Chapter 156 – Fraudulent Organization
After Wei Chen arrived at the airport, there was still half an hour before the plane’s departure. He wished that this half hour would pass in the blink of an eye. He even wished that the two-plus hours of flying on the plane would pass by in an instant, so he could be back with Li Li immediately.
Despite getting ready to board the plane, Wei Chen still called Chen Li. Almost as soon as the phone rang, it was answered. Chen Li’s slightly drowsy voice came through the phone.
“Achen, are you back?”
Upon hearing Chen Li’s voice, Wei Chen’s demeanor softened. “I’m at the Shanghai Airport now. I’ll be back soon.”
“Oh.” Learning that Wei Chen hadn’t yet returned to the capital, Chen Li’s voice sounded somewhat disappointed.
“Li Li, you should go to sleep. I’ll come see you when I’m back.” Wei Chen could hear the tiredness in Chen Li’s voice. It was almost eleven o’clock now, and Chen Li would have already been asleep at this time on a usual day.
Chen Li couldn’t help but yawn and said, “I’ll wait for you.”
This was Chen Li’s insistence. Even though he was tired, he couldn’t sleep without Wei Chen by his side.
“Alright, then wait for me to come back.” Wei Chen didn’t want to push Chen Li, knowing that someone was waiting for him to return home filled him with warmth. This kind of warmth couldn’t be overridden even by the early spring chill.
Afterward, the two didn’t say much but neither hung up the phone. At this moment, the sound of each other’s breathing was so soothing that even without speaking, they hesitated to end the call.
It wasn’t until the airport announcement sounded that Wei Chen reluctantly hung up the call. He picked up his ticket and hurried to board the plane, as if doing so would immediately take him to Chen Li.
Zhuge Yu poured a glass of milk from the kitchen and walked up to Chen Li, who was sitting on the living room couch. He handed the milk to Chen Li and said, “Li Li, go to sleep. By the time you wake up, Wei Chen will be back.” Chen Li shook his head while holding the milk and then couldn’t resist letting out a big yawn.
Chen Li was truly exhausted. Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes, and although he squinted his usually big eyes, he had to fight against the strong urge to sleep. He appeared tense and strained.
Zhuge Yu shook his head helplessly. He couldn’t remember how many times he had tried to persuade Chen Li to sleep. But no matter how tired Chen Li was, he wanted to wait until Wei Chen returned.
Zhuge Yu glanced at the wall clock. It was almost one in the morning. He was having a hard time staying awake.
“Xiao Li, can you wait by yourself? I’ll go upstairs and sleep,” Zhuge Yu let out a big yawn. He couldn’t stay up late anymore; old age was catching up with him.
Chen Li nodded and took a sip of milk, as if hoping it would make him more awake.
Even though Zhuge Yu couldn’t stay awake, he still watched Chen Li finish the glass of milk before returning to his room. The moment his head touched the pillow, Zhuge Yu stopped thinking and fell asleep.
Shortly after Zhuge Yu returned to his room, Chen Li’s phone rang. It was Wei Chen calling, and without looking at the caller ID, Chen Li eagerly answered.
“Li Li, I’m back. At the doorstep.”
At this hour, Wei Chen was considerate that everyone else was asleep, so he didn’t ring the doorbell but called Chen Li instead. He knew that Chen Li was waiting for him to return.
Upon hearing Wei Chen’s voice, Chen Li suddenly sat up from the couch. Without even putting on his slippers, he rushed to open the door for Wei Chen. As the door swung open, Wei Chen stood outside. Even though his face was expressionless, his eyes and brows were gentle.
Throughout the journey, under the stars and through the dust, upon seeing Chen Li, all the exhaustion immediately vanished, and Wei Chen was full of energy.
“Li Li, I’m back,” Wei Chen entered, closed the door to prevent the cold wind outside from blowing in.
“Mm,” Chen Li nodded, then rushed into Wei Chen’s arms. Despite it only being a day, it felt like a century.
Wei Chen gently stroked Chen Li’s back, resisting the impulse to tightly hold him. He knew that soon enough, Chen Li would fall asleep in his arms. Indeed, before long, Chen Li’s steady breathing came from Wei Chen’s embrace, indicating that he had fallen asleep.
Shaking his head, Wei Chen gently picked Chen Li up and carried him horizontally, walking steadily into the guest room. As he placed Chen Li on the bed, Wei Chen caught hold of Chen Li’s feet. Due to his haste, Chen Li’s feet had touched the cold floor. Now, Chen Li’s feet were still chilly.
Wei Chen’s hands were warm. He held onto Chen Li’s feet to warm them up. Perhaps it tickled, as Chen Li, still in his sleep, involuntarily moved, trying to pull his feet away from Wei Chen’s grasp. Wei Chen, feeling playful, held onto Chen Li’s feet tightly.
Chen Li squirmed uncomfortably and muttered, “Achen.”
In his slumber, Chen Li’s voice sounded a bit drowsy, a bit soft and tender, almost like he was being a bit coquettish. Wei Chen’s heart warmed up, and he realized that Chen Li’s feet were indeed warm. This warmth spread from his hand to his whole body like an electric shock. Wei Chen reluctantly released Chen Li’s feet, his gaze burning with desire. In the end, he had no choice but to head to the bathroom.
His back view had a somewhat poetic vibe, like a wind blowing gently across the cold waters.
By the time Wei Chen had cooled off, it was already around two in the morning. He lay down next to Chen Li. As if sensing something, Chen Li shifted and nestled into Wei Chen’s arms, throwing a leg over him. Though sound asleep, he nuzzled against Wei Chen’s neck.
Wei Chen instinctively held Chen Li even closer. Before getting into bed, Wei Chen hadn’t felt tired. However, now, as he held Chen Li, he suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion sweep over him. Still, he managed to plant a soft kiss on Chen Li’s forehead and whispered a gentle “goodnight” before embracing Chen Li and falling into a deep slumber.
With the most important person in his life right beside him, both of them slept soundly.
*
The night passed without dreams, and before they knew it, it was dawn.
Although Zhuge Yu had slept late, his biological clock of decades made him rise promptly at six-thirty. His first action upon waking wasn’t washing his face or brushing his teeth, but checking the living room to see if Chen Li had gone to sleep.
Upon finding the living room empty, with a lonely briefcase lying on the floor, Zhuge Yu sighed in relief. It seemed Wei Chen had come back last night.
Once he confirmed Chen Li had returned to sleep, Zhuge Yu returned to his room, flopped onto the bed, and fell back asleep.
After all, it was the weekend today. He could sleep in as long as he wanted.
*
Zhuge Feng wasn’t as punctual as Zhuge Yu when it came to his biological clock. On workdays, Zhuge Feng could wake up right on time, but on days off, he was a bit lazy. He would insist on sleeping in until late in the morning.
So, as the sun climbed higher in the sky, the Zhuge household remained peaceful.
Before sleeping, Wei Chen had drawn the curtains. Fortunately, the curtains weren’t very translucent. Even if they slept until nine or ten in the morning, the room would still remain dim, much like it was at five or six in the morning.
When Chen Li woke up, he thought it was around five or six in the morning. He rubbed his eyes against the stubble on Wei Chen’s chin, then blinked sleepily. “Achen, good morning.”
“Morning,” Wei Chen responded with a gentle tone. He still didn’t want to get out of bed while holding onto Chen Li. Chen Li had no intention of getting up either. After all, he hadn’t seen Wei Chen for such a long time. He wanted to cuddle with him a bit longer.
The two of them indulged in bed for almost half an hour, until Chen Li’s stomach let out a growl, signaling his hunger. Wei Chen and Chen Li finally got out of bed after washing up a bit. They walked out of the room to find some food.
At this point, both Zhuge Yu and Zhuge Feng were already awake. Seeing the two of them come out hand in hand was a familiar sight, and they greeted them with a casual “morning.” Breakfast was already set on the table, and the staff had prepared it. Zhuge Yu beckoned them over to have breakfast.
Simple porridge and dishes, a very ordinary breakfast, but it was a regular on the breakfast table for the Zhuge brothers.
The porridge was lukewarm, directly drinkable. Chen Li’s stomach was genuinely hungry by now. He finished the lukewarm porridge in a few gulps.
Zhuge Yu couldn’t help but chuckle. “Take your time, Li Li. Nobody’s competing with you.”
After Chen Li finished the last spoonful of porridge, he obediently said, “I’m hungry.”
Without saying a word, Wei Chen used his chopsticks to pick up a dish Chen Li liked and fed it to him.
Chen Li naturally opened his mouth, then smiled and playfully raised an eyebrow at Wei Chen.
The two single dogs at the table found the scene a bit cheesy, almost too sweet to bear. They couldn’t help but look away, but the warmth exuding from Wei Chen and Chen Li’s interaction still managed to touch them, leaving a faint smile on their lips.
After finishing breakfast, Zhuge Feng picked up the latest newspaper of the day and started reading it seriously. Zhuge Yu would also lean over to read some headlines that caught his interest. Likewise, Zhuge Feng would invite Zhuge Yu to look at interesting news when he came across them. Although neither of the brothers had a significant other, they supported each other, making their lives enjoyable.
“Zhuge Yu, come take a look at this,” Zhuge Feng called Zhuge Yu over, finding something interesting in the news.
Zhuge Yu immediately leaned over to see.
This news was on the front page of the newspaper, reporting that the police had busted a fraudulent organization. This organization had a complex network of members with distinct roles. The police had been monitoring them for two years before finally apprehending them.
However, what Zhuge Feng wanted Zhuge Yu to see was the fraudulent methods used by this organization.
Within their organization, there were specialists skilled in the arts, capable of reproducing famous paintings and other internationally renowned artworks. Through various means, they sold these counterfeit artworks to individuals who needed them, swindling them out of large sums of money.
To date, they had succeeded numerous times, accumulating immense amounts of money. The total amount of stolen money had already exceeded one billion!
