Zhou Ye knew that he was behaving ridiculously. It was unlike him to flee but the memories of the way he'd behaved in front of Wen Rui that night wouldn't let him escape otherwise. The company function that he'd been at had been nothing more than yet another trap laid out by his grandfather to try and regain some semblance of control over his most prestigious grandson.
Zhou Ye had known beforehand. But he'd had no choice but to attend anyway. His uncles and cousins had shown up in full force too and in front of everyone, Zhou Ye had been pressured by his 'elders' to drink with the company's business partners, clients, potential future deal negotiators. As the acting CEO, he should have been able to avoid partaking without anyone kicking up a fuss but the subtle jibes and the cold attitude of his grandfather had forced him to do so in the end.
Whatever. It was only for a couple more years. Zhou Ye had conceded to the first couple of glasses, which had then led to a couple more. Soon, everyone who had a daughter seemed to be intent on bringing her over to introduce her to him. If Zhou Ye hadn't seen the signs outside announcing that this was the annual function, he would have thought that his grandfather had arranged a matchmaking party for him.
Which technically, it had been. Just cleverly disguised as something else.
But despite being drunk, Zhou Ye hadn't completely blanked out that night. He'd been just sober enough to reject the more forward advances of some of the young mistresses that had approached him asking for a dance or a chat. However, once he'd stepped through the door of his apartment, it was like all his defences had come crumbling down in the face of a warm body and that familiar scent of cotton musk, lily of the valley, and its understated afternotes of bergamot.
The reason why Zhou Ye could list the components of Wen Rui's fragrance so clearly was that he knew which cologne Wen Rui had the habit of using. He even had a bottle of it.
It had seemed like such a good idea that night to just cave and bury his face in Wen Rui's neck to inhale. Wen Rui hadn't pushed him away either, had even been kind enough to drag him over to the sofa and take care of him. It felt like progress and respite after so many years of liking Wen Rui in secret, unrequited because Wen Rui was straight and in love with a girl.
In the morning, after waking up on the couch alone, Zhou Ye had realised what a terrible mistake he'd made. He could just about remember clinging on to Wen Rui like a lifeline, no holds barred, but couldn't remember if he'd done or said anything worse.
And this was why he'd been clocking in extra overtime. All right, that wasn't entirely true. He was also working doubly hard because he was considering a couple of new projects for NJ Corporation, on top of managing the affairs of Zhou Group.
But he couldn't deny that he was avoiding Wen Rui too, was too much of a coward to see whether he'd scared Wen Rui off.
Zhou Ye, Crown Prince of the Zhou Group, was humbled before the only person he'd ever cared about.
"Chairman Zhou…"
He glanced up Wang Lingyi, who was holding a set of folders in front of his desk. Her makeup was less pristine than usual and there were dark bags beneath her eyes but she hadn't complained even once. Zhou Ye felt bad. His entire team had been operating on his crazy schedule to keep up with his productivity and he hadn't even considered what it would mean for their families and them.
…in the words of Yao Xun, Zhou Ye was a 'single dog' (1) who didn't understand what it was like to have anyone to spend time with outside of work.
He leaned back in his seat. "You may go home," he said. "Tell the other secretaries and assistants on the floor to take tomorrow off too." This 'floor' was completely his and they were working directly for him. It was made even worse for them because Zhou Ye could only come over after finishing at least a 9-6 over in Zhou Group, so most of the matters that had to be discussed with him could only be done after dinner time.
Wang Lingyi pursed her lips. "If you don't mind me saying, Chairman, I think you should get some rest too."
"…" Zhou Ye knew that she didn't mean spending another night in the annexe of this office suite. There was nothing makeshift about this beautifully furnished bedroom but it still wasn't home.
"Got it," Zhou Ye sighed. He should go back and face the music, see if Wen Rui had moved out in a fit of disgust yet.
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The apartment was completely dark when Zhou Ye pushed open the front door and he felt his heart sink. Normally, if Wen Rui was home, he would leave a side table lamp on, its faint warm glow illuminating the giant impressionistic painting that was the centrepiece of the living room. He never explained why he did it and Zhou Ye had never asked.
But he liked to pretend it meant that Wen Rui was waiting for him to return.
There was no light on now. Zhou Ye felt crushed by a sense of defeat. He walked in without bothering to hit the switches and tugged on his tie to loosen it. His chest was tight and his work attire, always picture-perfect, felt unbearably suffocating now.
[What was the point of everything?] he thought with a small helpless laugh. Going against his grandfather, struggling for independence. He'd known all along that despite his despicable methods, his relationship with Wen Rui could only ever be one-sided. Amnesia or otherwise, Wen Rui wasn't his to keep—
The faint noise of glass shattering interrupted his despairing musings. It hadn't come from far off, was on this floor…
It was followed closely by a dull thud. This time, Zhou Ye could pinpoint that the noise was emitted from the kitchens. Just like that, a tiny spark of hope rekindled, slowly lifting him back up from the lowest depths. Could it be that Wen Rui was still around? Even if he was angry about Zhou Ye's behaviour that night or Zhou Ye's avoidance, whichever it was, Zhou Ye was going to seize the chance to apologise.
But that hope quickly turned to concern when he strode into the kitchens, only to see a thin figure curled up on the floor and shivering.
"Wen Rui?!"
He rushed over. Wen Rui was in a set of flannel pyjamas but the second Zhou Ye touched his arm, he could feel the burning radiating through the thick fabric. He scooped up the unresponsive boy in his arms and Wen Rui gravitated towards him like he was seeking out a heat source.
How did Wen Rui end up in this state? Zhou Ye blamed himself for not knowing. Why had he thought that it was a good idea to leave Wen Rui on his own for so long? There was no one else watching Wen Rui apart from the housekeeper and she couldn't keep an eye on him all the time. He hadn't received any messages from her so Wen Rui must have been fine earlier that morning. What had happened to cause such a quick deterioration?
But he could wallow in guilt later on after Wen Rui recovered. For now, he lifted Wen Rui off the cold floor, frowning again when he noted that Wen Rui weighed next to nothing. Whether this was because Wen Rui had been dieting for the role or he was naturally this light, Zhou Ye didn't know. But it wasn't healthy and he didn't like it.
He took them both back to the living room, where the heating was the strongest, and bundled Wen Rui tightly into the wool coat he'd tossed haphazardly onto the couch earlier on. Normally Zhou Ye was obsessive about neatness and would have hung it up but today he'd been too down to care. This conveniently left it within arm's reach though.
Wen Rui let out a quiet whimper, scrunching his face up like he was in pain. In response, Zhou Ye's felt his stomach twist in anxiety. He pulled his phone out and dialled for Uncle Li, whose response was immediate.
"I'll be there in fifteen," Uncle Li assured. "If it's just a fever, we don't have to worry too much but take his temperature."
"He seems uncomfortable," Zhou Ye said, so caught up in his worry that he didn't notice the slight waver in his usually confident voice. "Is there anything that can be done?"
"You can try giving him fever medication, is there any in the house?"
Zhou Ye nodded mutely then realised that Uncle Li couldn't see him. "Yes."
"Calm down, Ah Ye, Uncle Li will be there in a jiffy."
The line went dead. Zhou Ye pulled Wen Rui closer to him, tucking his head under his chin as he carried him once more and headed towards the stairs.
"Sorry," he whispered, allowing himself just a brief moment of pressing his cheek against Wen Rui's soft hair. "I'm here now."