Oh no.
Lu Ziqing looked at Lin Yu.
Now, that was a juicy piece of gossip.
Lin Yu’s face instantly turned as red as a tomato. “I didn’t! You’re remembering wrong!”
“You did,” Dr. Xie insisted. “That night, you drank way more than usual. It was past midnight when you suddenly called me—”
Lin Yu interrupted, “You’re half-asleep, I have work, I’m hanging up.”
He hastily ended the call.
Lu Ziqing leisurely took a sip of his milk. “You…”
“I didn’t,” Lin Yu immediately said. “He’s making things up.”
Lu Ziqing: “Then—”
Lin Yu cut him off in one breath, “We’re just regular friends. He was bored on the weekend, couldn’t find anyone to go with, so he asked me last-minute. Nothing else. Don’t overthink it.”
Lu Ziqing: “Uh…”
Lin Yu: “I also never told him I liked him in the middle of the night. I never drink at home. I don’t know what he’s talking about. He’s probably just not fully awake this early in the morning and spouting nonsense. Don’t believe him.”
Lu Ziqing: “…I haven’t even said anything yet. Why are you so defensive?”
Lin Yu unconsciously traced his index finger on the table. “Oh…”
Lu Ziqing looked at the man in front of him, suppressing a smirk.
He originally wanted to ask a few more questions, but seeing Lin Yu looking so awkward and on the verge of suffocating from embarrassment…
If he really pressed him, the guy would probably start rambling without punctuation again.
Lu Ziqing set down his cup. “I’m done eating.”
Lin Yu had already lost the mood to take his time with breakfast. He quickly finished the last bite of his sandwich and said, “Let’s go.”
To avoid being seen by colleagues, the two drove separately to the company.
When they arrived at the parking lot, they tacitly parked on opposite sides—one on the left, one on the right—keeping their distance as if separated by an invisible boundary.
Lu Ziqing twirled his key ring and headed up first.
Lin Yu stayed in the car for over ten minutes, waiting for his emotions to settle before finally heading inside to clock in.
He hadn’t expected Dr. Xie to call him so suddenly.
It had been months since that incident, and he thought Dr. Xie had long forgotten about it. After all, at the time, Dr. Xie hadn’t given him any kind of response—he had just sighed and said, “You’re drunk.” The next morning, when Lin Yu awkwardly apologized, Dr. Xie had merely smiled gently and said, “It’s okay, don’t worry about it.”
That was just the kind of person Dr. Xie was—always composed, always considerate.
Lin Yu had no idea why he suddenly brought it up again. And of all times, it had to be when Lu Ziqing was present.
The moment he heard it, his heart almost stopped.
Time seemed to freeze. Even the birds chirping outside felt like they had been cut off mid-song.
Snapping back to reality, he forcibly denied everything.
If this call had come a few months earlier, things might have been different.
But time had passed, and now… he had no other choice.
……
By the time Lin Yu walked into the office, his expression had returned to its usual serious and composed state.
The employees who had been chatting and eating breakfast immediately scattered like startled birds, hurrying back to their desks.
“Why is Director Lin’s face so red today?” Mi Lan whispered behind her notebook. “Did he get so angry looking at the company’s performance reports?”
Liang Zhi: “Probably the sun.”
Mi Lan: “He drives to work every day. How would he get sunburned?”
Liang Zhi: “Maybe he has allergies.”
“Nonsense,” Mi Lan retorted. “Liang, don’t think you can escape by playing dumb.”
Liang Zhi: “Escape from what? I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Mi Lan cackled. “You sure you’re not shading someone?”
She glanced outside and nudged her chin in a direction. “Look, someone’s already off to plead guilty.”
A sleek, well-groomed man was heading towards the manager’s office with a thick stack of reports in his arms.
It was Zhou Youyu, the head of the Design Department, who had just returned from a business trip.
Liang Zhi shook his head. “Not necessarily.”
Mi Lan: “I think Director Lin looks like the upright and unyielding type.”
Liang Zhi: “You’re saying that while wearing glasses with a seven-hundred-degree prescription. That’s embarrassing.”
Mi Lan flipped him off and turned to Lu Ziqing. “Ziqing, what do you think? Do you think Director Lin will let Zhou Youyu off the hook?”
Lu Ziqing didn’t even look up. “Doesn’t matter.”
Mi Lan: “How can you say Doesn’t matter?! This affects whether our work lives will be hell or not!”
Liang Zhi muttered, “No matter how bad it gets, we’ve endured under Zhou Youyu for this long already.”
Mi Lan lowered her voice. “Wanna bet?”
Liang Zhi: “Bet on what?”
Mi Lan: “Bet on whether Director Lin is here to clean up corruption or if he’ll just go along with Zhou Youyu.”
She declared, “I bet on the former.”
Liang Zhi: “And what’s the wager?”
Mi Lan gritted her teeth. “A bowl of snail noodles!”
Liang Zhi: “…Sounds like you don’t have much faith in him either.”
Mi Lan: “Less talk, more betting. Are you in or not?”
Liang Zhi raised his hands in surrender. “Fine, fine, I’m in.”
Mi Lan turned to Lu Ziqing. “Ziqing, what about you? Which side are you betting on?”
Lu Ziqing glanced between them before calmly saying, “I bet on a third option.”
Mi Lan & Liang Zhi: “?”
Lu Ziqing leaned back lazily. “Ever considered that maybe… he’s just a straight-laced, top-of-his-class type who’s completely outmatched by Zhou Youyu?”
…..
All morning, everyone who passed by the general manager’s office could see Zhou Youyu hovering around Director Lin, eager to please.
By noon, Zhou Youyu had personally driven Director Lin out of the company.
Those in the know were well aware—he was taking Lin Yu to “Wenxiang Ji.”
“Wenxiang Ji” was the most famous private dining restaurant in the area. Pricey, but high-class. Quiet, discreet, and safe.
Inviting a superior to dine at “Wenxiang Ji” had been Zhou Youyu’s go-to strategy for years.
Somehow, every time he finished a meal with someone, he’d leave them smiling and pleased.
That was how he had managed to stay untouchable in the company for so long.
Mi Lan leaned against the window, watching Zhou Youyu’s Mercedes drive off, and scowled. “Look at him, corrupting the leadership again.”
Liang Zhi smirked. “Looks like I’ll be having snail noodles for dinner.”
Mi Lan scoffed. “Tch, it’s just one meal. I still believe Director Lin won’t be so easily swayed.”
But neither of them returned to the office in the afternoon.
Rumor had it that after lunch, Zhou Youyu had personally taken Lin Yu on a tour of various project sites.
Mi Lan sneered, “Look at him, so proactive and enthusiastic about work. The moment he comes back, he’s already seeking credit and rewards.”
Liang Zhi said, “Stop being so bitter. Instead of complaining, you might as well draw a few more designs.”
Mi Lan huffed, “It’s because you’re too soft. All the work you did ended up being credited to Zhou Youyu. Otherwise, how could he have waited until you finished the project proposal and then completely sidelined you?”
Liang Zhi muttered weakly, “Why are you scolding me? I’m the victim here…”
Mi Lan snapped, “Silence is also a form of complicity!”
…..
As it got closer to the end of the workday, there was still no sign of them returning.
Lu Ziqing put down his pencil, wiped the graphite off his hands with a wet wipe, and sent a message to Lin Yu: [“Where are you?”]
He waited for a long time, but Lin Yu never replied.
The workday ended.
Mi Lan slung her bag over her shoulder and loudly discussed with Liang Zhi where to get spicy hot pot for dinner. Seeing that Lu Ziqing was still sitting at his desk without moving, she asked, “Aren’t you leaving?”
Lu Ziqing glanced at his phone, which still had no new messages, then stood up and said, “Let’s go.”
……
Lu Ziqing went home alone and made a simple dinner.
After eating, he cleaned up the dishes, played some games, watched a movie, and still, Lin Yu hadn’t returned home.
It wasn’t until after 8 p.m. that Lin Yu finally replied with a simple message: [Having dinner. Will be home late.]
Lu Ziqing: [With Zhou Youyu?]
Lin Yu took ten minutes to respond: [Mm.]
Lu Ziqing stared at the screen, watching his in-game health bar drop to zero. After a long pause, he typed: [Should I leave the door unlocked for you?]
Lin Yu: [I have my keys. Go to sleep first.]
Of course, Lu Ziqing knew he had his keys.
By all logic, Lin Yu was an adult—there was nothing to be concerned about.
But as his roommate and business partner, Lu Ziqing figured it was only right to check in. After all, an omega having a late-night meal with an alpha wasn’t entirely without risks.
After thinking for a moment, Lu Ziqing typed: [Be careful. Call me if anything happens.]
Lin Yu replied with a simple [Okay], then went silent.
…
By the time Lin Yu got home, it was already past 11 p.m.
At this hour, Lu Ziqing was definitely asleep.
Lin Yu quietly inserted his key into the lock. Just as he heard the soft “click,” the door suddenly swung open from the inside.
He froze, staring blankly at the doorway.
A tall man stood there, his head tilted slightly downward. The light behind him obscured his expression.
Inside, only a floor lamp was on, casting a warm and gentle glow.
Lin Yu: “You… haven’t slept yet?”
“Don’t get the wrong idea,” Lu Ziqing said. “I just got up to use the bathroom and happened to hear you opening the door.”
