“Wow! I heard that Manager Xu was doing drugs at the company and even tried to force that super popular Yu Junqing to do it too!” A girl in her twenties whispered to her colleague, glancing at the doorway crowded with people.
“No way, that’s not true! I heard differently,” an older colleague with big, wavy hair whispered back, lowering her voice. “Yu Junqing’s contract is about to expire, and apparently other big companies have already reached out to him. He just doesn’t want to stay at this company anymore!” That sounded a lot more believable—who would be dumb enough to do drugs in the office and risk getting caught?
“That’s not it! I specifically asked Sister Molly!” The younger girl stomped her foot and dropped another explosive tidbit.
“I’m telling you, Sister Molly saw it with her own eyes!”
“No way? Molly works at the front desk, right?” The older woman looked shocked and doubtful. How could someone at the front desk know anything?
“Hehe, come closer, I’ll tell you,” the younger girl said, seeing the hesitation. The gossip was too juicy to resist.
“So here’s the deal. According to Sister Molly, Manager Xu recently got a big payout and planned to buy a villa over at Yunhai. He apparently knows the CEO there, and they arranged to meet at the company. But nobody answered the phone, so he went looking for someone, and Sister Molly brought him upstairs—who could have expected this!” The girl grew more excited as she spoke—until she suddenly noticed a familiar figure at the doorway.
“Look! Manager Xu’s coming out!” She poked her colleague in the side to force her to turn toward the gossip scene.
Xu Zong never expected to get caught on his own turf!
Damn it! He was handcuffed by two policemen and led outside. The flashes from cameras blinded him.
“What the hell are you taking pictures for? You trying to get fired?” he roared at the crowd, unaware of how terrifying he looked—bloodshot eyes, bulging veins on his forehead, his face twisted like a demon. Many people instinctively stepped back from the sheer intensity of his glare.
“Looks like he really was doing drugs? That expression is way off!” murmurs of suspicion spread through the crowd. Xu Zong’s appearance was hardly normal—anyone could see that.
“Why did you think to call the police?” Bo Rui and Yu Junqing were headed to the station too, but since Yu Junqing was the victim and a public figure, the police let them go in a colleague’s car ahead of the main escort. Xu Zong, on the other hand, was surrounded by a full team of officers.
Bo Rui rubbed the top of Yu Junqing’s head. He had been ready to show off, but things had gone even more unexpectedly than he imagined.
Earlier, Bo Rui had convinced the front desk girl to bring him upstairs. The door was open, and she just went in. Bo Rui nearly jumped—Xu Zong was grappling with a slightly crazy man, while Yu Junqing, the little treasure, was performing the groin strike Bo Rui had taught him—and it was spot-on.
Yu Junqing even remembered how painful that move must have been. Secretly, he gave a silent candle for the poor black-clad guy’s “family jewels” and promptly pushed it out of his mind. After all, the guy was trying to do something despicable.
Things got even more interesting. Yu Junqing’s call to the police triggered them to believe Xu Zong might be involved with drugs, and they mobilized immediately.
“I wanted to call you, but the elevator had no signal. So I just tried the police hotline for fun, and they actually answered for so long!” Yu Junqing chuckled. He had a lot of luck that someone picked up and didn’t hang up, then traced it back here.
“Yeah… that’s pretty lucky,” Bo Rui thought. What a coincidence. Anyway, as long as Yu Junqing was fine, that was what mattered.
Yu Junqing smiled, showing all eight teeth, and got into the car with Bo Rui. The young officer driving seemed to be a fan of Yu Junqing’s.
“Aren’t you the male lead from that trending drama?” the cop asked, glancing in the rearview mirror. He slapped his thigh for emphasis.
“Yeah,” Yu Junqing nodded.
“Oh my gosh! If my girlfriend knew you were here, she’d die of envy! She loves you so much!” The cop’s hands shook slightly on the wheel with excitement.
“Keep your eyes on the road,” Bo Rui said, exasperated. This rookie cop clearly needed some supervision.
“No worries! I know people in traffic,” the cop said confidently.
…Bo Rui internally groaned. Knowing someone in traffic doesn’t mean you can drive without watching the road.
Yu Junqing blinked innocently. “Do you know any doctors at the hospital?”
…The cop gulped. Nope.
“Focus on safety first, we’ll talk later,” Bo Rui cut off their chatter decisively. Continuing would only lead to trouble.
The cop shut up, impressed by Bo Rui’s presence and authority.
Once the driver was finally watching the road, Bo Rui turned to Yu Junqing.
“So… they want you to renew your contract?”
Yu Junqing nodded and explained the situation briefly. He felt like he’d had incredible luck today. Xu Zong had seemed oddly restrained.
“What’s on your mind?” Bo Rui asked, patting his hand.
“Huh?” Yu Junqing looked confused.
“You’re thinking about something,” Bo Rui teased, pinching his cheek. The skin felt soft and youthful.
The rookie cop glanced in the rearview mirror, astonished at the closeness and aura of these two men. Yu Junqing leaned against Bo Rui, quietly pondering.
Yu Junqing shared his suspicion: if Xu Zong just wanted to get breach-of-contract penalties, why involve Chen Guan-zhi? Bo Rui considered it. Xu Zong wouldn’t act blindly—he was after some advantage, something he didn’t already have himself.
Bo Rui realized: Xu Zong probably wanted to drag Chen Guan-zhi down as well.
Yu Junqing remembered that Chen Guan-zhi had suddenly rebelled when Xu Zong tried to make him sign—could that have been because he saw through Xu Zong’s plan?
“Right… I should thank Chen Guan-zhi. If he hadn’t intervened, I might have been forced to sign.” Yu Junqing showed his wrist, now bruised from the struggle.
“Let me see,” Bo Rui said sternly, noticing Yu Junqing hadn’t even realized the pain yet.
As for Chen Guan-zhi, since he helped the little treasure, he’d remember this favor.
Yu Junqing then noticed Bo Rui’s face, dark as a judge’s, staring intently at his wrists. He sheepishly leaned in, placing his hands into Bo Rui’s embrace, leaving the watching rookie cop slack-jawed.
Bo Rui had noticed the cop peeking earlier but dismissed it; he was just a recent graduate, nothing serious.
Meanwhile, Chen Guan-zhi, having also been at the scene, was taken to the station. Unlike Xu Zong, he wasn’t handcuffed in front of the company crowd—just “asked” to come in. He sat quietly, ready to explain everything if asked, hoping to secure a chance to take care of his sister first.
Bo Rui and Yu Junqing soon met him. Chen Guan-zhi’s demeanor was heavy, a dark shadow hanging around him.
Yu Junqing stepped forward to thank him. Though Chen hadn’t acted for his sake, help was help.
Chen Guan-zhi looked surprised—he hadn’t expected a thank-you. His expression was complex: reluctant, confused, resentful, regretful, and tinged with despair and guilt.
“You’re welcome,” Chen finally said softly. In this industry, sincere gratitude was rare. He’d seen plenty of betrayal; someone coming to genuinely thank him was unusual.
Yu Junqing felt a flicker of connection—these two carried similar burdens. But he glanced at Bo Rui, patient and unbothered a few steps away, and smiled. He felt lucky to have good people around him now.
“Yeah…” Chen Guan-zhi murmured, lost in thought. Rare doesn’t mean nonexistent.
“Could you come record a statement?” a uniformed officer asked. All three nodded and complied.
Yu Junqing, asked only to recount events, had one lingering question.
“Um, I have a question,” he said.
The officer gestured for him to go ahead.
Yu Junqing, a bit embarrassed, asked, “Even if the person on the line doesn’t speak, do you still listen?”
The officer laughed, a hearty Northern accent. “Turns out, yes. And you can thank the colleague who answered your call. She’s a fan of yours, and when she heard your voice, she acted. Otherwise, she might have hung up.”
Yu Junqing was dumbfounded. All their conspiracy theories, and it came down to a fan?
Bo Rui had asked the same question, and hearing the answer, realized Yu Junqing had a lot more admirers than he thought. He made a mental note to keep a closer eye, especially on Ren Qingyun in England.
Bo Rui found Yu Junqing at a window, engrossed in the scene.
“What are you looking at?” Bo Rui approached casually, resting his arm on Yu Junqing’s shoulder.
Yu Junqing hadn’t noticed. “Rui Ge, didn’t we just talk about Chen Guan-zhi? So he agreed to Xu Zong for his sister?” Yu Junqing was surprised—nobody in the company knew about Chen’s sister, not even the self-proclaimed gossip master Xiao Yitong.
“What about his sister?” Bo Rui wondered. Could she have been threatened by Xu Zong?
Yu Junqing looked a little unsure. “Apparently, she was sick and in the hospital, costing a lot. Maybe Xu Zong used that to pressure him?”
Bo Rui glanced at Chen Guan-zhi inside, visibly agitated. He seemed furious at someone—probably Xu Zong.
“…I can’t believe Xu Zong would be such a monster, even trying to remove his sister’s oxygen mask!” Yu Junqing whispered to Bo Rui. Even just hearing this, he could see why Chen was so upset.
Bo Rui understood immediately. Chen and his sister were close, and Xu Zong had tried to exploit that. But the plan backfired—Xu Zong ended up caught, reputation ruined, and Yu Junqing was safe.
Bo Rui frowned, contemplating Chen’s actions and motives.
A cop approached with a phone. “Chen Guan-zhi, it’s the hospital!” His face showed fear—his sister…
“Congratulations, Mr. Chen! Your sister’s awake!” The voice was so loud everyone heard.
Chen Guan-zhi dropped his phone; his mind went blank. He crouched down, sobbing in relief.
Those around him quietly clapped, touched.
“See? Good things happen to good people,” Bo Rui murmured, kissing Yu Junqing lightly on the cheek, unnoticed by the crowd.
Yu Junqing smiled, touching his face, glancing at Chen Guan-zhi and then at Bo Rui. In his heart, he felt lucky—most of all for having Rui Ge, a truly good person, by his side.