Chapter 10
The cold wind blowing pulled Fu Yu back to reality from his reminiscing, and he realized he was getting numb from the cold.
“Fu Yu!”
Suddenly, someone called his name. Fu Yu turned to look, and a car pulled up from behind. Chen Shaoguang stuck his head out of the car, looking surprised and concerned. “What are you doing here? And why are you dressed so lightly? Get in quickly.”
Indeed, Fu Yu was freezing at this point and didn’t say anything as he got into the car. The car’s heating quickly restored some sensation to his body and cleared his mind of the old memories.
Chen Shaoguang stepped on the gas, and the car drove away.
Not far away, Xiao Yi, who had just chased after them from the community, stared blankly as the car disappeared into the distance. He still had Fu Yu’s suit and a thick coat in his hand.
The cold wind blew, making him shiver. He realized he had come out in just his casual clothes and was now covered in a thin layer of sweat from the hurried chase, which felt like frost on his body.
It was freezing, just like his heart.
With Chen Shaoguang’s help, Fu Yu returned to his apartment, changed his clothes, and took a hot shower. Despite still feeling unwell, he forced himself to go to the office.
Once at the office, he gathered the subordinates who had dined with him the previous night to inquire about what had happened after he passed out. His subordinates eagerly recounted the exciting events of Xiao Yi’s confrontation with Hua Ao and concluded with, “Mr. Fu, Mr. Xiao is truly amazing! Even though it’s just a business partnership, he helped you so much!”
With a pounding headache, Fu Yu gestured for his subordinates to leave after they finished their report. As soon as the door closed, he let out a long sigh.
Now, he owed Xiao Yi yet another favor. Knowing Xiao Yi’s character, he wondered how he would take advantage of this situation to deal with Hua Ao.
As expected, in the afternoon, Hua Fuqiang himself called to apologize and pleaded for Easton Construction to continue with the project. He even offered more money.
Fu Yu didn’t know what Xiao Yi had done to make the usually frugal Hua Fuqiang bow his head, but he didn’t want to profit from it unfairly. He declined the offer of additional funds and stated that the current price was sufficient.
With a pile of documents to go through, Fu Yu kept busy until evening. The office, which had not been ventilated for a long time, seemed excessively warm due to the heating, so he turned off the air conditioning.
When Jiang Xiaowen came in to report, she was surprised, “Mr. Fu, your face is so red. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Fu Yu replied calmly, but his flushed face contrasted sharply with his usual composed demeanor.
“Here are some documents that need your review.”
Taking the files, Fu Yu glanced at his watch. It was already past the normal office hours.
“Put them on the desk, and you can go home.”
While relieved that there was no need for overtime, Jiang Xiaowen still seemed a bit worried. “Mr. Fu, are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine.”
Fu Yu’s calm expression didn’t match his currently rosy cheeks. Jiang Xiaowen carefully observed her boss and, apart from the flushed complexion, found nothing unusual. She relaxed a bit and left the office to go home.
As the lights in the office dimmed one by one, only Fu Yu’s office remained illuminated. He looked out through the floor-to-ceiling window, and the winter night had already fallen. It was not yet 7 PM, but the darkness had completely enveloped the sky.
Strangely, even though he had turned off the air conditioning, Fu Yu felt increasingly hot. He watched the words on the files seem to float up from the paper, blurry and incomprehensible. When he tried to stand up to take a break, he lost his balance and fell back into his office chair, feeling dizzy.
Even in his weakened state, Fu Yu knew something was wrong. He reached for his phone to call his driver for a ride, but at that moment, his phone vibrated.
The caller ID displayed “Weirdo.”
It was a nickname he had given Xiao Yi after the incident with his phone to prevent further theft. Fu Yu wanted to hang up but decided not to let personal grudges affect their professional relationship. So, he answered the call.
“Hello, what’s the matter…” Fu Yu began, trying to sound composed.
“Fu Yu, I think we need to have a serious talk,” Xiao Yi’s magnetic voice sounded like a soft murmur in his ear, both intimate and distant at the same time.
Fu Yu frowned, “We can discuss work-related matters, but I’d rather not get into personal issues…”
“It is personal… What’s wrong with you? You don’t sound right.”
“I’m fine… There’s nothing personal between us to discuss. I’m hanging up…”
“Wait! I’m downstairs in your company building. I saw your office lights were on. Are you in your office? I’m coming to see you right away.”
But Fu Yu had already ended the call.
Xiao Yi rushed into the office building, took the elevator to Fu Yu’s floor, and pushed open the door to his office. He found Fu Yu lying face down on his desk, his face red as if he had been steamed, and only a faint glimmer of clarity in his eyes indicated that he had not completely fainted.
Seeing Fu Yu in this state, Xiao Yi immediately set aside all the things he had wanted to discuss. He strode over and lifted Fu Yu, one arm around his waist, supporting him as he walked out.
Even in his weakened state, Fu Yu struggled weakly, “Let go of me…”
Xiao Yi was furious, “Have you had enough yet? What time is it!” He roared in a low voice, not particularly loud but filled with a fierce momentum, making Fu Yu’s head spin.
In the end, he was carried to the parking lot and seated in the car, where he fell into a deep slumber.
