When Yang Yun came out of his office, He Xiaoyuan had expected him to be surprised at seeing Lu Chen there, maybe even say something. To his surprise, Yang Yun didn’t acknowledge Lu Chen at all and said nothing—he just left.
Once Yang Yun was gone, He Xiaoyuan couldn’t help turning to look at Lu Chen. Lu Chen was still leaning back in his chair with one leg crossed, scrolling on his phone, and asked without lifting his head, “Finished?”
“No,” He Xiaoyuan replied, turning back to his computer.
At noon, Yang Yun wandered back with meals for three people. As usual, he said nothing, smiling warmly as he handed the bundled takeout to He Xiaoyuan. He Xiaoyuan took it and helped unpack the containers.
Lu Chen stood up, walked over to the workstation, and unpacked the food together with He Xiaoyuan.
When handing a meal to the ever-smiling Yang Yun, Lu Chen finally spoke at an unhurried pace. “Looks like President Yang doesn’t have hands of his own.”
He Xiaoyuan, busy with his hands, glanced up at that.
Yang Yun, taking the jab in stride, accepted the food without a hint of annoyance and replied with a grin, “President Lu gracing us with his presence makes our humble department shine.”
He took the chopsticks and gestured toward Lu Chen. “Xiaoyuan, make sure you give President Lu a few extra pieces of meat.”
With that, he carried his meal back into his office.
It was clear to He Xiaoyuan now—Yang Yun and Lu Chen were close privately. That was why they could joke like this.
He said nothing, just lowered his head and smiled.
At that moment, Lu Chen glanced toward the office, reacting to Yang Yun’s overly familiar “Xiaoyuan.”
He withdrew his gaze, handed the unwrapped chopsticks to He Xiaoyuan, who took them and said, “Thanks,” then picked up his meal and moved to give Lu Chen space to sit at his workstation.
“No need,” Lu Chen said.
He took his meal and chopsticks back to the chair he’d been sitting in earlier. Sitting down, legs spread slightly and leaning forward, elbows resting on his thighs, he ate in that unguarded, casual posture.
He Xiaoyuan looked over and noticed how, in that posture, Lu Chen’s broad shoulders opened up, his arm muscles drawn tight and defined.
He gave it a quick glance and didn’t find it improper at all. On the contrary, Lu Chen looked extremely manly like this—casual, with an air of unruliness beneath the ease.
He Xiaoyuan didn’t think much of it. With a purely appreciative mindset, he subconsciously looked again.
At that moment, Yang Yun’s voice came from the open office. “Xiao Yuan, is the soup outside?”
“Yes, Director Yang.”
He Xiaoyuan took a box of soup from the bag, stood up, and was about to carry it into the office.
Lu Chen had one long leg stretched out beside the workstation. Holding his lunchbox in one hand and chopsticks in the other, he reached out with his free hand, gesturing for the soup.
He Xiaoyuan was about to step over that leg and said softly, “It’s fine, I’ll bring it in.”
Lu Chen didn’t move his leg. His hand stayed out, stubbornly so. Only then did He Xiaoyuan hand him the soup container. Lu Chen pressed his lips together as he chewed, stood up without a word, and carried the soup into the office. As he set it down on the desk, he lifted his eyes and exchanged a faintly warning look with Yang Yun.
Yang Yun was still smiling, saying, “Thanks for the trouble, President Lu.”
His expression was full of teasing.
Lu Chen turned around. Yang Yun deliberately raised his voice, calling after him, “President Lu, you’re not coming in to eat? The table inside is bigger.”
Lu Chen’s response was to reach out at the doorway and quietly close the door.
When he sat back down, he faced He Xiaoyuan’s workstation this time, eating with his legs spread and one arm draped casually.
In a calm tone, he asked, “Yang Yun give you a hard time this week?”
He Xiaoyuan looked up, puzzled. Give him a hard time?
Where was that coming from?
He chewed the food in his mouth, blinked, and said, “No.”
Lu Chen glanced at the young man in front of him and rephrased the question. “Made you run errands? Tried to talk you out of staying in commercial services? Lost his temper?”
Every point hit the mark.
He Xiaoyuan found it even harder to answer. If he said yes, it would sound like Yang Yun really had been messing with him. But not answering felt like tacit agreement.
After a pause, he denied it again. “No.”
Lu Chen looked at him and already knew the correct answer was “yes.”
Eating as he spoke, Lu Chen said, “He’s testing you. Don’t mind him.”
He Xiaoyuan felt a bit helpless. Yang Yun was his boss—his direct superior, no less. How could he just ignore him?
Trying to reassure Lu Chen, he said, “It’s really nothing.”
Then added, “Director Yang treats me pretty well.”
Lu Chen kept eating and didn’t say anything for a while. Then he said, “I’ll help you mess with him back someday.”
Hearing that, He Xiaoyuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
He still didn’t respond. In his mind, Lu Chen and Yang Yun were close and had a good personal relationship. There probably wasn’t any real “messing with” involved—just half-serious, half-joking banter.
But hearing Lu Chen say that still warmed He Xiaoyuan’s heart a little. It felt as if Lu Chen were backing him up.
Having someone on your side really does feel good.
He Xiaoyuan felt it would be awkward not to say something in response. An idea struck him, and he said, “Then how about tonight—Brother Lu treats Director Yang and me to dinner?”
Lu Chen looked up. He Xiaoyuan met his gaze.
Lu Chen asked, “What do you want to eat?”
He Xiaoyuan set down his chopsticks and put his hands on the keyboard. “Hang on, I’ll ask Director Yang.”
He Xiaoyuan: 【Director Yang, President Lu is treating tonight. What do you feel like eating?】
Yang Yun replied almost instantly: 【Something expensive.】
Seeing those two concise, all-encompassing characters pop up on the screen, He Xiaoyuan couldn’t help but laugh.
He relayed it to Lu Chen, who said, “You pick. Choose something you like.”
He Xiaoyuan ate while thinking: three people—hot pot? Which hot pot place is expensive?
The entire afternoon passed like that. He Xiaoyuan sat at his workstation reviewing materials. Lu Chen stayed nearby scrolling through his phone. In the office, Yang Yun played a game of tile-matching.
As he played, Yang Yun sighed inwardly. He could’ve gone home that afternoon to keep his wife company. He’d already left the kid his number—anything unclear could be asked over the phone, or saved for Monday.
Now look at this. A dinner was scheduled. He couldn’t even leave.
This was really—
Yang Yun thought: the king guarding a pawn, while he, an old general, had to prop up his aging bones and keep them company.
Tragic.
It was his own fault, too. Why did he call the kid in on a Saturday? Couldn’t the USB drive wait until Monday?
Yang Yun exited the game and messaged his wife: 【Kiss kiss, baby, I’m having dinner tonight with the big boss…】
Outside, He Xiaoyuan finally ran into something he didn’t understand and called over to Brother Lu, pointing at the screen. “Why is it like this here?”
Lu Chen stood up and walked over. He Xiaoyuan moved to get up and give him the seat, but Lu Chen rested a hand on his shoulder and pressed him back down. With one hand braced on the desk and the other hooked over the back of He Xiaoyuan’s chair, he leaned forward slightly, lowering his waist to look at the screen…
Around four o’clock, He Xiaoyuan raised a question about a PR case in the materials. Lu Chen was in the middle of explaining when Yang Yun came out and overheard them. He had a different perspective, and the two “presidents” began a back-and-forth debate—
Lu Chen said, “Lu Shishi’s handling of it was correct. When a product spokesperson runs into a public image crisis or moral scandal, cutting ties in a timely manner is a necessary PR measure.”
Yang Yun disagreed. “President Lu, you’re standing too high up. There are things below that you can’t see.”
“This case was handled by Lu Shishi’s team. The words were signed off by her, sure—but did she submit another report afterward telling you that the spokesperson they cut ties with later turned things around and made a comeback?”
“At the time, the product that cut ties with that spokesperson even faced a wave of public ridicule. Meanwhile, the competing product endorsed by that same spokesperson sold extremely well.”
“Did Lu Shishi reflect on that afterward?”
Lu Chen stood tall beside the workstation, one hand braced on the desk, revealing the watch on his wrist—the one He Xiaoyuan had given him.
Calmly, he replied to Yang Yun, “The purpose of crisis PR is to reduce losses, not to generate profit. You can’t expect Lu Shishi, under those circumstances, to ignore immediate losses and calculate future gains. She’s in public relations, not a god.”
Yang Yun said, “But if I were in your position, I’d be weighing the return against the cost and holding her accountable as the person in charge of PR.”
“A company that doesn’t pursue results—what is it, running a charity?”
“She didn’t even come up with a damage-control plan afterward.”
“If it were me, I’d pursue responsibility for this case.”
…
He Xiaoyuan stood to the side, watching and listening, quietly absorbing everything. At the same time, he noticed the change in both Yang Yun and Lu Chen once they slipped into work mode. They became serious and focused, their thinking lightning-fast, even unconsciously revealing a more forceful side of themselves.
From Lu Chen in particular, He Xiaoyuan sensed the natural authority of someone in a position of power—commanding without needing anger. And from Lu Chen’s restrained words, he felt a broad-minded tolerance and strength toward his subordinates.
He Xiaoyuan couldn’t quite put into words what kind of charisma Lu Chen had. He just felt that Lu Chen was exceptionally manly, radiating presence, impossible to look away from. Somewhere deep down, it stirred a sense of admiration and longing—he wanted to become someone like that, too.
Director Yang was the same, emanating a mature, steady, powerful aura that was deeply infectious.
Without realizing it, He Xiaoyuan’s gaze toward the two men carried a mix of admiration and reverence.
When he snapped back to himself, he realized he’d been staring at Lu Chen for far too long. He quickly looked away and adjusted his mindset.
Looking at Lu Chen again, He Xiaoyuan thought: Brother Lu really is Brother Lu—someone worth learning from, and a direction he should strive toward in the future.
That evening, after careful consideration, He Xiaoyuan didn’t choose hot pot. Instead, he booked a small private room at a Chinese restaurant near the company.
During dinner, Lu Chen and Yang Yun inevitably talked shop for a while. He Xiaoyuan listened in again—some things he understood, others he didn’t. He ate as he listened, quietly digesting it all. When the server came in with dishes, he subtly gave cues and guided them, making sure their presence didn’t interrupt the two men’s conversation.
That scene didn’t escape Yang Yun’s notice. Without showing it, he kept listening to Lu Chen while his eyes had already shifted to He Xiaoyuan.
Seeing this, Lu Chen also looked over at He Xiaoyuan.
At that moment, He Xiaoyuan was holding the menu and speaking with the server in a lowered voice. “It’s gone? If it’s not available, that’s fine—let’s switch to another dish.”
“No, that one won’t work, the flavor’s too strong. Do you have something lighter?”
“Okay, we’ll take this one.”
“Start with three portions.”
“Made fresh? Served hot? Okay, that works—let’s do that.”
The way he communicated with the server already revealed a certain decisiveness and efficiency. From small details, one could tell that he was someone with a clear mind, very certain about what he wanted and didn’t want, and focused on getting straight to the point.
Yang Yun smiled, and once the server left, he asked He Xiaoyuan, “So what did you order?”
He Xiaoyuan replied, “One dish wasn’t available, so I swapped it for another.”
Yang Yun was still smiling. “You didn’t even ask us—so you already know President Lu’s tastes and mine?”
He Xiaoyuan met Yang Yun’s gaze, then glanced at Lu Chen, who was also looking at him, and explained, “I’ve eaten with President Lu before, so I more or less know his preferences. I’ve also brought meals for you before, Director Yang. And just now I noticed you were picking at the lighter dishes, so I guessed you don’t like heavy flavors.”
Then he added, “I saw you two talking, so I didn’t want to interrupt to ask too much. I made the call on my own.”
“And if the dishes don’t suit your taste when they come out, Director Yang, just let me know and I’ll change them.”
Those words made the other two men smile at the same time and exchange a quiet look.
Yang Yun, smiling across the table at Lu Chen, said, “Did you teach him that? Where’d he learn to talk so smoothly, without leaving any gaps?”
Lu Chen smiled faintly and turned to look at He Xiaoyuan, who blinked in confusion, not quite understanding.
Yang Yun continued, “The last one who was this good with words was Qiao Sixing.”
That made He Xiaoyuan glance over at Yang Yun.
President Qiao?
A beat later, it dawned on him—this sounded like praise.
He Xiaoyuan immediately felt a bit embarrassed. He didn’t think he’d done anything special—he’d just switched a dish and explained himself.
At that moment, Yang Yun looked at He Xiaoyuan and smoothly shifted the topic to Qiao Sixing. “Do you know how President Qiao got promoted back then?”
Huh?
Of course He Xiaoyuan didn’t know. He shook his head.
Yang Yun smiled. “I put his name forward—and then recommended him to your President Lu.”
With a nostalgic look, he added, “Back then, he was good with words and good at getting things done—just like you were just now. If not him, who else would I recommend?”
He Xiaoyuan listened and thought it over. He felt that on the surface Yang Yun was praising President Qiao, but underneath he was also praising him. He couldn’t help feeling a little pleased, though he didn’t let it go to his head. He knew he couldn’t compare himself to Qiao Sixing.
Lu Chen hadn’t said much the whole time, just smiling faintly. At this point, he switched chopsticks and used the communal ones to pick up a dish for He Xiaoyuan.
He Xiaoyuan’s gaze followed the food in his bowl, up along the chopsticks, and landed on Lu Chen’s face. He softly said, “Thank you.”
Yang Yun saw that entire exchange clearly and understood what was going on. The two did have a personal rapport, but they weren’t that close yet. Lu Chen was visibly very tolerant of the young man—one might even say biased in his favor. As for He Xiaoyuan, his respect and politeness were fully in place. It was obvious he valued his relationship with Lu Chen greatly.
Yang Yun ate his food, still smiling. At that moment, his eyes narrowed slightly at the corners as he found the scene in front of him rather interesting: the big boss and the junior employee. Huh.
As the meal wound down, He Xiaoyuan left the room to go to the restroom.
As soon as he was gone and the private room door closed, Yang Yun leaned back against his chair, looked across the table at Lu Chen, and teased, “You’re such a big boss—how do you even have the nerve?”
Have the nerve to make a move?
And on someone that young?
Lu Chen lifted his teacup and took a sip, not answering. He only flicked his eyes up and gave Yang Yun a light, cool glance.
Yang Yun continued, “And you even dumped him on my side.”
Only then did Lu Chen respond, unhurried. “He was going to your side anyway.”
Yang Yun wasn’t buying it. “Oh, come on. If you hadn’t shown him so many detailed case materials, how would he have known about me?”
At the end of the day, it was obvious—someone had deliberately guided him there.
Lu Chen took another sip of tea and said, “You’re not exactly young anymore—at your age, you really think it’s appropriate to use errands as a ‘test’?”
Yang Yun straightened up, folded his arms on the edge of the table, and laughed, his face full of shameless defiance. “Hey! That’s exactly what I did! What about it?!”
Like an old kid throwing a tantrum, Yang Yun went on, “I let him run errands to feel him out, get a sense of his temperament. I painted him a rosy picture of the future to see if he’d get impatient or stay steady. I even asked him a bunch of random questions to see if he was smart enough—or if he’d get led around by the nose.”
“Yep! That’s just how I am!”
Lu Chen listened patiently, calm and unruffled. When Yang Yun finished, he said, “So? You’re done testing him? What do you think—good or bad? If he’s not good enough, I’ll transfer him out right away.”
This time Yang Yun didn’t answer immediately. He shot a sideways glance at Lu Chen, that big bad wolf, studied him for a moment, then drawled, “Good. How could he not be? Didn’t you hear me just compare him to Qiao Sixing?”
“And you know how much I like Little Qiao.”
The implication was clear: anyone who could be compared to Qiao Sixing was more than acceptable in his book.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched Lu Chen’s lips. He didn’t say anything more. After a moment, he added evenly, “At the latest, I want to see him in the project team within a month.”
Yang Yun propped his arms on the table and swung one leg, looking sloppy as ever. He glanced at Lu Chen, sounding reluctant yet oddly confident. “Fine. One month it is.”
Lu Chen lifted his small teacup toward Yang Yun. Yang Yun followed suit. The cups clinked crisply together, the scene oddly resembling a big bad wolf and a sheepdog reaching an international agreement over the handover of a little lamb.
Yang Yun smacked his lips, savoring the aftertaste, suddenly feeling like he wasn’t a dog—no, damn it, not even a person anymore. The more he thought about it, the more he felt like a human—no, a sheep—trafficker.
Not long after, the “little lamb” came back. As soon as he sat down, Lu Chen asked gently, “Full?”
“Yes.” He Xiaoyuan nodded.
Then he added, “What do you think of this place?”
Lu Chen replied, “Not bad.”
He Xiaoyuan said, “The environment’s pretty nice too.”
At that point, Yang Yun cut in, gesturing toward Lu Chen. “Xiao Yuan, when you’re off work, do you still call him President Lu?”
With his trademark smile: “Isn’t that a bit too formal?”
He Xiaoyuan paused. “Not really.”
Yang Yun asked curiously, “Then what do you call him? His name?”
Lu Chen shot Yang Yun a look, clearly thinking he was stirring up trouble out of boredom. He Xiaoyuan glanced at Lu Chen, then answered honestly, “I usually call him ‘ge.’”
“Oh, I see.”
As he said “oh,” Yang Yun’s mouth and eyes both rounded, his expression full of teasing—until Lu Chen shot him a warning look.
Undeterred, Yang Yun went on, “How about this, Xiao Yuan—let’s not be so formal either. At work you can call me Director Yang, but in private, change it up.”
All warm and genial. “I’m quite a bit older than you, so calling me ‘ge’ wouldn’t be appropriate. Just call me ‘uncle.’”
Uncle?
He Xiaoyuan paused, instantly realizing this probably wasn’t really about what he should call Yang Yun.
His gaze flicked between Yang Yun and Lu Chen, and with admirable tact he asked, “Then what do Director Yang and President Lu call each other in private?”
Yang Yun said aloud, “We use our names.”
What he thought was: Of course I call him boss.
But if there were a young guy around calling him “uncle,” then a certain big boss’s generation would naturally drop along with it. Just thinking about it felt great.
Yang Yun: Hahahahahaha.
The idea amused him so much that he couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing right there in front of the other two.
He laughed until He Xiaoyuan looked utterly confused and Lu Chen’s expression turned dark.
He Xiaoyuan looked to Lu Chen, who said, “He’s bored and laughs at anything. Ignore him.”
Still laughing, Yang Yun pulled out his phone and started typing. “Wife, I have to tell you something—it’s seriously hilarious…”
Meanwhile, Lu Chen spoke to He Xiaoyuan as if nothing had happened.
“Working overtime again tomorrow?”
“Not sure yet,” He Xiaoyuan replied. “I’ll ask Director Yang later.”
“Don’t bother,” Lu Chen said. “Overtime just means reading materials anyway. You can do that anywhere.”
After a brief pause, he suggested, “Come to my place. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask.”