Zuo He felt both anxious and helpless and said sincerely, “I’ve already told you my real name, which means I’m putting everything on the line. Mr. Xu, I really have no ill intentions. I came here this time to plead on behalf of someone, but it’s inconvenient to say under surveillance, so I wanted your phone number. Other than that, I truly have no other intentions.”
Xu Chenghao: “You’re standing right under surveillance; you’ll be discovered sooner or later. What could possibly be inconvenient?”
Zuo He was at a loss for words.
Xu Chenghao: “Jing Yicheng will be here in two minutes. I’m not lying to you.”
Zuo He, helpless, could only lower his voice and say, “This time, I’m here as an individual to plead with the captain. Regarding the last incident where we forcibly took Mr. Jing away, we deeply apologize. We’ll accept whatever punishment comes. I just hope Mr. Jing doesn’t let his anger get the better of him and mistake a scapegoat for the real culprit.”
Xu Chenghao remained expressionless: “That’s something you should tell him. I don’t understand your situation, nor can I control him.”
Zuo He: “Mr. Xu, you’re really good at joking. Ever since the research institute was shut down, everyone knows you’re the most important person.”
Xu Chenghao: “…”
Realizing time was running out, Zuo He bowed deeply in gratitude and quickly withdrew. “Mr. Xu, I’m counting on you.”
Xu Chenghao: “…”
Apologizing won’t help—he was still angry! If it weren’t for this group of people taking Jing Yicheng away, how could his “little chili pepper” mission have failed? If the mission hadn’t failed, why would he be this stressed out right now?
Now they feel regret and heartache, but back then, he was heartbroken for quite some time…
Xu Chenghao, still unhappy and not planning to play the nice guy, decided to push aside what had just happened. He chose to ignore it completely, deciding not to see, hear, or ask about it. Whatever happens, happens.
However, just as Zuo He had feared, Jing Yicheng learned of Zuo He’s visit before even making it home. His already cold face darkened instantly, and he barked in anger, “Are you all useless? With so many eyes on him, you still let him sneak in?”
The bodyguards didn’t dare to make a sound.
Seeing them like this only fueled Jing Yicheng’s rage. He slammed the car door shut and stormed into the building. When he arrived at the door of his home, he had to force himself to swallow his anger. Only after calming down did he open the door and enter: “Haohao, I’m back.”
“You’re back!” The person leaning on the sofa instantly jumped up, eagerly asking, “Where are the peppers?”
Jing Yicheng handed over the bag. Xu Chenghao carefully inspected it and, after confirming that it contained 72 peppers, immediately added them to his existing stash. He meticulously arranged them in the storage container.
This time’s haul totaled 263 peppers. If he could gather just 164 more in the next mission, there was still hope!
Xu Chenghao happily locked up the safe, but Jing Yicheng’s next question scared him so much that cold sweat immediately broke out.
Jing Yicheng asked, “Haohao, how long do you keep these peppers before someone comes to collect them?”
Xu Chenghao: “…Of course, someone comes to collect them as soon as I complete the mission.”
Jing Yicheng frowned slightly, “I don’t recall ever seeing anyone come to collect the peppers.”
Xu Chenghao: “That’s because—because we didn’t live together before.”
Jing Yicheng seemed to understand, “That’s true. But now that we’re living together, remember to let me know if anyone comes to pick up the peppers.”
“Alright.” Xu Chenghao wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling that he needed to discuss with the system how to handle the disappearance of the peppers as their numbers increased. But then he asked, “Why are you suddenly interested in this?”
Jing Yicheng said, “Well, since I’m researching agricultural machinery, I thought I might see if we could collaborate with other research institutes.”
Xu Chenghao: “…Oh.”
With nothing left to say and nothing to refute, Xu Chenghao could only change the subject. “Everything’s ready. Let’s head back to the company.”
Jing Yicheng agreed and quietly followed behind Xu Chenghao, but his mind was still occupied with the issue involving Zuo He. He was waiting for Xu Chenghao to bring it up on his own. However, this time, Xu Chenghao never mentioned it at all. Instead, whenever Xu Chenghao noticed Jing Yicheng watching him during work, he just found his behavior odd.
The two of them seemed to be playing a silent guessing game, tiptoeing around each other for so long that even Li Nian noticed something was off. Worried they might have had an argument, he secretly asked Xu Chenghao what was going on.
Xu Chenghao assumed that Jing Yicheng was still preoccupied with the issue regarding the pepper research institute. After sending Li Nian away, he mentally began consulting the system about arranging someone to collect the peppers—after all, the current number was already quite noticeable. In the future, when there were tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of peppers, their sudden disappearance would be alarming. There had to be a way to handle it.
[Ding—System 2333 at your service. Request received and being processed, please wait patiently.]
Xu Chenghao sighed wearily: Hurry up. I always feel like you’re unreliable.
[Ding—System 2333 offers personalized service, precise and powerful, absolutely reliable.]
Xu Chenghao: Didn’t you say before that the characters in the plot wouldn’t notice the plant-related bugs?
[Ding—Correct, anything related to plant bugs can be explained by research achievements or the wonders of nature. However, unfortunately, pepper collection falls under the host’s mission, not a plant bug.]
Xu Chenghao: “…”
He still felt like the system was unreliable. Hopefully, when the time came, he’d be able to cover it up.
As Xu Chenghao was thinking, he looked up and realized that Jing Yicheng was still staring at him. A wave of nervousness washed over him—he couldn’t shake the feeling that Jing Yicheng was observing him, waiting for the right moment to catch him in the act. Could it be that Jing Yicheng had really discovered something and was just waiting to catch him red-handed?
He shouldn’t have noticed anything… right? Xu Chenghao quickly lowered his head and focused on his work, feeling so guilty that he didn’t dare meet Jing Yicheng’s eyes. No, I have to stay calm! I have to pretend like nothing’s wrong!
Yes, this was now a test of patience, and he couldn’t afford to lose!
While Xu Chenghao was secretly trying to hype himself up, on the other side, Jing Yicheng was becoming increasingly anxious. His thoughts spiraled as he wondered why Xu Chenghao wasn’t telling him about Zuo He. Was he upset, scared, or unhappy? The idea that there was now a gap or secret between them because of an outsider gnawed at him, a possible sign that their relationship was beginning to fracture.
The more Jing Yicheng thought about it, the more fearful he became, and the more things seemed wrong. By the time they said goodnight without any resolution, Jing Yicheng could no longer hold back. Just as Xu Chenghao was about to close his bedroom door, Jing Yicheng grabbed his wrist and forcibly pulled him back out into the hallway.
Xu Chenghao was startled and, before he could react, found himself pinned against the wall, unable to move. “Jing Yicheng, what are you doing?!”
Jing Yicheng stared into his eyes and asked seriously, “Haohao, do you not trust me anymore?”
Xu Chenghao was stunned. “What are you talking about?”
Jing Yicheng replied, “Zuo He came by today. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Xu Chenghao: “Huh?”
Jing Yicheng continued, “Are you mad at me? I remember telling you before that if something’s wrong, you can tell me directly. Don’t bottle it up and let it become the last straw that breaks the camel’s back. Please, don’t scare me like this.”
Xu Chenghao was completely bewildered. He had spent the whole day worrying about the peppers, frantically trying to figure out if he had slipped up and whether Jing Yicheng had noticed anything wrong. Yet, in a surprising turn of events, what Jing Yicheng was really concerned about was… Zuo He?
Xu Chenghao said, “Wait, give me a moment to process this.”
Jing Yicheng frowned, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
“No, it’s just…” Xu Chenghao hesitated for a while before suddenly wrapping his arms around Jing Yicheng’s neck, leaning his head on his shoulder. “You really gave me a fright. I thought you were going to hit me.”
Jing Yicheng’s firm demeanor, which had only lasted a minute, instantly crumbled under Xu Chenghao’s affectionate gesture. His heart softened as he gently lifted Xu Chenghao by the waist, holding him securely, and soothingly said, “I was too anxious. Don’t worry, everything’s fine.”
Xu Chenghao leaned against Jing Yicheng’s shoulder, gave him a playful bite, and then explained, “The reason I didn’t mention Zuo He is because I didn’t think it was necessary. I don’t really understand the dynamics of your circle, and if I brought it up without knowing enough, I might accidentally hurt you. You’re the most important person to me, much more than any outsider, so I just pretended not to know and didn’t say anything.”
Jing Yicheng asked, “Really?”
Xu Chenghao, puzzled, replied, “What other reason would there be?”
Jing Yicheng’s heart practically burst with joy. He held Xu Chenghao tightly, kissing him repeatedly to express his happiness. Before this, he had worried that Xu Chenghao might fear his ruthless methods, or that he’d be upset because Jing Yicheng had reverted to his old, harsh ways. He even thought Xu Chenghao might be angry about their disrupted life. But to his surprise, Xu Chenghao had stayed silent because he didn’t want to hurt him and wanted to protect him!
This unexpected show of affection made Jing Yicheng overjoyed. He was so ecstatic that he wanted to spin Xu Chenghao around in his arms, showering him with more kisses.
Covered in kisses and now a bit exasperated, Xu Chenghao pushed Jing Yicheng’s head away, thoroughly annoyed. “Enough with the kissing! Look at how excited you are—let me guess, you were probably overthinking things while I kept quiet, right?”
Jing Yicheng tried to sneak in another kiss, replying, “Mm-hmm.”
Xu Chenghao stopped him and demanded, “No more kisses. Tell me, what were you imagining?”
Jing Yicheng switched tactics, kissing Xu Chenghao softly from his forehead, to the corners of his eyes, down to his cheeks and earlobes, speaking between each kiss: “I thought about everything—wondered if this would cause a rift between us, and if that rift would make you leave me…”
Xu Chenghao sensed Jing Yicheng moving toward his lips again and turned his face to avoid him. “You’re always telling me not to overthink and to just talk things out. Is this how you practice what you preach?”
Jing Yicheng quickly pleaded, “I promise, I won’t overthink next time.”
Xu Chenghao wasn’t buying it.
It probably had a lot to do with Jing Yicheng’s personality and past experiences. He was severely lacking in security, and sometimes he could scare himself just by overanalyzing things. What made it worse was that he couldn’t control these thoughts—he’d convince himself that things weren’t going well, or that even if things were fine now, they might not be the next moment. It was both amusing at times and heartbreaking at others.
Xu Chenghao sighed, noticing Jing Yicheng’s hopeful, pleading gaze. He took the initiative to pull Jing Yicheng’s head down and kissed him. “From now on, no more overthinking, okay?”
“Mm,” Jing Yicheng murmured in agreement.
Jing Yicheng’s voice was so hoarse it was almost frightening, and as the kiss deepened, the strength of his arms around Xu Chenghao tightened. It was as if he wanted to fuse him into his very bones, to merge them into one.
It had been four days since they were last intimate…
Jing Yicheng’s longing was overwhelming. As the kisses trailed down to Xu Chenghao’s neck, he left a fresh mark there. Xu Chenghao, having not experienced this kind of intimacy for a while, was extra sensitive. His whole body shivered, and the tingling sensation snapped him back to reality.
Something was definitely off! Xu Chenghao quickly pushed Jing Yicheng away, struggling to get back on his feet. “No! Stop!”
Jing Yicheng looked aggrieved, “Haohao…”
Xu Chenghao stood firm. “No way! The punishment period isn’t over yet. You can’t touch me!”
Jing Yicheng protested softly, “But Haohao, I—”
Xu Chenghao cut him off, “We agreed before, if you touch me, I’ll move back to the Xu family mansion.”
Jing Yicheng: “!!!”
Immediately, Jing Yicheng released him, placing Xu Chenghao gently back on the ground. Despite the clear evidence of his arousal, he maintained a calm face and said, “Goodnight, Haohao.”
T/N: I’m present🙈! hahaha~ I realized we have some new readers~ Welcome to the Little Yellow Duck Club 🎊!!! Hope you have fun😍💕
![He Lived Like You [End of the World]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/HLLY.jpg "He Lived Like You [End of the World]")
