Was Bai Hai Into Both Men and Women?

Early the next morning, Ning Shile arrived at a branch of the Bai Corporation with his backpack on, looking as though he had traveled to the capital to sit the imperial examinations.

The moment he walked in, he was struck by the crowd of pretty female college students. They stood by the entrance, looking both eager and nervous, clutching their résumés as they chatted and laughed.

Even the Bai Corporation's receptionists were carefully selected beauties.

With long, straight black hair, an oval face, fair skin, and lively eyes, the receptionist had a distinctly elegant air.

She smiled, her eyes curving into crescents, and greeted Ning Shile first. "Hello. Are you here for an interview?"

"Yes." Ning Shile walked over.

"You can go straight to the conference room on the thirteenth floor." As she spoke, she pointed him in the right direction.

"Okay, thank you." Ning Shile nodded and answered politely.

There were plenty of applicants arriving now, mostly young women in their twenties. Some felt the pressure as soon as they entered and tugged awkwardly at their clothes.

"...Why does this feel just like my arts entrance exam? If I'd known, I would've worn something else." The short-haired girl up ahead looked a little unsure of herself, her voice tinged with regret.

"I thought I'd walked into a talent agency," another girl beside her chimed in. "If I'd known, I would've done my makeup properly first. Oh my god, I don't even want to go upstairs anymore."

"Same. This is so stressful."

[They're creating an atmosphere of competition between women the second they walk through the door?]

[What a clever tactic.]

"Ah!"

As he was thinking, a startled cry came from behind him, followed by a girl apologizing over and over. "Sorry, I'm so sorry! I didn't see you!"

Ning Shile turned around and saw a tall young man bend down. He picked up the scattered papers one by one, straightened them briefly, and handed them back to the girl.

"It's okay." The young man had a warm smile and gentle eyes, giving him a sunny air. "Are you here for an interview?"

The girl's face instantly flushed. She took her documents in a fluster and nodded. "Yes."

"Good luck with your interview." The young man clenched a fist in encouragement.

The girl nodded even harder. "Thank you!"

Looking at the young man, Ning Shile let out a puzzled, "Huh?"

[Why does this guy look so familiar?]

The young man turned, meeting Ning Shile's gaze, then smiled and waved at him.

Ning Shile remembered and raised his hand in response.

[Oh, that guy! Bai Qiongyu!]

[Are they making such a big production out of these interviews? Even Bai Qiongyu is here?]

While he was thinking, Bai Qiongyu had already jogged over to him.

Actually, Bai Qiongyu had only come to pick something up, but the moment he walked through the door, he heard Ning Shile mentally complaining. For some reason, hearing Ning Shile's voice made him itch with curiosity, and he couldn't help following it over.

Ning Shile was dressed more formally today, in a white shirt and suit vest that made his waist look slender enough to tempt someone to touch it.

Bai Qiongyu thought Ning Shile looked very different from their first meeting, but he still found him adorable.

If Ning Shile in his hoodie at their first meeting had been a little custard cake, today he was a soft candy coated in a crisp chocolate shell.

"Are you here for an interview too?" With people coming and going around them, the two followed the crowd forward, talking as they walked.

"Yes." Ning Shile nodded.

"Let me carry your things." As he spoke, Bai Qiongyu reached for Ning Shile's backpack.

Bai Qiongyu was tall and well-built, clearly the sort who worked out regularly.

"Oh, you don't have to..." Before Ning Shile could finish, Bai Qiongyu hooked a hand around his backpack and took it from him.

[...Fine, you carry it.]

[There's only a box of underwear in there anyway. It's not heavy.]

Hearing that, Bai Qiongyu gave a light cough, seeming a little embarrassed.

The elevators were around the corner of the lobby. With so many people here for interviews, long lines had already formed at all six main elevators.

Bai Qiongyu glanced over, then led Ning Shile toward the private elevator.

The Bai Corporation's senior management had a private elevator, both to keep them separate from ordinary employees and to save time.

Bai Qiongyu was about to take out his elevator access card when he saw that the doors were already open. Bai Hai stood inside with two assistants.

Bai Hai instinctively frowned at the sight of Bai Qiongyu, but his gaze shifted for a moment when he saw Ning Shile. Then he lifted his chin.

An assistant quickly pressed the door-open button. "Young master, come on in."

[...]

Ning Shile couldn't take it.

[Sharing an elevator with this old bastard on my first day of interviews. What rotten luck.]

[Can I just not go in?]

Clearly, he couldn't.

Bai Qiongyu had already stepped into the elevator with Ning Shile's precious box of underwear.

Ning Shile sighed and squeezed into the elevator after him.

"Grandpa." Standing to one side of the elevator, Bai Qiongyu gave a slight nod.

Bai Hai gave a grunt of acknowledgment without even glancing at Bai Qiongyu. His eyes stayed on Ning Shile the entire time.

His gaze lingered on Ning Shile's face for a few seconds, then wandered over his body, pausing at his waist for several more seconds before moving farther down...

The scrutiny was unmistakable.

[...This pervert!]

Ning Shile felt violated.

[What's he staring at me for? Is he into both men and women?!]

Ning Shile thought for a moment.

[But the book never said Bai Hai was into both, did it? And didn't he find gay people pretty disgusting?]

[Oh, right, Bai Hai absolutely hates gay people! Once he found out Bai Qiongyu liked men, his attitude toward him completely changed. He even sent Bai Qiongyu abroad, to a really dangerous state!]

[My poor puppy nearly died overseas.]

Poor puppy?

Me?

Bai Qiongyu raised his eyebrows and smiled. Well, he certainly wasn't a puppy.

[But Bai Hai couldn't care less. Bai Qiongyu isn't his biological grandson anyway.]

Bai Qiongyu's breath caught, and his smile faded.

He wasn't Bai Hai's biological grandson?

Bai Qiongyu was stunned.

What did that mean? Had Dad been cheated on? But Mom didn't seem like that kind of person... did she?

"You look familiar." Bai Hai broke the silence first, looking at Ning Shile as he spoke.

Ning Shile naturally knew what Bai Hai meant. They had seen each other in the Imperial Capital People's Hospital cafeteria just a couple of days ago.

But at a time like this, Ning Shile had to keep his composure.

"I don't think we've met," Ning Shile said with a smile. "This is my first time at the Bai Corporation."

"Mm." Bai Hai nodded and said nothing more.

Ding—

The elevator suddenly chimed, drawing everyone's attention as they waited for the doors to open.

But the doors remained unresponsive. Just as Ning Shile was about to reach out, the elevator suddenly gave a deafening boom!

It shook violently, and the lights instantly went out!

A second later, even the indicator lights in the elevator went dark. The cramped, confined space was suddenly plunged into darkness, making panic hard to avoid.

"What happened?" the assistant behind them asked.

"Is there a power outage?"

Ning Shile took out his phone and turned on its flashlight, shining it on the writing inside the elevator. He turned to Bai Qiongyu. "Call the maintenance number."

Bai Qiongyu took out his phone and tried several times, but none of the calls went through. Finally, he said helplessly, "No signal."

Ning Shile checked his own phone. "Neither do I."

The air inside the elevator was thin. If this continued, they might run short of oxygen, so Ning Shile turned to ask the others behind him, "What about your phones?"

An assistant took out his phone. "I don't have a signal."

"Neither do—"

Before he finished, another deafening boom! rang out, and the elevator dropped again.

The violent shaking left them struggling to stay on their feet.

Bai Qiongyu put out a hand to protect Ning Shile, afraid he would fall.

Ning Shile looked up, meeting Bai Qiongyu's eyes in the darkness. "Call 119."

Those words made Bai Qiongyu see Ning Shile in a slightly different light. He hadn't expected someone who looked so innocent and harmless to stay so calm in a crisis.

But then, that only made sense.

That was what Bai Qiongyu thought.

Ning Shile had saved his older sister and even brought Han Jin crashing down. He really was smart.

The elevator had been out of operation for several minutes now. Inside, it was humid and stuffy, almost suffocating.

Someone behind them began breathing rapidly.

"Chairman, what's wrong?" The person behind them sounded panicked, his voice rising involuntarily. "Please don't scare me!"

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

"Chairman, Chairman, are you all right?!"

Bai Hai was breathing rapidly, his entire body weak, and he clearly seemed unable to catch his breath.

He staggered half a step and hit the elevator wall behind him, letting out a pained sound.

Everyone in the elevator panicked, calling Bai Hai's name over and over.

Bai Qiongyu glanced at Bai Hai and quickly gave their location to the emergency responders.

[In the original story, didn't Bai Hai have claustrophobia?]

Ning Shile frowned.

[So, do I save him now?]