Rat, Rabbit, And Rabbit Transformed Into Humans And Married Their Natural Enemies. Chapter 45

Chapter Forty-Five

Bai Zhi stared intently at Lu Qinghe. After the other party lowered his head to type, he sat back down, clutching his phone, fixing his gaze on the chat interface. His body was tense, and his heart hammered wildly.

Fortunately, Lu Qinghe’s explanatory message arrived quickly.

When he read it, good heavens, his breath nearly stopped!

“Of course, it’s the kind of affection between husbands.”

He stared at the line of text again and again, slowly taking several deep breaths, trying his best to calm his turbulent emotions lest he choke and faint. What kind of joke was this! It wasn’t funny at all!!

A rabbit’s nerves are very fragile; they can’t handle this kind of scare!

He didn’t even bother eating his snacks, typing furiously to immediately and urgently refute: “No! I said before, it’s just that our relationship is okay, nothing more. Don’t jump to conclusions!”

How could his feelings for Xie Yuzhan be the affection between lovers?

At most, he thought the other person was decent. It had absolutely nothing to do with love—not even a single rabbit hair’s worth!

“Oh~ You don’t like CEO Xie? Then let me rephrase: He likes you, and he doesn’t just see you as a marriage alliance partner to decorate his facade.”

Bai Zhi frowned deeply, shaking his head, trying to甩 out this equally outrageous statement from his mind. What nonsense!

He continued to argue: “Impossible. At most, he’s just decent to me.”

The appearance of good relations between him and Xie Yuzhan was an act. His friend must have been misled somehow to have such a misconception.

It was impossible for them to like each other. Xie Yuzhan was his natural predator; he was merely a little rabbit surviving under the predator’s nose. As for the other party, he only saw Bai Zhi as a somewhat interesting collaborator.

Of course, he didn’t deny that Xie Yuzhan was sometimes genuinely good to him, but that might just be the Wolf Sir amusing himself when bored, or perhaps a calculated move with ulterior motives.

In short, it couldn’t possibly be true affection.

They weren’t even the same species!

They weren’t on the same path!

Lu Qinghe watched the stream of messages Bai Zhi sent, rubbing his chin. This was a classic case of being in the thick of it and not realizing. Doesn’t care? No feelings? Then why did he mind when others spoke ill of Xie Yuzhan?

Bai Zhi wasn’t the type to meddle.

He was genuinely angry.

He had stated his piece, and the other party wouldn’t admit it… well, the time just wasn’t right yet. As for CEO Xie, Lu Qinghe didn’t think the way the man looked at Bai Zhi was purely platonic. Anyone could see there were real feelings involved.

Oh well, good things take time. They would wait and see.

He soothed the rabbit, saying that matters of affection should be based on Bai Zhi’s own feelings, and then quickly changed the subject to discuss the annual meeting performances.

Bai Zhi was somewhat distracted during the rest of the conversation. When Xie Yuzhan lightly patted his hand and asked what was wrong, he looked at the other man, blinked, and then quickly averted his gaze.

He immediately turned off his phone and whispered, “N-nothing.”

Even though the auditorium lights were dim, Xie Yuzhan still noticed Bai Zhi’s flushed cheeks and his shifty, avoiding eyes.

That was quite telling.

He glanced at Lu Qinghe not far away, deep in thought. The young master of the Lu family wasn’t slow-witted; he might have noticed something. Never mind, it didn’t matter. Occasionally nudging the little rabbit might even be a good thing.

After the annual meeting ended, on the way back, Bai Zhi tried to lean closer to the car door, kneading his Pikachu plushie. For some reason… he had reverted to the nervous state he was in when he first found himself alone with Xie Yuzhan.

But it wasn’t exactly the same kind of nervousness.

He truly didn’t understand what was happening to him. Was he startled? Frightened?

Xie Yuzhan noticed Bai Zhi’s unusual behavior. He was practically glued to the car door.

After a brief thought, he asked, “Which annual meeting performance did you like the most?”

Startled by Xie Yuzhan’s sudden question, Bai Zhi froze, instinctively glancing at the other man. CEO Xie was still calm and composed, the curve of his profile flawless. Bai Zhi pursed his lips and quickly looked away.

He felt hot.

He followed Xie Yuzhan’s lead, trying to distract himself. The annual meeting had a rich variety of performances: songs, dances, skits, crosstalk, magic, and plays. But to say which he liked the most…

He sat up slightly. “Can it be a segment other than a performance?”

Xie Yuzhan didn’t think much of it. The evening included some game segments, which were certainly included. He replied, “Content is not limited.”

Bai Zhi took a breath. Although embarrassed, he honestly said, “I think… the segment where you gave the company address was the best. Your voice and tone when you speak are very pleasant, and tonight you seemed a little different than usual.”

Xie Yuzhan paused slightly, a silent smile curving his lips. This straight shot, this direct hit, truly struck him right in the heart.

He glanced at Bai Zhi, who wouldn’t meet his eyes, and, in a very good mood, pressed further, “How was I different?”

Bai Zhi thought carefully. His feeling of difference was mostly intuitive, but if he had to articulate it…

Slowly, he spoke whatever came to mind: “You were more distant, but you had the charisma of a superior. Just like Assistant Yu told me before, following you feels very reliable and secure.”

In short, he possessed extreme leadership qualities.

Elegant, composed, wise, rational, and effortlessly capable—trustworthy, yet cold and unapproachable. Someone to be admired from afar, followed, and looked up to.

Very distant.

But usually, CEO Xie also had a very gentle side, even teasing him, saying playful jokes, and even acting a little spoiled with him. He was a real, tangible person, not just an identity-driven figure like the leader of a corporate group.

Hearing this, Xie Yuzhan’s mood was subtle.

The first time they met, when Bai Zhi saw through his superficial facade, his reaction wasn’t pleasant. But now, he felt a continuous sense of satisfaction and pleasure. Being seen through wasn’t so bad after all; it was even a kind of luck.

In this world, there was finally someone who could see the sufficiently real him.

After a long silence, he didn’t look over but reached out and ruffled Bai Zhi’s hair. His tone was slightly deep as he said, “Thank you.”

Bai Zhi leaned into Xie Yuzhan’s palm and chuckled softly. No matter what… this feeling was pretty great. As for everything else, he would just take it as it came.

What was meant to happen couldn’t be avoided. He would deal with it when it arrived.

After the annual meeting, he could tell that Xie Yuzhan was incredibly busy. They could still eat breakfast together, but they rarely managed dinner even once a week. If the other man returned by ten, that was considered good.

However, CEO Xie kept his promise; no matter how late, he would return and give Bai Zhi a goodnight hug.

Bai Zhi had mentioned that if Xie Yuzhan was too busy, it was fine if he didn’t have time—Bai Zhi understood, work was serious business. But Xie Yuzhan flatly refused, saying he wanted to come home.

Bai Zhi didn’t insist further. Perhaps CEO Xie was picky and simply felt more comfortable resting at home.

Bai Zhi didn’t rush the exhibition visit; going during the New Year holiday or afterward was fine. But Xie Yuzhan pushed his work forward, clearing a weekday afternoon. He said there would be fewer people than on the weekend, fulfilling the date promise he had made to Grandma.

Bai Zhi appreciated this; frankly, the other man was accompanying him.

Therefore, he had to prepare a good New Year gift!

Around noon that day, he left the house. Zheng Feng drove him to the Xie Group, where he met Xie Yuzhan. They had lunch at a restaurant outside and then went straight to the botanical garden. The exhibition was set up in several indoor venues within the park.

The variety of herbaceous plants was immense, and the quality was excellent. There were even some rare cultivated varieties. It truly was an international-level exhibition, and calling it a feast for the eyes was no exaggeration.

Grandma’s gift truly touched his heart.

He watched, photographed, and took notes. Some of the plants could be added to his shop later. Those that couldn’t be sold could still be introduced to everyone during his live streams.

The reason he could be so focused and immersed was thanks to Xie Yuzhan, who helped him with everything from holding his coat and handing him his water cup to feeding him chocolate and even communicating with staff to acquire rare plants that were only meant for exhibition, not sale…

The exhibition halls were not connected. It took ten minutes to walk to the final hall. By this time, snowflakes had begun to drift down.

It was the first snow of the year.

He tugged at the scarf Xie Yuzhan had just tied for him and laughed, “I definitely needed to come with you. Thank you, Brother Yuzhan~ You’ve helped me so much.”

Xie Yuzhan adjusted the collar of Bai Zhi’s coat. “Don’t mention it. It’s enough that you found the trip worthwhile, that you’re happy and enjoyed yourself. It honors the elder’s kind intentions.”

Bai Zhi nodded. He took out his phone, snapped a picture of the numerous spoils of war Xie Yuzhan was carrying, and sent the photo to Luo Shuyue. Cute plants must be shared!

After chatting briefly with her, he even pulled Xie Yuzhan into a selfie to send to the elder, completing his homework. They had a good time walking around and getting along well.

The last hall contained flowers, birds, fish, and insects, which were related to plants. He took photos, searched for information, and listened to the explanations, treating it as expanding his general knowledge.

Xie Yuzhan looked at the serious and focused Bai Zhi, his eyes filled with gentle light. Although he personally wasn’t interested in plants, accompanying Bai Zhi to such an exhibition was a very pleasant experience.

He wasn’t there to look at plants.

Rival plants weren’t worth looking at.

As they approached the exit, he stopped at a booth he had noticed earlier and asked, “Do you want to buy two little rabbits to raise?”

Bai Zhi was looking down at the information he had searched for on his phone and hadn’t noticed his surroundings. He looked up when Xie Yuzhan asked. Wow!

This booth was full of rabbits!

Dwarf rabbits, lop-eared rabbits, Angora rabbits, long-haired rabbits… all kinds of colors. They were all pet rabbits, so he didn’t see any of his own kind. Selling wild rabbits? That would be too illegal.

He rubbed a black and white lop-eared rabbit. Hmm~ The texture was nice, but honestly, he didn’t much like these rabbits. Cute as they were, they were too docile and compliant, without any spirit.

They probably didn’t even know how to kick their legs.

He withdrew his hand, just about to tell Xie Yuzhan to leave, but then!

The other man was petting a milky-coffee-colored dwarf rabbit, his expression gentle. He seemed to genuinely like these rabbits… How could this be! This little rabbit of his was exclusively for Xie Yuzhan to pet. How could the other man pet other rabbits?!

And right in front of him!

No!

Absolutely, positively, NOT!