After The Flower Of The High Mountain Meets The Rough Man Ⅱ Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Reward

“I can give you a reward.”…

“We have a family banquet this Saturday. Get ready; I will take you to make an appearance then,” Shen Jixun suddenly said halfway through the meal.

Ji Shen asked, slightly nervous, “Do I need to learn any etiquette?”

Shen Jixun: ?

Ji Shen quickly explained, “Because I watch on TV that big families like yours place a lot of importance on etiquette, don’t they?”

Seeing that his expression wasn’t a joke, Shen Jixun couldn’t help but let out a laugh. He called him a “fool,” then put down his chopsticks, picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth, and continued:

“No need. There aren’t that many rules. You just need to stay by my side when the time comes.”

“Okay.” Ji Shen then raised his hand, as if making a vow, and added, “I promise I won’t cause you any trouble, Ge.”

Shen Jixun nodded, a satisfied expression on his face.

“After I go to work tomorrow, you can go out and wander around the neighborhood. There’s a House Phone on the shoe cabinet. The housekeeper will call before mealtime, and you can tell her what you want to eat…” Shen Jixun spoke slowly, thinking as he went, making sure Ji Shen took everything in.

“Also, if any unfamiliar person comes here, call me immediately and tell me, understood?”

Ji Shen nodded and said he understood.

After dinner.

Shen Jixun went to the study to work.

Ji Shen sat on the sofa downstairs watching TV.

The two didn’t disturb each other.

When Shen Jixun finished his remaining work and came out, he noticed a faint, flickering light coming from the living room downstairs.

He raised a hand to gather his long hair and walked over to lean against the railing.

Then, he whistled loudly at the person quietly watching TV on the sofa.

Ji Shen’s ears twitched, and he immediately turned to look.

The man, as handsome as a celestial being, was leaning against the railing, smiling at him.

Shen Jixun’s demeanor and posture were languid. Half of his dark, long hair hung over his shoulder, and the other half rested on the railing as he leaned.

The black round Ear Stud on his earlobe flashed a light.

When their eyes met, Shen Jixun teased, “Not sleeping yet? Or are you used to the late-night work at the bar and can’t sleep at this hour?”

Ji Shen quickly turned off the TV and stumbled away from the sofa area. “I haven’t sat so quietly and watched TV in a long time.”

Ji Shen explained as he walked upstairs, his steps hurried, as if he would lose something if he slowed down.

Shen Jixun chuckled, a faint pink tinting the corners of his eyes. He walked up to Ji Shen, reached out to straighten the crumpled collar of his pajamas, and then said, “We can go to the movies sometime. I’ll book the entire theater, so it will be very quiet then.”

Then he asked, “Have you been to a movie theater?”

Ji Shen nodded. The cool fingers lightly brushed past his neck, causing his breathing to hitch.

Shen Jixun raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised, his hand still not withdrawn. He asked curiously, “Who did you go with?”

Ji Shen swallowed, saying, “A part-time job. I worked part-time at a movie theater in college.”

Shen Jixun laughed, a very soft sound with a curling lilt that was seductive, scratching across Ji Shen’s heart. “Alright, if you perform well on Saturday, we’ll go to the movies together on Sunday.”

He presented this as a reward.

Indeed, a light of anticipation flashed in Ji Shen’s eyes.

After straightening his collar, Shen Jixun lightly patted his shoulder. “Good night. Get some rest early.”

“Good night, Ge.”

Shen Jixun brushed past him, his fingers seemingly accidentally grazing the back of Ji Shen’s hand.

Hearing the sound of the door closing behind him, Ji Shen also rushed back to his room.

After forcefully closing the door, he slid down to sit on the floor, leaning against it.

How strange.

His mood was so strange.

No matter how beautiful Shen Jixun was, he was still a man!

Could he like men?

Well, let’s put aside the matter of sexual orientation for now. Today, Shen Jixun was the person who said he would kill him if he messed up!

The popular science explanation for this should be the Sherlock Holmes Syndrome, right?

Is that the name?

Ji Shen’s mind was a mess.

—

Ji Shen woke up very early. Years of work had instilled in him the habit of early rising.

At seven in the morning, the neighborhood was mostly occupied by people walking their dogs or jogging.

Ji Shen slowly walked home, carrying vegetables he had bought from the neighborhood supermarket.

On the way, he encountered some old residents here. Probably because Ji Shen was a new face, a man walking his dog nearby took the initiative to greet him.

“Are you new here? Why haven’t I seen you before?”

The people living here were basically wealthy or powerful. Ji Shen was actually a bit confused—do rich people also get so familiar so quickly?

But he still replied warmly, “Yes, that’s right. I moved in with my partner.”

“I saw you when you moved in yesterday. Is your partner the second son of Boss Shen?”

Ji Shen frowned, becoming wary of him. “You must be mistaken. My father-in-law only has one son, my partner.”

The man gave an awkward laugh. “Yes, I misremembered. Please don’t take offense.”

Ji Shen subconsciously distanced himself and quickened his pace. “It’s fine.”

Seeing Ji Shen’s wariness, the man wisely stopped talking.

Ji Shen quickly returned home.

Shen Jixun hadn’t woken up yet. The house was quiet. The morning breeze swept through, carrying the dampness of the morning dew, causing Ji Shen to sneeze.

Since he wasn’t sure how Shen Jixun usually handled breakfast, Ji Shen made a two-person portion while preparing his own.

By the time Ji Shen came out of the kitchen with the two portions of breakfast, Shen Jixun had finished washing up and came downstairs, fully dressed.

“Good morning, Ge.” Ji Shen proactively greeted him.

Shen Jixun hummed in acknowledgment, his gaze sweeping over the toast on Ji Shen’s plate.

Ji Shen placed the tray on the dining table and offered, “Ge, would you like to eat some?”

“You can ignore me if you’re used to having breakfast outside.”

Although Shen Jixun didn’t say anything, he changed direction from heading to the entrance to change his shoes and sat down at the dining table instead.

Ji Shen’s eyes lit up. He quickly took out a set of knife and fork and handed it to Shen Jixun. His non-existent puppy tail was practically wagging in a spiral.

The breakfast included heart-shaped fried eggs, hot milk, toast, and vegetable salad.

“You went out this morning?” Shen Jixun asked lightly, taking a sip of hot milk.

Ji Shen nodded. “Yes, I bought all of this at the supermarket.”

Shen Jixun gave a soft hum. Ji Shen suddenly remembered the man he met this morning and recounted the incident to Shen Jixun exactly as it happened.

Shen Jixun was silent for a moment after listening.

“You handled that well.” Then, he slowly spoke the words.

Ji Shen’s eyes shone at the compliment. He immediately leaned forward and asked excitedly, “He was acting suspicious, wasn’t he?”

“I don’t know.” Shen Jixun picked out the carrots and purple cabbage from the salad and tossed them onto an empty plate.

Ji Shen decided that the man must have been problematic. After all, who asks about their partner’s situation when striking up a conversation?

It must have been sent by Shen Jixun’s father, wanting to see if he understood Shen Jixun.

Fortunately, Shen Jixun had the foresight to show him a personal profile yesterday.

Shen Jixun didn’t eat much breakfast before leaving for work.

Ji Shen looked at the untouched fried egg and the partially eaten salad with picked-over ingredients on the table. He was silent for a while.

His employer had quite severe picky eating habits.

Ji Shen happily washed the dishes.

Since he couldn’t find anything else to do, he took a watering can and watered the plants in the yard one by one, and then used a rag to wipe down every corner of the house.

At noon, the House Phone on the shoe cabinet rang.

It was the housekeeper responsible for cooking.

Ji Shen declined her offer to cook and went to the kitchen to make his own lunch.

After lunch, he took a nap.

He woke up around three in the afternoon.

Lying in bed, Ji Shen finally realized what felt wrong.

It was too comfortable, too idle. This was completely a life of lying down and waiting to die.

If this continued, his muscles would slowly atrophy, his reactions would become sluggish, and perhaps by the time the Agreement Period ended, he would be a social waste!

Ji Shen was startled by his own conjecture.

He quickly sprang up from the bed, changed his clothes, and went out to the nearest bookstore, buying a large batch of graduate school entrance exam materials.

Then he went to the flower market and bought some fresh flowers.

…

“And then he played at a Dog Cafe for an hour before coming home.” On the way home, Assistant Li, who was driving, reported Ji Shen’s day’s itinerary to Shen Jixun one by one.

Shen Jixun turned a page of the Times, raised an eyebrow curiously, and asked, “Graduate school exam materials?”

“Yes.”

Perhaps imagining Ji Shen studying late into the night, Shen Jixun chuckled, his tone surprisingly indulgent. “Let him busy himself.”

“Sir, why did it have to be him?” Assistant Li felt that Ji Shen didn’t seem smart; on the contrary, he was overly honest and clumsy, and might accidentally ruin Shen Jixun’s plan.

Shen Jixun thought about his question for a moment, then slowly parted his lips and said, “I don’t know. Maybe he looks cute.”

Assistant Li’s forehead broke out in black lines.

His boss was calling that tall, strong man who looked like he could punch a hole through a wall “cute”?

However, the boss’s thoughts were not for them, the hired help, to fathom, so Assistant Li wisely kept his mouth shut.

The car quickly drove back to the villa.

Hearing the sound, Ji Shen immediately ran out to open the door for Shen Jixun. He was as enthusiastic as a puppy waiting for its owner all day, circling Shen Jixun and excitedly saying, “Ge, you’re back!”

“Ge, you must be tired from work, right?” He took the coat Shen Jixun took off and then bent down to set out Shen Jixun’s slippers.

Shen Jixun snorted a laugh, looking down at his head and asking, “What’s wrong? Did something happy happen?”

Ji Shen looked up at him, smiling to reveal a pair of canine teeth. “I’m happy to see you, Ge.”

Shen Jixun casually ruffled his head, then walked to the kitchen to wash his hands.

He saw water stains still hanging on the kitchen utensils, realized the reason for Ji Shen’s excitement, and chuckled inwardly without saying anything.

“Ge, come quickly and eat dinner!” Ji Shen’s voice came from the living room.

Shen Jixun deliberately slowed his steps, leisurely walking to the dining table and sitting down.

Ji Shen handed Shen Jixun the chopsticks and said, “Ge, hurry and try it!”

Shen Jixun took the long chopsticks, then pulled a pen from the cabinet behind him and casually tied up his long hair. He asked, “So excited—did you poison the food?”

Ji Shen immediately cried out, “Ge, how can you say that?!”

“You are my esteemed employer!”

Shen Jixun stopped teasing him, used his chopsticks to pick up a piece of winter melon, and took a bite. Ji Shen quickly asked, “How is it? How is it?”

Shen Jixun’s expression was calm. “Average.”

He observed Ji Shen out of the corner of his eye. The tuft of hair sticking up on his head indeed drooped down. If he really had a tail and ears, they would probably be drooping too.

“Really?” Ji Shen looked distressed, still hoping Shen Jixun would change his mind.

Shen Jixun, however, asked, “Why did you make dinner?”

Ji Shen looked utterly shocked, staring at him in disbelief. “How did you know, Ge?!”

This time it was Shen Jixun’s turn to be shocked. Did Ji Shen really think he had hidden it well?!!

He was practically wearing the words “I made dinner, hurry up and praise me” on his face.

Shen Jixun pretended to be profound. “I guessed.”

Ji Shen thumped his chest in anguish, saying it was a miscalculation.

Shen Jixun smiled before continuing to ask, “So why did you make it?”

“You sent me a message about what you wanted for dinner, right? But when I told the housekeeper, she kept asking me about your dietary restrictions. I was worried she wouldn’t remember, so I said I’d make it for you myself.”

Shen Jixun’s expression darkened slightly after hearing this. He asked, “You said she asked you about my dietary restrictions?”

Ji Shen nodded. “Yes. But based on the details of your meals yesterday and this morning, I’ve already guessed your general restrictions!”

“You don’t like carrots, you don’t eat some raw vegetables, you don’t eat the skin of any fruits or vegetables, and you don’t like egg yolks. Yesterday’s dish… oh, you probably don’t like garlic either, but you can tolerate the smell of garlic, right?”

Shen Jixun didn’t respond after hearing this.

He realized that no one around him could be trusted, except for the people he brought from Jiangsu.

“Ge, what’s wrong?” Seeing Shen Jixun remain silent for a long time, Ji Shen thought he had guessed wrong.

Shen Jixun snapped out of it and smiled at him. “You did well, so you can ask me for a reward.”