The whispers didn't stop.
By the end of the week, they had evolved from curious murmurs into something sharper, more pointed. In the executive lounge, in the elevators, even in the secure server rooms, employees exchanged glances whenever Lin Yuè passed. Some smiled politely. Others watched with narrowed eyes. Li Wei's casual questions during coffee breaks had planted seeds that were now taking root.
Guàn Jǐngchén noticed everything.
He kept Lin Yuè even closer than before — an arm around his waist in public corridors, a possessive hand on his thigh during meetings, and stolen kisses in the private elevator that left both of them breathless. At night in the penthouse, his touches grew more intense, as if physical claiming could silence the growing noise.
That Friday evening, they returned to the penthouse after a long day. The moment the door closed, Guàn Jǐngchén backed Lin Yuè against it, kissing him with barely restrained hunger. His hands slid under the soft cream sweater, palms hot against bare skin.
"I've been thinking about this all day," Guàn Jǐngchén growled against his mouth. "Watching you sit there so sweetly while Li Wei stared at you like he had any right to."
Lin Yuè gasped as the CEO's fingers teased his nipples, pinching lightly. "He was just asking questions…"
"He wants what's mine." Guàn Jǐngchén lifted Lin Yuè effortlessly, carrying him to the bedroom and laying him down on the wide bed. He stripped the sweater off slowly, then the trousers, leaving Lin Yuè completely bare beneath him.
Guàn Jǐngchén took his time, kissing and licking a trail down Lin Yuè's body. He spent long minutes on his chest, sucking one nipple while his tongue circled the sensitive peak, then moved lower. When he reached Lin Yuè's cock, he took it into his mouth — hot, wet, and deliberate. His tongue swirled around the head before sliding down the shaft. One hand stroked what his mouth couldn't reach while the other teased Lin Yuè's entrance with slick fingers.
Lin Yuè moaned brokenly, fingers gripping the sheets. "Jǐngchén… please… I need you."
Guàn Jǐngchén pulled off and quickly slicked himself. He pushed inside with one deep thrust, both of them groaning at the tight heat. He set a hard, claiming rhythm — hips snapping forward, one hand braced beside Lin Yuè's head while the other stroked him in time.
"You're mine," Guàn Jǐngchén growled, thrusting deeper. "Everyone knows it now. No one else gets to look at you like that."
Lin Yuè cried out with every powerful thrust, pleasure coiling tight and fast. He came first with a sharp moan, spilling over the CEO's hand. Guàn Jǐngchén followed moments later, burying himself deep with a low groan as he filled him.
They stayed connected afterward, foreheads pressed together. Guàn Jǐngchén kissed him tenderly, whispering, "I love you. Ignore the whispers. They don't matter."
But the whispers followed them into the weekend.
On Saturday morning, while Guàn Jǐngchén was in the study reviewing quarterly reports, Lin Yuè received a message on his personal phone from an unknown number:
*Careful, Eclipse. The hunter is getting too close. If you don't deliver the AI keys soon, your new "boyfriend" might learn the truth the hard way.*
Lin Yuè stared at the screen, blood running cold. He deleted the message immediately and blocked the number, but the threat lingered like poison.
That afternoon, Guàn Jǐngchén found him on the balcony, staring at the city with a distant expression.
"What's wrong?" the CEO asked, wrapping strong arms around him from behind.
Lin Yuè leaned back into the embrace, forcing a soft smile. "Nothing. Just thinking about how fast everything is moving."
Guàn Jǐngchén turned him around and kissed him deeply. "It feels right to me. You feel right."
They made love again that evening — slow and emotional this time. Guàn Jǐngchén took Lin Yuè against the windows once more, the city lights glittering below as he moved deep inside him. Their eyes stayed locked, breaths mingling, bodies moving in perfect sync until they both shattered together.
Afterward, as they lay tangled in bed, Guàn Jǐngchén stroked Lin Yuè's hair and spoke quietly.
"Li Wei submitted a formal request for another background check on all recent hires. I denied it. But the board is starting to ask questions. They want reassurance that my personal life isn't compromising company security."
Lin Yuè's heart clenched. "What will you do?"
"I told them the truth — that I trust you completely." Guàn Jǐngchén pulled him closer. "The next deeper scan is in three days. After that, everything will be quiet again."
Three days.
Lin Yuè closed his eyes, pressing his face into the CEO's chest.
He had deleted the extraction script. Blocked his old contacts. Chosen love over escape.
But the poison of doubt was spreading.
The anonymous threat had come from someone who knew his old alias.
And the next scan could finally connect the dots.
As Guàn Jǐngchén fell asleep holding him tightly, Lin Yuè lay awake, tears slipping silently down his cheeks.
He had fallen completely in love with the hunter.
Now he could only pray that when the truth finally emerged, the man who called him "mine" would still choose to keep him — even knowing he had once been the ghost that haunted his every waking hour.
End of Chapter 29