IMGH Chapter 62.2

Jiang Yi was absolutely elated inside. His Rui’er just had a stubborn mouth — he was probably dying inside with awkwardness right now.

Look, look — his ears had even gone red.

Utterly adorable. I want to grab him and kiss him so badly.

What a shame. What a terrible shame.

His Rui’er was still in ghost form right now. Without a physical body, things were so inconvenient — any time he wanted to do something a little more… involved, he was all desire and no ability.

Jiang Yi’s gaze was fixed on Qiu Rui’s fair, handsome face, and no amount of looking felt like enough.

With Jiang Yi’s gaze on him — so direct and utterly unmasked — Qiu Rui immediately felt deeply uncomfortable.

His heartbeat began to stutter and lose its rhythm. A rush of heat surged upward through his body and gathered in his cheeks. Embarrassingly, Qiu Rui’s face actually went red.

Jiang Yi, who had been staring at him the entire time, naturally caught the change.

His Rui’er had actually blushed for him. Jiang Yi stared in disbelief, eyes wide as saucers, while inside his heart something sweet dissolved and spread, growing richer and richer.

Then suddenly he felt something warm and itchy in his nose, and there seemed to be a warm liquid slowly making its way out.

Jiang Yi reached up in a daze to check, and it was wet. He pulled his hand back and looked.

Oh god.

He had gotten a nosebleed just from looking. He truly was beyond all hope.

If he could hold him, kiss him — get to know him in even deeper ways…

How wonderful that would be. How breathtaking.

Jiang Yi’s gaze turned involuntarily scorching. It traveled along Qiu Rui’s beautiful face and drifted downward, stopping at the opening of his slightly parted collar.

Qiu Rui was still wearing the clothes he had on when his soul was caught — a pullover with a deep V-neckline, the collar cut wide, exposing the delicate collarbones on both sides. The pale expanse of smooth, fine skin made Jiang Yi dizzy with want.

Collarbones. Collarbones. Truly sinful. Truly tempting.

And further below was…

Blocked by fabric, Jiang Yi’s thoughts brimmed with regret.

When would he ever be able to strip away all these inconvenient layers of clothing? A bare Qiu Rui — hehe… hehe…

That would surely be exquisite.

Jiang Yi had already begun filling in the blanks with images entirely unfit for public viewing, and the nosebleed flowed with new and abundant enthusiasm.

Qiu Rui suddenly noticed the silence around him — no more of that someone’s grating chatter. He looked up blankly. Jiang Yi sat there in a blank stupor, a lewd smile spread across his face, red blood trickling beneath his nose, mouth half-open as if he was one step away from drooling.

One look at Jiang Yi’s state and Qiu Rui didn’t need to think twice to know what he was fantasizing about. He had actually let his imagination run so far that he gave himself a nosebleed.

Qiu Rui was so provoked by the sight of those two thin streams of red that his eyes went wide with outrage. How could there be such a shameless, utterly indecent man in this world?

Incensed beyond measure, Qiu Rui let out a laugh born purely of rage and said, “Jiang Yi, what exactly are you thinking about?”

“Eating Rui’er.” The man, still deep in his fantasy, had absolutely no idea he had just said something he shouldn’t.

Qiu Rui’s expression darkened completely. He said frostily, “Jiang Yi. Very happy with yourself, are you?”

“Happy, very happy!” The man, still lost in his daydream, answered without a moment’s thought.

Qiu Rui’s face had gone as dark and heavy as the sky before a violent storm — the kind that could swallow the world whole. It was only at this point that a certain belated someone sensed that the air around him had gone rather cold. His body gave an involuntary shudder. He snapped back to reality, looked up, and saw—

Jiang Yi’s poor heart went utterly hollow, like a big soft heap of risen dough. He hurriedly bowed his head and wiped away the incriminating evidence with a tissue, then steeled himself and shambled forward with a sheepish look. “Rui’er, why have you gone so quiet?”

“Weren’t you having a wonderful time just now? Keep right on thinking.” Qiu Rui’s words came out one by one from between clenched teeth, each syllable laced with cold, seething fury.

Seeing that Qiu Rui looked as though he wanted to grind him to dust and scatter him on the wind, Jiang Yi no longer dared say a single word and shook his head frantically like a rattle drum. “Not happy, not happy at all!”

“Is that right? Not happy, yet you were smiling like that?”

Qiu Rui’s gaze sharpened abruptly, and Jiang Yi felt as if he was surrounded on all sides by icy blades with nowhere to run. He scrambled to change his answer, nodding vigorously. “Happy, happy!”

“One moment happy, the next moment not happy. You really are quite fickle.”

Qiu Rui pressed forward relentlessly. Jiang Yi was beside himself with distress and had no choice but to beg for mercy. “Wuwu, I’ll never dare do it again — please spare me, great lord!”

Jiang Yi shrank back toward the wall of the bed, pulling the entire blanket around himself until only a pair of eyes peeked out above it, staring at Qiu Rui with a look that was equal parts pitiful and terrified.

Qiu Rui couldn’t help but find the image of him huddled there like a startled puppy almost funny — yet he didn’t want to let him off so easily. The urge to laugh and the effort to hold it back pulled his face into a rather frightening expression.

Jiang Yi shrank further back into the bed, biting the edge of the blanket, and stammered, “Chairman Qiu, I truly won’t dare again — please let me off!”

“All right, stop acting.” Qiu Rui himself was struggling to keep it up. He gave a light cough, pulled back the smile threatening to emerge at the corners of his mouth, and with a show of composure said, “Have you had enough? If you have, let’s talk about something serious.”

Seeing that Qiu Rui was no longer pursuing the matter, Jiang Yi perked right up. Grinning, he threw off the blanket and climbed down from the bed, patting his chest. “You scared me half to death — there’s no reason to go around acting like some ice-cold CEO! That was terrifying!”

Qiu Rui turned and shot him a look. Jiang Yi immediately made a zipping motion across his lips.

Sitting at the edge of the bed, Jiang Yi asked, “Rui’er, is something important going on?”

Qiu Rui’s expression turned serious. “Qiu Chen wants to meet you.”

“Who… who wants to meet me?” Jiang Yi was confused. He thought hard for a long moment before suddenly understanding. “You mean that vicious, scheming cousin of yours?”

Qiu Rui nodded. Jiang Yi asked curiously, “Why does he want to see me?”

“He doesn’t know I’ve found out about him yet. He’s not going to come after me to get revenge, is he?”

Qiu Rui looked at the man fidgeting with nerves and said with an air of amusement, “Oh? Scared?”

“Scared? Ha! I’m not afraid of him at all!” Jiang Yi thumped his chest with great bravado. “Rui’er, tell him to bring it on — I’ll take care of him!”

Qiu Rui pinched the bridge of his nose in weary despair. Of all people, why had he ended up with such an unreliable man?

Seeing Qiu Rui fall silent, Jiang Yi immediately dropped the grin and said earnestly, “Rui’er, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Let’s talk business.” Qiu Rui turned back and gave him a reassuring smile.

Jiang Yi was struck senseless.

His Rui’er had never smiled at him like that before. It had come out of nowhere, and Jiang Yi’s heart genuinely couldn’t take it.

“Rui… Rui’er, you—”

Jiang Yi had lost the ability to speak properly. Qiu Rui looked at him in bewilderment as he went off again. “What? What is it? Just say it!”

“Rui’er, you’re being so gentle today!”

No cold words, no sharp barbs — and he had actually smiled at him. Jiang Yi felt certain he was dreaming. The whole of him had started to float.

Jiang Yi’s expression — that mixture of torment and delight — was both ridiculous and, somehow, just a little endearing. Qiu Rui was laughing inside, but kept his face perfectly still.

“Do you have some kind of masochistic streak?” Qiu Rui kept his expression severe and gave him a sideways look. “One day without suffering and you start itching for it?”

“No, no, no!” Jiang Yi waved his hands frantically. His Rui’er being like this was wonderful — he absolutely couldn’t have him reverting to his old self.

Jiang Yi immediately reined himself in and brought the conversation back on track, asking in a properly serious tone, “Qiu Rui, what does that rotten cousin of yours want with me, anyway?”

Qiu Rui answered, “Originally, I had you approach Han Yuancheng in your capacity as the Chinese representative of Wellman. The DL214 project is very important to Shengqiu International — it was the only way Qiu Chen wouldn’t block Cheng Cheng from meeting with you. Now that there’s no longer any obstacle from my end, most of the company’s shareholders are very dissatisfied with Qiu Chen. He wants to use this project collaboration to consolidate his position.”

“Qiu Chen’s calculations are really something!” Jiang Yi gave a cold laugh, then said with satisfaction, “But no matter how capable he is, I’d wager he never imagined that all of this was orchestrated by my Rui’er.”

“Right — Rui’er, if Taoist Cao is Qiu Chen’s man, then Qiu Chen should know that you’re trapped near me. Meeting me might not be for another purpose entirely, don’t you think?” Jiang Yi suddenly thought of this and looked alarmed.

Qiu Rui smiled with calm composure. “Qiu Chen most likely doesn’t know about that. Knowing his temperament, if he had known, he absolutely would not have waited this long before making a move.”

“That’s a relief!” Jiang Yi relaxed, but then immediately grew anxious again. “I’ve never had any dealings with your industry, and I know nothing about the DL214 project. If Qiu Chen notices something off, the whole thing will fall apart.”

Qiu Rui said with certainty, “You don’t need to worry. As long as you follow my arrangements, Qiu Chen won’t suspect a thing.”

“Rui’er, you’re so impressive!” Jiang Yi gazed at Qiu Rui with undisguised admiration, stars practically streaming from his eyes.

With Jiang Yi staring at him like that, Qiu Rui felt deeply uncomfortable. He looked away and let out a cold snort. “Idiot.”

The tone was chilly, but it no longer carried the disgust and aversion of before.

Jiang Yi was quietly delighted. He sidled closer and leaned in near Qiu Rui’s ear, murmuring softly, “Rui’er, you like me, don’t you?”

The warm breath swept across his face, sending a shock through Qiu Rui’s body. On instinct, he tried to put some distance between himself and Jiang Yi.

Jiang Yi leaned in, his gaze fixed on the flustered look crossing Qiu Rui’s face. “Rui’er, does liking me truly make you so unwilling to accept it?”

There was something subdued about the man’s voice — layered with sadness and helplessness.

Qiu Rui’s own chest felt heavy and full in response. During the days Jiang Yi had been ill, Qiu Rui had thought about many things. He had to admit he had feelings for this man that were unlike anything else. At first he had rejected the feeling, wanting to forget it, to run from it — but in the end, he could not escape what was most true inside him.

That day in the park, as Jiang Yi slowly closed his eyes on the reclining chair, there had been one terrible instant when Qiu Rui thought Jiang Yi was leaving him for good. He didn’t dare revisit how he had felt in that moment.

Even now, just the memory made his heart feel as though it had been run through by ten thousand blades — a pain too sharp to bear.

In that moment, Qiu Rui had thought to himself: as long as Jiang Yi opened his eyes again, what did it matter if he lost the bet?

He did like Jiang Yi. He had never liked anyone before, yet Qiu Rui knew — in the end, this man had thrown his heart into disorder.

Even so, he was deeply unwilling to admit it.

He was in his mid-twenties. No person and no thing had ever left the slightest mark on him — and now, to have been captured by someone as shameless and unreliable as Jiang Yi, of all people. Qiu Rui was incredibly conflicted about it.

He both loved and hated Jiang Yi, and no matter what he tried, he couldn’t bring himself to voice what he truly felt.

Now that Jiang Yi had asked whether he liked him, Qiu Rui knew his own heart — yet he still refused to lay it bare in front of this man.

He had already fallen, completely and thoroughly. If Jiang Yi found out, he would certainly become even more insufferably smug about it.

Qiu Rui hesitated and wavered. Telling Jiang Yi no — his heart wouldn’t let him.

Admitting his feelings — he wasn’t willing to.

After agonizing for a long time, he finally looked up — only to find Jiang Yi watching him with an expression of knowing amusement, those eyes as though they had already seen through everything.

It was only then that Qiu Rui realized — he had been played by this infuriating man.

Flushed with shame and anger, Qiu Rui turned and drifted toward the door, but the moment he touched it, a blaze of golden light stopped him in his tracks.

Qiu Rui turned back sharply and glared at Jiang Yi. “Take the talisman down!”

Jiang Yi moved slowly closer to Qiu Rui, an unusual light flickering in his narrowed eyes.

Qiu Rui felt that Jiang Yi seemed dangerous in this moment, and instinctively stepped back.

In his fluster, Jiang Yi had already closed in. The distance between them grew smaller and smaller. Jiang Yi stopped before Qiu Rui, his blazing gaze fixed on him with complete intensity. Jiang Yi lowered his head, his nose almost touching Qiu Rui’s, and said, “Qiu Rui, you like me.”

This time, Jiang Yi used a statement — not the question he had posed before.

The tone was absolute. Full of certainty.

“Who… who said I like you!” Qiu Rui held his ground, refusing to concede. He looked away, not daring to meet the man’s eyes. “I would never like someone as idiotic and tedious as you!”

“Oh, is that so?” The man’s low voice came from above his head, followed by a soft laugh. “Rui’er, when you lie, the little finger of your right hand always curls up slightly. So… don’t try to lie to me.”

There was a hint of teasing and provocation in the man’s voice, as though he were mocking him for trying to tell a lie.

Qiu Rui lifted his head, arching a brow with a cold smile. “And what if I am lying?”

Those stubborn eyes met the man’s burning gaze head-on and refused to back down.

His expression all but said: So what if I’m lying? What are you going to do about it?

Jiang Yi let out a soft, helpless laugh. He held the man’s gaze for a moment before finally pulling his eyes away with reluctance, clicking his tongue. “You have no idea how irresistible you look right now. You make me want to kiss you.”

Qiu Rui froze — and a moment later, his cheeks flooded with warmth again.

The sight was even more irresistible than before. Jiang Yi felt the blood coursing through his entire body cry out and surge. He wanted nothing more than to throw himself at Qiu Rui right then and there and deal with him on the spot.

To be able to only fantasize and never act — what a wretched existence. Jiang Yi sighed internally and stepped back a few paces, his expression caught between restraint and a barely concealed longing.

“Bastard!”

“Shameless!”

“Pervert!”

Three furious roars erupted from behind him. Jiang Yi curled his lips into a bewitching smile.

Good things were worth waiting for. Sooner or later, the day would come when he could finally have his dear, sweet Rui’er.

In the end, Jiang Yi still didn’t take the talisman down. An opportunity this rare — to share a bed with Qiu Rui — was not something he could possibly give up.

Qiu Rui was furious but had no recourse.

His expression remained sour, and Jiang Yi didn’t dare say any more of those explicit, shameless things. Though he never did hear Qiu Rui admit out loud that he liked him, he was already certain of where Qiu Rui’s heart stood.

Jiang Yi wasn’t in any rush. He had already waited five years. He certainly wasn’t going to be impatient now.

There was still time — so long as Qiu Rui fell in love with him, everything else would resolve itself.

Jiang Yi suddenly felt that the road ahead was wide open and clear, and his spirits lifted enormously.

“Hey, you shameless man — go sleep on the sofa,” Qiu Rui stood by the bed and ordered the certain someone who was humming a little tune with a smile on his face.

A certain someone’s eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed dramatically onto the bed. “I’m dizzy, I feel awful, I am not going to sleep on the sofa!”

“Then take the talisman down,” Qiu Rui said. He truly didn’t want to stay in this small room with Jiang Yi — the enclosed space made him feel as though even his breathing was going haywire.

“No, no, I won’t take it down!” Jiang Yi’s dark eyes were brimming with anticipation as he looked at Qiu Rui, trying to negotiate. “Rui’er, just keep me company! I won’t do anything to you!”

Seeing that Qiu Rui’s expression had softened slightly, Jiang Yi pressed on. “Rui’er, just give in for tonight — take pity on a man who’s still recovering!”

After a great deal of pleading from Jiang Yi, Qiu Rui finally said stiffly, “Fine.”

Jiang Yi made up the bed with great enthusiasm, and as Qiu Rui watched the man’s movements — so intent yet barely concealing his excitement — something about the whole thing felt deeply wrong.

But just as Jiang Yi had said — there really was nothing he could do to him.

Jiang Yi had all the intentions and all the nerve — he just lacked the means.

It was the first time Qiu Rui had ever felt that being a ghost had its advantages. Otherwise, knowing Jiang Yi’s nature, he would probably actually do something outrageous.

And then they would be in for no end of entanglement.

With that thought, Qiu Rui decided there was nothing to worry about after all, and simply lay down on the bed.

Jiang Yi moved close and lay down beside him, both of them on their backs.

The light suddenly dimmed — Jiang Yi had turned off the wall lamp.

The enclosed space sank into quiet stillness. Only the faint, soft sound of breathing nearby wove itself around the strong, rapid thud thud thud of Qiu Rui’s heartbeat.

“Rui’er, are you asleep?”

Qiu Rui said nothing. He had never shared a bed with anyone before — let alone when the person beside him was Jiang Yi. The feeling was awkward, yet strangely charged with something subtle and hard to name.

Getting no response, Jiang Yi assumed Qiu Rui had already fallen asleep. He turned over to face him.

Qiu Rui heard the rustle of fabric and felt the heat radiating from Jiang Yi’s body drawing close. His whole body went stiff as a stone.

In the darkness, the man’s smoldering gaze landed on him. Qiu Rui hurriedly shut his eyes.

After a moment, the man’s low murmur drifted near his ear: “If I could hold you in my arms for the rest of my life — how wonderful that would be.”

Warm breath spread across his face as the man spoke — soft, warm, faintly tickling. Qiu Rui nearly couldn’t hold himself together, but fortunately Jiang Yi said only that one sentence and then went silent.

Qiu Rui’s racing heart gradually found its way back to its usual rhythm — yet sleep wouldn’t come to him no matter how he tried.

The quiet settled over them again. Qiu Rui figured Jiang Yi must have fallen asleep by now and slowly opened his eyes — only to meet a pair of deep, luminous pupils, the light within them swirling like a vortex that drew in everything.

In that unguarded moment, Qiu Rui felt a sudden weight settle over him, and then a coolness touched his lips. Something warm and soft moved gently against his mouth, shifting and turning.

Qiu Rui’s eyes went wide. He was completely stunned by what had come so suddenly and without warning.

He had actually been kissed by Jiang Yi — but what truly shocked Qiu Rui wasn’t just that alone. What astonished him was: how had Jiang Yi been able to kiss him at all?

Qiu Rui’s head was full of bewilderment, having already entirely forgotten that a certain someone was still taking advantage of him.

“Rui’er, your mind is elsewhere — is my technique really that lacking?”