He Xiaoyuan arrived in the afternoon, just in time for the project team’s afternoon tea. He had intended to treat everyone, leaving a good impression and strengthening relations with his new colleagues. But since the team had dedicated admin staff, this was all handled by them—and the tea was company-funded. He didn’t need to pay; instead, the admin asked for his preferences to arrange future orders.
One colleague, curious, asked: “In your previous department, didn’t admin order and the company cover it?”
He Xiaoyuan explained: “In business services, it was just me and Yang Yun. He usually doesn’t eat, so it wasn’t worth ordering for just me.”
The team already knew about Yang Yun and the business services setup, so they understood.
Another asked: “Before you joined business services, in your rotation, didn’t your department order either?”
He Xiaoyuan only mentioned that as a management trainee, tea orders came from HR, avoiding sounding boastful; he didn’t mention the president’s office actually placed the orders.
Colleagues were surprised. Someone said: “Oh, so you just graduated and joined as a management trainee? No wonder you’re already in the project team at such a young age.”
Another complimented: “Handsome, following Yang Yun, and still joining the project team—impressive.”
And added: “Your performance during your rotation must have been excellent.”
He Xiaoyuan remained modest, thinking that his detour through business services, per Brother Lu’s advice, had been the right choice—no one could question his qualifications by the time he reached the project team. He silently appreciated Lu Chen.
After the afternoon tea and a pleasant first interaction with the project team colleagues, He Xiaoyuan sent Lu Chen a message: [Brother Lu, Yang Yun brought me to the project team today.]
Sending it, he felt a genuine sense of joy at finally being in the project team.
For him, sending this message wasn’t just reporting—it was sharing good news.
He thought quietly: Brother Lu should be happy too, after spending these past weekends helping him.
A while later, he received Lu Chen’s reply: [Mm.]
A simple single word, no extras—but He Xiaoyuan felt glad. The message had been shared; that was enough. He assumed Lu Chen wasn’t at the project team, probably busy.
What He Xiaoyuan didn’t know: Lu Chen wasn’t merely busy. To be precise, he was “repaying a debt”—catching up on work he had postponed over the past weekends.
At that moment, accompanied by Qiao Sixing, Lu Chen, still seated in a silent, expressionless manner, let a faint, nearly imperceptible smile cross his face upon seeing He Xiaoyuan’s message—caught instantly by the sharp-eyed assistant.
Qiao whispered: “Boss, you’re up for your speech soon.”
Lu Chen immediately composed himself flawlessly, the cold, high-cold boss image intact, hands clasped over crossed legs, fingertips lightly tapping his hand’s back—just enough to reveal he was thinking of something else.
What was he thinking about?
About He Xiaoyuan.
About the young man finally going to the place he’d always wanted to be—was he happy now?
Lu Chen was happy too.
On the summit stage, the previous industry leader finished speaking. The host took the microphone, delivered a brief wrap-up, then announced the next guest.
Amid the applause, Lu Chen rose from his seat in the center of the front row below the stage—tall, straight-backed, his presence unmistakable…
—
On the other side, He Xiaoyuan had just finished moving into his office. He was about to get familiar with the new computer and the new environment, maybe slack off a bit with Qin Chengfei, when a man walked in carrying a suit jacket slung over one shoulder and a thick stack of documents under his arm.
As he came closer, the man glanced at He Xiaoyuan and exclaimed in exaggerated surprise, “Whoa—another new hire?”
As he spoke, he sat down at the desk next to He Xiaoyuan’s, across the aisle, the one piled high with files.
After sitting down, he set the stack of documents on the desk, looked at He Xiaoyuan again, froze for a moment, then reacted even more dramatically.
“This—good-looking?!”
A female employee—very much the big-sister type—who had earlier gossiped about He Xiaoyuan and even added him on WeChat, walked over smiling. She straightened the files on the man’s desk as she explained, “He’s from Director Yang’s department. Just transferred up this afternoon.”
The man leaned back in his chair, looking from He Xiaoyuan to the assistant, still sounding amazed.
“From Yang Yun’s team?”
He laughed.
“That retirement department actually gets new people?”
The assistant answered without missing a beat, “Why not? He’s a management trainee from this year.”
The man started up again with the theatrics.
“Ohhh, a management trainee.”
He studied He Xiaoyuan again, half joking.
“Management trainees aren’t supposed to be this handsome, are they?”
Only then did He Xiaoyuan smile. Open and straightforward, he said, “Hello, sir. My name is He Xiaoyuan. I did come up from Director Yang’s side, and I did join the company as a management trainee.”
Oh.
Pretty smooth.
The man was even smoother. As soon as He Xiaoyuan finished introducing himself, he pushed off with his long legs, rolling his chair closer into the aisle, and stuck out his hand familiarly.
“Not a ‘sir.’ Last name Chang—Chang Bei.”
He Xiaoyuan was a little flattered. He stood up quickly, leaned forward, and shook his hand.
“President Chang.”
They shook once. Chang Bei leaned back again, smiling.
“Nice. Looks like the project team gets some fresh blood thanks to Yang Yun—and such good-looking fresh blood, too. We’ll have more face when we go out together.”
Chang Bei’s assistant laughed, half flattering, half joking.
“President Chang, you’re too modest. Before the fresh blood arrived, you were the project team’s one and only flower.”
Chang Bei snorted.
“Bullshit ‘flower.’ If I’m a flower, I’m the kind that’s been beaten to a pulp by the big boss—nothing but battered petals left.”
Then he added,
“I don’t want to be a flower. Flowers are fragile. Get hit twice by the boss and you wilt.”
After that, he asked,
“By the way—Yang Yun’s up here. The big boss didn’t come, right?”
The assistant replied, “No. The big boss is way too busy. He doesn’t come when there’s nothing going on, and even when there is something, it’s not like he shows up that often.”
Then she asked, “Do you want me to take all these files back and review them?”
Chang Bei pushed off with his foot and turned back toward his desk, finally getting down to work.
“Yeah. And these over here too—help me double-check whether the data’s right…”
Seeing that there was nothing for him to do, He Xiaoyuan turned back to his computer. After thinking for a moment, he sent a private message to Qin Chengfei on the OA system.
He Xiaoyuan: What does President Chang do? Do you know?
After a bit, Qin Chengfei replied:
Qin Chengfei: No idea.
He Xiaoyuan: “……”
He Xiaoyuan: Senior, is there anything you know?
Qin Chengfei: At the moment, no.
Message retracted.
Qin Chengfei: I know that when there’s free time, you slack off. You taught me that.
He Xiaoyuan: “……”
—
Across the aisle, after the assistant left with the files, Chang Bei turned to his computer and started slacking off too—in a group chat called Middle-Aged Disco.
Chang Bei: @Yang Yun Where did you dig up that ridiculously handsome guy? And you even put him next to me—where am I supposed to put my old “project team flower” face now?
Chang Bei: @Yang Yun @Yang Yun @Yang Yun
Xue Jinming: No point @-ing Old Yang. Just think with your toes—you know he’s either with his wife or on the way to be with his wife. No time for you.
Yu Xun: @Chang Bei What handsome guy?
Xue Jinming: Isn’t the seat next to you empty? The new one—Qin Chengfei—isn’t he sitting next to the next one over?
Chang Bei: @Xue Jinming You’ve got it wrong. Not him—another one.
Xue Jinming: ?
Yu Xun: Who?
Chang Bei: Super handsome. Like a male model.
Yu Xun: ?
Xue Jinming: ?
Xiao Qiyi: Enough with the male model talk. Can any male model beat the big boss?
Xiao Qiyi: I’m about to lose my mind dealing with those idiots from Quadrant Capital. QAQ
Xiao Qiyi: Someone, please tell me Quadrant Capital are idiots. tears.jpg
Xue Jinming: Quadrant Capital are idiots.
Yu Xun: Quadrant Capital are idiots.
Chang Bei: Quadrant Capital are idiots.
Chang Bei: I’m not lying—it’s legit handsome. Honestly, even more model-like than the big boss. If you don’t believe me, come back and see for yourselves.
Xiao Qiyi: Am I sick? Why would I go back? The big boss isn’t even there.
Xue Jinming: Am I sick? Why would I go back? The big boss isn’t even there.
Yu Xun: Am I sick? Why would I go back? The big boss isn’t even there.
Chang Bei: Just wait. The big boss will be here any minute.
Yu Xun: Don’t jinx it.
Xue Jinming: Don’t jinx it.
Xiao Qiyi: Don’t jinx it.
————————————-
When it was time to get off work, Chang Bei grabbed his suit jacket and car keys and led the charge out the door—fast and right on the dot, like staying in the office half a second longer would kill him. The rest of the employees followed suit, packing up and heading out one after another.
He Xiaoyuan was chatting with Qin Chengfei when he shut down his computer. Just then, his phone buzzed.
He picked it up and glanced at the screen—it was Lu Chen, asking how things were going in the project team.
The moment He Xiaoyuan saw the message, he smiled. Holding his phone, he tapped out a reply on the nine-key keyboard:
“Not bad…”
Qin Chengfei called out, “I’m heading out first.”
He Xiaoyuan looked up. “See ya.”
He stood up, unhurried, his attention still on his phone, and continued typing:
“Not bad. Spent the afternoon getting used to things. I’ve basically met all the assistants and admin staff here. Oh—and the Director Chang who sits next to me.”
Lu: “That’s Chang Bei.”
He Xiaoyuan slid his chair back into his cubicle and kept holding his phone:
“What does Director Chang usually do?”
Lu: “The project team is divided by project categories, but work-wise there isn’t a very strict ‘this person does this’ kind of split.”
…
Like that, He Xiaoyuan kept chatting as he walked all the way to the open area in front of the office building to wait for the shuttle bus.
By now, he understood Lu Chen’s habits. If Lu Chen was free, he usually called directly or sent a voice message. If it was all text, it probably meant the situation didn’t allow it—or he was still busy.
So after chatting for a bit, He Xiaoyuan asked whether Lu Chen was busy or if it was inconvenient to talk.
Lu: “It’s fine. Go ahead and send your messages—it doesn’t affect anything.”
After thinking for a moment, He Xiaoyuan asked:
“I noticed you weren’t in the office at all today, Lu-ge. Were you busy with something outside?”
Lu: “Mm.”
At that moment, Lu Chen was at the summit banquet, standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows of the hotel buffet restaurant. Since there weren’t many people around yet, he took advantage of the gap to keep in touch.
Seeing He Xiaoyuan ask whether he’d been busy all day and why he hadn’t been seen in the project office, Lu Chen replied with a simple “mm.” After a pause, he lifted his phone to his lips and asked in a low, magnetic voice, “What is it—did you miss me?”
The sound traveled through the signal straight to He Xiaoyuan’s eardrums, like notes hopping in his ear, or a soft, intimate whisper right by his ear—unfairly pleasant to listen to.
After listening, He Xiaoyuan lowered the phone and scratched his ear with his free hand, feeling like Lu-ge’s voice had made his ears go all tingly.
Still, he didn’t think too much of it. His brain automatically completed that “Did you miss me?” as: Did you wonder why I wasn’t in the office?
He Xiaoyuan pressed the voice button, brought the phone to his lips, and replied, “Yeah. I was wondering why you weren’t around all day.”
On the other end, Lu Chen, after listening to the message, automatically ignored the second half and focused only on the words “Yeah.”
—“Did you miss me?”
—“Yeah.”
Lu Chen smiled faintly, the corner of his lips lifting.
After a while, he typed back:
“I’ll head back once I’m done here.”
—
And just like that, He Xiaoyuan spent “alone” two days in the project team—adjusting to the new environment, getting familiar with new colleagues, chatting with people from time to time. When there was nothing to do, he took the chance to slack off. When he was really free, his initiative earned him a few errand-running opportunities, like handing files to Chang Bei’s assistant or putting labels on folders for him. The rest of the time, he drank water and chatted in group chats, had afternoon tea, watched Qin Chengfei play Minesweeper, or kept reading materials…
All in all, the two days passed smoothly and leisurely.
That afternoon, during tea time, He Xiaoyuan was standing in the assistant–admin cubicle area with a cup of coffee, chatting casually with everyone. Just as the conversation was getting lively, he caught sight of movement out of the corner of his eye.
At the office entrance, a tall figure in a suit pushed open the glass doors and walked in.
If it wasn’t Lu Chen, who else could it be?
He Xiaoyuan froze for a second and looked over. Lu Chen had one hand in his pocket, his presence only half-restrained, eyes straight ahead as he walked with long, confident strides. The air around him radiated the dominance and swagger of a top executive—so striking it was hard to look away.
What He Xiaoyuan didn’t know was that, in the eyes of everyone else in the project team, this scene could only be described with four words: sheer terror.
Instantly—truly instantly—the entire office went silent. The kind of silence where you could hear a pin drop.
Anyone from the assistant or admin team who wasn’t at their desk immediately slipped back. Those holding coffee, milk tea, or cake hurriedly put everything down and wiped their mouths with tissues.
Up front, Chang Bei was perched on the edge of his chair, feet on the floor as he swiveled left and right while signing documents, one ear tilted back to listen to the admin staff chatting behind him. Suddenly, he looked up and saw Lu Chen walking past him. He nearly scared himself off the chair, his butt sliding sideways as he barely caught himself with his arm, scrambling to sit properly again. At the same time, he raised a hand to shield his face, wearing an expression that screamed boss can’t see me.
As for Lu Chen, he walked straight in through the entrance, crossed the front aisle, and stopped at the workstations shared by He Xiaoyuan and Qin Chengfei. He then sat down directly behind the long, empty table in front of their desks.
The moment he sat, he leaned back, one hand still in his pocket, the other resting lightly on the armrest, one leg crossed over the other—every bit the calm, imposing presence of the big boss.
After settling in, he lifted his gaze and, from across half the office, looked straight at He Xiaoyuan.
He Xiaoyuan blinked, actually feeling a little happy. Lu Chen finally came.
What he didn’t realize was that, to everyone else, this looked like a clueless newcomer wandering straight into the boss’s forbidden hunting ground—about to be slaughtered and devoured without leftovers.
“Go back, go back.”
Chang Bei’s assistant wasn’t far from He Xiaoyuan. Half-hidden behind a cubicle partition, she whispered a warning to this fearless—or suicidal—newbie.
Meanwhile, the very fearful Chang Bei, who was very close to Lu Chen, picked up a file and silently stood up. He walked over, placed the document on the table, rubbed his nose first, then spoke in a low, guilty voice, “Boss, this is the case I’ve been following recently.”
Lu Chen withdrew his gaze from He Xiaoyuan. His eyes dropped calmly as he glanced at the file, his tone flat.
“I heard you were holding thirty million in intended funds and still couldn’t get them to clear time for a meal with you?”
Chang Bei: “……”
Lu Chen lifted his eyes, no longer sparing the file another glance, his voice even lighter.
“If there’s no result, what’s the point of bringing the file to me?”
Everyone in the office—except He Xiaoyuan and Qin Chengfei—went completely silent: “……”
At that moment, the same background music started playing in everyone’s head—
HUNT. KILL. MODE. ACTIVATED.
The entire office: QAQ