Chapter 22

Temporarily dazzled by money, Chi Xiting, after regaining his clarity, briefly pondered Chu Yu’s intentions. However, the transfer had come with no clear explanation, making it difficult for him to act on it.

And you know, fine, if you’re transferring the money, why not add a “voluntary gift” note?

Chi Xiting, confused, thought about it all the way, but he never claimed the thousand yuan. It wasn’t until he finished getting ready and was comfortably lying in bed that he received another message from Chu Yu.

[Chu Yu]: “Take the money. You don’t need to go to the office on Monday. Just take a taxi to the airport.”

Chi Xiting immediately understood.

Oh.

So this was him prepaying for the taxi fare?

No, this is too much, isn’t it?

[Chi Xiting]: “Chu Yu, this is a bit too much.”

Chu Yu responded very slowly. Chi Xiting waited for a long time, thinking Chu Yu wouldn’t reply. Just as he was about to give up, he saw the WeChat message pop up again.

[Chu Yu]: “It’s fine.”

Chi Xiting glanced at it for a moment, hesitated, and then accepted the money, thanking Chu Yu.

Chu Yu didn’t respond anymore.

Chi Xiting closed the chat with Chu Yu and then checked his wallet.

With the “large sum” added, Chi Xiting couldn’t help but think that his wallet looked more refined.

Chu Yu really wasn’t bad.

He was rich and generous.

And he spoke little and made few demands.

A perfect leader.

Chi Xiting liked this type of boss the most.

No need to rack his brain maintaining a superior-subordinate relationship.

Chi Xiting mentally gave Chu Yu more credit and then casually started browsing videos again.

Chu Yu didn’t contact him again, and Chi Xiting enjoyed the peace, thinking of him as a lucky mascot guarding his WeChat, with no desire to reach out himself.

Who would go looking for their boss if there was nothing urgent?

Was it too much money or too little work?

Chi Xiting felt that neither applied to him.

Originally, he had been thinking about the business trip with Chu Yu on Monday, but once he got busy, it all slipped his mind.

Shen Zhizhe had said that Chi Xiting should submit the proposal by Thursday but hadn’t actively urged him. Since Chi Xiting was someone who disliked overtime and had some perfectionist tendencies, he hadn’t rushed and slowly put the proposal together.

—–

On Friday, Shen Zhizhe came to pick up the two-thirds of the proposal Chi Xiting had completed.

Chi Xiting considered it a small task done. As Shen Zhizhe took the plan, Chi Xiting gave himself an early break, leisurely playing games at his desk.

As the end of the workday approached, Shen Zhizhe sent him a message.

[Shen Zhizhe]: “I’ve looked over the proposal. It’s good.”

Chi Xiting glanced at it with little reaction, casually sending a meme.

[Chi Xiting]: “Urban Servants.jpg”

Shen Zhizhe was quick to reply.

[Shen Zhizhe]: “How many days will you be in M City?”

[Chi Xiting]: “Two or three days, I’m not sure.”

Business trips always had a lot of variables—if things went smoothly, he could return early; if there were delays, it would be postponed.

[Shen Zhizhe]: “You shouldn’t have any other projects, right? Speculation/“

Chi Xiting: “…”

So soon? Was he revealing his true intentions?

Chi Xiting coldly responded.

[Chi Xiting]: “No.”

Shen Zhizhe had obviously anticipated this reply. A long message quickly came through, clearly pre-written.

Chi Xiting skimmed it and quickly formed an opinion.

It was another market strategy plan, creating a business model pilot for a company. This project was larger and more significant than the two projects Chi Xiting was currently involved with and also involved department collaboration, raising its complexity.

No matter how you looked at it, this was not a project for an intern to handle.

Chi Xiting sometimes truly didn’t understand what Shen Zhizhe was thinking. He wasn’t bold enough to take such a risk, was he?

Chi Xiting pondered for a moment and replied to Shen Zhizhe.

[Chi Xiting]: “My mentor is Panpan, and the tasks will be assigned by her.”

So don’t go around Panpan to assign me tasks.

Even if he is the department manager.

Chi Xiting had learned the hard way before.

Because he was smart, eager to learn, and good at his job, he was quickly noticed by the manager after joining the company. Occasionally, the manager would assign him work, and he always completed it honestly. However, as the tasks grew more frequent, his mentor also started assigning him more tasks. Over time, the accumulated work forced him to work overtime to complete it.

If he took every task from anyone, what would be the point of having a mentor?

Chi Xiting’s directness left Shen Zhizhe at a loss for how to respond.

Was he angry?

Not really.

Shen Zhizhe put himself in Chi Xiting’s shoes and found that Chi Xiting had a point. After all, each intern had a mentor, and tasks and training were supposed to follow the internship plan. It wasn’t ideal to bypass the mentor and give tasks directly to the intern.

Shen Zhizhe hesitated for a while, his gaze lingering on the proposal on his desk.

But…

He really wanted to give this project to Chi Xiting.

Chi Xiting had spent quite a bit of time reviewing the C City project. Although he hadn’t completed it, it didn’t affect the overall integrity of the plan. The key points in each section were highlighted; it was just short of feeding the information to the people in charge of execution.

What pleased Shen Zhizhe most was the brand activation plan.

It was fresh and unexpectedly aligned with SPN’s brand concept and market tone.

Chi Xiting must have put in a lot of effort to create that.

—-

The more Shen Zhizhe thought about it, the less willing he was to send Chi Xiting away. His fingers idly played with the corner of the document as he fell into thought.

Why not pull him out separately?

That wouldn’t be appropriate.

Pulling someone out alone would easily make Chi Xiting the target of everyone’s criticism.

After thinking for a while, Shen Zhizhe came up with a relatively reasonable plan.

Meanwhile, Chi Xiting waited for a while but when Shen Zhizhe didn’t reply, he decided not to wait any longer. He stuffed his phone into his pocket and decisively closed his laptop, finishing his workday.

With a business trip coming up on Monday, he found it difficult to focus on enjoying himself. Initially, he had planned to go to the park over the weekend to relax, but he decided against it. Instead, he stayed home and became a “homebody,” lying in bed all day until Sunday afternoon when he remembered to pack his luggage.

They would likely be on the business trip for about three days. There wasn’t much to bring, just some clothes, his ID, toiletries…

Chi Xiting was experienced with business trips and packed his luggage neatly. He also took the opportunity to tidy up his room.

Just as he bent over to close his suitcase, Yuan Yin came home.

As soon as he entered, Yuan Yin saw Chi Xiting packing in the master bedroom, and after a visible pause, he looked suspiciously at the suitcase on the floor. After a while, he asked, “Hey, are you moving out?”

Chi Xiting glanced at him briefly and casually replied, “Business trip,” before ignoring him.

Yuan Yin didn’t ask further. He gave the room a thoughtful glance before heading to the kitchen to cook dinner.

—–

The next morning, Chi Xiting got into the car heading to the airport.

The fare was expensive, but since it was reimbursed by Chu Yu, Chi Xiting didn’t mind at all.

As soon as he entered the airport, he received a message from Chu Yu:

【Chu Yu】B161.

Chi Xiting looked around before finding the correct direction. When he reached the B161 boarding gate, he saw two familiar figures.

Chi Xiting paused.

Chu Yu sat lazily in a chair, still wearing a perfectly tailored suit. His half-framed glasses were low on his face as he seemed to rest his eyes. However, as soon as he sensed someone’s gaze, he suddenly opened his eyes, and the cold air of the airport met his lashes with a slight chill.

Chu Yu looked at him.

Chi Xiting locked eyes with him.

Chi Xiting waved at Chu Yu obediently, then his gaze shifted to the other side, where his expression turned surprised.

Hmm?

Why was Huo Youshen also here?

Huo Youshen didn’t show much reaction. He glanced at Chi Xiting indifferently before turning his head, crossing his arms, and exuding a casual, detached attitude.

Perhaps he had already been told by Chu Yu that Chi Xiting would be joining them.

Curiously, Chi Xiting walked over, glancing between Chu Yu and Huo Youshen, feeling a bit new to this situation.

The male lead and the antagonist were both here.

But his position in this situation seemed a bit blurry.

As the cannon fodder, what right did he have to be on a business trip with both the male lead and the antagonist?

Chi Xiting boarded the plane with Chu Yu and Huo Youshen, being obediently assigned his seat. After sitting down, he sneaked a glance at Chu Yu sitting to his left.

Chu Yu seemed to have been busy for a long time. His face was a bit pale, his sharp features clouded with exhaustion. Yet, despite this, he took out a report and began reviewing it as soon as he sat down.

Being a capitalist wasn’t easy.

Chi Xiting averted his gaze and inadvertently glanced at the expensive watch on Chu Yu’s wrist before silently closing his eyes.

He was just a worker—why should he feel sorry for the capitalist?

Chi Xiting closed his eyes and planned to catch some sleep.

There was no choice; he was at the age where missing sleep felt like his body was being drained.

Chu Yu glanced at him sideways.

Is he asleep?

Chu Yu’s gaze lingered on Chi Xiting’s fair face for a few seconds before shifting away. As he did, he unintentionally made eye contact with Huo Youshen.

Although Huo Youshen had an arrogant demeanor, he understood Chu Yu’s position and, though unaccustomed, politely curved his lips in a smile.

Chu Yu didn’t react, lowering his eyes to continue reviewing the report.

Huo Youshen quickly withdrew his smile and turned his gaze to the window.

An awkward and quiet atmosphere filled the entire first-class cabin.

Almost an hour later, Chi Xiting groggily opened his eyes, stretched his neck lazily, and gradually woke up. Habitually, he looked around. To his left, the antagonist Chu Yu was still looking at files, and to his right, the male lead Huo Youshen had taken out his laptop and was working.

Chi Xiting: “…”

What was this? Were they competing with him?

He didn’t buy into this.

Chi Xiting turned away with indifference and began aimlessly observing the cabin’s environment.

Perhaps it was out of boredom, but before he knew it, Chi Xiting had started noticing some small details in the cabin.

For instance…

Chi Xiting stared at a tiny crack in the cabin wall for a while, unable to resist. He reached out and poked Chu Yu beside him.

Chu Yu blinked in surprise, then turned to look at Chi Xiting, “?”

The slight noise also caught the attention of Huo Youshen from next door, who casually threw a glance in this direction, pretending not to care.

Chi Xiting pointed at the crack in the door and said, “Look, it’s a little split. Do you think it’ll be fine?”

Chu Yu instinctively followed Chi Xiting’s finger to the crack. After seeing that it was only the size of a pinky finger, he suddenly fell silent.

Chi Xiting was still looking at him with wide eyes, his dark, clear pupils shining brightly.

Huo Youshen turned his face away with a look of speechlessness.

After a long pause, Chu Yu calmly said, “It’s fine.”

Chi Xiting had only been bored and making small talk. When Chu Yu said it was fine, he quietly murmured an “Oh,” lowered his head, and started fiddling with his fingers.

Seeing that Chi Xiting had fallen silent, Chu Yu continued to look at the document. However, when his peripheral vision caught sight of Chi Xiting silently fiddling with his fingers, the words on the document seemed to fade away.

“…”

Chu Yu put the document down, let out a barely noticeable sigh, and took the initiative to speak, “I’ve encountered something like this before.”

Both Chi Xiting and Huo Youshen turned their heads in surprise at hearing Chu Yu speak first.

Chu Yu’s expression remained unchanged, his tone calm and his voice cold and clear. “At the time, lightning struck the wing.”

Chi Xiting blinked, not quite understanding why Chu Yu suddenly felt like sharing his experience with him. After hesitating for a moment, he still put on a concerned expression and asked, “Wow, that sounds so dangerous! So, did you survive in the end?”

Chu Yu: “…”

Huo Youshen, who was eavesdropping from the side: “…”