"But... but..." Lin Tianran paced nervously in the office, his eyebrows furrowing deeply. "There's no one on duty in the security room."
And... the idea of spending the night with you, the big boss, in the same room just makes me so uncomfortable.
"It's okay, nothing big will happen," Li Yicheng restarted his computer. "Do you want to watch a movie with me? Otherwise, this time will be wasted."
Seeing that Li Yicheng didn't seem to be in a hurry at all and was completely relaxed in his own territory, Lin Tianran couldn't help but feel out of place no matter what he did in this unfamiliar place.
"Come on, what are you standing there for? This movie is really funny." Li Yicheng waved at him again, and the computer emitted Stephen Chow's unique laughter.
"...Oh." Lin Tianran, feeling helpless, grabbed a plastic chair nearby, moved it next to Li Yicheng, and then sat up straight. He looked like a well-behaved and obedient elementary school student, watching the movie on the screen seriously.
"Oh, relax a bit. Sitting like this isn't tiring?" Li Yicheng, seeing his serious expression, couldn't help but find Lin Tianran extremely adorable. He placed his hand on Lin Tianran's slender back and, under the guise of comforting, began to casually take liberties.
"Haha... Haha." Lin Tianran's attention was completely captivated by Stephen Chow's exaggerated comedy. The occasional touch of that wandering hand didn't make him too uncomfortable, and he began to relax his posture, laughing along with the movie's plot and Li Yicheng.
"Xiaotian, you look so lovely when you laugh." Li Yicheng stared at the person next to him who was all smiles, feeling a surge of affection. He was getting into the mood and, unconsciously, the lower half of his body began to respond. Li Yicheng coughed awkwardly and said, "Uh... I need to use the restroom."
It was the first time Lin Tianran had heard such a compliment and he felt embarrassed. He quickly moved out of the way to let Li Yicheng leave for the restroom. As he shifted the plastic chair, his gaze happened to land on that bulging little tent, and he couldn't help but be shocked. His face turned bright red in an instant. "Ah... you, you..."
"Don't worry, I... I just think Zhijie is too beautiful!" Li Yicheng quickly came up with an excuse, shifting the blame to the innocent actress in the movie. This way, he managed to fool Lin Tianran; otherwise, it would have been really embarrassing.
"That's for you to figure out." Lin Tianran replied, still not looking at Li Yicheng, trying hard to hide his fright. He waited until he heard the hurried footsteps moving further away, followed by the sound of the bathroom door closing, before he dared to turn around.
By the time Li Yicheng came out of the restroom, satisfied with his little prank, Lin Tianran had already dozed off on his large office desk. His arm was propping up his head, and he seemed to be daydreaming. Li Yicheng approached him quietly, using his fingertips to brush away the stray hair on his forehead, gazing gently at the face that had been the subject of countless fantasies in the bathroom just now.
"In the future, I'll take care of you, alright?" Li Yicheng's voice was soft like a breeze, but the weight of this promise was as heavy as a mountain.
Lin Tianran was mumbling in his sleep and responded with a soft "Mmm..."
Worried that he might catch a cold, Li Yicheng lifted him up horizontally and carried him to a small bedroom tucked away in the corner of the office. This used to be a storage space for Li Zhongmao's liquor, but Li Yicheng had turned it into a bedroom for short naps. It contained a small bed and a wardrobe filled with suits and ties, just the right size.
After taking off his shoes and socks, Li Yicheng adjusted Lin Tianran's small body on the bed. He thought Lin Tianran was incredibly light and easy to handle, but he needed to fatten him up by about ten or twenty pounds. Otherwise, a strong gust of wind might just blow his precious one away, and there would be nowhere to find him.
"Goodnight, Tiantian." Li Yicheng covered him with a blanket, planted a kiss on his forehead, closed the door to his bedroom, and left.
Originally, he wanted to lie down with him as well. After all, it was a rare opportunity to sleep in the same bed with Tiantian, listening to his familiar breathing. It would have been a wonderful experience. But he was afraid, afraid that in the long night, he, as a grown man, would do something improper in front of the person he admired. He had already found it hard to control himself when he touched Tiantian's back and heard his cheerful laughter. Now, if he were to hold him close, how could he possibly sleep peacefully? Well, it was better to avoid the risk of hurting him unintentionally. It was a disappointing outcome for him.
Li Yicheng would have loved to stay, but he had to make a difficult choice and leave after weighing the pros and cons.
If it weren't for the fact that Li Yicheng left a small gap in the bedroom door, allowing a sliver of morning light to seep in, Lin Tianran would have likely screamed loudly when he woke up. A strange environment, an unfamiliar bed, you'd scream too if you were in his shoes.
This was the first time Lin Tianran had been in such a private space, let alone sleeping in someone else's bed, and that someone was... his boss.
He quickly got up, straightened the messy bedding, folded the blanket neatly, and carefully inspected the bed for any stray hairs or other items he might have left behind. Then he tiptoed to put on his shoes before quietly pushing the door open.
The first thing he saw was Li Yicheng lying on the office sofa, seemingly still asleep, not moving a muscle.
Ironically, the length of this two-person sofa couldn't accommodate a man of Li Yicheng's 6 feet 1-inch stature, so his legs were left hanging in the air beyond the edge of the sofa, revealing his luxurious silk stockings.
Lin Tianran approached and noticed that the man was still in his suit, with just the jacket taken off and draped over his upper body. He lowered his head to observe Li Yicheng and realized that heaven must have favored him greatly. Thick sword-like eyebrows radiated a sense of charisma, long and distinct eyelashes cast shadows below his eyes, and beneath those shallow eyelids hid sharp, hawk-like eyes. At times, they emitted a coldness that seemed beyond his years, but occasionally, they would soften with a gentle gaze. Lin Tianran sighed, marveling at how someone could be so incredibly handsome. As a man himself, he found it hard to take his eyes off him.
Lin Tianran glanced at the wall clock; it was only 6:30 AM. His biological clock had caused him to wake up early. The factory didn't start until 8 AM, and Old Wang, the earliest colleague to pick him up, wouldn't arrive until 7:30 AM. He had an hour to spare.
As he stared blankly, the man on the sofa began to stir.
Li Yicheng opened his drowsy eyes, and the first thing he saw in the early morning was his Tiantian, which made him quite pleased.
"Good morning, Xiaotian," he said. Maintaining the position he had slept in all night had left him feeling rather uncomfortable, and his limbs were a bit stiff. "If I could wake up to see you every morning, that would be wonderful."
"Thank you for last night," Lin Tianran mumbled. He had never been good at socializing or expressing himself. In reality, what he wanted to say was: "How did I end up sleeping in the bedroom, and why did you sleep on the sofa? You're the boss, and I'm an employee. It's not appropriate." But a thousand words converged into a simple "thank you."
"What are you thanking me for? A boss should take care of his employees," Li Yicheng chuckled. He could see from Lin Tianran's uneasy expression that he was a sensitive person. "Besides, we're good friends. I'll take care of you from now on."
"Why are you so good to me?" Lin Tianran couldn't help but ask.
"Because you deserve it," Li Yicheng smiled, looking at his precious one with infinite tenderness.
Lin Tianran was left speechless, his tongue-tied nature preventing him from asking more questions. But his curiosity still drove him to want to ask more, although he wasn't sure how to phrase his inquiries.
"Well, there's some time before work. How about having breakfast? We have a toaster," Li Yicheng suggested, pointing towards the kitchen.
"No, it's not necessary," Lin Tianran quickly shook his head. This was just too much. He had already slept in someone else's bed, and now he was being offered breakfast in the same place. It was crossing all boundaries.
But this time, Li Yicheng didn't give Lin Tianran a chance to refuse. He practically hummed a tune as he walked to the kitchen, and Lin Tianran couldn't stop him.
Fresh oatmeal toast, generously spread with butter, was placed in the oven until it turned golden brown. The entire kitchen and office were filled with the aroma of food.
Lin Tianran watched curiously as the toast spun around on the plate inside the toaster. He didn't want to just eat without contributing, but he had never seen or used a Western-style toaster before, so he could only watch Li Yicheng operate it skillfully.
"It'll be ready soon," Li Yicheng said with excitement, rubbing his hands together. "Xiaotian, can you bring out the milk? I'll handle the toast."
"Sure," Lin Tianran finally found a role. He quickly and attentively brought out two glasses of creamy milk.
"The hot one is yours. I'm afraid your stomach can't handle cold milk," Li Yicheng said, using a plate to serve the toasted bread that followed.
"Thank you," Lin Tianran felt a wave of gratitude. Such straightforward care took him by surprise.
"I want to set a rule. From now on, you're not allowed to thank me," Li Yicheng furrowed his brow, being serious. "It creates distance between us, and that's not good."
"But..." Lin Tianran wanted to protest, thinking it was natural to say thank you when someone did you a favor. After all, they weren't family or lovers.
"No 'buts,' or I'll deduct it from your salary!" Li Yicheng said, taking on a bossy tone. "And if you don't finish your breakfast, I'll deduct your salary too!"
"What?" Lin Tianran was dumbfounded. What was going on? He couldn't even think. Without a second thought, he lowered his head and started devouring his breakfast. He was genuinely hungry.
In this relaxed and comfortable atmosphere, it didn't feel like they were in an office; it felt more like home. Li Yicheng squinted his eyes slightly, looking forward to the future.
Support me a milktea if you like my translation:
Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/mirori
Paypal: mymy26198@gmail.com