Chapter 4
When Fu Yu woke up in the morning, for a moment, he couldn’t figure out where he was. It wasn’t until he saw the suit he was supposed to wear hanging on the hanger that he realized he was no longer the somewhat naive high school student from his dreams. Xiao Yi had also changed; he had become a truly formidable demon king who continued to disrupt Fu Yu’s life.
A week after their last meeting, the Xiao Corporation had finally notified them that their proposal had been accepted, and East Construction would be the designated designer for the hotel. Naturally, there was jubilation throughout the entire company.
Furthermore, the Xiao Corporation had invited Fu Yu and several key personnel for dinner in the evening. Fu Yu had expected it to be a grand hotel banquet, but to his surprise, it was at an ordinary Japanese restaurant. Although it wasn’t entirely ordinary, given the prices, the atmosphere was noticeably more relaxed.
Xiao Yi’s people had already arrived, and Xiao Yi was waiting for them at the door of the private dining room. He had taken off his suit jacket and tie and hung them on a hanger inside. He had unbuttoned the top button of his shirt, revealing his strong forearm. His well-fitted trousers showcased his long legs. With his disheveled and casual hairstyle, along with his signature playful smile, he looked incredibly charming and handsome. The other female customers in the restaurant couldn’t help but glance at him.
Fu Yu maintained his professional demeanor when meeting with clients and continued to do so at the dinner. Initially, the other subordinates were nervous about dining with clients, but seeing that the boss was so casual, they gradually relaxed. After a few drinks, they completely let go of their initial reservations and started chatting and laughing like old friends.
Seeing them enjoying themselves, Fu Yu quietly sat aside and ate his meal in silence.
He had a bit of a cleanliness obsession and didn’t like sharing food with others. In the past, he hardly ate anything during such gatherings. However, the food at this restaurant was served in individual portions, and it looked clean and exquisite. This made him quite hungry.
Unfortunately, he didn’t get to enjoy it for long before someone sat down next to him. He didn’t need to look to know it was Xiao Yi. After sitting next to each other for a while, he could easily recognize Xiao Yi’s presence from the corner of his eye.
“Why is President Fu hiding in the corner all alone?” Xiao Yi said, seemingly talking to himself.
Fu Yu ignored him, and Xiao Yi didn’t seem to mind either. He continued, “It’s been so many years since we had a meal together. I wonder if President Fu remembers our first meal together?”
With his exceptional memory, Fu Yu certainly remembered. After Xiao Yi had said, “Whatever,” on the second day, they had lunch together in the school cafeteria. It was crowded, with students struggling to find seats while carrying their trays. However, the four-person table they sat at remained unoccupied, as no one dared to share it with them. At the time, Fu Yu had thought that people were demonizing Xiao Yi too much, but now he realized that he had been too naive.
Seeing that Fu Yu remained silent with his handsome face, Xiao Yi suddenly reached out and grabbed Fu Yu’s phone, which was placed on the table.
Fu Yu wanted to stop him, but it was too late. Given that his subordinates were nearby, making a scene would draw attention, so he could only speak sternly, “Give it back.”
“Nope,” Xiao Yi said unreasonably, “We’re in a working relationship now. You should have my number saved, right?”
“There’s no need for that. Give it back,” Fu Yu replied with a furrowed brow.
Completely ignoring him, Xiao Yi entered Fu Yu’s birthday as the phone’s passcode and unlocked it.
“Your password is still so unimaginative,” Xiao Yi taunted as he proceeded to enter his own number into Fu Yu’s phone. “My phone number is this. Save it.”
Halfway through entering his number, Xiao Yi’s movements and voice abruptly stopped. The screen now displayed his number along with the contact name: Xiao Yi.
“You… still have my number saved?” Xiao Yi looked astonished.
“That’s why I said there was no need,” Fu Yu replied.
While Xiao Yi was momentarily distracted, Fu Yu reclaimed his phone. However, he noticed that Xiao Yi suddenly smiled.
Despite trying to conceal it by covering his mouth and tilting his head slightly, Fu Yu still saw the genuine happiness in Xiao Yi’s eyes. It wasn’t the usual mocking smile; it was more like pure joy, reminiscent of the smile they used to share when they were still friends.
But Fu Yu wouldn’t be fooled again. He acted as if he hadn’t seen it, put his phone away, and moved his seat further away from Xiao Yi.
Surprisingly, Xiao Yi didn’t bother him further. He sat there and engaged in sporadic conversations with the others.
As Fu Yu continued eating, he began to feel full. Several more dishes were served, but he pushed them to the center of the table and asked if anyone wanted them. At that moment, one of his tipsy subordinates suddenly said, “President Fu, did you secretly order all these dishes for yourself? None of us have any!”
Fu Yu scanned the table and realized that the dishes should have been ordered for everyone, but many were only in front of him. He had been sitting in the corner and hadn’t noticed.
He looked in the direction of Xiao Yi, who was chatting happily with others, as if he understood what had happened but didn’t want to acknowledge it. Fortunately, everyone was already in high spirits due to the alcohol, and the topic quickly shifted away without further investigation.
After finishing the meal, everyone went their separate ways. Fu Yu usually had a chauffeur for transportation, and he wasn’t used to driving himself. In cases like this, when he would be out late, the chauffeur would leave first, and he would take a taxi.
As he left the restaurant and was about to hail a taxi, a silver-gray sports car pulled up in front of him. The heavily reinforced bulletproof window rolled down, and Xiao Yi smiled at him. “President Fu, shall I give you a ride home?”
Fu Yu had no intention of getting entangled with him any further. He leaned slightly, propping himself on the car window frame, and spoke in a low, cold voice, “Xiao Yi, I don’t know what you’re up to, but I don’t want anything to do with you anymore. Our cooperation this time is solely for the benefit of the company. In our private time, please stay away from me.”
Although Fu Yu usually had a cold expression, his exceptional beauty softened it. However, at this moment, his eyes, as sharp as cold stars, emitted a rare sharpness, with a hint of a cutting edge, radiating an unapproachable aggressiveness.
After saying this, he didn’t pay any further attention to Xiao Yi, turned around, and left. He hailed a taxi and drove away.
Through the rearview mirror, Fu Yu saw that the parked sports car remained motionless for a while. The person in the driver’s seat seemed to have buried his head between the steering wheel and dashboard, lost in thought.
Fu Yu just wanted to put as much distance as possible between himself and that person.
