Chen Mo could only feel that the palm against his waist was burning hot.
Compared to the vague tension in Huanshang’s office a few days ago, what he sensed now was clear, intense, invasive, and completely undisguised.
Chen Mo had a naturally slender waist.
Because of an old leg injury, he rarely did running or strenuous workouts in recent years. Now and then, Old K would drag him to the gym, but he usually only did some sit-ups or pull-ups.
That thin layer of muscle tensed instantly under the direct touch of skin against skin.
After murmuring those words, Xi Siyan didn’t let go.
Instead, his hand slid to Chen Mo’s lower back, slowly caressing as he pulled him closer, pressing him firmly against himself — then leaned in and kissed him again.
At first, Chen Mo was frozen, then flustered, and finally, as his thoughts spun into chaos, his last shred of resistance crumbled.
This was the same person who, back when they first met, had asked, “Where’s that kid in our class who’s too sick to walk?”
The same person Chen Mo had sworn he’d never get involved with — not in this life, not in the next, not ever.
Five years later, ever since they reunited, Chen Mo had carefully maintained a line between them.
And now, in this moment, it was all falling apart.
Their breathing grew heavier.
The strength of Xi Siyan’s grip on him increased. The numbness from the kiss deepened into a sharp ache.
That taste of youthful recklessness was long gone — and Chen Mo knew this wasn’t something they could afford to keep going.
He never realized that once Xi Siyan stopped hiding his desire, it would burn so fiercely.
The air felt sticky with heat. Chen Mo’s mind blurred.
His skin flushed red at his ears, neck, and collarbone as he was held in place, his half-open suit no longer covering the marks left by those wandering hands.
The room filled with heat, the muffled sounds of breathing and stifled moans fueling the blaze.
Then — footsteps.
Running down the corridor outside, followed by lively, gossipy voices.
“Did you hear what happened just now? That little celebrity who was rumored to be blacklisted actually showed up and tried to make a scene. Got chased out by security!”
“I heard the one who banned her was CM’s President Xi, right?”
“Wouldn’t be surprised. Think about it — showing up at an event like this? She must’ve been desperate. Either trying to get noticed or maybe she had dirt on President Xi. If they hadn’t thrown her out, who knows what she would’ve tried.”
“Sounds fishy to me. I even heard it’s tied to business rivalries.”
“I swear, the security’s been tighter today too. Maybe someone’s really here to cause trouble.”
The voices grew nearer.
Chen Mo’s muddled mind snapped back to reality.
He turned his face away, breathing unevenly, and whispered anxiously, “Xi Siyan — someone’s coming.”
Xi Siyan, still buried in the crook of his neck, continued kissing him, unwilling to stop.
Chen Mo tensed, grabbed his hair, and hurriedly said, “Hey — I’m talking to you! Let go!”
“Don’t panic.”
Xi Siyan’s voice was low and hoarse, carrying a rough, almost dangerous kind of intimacy.
He raised his head, smoothed out Chen Mo’s messy hair, and said calmly, “This is a VIP lounge. Not just anyone can get in.”
As he spoke, the footsteps that had reached the door passed by and went next door.
Silence returned.
Chen Mo finally pushed him away a little, looking down — only to realize his clothes were completely disheveled, his chest half-exposed.
And then it hit him just how absurd the scene was.
He glared up at Xi Siyan, flushed and flustered, quickly lowering his head to button himself up.
But before he could finish, Xi Siyan grabbed his hands and took over.
As he fastened the buttons, his eyes lingered on Chen Mo’s flushed face, his chin, his Adam’s apple…
It wasn’t so much like he was buttoning him up — more like undressing him with his gaze.
Chen Mo, irritated at himself for losing control earlier, said stiffly, “Stop looking at me like that.”
“Mr. Chen,”
Xi Siyan fastened the last button, adjusted the collar to cover some of the marks he’d left, and smiled.
“Angry?”
Chen Mo wasn’t a child anymore.
Though inexperienced in this kind of thing, he still had his pride.
He quickly recovered his composure, curled a finger around Xi Siyan’s collar and tugged him close.
“How could I be?”
Chen Mo grinned, his voice light.
“It’s kind of exciting, don’t you think? Imagine if the whole world found out that the famous President Xi was fooling around with his ex-boyfriend in the lounge before the landing ceremony was even over.”
Xi Siyan smirked.
“As long as I don’t want them to know, no one will. Besides, I’m not really needed for the rest of the event anyway.”
“So what?” Chen Mo raised a brow.
“Or you could come home with me now.” Xi Siyan said.
Chen Mo gave him a weird look, then opened the door.
“Forget it. Let’s go home.”
But just as he was about to leave, Xi Siyan slammed the door shut again.
He stood behind Chen Mo, almost embracing him, and spoke seriously:
“No more joking around. You fought Ren Xiansen today — he won’t let this go. I’m sure he’s got a backup plan.”
Chen Mo didn’t turn back.
“He doesn’t dare report me, and he won’t leak information. The evidence I have is enough to completely ruin Chuanxing Technology’s reputation in the smart tech industry. He wouldn’t risk it.”
Xi Siyan brushed his chin against Chen Mo’s ear.
“So you beat him up like that without a second thought?”
“I couldn’t help it.”
Chen Mo sidestepped awkwardly, unaccustomed to this kind of closeness.
He frowned, facing Xi Siyan directly in the narrow space.
“When you were overseas, didn’t the Xi family assign people to protect you?”
“Yeah.”
Xi Siyan straightened up.
“Ever since my second uncle’s accident, every important member of the Xi family has had at least three bodyguards with them. But that time… we were all fooled. Everyone thought the target was still my second uncle. The attackers made us believe that — and while Han Qian rushed over with reinforcements, they took the chance to strike.”
“How many were there?” Chen Mo asked.
“Eight men, plus two drivers waiting for us.”
Chen Mo cursed under his breath.
“Fuck.”
He instinctively wanted to touch the scar at the back of Xi Siyan’s head, but stopped himself.
Just hearing about it was enough to imagine how dangerous the situation had been.
If it hadn’t been for Xi Siyan’s luck and skills…
Chen Mo wasn’t sure if he would’ve made it out alive.
This wasn’t a game.
There were no do-overs in life.
Chen Mo’s expression hardened.
“With the evidence I’ve got, can we take him down? Jail, investigation — whatever works. He needs to pay for this.”
“Now isn’t the right time.”
Xi Siyan told him quietly. “I just received news — Lunar is coming to China within the next two days.”
Chen Mo wasn’t too familiar with the intricacies of overseas affairs.
Since Xi Siyan said it wasn’t the right moment, he didn’t press the matter.
“You really don’t want to come home with me?”
Xi Siyan asked again.
Chen Mo eyed him suspiciously.
“So… are you worried Ren Xiansen might retaliate against me, or do you have… other reasons?”
Xi Siyan glanced over him, at the state of his clothes, and said,
“What if I told you it’s both?”
“Forget it.”
Chen Mo opened the door.
“What happened just now… let’s just pretend it didn’t happen. Don’t take it seriously.”
He stepped out, keeping his stride steady — though it was a little quicker than usual.
Han Qian showed up at just the wrong time, bumping into Xi Siyan’s shoulder.
“Can’t help yourself, huh? Who was the one who swore to me before we came back — ‘Just keep your distance, stay calm, don’t do anything until we’ve taken care of UA for good.’ How long’s it been? A few days? And you’ve already dragged him off to fool around at a critical moment like this?”
Xi Siyan shot him a cold glance.
“What do you mean, fool around?”
“Oh, come on.”
Han Qian exaggeratedly laughed twice.
“You haven’t forgotten you’re his ex, have you? Anything that isn’t above board — is messing around.”
Xi Siyan couldn’t be bothered to respond.
His gaze followed Chen Mo’s retreating figure, eyes dark as the sea — as though that person, no matter how far away, could never truly escape.
In reality, Chen Mo hadn’t intended to run.
He wasn’t the type to avoid problems.
It was just that the timing wasn’t right, and he needed space — to sort out his thoughts, figure out what this meant to him, and how to deal with it moving forward.
When he returned to the venue, the ceremony was already wrapping up.
Su Qianran and Lao K quickly asked where he’d been, and Chen Mo casually brushed it off with an excuse.
About ten minutes later, Xi Siyan reappeared too.
He was back on stage, shaking hands, exchanging words, raising a glass for the champagne tower — not a single thing out of place.
Under thunderous applause, he worked his way through the crowd and glanced straight at Chen Mo.
In that moment, no one knew that these two had once fallen in love at the height of their youth, and now stood at opposite ends of the business world, briefly colliding again.
That lingering, uncontrollable kiss earlier had burned so hot — but like waves pulling back from the shore, it had been concealed beneath the surface once more.
The ceremony officially ended at 5 p.m.
Chen Mo left with Su Qianran and Lao K, his pace unconsciously slowing.
At the exit, a business handoff was taking place, with reception staff seeing off guests.
Xinrui’s car was parked farther back.
As the three of them walked toward it, they heard someone call from behind, “Wait a moment!”
A staff member wearing a badge jogged over.
“Excuse me — who is CEO Chen Mo of Xinrui?”
“I am.”
Chen Mo frowned. “What’s the matter?”
The staff handed him a stylishly packaged box.
“President Xi asked me to give this to you.”
Chen Mo took it, confused.
Before he could ask anything, the staffer had already hurried away.
When they reached the car, Chen Mo opened the door and got into the front passenger seat.
Old K glanced over and blurted out,
“What’s up with your neck? It’s red as hell!”
Chen Mo instinctively raised his hand to cover it, keeping a straight face.
“Probably some bugs at the venue.”
Old K looked like he wanted to press the issue, but before he could, Su Qianran spoke up from the back seat, looking a little surprised — but also as though she understood something.
She smiled, kicked the back of Old K’s seat, and said,
“Stop fussing. Drive already.”
Then she smoothly changed the subject for Chen Mo.
“Why don’t you see what President Xi sent you?”
Chen Mo opened the box, peeled back the outer layer — and the next second, swiftly slammed the lid shut.
Su Qianran and Lao K exchanged a glance.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
Chen Mo forced his voice calm.
“I left my ID inside, he probably picked it up for me.”
But in reality, the way his fingers dug into the box edge betrayed his tension.
Because what was inside…
Even though it was still wrapped in packaging, the words printed boldly on it read:
Men’s Disposable Nipple Covers
Chen Mo smacked his forehead against the car window.
His mind instantly replayed that chaotic scene in the lounge —
When Xi Siyan’s hand had brushed across his chest,
When Chen Mo had accidentally murmured that it hurt.
Now heat rose from his neck all over again.
Chen Mo silently cursed in his heart:
“You shameless bastard.”
I don’t even wear this stuff usually!
What the hell is he trying to say giving me this?!
