Fang Yaowei dug his nails into his palms, forcing himself to remain calm in front of such a view. Every little movement those lips made seemed to carve a wound in his heart. At this rate, even he would not know what he would become. He could feel the raw taste of blood in his mouth the longer he watched. Before he knew it, he had dropped the plastic bag in his hand and stomped forward. He grasped Li Guangchen’s collars, cornering him and slamming him against a wall.

…and even after doing so, Chen Jinxuan did nothing.

Why didn’t Chen Jinxuan do anything? Why did he say nothing? For the first time, a pang of fear beyond what Fang Yaowei had ever experienced emerged within him.

Refusing to believe that Chen Jinxuan would stay motionless and wordless, as if possessed, Fang Yaowei raised his fist and was about to swing it at Li Guangchen’s face at full power. He received a word, but it was not from the man he had wished.

“Go on, Mr. Fang. Aim it right on the eye.” Li Guangchen said listlessly but soon, he smirked and added, “I will make sure you stay in the prison for another five or ten years.”

Fang Yaowei tightened his grip on Li Guangchen’s collars as his fist trembled and his breathing sped up.

Amidst the rising tempest, Chen Jinxuan procured a cigarette from its pack and lit it up. He paid no heed to the two men as if he had expected it or perhaps, he had decided not to care.

Could Fang Yaowei be wrong from the start then? This eerie man was not his new lover? With this thought, although he had a belly full of vile breath, Fang Yaowei lowered his fist and shoved Li Guangchen to the wall. He turned around and approached Chen Jinxuan.

“You… Don’t you have anything to say?”

Chen Jinxuan raised his eyes, looking at Fang Yaowei whose eyes were filled with devastation. Chen Jinxuan narrowed his eyes slightly.

“You need me. You will need me to handle Tang Yi, Xuan-ge.” Fang Yaowei said, almost a whimper—like a cry of help.

What responded to his cry, however, was a chuckle from Li Guangchen who was tidying his attire as he marched over. “He needs no help from a soon-to-be convict. To take him for granted and to plan to get an apartment unit from him for free to be gifted to your boyfriend… You do not deserve Jinxuan at all. You came for an answer, and we gave you an answer. There is no way back, so stop wasting our time and get lost.”

“You—”

“Get lost. Otherwise our fingers might slip and the steamy videos will spread throughout the town.” Li Guangchen spat.

Fang Yaowei glared at Li Guangchen as he gritted his teeth. He shifted his gaze to Chen Jinxuan who was still smoking with leisure.

Receiving nothing but forlorn, Fang Yaowei stomped out of the condominium.

Chen Jinxuan breathed out a mouthful of smoke and offered a cigarette to Li Guangchen. Li Guangchen pushed his hand away and sat next to him. He rummaged through their take-away and took a bite of his beef burger.

“You should get your lock changed.”

“I will.” Chen Jinxuan placed the pack of cigarettes on the coffee table. “You could have done it differently.”

Li Guangchen took a tissue and handed it to Chen Jinxuan, “He came here knowing he still had the key to this place. He was certainly trying to resuscitate the relationship with you and beg you to rescind the layoff decision. What is a better way to let him scram?”

Chen Jinxuan rolled his eyes as he seized the tissue and tossed it at Li Guangchen’s face. “You didn’t have to kiss me.”

“It has proven to be effective. During the university, you got girls flocking you and even blocking the hallway, don’t you remember? A kiss ended that whole mess and you no longer had to deal with those singing nightingales.” Li Guangchen removed the tissue from his face and continued eating his dinner.

Chen Jinxuan sucked another mouthful of smoke and huffed it into the air. At this moment, his phone on the table rang.

Li Guangchen glanced at the screen and asked, “Han Qiyu… who is this? Hm… Looks like you have completely gotten rid of Fang Yaowei, huh?”

“It is a nightingale that attempts to court my sister.” 

“Oh? So it is time for the brother to watch out for his sister.” Li Guangchen joked without a change in his expression. Just from his stern expression, anyone who did not know would have thought he had a grudge against the burger he was eating.

Chen Jinxuan put out his cigarette and reached for his phone. “Hello?”

“Jin-ge? I’m sorry, I was away. What is wrong?”

Chen Jinxuan contemplated if he wanted to thank Han Qiyu, but he still thought that it would give a false impression to Han Qiyu. Besides, he had never agreed with Han Qiyu’s advances against his sister.

“Jin-ge?”

“Nothing.”

“…Then, why did you call me?” A moment after saying this, Han Qiyu gasped and exclaimed, “You unblocked my main number!”

“Is that enough for you? I thought of thanking you for your help yesterday, but it seems unnecessary.” Chen Jinxuan grabbed his soda and took a sip.

“No! It is necessary! How can it be unnecessary when it is from Chen Ling’s brother?!” Han Qiyu chuckled, elated.

How adorable. Chen Jinxuan thought. “When are you free? I will treat you to a meal.”

“…”

“You can refuse if you want to.”

“No! Not at all!” Han Qiyu denied immediately. He made a sheepish laugh as he said, “Will… Will Chen Ling come along?”

“No.”

“…O-oh…”

Amused by his disappointed sigh, Chen Jinxuan’s lips pulled into a smile. “Invite her on your own.”

Chen Jinxuan imagined hearing ecstatic noises from Han Qiyu, but contradicting what he had expected, Han Qiyu fell silent. Stern air wafted from the phone, making Chen Jinxuan wonder.

“Jin-ge, thank you.” Han Qiyu said calmly, bringing along a hint of solemnness. “I will keep you posted.”

The call ended. Chen Jinxuan noticed something was off with Han Qiyu, but he could not tell based on their shallow acquaintance. Regardless, he was in no position to pry. He set his phone down and picked up his share from the take-away.

Li Guangchen, who had finished his meal, went into the kitchen for a hand wash. He came back to the living room and turned his notebook computer on. “How did you meet that man from the phone?”

Chen Jinxuan threw him a look as he attempted to read Li Guangchen’s mind. Finding nothing particularly off about Li Guangchen, Chen Jinxuan told the whole experience to Li Guangchen.

After hearing the whole recount, Li Guangchen seemed to dive into a sea of thoughts while his fingers started typing on the keyboard. A moment later, he opened his mouth to speak. “Have you seen Hongming Equity Firm’s financial report?”

Chen Jinxuan nodded as he chewed his food. “The yearly financial report.”

“Tang Yi may not be an imminent threat to Xiuyan Real Estate because he has just taken over the operation of Hongming Equity Firm, but I believe it is better to stay alert. In just the first week of his management, he laid off almost all employees who were faithful to his mother. He only kept a few old men who held shares in the company.” Li Guangchen clicked open a PDF file of what seemed to be a report of Hongming Equity Firm’s latest monthly report.

“Why do you have this?” Chen Jinxuan set aside his meal, briskly wiped his hands, and leaned closer to read the report.

“Few of the employees wanted to sue Tang Yi. The chief told me to take up his case, but after being sent this report, the litigants dropped the case. Apparently, Tang Yi increased the layoff compensation by twice.” Li Guangchen handed his notebook to Chen Jinxuan. He then leaned on the sofa, crossing his arms on his chest.

After skimming through the monthly report, Chen Jinxuan made a small smile. “He is not earning the trust of his subordinates.”

“The revolution he brought to Hongming Equity Firm earned him fears from his subordinates. However, for him to be able to do this blatantly, he must have received the approval from Tang Weixia.” Li Guangchen picked a sealed cup of soda and punctured it with a straw, sipping it.

“Tang Weixia is someone who is obsessed with holding power… Why did she suddenly let her son take over?” Chen Jinxuan realised that there was a need to understand his rival more. He needed more information than simply reports of the company.

“I am not sure, but I heard it has something to do with her divorce.”

Chen Jinxuan lit another cigarette as he ruminated over the affair of Tang Weixia’s retirement. Regardless, it was still a relief that Hongming Equity Firm was experiencing internal turbulence. Xiuyan Real Estate had time to prepare for the up-coming torrent Tang Yi might just have up his sleeves.

“How long are you going to stay here? You have your own place.” Chen Jinxuan returned the notebook to Li Guangchen.

“I’ll stay for the night today.” Li Guangchen raised an eyebrow at Chen Jinxuan. “My condominium has not been clean for half a year. I have ordered it to be cleaned tomorrow morning, so worry not. I'll get rid of myself tomorrow for you.”

Chen Jinxuan scoffed as he let Li Guangchen be. They spent the night doing their own activities. Chen Jinxuan spent his time reading in his study room while Li Guangchen spent his time working in the living room.

When the sky was fully swallowed by darkness, Chen Jinxuan ended his reading and entered his bedroom. By that time, Li Guangchen had fallen asleep on the bed. Quietly, Chen Jinxuan slid under the blanket next to Li Guangchen and slept.

When their morning alarms overlapped at the same time, Chen Jinxuan and Li Guangchen woke up without delay. As if they had a tacit agreement, Li Guangchen went into the kitchen to cook their breakfast while Chen Jinxuan tidied up the bed and went to have a quick shower first. After his bath, Chen Jinxuan went to get their coffee ready and laid out their breakfast on the dining table. Li Guangchen went to take a bath.

Finishing their breakfast, Chen Jinxuan gave his car keys to Li Guangchen. Li Guangchen headed to the basement first while Chen Jinxuan cleaned up the dishes and locked the door. Li Guangchen drove Chen Jinxuan’s car and sent him to Xiuyan Real Estate.

“I’ll return your car to the basement tonight.” Li Guangchen said. Chen Jinxuan nodded lightly and opened the door, exiting. 

It was yet another busy week. The executive apartment was preparing for the construction and so, Chen Jinxuan asked for one final evaluation of the land. Other than being occupied with work, Chen Jinxuan almost had no time to think of anything else. Miscommunication was difficult to avoid in business and the majority of his time was expended in explaining details to ensure all parties could see eye to eye.

Occasionally, he would receive messages from Han Qiyu asking about the promise. However, Chen Jinxuan had been so busy with Fang Yaowei’s work transfer that he could not fulfil his deal. Never mind Han Qiyu, Chen Jinxuan barely had any time to meet with Chen Ling and could only let Secretary Zhou handle her internship plan.

Before he knew it, another week had passed. Chen Ling had officially joined the company as an intern. Secretary Zhou was showing her around the area. She was placed under Secretary Zhou, also as Chen Jinxuan’s assistant. This way, Chen Jinxuan could make sure she was learning properly from Zhou Meixin.

At this moment, knocks came from the door to his office.

“Come in.” Chen Jinxuan said without looking at the door. His full focus was on the evaluation report he had just received last night.

“Director Chen.” Fang Yaowei greeted as he entered. The dark circles under his eyes were apparent and he seemed to have gotten thinner that his suit looked slightly oversized.

He approached and placed two envelopes on Chen Jinxuan’s desk; a resignation letter and a signed agreement to transfer his share to Chen Jinxuan. Only then did Chen Jinxuan spared a look at Fang Yaowei.

Chen Jinxuan could feel a squeeze in his chest. Fang Yaowei had never been so pathetic before and to think that he, Chen Jinxuan, was the one who caused this… No, it was Fang Yaowei’s fault to begin with. Instead of confronting him, Fang Yaowei went to find a replacement and even planned to get a unit of apartment from him to be gifted to Ning Jinhai.

“How is the work transfer to Song Jia?”

“It’s going well, sir.” Fang Yaowei kept his eyes low. “He is a capable man…”

Chen Jinxuan picked the envelopes up and checked the contents. Confirming that they were properly signed, he stored it in his drawer.

“You need me, Xuan-ge.”

Chen Jinxuan stood up, gathering documents from the bookshelf behind him. As if Fang Yaowei was non-existent, he paid no heed to him. After gathering his documents, he checked his watch and decided to go out for lunch. He strode out of his office.

Fang Yaowei rushed to follow Chen Jinxuan. He walked next to Chen Jinxuan, bargaining. “You will need me to deal with Tang Yi!”

“Your five percent share and the fine you paid would suffice. Thank you.” Chen Jinxuan replied briefly before entering the lift. Unwilling to give up, Fang Yaowei followed in the lift.

“Xuan-ge, please don’t let me leave. Please.” Fang Yaowei went on his knees in front of Chen Jinxuan, forcing Chen Jinxuan to look at his teary eyes. “Please don’t let me leave your side. I have returned everything I have taken. I have taken my punishment. I have paid the fine. Please. Even as a janitor… I am willing to stay.”

Chen Jinxuan frowned. “We have enough janitors. Honest janitors.”

‘Ding!’ The lift opened. Employees who were waiting for the lift were stunned at the sight of Fang Yaowei kneeling. The rare and evident anger on Chen Jinxuan’s face made it even more difficult for them to move.

Chen Jinxuan walked out of the lift. The moment he stepped out, everyone around the lift immediately let out a path for him.

“Xuan-ge!” Fang Yaowei chased persistently. With strength, he pulled Chen Jinxuan by his shoulders and turned him around. “Xuan-ge, I can’t go on without you.”

“Let go.”

A piercing pain could be felt in his chest. Fang Yaowei hated this cold look of his. He despised this beautiful and yet, hurtful face of his. Desperate, Fang Yaowei seized Chen Jinxuan’s tie and took a bite on his lips.

Gasps rang in the hallway from the crowds upon the spectacle.

Chen Jinxuan struggled himself free and upon reflex, he swung his fist at Fang Yaowei.

Fang Yaowei staggered backward and hit the wall. Losing his balance due to the impact, he collapsed to the floor. He was agape. He raised his eyes to look at Chen Jinxuan with disbelief. “You hit me…you actually hit me?!”

“Scram” Chen Jinxuan clenched his fists tightly in an attempt to assert self-control.

“Xuan-ge!” Fang Yaowei cried out.

“Do not let me repeat”

Fang Yaowei rubbed away the blood at the corner of his lips as he stood up. He leered at Chen Jinxuan and hissed, “You will regret this.”