That afternoon, Xia Yuze packed up all of his belongings. His resignation letter slid out of the printer. He folded it neatly and placed it into a white envelope.
Because he refused to give in regarding Xia Zichen, and because Zichen had remained cold toward Lei Xin, the people Lei Xin sent had become increasingly disruptive. They had even started affecting his other clients. After all, they went around claiming that he had kidnapped someone else’s child and now refused to return him.
The matter wasn’t something that could be explained in just a few sentences. It was also his private business. Xia Yuze had no desire to drag it into his work, nor did he feel any need to explain that he was gay.
As a result, more and more clients began doubting Xia Yuze’s character. The better ones simply requested another attorney. The worse ones transferred to an entirely different law firm, damaging not only Xia Yuze’s reputation but the firm’s as well.
Although Xia Yuze had been trained and cultivated by the firm, the managing partners could no longer keep him. Whether the accusations were true or not, the negative impact had already been created. Since Xia Yuze refused to explain himself, the firm had no choice but to cut off the source of the problem.
Considering how much Xia Yuze had contributed over the past few years, and the impressive cases he had won, the firm’s director only asked him to resign voluntarily instead of firing him. That way, finding another job would be much easier. A resignation looked far better on a résumé than being dismissed.
After several years at the firm, Xia Yuze had accumulated quite a few personal belongings. Once everything was packed, there were five boxes in total, making even him feel troubled.
As for resigning, he wasn’t particularly upset. The firm had its own position to consider, and his situation really was troublesome. In the past, he had only thought Lei Xin was somewhat thick-skinned. After more than ten years apart, however, people could change.
Just as he was about to hand in his resignation letter, there was a knock on the office door.
“Come in.”
Everyone at the firm already knew he was leaving. His cases had all been handed over, so there shouldn’t have been anyone needing him.
The door opened.
Gu Yan walked in.
Seeing the stacked boxes and the nearly empty office, he didn’t appear surprised at all.
“What brings you here?” Xia Yuze asked, genuinely surprised. Gu Yan was an extremely busy man. Normally, even meeting him required an appointment. At this hour, he should have been working.
“I came to discuss something with you.”
Without any formality, Gu Yan closed the door behind him, blocking the curious gazes from outside, then sat down on the sofa.
“What is it?”
Setting down the resignation letter, Xia Yuze took the armchair opposite him.
Gu Yan pulled out a formal letter of employment from inside his suit jacket, placed it on the coffee table, and slid it toward him.
“Gu Corporation’s N City branch would like to hire you as Director of the Legal Department. Think it over.”
“Me?”
Xia Yuze looked stunned.
He knew Gu Corporation’s legal department already had plenty of experienced senior attorneys. They were certainly more experienced than he was. Asking him to become the director didn’t seem very reasonable.
“Mm. The previous director is transferring to another branch, so the position is vacant. The company held an internal meeting, and everyone agreed you’re the best fit.”
Although you haven’t handled a huge number of cases, every one you’ve taken has been won beautifully. The former director also admired your style, so he recommended you to fill the position.”
Xia Yuze frowned.
“I can find a job on my own. You don’t have to help me…”
“I’m not helping you.”
Gu Yan interrupted calmly.
“I’m simply looking at the facts. You know I always separate business from personal matters. Even if I wanted to make decisions on my own, I wouldn’t gamble with Gu Corporation.”
He paused before continuing.
“I was originally worried you wouldn’t be willing to leave your current firm. Now you’ve actually given me the perfect opportunity to poach you.”
Xia Yuze fell silent, seriously considering it.
He had to admit Gu Corporation was extremely attractive. However, he had never worked exclusively as in-house counsel for a corporation before. He lacked that experience and wasn’t sure whether he could handle the position.
Seeing him hesitate, Gu Yan continued,
“If you just go home like this, Zichen will definitely worry. If Lei Xin makes any more threats, Zichen won’t simply let it go either. Instead of waiting for Lei Xin to use your job against you, why not eliminate that possibility yourself?”
“No matter how persistent Lei Xin is, he wouldn’t dare make trouble at Gu Corporation.”
“And Gu Corporation has always respected employee privacy. You won’t have to worry about clients distrusting you.”
“You’ve certainly investigated quite a bit,” Xia Yuze said helplessly with a smile.
“If I want to recruit you, naturally I need to find the right timing.”
“I also need to understand everything I should know before I can feel at ease.”
“Zichen will eventually join Gu Corporation as well. You can think of this as paving the way for him. Knowing you’re here will probably make him feel more secure than he does now.”
Xia Yuze smiled.
“I doubt he’ll need me to pave the way.”
Gu Yan chuckled.
“True enough. Gu Xu will definitely arrange everything for him. Right now, the only person Gu Xu truly worries about is Zichen.”
His expression then turned serious.
“But in the end, it’s because I trust you.”
“That’s important to me.”
“I need people I trust to help me. Having you in the company means I’ll feel much more at ease regarding legal matters.”
Looking at the beautifully embossed employment letter, Xia Yuze slowly ran a finger across the raised company logo.
After thinking for a long while, he finally nodded.
“All right.”
“I’ll join Gu Corporation.”
Whether in love or in one’s career, trust was incredibly important—and incredibly rare.
Only with trust could people truly understand one another, cooperate smoothly, reach agreements more easily, and avoid unnecessary conflicts.
Seeing him agree, Gu Yan stood.
“Let’s go.”
“Don’t bother taking these boxes home. Move everything straight to the company instead. It’ll save you the trouble.”
“The office has already been prepared. You can also take a look at the contract.”
Xia Yuze originally wanted to say everything seemed rushed, but after looking at the five boxes, he decided it made sense.
Gu Yan made a phone call.
The bodyguards waiting downstairs soon came up and carried away all of Xia Yuze’s belongings.
After Xia Yuze handed in his resignation letter to Human Resources, everyone at the firm watched the scene.
Rather than looking like someone who had just lost his job, he looked more like someone receiving a major promotion.
Just then, the firm’s senior partners emerged from a meeting.
Upon seeing Gu Yan, they froze before immediately stepping forward with warm smiles.
In this industry, everyone knew exactly whom they could and couldn’t afford to offend.
When the firm’s managing partner noticed Xia Yuze standing beside Gu Yan, he smiled.
“Yuze, you know President Gu?”
Before Xia Yuze could answer, Gu Yan spoke first.
“Gu Corporation has officially hired Attorney Xia as Director of the Legal Department.”
Although Gu Yan’s tone remained perfectly flat, the managing partner immediately sensed something unusual.
Surprise flashed across his face as he secretly studied Gu Yan’s cold expression.
Regret immediately welled up inside him.
If he had known Xia Yuze knew Gu Yan, there was no way he would have let him go.
“Yuze, you’ve been with the firm for so many years. I really hate to see you leave, but there wasn’t any choice. I hope you understand.”
“I understand.”
Xia Yuze truly didn’t blame the firm.
“Thank you all for taking care of me these past few years. Hopefully we’ll meet again someday.”
The managing partner wanted to say more, but Gu Yan, who had been waiting nearby, had clearly run out of patience.
“Yuze.”
“Let’s go.”
Xia Yuze didn’t linger.
After saying goodbye to everyone, he entered the elevator with Gu Yan.
The two returned to Gu Corporation together.
After moving all of Xia Yuze’s belongings into his new office, they discussed the employment contract in detail.
Once everything had been confirmed, Gu Yan signed it without delay.
He also gave Xia Yuze one full week off before officially starting work the following Monday.
To celebrate Xia Yuze joining Gu Corporation, Gu Yan invited him out for dinner.
Originally, Xia Yuze had wanted to treat him, after all, Gu Yan had provided him with such an excellent job.
However, whenever Gu Yan dined with family, he never allowed the other party to pay.
If they had merely been friends before, then with Xia Zichen connecting their families, they were now practically relatives.
Maintaining impeccable table manners, the two hardly spoke during dinner.
Only after coffee was served did the silence break.
“Was the meal to your liking?” Gu Yan asked.
“It was excellent.”
Xia Yuze nodded.
“Though honestly, every time I eat Western food, all the etiquette feels rather troublesome.”
There was no need to be overly formal around Gu Yan, so he simply spoke honestly.
“Mm.”
“Eating at home is much more comfortable.”
Although Gu Yan had been raised with such etiquette from childhood, he still preferred a more relaxed atmosphere. He had only brought Xia Yuze here because the restaurant’s food was exceptional.
“I can’t cook Western food like this at home.”
Although Xia Yuze was fairly good at preparing Chinese dishes, Western cuisine remained a challenge.
Gu Yan smiled.
“Try the coffee.”
“Okay.”
After taking a sip, Xia Yuze’s eyes brightened.
It was exactly the flavor he liked, only even richer and more aromatic.
“Oh, right.”
“Thank you for the coffee you had Zichen bring over last time. It was excellent.”
“I’m glad you liked it.”
A box of Blue Mountain coffee meant very little to Gu Yan.
After another quiet moment, Gu Yan said,
“You don’t need to worry too much about Lei Xin.”
Xia Yuze looked up.
“The reason he’s so desperate to bring Zichen back is twofold.”
“First, he wants to establish ties with our family.”
“Second, Zichen is the only grandson of the Lei family’s generation.”
“In other words, he’s the family’s only male heir.”
“Old Master Lei doesn’t have much time left.”
“Lei Xin and his brother Lei Cheng are preparing to divide the family assets.”
“The old man is very traditional.”
“If Zichen returns to Lei Xin, Lei Xin will definitely receive a larger share of the inheritance.”
“If things go especially well, the entire Lei family estate might even be passed directly to Zichen.”
“Zichen will never go back with Lei Xin.”
“Once Lei Xin finishes using him, he’ll just throw him away again.”
Xia Yuze frowned.
“I know.”
“But you don’t need to worry.”
“Although Lei Cheng has only one daughter, Lei Lanying, he won’t simply allow Lei Xin to use Zichen to inherit everything.”
“The brothers have always maintained a false appearance of harmony.”
“When the time comes, Lei Cheng will definitely fight for his share.”
“So at most Lei Xin might receive a somewhat larger inheritance.”
“That also depends on whether Zichen returns to him, and whether Lei Cheng is willing to let the old man learn the truth.”
Gu Yan calmly analyzed the situation.
Xia Yuze listened silently.
He truly hadn’t known much about Lei Xin’s current circumstances, nor had he expected the Lei family to decline this far.
A few years after Lei Xin left them, Xia Yuze had happened to see news reports saying Lei Xin had married the daughter of a wealthy consortium.
The marriage ended only a few years later for unknown reasons.
They never had any children.
Folding his hands together before him, Gu Yan smiled faintly.
“So we don’t need to do anything.”
“We simply wait for the day the Lei family collapses.”
“It won’t be long.”
Whether the family fell apart completely or simply split between the brothers, the Lei family would never regain its former influence.
By then, they would no longer pose any real threat to Xia Yuze.
A faint smile finally appeared on Xia Yuze’s face.
Today’s coffee somehow seemed richer than ever.
Time quietly slipped by.
After learning Xia Yuze had joined Gu Corporation, Xia Zichen felt it was an excellent decision.
In late December, Xia Zichen finished the final exam of the semester and officially began winter break.
The following day, Gu Xu abused his authority a little and gave Xia Zichen an extra week of vacation so he could rest properly before returning to work.
The day after winter break began, Xia Zichen invited An Jing and Tang Hui over for lunch.
Since Gu Xu had to work, he wasn’t home to entertain them.
The night before, however, he had accompanied Xia Zichen to the supermarket to buy all the ingredients.
Instead of cooking several dishes, Xia Zichen prepared everything for hot pot.
He had promised to invite An Jing and Tang Hui over ever since moving out.
Unfortunately, their schedules never lined up.
Whenever Xia Zichen had no classes, the other two did.
By the time they were free, Xia Zichen was busy again.
So the invitation had been delayed until now.
When the two arrived, Xia Zichen went downstairs to meet them.
Without an access card, they couldn’t enter the residential complex.
After opening the door, An Jing and Tang Hui changed into slippers.
Xia Zichen locked the door behind them and told them to make themselves at home.
There were no outsiders, so everyone felt relaxed.
After touring the apartment, An Jing returned to the living room and grinned.
“This place is huge. Senior Gu must’ve spent a fortune.”
“It was a gift from his older brother.”
“I never asked how much it cost.”
“That’s nice.”
“If I ever become homeless, I’m coming here.”
“There isn’t a guest room.”
When decorating the apartment, he and Gu Xu had only thought about enjoying their own little world together.
A guest room had never crossed their minds.
There wasn’t even a folding bed.
“I’ll sleep on the couch.”
An Jing pointed confidently at the oversized sofa.
“There’d be plenty of room.”
“Look at your ambition.”
Tang Hui rolled his eyes.
“If you came here, you’d turn the whole place upside down.”
“Hmph.”
An Jing shot him a glare before continuing his tour.
Xia Zichen had long grown accustomed to their bickering.
“If you really don’t mind, that’s fine.”
At noon, Tang Hui helped Xia Zichen wash vegetables in the kitchen.
The hot pot sat on the dining table, its broth gently simmering over low heat.
Once it reached a boil, they could start cooking meat.
Being hopeless at housework, An Jing happily wandered around the apartment while keeping an eye on the soup so it wouldn’t boil over.
Passing the guzheng in the living room, he casually plucked a few strings.
Tang Hui immediately called it “ear-piercing noise.”
Even so, walking through the apartment made An Jing feel strangely comfortable.
Though he wasn’t particularly observant, he could still tell that nearly everything came in matching pairs.
Although the colors were simple, warmth filled every corner.
“It looks like you’re doing well.”
Tang Hui placed the sliced Chinese yam onto a plate.
The cupboards were stocked with complete matching dinnerware of every size.
It was obvious the two of them were genuinely building a life together.
“Mm.”
Xia Zichen nodded.
As the saying goes, only the people living the life know whether it’s a good one.
He felt happy.
That was enough.
“I heard Sky Maple Pavilion plans to move to Sword of Azure Traces next year?”
“That’s the plan.”
“Will you guys join us?”
He had heard from An Jing that War Underworld Hall wasn’t planning to transfer as a guild.
“We’ll see.”
“We’ll probably join during beta.”
“When the official release comes, it’ll depend on how many people move over.”
Although War Underworld Hall wasn’t as united as before after Lian Fei’er incident, several guildmates were still close friends.
If they also wanted to switch to Sword of Azure Traces, Tang Hui was considering creating a new guild himself.
“Mm.”
Xia Zichen placed the drained lettuce onto a plate.
After a moment of silence, Tang Hui spoke again.
“Yi Cheng and Lian Fei’er are completely over.”
“He quit the game.”
“Lian Fei’er disappeared too.”
“He said he’s going home to help with the family business.”
“So starting next semester, he won’t be living on campus.”
“I see…”
Xia Zichen had no intention of mentioning that he had seen Lian Fei’er with another man.
It had nothing to do with him.
He wasn’t interested in gossip.
“But things at his family’s company don’t seem to be going very well.”
“I didn’t ask too much.”
Tang Hui hesitated before continuing.
“Last week we went drinking.”
“He got pretty drunk.”
“He asked me…”
“If Gu Xu didn’t exist… would you have chosen him?”
Xia Zichen paused before smiling.
“What did you tell him?”
“I said, ‘No.'”
Xia Zichen laughed.
His own answer would have been exactly the same.
“You two weren’t compatible.”
“That’s right.”
“When I was with Gu Xu, he was always the one making compromises.”
“Shen Yicheng wouldn’t.”
“When he treated me well before, it was always based on his own way of thinking.”
“He judged—or even tried to control—my thoughts according to what he believed.”
“In other words, he never cared what I actually wanted.”
“He only cared what he wanted me to want.”
Xia Zichen had already seen that very clearly.
“You’re right.”
“It’s because that person is Gu Xu that you’ve become the person you are today.”
Tang Hui added quietly,
“And that’s a good thing.”
Xia Zichen smiled more deeply and changed the subject, calling An Jing over to help carry the dishes.
The three friends laughed and chatted around the steaming hot pot.
Xia Zichen opened a bottle of low-alcohol fruit wine to drink with the meal.
Refreshing and perfect for hot pot.
Halfway through lunch, An Jing suddenly raised his glass.
Looking unusually serious, he said,
“Zichen.”
“I honestly never could imagine what life between two men would look like.”
“But after seeing your home today…”
“I think two men can live together just as happily.”
“As long as both people put their hearts into it.”
“So let me officially congratulate you and Gu Xu.”
“I hope the two of you only become happier.”
“May you grow old hand in hand.”
Xia Zichen raised his own glass and clinked it gently against An Jing’s.
“Thank you.”
“Actually…”
“You could try it yourself sometime.”
“I’m only into girls.”
An Jing took a sip of wine.
“If someday you end up living with a girl and you’re still not as happy as Zichen is…”
“That’d be really embarrassing.”
Tang Hui clinked glasses with Xia Zichen as well.
“Seeing how well you’re doing…”
“I really believe Gu Xu was the best choice.”
“I wish you both a lifetime of happiness.”
“Thank you.”
Xia Zichen emptied his glass in one gulp.
An Jing immediately put a slice of lamb into his bowl.
“Eat something.”
“Don’t get drunk from drinking too fast.”
“You’re the embarrassing one.”
An Jing immediately fired back at Tang Hui.
“By the time my kids are born, you’ll probably still be single.”
Watching the two continue their endless bickering, Xia Zichen smiled as he ate.
Having the recognition and blessings of good friends made the meal especially warm and satisfying.
Author’s Note:
The update is here.
I need to clarify one thing: Gu Yan and Xia Yuze are not a couple. They’re simply good friends. Xia Papa will have his own happiness.
Also, An Jing really does like girls, so please don’t say I’ve turned everyone into BL characters.
The next chapter is expected to be the finale.
I’m going out tomorrow, so I probably won’t have time to write. The final chapter will most likely be updated next Tuesday.
As always, thank you all for your support.