Chapter 61: Full Moon Path

Han Jin gave him a complicated look.

Chen Wan didn’t feel much regret; instead, he felt a huge weight lifted off his chest. As long as Zhao Shengge wasn’t implicated, he had no reservations about doing anything.

His phone suddenly vibrated. Chen Wan opened it, and the interface displayed: "The other party has unsent a message."

Chen Wan’s nerves, which had been tense for the past two days, suddenly relaxed.

Chen Wan sent a "Cat Peeking jpg."

Zhao Shengge didn’t reply, so Chen Wan asked again, "What did you send?"

"Curious Cat jpg."

Zhao Shengge said, "Sent it accidentally."

Chen Wan bit his lip and asked, "Still working?"

After a while, a random photo came through.

A wooden desk, a corner of a desk nameplate, likely from some meeting room.

Chen Wan said, "In a meeting? Can I pick you up?"

Zhao Shengge said no need.

But Chen Wan had already made up his mind to go. He zoomed in on the photo, and the logo on the nameplate and the header of the printed page revealed the time, location, floor, and even the meeting room number. Still, he half-heartedly asked for permission: "Cat Begging jpg."

Perhaps the meeting was still ongoing, as Zhao Shengge took a while to reply, "It will be very late."

Chen Wan kept scrolling through his stash of emojis. In fact, he never used to use emojis, but now all of these were kindly shared by Zhuo Zhixuan after he found out Chen Wan was pursuing someone.

Chen Wan searched for a long time and finally found a suitable one: "No Worries Cat jpg."

Zhao Shengge: "..."

After a while, he sent another: "Mmm."

When it came to emojis, Chen Wan realized he didn’t have enough. He flipped through them, feeling that none could precisely express what he wanted to say or how he felt. He reluctantly sent a "Cat Loves You jpg," but after sending it, he felt it was too cheesy. He wanted to unsend it, but in the end, he didn’t.

Before leaving, Chen Wan said, "Jin, do you have any emojis on your phone?"

"What?" Han Jin, still in his feelings, was momentarily confused.

"If you do, send them all to me," Chen Wan pushed open the door, being quite picky, "Preferably something with cats, thanks." He felt that sending cat emojis would get more responses from Zhao Shengge.

"..."

When Zhao Shengge finished the meeting and walked downstairs, Chen Wan was leaning against the Cayenne, waiting.

He wasn’t playing with his phone; his hands were in his pockets, quietly waiting, deep in thought. His eyes were calm, without a hint of impatience. The autumn breeze lifted the hem of his long coat, and a few osmanthus blossoms fell behind him. For a moment, the world seemed to pause.

Zhao Shengge felt as if he could smell the scent of osmanthus on Chen Wan’s clothes even from this distance. He quietly watched for a moment before walking over.

Chen Wan smiled and asked, "Done?"

"Yeah."

These days, Baoli Bay is gearing up for the project's final phase, and Fang Jian has been dropping by daily to hassle everyone.

Chen Wan politely opened the car door for him and said, "Hop in, I’ll drive you back."

Zhao Shengge glanced at him and said, "I’ll take the wheel."

"Huh?"

Zhao Shengge looked at him quietly, tilted his head slightly, and said softly, "You seem a bit worn out, no?"

Chen Wan was momentarily stunned.

His fingers fidgeted slightly.

When Liao Quan threatened him, he felt numb to it. When Ge Xi made him wait in the lobby for hours, he didn’t feel slighted. When Song Qingmiao called and had a screaming argument with him, he was already numb, past the point of hurt.

But Zhao Shengge, within less than a minute of meeting, said he felt like Chen Wan might be a bit tired.

Suddenly, Chen Wan felt something he couldn’t quite put into words. If he had to describe it, it might be like his heart being gently held by a hand.

It felt like a warm embrace, safe and reassuring.

He wasn’t used to this kind of feeling, so it felt very unfamiliar, especially coming from Zhao Shengge.

Chen Wan chuckled softly, looking down, then looked up and said, "Zhao Shengge."

"You’re always this sweet to your admirers?"

"I don’t have anyone chasing me," Zhao Shengge looked at him, "I said I don’t let people chase me."

"Oh," Zhao Shengge added, "The only one trying doesn’t quite have the hang of it."

Chen Wan laughed again, "Fine, I’ll let you drive."

He took the keys out of his pocket and tossed them. Zhao Shengge caught them with one hand and pressed the unlock button.

Chen Wan got into the passenger seat and handed Zhao Shengge, "Here’s some hot herbal tea."

Autumn’s dry in Haishi, so people focus on liver and lung health.

Zhao Shengge didn’t reach out, but instead leaned over to take a sip from Chen Wan's hand. His expression froze for a moment, then he nudged Chen Wan’s hand away, his expression unreadable.

"..." Chen Wan sighed with a smile, looking at him like a kid who won’t touch their veggies.

But there was nothing he could do, so he drank the rest himself.

Chen Wan and Zhao Shengge are both workaholics, and after the project closure, they jumped right into prepping for the roadshow.

Zhao Shengge turned the steering wheel and mentioned a few potential event sponsors.

Minglong isn’t short on sponsors, but it’s all about building hype. This isn’t just his project; naturally, the higher-ups want it to be as big as possible.

Chen Wan analyzed, "The Tan family and Minglong are too closely tied, so it might not generate additional buzz. Actually, if I had to say," he paused for a moment, looking at Zhao Shengge, "I think the Yao family is the better fit."

Marine resources involve political and geographical factors, and the Yao family has deep roots overseas, which can't be compared to the local tycoons rooted in Haishi.

Zhao Shengge raised an eyebrow subtly, looking at Chen Wan with interest.

Chen Wan silently begged him not to bring up that embarrassing cocktail party again and smiled helplessly, "I'm serious."

Zhao Shengge let it slide, nodding seriously. He agreed with Chen Wan’s perspective and said, "Xu Zhiying is favoring Taiji, and they’ve shown a lot of sincerity."

Chen Wan’s eyes lingered briefly as he analyzed objectively, "Taiji has foreign investment, which is both an advantage and a disadvantage."

Ge Xi is gearing up to acquire Rongxin, meaning Taiji Capital will face instability for the foreseeable future.

Chen Wan said, "They’re aiming high, having established many projects last quarter and acquired several small and medium-sized enterprises in the first half of the year. We need to tread carefully if we bring them in."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Of course, this is just my personal suggestion. It’s up to your risk control team."

Zhao Shengge glanced at him, "You’re well-informed."

Chen Wan looked ahead on the road and said, "I saw it in the announcement."

Zhao Shengge made a left turn and said, "The latest survey map is in the document bag. Do you want to see it?"

Chen Wan unfolded it.

On the seabed topographic map, the continental shelf, rocks, ridges... every data point, contour line, and tidal direction, Chen Wan examined very carefully.

The passing lights outside the car window flickered across his face, revealing a hidden longing in his eyes.

In fact, Chen Wan brushed off Liao Quan’s warnings about Xiaolan Mountain.

But he was deeply invested in this project, as it was their joint endeavor.

The Baoli Bay Terminal and the Offshore Oil Tunnel are Minglong’s flagship projects for the coming years, and they’re deeply involved with the government, with intertwined interests, so any PR crisis is out of the question.

Though Chen Wan plays a minor role in this massive project, it contains many shared memories with Zhao Shengge.

Late-night calls at 3 a.m., the negotiation table where they worked with the government, the endless cups of Blue Mountain coffee they drank to stay awake... and when they were surveying the seabed terrain with Fang Jian on Ting Island.

That was the day they named the offshore oil tunnel the "Full Moon Passage."

Because the middle section of the tunnel passes through the world’s largest ocean trench, where the gravitational pull is strong, and the tides are more influenced by the moon.

In this sea, you can see the super golden moon here more often than anywhere else, so Chen Wan suggested that the Offshore Oil Tunnel No. 7 could be named the Full Moon Passage.

Zhao Shengge commented, "The meaning is good."

When he pronounced the words 'Full Moon,' Chen Wan saw a vast universe and twinkling stars in his eyes.

Zhao Shengge himself is the full moon at sea.

The project is the result of his, their, and everyone’s infinite efforts, and Chen Wan cannot tolerate any possibility of it being affected.

Chen Wan had been staring for a while, and Zhao Shengge reminded him, "Chen Wan, your phone is ringing?"

It was Song Qingmiao. Chen Wan took the call in front of him, said a few words, and hung up.

Later, a message came in on Chen Wan’s phone, but he didn’t look at it again. When he looked up, he found that the car had stopped at his apartment.

Zhao Shengge tilted his chin and said, "I’ll take the car, you go back to sleep."

Chen Wan had some dark circles under his eyes, looking like he hadn’t had good rest.

Chen Wan didn’t get out of the car, turned around, and silently stared at him with his dark, bright eyes, motionless.

Zhao Shengge rested his hand on the car window and asked indifferently, "What?"

"Zhao Shengge," Chen Wan suddenly leaned closer, his hand resting on the center console, his eyes a stubborn black, and whispered softly, "Can I kiss you?"

"No kiss today."

Before Zhao Shengge could speak, he added, "Nor yesterday."

Zhao Shengge didn’t say yes or no but looked down at him for a moment and asked, "Chen Wan."

"Have you won me over yet?"

Chen Wan slowly shook his head.

Zhao Shengge said, "No kiss yesterday because you didn’t show up."

Chen Wan nodded, admitting his mistake.

Zhao Shengge asked again, "Do you really want this?"

Chen Wan nodded more forcefully.

Zhao Shengge said, "Come closer."

Chen Wan leaned in, hands on Zhao Shengge's shoulders, gripping gently.

Noticing Chen Wan's awkward stance, Zhao Shengge pulled him closer by the waist, seated him on his lap, and kissed him deeply.

Zhao Shengge's face was calm, but his grip was firm, holding Chen Wan tightly, eliciting a sound from him.

Chen Wan pressed closer, determined to win Zhao Shengge over quickly, to protect him and keep him close.

But the kiss didn’t last long. Zhao Shengge held Chen Wan's nape, not too lightly or heavily, and said, "Not today. Try harder tomorrow."

Chen Wan felt a mix of satisfaction and regret but obediently replied, "Okay."

But he lingered, slowly getting out of the car, wondering, 'Can’t we do it today?' He really wanted to see Zhao Shengge’s intense side again.

Maybe he hadn’t tried hard enough. He’d do better tomorrow.

Zhao Shengge just watched him quietly, seeing a bit of the messy thoughts in his head, but not entirely clear, thought for a moment, and then said, not exactly explaining, "Tomorrow Fang Jian will be evaluating you."

The last two days have been tough for him and Xu Zhiying.

Finally, Chen Wan gave up, got out of the car, and said, "Okay, I’ll head back."

Knowing Chen Wan wanted to watch him leave, Zhao Shengge drove off.

Chen Bingxin called sooner than Chen Wan expected.

De Xin Garden, hidden behind tall trees, retained the Nanyang style of the Republic of China era, with round windows and pointed roofs blending British influences from the Queen’s era. From afar, it resembled a monstrous relic, out of place, as if devouring the flesh and souls of generations who lived there.

Chen Wan was last summoned back during the Ghost Festival. Half a year had flown by.

He and the monstrous structure faced each other from a distance. Chen Wan believed he had escaped, but he was wrong.