He Lost

Gu Yuechen's loss of composure lasted only a moment. Calm quickly returned to his face as he bent down to pick up the fallen ballpoint pen.

He lowered his head to look over the appointment register, checking off the clients scheduled to visit today, treating Xie Wangchi as if he were air.

Disappointment showed on Xie Wangchi's face. He shrugged and headed toward Pei Huanyi's office.

Xu Rui had just placed a cat into its carrier and handed it over to the client who had come to pick it up.

They were close to the reception desk, and Xie Wangchi had not deliberately lowered his voice, so Xu Rui heard every word of their conversation.

Once the client left, Xu Rui turned around and happened to meet Gu Yuechen's gaze. His expression instantly became awkward.

He should never have recklessly encouraged someone to confess.

He had not expected Pei Huanyi to have a fiancé. The man usually seemed solitary and worked late every day. He did not look like someone who was in a relationship at all.

This was awkward now.

He would never do this kind of thing again, even if it killed him.

Gu Yuechen, however, looked as though nothing had happened and smiled at him.

"Get off work early. See you tomorrow."

Xu Rui answered and headed to the staff break room to change out of his uniform.

Before leaving, he glanced at Gu Yuechen. Seeing that he was still busy, he hurriedly withdrew his gaze and left the pet hospital.

Half an hour later, Pei Huanyi and Xie Wangchi walked out of the office side by side.

Gu Yuechen immediately rose from his chair, his gaze fixed on Pei Huanyi as he treated the other man like he was invisible.

"Doctor Pei, are you getting off work?"

"Mm." Pei Huanyi nodded. "You should head home early too."

"Okay." Gu Yuechen nodded obediently. "See you tomorrow."

Pei Huanyi paused, then said, "I won't be coming in for the next two days. Have the clients go to Doctor Li."

Gu Yuechen's smile stiffened for a moment, but he quickly recovered.

"Okay, I understand."

Xie Wangchi had been staring at Gu Yuechen the whole time, a trace of contempt surfacing in his eyes.

What an act.

Not long after the two left, Gu Yuechen immediately pulled out his phone and opened several ride-hailing apps to compare prices.

But even the cheapest fare to the airport was over a hundred yuan.

So expensive.

He had taken his grandmother to the hospital for a checkup last week, and he did not have much money left.

Gu Yuechen could not help tightening his grip on his phone.

He really wanted to see what Pei Huanyi's fiancé looked like.

Was it a man or a woman?

Since they could afford to go abroad, their family must be quite well-off.

Even Xie Wangchi, his romantic rival, had willingly admitted defeat and accompanied Pei Huanyi to pick them up from the airport. They had to be someone beautiful and outstanding.

The dark emotions Gu Yuechen kept buried in his heart continued to grow, and he became increasingly jealous of this person he had never met.

After struggling for a long time, Gu Yuechen gave up on going to the airport.

He had never been to an airport and did not know how to find anyone there. Spending that money would indeed be pointless.

He worked at Pei Huanyi's pet hospital. Sooner or later, he would meet this person.

There was no need to rush.

During the two days Pei Huanyi was absent from the pet hospital, Gu Yuechen had a terrible time.

Whenever he had a spare moment, he could not help checking the time and praying that it would pass faster so he could see Pei Huanyi sooner.

He even kept imagining Pei Huanyi being intimate with someone else, torturing himself over and over with those scenes.

Once the two days were over, Gu Yuechen finally saw Pei Huanyi.

Before he had time to be happy, he caught sight of the ring on Pei Huanyi's ring finger. It was dazzling, almost painful to look at.

Only two days...

Had he already gotten married?

Gu Yuechen suddenly became despairing and did not greet Pei Huanyi as warmly as usual.

One of the more outgoing colleagues noticed the ring Pei Huanyi was wearing and bluntly asked about it.

"Doctor Pei, that isn't a wedding ring, is it?" the colleague said with a smile. "So you went off to get married these past two days? Congratulations!"

Pei Huanyi had a gentle, refined temperament. He did not find his colleague's teasing offensive.

He curved his lips in a faint smile. "We only got engaged. He and I will wait another year before getting married."

"Remember to invite us for the wedding banquet when the time comes."

"Of course," Pei Huanyi said. "I'll definitely invite you all."

Xu Rui, who was usually especially talkative, was exceptionally quiet at that moment. His eyes cautiously watched Gu Yuechen.

Pei Huanyi walked over to Gu Yuechen. "Are there many appointments today?"

Gu Yuechen was distracted and did not hear him.

Pei Huanyi patiently asked again. Only then did Gu Yuechen react, lowering his head to flip through the files.

"There are five so far."

"Okay."

Pei Huanyi was about to head for his office when he suddenly remembered something and turned back.

"Oh, right. Don't rush home after work today. It's the fourth anniversary of our opening, so I booked a hotel. Let's celebrate together."

"Great!" everyone cheered.

Everyone who had worked there knew that Pei Huanyi was generous. Every year, he took them to upscale places for staff gatherings, the kind that cost two or three thousand yuan per person.

After they ate and drank their fill, Pei Huanyi would also hand out especially thick red envelopes, with five thousand yuan in each one.

It was practically a bonus in disguise.

Other than Gu Yuechen, all the staff were brimming with enthusiasm, unable to hide their smiles.

Xu Rui quietly came to Gu Yuechen's side and asked worriedly, "Are you okay?"

Gu Yuechen smiled at Xu Rui. "I'm fine. Why are you suddenly asking?"

"Doctor Pei..." Xu Rui paused. "You didn't confess, did you?"

Gu Yuechen rolled his eyes. "Am I crazy? Of course I didn't confess. I know my place. I know I'm not good enough for him. It's a good thing he's getting married. I can finally let go."

Xu Rui could not help breathing a sigh of relief after hearing that.

"It'd be good to find someone else. There are plenty of good men out there."

Gu Yuechen only smiled and did not answer.

That evening, everyone packed up their personal belongings and prepared to head to the hotel Pei Huanyi had booked.

Pei Huanyi came out of his office and told them, "You go ahead first. I need to pick someone up."

With that, he hurried away, leaving behind a group of curious employees.

"Could he be going to pick up his fiancé?"

"Oh my god, I've been so curious about his fiancé."

"That'll be our future boss's spouse. Do you think we'll get an extra red envelope?"

"Keep dreaming."

"..."

"Yuechen, let's go together," Xu Rui said to Gu Yuechen.

"Okay."

This year's staff gathering was more elaborate than usual. Pei Huanyi had actually booked the hotel's entire second-floor banquet hall.

Gu Yuechen and Xu Rui were eating pastries together when they suddenly heard a commotion. Looking up, they saw two people appear at the entrance.

A handsome man with cool, aloof features stood beside Pei Huanyi.

His features were deep and striking, his skin coolly pale, his shoulders broad and waist narrow. The white shirt he wore made him appear noble and elegant, like an untouchable god—looking at him even felt like an offense.

Staring at the man who suited Pei Huanyi so well, Gu Yuechen's inferiority rose beyond his control.

He had lost.