Awkward Chapter 80

Shoutout to nyanmaru for the commission!

In the office, the two unsuspecting men were still wrapped up in each other. Chen Mo’s slender hand slid under the man’s white shirt, caressing the smooth, fair skin beneath.

Ye Mu silently grabbed his hand, pulling back his now red, swollen lips, “Stop messing around.”

Chen Mo pressed his lips against Ye Mu’s warm neck, his voice husky as he murmured in agreement, but his hands didn’t stop.

Ye Mu turned his slightly flushed face away, his tone flat, “Alright, that’s enough.”

He was a man too, so he understood how thrilling it could be to do such things in the office, but his reason won out over his emotions, and he spoke up to put a stop to it.

Chen Mo half-narrowed his phoenix eyes and began unbuttoning his shirt. “We’re going public, what are you afraid of?”

His black tank top was lifted to his ribcage, revealing his well-defined abdominal muscles. As it moved lower, the tight waistband hinted at the edge of his boxers and a few stray hairs, making one’s heart race.

Ye Mu swallowed, feeling his adrenaline surge, and quickly jumped off him.

Chen Mo raised an eyebrow at him, the provocative look in his eyes making his face even more handsome and commanding than usual.

Ye Mu grabbed a booklet and threw it at him, his face stern. “I have things to do. I’m going to work.”

Chen Mo didn’t let him go, his gaze predatory like a wolf’s as he held on to him. “Don’t be so quick to refuse—think it over.”

Ye Mu averted his eyes, trying to calm down. “There’s nothing to think about. Just because I seem easygoing doesn’t mean I don’t have some basic sense of shame.”

Chen Mo’s thin lips curved into a sharp line, mocking. “As if I don’t.”

Ye Mu pushed his face away. “That’s enough. Stop playing with fire.”

Chen Mo grabbed his fingers and licked them, his eyes dangerously seductive. “Do I really have to wait until we get home?”

The wet touch of his tongue sent a strange, electric sensation through Ye Mu. He forced himself to stay composed, maintaining a stern face. “Not even after work. Don’t try anything for a while.”

As he spoke, he reminded himself of his still-aching waist, making sure not to fall for the other man’s temptation again.

Chen Mo, considerate, began massaging his waist, flashing a grin with a hint of sharp teeth. “I’ll give you a proper massage tonight.”

He’d already decided how he was going to have his way with him later.

Ye Mu seemed to catch onto his thoughts and immediately refused. He slapped away Chen Mo’s hand and stepped back ten meters. “No need to play nice. If you’ve got time, finish reviewing the documents on your desk. I still need to contact the clients.”

With that, he didn’t wait for a reply and briskly walked out of the office.

Chen Mo watched his slender, aloof back for a moment, a faint smile tugging at his lips. He liked this shy yet serious side of Ye Mu too.

Back at his desk, Ye Mu made himself a cup of coffee and quickly got into work mode.

Chen Mo hadn’t lied. After taking half a month of sick leave, much of his work had been distributed to others, leaving him only the massive project with Song’s firm.

Even though he didn’t want to communicate with that side, Ye Mu dutifully sent a regular report.

Shortly after sending the email, he received a reply. Unlike before, this time, the response was brief: just two words, “Got it.”

Ye Mu glanced at it, knowing the other party was busy, and didn’t follow up with more details. He closed his email and began reviewing past records.

He was so focused that it wasn’t until noon when someone knocked on his desk.

Looking up, he saw it was Chen Mo.

“It’s time. Come have lunch with me.”

Ye Mu wasn’t particularly hungry and continued reading. “I’ll wait a bit longer. You go ahead.”

Chen Mo, not taking no for an answer, closed his file. “No matter how busy you are, you have to eat first. Get up, don’t dawdle.”

Knowing he couldn’t win this, Ye Mu pinched the bridge of his nose and stood up. “Where are we eating?”

They’d nearly exhausted all the nearby restaurants, and he was getting tired of them.

Chen Mo lifted the lunchbox in his hand, giving him a side glance. “To the break room. I brought food.”

Ye Mu glanced at him, mildly surprised. “That’s rare.”

Chen Mo shrugged and responded, “Had some time this morning, so I made it. There’s a microwave here, just need to heat it up.”

Ye Mu smiled teasingly, “If you weren’t a man, I’d call you quite the housewife.”

Chen Mo scoffed. “Spare me the compliments. I don’t care for them.”

Ye Mu glanced at him sideways. “Then what do you care for?”

Chen Mo’s eyes roamed boldly over Ye Mu’s delicate face. “You.”

Ye Mu instinctively glanced around, and after confirming no one else heard, he sternly said, “President Chen, please watch your words and actions.”

Chen Mo chuckled coldly, walking over to put the lunchbox in the microwave. “No sense of fun.”

Standing beside him, Ye Mu corrected, “It’s you who’s always going off-topic.”

Chen Mo clicked his tongue, retorting, “Sometimes I wonder if I was blind when I first laid eyes on you.”

Ye Mu remained expressionless, responding mechanically, “I ask myself the same question.”

Chen Mo’s lips twitched, and he pinched Ye Mu’s face.

Ye Mu didn’t move, letting him pinch until his skin turned red.

Chen Mo couldn’t bear to apply more force. When the microwave beeped, signaling the food was ready, he retrieved the lunchbox and placed it on the table. “Eat first.”

Ye Mu sat down with a serious expression. “Next time you pull my face, don’t blame me if I’m not so nice.”

Chen Mo’s expression went flat. “You’re older than me, you should give me a break.”

Ye Mu shot him a sideways glance. “Why don’t I see you letting me off in bed?”

Since it was lunchtime, the break room was empty, making it the perfect place for their bickering.

Chen Mo half-narrowed his black eyes. “You seem to enjoy being on the bottom.”

Ye Mu took a bite of food, keeping his face cold. “It’s just an act to spare your ego.”

Chen Mo snorted and carefully picked a piece of lean meat for him. “Well, your acting skills are top-notch. I never noticed all this time.”

Ye Mu didn’t bother arguing, calmly eating his food.

Chen Mo leaned on his hand, watching him. He picked a grain of rice off Ye Mu’s face and popped it into his mouth. “Don’t work late tonight. I’ll take you to a movie.”

Ye Mu glanced at him. “What’s gotten into you?”

Chen Mo pursed his lips. “Nothing, just want to spend time with you.”

He really enjoyed being with Ye Mu. Whether it was watching a movie, shopping, or eating, he wanted Ye Mu by his side.

Ye Mu’s expression remained indifferent. “Fine, let me finish these files first.”

Chen Mo looked at the spot on his face that was still red from the pinch, his lips parting as if to ask if it hurt. But before he could speak, someone suddenly wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

“Hey man, why didn’t you come find me for lunch today? Guess you brought your own.” Sun Xiangyang plopped down beside him. Since landing a job here, he’d been interacting with Chen Mo a lot. Today, he didn’t have anyone to eat with, so he came to the break room to make some instant noodles and happened to run into them.

Annoyed by the interruption, Chen Mo immediately put on a scowl. “If you’re so free, have you finished all the work I assigned you?”

As he spoke, he pushed Sun Xiangyang’s arm away, his tone anything but friendly.

Sun Xiangyang frowned. “Did you eat something bad? Why the death glare?”

Chen Mo ignored him, moving his chair a bit further away and silently continuing to eat.

Only then did Sun Xiangyang notice Ye Mu sitting beside him, his expression becoming slightly awkward. He rubbed his hands together and leaned in, “Still playing the game, huh?”

Chen Mo shot him a look, not understanding what he meant.

Sun Xiangyang cleared his throat, whispering, “I get what you told me last time, but don’t go overboard.”

Chen Mo frowned, trying to recall what he’d said recently, but couldn’t remember anything.

The table fell silent, and Sun Xiangyang didn’t say more. He quickly glanced at the two of them, grabbed his bowl of noodles, and left in a hurry.

Ye Mu watched him leave, his sharp eyes turning to Chen Mo. “What did you tell him?”

Chen Mo shook his head, his tone indifferent. “I don’t remember. He’s always been scatterbrained. Don’t mind him.”

Ye Mu remained silent, not asking further questions, though he nodded in agreement. However, a complex emotion flashed through his eyes.

Chen Mo, ever attentive, served him more food. “Eat more, you’ve lost quite a bit of weight recently.”

Ye Mu, whose appetite was always small, stopped eating when he was nearly done. Holding the food container, he stood up. “I’m finished. You can take your time.”

Chen Mo grabbed him, wanting to stay close a bit longer. “Wait for me.”

Ye Mu pursed his lips and said calmly, “I have a lot of work to go through. Time is tight, so I need to hurry.”

Chen Mo looked displeased but didn’t insist, lowering his head to continue eating.

Ye Mu didn’t pay him much mind. After tidying up a bit, he returned to his workstation and focused on reviewing documents.

The afternoon dragged on. Ye Mu, after reviewing past years’ data, made a rough estimate and started compiling an Excel sheet. Though his eyes grew tired, he powered through.

After three or four hours, he had completed his analysis, organized the spreadsheet, and saved the file on his desktop.

Perhaps due to a lack of sleep the previous night, he couldn’t resist his drowsiness and fell asleep at his desk shortly after.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when someone tapped his head, handing him two tickets.

“Ye Mu, I have to go out for a while. You go ahead tonight, and remember to wait at the cinema.”

At that moment, Ye Mu was exhausted. With his eyes closed, he mumbled an agreement and didn’t ask for details before drifting back to sleep. When he woke up, it was already dark outside.

With some time left before the movie started, he decided to take a cab to the cinema, arriving half an hour early. Chen Mo hadn’t arrived yet.

Shanghai had just seen a snowfall, and the temperature was low. The north wind bit through, making his teeth chatter. Not wanting Chen Mo to miss him, he stood in the coldest spot, his face turning red from the chill.

It was their first time watching a movie together, and since Chen Mo had invited him, though he didn’t show it, Ye Mu was quietly excited.

As he looked back on their time together, he felt fortunate to have met someone like Chen Mo, who helped him in tough times and stayed by his side when he was down. If possible, he hoped they could always be together.

“Attention, viewers for Theater D3, the movie is about to start. Please enter the theater early.”

The announcement suddenly blared through the speakers, and the bustling crowd quickly filed into the theater. Soon, the area outside was almost empty.

Frowning slightly, Ye Mu checked his watch and took out his phone to call Chen Mo. But after several attempts, he only got a busy signal, with no one picking up.

As snow began to fall again, he shivered, hesitated for a moment, but stayed where he was, unwilling to leave.

Time passed slowly with the biting cold. The snow on the ground piled up to nearly three centimeters.

For reasons unknown to him, Ye Mu waited outside the cinema the entire night, but Chen Mo never showed up.