Ling Wei did not fail to notice that Huo Qijun was being insincere; he just couldn’t get a read on Assistant Yu Yu and was uneasy about letting Huo Qijun assign him any important tasks.
When he found Assistant Yu Yu—whose full name was Yu Yu—he said nothing more. Instead, he silently formed the words ‘Old Madam Huo’ with his lips, successfully stunning the assistant and leading him to the café downstairs.
At this hour, everyone was at work, so the coffee shop wasn’t crowded, making it a perfect spot to talk while sitting in a corner.
“What does Mr. Ling mean by this?” Yu Yu managed to maintain his composure. He still harbored some hope; if Ling Wei had evidence, it would be enough to hand it over directly to Huo Qijun without needing to meet him privately.
However, he knew that even if Ling Wei couldn’t produce evidence, as long as he expressed his suspicions to Huo Qijun, the choice of whom to trust among employees and friends would naturally lean towards the latter.
But Ling Wei soon shattered that hope. In fact, Yu Yu’s actions were not covert; he was not a seasoned commercial warfare expert, and any phone or chat records could be easily traced.
“You know Ah Qi’s temper,” Ling Wei couldn’t allow Huo Qijun to make careless decisions, but he didn’t mind scaring Yu Yu. After all, this was a world where legal awareness was nearly nonexistent; threats from Huo Qijun held more weight than anything else.
Indeed, cold sweat instantly broke out on Yu Yu’s face.
“Why not talk directly to President Huo?” The more anxious he became, the faster his mind raced. “I guess I still have some use for you!”
Ling Wei flashed him a smile, though it didn’t reach his eyes. He rarely treated others unfriendly, but thinking of the subjective malice this person exhibited towards Xiao Qing from the original work made it hard for him not to feel disgust, even though the situation had not yet unfolded.
“I do have something I need you to do. Not informing Ah Qi about your situation is because I’m concerned that he might not tolerate any betrayal, and would rather go far to teach you a lesson.”
He continued leisurely, “Of course, if you do well, I won’t tell Ah Qi anything further, but I can’t rest easy keeping you at his side. You can resign on your own after everything is over, leaving with dignity and safety. How does that sound?”
Yu Yu’s expression wavered. “You want me to help Young Master Huo deal with Director Huo?”
“This shouldn’t be unfamiliar territory for you, right?” Ling Wei’s tone was gentle, yet filled with sarcasm.
“Alright!” Yu Yu gritted his teeth. “But how can I trust that you will let me go afterwards?”
“If you don’t believe me, what can I do?” Ling Wei felt he was being too conniving; how could someone truly be assured of being released once they held blackmail over another?
But perhaps Yu Yu desperately needed some form of support at that moment; he was well aware of whether this lifeline could truly save him.
Thus, Ling Wei pondered for a moment and said, “Unless absolutely necessary, I don’t want Ah Qi to experience betrayal from someone he trusts. It’s best if you can leave on your own.”
Yu Yu hadn’t expected such a response. He froze for a brief moment, as if suddenly coming to a realization.
“I understand now.” He finally made up his mind. “What happens after…?”
“Afterwards, contact me directly with any news. I will obscure the true source of information from Ah Qi.”
Ling Wei provided his contact details, but Yu Yu hesitated, looking troubled. “You easily discovered my communication with Director Huo. She’s much more cautious than Young Master Huo; does she not have the means to track this down?”
Ling Wei thought it would be difficult for her to find out; he had only succeeded due to his system’s unprecedented advantages. However, he couldn’t make any guarantees regarding Yu Yu’s concerns.
As he contemplated a suitable excuse, he said, “If there’s news, arrange to meet me. If Ah Qi or Old Madam Huo asks, just say I’ve been pursuing you recently.”
“Um… huh?” Yu Yu was taken aback.
“Ah Qi knows my sexual orientation and won’t suspect anything. As for Old Madam Huo, feel free to invent whatever story you want.”
Without giving Yu Yu a chance to consider it, Ling Wei glanced at his watch, stood up, and added, “Starting tomorrow, I will have someone deliver a bouquet of flowers to you every day as a pretense. This way, our occasional meetings will seem natural.”
“……Alright.”
Chapter 18
By noon, Ling Wei hurried back to find Huo Qijun for lunch, but the young master’s mood had yet to return to normal.
Fortunately, he knew very well that it was unreasonable to be upset; if Ling Wei pressed him for details, he wouldn’t even have a decent reason to offer. Thus, he kept his frustration to himself, not consciously expressing it for Ling Wei to see. In a casual moment between bites, he pretended to ask, “What was it you discussed with Assistant Yu this morning?”
“Oh, nothing much, just getting to know each other,” Ling Wei set the stage for the facade of pursuing Yu Yu.
This sounded simple enough, but with a closer examination, it certainly carried a hint of ambiguity. A sudden interest in knowing someone else should imply some degree of favorable feelings towards that person for further acquaintance.
Huo Qijun naturally caught on to the implications and instantly lost his appetite.
Throughout the meal, he kept reminiscing about what distinguished this newly promoted assistant, but the answers seemed disappointingly mundane.
All he could say was that Yu Yu had a pretty decent appearance, just barely meeting height requirements, and he was half a head shorter than him. His temperament was also unremarkable…
Under Huo Qijun’s somewhat skewed judgment, Yu Yu hardly possessed any standout qualities; everything just barely complied with the standard.
The only aspect Huo Qijun was willing to admit was that Yu Yu’s looks were somewhat closer to Ling Wei’s aesthetic than Fu Tianlan’s.
Yet even this realization did little to improve his mood.
“Why have you only eaten so little?” Ling Wei asked as he noticed Huo Qijun chewing each bite like it was wax. By the end, he had barely eaten anything.
“It’s not tasty,” Huo Qijun replied dismissively.
Ling Wei was puzzled; this food was cooked by a professional chef, wasn’t it much better than what Fu Xiaoqing made?