So Excited He Could Jump

After the kiss, Alex grinned as he held Mark, who was panting heavily against his chest. With one arm around Mark and the other leaning against the car window, he smirked at Rick, who was driving alongside them, his expression dripping with smugness.

"Fine, you win! If I ever help you again, then I'm nothing but a dog!" Rick fumed, slamming on the gas to speed ahead. If he didn't leave soon, he might actually vomit from the sheer annoyance Alex was causing him.

The driver in Alex's car wore a pained expression. The recent sounds coming from the back seat had him on the verge of a heart attack. *Couldn't they be more considerate of an old man's fragile heart?* he silently complained, vowing never to drive Alex again.

The driver now had a newfound respect for Howard, who had to put up with this kind of environment on a daily basis as Alex's regular chauffeur. *Mom, I'm coming home! This job isn't worth the stress,* he thought, wiping the sweat off his brow.

Meanwhile, Mark was utterly embarrassed, hiding his face in Alex's chest while hitting him to vent his frustration. *This jerk! He said it would just be a quick kiss, but he totally tricked me—right in front of someone else!*

Mark felt like crying; every time, it was like this—utterly humiliating.

Alex, however, only laughed, letting Mark vent. After all, he had successfully riled up Rick, which was deeply satisfying. Howard may have kicked down his door, but it was Rick who instigated it all, and Alex wasn't one to let things slide.

Furious, Rick sped off to the hospital near the resort. After parking, he immediately set off to find Howard. Upon entering the hospital, he was greeted by a swarm of reporters eager to cover the food poisoning incident. Their noise soon attracted the attention of the hospital's security, who quickly ushered them out. As they left, they crossed paths with Rick, who paid them no mind as he made a beeline for the elevator, where he spotted Howard.

Howard was just about to close the elevator doors when a large hand stopped them, revealing a breathless Rick. Howard seemed unsurprised and calmly pressed the elevator button again.

Rick, relieved to have found him, pulled Howard into a tight hug.

Howard didn't push him away but gently reminded him, "You're not the only one here."

Rick, realizing they were not alone, quickly let go, awkwardly scratching his head as he apologized to the elderly couple sharing the elevator with them.

The onlookers were curious, glancing between Rick and Howard, trying to figure out their relationship.

Feeling the weight of their stares, Rick held his breath, fearing he had overstepped. But Howard showed no signs of anger, and when the elevator doors opened, he simply stepped out.

Rick immediately followed, and as they passed by the emergency exit, he suddenly pushed Howard inside and kissed him.

Howard's expression remained unchanged, as if he had expected Rick's bold move.

Seeing no reaction from Howard, Rick reluctantly pulled away, his breath uneven. He was frustrated; after waiting five years to touch Howard, it ended so quickly.

"Sorry," Rick muttered, running his hands through his hair in frustration. He shouldn't have pressured Howard like that.

Howard adjusted his glasses, seemingly unaffected by Rick's apology. It was clear he wasn't angry.

"Go buy some fresh clothes and book a room. I'll join you later," Howard said before walking away.

Rick stood there, dumbfounded, blinking in disbelief.

*Did I hear that right?* he wondered, pinching his cheek hard. It hurt—a lot.

From confusion, Rick's emotions quickly turned to joy, and he nearly jumped up in excitement.

"Right, right, book a room!" he said to himself, rushing downstairs. It was a holiday, and he didn't want to miss out due to fully booked hotels.

Sure enough, every hotel in the nearby tourist area was booked solid.

"Are you kidding me?!" Rick groaned, slumping into the driver's seat. After hearing the same news from yet another hotel receptionist, he hung up the phone in despair.

But there was one place he could still go: Alex's resort.

"I'd rather die than stay at his resort," Rick muttered angrily. After what Alex had done earlier, Rick was already on edge.

Unwilling to give up, Rick continued calling other hotels, but the answer was always the same: no vacancy. Defeated, he slumped over the steering wheel, gritting his teeth as he reluctantly made a reservation at Alex's resort.

Despite securing a room, Rick felt anything but victorious. He slumped in his seat, questioning his life choices, looking more like a drained corpse than a man with plans.

"Why did I ever meet that bastard Alex?" Rick groaned, clutching his head in frustration. The memory of the door-kicking incident still haunted him.

"That jerk is definitely staying at the resort tonight. What if he kicks my door again?" Rick thought, anxiety settling in his stomach as he clutched his abdomen in dread.

Rick's instincts were spot on. Alex had already arrived at his resort and had instructed the manager to book him a room for the night.

"O-Okay," the manager stammered, clearly nervous. After all, Alex was there because of the food poisoning incident, and the manager couldn't remain calm.

Despite his nerves, the manager couldn't help but glance at Mark, who was standing next to Alex. His curiosity got the better of him as he gave Mark a once-over. *Could this be the rumored male wife of our boss that's been in the news?*

It had to be him. After all, who else could stay so close to the boss?

The manager's gaze lingered on Mark, trying to figure him out.

Mark, sipping on his milk tea, noticed the manager's lingering stare and looked back at him, puzzled. *Why is he staring at me like that?*

When their eyes met, the manager blushed, quickly lowering his head.

*Wow, this kid is really cute,* the flustered manager thought, even clutching his chest for a moment as his heart skipped a beat.

*What's wrong with this guy? Why is he so nervous? It's not like I'm going to eat him,* Mark thought, baffled. He continued sipping his drink, his hand naturally slipping into Alex's as his gaze wandered around the resort's grand lobby.

*This place is enormous and luxurious—definitely worthy of being one of Alex's company's properties,* Mark mused, his eyes darting around in admiration.

What Mark didn't realize was that the resort staff were stealing glances at him, each one more smitten than the last. They had seen cute boys before, but none as strikingly pure and elegant as Mark, who exuded an almost ethereal charm. 

"Wow, the boss's wife really is pure and unblemished, like a lotus that grows out of the mud but remains unstained," whispered one female employee to her colleague.

"Yeah, he's not very tall and has a delicate frame, but there's something about him that's just so refreshing, like a cool breeze on a warm day. It's so pleasant to watch him," her friend agreed, her eyes full of admiration.

"Exactly! He's got this natural elegance, no wonder the boss fell for him," the two women whispered, both clearly impressed by Mark.

They weren't the only ones. Even passing guests couldn't help but steal a few glances at Mark, some even blushing at the sight of him. Several men turned back for another look after walking by.

What they didn't know, however, was that despite his adorable appearance, Mark had a fiery temper. 

Growing irritated by all the attention, Mark frowned, his expression turning sour. He was seconds away from dragging Alex out of there when he remembered that Alex was still talking with the manager about the food poisoning incident. So, he swallowed his anger and waited.

Sensing Mark's discomfort, Alex reached out to pat his head reassuringly, signaling him to be patient for just a bit longer.

Mark understood, though he kept his head down and continued sipping on his now-empty milk tea. The slurping noise echoed, and Mark instantly felt embarrassed, quickly looking up at Alex, worried that he had disrupted their conversation.

"Question the staff on duty and interrogate them thoroughly," Alex instructed the manager while simultaneously taking the empty cup from Mark and tossing it into a nearby trash bin.

Mark's face flushed red with embarrassment. It wasn't just the fact that Alex was so considerate of him, even while working, but also because he was doing it in front of so many people.

"Recheck the kitchen staff as well," Alex continued, pulling a tissue from the reception desk and wiping Mark's hands, which were slightly sticky from the milk tea.

Mark's face turned beet red. Normally, he wouldn't think much of Alex's actions, but this time they were in public, and the receptionists were all watching with knowing smiles.

*Ah, this damned man! Can't he at least consider the situation?* Mark thought, quickly covering his face with his hands as his ears turned crimson, feeling utterly mortified.