Wang Ziqin was so happy he didn’t even think—he just acted.
Two good-looking young men hugging in the middle of the office naturally drew stares from the coworkers who hadn’t gone home yet.
Shen Yuan shoved him away without mercy. Wang nearly fell backward. Shen Yuan snapped, “Are you insane? Don’t touch me! I’ll hit you!”
Wang Ziqin finally remembered all the times Shen Yuan had beaten him up before, and the times he’d even sexually harassed Shen Yuan. Faced with Shen Yuan’s fierce glare, his cheeks turned red. “S-sorry, that’s not what I meant. I’m just… really happy. I wanted to share it with you.”
“Share what?” Shen Yuan asked, baffled.
Wang scratched his head shyly. “Manager Zhang said I did pretty well today. He didn’t yell at me once. He even said he was going to reward me and take me out to dinner.”
Shen Yuan froze for a moment. He suddenly remembered—Wang Ziqin might be lazy, but back in high school, the few times he crammed and Shen Yuan tutored him, his scores always turned out surprisingly good. He wasn’t stupid at all—actually, he was pretty quick.
Shen Yuan found himself at a loss for words.
Wang said with sincere gratitude, “Thank you, Shen Yuan. You’ve been so good to me. I’ll never forget it.”
Shen Yuan’s face twisted. He took a deep breath, forcing a stiff smile.
But looking at that big, goofy, genuine smile, he couldn’t exactly tell Wang the truth: Please. I didn’t have good intentions at all. I only shoved you into this company because I wanted to watch you suffer and embarrass yourself! Aren’t you supposed to be an arrogant, useless rich brat? Why are you suddenly working hard? Stick to your character, damn it! What is wrong with you??
Shen Yuan watched Wang practically bounce away, his whole back radiating good spirits.
Shen Yuan felt a dark, sour knot twist inside him.
Something was off.
What the hell was Qiao Hailou doing? Was he doing this on purpose? They’d just fought yesterday—was he using Wang Ziqin to mess with him now?
Shen Yuan wanted to confront him, but… it had only been a few hours since he’d blocked Qiao. Even if he wanted to make peace, he had to at least wait a day or two. If he folded now, he’d look pathetic. If he was going to lower himself, it needed to be on his terms—or Qiao would definitely look down on him.
That old bastard. Why isn’t he coming to apologize? One sorry—that’s all it takes—I’d graciously pull him out of the block list.
But Shen Yuan didn’t reach out.
And Qiao didn’t come to him either.
The stalemate lasted several days.
Then Wang came to him, beaming. “Shen Yuan, Manager Zhang says there’s an opening in the showroom. He asked if I wanted to switch to sales. Sales pays more—I’m starting tomorrow. Payday’s on the tenth, so I’ll be able to pay you back and treat you to a meal.”
Shen doused him with cold water. “And you think you’re guaranteed to do well? Sales isn’t easy. It’s not sitting in an office—you have to read people, talk smoothly, pitch things. Can Young Master Wang lower himself that far?”
Wang wasn’t being arrogant—he was confident. “I know it’s service work. I’m mentally prepared.”
Actually, he thought this might be a strength of his. He’d been buying luxury goods since he was young, gifting jewelry to girlfriends—he understood buyers and their psychology. He figured he looked decent, too. Now that his mindset had shifted, he found that speaking politely wasn’t hard at all.
More than that, he wanted to exploit those so-called “friends” who had kicked him when he was down. Of course they’ll want to see what I look like now. If he nudged them the right way, they’d definitely buy something. Instant sales. Revenge and profit in one shot.
Shen Yuan still looked doubtful. “Well… then good luck, I guess.”
The look on Shen Yuan’s face stung a little. Even after helping him, Shen still didn’t believe in him. Maybe Shen Yuan had disliked him from the beginning and only tolerated him because of Wang Sui. And he—idiot that he was—had thought Shen Yuan actually admired him.
Wang said quietly, with a kind of pitiful sincerity, “I’ve really changed.”
Shen nodded blandly. “That’s good. Then you’ll be able to pay me back soon.”
Wang choked. Suddenly, he really, really didn’t want to pay him back. He had been determined to repay the money, to repay Shen Yuan. But with how cold Shen was acting… once he paid him back, wouldn’t that be the end? Wouldn’t that thousand yuan be the last thing tying them together?
His thoughts were a mess. And before he realized it, Shen Yuan was already walking away. He wanted to chase after him but didn’t dare. He just stood there, watching Shen disappear around the corner, then went back to work.
Shen Yuan, meanwhile, was doing great at his job.
Director Lan had several assistants, but Shen—armed with good looks, a sweet tongue, solid skills, and a sharp memory—managed to edge out the one Director Lan relied on the most. A couple of days ago, Director Lan had taken him to a private industry gathering and introduced him to a whole circle of big names. Shen walked away with a stack of business cards.
He knew how to talk to anyone. He was thriving.
In a blink, Qiao Jun’s engagement banquet was only a few days away.
Li Lin’s father summoned him home, refusing to let him stay at his brother’s place anymore. Li Lin didn’t want to go, but his father said they had preparations to make; after that, he could come back to Shen Yuan’s.
Seeing Li Lin’s expression—like he was being marched to prison—Shen Yuan laughed. “There’s nothing fun at my place. I nag you about homework every day. Isn’t it annoying? At home, you can play video games all you want.”
Li Lin said, sensitive as ever, “I feel like you don’t want me staying with you anymore. Like you’re trying to kick me out.”
“This place is tiny,” Shen Yuan said. “Two guys in one room is cramped. We’re bumping into each other all the time—it’s inconvenient.”
“You dislike me,” Li Lin muttered.
Shen Yuan laughed and ruffled his hair. “You’re huge. You’re not a little kid—don’t cling to me. It’s summer break. Go travel with friends.”
“No.” Li Lin pouted. “If I travel, it has to be with you. Whatever weekend you’re free, let’s go somewhere. Okay?”
Shen Yuan had no words. After thinking a moment, he said, “I’m really busy. I’ll see when I’m free.”
He finally sent Li Lin home for two days.
Finally—space, time, and no kid around. Perfect opportunity to do something not-PG, like sneaking off to meet Qiao Hailou.
But of course, he and Qiao Hailou were in the middle of a cold war. Neither had made a move.
Thinking about it made Shen Yuan restless and irritated.
That afternoon, after lunch, he’d just settled in to work when Director Lan asked him to bring a set of design drafts upstairs to President Qiao.
Shen Yuan took the folder and went straight up.
Qiao Hailou was reviewing documents when the knock sounded, followed by Shen Yuan’s voice: “President Qiao, Director Lan asked me to bring you the new design drafts.”
Oh? Not even a “Qiao-shushu” today—just “President Qiao.”
Qiao Hailou raised an eyebrow. “Come in.”
Shen Yuan walked in, shut the door, and acted like any ordinary employee. He handed over the documents respectfully. “Would you like to look at them now, or later? Once you’ve reviewed them, we’ll make revisions.”
Ignoring the professional tone, Qiao Hailou lifted his head and smiled at him.
Shen Yuan’s heart jumped. He had no idea what Qiao Hailou was smiling about.
“Still sulking?” Qiao Hailou asked. “You’re really that petty?”
Shen Yuan pretended not to hear. “Director Lan said he needs your feedback before the end of the day, or the sample goes into production.”
Qiao Hailou took his hand. “You’ve been mad for days. Still not going to forgive me?”
Shen Yuan yanked his hand back. “What are you doing? We’re at work. Don’t touch me.”
Qiao Hailou blinked. “Says the person who’s definitely touched me in this office before.”
Shen Yuan’s face went scarlet. “T-that’s different. We’re fighting.”
Qiao Hailou replied innocently, “We’re not fighting. You’re the one who blocked me.”
Shen Yuan huffed dramatically, “Who told you not to come apologize? You bastard.”
He said it with such righteous indignation that Qiao couldn’t help laughing. He stood, pulled the blinds shut, and rested a hand on Shen Yuan’s shoulder. “You should’ve just said so. Then Uncle will apologize. Will you forgive him?”
The words were teasing, but Shen Yuan felt all the pent-up frustration of the past few days melt instantly. Blushing, he asked awkwardly, “Why didn’t you come find me these past few days?”
Qiao Hailou paused, then said half-seriously, half-playfully, “Because I was jealous.”
“I know I’m just your uncle’s stand-in. And you blocked me without hesitation for his sake. I was jealous. Shen Yuan, you play favorites.”
Shen Yuan froze.
He knew perfectly well that his feelings weren’t proper. And Qiao Hailou knew it too—they just never said it out loud. Now that Qiao Hailou had exposed it so openly, Shen Yuan felt guilty and panicked, but couldn’t bring himself to admit fault.
“I—I only got mad because you talked bad about my uncle,” he muttered. “That wasn’t cool.”
Qiao Hailou shot back cleanly, “Was it really because I talked bad about him? I spoke the truth. You got mad because you were jealous.”
It was unbearable. Shen Yuan felt like he was being stripped bare under broad daylight. The blood drained from his face. His lips trembled. “So… are you here to mock me again?”
Qiao Hailou’s expression was calm, cold even—like he saw through him completely.
Ring ring ring—
The phone cut through the tension.
Qiao Hailou answered. “Okay… let them come up. I’ll wait in my office.”
He hung up.
Probably clients—ones Qiao Hailou had to meet in person.
“I won’t bother you,” Shen said. “I’ll go back downstairs.”
“You’re staying,” Qiao Hailou replied.
Shen Yuan stared. “Why?”
Qiao Hailou buttoned his suit jacket. “Your beloved uncle is here. He came specifically to see you.”
Shen Yuan froze—shocked, thrilled, and confused all at once.
Then Qiao Hailou added, “And he’s here to pick out a set of jewelry for his girlfriend to wear to the Qiao family’s engagement banquet.”