After lunch, back in the department and seated at his desk, He Xiaoyuan received a private message from Qin Chengfei with his résumé attached.
He Xiaoyuan clicked to accept the document. Only then did he realize that the version of the OA system he was using now included the project team in its directory. Qin Chengfei’s contact card read: President’s Office — Project Team — Qin Chengfei.
Since he was already there, He Xiaoyuan scrolled through the project team list from top to bottom. Everyone was listed by name only, without detailed job titles. He kept scrolling—and saw Lu Chen.
He Xiaoyuan knew what Brother Lu’s name was, of course, but this was the first time he’d seen it written out. So Chen was this Chen—the chen meaning “precious gem.”
He Xiaoyuan smiled. He didn’t message Lu Chen. Instead, he switched pages and opened Qin Chengfei’s résumé.
He hadn’t realized before, but now that he was looking at it, he finally understood just how formidable Qin Chengfei was.
Undergraduate degree from one of the top two universities in the country. Dual degrees in science and finance. Graduate studies at a top-tier overseas institution. Multiple patents to his name. Numerous papers published in heavyweight domestic and international journals. Repeatedly named Outstanding Young Talent and Innovation Pioneer. Multiple startup ventures during university—one startup’s patent sold off, another startup acquired outright by a publicly listed company.
Line by line, He Xiaoyuan read on, sucking in sharp breaths more times than he could count.
He thought: both of them went to college, but Qin Chengfei’s college experience and his weren’t even on the same level.
No—
They weren’t even in the same world.
He Xiaoyuan messaged him privately:
【Can I ask what patent you sold?】
Qin Chengfei, clearly just as idle, replied instantly:
【Automated logistics identification. It increases delivery efficiency.】
He Xiaoyuan silently drew in another breath.
Qin Chengfei added:
【I sold it to the company I’m at now.】
Spiritsprise?
He Xiaoyuan:
【Here? Our company?】
Qin Chengfei:
【Yes.】
He Xiaoyuan shook his head in awe. Across the screen and the network, he raised his hand and applauded Qin Chengfei on the other side of the monitor. Impressive.
If this had been their old trainee group, they’d all be lighting incense and kneeling in worship by now.
Qin Chengfei then said:
【Weren’t you curious how I got into the project team?】
Qin Chengfei:
【That was part of the deal when I joined Spiritsprise.】
It turned out that when Spiritsprise acquired Qin Chengfei’s patent back then, senior executives had already been in contact with him and gotten to know him.
After graduating, Qin Chengfei had originally planned to stay overseas—continue his studies and keep building startups. It was Spiritsprise that went to great lengths to recruit him, offering extremely generous terms.
One of those terms was that he would go directly to the project team.
And because the company’s plan was to groom him for management, he still entered through the management trainee track. That was why he’d joined the company alongside their cohort of trainees.
After learning all this, He Xiaoyuan was completely convinced.
At the same time, he thought to himself: someone with Qin Chengfei’s qualifications could go to the project team. Compared to that, it was only normal that he couldn’t.
Brother Lu probably understood this too—that was why he’d suggested from the very beginning that He Xiaoyuan first go to Commercial Services, then transfer to the project team through an inter-departmental loan.
That way it also looked more proper and justified.
If he were sent over directly as a management trainee, with Qin Chengfei there as a comparison, who knew how people might gossip or point fingers behind his back.
He Xiaoyuan silently marveled at how thoroughly Lu Chen had thought things through—from every angle. He really did treat him well.
As he was thinking that, He Xiaoyuan replied to Qin Chengfei: [You’re really impressive.]
Qin Chengfei: [No need to praise me. You’re not bad either—smart enough to go through Commercial Services to get into the project team.]
???
He Xiaoyuan stared wide-eyed at Qin Chengfei’s message, shocked that he knew about this.
Qin Chengfei: [I guessed.]
Qin Chengfei: [You ranked first. Even if you didn’t go to PR, you’d still end up in a very good department. It shouldn’t have been Commercial Services.]
Qin Chengfei: [I asked an executive I know. I heard Commercial Services is Vice President Yang’s department, and it’s basically just him. Since VP Yang also participates in project team work, I figured you went to Commercial Services to follow him so you could enter the project team.]
Qin Chengfei: [I’m probably not wrong.]
He Xiaoyuan stared at his computer again and sighed—he could even figure that out? Way too sharp.
Still, He Xiaoyuan didn’t respond to that line of reasoning. He changed the subject instead: [Is the project team also really idle?]
He Xiaoyuan: [I thought project teams would be insanely busy.]
Qin Chengfei: [Want to see?]
He Xiaoyuan: [?]
Qin Chengfei: [Photo.]
He Xiaoyuan opened it and saw a picture of a shared office area—completely empty.
?
Qin Chengfei: [I took it at 10:30 this morning.]
He Xiaoyuan: [Everyone out on assignments?]
Qin Chengfei: [That’s what I thought my first day too. Now I know—they just hadn’t come in yet.]
He Xiaoyuan: “……”
He Xiaoyuan: [What time do they start work?]
Qin Chengfei: [No idea.]
He Xiaoyuan: [?]
Qin Chengfei: [Some people come today and not tomorrow. Some come tomorrow and not the day after. Some don’t show up until 3 p.m.]
Qin Chengfei: [It’s been a week and I still haven’t met everyone.]
He Xiaoyuan: “……”
If he weren’t worried it would just annoy Qin Chengfei more, He Xiaoyuan would’ve sent an entire screen of ellipses.
Before he could, Qin Chengfei cracked a dry joke: [Coming? Let’s slack off together in a department where we don’t even understand the actual situation.]
He Xiaoyuan: […]
He Xiaoyuan: [Little dinosaur dizzy, smoke coming out of head.jpg]
Qin Chengfei: [Little dinosaur dizzy, smoke coming out of head.jpg]
He Xiaoyuan: [So what are you doing right now?]
Qin Chengfei: [Chatting with you, obviously.]
He Xiaoyuan: Right.
He Xiaoyuan: [Handshake.jpg]
Qin Chengfei: [Handshake.jpg]
He Xiaoyuan: [By the way, can I look at the assignments you did during rotation?]
Qin Chengfei: [Sure.]
Qin Chengfei: [Everyone says you’re a grindlord. You really are hardworking.]
He Xiaoyuan: [Little dinosaur innocently frowning.jpg]
He Xiaoyuan: [Gotta find something to do to kill time.]
Qin Chengfei: [Then send me yours too. I’ll kill some time as well.]
He Xiaoyuan: [No problem.]
Yang Yun didn’t show up all day. He Xiaoyuan spent the entire afternoon reading Qin Chengfei’s assignments, occasionally DM’ing him to talk through details he didn’t quite understand.
In the blink of an eye, it was 5:30. Seeing the time, He Xiaoyuan messaged him: [Off work.]
Qin Chengfei: [Off work.]
He Xiaoyuan: [Let’s add each other on WeChat.]
Qin Chengfei: [OK.]
This time, when He Xiaoyuan took the elevator after work, he didn’t run into Qin Chengfei.
But since they’d just added each other on WeChat, as he stepped into the elevator, he happened to open Qin Chengfei’s Moments.
The very first post—uploaded that afternoon—had no text, just a single image.
It was the little dinosaur dizzy, smoke coming out of head image He Xiaoyuan had sent earlier—clearly expressing complete speechlessness after another idle afternoon.
He Xiaoyuan smiled and tapped “like.”
That evening, while stuffing clothes into the washing machine, He Xiaoyuan received a voice call from Lu Chen.
Lu Chen got straight to the point: “I’ll pick you up tomorrow.”
He Xiaoyuan: “?”
Lu Chen: “Come to my place.”
Oh. That.
He Xiaoyuan squatted next to the front-loading washer, still shoving clothes in as he said, “No need. Just send me the address and I’ll come over myself.”
Lu Chen: “I’ll come get you. It’s on the way, and we can buy groceries together.”
He Xiaoyuan thought about it and agreed. “Sure.”
After loading the clothes, closing the door, and starting the wash cycle, He Xiaoyuan suddenly remembered Qin Chengfei’s description of the project team that afternoon. Curious, he asked Lu Chen whether the project team really didn’t have fixed working hours—why everyone showed up at different times.
Lu Chen explained, “If things are slow, they’re not required to come in. When it gets busy, though, it’s extremely busy—days and nights nonstop. Some people who don’t come on time might also be handling things outside.”
He Xiaoyuan then thought about how the contact cards in the project team directory didn’t list job titles.
Lu Chen explained, “It’s not that they’re missing—it’s that there aren’t any.”
Lu Chen continued, “People in the project team only have levels. The company uses levels for salary calculation; a higher level doesn’t necessarily mean a higher position. Outside the project team, though, higher level does usually mean higher rank.”
He Xiaoyuan was surprised. “I thought everyone in the project team would be elite leaders pulled from different departments.”
Lu Chen said, “When needed, we do coordinate with specific departments. But project team members are just project team members. Within the team, they don’t hold other departmental titles. Usually it’s someone from a certain position joining a project team, or someone from the project team being transferred out and formally appointed elsewhere.”
Lu Chen gave an example. “Qiao Sixing spent time in the project team before later transferring out to the President’s Office. Even now, although his official post is with the President’s Office, if the project team needs help, he’ll still come over.”
“Yang Yun is the same kind of case.”
So that was how it worked.
Only then did He Xiaoyuan fully understand.
Lu Chen teased, “You’ve asked so many questions—can’t wait to come over already?”
He Xiaoyuan felt a little embarrassed. “No, not really. It just happened to cross my mind, so I asked.”
Lu Chen laughed. “Don’t think too far ahead. Think about what’s right in front of you. Before joining the project team, come to my place first and think about what we’re eating tomorrow.”
He Xiaoyuan leaned against the railing on the balcony as he talked on the phone, his tone light and cheerful. “I’m fine with anything. I’m not picky.”
…
The next morning, Lu Chen picked He Xiaoyuan up downstairs from the dorm.
He Xiaoyuan got into the passenger seat, carrying a bag in his hand. Lu Chen noticed it while making a U-turn and casually asked what it was. He Xiaoyuan replied, “Braised beef I made myself last night. I brought it over so we can eat it together today.”
Lu Chen said, “It’s Friday night already. You didn’t save yourself any time to relax?”
He Xiaoyuan chatted easily, “Isn’t cooking relaxing?”
Lu Chen raised an eyebrow. “You don’t play games or binge dramas?”
These days, with Yuan Miao and Zou Fanping dragging him along, He Xiaoyuan had picked up several popular games. When he had free time, he played on his own too—nothing like before, when he didn’t touch games at all.
“Don’t watch many dramas,” He Xiaoyuan said. “I do play games. When I’m cooking, I can play a bit on the side.”
He thought about it and realized what Lu Chen probably meant. Lu Chen likely categorized cooking as housework—something tiring—whereas He Xiaoyuan saw it as relaxing.
So he explained that he treated mopping floors or cooking as a way to unwind and clear his head—a kind of “small-scale entertainment,” not chores that drained him.
Lu Chen laughed when he heard that. “That counts as entertainment? Sounds like you don’t really know what real entertainment is.”
He Xiaoyuan shot back immediately. “I do! Like singing at KTV. Or hanging out at your place, Brother Lu.”
A smile settled at the corner of Lu Chen’s lips, the kind that came from being completely relaxed in both body and mind. “Think about what you want to eat. We’re almost at the supermarket.”
He Xiaoyuan had thought they’d be going to a wet market. Only when they arrived did he realize it was a huge supermarket, with everything you could imagine—even king crab, which definitely wasn’t everyday fare.
Lu Chen pushed the cart while He Xiaoyuan walked beside him. They discussed what to buy, picking things up and tossing them into the cart as they went.
At one point, Lu Chen watched He Xiaoyuan standing in front of a shelf choosing vegetables. He paused quietly to the side, his gaze filled with appreciation and contentment. It had been a long time—years, really—since he’d lived this kind of ordinary, everyday life of groceries and meals. Even supermarkets had become unfamiliar to him.
Yet today, being here with the man he liked, suddenly stepping back into this kind of life, he felt no sense of strangeness at all. It simply felt like how life was supposed to be.
And he realized that He Xiaoyuan was the kind of person who did everything seriously and carefully—even picking out a bag of leafy greens.
Or maybe it was just love goggles.
Either way, the more he looked at He Xiaoyuan, the more pleasing and lovable he found him.
“Let’s get this one.”
He Xiaoyuan picked a bag of greens and turned to gesture at Lu Chen.
Lu Chen hummed in agreement and reached out. He Xiaoyuan handed him the vegetables and went on to look at other items. Lu Chen put them into the cart and thought: This really looks like a married couple.
Thinking that far ahead made Lu Chen smile to himself.
When they reached the seafood section, He Xiaoyuan asked if Lu Chen wanted seafood. Lu Chen thought for a moment, then said while pushing the cart, “Let’s get some crab.”
He Xiaoyuan immediately turned to look for where the crabs were being sold and casually asked, “What kind?”
Not far away, a staff member was calling out about king crab.
He Xiaoyuan walked over and took a look. Damn—one crab was huge. He instinctively checked the price tag, and his eyes nearly got blinded by the three-digit price per pound. He even physically leaned back, like he’d been dazzled by it.
Lu Chen saw the movement and thought something was wrong. He asked what happened.
He Xiaoyuan turned to him, covering his mouth with his hand, and whispered, “It’s so expensive.”
Several hundred per pound—this one crab would easily run over a thousand.
Lu Chen was amused by his reaction and teased him. “Your salary’s not exactly low.” It wasn’t like he couldn’t afford it.
He Xiaoyuan had already started very practically looking for other crabs.
Just as he was about to step away, Lu Chen grabbed his arm.
He Xiaoyuan turned back. Lu Chen let go and said, “We’ll get this one.”
He Xiaoyuan’s eyes widened slightly. He still felt the king crab was too expensive, but Lu Chen had already gestured for the staff member to take one.
Not long after, the two of them stood side by side, quietly watching as the staff member handled the live crab.
Lu Chen didn’t find it all that interesting. After a glance, he turned away—only to see He Xiaoyuan watching with intense focus, his eyes practically sparkling.
Only then did Lu Chen realize that while He Xiaoyuan might have eaten it before, he probably hadn’t bought it himself, or ever seen how such a big crab was processed.
Lu Chen stood calmly to the side, letting the young man next to him watch to his heart’s content. When the staff member took a large pair of scissors and cut off the crab’s legs, He Xiaoyuan went, “Wow,” and marveled, “Those legs are so long—and huge.”
Lu Chen watched him quietly, smiling.
At checkout, it was He Xiaoyuan’s turn to watch—watching Lu Chen calmly lift his phone and scan the code to pay. The total came to over three thousand. The crab alone was more than a thousand. Add everything else up, and nothing they’d bought was cheap—not even the few boxes of fruit.
Seeing how composed Lu Chen was while spending three thousand, He Xiaoyuan thought silently: This is the difference. With money, you’re Brother Lu. Without money, you’re me.
Gotta work hard and make money.
Back in the car, He Xiaoyuan realized something. He’d thought the cheapest thing they bought today was the bag of leafy greens. No—actually, it wasn’t. The cheapest thing was the bag of braised beef he’d brought along himself.
He Xiaoyuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He couldn’t blame the beef, so he just quietly blamed this cruel, money-driven world in his heart.
Lu Chen noticed the shift in He Xiaoyuan’s mood and asked what he was smiling about. He Xiaoyuan told him, then added, “This is my first time ever seeing vegetables cost more than a pound of meat.”
Lu Chen let out a soft chuckle through his nose and played along. “That’s on me.”
He Xiaoyuan said, “No, it’s on me—on me for being uncultured.”
Lu Chen replied, “No, it’s on me for flexing my money too casually.”
He Xiaoyuan’s eyes lit up. “Brother Lu, you’re really up on the slang.”
Lu Chen laughed, emphasizing his words. “I’m not old.”
The two joked back and forth all the way as they drove back to Yanlan Bay.
He Xiaoyuan didn’t recognize the residential complex where Lu Chen lived, but that didn’t stop him from seeing the three characters “Yanlan Bay” at the entrance as the car drove in.
He didn’t even need to think about it—he was absolutely certain this place was extremely expensive, far beyond anything he could consider now or in the foreseeable future.
Once they were carrying all the bags upstairs in the elevator with Lu Chen, the doors opened. When He Xiaoyuan looked out toward the living room, he finally gained a clear understanding of what the words “luxury residence” actually meant—
From the elevator to the far end of his line of sight, where an enormous wall of floor-to-ceiling windows stood, was a distance of at least dozens of feet—exceptionally, astonishingly spacious. Standing inside, his first reaction was simply that the place was huge, with an incredibly open view. His second reaction, once he took in the interior layout and decor, was the strange sensation of being in the lobby of a high-end hotel—
The ceiling height was expansive, the design grand and understated. The entire floor was almost completely open, with barely any partition walls. The center of the south-facing side was a full wall of floor-to-ceiling glass. A large sofa surrounded the coffee table on all sides. Indoor space here seemed to be treated as if it were free—there was no thought of filling empty spots just for the sake of it. If it should be empty, it stayed empty. The sofa sat so far from the coffee table that there had to be ten or twelve feet between them.
He Xiaoyuan had never seen anyone’s home like this before. Even TV dramas probably wouldn’t dare shoot something this exaggerated. He was so stunned that he stood there slack-jawed.
Only now did he finally understand why Lu Chen had described his dorm as “average” and “a bit small.”
Compared to this place, a dorm was basically an ant nest.
When people talked about gaps in living conditions, they might say someone’s home wasn’t even as big as another person’s bathroom. But here? Bathroom? Who even needed to bring bathrooms into it? The area enclosed by the sofa alone was bigger than the entire dorm He Xiaoyuan lived in.
It was heaven versus earth.
He Xiaoyuan didn’t want to look inexperienced, but Lu Chen’s place was truly overwhelming. He only glanced toward the sofa area ahead before quietly sucking in a deep breath.
Lu Chen had already taken the groceries into the kitchen. When he came back out, he took the two bags from He Xiaoyuan’s hands and saw the young man staring straight ahead at the living room. He couldn’t help but laugh softly.
Only then did He Xiaoyuan snap back to himself, still looking dazed, eyes wide.
Lu Chen took the bags from him. He understood exactly what He Xiaoyuan was reacting to and said considerately, “I’ll prep the ingredients. You can look around on your own.”
With that, he turned and headed back with the bags.
He Xiaoyuan instinctively followed. “I’ll help.”
“No need,” Lu Chen said, then glanced back at him. “I won’t show you around. Since it’s your first time here, take your time and explore.”
Lu Chen went into the kitchen, leaving only He Xiaoyuan in the living room. Standing alone in this unfamiliar, expansive luxury home, He Xiaoyuan felt a bit restrained at first. At the same time, he was grateful that Lu Chen wasn’t there—thankful for his thoughtfulness in leaving him alone, not watching his awkwardness.
He stood in place for a moment, his gaze wandering around with curiosity and a touch of unfamiliarity. Then he slowly began to walk forward.
Just as he had seen, the first floor was completely open, spacious, with a very high ceiling.
The decor was modern—gray and black tones, minimalist. The sofa and coffee table matched in the same gray-black palette.
There wasn’t excessive decoration. The placement of furniture and objects was well balanced, so the space didn’t feel empty, but neither did it feel overly lavish. Overall, it gave off a clean, sharp impression.
When he reached the floor-to-ceiling windows and looked outside, the entire cityscape spread out before him.
He Xiaoyuan had looked out from high places at the company before, but the windows there were never this large, never an entire wall. Nearby buildings also blocked the view, so aside from the height, the sense of space was actually cramped.
Unlike now—nothing obstructed his view, the floor was high, and looking out made him instinctively think of the phrase “looking down on all beneath heaven.”
As he kept looking, he couldn’t help pulling out his phone and opening the camera, aiming the lens at the view outside.
Behind him, Lu Chen stepped out of the kitchen. When he looked up, he saw the back of the young man standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Lu Chen stopped. He didn’t say a word or interrupt—he just watched. Watched He Xiaoyuan. Watched him gaze out the window. Watched him lift his phone to photograph the scenery.
As he watched, a deep patience and focused tenderness gathered in Lu Chen’s eyes.
It was the look one gives to someone they love.