Chapter 15
Unbeknownst to them, the soda can in Lin Yushu’s hand had emptied, and the moon outside had quietly hidden behind the clouds.
Lin Yushu involuntarily crossed his legs and leaned on the armrest of the sofa. He said, “So, a win-win cooperation doesn’t disadvantage you. On the contrary, if you ask for too much, it will be difficult to continue the negotiation.”
“Those words are useless if you only say them to me,” Song Qiming leaned on the other side of the sofa, as if he were at his own home even though he was a guest at someone else’s. One of his feet rested casually on the edge of the sofa. “Isn’t Shao Guangjie more excessive than me?”
“He doesn’t understand my hints,” Lin Yushu threw the empty soda can into the trash bin. “I’ll have to find another way.”
After saying that, he stood up and walked towards the kitchen. “What would you like to drink?”
“Do you have any alcohol?” Song Qiming’s gaze shifted to the wine cabinet in the corner of the dining room. “That bottle of white grape wine you gave me last time was pretty good.”
“I’m out of white wine, how about red?” Lin Yushu slid on his slippers and approached the wine cabinet.
“That’s fine, but not too dry.”
Lin Yushu didn’t have the habit of drinking red wine before bed. He picked a refreshing rosé wine, but it was placed on the top shelf of the wine cabinet, just out of his reach. He tried reaching for it, but he couldn’t even touch the bottle.
Too short, he thought. He was about to give up and turn around when suddenly an arm reached out from behind him and grabbed the rosé wine he had chosen.
“Do you drink this kind of wine too?” Song Qiming held the bottle and didn’t step back. “I thought only girls liked it.”
He must have also taken a shower, as there was no fragrance of agarwood on him but a faint scent of shower gel.
“Drinking wine has nothing to do with gender,” Lin Yushu took the wine from Song Qiming’s hand and pushed his chest away. “Don’t get so close to me.”
He turned and went to the sideboard, taking out two wine glasses. Song Qiming followed him lazily, leaning against the sideboard, and said, “I noticed something.”
“What?” Lin Yushu poured the wine attentively.
“You like touching my chest.”
The pink liquid nearly spilled out of the cup, and Lin Yushu quickly lifted his wrist, staring at Song Qiming. “Stop making baseless accusations.”
Song Qiming crossed his arms in front of his chest and said calmly, “Do the math yourself. How many times have you touched me?”
“I haven’t,” Lin Yushu said firmly, “That’s not called touching.”
“If it’s not touching, then what is it?” Song Qiming chuckled, “You touched me the first time we met.”
Lin Yushu was momentarily speechless. It was clearly him who accidentally spilled beer, so why did it sound like he did it on purpose?
“How does it feel to the touch?” Song Qiming asked earnestly.
Lin Yushu furrowed his brow, a hint of anger emerging, “How would I know?”
“Then touch me again.”
“Song Qiming!” The beautiful peach blossom eyes blushed with embarrassment and anger. “If you keep this up, I’ll get angry!”
“Okay, okay, I won’t tease you anymore.”
Song Qiming restrained his laughter and reached out to take the wine Lin Yushu had poured, but Lin Yushu slapped his hand away and gave him the boot: “Go back, and from now on, you’re forbidden from entering my house after 10 p.m.”
“Really?” Song Qiming was somewhat surprised. “Are you really angry?”
“Get out.” Lin Yushu pushed Song Qiming towards the direction of the front door.
“I’m sorry,” Song Qiming quickly apologized, although he couldn’t completely hide his lack of seriousness. “It’s my fault. Don’t take it seriously.”
Lin Yushu gave Song Qiming a final shove outside. “Men who lack self-control should stay at home.”
“Lin Yushu,” Song Qiming stood outside the front door, looking at Lin Yushu as if seeing him in a new light, with a mix of amusement and helplessness. “You’re so conservative?”
Lin Yushu made a gesture as if to close the door.
“And about Shao Guangjie…”
Before he could finish his sentence and discuss something important, the door slammed shut with a loud “bang.”
Song Qiming touched his nose in frustration. “So fierce.”
He lowered his head and looked at the slippers on his feet, hesitated for a moment, and finally decided to directly wear Lin Yushu’s slippers back home.
On this Tuesday, there was an investor gathering in the city, and naturally, Lin Yushu had to attend. He had also persuaded Shao Guangjie to come along.
“Are you sure Song Qiming will come?” Shao Guangjie asked.
“He will,” Lin Yushu said, “Let’s wait and see.”
The gathering was held in the buffet restaurant of a five-star hotel. Many investors were walking around with their wine glasses, but Lin Yushu and Shao Guangjie sat steadily, not needing to seek attention. There was a continuous stream of people coming to greet them.
“Mr. Shao, Manager Lin, I have a promising project in my hands. Would you be interested…?”
If investment banks were the sugar daddies of entrepreneurs, then the Shao family’s business was the sugar daddy of investment banks.
Lin Yushu rarely sought out projects for investment personally. Usually, he entrusted his funds to major investment banks and, as an LP (Limited Partner) of the mother fund, controlled the investment direction of the banks.
Even if an investment bank saw a promising project, if Lin Yushu didn’t give the green light, the money wouldn’t be invested. As a result, those investors held a certain amount of awe for him.
“Just send the project proposal to my email.” After sending away another investor, Lin Yushu casually took a sip of his tea.
Shao Guangjie, who was sitting next to him, seemed visibly bored. Just as Lin Yushu was about to find a random topic to chat with him, the atmosphere in another corner of the restaurant suddenly became lively.
Both of them turned their heads in unison and saw that many investors had surrounded a tall figure.
Lin Yushu’s expression froze slightly. He thought he might have been mistaken, but Shao Guangjie said, “Du Yufei is back.”
It seemed that Lin Yushu hadn’t seen wrong. That person was indeed Du Yufei.
“You should know him, right?” Shao Guangjie withdrew his gaze and looked at Lin Yushu. “You two are alumni, it seems.”
“Yeah.” Lin Yushu awkwardly raised his hand to cover the side of his face. “He’s my senior.”
…He was also the person he had confessed his feelings to in the past.
Back when they were still students, Lin Yushu had a bit of recklessness in him. He developed a crush on Du Yufei and without much thought, he confessed his feelings. He had prepared himself mentally, thinking that even if he got rejected, it wouldn’t be a big deal. However, he never expected that Du Yufei’s rejection would be so hurtful.
“Sorry, junior,” Du Yufei said apologetically, his face filled with regret. “We are from different social classes.”
He used the term “social class.”
It was during that time that Lin Yushu, coming from a privileged family, first realized that even among the wealthy, there were barriers.
Du Yufei’s family owned a global chain of five-star hotels, while at that time, Lin Yushu’s family had just transitioned into the new energy vehicle industry and was still a small and unimpressive workshop.
It was said that people would understand many things in an instant, and Lin Yushu had that feeling.
He suddenly realized that true wealthy people didn’t play around with modified cars. Their Bugattis, Pagani, and Koenigseggs were in their best condition from the moment they left the factory, with no room for modifications.
Why did the JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) scene once become popular? Wasn’t it because Japanese cars were cheap and offered good value for money?
Only “poor” people like Lin Yushu would rack their brains trying to figure out which parts to change in order to gain a bit more speed, while truly wealthy people who wanted to increase their speed would simply buy a new car.
That confession was the most severe blow Lin Yushu had experienced in his life.
He no longer had any longing for Du Yufei, not because he thought he couldn’t reach his level, but because he didn’t like people who were so materialistic.
But…
After the blow, Lin Yushu seemed like a changed person. He studied hard, worked hard, and wanted to make himself more excellent and reach higher positions.
What Lin Yize said was not wrong. After graduating, Lin Yushu didn’t return to work in his family’s company because he found it too small with limited room for growth. That’s why he joined the Shao family’s business and gradually achieved his current social status.
He didn’t want to quit and return home because if he left his current position, those investors wouldn’t be as eager to please him anymore.
In the end, Lin Yushu despised people like Du Yufei who were so materialistic, but he couldn’t let go of the resentment. Slowly, he turned into the person he hated the most.
He became materialistic, money-driven, and obsessed with success. Ultimately, it was because someone had once deeply wounded his self-esteem.
“Tsk, that guy actually showed up.”
Shao Guangjie’s voice interrupted Lin Yushu’s thoughts. He followed the sound and saw Song Qiming appearing at the entrance of the buffet restaurant. Even before he entered, he was surrounded by investors, making him even more popular than the Australian lobsters displayed nearby.
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Old Song is very picky, and he’s also perpetually single (:з」∠)
