Chapter 6: Gossip

Rarely having to work overtime or go on business trips on weekends, Shang Zhu ignored the pile of social invitations in his messages and spent two days in a row with Wen Shuyan.

He stuck to Wen Shuyan’s side because he was worried about him being overworked from consecutive business trips. Even when they slept together at night, it was just cuddling and some light affection, allowing Wen Shuyan to touch him but not going any further.

The two of them spent the whole weekend being affectionate at home. On Monday morning, Shang Zhu frowned as he watched Wen Shuyan pack his bags.

Wen Shuyan closed the suitcase and looked up to see his boyfriend’s troubled expression. He rubbed his head and coaxed, “It’s okay, it’s just a week-long business trip. I’ll call you.”

“Mm.” Shang Zhu hadn’t fully accepted the reality of Wen Shuyan being away for a week, nodding reluctantly.

He skipped his usual Monday morning meeting and drove Wen Shuyan to the airport.

The car stopped at the entrance to the departure level, and Shang Zhu handed the suitcase to Wen Shuyan. As Wen Shuyan was about to pull the handle and leave, Shang Zhu suddenly reached out and grabbed the hem of his shirt.

“Wife,” Shang Zhu paused, “remember to call me.”

“I’ll call you once I land,” Wen Shuyan smiled and kissed Shang Zhu’s cheek, freeing his coat from Shang Zhu’s grasp.

Taking advantage of the moment, Shang Zhu pushed further, “Call me every day.”

“Okay,” Wen Shuyan waved his hand, “I’m off, bye.”

After seeing off Wen Shuyan, Shang Zhu finally went to the office. At the morning meeting he had already redistributed the work for the new project, and several documents needing his attention were piled on his desk.

On the weekend without overtime work, the documents that have just been delivered are probably not urgent matters. Shang Zhu held his phone and chatted with Wen Shuyan, who had just passed through security and was waiting to board the plane. He only began to handle today’s work after the flight took off.

This is the first working day after the weekend rest, and also the first day of Wen Shuyan’s business trip. Shang Zhu lacked motivation, and the work that could have been completed in two hours was not finished until the afternoon.

As quitting time approached, Shang Zhu unusually didn’t rush home.

Wen Shuyan went to the United States, leaving Shang Zhu alone at home. Whether he came home early or late didn’t make much difference.

He leaned back in his office chair, staring blankly at the computer screen. Suddenly, a call invitation popped up on his phone, from a college classmate who he had some business dealings with.

Shang Zhu answered the call, and the familiar loud voice of his classmate came through, “Hey, Lao Shang, have you returned from your business trip?”

“Yeah, I’m back,” Shang Zhu replied.

After exchanging pleasantries, the classmate got straight to the point, “The squad leader asked me to tell you that we’re not planning to hold a class reunion this year. We can’t gather enough people, so it’ll just be a simple dinner with a few people.”

He rambled on about some recent developments of their classmates, and hesitated for a moment when mentioning Wen Shuyan’s name, “Shuyan… he can’t make it due to his business trip. Lao Shang, will you come?”

With Wen Shuyan away, Shang Zhu didn’t hesitate to refuse, “I won’t go, I’m busy.”

The classmate clicked his tongue, “Alright, I heard you snatched another project from Shuyan again?”

“No, I didn’t,” Shang Zhu denied categorically.

The classmate wondered, “Didn’t you guys rent a house together during college? How come your relationship seems so bad now?”

Shang Zhu impatiently furrowed his brows, “It’s not that bad.”

The classmate didn’t believe him, thinking he was just reluctant to admit it due to their friendship. After some small talk, Shang Zhu, uninterested in continuing the conversation, made up an excuse and ended the call.

The noisy voices disappeared, and the office returned to tranquility. The cheerful chatter of the employees intermittently seeped through the door crack, seemingly discussing plans after work.

Shang Zhu looked out the window at the towering skyscrapers of the financial center. In the distance, the Leeds branch building stood among the myriad of office buildings, its lofty spire piercing straight into the clouds.

Four years ago, when Leeds was just starting to explore the domestic market, they competed with the group where Shang Zhu worked for a government project. At that time, Wen Shuyan was already the Director of the Leeds domestic branch, and Shang Zhu had just been promoted, naturally taking on the bidding task.

The project was a fair competition, and for various reasons, the government ultimately chose a well-established local group.

Shang Zhu and Wen Shuyan had no objections to the result, but it seemed otherwise to outsiders. Coupled with Wen Shuyan later signing the overseas project that Shang Zhu was working on, rumors started circulating that the two were not getting along and were competing for projects.

Despite their repeated denials, even their colleagues, subordinates, and mutual acquaintances believed that they were only polite on the surface, but in reality, they were completely at odds.

It was simply ridiculous.

Shang Zhu and Wen Shuyan had been in a relationship for many years. When they were in college, they rented a house together just to be together. Even during the passionate period of their relationship, they had indulged in ridiculous things in their rented apartment. After they started working, they continued to live together, so where did the discord come from?

Shang Zhu couldn’t figure out why things had turned out like this even as he lay in bed at night.

He wanted to complain to Wen Shuyan, to hear Wen Shuyan’s voice, but Wen Shuyan’s flight hadn’t landed yet.

The person who had cuddled with him just last night was now far away on a trip, and the spacious room felt empty and cold. Holding Wen Shuyan’s pillow, smelling the lingering scent, Shang Zhu suddenly couldn’t fall asleep.