He said it very calmly, not like a warning or a threat.
It was as if he was just stating a fact: if Li Qing continued following Xie Zhinan, there would be consequences.
And those consequences wouldn’t be simple.
Li Qing gritted his teeth, staring at the man in front of him. He could clearly tell that this man had an extraordinary status. The aura of elite superiority about him was innate. For someone of this level, Li Qing didn’t even need to be noticed.
Because such a person could be dealt with easily.
Twisted jealousy consumed Li Qing’s heart as he glared at Wen Yun, resenting why he wasn’t him, why he wasn’t that kind of person.
If he were, he could easily lock Xie Zhinan up.
Li Qing’s gaze was like a snake crawling in damp darkness—cold, sticky, and disgusting. It clung to Xie Zhinan’s face. Xie Zhinan didn’t like being looked at like that, so he instinctively turned his body slightly, as if wanting to hide behind Wen Yun.
Seeing his evasive movement, Li Qing’s expression darkened. But Wen Yun stood in front of him. Li Qing glared for a long time in silence before turning and leaving without a word.
His figure disappeared at the end of the road, and only then did Xie Zhinan let out a heavy sigh. He turned to Wen Yun and said, “Thank you, Mr. Wen.”
Wen Yun looked down at Xie Zhinan’s pale face and the redness on his eyelid but said nothing and didn’t move.
Xie Zhinan waited for a few seconds but didn’t receive a response. The broad, warm hand was still gripping his elbow, showing no sign of letting go. He then raised his head to look at Wen Yun.
Just as their eyes met, Xie Zhinan could almost see his own reflection in Wen Yun’s dark eyes, as if he were being intensely focused on.
“…Mr. Wen?” Xie Zhinan’s voice was weak as he called out again.
Wen Yun seemed to snap out of his trance, releasing his grip, and said, “Next time, if something like this happens, just call security.”
His hand left, and the spot where it had been held became cool from the breeze. The remaining warmth quickly faded. Xie Zhinan instinctively touched the spot with his other hand, as if trying to hold on to the warmth.
Seeing that Xie Zhinan was still in a daze, Wen Yun furrowed his brows slightly and said, “Did you hear me?”
Xie Zhinan, not wanting people from the company to find out, had purposely refrained from calling security. He muttered a vague “Mm.”
Wen Yun seemed to have guessed his thoughts. He glanced at him and said, “Our company doesn’t discriminate against gay people.”
Xie Zhinan thought to himself, well, of course. Since you’re gay, the company definitely wouldn’t discriminate.
Wen Yun seemed to sense his silent thoughts. His lips moved slightly but didn’t say anything. Instead, he smiled with a hint of helplessness, a very shallow smile.
Xie Zhinan didn’t know why he smiled, so he instinctively lowered his head to hide his suddenly warm cheeks.
“Let’s go back to the company,” Wen Yun said.
Thinking he could finally go home to relax, Xie Zhinan raised his head in confusion, “Huh?”
Wen Yun glanced at him and said, “Didn’t you say you still had unfinished work?”
Xie Zhinan was stunned, shocked, his pupils shaking in disbelief and despair.
Wasn’t that just an excuse?
Wen Yun really had work for him to do?
Xie Zhinan stared at him dumbfounded.
Wen Yun also lowered his head to look at him, the corners of his lips curling into a cold smile. “You don’t want to?”
Xie Zhinan: “…”
Xie Zhinan numbly said, “Of course not. I’m willing to go through fire and water for the company, even sacrifice my life for it.”
Wen Yun: “… I don’t think our company would ask you to go that far.”
Xie Zhinan dared not speak, only daring to glance at him, and then their eyes met again.
Wen Yun had been looking at him the whole time.
Xie Zhinan quickly averted his gaze, rapidly blinking his eyelashes a few times, and said, “I-I-I’ll get back to work right now!”
He quickly took a few steps forward, the evening breeze cooling his face slightly. Wen Yun watched him for a few seconds from behind, seemingly not liking the sight of Xie Zhinan walking away. His expression darkened, and he matched Xie Zhinan’s pace.
….
Inside the boss’s exclusive elevator, Xie Zhinan watched the floor indicator change.
This elevator led directly to the CEO’s office, but Xie Zhinan didn’t really understand why he was there. If he needed to work overtime, he thought he should be at his own workstation instead.
Before getting into the elevator, Xie Zhinan had subtly expressed his concerns to Wen Yun. Wen Yun glanced down, and immediately, Xie Zhinan felt a chill run down his spine from the intense gaze.
His instinct, sharp as that of a small animal, told him not to anger his boss any further. So, Xie Zhinan immediately softened, kept his mouth shut, and silently entered the elevator. He stood in the corner, staring at the elevator’s floor display, pretending to be a plant that couldn’t speak.
Wen Yun followed his gaze and noticed that he was staring at nothing more than an ordinary elevator floor display. He asked sincerely, “Is there something up there that I can’t see? Flowers or ghosts?”
Xie Zhinan, afraid of ghosts, shivered and quickly lowered his head, saying, “…N-no, nothing.”
Wen Yun coldly asked, “Then what’s on the floor?”
Xie Zhinan hesitated for a second, then turned his head to glance at Wen Yun. Wen Yun was looking at him, his eyes cold and clearly displeased.
Xie Zhinan mumbled, “Well, I can’t watch the surveillance… the security guard might think I’m a pervert.”
Wen Yun: “…”
Wen Yun took a deep breath.
Ding.
The top floor had arrived.
The twenty-second floor, an entire floor dedicated to the CEO’s office. Luckily, there weren’t many people around. The only one in the office was Lin Jing, the assistant Xie Zhinan had seen the other day. Lin Jing greeted Wen Yun and smiled at Xie Zhinan when he saw him.
Xie Zhinan, who was trying hard to make himself invisible, hoping Lin Jing didn’t recognize him: …
He was forced to turn on his social function and reluctantly cracked a stiff smile at Lin Jing.
Wen Yun coldly watched his failed attempt to be invisible and grabbed him, dragging him into his office.
Xie Zhinan, trembling, was pulled to the desk. Hesitantly, he asked, “Wen… Mr. Wen, what should I do?”
Wen Yun coldly replied, “I won’t have any inappropriate expectations from you, nor will I eat you.”
Xie Zhinan: “.”
Xie Zhinan: “Okay.”
Wen Yun grabbed a laptop, opened it, and the screen displayed a work file. It seemed he was really planning to make him work overtime.
Xie Zhinan felt an indescribable mix of emotions, unsure if he should feel relieved or something else. His expression was hard to read, and he remained silent for a moment.
Wen Yun noticed that Xie Zhinan seemed to have something on his mind, so he sat next to him, waiting for him to speak.
After thinking for a long time, Xie Zhinan finally mustered the courage to look at Wen Yun, his expression serious. Wen Yun also straightened up, waiting to hear what he would say—
“Overtime pay… is there any?”
Wen Yun: “…”
Wen Yun coldly said, “No.”
Xie Zhinan’s expression immediately became disappointed, his brows drooping. For a moment, Wen Yun could even read a trace of accusation and blame in his eyes.
The words “heartless capitalist” seemed like they were about to jump out of Xie Zhinan’s eyes and smash onto Wen Yun’s head.
But soon, it seemed like Xie Zhinan had managed to comfort himself. After all, Wen Yun had just helped him out, so he could consider it… a favor returned.
Xie Zhinan was quite adept at self-consolation, with a bit of the “Ah Q spirit” (a term for self-deception).
He obediently responded with a soft “Oh,” didn’t resist, and said, “Alright then.”
Wen Yun could clearly tell what he was thinking. In that moment, the boundaries between them became sharply defined—working without pay was just about repaying a favor. It seemed that, for now, they still didn’t have any kind of relationship.
Xie Zhinan had already resigned himself to his fate, starting to work, his expression focused and serious.
Wen Yun was so annoyed that his head ached, but he wasn’t going to give in to him. With a cold face, he tapped his fingers on the desk, the sound pulling Xie Zhinan’s attention back. Xie Zhinan turned his head and looked at Wen Yun, confused, and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Wen Yun coldly replied, “Open your phone. I’ll send you the overtime pay.”
Xie Zhinan hesitated, “Directly send it?”
“Don’t want it?”
Xie Zhinan was a bit unsure, feeling that this situation was strange, but Wen Yun didn’t even look up from his screen and said, “If you have such a strong sense of duty, you should come work overtime here every day from now on.”
Xie Zhinan was terrified and quickly handed over his phone, unlocking it as he did.
His phone was placed on the desk, and just then, it vibrated twice. Wen Yun glanced at the messages that popped up on the screen, and his brows slightly furrowed.
Xie Zhinan looked down and saw that the message was from Li Qing.
[Li Huajia]: Nannan
[Li Huajia]: You’re scared of me, why aren’t you scared of him?
[Li Huajia]: He’s actually no different from me
