Reservoir Dogs chapter 69

 Lapdog

The modern, grand conference room was solemn.

Jiang Chengyuan extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray and uncrossed his legs, “That’s my suggestion. If Chairman Jiang disagrees, the outcome might not satisfy everyone.”

The man opposite, wearing a silver-gray suit, looked grim. Ignoring his terrible expression, his features were sharp and striking.

Jiang Heng, behind the mahogany desk, glanced at his eldest son, “Let’s do as Lawyer Jiang suggested. Wenxing, although your intentions were good, prioritizing the company’s interests, you were too impulsive this time. Reflect on it.”

Jiang Wenxing stood up abruptly, said nothing, and strode out of the conference room, the heavy door exaggeratedly pushed open and then slammed shut.

This extreme restraint lasted only until he entered his own office. Once out of the public eye, Jiang Wenxing’s fury could no longer be contained. He kicked the table hard and grabbed a stack of documents, throwing them toward the door, his expression vicious, “You want me to grovel and apologize? Tch.”

The assistant who followed in was caught in the crossfire, the thrown documents hitting him in the face.

Ignoring the sharp edge that cut his forehead, the assistant bent down to pick up the scattered documents, “”The lawyer said you’re just going through the motions, showing humanitarian concern. Others will take the blame, the company won’t be implicated.”

The assistant neatly stacked the documents on the table, saying, “Having you make an appearance is to best maintain the company’s image and show the seriousness with which we’re treating this matter.”

Jiang Wenxing, still angry, his handsome face twisted, “Me apologize to those rascals? In their dreams! With such low standards, they think they can make money off our family? No idea what charm potion they gave the old man to make him obey.”

The assistant stood helplessly to the side, knowing that this wasn’t the time to persuade. The more you try, the more likely you are to get burned. However, if he didn’t persuade Young Master Jiang and he really lost his temper, refusing to comply, it would still be the people around Jiang Wenxing who would suffer when Chairman Jiang blamed someone.

Fortunately, although Jiang Wenxing was prideful and had a bad temper, he wasn’t completely unreasonable. After venting like this, he calmed down a bit. Since apologizing was Jiang Heng’s idea, there was no room for negotiation.

Jiang Wenxing took a deep breath, grabbed the cup on the table and took a sip of water. Realizing it was cold, he irritably threw it away, shattering the porcelain cup into pieces on the ground. This outburst relieved some of his stress. He ordered, “Get me another cup of water.”

The assistant nodded and was about to leave to get some water when Jiang Wenxing called him back. The young president’s sharp gaze swept over the broken pieces on the ground, and he curved his lips into a cold smile. “Are you just going to leave the cup like that?”

The assistant didn’t dare argue and squatted down to clean up the broken pieces with his hands. Despite being very careful, the sharp porcelain still cut his palm.

By the time the assistant returned with hot tea, Jiang Wenxing had regained his usual calm demeanor. He was sitting at his desk reviewing documents, his features chiseled and sharp. Though there was still some youthful naivety in his expression, he already had the look of a promising young elite.

The assistant placed the tea cup beside him.

Without looking up, Jiang Wenxing said, “Handle the matter I mentioned earlier. Report back to me once everything is arranged. Don’t make me follow up.”

The assistant nodded repeatedly, then remembered something and said, “Chairman Jiang just mentioned having dinner together tonight.”

Jiang Wenxing frowned. “Together? With who else?”

The assistant replied, “Probably those two lawyers from earlier.”

Jiang Wenxing’s face, which had just softened a bit, turned sour again, and he even cursed. “What was the name of that most arrogant guy? The other one was somewhat better.”

The assistant thought for a moment. “I think his surname is Jiang, called Jiang Chengyuan. Young Master, you might not know since you just came back from abroad, but he’s quite famous, and your father thinks highly of him. It took several invitations to get him to come.”

“Jiang Chengyuan?” Jiang Wenxing said coldly, “Who does he think he is? Just a lapdog circling the Jiang family for money, and we still need to invite him?” He rubbed the cap of his pen and after a while, irritably nodded. “Fine, I got it. Go out and prepare my clothes for tonight.”

The assistant was greatly relieved that Jiang Wenxing had agreed to everything so smoothly. Although this young master who had returned from studying abroad had a bad temper and an arrogant attitude, he at least understood the gravity of the situation. He was much better than the notoriously infamous second young master.

He had said earlier that he wouldn’t be Jiang Chengyuan’s driver anymore. After returning from the island, Xiao Zhou found another job.

Most of the resumes he sent out fell into a black hole. He had neither education nor experience and had a record, making it tough to find a job. Eventually, Chen Jin helped him find a job as a waiter at a restaurant.

He mentioned this during dinner. Ever since Xiao Zhou had recovered, the Filipino maid Amolin no longer lived there. Xiao Zhou, who wasn’t used to being taken care of, was relieved. Although Jiang Chengyuan came back every night, they didn’t actually spend much time together. Sitting down to have a meal together was a rare occasion.

“Don’t you think doing such meaningless work is a waste of time?” Jiang Chengyuan put down his chopsticks and said, “If you want to continue your studies and take exams, just do it. You don’t need to waste time on such meaningless things.”

Xiao Zhou said, “I can’t just rely on you during this time.”

Jiang Chengyuan said, “You can just stay here obediently. I like your cooking skills. Amolin’s dishes are either too greasy or too salty. Every time I give her feedback, she gets flustered and goes overboard with the adjustments next time.”

Xiao Zhou smiled, not surprised by Jiang Chengyuan’s preference, after all, he had put effort into understanding it. “Amolin probably cares too much about your opinion. She’s too scared, afraid of upsetting you and being sent back.”

“So you don’t care?”

Xiao Zhou said, “I care, but I’m not afraid. So I can test your limits.”

Jiang Chengyuan stared at him, “You seem to understand me well?”

Xiao Zhou lowered his head and returned to the original topic, “I can manage both.”

Seeing him so insistent, Jiang Chengyuan didn’t say anything more. However, since Xiao Zhou didn’t go along with his wishes, Jiang Chengyuan was rougher at night, biting his neck fiercely. But when Xiao Zhou actively embraced and kissed him, Jiang Chengyuan would become compliant and very gentle.

During the climax, Jiang Chengyuan would hug him tightly from behind, resting his head on Xiao Zhou’s shoulder, and repeatedly call his name in a low voice, making Xiao Zhou’s heart race to the point of dizziness. He wondered if the intimacy and affection he felt during such embraces were just illusions caused by the bonding pheromones or if Jiang Chengyuan truly had special feelings for him.

Once he had confirmed his own feelings, every detail became exceptionally clear and memorable.

Xiao Zhou found that his relationship with Jiang Chengyuan had entered a strange phase.

Jiang Chengyuan hadn’t responded specifically to his confession that day, avoiding the topic, and Xiao Zhou didn’t bring it up again either. They each harbored their own thoughts but got along peacefully. The difference lay in the details, such as the increasing frequency of kisses during sex, the awkward pauses when their eyes met, and the habitual physical touches…

Jiang Chengyuan still appeared somewhat mysterious and arrogant in his eyes. He felt like he had touched the surface of this man but hadn’t fully understood him. Originally, Jiang Chengyuan was a lifeline he grabbed onto when he was drowning, but now he seemed like a mist filled with a seductive aura. It was a scarlet web woven with patience that caught him as he fell.

Upon closer inspection, it all seemed like a ridiculous farce. Xiao Zhou had never had much choice; it was Jiang Chengyuan who chose him. He had very low expectations for his life after parole, and the sudden protection and equality he received made his feelings of affection and dependence easy to develop.

He wasn’t afraid to express these feelings, whether Jiang Chengyuan would reciprocate was another matter. In fact, the indelible bond between them had become an invisible promise, initially a shackle that Xiao Zhou despised. Now, it was more like a collar marking their relationship, binding them both, inescapable, a sweet yet painful existence. Over time, emotions that would not have existed began to flourish.

It was like thorny handcuffs digging into his wrists, which he could easily break free from, but as blood flowed, they both tacitly ignored it.