Chapter 19
It was early morning, and the cheerful and noisy chirping of birds outside awakened Fu Yu in his bedroom. His mind was still a bit groggy, but suddenly he remembered something and sat up in bed.
He got up and looked into the living room, where Xiao Yi was still lying on the sofa, fast asleep.
Last night, Xiao Yi had fallen asleep like that, huddled against his shoulder. Fu Yu couldn’t help but sigh, gently tucking him in and going to the bedroom to fetch a pillow and blanket. He upgraded the accommodations for his mended friendship and neatly arranged the blanket, adjusting the air conditioning in the living room to the most comfortable temperature before returning to his room to sleep.
Xiao Yi slept until nine in the morning. He woke up, looking at the unfamiliar ceiling, and for a moment, he couldn’t remember where he was.
Fu Yu was sitting on the other side of the sofa, reading a newspaper. When he heard Xiao Yi wake up, he asked, “Awake? We only have bread for breakfast, do you want some?”
Xiao Yi’s reaction seemed startled as he turned to Fu Yu, “Why are you here…”
But he stopped speaking abruptly.
The memories of last night rushed back in an instant.
Fu Yu got up, moved to the sofa where Xiao Yi was, and leaned down slightly to look at him. His eyes were as clear and cold as springwater, but his voice was soft, “Still not fully awake?”
Xiao Yi’s throat tightened as he looked at Fu Yu in a daze. “It’s been a long time since you talked to me like this…”
It was all worth it.
“I’ve always talked to you like this,” Fu Yu said, not noticing any change in his tone. He heard Xiao Yi’s voice was a bit hoarse, so he asked, “Did you catch a cold?”
He got up to check the room’s temperature gauge, which showed normal conditions. He then poured a glass of hot water for Xiao Yi. “Maybe you kicked off the blanket last night?”
“Maybe it’s because I had a bit of alcohol last night, it’s nothing,” Xiao Yi replied, taking the glass and drinking it all in one go, letting out a long sigh. He suddenly smiled lowly.
“Why are you smiling?” Fu Yu asked.
“Nothing, just happy,” Xiao Yi said with a smile, looking at Fu Yu bathed in the morning sunlight, warming up with a touch of affection.
He was being cared for, remembered, and reintegrated into Fu Yu’s life.
If he had known that a simple apology could have brought all of this back, he wouldn’t have been so stubborn, wasting all those precious years.
Nothing compared to the person in front of him.
Indeed, he still liked him very much. But if he wanted to maintain this hard-won relationship, he could only bury these words in his heart forever.
Lately, the employees at Dongjian Corporation had noticed that something was off between their boss and the young master of the Xiao family.
Secretary Jiang Xiaowen closed the boss’s office door quietly and then slipped into the large open office to gossip with her colleagues, saying, “President Xiao is here again today!”
The other female colleagues immediately exclaimed in excitement and began discussing enthusiastically:
“What’s going on? He’s been coming here every day for two weeks. It must be an affair!”
“That’s right, he treats our company like it’s his own. He checks in for work every day.”
However, the male colleagues were less concerned. “You guys are just imagining things. President Xiao is probably here for business!”
Jiang Xiaowen shook her head repeatedly. “No, no, no. I just went in and saw President Xiao sitting on the sofa, looking at his phone. Mr. Fu was reading documents, and they didn’t exchange a single word!”
“Wow, how romantic is that? Coming to work and doing nothing but accompanying each other? This sounds like the script of a domineering CEO pampering his love interest.”
“That’s what I’ve been saying! President Xiao is the type who likes to be in control. He probably can’t stand Mr. Fu being out of his sight for a single step!”
Meanwhile, the two people inside the office were unusually quiet.
Xiao Yi had been looking at work reports sent by his subordinates for a long time and let out a tired yawn.
Fu Yu, who had been focused on his computer screen, finally looked up and asked, “I told you not to come, but you didn’t listen. If you’re tired, go rest inside.”
“I’m not tired. I’m wide awake,” Xiao Yi said with a smile, then glanced at the door inside the office. He had never been inside Fu Yu’s resting area before, and it suddenly crossed his mind. “You have a complete set of facilities in there. Do you usually live at the company?”
Fu Yu, still staring at the screen, replied, “I used to, but now I have an apartment near the company, so I don’t stay here often.”
“Why don’t you live with your parents?”
“They often travel, and I would be alone at home when they’re away, so I bought an apartment near the company.”
“Oh,” Xiao Yi said casually as he walked behind Fu Yu, one hand on the office desk and the other on the backrest of the chair, peering at what Fu Yu was reading on the screen.
When he saw the content on the screen, he couldn’t help but furrow his brows. “Hua Ao? Are you still working with them?”
“I signed a contract, so I have to see it through,” Fu Yu replied.
Xiao Yi chuckled. “Even if you break the contract, I doubt they would dare to say a word.”
“I’m not as willful as you,” Fu Yu said calmly. “But I won’t work with them again in the future, even if Chen Shaoguang introduced me.”
Xiao Yi heard the name and paused, then suddenly remembered that there was such a person.
“Chen Shaoguang… Are you still in contact with him?”
Fu Yu shook his head.
“What happened to him?” Xiao Yi asked.
Xiao Yi seemed puzzled, but he continued, “Last time, when I had my people investigate Hua Fuqiang, we found out something else. Do you know why Chen Shaoguang offended Hua Fuqiang?”
Fu Yu shook his head.
“Isn’t his family in the entertainment industry? Hua Fuqiang took a liking to a small artist from his family. Chen Shaoguang deceived that artist into attending a dinner party, but it turned out that the artist was a person of integrity and didn’t want to be involved. When Hua Fuqiang made advances and was rejected, he got angry and even physically assaulted the artist in front of everyone, causing her to scold him and storm out. Hua Fuqiang lost face in public, so he vented his anger on Chen Shaoguang, which indirectly affected you. Both of them are not good people,” Xiao Yi said with disdain.
After hearing this, Fu Yu pondered for a few seconds and asked, “Wouldn’t that artist be suppressed and blacklisted?”
Xiao Yi was momentarily stunned and then smiled, “You’re too kind-hearted. Don’t worry; I’ve signed her to my family’s entertainment company. Hua Fuqiang and Chen Shaoguang can’t touch her. Whether she becomes famous or not depends on her own abilities.”
Fu Yu nodded and fell into thought. After a while, he said, “Don’t be too hard on Chen Shaoguang. Unlike you, he doesn’t have a family background to rely on, and sometimes he has to do things against his will out of necessity.”
“You’re being too lenient on him,” Xiao Yi said, his displeasure evident on his face. Why should Chen Shaoguang be forgiven so easily for his wrongdoing?
“I appreciate his help a lot. He’s not a bad person, and he’s also your old classmate. There’s no need to be so hostile,” Fu Yu said sincerely.
“I’m not hostile; I just want you to be cautious,” Xiao Yi suppressed his emotions and sat back on the sofa.
He couldn’t say that Chen Shaoguang had impure intentions towards Fu Yu because, for one, he had no concrete evidence, and two, he himself was guilty of the same thing. What right did he have to accuse others?
If it were in the past, Fu Yu would have listened carefully to what he said…
But they could never go back to the past.
