After He Xiaoyuan left, Qiao Sihang pushed open the gray glass door behind him and entered the adjacent office. He handed the sheet full of likes and dislikes to Lu Chen. His face revealed nothing, but inside, he was in turmoil.
This…
This can actually be done?
By Lu Chen, of all people!
All these years, he had assumed Lu Chen was ascetic and wholly devoted to work. Yet now… now he realized—
Qiao Sihang silently speculated what his boss intended with this handsome young man who had just been hired.
Lu Chen, capable of speed-reading, studied the sheet for a moment, then said: “Family background, daily life.”
Qiao Sihang quickly snapped back to attention: “Understood. I’ll get it right away.”
That evening, after work, Xu Ruomeng took a taxi to the back streets of C University to meet He Xiaoyuan. She was so excited she kept tossing her bag at him:
“And you told me your interview was just ‘okay’? Didn’t I say you’d get the offer! Forget about ‘okay’—forget that!”
“I don’t care—today’s meal is on you!”
“I couldn’t even eat properly this past week while waiting with you for the results!”
He Xiaoyuan let her toss the bag a few times, smiling: “Of course. What do you want to eat?”
Xu Ruomeng: “Hot pot! The usual place! Let’s go!”
At their favorite hot pot restaurant, she scrolled through some work messages while He Xiaoyuan, already familiar with the routine, ordered the broth and ingredients.
The hot pot was soon on the table. He Xiaoyuan helped unwrap the dishes, listening to her vent about work, then mentioned the unexpected fourth-round interview that had been just for him that afternoon.
Xu Ruomeng, surprised: “There was another interview? Usually, the third round ends it. I’ve never heard of a fourth round.”
She quickly asked: “Which floor? Still the 16th?”
He Xiaoyuan: “36th floor.”
Xu Ruomeng: “?”
She tried to recall what the 36th floor was for, but couldn’t figure it out. Leaning closer, she murmured: “I don’t think I’ve ever been there.”
Xu Ruomeng: “Was it the same interviewers as last time?”
He Xiaoyuan shook his head: “Just one this time.”
Xu Ruomeng, sure of herself: “Then it must have been a big boss. Do you know their surname?”
He Xiaoyuan: “They didn’t introduce themselves, so I don’t know.”
She flipped through the photos of her management contacts on her phone, showing them to He Xiaoyuan one by one. None matched.
Xu Ruomeng shrugged: “Doesn’t matter. You got the offer, that’s what counts.”
She lifted her drink: “To celebrate our Xiao Yuan getting the offer!”
He Xiaoyuan clinked his glass with hers.
As they ate and chatted happily, both of them were in high spirits. Occasionally, Xu Ruomeng would reply to work messages, then sigh in impatience.
She complained to He Xiaoyuan: “A colleague keeps trying to ride with me, even though I’ve said I don’t want them to. So annoying.”
He Xiaoyuan: “Male or female?”
Xu Ruomeng: “Female is fine—I don’t mind chatting, and she’s polite. But the guy… so self-important. He critiques my car even though it’s my parents’ choice. And now he’s asking about tomorrow. I just ignored him.”
She handed her phone to He Xiaoyuan.
He glanced at her recent chats with this person and returned the phone, asking: “Is it another guy chasing you? Want me to handle it?”
Xu Ruomeng, naturally in sync with He Xiaoyuan, nodded: “Yes, please.”
He Xiaoyuan thought for a moment. “Anyway, you’ve got the offer now. Nothing else matters until you start work and graduate.”
“One of these mornings, you can come with me in the car a few times. That guy sees you enough, he’ll give up.”
He Xiaoyuan nodded: “Okay.”
As they chatted, Xu Ruomeng suddenly asked: “So… do you need to start looking for a place to live?”
“Actually, your aunt’s place is right by the subway, really convenient for work, not far at all.”
“Living there would be much easier than renting, and you wouldn’t have to spend money.”
He Xiaoyuan lowered his eyes and ate quietly, shaking his head without replying.
Xu Ruomeng frowned. “No way. They wouldn’t leave you even a tiny north-facing room, would they? Your mom sold them the house at a low price and specifically said that. How could they do this?”
He Xiaoyuan lifted his gaze: “I plan to rent a place myself.”
Xu Ruomeng: “Near the company? That area’s super expensive.”
He Xiaoyuan: “Just find somewhere near a subway station, within an hour and a half commute.”
Xu Ruomeng slumped her shoulders, clearly displeased. That’s a long commute—two to three hours a day! But she couldn’t think of a better solution, so she offered: “Why don’t you move in with me? There’s a spare room, it’s empty anyway.”
Seeing the practical side of it, he straightened his back and his eyes lit up. “I could pay a little rent, split utilities with you, and you can cook. I’d benefit! How about it?”
He Xiaoyuan thought: not really.
Xu Ruomeng’s parents had bought her three full-paid apartments in the city to ensure their daughter’s safety, not expecting her to live with strangers.
He Xiaoyuan: “If I move in, they’ll worry even more.”
Xu Ruomeng shrugged: “We’re not strangers. We’re close.”
He Xiaoyuan: “No, I’ll find a place myself.”
She asked the crucial question: “Do you have enough money?”
He Xiaoyuan nodded, signaling her to stop worrying and eat. “Yes.”
Xu Ruomeng: “Rent is usually three months upfront. Four months at least—definitely not cheap.”
He Xiaoyuan: “I know.”
Xu Ruomeng: “Then just stay with me.”
He Xiaoyuan: “No.”
Their meal ended around ten o’clock. After leaving the hot pot restaurant, He Xiaoyuan walked Xu Ruomeng to the curb for a taxi.
She rolled down the window, waved, and He Xiaoyuan waved back. The car drove off. He memorized the license plate, watched until it turned the corner and disappeared, then turned to head back.
On the way back to his dorm, he pulled out his phone.
All his group chats were on “Do Not Disturb.” Opening WeChat, he saw several unread messages.
Class group: classmates complaining about job hunting or graduate school.
Dorm group: all about games.
Part-time work group: messages about gigs.
Family group: a few photos from dinner tonight, then someone asked: “By the way, Xiao Yuan, how’s the job search? Haven’t heard from you yet.”
A few relatives chatted briefly. Then his cousin wrote: “Everyone says SupraSys isn’t taking 211 graduates.”
Coincidentally, that message popped up as He Xiaoyuan opened the chat.
Immediately, relatives tagged him: “Xiao Yuan, the result’s out?”
He couldn’t ignore it. He replied: “It’s out.”
A relative: “Haven’t heard from you. Didn’t make it?”
His cousin immediately added: “No worries. Once I get into a 985 university for grad school, I’ll refer you to SupraSys. @He Xiaoyuan”
He Xiaoyuan: “No need, I got the offer.”
Silence fell across the chat. No one else spoke.
He Xiaoyuan closed the chat. He was used to it.
Over the years, he hadn’t been well, and no one offered comfort. They didn’t expect him to succeed. When he did poorly, it was seen as normal.
He couldn’t articulate exactly how he felt. It wasn’t disappointment or sadness. But when he typed “No need, I got the offer,” for a few seconds, he admitted to a small, quiet thrill—he had achieved what everyone thought he couldn’t.
He knew they were just relatives, not family.
Family…
He Xiaoyuan gazed at the night breeze and city lights, thinking that once he had a loved one, he would have family.
Although he didn’t know when that would happen—he had never had a crush on any girl growing up.
He decided to first pay off his debts, then save up for a small apartment.
That way, when he found someone he loved, he’d already have a home.
The top-floor duplex in Yanlan Bay was worth several hundred million.
Floor-to-ceiling windows offered an uninterrupted view of the city at night.
Lu Chen, dressed in a traditional-style robe, leaned against a black leather sofa as he received the first investigation report on He Xiaoyuan from Qiao Sixing.
Lu Chen clicked to open the file, which launched automatically. The first thing that caught his eye was a headshot of a four-year-old child—clearly a miniature version of He Xiaoyuan: cute, bright-eyed, chubby, and lively.
Seeing the photo, Lu Chen’s lips twitched into a small smile.
Scrolling down and skimming through the rest of the report, his smile gradually faded.