His Venomous Former Boss Chased Him And Beat Him Fiercely Chapter 85

Candlelight Dinner

Kong Xunwen walked beside Qiu Zhijie, the gazes from behind already left far away. He walked quickly, reaching a spot ahead of Qiu Zhijie in just a few steps.

Qiu Zhijie, walking behind, guided him with a voice laced with laughter.

Only when they were alone did Kong Xunwen slow his pace. While waiting for Qiu Zhijie, he took in the surrounding environment.

Up the stairs, each floor featured curved floor-to-ceiling windows, offering views of the beautiful garden outside and the scattered servants moving through it. The weather was pleasant today, and although it was getting late, the vast, pale sunset was growing more vibrant as time passed.

The small fountain in the garden sparkled as water splashed. Various types of roses bloomed, meticulously cared for and complementing the other plants in the garden.

“Did you live here when you were little?” Kong Xunwen asked casually, tapping his fingertip on the lingering sunset glow on the windowpane.

Qiu Zhijie walked over, stood beside him, reached out, and followed Kong Xunwen’s raised wrist down to his palm. He held it, pulling him along. “Yes.”

As they walked, he pointed out the traces he had left in the house.

Kong Xunwen followed his pointing finger to look downstairs. A large white porcelain vase now featured a branch of plum blossoms, with thick black ink branches and heavy red blooms.

“It was originally all white. I bumped into it when I was learning to walk as a child. The place where the plum blossoms are painted now was originally a crack.”

Under Qiu Zhijie’s introduction, Kong Xunwen learned that the middle-aged man they had just met had come here to be the steward when Qiu Zhijie was ten years old. He was only in his twenties back then.

Listening to Qiu Zhijie describe the various objects downstairs, Kong Xunwen listened intently, as if he could see the small child growing up through his narration—from being held and fed at the dining table, to doing mischievous things he couldn’t be blamed for, and eventually becoming an awkward young teenager.

Then, gradually transforming into the person standing before him now.

They arrived at the third floor.

Qiu Zhijie announced, “Feel free to look around here.”

Kong Xunwen was already looking, but upon hearing the words, he turned and met Qiu Zhijie’s dark eyes.

The man smiled, pulling him into the third-floor area, and said, “This is my territory. Everything here belongs to me.”

Sensing his small, childish thought, Kong Xunwen glanced at him and then truly began to look around freely.

The third floor held more of Qiu Zhijie’s personal marks, or rather, as he said, this was his territory, so everything here belonged to him.

From this, Kong Xunwen got a glimpse of a Qiu Zhijie who was both somewhat unfamiliar and yet seemed familiar.

The study contained many books, magazines, mannequins, and fabrics, but the adjacent room, belonging to the fashion designer Qiu Zhijie, held much more. Kong Xunwen even spotted a sewing machine.

He curiously lifted the dust cover. “You know how to use this?”

Qiu Zhijie raised a hand to rub the back of his ear and nodded. “I used to play around with it when I was interested.”

They fiddled with the sewing machine together. Although it hadn’t been used for a long time, it had been well-maintained and was still in excellent working order.

However, Kong Xunwen’s attention quickly shifted elsewhere—to an entire display wall nearby. It was cluttered with drawing paper, certificates, and some rough fabric crafts.

His eyes landed on an ugly-cute little doll with slender hands, the palms being just a knot at the end.

Qiu Zhijie followed him, his ear tips slightly red, and he murmured, “These were all sewn a long time ago.”

Kong Xunwen nodded, looking at them one by one. “They’re very cute.”

Qiu Zhijie lowered his head and smiled.

This room kept Kong Xunwen for a long time; they only left when the sky outside had darkened considerably. This time, they went to Qiu Zhijie’s bedroom.

It was spacious, with a somewhat unusual layout. The first thing visible upon opening the door was the walk-in closet; the room itself—the bed and the desk—was around the corner, featuring only simple, neat furnishings.

Kong Xunwen walked to the bedside table and picked up the photo frame on it. The Qiu Zhijie in the picture still had a hint of youthfulness and was even more sharp-edged than he was now, though equally aloof.

“So cold and distant,” he commented.

Qiu Zhijie also came over for a look. He hadn’t been back here in a long time, and it took him a moment to recall the period this photo belonged to.

“That was when I had just decided what I wanted to do in the future, so I transferred schools immediately. Due to various reasons combined, I didn’t have many companions; it was mostly just me.”

“But I think that state was good,” Qiu Zhijie said, frowning slightly. “Too many people is annoying.”

Kong Xunwen thought for a moment. People in love often liked to make such hypothetical statements. He said, “If we had met back then…”

“I didn’t like interacting with people back then either.” He thought as he spoke, finally shaking his head. “We probably wouldn’t have even met.”

Qiu Zhijie, however, became interested in this hypothesis. He took the photo frame and placed it back on the bedside table, pulling Kong Xunwen to sit in the large chair in front of the desk. The two of them were a bit cramped, but he liked the feeling.

He also began to muse, then shook his head, refuting Kong Xunwen’s idea. “I definitely still would have noticed you.”

“If we had known each other then, we would have been together since that time.”

Kong Xunwen pouted. “No way. I wouldn’t want to go to school with you. I would definitely be jealous of you.”

Qiu Zhijie couldn’t help but laugh. “I’ll take that as a compliment then.”

Kong Xunwen gave a soft huff, pinching the muscle on Qiu Zhijie’s arm and twisting it hard.

Although he wasn’t so bothered by the matter anymore, the fact that this man was laughing at him now meant he needed a lesson.

Qiu Zhijie’s arm twitched, and he quickly changed the subject. “Do you want to keep looking?”

Kong Xunwen shook his head, but then stood up, frowning. “I want to take a shower first.”

Qiu Zhijie: “Then use the bathroom in this room. I’ll bring you some clothes later.”

Kong Xunwen nodded casually and entered the bathroom.

Warm water streamed over him. He tilted his head back, closing his eyes, feeling incredibly comfortable and clear-headed. The toiletries in the bathroom seemed to have been replaced; they were new. He squeezed out some shampoo.

A fresh citrus scent immediately filled the entire bathroom. The body wash that followed was also the same scent.

Qiu Zhijie had already brought the clothes. He looked around and finally chose to sit on the chair. Just then, a sound came from the bathroom. The young man emerged, wearing a bathrobe, his hair wet, his eyes clear, accompanied by the citrus scent.

Qiu Zhijie’s gaze couldn’t help but follow him.

Kong Xunwen was likely used to being watched and didn’t react. He quickly walked over to the stack of clothes, picked them up, and looked at them, confused. “Are these my clothes?”

A familiar warmth suddenly pressed against his back. Qiu Zhijie didn’t answer his question. Instead, he picked up the discarded towel and grasped Kong Xunwen’s wet wrist. “Your hair isn’t dry yet.”

He then pressed Kong Xunwen to sit down. “I’ll help you dry it.”

Kong Xunwen sat down on the bed, his back to Qiu Zhijie. Qiu Zhijie had done this often, so he was quite used to it, entrusting his wet hair to the man behind him.

Qiu Zhijie bent slightly, drying his hair while saying, “I prepared these for you.”

Kong Xunwen raised an eyebrow, about to lift his head, but was pressed back down.

Qiu Zhijie knew what he wanted to ask, but stopped him. “Dry your hair first.”

The pressure on his head was just right, a familiar strength. Kong Xunwen felt drowsiness almost reflexively, and his eyes began to blink slowly.

His head grew heavy. A slightly heavier pressure from behind made him tilt his head back, and he instantly opened his eyes, meeting Qiu Zhijie’s gaze.

He seemed to wake up a little.

Qiu Zhijie moved to the front, kneeling on the bed to get closer. The towel covered the young man’s head, leaving only his face and some stray hairs around his cheeks visible. He looked obedient, swaying slightly as Qiu Zhijie rubbed him.

But at this moment, Qiu Zhijie’s movements seemed somewhat distracted compared to before. His eyes were fixed intently on Kong Xunwen.

This intense gaze made Kong Xunwen’s light-colored pupils shift slightly.

It was at this moment that the distance between them sharply closed, and the sound of close, intimate kisses replaced the sound of the towel rubbing hair.

“Knock, knock.” A sudden knock sounded on the door.

Kong Xunwen, who had been tilting his chin up and parting his lips, quickly turned his head, breathing lightly.

Qiu Zhijie rested his forehead against Kong Xunwen’s, whispering as the second knock sounded, “It’s time to eat.”

Kong Xunwen lowered his eyes and pressed his lips together.

Before the third knock, Qiu Zhijie opened the door and responded softly.

Kong Xunwen, meanwhile, took the towel off his head and went to blow-dry his hair, then changed into the clothes Qiu Zhijie had prepared for him.

It was a set of casual wear, but highly designed, all white.

When he finished changing and stepped out, Qiu Zhijie looked up and stood up. “Let’s go, time for dinner.” He had already seen the young man in the new clothes and paused slightly, his gaze lingering for a long time.

The dining room had a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows. There were lights outside, so it wasn’t pitch black, but the people they had seen earlier were nowhere to be found. Now, only Kong Xunwen and Qiu Zhijie, who had just come downstairs, remained.

Kong Xunwen lowered his hand, revealing his unusually flushed lips. He glanced at Qiu Zhijie, then drew his gaze back, sitting down in the chair Qiu Zhijie pulled out for him.

Something felt strange. He looked at the exquisitely arranged dining table before him. A bouquet of red roses sat in a vase in the center, the water droplets on them beautiful. There was also an exceptionally lavish spread of food—all his favorites.

The crystal chandelier overhead was bright, refracting light into various beautiful shapes. However, on the table beneath it, right in front of Kong Xunwen, sat an elegant and beautiful candelabra.

The candles were a lovely pink, subtly shimmering with glitter. The wicks at the top had been lit, and the dripping wax tears formed unique shapes.

He looked at the man across from him. He wasn’t dressed formally, but he was impeccably neat and refined, clearly having taken care to tidy up. These were the clothes he had changed into before getting in the car, but since Qiu Zhijie always cared about his image, Kong Xunwen hadn’t paid much attention.

Now, he realized how perfectly the other man matched the current setting.

Kong Xunwen lowered his eyes slightly and saw his own cuffs—from the clothes he had just changed into. Before coming downstairs, his hair had also been styled by Qiu Zhijie again, so he didn’t feel out of place with everything before him.

It felt like something was about to happen.

His heart, which had been beating steadily, began to accelerate little by little, and his heartbeat became noticeably louder without him realizing it.

He noticed the fragrance of the roses, the sound of the candles burning, the wind outside the window, the plants rustling as they were blown and struck each other… The excessive sensory input made it difficult for Kong Xunwen to think.

This moment seemed long, long enough for him to notice so many details, yet it also seemed short, because Qiu Zhijie across from him had only just sat down.

Qiu Zhijie looked at the somewhat stiff and silent young man with confusion and spoke up, “What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”

A problem?

Kong Xunwen’s gaze swept over the details again, and he blinked.