Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 68

Chapter 68: Fade to Black

The banquet ended at ten o'clock. When Zhang Rong left, he was clearly much more relaxed.

"What did you talk to him about?" Zhao Shenggu sat on the sofa, holding Guan Yuan in his arms.

"Nothing much. I just wanted to bring him into our company. I think he has a lot of potential. Brother, what do you think?" Guan Yuan looked up at Zhao Shenggu.

Just one look from Guan Yuan was enough to melt Zhao Shenggu's heart. He couldn't possibly say no. "Alright, whatever you say."

"Then you have to help him sort out his troubles."

Zhao Shenggu naturally knew what troubles Guan Yuan was referring to. That was no problem at all. But— "Baby, today is our special day. If you keep talking about other men, I'm going to get jealous." Zhao Shenggu gazed at Guan Yuan steadily, his eyes growing dark and deep.

Guan Yuan's face immediately turned red. "What special day..."

"Let's go take a shower," Zhao Shenggu said in a low, husky voice.

Guan Yuan knew what was coming. He lowered his head and gave a soft "mm."

Zhao Shenggu scooped Guan Yuan up in his arms. "Ah!" Guan Yuan cried out in surprise. By the time he came to his senses, they were already in the bathroom.

"Get out. I can wash up myself." Guan Yuan pushed Zhao Shenggu toward the door.

"You sure you don't want my help?"

"I'm not disabled!" Guan Yuan firmly pushed Zhao Shenggu out.

Zhao Shenggu looked at the tightly shut bathroom door and licked the corner of his mouth.

Quite a while later, Guan Yuan finally came out of the bathroom. After his shower, his originally fair skin had taken on a honeyed glow, and he looked like a ripe peach, with a misty haze still lingering in his eyes.

Seeing Guan Yuan like this, Zhao Shenggu could no longer hold back. He scooped Guan Yuan up and carried him back to the bedroom.

With a thud, the two of them landed on the bed.

"Brother..." Guan Yuan swallowed as he looked at Zhao Shenggu, whose eyes seemed to have turned red.

"Don't move." Zhao Shenggu lowered his head and captured Guan Yuan's lips.

Guan Yuan obediently wrapped his arms around Zhao Shenggu's neck.

The temperature in the air seemed to rise considerably as the two tangled together on the bed.

Fade to black.

When the two finally stopped and fell asleep, a soft white glow suddenly emanated from Guan Yuan's body, vanishing without a trace in an instant.

At the same time, inside the space, the petals of the blooming lotus fell one by one into the spiritual spring, disappearing in an instant. On the lotus stem, a new bud appeared once again, visible to the naked eye.

Sunlight streamed through the bay window into the room. Birds chirped as they searched for worms to eat.

On the large white bed, there was only a single lump under the covers, with a tuft of messy hair sticking out.

Then the lump stirred, and a slender, fair hand reached out. A muffled groan came from under the blankets. Guan Yuan held his waist and silently cursed Zhao Shenggu as a beast.

When Zhao Shenggu came into the bedroom carrying a bowl of millet porridge, he saw the lump wriggling non-stop. He chuckled softly. "Xiao Yuan, you're awake?"

Hearing his voice, the lump stopped moving.

Zhao Shenggu knew he had gone too far last night, and Guan Yuan must be feeling terrible today. When he saw how pitiful Guan Yuan looked in the morning, Zhao Shenggu felt extremely regretful. But at the time, he simply couldn't hold back.

"Alright, it's my fault. I won't do it again." Zhao Shenggu sat on the edge of the bed and massaged Guan Yuan's waist and thighs.

Guan Yuan still didn't move.

"Xiao Yuan, get up and eat something, then you can go back to sleep, okay?" Zhao Shenggu pulled back the covers and whispered in Guan Yuan's ear.

Guan Yuan stirred. Last night's activities had been too much—he really was hungry.

Zhao Shenggu quickly brought the porridge over, helped Guan Yuan sit up, wrapped him in the blanket, and fed him spoonful by spoonful.

"Why is it porridge?" Guan Yuan had cried out a lot last night, and now his voice was hoarse.

"Be good. I asked the doctor, and he said you should stick to soft foods today."

Guan Yuan rolled his eyes at the culprit. "If you do this again, don't even think about a next time."

"Yes, yes, yes." Zhao Shenggu nodded repeatedly. "It's my fault. I promise it won't happen again. From now on, Xiao Yuan is in charge. If Xiao Yuan says stop, we stop, okay?"

"Hmph." Guan Yuan huffed, which counted as agreement.

After feeding Guan Yuan, Zhao Shenggu returned to the bedroom.

Guan Yuan asked in a whiny voice, "Aren't you going to the company today?"

Zhao Shenggu was in his pajamas. He pulled back the covers, lay down on the bed, and held Guan Yuan. "We're newlyweds. I have to stay with you no matter what."

Guan Yuan blushed again. "What... newlyweds..." Even as he said it, Guan Yuan nestled comfortably into Zhao Shenggu's arms. He was so tired that before long, he fell into a deep sleep again.

Zhao Shenggu tenderly kissed his forehead and kept rubbing Guan Yuan's lower back.

When Guan Yuan woke up again, it was already noon. Having slept so long, plus Zhao Shenggu's constant massaging, Guan Yuan felt much better.

Zhao Shenggu was no longer in bed. Guan Yuan picked up the pajamas Zhao Shenggu had prepared for him and put them on. Walking was still a bit uncomfortable, but not too bad.

He went downstairs but didn't see Zhao Shenggu. Had he gone to work? Guan Yuan wondered.

"Xiao Yuan, why are you up!" Zhao Shenggu's voice came from the staircase.

Guan Yuan turned around and saw Zhao Shenggu holding some documents, about to come downstairs.

"Where did you go?" Guan Yuan asked.

"I saw you were sleeping soundly, so I went to the study to take care of some things."

"Are you busy? Maybe you should go to the company. I'll be fine here."

Zhao Shenggu came down the stairs, picked Guan Yuan up, and set him on the sofa. "Busy? No matter how busy I am, you're more important. Why aren't you wearing socks? You'll catch a cold."

"It's fine. I'm not that delicate. Isn't the air conditioning on?"

Zhao Shenggu pinched his nose. "You... wait here. I'll go get you some socks."

Guan Yuan watched Zhao Shenggu's hurried figure and smiled sweetly.

At noon, Zhao Shenggu made black chicken soup, and Guan Yuan drank two full bowls.

"You like it? If you like it, I'll have Auntie Zhang make it for you."

Since both of them were busy, they had hired a cook, Auntie Zhang, who was very skilled at home-style cooking. With the ingredients Guan Yuan took from the space, her cooking was just as good as theirs.

"Mm."

The two finished their meal affectionately.

It was a rare sunny winter day, so Zhao Shenggu and Guan Yuan basked in the sun in the garden. Zhao Shenggu was still worried Guan Yuan might be uncomfortable, so he kept massaging him.

The two chatted lazily, and before long, Guan Yuan fell asleep again.

Zhao Shenggu pinched his nose and said affectionately, "Little pig." He gently picked him up, ready to carry him back to the bedroom.

Just then, Zhao Shenggu's phone rang.

This was also a product of Guyuan Electronics, launched this summer.

Unlike the "big brother" phones on the market that only had calling functions, the Guyuan phone came in black and white, with a candy-bar design. Although it also had buttons, it looked far more stylish and sleek than the "big brother" phones.

[big brother phones (大哥大, dàgēdà): the brick-like 1G mobile phone of the 80s/90s, named after the triad bosses in Hong Kong movies who always carried one.]

Most importantly, it had text and camera functions, and even a built-in mini-game. The key feature was that this phone's network signal tracking was much stronger than other phones on the market. As soon as it launched, it was hugely popular. Mobile phones weren't widespread yet, but the price was high. It sold well not only domestically but also overseas.

"Hello." Zhao Shenggu answered the call after laying Guan Yuan on the bed.

"Boss, are you at home? There's a document that urgently needs your signature."

"Mm, bring it to Youhu Villa."

"Mm..." Guan Yuan woke up at that moment.

"Did I wake you? Do you want to sleep more?" Zhao Shenggu touched his forehead and asked softly.

Guan Yuan shook his head. "How did I fall asleep again? I'm not sleeping anymore, or I won't be able to sleep tonight."

Zhao Shenggu laughed. "If you can't sleep, that's perfect. We can do something fun."

Guan Yuan's face went dark.

He snapped at Zhao Shenggu, "Don't even think about it. Brother, how did you become so shameless?"

Zhao Shenggu didn't care at all. "What do I need shame for when I'm with you?"

Guan Yuan facepalmed.

Half an hour later, the assistant arrived with the documents.

When he arrived, Zhao Shenggu was sitting on the sofa with Guan Yuan, watching TV—an archaeology program.

The assistant thought to himself, The boss really has wide-ranging interests, even enjoying archaeology programs.

Zhao Shenggu took the documents and started reading. When he got to the later pages, his brow furrowed.

"Who gave you these documents?"

"President Li from Yuangu Braised Meat."

Zhao Shenggu put the documents down. "You go back first. I'll hold onto these for now."

The assistant saw that Zhao Shenggu's expression was off and didn't dare ask more questions. He said goodbye and left.

"What's wrong?" Guan Yuan asked.

"Nothing. It's just that when your operation gets big, there are always a few rats."

"Is it serious?"

"It's a small matter, nothing major." Hearing that, Guan Yuan didn't ask further and leaned against Zhao Shenggu, squinting at the TV.

The two spent the whole day being lovey-dovey. The next day, it was back to work and school.

"Don't tire yourself out at school. Maybe you shouldn't go today." Zhao Shenggu adjusted Guan Yuan's scarf and said this for the third time.

Guan Yuan was exasperated. "Brother, I'm not made of clay. I'll be fine."

"I'll have Auntie Zhang bring you lunch at noon. You have to eat, okay? I'll pick you up right after your last class in the afternoon."

"Mm, got it." Guan Yuan agreed and was about to get into the car.

"Xiao Yuan..." Zhao Shenggu pulled him back.

Guan Yuan looked at him, puzzled.

Zhao Shenggu offered his cheek, looking at him expectantly.

Guan Yuan kissed his cheek and sighed inwardly. How did I never notice before that he is so clingy?

When Guan Yuan arrived at the classroom, morning self-study had already started.

Yesterday, Zhao Shenggu had called in to say Guan Yuan was sick, so when Guan Yuan arrived late today, the homeroom teacher didn't say anything and even asked if he was feeling better.

Guan Yuan sat down at his desk. His deskmate nudged his arm and gave him a knowing, exaggerated look.

Guan Yuan had no idea what was going on.

His deskmate leaned in and whispered, "I didn't expect this from you, Guan Yuan. You're pretty wild. Last night must have been intense!"