Chapter 4
The clock slowly ticked past seven, and the window outside was dyed orange-red by the sunset. Xue Wensong felt a bit restless. He put down the book in his hand and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, scanning the road outside the residential area, waiting for that white figure to appear.
Suddenly, his phone rang loudly, and Xue Wensong raised an eyebrow as he pulled out his phone to check. It was an international call. His expectant expression disappeared instantly, and he lazily answered the phone, “Hello, Mom.”
Huang Shan’s excited voice came through, “Son, happy birthday!”
Xue Wensong’s expression remained unchanged. “You remembered just now?”
“Cough, I’ve been busy,” Huang Shan awkwardly changed the subject. “How’s the new company coming along?”
“It’s registered,” Xue Wensong replied indifferently. “The office is also being renovated.”
Huang Shan said, “That’s good. Do you need any help from home?”
“When did I ever ask for help from home?” Xue Wensong said lightly. “Just relax.”
Huang Shan sighed, “You, always making people worry. Such a big thing happened before, and you didn’t even tell us.”
“A new beginning, isn’t that great?” Xue Wensong wasn’t just saying this to reassure Huang Shan; he genuinely felt that way.
“Yes, yes, a new beginning,” Huang Shan said absently, then got to the point, “You’re not getting any younger, you know. Shouldn’t you settle down with someone?”
“Mm,” Xue Wensong responded, not telling Huang Shan about his marriage. Since his family was abroad, they wouldn’t know about it so soon anyway.
Actually, Xue Wensong had intended to settle down with someone, and that someone had been Ji Xingye. Although he didn’t particularly like Ji Xingye, Ji Xingye had been with him for almost a year, and he thought it wouldn’t be bad to continue like that. That’s why he had given Ji Xingye some of his shares, hoping Ji Xingye would understand his intentions.
But Ji Xingye turned around and teamed up with other shareholders, kicking him out of the company.
It wasn’t that he was particularly hurt by it. He knew Ji Xingye was just a pawn in the grand scheme of things. The company had been in chaos because of a group of shareholders, and when he left the company, he felt relieved.
The only thing he felt was unworthy was the bit of sincerity he had once given to Ji Xingye.
Huang Shan began to introduce the girls she had found, and Xue Wensong listened absentmindedly. Not long after, the sound of the keypad lock suddenly rang out.
Xue Wensong promptly hung up the phone and turned to see his little companion entering with a paper box, moving slowly.
Xue Wensong’s expression darkened, causing Lin Lu to shrink back.
Although Xue Wensong usually appeared lazy, giving off an air of indifference, when he turned serious, Lin Lu found him quite intimidating.
Lin Lu nervously approached the floor-to-ceiling window. “Xue, Xue…”
For a moment, Lin Lu didn’t know how to address him. Calling him by his name felt disrespectful, but addressing him as “Mr. Xue” seemed too distant.
Xue Wensong coldly asked, “Where did you work?”
Lin Lu stiffened his back. “I-I went to work… carrying dishes…” He didn’t dare to tell the truth.
Xue Wensong raised an eyebrow. “Are you short of money?”
Lin Lu subconsciously wanted to say he was fine, but to maintain his image as a struggling worker, he nodded. “My family doesn’t give me tuition or living expenses.”
That wasn’t entirely untrue.
Xue Wensong knew Lin Lu’s situation. The Qin family didn’t truly regard him as family. Thinking of this, his expression softened. “How much can you earn in a day?”
“Two hundred,” Lin Lu honestly confessed, then placed the white paper box in front of Xue Wensong. “It’s a cake, though it’s not very warm anymore… Happy birthday.”
A look of surprise flashed across Xue Wensong’s face, but he quickly regained his composure and took the box. “What is it?”
Lin Lu, seeing that Xue Wensong didn’t pursue the matter of his job further, relaxed a bit. But as soon as he relaxed, his mind went blank. “I don’t know what old men like, so I bought a cake.”
Xue Wensong’s hand paused, his eye twitching slightly as he repeated, word by word, “Old… men?”
Only then did Lin Lu realize he had accidentally voiced his thoughts. He hurriedly explained, “No no no, I meant big brother.”
Xue Wensong still had a stern expression. “Am I that old?”
“No, not old at all,” Lin Lu shook his head anxiously, “I misspoke, please don’t be angry.”
Suddenly, Xue Wensong extended his other hand. “Give me your wallet.”
Lin Lu was taken aback. “Huh?”
Xue Wensong raised an eyebrow. “Piss me off, and I’ll confiscate your earnings.”
Feeling aggrieved, Lin Lu pursed his lips and obediently handed over his wallet.
Lin Lu’s wallet was a simple leather one, clearly used for many years. Xue Wensong walked back to the sofa, placed the cake on the coffee table, then took out a bank card from Lin Lu’s wallet and proceeded to do something on his phone.
Lin Lu followed him to the coffee table but didn’t dare to sit down.
After a while, a message notification sounded, and Lin Lu glanced casually, only to widen his eyes in the next moment. “Someone transferred a hundred thousand yuan to me!”
Xue Wensong narrowed his eyes slightly, suddenly thinking that what Tang Yi had said might be true.
It seemed his little companion was a bit clueless.
“Yeah,” Xue Wensong returned the wallet to Lin Lu, “This is your living expenses. If it’s not enough, ask me for more.”
Lin Lu blinked, then after a long while, managed to utter a sentence, “Did you accidentally add two extra zeros?”
Xue Wensong chuckled and pulled Lin Lu to sit beside him, then opened the cake box.
“Don’t force yourself,” Lin Lu said worriedly. “You’re unemployed now; you don’t need to give me living expenses. And our marriage isn’t real; you don’t have to give me all your wealth.”
Xue Wensong’s hand paused. “All my wealth?”
Suddenly, Xue Wensong had an idea. He thought of telling his little companion about his family background; the reaction would be quite interesting. But then he had another thought. “Yes, I’ve given you all my wealth. You have to take responsibility for me.”
Lin Lu’s face flushed. “I-I’ll give it back to you right away.”
Xue Wensong immediately grabbed Lin Lu’s hand, raising an eyebrow. “What, don’t you want to take responsibility for me?”
“It’s not that…” Lin Lu found himself tangled up, saying, “I’m just afraid you’ll run out of money.”
“Don’t worry.” Xue Wensong lightly tapped Lin Lu’s nose. “I have my own savings.”
Xue Wensong’s words sounded so natural, as if they were an old married couple. Lin Lu suddenly felt his heart racing. He thought that when he became famous in the future, he would shower Xue Wensong with a couple million.
Taking advantage of Lin Lu’s daze, Xue Wensong opened the cake box. Looking at the strawberries adorning the white cream, Xue Wensong smirked meaningfully. “You really like strawberries, huh?”
Lin Lu froze, blushing as he retorted, “I thought you liked them!”
The cake wasn’t large, and they quickly finished it. Outside the window, night had fallen without notice, and the warm light in the living room enveloped the two of them. Xue Wensong suddenly felt extremely content.
There was a feeling of not wanting to work or make money.
Lin Lu began to tidy up the remnants of the cake box, his movements swift and practiced, clearly accustomed to household chores. Remembering the neat fried egg Lin Lu had made for him in the morning, Xue Wensong felt a warmth in his heart. He realized he still needed to earn money, especially since there was a little companion at home to support.
Stretching lazily, Xue Wensong returned to his desk and began to pick up the work he had delayed for most of the day. Lin Lu, after tidying up the living room, curiously approached the desk and was amazed by Xue Wensong’s speed in coding.
“You’re so skilled,” Lin Lu said dumbfoundedly, thinking to himself that the expert was truly an expert.
Without looking up, Xue Wensong replied, “I was faster during my peak.”
But the next moment, he suddenly stopped and turned to Lin Lu. “It’s not that I’ve gotten old. It’s just that after Future Wisdom stabilized, I rarely code anymore.”
Lin Lu nodded. He knew Future Wisdom was founded by Xue Wensong himself and had gone public in just two years. However, after the IPO, Future Wisdom no longer focused on artificial intelligence research. Lin Lu couldn’t pinpoint the specifics, but he just felt the company had gone off track.
Lin Lu didn’t follow financial news much and wasn’t very knowledgeable in this area. He simply said based on his feelings, “You’re the core of Future Wisdom. Without you, there’s no future or wisdom left in Future Wisdom.”
Xue Wensong couldn’t help but find Lin Lu’s serious expression somewhat amusing. This kid clearly didn’t understand anything, yet he spoke so confidently. Xue Wensong asked, “If that’s the case, then why did the shareholders of Future Wisdom kick me out?”
Lin Lu hesitated, subconsciously saying, “Because they’re too stupid.”
Xue Wensong chuckled. He freed up a hand to pull Lin Lu close to him, patiently explaining, “Because they only care about immediate profits and don’t care about the future.”
Xue Wensong had long noticed that the second largest shareholder of the company, the Xu family group, didn’t align with his management philosophy. However, he never complained to anyone because taking the company public was his decision, and if the Xu family group made a mess of his company, he could only blame himself for opening the door to them.
But he never expected that even his bedmate would stand with the Xu family.
“So, what are your plans now?” Lin Lu asked curiously. He glanced at Xue Wensong’s screen, where there were many items he couldn’t understand.
“Returning to my roots,” Xue Wensong said, counting on his fingers. “Doing what I’m good at.”
“I support you,” Lin Lu nodded.
Under the screen’s glow, Lin Lu’s eyes sparkled with determination, seemingly filled with immense confidence in Xue Wensong.
Xue Wensong suddenly felt his throat tighten. He quickly looked away and pushed Lin Lu away, saying, “Alright, go do your own thing.”
“Don’t work too late and take care of yourself.”
“Yeah…” Xue Wensong smirked. “I’ll finish up quickly so I can properly pamper you tonight.”
“…?” Lin Lu was puzzled for a moment, then immediately reacted, “Old pervert!”
