Jian Suiying caught a mild illness, running a low fever that left her head foggy. She stayed home in bed for two days.
During those two days, aside from Secretary Liang calling him and bringing him meals, no one else had checked in.
Secretary Liang's child had just started elementary school, making it impossible for her to come care for him. Jian Suiying didn't want to trouble her, so he took some medicine and endured it himself.
Two days later, the fever gradually subsided.
The cousin he'd watched grow up, investing so much time and money in his upbringing, had stolen from him behind his back. This betrayal by a relative
filled him not only with an unquenchable rage but also with a profound sense of desolation.
He'd weathered every kind of humiliation and loss in his years of business battles, but being betrayed by someone he trusted within his own family was an experience he'd never faced before.
This single incident left him utterly defeated and his heart frozen.
If not for his aunt's sake, he would have dragged that Bai Xinyu kid out and dealt with him properly. But the moment he thought of his aunt, all his vicious thoughts vanished.
That feeling of having no one around to lend a hand, only people plotting to stab him in the back—it was something those who hadn't experienced it could never truly understand.
He felt utterly miserable, both physically and emotionally.
There was one silver lining to this ordeal: at least he no longer thought of Li Yu whenever he tried to calm his mind.
He drifted through several days in a daze before finally regaining his footing. After some self-reassurance, he was back to his usual energetic self.
He hadn't been to the office in a week, and a mountain of work had piled up. The moment he returned, he was swamped—so busy he didn't even have time for lunch.
To his surprise, he ran into Li Yu at the office—someone he hadn't seen in ages.
Their eyes met. Li Yu was dressed in a crisp suit, a thick stack of documents tucked under her arm, talking on her phone. She paused when she saw him.
Although Jian Suiying missed him dearly, he still didn't know how to act upon seeing her. He felt he should step closer
, but unfortunately, Li Yu wore a cold expression that clearly signaled he wasn't someone to mess with. Besides, he simply didn't have the heart for it right now.
As if anticipating his approach, Li Yu hurriedly ended his call and stared at him unblinkingly.
Li Yu froze, staring at Jian Suiying's retreating figure, unable to snap out of it for a long while.
Though he'd caught Li Yu off guard, Jian Suiying felt no satisfaction. Instead, his mind was consumed by the endless
dreadful relationship that seemed to have no end in sight.
He had considered whether he should apologize to Li Yu. After all, delaying his match was indeed his fault.
But he simply couldn't bring himself to swallow his pride.
Moreover, he had a feeling that even if he conceded this point, Li Yu would never let him get close again.
Li Yu's aversion toward him was so palpable that even after sleeping together for half a year, little had changed—which was truly bizarre.
So his initial assessment of Li Yu hadn't been wrong—this man's heart was truly too hard to warm.
He'd take a breather, he decided.
Once he got through this busy period and Li Yu's anger had cooled somewhat, he would seize the opportunity.
Without Li Yu, his days remained carefree, yet an emptiness lingered in his heart. This void grew more intense after parting ways with Li Yu
grew increasingly intense, impossible to fill.
Days passed one after another, and before he knew it, the weather had turned warm.
Since that chance encounter at the office, Jian Suiying hadn't seen Li Yu again. Nearly three months later, Li Yu reappeared at the company and even walked straight into his office.
appeared at his company and walked straight into his office.
Jian Suiying's heart tightened when he saw the figure knocking and entering.
Li Yu had changed his hairstyle, his hair now shorter, revealing a smooth, full forehead. He looked exceptionally neat and handsome,
seemed considerably more mature than when Jian Suiying had first met him a year ago.
Li Yu placed the items in his hands on the table, adopting a strictly businesslike demeanor. "This is further information regarding the Beihai plot.
My brother wants you to take the people from that bio-feed company there."
Jian Suiying narrowed his eyes at him for a moment before slowly picking up the documents on the table. He flipped through a couple of pages, letting out a
"Hmm," noncommittal. Li Yu waited for him to speak.
The two seemed to be competing to see who would lose their composure first, locked in an awkward stalemate.
Finally, Jian Suiying broke the silence. "If we go this time, can we basically seal the deal?" "Maybe. You'll need to discuss it with my brother."
Jian Suiying flipped through his schedule. "I'll contact Director Li. I'm booked solid this month—next month it is. Once we finalize the flight dates, I'll coordinate with the team over there."
"Alright."
Seeing his cold demeanor, Jian Suiying felt uneasy and blurted out, "How long has it been since you last came to the company?" "…I don't remember."
"Why haven't you come?" "Busy with school."
Jian Suiying paused before hesitantly asking, "So... how's that boxing thing going?" Li Yu glanced up at him, tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Got disciplined."
Li Yu replied coolly: "I'll be coming by at least once a week from now on."
Jian Suiying felt a flicker of secret delight. "You're going to Beihai next month, right? Will you be coming along?" Li Yu didn't even lift his eyelids. "Yes."
Li Yu didn't respond, letting silence be his refusal.
Jian Suiying flipped him off fiercely as he walked away, muttering under her breath, "Damn it."
If she had to go to Beihai first and then Hainan, she'd need at least a week. Jian Suiying couldn't squeeze out any free time in the coming month, so the plan kept getting postponed.
Li Yu, true to his word, resumed his regular work schedule. He'd come into the office at least once a week. In contrast,
Jian Suilin, who used to be so eager to come to the company, was now less frequent.
Li Yu, too, had learned to smooth Jian Suiying's feathers. To avoid direct conflict, she'd either retreat into silence when annoyed
or simply walked away, doing her utmost not to provoke him.
Though they had returned to a normal superior-subordinate dynamic, the physical intimacy Jian Suiying craved remained distant.
Still, he hadn't been idle, maintaining his relationship with Xiao Zhu all along.
He genuinely liked the kid—quiet, unassuming, and quite attractive. Jian Suiying wasn't stingy by nature and felt that after such a long time together, he deserved a proper gift.
Jian Suiying pinched his soft cheek and smiled. "You've been with me for quite a while now." Xiao Zhu nodded.
"I should've bought you a car, but since you can't drive, I'll give you a house instead."
Xiao Zhu's bright eyes met his, and he gave a faint smile. "Thank you, Young Master Jian."
"I'll take you to see it sometime. It's one I developed a couple years ago. The location is quite good."
Xiao Zhu nodded. "Thank you, Young Master Jian."
Jian Suiying gave a wicked smile: "Just words of thanks? No actual action to show your appreciation?"
Xiao Zhu's face flushed slightly. He leaned in, pulled back Jian Suiying's blanket, and took him into his mouth.
Two days later, when Jian Suiying finally had some free time, he still called Li Yu first, asking if he could join him for dinner that evening. Still, he was turned down.
Jian Suiying was used to it by now. Feeling indifferent, he hung up and immediately called Xiao Zhu instead, planning to take him out for dinner that night and show him around some properties.
A buddy of his had just opened a seafood restaurant. He'd originally planned to bring Li Yu along to show support, but since Li Yu wasn't going, he decided to take Xiao Zhu instead.
Xiao Zhu instead. The boy was handsome and well-behaved, and Jian Suiying enjoyed taking him out.
After work that afternoon, he made a point of taking Xiao Zhu to buy a new outfit, dressing the boy up to look especially smart. Then he drove straight to
restaurant.
Business wasn't particularly brisk since it had just opened, and most of the patrons were acquaintances. Along the way, Jian Suiying ran into several familiar faces.
His buddy Li Wenxun, though they didn't keep in touch much, had known each other for over a decade and got along well. Spotting him from afar, Li waved enthusiastically.
Jian Suiying led Little Zhu over and teased, "Mr. Li, it's been ages. You look like you're basking in the spring breeze
."
" Cut the nonsense. My new shop just opened—you expect me to wear a frown?" Li Wensun wore gold-rimmed glasses
, looking both refined and steady. Standing there, he was quite intimidating. Only those in the circle knew this guy was a classic smiling tiger—backstabbing and scheming behind the scenes.
Jian Suiying said: "Congratulations! I came to support you. Hey, quite a few familiar faces here."
"Alright, I'll definitely hook you up when I get back." Li Wenxun chuckled, glancing at Xiao Zhu and adding, "New flame, Mr. Jian? Not bad looking."
Only then did Jian Suiying remember the person beside her. She hurriedly patted Xiao Zhu and said, "Call him Mr. Li." "Mr. Li."
Jian Suiying turned to Li Wenxun, "You go ahead. With so many familiar faces, I doubt you can entertain them all."
"Alright, you go ahead inside." Li Wenxun beckoned a waiter, "Take Mr. Jian to a private room and make sure he's well taken care of."
The young waitress nodded eagerly, smiling as she led the way.
The restaurant's chefs were indeed skilled, and Jian Suiying was thoroughly satisfied with the meal.
After dinner, he said to Xiao Zhu, "Let's go see the apartment. We should have gone during the day for better lighting, but I didn't have time. Let's go now."
Xiao Zhu eagerly replied, "Sure."
Jian Suiying wrapped his arm around Xiao Zhu's waist as they stepped out of the private room.
The world truly holds such coincidences, bringing people face to face in unexpected places.
Jian Suiying smiled and whispered something flirtatious into Xiao Zhu's ear. When he looked up, he saw Li Yu walking straight toward them, eyes locked, both frozen in place.
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Oh, "尥蹶子" means a donkey kicking its hind legs in anger... basically, it's when it's all fired up...