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After arriving at the airport, Qi Xing realized he should have messaged his assistant. He then contacted Li Zechen to ask him to help cover up his lie.
He couldn't let his secret be exposed.
Li Zechen's message, "I'll help you deceive Uncle Qi this time, but don't blame me if things go wrong. Honestly, I don't think Young Master Ye is right for you and be careful."
Qi Xing scratched his chin awkwardly and replied, "I understand. Thanks."
Ye Xingzhou took his phone to glance at their chat history and looked at Qi Xing.
Qi Xing held out his hand, "Give it back."
Ye Xingzhou ignored him and calmly scrolled through his phone. Qi Xing realized this jerk was trying to help him block Li Zechen, so he covered the phone and raised his voice, "Give me my phone back!"
Ye Xingzhou looked up and met Qi Xing's unwavering glare.
After a tense silence, Ye Xingzhou released his grip. Qi Xing snatched back his phone and immediately switched it off before shoving it in his pocket. He even kicked Ye Xingzhou in the process.
"Your words were pretty sweet earlier." Ye Xingzhou lifted an eyelid, "How long did that last before you've shown your true color."
"I can't be too nice to you." Qi Xing pouted, "Or else, you'd take advantage of me and get worse."
Ye Xingzhou: "So you can't bear to block him?"
"Why should I block him?" Qi Xing replied unhappily, "He's my friend! We've known each other since childhood. I was playing marbles with him when you didn't even know where you were."
"Let's go." Ye Xingzhou stood but turned to glare at Qi Xing, who remained seated. "Need a hand?"
Qi Xing lazily stood and walked ahead, "Who needs your help?"
Their plane was Ye Xingzhou's private jet and was waiting on the tarmac.
Onboard, Qi Xing reclined to avoid conversation. Ye Xingzhou sat beside him and said, "If you want to sleep then take a nap. It's a five-hour flight."
Qi Xing closed his eyes and turned his head away.
"I won't touch your phone again." Ye Xingzhou said suddenly.
Qi Xing turned and opened one eye skeptically, "You can control yourself?"
Ye Xingzhou stared at him for two seconds. "I'll try."
Qi Xing: "..."
At least he's progressing.
"With your attitude, no wonder others think I'm not right for you. My dad would think I'm a little white rabbit lured by a big bad wolf."
"I'm the big bad wolf, and you're the little white rabbit?" Ye Xingzhou's eyes twinkled, "Do you look like a little white rabbit?"
Qi Xing turned away and ignored him.
Before takeoff, he boredly messaged Yang Kaiming, "I'm with my sugar daddy to have fun in Vegas for a few days."
Of course, he had to brag to someone.
Yang Kaiming replied with a shocked emoji.
Qi Xing: "Jealous?"
Yang Kaiming: "Hide your passport! Don't let your sugar daddy trick you into marriage."
‘...What?’
Yang Kaiming sent another message, "He's rich, but so are you! Your company's still listed. I don't know the laws, but if you marry there, get a prenup."
Qi Xing, "Get lost."
………
They landed in Vegas at midnight.
Qi Xing, sleep-deprived, yawned constantly as he dazedly followed Ye Xingzhou to the car.
After getting in, he immediately slumped into the seat before he closed his eyes as he was uninterested in the dazzling city.
He heard Ye Xingzhou instruct his secretary on a call and asked, "Are you really here on business?"
Ye Xingzhou hung up. "Yeah."
Qi Xing, "Oh."
He'd thought Ye Xingzhou planned to trick him into marriage, but whatever.
At the hotel, they showered and collapsed into bed and slept until after nine.
Qi Xing opened his eyes then got up to look outside.
Ye Xingzhou was on the phone while drinking coffee.
After watching him for a while, he grabbed clothes, so he could shower.
But before he could stand up after grabbing some clothes, he accidentally pulled his passport from his suitcase.
Ye Xingzhou finished his call and coffee, he then saw Qi Xing squatting while holding his passport and staring blankly at somewhere.
"What are you thinking about?"
Ye Xingzhou's voice startled Qi Xing, who dropped the passport and looked up.
Ye Xingzhou leaned against the door and watch him with amusement, "Squatting with your passport? Lovesick?"
"None of your business." Qi Xing's face flushed as he tried to sound fierce, "Can you control me?"
He snatched up his passport before shoving it deep into his suitcase then grabbed the clothes, and slammed the bathroom door shut.
He was clearly embarrassed and angry.
A moment later, Qi Xing stared at his reflection in the bathroom.
He'd impulsively wanted to ask Ye Xingzhou to marry him.
If not for Ye Xingzhou's teasing earlier, he might have really done it.
He was a hopeless romantic and completely unsalvageable.
Another moment later, he silently flipped off his reflection and turned on the cold water then stepped into the shower.
‘Snap out of it!’
…………
After breakfast, Ye Xingzhou took him out.
Qi Xing sneezed repeatedly. Ye Xingzhou touched his forehead, "Did you catch a cold?"
Qi Xing weakly replied, "No."
He was still shivering from his cold shower but he was too embarrassed to explain to Ye Xingzhou.
As Ye Xingzhou drove to their destination, they passed a large church where couples, straight and gay, were taking wedding photos.
At a red light, Qi Xing stared.
Ye Xingzhou also looked, and Qi Xing glanced at him, "I heard it's easy to get married here. Probably only half an hour."
Ye Xingzhou responded with a faint "Hmm.”
Completely unmoved.
So, Qi Xing turned away.
After lunch, Ye Xingzhou took him to a large auction house.
Qi Xing curiously asked, "Aren't you here on business? You haven't done anything serious."
Ye Xingzhou: "No rush."
The auction was halfway through.
A valuable antique was being auctioned. Qi Xing leaned back to daydream.
Ye Xingzhou also leaned back as he casually flipped through the catalog and looked like he was on vacation.
Qi Xing stared at his profile as he recall their first meeting.
It was at a lavish venue.
Because he was jealous, he'd impulsively bid five million on an obscure painting. Even after consecutives failure, he'd repeatedly sought trouble with Ye Xingzhou, until today.
"Ye Xingzhou..."
Hearing Qi Xing's drawn-out voice, Ye Xingzhou turned.
Qi Xing hadn't planned to say anything.
He just wanted to say his name.
Seeing his reflection in Ye Xingzhou's eyes, his heart surged, "Ye Xingzhou..."
"What is it?" Ye Xingzhou's voice was low and a hint of amusement in his eyes.
"You ignored me that night as you fawned over others. I called out to you first, and you only said three words."
Ye Xingzhou immediately understood. He grabbed Qi Xing’s hand and also lowered his gaze, and then slowly rubbed his palm.
That rainy night's charity gala was just a routine.
He was always composed but when Qi Xing appeared, his composure was gone.
He could have entered Qingping Garden more easily and didn't need to spend eight million thru Qi Xing.
Perhaps he'd started teasing Qi Xing without realizing it when he did some actions that he normally didn't do.
Till now, he still reminisced about Qi Xing's provocative tone and expression, and savored it endlessly.
But he'd let him slip away.
Qi Xing squeezed his hand, "Why are you silent again?"
"What do you want to hear?" Ye Xingzhou looked at him calmly.
Qi Xing opened his mouth but no words came out because he was unsure on how to express himself.
He wanted to kiss him but it was broad daylight, so it was impossible.
His hopeless romantic brain fluttered at Ye Xingzhou's face and scent.
He didn't speak, and Ye Xingzhou didn't ask again.
Qi Xing felt gloomy.
He leaned back as he lamented his doom.
He didn't notice what was being auctioned but Ye Xingzhou raised his paddle.
Qi Xing looked up and was surprised to see Ye Xingzhou bidding on a ruby.
The screen showed a twenty-carat pigeon blood ruby.
It was nearly perfect.
The starting price was five million dollars, and many bid.
Ye Xingzhou raised his paddle repeatedly, unhurried but determined.
Qi Xing sat up straight, "You want this? Don't you have too much money?"
Ye Xingzhou ignored him.
Qi Xing leaned back as he was too lazy to say anything again.
‘His sugar daddy was so rich, so why worry about a prenup? Yang Kaiming was just stirring trouble.’
Fortunately, he hadn't fallen for it.
The hammer fell at one hundred twenty-five million dollars.
Ye Xingzhou calmly stood, "Let's go and pick it up."
Qi Xing followed while still in dazed.
It was over one hundred twenty-five million dollars!
Only after Ye Xingzhou signed the contract and wrote the check did Qi Xing realize, "You actually bought this?"
Ye Xingzhou: "Can you regret it now?"
Qi Xing fell silent.
Compared to the man before him, this so-called extravagant playboy paled in significance.
Ye Xingzhou didn't care, so why should he?
When the ruby arrived, Ye Xingzhou didn't look at it and just directly placed it before Qi Xing.
Qi Xing cautiously opened the box and was hesitant to touch it.
He couldn't afford to break it!
"How does this compare to the eight million? Is it enough for my sincerity?" Ye Xingzhou suddenly asked.
Qi Xing looked at him in surprise.
Ye Xingzhou smiled, "It's a gift."
Qi Xing pointed at the ruby, then at himself, incredulously, "You bid on this for me?"
"Do you need to be so surprised?" Ye Xingzhou retracted his smile before he calmly said, "It's reciprocity. You gave me a ruby tie clip before."
‘No, because his gift was only worth a few thousand.’
"...I should pass. My dad might break my legs."
Ye Xingzhou leaned back while tapping his fingers as he watched him.
Qi Xing felt uncomfortable and changed his words, "Is this a birthday gift?"
Ye Xingzhou: "No."
Qi Xing: "Then what is it?"
Ye Xingzhou only asked, "Do you like it?"
Qi Xing answered honestly, "Spending so much money feels wasteful."
He couldn't wear it because it was expensive and he was afraid to break it.
So, it would just sit at home.
Ye Xingzhou didn't mind, "Play with it like a marble."
Qi Xing thought to himself, ‘he's twenty-three, not three.’
A hundred-million-dollar marble...
Ye Xingzhou's romantic brain was no less hopeless than his.
"If it's not a birthday gift, then what is it?"
Ye Xingzhou had no intention of explaining, "Just keep it."
Qi Xing closed the box and wanted to put it in his pocket.
But he felt that it was too valuable, so he tucked it into his jacket pocket and hoped he wouldn't get robbed.
"People here will arrange bodyguards." Ye Xingzhou reassured him.
Qi Xing grinned, "You can read minds now? You can even guess what I'm thinking."
Ye Xingzhou stared into his eyes and saw joy and restlessness, especially after passing that church.
"I can't read your mind." he said leisurely.
Qi Xing didn't believe it.
Because he knew that this bastard just wanted to see him make a fool of himself.
Ye Xingzhou didn't speak again.
He wouldn't propose first.
So, let's see who gives in first.