“Do you know those two people from earlier?” Shang Qingye leaned against the riverside railing. A gentle breeze blew, and his eyes reflected the glowing lights of the surrounding skyscrapers. He kept his gaze fixed directly on Yu Qingdu.
Yu Qingdu liked those eyes. He looked back at him and said, “I do. The one standing is Jiang Yi, a former model from our studio.”
“The same Jiang Yi who was originally supposed to be the model for your competition entry?” Shang Qingye had heard others mention the name at the studio. Hearing it now, a flash of realization crossed his eyes.
Yu Qingdu nodded. The wind by the river was quite strong, sending his pink hair fluttering. He tucked a few strands behind his ear and asked, seemingly as an afterthought, “Do you have a hair tie?”
Upon hearing the question, Shang Qingye’s pupils constricted slightly. His wrist shifted unnaturally. He looked away from Yu Qingdu and toward the dark surface of the river. “No.”
At that, Yu Qingdu laughed softly. He did not press the matter further and instead turned his gaze toward the water as well.
“I heard Bu Qingyao mention that Jiang Yi was ungrateful?” Shang Qingye watched the river. He could not shake the feeling that the man had looked somewhat familiar.
Yu Qingdu rested his arms on the railing, propping his right cheek against his elbow, which pinned down a section of his hair. He narrowed his eyes and yawned. “You could say that,” he replied, his tone entirely indifferent.
“Want to hear the story?” Yu Qingdu turned his head toward Shang Qingye and asked with a smile.
Shang Qingye usually had no interest in gossip, but after witnessing the encounter between Yu Qingdu and those two earlier, he suddenly felt like listening. His voice was deep. “Tell me.”
Yu Qingdu smiled and turned back to the river. “I met Jiang Yi at a restaurant,” he said lazily as the wind blew past. “What happened to him back then was quite similar to what happened to that waiter today, though he was not quite as embarrassed as the waiter was.”
Shang Qingye understood. No wonder Yu Qingdu had kept asking Jiang Yi if the scene felt familiar.
Yu Qingdu continued, “Originally, I did not want to get involved, but I took a liking to his face. I quite liked that look. At the time, the studio could not find a good model, and I wanted him to work for us, so I helped him out of that jam.”
By this point, Shang Qingye’s brow had furrowed and his expression had darkened. Soon, Yu Qingdu heard a cold scoff.
“Hmph. A good face? I did not think he looked that great.”
Hearing the sour note in his voice, a hint of amusement flashed in Yu Qingdu’s eyes. He turned to look and saw Shang Qingye wearing a cold sneer.
“What? Is Jiang Yi exactly your type? I cannot believe you like someone that ugly,” Shang Qingye added.
Yu Qingdu burst out laughing. Shang Qingye turned to look at him with a blank expression, only to see Yu Qingdu laughing so freely that he was nearly in tears. Watching him laugh, a strange sensation welled up in Shang Qingye’s heart.
In a flash of insight, he realized something. His expression became peculiar as he looked at Yu Qingdu. He pursed his lips, paused, and then spoke. “Has anyone ever told you that Jiang Yi looks a bit like me?”
Yu Qingdu finished the sentence naturally, the smile from his laughter still lingering on his lips.
Shang Qingye stared at him.
Yu Qingdu smiled. “After looking at Jiang Yi for a while, some people think he looks a bit like me, especially the eyes.”
Shang Qingye could not deny it. Indeed, when they smiled and their eyes curved, there was a resemblance.
“So, did you pick him because he looked like you?” As this reason occurred to him, Shang Qingye’s complexion visibly brightened.
Yu Qingdu tucked his hair back. “Hmm,” he hummed. “I never really thought about it that way. His appearance did not actually make my heart flutter; I just felt he was pleasant to look at.”
“Am I really that narcissistic?” Yu Qingdu touched his own face, appearing somewhat doubtful.
Seeing him like that, Shang Qingye laughed out loud.
Yu Qingdu watched him laugh and was dazed for a moment. Most of the time, Shang Qingye’s smiles were either smirks, fake smiles, or arrogant grins. It was rare to see him laugh with such genuine happiness.
It was quite a beautiful sight.
After that day, Shang Qingye changed.
Specifically, when Yu Qingdu teased him, he no longer counterattacked with his usual rebellious attitude. Instead, he accepted the teasing. He began to message Yu Qingdu proactively and would accommodate or give in to him on almost everything.
Sensing this shift, Yu Qingdu simply smiled and accepted the change gracefully.
“Du, what are you thinking about?” Wen Chen sat across from him, watching Yu Qingdu smile for no apparent reason. It felt quite mysterious.
Yu Qingdu snapped back to reality, smiling faintly. “Just thought of something interesting.” He then pivoted to ask, “How is everything going with your company?”
“Ugh, do not even get me started. If I did not want to stay in the country, I would not have taken over my father’s company at all.” Wen Chen looked miserable and began to pour out his grievances. “You have no idea. I just started a couple of days ago, and those old fossils in the office are already breathing down my neck. I am so annoyed. We are a gaming company! Do they even understand the industry? I am totally over it.”
Wen Chen’s face contorted with frustration.
Yu Qingdu poured him a glass of water and pushed it toward him. “They are major shareholders. Just be careful not to give them any ammunition to use against you, or it will be hard to handle later.”
“Yeah, I know. My father warned me before I came back.” Wen Chen waved a hand dismissively. He gulped down the water Yu Qingdu had provided and then said bluntly, “Actually, I really envy you. You sold the shares your father left you, so you do not even have to manage a company.”
Yu Qingdu took a sip of water and smiled. “I was too young back then. If I had not sold them, I would not have been able to keep them anyway.” He took another sip, his lashes trembling slightly.
“I am sorry, Du. I did not mean to bring it up,” Wen Chen said cautiously, immediately regretting his loose tongue.
He had been young back then too, but he had heard his parents mention it later. When Yu Qingdu was a child holding those shares, distant relatives from his father’s side tried to snatch them, while shareholders within the company were fighting internally. Small as he was, Yu Qingdu had no choice. To protect himself, he had to turn the shares over to the civil affairs department to help him sell them off.
Looking at the beautiful, handsome, and healthy Yu Qingdu sitting across from him now, Wen Chen truly felt he was remarkable.
“It is nothing. Besides, who said I do not have to manage a company?” Yu Qingdu smiled. So much time had passed that the old emotions had faded, and he had already reclaimed what belonged to him.
“What?!” Wen Chen was shocked by this revelation. “You mean the shares you reclaimed?”
Yu Qingdu nodded with a smile. “And it is more than just the original shares.”
“Holy crap, Dudu! When did this happen?” Wen Chen realized he truly knew nothing.
“A few years ago,” Yu Qingdu replied with a smile, taking another sip of water.
“You dog! You did not even tell me.” Wen Chen was incredibly excited. To him, this news was no different than hearing his father had acquired a multi-million dollar company.
Knowing this, he felt relieved. “You really are something.” Wen Chen gave him a thumbs up. He knew Yu Qingdu must have suffered a lot during that process, but since it was all in the past, there was no need to pick at the scabs of old wounds. Aside from offering his sincere congratulations, he decided to share some new discoveries.
“Let me tell you, that friend of your sister in law actually has some talent for gaming,” Wen Chen said, skillfully changing the subject.
“You two certainly seem to get along,” Yu Qingdu remarked.
The day after Yu Qingdu had pulled Shang Qingye away, he had messaged Wen Chen to ask about that night. Wen Chen had told him everything: he and Yu Siyang had spent the entire night playing ranked games together.