“Are you kidding me? Huo Qijun thought this was completely unacceptable. What would it be like for a single man and woman to be alone in one room?! Even if Lin Wei preferred men, it did not change the fact that he was different from Fu Xiaoqing!”
Before he could voice his objections, the voice on the other end continued, “Don’t even suggest sending her over to your place, or she might get scared off. At first, she even wanted to come home to cook three meals a day and deliver them to you. If I hadn’t offered my own place, you wouldn’t even get a chance to eat together; you’d only be stuck with takeout!”
“……” Here we go again. Huo Qijun felt like he had been rendered speechless by Lin Wei’s scolding more times in the past few days than he could count, and ironically, Lin Wei was genuinely helping him. He wanted to retort, but could hardly find an angle from which to do so without coming off as ungrateful.
For now, he couldn’t argue this point, so he clicked his tongue and shifted the topic, “Let’s discuss that when we meet! I want to ask, what did you do with that guy from the bar the other day?”
Lin Wei’s eyelid twitched, and he replied casually, “I sent him to another city for a ‘development project,’ what’s wrong with that?”
“You just let him off the hook like that?” Huo Qijun was still not satisfied.
Lin Wei advised, “He was demoted and had his salary cut, plus it was reported to the entire company. I thought that was enough. He has a family depending on him, so I didn’t want to completely ruin him.”
“…Why show any mercy to someone like that?” Huo Qijun muttered under his breath. However, hearing about the man’s family made him abandon thoughts of punishing him further. He had previously regarded that man as nothing more than a sleazy individual, thinking it was a waste of resources for trash like him to exist, never considering the implications of his actions on others.
Now that was behind them, and after discussing a few matters regarding Fu Xiaoqing’s brother, Huo Qijun had to drive and ended the call.
After hanging up, Lin Wei took a deep breath, and then irritably poked the system.
[What’s going on?! Wasn’t I supposed to be watching Huo Qijun? How could I not know he was secretly investigating that man?!]
The system replied innocently: [He didn’t ask me because he found nothing! While he had someone checking, I encrypted the transfer documents for those three people! If he can’t find anything, he can’t do anything, so I didn’t mention it to you, just wrote it in the weekly work log.]
[Fine!] Lin Wei took a moment to calm down: [Sorry, it was a false alarm, I got too excited.]
Even though he had considered the possibility of Huo Qijun seeking revenge, he had always treated Huo Qijun like a kitten. Seeing that ‘rebellious child’ reveal its claws was quite unsettling for him.
He quickly rebalanced his mindset. Huo Qijun followed closely behind; as he helped Fu Xiaoqing bring dishes from the kitchen, Huo Qijun entered using his code, and as Lin Wei emerged from the kitchen, he saw Huo Qijun standing in the living room with a sullen expression watching them.
There was no helping it; the scene looked so much like newlywed couples inviting him over to their new home for dinner that even a glance felt suffocating.
Lin Wei could only pull him aside to speak quietly: “Do you really want to pursue her, or will you keep giving her the cold shoulder every day?”
Huo Qijun adjusted his glasses, coldly stating, “This expression is directed at you!”
“…I’m not interested in seeing it, so put it away.”
“……”
The two locked eyes for a few seconds, and in the end, Ho Qi Jun relented, speaking first: “You can’t live with her!”
Lin Wei shrugged, indicating he was powerless to change things: “I already told you, she’s scared of you and doesn’t want to go to your place!”
On this matter, Ho Qi Jun had mentally prepared a rebuttal on his way back. After hesitating for just a moment, he declared firmly: “Let her stay here alone, and you move to my place!”
After that phone call, Lin Wei really felt it was necessary to keep a close eye on Ho Qi Jun. The spoiled, aloof demeanor of a young master paired with the high execution power of a domineering CEO created a powerful mix.
But Lin Wei did not immediately agree, pretending to ponder for a moment when Fu Xiaoqing called them to dinner.
“We’ll discuss it later.” He patted Ho Qi Jun on the shoulder and walked away.
Naturally, Ho Qi Jun understood Lin Wei’s concerns. In his eyes, Lin Wei and Fu Xiaoqing had a distinct boundary, but perhaps for Lin Wei, Ho Qi Jun was the one who crossed those boundaries. Regardless, there was no room for negotiation; he absolutely would not agree to have those two shamelessly ‘cohabiting’ next door!
At the dining table, Ho Qi Jun indeed lived up to the other two’s expectations. He glanced over and instantly frowned, “Is this all we’re going to have?”
Lin Wei didn’t give him the chance to continue. He jumped in, almost stepping on Ho Qi Jun’s last word: “I originally planned to serve boiled dishes to lighten your stomach’s burden, but Xiaoqing said you wouldn’t last without flavor, so you even got this much to eat.”
“…She’s right.” Ho Qi Jun picked up his bowl to serve himself, as if the person who had just complained wasn’t him at all.
The food turned out to taste quite good; Fu Xiaoqing had tasted it while cooking. Lin Wei had just been lying for her—a fact that was evident as she followed the recipe they provided. It might look bland, but the flavors were definitely noteworthy.
The one person who could have nitpicked the meal remained quiet, and they finally made it through dinner successfully. With this good start, Fu Xiaoqing visibly gained confidence in her upcoming work.
After the meal, Fu Xiaoqing took the initiative to handle the cleanup. Ho Qi Jun, still harboring thoughts about making Lin Wei move in with him, dragged Lin Wei along, finally stopping by the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room.
“Give me an answer now: Are you moving or not?” Ho Qi Jun demanded intensely, staring straight into Lin Wei’s eyes.
That strange feeling rose up in Lin Wei again. To be honest, after spending the past few days together, many details made him vaguely think that Ho Qi Jun didn’t quite like Fu Xiaoqing as much as he was letting on. It seemed like he was simply methodically paying attention to her and pursuing her feelings, getting angry for her, and getting jealous on her behalf.
The specific reactions he displayed appeared to be due to Fu Xiaoqing, but after what happened at the bar, his rage seemed directed at Fu Xiaoqing—whom he had just frightened—without any signs of tenderness. Ironically, he didn’t seem to care much for the frightened Fu Xiaoqing herself, yet he didn’t want to let go of the instigator who hadn’t even caused any significant trouble.