Unforgettable Touch - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: A God Descends from the Heavens

Three days before his scheduled house tour, Ran Buyue received a call from Li Yao’s secretary, inviting him to visit the company over the weekend. The secretary also apologized for not arranging it on a weekday—President Li Yao was simply too swamped.

Checking his calendar, Ran Buyue realized the visit clashed with his trip to view a property at the tech park. He didn’t hesitate long before agreeing to Li Yao’s invitation.

After all, properties could be viewed anytime, but a chance to meet a top executive didn’t come around often.

He called the manager at Yanchuan Commercial Management and explained he had a scheduling conflict, asking if it was possible to reschedule.

The young manager quickly responded, “Of course, of course,” and asked Ran Buyue which day he’d like to move it to, adding that any time was fine.

Ran flipped through his calendar and mentioned a time next week. The other party agreed right away and said, “We’ll see you then, Mr. Ran Buyue.”

After hanging up, Ran Buyue had the vague feeling that the young man sounded more eager than before, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on what had changed.

On the other end of the call, the young man hung up looking worried and asked his supervisor, “What do we do? If VIC bails on us, isn’t our whole team going to get fired?”

The supervisor was just as anxious. A few days ago, he had received an internal conference call—unusually, it was from the top executive of the Yanchuan Commercial Division himself. The call started abruptly, asking whether there had recently been a client named Ran, with the number XXX, inquiring about renting office space.

A quick check confirmed it.

The big boss gently gave a directive: this man is an extremely, extremely important client. As for why he’s so important, you don’t need to know. All you need to do is get him on board. If you succeed, there will be a generous reward. I’ll send over a file later—take him to view these properties; the key selling points are all highlighted inside.

He even asked specifically what time Mr. Ran Buyue had scheduled the viewing, and instructed them to report any scheduling changes to him directly, skipping the secretary.

The whole team received this directive nervously, completely unsure who this Mr. Ran Buyue really was, for their division head to descend from on high to deliver instructions personally.

Judging from his tone, this order came from even higher up. But above him… was only the big, big, big boss of the entire group.

Could Mr. Ran Buyue have some connection to President Shu Zhenshan? Nobody dared to speculate. What mattered was, securing this client meant a hefty bonus. Mr. Ran Buyue was now their personal god of fortune.

The whole team retreated to the break room to gossip, joking that they were probably just a bunch of expendable side characters caught up in some over-the-top CEO romance novel.

And so, when their “God of Fortune” called to reschedule, no one dared to slack off. The moment the call ended, they immediately reported to their department head: Mr. Ran Buyue had a weekend conflict and rescheduled for the week after next.

Fifteen minutes later, Shu Zhenshan was informed of Ran Buyue’s change in plans. He casually replied, “Alright.”

—

On Saturday, Ran Buyue arrived at the headquarters of Obsidian Motors. The secretary, who had been waiting downstairs, swiped him straight up to the president’s office via a high-level access elevator.

Li Yao was dressed more casually than before—his suit jacket was open—and greeted Ran warmly, urging him to relax and treat this as a friendly chat between acquaintances.

Their last dinner conversation had been limited, but now on home turf, Li Yao clearly felt more comfortable. He spoke with clarity about the company’s history and vision for the future. His technical knowledge was solid, his ideas well-formed, and he even had a sense of humor. The two got along quite well.

All in all, Ran Buyue thought Li Yao was a decent guy, and the project was at least interesting.

The biggest sticking point was that Li Yao wanted to invite him to join the company as Design Director—a move that directly conflicted with Ran’s plan to open his own studio.

Li Yao’s offer was incredibly generous, but Ran Buyue needed time to think it over. Li Yao was understanding, telling him not to feel pressured.

They had an enjoyable lunch together, and just as Ran was about to excuse himself, Li Yao smiled and asked, “Mr. Ran Buyue, are you free this afternoon? Would you like to take a trip to the beach?”

Ran Buyue smiled politely. “Thank you for the invitation, President Li Yao. This afternoon, I’m planning to—”

“I recently had Mr. Flavio design a yacht for me. It’s docked at Moss Bay—not far from here. You might be interested in seeing it?” Li Yao said, calm and composed.

Ran Buyue’s eyes widened slightly.

That man was a renowned Italian industrial designer who had been semi-retired for quite some time. He hadn’t expected Li Yao to have hired him for a private commission.

“Of course, if you’ve got plans, no worries. You can come see it next time,” Li Yao added, ever the gentleman.

Ran Buyue was candid. “Compared to Mr. Flavio’s work, nothing else really feels that important.”

Li Yao laughed heartily. “I knew you’d be interested.”

They drove to Moss Bay. The sun was brilliant, the waves shimmering. Li Yao slipped on his sunglasses and sighed, “It’s rare to get such nice weather today.”

Ran Buyue nodded. “The sunlight is great.”

It was early spring, and the damp southern winds made most days gloomy and chilly, so this clear day was a rare treat.

Under the sunlight, Ran saw the yacht designed by the master himself. It was breathtaking—so much so that he couldn’t tear his eyes away.

With Li Yao’s permission, Ran explored the yacht thoroughly, peeking here and there with genuine fascination.

By the time he came back to himself, the yacht had already set sail, speeding across the open sea. The sea breeze was cool and refreshing.

Li Yao asked, “So, was this trip worth it?”

Ran Buyue, still immersed in admiration for the craftsmanship, ran his hand along the hull. “Absolutely worth it.”

Li Yao smiled. “Good. As long as you like it.”

…?

Ran Buyue suddenly realized something and looked toward Li Yao.

There were only the two of them in the cabin. Li Yao stood by a bar stocked with liquor, eyes curved with a smile as he looked back at him. “Want something to drink? I’ll mix it for you.”

Only then did Ran Buyue notice that Li Yao had changed into a breezy island shirt at some point, with only two buttons done up—casually revealing defined chest muscles.

To be honest… he was kind of built.

Ran Buyue’s head started to throb slightly.

He really hoped this was all just a misunderstanding—that Li Yao was merely a narcissistic straight guy.

“Cocktail or mocktail?” Li Yao asked languidly.

“Oh, no need to trouble you, President Li Yao. Water is fine,” Ran Buyue replied, waving a hand as he picked up a glass and stepped out of the cabin. “I’ll go get some fresh air.”

Li Yao followed him and stood shoulder to shoulder at the railing, both watching the sea.

The yacht gradually slowed, drifting leisurely on the water.

“Ah Ran Buyue, can I ask you something?”

That nickname made Ran Buyue’s brow twitch. “Haha, sure.”

“Why did you decide to return to China and start your own studio?”

Ran Buyue pointed off into the distance. “Wow! Looks like some people are windsurfing over there. Pretty cool.”

Li Yao maintained his smile.

Ran Buyue turned back and smiled. “Sorry, the wind was too loud—I didn’t catch that. Could you repeat it?”

“…Never mind.”

The sea breeze lifted Ran Buyue’s long hair. Li Yao stared at him for a few seconds and then asked politely, “Are you cold? Do you want a coat?”

Somehow, he was now holding a large overcoat, ready to drape it over Ran’s shoulders.

Suddenly, a loud splash broke the silence. A man on a windsurf board came flying toward them. He crouched slightly, gripping the sail with one hand, his other arm stretched out like the wing of a bird as he skimmed the surface of the water—graceful and poised.

A towering wave surged toward him. He leaned back, adjusting the massive sail with practiced ease. Water sprayed everywhere as he launched into the air—soaring over two meters high like a sea-born deity or an archangel descending from the sky.

Li Yao froze mid-motion, not quite believing his eyes. “Is that… President Shu Zhenshan?”

Ran Buyue went rigid. “……???”

Not far behind Shu Zhenshan, several other windsurfers were trying to catch up. One of them yelled, “A Shu Zhenshan slow down! What’s the rush, reincarnating early?”

It was the loudmouth, Comrade Hao Le.

Shu Zhenshan ignored the shout, charging up another wave and pulling off a stunning 360-degree aerial spin.

“Wow!!!”

Nearby, a luxury yacht hosted a group of bikini-clad beauties, all incredibly attractive. A row of long, fair legs lined the deck. They erupted into applause, whistles, and cheers, shouting Shu Zhenshan’s name and “President Shu Zhenshan, you’re so handsome!”

Li Yao’s gaze remained fixed on Shu Zhenshan. He asked Ran Buyue, “President Shu Zhenshan really is quite dashing, don’t you think?”

Ran pulled his eyes away from the supermodels and replied flatly, “He’s alright.”

In the blink of an eye, Shu Zhenshan had made a wide turn and was heading back toward them, riding the waves like a victorious general returning from battle.

Clearly, he was showing off his physique and flair to impress the women.

Ran Buyue felt utterly unmoved. He lifted his eyes and glanced at Shu Zhenshan only to find the man looking directly back at him.

Across the sapphire waves, their eyes locked—like two colliding waves, shattering into foam.

Ran Buyue turned his head slightly and softly said to Li Yao, “I think I’m getting a little cold.”

Li Yao raised an eyebrow, then graciously draped the oversized coat over his shoulders, murmuring, “If you’re cold, let’s go back inside.”

Ran Buyue curved his lips in a smile and turned toward Li Yao to say “thank you,” but his gaze remained fixed—bold and defiant—on Shu Zhenshan.