“…Huff… huff… where’s your friend?”
The man, eyes red to the point of bursting, leaned back on the sofa, gasping.
Jin Yi wished he were eight hundred meters away. But the VIP room was small—he had no choice. No way a vice president’s dinner would be held in a space this tight.
Something was definitely wrong!
“…He should be here soon… right?”
Jin Yi wasn’t entirely sure either.
Fan Qing would come, right?
“…Right?”
The man was nearly laughing through his anger.
He’d struggled here for so long, and this guy—what, just say something?
He couldn’t help but reveal a frighteningly bloodthirsty smile.
“Do you know what’ll happen if I can’t hold on?”
Jin Yi staggered backward in alarm.
“! No, big bro! Keep trying! Keep trying!”
He pulled out his phone nervously. “I’ll message him right now!”
Just as he was about to dial, the man lunged.
“What are you doing?!”
Jin Yi’s heart jumped.
The man, panting, swatted the phone away.
“Don’t message him yet. If he happens to arrive now… the people outside… they’ll definitely notice me here.”
“Oh, okay, okay. I’ll message him later.”
Jin Yi hastily sent a text to Fan Qing.
After sending it, he couldn’t help but ask:
“Seriously, bro… did you offend someone, or was it me? What exactly is going on?”
“…Huff… why didn’t you ask earlier?”
The man turned over, unwilling to let Jin Yi see his messy state—though, to be fair, Jin Yi had already seen most of it.
“…I just thought that if he didn’t get here in time,” Jin Yi whispered, “at least I’d die with some peace of mind?”
…What does “die with some peace of mind” even mean?
The man nearly laughed at the absurdity.
Still, wanting to distract himself, he spoke.
“They’re probably after me, huh? Huff… don’t you know who I am?”
Jin Yi: ?
He wasn’t sure.
“Should I know?”
The man forced his bloodshot eyes open to gauge Jin Yi’s reaction. Seeing that Jin Yi genuinely didn’t know, he gave a bitter laugh.
“Looks like I’m not famous enough yet. Makes sense… otherwise, the company wouldn’t have tried to shelve me.”
Because of the pent-up frustration, he suddenly seemed to find some relief, like a fleeting return of vitality.
“Shelved?”
Jin Yi finally noticed the man’s looks.
Not bad—this guy was definitely good-looking.
Not as stunningly otherworldly as Nie Luo, but still in the top tier of attractiveness.
He looked again and couldn’t help but exclaim.
“What kind of stupid company would shelve someone with your looks? Are they crazy? You could make money just walking out of the office!”
“I also think the company’s an idiot,” the man scoffed. “Maybe General Manager Chen thinks my looks are better suited to staying in bed with him. He probably doesn’t need the money anyway.”
“Wha—your looks are a money-making machine and you’re upset? Which company’s GM Chen is this? Tell me, I’ll avoid them in the future!”
This GM Chen made Jin Yi’s own antics look mild in comparison.
Ridiculous!
Playing with beauty doesn’t compare to playing with cars. Even if you want to indulge, it shouldn’t be at this level…
“Who else but Teng Huang?”
The man had just spoken when Jin Yi froze.
“…You’re connected with Teng Huang?”
He couldn’t help asking.
Jin Yi’s emotions were tangled.
He couldn’t stop staring at the man in front of him—wait, what?
Such a handsome face belongs to their company?
Chen… could it really be that Vice President Chen?
Is that guy an idiot?
Shelving someone with that level of looks just to… take them to bed?
Damn! No wonder Fan Qing said their company was messed up!
If this isn’t messed up, what is?
Jin Yi inhaled sharply, then felt a little embarrassed.
“So… uh… what’s your name?”
The man paused, then a thoughtful expression crossed his face.
“Are you really from Teng Huang?”
Jin Yi didn’t reply.
If he said no now, would this guy believe him?
The two of them locked eyes, when suddenly a voice called from outside the door.
“Hua Zi, Jin Er Shao, you two in there? Since it’s such a coincidence, come out and have a drink with us—stop hiding inside.”
It was Chen’s voice.
Jin Yi recognized it.
That idiot…
“You’re Jin Er Shao?”
Crap!
His true identity was exposed!
Jin Yi immediately felt guilty.
“Mr. Jin, he’s in there, Sir,” came a voice.
Huh?
Fan Qing’s voice?
Jin Yi’s eyes brightened, but the next second he was confused again.
Who’s this “Mr. Jin” Fan Qing is talking about?
Isn’t he already inside?
He was still thinking when an unexpected voice came from the doorway.
“What are you two doing here?”
Big brother?
His brother?
Jin Yi froze. Wait—his brother was here???
Outside, Fan Qing stood behind Jin Si, utterly confused.
Could it really be true that fools have lucky breaks?
He had just been thinking about how to get Jin Yi out of this mess, and the next second, a man who looked strikingly like Jin Er Shao appeared before him.
Thinking further…
Fan Qing stared at the tall man in front of him with interest.
Appearing here so quickly—could it be that this person has been keeping an eye on Jin Er Shao all along?
“Mr. Jin… what… what are you doing here?”
A middle-aged man in the crowd saw Jin Si and instinctively stepped back, cold sweat forming on his forehead.
Jin Si, how could he be here?
Jin Si’s one-ninety height looked down on him with cold eyes.
“Vice President Chen, are you speaking to me?”
“No, no, no, I didn’t mean—”
Chen Vice President suddenly remembered this man’s no-nonsense nature and broke out in cold sweat.
“We… we came to welcome Jin Er Shao back! Yes! To welcome him!”
Jin Si’s icy gaze swept over him.
“To welcome him?”
His tone was calm, voice light, yet the words sounded thunderous.
“You think you’re qualified?”
Fan Qing: …
This person’s personality was worlds apart from Jin Er Shao’s.
Well, in that case, he probably didn’t need Fan Qing’s help after all.
Fan Qing calmly stepped back.
As he did, Jin Si turned his head toward him.
“You, come with me and take him away.”
“Me?”
Fan Qing raised an eyebrow.
This guy wasn’t Jin Er Shao’s older brother?
Why was he telling him to take someone away?
He was still thinking when Jin Si turned his head again.
“Everyone else, get lost. Don’t block the way.”
“Uh…”
The few people outside looked at each other, and the one holding the camera sneaked a glance at Vice President Chen.
Chen didn’t dare say anything.
Jin Yi—he might dare mess with him, but Jin Si?
Cold sweat poured down Chen’s face as he frantically gestured.
“Go! Go! Jin Si has spoken—why are you still standing there? Hurry up and leave!”
The group immediately scattered.
Fan Qing watched and couldn’t help himself.
“Mr. Jin, aren’t you going to keep that camera?”
Jin Si glanced at him.
“No need.”
“No need?”
Fan Qing considered the words and understood.
So this guy really had been keeping an eye on Jin Er Shao all along.
He, on the other hand, had been unnecessarily meddling.
“Go ahead.”
Jin Si suddenly spoke, then turned and walked away.
Fan Qing froze.
“You’re not going in yourself?”
Jin Si strode off, leaving only one sentence.
“He wouldn’t want to see me right now.”
“Is that so?”
The door opened, and Fan Qing looked inside at Jin Yi, curiosity written all over his face.
“Crap!”
Jin Yi poked his head out, frustrated.
“He’s here already—so why isn’t he helping me get out of this mess?”
“What mess…”
Fan Qing’s words faltered.
He looked at Hua Zi inside, clearly flushed and off-balance, then glanced at Jin Yi.
“Why are you looking at me? I’m innocent! I’m clean!”
Jin Yi quickly crossed his arms.
Fan Qing: …
True, this guy wouldn’t be capable of doing something like that.
“Oh, right.”
Jin Yi poked his head out again.
“He seems to be from our company, but I think he offended Vice President Chen… so they shelved him.”
“…Next time, tell me these important details sooner!”
Fan Qing, expression cold, quickly reached into the bag for the emergency items.
While doing so, he mercilessly pinched Hua Zi’s webbed hand.
Hua Zi yelped in pain.
“You’re from Teng Huang?”
Fan Qing pulled out the emergency supplies he’d purchased while calmly asking.
“…Yes, I’m Hua Zi.”
Hua Zi barely opened his eyes, his head still so foggy that he could hardly make out the scene in front of him.
All he could hear was the calm, indifferent voice beside him.
“Hua Zi?”
Fan Qing quickly matched the face in front of him with the information he’d seen earlier.
Then he paused slightly.
“You… you were shelved…”
His words trailed off.
Hua Zi forced his eyes open.
“…How do you know that?”
“…We’ll talk about that later. I’ve called an ambulance. First, let’s get some makeup on you.”
Fan Qing pulled a modest set of cosmetics from the paper bag.
Hua Zi blinked in surprise, then slowly closed his eyes.
His last words were soft, but carried absolute certainty.
“…Make me look ugly.”
Fan Qing picked up the eyeliner and raised an eyebrow.
Not for any other reason—this was a request he could definitely fulfill.
Fifteen minutes later.
Jin Yi looked at Hua Zi with a strange expression, then glanced at Fan Qing, and back at Hua Zi again.
“What happened?”
While reasonably helping Jin Yi carry Hua Zi to the back exit, Fan Qing calmly asked,
“…Just… feeling a little complicated, that’s all.”
Jin Yi opened his mouth, then stopped.
Opened it again, then stopped again.
“Just say it.”
While waiting for the ambulance, Fan Qing threw a glance at Jin Yi.
Jin Yi was about to speak when the ambulance arrived with a wail.
“I’ll take him to the hospital. What about you?”
Fan Qing got in with him.
Jin Yi thought for a moment, then silently followed.
He tried to downplay it.
“I’m just…”
He lowered his voice.
“Just checking on company property, that’s all. Absolutely nothing else.”
He didn’t say anything more, right?
Fan Qing glanced at him, smiled slightly, and said nothing.
At the hospital, after the doctor quickly treated Hua Zi, he couldn’t help casting a complex glance at both Jin Yi and Fan Qing.
Fan Qing didn’t react, but Jin Yi couldn’t help asking.
“Doctor… what’s with that look?”
What did that glance even mean?
The male doctor looked at him, then at Fan Qing, then at Hua Zi on the bed, and spoke slowly.
“People with looks like yours shouldn’t be bringing ordinary friends into dangerous situations.”
With that kind of face, it was probably Hua Zi who accidentally took the hit from whatever drug got involved for these two friends.
Jin Yi choked on his words.
Fan Qing stayed silent.
Hua Zi, whose consciousness had mostly returned, felt conflicted—should he be grateful that Fan Qing had made him unrecognizable to the doctor, or frustrated that he now looked absolutely ridiculous?