The wheelchair glided silently over the carpeted hallway, making only the faint mechanical sound of the wheels turning.

The housemaid must have cleaned earlier; the air was filled with the light scent of mint air freshener, subtle and not overpowering.

The windows were sparkling clean, allowing the morning sunlight to stream in and fall on Yun Pei. His face, devoid of color, looked almost transparent. He raised his hand to shield his eyes from the harsh light, squinting through his fingers to gaze at the clear blue sky.

“Eldest Young Master, breakfast is ready,” the kindly-faced Auntie said, stopping beside him. She bent down to place the blanket he had requested over his legs.

Yun Pei softly thanked her, and the woman shook her head, stepping aside to let him control his wheelchair to turn around. Just as he was about to move forward, his phone rang in his pocket.

Taking it out and glancing at the screen, he looked up and asked Auntie to leave, assuring her he would head to the dining room shortly. Once she was out of earshot, he answered the call and brought the phone to his ear.

“Mr. Si Yu, the painting you submitted to the exhibition was sold yesterday. The money has already been transferred to your account, so please check it,” a gentle female voice came through the receiver. It wasn’t unfamiliar.

“Sold?” Yun Pei turned his head slightly, surprised. He had thought that such a piece wouldn’t appeal to anyone.

“Yes, the exhibition still has two more days to go. Would you like to send over any new works?”

His hand, resting on the blanket, gently rubbed the soft fabric. He lowered his gaze slightly and declined, “No need.”

“Alright, I understand. We hope to receive more of your work next time.” The woman didn’t press further and politely ended the call.

Yun Pei put down the phone and saw a new notification confirming the payment had been received. He opened the message, and the amount made him pause for a moment.

Even after deducting the exhibition’s commission, the buyer seemed to have paid an extra zero.

The painting had been with him for a long time. It was a piece from a few years ago when he had been in a poor mental state, feeling quite down. He hadn’t even liked it much, which was why he had tossed it into a small exhibition for sale.

If he remembered correctly, he had set a casual price of five thousand yuan back then, which was already a decent amount for an unknown young artist. The technique was still immature, and he hadn’t really cared whether it sold or not.

But this buyer had actually paid ten times the asking price. Yun Pei couldn’t understand—who on earth was this fool with money to burn?

The said ‘fool’ was currently sitting at home, eating breakfast, with the very painting he had bought at a “high price” hanging on the wall opposite him.

After finishing the last bite of his fried egg, Qin Mingyuan pulled out a napkin to wipe the corners of his mouth, then gathered the empty plate and cup to wash them in the kitchen.

He didn’t like having strangers coming in and out of his home, so he would make himself simple meals. Most of the time, he ate out. He wasn’t sure if the original owner of his body had the same habits, but the only help he kept was a part-time housekeeper who cleaned the house when he was out.

After washing the dishes and drying his hands, he returned to his room to change. While putting on his watch, he checked the time: it was just eight-thirty. He should reach the office by nine.

He changed his shoes at the door, grabbed his car keys, and headed out. After getting into the elevator, he pressed the button for the basement level. The apartment building where he currently lived was close to the company, only about a twenty-minute drive.

The original Qin Mingyuan rarely went back to the Qin family villa. His parents were often abroad, and the place was mostly managed by servants. Qin Mingyuan himself only occasionally went back there.

This arrangement was convenient for him. Even though he seemed similar to the original Qin Mingyuan on the surface, they were actually very different. The original Qin Mingyuan was outwardly cold but gentle at heart—completely the opposite of him. Mingling with people who had known the original Qin Mingyuan since childhood could eventually lead to some slip-ups.

Over the past few days, he had done some digging into the Qin family’s affairs. The original Qin Mingyuan had two uncles and an aunt, none of whom were based in the same city, and they all worked in different fields. However, they each held a portion of the Qin Corporation’s shares.

After the death of the old master, the company had been passed down to the original Qin Mingyuan’s father without any dramatic internal conflicts. The Qin family, by nature, seemed to be quite indifferent when it came to material wealth.

Perhaps it was this aloofness that made them so difficult to read, and thus so successful in business. The Qin family had gradually grown to its current scale, a level others found hard to reach.

Nowadays, aside from family gatherings during holidays, the Qin family members rarely interfered with each other. It was a rare dynamic for a family of their size.

In contrast, the Liang family, where the protagonist’s love interest came from, was a complete melodramatic mess. It wasn’t just the direct family members—extended relatives were constantly scheming for power. Even family members could only trust each other about thirty percent of the time.

This was probably the type of pressure a melodrama protagonist had to endure. Qin Mingyuan tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. The second male lead was always portrayed as perfect and passionate. If his family dynamics were a mess, how could he focus on helping the protagonist?

Fifteen minutes later, Qin Mingyuan arrived punctually at the company’s underground parking lot. He took the exclusive elevator for the president up to his office on the top floor, where the assistants stood to greet him. Zhou Yang followed behind him with a stack of documents.

After hanging up his coat, Qin Mingyuan walked straight to his spacious desk and sat down, motioning for Zhou Yang to bring over the documents.

Zhou Yang handed him the papers but hesitated before speaking, “President Qin, Mr. Yun came by about ten minutes ago, said he had something important to discuss. We couldn’t get him to leave, so he’s waiting in the reception room. What should we do?”

A month ago, Zhou Yang would have immediately reported such a visit, as everyone knew how much the boss used to care about Yun Yuexian. But recently, Zhou Yang had grown uncertain about his boss’s feelings.

Qin Mingyuan didn’t even look up, showing no surprise at the news. He knew that Yun Haowei wouldn’t easily let go of those projects, yet he also couldn’t handle them alone. Coming to the original Qin Mingyuan was his only option. “Let him wait.”

“Understood, I’ll be heading out now.” Zhou Yang didn’t dare to say more, nodded, and left.

Qin Mingyuan’s plan was to let Yun Haowei wait a couple of hours to make it clear he wasn’t some easy target and discourage him from pestering him in the future. But he had overestimated Yun Haowei’s patience.

He hadn’t been seated for even five minutes when a commotion came from the office door. It was followed by the door being pushed open. Qin Mingyuan frowned and looked over.

Yun Haowei, straightening his suit, stepped in, with Zhou Yang and two other assistants beside him, looking embarrassed as they had obviously failed to stop him.

It wasn’t that the young assistants couldn’t physically restrain Yun Haowei—it was more that they were mindful of their boss’s previous attitude toward Yun Haowei’s son. Hurting Yun Haowei could cost them their jobs if it upset the boss.

“Mingyuan, you’ve been really busy lately. Even your uncle can hardly get a chance to see you,” Yun Haowei entered without any hint of embarrassment, smoothing out his wrinkled sleeve as he sat on the sofa, uninvited. “Xiao Xian told me to thank you properly before he left to join the film crew.”

Bringing up his son at this moment made the situation clear to everyone present.

Qin Mingyuan didn’t respond right away. He glanced at his troubled assistants and waved them off. Once they were gone, he turned to the middle-aged man, whose expression had grown less pleasant. “Mr. Yun seems to have a lot of free time, coming to see me so early. I heard Yun Corporation recently took on several projects. You must be busy.”

That subtle jab reminded Yun Haowei of his reason for coming. He forced a smile, “I’m not as busy as you, managing such a large company. If you’re too busy to come to me, I’ll just come to you.”

Nice words, but Qin Mingyuan’s eyes held a hint of sarcasm. He twirled the pen in his hand and said, “You’re too kind, Mr. Yun. But since you’re here, I’m afraid I still don’t have time to entertain. I’ll have my assistant escort you out.”

The direct dismissal made Yun Haowei’s face stiffen slightly. He felt both uneasy and frustrated.

To be honest, he had already noticed Qin Mingyuan’s coldness recently. He had asked his son about it, and the two hadn’t quarreled, but Qin Mingyuan’s interest in him had clearly faded.

Yun Haowei understood that compared to the previous passion, this indifferent attitude was probably more normal. After all, considering Qin Mingyuan’s status in A City, it was a stroke of luck that he had even taken an interest in his son. On top of that, Qin Mingyuan had been considerate, attentive, and generous.

Wealthy people playing around a little wasn’t surprising—it was just a phase of novelty. Yun Haowei had been young once and knew how men operated. With this mindset, he had cautiously pleased Qin Mingyuan at the beginning, despite the surprise.

But as he began to notice how genuinely Qin Mingyuan cared for his son, even after being rejected, Yun Haowei’s ambitions had grown. He used Qin Mingyuan’s influence to secure several big projects and enjoyed the benefits.

He had to admit, he had gotten a bit carried away. After Qin Mingyuan had attended his son’s birthday party, giving him significant prestige, Yun Haowei had started to lose perspective.

Now, facing Qin Mingyuan’s cold eyes, it was like being doused with a bucket of cold water. He quickly put on a smile, “President Qin, I wouldn’t dare waste your time. I just had a few projects I thought we could discuss.”

Hearing the change in how Yun Haowei addressed him, Qin Mingyuan raised an eyebrow. At least the man knew how to read the room. Still, Qin Mingyuan wasn’t here to do charity. “If it’s business, it should be profitable. So tell me, how much profit will these projects bring to Qin Corporation?”

Yun Haowei’s expression stiffened again. The biggest beneficiary of those projects was definitely Yun Corporation. If it came down to money, Qin Mingyuan wouldn’t be interested, and Yun Haowei had never intended to discuss finances in the first place.

Though unsure of Qin Mingyuan’s attitude, Yun Haowei tried, “These were projects I secured at Xiao Xian’s birthday party. We’re all friends, so maybe…”

Before he could finish, Qin Mingyuan set his pen down with a click. The sound wasn’t loud, but it made Yun Haowei immediately fall silent. Leaning back in his chair, Qin Mingyuan remarked, “Mr. Yun, you’re older than me, and you’ve been running a company longer. How can you still be mixing business with personal relationships at your age? Don’t let yourself get taken advantage of.”

With just a few light words, Yun Haowei’s face turned red, then white. The sarcasm was blatant enough that he would have to be a fool not to understand it.

Was Qin Mingyuan really losing interest in his son? Yun Haowei didn’t want to believe it. After finally climbing up the Qin family tree and gaining a foothold among the elite in A City, he couldn’t bear to step back down.

If these projects fell through, Yun Corporation would suffer losses, but if he kept pestering Qin Mingyuan and annoyed him, the consequences could be worse. He had to weigh his options carefully.

Besides, he couldn’t bring himself to believe that Qin Mingyuan had truly grown tired of his son. Even if it had been just for novelty, Qin Mingyuan had already gotten what he wanted. On top of that, Qin Mingyuan had just recently helped his son land a major director’s film.

Maybe this was just a case of Qin Mingyuan feeling rejected too many times and wanting to remind them not to take his kindness for granted.

As these thoughts circled in his head, Yun Haowei convinced himself he had figured out Qin Mingyuan’s mindset. He relaxed a little. As long as Xiao Xian could smooth things over, there was still a chance to turn things around. This loss wasn’t a big deal—as long as they had Qin Corporation to rely on, they could make up for it elsewhere.

Yun Haowei looked up at the expressionless man and nodded in a more relaxed manner. “President Qin, you’re right. I didn’t think things through this time.”

Qin Mingyuan was a bit surprised this time, eyeing Yun Haowei for a moment, as if he had guessed what was going through his mind. Internally, he sneered but didn’t say much. He simply tapped his fingers on the armrest, “As long as you understand.”

This response only made Yun Haowei feel more certain that Qin Mingyuan was subtly hinting at something. Deciding not to push his luck further, Yun Haowei stood up and buttoned his suit. “In that case, I’ll be heading out. Xiao Xian is off shooting out of town today, so he’ll be busy for a while. When he’s back, I’ll have him invite you over for dinner. His mother is an excellent cook, though she rarely cooks. But recently, she’s been thinking about making a meal for you.”

It wasn’t Qin Mingyuan that she was thinking about—it was Qin Corporation. Qin Mingyuan glanced at Yun Haowei’s friendly face but said nothing, merely giving a polite nod as he watched Yun Haowei leave his office.

As soon as Yun Haowei left, Zhou Yang cautiously knocked and entered, apologizing for not being able to stop him earlier.

Qin Mingyuan didn’t mind and, while glancing over the documents, casually said, “Tell security at the front desk not to let anyone from the Yun family in anymore. They’re an eyesore.”

Zhou Yang quietly acknowledged, softly closed the office door, and left, feeling even more confused by his boss’s unpredictable attitude.