Unmatched Chapter 32
byIt takes at least three hours to fly directly from Fengjing City to Shencheng.
It was already past nine o’clock. If Xie Qi wanted to rush over immediately, he would have to take a red-eye flight, which would be quite grueling.
Zhao Shuyi sent the hotel address and room number to Xie Qi, receiving the reply, “I’ll think about it.” Then the video call ended, and for a long time afterward, he received no new messages.
Around ten o’clock, the phone remained quiet, so Zhao Shuyi took a shower.
He had important work the next day and couldn’t stay up too late. Regardless of whether Xie Qi came or not, he took his medication, turned off the lights, and lay down, drifting off to sleep without realizing it.
Around four in the morning, Zhao Shuyi was startled awake by a heavy weight pressing down on him.
He was staying in a luxury suite at a five-star hotel. Entering the master bedroom required passing through a living room and opening two doors, yet Zhao Shuyi hadn’t heard the sound of any doors opening. He didn’t know how the person had obtained the room key. Half-asleep, he thought he was having a nightmare and instinctively struggled.
The more he struggled, the heavier the force pressing down on him became. His pajamas were unfastened, and someone buried their head in his neck, taking a deep sniff.
In his daze, Zhao Shuyi smelled the cold wind of Fengjing City. “Xie Qi?”
“Of course. Who else would come throwing themselves at you in the middle of the night?”
“…”
Xie Qi hadn’t taken off his clothes yet. Because he had left in such a hurry, he was wearing an autumn/winter trench coat that was out of season for the local climate. The thick, rough fabric rubbed against Zhao Shuyi’s skin, which was uncomfortable but carried a subtle, stimulating sensation.
Zhao Shuyi was fully awake. He smiled faintly, enjoying the advantage while still being coy. “You actually came? It’s so far, it wasn’t necessary.”
Xie Qi huffed angrily. “Should I leave then?”
“No, you’re already here.” Zhao Shuyi hooked his arms around Xie Qi’s neck and kissed him first. “Sleep together.”
He had heard that a short separation makes the heart grow fonder, but they had only been “separated” for less than a day, yet there was still an atmosphere like a honeymoon.
Xie Qi’s clothes were scattered on the floor. He cupped the back of Zhao Shuyi’s head and pressed him against the headboard for a passionate kiss.
The four or five hours of flying and traveling seemed to have been an ordeal for him, otherwise, he wouldn’t be so impatient, acting as if he had reached his limit and needed to bite and swallow Zhao Shuyi whole to find relief.
With Xie Qi offering himself up like this, Zhao Shuyi was pleased and willing to indulge him, opening his arms and letting Xie Qi mess with him wildly.
The soft mattress sank deeply, trembling with every movement.
Xie Qi used rough force, holding the person tightly in his arms while they made love. Zhao Shuyi was forced to cling to his shoulder, inhaling his scent, feeling both clear-headed and drowsy.
Xie Qi suddenly asked, “Zhao Shuyi, you said you wanted to see me earlier…”
“Hmm?”
“Why did you want to see me?”
“Why what?” Zhao Shuyi didn’t answer. “Just said it casually.”
A sharp pain shot through his earlobe; Xie Qi bit him in dissatisfaction. “You lured me here in the middle of the night, and now you say ‘just said it casually’?”
“What else?” Zhao Shuyi chuckled softly. “What did you think it was because of?”
“…”
They both knew what it should be because of. Whether genuine or feigned, saying “I miss you” wouldn’t be difficult at all, but Zhao Shuyi deliberately refused to say it, acting as if he held the winning hand, knowing Xie Qi would be the one to break first.
Xie Qi saw through him, but even though he couldn’t hold back, he still endured. “Scumbag.”
As he spoke, he pinched Zhao Shuyi’s cheek, using physical actions to vent his displeasure, finishing one round only to start another.
Zhao Shuyi’s lips were kissed raw, and a finger mark was imprinted on the side of his face. His eyes were slightly hazy, making him truly captivating, and yet truly annoying.
It seemed that no matter how immersed he was, he would never be infatuated with his partner. Even during the most intense moments, he could easily withdraw, remaining beyond anyone’s control.
But he was willing to reward Xie Qi, pretending to be infatuated as he leaned in for a few kisses. He was methodical, kissing from the shoulder to the neck, sliding down the chest, gentle and warm, yet cool and detached, the heat from his lips making Xie Qi’s entire body itch.
Xie Qi was on the verge of losing control. He held Zhao Shuyi down firmly, forbidding him to move. By the time the second round was over, dawn was breaking. Zhao Shuyi closed his eyes and slept for another two hours.
He slept, but Xie Qi did not.
Zhao Shuyi didn’t know what Xie Qi did while he was asleep, only vaguely feeling someone pecking at his face, but he couldn’t distinguish between dream and reality.
He reached out and swatted. “Stop messing around.”
The culprit didn’t listen, waking him up with his teeth. Only then did Zhao Shuyi realize where he was: Xie Qi had somehow carried him off the bed and placed him on the sofa in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, cuddling close to him.
The sun was already high in the sky; it was half-past eight.
Zhao Shuyi suddenly snapped back to reality. “It’s this late?”
“What time do you have to leave?” Xie Qi didn’t let him go. “Stay with me a little longer. Once you leave, I won’t know what to do. I’ll be bored.”
This wasn’t a request for an opinion; Xie Qi directly picked him up and returned to the bed to continue.
Zhao Shuyi resisted. “I have to go to work. If I don’t get up soon, Secretary Ye will be knocking on the door.”
“Let him.” Xie Qi didn’t care. “I’m going to cause chaos in the court. You’re not allowed to attend the morning session.”
Zhao Shuyi was speechless.
This person was quite proud of himself.
Xie Qi used to be clingy, but now he was even worse. After being caught wearing Zhao Shuyi’s pajamas last night, he no longer tried to hide it, pressing his body close as if he couldn’t breathe without him, desperately trying to inhale the oxygen flowing from Zhao Shuyi’s lips.
Zhao Shuyi was so entangled he couldn’t move. After struggling for a long time, he managed to pull one hand free from Xie Qi’s airtight grip and pushed the clingy person on top of him. “You can’t live without me?”
“That’s what you should be doing,” Xie Qi said matter-of-factly. “You called me over in the middle of the night, so shouldn’t you make sure I have a good time?”
“…Fine, you want a good time, do you?” Zhao Shuyi coaxed. “Let go first.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Let go.”
Xie Qi cooperated, retreating a few inches. Before he could move far, Zhao Shuyi suddenly flipped over and pinned him down, using his usual dominant position to push him against the headboard.
Xie Qi was involuntarily arched back against the pillow. Zhao Shuyi pulled the sash from his sleep robe, using it as a rope, grabbing his wrists, and tying them to the headboard in a tight knot.
“…”
He had been tied up before, so Xie Qi didn’t resist.
But today’s process was different. Zhao Shuyi didn’t intend to go through the whole routine. He pressed down on Xie Qi’s shoulders and quickly finished in a few minutes, then left without warning.
The fire inside him had been ignited. Xie Qi’s back was slick with sweat, his heart aching with unbearable desire, utterly incredulous.
Zhao Shuyi leaned over the bedside and kissed him, then said mercilessly, “I’m heading out. Wait for me in bed.”
“?”
“You’re not allowed to untie yourself before I get back.”
“…”
Without another word, Zhao Shuyi went into the bathroom to clean up, changed into a suit, and returned to tie his necktie methodically in front of Xie Qi.
He looked refined and elegant, yet utterly heartless.
Zhao Shuyi was truly leaving; he wasn’t joking.
He just left Xie Qi stranded on the bed, unable to relieve himself or even move, with no idea when he would return.
“Zhao Shuyi.” Xie Qi called out.
The tall figure walked toward the door, his steps unwavering.
“Gege…” Xie Qi was utterly humiliated, yet truly unable to bear it. “Don’t go.”
Zhao Shuyi turned his head from a distance and looked at him. “Wait for me. There’ll be a reward when I get back.”
“…”
It was already late, and Zhao Shuyi had to leave.
But even though he didn’t have enough time to finish, he deliberately stopped halfway, “tormenting” Xie Qi purely on a whim, without any particular reason.
Just as he had suddenly told Xie Qi “I want to see you” last night, there was no reason for that either.
If he had to give one, it was probably because his mood was restless, and he simply went with the flow, doing what he felt like doing. As for why he was restless, Zhao Shuyi didn’t delve into it.
The moment he stepped out the door, his expression changed, and he headed straight to the branch company with Secretary Ye.
At last night’s dinner, Zhao Shuyi had said everything he needed to say. The executives of the branch company were all perceptive, greeting him with full energy and accompanying him through the inspection process.
The inspection was mostly a pretense, which everyone knew. But Zhao Shuyi was very serious. After thoroughly understanding the branch company’s operations, he inquired about key personnel changes and financial issues over the years. These were all documented in internal files, which Manager Zheng had prepared in advance and personally showed him.
In fact, Zhao Shuyi didn’t need to look closely; he had already investigated. The official accounts would have no problems, and personnel changes were not secrets. It was just that his previous investigative approach had been wrong.
Now, with the new direction for the apparel department, Zhao Shuyi flipped through the documents and asked, “How much interaction do you have with the apparel business side?”
Manager Zheng paused, surprised.
Logically, this question was a bit unusual. The Shencheng branch company managed the two nearby provinces, an entire large region, and the business of every division within that region was part of the branch company. However, the apparel division was a special case; it had been spun off for independent operation long ago.
Because it wasn’t a core business of the group, it had a distant relationship with other divisions, and its team culture was different, making it inconvenient to manage together.
The new Chairman came to inspect the branch company with minimal fanfare, yet the first thing he asked about was the apparel business. If he cared about the latter, why didn’t he go there directly?
Zheng Hua, with his keen professional instincts, felt nervous. “What kind of interaction are you referring to? Necessary cooperation still exists, but we are two separate systems, so interaction isn’t frequent…”
Zhao Shuyi asked, “Have there been any internal personnel transfers?”
This question was also unconventional. Manager Zheng thought for a moment before answering, “There were some in the past, but none now. Personnel between the two sides are not interchangeable; we generally don’t do that.”
Zhao Shuyi asked, “When was ‘in the past’? Was it when my Second Uncle was in office?”
He sat in the office chair, casually flipping through files. Zheng Hua glanced at his expression and felt a cold sweat break out. “Yes, when Chairman Zhao was here, the interaction with the apparel business was closer than it is now. However, my position was low and peripheral back then, so… I’m not very clear.”
Zhao Shuyi nodded. “Compile a list and let me see it.”
There weren’t many employees transferred from the branch company to the apparel business line back then. The files were quickly compiled. Zhao Shuyi mainly looked at the positions and reasons for transfer, filtering out a few to examine closely, but found nothing particularly noteworthy.
These people were relatively low-ranking, and their positions were not core enough to fall within his scope of suspicion.
Zheng Hua didn’t know what he was suspicious of, but he vaguely sensed the scent of internal conflict. Knowing that Zhao Shuyi wanted to investigate Zhao Huaicheng’s past, he was afraid of being implicated and secretly wiped his brow.
A low pressure permeated the office. Suddenly, Vice General Manager Hong, who was sitting nearby, looked at Zhao Shuyi and cautiously spoke. “Are you looking into the personnel transfers from back then? Actually, there are some that weren’t recorded in the files…”
Zhao Shuyi looked up at him. “Tell me.”
This Vice General Manager had been promoted from HR and was quite familiar with personnel changes. He spoke with a sense of wanting to prove himself, regardless of what Zhao Shuyi was actually investigating or whether the information was useful, he simply shared everything he knew.
“I was the HR Manager at the time. Chairman Zhao brought a woman in to join the company, reportedly as his personal secretary. I remember this incident quite clearly because…”
Vice General Manager Hong paused subtly here, exchanging a glance with Manager Zheng, their expressions carrying a hint of veiled ambiguity.
However, Zhao Shuyi had too few private interactions with middle-aged men and didn’t grasp their habitual insinuation. “Because of what?”
Vice General Manager Hong cleared his throat and said tactfully, “There were rumors at the time that this female secretary had an unusual relationship with Chairman Zhao. They certainly seemed quite close…”
Zhao Shuyi processed this for a moment, then frowned.
Seeing his displeased expression, Vice General Manager Hong quickly focused on the important details. “But I don’t know what happened, she left before completing the onboarding process. I thought Chairman Zhao had changed his mind and didn’t want her in the company anymore. Later, I heard she went to the apparel side…”
“What is her name?”
“Her surname is Bai, Bai Fangchun.”
Zhao Shuyi gave Ye Zhao a look, signaling him to note it down for investigation, then asked, “What did she do on the apparel side?”
“She started as an accountant, I think. No one paid much attention back then. Everyone said she had been abandoned by Chairman Zhao—ahem, workplace gossip, you know. Anyway, not staying by the leader’s side was seen by outsiders as being exiled.”
“…”
“But she was quite capable. She was promoted quickly, rising to management level and becoming an Assistant Director within a few years.”
“And now?” Zhao Shuyi didn’t recall this person.
“She resigned several years ago,” Vice General Manager Hong said. “It’s normal that you don’t know her. She didn’t keep in touch with Chairman Zhao afterward, at least not openly. New employees don’t know about it, and the rumors naturally faded away…”
Zhao Shuyi was silent for a moment, then made a calculation in his mind. “Alright, I understand. Let’s stop here for today.”
He closed the files and handed them to Ye Zhao, instructing the branch company executives not to disclose the contents of today’s conversation.
When leaving the branch company, Manager Zheng wanted to arrange a meal, but Zhao Shuyi remembered someone was waiting for him. He politely declined and returned directly to the hotel.
Zhao Shuyi detached himself from the tedious work and lit a cigarette in the car.
It was only then that he belatedly looked at his watch, realizing he might have gone too far—
From 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM, Xie Qi had waited for him all day. Not being able to relieve himself was a minor issue; desire would fade. But not being able to eat or use the restroom—that must be both hungry and painful, right?
Given the temper of this young master, he would probably explode when they met.
But maybe not, Zhao Shuyi thought. Although he had tied a dead knot, the sash of the sleep robe was made of soft fabric and would come undone with a couple of struggles. If Xie Qi was unhappy, he could have easily freed himself.
Zhao Shuyi felt somewhat relieved. After returning to the hotel, he chatted with Ye Zhao about work, arranged everything properly, and then turned to enter the room and open the bedroom door.
He was a little tired, and his steps were slow.
But it was hard for his leather shoes not to make a sound on the floor. As his footsteps approached, a familiar voice came from the crack of the bedroom door. “Zhao Shuyi—”
Zhao Shuyi was startled.
Xie Qi sounded weak, his voice thick with grievance. “You just got back. I thought you died.”
“…”
Zhao Shuyi pushed the door open and saw Xie Qi still in the same position as in the morning—lying on his back, hands raised high and tied above his head, motionless.
Their eyes met, and Zhao Shuyi felt a slight pang of guilt. “You were this obedient?”
Somehow, this sentence struck a nerve with the young master. Xie Qi’s face flushed with anger, his eyes stinging, as if he was too resentful to speak, looking utterly miserable.
Zhao Shuyi remembered. “Because I said there would be a reward? …You actually wanted it.”
He walked to the bed and untied Xie Qi’s hands. The latter was still indignant, propping up his arms to get out of bed on his own. However, his hands were numb from being bound for too long. He couldn’t support himself and fell back down awkwardly.
—He wasn’t just miserable; he was truly pitiful.
Yet, Xie Qi still didn’t curse, only lowering his head to hide his expression.
Zhao Shuyi felt a little embarrassed, or rather, soft-hearted.
“I’m sorry, it was my fault.”
Zhao Shuyi leaned down and helped him up, offering unprecedented tenderness, kissing him. “Gege was wrong, Xie Qi… I shouldn’t have bullied you.”