A Warm Tones - Chapter 3

Wen Xu was truly a very dedicated and professional secretary. Even when faced with his boss’s unreasonable demand, he still responded quickly and satisfactorily: “President He, if I can’t untie him, I’ll have to cut Mr. Qin’s clothes off. Is that acceptable?”

He Rongchuan gave a arrogant nod, granting permission.

Wen Xu fetched a pair of scissors from the secretary’s office outside, then returned and walked straight toward Qin Jiangzhi. The hand holding the scissors was already poised and ready.

The T-shirt and jacket on Qin Jiangzhi were both several years old. Even if they were ruined, he wouldn’t feel any heartache.

Still, the situation felt extremely strange—his hands and legs bound, his clothes being cut away by someone else, while the mastermind who gave the order stood directly in front of him with obvious mockery on his face, as if watching a ridiculous performance.

It still made Qin Jiangzhi feel a trace of displeasure. “Secretary Wen…”

“What is it, Mr. Qin?” Wen Xu’s voice remained respectful. “If I hurt you, please tell me.”

The sound of fabric being cut wasn’t loud. Wen Xu’s movements were gentle and careful; he tried his best to avoid letting the scissors or his hands touch Qin Jiangzhi’s skin. To Qin Jiangzhi, it really felt like a purely professional task.

Qin Jiangzhi watched his T-shirt turn into several useless scraps of cloth in the blink of an eye, but still said nothing.

Once the top was done, Qin Jiangzhi’s upper body was quickly exposed under the bright lights. Secretary Wen didn’t pause for a second and immediately began cutting off Qin Jiangzhi’s pants in the same manner.

The pants were made of sturdier material, so Wen Xu took a bit more time.

Throughout the entire process, He Rongchuan simply watched. Only when Qin Jiangzhi was left wearing nothing but his underwear did he finally speak: “Secretary Wen.”

Wen Xu’s hand was already reaching for the waistband of Qin Jiangzhi’s underwear. Hearing He Rongchuan’s voice, he stopped immediately.

“You may leave now,” He Rongchuan said coldly.

The office fell silent once again.

He Rongchuan took his time carefully examining Qin Jiangzhi’s naked body, now fully exposed before him.

Compared to three years ago, Qin Jiangzhi had become far too thin. There wasn’t a single ounce of excess fat on him; every protrusion and hollow of his bones was clearly visible.

His skin was also an unhealthy shade of pale, yet combined with that face of his, it created a kind of sickly beauty.

It was completely different from what he remembered.

He Rongchuan still remembered how Qin Jiangzhi would occasionally complain in high school about gaining fat on his lower abdomen. He would use holiday time to work out and proudly show off the results to him.

The Qin Jiangzhi from back then had lived entirely within the high school days they shared—always with an upturned smile, bright eyes, and a lively personality. All of that now felt like a limited-time edition that had long since expired.

Only his face remained the same as before. Everything else had completely changed in the three years He Rongchuan was gone.

He Rongchuan recalled once again how Qin Jiangzhi had coldly said, “You’ve got the wrong person,” just moments earlier. That sentence reignited his fury, making it even harder for him to forgive this version of Qin Jiangzhi—who now felt like a complete stranger, as if they were meeting for the first time.

“Truly unbearable to look at.” When He Rongchuan spoke again, his voice was thick with suppressed rage, dripping with disdain and sarcasm. Every syllable felt like a sharp blade, as if he wanted to cut Qin Jiangzhi to pieces. “Qin Jiangzhi, even if you offered this pathetic, shabby body to me now, I wouldn’t want to touch it.”

“If it weren’t for our past relationship…” He Rongchuan said as he took a step toward Qin Jiangzhi on the sofa.

Qin Jiangzhi kept his eyes open, watching He Rongchuan approach step by step.

He stopped only when the tips of his leather shoes were nearly stepping on Qin Jiangzhi’s toes. He Rongchuan reached out with his right hand, palm facing down, as if he were about to touch him.

Qin Jiangzhi’s expression finally showed a hint of tension; he no longer looked indifferent. However, He Rongchuan’s hand did not make direct contact. It hovered just a few centimeters above Qin Jiangzhi’s skin.

From the surface, it looked almost like a real caress. It moved slowly from Qin Jiangzhi’s thin shoulder, down to his sunken chest. The shadow of the palm lingered over his left nipple for a while, then continued down to his flat abdomen.

“…” Qin Jiangzhi held his breath, afraid to move even slightly, terrified that even a small tremble would cause him to touch He Rongchuan’s hand.

The shadow slid down to Qin Jiangzhi’s crotch and stopped completely.

He Rongchuan’s expression was fierce, his brows slightly furrowed. It was unclear whether he was hesitating or simply disgusted and unwilling to actually touch him. From Qin Jiangzhi’s angle, it looked as though He Rongchuan’s hand was resting right there.

Even though there was no contact, a strange heat seemed to travel through the air from He Rongchuan’s palm onto his body.

“You…” Qin Jiangzhi couldn’t hold back and spoke.

He Rongchuan withdrew his hand, let out a cold snort, and took a step back. After staring at Qin Jiangzhi with dark, gloomy eyes for a moment, he turned around and strode out without another word.

Leaving Qin Jiangzhi alone in the brightly lit office, quietly wondering about He Rongchuan’s unpredictable mood.

It must have been a long time later. Just as Qin Jiangzhi was growing drowsy again while staring at the ceiling lights, Secretary Wen entered the office and draped a suit jacket over him.

The jacket looked very familiar—it was the one He Rongchuan had been wearing.

Wen Xu then carefully untied all the ropes on Qin Jiangzhi’s body. “Mr. Qin, I’ll take you to shower.”

It was surely another order from He Rongchuan.

The bathroom was connected to the office and was extravagantly luxurious. The entire floor and walls had a glossy sheen that could clearly reflect Qin Jiangzhi’s figure.

Secretary Wen stopped at the bathroom door and did not enter. He simply told Qin Jiangzhi that all necessary items had already been prepared inside.

It took quite a few steps from the sink to the glass-enclosed shower. Qin Jiangzhi quickly rinsed himself, then put on the bathrobe he found in the bathroom.

Secretary Wen was still waiting outside. When he saw Qin Jiangzhi open the door and come out, he immediately said, “Mr. Qin, if you’re done, I need to take you to the bedroom to rest.”

—

In the lounge, He Rongchuan finished reading several poorly written project proposals from his subordinates, reviewed the key documents for next week’s board meeting in advance, and personally confirmed his work schedule from tomorrow through the weekend.

Work helped He Rongchuan concentrate his attention in a short time.

Only after confirming the entire schedule did he take out his phone, open a certain monitoring app, and select the surveillance feed from the room where Qin Jiangzhi was.

Qin Jiangzhi had finished showering. He was wearing the bathrobe that He Rongchuan often wore, his hair still damp, and was already lying in bed.

Secretary Wen was meticulous as always. Following He Rongchuan’s instructions, he had retied Qin Jiangzhi’s hands with rope. For the sake of sleeping comfortably, this time He Rongchuan had not ordered them tied behind his back.

Qin Jiangzhi was obedient and offered no resistance. After lying down, he made no extra movements. It was unclear whether he was asleep. On the monitor, Qin Jiangzhi was only the size of a fingernail, making it impossible to see his facial expression clearly.

Yet He Rongchuan still watched with intense focus. His index finger gently stroked the image of Qin Jiangzhi’s face on the screen. Then, suddenly irritated, he tapped the screen hard several times with his fingertip, but felt no satisfaction at all.