After the last cooperation with that company ended, Yu Zi quickly received the final payment. Taking advantage of the momentum, he contacted the short-haired administrative manager. The other party was also very happy, praising their excellent service, solving a tricky problem for them at the beginning of the year.

Yu Zi seized the opportunity to arrange a face-to-face meeting with the manager to discuss future cooperation.

After hanging up the phone, he walked out from behind the counter and called out to Xiao Liu outside, “Xiao Liu, come with me.”

“Me?!” Xiao Liu was startled and jumped up in place. “Where are we going?”

“To discuss cooperation,” Yu Zi nodded towards him.

Xiao Liu was taken aback. He had never been to such occasions before, especially not as a waiter. “Isn’t it always Dongy accompanying you?”

“I said you’re coming with me,” Yu Zi walked up to him, his tone brooking no argument.

Xiao Liu hurriedly put on his coat, handed the menu to Xie Dongcheng, who was standing nearby, and then followed Yu Zi out of the shop.

When they reached the street, Xie Dongcheng stood by the glass door, watching the two gradually walk away until the customers behind him called him over to take their orders.

They agreed to meet in the company’s reception room. The two walked into the lobby of the office building and then took the glass-walled observation elevator all the way up to the thirtieth floor.

The weather was nice that day, with thin clouds, offering a panoramic view of the entire city.

Xiao Liu had never been to such a high-end place before, having previously worked in factories or construction sites. As soon as he walked in, his eyes began to sparkle with admiration. “Wow, Boss, this place is amazing. If we could open a shop here in the future, it would be awesome.”

The elevator soon stopped, and the doors opened to reveal the sparkling glass doors of the company. The reception area had a huge gray and white natural marble, polished to a luxurious finish.

“How did they transport such a large piece of stone to such a high building?” Xiao Liu couldn’t help but exclaim. “We should bring Dongy here to see.”

Yu Zi just glanced at him.

The administrative manager of the other party had been waiting for them at the door early on, looking very polite.

As Yu Zi expected, the conversation went smoothly. Because of their quick and excellent work on the orders at the beginning of the year, coupled with Yu Zi’s promise to offer them a price 15% lower than the retail market price, they agreed to sign a long-term cooperation contract, directly squeezing out the original supplier. After that, their restaurant would handle all the employee birthday parties and industry salons for the company throughout the year.

As the restaurant’s business grew, Yu Zi finally had some happy things to celebrate.

When he and Xiao Liu returned to the shop, it was already past one o’clock in the afternoon. Lunchtime had just ended, and the shop was finally a bit quieter. Xie Dongcheng stood behind the counter, organizing the receipts. When he saw them push open the glass door, he quickly walked out from behind the counter.

Yu Zi didn’t look at him and went straight to the kitchen to share the good news with chef Zhao, and also asked if there were any new equipment needed to be purchased to avoid affecting the delivery.

But Xiao Liu didn’t follow him. He seized the opportunity to ask Xie Dongcheng, “Dongy, did you upset the boss?”

Xie Dongcheng hesitated for a moment and then said, “No, don’t talk nonsense.”

A few days later, the roadblock in front of the shop was suddenly removed. The previously isolated section of the road suddenly became unobstructed.

The foot traffic at the shop’s entrance also increased significantly, and business gradually began to pick up.

It was unclear who started it, but one day someone took a picture of Yu Zi behind the bar and uploaded it online, saying they had discovered a handsome restaurant manager in the high-tech zone. This immediately attracted many people from nearby to come and watch, and some even crossed the counter to take pictures with him.

Of course, they didn’t come empty-handed. At least they all ordered a cup of coffee and a piece of cake. In the following days, the turnover of the shop broke a new record.

Yu Zi self-deprecatingly thought that apparently, selling looks could really earn gold and silver. The past twenty-plus years seemed to have been wasted.

At first, Yu Zi was still willing to take a few pictures with them, but as the shop got busier, he lost patience. Moreover, who knows if the photos will end up in the hands of his former enemies.

On a good day, Yu Zi pushed Xiao Liu out. Fortunately, Xiao Liu was eloquent and quickly became the new social center of the shop.

Xiao Liu even developed a new business for the shop. He fixed a large TV screen that was idle in the front hall. Then every night, the shop would play popular dramas, attracting a group of white-collar workers to gather here after work to watch.

Chef Zhao took the opportunity to introduce a late-night snack combo, mostly consisting of hot drinks and low-calorie snacks, which turned out to be quite popular.

“Don’t you feel tired?” Yu Zi asked Xiao Liu, seeing him work tirelessly.

Originally, they mainly served brunch, and the mornings were busy. Now they had to entertain customers in the evenings as well, so Xiao Liu was busy all day long.

“Not tired. What’s the big deal? When I worked on the factory assembly line, I had to work for twelve hours straight.” Xiao Liu grinned. “And besides, there’s money to be made. Isn’t that better than anything else?”

Yu Zi chuckled and tousled Xiao Liu’s hair. “I didn’t promise to pay you more for working so hard.”

Xiao Liu shrugged. “It’s okay! I trust you, Boss.”

Of course, Yu Zi wouldn’t withhold their pay. He wasn’t like his father, Yu Qing, who would exploit others. The company’s current situation was all thanks to Yu Qing. He didn’t give shares to middle and senior management, nor did he give out year-end bonuses. As a result, when the company’s financial problems arose, everyone scattered like birds.

Business was booming, and it seemed like everything was moving in a positive direction. But he and Xie Dongcheng suddenly found themselves in a strange situation.

Although they had sex once, and the experience was not bad, they never mentioned anything about that night again.

If Yu Zi had felt like there was a thin layer of paper between them before, now it felt like there was a bulletproof barrier.

He knew he had no right to be angry. They never had an open conversation about it, nor did they make any promises. They simply slept together once, and now they were back to this position, with nothing to blame each other for.

But Yu Zi didn’t understand why he felt so uncomfortable when he saw Xie Dongcheng, why his heart felt so heavy. It even formed some kind of physiological reflex.

He felt like a lab rat trapped in a wheel, not knowing how to stop or find a way out.

After the roadblock was removed, the road returned to its lively state. A new shop on the street had just finished its renovation and opened, causing quite a commotion these past few days.

Yu Zi glanced at it as he passed by—it was a boxing gym.

Without hesitation, he walked in and asked for a membership card.

The girl at the front desk looked surprised and asked, “We just opened. Don’t you want to try out the facilities first before getting a membership?”

“I want one,” he said firmly.

He needed a place to vent his recent inexplicable frustration.

When the shop closed that night, Xie Dongcheng looked around but couldn’t find Yu Zi. Although the atmosphere between them was strange, they still had to share a ride back.

Xiao Liu told him he saw Boss Yu Zi go to the other end of the street but didn’t know what he was doing there.

Xie Dongcheng called him, but couldn’t get through, so he changed into his clothes and walked along the street, checking each establishment.

When he found Yu Zi, he was standing in the boxing ring, as if he had just finished a match. He was panting, legs apart, sweat dripping down his arms.

Xie Dongcheng suddenly remembered that Yu Zi had mentioned learning Sanda before.

The hinges of the door of the new shop seemed to have not been oiled yet, making a sharp friction sound when pushed open.

Yu Zi walked to the edge of the enclosure and saw Xie Dongcheng entering. He shook his sore arms, lowered his eyelids, and then lifted his head after several seconds.

He suddenly turned around and said to the coach on the side, “Give him a pair of gloves, put it on my tab.”

Xie Dongcheng looked surprised and pointed to his own face, “Me?”

Yu Zi had an expressionless face but nodded.

Soon, Xie Dongcheng was wearing short sleeves and gloves and stepping into the boxing ring. He had never been to such a place before, let alone understood the rules here. He stood on one side of the corner, feeling at a loss.

Moreover, his opponent was Yu Zi.

“How should we fight?” Xie Dongcheng asked.

“However you want. Just fight me. There are no rules,” Yu Zi replied.

Xie Dongcheng certainly couldn’t really fight him, and he didn’t have any formal training, so he mostly held up his arms in defense. He could hear Yu Zi’s fists pounding on the protective gear.

“Why don’t you fight back? Didn’t you eat dinner?” Yu Zi asked him by the ear.

Yu Zi’s attacks were quick and fierce. If Xie Dongcheng hadn’t worn the protective gear tightly around his head, his head might have already been split open by now.

Yu Zi had practiced Sanda before, which was different from boxing. He could not only punch but also use his legs and throws. He was agile, and he quickly used his legs to trap Xie Dongcheng’s body, then slammed down on his leg joint.

Xie Dongcheng was unprepared and fell onto the boxing ring with a bang. Yu Zi straddled him.

The coach on the sidelines saw that something was wrong and was about to come in, but Yu Zi signaled with his eyes for him to stay back.

They lay on the boxing ring, with Yu Zi’s legs still not loosening. He had been fighting all night, and sweat was flowing down his temples like rain, with a drop falling directly onto Xie Dongcheng’s face.

Xie Dongcheng felt a bit itchy and raised his hand to wipe away the sweat, exposing a defensive loophole. Yu Zi, with his eagle-like gaze, quickly noticed his hesitation, raised his right fist, preparing for a knockout blow.

However, he stopped when he was only two centimeters away from Xie Dongcheng.

In Xie Dongcheng’s contracted pupils, there was Yu Zi’s fist.

Yu Zi’s movements froze for three seconds, then he suddenly released his legs and stood up, pushing away the lying Xie Dongcheng.

“Let’s go.” Yu Zi took off his gloves, shook his hair, and walked straight to the locker room.

Xie Dongcheng had come here on a whim and didn’t bring a change of clothes, so he could only wrap himself in his coat and wait outside the boxing gym for Yu Zi to come out.

Fifteen minutes later, Yu Zi finally walked out. Xie Dongcheng quickly followed him, keeping a distance of two or three hundred meters as they walked.

It wasn’t until they reached a crossroads, where the pedestrian light was red and the countdown slowly ticked down.

“Are you feeling bad?” Xie Dongcheng asked him.

Yu Zi paused for a moment, then replied, “No.”

They soon hailed a taxi. Xie Dongcheng thought they would sit together in the back seat as they used to. However, Yu Zi opened the door to the front passenger seat and got in.

The driver played soothing music on the radio, and Yu Zi’s breathing calmed down. He sat in the front passenger seat, leaning against the backrest, seemingly listening to the music.

When they arrived back at Fangjiayuan, it was almost ten o’clock. Yu Zi walked ahead and quickly went upstairs. As soon as he entered the house, he went straight to the bathroom for a shower. He quickly rinsed off at the gym, feeling uncomfortable with the showers there.

Xie Dongcheng sat on the sofa, listening to the sound of water coming from the bathroom, followed by the familiar sound of a hairdryer. He sat with his back to the bathroom and didn’t turn around the entire time.

After a while, Yu Zi came out of the bathroom.

Xie Dongcheng looked up at him and saw that his expression was still normal. After some thought, he asked, “There’s still beer in the fridge, Want some?”

“No, thanks,” Yu Zi shook his head.

What surprised him, however, was that after showering, Yu Zi didn’t go to the bedroom. Instead, he walked to the door, put on a thick coat, changed his shoes, and pushed open the front door.

A cold gust of wind rushed into the hallway, startling Xie Dongcheng.

Turning around, he asked Yu Zi, “Where are you going?”

Yu Zi didn’t turn back, walking downstairs and leaving behind a word, “Drinking!”