That day, as usual, Pei Qingjian went to deliver lunch to Lin Xingchen, but unexpectedly, he saw Xu Jinian arguing with Xu Ya downstairs in the office building.
He hadn’t seen Xu Jinian in a long time, so the sudden encounter surprised him.
Curious, he edged closer—only for Xu Ya to look up and catch him red-handed.
Pei Qingjian: …
He lifted his chin, putting on a righteous expression.
Xu Ya hadn’t expected him to show up at that moment and quickly dragged Xu Jinian away.
Pei Qingjian: ???
What? They just left?
How was he supposed to eavesdrop now?!
Helpless, he carried the lunchbox into the building.
Xu Jinian, unwillingly dragged along by Xu Ya for quite a distance, finally stopped.
“Xu Ya,” he said, planting his feet. “What are you doing?”
Seeing that Pei Qingjian had already entered the building, Xu Ya released him.
Xu Jinian rubbed his wrist. “You never told me you were working here.”
“I hadn’t passed the probation period yet, so I didn’t mention it.”
Xu Jinian smiled. “With your ability, how could you possibly fail probation?”
Xu Ya didn’t respond. Instead, he asked, “Why didn’t you go see Tang Wenzhen today?”
At the mention of Tang Wenzhen, a flicker of disappointment crossed Xu Jinian’s face.
He avoided the question. “I don’t want to keep working at the Tang family’s company anymore.”
“Why?”
“No particular reason.” Xu Jinian sounded a bit stubborn. “I want to work here—with you. Would that be okay?”
Xu Ya: !!!
“Of course not.”
“Why not?”
“This is Xingchen’s company. It wouldn’t be appropriate for you to be here.”
Xu Jinian pursed his lips. “But at the Tang company, they all bully me. They keep making trouble for me.”
“Who is ‘they’?”
“My supervisors—Wenzhen’s cousins and relatives.”
“Did you tell Tang Wenzhen?”
“I didn’t want to.” Xu Jinian lowered his voice. “I don’t want him to think I’m trying to stir up trouble.”
“And he’s already stressed lately. I don’t want to bother him with something like this.”
Xu Ya frowned. “But if you want to be with him, there are things you have to face together. If his relatives don’t know about your relationship, they might just dislike you. But if they do know and still target you, that means they don’t approve—and don’t want you two to develop further.”
“In that case, you should tell him.”
Xu Jinian fell silent for a moment.
“Xu Ya, let’s not talk about Tang Wenzhen, okay?” he said, looking at him. “I just want to change jobs. I want to work with you. We can look out for each other—wouldn’t that be nice?”
“No,” Xu Ya said firmly. “If it were another company, maybe. But here—no.”
“Why? Don’t you want to work with me?”
“It’s not about what I want. It’s that you can’t be here.”
Xu Jinian pressed his lips together. “Then I’ll go to your family’s company. That’s fine, right?”
“No.”
Xu Jinian looked at him in shock.
Xu Ya opened his mouth to explain, then stopped. The explanation was too complicated.
He couldn’t hide the truth forever.
One day, his parents would find out about everything that had happened between him and Lin Xingchen—that things were no longer what they used to be.
And when that day came, Xu Jinian—someone so sensitive—would become a thorn in their side.
Xu Ya knew his parents well. They were gentle and indulgent toward Lin Xingchen, but they had little patience for others.
Especially his father.
When that time came, if Xu Jinian was working in their company, his father would throw him out without hesitation—and scold Xu Ya harshly.
So Xu Jinian couldn’t go.
It wouldn’t do him any good.
“I’m thinking of what’s best for you,” Xu Ya said gently. “If you really don’t want to stay at the Tang company, then find another job. With your qualifications, that won’t be difficult.”
“But I don’t want to be picked over like produce in a market,” Xu Jinian said softly.
“That’s part of job hunting. Everyone goes through it. It’s not a big deal,” Xu Ya comforted him.
Xu Jinian didn’t expect that answer.
How could it not be a big deal?
Of course it wasn’t a big deal to someone like Xu Ya—a young master who had never known hardship.
But for ordinary people like him, it was a big deal.
“I don’t understand,” Xu Jinian said, looking at him. “You clearly can help me. Why won’t you anymore? Xu Ya… aren’t we friends?”
“Of course we are. And I do want to help you—”
“Then let me work with you.”
“I said it’s not appropriate.”
“What’s inappropriate about it?”
“This is Xingchen’s company.”
“But you work here too.”
“But it’s not my company. You know he doesn’t like you. He doesn’t want you to appear—”
“But he doesn’t like you either.”
Xu Jinian looked at him, innocent and cruel all at once, as if unaware of what he was saying.
“He doesn’t want you to appear in front of him either.”
Xu Ya froze.
He had never expected to hear those words from Xu Jinian.
He stared at him silently, feeling a sudden chill of unfamiliarity.
Xu Jinian, under that gaze, finally realized what he had said.
Madam Zhang had gotten worked up, and she continued criticizing Shen Hanshu in heated tones:
“Back then the young master had poor health. Now even his mind isn’t right. He’s just—just, you know, crazy. Mentally ill. Of course I’m only saying this to you two. At the Shen house, I wouldn’t say a word of it to anyone. Do you know? When Young Master Song Cheng was little, he ran away once. That time the young master completely lost it—yes, lost it. He looked just like a madman, scared the life out of everyone. When Young Master Song Cheng came back, he ran over, grabbed one of his arms, lifted him straight into the air, and swung him right in front of himself. My heart almost stopped from the sight.”
This was something Xu Wenheng had never heard before. His brows knitted tightly. “What happened after that?”
Madam Zhang looked at him. “After that, the young master took Young Master Song Cheng into the main house.”
Xu Wenheng: …
That answer was worse than being told Song Cheng had gotten beaten outside.
At least if he were beaten outside, people could see it. But once he was taken inside—who knew what might happen.
Madam Zhang clutched her chest, still talking about how frightened she had been and how terrible Shen Hanshu was. Every time she finished, she made sure to emphasize that it was all Shen Hanshu’s fault—that he was simply too vicious.
Qin Wunian asked, “If that’s the case, why didn’t you call the police?”
Madam Zhang froze. She looked at him, her lips trembling. “Call the police for what?”
Qin Wunian said, “You knew Song Cheng was being treated badly. Then call the police. Or at the very least, contact Song Cheng’s father and tell him what was happening.”
Madam Zhang stammered, “But… but the young master would get angry…”
Qin Wunian looked at her for a long moment. Then suddenly, he let out a short laugh.
Without another word, he stood up and walked out.
Madam Zhang was completely bewildered by his reaction. Xu Wenheng was still sitting where he had been, lips pressed together as he stared at the armrest of the sofa.
Unsure whether she had completed her task, Madam Zhang cautiously asked, “President Xu… I’ve finished telling the story. The money…”
Xu Wenheng lifted his head and glanced at her.
Then he smiled faintly. “Don’t worry. You’ll get every cent you’re owed. You still need to take it home as your funeral savings, after all.”
Madam Zhang: “Hey, what kind of thing is that to say? I—”
Before she could finish, Xu Wenheng had already left as well.
He stepped outside but didn’t see Qin Wunian anywhere. After a few seconds, he sighed, ran a hand irritably through his hair, slammed the door behind him, and went out to clear his head.