"It seems my presence is still too insignificant," Song Chao chuckled lightly. "Miss Yan is sitting right in front of me, yet she doesn't even notice me."
His words carried a hint of ambiguity. Yan Xi glanced at her colleagues from the advertising department out of the corner of her eye. She stood up and said, "Mr. Song, you really know how to joke. It's just not a good time today. My program isn't ready yet, and I need to rush back to work on it. Excuse me."
Song Chao also stood up gracefully and escorted Yan Xi to the door. "Miss Yan, would it be possible to invite you for dinner tonight?"
Yan Xi was about to refuse when her phone rang. She gave Song Chao an apologetic smile and stepped aside to answer the call.
Song Chao vaguely overheard Yan Xi calling the person on the other end "Mr. Yuan." For some reason, this made him think of Yuan Yi. Before university, he had always been more outstanding than Yuan Yi, and whenever people mentioned Yuan Yi, it was always with a sigh. But at some point, Yuan Yi had found his way back, making a name for himself in business and becoming a point of comparison for many of his peers.
He, who was once seen as the perfect "other people's child," now watched helplessly as a former classmate who was once beneath him had become the one to be admired. Since returning to China, he often heard people praise Yuan Yi, even calling him "the second son of the Yuan family" with a great deal of admiration.
"Mr. Song, I'm sorry, I already have plans with friends tonight," Yan Xi hung up and walked back to Song Chao. "Thank you for the invitation."
"Since Miss Yan is busy, we can arrange another time," Song Chao said, pulling out his phone. "Could I have your contact information?"
Yan Xi recited a string of numbers and nodded at Song Chao. "Goodbye, excuse me."
"See you next time," Song Chao watched her leave and, looking at the phone number she gave him, he sent a message to her phone.
"Yan Jie," when Yan Xi returned, Xiao Yang asked, "Did you sign the contract with the big client?"
"I did," Yan Xi realized her water had cooled down, so she went to refill her cup. "Not just any big client, but a handsome one too."
"I don't believe it," Xiao Yang said suspiciously. "If he was really that handsome, you wouldn't have come back so early."
Yan Xi: What kind of misunderstanding do my colleagues have about me?
Since finishing the phone call, Yuan Yi hadn't been able to focus on work for half an hour. He held the planning document in his hands, but it was impossible to concentrate. He opened WeChat, filled with a mess of messages, and deliberately clicked on Yan Xi's messages. As expected, there were no new posts in her Moments.
He then opened Weibo, an app he hadn't used in a long time, and casually searched for "Yan Xi." To his surprise, he found a Weibo account for "Host Yan Xi." He clicked on it, and the account was verified with "Host of 'Things Around Us'," so it seemed to be her real account.
Looking at the content, there were only three postsâtwo related to work, with the first post having many comments. However, she only had two or three thousand followers. The second post was about the firefighter episode, with a few dozen comments. By the time the third post was made, the comments had dropped to just twenty or thirty.
He stared at these three posts for a while, then clicked "follow." There were still two hours until their scheduled dinner, but right now, he had no desire to work. He must have been mentally exhausted.
Leaning back in his chair, he closed his eyes but found that his mind kept wandering to what he should say to Yan Xi later, what dishes to order, whether she would like the taste, and the innocent way she would glare at him.
Feeling somewhat irritated, he opened his eyes, grabbed his suit jacket from the back of his chair, and strode out of the office.
[Yuan Xiaoer: I'm passing by your TV station, so you don't need to drive. Just ride with me.]
Yan Xi saw the message and, without much thought, simply replied with a "Okay."
Yuan Yi drove into the parking lot of the Imperial Capital TV building. Just as he reached the entrance of the corridor, a few men walked out.
"Yuan Yi?" Song Chao, who was impeccably dressed in a suit, stopped in his tracks. If he hadn't seen recent photos of Yuan Yi after he returned to China, he probably wouldn't have recognized him.
The two had been high school classmates for three years, but they weren't particularly close. Now, as business rivals, Song Chao didn't have much goodwill toward Yuan Yi.
It had been nine years, and Yuan Yi didn't remember what Song Chao looked like. Now, seeing a stranger call out to him, he slightly tilted his head, his expression distant.
"Three years as classmates, but it's been so long that we've become distant," Song Chao smiled, seemingly unbothered by Yuan Yi's cold attitude. "I'm Song Chao."
"So it's you," Yuan Yi said, casually putting his hands in his pockets, his voice lazy and low. "I heard you started a business overseas. How's it going?"
"No place is better than our motherland," Song Chao chuckled. "No matter how well I do overseas, I still want to come back and serve my country."
"Oh," Yuan Yi glanced at him. "I thought you returned because things weren't going well for you abroad and you needed your family's protection..." He changed the subject. "But with your capabilities, Song, I'm sure that's not the case."
The advertising department staff weren't familiar with Yuan Yi's background, but they could feel the intimidating aura he carried. None dared speak up, noticing that Song Chao and Yuan Yi didn't seem to be on good terms, worried that a confrontation might break out in the elevator.
"Mr. Yuan, you're here to discuss cooperation with the TV station, and yet you didn't bring an assistant?" Song Chao knew he couldn't continue the conversation with Yuan Yi. This man had a bit of a temper, and continuing might make both of them lose face.
"I'm having dinner with a friend," Yuan Yi turned his face slightly, exuding arrogance. "These small cooperation matters can be handled by my subordinates. No need for me to personally intervene."
Song Chao adjusted his glasses, his tone slightly cold: "Some things are better done personally."
Before Yuan Yi could respond, his phone rang.
"Mr. Yuan, have you reached the parking lot? Sorry, I'll be down right away."
"Yeah, okay." Yuan Yi hung up, holding his phone and stepping aside to stand still.
Song Chao saw his unbothered attitude and almost lost his smile. He turned and walked out. After all these years, this man seemed to be more polished, but his actions still made Song Chao uncomfortable.
"Everyone, no need to see me off. Please return to work," Song Chao told the advertising department staff. "Your programs are excellent, especially Miss Yan's program. It's quite interesting."
Yuan Yi, who had been standing in the corner, suddenly looked up at Song Chao. His eyes were sharp, but quickly, he lowered his head again, lazily leaning against the wall, his expression still devoid of emotion.
Back in the car, Song Chao's smile disappeared completely. He removed his glasses, opened the car window, and looked at the elevator entrance, thinking, "Let's see who Yuan Yi has his eye on."
If it's possible...
Yan Xi walked out of the elevator and saw Yuan Yi lazily leaning against the wall. "Mr. Yuan, sorry to keep you waiting."
Yuan Yi opened his eyes and scanned Yan Xi's long, straight legs, slowly speaking: "Your legs are short, but I forgive you."
Short? What nonsense, her legs were enviably long!
"I think..." Yan Xi patted her knee, "my legs are quite nice."
Yuan Yi raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"
Yan Xi smiled, cupping her face. "Of course, they can't compare to yours." Given that she was looking at Yuan Yi's sexy long legs, she could overlook his comment about hers.
"Let's go," Yuan Yi decided he shouldn't argue with a woman about leg length, it would make him look petty. "I was planning to invite you for a meal this weekend, but I'll be going abroad tomorrow, so I'll have to move it up."
"Actually, if you're busy, you don't have to invite me," Yan Xi coughed lightly. "Friends don't need to worry about these small things."
"Friends?" Yuan Yi took a step closer, towering over her. Yan Xi suddenly felt a sense of pressure.
Could it be... that he saw through her intention to attach herself to someone powerful?
"I've never had a friend of the opposite sex," Yuan Yi walked ahead, his back turned so Yan Xi couldn't see his expression.
"But since you want to be my friend, I'll reluctantly acknowledge you as one."
Should she thank him for this honor?
Yan Xi quickened her pace to catch up. "Mr. Yuan, I know your legs are long, but could you please walk a little slower?"
Yuan Yi suddenly stopped, and Yan Xi almost crashed into his back. Luckily, she was quick enough to cover her nose, avoiding any awkward body contact.
"Calling each other Mr. as friends?"
"It's not Mr., it's Mr. Yuan," she, a young, single woman, didn't casually call men 'Mr.'âwho knows who might get hurt. "Or... should I call you Yuan Yi?"
Before Yuan Yi could say anything, she mumbled, "Sounds like you're okay with it."
"Call me whatever you want," Yuan Yi shoved his hands in his pockets, showing his cold demeanor. "Come on, let's go."
"Can I call you Yuan Xiao'er?"
"Then I'll call you Yan Dahe. Are you okay with that?"
"That's fine. Friends all call me that. You can call me Dahe or Xiaoxi."
"..."
He knew this woman wasn't normal. Who would like being called "Dahe" all the time? Why not call her the Pacific Ocean?
Song Chao coldly watched as Yan Xi and Yuan Yi bickered and got in the car. Though he couldn't hear their conversation, their body language suggested they were quite familiar with each other. Thinking of how polite and formal Yan Xi had been with him, his expression grew colder.
Click.
His glasses were crushed out of the frame and casually tossed out the window. Hearing the sound of them hitting the ground, Song Chao felt some satisfaction. He rubbed his temple to mask the coldness in his eyes. "Take me home."
"Yes," came the assistant's reply in the quiet car.
After finishing the meal, Yan Xi realized Yuan Yi had drunk an entire bottle of drink. "Yuan Xiao'er, can't you handle spicy food?"
"Can you change the nickname?" Yuan Yi wiped his mouth. He was okay with being called Yuan Erge or Yi Ge, but why did she have to call him Yuan Xiao'er?
"I think Yuan Xiao'er is cute," Yan Xi lowered her eyes slightly. "If... you don't like it, never mind."
Seeing her act all pitiful, Yuan Yi knew she was putting on a show. But after holding back for a long time, he gritted his teeth and said, "Call me whatever you want, just don't use 'cute' for me. I'm a grown man, I don't want to be described that way."
Looking at his ears, which had turned red from the spice, Yan Xi nodded. "Oh."
She responded quickly, but her attitude was dismissive, and her expression was clearly uninterested.
Yuan Yi stared at her, speechless for a while, then simply turned and paid the bill, walking out of the restaurant with her.
Across from the restaurant, there was a movie theater. Yuan Yi, distracted by the giant flashing screen outside, asked out of the blue, "Want to watch a movie?"
"No, Uncle, we're not going," Yan Xi replied sarcastically.