Chapter 64: Rose Shards (2)

Although Wen Mingwei did not show any anxiety about his work, it was quite evident that he felt a sense of relief now that the year-end business had been successfully wrapped up.
For a short while, he could slow down his pace and handle those non-urgent matters step by step.
The turmoil surrounding the General Administration of Customs had also temporarily subsided, which was specifically reflected in the noticeably decreased frequency of Jian Xinning’s visits. Gu Jing was not as tense as he had been recently, and even the butler wore a smile on his face more often.

On December 17th, the final batch of cargo was escorted by Tan Zhao.
Logically speaking, this task should not have fallen to him. Since Wen Mingwei was not going personally, Gu Jing arranged the principal persons in charge of each segment and submitted the list for Wen Mingwei to review. However, Tan Zhao voluntarily offered to participate, giving the same reason as before: he wanted to share the burden. Wen Mingwei hesitated for only a moment before agreeing.
If Tan Zhao were his subordinate, he would naturally deserve a promotion after rendering meritorious service. But Tan Zhao was not, and Wen Mingwei could not possibly assign the young master to any official position. Letting him escort a shipment of arms meant placing absolute trust in him. This was the true "reward."
Escorting arms meant that Tan Zhao had infinitely approached the core of Wen Mingwei’s sphere of influence.

The shipping procedure established by Wen Mingwei was extremely complex, going far beyond merely passing through a few customs checkpoints. First, the goods were shipped out from the base, and the route was divided into several segments. Each segment had an independent person in charge, and their information was not shared with one another. The cargo completed the entire journey through a relay system.
Tan Zhao boarded the ship at the second checkpoint and followed the cargo all the way to the end, successfully completing the mission.

On the afternoon of the 19th, he returned to Xijing. Because of the heavy use of medication, his gunshot wound had healed by seven or eight tenths. Just like last time, Wen Mingwei watched him apply the medicine with his own eyes, knowing that trying to stop him was useless, so he let him be. But now that the matter had come to an end, it was time to take a proper break and rest.

That evening, they had dinner together as usual.
Having just returned from the sea, Tan Zhao proactively brought up an interesting encounter along the way: "A seagull followed me the entire journey. If it weren't a living bird, I would have suspected it was a spy you planted."
Wen Mingwei chuckled and said, "Do I even need a spy? There is real-time surveillance on the ship, didn't you know?"
"..."
Tan Zhao honestly did not know, but given how strong Wen Mingwei's desire for control was, it was not surprising wherever cameras were installed.

Tan Zhao understood this very well now, because he was also increasingly infatuated with the feeling of holding the people and things he cared about in the palm of his hand. This was not only a reflection of power, but also an incomparable sense of security.
"Mingwei, have you ever thought about the future?" Tan Zhao suddenly asked.
"What future?"
"Our future."
"Ah, do you mean work arrangements, or...?"

Wen Mingwei was sipping a cup of rose tea. A petal floating on the surface brushed against his lips with the current, a small, pale-yellow, damp speck that looked like a tiny flower pressed against his mouth.
Tan Zhao reached out, plucked it off, ate it, and said, "Both. Work can be done slowly; it's endless anyway, no rush, but—"

Tan Zhao paused for a second, then lowered his head with feigned casualness: "Can we talk about our relationship first?"
"How do you plan a relationship?" Wen Mingwei asked, puzzled. "I have no intention of leaving you, isn't it fine to just let the rest take its course?"
"..."
That seemed to be true. Tan Zhao choked slightly, at a loss for how to retort for a moment.

Back in the bedroom to rest that night, he pulled the freshly showered Wen Mingwei into his arms, remained awkwardly silent for a long while, and suddenly said, "But I want more."
"What?"
"I want you." Tan Zhao nipped at Wen Mingwei’s hair, making a soft rustling sound. Intoxicated by the soothing fragrance of the body wash, a tingle spread across his chest. He slipped a hand around to the front, undid the buttons of Wen Mingwei’s pajamas, fumbled for a moment, and pressed his palm against Wen Mingwei’s heart.
"I want to dig your heart out and eat it," Tan Zhao murmured against him like a spoiled child, clingy and persistent. "No matter what I do, I'm never satisfied. What should I do?"

Wen Mingwei was growing drowsy and replied with a nasal hum, "What do you want to do?"
"I don't know."
Tan Zhao kissed his way from the back of his neck to his cheek, rolled him over, pinned him beneath his body, and dropped a bombshell: "How about... we get married."
Wen Mingwei was taken aback: "Get married?"
"Didn't you say before that you wanted to marry me?"

Tan Zhao slipped the ring off his ring finger and deliberately placed it on Wen Mingwei's face. Wen Mingwei lowered his gaze to glance at it, his eyelashes fluttering: "Mmm, this was indeed designed as a wedding ring; I wasn't lying to you back then."
"So, do you want to get married?"
"Is it that hasty?"
"If you want a grand proposal ceremony, I'll arrange it tomorrow."
"...That's not what I meant."

Wen Mingwei smiled slightly: "Don't you think marriage is a serious matter, and we should consider it for a few more days and treat it more carefully?"
"You even care about that?"
This didn't match Wen Mingwei's unconventional personality. He was obviously looking for an excuse to turn Tan Zhao down. But since they had no intention of breaking up, wouldn't marriage be a matter of time? Why refuse?
Tan Zhao took back the ring, turned off the lights, and lay back down in silence on his own pillow.

In the dark, Wen Mingwei glanced at him sideways, tracing the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. After a long while, as if suddenly remembering something, he asked without any warning, "By the way, is Wen Mingzhe's casino still open?"
Tan Zhao paused and replied in a low voice, "It's open. Wu An is running it."
"Is Wu An your man now?"
"No, barely connected," Tan Zhao said. "He is currently absorbing Wen Mingzhe's old subordinates overseas and replacing them, while setting up a fake alliance identity on the other side. The casino belongs to him now."
Wen Mingwei remarked, "Was this the favor you promised him back then?"
"I was just borrowing someone else's flowers to offer to Buddha; I didn't sacrifice much either."

The awkwardness Tan Zhao had felt for barely five minutes quickly dissipated. He turned on his side to hug Wen Mingwei and muttered, "Is the AC set too high? It's a bit warm."
Distracted by this, Wen Mingwei did not continue pressing for details.

Tan Zhao lowered the room temperature by two degrees and dropped the humidity by ten percent, then clung back onto Wen Mingwei like a magnet, holding him tight.
He dropped the subject of marriage and suddenly said, "Mingwei, isn't your birthday coming up soon?"
"Mmm, do you know the date?"
"I asked Gu Jing." Tan Zhao suggested, "We haven't had a break in a long time. Shall we go on a vacation and celebrate your birthday along the way?"
Of course they could. That was precisely what Wen Mingwei had been planning. He just hadn't expected Tan Zhao to bring it up himself, assuming the young master was a workaholic who would refuse to give himself a holiday.

Once the plan was finalized, Tan Zhao set about arranging the vacation destination.
He was a seasoned expert in this regard, with plenty of experience. In less than a day, he drew up three vacation itineraries and asked Wen Mingwei to pick the one he liked best.
The first was an ancient castle deep in the mountains, a resort with a medieval flair;
The second was an island, a private island owned by Tan Zhao;
The third was also an island, but it was a man-made technological island with almost no natural scenery. The promotional pictures looked bizarre and otherworldly; Wen Mingwei stared at it for a long time without understanding what on earth it was, yet Tan Zhao seemed to like it very much.

His curiosity piqued, Wen Mingwei thought for a moment and said, "Let's go with this one."