Chapter 11

The corridor was brightly lit, but beyond the door leading to the terrace lay only darkness.

Gu Xiangdong was certain he had heard a noise moments ago.

Frowning, he stared in that direction, his eyes faintly wary.

After a few seconds of silence, a figure emerged from behind the door, accompanied by a light laugh. “I overheard your argument earlier and didn’t want to interrupt. Seems I ended up disturbing you anyway.”

The suit jacket was gone, leaving only a black dress shirt.

The proportions between his shoulders and waist were even more pronounced now.

Pei Shu showed no trace of guilt for eavesdropping. Instead, he greeted them with the ease of an old friend. “Long time no see, gentlemen.”

The moment Gu Xiangdong recognized him, his pupils contracted sharply. After the initial shock, his expression twisted into something venomous. “You!”

At thirty-five or thirty-six, Gu Xiangdong hadn’t aged gracefully. The lines on his face deepened as he clenched his jaw, distorting his features into something dark and ugly.

He Chuang, standing to the side, was much younger.

His dark eyes were icy, his thin lips pressed tightly together, exuding a cold, almost youthful sharpness.

The instant he saw Pei Shu, his brow furrowed slightly.

Pei Shu’s gaze swept over him briefly—so young, so unrestrained in his arrogance, so reminiscent of Lin Koukou’s style from years past.

No wonder Gu Xiangdong thought Lin Koukou played favorites.

The thought flickered through Pei Shu’s mind before he looked away. “The restaurant manager mentioned another headhunting firm was hosting a gathering here today. Didn’t expect it to be you. Director Gu, if you’re going to argue with your own people, at least mind the setting. Shanghai isn’t that big. And now that Lin Koukou’s gone, you really ought to be more careful.”

Gu Xiangdong had dealt with him before.

Crossroads had always been at odds with Direction.

After Lin Koukou left, they had seized the opportunity to poach clients Direction had neglected due to internal chaos. Their aggressive tactics had intensified, driving Direction’s performance into a downward spiral over the past year, nearly turning them into an industry joke.

As the new Headhunting Director, Gu Xiangdong naturally felt the sting of humiliation.

Now, facing the architect of their troubles, his hatred burned deep. “Direction is doing just fine. We don’t need an outsider like you meddling in our affairs!”

Pei Shu chuckled. “I was just feeling a bit nostalgic.”

He Chuang watched him silently.

Pei Shu sighed, then turned his gaze to him. “After all, this past year, the hunting ground has been rather dull without a worthy opponent.”

*Without a worthy opponent in the entire hunting ground!*

What a provocation.

He Chuang had known since his days under Lin Koukou that this man was no pushover. Disgust flickered in his eyes as he retorted coldly, “You’re celebrating too soon, Consultant Pei. When she comes back, what will you amount to then?”

“Come back?”

Pei Shu lowered his eyelids, his gaze briefly flickering toward the door before returning to He Chuang. A complicated emotion, almost like pity, stirred within him.

“I don’t think you’d actually want to see that day.”

The words carried a heavy implication.

But He Chuang didn’t understand—not yet.

He frowned. “What do you mean?”

Pei Shu merely smiled without answering. He walked straight between the two of them, waving a hand dismissively behind his back as he left. “Nothing interesting. You two keep chatting. I’ll take my leave first.”

The sound of his footsteps faded as he departed.

Back in the Direction private room, someone noticed Gu Xiangdong and He Chuang had been gone too long and came out to look for them. Finding the two still in the hallway, they exchanged glances before silently returning to the room without another word.

Pei Shu hadn’t gone far. He lingered at the hallway corner, leaning casually against the wall.

He was waiting for someone.

Sure enough, less than two minutes after the Direction pair left, the sharp click of high heels approached him.

Pei Shu looked up.

Lin Koukou stopped before him and handed back his suit jacket, now missing a button. After a brief pause, she said, “Thanks.”

Pei Shu took it but didn’t put it on, simply draping it over his arm.

Lin Koukou asked, “Should I pay for it?”

Pei Shu chuckled, his deep gray eyes studying her lazily. “Not that broke yet.”

Straightening up, he strode ahead toward their private room.

The two returned one after the other.

Pei Shu had left wearing his jacket but came back in just his shirt, which naturally drew attention.

Sun Kecheng initially wanted to tease them with, “What were you two up to?” But when he turned and saw the jacket tossed on the couch, missing a button, he froze and instead asked, “What happened?”

Pei Shu replied, “Ran into some people from Direction.”

Sun Kecheng gasped. “Did you finally get beaten up?”

“You’re the one who got beaten up,” Pei Shu retorted dryly. “And what do you mean ‘finally’? Have you been waiting for me to get punched?”

Sun Kecheng chuckled awkwardly. “Ahem, no, no. It’s just, given how deep our grudge with Direction runs… Glad you didn’t come to blows.”

Lin Koukou sat down and picked up her chopsticks to eat, staying silent.

Pei Shu glanced at her before brushing it off. “Just a friendly chat. Nothing serious.”

Meanwhile, the Direction private room was alive with clinking glasses and boisterous laughter.

With Shi Dingqing absent, Vice President Cheng Ji was the highest-ranking executive present. Middle-aged and sporting a slight beer belly, he couldn’t resist downing glass after glass, clearly in high spirits.

When Gu Xiangdong pushed the door open and entered, he immediately plastered on a smile. “Ah, President Cheng, you’ve been drinking quite a bit! I was gone too long—let me toast you as an apology!”

He Chuang followed behind but couldn’t even be bothered to glance their way. Returning to his seat, Pei Shu’s earlier words inexplicably replayed in his mind.

The room was filled with Direction’s senior executives. Though the company’s performance had declined compared to last year, backed by Quantum Group and its vast network of partners, they could easily secure clients and orders just by waving their brand name around. What was there to worry about?

Cheng Ji, despite being vice president, had been utterly useless while Lin Koukou was around. Only after her dismissal did he gain any real authority.

And Gu Xiangdong? He was Cheng Ji’s handpicked successor.

Seeing how the other party was so tactful and flattering, he grew even more smug: “I’ve always said that aligning with Quantum Group means having a big tree to lean on for shade. Now that we’ve weathered that chaotic period, things are getting better and better. By next year, so-called ‘Big Four’ or ‘Crossroads’ will be nothing! If Lin Koukou couldn’t handle it, that’s just her incompetence!”

He Chuang had just picked up a glass of water to drink when he heard this, his brow already furrowing.

Gu Xiangdong continued buttering him up: “She’s already been fired, Director Cheng, why even mention her? While her professional skills might be decent, her vision is far shallower than yours.”

Cheng Ji sneered: “I warned her early on—refusing a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. Utterly stupid!”

Before his words even finished landing, there was a sudden “smash.”

Everyone jumped in fright.

Turning to look, they saw it was He Chuang—who hadn’t spoken a word since earlier—throwing the heavy glass in his hand directly onto the table!

Plates overturned, food and drinks spilled everywhere, water flooding the table—instant chaos.

Gu Xiangdong was stunned: “What are you doing?”

Cheng Ji was first shocked, then furious: “He Chuang, don’t think I won’t fire you right now!”

He Chuang couldn’t even be bothered to look at them.

He stood up directly, took a nearby towel to wipe his hands, and said only: “Then go ahead and try.”

With that, he tossed the towel aside and walked straight out the door.

Inside the private room, Cheng Ji raged with a string of curses.

But once the door closed, the sound faded.

He Chuang stood in the empty hallway, tilting his head slightly to look at the dim wall sconces, feeling only an almost suffocating oppression.

He took out his phone and opened WeChat.

The familiar pinned chat at the top still showed no new message notifications.

Clicking in, he saw only his own one-sided messages.

Just a few days ago, he’d sent a message. Yet now, He Chuang felt he couldn’t bear waiting another second.

Especially after Pei Shu’s words.

Every time he recalled them, he sensed an indescribable unease.

Staring at the screen for a long time, He Chuang finally moved his fingers, slowly typing out a line: “Why haven’t you come back yet?”

“……”

Lin Koukou looked at her phone, silent for a long while.

By now, everyone had mostly finished eating and was packing up to leave.

Sun Kecheng picked up his car keys and stood, asking her: “How are you getting back, Consultant Lin?”

Lin Koukou put away her phone and stood up: “I’ll take a taxi.”

Most of the group either drove themselves or took the subway, so when leaving the restaurant, only Pei Shu—who hadn’t driven—stood with her inside the glass doors waiting for a cab.

Outside, a light rain had begun to fall.

Pei Shu went to borrow an umbrella from the restaurant, returning with one, but glanced at her and said: “Only one left.”

Lin Koukou said flatly: “I don’t need it.”

She could take a taxi straight to her building’s entrance without getting wet.

Pei Shu didn’t press further, keeping the black umbrella for himself, its tip resting on the ground as he looked at her and remarked: “How interesting. The famous Consultant Lin returns to Shanghai, yet doesn’t even tell her most loyal subordinate. Runs into him at a restaurant, but hides instead of meeting…”

Lin Koukou cut him off: “Not wanting to meet isn’t the same as not daring to meet.”

Pei Shu raised an eyebrow: “Oh?”

Lin Koukou coolly replied: “This has nothing to do with you.”

Pei Shu said, “I was thinking, if you tried to poach He Chuang, he’d definitely agree, wouldn’t he? Without him, Direction would be much easier to handle.”

“Don’t even think about targeting him.” Lin Koukou shot him a warning glance. “I’ve been away from Direction for a year and haven’t stood in your way. Yet the equally renowned Consultant Pei still hasn’t managed to deal with mere Direction. Shouldn’t you first consider whether your own skills are up to par?”

“Mere?”

From the moment she first arrived at Crossroads, she had always maintained a calm and composed demeanor, so perfect it was almost devoid of emotional fluctuation. But now, Pei Shu had caught a tiny crack in her facade.

He smiled. “I thought Consultant Lin was a saint. Turns out you’re capable of hatred after all.”

Hatred.

Lin Koukou savored the word for a moment, then smiled as well.

In a rare admission, she said, “Without hatred, why would I come to Crossroads and collude with you?”

She used a derogatory term.

Surprisingly, Pei Shu didn’t take offense.

The curiosity in his eyes only deepened as he continued studying her.

A car pulled up ahead.

Lin Koukou said bluntly, “My ride’s here.”

She moved to open the door.

But Pei Shu opened an umbrella, holding it over her head, then stepped forward to open the car door for her. Coolly, he said, “Regardless, I’ll be watching with interest.”

“…”

Standing under the same umbrella with him, Lin Koukou met his gaze for a long moment before finally looking away and getting into the car.

The driver pulled away.

Pei Shu remained standing there with the umbrella, his black shirt clinging to his frame, the sharp angles of his silhouette giving him a ruggedly handsome appearance from a distance.

The suit jacket with the missing button had long been discarded in the trash.

Lin Koukou watched him in the rearview mirror for a while, suddenly recalling Sun Kecheng’s words. Only her thought was: A gentleman he may be, but this man lives too fastidiously—what a waste of clothes.