The Encounter in the Restroom

“That car downstairs has been parked in front of our company for days now.”

“I think it’s that new model that just launched. You can’t get one for less than seven figures. Wonder which rich young heir or heiress it belongs to.”

“Ugh, there are so many rich people in the world—would it kill the universe to make me one of them?!”

“Right?! Who exactly stole my life as a trust-fund baby!”

A man and a woman stood by the window, staring outside and venting their indignation. It was the peak of the afternoon sun; the scorching light reflected off the glass of the neighboring office buildings, creating a blinding glare.

Chu Nian stifled a yawn. Hearing their conversation, he couldn’t help but let his lips curl into a small smile.

“You don’t think… our President Shen hooked up with some rich sugar mommy, do you?” one of them asked, as if they had just stumbled upon a piece of earth-shattering gossip.

“Huh…?” The other widened their eyes. “That poor woman.”

“I agree. Even if President Shen is good-looking, with that temper of his, even a stray dog passing by would get scolded twice.”

“Chu Nian, don’t just sit there laughing.”

Being suddenly called out, Chu Nian blinked innocently at them, coming out of his daze after a few seconds. “Hmm?”

The two huddled around him, pointing out the window. “Haven’t you noticed that car downstairs?”

Chu Nian thought for a moment. “No.”

He had been suffering from insomnia lately and struggled to wake up in the mornings, so he usually rushed out the door at the last possible second. He barely had time to clock in on time, let alone worry about a car that had been parked outside for days.

Just as he thought this, a wave of sleepiness hit him right on schedule. Chu Nian rubbed his aching eyes, listening half-heartedly as the two continued to gossip.

The conversation spiraled further into absurdity. Just as one of them shouted indignantly, “I want a sugar mommy to support me too!” a sudden, cold voice interrupted them.

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

The moment Chu Nian heard that voice, the sleepiness in his mind vanished instantly. His physical instincts seemed to recoil in protest, and he couldn’t help but frown.

“Hello, Supervisor Ye,” the two beside Chu Nian greeted obediently, bowing slightly.

One had to admit, this new Supervisor Ye had some skill. He had been here for less than a week and had already managed to get on good terms with everyone in the company—except for Chu Nian.

Ever since their first meeting, Chu Nian had made a point of avoiding him. The vibe Supervisor Ye gave off was unsettling; Chu Nian felt he could always see a shadow of Pei Yu in the man.

He pressed his lips thin.

Supervisor Ye stood behind Chu Nian, but his gaze was fixed on the other two, acting as if he hadn’t noticed Chu Nian at all. “The car downstairs belongs to the young President Lu of Lansheng. He’s been coming over these past few days; likely a collaboration with President Shen.”

Chu Nian froze.

Lu Jinnian is here at Huanxing?

At that moment, Chu Nian felt a touch on his shoulder—a faint, lingering sensation. He tilted his head slightly, catching a glimpse of the hand resting there out of the corner of his eye.

Supervisor Ye was still chatting and laughing with the others, but his hand was restlessly stuck to Chu Nian, even giving an intentional squeeze every now and then. His expression remained perfectly natural, as if he were doing something ordinary. Chu Nian lowered his eyes, his face darkening.

He felt an intense loathing for this creepy sensation.

Chu Nian stood up abruptly, causing his office chair to roll back several steps. It happened to collide right into Supervisor Ye. Caught off guard, the hard back of the chair slammed into the man’s side, and Supervisor Ye let out a cry of pain as he clutched his hip.

He frowned deeply and turned toward Chu Nian, only to find the man looking down at him. Chu Nian’s eyes were dark and heavy, with not a trace of his usual gentle, jade-like demeanor.

The other two were startled by Chu Nian’s reaction. Even though he hadn’t actually done anything aggressive, they instinctively felt he was not someone to be trifled with right now.

In the next second, Chu Nian suddenly smiled, masking his previous emotions. His lips curved into a perfect arc, giving off the illusion of gentleness once more.

“I’m so sorry, Supervisor Ye. I didn’t know you were standing behind me.”

His voice was clear and refreshing, making his words sound sincere. The people around him were left stunned.

After speaking, Chu Nian raised his hand as if brushing off dust and patted his shoulder twice. His gaze drifted slowly to Supervisor Ye’s face. Seeing the man’s expression turn from shock to gritted teeth, Chu Nian looked away. “Excuse me, I need to use the restroom.”

As he left, he heard Supervisor Ye’s inner voice behind him—

[This brat… did that on purpose.]

Chu Nian lowered his head, pretending not to hear. He entered the restroom and turned on the faucet. His slender fingers were drenched as the transparent liquid slid down his fingertips. He looked into the mirror, then used his wet fingers to wipe his shoulder.

Even though there was nothing there, he felt as if that touch was still clinging to his skin.

A patch of his white shirt darkened as it clung to his skin, faintly revealing his flesh. The overhead light cast a shadow beneath his eyelids. Chu Nian paused, feeling an unshakeable gloom radiating from his own reflection.

Just then, the restroom door opened. Supervisor Ye walked in with a blank expression and stood beside Chu Nian. He turned on the faucet—cranking it to the maximum—until the room was filled with the loud, splashing sound of water hitting the sink.

Chu Nian glanced at him, turned off his own water, and grabbed a paper towel to dry his hands. He intended to leave without a word, but sudden footsteps from behind, mixed with Supervisor Ye’s voice, reached his ears.

“Chu Nian, what exactly is your relationship with President Shen?”

His tone was that of an interrogation.

Chu Nian paused, his brow furrowing. He didn’t quite understand the point of the question.

“Don’t want to say?” Supervisor Ye walked in front of Chu Nian, blocking his path. “Your family isn’t well-off, is it? Your mother is sick, I believe. I’ve looked into it—the expenses for a psychiatric patient are much higher than those for a regular patient. Your salary isn’t high; how are you paying for such expensive medical fees?”

Chu Nian turned around, visible anger on his face. “You investigated me?”

Supervisor Ye shrugged. “I just overheard it while chatting. I only listened to a couple of extra sentences.”

Chu Nian ground his back teeth. The man was retaliating for being hit by the chair.

Seeing Chu Nian’s expression sour, Supervisor Ye smiled even more broadly. He leaned down toward Chu Nian, his ordinary face becoming truly loathsome.

“Don’t you want to know what else I heard in those ‘extra sentences’?”

Chu Nian said nothing, merely staring at him coldly.

“For example, how at the last party, you were drunk and left while being all over Shen Que, and then went to open a…”

He intentionally trailed off at a suggestive point, tilting his head with a provocative look.

Chu Nian let out a sharp “Tsk.” “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“And I have no relationship with President Shen whatsoever.”

“Is that so?” Supervisor Ye raised an eyebrow, sighing nonchalantly. “Do you think if I spread this story and add a little flavor to it, many people will believe you truly have nothing to do with him?”

Chu Nian went still. “What exactly do you want?”

“Isn’t it obvious what I want?” Supervisor Ye’s expression was triumphant. “Whatever Shen Que can give you, I can give you too. And I’ll treat you even better.”

“To be honest, I really like your face.”

His hand reached out toward Chu Nian. Chu Nian instinctively leaned back, recoiling from the touch.

Suddenly, urgent footsteps sounded from outside. Supervisor Ye’s hand froze as he turned nervously to see who was coming. Chu Nian looked up just as a gust of wind brushed past him, nearly ruffling the hair at his temples.

The person was moving too fast—almost a blur. Chu Nian couldn’t even tell who it was.

Both he and Supervisor Ye froze in place; Supervisor Ye even remained in his reaching posture until the uninvited guest emerged from a stall.

Chu Nian narrowed his eyes. The newcomer walked to the sink with a crutch and washed his hands, staring directly at his own reflection in the mirror before curling his lips into a confident smile.

Chu Nian couldn’t help but frown.

The person who just sprinted in like a track star was Lu Jinnian?!

Chu Nian’s eyes slid down to Lu Jinnian’s bandaged foot. He had gone to the hospital to have the cast removed a few days ago; the doctor said he was recovering well and would be completely healed soon.

Then, Lu Jinnian turned around. Seeing Chu Nian and Supervisor Ye, his expression turned exaggerated, a flash of surprise in his eyes. However, he didn’t look at Chu Nian; his gaze was fixed on the man standing beside him.

In the next second, Lu Jinnian raised a finger and pointed at Supervisor Ye.

“You’re Ye…” His lips moved, and he frowned as if trying to recall a name that was just out of reach.

“Ye Linen,” Supervisor Ye supplied.

Lu Jinnian looked enlightened. “Right, Ye Linen. I remember you.”

Chu Nian raised an eyebrow and glanced at Supervisor Ye. The latter looked equally shocked, never having imagined the boss of Lansheng would remember him.

Overjoyed, he stepped forward, wanting to shake Lu Jinnian’s hand but not quite daring to. His movements and expression became incredibly cramped as he rubbed his hands against his thighs. “I… I only helped run a few errands before. I didn’t think President Lu would remember me…”

Lu Jinnian wore a faint smile and proactively extended his hand to grasp Supervisor Ye’s palm.

The smooth-talking Supervisor Ye actually blushed. With Lu Jinnian taking the initiative, he dropped all pretenses. He pushed up his glasses and gripped Lu Jinnian’s hand tightly, rambling on about things that might make Lu Jinnian remember him even better.

In his mind, being remembered by Lu Jinnian was a golden ticket. If Lu Jinnian headhunted him to Lansheng, it would be the turning point of his life.

Supervisor Ye rambled on, sweat even appearing on his brow from excitement. He didn’t notice that Lu Jinnian wasn’t paying attention to a word he said. Lu Jinnian just leaned against the sink, his expression gradually cooling. It was unclear how much he was actually hearing. His dark eyes scanned the room before finally landing on Chu Nian.

Chu Nian, being stared at for no apparent reason, looked back. Before he could react to whatever Lu Jinnian’s gaze meant, the man quickly looked away.

“…So, what were you and this employee doing here just now?” Seeing that Supervisor Ye showed no signs of stopping, Lu Jinnian interrupted him. “I think I heard something about… liking your face?”

He raised an eyebrow, staring down at the shorter man with dim, cold eyes.

Supervisor Ye turned pale and hurriedly explained, terrified: “President Lu misheard. Chu Nian and I are on good terms; we were just joking around.”

Hearing this, Chu Nian lowered his head and let out a cold laugh. Supervisor Ye put a hand behind his back and made a shooing motion, trying to get him to leave.

“Are you free right now, Supervisor Ye?” Lu Jinnian looked at him with a half-smile.

“I’m free! I’m free! I’m always free whenever President Lu needs me!” Supervisor Ye nodded vigorously, proactively reaching out to support Lu Jinnian and carefully leading him out.

As the two passed by Chu Nian, he turned his head and caught Lu Jinnian’s eye.

The man had a cold, stoic face and tightly pursed lips, yet Chu Nian heard a single thought—

[Hi, Wife.]