Chapter 47: Whoever Catches Him, He Belongs to Them
Fu Xingjian was quiet for a few seconds before smiling. “He probably hasn’t had the time to tell us yet. When are you leaving?”
Auntie Chen placed the bags to the side, her tone familiar. “I heard Madam and Master say it seems to be this Friday. The tickets are booked; we’re leaving first thing in the morning.”
Fu Xingjian nodded, smiling gently and politely at her. “Thank you, Auntie Chen. We understand.”
Auntie Chen was slightly dazzled by his smile and couldn’t help muttering, “You Young Masters aren’t getting any younger. It’s time to settle down. How come I never see you dating any girls?”
Gu Yanxiu, who had been silent, looked up at her upon hearing this. After a moment, his lips curled into his usual gentle smile. “I already have someone I like. Still pursuing him. He’s very hard to win over.”
Auntie Chen couldn’t help but glance up at them in surprise, yet still comforted them, “Good things take time. Both of you Young Masters are so outstanding, you will definitely get what your hearts desire.”
The smile on Gu Yanxiu’s lips gradually deepened. “Then I’ll borrow Auntie Chen’s auspicious words.”
Since they weren’t in a hurry to leave, Auntie Chen brewed them another pot of chrysanthemum tea. “The weather easily causes internal heat lately. You should drink more chrysanthemum tea to clear it.”
After speaking, she grabbed a bag of what looked like trash, ready to head out. Fu Xingjian caught a glimpse of a suspicious patch of green inside. His hand, holding the teacup, paused mid-air. “Is Auntie Chen going out to throw the trash?”
Auntie Chen nodded. “These are some unwanted things the Young Master cleared out. I forgot to throw them away a couple of days ago.”
She felt it was a pity for many things inside. But since the master had thrown them away, it meant he didn’t like them anymore and didn’t want to see them in the house. Naturally, she wouldn’t keep them for herself or sell them, which would only annoy her employers.
The Wen family paid her very generously; such behavior was too unseemly.
Fu Xingjian didn’t say anything more, but the expression in his eyes deepened considerably.
Gu Yanxiu, beside him, noticed something amiss. He scoffed and spoke unhurriedly, “Out with the old, in with the new. Some things indeed ought to be thrown away.”
When Auntie Chen returned, he set down his teacup and took his leave. “I have matters at the company, so I’ll be going first.”
Gu Yanxiu stood up as well, his demeanor gentle and composed as always. “Auntie Chen, I hope you won’t mention today’s conversation to Ah Yu. We want to prepare a farewell surprise for him.”
It took Auntie Chen several seconds to realize he was talking about their departure on Friday. A knowing smile immediately spread across her face. “Don’t worry, Young Masters. My lips are sealed.”
The two stood up and walked out together. As they passed the trash can near the main gate, Fu Xingjian’s footsteps faltered for a second.
Sure enough, everything he had ever given him was there: cufflinks, a tie clip, the watch, the phone, the bracelet—a clutter of small items gathered together and discarded like worthless garbage.
His driver hadn’t arrived yet. Fu Xingjian expressionlessly lit a cigarette. Through the curling smoke, his calm yet scrutinizing gaze fell upon the man opposite him.
“What do you say?”
Boiling the frog in warm water clearly wasn’t working. The frog was too alert; it wanted to run away before the water even started to heat up.
Gu Yanxiu maintained his modest gentleman persona. He raised a hand to adjust the rimless glasses on his high nose bridge and smiled slightly. “Then let’s each rely on our own abilities.”
“Whoever catches him, he belongs to them.”
Wen Yuhuai watched through the window as the two got into their respective cars. Only then did he open his door and head downstairs.
Auntie Chen was in the kitchen preparing lunch. Wen Yuhuai stood in the living room for a moment before heading to the kitchen.
“Auntie Chen, when did they leave?”
Auntie Chen glanced at the time and said, “They left about half an hour ago. Did the Young Master need them for something?”
Wen Yuhuai shook his head and continued asking, “Did he ask you anything?”
Auntie Chen immediately remembered the instructions from the two Young Masters. Smiling, she deliberately changed the subject. “Oh my, what could they possibly ask me? They just saw I wasn’t busy and chatted with me for a bit. What does the Young Master want for lunch?”
Those two Young Masters were old friends with her own Young Master; she naturally trusted them completely and “kindly” kept their little surprise a secret.
Wen Yuhuai lowered his guard slightly and replied casually, “I love whatever Auntie Chen makes.”
Auntie Chen smiled, her eyes crinkling, shooed him out of the kitchen, and went back to washing and chopping vegetables.
After lunch, Wen Yuhuai and Wen Yuzhou went to the company. Some matters weren’t fully handed over yet and required their presence.
As soon as they walked through the company doors, he heard someone uncertainly call out to him, “Second… Young Master Wen?”
Wen Yuhuai turned his head and found it was actually the female lead.
She and several others were sitting in the reception area, looking as though they were there for an interview.
“Do… do you still remember me? I’m the one from the banquet the other night…”
She seemed very excited to see him, a blush coloring her cheeks, yet she maintained her composure and stayed where she was, not stepping forward.
Wen Yuhuai smiled and took over her sentence. “I remember you, Xia Muning.”
Xia Muning’s face instantly turned completely red. She stood there, somewhat at a loss, her posture stiffening.
Wen Yuhuai continued, “Are you here for an interview?”
Xia Muning nodded, afraid he would misunderstand her previous job as a waitress, and explained, “Second Young Master Wen, I was only a temp there. I majored in Financial Management in college. I came for the interview because I believe I’m capable of handling the position.”
Wen Yuhuai nodded, throwing in a word of encouragement. “I believe in you. Good luck with the interview.”
After saying that, he quickened his pace to catch up with Wen Yuzhou ahead of him. The elevator happened to arrive, and the two stepped in side-by-side.
Wen Yuzhou lifted his eyelids for a glance. “Know her?”
Wen Yuhuai: “Saw her at the banquet a couple of days ago.”
Wen Yuzhou probed further, “A lady from which family?”
Wen Yuhuai paused, then continued, “You probably heard about it. During the banquet, a waitress accidentally spilled wine on Miss Xu’s dress.”
The banquet had gone quite smoothly; that was the only minor hiccup. Naturally, Wen Yuzhou remembered.
He hesitated for two seconds, looking at his younger brother. “Is that Miss Xu? Why does she look different from before? And why is she interviewing at our company instead of working at her own family’s business?”
Wen Yuhuai: “Because she’s the waitress who spilled the wine.”
Wen Yuzhou: “…”
“I heard you helped her out of that situation. She’s here for you, isn’t she? The way she looks at you is different.”
Wen Yuhuai instinctively denied it. “How is that possible? It’s just a coincidence that our company has a suitable position for her.”
Though inside, he couldn’t help feeling anxious. He definitely still had a good impression of the female lead, but his biggest wish right now was to protect his own backside from being blasted open.
As for everything else, he had the heart but not the strength.
Yet Wen Yuzhou chose to add fuel to the fire. “If you like her, give it a try. Our family doesn’t care about social status anyway. Speaking of which, you guys have known each other for so long, and yet not a single one of the five of you has a girlfriend. Are you guys really planning to spend the rest of your lives as a bachelor brotherhood?”
Recommended Reads
