Shi Jingyan could hardly imagine it.
In the short span of time between last night and this morning, how precisely had Yu Yanzhuo conveyed a message to those suppliers to elicit such a swift response today?
It was no wonder that in the original plot he knew, Shi Yuyang was able to cause his downfall simply by securing a connection with Huanya. The power and network the Shi family prided themselves on were, in the end, nothing compared to Huanya.
Fortunately, ever since Shi Jingyan decided to leave the Shi family, things had developed in an entirely different direction. He was not sure if he felt more relieved or more terrified.
Shi Jingyan let out a very soft sigh and placed his phone on the desk, his gaze involuntarily drifting back toward that building. The screen went dark. Aside from the messages from the business partners, there was nothing else.
Yu Yanzhuo had not messaged him to ask about the progress or the feedback from the suppliers. It was as if he already knew the outcome, treating it as something as easy and negligible as brushing away a speck of dust. He had always been this way.
The voice coiled around the prey’s neck like a venomous snake tightening its grip, followed by a slow, mocking sneer.
“You already have so much, so why do you still want to get close to him?”
“Stay away from that person, and I naturally will not bother wasting any more time on you.”
What? Which person?
Before Shen Wenyu could react, Shi Jingyan had already straightened up and stepped back to his original position. Shen Wenyu saw that his gaze was still full of apology, as if the words just now had been a hallucination.
“It is quite serious; it is already turning red.”
After speaking, Shi Jingyan suddenly reached for the tray on the table and picked up the bowl of soup.
“I am truly sorry. I do not know how else to apologize, so I can only do this.”
He looked steadily at Shen Wenyu.
Before anyone could react, and under the watchful eyes of everyone present, Shi Jingyan picked up the bowl of soup that was clearly still steaming and poured it directly onto his own arm. Almost instantly, the skin there turned a deep red. The pale skin became as flushed as if it had been boiled, and small blisters began to form in several spots.
“Hey, what are you doing? Put that down!”
Shi Jingyan recalled those striking golden eyes.
They often held a careless laziness, as if everything before him were trivial, nothing more than a game to pass the time. Yet, people were still willing to throw themselves at him one after another. Did they love his money, his power, or that face that had been blessed since birth?
Shi Jingyan pursed his lips slightly. He did not know if he would become one of those people.
After sitting quietly for a while, Shi Jingyan picked up his phone, clicked on that profile picture, and carefully typed a few words. After a moment of hesitation, he hit the green send button. With a buzz, the phone on the desk vibrated slightly. The screen lit up, showing a new message received below the lock screen time.
When the screen lit up, Yu Yanzhuo glanced over. Upon seeing the name of the sender, his brows arched slightly, and the corners of his lips curved upward.
At the same time, his expression was fully captured by Shi Yuyang, who was sitting opposite him. Shi Yuyang’s hands, resting on his knees under the table, tightened. He inconspicuously shifted his gaze from Yu Yanzhuo’s face to the phone on the table. However, he was too far away to see the details.
Today’s meeting was the final review negotiation regarding Huayuntang’s entry into Huanya’s shopping centers, aimed at finalizing specific cooperation details.
The boy behind Shen Wenyu stepped forward and snatched the bowl from Shi Jingyan’s hand, hissing as he touched the hot ceramic.
“I am sorry. I did not know how to apologize to make Wenyu less angry.”
Shi Jingyan stood obediently as the boy took the bowl and placed it on the table, his expression showing a hint of guilt. Compared to the striking, painful burn on his arm, Shen Wenyu’s arm was nothing at all. The people around them clearly thought so too.
“Wow, that looks a bit scary.”
The phone vibrated. Yu Yanzhuo picked it up and glanced at it; it was a message from Shen Wenyu. Why would he message him at this time? There was still some time before their scheduled interview at the bar.
The cryptic message piqued Yu Yanzhuo’s interest. What kind of news could Shen Wenyu have that was inconvenient to say over the phone and required a special meeting? Thinking this, Yu Yanzhuo simply replied with an “OK.” Almost the second he replied, a location was sent over. It was a restaurant.
The meeting was chaired by Huanya’s head of investment promotion. The Huayuntang side was naturally prepared; Shi Yuyang attended in person, bringing his managers and directors to reach an agreement with Huanya as quickly as possible.
Yu Yanzhuo sat below the head seat, appearing distracted and occasionally sliding through his phone. He had not wanted to come today and only showed up because he could not refuse Yu Mingzhen. However, he remained lazy in his seat, not even listening to what the speaker on stage was saying, only wondering if he should find a time to sneak away later.
After spotting the message from Shi Jingyan, he finally seemed to gain some interest. He leaned back in his chair, clicked on the message with a slender finger, and typed a few words. He followed it up with a casual, flirtatious “kiss” emoji.
The status at the top soon changed to “typing,” and a few seconds later, a message came through. It was in a slightly distant tone that was consistent with his character. Yu Yanzhuo raised an eyebrow and typed back. Seeing that the other person seemed completely oblivious to the meaning of his words and was asking a serious question, Yu Yanzhuo could not help but let out a light laugh.
The investment promotion director speaking at the front paused, looking over nervously as he thought he had said something wrong. He only relaxed and continued when he saw Yu Yanzhuo playing with his phone without even looking up. Yu Yanzhuo ignored the situation and typed a few words. As soon as he did, gazes from all directions gathered on him.
“I am sorry, I did not see.”
Shi Jingyan lowered his head, his fingers rubbing his palms uneasily. His voice was timid, and he looked extremely embarrassed.
“You did not see? Or are you pretending you did not see?”
Shen Wenyu had no intention of saving him any face, his tone aggressive. Seeing that Shi Jingyan remained silent, he added, “If this bowl of soup had not been sitting out for a while and cooled down, would you have sent me to the hospital with a burn?”
“Hey, Wenyu, Wenyu, do not get so excited.”
The friends around him tried to persuade him, but Shen Wenyu was beyond listening. He only wanted to vent his perceived grievances.
“I am sorry, let me see.”
Shi Jingyan lowered his head to get closer, and Shen Wenyu instinctively recoiled. “Stay away from me!”
The older youth’s movements were faster than his, however. Before anyone knew it, he had leaned into Shen Wenyu’s ear.
“Stay away from you?”
The voice in his ear changed abruptly, sounding nothing like the pushover from moments before.
This time, the other person did not reply immediately. Yu Yanzhuo could almost imagine Shi Jingyan’s expression upon seeing the message. After a long while, a dry sentence appeared, skipping over the previous remark. It looked strangely funny.
This time, it was Yu Yanzhuo’s turn to pause. He stared at the phone screen.
Yesterday, he and Shi Jingyan had made it clear that this was an exchange. Although they had not gone all the way, Yu Yanzhuo was quite satisfied with what he had seen. As for the so called monopoly by the Shi family, to Yu Yanzhuo, it was nothing more than a simple order to his assistant.
But looking at Shi Jingyan’s meaning now, it seemed as if he felt those things were not enough to compensate Yu Yanzhuo for his help. Yu Yanzhuo’s fingers tightened slightly around the phone. The moment he saw that line of text, his heart seemed to contract gently, followed by an indescribable emotion.
Is he feeling guilty?
Because of his own reasons, the outcome had not met Yu Yanzhuo’s objective.
Seeing Shi Jingyan getting closer without even glancing his way, Shen Wenyu felt relieved again. He turned to speak to the person beside him, but then the sound of something falling rang in his ears. Shen Wenyu turned his head, and before he could see what it was, a sharp but brief pain flared on his arm.
“Ah!”
He gasped instinctively and shook his arm, only to find a wet, sticky mess on his sleeve with steam rising into the air.
“What are you doing!”
He could no longer contain himself and shouted angrily at the man in front of him. Shi Jingyan stood before him, still holding the tray. He looked down at the spilled bowl of soup on Shen Wenyu’s table.
“I am sorry, I am so sorry. I just tripped.”
Shi Jingyan placed the tray on the table and hurriedly pulled tissues from his pocket to wipe the mess. Just as his hand reached out, Shen Wenyu slapped it away with a loud smack.
“Are you blind? First you tripped over my shoelaces and made me fall down the stairs, and now you spill soup on me. You are doing this on purpose, are you not?”
Shen Wenyu’s temper flared. Shi Jingyan’s behavior was clearly intentional, and he did not want to endure it anymore. Since there were so many people here, he would shout it out for everyone to hear!
Yu Yanzhuo had originally thought that for a man who had not dated for over twenty years, this would be a source of shame and a stroke of luck, and he had enjoyed watching the man’s reluctant yet forced obedience.
Why did it now feel as if the man had been sold and was helping to count the money? He even seemed to be apologetically trying to compensate because he had accidentally miscounted. Yu Yanzhuo felt a stir in his mind, and a different kind of interest in this person arose. This time, it was not just about his pleasing body.
Yu Yanzhuo curled his lips into a smile, but as he looked up, he happened to catch Shi Yuyang’s gaze. He raised an eyebrow, and Shi Yuyang, caught off guard, looked away quickly. He lowered his head to jot something down on his tablet, pretending nothing had happened. Yu Yanzhuo shifted his gaze carelessly. Shi Yuyang would inevitably hear rumors that he had helped Shi Jingyan. But what of it?
Yu Yanzhuo let out a lazy yawn, propped his elbow on the table, and began playing with his phone out of boredom.
Seeing the reply agreeing to the meeting, Shi Jingyan felt a weight lift from his heart, even feeling a sense of relief. Yu Yanzhuo was always smiling, and Shi Jingyan could never guess the real thoughts behind those smiling eyes, but he knew what Yu Yanzhuo really wanted when he proposed the terms of the exchange. Yet, they had not gone all the way.
The cafeteria at noon was as crowded as ever, with noisy voices and the smell of food stimulating the senses. Shen Wenyu sat at the table, listening to his friends chat intermittently while his ankle still throbbed. Among the group, he sat on the outermost side near the aisle. He propped his head up and listened to the others joke around, but his peripheral vision caught a familiar figure once again.
It was Shi Jingyan.
The moment he saw him clearly, the hair on Shen Wenyu’s body stood up in a reflexive jump. He had indeed mocked Shi Jingyan a few times before because he believed the man was the type who would not fight back. This was the first time he had misjudged someone’s character so poorly. After learning his lesson last time, he had been keeping a respectful distance from Shi Jingyan.
He watched Shi Jingyan warily. The man walked forward with a tray without looking aside, and the direction he was headed would take him right through the aisle next to Shen Wenyu. Whatever, there were so many people around that he could not cause any trouble. Surely he would not hold a grudge just because of a few malicious words?
Yet Yu Yanzhuo had still resolved these issues for him, and with such extreme speed that Shi Yuanyang’s tactics failed to have any impact at all.
Despite knowing that helping him out of this bind was a mere trifle to someone like Yu Yanzhuo, a subtle emotion still lingered in Shi Jingyan’s heart, something akin to guilt or perhaps something else entirely.
He had always been a person with a strong sense of boundaries and disliked owing others.
Given his own status, it seemed there was truly nothing he could offer that Yu Yanzhuo would value. After much thought, he could only offer the universal gesture of gratitude: an invitation to dinner.
Fortunately, Yu Yanzhuo had agreed.
Shi Jingyan lowered his gaze and placed his phone aside. His eyes unconsciously flickered over the top of the still-lit screen at the explicit message Yu Yanzhuo had sent earlier. He pursed his lips tightly and clicked the screen off to hide his reaction.
As the meeting concluded, people stood up and began to disperse. Yu Yanzhuo walked out with the head of investment, listening to a report being whispered in his ear.
“Young Master Yu.”
A familiar voice rang out from behind, carrying a trace of urgency that was barely perceptible.
Yu Yanzhuo stopped in his tracks and turned back toward the source of the sound.
Shi Yuanyang wore a perfectly measured smile as he walked quickly toward him, his posture and expression appearing exceptionally humble.
He had no way to blame Shi Jingyan.
Shi Jingyan had already seized the moral high ground. Everyone in class knew his family background was poor, or at least far worse than his own.
Under such circumstances, demanding that Shi Jingyan pay for his medical expenses would only make him look like a bully.
Shi Jingyan must have thought of this from the very beginning.
He probably made that expression for exactly that reason.
Shen Wenyu’s hands, hidden beneath the table, clenched into fists. His nails dug deep into the soft flesh of his palms as he fought with all his might to keep his breathing steady.
“Thank you, Wenyu.”
Hearing those words, Shi Jingyan finally stopped apologizing.
He looked up at the expression on Shen Wenyu’s face, which could hardly be described as pleasant.
Shi Jingyan’s voice was soft and slow, and in the depths of his dark eyes was a deathly stillness that could drown the world.
“You really are a good person.”
As he spoke, his phoenix eyes curved into a smile.
“I am very pleased to collaborate with Huanya. We will certainly do our best and will not disappoint your company.”
The earlier negotiation session had finalized the details and dates for the move-in. The next step involved the coordinators from Hua Yuntang and this side connecting to prepare for the launch.
Yu Yanzhuo nodded slightly, wearing his habitual smile. His tone was not particularly warm: “Indeed. I look forward to a successful partnership, President Shi.”
Shi Yuanyang’s expression was sincere: “I wonder if I might have the honor of treating Young Master Yu to dinner tonight?”
“Tonight?”
Yu Yanzhuo repeated the word leisurely and let out a light laugh: “My apologies. I already have an appointment tonight. It is not convenient.”
Shi Yuanyang’s heart tightened as he recalled the expression Yu Yanzhuo had while staring at his phone earlier, and he thought of the news from his assistant.
The suppliers who had originally agreed not to cooperate with Shi Jingyan had defected overnight. Their attitudes had become nearly sycophantic, and they were even competing to offer low prices just to work with him.
This was extremely strange. Connecting the dots to the ambiguous relationship between Yu Yanzhuo and Shi Jingyan, Shi Yuanyang guessed the truth almost instantly.
Aside from Yu Yanzhuo, he truly could not think of anyone else with enough power to help Shi Jingyan even at the risk of offending the Shi family.
And Yu Yanzhuo was someone they could not afford to offend under any circumstances.
A sudden surge of jealousy and faint anger burned in his heart, yet Shi Yuanyang maintained a perfectly appropriate smile on his face.
“Whenever it is convenient for you, Young Master Yu. I can adjust my schedule at any time.”
Shen Wenyu watched in a daze as the other’s expression shifted in an instant. In the blink of an eye, Shi Jingyan was already standing before him.
Shi Jingyan bent down urgently.
“Let me see how your foot is. I will take responsibility. If you need to go to the hospital, I will scrape together the money for the visit and the medicine. I am truly sorry!”
“Shi Jingyan did not do it on purpose, right?”
“Yeah, it is normal to accidentally step on a shoelace when you do not notice it is undone. You cannot blame anyone for that.”
“I heard Shi Jingyan’s family situation is not very good.”
“Hey, keep your voice down!”
The classmates crowding around began to whisper among themselves, their words clearly favoring Shi Jingyan.
It made sense. After all, it was just a stepped-on shoelace; no one would think it was intentional.
Shen Wenyu looked up at the youth before him. His long eyelashes trembled slightly, and his phoenix eyes were filled with a restless guilt, his eyes reddening at the rims.
No matter how one looked at him, he seemed remorseful to the extreme.
It was almost impossible to imagine that the sinister expression from before and the look on his face now belonged to the same person.
The corners of Shen Wenyu’s mouth twitched as he forced a smile: “It is fine. How could I let you take responsibility? It was my own fault for not paying attention.”
Yu Yanzhuo’s eyes narrowed slightly, his smile remaining unchanged: “I cannot say for certain about future plans. We shall see if fate brings us together again.”
Shi Yuanyang’s hands, hidden behind his back, clenched tightly. He tried his best to maintain his smile, but he was starting to lose his composure.
Why was it so difficult for him just to invite Yu Yanzhuo to dinner, while that fake Shi Jingyan could so easily obtain Yu Yanzhuo’s help?
What exactly was their relationship?
Countless questions swirled in his mind. Shi Yuanyang lowered his head slightly, his words coming out somewhat stiffly: “Very well, Young Master Yu. I will follow your schedule.”
Yu Yanzhuo’s gaze swept over him. He gave a brief grunt of acknowledgement, turned, and walked away. The coordinator immediately followed behind him, and their figures disappeared at the end of the hallway.
Shi Yuanyang slowly raised his head, his hands clenching tighter and tighter.
“Come to think of it, before I fell, I felt like someone stepped on my shoelace.”
Seeing the others turn their gazes toward him, Shen Wenyu stared at Shi Jingyan’s face, his words not stopping.
“Class had not ended yet. The only person next to me was Shi Jingyan. If someone had not stepped on my shoelace, I probably would not have fallen.”
As soon as he said this, the eyes of the crowd gathered once again on that thin figure.
To Shen Wenyu’s surprise, Shi Jingyan looked up this time.
He pursed his lips and looked at Shen Wenyu, taking several quick steps toward him. His eyes were panicked and guilty, and his voice trembled slightly as he spoke.
“Did I step on you? I am sorry, I am so sorry. I really did not know.”
“It is my fault you fell. It is all my fault.”
Night had fallen, but the bright yellow indoor lights still made the room as bright as day.
Shi Jingyan had chosen a restaurant with quite elegant taste. The decor was low-key and grand, located in an area far from the city center. The environment was quiet, and through the window, one could see the myriad lights of the city.
He sat across from Yu Yanzhuo and signaled the waiter to pass the tablet for ordering, speaking flatly.
“Order according to your tastes.”
Yu Yanzhuo smiled as he took the tablet. He swiped through it a few times, not bothering to look closely. He looked up at the waiter and asked for a recommendation.
The waiter followed protocol by introducing the top-rated popular dishes on the menu. Yu Yanzhuo propped his chin on his hand and did not interrupt. He simply listened quietly, yet he gave no sign of approval.
“He eats spicy food.”
Suddenly, a voice came from across the table.