display of affection. After delivering one document, he disappeared entirely. Xu Chenghao also felt a little self-conscious and tried to get up from Jing Yicheng’s embrace, but his waist was held so tightly that he couldn’t move at all. Helpless, he said, “Jing Yicheng, aren’t you tired?”

Jing Yicheng, with one arm wrapped around his waist and the other holding a pen to help process documents, rested his chin lightly on Xu Chenghao’s shoulder and murmured, “Not tired. I really like this position.”

Xu Chenghao said, “But even if you’re not tired, I am.”

Jing Yicheng paused for a moment upon hearing this, then suddenly sat up straight, grabbed Xu Chenghao by the shoulders, turned him around, and pressed him into his arms. He patted him soothingly and coaxed, “If you’re tired, sleep for a bit first. Be good.”

Xu Chenghao: “……”

He directly grabbed Jing Yicheng’s ear and said fiercely, “Don’t play dumb and pretend you don’t understand! I’m telling you to let go of me!”

Jing Yicheng refused without hesitation, “I won’t!”

Leaning against the desk, Xu Chenghao pinched his face and said seriously, “Let’s talk things out properly. No bottling things up.”

Jing Yicheng propped his hands on either side of Xu Chenghao’s waist and thought for a long moment before saying seriously, “Haohao, I only have one request.”

“What is it?”

“I hope that from now on, whenever you go to the greenhouse or the chili pepper base, you call me to go with you. Don’t go alone.”

“Huh?” Xu Chenghao was a bit surprised. “Why would you ask that?”

Jing Yicheng frowned. “I don’t know. My intuition tells me that I can’t just let you grow chili peppers alone.”

Xu Chenghao: “……”

What kind of demonic intuition is this?!

Xu Chenghao coughed guiltily twice, then pretended to be very generous. “Sure, if you have time, I’ll call you every time.”

“I do.” Jing Yicheng said, “I’m not busy.”

Not busy, my ass. These past few days, they hadn’t even seen each other during the day. The only time they met was in the evening after coming home. And now he was saying this seriously?!

Xu Chenghao found it both exasperating and amusing. He pushed Jing Yicheng aside, got up, and said, “Since you’re not busy, then help me finish my work. I’m going to sleep for a bit.”

Jing Yicheng sounded aggrieved. “I want to sleep with you too.”

“No, you don’t.” Xu Chenghao mercilessly rejected him and expressed his firm stance by locking the door—though locking the door was practically useless against Jing Yicheng, who could pick locks.

Once the office quieted down again, Jing Yicheng silently closed his eyes, preparing to forcibly suppress his emotions and continue working. But just then, the locked lounge door reopened, and Xu Chenghao poked his head out. “Come in.”

Jing Yicheng’s lips curled slightly without a sound, his mood instantly brightening as he stepped into the lounge.

I knew it—Haohao treats me the best~~~ He can’t bear to leave me~~~

Li Nian, who came to deliver documents again: ???

I knew it! The moment Jing Yicheng arrived, Xu Chenghao was bound to slack off! This man is a menace—he’s the one who’s leading the hardworking Xu Chenghao astray!

Fortunately, lunch break wasn’t long. With Jing Yicheng’s help, Xu Chenghao still managed to finish all his work before the end of the day, feeling relaxed as he prepared to head home.

Li Nian, despite trying to avoid them, still ended up in the same elevator as them. He could only roll his eyes internally and pretend to be blind.

Xu Chenghao greeted him proactively, “Nian-ge, got any plans after work? Want to grab a meal?”

Li Nian rejected him without hesitation. “Got plans.”

“What’s so important that you’d pass up a free meal?”

“A blind date.”

Xu Chenghao was shocked. “You? A blind date? Weren’t you not in a hurry?”

“All because of you!” Li Nian said irritably. “You brought someone home, do you think my parents would take that well when they heard about it?”

Xu Chenghao instinctively glanced at Jing Yicheng. “Your parents know?”

Li Nian: “Yeah, your parents bragged to mine separately… You should know how competitive elderly folks can be. The less they have of something, the more they want it. Otherwise, why would my whole family be forcing me into this?”

Xu Chenghao was astonished. “You mean my parents bragged about Jing Yicheng?”

Jing Yicheng also turned to look at Li Nian upon hearing this.

Li Nian said, “What else? So my miserable situation is all because of you two… No way, just thinking about it makes me mad! I want that free meal, I’m skipping the blind date!!”

 

 

The author has something to say:

Mini Theater:

Xu Chenghao’s parents when facing Jing Yicheng: His temper is too bad, we’re not satisfied!

Xu Chenghao’s parents when talking to others: My son’s boyfriend is amazing!