n

nChapter Forty-Five: Cufflinks

nYesterday, Yan Jin forced Xiao Yu to press his pawprints.

nUsing the same kind of method as pressing an infant’s footprints, all four of Xiao Yu’s paws had been painted with the red ink paste used for seals and stamped onto the paper.

nToday, Xiao Yu saw a golden paw print that was framed and mounted.

nEven though Xiao Yu wanted to ridicule how Yan Jin managed to get the factory to produce that within a day, the hamster eventually focused the main point onto whether the frame could be put elsewhere.

nAt the very least, don’t hang it on the wall on top of the headboard!! Wasn’t that spot usually meant to hang wedding photos??

n

n

nXiao Yu tried to protest against it several times. Too bad at such critical moments, Yan Jin’s mysterious ability to understand the hamster language didn’t seem to work.

n“Are you hungry again? You just ate something, you can’t have more.”

n“Just a little while more. Once I’m done with this, I’ll play with you.”

n“Hm, what?”

nAgainst Yan Jin’s puzzled gaze, Xiao Yu could not bear to grumble anymore.

nFine, hang it on the headboard then, it wouldn’t affect him anyway.

nToday was a Sunday. Over the past few weekends, Yan Jin was usually very relaxed. But this time was an exception. Aside from settling the work from his company, he also needed to handle the phone calls that kept ringing in.

nAt first, Xiao Yu thought that it was Chu Ge calling Yan Jin to hang out. Then, when he realized that Yan Jin was rejecting the persistent caller’s phone calls nonstop, Xiao Yu knew that things weren’t as simple as he thought.

nThis did not seem like Yan Jin’s attitude towards Chu Ge.

nEventually, Yan Jin threw his phone.

n

n

nPONG.

nThe phone flew very far away as it bounced off the floor. The thud was like the suppressed frustrations that came from the owner – dull and fierce – giving Xiao Yu a big shock.

nXiao Yu picked up the melon seed that he had dropped on the desk, carefully gnawing on it. His small eyes were whirling around as if he was simply minding his own business, munching on his melon seed. In fact, the hamster was secretly watching Yan Jin’s every move.

nYan Jin was in a fit of anger like a large-scale destructive weapon – silently sending shivers down everyone’s spine.

nHowever, Yan Jin would only react in such a manner because he was at home. When he faced outsiders, he was like a dormant volcano covered in pure white snow, whose magma was churning underneath icy snow layers, making it hard for people to find its traces.

nIt was only when those people could not handle Yan Jin’s retribution that some intelligent ones would suddenly realize – Aaah! So, it was that time when they had carelessly offended that unpredictable young chairperson!

nEven so, some of them would never realize for the rest of their lives that the origin of their misfortune was in fact from Yan Jin’s hands.

nFor example, Fan Xiaoge, who became a wandering homeless person, was a classic case. Even at this moment, she still couldn’t understand which sentence she said had gone beyond Yan Jin’s limit. For every sleepless night that she had experienced, the name that she cursed was not even Yan Jin.

nAfter Yan Jin threw his phone, he did not continue working. The chairman sat there for a moment, then got up and pulled out a set of clothing from his wardrobe and went into his dressing room.

nYan Jin seemed to have completely forgotten the pile of unsettled documents. He went back and forth between the bedroom and the dressing room, and even took the Saint Laurent cologne from the bathroom.

n

n

nXiao Yu was stunned.

nWas Yan Jin going out? That’s so rare…

nGoing out to relax before the Autumn Release Conference was a good idea. After all, Yan Jin would be very busy soon.

nBut why does this seem a little weird? Xiao Yu rubbed his chin, feeling that something seemed to be amiss.

nEspecially when Yan Jin put on a dark blue dress shirt with folded sleeves, along with trousers that were slightly rolled up. With light makeup and a styled hairdo, Yan Jin walked out from the dressing room with an extremely handsome appearance. That weird feeling that something must be amiss had instantly reached its peak.

nYan Jin… was he a person with this kind of style?

nXiao Yu always roasted Yan Jin for his overly-simplistic leisure activities. Aside from going to work, the chairman would be at home messing with his hamster. Even his QQ account was so formal that it had no hint of how unrestrained a big boss would usually be.

nBut at this moment, when Yan Jin had fulfilled Xiao Yu’s wish by dressing himself as a flashy and enticing person, the hamster felt that to the contrary, the image of an ascetic chairperson who dressed himself in that everyday suit seemed a lot better.

nXiao Yu had never thought that he was a sensitive person. Under most circumstances, he would use all kinds of self-entertaining reasons to shrug off anything that seemed strange or made himself unhappy. Yet at this very moment, he could clearly sense that something was wrong with Yan Jin.

nPerhaps it was the sixth sense he gained after he became a hamster, an ability to anticipate danger like a small animal?

n

n

nA fruity smell mixed with an indescribable spicy scent assaulted Xiao Yu’s nostrils. For a hamster, it was too overwhelming. Xiao Yu felt an itch in his nose as he sneezed.

n“Sorry.” Yan Jin moved further away.

nXiao Yu rubbed his nose.

n“Squeak.” It’s okay.

n“I’ll go out for a while. I’ll be back tonight, so Fishy… You should return to your cage.”

nYan Jin did not get any closer. He stretched his long arm out to open the cage and tapped on the desk surface.

nThat was a signal that the two of them had agreed on. Whenever Yan Jin did that, it meant that Xiao Yu had to return to his cage.

nNormally, Yan Jin would only do that when it was time to sleep. If Xiao Yu didn’t play along, then the chairman would use food as a lure.

nUnder most circumstances, Xiao Yu would be very obliging and return to his cage. Occasionally, the hamster would retaliate a little for the sake of getting some benefits from Yan Jin.

nYet this time around, Xiao Yu backed away slightly.

n

n

n“Squeakk.” Where are you going?

n“Come over.” Yan Jin patiently waited.

n“Squeakk.” Can you not go…?

nYan Jin heaved a sigh and walked to the cage to take Xiao Yu’s food dish. Then, he grabbed the bag of melon seeds at the side and pulled open the seal.

nXiao Yu panicked as he wobbly ran over with short steps and grabbed Yan Jin’s cuff.

nThe grip instantly stopped Yan Jin’s actions and allowed Xiao Yu to have a clearer look at that uniquely designed silver cufflink.

nNo, it was not uniquely designed. That kind of cuff link wasn’t even considered rare – it was completely one of its kind.

nIn the blink of an eye, Xiao Yu seemed to have an epiphany, yet the trail flashed by and became unclear once again.

nXiao Yu immediately turned his gaze towards the cuff on Yan Jin’s other sleeve.

nIndeed, there was only one cufflink.

nIn fact, even without Xiao Yu stopping him, Yan Jin did not plan on pouring that bag of melon seeds – it was just a habitual reaction. After realizing that something was amiss, he had stopped immediately. Otherwise, with Xiao Yu’s ant-like strength, the hamster would not have obstructed Yan Jin’s tree-like sturdiness.

n“I almost forgot. You can’t eat anymore.” It didn’t matter if he was in a rush to leave, Yan Jin would never forget that his hamster was overweight and forbidden from midnight snacks.

nThe unstable emotions from earlier had almost caused him to make such a beginner mistake.

nYan Jin promptly sealed the melon seed package and placed it further away.

nWhile Yan Jin was doing that, he realized that something was weird about his hands. He lowered his head and saw the hamster who was hanging in mid-air still gripping tightly onto his cuffs as if Xiao Yu was doing arm exercises.

n“Pfff. Pfff.”

nXiao Yu was too close to Yan Jin, and that made his nose itchy again as he sneezed nonstop.

nYan Jin’s heart instantly melted into a puddle.

n“I’m sorry, I’ll be back early tonight.” Yan Jin placed Xiao Yu on the desk as he returned to sit on his chair, bending forward to assure Xiao Yu.

n“Could you go back in first? Someone will come over to clean up later. It’s not safe to stay outside.”

nXiao Yu knew that Yan Jin was referring to the scheduled bi-weekly cleanup. In the past, Yan Jin would always bring Xiao Yu to the living room to hang around and only returned to their room when everything was cleaned up.

nThis was the first time that Yan Jin had used the cleanup as an excuse to lock him up in the cage.

n“Squeak.”

n“Squeaakkkk.”

nXiao Yu desperately wanted to express himself, but no matter how much he tried, he could only let out the same squeaking sound. Even the extremely gifted Yan Jin could not completely understand what his hamster was saying, yet the chairman could sense that Xiao Yu was trying to ask him to stay back.

nYan Jin sighed again and pulled open his drawer to look for something.

nThen, a cold little toy was stuffed into Xiao Yu’s arms.

n“I planned to give it to you tomorrow. I’ll make it up to you with that.” Yan Jin looked at the bewildered little hamster as his gaze became gentler: “Return to your cage, okay?”

nXiao Yu held the golden melon seed in his paws, feeling completely different compared to the other time when he had received the golden walnut.

n“Squeakk…”

nWith no other choice and against Yan Jin’s stern attitude, Xiao Yu was forced to give in.

nXiao Yu walked hesitantly as he approached the cage extremely slowly. It was as if dragging out the time like that would make Yan Jin change his mind.

nToo bad, no matter how slow he walked, that distance of less than a meter eventually came to an end.

nThe transparent panel slid upwards into place with a dull click, echoing in Xiao Yu’s heart.

nXiao Yu coldly watched as Yan Jin left. The hamster did not move an inch.

nHe knew that the chairman would return.

nAs expected, Yan Jin opened the door again and picked up the phone that was dropped on the floor. The chairman brushed off the nonexistent dust, turned towards Xiao Yu, and waved his hand as he bid goodbye.

nXiao Yu went along with the act and waved his paw back.

nThe room suddenly went silent. This time, Yan Jin was gone for sure.

nXiao Yu, who was as quiet as a statue, immediately started moving as if a switch had been flipped.

nStep one, adjust the little house’s position. Step two, stand onto the platform. Step three, push with a spurt of energy!

nThe transparent panel successfully flipped open.

nThe whole process took less than five seconds and Xiao Yu had successfully broken out of his confinement.

nYes, Xiao Yu had never been worried about Yan Jin locking him up in the cage. Ever since he had successfully gotten out the other time, jail-breaking the cage was a small case for Xiao Yu.

nThe hamster was more worried about Yan Jin’s problem.

nWhen Yan Jin came out of the dressing room, Xiao Yu had started to feel uneasy.

nIt was not that it was weird to see Yan Jin wear anything else aside from his everyday suit, nor was it because Yan Jin’s outfit was not Xiao Yu’s choice of style. On the contrary, Xiao Yu started to feel anxious because such fashion statements were seen way too often.

nThis was the first time that Xiao Yu had seen Yan Jin dress like that, yet Xiao Yu had seen this clothing style countless times.

nTo put it this way, such clothing style, such expression… It did not seem like Yan Jin was planning to meet his friends. It was more like he was going to meet his ** buddy.

nBack then, when Xiao Yu had mixed in as part of the community, he had seen too many such persons.

nIt was not that Xiao Yu had prejudice against such matters. After all, people who were in the designing social circle were generally flexible people, who fooled around while they were young and kept mum when they got older. Many people practiced what they preached. But it was also because Xiao Yu understood that knowledge and saw way too many complicated relationships in the social circle, that Xiao Yu hoped no one he knew would end up sinking into that quagmire.

nEspecially so when Xiao Yu had seen that cufflink.

nSilver-based, using fragments of apatite as decorations.

nEvery designer would have some materials that they preferred to use. Some unique people would only use a few specific types and not even consider any other materials. SI’s FISH was quite famous for using all kinds of materials in his designs. He was only responsible for designing the exterior, so regardless of the material used to make the final product, they would eventually produce a similar effect.

nThat was why there weren’t too many people in the designing circle that knew about this.

nThat SI’s chief designer, FISH, had some materials that he preferred over others. Also, as opposed to most designers, he loved to use cheap materials.

nFor example, the inexpensive silver and the apatite that was commonly seen.

n##

nHi everyone! Have you check out on Chaleuria’s first Fan Art contest? Or are you in the midst of drawing already? Do check out and participate in our RIAH Fan Art Contest! Give it a try and you may stand a chance to read up to 6 advanced chapters of RIAH! Take note that the contest ends on 31st May 2018 (Thursday), 2300hrs, GMT 8!

n