The next morning, He Juan woke up when his alarm went off at six and blearily stumbled to the bathroom to drench himself with cold water. The biting chill rained down on him, burning away the last bits of his drowsiness.

"Ah—!" He made a sound like a dying whale while jumping around to regulate his blood flow lest he would end up freezing to death in his own bathroom, clad in nothing but his birthday suit. Only then did he feel like his scattered consciousness had returned to him.

He Juan had no idea what time he fell asleep last night. He was clearly exhausted to death, but for some unknown reason, he lay on his bed wide awake, his senses attuned to the slightest noises from the room next door. He could hear Mu Yuze turning and tossing on the bed, even heaving a frustrated sigh once in a while. He Juan had been worried that Mu Yuze’s wounds were hurting too much for him to sleep and thus, he had forced himself to stay awake in case the boy needed him. And it was not until he heard the boy’s breathing turned smooth and even that he closed his eyes as well.

The severe lack of sleep thus resulted in – sticky eyelids, fuzzy mind and sluggish limbs.

No, he couldn’t keep on like this. He Juan patted his cheeks and stared at the horrible shadows beneath his eyes through the mirror. Even though he did not have the intention to search for a Lady Boss, he still needed to maintain his figure for the sake of his Alpha’s pride and dignity.

So, espresso it was, then.

Fortunately, he had asked his men to buy an espresso machine a few days before. Pulling up a black sweatpants, He Juan floated to the kitchen and began to tinker with the machine.

The first few days, he was still experimenting with how it worked so the coffee he made ended up becoming a horrendous black liquid that should be banned for further consumption. But He Juan was nothing but dedicated and persistent. He kept trying day after day, and it was not until yesterday that he managed to produce a small cup of espresso that was safe for a human’s stomach – or at least, his stomach.

He Juan followed the instruction step by step – grinding the beans, tamping his shot, then locking the portafilter to the machine – and as he watched brownish liquid trickling down his glass, a sense of peace filled him to the brim and he could not contain the smile on his face. Then, when he took the first sip—

"Yuck!!" He Juan retched and almost vomited his guts out. So bitter! How could something so bitter exist in this world?! Nonetheless, he still braced his hand against the countertop and chugged the coffee down in two large mouthfuls, even when tears started to prickle on his eyes. His face crumpled once he finished the coffee and he pulled his tongue out, panting heavily, just like a dog on the peak of summer.

Yes... this was precisely what he needed. A torment so agonizing that even his soul was wailing in pain. Only then could he be sober enough to last until the end of the day.

He Juan could already feel buzzing energy returning to him. He tried to ignore the suffocating bitterness on the base of his tongue to the best of his ability and started to clean the machine. As he was washing the glass, his phone on the countertop rang. He Juan picked it up and put it on speaker, "Hello?"

"Good morning, Boss." One of his men, Chen Youzhi, spoke in greeting. His articulation was clear and he was not slurring on his words. Overall, there were no traces of drunkenness in his tone.

He Juan raised a brow and glanced at the time – still 6.30 in the morning. "Didn’t you guys have fun last night?" He asked with a chuckle. "You didn’t drink with them? I have even been prepared to give you guys a day off..."

Chen Youzhi’s voice carried a hint of helplessness. "Boss, don’t tease me."

He Juan barked out an amused laughter. What was with the people around him? Yesterday it was Mu Yuze, and now it was Chen Youzhi. He Juan was clearly serious with his words, but why did everyone always take it as a joke? Shaking his head, he reached out toward the upper cabinet and took out his precious collection of imported sugar cubes. He threw one into his mouth and asked, his voice muffled. "So?"

"We didn’t drink last night. Well, we planned to. But something suddenly came up..." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

He Juan was munching on sugar cube when a movement from his peripheral vision caught his attention. He lifted his head to find Mu Yuze standing across the countertop, still looking sleep rumpled with his fluffy hair that stuck out to all places. He Juan resisted the urge to smooth it down for him and in exchange, threw another sugar cube into his mouth. He offered a bright and pearly smile. "Good morning, Xiao Ze! Do you sleep well?"

"...the bar in West Ring Road and— pardon? Did you just say something, Boss?"

"Ah, it’s nothing, just a roommate of mine." He Juan let out a brief chuckle as he looked at Mu Yuze who was frozen on the spot with his gaze transfixed somewhere on He Juan’s middle. What was he looking at— oh, it must be the sugar cubes. He offered the package to Mu Yuze, "Would you like one?"

Mu Yuze finally snapped back to his senses and quickly dragged his eyes to He Juan’s face. His expression was carefully flat and if one looked closer, his pupils looked a bit unfocused as if his soul was floating somewhere in midair. "You are... eating sugar cubes at six in the morning?"

"What’s wrong?" He Juan blinked, confused. "It’s delicious."

"Delicious," Mu Yuze echoed blankly.

"Xiao Ze?" He Juan keenly perceived that something was wrong with Mu Yuze’s state. He straightened up and walked toward the boy, his hand reaching out to measure the temperature on the boy’s forehead. "What’s wrong? Did you possibly get—" Alas, before He Juan’s palm could even landed, Mu Yuze abruptly took a step back, his gaze wide and full of panic as he darted his gaze everywhere but He Juan,

"D–Don’t... don’t come closer!"

"What’s wrong?" He Juan became even more worried. "Are you feeling unwell?" He attempted to take one step closer, but Mu Yuze reacted even strongly by pushing him away!

"Y–You... you pervert!" He blurted out before turning away and running back to his bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

He Juan was left behind, flabbergasted, with his hand still stretched out in midair. What was wrong? Why did Mu Yuze react like this? Pervert? How did he suddenly become a pervert?!

Amidst the thick cloud of his confusion, Chen Youzhi’s hesitant voice echoed from the phone. "Um, Boss..." he cleared his throat awkwardly. "May I ask if... if you are dressed right now?"

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A/N (19/3/2023): the Chapter is now with fanart! >< kindly open the comment section and show your love there! Much love for Ying for supplying us with HJ’s hot bod *wipes drool*