Over the past few days, many of Wanzhu’s employees noticed a change in their usually self-disciplined boss, He Jianshan. Not only did he start missing important documents that he needed to sign, but he also spent prime working hours just staring blankly at his computer screen, which was strange for someone who was known for never wasting any time. In a recent routine meeting, he was so distracted that Manager Wang had to call out to him several times before he finally came back to his senses.

This was an extremely rare occasion.

The big boss’ unusual condition caused a crowd of people to flood into the eighth floor break room. At four in the afternoon, Zhao Xiaoxiao found herself surrounded by the scent of milk tea, coffee, and fruit. All eyes were on her.

An Ni was the first to ask, “Xiaoxiao, hurry up and tell us. What’s been going on with President He these past couple of days? It feels weird. Manager Wang told me that he actually spoke less than five sentences during today’s meeting. I was absolutely floored.”

Tingting from the administrative department added, “Yesterday, I asked President He to sign a document. After explaining what it was for, President He actually asked me to repeat myself.”

“Maybe something bad happened with the company? Or maybe it’s an issue with the bank? I don’t think I’ve seen any recent news stories about Wanzhu.”

“There aren’t going to be any layoffs, are there? The economy doesn’t seem to have been doing very well lately. The boss wouldn’t happen to be worrying about how to deal with it, right? Shoot, I hope I’m not on the list of layoffs.”

Seeing how the conversation was spiraling more and more out of control, Zhao Xiaoxiao felt a little helpless. “It’s not that exaggerated. Maybe he’s dealing with some trouble in his personal life. The boss is also a regular person. That’s normal, isn’t it?”

An Ni shook her head. “You don’t understand. We’re not worried about him. We’re worried about ourselves. If everything goes well for President He and Assistant Lin, Wanzhu will be fine, and, if Wanzhu is fine, we’ll be fine!”

Everyone else around her agreed, “Yes, yes, yes…”

Confused, Zhao Xiaoxiao asked, “An Ni, President He makes sense, but what does this have to do with Assistant Lin? I feel like Assistant Lin’s been fine these past couple of days.”

An Ni didn’t seem to have considered this question. She blanked for a moment before replying, “I don’t know either, but everyone feels this way.”

“Yes, yes, yes…”

Zhao Xiaoxiao was at a complete loss for words.

Lin Hui had clearly noticed He Jianshan’s unusual behavior as well. In his own recollection, He Jianshan had never displayed such disarray at work before. He had always had an exceptional sense of self-discipline, and, even if something went wrong, he could immediately adapt to the changes. Nevertheless, this chaotic state of being had continued for almost three days now.

Lin Hui went over all possible causes in his mind. The company was operating as usual. The new project was progressing smoothly. He Jianshan hadn’t visited Qiushan Gardens recently either. Ultimately, Lin Hui concluded that it had to be a personal concern, the most imminent possibility being his dinner with Min Jia.

Lin Hui really hadn’t expected the cause to be a mere dinner. It was shocking to think that a woman could have He Jianshan acting so…

Out of sorts.

He really didn’t want to use that phrase, but he couldn’t find a more appropriate way to say it.

Lin Hui was feeling pretty down when he suddenly received a WeChat message from Feng Ying. Due to the project in Ninghai, they’d kept pretty close in contact. He Jianshan and Feng Juntao had communicated several times through phone calls. Feng Juntao even made time to meet with He Jianshan when he came to Beijing for a meeting. Both sides seemed pretty intent on cooperating with each other, and they’d now begun drafting a contract. Lin Hui, as a representative of Wanzhu, also began to contact Feng Ying, a representative of Ruitao, much more frequently. However, the content of their conversations mainly revolved around the project and the contract. It was nothing special.

Lin Hui opened the WeChat message and saw that Feng Ying would be flying to Beijing for work tomorrow. Feng Ying suggested that they have dinner together, during which they could discuss the project some more. He stared at the message for a while, thinking of the things He Jianshan had previously said, and his mood became complicated.

He had to attend this dinner, both out of courtesy and out of obligation. In fact, he should be taking the initiative to host. He didn’t care about Feng Ying’s sexual orientation nor did he care about whether Feng Ying had any intentions toward him. In the end, the two of them only began interacting more frequently due to work. Feng Ying was just an acquaintance to him and nothing more.

Having thought it through, Lin Hui quickly replied to Feng Ying’s message and made an appointment with him. He then went to He Jianshan’s office. Zhao Xiaoxiao wasn’t in, and He Jianshan’s office door was ajar. Lin Hui hesitated for a moment before gently pushing it open.

He Jianshan was sitting at his desk, looking at him.

“…” Lin Hui awkwardly touched the tip of his nose. “I was afraid I would disturb you.”

The corners of He Jianshan’s lips twitched into a smile. He pretended not to notice the other’s embarrassment, lowering his head to continue reviewing documents. He Jianshan was wearing a white shirt today, which made him a bit different from usual. Lin Hui couldn’t help but glance at him a few more times.

He Jianshan seemed to sense it, and, without raising his head, he asked, “What’s the matter? What are you looking at?”

Lin Hui replied without thinking, “You look good in white.”

He Jianshan’s hand trembled as he turned the page. He cleared his throat and put down the documents, putting on a calm front. “You’ve finally remembered to flatter your boss. Are you looking for a raise?”

Lin Hui had a strong sense of self-awareness. “I think I’m good with where I’m at. It wouldn’t be appropriate to ask for more.”

“In that case, what are you here for?”

He Jianshan’s tone was very serious. It didn’t seem like he was joking. In fact, Lin Hui even had this feeling that, as long as he asked for it, He Jianshan would definitely do everything in his power to fulfill his request.

Lin Hui opened his mouth, hesitating. “I just want you to not assign me any work for tomorrow night. I have a dinner engagement.”

He Jianshan was a little curious. “What sort of dinner engagement do you have tomorrow night?”

“Feng Ying from Ruitao is coming over tomorrow night. We made plans to have dinner together.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the air immediately fell silent.

The smile on He Jianshan’s face disappeared in the blink of an eye, like cotton candy dropped in water. Lin Hui had also sensed it. However, he didn’t want to cause any more unpleasantness with He Jianshan over Feng Ying, so he pretended not to have noticed.

He Jianshan probably had the same idea. He was silent for a long time, but, in the end, he still spoke calmly, “Have Mr. Zhao drive you there tomorrow.”

Lin Hui tactfully responded, “President He, it’s a private dinner. There’s no need to trouble anyone.”

“In that case, have An Ni book the restaurant and put it on the company’s account. Consider it client entertainment.”

“Is tonight’s dinner with President Min also considered client entertainment?”

This dinner with Min Jia was part of He Jianshan’s personal schedule. Lin Hui couldn’t help but get a little annoyed at He Jianshan’s hypocritical attitude.

“That’s different.”

Lin Hui laughed. “Yes, I suppose it is different.”

He Jianshan fell silent. He suspected that the other’s use of the word “different” might not be the same as his own use of the word, but he didn’t know how to explain it. Or, perhaps, he just didn’t want to know what the “difference” was.

Something had started to change, gradually shifting beyond He Jianshan’s control. Whenever it came to Lin Hui, all his emotions would become hypersensitive—eager, conflicting, uneasy. He didn’t want to think too much of something, but he didn’t want to think too little of something either.

This experience was too foreign, especially when he discovered that his desire for Lin Hui wasn’t just a spiritual need but a physical one as well. That was almost completely beyond his comprehension. These desires forced him to reevaluate Lin Hui’s position in his heart. His mind had never been so chaotic, but, at the same time, he also found himself strangely excited.

It was like an animal that had been dormant for a long time, finally awakened by spring thunder.

7:00 PM. Garden Dining.

In a private room, Min Jia was focused on sampling all the food. Her makeup was exquisite today, and she appeared very elegant regardless of whether she was speaking or eating, truly a sight to behold. Unfortunately, He Jianshan has been distracted tonight, hardly eating anything, and he spoke little. Seeing his lack of enthusiasm, Min Jia probingly asked, “Is the food not to your liking today? That’s my bad. The pumpkin soup here is amazing, but it’s so hard to book a table. I was only able to try it thanks to you.”

He Jianshan’s gaze fell on Min Jia, and, for a moment, he didn’t know what to say.

Min Jia was smart. She knew when to advance and when to retreat. Whether it was business communications or private interactions, It was always comfortable dealing with her. He wasn’t unaware of the other party’s repeated shows of goodwill, and, regardless of whether it was genuine or out of ulterior motives, he didn’t mind being in contact with her. After all, he was a businessman. The goal was always maximizing his own interests. This was also the reason why he had arranged this private meeting with her. He owed her a favor, and, since she brought it up, he would naturally return it.

Min Jia had been the one to decide the dinner venue and the movie arrangements. He Jianshan didn’t really understand why they had to go to the theater and watch a movie like ordinary people, but he’d always been pretty accommodating when it came to these unimportant details. Moreover, he’d found that, as long as he treated these unnecessary social activities as work, it would make it less agonizing.

However, this time, it failed.

His thoughts were entirely consumed by Lin Hui—his dinner appointment tomorrow, what he was doing at the moment, his eyes and his smile, everything about him.

He Jianshan started to feel irritated. It was rare for him to show such a lack of grace. Min Jia hadn’t done anything wrong, but he did find himself growing a little impatient.

He Jianshan took out the movie tickets and pushed them across the table. “So long as you’ve enjoyed yourself. I‘ve had some last minute arrangements come up, so I won’t be able to join you. If you’d like, you can invite some friends to watch the movie together. My apologies.”

Min Jia was stunned for a moment. She then glanced at the ticket, and her smile returned to her face.

“Well, that’s unfortunate. I wanted to recommend this talented newcomer to you.” She tapped at the movie title printed on the ticket, Beginning. “Although she only played a supporting role in it, she was very eye-catching. I think she has a lot of potential. If there’s ever a chance, we should collaborate.”

Originally, Min Jia did have some personal intentions for this meal. However, since He Jianshan wasn’t interested, she didn’t mind turning this dinner into a business meeting. After all, He Jianshan’s company gave her quite a lot of trouble. Other companies chose spokespersons and brand ambassadors based on popularity or image, but He Jianshan’s company was notably selective. They looked at work ethic. They looked at character. They even looked at whether or not there had been any negative news about a candidate in the past. Their standards were almost more strict than those of the civil service exam. He Jianshan wasn’t in charge of these little things, but, since she had this opportunity, it’d be a waste for her not to use it. When it came to business, it was much easier to push down than it was to push up.

With this in mind, Min Jia inexplicably found herself feeling a little better about being stood up for no reason. He Jianshan also revealed his first smile of the evening. The two individuals, each harboring their own thoughts, raised their glasses together, marking a satisfactory end to this dinner.

The Author Has Something To Say:

As an author, I find editing much more painful than actually writing. I’ve revised each and every chapter of this novel several times over before releasing them. Any unexpected deletions or modifications will ruin the original feeling of the text. I’m not the kind of author who will throw curveballs just to get people to read my novel. My characters’ emotional changes require a lot of foreshadowing and emotional transition, so will the censors please be merciful and stop locking my chapters.

The Translator Has Something To Say:

Apparently, the physical version of the novel had a sexy shower scene in which He Jianshan is horny gripping about Lin Hui (which is why “physical desire” was mentioned earlier), but Jinjiang’s censors wouldn’t let it pass! Alas, I couldn’t find it anywhere!