Xiang Yuan was racking her brains when the heavy black iron gate behind her creaked shut with a loud clang. Immediately after, the motion-sensor light behind them went out as well. Darkness fell all around them, with only a dim, yellowed, and barely functioning streetlamp at the entrance casting a hazy glow over the tall man before her. His features were now obscured in the gloom, but his eyes remained clear, like the crescent moon hanging silently behind him.

Just then, a clear female voice rang out behind them, “Xu Yanshi?”

Both of them froze. Xu Yanshi turned around, and Xiang Yuan craned her neck to look.

At the bottom of the stairs stood a woman with a curvaceous figure. Her hair was simply tied at the nape of her neck, and she wore a light low-neck fitted sweater and skinny pants. A camel-colored cashmere coat was tucked under her arm. The other party looked as if she had just stepped out of a car. She was dusty from travel, yet her demeanor remained sharp and composed.

Xiang Yuan had never seen the other party before and assumed she was a resident of the building. But the woman strode up gracefully in her heels, shot Xiang Yuan a rather unfriendly glance, then ‘kindly’ offered a flippant reminder, “Little Girl, let me tell you something. This man is divorced. He has a seven-year-old kid, and he’s nearly thirty yet still holed up in this old apartment block. Really, he’s got no money. If you’re after him, you might as well consider the security guard, Uncle Li. That guy’s got two apartments downtown.”

“……”

Xiang Yuan was stunned. What the hell? Was Xu Yanshi divorced? And he had a child? Wait, could the other party be talking about Xu Chengli?

Just as she was about to clarify and say ‘Isn’t that his younger brother?’, a bold thought flashed through her mind. It wasn’t unheard of for someone to pass off their biological son as a younger brother just to improve their odds at remarrying.

She glanced skeptically at Xu Yanshi, feeling a bit of sympathy and an inexplicable pang of sadness. How could such a good person get divorced just like that?

Then Xu Yanshi shot her a cold glance. “Are you an idiot?”

Huh?

“Chen Shu, manager of the marketing department.”

He introduced her with just that, then pointed at Xiang Yuan with his chin and said to Chen Shu, “Xiang Yuan.”

He couldn’t even be bothered to mention her department. But clearly, Chen Shu already knew who Xiang Yuan was. Chen Shu extended her hand openly and smiled. “So it’s you. I’ve been on a business trip in Beijing for a while and just got back today. I’ve heard about you. Impressive girl. You came in and had all these guys wrapped around your finger.”

“Just getting by.” Xiang Yuan replied modestly, shaking the other party’s hand. The two were about the same height, though Chen Shu appeared slightly taller thanks to her heels. Still, Xiang Yuan didn’t lose an ounce of presence. Her eyes curved with a smile. “You’re very pretty too, Sis.”

The three of them headed upstairs together.

Chen Shu and Xu Yanshi walked in front while Xiang Yuan trailed behind, listening to their casual chatter. Xu Yanshi didn’t seem as aloof with Chen Shu as he usually did. The two seemed to know each other well.

Chen Shu’s heels clicked crisply in the stairwell as she spoke of trivial things Xiang Yuan had never heard before, “The Huancheng Apartments will open for sale at the end of the year. They’ve got elevators. I know someone. Want me to pull some strings to get you an internal price?”

“We’ll see.” Xu Yanshi replied, hands in his pockets as he walked up.

Why was it that when it came to Xiang Yuan pulling the strings, it was like stepping on a landmine? Xu Yanshi, are you a dog or what?

Chen Shu nodded and kept up with him. “Still thinking about going back to Beijing? I asked around. Chen Shan plans to get you back there by next year at the latest. And from what I hear, headquarters agrees. This branch won’t last past next year. Once it closes, Chen Shan will have a reason to recall you. But honestly, even if you go to HQ, I doubt it’ll be much better. I’ve heard some rumors—”

Xu Yanshi gave her a sideways glance and suddenly asked, in an oddly considerate tone, “Thirsty?”

Behind them, Xiang Yuan rolled her eyes silently. Why don’t you ask me if I’m thirsty?

But Chen Shu immediately understood that look. Xu Yanshi was warning her not to say too much in front of Xiang Yuan. After all, Xiang Yuan was a newcomer, full of hope, and was genuinely trying to do her job.

Chen Shu cleared her throat. “A bit, yeah. But never mind, we’ll talk upstairs.”

……

As soon as they walked in the door, a loud voice startled Xiang Yuan.

“Wifey!!! You’re back!!!”

She froze. Xu Yanshi casually changed into slippers and walked past her with the things they bought. As if remembering something, he said, “Oh, forgot to mention, Chen Shu is Gao Leng’s girlfriend.”

Xiang Yuan responded blandly with an “Oh.” Not my business.

Gao Leng was practically oozing with excitement like a big golden retriever, hanging off Chen Shu and refusing to let go. She was nearly choking from his grip and slapped him on the forehead. “Trying to strangle me to trade for a new one? I always knew you had a thing for Ying Yinyin.”

Gao Leng pouted, pitifully staring at her. “Damn, are you the devil? I swear, if I ever liked Ying Yinyin, may lightning strike me! Besides, she’s shacked up with Li Chi tonight. You think I’d go after Li Chi’s leftovers?”

“You’ve taken leftovers before.” Chen Shu rolled her eyes. “What about your goddess Ashers?”

Gao Leng: “Ashers is a dog.”

Xiang Yuan: “???” Men really are pigs.

Chen Shu ignored him and squinted suspiciously. “Li Chi booked a room with Ying Yinyin?”

“Why else would he skip tonight’s dinner? Even though the boss is cooking himself, he had the nerve to say no.”

“Looks like I missed a lot of drama.” Chen Shu had barely finished when she noticed You Zhi and a few others coming back from a smoke break on the balcony. When they saw her, their eyes lit up as they lined up neatly on the couch with phones in their hands, beaming at her. “Come on, Sister Shu, let’s play a round of Honor of Kings!”

Chen Shu was a high-ranked player, eighty stars in Honor of Kings. Among the tech team, only You Zhi and Li Chi barely managed to keep up with her. Everyone else was totally outclassed.

As for Xu Yanshi? He didn’t play at all.

Gao Leng, a total noob, had started warming up to Chen Shu purely because of her gaming skills. After being crushed by her over five hundred times, he finally surrendered.

Chen Shu, with nothing better to do, agreed and casually asked Xiang Yuan, “You play?”

Xiang Yuan hummed. “I haven’t played in a long time.”

Chen Shu looked surprised. “Want to join?”

“It’s okay, you guys go ahead. I uninstalled it ages ago.”

Chen Shu nodded in understanding. Actually, You Zhi and the others had invited Xiang Yuan to play with them once before, but she had declined. They all knew both her main and alt accounts. If she joined on her secret account, Ashers, it would probably scare the hell out of them.

Gao Leng assumed Xiang Yuan was bad at the game. Otherwise, why else would she be so reluctant? He stared at his phone screen, watching Chen Shu’s gameplay with satisfaction, and gently comforted Xiang Yuan, “It’s okay, Sister Yuan. You don’t have to be good. We just play for fun, right?”

Everyone else: “Shut up!”

────ρя


Half an hour later, it was time to eat.

You Zhi and the others shut off their phones and walked to the dining table, still reeling from the games. They called out to Chen Shu to continue playing after dinner. Chen Shu smiled and agreed. She had just pulled out her chair and sat down when everyone blurted out in unison, “Who ordered the crayfish?”

Gao Leng knew, but he didn’t dare speak up. He was also the only one there who knew that the boss and Xiang Yuan had gone to school together. He didn’t want to get punched, so he stayed silent and stuffed his mouth with rice.

Xiang Yuan timidly raised her hand. “I…… ordered it.”

Everyone looked unsurprised, yet somehow intrigued.

You Zhi grew unusually serious. “Understandable. Though the boss never buys out-of-season food.”

“Why not?”

You Zhi explained, “Let me educate you. Most out-of-season produce is greenhouse-grown. It’s fake-natural and usually has tons of pesticides to make it look good. You should eat seasonal food. They’re healthier. But mostly, I think the boss avoids it because it’s expensive.”

Shi Tianyou sighed and picked the cilantro out of his bowl. “Honestly, seasonal or not, we should respect every food. But cilantro…… will never earn my respect.”

As he spoke, the hotpot was already bubbling with steam.

Through the smoke, Xiang Yuan saw Xu Yanshi walk out of the kitchen holding a small bottle.

He had taken off his down jacket. The zip-up hoodie underneath hung open, revealing a simple white T-shirt. He looked completely at ease. As he passed Shi Tianyou, he ruffled the back of his head and said, “It’s fine. You’ve already done half the job.”

Then he placed the bottle in front of Xiang Yuan.

She took a closer look. It was her favorite brand of seafood sauce, and it was already opened for her.

So he had gone to the store earlier just for this?

You Zhi put down his chopsticks. “Crayfish and seafood sauce. Not bad.”

When Xu Yanshi came back from the kitchen again, he brought his own bowl and chopsticks. The table was packed, and as You Zhi was about to make room, Xu Yanshi just swung his leg over the chair and sat down, leaning sideways to reach for the chili sauce in front of Gao Leng.

You Zhi turned calmly, “Great. Showing off your long legs again.”

Fine, I’ll pretend you’re not flirting.

Just as Xiang Yuan reached out for a crayfish, You Zhi said to her, “In any case, welcome to the team. Even though the boss has gone a little crazy since you arrived, we don’t mind if you make him a bit crazier.”

He looked around at the other guys. “Come to think of it, none of us has seen him date anyone before. I’m really curious to see what he’s like when arguing with his girlfriend.”

Xiang Yuan replied, “You Zhi, you’ve got it wrong…… Your boss and I……”

Xu Yanshi had just taken two bites. He raised his head slightly, chopsticks resting in his bowl, voice cold, “Xiang Yuan and I were high school classmates. Don’t start imagining nonsense. Now shut up and eat.”

You Zhi immediately picked up his bowl and gobbled furiously. “Got it. I didn’t say anything.”

Shi Tianyou also raised his bowl and dropped a slice of beef into the hotpot. “No wonder you two didn’t look like strangers. So that’s why the boss helped you roast Ying Yinyin in the group chat.”

Xiang Yuan’s chopsticks paused. “Roast Ying Yinyin?”

Everyone froze, putting down their bowls with a synchronized clack.

“You didn’t know?”

“No, I’m not in the group.”

“Gao Leng and Lin Qingqing are. They’re in the group.”

Gao Leng commented, “Who checks the group chat for no reason? You didn’t tag me.”

Lin Qingqing said the same.

After dinner, You Zhi filled Xiang Yuan in on the whole story. She finally pieced it together and even saw the chat logs on his phone. One message had been retracted, which puzzled her.

“What was deleted?”

You Zhi replied, “WeChat transfer for two hundred yuan. Screenshot guaranteed in HD.”

Xiang Yuan, currently broke, flatly refused, “Forget it. I’m not paying to look.”

She turned and left.

You Zhi sighed and shook his head. Another broke soul. The boss is broke, and she’s also broke. How were they gonna make it?

……

Out on the balcony, Chen Shu stood by the railing, puffing smoke. Xu Yanshi leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed.

Xiang Yuan remembered that years ago, she and Xu Yanshi had shared this kind of dynamic. Among Feng Jun’s friends, Xu Yanshi had always been the hardest to approach, cold to everyone. Yet, whenever she asked for help, he still agreed— grudgingly, but he did it. Back then, his bond with Feng Jun had been incredibly strong. Everyone at school knew it.

She recalled the expression on his face that day in the conference room, when he said he hadn’t contacted Feng Jun in a long time.

She had thought he’d simply lost touch with the others from Class 9. But apparently, he’d even severed ties with Feng Jun.

Soft conversation floated from the balcony.

Chen Shu took a drag, then exhaled slowly. “I’ve got a company that wants to poach you. Not as idealistic as Wade, just a startup. But the boss really admires you and has brought you up multiple times. I had a long talk with him in Beijing. The offer’s quite good. I think you should consider it.”

“What’s the offer?” Xu Yanshi looked down at his toes, his voice sounding especially cold in the dark.

“Forget the standard stuff like social insurance. The position’s Technical Director, with a six-hundred-thousand-yuan annual base and project bonuses. Plus, an apartment inside Beijing’s Fourth Ring.”

She added casually, “Oh, and if you’re interested, the boss’s daughter said she’s willing to marry you and save you twenty years of struggle.”