Unforgettable Touch - Chapter 23

Chapter 23 – Like a Ghost That Won’t Leave

It had been far too long since he’d had such a thrilling, evenly matched, in-depth discussion.

Shu Zhenshan always sat upright when expressing his views, his back straight and shoulders squared—just like the best debater he once was in university. As he spoke, the heat got to him, and he shrugged off his suit jacket. His black shirt clung to his long arms, the lines of his muscles naturally stretching and flexing with every gesture.

Ran Buyue had been listening intently at first, but now… his attention was starting to drift elsewhere.

This guy, when he’s serious, is really quite handsome. Six years in the business world, and he still keeps up with the latest tech trends—his insights are sharp, and when he casually suggests technical improvements, you can tell he has a firm grasp of every detail. Honestly, he looks even sexier now in his buttoned-up work mode than he did last night in bed…

After all, commanding knowledge with such ease gives off a more sophisticated dominance than commanding in bed ever could.

Speaking of bed, last night, when he tried to pull away, Shu Zhenshan had forcibly pulled him back and whispered in that low voice not to move—ugh, that moment was really something…

Wait, no! Stop! This is work! Why the hell am I getting so distracted! I can’t keep staring at him!

Ran Buyue quickly pulled himself back from the mental cliff, shutting down the explicit daydreams, tightening his lips, and forcibly shifting his gaze away from Shu Zhenshan, resetting his expression to something appropriately serious.

After Shu Zhenshan finished, it was Ran Buyue’s turn to speak.

He lounged back lazily in his chair, pinching the corner of a sheet of notes, and—despite his relaxed pose—began to rattle off a long, pointed string of analysis in a cool, even tone. The automatic meeting recorder beside them could barely keep up.

Ran Buyue had a habit of playing with his hair when he talked. His pale fingers twisted the ends into little curls, then straightened them out again—quick, deft movements, almost childlike in their playfulness.

Shu Zhenshan listened intently, but couldn’t help noticing those little gestures.

Ran Buyue had always done this, even back in the lab. When he was thinking, or when he was talking, he’d toy with the ends of his hair. If it was just the two of them in the lab, Shu Zhenshan would pull him into his lap, talking while slowly playing with his hair—like grooming a spoiled cat.

Six years had passed. Ran Buyue was no longer that lonely little kid curled up in his arms. His design ideas were sharp and precise, hitting the mark every time—he’d grown into a top-tier designer.

And just last night, Shu Zhenshan had personally blow-dried the hair of that same top-tier designer. Even now, without touching him, he could still recall the scent of Ran Buyue’s hair, the way it spilled over his pale back—how it slipped down the sides of his body as he arched and leaned back, swaying rhythmically in the air…

Wait, stop right there! Shu Zhenshan, what are you thinking! You’re going to start reacting if you keep staring at him!

He gave himself a hard slap in his mind, immediately snapping out of the lusty memories, straightened his posture, and forced his gaze away from Ran Buyue. He armored himself from head to toe with the same icy calm he used in negotiations.

For the second half of the meeting, both men wore impassive expressions and didn’t spare each other a single glance.

Three ticks of the clock later, four piles of notes, five rounds of tea—the meeting room door finally opened, and a thick academic atmosphere poured out.

Along with it came rumors Shu Zhenshan and Director Ran had a terrible relationship.

It didn’t even take half a day before gossip swept through the company’s core management. Word had it that Mr. Ran Buyue—the top designer candidate—was completely incompatible with their boss, Shu Zhenshan. During their first meeting, Ran had apparently puked on Shu. Throughout the discussion, their verbal sparring had been intense and relentless. Not a single glance exchanged. Nothing but cold stares and sharp words.

Given all this, the odds of hiring Ran seemed slim.

But unfortunately, Ran’s suggestions for revision were all highly valuable. If a competitor snatched him up, it’d be a huge loss.

As the saying goes, bitter medicine cures the disease. Personal relations aside, Ran Buyue was an exceptionally rare young talent.

Now, the upper management was left speculating—could their proud and exacting President Shu tolerate the sharp-tongued genius? Neither of them seemed particularly easy to work with.

Friction was inevitable. But in the end, producing a best-selling product was what truly mattered.

Based on Shu Zhenshan’s past behavior, the management team estimated it would take about a month to go through all the design candidates and finalize a hire. Yet, by the end of just the first week, Patti returned with several signed contracts in hand—much faster than anyone expected.

“The Chief Designer’s been confirmed?” the CTO asked in surprise.

Patti nodded.

The COO leaned over, munching on sunflower seeds. “No way. Who?”

Patti flipped to the last page of the contract, revealing a sleek signature and the seal of ROAM Studio. “Who else could it be?”

The CFO was stunned. “President Shu really made a quick decision this time.”

The COO asked, “Did we even finish interviewing the other studios? That was fast.”

But Patti didn’t have time to gossip. She grabbed the contracts and hurried off to the CEO’s office.

She thought to herself. What do you people know? That invitation was the only one Shu ever sent out.

That very afternoon, every single employee across the company received a mysterious 500-yuan entertainment and dining voucher. Department heads’ phones were flooded with confused calls. People wondered if the company’s systems had been hacked.

“Uh, no…” The finance director awkwardly relayed the boss’s message. “President Shu said, since it’s the Qingming season, with grass growing and warblers flying, everyone should take some time to celebrate the arrival of spring with their families…”

Yanchuan Group had always been generous with bonuses and gifts on holidays, so no one dug too deep. Still, this was the first time they’d ever handed out benefits during Qingming Festival.

One month later, in a two-storey building in the tech park, Tian Xiaozhe was helping the workers hang up the ROAM logo at the entrance, while Ran Buyue passed around bottled drinks from a cardboard box.

“Studio—complete!”

Tian Xiaozhe clapped his hands and chugged an entire bottle in one go—then immediately sputtered it out.

“Why is it herbal tea?! Boss, you’re so cruel!” he whined, face scrunched up like a crumpled napkin.

Ran Buyue smiled. “Herbal tea is healthy. Plus, I’m in a good mood.”

“Same here!” Tian Xiaozhe rocked back and forth like a Weeble, counting on his fingers. “The studio’s done, we’ve finished hiring, we landed that moneybags project…”

Ran Buyue shoved a soda into his hand and smiled. “And spring’s finally here.”

All the studio’s doors and windows were wide open, letting in the fresh air.

Ran Buyue’s office was designed by himself. Following a philosophy of open and transparent management, he used smart tint-changing glass for the outer walls, which stayed clear under normal conditions.

In the center sat a futuristic desk that resembled a starship landing pad—custom-made by a furniture designer friend. Its wide surface had irregularly curved edges, and it came with built-in temperature control—warm in winter, cool in summer.

Next to it was a multifunctional workbench, and on the other side, by the floor-to-ceiling window, sat a guest sofa.

Just outside the window, lush flame trees swayed. In the warmth of early spring, a few branches had already burst into vibrant bloom, looking like little phoenixes ready to take flight.

It was clear this would become his favorite scenic spot.

Ran Buyue sank into the soft couch, sipped his herbal tea, and leisurely enjoyed the view.

The scenery was so lovely, and the couch—another gift from a designer friend—so comfortable, he suddenly didn’t feel like using it for guest meetings. He wanted to keep this place all to himself.

Tian Xiaozhe wandered over, soda in hand, and plopped down next to him on the couch, sighing in his hometown dialect, “So comfy!”

“Careful,” Ran Buyue warned, steadying him.

Tian Xiaozhe looked at him in surprise, eyes glistening. “Boss… you care about me…”

Ran Buyue pointed at the opened soda in his hand and said coolly, “I care about the three-million-yuan couch you’re about to spill it on.”

Tian Xiaozhe jumped up like he’d been electrocuted, cradling the drink pitifully. “I’ll stand, then.”

“Kidding,” Ran Buyue chuckled, standing beside him to look out at the view.

“Hey, someone’s moving into that building across the way,” Tian Xiaozhe pointed.

Ran Buyue said, “Just noticing now? They started renovations the same time we did.”

“Whoa! Which company is it? Must be pretty close with Yanchuan Group. Didn’t Xiao Zhao say that building isn’t available for outside lease?”

“No idea, and I don’t care,” Ran Buyue replied. “But I do think their designer isn’t very good.”

“How come?”

Ran Buyue sat in his office chair and pointed out the window. “From my angle here, I can see directly into one of the offices on the fifth floor of that building. The desk is positioned so that I can see the person’s face clearly if someone’s sitting there.”

Tian Xiaozhe crouched down to follow his line of sight and saw exactly what he meant. “Then what? Boss, do you want to change your desk’s position?”

“No way. If I need privacy, I’ll just draw the blinds. I’m saying his desk is poorly positioned.”

Tian Xiaozhe asked eagerly, “Why?”

Ran Buyue replied with a languid tone, “This year, the misfortune star falls in the southeast direction. His desk is right in that area—terrible for big investment decisions. It invites lawsuits and bad luck. From the layout, it looks like it’s the boss’s office. Their designer didn’t take this into account and still chose that direction out of all eight.”

Tian Xiaozhe gaped. “Wow, boss, you know feng shui too?”

“When in Rome, do as the locals do. Cantonese businessmen take this stuff seriously.” Ran Buyue smirked, a little amused. “I wonder who the unlucky boss is. Hope I don’t have to watch his face twist in agony every day from failed investments.”

The following month passed in a blur of small, busy tasks onboarding new employees, finishing studio renovations, finalizing deals, finding a place to live, renovating his own apartment… It wasn’t as hectic as before, but Ran Buyue never truly had a moment to relax.

The project with Yanchuan Group wouldn’t begin until the studio’s official launch, so during that time, he hadn’t seen Shu Zhenshan again. Every day was just work, sleep, repeat—no time to think about anything else.

In that sense, the two-month break was perfectly timed. Half of it had already passed in the blink of an eye—

Ran Buyue lay on his bed, blinking. Then blinked again. Why wasn’t the blinking helping? This wait was killing him.

Sure, he survived six years of separation. But back then, it had been a clean break. He was laser-focused on making money and living a quiet, ascetic life.

Now that he’d finally gotten a taste of gourmet fare after so long, he was left hungry and restless—it was driving him mad.

In the soft morning light, still feeling the fire that refused to subside in his body, Ran Buyue gave up and got out of bed.

Today was the official launch of the studio. He really did need to get up early for a good start.

He arrived at the studio at exactly seven. The sun was bright and warm, casting tree shadows into the transparent office like a springtime jelly mold.

The computer greeted him with a silky “Hello” on the screen. Ran Buyue slouched back into his ergonomic chair and looked out the window to admire his favorite spring view.

And, of course, to see if that unlucky boss in the building across the street had shown up yet.

Suddenly, like a startled cat, Ran Buyue stiffened in his seat, hair standing on end.

Inside the office directly across from his, on the fifth floor of the other building, sat a sharply dressed man in a tailored suit—side profile sharp, striking.

It was him. The man who haunted his dreams night after night—his ex-boyfriend.

Ran Buyue went numb.

Like a ghost that just won’t leave.

Shu Zhenshan, who had been staring at his computer, seemed to sense something and looked up.

Across the air between them, their eyes met.

“…”

“… (^_^)v”

Shu Zhenshan gave a small nod and smiled at him.

“…………”

Without a word, Ran Buyue reached for the remote and pressed a button. The blackout blinds began to descend, slowly sealing off the entire floor-to-ceiling window.