The next day dragged on like a dying animal.
Wenhao limped downstairs, his ankle still wrapped but healing. He needed something to do. Anything. The boredom was eating him alive.
He found Zhenlong in the hallway near the front door, clearly in a hurry. His coat was on and he was already walking toward the exit.
Wenhao blocked his path.
"If you're keeping me here," Wenhao said, his voice loud and demanding, "at least give me something to do. I'm bored. So bored. Bored out of my mind. I've talked to a crack in the ceiling for three hours. Three hours. Do you know how sad that is?"
Zhenlong tried to step around him. "I'm busy. We'll talk later."
"No," Wenhao said, stepping in front of him again. "Now. I want something now."
Hua Cheng appeared from behind Zhenlong and shoved Wenhao aside. "Move."
Wenhao stumbled and would have fallen if Zhenlong hadn't grabbed his arm and steadied him.
Zhenlong's eyes flashed as he turned to Hua Cheng. "Don't touch him."
Hua Cheng's jaw tightened but he stepped back.
Wenhao smirked and stuck his tongue out at Hua Cheng. Then he turned back to Zhenlong and crossed his arms.
"I won't let you go until you give me something to play with. Something interesting."
Zhenlong sighed and rubbed his temples. "I can't give you a phone or anything like that. There are books in the library. Read one."
Wenhao made a face. "I already read all the good ones. The rest are boring. History books and philosophy and poetry. Who reads poetry for fun? Masochists, that's who."
Zhenlong looked at him for a long moment. Then he said, "Do you want to watch a movie tonight?"
Wenhao's eyes lit up but he quickly masked his excitement. He pretended to consider it.
"A movie," he said slowly. "That's... acceptable. But not enough. I want something now. Right now. To do."
Zhenlong thought for a moment. "You can watch something now. There's a TV in the living room."
Wenhao shook his head. "There's no fun watching something alone. It's depressing. I might as well be talking to Gerald."
Zhenlong sighed again. Then he looked at Wenhao and his expression softened.
"Fine," he said. "If you wait patiently. Like a good boy. I'll come back tonight and watch a movie with you. I'll even buy you snacks."
Wenhao's eyes lit up again and this time he couldn't hide it. "Deal. Don't be late. And don't forget the snacks."
"I won't forget."
"Promise?"
Zhenlong looked at him for a moment. "I promise."
Wenhao grinned and stepped aside. "Go. Do your mafia stuff. I'll be here. Waiting. Impatiently."
Zhenlong shook his head but he was smiling as he walked out the door.
In the car, Hua Cheng sat in the passenger seat with his arms crossed and his face dark.
"Zhenlong," he said slowly. "This is not you. Come on. He's a captive. He's leverage. Nothing more."
Zhenlong didn't look up from his phone. He was scrolling through movie suggestions, his thumb moving quickly across the screen.
"Did you hear me?" Hua Cheng pressed.
"I heard you."
"Then why are you acting like this? Buying him snacks? Watching movies? What's next, matching pajamas?"
Zhenlong finally looked up and his expression was calm. "He's bored. Bored captives are unpredictable. A happy captive is easier to control."
"That's not why you're doing this."
"Don't tell me what I'm doing."
Hua Cheng opened his mouth to argue but then closed it. He turned away and stared out the window.
Zhenlong went back to his phone.
The day passed slowly for Wenhao.
He tried to read another book but the words blurred together. He tried to nap but his brain wouldn't shut up. He tried to annoy the servants but even they had started ignoring him.
So he just sat in the living room and watched the clock tick.
Tick.
Tock.
Tick.
Tock.
He was going to lose his mind.
Meanwhile, the entire company was in shock.
Zhenlong had asked the dealers. The dealerrsss. about movie recommendations.
Then he asked to employes about the snacks ask if they knew any snacks that weren't too sugary because he didn't want the kid to get a stomach ache. Then he called his Butler to ask if the cinema room was clean.
The servants whispered to each other. The guards exchanged confused looks. Even Hua Cheng, who had known Zhenlong for years, couldn't make sense of it.
"He's never like this," one of the servants said. "He barely watches movies himself. And now he's asking about popcorn flavors?"
"It's because of the boy," another servant whispered.
"Don't say that. You'll get in trouble."
"It's true. Have you seen the way the boss looks at him?"
The servants fell silent.
Later that night, Zhenlong returned with a bag full of snacks. He walked straight to the cinema room and started setting things up without even stopping to rest.
A servant approached him hesitantly. "Boss, would you like to rest first? Or have dinner?"
Zhenlong waved her away. "Just check on Wenhao"
"But sir—"
"I said just check on him."
The servant bowed and hurried away.
Zhenlong continued setting up the cinema room. He arranged the snacks on the side table. He adjusted the pillows on the couch. He made sure the remote was working.
Then he went to his own room to shower and change into comfortable clothes.
When the servant arrived at Wenhao's room, she found him lying on his bed staring at the ceiling.
"Hey," Wenhao said without looking at her. "Is it time? Did he come back? Is he actually going to watch a movie with me or was he just saying that to shut me up?"
The servant smiled a little. "The boss is back. He's waiting for you in the cinema room. I'll help you walk there."
Wenhao scrambled off the bed so fast he almost forgot about his ankle. "Finally. I thought he forgot. I was about to start a riot."
The servant helped him walk down the hallway and into the cinema room.
Wenhao's mouth fell open.
The room was huge. The screen was massive. The couch was like a bed, soft and deep and covered in pillows. And on the side table there were snacks. So many snacks. Chips and candy and popcorn and drinks and even ice cream.
He almost jumped onto the couch, forgetting about his ankle. He sank into the cushions like they were made of clouds.
"Oh," he breathed. "Oh, this is heaven. This is actual heaven."
He grabbed a handful of popcorn and stuffed it into his mouth.
A few minutes later, Zhenlong walked in. He was wearing soft black pants and a loose white shirt and his hair was slightly damp from the shower. He looked younger like this. Less like a crime lord and more like a normal person.
He sat down on the couch beside Wenhao and there was a small space between them.
"Comfortable?" Zhenlong asked.
"Yes," Wenhao said around a mouthful of popcorn. "Very. This is the best day of my captivity so far."
Zhenlong chuckled and picked up the remote. "I picked three movies. We can watch one. Your choice."
Wenhao thought about it. "All three."
"All three?"
"I'm not going anywhere. And you owe me for all the boredom I suffered today."
"I didn't owe you anything."
"You owe me my sanity."
Zhenlong shook his head but he was smiling. He scrolled through the options and Wenhao grabbed the remote from his hand.
"Wait," Wenhao said. "I want to pick. This is my movie night too."
"Your movie night?"
"I'm the hostage. I should get a say."
Zhenlong leaned back and crossed his arms. "Fine. Pick one."
Wenhao scrolled through the options and his face lit up when he found what he was looking for.
"This one," he said, pointing at the screen.
Zhenlong stared at him. "You want to watch an animated movie?"
"Yes. You got problem with that?"
Zhenlong opened his mouth to argue but then closed it. He shook his head and sighed.
"Fine."
Wenhao grinned and pressed play.
They watched the movie in comfortable silence. Wenhao ate his way through the snacks and Zhenlong watched the screen with an expression that was hard to read.
Halfway through the second movie, Wenhao's head started to droop. His eyes got heavy and his breathing slowed.
He didn't even notice when his head fell against Zhenlong's shoulder.
Zhenlong froze.
He looked down at Wenhao's sleeping face. The boy's cheeks were soft and his lips were slightly parted and his eyelashes were long against his pale skin.
Zhenlong didn't move.
He just sat there with Wenhao's head on his shoulder and watched the rest of the movie in silence.
He told himself it was because he didn't want to wake the kid. That was all.
But when the movie ended, he didn't move. He just stayed there, staring at the credits, listening to Wenhao's soft breathing.
And he didn't question why. He just ....liked it