Thirsty Skin - Chapter 24

Chapter 24 – Do you want to?

The next morning, Zhu Chizhou still seemed to be in a bad mood. He found a corner by himself for breakfast and did not sit with Lin Wan.

The car from Xinrong Development came to pick them up for the meeting. Zhu Chizhou was also sitting in the back seat close to the door, giving off a “keep out” signal. He didn’t look at Lin Wan nor talk to him.

Lin Wan didn’t know what Zhu Chizhou was upset about again. Even if he had a nightmare and knocked on his door in the middle of the night, he didn’t intend to laugh at Zhu Chizhou. After all, Zhu Chizhou had seen him in such a miserable state, and the two of them could only be considered a draw at best.

Pan Min was waiting for them on the steps in front of the Xinrong Development office building. Standing with her was Tan Shiping, chairman of Xinrong Development.

Chairman Tan is about fifty years old, with a ruddy complexion and black hair. He is not tall but has a broad body and a protruding belly. The dark gray suit and white shirt make him look a bit like a penguin.

Before coming, Lin Wan heard from Tang Qinghe that Tan Shiping was a powerful official with a bad temper, and needed to be dealt with carefully.

The car stopped at the entrance of the office building. Pan Min opened the door for Lin Wan and warmly welcomed him. Tan Shiping also smiled and shook hands with Lin Wan.

After exchanging greetings, everyone went upstairs in a friendly and cordial manner.

Zhu Chizhou followed Lin Wan the whole time without saying a word, and no one spoke to him. He had a cold and handsome face, just like Lin Wan’s bodyguard.

After sitting down in the conference room, Lin Wan suddenly approached Zhu Chizhou and whispered in his ear, “The first agenda item will be an introduction to the project and progress updates. Can you make the speech?”

Usually, this kind of speech was made by Lin Wan, because it not only summarised the current status of the project, but also proposed the challenges and solutions encountered. Without a very comprehensive perspective on the project, it was impossible to speak out.

Zhu Chizhou looked at Lin Wan in confusion.

【The bad habit of state-owned enterprises is the strict hierarchy. Judging from Xinrong Development’s attitude towards Zhu Chizhou, they probably think that an assistant director is too low-level and do not take Zhu Chizhou seriously.】

【If on the first day, everyone is left with the impression that Zhu Chizhou is not an important character, Xinrong Development will not buy into Zhu Chizhou’s ideas, and it will make Zhu Chizhou feel uncomfortable interacting with them.】

【When we cooperate with state-owned enterprises in the future, I need to remember to print a box of business cards for Zhu Chizhou. For nFor now hehe can only convince the other party with your professional ability.】

Zhu Chizhou participated in the entire project. He was also present when Lin Wan reported on his work. HHe also discussed the problems and solutions with Mr.Mr. Zhang yesterday. Lin Wan felt that Zhu Chizhou should be able to do the job.

But he hadn’t communicated with Zhu Chizhou beforehand, and didn’t know if Zhu Chizhou could organize his words well at the last minute. After all, even he had to go over his speech several times in his mind before the meeting to prepare himself, and it was actually very difficult to arrange it for Zhu Chizhou ten minutes before the meeting.

As a result, Zhu Chizhou said directly: “No problem.”

They were too close, and when Zhu Chizhou tilted his head, his ear accidentally touched Lin Wan’s lips. Zhu Chizhou moved aside as if he had been electrocuted.

There were people all around, so Lin Wan didn’t want to give too many instructions and boldly let Zhu Chizhou get on board.

Perhaps because of nervousness, Zhu Chizhou’s face and ears were very red at the beginning of the meeting, but his speech tone was steady and his logic was clear. As he spoke, he gradually got into the mood, his complexion returned to normal, and he looked confident and calm.

It was completely beyond Lin Wan’s expectation that Zhu Chizhou could speak so well without any PPT or speech.

Not only did his ideas coincide with Lin Wan’s in several places, but there was even some data that Lin Wan himself could not remember. Zhu Chizhou was able to tell them accurately, which really surprised Lin Wan.

After Zhu Chizhou finished his speech, a vice president from Xinrong Development asked a more complicated question. Lin Wan wanted to speak, but Zhu Chizhou remained calm and provided a convincing answer.

Tan Shiping, who had been frowning the whole time, looked at Zhu Chizhou with some surprise. He originally thought that this was just an inexperienced newcomer in the workplace, who was brought out by his leader to broaden his horizons, so he had never even looked at this young man seriously.

Tan Shiping glanced at Lin Wan, and Lin Wan smiled at him.

【How is it? Our Chi Zhou Chizhou is awesome, right? 】

Zhu Chizhou suddenly felt empty inside and turned his eyes away from Lin Wan. Although he received the praise, he felt depressed.

In the past, when he heard Lin Wan praising him in his heart like this, he would be very proud for a long time. But now, he clearly knew that Lin Wan really regarded him as a subordinate.

Just like Nie Xiaolan said, Lin Wan is very protective of his calvesalves, and he is just one of them.

There are more than twenty such “calves” in their investment department, and there was nothing special about him.

After a busy day, Lin Wan was almost exhausted, but he still had to cheer up and attend the dinner party hosted by Xinrong Development.

Tan Shiping was originally going to accompany Lin Wan in the car, but before leaving, he suddenly had something to do and returned to the office, so Lin Wan got in the car with Zhu Chizhou.

Lin Wan asked him, “Didn’t you make an appointment with your friends? Aren’t you going?”

Zhu Chizhou looked at Lin Wan’s haggard face and said, “I’ll go to dinner with you first.”

Yesterday, Zhu Chizhou woke Lin Wan up in the middle of the night. Seeing that he was fine, he felt relieved and fell asleep. HeHe didn’t know what time Lin WanLin Wan went to bed. In the morning, he checked the call records and found that the last call lasted more than an hour before hanging up.

What’s more, these companies are different from start-up companies. The executives are all middle-aged men in their forties, and each of them is a tough guy. They drink 50-degree liquor by the pound. How could he really let Lin Wan go to the banquet alone?

Lin Wan was not in a good state today and got drunk easily, so Zhu Chizhou was worried.

【I’m so sleepy. I really want to sleep.】

Lin Wan sat in the right back seat of the car, with no sign of sleepiness on his face.

【I can’t open my eyes anymore.】

However, the eyes behind his glasses were still clear and calm.

Zhu Chizhou: …

‘‘Will you die if you relax a little?’’

As the car started moving, Zhu Chizhou asked the driver: “Brother, how long will it take to get to the restaurant?”

The driver said, “It takes twenty minutes if there is no traffic jam, and forty minutes if there is a traffic jam.”

Zhu Chizhou: “Is it congested now?”

The driver drove the car out of the gate of Xinrong Development and just after turning the corner, there was a traffic jam. The driver said, “It’s blocked.”

“I’ll take a nap,” Zhu Chizhou said to the driver, “Call me when we get there, big brother.”

The driver turned down the music and said in Mandarin with a dialect accent: “That’s fine, go to sleep.”

The windows were closed, shutting out the noise of the cars coming and going. The car stopped and started after more than ten minutes, making people feel even more sleepy.

Lin Wan glanced at Zhu Chizhou. The boy was still sitting next to the car door, his tall body huddled up miserably, and it seemed that he had fallen asleep leaning against the door.

【It would be nice if I could sleep in Zhu Chizhou’s arms at this time】, Lin Wan thought so, and finally leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes.

For some reason, hehe slept very soundly and slept all the way to the parking lot. When he woke up, he found himself leaning on Zhu Chizhou’s shoulder.

As soon as Zhu Chizhou moved, he woke up. His left cheek was pressed against Zhu Chizhou’s shoulder, leaving a very light red mark. He was unaware of it and said lazily, “We’re here.”

“Yeah.” Zhu Chizhou glanced at the faint marks on his face, pushed open the door and got out of the car.

Pan Min arrived first and waited in the private room with several other corporate executives. When everyone was present, they took their seats and began to toast.

Lin Wan didn’t sleep well last night, and was very sleepy. He had to force himself to stay awake to attend the social event. Fortunately, Zhu Chizhou was there, otherwise he would not have been able to hold on tonight.

Zhu Chizhou was very helpful. Not only did he drink a lot, but he also controlled the atmosphere of the dinner very well.

He seemed like a natural social expert, and he was not at all shy when socializing with a group of older, shrewd middle-aged people.

Whenever someone toasted Lin Wan, he would skillfully interrupt the conversation and unnoticeably take the wine glass for Lin Wan. All his actions were natural and appropriate, which attracted the people from Xinrong Development to praise him highly, saying that they envied Lin Wan Wan for having such a young and talented assistant.

【Zhu Chizhou is really good,】 Lin Wan thought, 【Why is he so good? He suits my taste in every way.】

Zhu Chizhou paused as he was pouring tea for Lin Wan, his heart starting beating hard again.

【He is my most satisfying business trip partner. 】

Zhu Chizhou’s hand slipped and he almost dropped the teapot.

Lin Wan reached out to help, and his hand touched the back of Zhu Chizhou’s hand, which was warm.

The two of them sat close to each other, and Lin Wan could always smell the faint scent of Zhu Chizhou. HisHis skin was already slightly tingling, and his heart was filled with a morbid desire.

【I really want to hug Zhu Chizhou, sit in his arms, bury my face in his neck, and smell his nice scent.】

Zhu Chizhou put the teapot away and stuttered for some reason: “Sorry, sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Lin Wan felt his breathing become a little rapid, and stood up and said, “I’m going to the bathroom.”

He took off his glasses, placed them on the jade marble table, and scooped up two handfuls of water to wash his face.

Although the itchiness and pain on his skin were still getting worse, his mind was not as dizzy anymore. He shook off the water droplets on his hands, took out two cotton towels, and wiped them slowly while taking deep breaths to calm himself down.

After packing up, Lin Wan put on his glasses again and walked out, and unexpectedly met Zhu Chizhou who was standing at the door.

Lin Wan asked him, “Why didn’t you go in?”

Zhu Chizhou said: “I think you don’t feel well.”

The answer was irrelevant, but Lin Wan understood what Zhu Chizhou meant. The boy saw that he was not feeling well, so he waited for him at the door.

Feeling a little warm in his heart, Lin Wan raised his hand to lift up his hair that was wet by the water, looked into Zhu Chizhou’s eyes and said softly, “I’m fine. Didn’t you help me drink the wine tonight?”

【Thank you.】

Zhu Chizhou turned his face away and said, “Well, let’s go back.”

On the way back to the private room, Zhu Chizhou received a call from Ji Xun. Ji Xun asked him how long it would take. He said it would take about an hour, so Ji Xun complained.

When Zhu Chizhou hung up the phone, Lin Wan said to him, “You can leave first if you have something to do.”

Zhu Chizhou opened the door of the private room for Lin Wan and said, “It’s okay. He can find something to do by himself.”

The banquet lasted until almost nine o’clock.

Although Zhu Chizhou had drunk a lot, he was still able to stay sober. He sent Lin Wan back to the hotel and then took a taxi to the Bar to meet Ji Xun.

Today on the Star Wars floor, while Ji Xun was waiting for Zhu Chizhou, he had already drunk The Matrix on the first floor and Blade Runner on the second floor.

Ji Xun sat at the bar, his handsome face flushed. When he saw Zhu Chizhou, he cursed: “If you didn’t come here, I would have been with a pretty girl!”

Zhu Chizhou had just sat down on the bar stool when he heard this and immediately stood up: “Then I’ll leave?”

Ji Xun grabbed his arm and pulled him down, “You’re leaving!” He cursed and turned to the bartender and said, “Give him a glass of ‘Han Solo’.”

“Damn it,” Ji Xun opened his arms and hugged Zhu Chizhou’s shoulders, “I have to fly to Rong City to see you, and wait for you for hours alone. I am just like your dog!”

Zhu Chizhou took out his phone, opened Ji Xun’s social account, and flipped to the photo he posted today. He pointed at the handsome guy in the photo and said, “Half an hour ago, you were with a long-haired handsome guy.”

“Our artist is filming nearby, so what if I stop by to check on the set?” Ji Xun pushed the phone screen away, “Didn’t I come all the way to see you? If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here!”

Zhu Chizhou also hugged Ji Xun and said with emotion: “Good brother!”

Ji Xun asked him: “How is your project going? When can you go back? Come with me tomorrow!”

Zhu Chizhou said: “We can’t leave tomorrow. We’ll have to wait at least two or three days.”

The bartender pushed the “Han Solo” in front of Zhu Chizhou and said, “Please enjoy your meal, sir.”

Zhu Chizhou took a sip from the glass, tasting the whiskey and a little bit of smoke, which felt good. He took another sip and put the glass on the table: “After the investment framework agreement is finalized, there are still many things to deal with later.”

Ji Xun put an arm on Zhu Chizhou’s shoulder, took a sip from the cup, and said, “Why don’t you just let Xiaowanzi handle it? You’re here to make up the numbers anyway.”

“What do you mean I’m just here to make up the numbers?” Zhu Chizhou pushed him off his shoulder and emphasized to him, “I’m an important character!”

Ji Xun said, “Hey!”

“You were PUA’d by your XiaoXiao Maruko? Did you fall in love with him while doing it with him?”

Zhu Chizhou’s face suddenly turned red, and he stiffened his neck and cursed: “Fuck! How can you say such obscene things!”

The light was too dim, so Ji Xun couldn’t see Zhu Chizhou’s blushing face: “How is what I said obscene? It’s because your heart is too dirty!”

Zhu Chizhou picked up the cup and took another big sip, then stopped talking.

These two people grew up together and were very familiar with each other’s temperament. Seeing that he didn’t argue, Ji Xun could naturally guess that he was worried and elbowed him: “What’s wrong with you? Are you in a bad mood?”

Zhu Chizhou propped up his head listlessly, poking his fingers at the mini spaceship model hanging on the rim of the cup, and snorted: “Hmm…”

Ji Xun snapped his fingers and said to the bartender, “Give him another Jedi Knight.”

“It seems like you’ve come to the right place, buddy.” Ji Xun leaned over and put his arm around Zhu Chizhou’s shoulder, asking curiously, “What happened? Tell me quickly.”

Zhu Chizhou did have a lot to say in his heart, but he didn’t know how to start. He tilted his head back and drank the whole bottle of “Han Solo”, leaving a faint spicy taste between his teeth.

This drinkdrink is made of whiskey and absinthe, and its alcohol content is no less than the Moutai he just drank at the table.

Western wine and Eastern wine have always been incompatible, and drinking them together will make you drunk.

Zhu Chizhou was silent for a while. He felt a little dizzy as he watched the bartender shaking Shaker’s hand, as if he was seeing double.

He propped his head with his fist and asked Ji Xun: “Have you ever met someone in your relationship where you were seen as a means to a specific end, rather than as an end in itself with irreplaceable intrinsic value?”

Ji Xun was not drunk, but he felt dizzy immediately after hearing his words. He raised his hand to his temple, frowned and asked, “What the hell?”

Zhu Chizhou was about to repeat it to him, but just as he started, Ji Xun interrupted him: “Damn it, speak human language!”

Zhu Chizhou narrowed his eyes: “Is it difficult to understand?”

“Listen to what you are saying. What is the purpose of irreplaceable intrinsic value itself?” Ji Xun said, “You are even more confusing than a tongue twister!”

Zhu Chizhou: “What’s wrong with it? Isn’t it very clear?”

Before Zhu Chizhou came, Ji Xun had already chatted with the bartender for a long time, so Ji Xun asked the bartender: “Do you understand?”

The bartender said as he worked: “It’s just that they like your money but not you as a person.”

Ji Xun asked Zhu Chizhou: “Is this what you mean?”

“Not very appropriate,” Zhu Chizhou thought for a moment, “… To be more precise, it’s that they like your body but not you as a person.”

The bartender didn’t understand this and handed him a glass of Jedi Knight. “Is there any difference between liking your body and liking you as a person?”

Zhu Chizhou shook his head drunkenly, made exaggerated speaker gestures, and said to the bartender very seriously: “If I am regarded as an object of objectification, a target for soothing desires, rather than a subject with independent thoughts and emotions, then my value as a complete existence is ignored. Do you understand what I mean?”

After hearing this, the bartender frowned, his eyes widened, and he slowly left them.

When Ji Xun heard this, he knew it was over.

When Zhu Chizhou started speaking these non-human languages, it was a sign that he was drunk.

Ji Xun moved the cup of Jedi Knight with a blue glow away and said, “I think you should stop drinking.”

“Do you understand what I mean?” Zhu Chizhou asked him, reeking of alcohol.

“Yes,” Ji Xun said, “You were taken advantage of for free, right?”

The word “freeloading” hit Zhu Chizhou very accurately. He lay on the bar with a melancholy expression, crossed his arms, and rested his chin on his head to think about life. After thinking for a long time, he finally came to this painful conclusion: “It seems so.”

Ji Xun was completely stunned. He opened his mouth wide and couldn’t utter a word for fifty seconds.

Zhu Chizhou is the only precious virgin in their circle who had never had a girlfriend, advocated Platonic spiritual love, and viewed beauty as if it were a skeleton.

It’s so funny. He hadHe had been a virgin for more than 20 years, but in the end, someone took advantage of him.

Ji Xun yelled “F*ck” three times in a row: “What kind of girl is so awesome? She must be a fairy, right? Show me her photo!”

After saying that, he tried to grab the phone that Zhu Chizhou had placed on the table. Zhu Chizhou put the phone into his pocket and said, “No photos.”

He almost swallowed back the words “not a girl” that were about to come out of his mouth and almost bit his tongue.

Ji Xun asked: “How did you know herer? Have I seen that person before?”

Zhu Chizhou didn’t answer, thinking to himself, ‘‘of course you have seen him, and you want to make him an artist in your company.’’

“So you hooked up with someone and she dumped you?” Ji Xun patted his shoulder and said sympathetically, “How bad must your job be!”

Zhu Chizhou hated the term “hookup” and seriously corrected him: “There was no hookup, and I didn’t show whether my work was good or not.”

Ji Xun: “Oh, you haven’t slept with her yet.”

T/N :

As far as i know, in Chinese, there are no specific pronouns to refer to male and female, it’s the same character. So when JX misunderstands that ZCZ is referring to a girl. Since, the character referring to the pronoun is the same, JX doesn’t realise that ZCZ is referring to a male and not female. And, ZCZ is also not bothered to correct him. I have translated it with the right pronouns so it looks a little confusing.

Well, he and Zhu Chizhou grew up together and know each other well. As for Zhu Chizhou, no matter how bad he does, he shouldn’t be annoying.

Zhu Chizhou was listless for a while, then confessed honestly: “… We did sleep together.”

Ji Xun understood it completely and nodded: “YouYou slept together but didn’t have sex, right? Then you will be dumped. It would be strange if you didn’t!”

Zhu Chizhou knew that Ji Xun had misunderstood, but he couldn’t explain it. He couldn’t just say that the other party treated him like an ice cube, which sounded even worse than being dumped on a one-night stand!

Zhu Chizhou tried to save his dignity: “I wasn’t dumped, he still wants me very much.”

Ji Xun wanted to kill him: “So are you here to show off your love?”

Zhu Chizhou was drunk and said excitedly: “But he just wants my body!”

Ji Xun was about to spit out the wine, looked around, put his palm on Zhu Chizhou’s shoulder and said: “Fuck, keep your voice down.”

However, Zhu Chizhou’s nerves were dull and his senses were numb. He did not lower his voice and continued to speak loudly: “And he, she doesn’t want to have sex with me, he just wants to touch me and hug me!”

His bold words attracted the attention of several men and women nearby. Ji Xun grabbed Zhu Chizhou’s neck and wanted to press his head into the wine glass: “Keep your voice down!”

Zhu Chizhou’s eyes were blurry: “I’m done.”

Ji Xun let him go and lowered his voice: “So you want to have sex with her, but she doesn’t want to?”

This question stumped Zhu Chizhou – did he want to have sex with Lin Wan?

He hadn’t thought about this question yet.

He drank the cup of Jedi in one gulp, and the image of Lin Wan appeared in his mind.

The vividness without glasses, the eyes full of stars when smiling, the black leg rings hidden under the suit pants, the romanticism under the wisdom and calmness, the cuteness under the maturity and stability, and the occasional loss of control under the strict self-discipline…

Zhu Chizhou’s face and neck were red, his tongue was a little tangled, and he said solemnly: “If you humans define having sex as me entering hiser body, then I hope he can enter my soul.”

Ji Xun knew that he had drunk too much, so he patiently chatted with him: “For us humans, it may be relatively easy to find someone to enter your body, but if you want to find someone who understands your soul and talks to you about Kant, Nietzsche, Sartre and Hesse under the covers, that’s too difficult.”

Zhu Chizhou’s body swayed for a moment. He held onto the bar to steady himself, took a deep breath, and then said loudly: “Then I will make my body give way to my soul!”

Ji Xun quickly hugged him, feeling ashamed of him and afraid that he would fall off the chair, “Damn it, philosopher! Send your own body back to the hotel first, I can’t fucking move you!”