---

His voice was muffled, sounding as if he hadn’t fully woken up yet.

I really wanted to question what kind of messy stuff was in his head, neglecting his career at a critical moment to go fooling around with girls of questionable age.

The words spun around in my mouth but finally came out as:

“You didn’t do anything illegal, right? Was that girl of legal age last night?”

“Um…” He thought for a long while, so long that it made me think he had fallen asleep.

Fortunately, I was always particularly patient when it came to him.

After a while, he replied, “I don’t know; I’ve already forgotten what she looked like. She should be of age; her figure was pretty hot.”

If someone else said something like that, I would definitely slap them.

But for Huo Beiming, I could only let out a long sigh.

“Be more careful. If something like this happens again, let me know.”

“Got it. Next time I’ll take you with me.”

---

Back at the office, I finally saw Huo Beiming again.

He was dressed in a suit and tie, making it hard to connect this image to how he looked when he was drunk.

His clothes were neat, his hair styled with a thin layer of gel, showing a vibrant life amidst the tidiness.

He usually spoke and acted with elegance, even willing to tilt his umbrella toward those nearby when he only had a small one in hand.

What was even more captivating was his aura of nobility, paired with a striking appearance.

He had distant eyebrows, peach blossom eyes, a straight nose, and thin lips.

He always wore an alluring smirk.

Everyone who knew him would exclaim, “No wonder he’s the son of an international film queen.”

Perhaps that was why I couldn’t forget him, despite him being a bit of a loser.

That beautiful appearance was simply too enchanting.

Just the thought of those lips smiling and saying they liked me

made me feel like the sky was clear, flowers were blooming, and the whole world was radiant.

I often thought that even if I had to toil for him for several decades, it would be worth it.

Who wouldn’t love a handsome guy?

I opened the office door and walked in.

I saw him frowning, staring intently at something.

“What are you looking at?” I asked.

He handed me the document in his hand.

“Weren’t we just expanding into overseas markets? I thought it wouldn’t be good to have no results, so I planned to give it a try. I wrote a project proposal, showed it to my dad, and he scolded me terribly… Did I really do that poorly?”

I read through the proposal back and forth.

I reached a conclusion.

It wasn’t just poor.

It was absolutely terrible.

In fact, even a group project hastily put together by university students in one day would be more valuable than this trash proposal.

“Why didn’t you ask me for help?” I asked, frowning.

He walked around behind me, resting his chin lightly on my shoulder: “I shouldn’t rely on you for everything; it makes me look useless.”

His intimacy sent a shiver through my heart.

Seeing that he genuinely cared, I opened the proposal and looked through it again.

Hoping that maybe there was some merit I had missed.

Five minutes later.

I closed the folder.

I concluded again.

There was none.

Not a single advantage.

If this proposal were implemented, the Huo family would be laughed at.

But I didn’t want to say it outright, fearing it might hurt his confidence.

So I vaguely suggested, “Emmm, it’s quite good, but you don’t know much about the specific implementation of the project. I’ll help you revise it.”

“You’re going to be the vice chairman soon; you should focus on the big direction of the group.”

He smiled and nodded, holding my shoulder: “Having you is great; we must be good brothers for life.”

Again with that phrase.

I sighed internally and responded ambiguously, “Mm.”

---

After all, expanding into a brand-new market is definitely not a small task.

For the next week, I racked my brains every day, often working overtime until midnight before heading home.

Sometimes, I even slept at the office.

Back when I was still in university, I had told my friends that

I would never work overtime, especially not 996 or 007. I wouldn’t even consider it.

If a company forced me to work late, I definitely wouldn’t do it.

I swore I would never be a workaholic!

Yet, unexpectedly, the casual remark I made back then came back to bite me in the rear repeatedly over the next ten years.

On the seventh day, I finally completed the proposal.

To avoid hurting Huo Beiming’s pride, I even included some of the less outrageous parts of his original proposal, breaking them down and incorporating them into the new one.

The most troublesome step in the entire proposal was this one.

Before getting off work, I placed the completed proposal on his desk.

That night, I went home and had a good sleep.

In a week, it would be my birthday.

I had already asked Huo Beiming three months ago; I booked a hot spring hotel for that day and wanted him to go with me.

He agreed.

It would also serve as an early celebration for him becoming vice chairman.

After waking up in the morning, I sent him a text to remind him.

After receiving his affirmative response again, I sighed in relief.

A hot spring hotel!

At that time, I could justifiably soak in the hot spring with him.

Moreover, I booked a suite, so there might even be a chance to feel his abs.

It had been a long time since we had showered together.

Back in university, when I had just realized I liked him,

I would blush at the mere mention of showering and wish I could dig a hole to bury myself.

Thinking about it now, I regretted it.

Now, I could hardly wait to see him every day.

It would be best if I could touch him as well.

With such expectations, I arrived at the office.

Even knowing there would be a regular meeting today, it didn’t seem so unpleasant.

---

Unfortunately, my smile didn’t last long.

As soon as the meeting began, I was about to explode with anger.

Can someone explain to me why the proposal I slaved over for half a month ended up in the hands of a new intern in the planning department?

I was so furious I could spit fire, practically wanting to burn Huo Beiming with my glare.

---