Chapter 20

Xiao Yi often made trips to Dongjian Corporation in the east every few days, and he would stay there for a good part of the day. This inevitably led to encounters with other visitors.

One day, as he pushed the door open and entered the office, he spotted Fu Yu inside, discussing something with Chen Shaoguang.

“Knock on the door,” Fu Yu reminded him tersely.

“Sure, as you wish,” Xiao Yi responded with an indulgent tone, stepping back to knock on the door before entering again. “Is this okay, Mr. Fu?”

Fu Yu couldn’t be bothered and continued pointing at documents, discussing matters with Chen Shaoguang. After a few sentences, he noticed that the person beside him wasn’t responding at all. He raised his head and saw Chen Shaoguang looking perplexed.

“What are you thinking?” Fu Yu asked.

“Huh? Oh, nothing, please continue,” Chen Shaoguang immediately snapped back to attention.

Fu Yu turned back helplessly and glanced at Xiao Yi. This person changed luxury brands almost every day. Today, he was wearing a vintage floral print shirt with the top two buttons undone, and he had a pair of sunglasses hanging from his collar. His suit was draped over one shoulder, making him look like he was posing for a magazine shoot. While this fashion style might have been too much for everyday wear for most people, Xiao Yi effortlessly exuded the aura of an elegant and wealthy gentleman.

“Aren’t you cold?” Fu Yu asked, looking at Xiao Yi’s thin shirt.

“I’m not cold. I have a coat in my car, and it’s pretty warm in here,” Xiao Yi replied with a smile as he walked behind Fu Yu, placing one hand on the desk and the other on Fu Yu’s shoulder, encircling him.

“What are you busy with?” He asked softly, but his gaze was sharp as it shot towards Chen Shaoguang on the other side.

Chen Shaoguang immediately averted his gaze, not daring to make eye contact with Xiao Yi, who let out a barely audible chuckle.

Fu Yu remained oblivious to the atmosphere between the two men beside him. “Go sit on the side; I’m discussing work here.”

“Alright, alright, I won’t disturb you. How about we have lunch together later?” Xiao Yi casually suggested.

“Okay,” Fu Yu agreed without much thought.

Xiao Yi wore a satisfied smile, stood up straight, and gave Chen Shaoguang a subtle, almost flaunting look before obediently sitting on the nearby sofa.

However, Chen Shaoguang felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, his palms sweating.

Fu Yu and Xiao Yi had reconciled.

“Aren’t you supposed to stop working with him?” Xiao Yi asked.

“I said I wouldn’t need him to introduce clients anymore.”

“There’s no need to work with him either. With me around, why would you bother working with those small companies?” Xiao Yi said disdainfully, picking up a mouthful of matsutake mushrooms with his chopsticks and placing them on Fu Yu’s plate. He noticed Fu Yu showing no signs of reluctance and asked, “Aren’t you disgusted by my saliva?”

“It’s fine,” Fu Yu replied casually, not realizing the comment until Xiao Yi brought it up. He continued with the previous topic, “We still need collaborations, and my collaboration with the Xiao family was just a temporary one. I can’t rely on you forever.”

Xiao Yi blurted out, “It’s not a problem to rely on me forever. I can support you.”

“I don’t need you to support me,” Fu Yu’s tone turned colder.

Xiao Yi realized he had misspoken and quickly tried to rectify it. “I was just joking. Collaboration is necessary, but you can find someone else. Dongjian Corporation doesn’t lack potential partners, right?”

Fu Yu paused for a moment, then decided to clarify things with Xiao Yi. “I know you don’t like him, but he’s my friend. Although we’re friends now too, between the two of you, I trust him more because… I don’t need to say it, do I?”

Seeing Xiao Yi’s instant stiffening expression, Fu Yu knew he had understood.

“He still hasn’t truly forgiven me, even after I begged him like that…” Xiao Yi leaned on the bar, gripping a bottle and pouring it down his throat without even tasting it. The bartender nearby looked bewildered.

Alex, who had been brought along to chat with Xiao Yi, felt uncomfortable. He had heard the young master express relief when he reconciled with Mr. Fu, thinking he wouldn’t be dragged into drinking bouts anymore. Little did he know that it hadn’t taken long for things to return to the usual state.

“Master, I think you’ve been really good to him. You’ve let him be too… ahem, too carefree,” Alex swallowed the words “arrogant and willful.” Who would dare to speak ill of the young master?

Xiao Yi waved his hand dismissively. “You don’t understand. He… He’s my first close friend and the first person I liked. It’s engraved in my heart, unforgettable.”

If only confessing feelings were so straightforward; he wouldn’t still be caught in this complicated web. Although Mr. Fu seemed heartless towards him now, back in high school, they had been genuinely close.

During the summer, after playing basketball and drenched in sweat, Xiao Yi returned to the classroom with a few bottles of ice-cold water given by female students. When Mr. Fu saw this, he would say, “Drinking ice-cold water after exercising is not good,” and then fetch him a glass of warm water.

In winter, when the weather was freezing, and everyone could see their breath, Xiao Yi, relying on his strong physique, dressed lightly. Unable to bear it, Mr. Fu took off his scarf and put it around Xiao Yi’s neck, raising his collar so high that only a pair of dark, clear eyes were visible.

No matter if he was happy, sad, or furious, Mr. Fu had always quietly stayed by his side, as if he could handle anything without changing his expression. That sense of security made Xiao Yi feel at ease. Just seeing those calm, tranquil eyes, like clear spring water, made everything else seem unimportant.

Xiao Yi knew that beneath Mr. Fu’s cold exterior was not genuine indifference but rather an unwillingness to initiate interactions with others. Mr. Fu’s various caring actions showed that he considered Xiao Yi special.

It was because Xiao Yi had sensed this that he had mustered the courage to confess. However, he hadn’t expected the confession to lead to such an embarrassing outcome.

This seemed to have become an insurmountable barrier between them. Mr. Fu couldn’t completely remove that thorn from his heart, making it impossible for them to return to their previous intimacy. Even though they had returned to being friends, they could never go back to the way things were initially.

“Why can’t I compare to that Chen Shaoguang?”

Xiao Yi complained with frustration, drinking another bottle of alcohol. Alex, who was watching, felt his heart ache. This was already his fourth bottle.

“What are you two talking about?” Suddenly, a clear male voice interjected.

Xiao Yi and Alex both turned to look. It was a young man in his early twenties, fair and delicate-looking, smiling at them warmly.

Xiao Yi was sitting on a high stool at the bar, his long legs fully visible, and his casually unbuttoned shirt revealed the contours of his throat. Despite drinking heavily, his every move exuded a seductive masculine charm. Not to mention his handsome face, which attracted the attention of onlookers in the bar.

However, this young man was a regular at the bar, and most people knew not to approach him as he was not easy to strike up a conversation with. It was the first time this young man had seen someone who resembled Mr. Fu to this extent, which piqued his interest. He mustered the courage to come over and start a conversation.

Xiao Yi’s alcohol-blurred eyes squinted, noticing that the young man bore a slight resemblance to Mr. Fu. But Mr. Fu never smiled like that, and even if he did, it was so subtle that it was almost imperceptible, not to mention crying. Xiao Yi couldn’t help but wonder how Mr. Fu would look when he cried…

Xiao Yi’s mind wandered, and the young man, seeing that Xiao Yi wasn’t responding, thought he was interested and became bolder, stepping forward and speaking in a soft voice, “How about… we go somewhere else to chat? I know a fantastic place.”

Xiao Yi snapped back to reality, snorted, and said, “No need.” He stood up and signaled to Alex that it was time to leave.

This scene did not deter the persistent young man, who followed them outside. “Wait for me!” He hurriedly caught up, clinging to Xiao Yi’s arm.

Normally, Xiao Yi would have scowled, but this young man bore a slight resemblance to Mr. Fu, making it impossible for him to be harsh. He stopped and said, “Don’t follow me; I’m not interested in you.”

The young man, however, was undeterred, softening his voice and saying more coquettish words, causing Xiao Yi to lose his patience. He let Alex pull the young man away and sent him back to wherever he came from, then left for the parking lot.

Unbeknownst to them, this entire scene had been observed by two people in a nearby coffee shop.

Chen Shaoguang pointed outside and said, “See that? I told you he’s that kind of person. He associates with all sorts of people, plays around, and then discards them. You’ve been deceived by his hypocritical facade, and you even speak up for him.”

Fu Yu, his attention elsewhere, was watching Xiao Yi’s departure.

After parting ways with Xiao Yi following their lunch, he had met with Chen Shaoguang in the evening to honestly explain that he had reconciled with Xiao Yi. The purpose was to prevent Chen Shaoguang from harboring any more hostility towards Xiao Yi.

But as Chen Shaoguang listened, he expressed concern and started listing all of Xiao Yi’s past reprehensible behaviors, urging Fu Yu to be cautious and not be deceived.

Fu Yu patiently persuaded him, saying, “He has genuinely changed, and he treats me well now. You don’t need to worry.”

However, as soon as he finished speaking, he saw Xiao Yi walking intimately with another man. Shortly after, it seemed they had a dispute, and Xiao Yi, with an angry expression, had his bodyguards drag the man away.

Fu Yu’s mood at this moment was somewhat complex and difficult to express.

Why was Xiao Yi showing so much affection towards him, yet also getting entangled with someone else?

He had distanced himself from Xiao Yi in the first place because the other had hurt him with his emotionally charged actions, tainting their previously pure and sincere friendship. Later, he had forgiven Xiao Yi because the latter seemed genuinely devoted to him, without any ulterior motives.

But what if all of this was still a facade? What if the Xiao Yi from their university days, the one who lived a carefree and extravagant life, was the real Xiao Yi?

For the first time, Fu Yu, who prided himself on having good instincts, found himself uncertain.

He didn’t want to jump to conclusions hastily. He said, “I’ll ask him later to clarify the situation. There might be a misunderstanding.”

“Oh, come on. Do you really think he’ll tell you the truth? You’re too naive!” Chen Shaoguang sighed deeply. “You can continue being friends with him. At most, if things don’t work out, you can break up again. I’m the one who’ll be in trouble. Xiao Yi never liked me in the first place. If he finds out I badmouthed him in front of you, he’ll probably beat me to half-death and might even abuse his power to suppress my family’s company.”

“Don’t worry; I won’t say anything, and he’s not that kind of person.”

“How would you know? He used to be ruthless in fights, and among our classmates, only you weren’t afraid of him.”

“Trust me, I made him promise not to trouble you.”

Chen Shaoguang’s eyes brightened. “Really? Thank you so much, Fu Yu.”

“No problem. If he can’t keep this promise, I won’t need you to tell me. I won’t be friends with him again,” Fu Yu reassured.

 

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