Chapter 39

When Chi Heyuan and Chi Xiting returned home, Chu Yu and Lu Yanzhao had already returned and were chatting while preparing lunch in the kitchen.

“Why do we eat fish every day? It’s getting so boring,” Lu Yanzhao complained.

Chu Yu laughed and replied, “Chi Heyuan loves fish, but you’re right, it can get tiresome if we eat it too often. I’ll make it differently today.”

“That’s fine, but why haven’t those two brothers returned yet? Could they have run into any trouble?” Lu Yanzhao’s voice carried some concern.

“It’s fine, with Chi Heyuan there. That brat may have a bad temper, but he’s actually quite stable and mature. With him accompanying Chi Xiting, nothing should happen,” replied Chu Yu, trying to reassure her.

“Yes…” Lu Yanzhao set down the knife, wiped her hands on her apron, and gazed out the window, seemingly lost in thought. After a moment, she spoke again, “I’m really happy that their relationship has improved.”

After all, they were brothers, and… in her heart, they were both her children. Both palms and backs of her hands were flesh, and she couldn’t bear to see either child suffer or be wronged. She was trying her best to balance the two of them equally.

But after all, people have different personalities.

Sensitive children often add their own interpretation to simple actions and words, leading to internal struggles and misunderstandings. Once seeds of doubt are planted, even the smallest detail in daily life can become a drop of water, slowly nurturing that seed until it grows into something bigger.

Lu Yanzhao was an empathetic person and could understand Chi Xiting’s feelings of imbalance and insecurity. So even though Chi Xiting’s attitude towards them had worsened and he no longer called them “parents,” she never blamed him. Instead, she felt that all the faults lay with them as parents, who hadn’t provided him with enough security and love.

Fortunately, everything was heading in a positive direction now.

“They’ve grown up.” Chu Yu, noticing Lu Yanzhao’s emotional shift, washed his hands and then put his arm around her to offer some comfort. “They’re all grown up now. Once they start working, they’ll figure things out on their own.”

Lu Yanzhao nodded and then asked, “Speaking of work, I’m actually a little worried about Chi Xiting’s job…”

Chi Xiting had been upset when He Yuan joined Chu Corporation. He tried every means, both soft and hard, to persuade Chu Yuto pull some strings to get him into the company too.

Chu Yu had spent a lot of effort and used his connections to help, even though he was just a regular employee at a state-owned enterprise. Because of his long tenure, he knew many people and was able to use those connections to get Chi Xiting’s resume through the screening process.

Both Chu Yu and Lu Yanzhao cared deeply for their children. They weren’t after wealth and status for them, just health and safety. They both knew Chi Xiting’s abilities and qualities didn’t align with the intense work demands at Chu Corporation, and the chances of him being confirmed as a permanent employee were slim. His future prospects after graduation were also a concern.

Chu Yu sighed and said, “It’s fine, let Chi Xiting gain some experience first, and we’ll figure out the rest later. We won’t let him starve.”

If necessary, he could get help and send Chi Xiting to work at a smaller company. However, the gap between large corporations and small companies would require Chi Xiting to adjust.

Thinking about their child’s future, the couple felt some worry. During dinner, they couldn’t help but subtly probe Chi Xiting about his work at Chu Corporation.

Chi Xiting was somewhat confused but still answered honestly, “It’s going well.”

The answer seemed dismissive, and neither of them could tell if it was genuine or just a polite mask.

On the side, Chi Heyuan glanced at Chi Xiting but remained silent.

Chu Corporation was known for its intense work environment and fierce competition. When Chi Heyuan was an intern, he worked tirelessly, often staying late into the night. It took a lot of effort to stand out from a group of competitors and secure one of the two permanent positions.

Recently, Chi Heyuan had been busy and didn’t have the energy to pay attention to Chi Xiting’s situation. The two departments were far apart, and there wasn’t much collaboration, so he wasn’t very familiar with Chi Xiting’s work conditions. He only knew that Chi Xiting didn’t seem to be working overtime. Every day, he was very eager to leave work on time, not staying a minute longer.

Chi Heyuan sighed quietly to himself, thinking that Chi Xiting probably didn’t have much desire to fight for a permanent position. He likely just wanted to coast through this period and use the internship experience at Chu Corporation to apply for other jobs.

It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but Chi Heyuan still felt it was a bit of a waste.

Chi Xiting, however, had no idea that his family was worrying about his job. He spent his weekend immersed in leisure.

Despite a small incident, it didn’t affect the enjoyment of the weekend.

Chi Xiting was at home, playing on his phone, eating snacks, and after dinner, he leisurely went for a walk in the park with his family.

The sun slowly descended, and the evening glow struggled at the horizon.

Chu Yu and Lu Yanzhao walked side by side behind, occasionally looking at the two brothers playfully fighting ahead, smiling in pure, sincere happiness.

It was the kind of happiness they all cherished and longed for.

After some playful banter, Chi Heyuan was the one who gave in, and they all went home. Chi Xiting washed up briefly before flopping onto his bed, lazily scrolling through his phone and surfing the internet.

Time always passed quickly when surfing the web. In the blink of an eye, Chi Xiting glanced at the time—it was already past eleven.

He sighed and turned over, reflecting on the peaceful weekend.

It had been very calm.

A whole weekend with nothing happening.

Though he had received a meeting notice on Saturday, it was still better than rushing to the company to meet clients as he did in the past.

But from his experience, when he had two quiet days, he should be alert.

Something big was probably being held back.

Chi Xiting thought for a moment, then decided to post something on his social media before going to sleep.

【Chi Xiting】: The calm of the last two days is brewing the storm to come. 😊

Not long after Chi Xiting posted on his social media, Shen Zhizhe, in his usual style, replied to the comment.

【Shen Zhizhe】: Grinning /

Chi Xiting: “…”

This guy really has no filter at all.

Chi Xiting helplessly pressed his lips together, glanced at his social media post, and only then realized that he had accidentally posted it from his work account.

Great.

Well, it is what it is.

Chi Xiting couldn’t be bothered, was about to close WeChat and go to sleep when he saw a message from Chu Yu.

【Chu Yu】: What’s Shen Zhizhe planning this time?

Chi Xiting blinked, stared at the message for a moment to confirm he wasn’t mistaken, then jumped up in surprise and replied to Chu Yu.

【Chi Xiting】: He’s calling the interns for a meeting tomorrow.

A few seconds later, Chu Yu replied with a simple “Mm.”

Chi Xiting was confused, thinking for a long time but couldn’t figure out why Chu Yu would ask him about it.

Was he really going to sit in on the meeting tomorrow?

Seeing that Chu Yu didn’t respond, Chi Xiting stopped waiting, turned off his phone screen, and calmly lay back down to close his eyes.

The next morning, Chi Xiting was awoken by a series of irregular knocks on the door.

Chi Xiting opened his eyes suddenly, his heart pounding in his chest, feeling uneasy. He reached for his phone to check the time, and the shock of seeing it made him jump out of bed in a hurry, rushing to get ready.

Chi Heyuan had also gotten up late, knocking casually on Chi Xiting’s door as he passed by. When he heard movement inside, he didn’t stop, heading straight to the bathroom. Only after finishing his own routine did, he sees Chi Xiting coming out, looking disheveled.

The two exchanged a glance in silence before proceeding with their respective tasks.

Chi Xiting quickly got ready while Chi Heyuan packed breakfast in the kitchen.

Once both of them finished their preparations, they rushed out of the house toward the company.

Chi Heyuan drove fast, but the morning rush hour was still something out of his control. Despite being in a hurry, they got stuck in the Monday morning traffic.

After a long wait in traffic, they finally arrived at the company, not too late, just a few minutes past the expected time.

Chi Xiting was calm, but Chi Heyuan seemed a little irritable, frowning as he kept staring at the elevator display, his fingers tapping nervously on his arm.

Chi Xiting glanced at him and noticed that Chi Heyuan didn’t seem to have slept well. His face was pale, and his usually rebellious eyes looked tired. His hair wasn’t styled properly, and he had just thrown on a hat to cover it, giving him a messy appearance.

Chi Xiting remembered that Chi Heyuan had mentioned their department leader was someone with a strong sense of time and had been strictly managing attendance recently. Since it was Monday, there was a high chance of an early meeting. This late arrival was sure to get him into trouble.

Chi Xiting felt a bit uncomfortable, lowered his head in thought, then pursed his lips and turned away.

The elevator stopped at the 27th floor.

Chi Heyuan looked at the screen, then turned to Chi Xiting and said, “Wait for me downstairs after work.”

Chi Xiting opened his mouth, ready to reply, but before he could, Chi Heyuan pushed him out of the elevator.

“Don’t waste time,” Chi Heyuan pressed the close button on the elevator and shot Chi Xiting a warning glance. “Waiting a few minutes won’t kill you.”

Chi Xiting: “…”

It wasn’t about waiting for him.

Chi Xiting sighed in frustration as the elevator door closed, then turned and walked into the office.

Everyone had already arrived, and they were surprised to see Chi Xiting arrive late. Li Yang couldn’t help but pull on his sleeve and asked in a low voice, “Why are you so late today?”

Chi Xiting said with a hint of grievance, “I had a really nice weekend, and when I thought about all the things to do on Monday, I just wanted to sleep until Tuesday.”

It was just a thought.

But when he woke up this morning, he nearly considered just calling in sick.

Li Yang: “…”

After a moment, Li Yang finally said, “Manager Shen was here earlier. He probably noticed you weren’t here.”

Chi Xiting froze for a moment, glanced towards the door, then looked away, saying he knew and heading to his desk.

As soon as he sat down, he received a message from Shen Zhizhe.

【Shen Zhizhe】: Where did you go just now?

Chi Xiting thought for a while before coming up with a response.

【Chi Xiting】: I went to the bathroom.

Shen Zhizhe replied quickly.

【Shen Zhizhe】: How long does it take to go to the bathroom?

【Shen Zhizhe】: Do you need me to bail you out? Worrying

Chi Xiting: “…”

This is ridiculous.

What is up with the leadership in this company, their level of sarcasm is off the charts.

And it’s not even the usual harsh kind of sarcasm.

No wonder they all come from the same school.

Seeing Chi Xiting didn’t reply, Shen Zhizhe stopped joking and got to the point.

【Shen Zhizhe】: It’s almost time. Have them come to meeting room 2703.

Chi Xiting checked the time, replied with “Okay” and then forwarded the message from Shen Zhizhe to the interns’ group.

The interns’ group exploded with activity.

Li Yang suddenly raised his head and looked directly at Chi Xiting. When she saw him standing up with his laptop, she hesitated for a moment before standing up as well.

Ren Jiajia also hesitated but stood up as well.

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to go, but because the notice came from Chi Xiting, they weren’t sure how reliable it was.

Li Xin looked back at Chi Xiting, saw that he had stood up, then turned back and focused on her computer screen.

The chat window from the interns’ group was flashing with messages, mostly about feeling nervous, wondering why the meeting was called so suddenly, and questioning the legitimacy of the message.

Although there were doubts, the majority of people still stood up and went to the meeting room. It didn’t matter if it was fake; if it was true, they’d be in big trouble for not attending.

The interns arrived at the meeting room one by one.

—–

The 2703 meeting room was a bit smaller, with only a solid wood conference table in the center. In front of it was an electronic display screen and a whiteboard, and there were no other extra items.

The interns found their seats, and before they could settle down, they began whispering.

“What’s going on?”

“I don’t know. Oh my god, do you know how nervous I was when I got the message on Saturday?”

“Same here, I didn’t dare relax. I even reorganized my work, just in case Manager Shen suddenly asked about it today.”

“Oh no… I wasn’t prepared.”

Chi Xiting casually picked a seat and sat down. After setting his laptop down, he glanced toward the door. Li Yang and Huo Youshen entered the room one after another.

Perhaps because they were more familiar with Chi Xiting, both of them walked toward his direction at the same time, both eyeing the empty seat next to him.

Li Yang, noticing a hand already on the chair, looked at Huo Youshen: “…?”

Li Yang raised her eyes to look at Huo Youshen.

Huo Youshen raised an eyebrow but didn’t let go. He hooked his fingers to pull the chair slightly outward, and Li Yang awkwardly lowered her hand that was suspended in the air.

“What’s going on? No seats left?” Shen Zhizhe walked into the meeting room holding a cup of coffee. His gaze lingered on Li Yang and Huo Youshen for a moment before teasing them and then looked down at Chi Xiting, who was sitting.

Shen ZhiZhe seemed to be in a good mood, smiling as he entered the room. It didn’t seem like there would be a repeat of the chaotic scene from the last meeting.

The interns all secretly let out a sigh of relief.

“You can sit.” Seeing Huo Youshen’s hand still on the back of the chair, Li Yang smiled politely at him, then pulled out a chair nearby and sat down without much emotion.

Huo Youshen wasn’t being polite either, pulling the chair out completely and sitting down.

The small interaction between the two didn’t draw too much attention.

Even Chi Xiting, who was sitting nearby, didn’t pay much attention.

Shen ZhiZhe sat at the front, placing his coffee cup down before scanning the room and the interns.

The interns, who had been whispering moments before, became silent as soon as Shen ZhiZhe entered, sitting quietly and waiting for him to speak.

Shen ZhiZhe had a thick document in front of him. After flipping through it briefly, he spoke: “Don’t feel constrained. Let’s just chat.”

Although he said that, no one relaxed. They just weren’t as tense as before.

“I had someone retrieve a summary of your work content the other day and briefly went over it.” Shen ZhiZhe tapped his fingers on the document twice, the sound almost echoing in the room. “I’m aware of your general performance.”

Shen ZhiZhe continued, “A few of you have performed very well, getting involved in core projects shortly after joining and making contributions. Some of you even completed projects independently, which is impressive.”

After speaking, Shen ZhiZhe’s gaze casually landed on Chi Xiting.

Chi Xiting didn’t react, continuing to focus on his computer screen, not sparing a glance at Shen ZhiZhe.

This kid. Even when praised, he doesn’t react.

Shen ZhiZhe felt uninterested, withdrawing his gaze and continuing to discuss his summary of the interns’ work, suggesting they review and reflect on their accomplishments.

Shen ZhiZhe seemed to be in a good mood today and was not particularly harsh with his words. The interns who had not performed well gradually relaxed, paying close attention and taking notes on his suggestions.

“Those are the main issues,” Shen ZhiZhe said after a while, taking a sip of his coffee. “You’ve been here for a while, and since I’ve been busy, I haven’t had much chance to talk to you about work. Today is a rare opportunity. If you have any thoughts, feel free to share.”

As soon as Shen ZhiZhe finished speaking, the office fell silent again.

The interns exchanged looks but no one stood up to share their thoughts.

Shen ZhiZhe subtly furrowed his brows, then raised his coffee cup, using it to hide the tightening of his lips.

He didn’t have any absolute preferences for employees, but as a superior, he liked employees who were quick-witted, had ideas, and the courage to speak up.

—–

In the workplace, having a sense of ownership was necessary.

Those who only saw themselves as ordinary interns, who felt detached from the company, never spoke up or offered opinions during meetings, and justified it as not wanting to stand out—unless they were talented enough to immediately catch the leader’s attention—would often be unknowingly marginalized.

Temporary marginalization was fine for some who preferred not to be noticed, but long-term marginalization would lead to a lack of projects, resources, and opportunities, eventually being optimized out.

This batch of interns appeared to have better credentials on paper, but after interacting with them, Shen ZhiZhe felt that their overall abilities were weaker than previous batches.

Shen ZhiZhe put down his coffee cup, the bottom of it making a crisp sound as it touched the table. His voice rang out, though it was colder now, “If no one has anything else, the meeting is dismissed.”

Everyone could tell that Shen ZhiZhe wasn’t happy.

Huo Youshen lowered his gaze, raised his hand, and stood up. “I have some thoughts regarding work efficiency…”

After Huo Youshen finished speaking, Shen ZhiZhe’s expression didn’t change much, and he simply replied, “Mm, okay, talk to Yang Yun about it later.”

Huo Youshen nodded, thanked him politely, and sat back down.

With Huo Youshen leading the way, the other interns either voluntarily or were pressured into speaking up one after another, offering their suggestions. Some were indeed practical, while others were just rambling.

Shen Zhizhe couldn’t help but laugh.

Perhaps because they were all recent graduates, Shen Zhizhe showed a great deal of tolerance, refraining from commenting on the “nonsense” and simply grew more and more uninterested.

Wu Mu Liang struggled for a long time. Seeing that most others had spoken, even though he didn’t want to get up, in order to leave a good impression on Shen Zhizhe, he finally stood up. After holding back for a while, he said,

“I suggest we start writing daily reports. The feedback Manager Shen gave us today was very useful and made me realize the importance of regular work reviews. So, I suggest that we complete a daily report to summarize our work for the day and plan for tomorrow.”

As soon as Wu Mu Liang finished speaking, the room fell into an eerie silence.

Shen Zhizhe looked at Wu Mu Liang with an ambiguous expression in his eyes.

The other interns also had interesting expressions, but they all held back their frustration and resentment, silently hoping that Shen Zhizhe would be more humanized and not accept Wu Mu Liang’s poor suggestion.

“Manager Shen.” Chi Xiting slowly raised his hand, breaking the silence.

Shen Zhizhe immediately turned to look, his eyes flashing with a trace of surprise, as if he hadn’t expected Chi Xiting to have a suggestion.

This was rare.

“Go ahead.” Shen Zhizhe said with interest.

Chi Xiting’s gaze briefly landed on Wu Muliang, who was still standing, before shifting away. He spoke slowly, “I suggest we cancel the daily report.”

The existence of the daily report itself is unreasonable.

When busy, there’s no time to write it; when not busy, there’s nothing to write.

What’s the point of it?

It only adds to the trouble and workload.

Shen Zhizhe: “…”

The other interns: “…!”

A brave soul!

Wu Mu Liang turned pale with rage. Seeing that Chi Xiting had rejected his suggestion, his old and new grudges combined. For a moment, he forgot that Shen Zhizhe was still present, and directly confronted Chi Xiting, “What’s your problem? When others give suggestions, you don’t say anything, but as soon as I speak, you jump in. Do you dislike me or are you targeting me?”

Wu Mu Liang’s face darkened, and his gaze was cold, which made Chi Xiting seem as calm as still water, unaffected.

Chi Xiting innocently looked at Wu Mu Liang and said, “I don’t have any problem with it. If others’ suggestions are fine, why would I reject them?”

Wu Mu Liang’s face turned darker, and he shouted angrily, “Then what, is it just me who has a problem? Are you still saying you’re not targeting me?”

Before Chi Xiting could reply, Shen Zhizhe spoke up from the other side.

“Forget the daily report. Chu’s company doesn’t have the habit of writing them. If you need regular reviews, you can do it yourself, but it’s better to focus more on actual work instead of doing surface-level tasks.”

Wu Mu Liang was speechless, his gaze fixed on Shen Zhizhe. He opened his mouth several times but couldn’t speak, only squeezing out a few words from his throat, “Shen, Manager Shen, I…”

Shen Zhizhe’s expression remained cold. He rubbed his temples and pressed his lips into a tight line, as if he was already tired of such matters.

“I haven’t mentioned it before, but that doesn’t mean I’ll turn a blind eye to these things.” Shen Zhizhe said coldly, “I really dislike people who disrupt the stability within the company. If you have personal grievances, solve them privately. Don’t argue in the workplace, understood? We’re all adults here, can’t we handle things more decently?”

Shen Zhizhe’s gaze turned to Wu Muliang, his eyes chilly, clearly targeting him.

After all, as the department manager, Shen Zhizhe knew about the minor internal conflicts, including the incident where Wu Muliang had mocked Chi Xiting’s educational background.

“Also,” Shen Zhizhe withdrew his gaze from Wu Mu Liang and scanned the interns present, “Chu’s company values fairness. Here, it’s ability that counts, not education. Your degree is just a ticket to get the job, but once you’re in the company, all I care about is your work ability.”

“No matter how high your degree is, if I don’t see the value you bring to the company, it’s useless. Got it?”

As soon as Shen Zhizhe finished speaking, Wu Mu Liang’s face turned pale in an instant.

It was now obvious.

Clearly, Shen Zhizhe had learned about the argument between him and Chi Xiting in the break room.

The other interns, who had not participated in the “degree bullying,” could still guess what Shen Zhizhe was implying. Although they hadn’t been directly involved, they were somewhat influenced by the gossip and looked down on Chi Xiting with a stereotype.

Now, with Shen Zhizhe pointing it out in front of everyone, they felt a little embarrassed and uncomfortable.

Chi Xiting couldn’t help but glance at Shen Zhizhe.

His impression of Shen Zhizhe was actually quite good. Although he still gave off the vibe of a capitalist, he seemed like a capitalist with some humanity.

It seemed that Shen Zhizhe had sensed Chi Xiting’s gaze. He glanced at him briefly before looking away. His fingers tapped the table twice, and then he stood up directly, saying, “Alright, that’s it for today’s meeting. Hmm… has anyone written meeting notes before?”

Everyone in the room was still caught up in the emotion of Shen Zhizhe’s reprimand and didn’t dare speak, all with their heads lowered in silence.

Li Yang cautiously looked up, ready to raise her hand, but Shen Zhizhe continued, “Alright, I’ll randomly pick someone to write it. Send it to my email by the end of the day.”

Chi Xiting’s eyelids twitched.

“Chi Xiting.” Shen Zhizhe picked up his coffee cup, casually pushed his chair back with his leg, stood up, and headed outside without even glancing at Chi Xiting. He directly gave him the task, “Send it to my email before you leave today.”

Chi Xiting: “…”

Your mother.

To hell with the human touch.

The smell of a dog is soaring to the sky.

Shen Zhizhe left, but the interns in the meeting room still hadn’t moved. They were all either consciously or unconsciously glancing at Chi Xiting, with various thoughts running rampant in their minds. Their brains were in a tangled mess, but they just couldn’t pinpoint the source.

Li Yang, however, remained calm.

She wasn’t like the others. She was smart and humble, and she clearly knew that if even she could see Chi Xiting’s abilities, Shen Zhizhe, as their superior, definitely wouldn’t miss it.

But the other interns’ lives were too smooth sailing. They had been admired since they were young, and their inflated egos made them unwilling to believe that a regular university graduate like Chi Xiting could outwork them.

Even if they saw it, they would pretend they didn’t, deceiving themselves by covering up their insecurities with luck and connections.

Self-deception is the dumbest behavior.

Chi Xiting didn’t want to stay any longer. Holding his laptop, he left the meeting room. Just as he returned to his desk, he received a message from Chu Yu, asking him to come to the office.

Thinking it was about the proposal, Chi Xiting didn’t think much of it. He grabbed his laptop and documents again and took the elevator to the president’s office.

There was still a cup of coffee prepared for him on Chu Yu’s desk.

Chi Xiting casually sat down in the chair opposite him, put his things down, and took a sip of coffee. Only then did he feel his muddled mind clear up a little.

He had almost fallen asleep during the meeting.

He must have yawned at least eight hundred times.

Looking back now, he guessed that Shen Zhizhe intentionally had him take the meeting minutes because he was so sleepy.

“Late this morning?” Chu Yu asked after seeing Chi Xiting didn’t seem to mind. He glanced at the half-empty coffee cup before looking up at Chi Xiting, his lips parted slightly, directly stating the fact that Chi Xiting was late.

Chi Xiting: “…Huh, you knew?”

Shen Zhizhe, as his superior, didn’t know he was late, and actually thought he was just slacking off in the restroom.

“Mm.”

Chu Yu responded casually, turning his pen in his fingers, his joints slightly bent, the fingers gripping the pen turning pale.

“I just glanced at it.”

Chi Xiting’s gaze lingered oddly on Chu Yu’s hand for a second, his heart skipping a beat. For a moment, he didn’t react to what Chu Yu had said.

Strange.

Chi Xiting blinked, suppressed the subtle thoughts rising in his mind, and suspected that maybe he had been staying up too late recently, and his heart wasn’t doing well.

Indeed, staying up late damages your body.

He was starting to feel like his heart rhythm was irregular.

“What’s up?” Chi Xiting snapped back to his senses and asked.

Chu Yu looked up and met Chi Xiting’s gaze, his eyes as dark as lacquer, still and calm like a sea at night.

“How’s your housing search going?” Chu Yu asked.

Chi Xiting turned his gaze away and suppressed the rising tide of thoughts, replying cautiously, “I just told the landlord I’m moving out, haven’t had time to look yet, but I’ve scheduled a few viewings these next couple of days.”

“Mm.” Chu Yu replied, “Where are you staying these days?”

“I’m staying at my parents’ house, but it’s really far. You have no idea how much determination I need to come to work every day.” As soon as Chi Xiting brought this up, he immediately forgot about his irregular heartbeat, complaining about the difficulty of his daily commute to his boss.

Chu Yu tapped his pen on the desk lightly, paused for two seconds, and then said, “The company provides employee dormitories.”

Chi Xiting suddenly fell silent, staring at Chu Yu, his clear eyes shining.

Chu Yu added, “But it’ll take some time to get approval.”

Chi Xiting’s expression drooped again.

How long would he have to endure the exhausting commute?

A wave of melancholy surged in his heart.

“You…” Chu Yu hesitated for a moment before speaking, “If you’re willing, you can temporarily stay at my place.”

Chi Xiting suddenly raised his eyes and met Chu Yu’s gaze. His breath caught for a moment, and after a brief flash of hesitation, he maintained composure and said, “Wow, President Chu, is this a hidden rule?”

Chu Yu’s brows twitched: “…I don’t live there.”

Chi Xiting was stunned.

“There’s something going on at my place,” Chu Yu seemed unwilling to elaborate, only briefly explaining, “I need to go back to my old house these few days.”

Chi Xiting stared at Chu Yu for a while before saying “Oh.”

Chu Yu lowered his gaze, staying silent for a couple of seconds before saying, “Once this busy period is over…”

Before Chu Yu could finish, Chi Xiting naturally cut in.

“Then it’ll be time for the next busy period.”

Such is the nature of the corporate worker.

Chu Yu: “…”

“Go back.” After a long silence, Chu Yu told Chi Xiting to leave.

Perhaps sensing Chu Yu’s speechlessness, Chi Xiting innocently blinked, stood up obediently, and politely excused himself before walking toward the door.

As he opened the door, Chu Yu called out to him again.

Chi Xiting turned around, looking confused.

Chu Yu said slowly, “Since you’re already late today, you might as well leave early.”

Chi Xiting froze: “?”

“Meet me at the parking lot at 4 p.m.” Chu Yu glanced at his watch and said, “I’ll drive you home.”