Lin Rong was the very first to hear Fu Yansheng’s voice on the line: “Fu Yansheng is with you?”
Lin Zhao let out an affirmative hum, then gave Fu Yansheng a cautious, apologetic little gesture toward his phone, as if letting him know he was in the middle of a call.
Walking over to his desk, Fu Yansheng sat down and picked up his fountain pen, though he didn’t write a single stroke.
Hurriedly, Lin Zhao said goodbye to Lin Rong,
then turned his head to catch Fu Yansheng’s cool, indifferent expression.
That was when Lin Zhao suddenly remembered he was currently on company time, and to make matters worse, he had just been caught red-handed by his boss. A sudden wave of guilty conscience washed over him.
Making personal phone calls during work hours, not to mention that he had slipped out earlier in the day.
Lin Zhao felt even guiltier.
Fu Yansheng’s face remained entirely expressionless.
Yet, catching the flustered guilt written across Lin Zhao’s face, and watching the boy look over at him with such a careful, watchful gaze,
Fu Yansheng felt he could barely suppress the smile threatening to curve at the corner of his lips. Softly, he repeated his earlier question to the youth: “What would you like for lunch?”
Lin Zhao didn’t really have any particular cravings, but seeing Fu Yansheng patiently waiting for his reply, he rattled off a few dishes he usually enjoyed.
With a brief hum, Fu Yansheng tapped out a quick message to someone on his phone, then set the device aside and dove back into his work,
only to look up every now and then to check on Lin Zhao, who was sitting quietly on the sofa scrolling through his phone.
Lin Zhao was browsing through Weibo, but his feed stubbornly refused to push the news update he was waiting for.
A sudden wave of disappointment washed over him,
and he let out a soft sigh.
Rolling over, Lin Zhao sprawled flat on his stomach across the sofa, poking at his phone screen with his fingertip.
Suddenly, he noticed that Lin Rong had updated his WeChat Moments with the scheduled date and time for the recognition banquet.
Only then did Lin Zhao let out a breath of relief.
News reports should start surfacing on Weibo shortly.
Lifting his head, Lin Zhao looked over at Fu Yansheng, visibly looking much more relaxed than before.
“Brother Fu, I’m starving!”
The boy who moments ago hadn’t known what he wanted to eat instantly perked up with boundless energy.
Acting completely natural, Lin Zhao dangled one foot over the edge of the sofa, kicking it back and forth: “I want to eat a blueberry-flavored little cake. I want it so, so, so much.”
Fixating his ink-green eyes on Fu Yansheng as he picked up his phone, Lin Zhao watched a sudden spark of delight light up his own gaze.
Filled with fluttering excitement, Lin Zhao decided to push his luck even further.
“If some kind-hearted person wants to order a full-sugar iced milk tea for me, that would be even better!” Blinking his big eyes, Lin Zhao gazed expectantly at Fu Yansheng.
Kind-hearted person, kind-hearted person! Milk tea, milk tea!
Only, unlike before, Fu Yansheng simply put his phone down and picked up his fountain pen again. Before Lin Zhao could even start to fret,
Fu Yansheng opened his mouth to cut him off: “Less ice.”
Lin Zhao: Ah?
Even “less ice” isn’t allowed?
With a dejected “oh,” Lin Zhao slumped miserably onto the sofa, squirming back and forth like a disgruntled caterpillar.
He still wanted to drink it badly.
Drinking ice-cold drinks in late autumn and winter was one of life’s greatest joys.
Clutching his phone, Lin Zhao cast a sneaky, sideways glance at Fu Yansheng. Making sure Fu Yansheng wasn’t looking at him,
he opened up a food delivery app on his phone.
I’ll order it myself!
Before Lin Zhao could put his plan into action, however, Fu Yansheng’s cool voice drifted calmly into his ears: “Don’t even think about secretly ordering anything. If your stomach hurts tonight, don’t expect me to pity you.”
Fu Yansheng knew Lin Zhao far too well; the moment Lin Zhao lifted a finger, he could already guess what the boy was plotting—partly because every single thought Lin Zhao had was written plainly across his expressive face.
Take right now, for instance: after being denied his iced drink, he had put on a stubborn, unconvinced pout, paired with his habitual pattern of sneaking covert glances at him while operating his phone with guilty, furtive movements.
It was the textbook portrait of someone trying to “take matters into their own hands.”
A knock sounded at the door, cutting off whatever retort Lin Zhao had been preparing to spit out.
He could only shoot Fu Yansheng a thoroughly unconvinced glare.
Stepping into the office, the chief assistant’s very first glance landed on Lin Zhao nearby. Confirming that Lin Zhao was paying no attention to their side, the chief assistant hurried over to Fu Yansheng’s desk and lowered his voice:
“President Fu, this is the invitation sent over from the Lin family.”
Glancing sideways at Lin Zhao, the chief assistant took a deep breath, keeping his voice as low as humanly possible this was an invitation to the family recognition banquet!
And it was arriving right in front of the person himself, the original young master!!!
The chief assistant felt a chilly draft running down his spine, convinced his job security was hanging by a thread.
Yet he couldn’t just throw the invitation away himself.
Sigh, who told him to lose the game of rock-paper-scissors?
Fu Yansheng gave a slight tilt of his chin, prompting the chief assistant to quickly set the invitation aside, twitch the corners of his mouth into a reassuring smile, and upon verifying that President Fu had no further instructions.
scurry out of the office at lightning speed.
Uncertain of what President Fu’s current stance toward the Lin family was, the chief assistant had no desire to become cannon fodder in a high-society drama battlefield.
Lin Zhao had naturally overheard the chief assistant’s words as well. Fixing his gaze on Fu Yansheng, he stood up, walked over, and picked up the invitation.
Lin Rong’s administrative style had always been swift and efficient; although the invitation wasn’t custom-made, it was neat and standard in every respect.
“Want to go?” Fu Yansheng glanced at the invitation, showing zero personal interest in it himself, but noticing that Lin Zhao kept staring fixedly at the envelope, he asked the question aloud.
Hearing this, Lin Zhao shook his head vigorously: “I’m just a bit curious, but I’m not going.”
Lin Zhao knew plenty of second-generation heirs; this particular recognition banquet was meant to introduce Lin Xian to the social circle, and the venue was bound to be packed with familiar faces.
If he showed up, wouldn’t that just be stepping on Lin Xian’s toes and making things awkward for him?
Besides, the sheer volume of WeChat messages flooding his phone over the past two days had already driven him crazy.
He had zero desire to end up treated like an exotic animal on display in a zoo while everyone rubbernecked to watch.
Hearing this, Fu Yansheng let out a quiet “mn” and didn’t bother looking at the invitation again.
Lin Zhao had no way of knowing what was running through Fu Yansheng’s mind.
He simply waited with eager anticipation.
It was almost noon, and Lin Zhao was hungry.
Yet his boss hadn’t called it a day yet, and Lin Zhao certainly couldn’t just pack up and walk out on his own.
So right now, Lin Zhao was essentially using pure mental willpower to telepathically urge Fu Yansheng to finish up and clock out.
Off work! Off work! Hurry up and call it a day! Hurry, hurry, hurry!
Noticing Lin Zhao’s little expressions, and seeing that it was indeed lunchtime, Fu Yansheng finally put down his pen
and snapped the cap securely back into place.
Catching that single motion, the excitement bubbling in Lin Zhao’s eyes nearly overflowed.
Food, food!
The Lin family’s recognition banquet was scheduled for this weekend—the third day after the formal invitations were dispatched—which made the timeline feel rather rushed.
Still, it was the fastest possible reaction speed the Lin family could muster to handle this entire mess.
Over the past two days, Fu Yansheng hadn’t assigned Lin Zhao any actual work. Lin Zhao’s daily routine consisted entirely of lounging across the sofa and watching Fu Yansheng work,
only getting up occasionally to brew a cup of coffee for him.
The rest of his time was spent entirely immersed in the online world.
From the pictures circulating across various media outlets online, Lin Zhao could tell the upcoming recognition banquet was going to be a grand, bustling affair.
Almost all the corporations partnered in business with the Lin family were slated to attend the event.
In the photographs, Lin Xian stood squarely at the center of every frame, dressed in a sharp black suit and standing beside Lin Rong who wore a matching black suit. Their striking similarities in features and bearing gave people an uncanny, surreal sense of déjà vu.
This is how it should be.
Lin Zhao took a deep breath.
Lifting his gaze, however, he suddenly noticed that Fu Yansheng who had been working right there just moments before had vanished.
Before Lin Zhao could even process it,
a rush of warm breath grazed his ear, making his entire body stiffen.
Turning his head slightly, Lin Zhao saw that Fu Yansheng had leaned in close, peering directly at the photos displayed on his phone screen.
If Lin Xian had grown up within the Lin family, he would have naturally stepped into a role akin to Lin Rong’s, capable of leading the Lin family toward even greater heights.
Who knows perhaps he and Fu Yansheng might have even become close friends.
“Does Brother Fu not plan to drop by the Lin family to take a look?” Blinking his large eyes with a conflicted note in his voice, Lin Zhao watched as Fu Yansheng straightened his posture again,
unable to guess what Fu Yansheng was thinking.
Fu Yansheng gave a flat, indifferent hum: “Not going.”
Fu Yansheng’s sole point of contact with the Lin family had always been Lin Zhao alone.
With Lin Zhao out of the picture, he had zero reason or obligation to maintain any ties with the Lin family.
That was simply how Fu Yansheng viewed the matter.
Yet Lin Zhao felt a twinge of hesitation: “If Lin Xian had grown up in the Lin family from childhood, you guys probably would have hit it off as friends. Lin Xian is actually a really good person.”
After all, upon discovering that he had a fake young master living in his place and stealing twenty-three years of his life, Lin Xian hadn’t hurled a single dirty word at him. That alone was enough to prove that Lin Xian possessed a baseline level of manners and decency.
Hearing this, Fu Yansheng lowered his gaze, staring down at the clueless Lin Zhao lounging comfortably on the sofa.
“He wouldn’t have.”
Before Lin Zhao could process the remark,
Fu Yansheng stood up abruptly, giving Lin Zhao zero time to prepare: “I’m taking you away to stay at a resort mountain villa for a couple of days. We’ll head out this afternoon; Butler Lai has already packed your clothes.”
Eyes widening in delighted surprise, Lin Zhao gasped, “Which mountain villa? Is it okay if I want to catch the sunrise?”
The moment a mountain resort villa was mentioned, the recognition banquet flew completely out of Lin Zhao’s mind.
His entire being buzzed with excitement.
Woohoo, a trip!
He had barely worked two days before his soul had already flown right out the window~
“Brother Fu, is there a hot spring? I’ve been super into hot springs lately! What kind of resort is this anyway? Wait, Brother Fu, is it really okay for you to just take me out to play like this? Won’t the corporation be super busy?”
Lin Zhao rattled off a whole string of questions in a single breath.
Listening attentively to every single word, Fu Yansheng answered them one by one:
“A resort mountain villa.”
“There are hot springs, and there’s a dedicated viewing platform for watching the sunrise. But it gets cold up in the mountains, so you’ll need to pack some warmer layers.”
“It belongs to a friend of mine overseas; it just opened in the past couple of days, and he invited me over to show some support.”
“And lastly: Zhaozhao, I am a human being too, which means I am entitled to weekends.”
Hearing that very last sentence, suspicion flickered across Lin Zhao’s eyes.
Fu Yansheng rarely took time off. At least during the years Lin Zhao had spent around the Lin household, he could count on one hand the number of times he had ever seen Fu Yansheng enjoy any free time; every single minute of his daily schedule was packed tight with appointments and commitments.
And now he was claiming to be a human being with a rightful weekend?
Lin Zhao didn’t believe a single syllable of it.
Cupping his face in both hands, he stared intently at Fu Yansheng, who had just returned to his desk:
“Brother Fu, do you honestly not feel a shred of a guilty conscience saying something like that?”
Someone who normally looked ready to work twenty-four hours a day without stopping was suddenly claiming to take weekends off.
Something is fishy. This is seriously suspicious.
Blinking rapidly, Lin Zhao tried his best to read something across Fu Yansheng’s expression,
only to find that Fu Yansheng’s face remained utterly cool, calm, and composed throughout.
There was nothing to read.
With a defeated sigh, Lin Zhao abandoned the attempt.
Plop! He flopped face-down onto the sofa once more.
Well before official closing time rolled around, Fu Yansheng packed up and carried Lin Zhao out of the company. On the drive back to pick up their luggage, Lin Zhao’s phone suddenly rang with an incoming WeChat call.
The caller was a close friend he used to hang out with frequently.
Ever since his identity as a fake young master had been exposed, however, Lin Zhao had severed contact with all of them; not a single additional text message had been exchanged in their chat window.
Still, after turning it over in his mind, Lin Zhao decided to swipe and accept the call.
The person on the other end first exchanged a few polite pleasantries, using a tone that sounded virtually indistinguishable from the days when Lin Zhao was still comfortably ensconced in the Lin household.
Lin Zhao initially assumed his friend was simply checking in out of genuine concern.
After all, from an outsider’s perspective, leaving the Lin family meant he must be having a rough time of it.
Yet he never expected his friend’s very next sentence to lay bare his true intentions without a shred of hesitation:
“Zhaozhao, I like you. If you’re willing, all of my future assets will belong to you. I can get engaged to you right this instant, host the most extravagant wedding imaginable for you, give you the highest quality lifestyle, and make sure I take the absolute best care of you.”
Hearing this, Lin Zhao blinked in stunned bewilderment.
Ah? What?
The caller’s voice was loud, and the car interior was dead silent; even without turning on the speakerphone, Fu Yansheng had caught quite a bit of the exchange.
Was this a confession or a marriage proposal?
Before Lin Zhao even had a chance to open his mouth and reject the offer,
Fu Yansheng reached across, scooped the phone right out of Lin Zhao’s hand, toggled on the speakerphone, and replied in a voice as cold as ice:
“He won’t like you.”
Having delivered that single sentence, Fu Yansheng paused just long enough for the weight of his words to sink in before adding a final identifying tag:
“I am Fu Yansheng.”
The heart that the caller had been holding up in suspension finally snapped dead in an instant.
It really is Fu Yansheng!
And here he had been running his mouth, boasting grandly about being able to provide Lin Zhao with the best life possible.
right to Fu Yansheng’s face, no less!
It’s over. Everything is completely over…
That was the undisputed supreme ruler of the Fu Corporation! No matter how outstanding he thought he was, he was still just a second-generation heir living off family dividends.
The Fu Corporation wasn’t a family business his own household could ever hope to rival; they weren’t even playing in the same league.
Watching the caller instantly chicken out and hang up the phone without uttering another syllable, Fu Yansheng didn’t spare the device so much as a stray glance.
“Zhaozhao, anyone who doesn’t even have the courage to confess their feelings to your face isn’t worth trusting with your future.”
Glancing sideways at the expression frozen on Lin Zhao’s face, Fu Yansheng spoke in a gentle, warm tone.
Even though Fu Yansheng was only three years older than Lin Zhao, the words he spoke carried the weighty, measured advice of an elder.
Though a bit confused, Lin Zhao still obediently nodded along.
His voice carried a thoroughly well-behaved note:
“Brother Fu, don’t worry, I have no intention of finding a partner anytime soon.”