It seemed my subtle probing had caused Guo Feng to misunderstand; he attempted to widen those eyes that weren’t very large to begin with.
Trying to hide the little schemes in his mind, the astonishment on his face was nonetheless laid bare.
I once again doubted exactly how he managed to sit in his current position.
If Comrade Old Man You’s subordinates were all this kind of “talent,” I really don’t know how big of a heart he must have to sleep soundly every day without a care in the world.
I feel like the family bankruptcy is just around the corner.
Guo Feng, of course, didn’t know I had been roasting him in my mind for ages, and spoke to me as if giving a piece of advice.
“Young Master You, your taste couldn’t possibly be that… unique, right? That little brat, she has…”
Forget it, this Young Master is just that extraordinary; why does everyone misunderstand me?
I spoke up to interrupt his endless imagination: “Stop.”
Guo Feng’s remaining words were choked back into his mouth. He looked at my face cautiously, realizing he had misread my thoughts.
He patted his chest: “Phew, I thought you had taken a fancy to her.”
“Don’t. I’m not that self-sacrificing. Just from the way she looked at me earlier if we went home together, wouldn’t we be staring each other down every second? You can’t stand the sight of me, and I don’t think much of you either.”
Guo Feng chuckled awkwardly, likely wondering why he’d had that suspicion in the first place.
After I frowned and gave a light cough, he finally spoke: “She doesn’t seem to have a boyfriend. Keeps to herself, only seems to have a good relationship with that guy surnamed Mo.”
Hearing Guo Feng call Mo An “that guy surnamed Mo” in such an unpleasant tone, my guilt toward him vanished instantly. I slightly regretted not giving the other side of his face a slap as well. It’s only balanced if both sides have one, after all.
I really am far too kind-hearted.
The desire to tease him diminished immediately. Why waste so much time with him?
Wouldn’t it be better to go see the person I’d been longing for?
I excitedly ditched him and ran off to find Mo An in the company.
To my surprise, when I excitedly found them in the Sales Director’s office, Comrade Old Man You was sitting there on the sofa in perfect tranquility, drinking tea with Mo An.
Seeing me push the door and enter, Mo An merely flicked his eyelids to glance at me, then quickly lowered his head to fiddle with the tea set in his hands.
Tsk. I no longer expected a certain someone to throw himself into my arms or be tender and sweet the moment he saw me, but it shouldn’t be to the point of not having even a sliver of a smile, right?
Even if we don’t count that “sleeping” incident, the two of us shouldn’t be so estranged to this degree. Could it be that the impression I left on him wasn’t deep enough?
I stood at the door and looked at where the two were sitting.
This office wasn’t small; presumably, it was used to receive clients sometimes. In the area where they sat, there were two long sofas; Comrade Old Man You and Mo An were sitting at opposite ends.
This choice didn’t even require a brain: on one side was an old man who scolded and beat me daily, and on the other was the person I’d been dreaming of. I plopped my butt down right next to Mo An.
Comrade Old Man You stopped his movement of picking up his teacup and gave me a displeased, warning look.
He was probably afraid I wouldn’t show enough courtesy during my first meeting with “his person.”
I didn’t care about his warning gaze. The person next to me is someone I’ve slept with, someone I finally found with great difficulty, and someone who must belong to me body and soul in the future.
Why should I pretend to be polite?
Mo An remained indifferent to my actions, continuing his movements.
I was quite unhappy that my arrival was not worth mentioning to Mo An. This feeling of being ignored by the person I cared about made me feel a bit frustrated.
So, attempting to draw their attention, I said: “Dad, aren’t you going to introduce me?”
Comrade Old Man You took a sip of tea, then deliberately ignored me, saying appreciatively:
“Little An, your skill is getting better and better. This flavor is authentic.”
Mo An’s attitude toward my dad was different. With a hint of a smile at the corners of his mouth, he replied: “The Chairman is joking. It’s just ‘showing off my axe before Lu Ban’ (displaying minor skills before a master).”
This back-and-forth, which completely excluded me, made my teeth itch with annoyance.
I won’t even mention my dad; he’s definitely unhappy about my neglectful behavior by the car earlier…
What I cared about more was Mo An’s attitude toward me.
Refusing to believe in bad luck, I moved even closer to Mo An, so close I could almost feel his body heat pressing against me.
While my heart was screaming with delight, Mo An unobtrusively shifted a bit further away.
“Stupid kid, behave yourself…”
Before I could do anything else, my dad roared from across the table. I pouted but didn’t talk back.
If I really got disciplined by my old man in front of my future wife, my dignity would be completely gone.
After all, I am his biological son. Even if Comrade Old Man You might have had the urge countless times to stuff me back into the womb to be remade, he has no way of doing so. After all, I am a “sin” of his own creation.
Comrade Old Man You glared at me a few times before finally responding to my request.
“Little An, You Quan is immature. Please bear with him.”
My eyes had never left Mo An’s body, even while my old man was speaking.
His fluid movements clearly faltered for a moment at this point, but he recovered very quickly.
“The Chairman is too polite.”
“Sigh, I have no choice. This stupid kid is defiant. I thought about it for a long time before deciding to put him here with you to endure some hardship. Look at you about the same age as him, and already successful in your career, while he’s still living a life of drunken stupor.”
Mo An smiled politely and then replied softly: “The Chairman is far too kind. Young Master You simply have a free-spirited personality. It’s quite good.”
Comrade Old Man You waved his hand and spoke helplessly: “That’s because you don’t know how much trouble he’s caused. Forget it, I’m too embarrassed to even speak of it.”
If it weren’t for the fact that my dad doesn’t understand my facial expressions at all, I really would have given him a look.
Do you realize who is sitting across from you?
He is your son’s biggest goal for the near future, the person I’ve sworn to pursue to the death, not some random person. Can’t you give me some face?
Fortunately, other than his “resenting that the iron won’t become steel” attitude, Comrade Old Man You didn’t plan to detail the list of my many “sins.”
But my heart was still kept in suspense by him, for fear that one accidental slip would reveal some embarrassing story.
And sure enough, before I could fully relax, I heard him say, “However…”
My heart immediately leaped into my throat. Regardless of whether he could understand it or not, I immediately sat up straight and winked at him.
Comrade Old Man You glanced at me and spoke irritably.
“What’s wrong with your eyes today? If you’re uncomfortable, go get them checked in a bit.”
Fine. I give up on communicating. There has always been a massive generation gap between us; from the beginning until now, we have never had a normal, smooth conversation.
Just as I was giving up hope, I realized things hadn’t developed to the worst possible point.
Because my dad’s next words were just a request.
“Little An, you’re a good kid, Uncle knows. Since this rascal is with you, don’t be polite to him. If there’s any difficulty that’s hard to handle, tell me directly.”
Mo An took a sip of tea from his cup. His lips, moistened by the tea, looked a bit more rosy. Having tasted what those lips were like, I was instantly distracted by wandering thoughts.
Truly, a little fox spirit… I muttered in my heart.
Mo An had no idea that I, sitting beside him, had already begun mentally replaying the exciting scenes of that night.
He spoke politely: “Chairman, you worry too much. I will do my best to help Young Master You become familiar with the company’s business.”
“No, no, no. Just treat him like a regular employee. He’s impulsive and restless; let him start from the basics. Don’t be polite.” It seemed Comrade Old Man You was dead set on making me train from the grassroots level, as he immediately responded to Mo An.
I didn’t argue. As long as Mo An was there, I wouldn’t mind even if he made me clean the toilets.
Somehow, I felt that when Mo An heard Comrade Old Man You’s instructions, a faint, unidentifiable smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.
From the moment I entered, Mo An had acted calm and composed, as if I truly were just an inconsequential stranger to him.
This smile that made me feel slightly uneasy must have been my own imagination.
The next things Comrade Old Man You spoke about with Mo An were company matters. He spoke quite vividly, but I didn’t understand a word of it.
However, as long as I could stay by his side quietly like this, my heart felt incomparably refreshed.
Finally, someone else from the company came to find my dad for instructions. I almost wanted to jump up and clap my hands.
This old comrade doesn’t understand the romance of young people at all. Can’t he see my anxious state, wanting to talk to Mo An about how much I’ve missed him?
If his son ends up dying alone in the future, it will definitely be because Comrade Old Man You delayed us, leaving me and his daughter-in-law no time to pour our hearts out to each other.
I thought my springtime had arrived, and before I could even cheer
Comrade Old Man You said to the newcomer: “Wait a moment, Little An and I will come over immediately.”
He looked at Guo Feng and ordered: “Guo Feng, take You Quan to report for duty. Have him start his internship in the Sales Department right now.”
I looked at Mo An looking handsome in his suit, then looked at Guo Feng wearing the same style of suit looking like neither fish nor fowl, and shouted a thousand “No”s in my heart.
Why should I look at this chubby guy instead of a perfectly good handsome man?
Regardless of how my relationship with Comrade Old Man You has been all these years, I immediately approached him like a sycophant, grabbing his arm. I didn’t care if he froze in place because of my sudden affectionate movement, or if he felt embarrassed.
With a flattering smile: “Dad, can’t I just follow you to learn?”
Comrade Old Man You looked down at me trying to please him. He was stunned for a moment and didn’t scold me. After thinking for a bit, he finally spoke.
“Fine, then you follow along.”
Having achieved the result I wanted, I immediately stood by my dad’s side, with Mo An standing on the other side.
Fearing that Mo An hadn’t noticed me, I even winked at him across from my dad.
However, my joy didn’t last long; my excitement came to a screeching halt.
Because before I could find an opportunity to be alone with Mo An, and before I could act on my plan to steal glances at him or find a chance to be intimate, I was interrupted. Not long after, Mo An took his leave early because his department had urgent matters to handle.
Then, the person standing in that spot was the “Grief of Ghosts” who had looked at me unkindly at the entrance earlier.
I wavered between leaving and staying, then resignedly comforted myself: there will be chances in the future.
The hole I just dug myself into, I have to fill it myself. I must follow Comrade Old Man You and learn properly…