MTY chapter 30

Lin Yu felt a bit uneasy. Although Lu Ziqing had agreed, his attitude was not very enthusiastic, almost perfunctory.

However, a few days later, Lin Yu felt relieved.

Rumors began to circulate from the company headquarters, not widespread but enough for those with some internal connections to catch wind.

It was said that the company president, Lu Zhaolin’s son, had suddenly gone mad one morning, knocking on Lu Zhaolin’s office door and demanding to break off an engagement with a certain wealthy young lady.

As for the reason—rumor had it that he had fallen in love with a seemingly ordinary, low-level company employee.

President Lu flew into a rage on the spot, flatly refusing and urging his son to marry the wealthy young lady within the year. He even threatened that if his son dared to continue the relationship, he would never spare the bold omega who seduced the Lu family’s only heir.

The news spread from the headquarters’ secretarial department, but its authenticity couldn’t be verified. No one had the nerve to ask directly.

Still, as the rumor circulated, more and more people began to half-believe it.

The story caused a stir at the headquarters, but at the branch office, not many people knew about it.

For instance, in the Design Department, Mi Lan was more concerned with another issue:

“Ziqing, why do you look so down lately, like a withered eggplant?”

Lu Ziqing lifted his head briefly, then quickly lowered it again. “Do I?”

“Yes,” Mi Lan affirmed. “You used to show up at work all dressed up like a peacock showing off its feathers. Now you look like a neutered puppy—all droopy and lifeless.”

“…Thank you,” Lu Ziqing said. “Your talent for metaphors is getting more and more impressive.”

Liang Zhi also looked up from his pile of documents and observed Lu Ziqing seriously. “You do seem a bit off lately. You hardly speak in the office. Did something happen at home?”

Lu Ziqing was silent for a moment. “Nothing.”

Mi Lan and Liang Zhi exchanged a glance.

Mi Lan probed, “I remember you and Director Lin used to get along well. You even gave him a ride after the last team-building event. But lately, you two hardly speak.”

It’s true that supervisors and subordinates don’t usually chat casually, but their avoidance had become so apparent that even when Director Lin asked about project progress, he would intentionally avoid Lu Ziqing.

Zhou Youyu had asked them a few times whether Lu Ziqing had offended Director Lin somehow, wondering why they had suddenly stopped talking.

Liang Zhi, always tight-lipped, merely said he didn’t know.

Mi Lan, however, would smile and tell Zhou Youyu, “You’re the department director. If you have questions, why not ask Lu Ziqing or Director Lin yourself? We’d like to know, too.”

Naturally, Zhou Youyu never asked anyone directly.

He became unusually quiet, behaving himself for several weeks.

Lu Ziqing began to lose patience.

One evening over dinner, he asked Lin Yu, “Do you think Zhou Youyu might have figured something out?”

Lin Yu shook his head. “I don’t know.”

Lu Ziqing put down his spoon. “If this plan fails, what do you intend to do?”

Lin Yu blew on his soup noodles, sipping slowly. “Then… keep waiting.”

Before Lin Yu was sent to manage the branch, President Lu had not specified how long he would stay. It could be a year, two years, or even ten or twenty years.

From an executive assistant to a branch manager and director, it looked like a promotion with real authority. However, being away from the company’s main operations for too long could make returning uncertain. His previous network connections would be nearly severed, making it almost like an exile.

Lu Ziqing had chosen to be at this branch himself. His father had insisted he start learning to take over the company. To show his resistance, Lu Ziqing chose the furthest and worst branch, hiding away as a low-level designer.

As for Lin Yu being “trained” at this location, it was hard to say whether it was largely because of Lu Ziqing.

Because Lu Ziqing was here, and because Lu Zhaolin wanted Lu Ziqing to have a “married” status, Lin Yu had been sent here.

Even if he returned to headquarters years later, by then, their sham marriage would have ended. The headquarters would be filled with young elites from prestigious universities, and Lin Yu would have wasted years in this remote city.

Lu Ziqing set down his chopsticks, propped his elbows on the table, and looked at Lin Yu.

Lin Yu glanced up. “What’s wrong?”

Out of nowhere, Lu Ziqing asked, “If things don’t work out, and you can’t return to headquarters or get promoted, will you resent me?”

Lin Yu was baffled. “Why would I? I can only execute the plan thanks to your help.”

Lu Ziqing hesitated. “Then, about me…”

His lips moved, but he suddenly stopped speaking.

Lin Yu asked, “What?”

“Nothing,” Lu Ziqing picked up his chopsticks again. “Let’s eat.”

…..

On an afternoon in late October, Lin Yu received a white package.

The package was delivered by the cleaning lady along with a pile of online shopping parcels. It was small, about the size of a palm.

After opening all his packages, Lin Yu found a portable hard drive inside the small parcel.

He hadn’t ordered a portable hard drive online.

After a moment of thought, he plugged it into his computer.

A few minutes later, the sound of shattering glass came from the director’s office.

Mi Lan happened to be passing by with a cup of water and jumped at the noise. “What happened, Director Lin?”

“Nothing,” Lin Yu’s expression was strange, his lips a bit pale. “…Just accidentally broke a cup.”

He closed the office door.

In the Design Department’s office, Zhou Youyu stretched lazily and opened a card game on his phone.

Liang Zhi glanced at him, surprised.

Ever since Director Lin had joined the company, Zhou Youyu hadn’t slacked off so openly during work hours—at least not when Director Lin was around.

But today, something seemed different.

He even had the game music playing out loud.

Noticing Liang Zhi’s look, Zhou Youyu raised his head and glared. “What are you staring at?”

Liang Zhi quickly lowered his head. “N-nothing.”

….

Lu Ziqing sat on the sofa at his apartment, flipping through a magazine. After a while, he looked up at the clock on the wall.

9:45.

It was already late at night. His phone lay on the coffee table beside him, not on silent mode, but he still checked it every so often.

This way, he wouldn’t miss any messages.

9:50.

10:00.

10:20 p.m.

…

At 10:31 p.m., the door of the apartment was knocked.

Lu Ziqing immediately went to open the door.

Lin Yu was wearing a loose gray jacket for early autumn, wrapped in a chill, his expression indifferent.

“Zhou Youyu has gone crazy,” Lin Yu said. “He just ran into the office, threatened me to delay the progress of the sales contract case, or else he’d send all the recordings, photos, and videos to President Lu.”

Lu Ziqing took the laptop bag from his hand. “The sales contract case?”

He had some impression of it but wasn’t very familiar. It seemed to be a case from a few years ago.

Lin Yu went to the kitchen to pour himself a cup of hot lemon tea, leaned against the dining table, and spoke while drinking:

“Two years ago, he received a batch of payments without a signed contract, only verbal authorization, and the transactions were all through bank transfers. Later, a large final payment was never settled. The court hearing was originally scheduled for last month but had already been postponed twice. I told him it couldn’t be delayed any longer, but he apparently thinks otherwise.”

Lu Ziqing felt something was off. “Even if he didn’t sign the contract back then, they should proceed legally. Why is he avoiding the hearing?”

Unless…

The two exchanged a glance.

Lin Yu nodded slightly. “What if the plaintiff and the defendant are actually working together?”

…

A week later, Zhou Youyu was caught at the airport.

The flight was headed to a small country in Western Europe. The plane took off on time, but it was missing one passenger.

Zhou Youyu had taken all the money he could within his authority, some of which was intentionally left by Lin Yu as bait. Desperate gamblers often fail to see reality and are more likely to make mistakes in critical moments.

Before leaving, Zhou Youyu even tried to steal confidential company documents, probably to gain more leverage for himself. However, when he opened the file bag, he only found stacks of old newspapers filled with sensational celebrity gossip.

When captured, Zhou Youyu kept shouting that he was just a pawn and that there was someone else behind it all. However, identifying that person was no longer Lin Yu’s concern.

Lin Yu asked Lu Ziqing whether President Lu would truly send a relative to prison.

From his understanding, it seemed unlikely.

Everyone knew President Lu valued relationships and reputation. He wasn’t the type to make a bloody spectacle out of family conflicts.

Lu Ziqing’s answer was straightforward: “Not my problem.”

Lin Yu, aware of his temper, wasn’t upset. Instead, he said thoughtfully, “The world is really unfair. What you want and what you have are always at odds. If I were President Lu’s son, born to inherit all the Lu family’s assets, I’d be burning incense every day, thanking Buddha.”

Lu Ziqing: “You’d be better off thinking about how to thank me.”

Lin Yu turned to look at him.

Lu Ziqing scoffed: “If I hadn’t spoken to the secretariat, how would those rumors have spread? Hey, I even put my own reputation on the line to help you bait Zhou Youyu.”

Lin Yu thought for a moment: “How about I treat you to a meal? Do you want a buffet or something else?”

Lu Ziqing’s brows furrowed. “I helped you this much, and you just want to treat me to a meal?”

Lin Yu then remembered he still owed Lu Ziqing a promise.

As previously agreed, if Lu Ziqing helped him with this, he would unconditionally fulfill one request.

Lin Yu asked seriously: “Go ahead. I’ll keep my word.”

The early autumn sunlight shone warmly on his face, casting a pale yellow glow. His pupils turned a light amber, as beautiful as a doll in a boutique.

Lu Ziqing lowered his eyes, staring at him. “Anything?”

“Yes.”

“Even if it’s something difficult for you to do?”

“I’ll try my best.”

“Alright,” Lu Ziqing’s lips curled slightly. “Keep this weekend free and go on a date with me.”