After the Young Master’s Death, He was Kissed by His Mortal Enemy! (BL) - Chapter 42

If he hadn’t mentally prepared himself beforehand, Cheng Yi would have dashed out with his insulated mug the moment he heard that voice.

Suppressing the urge to storm out, Cheng Yi forced himself to stay calm. He turned back to his office and pulled up the surveillance footage from the hallway cameras.

Zooming in again and again, he finally got a clear view of the front entrance of Shen Ran’s gallery.

Fixating on the monitor, Cheng Yi’s lips curled into a lazy smile.

He’d anticipated this day when he relocated his company here — that’s why he’d chosen the most expensive and high-definition surveillance cameras on the market!

He saw Shen Ran step out of the gallery, glance around suspiciously, then speak to Chen Xu with visible impatience.

What was he looking around for? Could it be… he was checking to see if he was there?

The more Cheng Yi thought about it, the more convinced he became. Staring at the screen, he muttered to himself:

“Tch. Sneaking around like a thief. Guilty conscience, much?”

Through the surveillance feed, Cheng Yi “watched” Shen Ran lead Chen Xu into the elevator. So… they were going out to sit and have a long chat?

As soon as the two disappeared into the elevator, Cheng Yi paced over to the window.

He pressed against the spotless glass, looking down at the street — everything below was perfectly visible.

Three minutes later, he spotted Shen Ran and Chen Xu walking out of the office building, one behind the other.

Chen Xu seemed to be deliberately closing the distance between them, trying to hold Shen Ran’s hand.

“Creak.”

That was the sound of Cheng Yi gritting his teeth in fury.

“That shameless bastard. Even when he’s been rejected, he keeps clinging on.”

Watching from above, Cheng Yi grew more and more anxious. He wished he could just leap from the eighth floor and land directly between the two of them.

He was this close to heading downstairs early — no elevator, no stairs.

Thankfully, Shen Ran seemed to sense what Chen Xu was up to. The faster Chen Xu walked, the faster Shen Ran walked in response, never letting him even brush a fingertip.

Cheng Yi loosened his clenched fists ever so slightly and muttered, “At least you’re not stupid.”

Even though he was just observing from above, Cheng Yi looked more tense than the two involved.

He was genuinely afraid that Shen Ran might have a relapse and rekindle things with Chen Xu.

He watched them cross the street and enter a tea house.

Oh, so they really were planning a private conversation.

…Wait. If they went inside, wouldn’t that mean he couldn’t spy on them anymore?

The brief moment of relief vanished in an instant. Cheng Yi tensed up again, now wondering whether he should sneak over and follow them.

But just as the thought arose, he glanced up — and spotted Shen Ran and Chen Xu sitting by the window on the second floor of the tea house.

What was this, if not fate?

It was like thinking about water, and a bottle falling from the sky!

Their seats by the window had a perfect view — from Cheng Yi’s vantage point, he could see them both clearly.

He told himself repeatedly to stay calm, but in reality, his eyes were glued to Shen Ran the entire time.

At one point, Shen Ran turned his head slightly, as if sensing something, and glanced in Cheng Yi’s direction.

The moment Shen Ran turned, Cheng Yi reflexively spun around, pretending he had just been passing by the window.

Was he caught…? No, it didn’t seem like it.

Through the corner of his eye, he saw Shen Ran casually look away again, completely unaware.

Cheng Yi then froze by the window like a statue.

What are they even talking about? Why is it taking so long?

Chen Xu seemed to be very emotional, gazing at Shen Ran with deep affection, saying something Cheng Yi couldn’t hear.

They were too far away — even if Cheng Yi wanted to read lips, he couldn’t make anything out.

His anxious heart grew more restless by the second. Then suddenly, his phone buzzed with a message notification.

Frowning, Cheng Yi clicked his tongue. “Who the hell is texting me now? Can’t they see I’m watching Shen— Shen Ran?”

He took out his phone and glanced down impatiently.

The complaint he was about to mutter got stuck in his throat.

The message was from none other than… Shen Ran!

Shen Ran:
“How about Hunan cuisine for lunch today? It’s freezing outside — let’s have something spicy to warm us up.”

The moment Cheng Yi saw that the message was from Shen Ran, he nearly failed to control his facial expression. His smile broke out so quickly it nearly reached his ears.

Lifting his eyes to look out the window again, he saw Chen Xu still talking animatedly, gesturing passionately, while Shen Ran sat with his head lowered, resting his chin in one hand and holding his phone under the table with the other.

Clearly, he was waiting for a reply.

Shen Ran was zoning out during Chen Xu’s emotional monologue… to message him… and ask him to lunch!

Wasn’t that proof that Shen Ran cared about him? Wasn’t that completely ignoring Chen Xu?

For a moment, Cheng Yi felt that this feeling — the bloom of joy spreading through his chest — must be what they call bliss.

He quickly typed back:

Cheng Yi:
“Sure. If you’re treating, of course I’ll go.”

As soon as the message was sent, Cheng Yi looked up again at the tea house across the street.

It seemed like Shen Ran smiled a little — and then another message came in right after.

Just like that, back and forth, the two of them started chatting freely without any barriers.

As the saying goes: Give someone an inch, and they’ll want a mile.

Cheng Yi couldn’t stand seeing Shen Ran having any further interaction with that clingy pest Chen Xu.

Now that Shen Ran had invited him to lunch, why not hurry things up and help him get rid of that nuisance?

So Cheng Yi sneakily threw some shade at Chen Xu in their chat — and promptly received an invitation from Shen Ran to go eat immediately.

Sliding his phone into his pocket, Cheng Yi felt utterly refreshed.

Just as he was about to head over to Shen Ran’s gallery to grab the car keys, he noticed movement from within the tea house.

Chen Xu was leaning forward — trying to touch Shen Ran’s head?!

“Goddammit. What’s with the hand? Can’t you just talk like a normal person? Is this guy insane?!”

This time, Cheng Yi was genuinely angry — even if, technically, he didn’t have much right to be.

His expression darkened immediately, and he was just about to storm downstairs and drag his Shen Ran away.

After all, it wasn’t like just anyone could pat Shen Ran’s head — no, only he could.

But this time, Shen Ran’s reaction was impressively swift. Before Chen Xu could even fully extend his hand, Shen Ran had already stood up, warily stepping back to create distance.

Cheng Yi’s tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed. This time, he really wanted to praise Shen Ran.

It was obvious now how serious Shen Ran was about ending things. Not once, but twice now, he had outright rejected Chen Xu’s attempts at physical contact.

Pacing anxiously in front of the window for a moment, Cheng Yi finally turned on his heel and strode out of the office — like a man on a mission.

Enough is enough. That guy Chen Xu was relentless. Cheng Yi was going to fetch Shen Ran for lunch right now.

If he kept standing by the window watching like this, he was afraid he’d lose his mind and start screeching like some cartoon monkey king.

Feigning composure as he left his office building, his footsteps immediately became fast and urgent.

When he barged into Shen Ran’s gallery to grab the car keys, he moved so fast he was like a gust of wind — startling Xiao Lin, one of Shen Ran’s employees.

“Boss, you’re back— Wait, huh? President Cheng?”

Cheng Yi simply curled his lips into a smirk and held up Shen Ran’s car keys with a little flourish.