After this, Xiao Cheng gained a new understanding of Luo Jingshu’s clinginess.
He still stayed in the same room as before, but after being nagged by Luo Jingshu so many times, even though he verbally insisted it was impossible, he subconsciously kept his distance from Bai Yiheng.
Bai Yiheng was an observant person and immediately noticed Xiao Cheng’s change.
Although they had never been particularly close before, Xiao Cheng at least saw him as a trustworthy friend. But ever since he came back, Xiao Cheng always avoided his gaze.
Even if their eyes accidentally met, Xiao Cheng would quickly look away.
Bai Yiheng didn’t know whether to be happy or disappointed.
He had always hoped that one day, Xiao Cheng would understand his feelings, but unfortunately, that day came after Xiao Cheng had already found a boyfriend.
It was too late.
Although Bai Yiheng had secretly wished for their breakup, he wasn’t the type to persistently interfere in someone else’s relationship, especially when the other person was already avoiding him.
Seeing that Xiao Cheng was becoming more distant, he thought for a moment and simply brought him a glass of milk.
When Xiao Cheng opened the door and saw Bai Yiheng standing outside, he couldn’t help but recall Luo Jingshu’s words.
Something about how he should never open the door for Bai Yiheng at night, that Bai Yiheng definitely had ulterior motives, and that as a young man, he needed to protect himself.
Basically, he had painted Bai Yiheng as a beast in human clothing.
Xiao Cheng swore that he didn’t actually agree with Luo Jingshu’s opinions, but for some reason, those words popped into his mind at that moment.
Bai Yiheng handed him the milk. “You must be tired from the journey. Drink this, and you’ll sleep better tonight.”
Xiao Cheng took it, but he was especially careful—not letting his fingers touch Bai Yiheng’s at all.
Seeing this, Bai Yiheng couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
It seemed that he would never get to see the day when Xiao Cheng reciprocated his feelings.
Even though he was already prepared for this outcome, actually experiencing it still left him with a deep sense of regret.
He had fallen for someone at an age when he shouldn’t have.
If he had been a few years younger, Bai Yiheng might have thrown caution to the wind and done everything in his power to take Xiao Cheng for himself.
But at thirty, he felt he was past the age for recklessness.
He couldn’t bring himself to steal someone else’s boyfriend.
In the end, it all came down to the fact that he had been too slow.
If only he had managed to win Xiao Cheng over before he got back together with Luo Jingshu.
Bai Yiheng closed his eyes briefly. “Xiao Cheng, are you guarding yourself against me?”
Xiao Cheng’s behavior had indeed suggested something like that, but he hadn’t expected Bai Yiheng to bring it up so directly.
His face immediately turned red, and he looked away, unable to meet Bai Yiheng’s gaze.
To be fair, Mr. Bai had always been good to him and had never done anything inappropriate. He had always respected Xiao Cheng’s boundaries.
To Bai Yiheng, his rejection and avoidance must have seemed completely unreasonable.
After all, the man had never even said he liked him. If all of this was just Xiao Cheng overthinking, then what would Bai Yiheng think of him?
Xiao Cheng wanted to explain himself, but before he could, Bai Yiheng spoke again.
“I’m sorry if I’ve made you uncomfortable.”
Xiao Cheng, already feeling guilty, felt even worse after hearing this.
“Mr. Bai, don’t say that…”
Bai Yiheng shook his head. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
He looked at Xiao Cheng’s flushed face, and the regret and unwillingness in his heart only deepened.
“You must have sensed it by now, Xiao Cheng—I like you.”
This was probably the first time Bai Yiheng had seriously confessed his feelings.
Xiao Cheng opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say.
He looked at Bai Yiheng in a daze, completely lost. But before he could react, Bai Yiheng continued,
“From the first time we met, I already had a good impression of you.”
He sighed lightly. “I admit, there was selfishness mixed in with my kindness toward you.”
If Xiao Cheng had only been a friend’s son, he wouldn’t have treated him this way.
“But it’s clear that you don’t feel the same way.”
Bai Yiheng’s tone was calm, but there was an unmistakable sense of resignation.
“I understand. Feelings don’t work that way.”
“Just because I like you doesn’t mean you have to like me back.”
Xiao Cheng was still in shock. He didn’t know what to say, and he felt that no matter what he said, it would sound wrong.
What was he supposed to do? Give Mr. Bai a ‘nice guy’ speech?
Thankfully, Bai Yiheng didn’t seem to expect a response. He already knew what Xiao Cheng would say—it would just be some polite rejection.
“The more time I spent with you, the more I realized how outstanding you are. Xiao Cheng, even if we can’t be a couple, we can still try to be friends.”
So, it was love at first sight, and then as they got to know each other, the feelings deepened?
Xiao Cheng had no idea what he had done to attract someone like Bai Yiheng.
After all, Mr. Bai was far more accomplished than he was. Compared to him, Xiao Cheng felt like an immature kid.
“Mr. Bai, we…” Xiao Cheng hesitated for a moment before continuing, “We’ve always been friends.”
Bai Yiheng smiled helplessly.
Of course, he knew that Xiao Cheng had only ever seen him as a friend.
He said that only in hopes that Xiao Cheng would relax a little around him and not be so distant.
“I know you have a boyfriend now. I won’t interfere in your relationship.”
Xiao Cheng realized that all of his little thoughts had been completely seen through by Bai Yiheng.
This only made him feel even more embarrassed—like he had been unfairly assuming the worst of someone.
Bai Yiheng chuckled and said, “Luo Jingshu told you to be wary of me, didn’t he?”
“When I first met him, he was already showing strong hostility toward me.”
Maybe from that moment on, Luo Jingshu had already been on guard against him.
Before, he had no right to make Xiao Cheng stay away from him. But now, having finally become Xiao Cheng’s boyfriend, how could he not exercise his rights as one?
“You can trust me a little more.”
Xiao Cheng quickly nodded. “I’m sorry, Mr. Bai. I shouldn’t have let my thoughts run wild.”
Bai Yiheng shook his head. “No.”
His gaze remained warm as he winked at Xiao Cheng. “If I had such an outstanding boyfriend, I’d also teach him to be wary of other men.”
It was just a pity that Xiao Cheng wasn’t his boyfriend.
Now that things had been cleared up, Xiao Cheng indeed felt more at ease.
After the New Year holiday, work resumed, and everyone had plenty to talk about.
Secretary Chen noticed a ring on Xiao Cheng’s hand and was visibly surprised.
After all, she hadn’t seen the same ring on her boss’s hand.
She had always known that Bai Yiheng had a strong liking for Xiao Cheng. She had even thought the two would end up together. But now, it seemed that while one had feelings, the other was indifferent.
“You’re in a relationship?”
Xiao Cheng nodded, his fingers unconsciously twisting the ring.
It was a habit he had developed only after putting on the ring—whenever he wasn’t thinking, he would end up turning it absentmindedly.
Secretary Chen let out a breath and sincerely congratulated him, “Congratulations.”
She felt a little sorry for her boss, but she didn’t think Xiao Cheng had done anything wrong.
After all, Xiao Cheng had never shown any romantic interest in Bai Yiheng. Though Secretary Chen felt it was a pity, she still genuinely wished Xiao Cheng happiness.
Ever since his last public announcement, Xiao Cheng had been back in touch with Jiang Zihe.
They didn’t talk much, but Xiao Cheng had subtly tried to ask a few times—Jiang Zihe didn’t seem to have any concrete plans for the future.
However, he was very concerned about Xiao Cheng’s relationship, always bringing it up every now and then.
Xiao Cheng didn’t hide anything from him.
Life went on peacefully for a few days until one morning, during an interview, Jiang Ying suddenly spoke about his company’s future development plans.
It was the first time he had openly challenged the Xiao family, and his words quickly caused an uproar.
Although everyone knew the two families were competitors, they had always maintained a friendly front—any struggles happened behind the scenes, and in public, they still shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.
For Jiang Ying to make such a bold statement now, he must have been absolutely confident.
Xiao Cheng watched the interview video twice, then forwarded it to Luo Jingshu.
Luo Jingshu simply dismissed it.
Clearly, he wasn’t too concerned about it.
Xiao Cheng, knowing about their plans behind the scenes, wasn’t too worried either. However, this did make things a little awkward between him and Jiang Zihe.
His older brother had suddenly declared war on the Xiao family, yet he and Xiao Cheng were good friends—and not only that, they were also roommates, meaning they would be living together every day once school started again.
Jiang Zihe immediately messaged Xiao Cheng, explaining, [I really don’t know why he said that.]
[Xiao Cheng, I swear I’m not lying to you. I’ll try to talk him out of it.]
Sometimes, Jiang Zihe really couldn’t understand his brother’s way of thinking. Yes, the two families were competitors, but since they were evenly matched, couldn’t they just coexist peacefully?
Did they really have to fight to the death?
Xiao Cheng reassured Jiang Zihe. He also had things he wasn’t telling him, so he simply followed Jiang Zihe’s assumption and said, [Maybe your brother doesn’t like me very much.]
Jiang Zihe immediately thought of the photo Jiang Ying kept in his drawer and jumped to a conclusion.
Could his brother be doing all of this just to win over Luo Jingshu?
Was it really that extreme?!
Was he targeting Xiao Cheng just because he liked Luo Jingshu?
Jiang Zihe knew his brother was a flirt, but he didn’t think he’d be this bad.
Angrily, he said, [Xiao Cheng, don’t worry, I’ll definitely scold him for you!]
Xiao Cheng: […]
Was Jiang Zihe misunderstanding something again?
[It’s not what you think. I just have some conflicts with your brother.]
Jiang Zihe asked, [Conflicts… in your love life?]
Xiao Cheng hesitated. [I guess you could say that.]
Jiang Zihe: [Unbelievable!]
So it was true—his brother was really being a jerk!
Xiao Cheng still didn’t know what was going on in Jiang Zihe’s head, so he cautiously asked, [What if I told you that things between me and your brother might escalate?]
Jiang Zihe immediately replied, [Then do whatever you need to do. If he ends up miserable, it’s his own fault!]
Who told Jiang Ying, that playboy, to covet someone else’s boyfriend?
[If you end up taking him down, that’s just his bad luck.]
But of course, this was all just speculation for now.
Jiang Zihe reassured him, [Don’t worry, I won’t let that happen.]
He would do everything in his power to stop Jiang Ying.
Xiao Cheng vaguely understood Jiang Zihe’s stance, and he actually felt relieved.
After all, in this situation, Jiang Ying was the one in the wrong.
Xiao Cheng felt guilty toward Jiang Zihe, and Jiang Zihe also felt guilty toward him.
They didn’t talk for long, but Jiang Zihe repeatedly reassured him.
Xiao Cheng didn’t think Jiang Zihe could actually persuade Jiang Ying, so he wanted to tell him to stay out of it. But before he could, Jiang Zihe had already run off after saying, [Just wait for my good news!]
Xiao Cheng was speechless.
He rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
For some reason, he had a bad feeling about all of this.
