Chapter 3 Ambiguity

However, what Adrian didn''t expect was that when they actually started eating, GrahSpectrum Group served him his favorite dish and said:

"I''ll peel the shrimp for you."

Then he really put down his utensils and started peeling the shrimp for him.

Adrian looked at him, seeing his serious expression, his handsome and perfect side profile, thin lips slightly pursed, hair slicked back in a 2:8 part. The way he peeled the shrimp looked like he was doing something serious and important. If someone took a photo of him from the shoulders up and captioned it "Mr. Carnegie seriously reading a document," it wouldn''t feel out of place at all.

Handsome, indeed... But having this domineering CEO personally peel shrimp for him, Adrian felt a bit flattered.

"Should I do it myself?"

Whether the other person was being gentlemanly or polite, it felt a bit embarrassing.

GrahSpectrum Group glanced at him with his dark eyes, then quickly focused back on the shrimp in his fingers, speaking calmly, "I saw you reach for the utensils once but didn''t start eating. You want to eat but find it inconvenient, right?"

Adrian looked at him in surprise, secretly admiring his observation skills—he did want to eat, but thought peeling the shrimp would dirty his hands, and eating without peeling would be ungraceful. So he decided against it. He didn''t expect GrahSpectrum Group to notice even this small detail.

No wonder he became the CEO at 29.

He asked, "Do you always observe others so closely?"

He was purely curious, but unexpectedly, GrahSpectrum Group answered seriously:

"No, I don''t need to."

"Huh?" Adrian was stunned, then quickly understood—GrahSpectrum Group, being in a high position for a long time, wouldn''t usually be so considerate of others.

"Oh, right." He laughed awkwardly.

Seeing his confused look, GrahSpectrum Group said, "Do you think everyone gets this treatment?"

"Huh?" Adrian was stunned again, then suddenly realized—so only he gets this treatment? Turns out he has some special status, probably because of that marriage contract. He quickly lowered his head to eat the shrimp, "Well, thank you then."

"Don''t say thank you to me in the future." GrahSpectrum Group frowned, looking quite displeased.

Adrian instinctively turned to look at him, "Huh?"

Then he saw GrahSpectrum Group turn his face away, saying very seriously, "There''s no need to be so polite between husband and wife."

After saying that, he even coughed unnaturally.

Adrian''s eyes widened.

Wait, isn''t GrahSpectrum Group straight? Didn''t he treat their marriage as a family duty? Why is he calling them husband and wife?

Or does he mean it literally, like "since we''re in a contractual marriage and will be in contact often, there''s no need to be polite"?

And why does he look so awkward saying this?

Is it because a straight guy finds it weird to be in a marriage with another man?

Seeing him not speak for a long time, GrahSpectrum Group thought he was unhappy and became even more serious, changing the topic: "I sent Cody to take good care of you, nothing else. You''re not upset, are you?"

As he spoke, he seemed very focused on picking up food, not looking at Adrian.

Adrian was deep in thought, but hearing this, his lively thoughts cooled down, and a bit of coldness appeared on his delicate face: "I don''t need it."

Seeing his expression, GrahSpectrum Group knew he was upset and slowly lowered his eyelids: "I acted on my own."

For some reason, seeing him lower his head, eyelids down, looking somewhat dejected, Adrian felt a bit of pity and softened his tone, though he couldn''t directly accept it: "I don''t know if you know, I..."

Before he could finish, GrahSpectrum Group turned his head, looking at him with dark eyes:

"I know."

Adrian was stunned, staring at him blankly.

GrahSpectrum Group then continued, "I know what you''re insisting on... I''m not helping you cheat, whether it''s Cody or anything else, I''m just giving you a stage to showcase yourself. The rest, you still need to work hard on your own."

Adrian looked at him, even more stunned.

His family opposed him becoming an actor, to the point where his father threatened to sever their father-son relationship. Although they didn''t end up cutting ties due to his mother''s intervention, he hadn''t seen or spoken to his father since he left home a year ago.

On the day he left, he swore to himself that he wouldn''t return until he made a name for himself in the entertainment industry and proved his worth to his father.

Naturally, he was also a very proud person. He told everyone he was from the countryside and never mentioned anything about his family, treating himself as a nobody with no background, starting from being an extra. His brother Carl and his cousin Kayla had both offered to introduce him to opportunities when they saw he wasn''t getting good resources, but he refused them all.

He felt that if he really wanted to make a name for himself to show his father, he shouldn''t take shortcuts. Otherwise, not only would his father look down on him, but he would also look down on himself.

Previously, the company had changed his agent, replacing the previous one with Cody. He initially thought the company was going to promote him, but Cody told him it was arranged by GrahSpectrum Group. He was, of course, very angry at the time, but since Cody was already there, and the previous agent was indeed a snob and quite incompetent, Adrian was also annoyed with him. Cody, aside from being a bit naggy and scatterbrained, didn''t have any other flaws, so he didn''t refuse.

Today, he originally wanted to bring this up with GrahSpectrum Group, but unexpectedly, he brought it up himself and even said such things—

He initially thought GrahSpectrum Group was just giving him some benefits because of their contractual marriage, but unexpectedly, he actually... understood his thoughts?!

Seeing that Adrian didn''t respond, GrahSpectrum Group sighed slightly, "If you insist... I''ll have Cody leave tomorrow."

Adrian was even more stunned.

Huh? Is that possible? Is GrahSpectrum Group really this good to him?

Seeing that Adrian still didn''t respond, GrahSpectrum Group turned his head, and the hand he had placed on the table slowly dropped, "Anyway, I was being meddlesome..."

"Hey—" Without thinking, Adrian grabbed his hand and quickly said, "No, I didn''t say I didn''t want it..."

GrahSpectrum Group was taken aback and instinctively looked at the hand that was grabbed.

Adrian followed his gaze, blushed, and was about to let go when GrahSpectrum Group grabbed his hand back.

His hand was large, with distinct knuckles, the fingers a bit stiff, but the palm was soft and warm.

GrahSpectrum Group''s dark eyes looked at him intently, his face serious and earnest, "Hmm?"

He seemed very calm, but... were his ears turning red?

Was this straight guy being grabbed by another man for the first time? Adrian thought.

This look, well... was quite endearing.

"Um... Cody should stay, thank you." Adrian looked up at him, his face a bit hot, and his heartbeat seemed to become irregular, "Um... my hand..."

As he spoke, he took advantage of GrahSpectrum Group''s loosened grip to pull his hand out of his.

His delicate, fair face was flushed, and his clear black eyes, like a small animal''s, carried a bit of shyness and obedience.

GrahSpectrum Group stared at his face, his expression becoming a bit strange. He glanced at the hand he had grabbed, his eyes becoming heated, and slowly lowered his gaze.