Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Nine: An Unexpected Acquaintance
It was clearly a serious question, but it felt rather light-hearted coming from Xiao Yu. Yan Jin responded jokingly in kind, “Just about, yeah.”
“What do you mean ‘just about?’” Xiao Yu said unhappily.
“It means that perhaps it’s true that it’s a little unpleasant.” Yan Jin blinked. “In the business world, sometimes human emotions aren’t relevant. For long term benefits, sometimes the most irrational move might be the most sensible.”
Xiao Yu didn’t really understand. “What does that mean? You believe that the Nan Family forcing Nan Wei to marry someone he doesn’t like is a sensible decision?”
Yan Jin mysteriously intoned, “Hard to say.”
“Don’t test me.”
Xiao Yu threateningly leapt at the defenseless Yan Jin, who immediately fell over. Before Yan Jin could react, Xiao Yu jabbed at Yan Jin’s armpits. Yan Jin laughed twice in response before counterattacking by pinching Xiao Yu’s sensitive ribs. The two of them wrestled and rolled around many times on the bed before they fell still, lying next to each other on the bed while panting from exertion.
Yan Jin adjusted his collar to relieve some of the heat from his lightly sweaty body. Xiao Yu felt it was hot as well, but with Yan Jin lying like that next to him he felt he should be more reserved lest Yan Jin “consume” him. Therefore, he didn’t touch his own clothes and just kicked the blankets a little further away.
“… Hurry up and explain it to me clearly,” Xiao Yu said after resting for a while. “Otherwise I’ll ignore you.”
“Long story short, Nan Wei will get everything he wishes for.” Yan Jin thought for a moment and added, “He’ll be together with the person he likes.”
“Hmm? You’re saying that he’ll marry his childhood friend?”
Yan Jin was a little shocked. “How did you know?”
Xiao Yu rolled his eyes. “You said yourself that his childhood friend confessed to him. I can at least connect those dots, right?”
“Haha, it’s true that it was obvious,” Yan Jin lightly laughed before sighing. “Other than Nan Wei himself, everyone else could tell that their relations.h.i.+p wasn’t normal.”
“Chu Ge too?”
“Him too, although he never wanted to admit it.”
After all, Nan Wei was his only brother. Even if he knew in his heart that it was unavoidable Nan Wei would be taken by such an ostentatious “wolf”, he still presented a firm rejection as if his refusal to believe it could make it untrue.
However, just from Chu Ge’s lack of explosion from hearing about the marriage, it was clear Chu Ge already guessed it would happen.
Furthermore, because of complaints from a certain old maid with no romantic experience, Chu Ge and the evil-loving Yan Jin both kept quiet. They agreed by chance to allow Nan Wei’s misunderstanding to continue to the day he got married.
It really wasn’t easy for Nan Wei to have such an older brother and cousin.
“I say, it’s just like you guys have emperors.h.i.+ps to pa.s.s on. Is that right?” Xiao Yu said.
Yan Jin laughed, “So that’s why we’re even more clear that compared to an everlasting union between two lovers, an emperors.h.i.+p isn’t worth much.”
“The world really is amazing. Things that others desire greatly, you guys think little of. Things that you guys desire greatly, they think little of. Like ‘to each their own’?”
“Of course not.” Yan Jin shook his head. “The important things are actually pretty much the same for everyone. It’s only that distant pastures always appear greener. If you want to put it that way, it’s just that we’re all looking at different pastures.”
“Oh, so you shouldn’t have any other desires now.” Xiao Yu poked Yan Jin in the stomach.
“Why should I not have any more desires? I’m a very greedy person.” Yan Jin grabbed Xiao Yu’s mischievous hands and pushed them to the side.
“Oh?” Xiao Yu was curious. “You have money, talent, looks, and a considerate, cute little lover you’re dating. What else do you want?”
Yan Jin laughed and flipped over so that his “cute little lover” was pressed under him. He breathed, “Dating a cute little lover isn’t enough. I want your everything.”
“Haha, you really know how to talk.”
From underneath Yan Jin, Xiao Yu obediently accepted a long kiss from Yan Jin and happily laid flat with his flus.h.i.+ng face, saying, “Don’t hurt me.”
……
YL corporation’s grand skysc.r.a.per was located in S City’s most expensive business district. Its silvery-blue exterior s.h.i.+mmered like fish scales under the sunlight.
Unlike SI’s decade-old headquarters, YL corporation’s skysc.r.a.per was just a few years old. After the real estate boom, the most superb office buildings in this prime area were bought by YL as their headquarters. Perhaps it was by some mysterious fate that the two jewelry corporations YL and SI would be distantly facing each other.
Before, when SI’s employees looked out the window, they would see YL’s luxurious building that seemed like a hotel and feel jealous. While sighing that they’d selected such a company whose office walls were peeling, they’d comfort themselves by thinking that it was only exterior decoration. It hadn’t mattered – no matter how anyone looked at it, SI had been crus.h.i.+ng YL in terms of industry ranking.
But now, SI employees didn’t look out the window anymore.
Xiao Yu nervously swallowed and fiddled with his necktie. He walked stiffly through YL’s grand entrance.
He hadn’t wanted to cause such a commotion on his first day of work so he had forced Yan Jin to drop him off three streets away and had walked over.
But Xiao Yu also negatively thought that this wasn’t very useful.
Back when he applied for SI, he’d gone through the standard channels: he saw the online job posting, submitted his resume, caught the interest of the previous Chairman Zhou – Zhou Jinrong’s father perhaps because of his recommendation letter, made an appointment to meet in-person, and finally joined the company with the other batch of new designer hires.
At that time, he’d even felt that he’d entered partially through backdoor channels. Thinking back on it now, he was really too naive back then.
Compared to now, he’d really gone through the proper procedures back then.
Earlier this morning, Xiao Yu had specially asked Yan Jin if his works.p.a.ce had already been prepared. Yan Jin had seriously responded that it was ready on the thirtieth floor.
Xiao Yu had lifted the contract in his hand and used it to smack at Yan Jin’s face.
SI and YL had plenty of opportunities for partners.h.i.+ps and compet.i.tion in the past. Even if he wasn’t clear on YL’s internal organization structure, he at least knew that the thirtieth floor was for people like the chairman.
Putting a simple designer in an office meant for the chairman, was there no end to this?
What had made him even angrier was that even though Xiao Yu was seriously speaking with Yan Jin, Yan Jin hadn’t seemed to be taking him seriously. His manner had seemed like he had just wanted to bulls.h.i.+t his way out of the topic. His expectant att.i.tude of “Xiao Yu will be working from the chairman’s office” had just seemed like utter nonsense.
Xiao Yu sometimes felt that perhaps Yan Jin may have thought of keeping him and providing for him like a mistress.
But he quickly dispelled the thought. No matter how you looked at it, it was just too excessive. This wasn’t a soap opera. Who did things like this today? Furthermore, he was a guy!
Probably…
So Xiao Yu now had another problem he didn’t want to think about too closely.
It wasn’t Xiao Yu’s first time entering YL Corporation, but it was definitely his most nervous one.
He was so nervous he missed the person shouting at him three times from the door.
He only noticed when someone grabbed his elbow and he couldn’t walk any further.
Xiao Yu suddenly looked over and was surprised to see a familiar face. “Director w.a.n.g?”
“Young man, your hearing is already so poor. I called you so many times now.” Director w.a.n.g released him and joked, “Fortunately you left SI quickly. Had you stayed a few more years, you might be deaf by now!”
“No no, it’s because I was thinking about some other things so I didn’t hear you,” Xiao Yu said with embarra.s.sment.
“Let’s go. I specially waited here to welcome you. I thought you’d arrive early with the Chairman – I’ve been waiting for a long time.”
“What? You’re working for YL now?”
“You didn’t know? I’ve been here ever since I resigned from SI. Haha, the food here is much better than SI’s.”
Xiao Yu really hadn’t known. He curiously asked, “How come whenever I came to YL before I never saw you?”
“Chairman’s orders. When you guys came to collaborate, it’s always a little awkward for me here. Also, I’m old now. I don’t want to ruin you youngsters’ moods.
Xiao Yu still felt shocked.
Director w.a.n.g had been the design director at SI whom Xiao Yu met when he had just joined SI. When Lin Zhou took over as design director, the company moved Director w.a.n.g to a subsidiary company. He hadn’t known what happened after except that Director w.a.n.g suddenly resigned. After that, Director w.a.n.g had been entirely unreachable and it had been unknown where he ended up. Xiao Yu had felt bad about it for a long time.
When Xiao Yu was an unknown newbie, Director w.a.n.g had personally mentored him for a very long time, especially because Xiao Yu caught the former Chairman’s attention. Xiao Yu had always wanted to find him and express his thanks since he was on quite good terms with the senior. He had never expected that Director w.a.n.g was so close, yet so far.
However, Director w.a.n.g should already be around the retirement age now. In this industry, youngsters were more favored. Typically, older people like Director w.a.n.g didn’t manage day-to-day logistics anymore in the company.
As if he saw Xiao Yu’s doubt, Director w.a.n.g laughed and patted Xiao Yu’s shoulder. “This is to be my last task. After mentoring you, I’ll honorably retire.”
“Me?” Xiao Yu was puzzled. “Aren’t I here as a designer?”
“Chief Designer, youngling. Come, let’s talk while walking,” Director w.a.n.g said.
And so, Xiao Yu was taken into the not-unfamiliar lobby. As they pa.s.sed the front desk, he felt the receptionist’s gaze was rather unusual.
It seemed like she was excited?
Nah, probably not. He must be overthinking.
“YL’s a little different from SI. You should already know that the quant.i.ty and quality of designers are rather lacking.”
“A little, but strangely enough their designs aren’t bad.”
“Only with some external aid. Chairman Yan has a lot of overseas friends. The initial draft is always done by others.”
Xiao Yu nodded. He’d guessed as much.
Many people were suspicious that YL outsourced their design work. However, after the quality had picked up, these rumors had slowly faded.