"Your Old He recently hired a new little assistant, from the same university as you, seems to be your junior."
Bai Yi's hand rested on the steering wheel, casually watching the traffic lights, mentally planning what to make for dinner. Today was their wedding anniversary. He Chengxiao always valued such occasions. Maybe he would leave work early. Since he took over Huanya, he rarely cooked anymore. He wondered how much his skills had deteriorated and needed to get back in the groove before He Chengxiao returned. "With a company as big as Chengfang, personnel changes are normal."
Qin Sheng suddenly sat up straight, only to be pulled back into his seat by the seatbelt. "Hiss... I'm telling you, pay attention! I heard that kid barged straight into the president's office on his first day, and they only got him out after Chengxiao came back. He even said something about thinking all big company offices were big, and never considered it might not be his. Who's he trying to fool?"
Bai Yi frowned. He Chengxiao had mentioned this to him, saying the guy apologized profusely, claiming he came from a poor family and had never seen the world, assuming all big cities were like that.
He didn't care, but Qin Sheng was exasperated. "The most outrageous thing is, He Chengxiao didn't even fire him after that? He even transferred him to be a personal assistant? Why?"
Just then, the light turned green. Bai Yi stepped on the gas and sped through the intersection. "Just graduated? Not much younger than me. Why call him a kid and not me?"
"You just like being sharp-tongued with me, but He Chengxiao, he..."
"He's not the type to abandon the old for the new. I'll ask him when I get back. Don't worry about me."
The car merged into traffic, passed three streets, and drove into the hotel's front yard. A valet immediately rushed forward to greet them, but Bai Yi waved his hand through the window to indicate they weren't needed. He parked in a space himself and turned to Qin Sheng. "I'll drop you off here. Go on up. If you stay too long, your Old Zhuo will get jealous again."
Qin Sheng paused in the act of unbuckling his seatbelt, his face alternating between green and red. "Wasn't it just that I dated you when I was young and ignorant? I've even... and he still acts like he's guarding against a thief all day long."
Bai Yi said, "Maybe I look more like the top."
Qin Sheng pretended to hit him. "Stop it. You're so skinny, who could you top?"
"Yes, yes, yes, you have eight-pack abs, but you're still the one being topped."
Qin Sheng gave him the middle finger. "No wonder none of your exes can have a peaceful breakup. I don't believe you act like this in front of He Chengxiao."
Bai Yi used one hand to unbuckle Qin Sheng's seatbelt for him. "Can't help it. You have to spoil your Old Hubby."
The car door closed, and the playfulness on his face instantly vanished, replaced by an expressionless stare as he watched Qin Sheng leave. He felt inexplicably annoyed. He raised his hand and pinched the space between his eyebrows, took out his phone, and sent He Chengxiao a voice message: "When will you get off work?"
His voice was cool and aloof, nothing like the unrestrained manner he had in front of Qin Sheng, yet the lifted tone at the end was like a small hook, scratching at the heart.
He Chengxiao must have been busy because he didn't reply for a while. Bai Yi unbuttoned the top two buttons of his white shirt, revealing a section of fair and slender neck. Suddenly, someone knocked on the car window. He suppressed his irritation and rolled down the window. "What is it... Senior?"
Yan Bo Feng, dressed in a suit and tie, leaned down to meet his gaze. "I thought the car looked familiar. Long time no see. Want to grab lunch together?"
Bai Yi looked down at his phone. It was already 12:30 PM, and He Chengxiao was still busy. Clearly, he wouldn't make it to the restaurant they had booked. The disappointment in his eyes flashed by quickly, and when he raised his face, it was with a polite expression. "Sure, get in."
Yan Bo Feng didn't miss the action of him checking the message, and asked after getting in the car, "Do you have an appointment?"
"Not really."
He didn't want to say more, so Yan Bo Feng didn't press him. "Then I'm truly honored... let me treat you."
-
He Chengxiao was busy, and the restaurant he had booked sent a message saying they had prepared the dishes. Bai Yi simply took Yan Bo Feng there. As soon as they entered, they heard a weak voice arguing at the entrance: "One hundred and fifty for a glass of juice? Are you robbing people?"
"Sir, our restaurant uses ingredients that are air-flown, and you ordered fresh squeezed..."
Bai Yi looked over curiously, wanting to see which child was spending without looking at prices in a place like this. Beside him, Yan Bo Feng let out a soft "Huh?" "Swallowtail shirt, same style as yours?"
Bai Yi's gaze followed to the back of the young man's shirt. It was indeed the same as what he was wearing today. A carefully chosen outfit for a date, and he ran into someone wearing the same thing as soon as he stepped out. He immediately lost interest. "Let's go, it's on the second floor."
"Baby?"
He looked up and was face to face with He Chengxiao, who was coming down the stairs. He Chengxiao was clearly surprised and delighted. "Baby, what are you doing here?"
Bai Yi nodded and looked past him, recognizing the person He Chengxiao was eating with. "Mr. Zhang, long time no see."
"It's Little Bai! If I knew you were coming, we could have all sat at the same table and reminisced."
A warm smile hung on Bai Yi's lips. "Mr. Zhang, any plans to return to the country and develop Huanya?"
Zhang Dexing smiled and shook his head. "You don't miss out on anything. You two are husband and husband, do you really distinguish so clearly?"
"Baby, Mr. Zhang and I were just discussing next quarter's..."
Bai Yi interrupted him. "Company secrets are being discussed outside?"
Zhang Dexing found their interaction amusing. "It's a pity you two handled it internally, otherwise my grandson-in-law would have had to arrange one of you at least. Hey Little Bai, who's this behind you?"
"This is my senior, he also works in the internet industry. Bo Feng, this is Mr. Zhang, a director of Chengde Financial."
Yan Bo Feng heard that he was intentionally introducing him and quickly stepped forward to hand over his business card. "Mr. Zhang, hello. I'm Little Yan from Zhuoyue Technology."
"Zhuoyue? Under that kid Zhuo Shen? Not bad, not bad."
"—He, the car is ready."
Bai Yi turned his head and saw the young man who had been paying at the front desk earlier. Now he could finally see his face clearly. He had a clean temperament, and clear eyes, like a recent college graduate. He had a guess in his heart and winked at Yan Bo Feng. "I drove here, want to give Mr. Zhang a ride?"
Zhang Dexing waved his hands repeatedly. "You came to eat, right? Go on up, go on up. An old man like me, Chengxiao is enough."
Bai Yi was vaguely uneasy. "How can that be, Mr. Zhang is a distinguished guest."
"You, you." Zhang Dexing was speechless and said, "We didn't think highly of you two, didn't expect you to really stick it out all these years."
That was agreement.
Bai Yi stepped forward to signal. "Then let's take my car. Senior Yan, weren't you recently following up on investment models? Mr. Zhang is an industry pioneer, aren't you going to seize the opportunity?"
Yan Bo Feng gave him a grateful look. Although he was Bai Yi's senior, his family was ordinary. People at Zhang Dexing's level were usually impossible to meet. Bai Yi giving him this opportunity, he naturally wouldn't let it go. He quickly came over to chat softly.
The young man at the stairwell had been ignored for a long time and was a little embarrassed. He whispered again, "He, that car... do you still need it?"
Bai Yi glanced at He Chengxiao. He Chengxiao seemed to realize the young man's rashness and said sternly, "Take a taxi back, the company will reimburse you for the fare."
"But..." The young man looked around anxiously, "According to the schedule, you have a meeting at two o'clock this afternoon..."
That was too inappropriate, blatantly chasing people away. A trace of inquiry clearly appeared in Zhang Dexing's eyes. "It's good to be young, able to handle back-to-back appointments, but, He, you also need to pay attention to your health."
Bai Yi naturally made a guiding gesture. "Mr. Zhang, please."
He Chengxiao's expression wasn't too good, and he glared warningly at the young man, but the afternoon meeting was indeed important. He had originally sent a message asking An Ran to discuss with the other party and postpone it by an hour. Bai Yi had a villa in the same district as Zhang Dexing, and he could completely rush there to hold an online meeting, but now that the young man had brought it up publicly, it was inevitably a little awkward.
He coughed lightly. "Wasn't it postponed? You find An Ran to follow up on the schedule, you don't need to follow me today."
Only then did the young man realize his mistake, and his eyelashes trembled anxiously. "Sorry, He."
Bai Yi's eyes narrowed slightly. After thinking for a moment, he guessed the other party's identity and took the initiative to defuse the situation. "You go back first, your He will be responsible for his own people."
The young man stared blankly at him. "Are you the new driver? An Ran didn't tell me..."
The surroundings fell into dead silence. The eyes of everyone present all fell on He Chengxiao. His expression changed slightly. "This is my husband. Or, you should go back to school first."
He emphasized the words "school," which was clearly a way of saving face. Ning Weixin's face turned pale. "Sorry He, did I do something wrong? I..."
"Let's go first, He is responsible for the people he hired." Bai Yi sighed in his heart, changed the subject, and helped Zhang Dexing walk downstairs. "You haven't been back to the country for a long time, want me to show you around?"
"Won't it delay your time?"
"How could it." Bai Yi's peach blossom eyes suddenly curved. "I'm a free person, I even have to thank you for helping me teach He a lesson, he sometimes gets so busy that he doesn't even have time to reply to my messages."
He Chengxiao was stunned and asked the young man urgently, "Didn't I give you my phone?"
The young man quickly took it out of his pocket. "Yes, you asked me to pay the bill..."
He Chengxiao snatched the phone, saw the top chat box and several missed calls, and his heart tightened. "Baby, I forgot to check my phone."
"Seeing as you were accompanying Mr. Zhang, I won't hold it against you, but Mr. Zhang's time this afternoon belongs to Huanya."
Zhang Dexing's expression softened slightly. "You..."
Ning Weixin "plop" knelt down.
Bai Yi took a few steps back reflexively, afraid of being seen and unable to explain. Yan Bo Feng was sensible and quickly went up to help him. "What are you doing? Talk it out."
He pulled but couldn't move him. The young man kneeling on the ground had red eyes. "Sorry madam, I didn't mean to mistake you..."
Where did they dig up this "talent" from?
It was still lunchtime, and it wouldn't be good for passing guests to see this. Yan Bo Feng couldn't pull him up, clearly the young man didn't want to get up. Bai Yi had no choice but to patiently squat down beside him and reach out to help. "What are you doing? The ground is cold, get up first."
Ning Weixin blinked his teary eyes. "Can you forgive me?"
"You haven't offended me, what nonsense are you talking about."
Ning Weixin turned from tears to laughter. "He, madam said she forgives me, can you not fire me?"