He'd Never Had His Way with Someone Who Belonged to Zheng Ye

The little wolf cub had at least some emotional intelligence. He didn't demand proof of Bai Hai's impotence in front of everyone. After spending a little while in the conference room, he was escorted out by security.

After that unexpected farce, Bai Hai was no longer in the mood to conduct interviews. He only arranged to meet Ning Shile privately in his office.

Ning Shile pushed the door open and handed over his résumé.

The director's office enjoyed excellent natural light, and the floor-to-ceiling windows offered a clear view of the city. Bai Hai sat in his chair. A round fishbowl stood on his desk, where several small golden fish swam back and forth through green aquatic plants.

Bai Hai looked through Ning Shile's résumé and asked, "When can you start?"

"Anytime."

Bai Hai nodded and closed Ning Shile's résumé. "Go home and wait to hear from us."

Ning Shile bowed slightly, then turned and pushed the door open to leave.

The assistant had held his tongue for a long time and finally couldn't stand it anymore.

He recognized Ning Shile. If he remembered correctly, Ning Shile had previously trended online along with Zheng Ye.

Seeing how pleased Bai Hai seemed with Ning Shile, he couldn't help warning him, "Director Bai, this Ning Shile has ulterior motives."

Bai Hai looked at the photograph on Ning Shile's résumé and rubbed a finger over it, asking casually, "How so?"

"The person who got engaged into the Zheng Family was this very Ning Shile," the assistant reminded him. "Quite a few of the spies we planted at Zheng Corporation have already been discovered."

"This Ning Shile might have been sent by the Zheng Family."

Of course Bai Hai knew. Both openly and covertly, he had hired plenty of private investigators to watch Zheng Ye. He knew every detail of Zheng Ye's daily life.

Not to mention this fiancée of his.

When he had seen Ning Shile in the hospital cafeteria, Bai Hai had recognized him at once.

Still, Ning Shile looked even better in person than he did in photographs.

"And?" Bai Hai lowered his eyes and tapped his bent fingers thoughtfully against the desk.

"Should we reject Ning Shile's application?" the assistant asked quietly, bending down.

Bai Hai chuckled and waved his hand twice. "No need."

He had never played with a man before, much less someone who belonged to Zheng Ye. Since Zheng Ye felt so comfortable sending his own wife over as bait, why wouldn't he take it?

Bai Hai narrowed his eyes and looked toward the door, his gaze suddenly turning meaningful. "The days ahead are sure to be interesting."

Outside the door, Bai Qiongyu seemed to sense something. He withdrew his hand, turned, and left.

That old bastard Bai Hai was much smarter than he had imagined.

Ever since returning to the country, Bai Qiongyu could feel someone watching his every move from the shadows. He needed to act like a spoiled playboy to mislead Bai Hai, so there were limits to what he could do.

Protecting Ning Shile through his own efforts alone might prove difficult.

There was only one person who could go toe-to-toe with Bai Hai.

Zheng Ye was in a meeting.

The phone on the table suddenly lit up. Someone was calling him.

Zheng Ye glanced at it, then ignored it and returned his attention to the slides.

The call soon ended. Less than a minute later, a message popped up.

[Are you going to do anything about Ning Shile or not?]

Zheng Ye took one look before picking up his phone. Almost without thinking, he stood and said, "Take a five-minute break."

The people presenting their reports were abruptly pulled out of their tense concentration and unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

Then they watched Zheng Ye stride out with his phone.

For President Zheng to be in such a hurry, it must be some major project.

The caller's number was unfamiliar.

Zheng Ye didn't know who it was, and that was precisely why he couldn't stay calm.

The message was ambiguous. Zheng Ye imagined several possibilities, but every one of them made it impossible for him to remain composed.

Zheng Ye, who was always calm and self-possessed, panicked at that moment.

He called back. As though expecting his call, the person on the other end answered almost immediately.

The caller introduced himself straightaway. "Hello, President Zheng. I'm Bai Qiongyu. Do you remember me?"

Zheng Ye had no patience for this. "No."

Bai Qiongyu fell silent. Okay.

"It doesn't matter if you don't remember me," Bai Qiongyu said. "I'm with Bai Corporation. Ning Shile came to apply for a job at our company. Did you know?"

Zheng Ye frowned slightly at that. He remembered what Ning Shile had said while hiding in the restroom that day, and a bad feeling crept into his heart.

So Ning Shile had gone to Bai Corporation behind his back?

Zheng Ye was visibly irritated.

That slippery old bastard Bai Hai was no pushover. He might already have uncovered everything about Ning Shile.

"No," Zheng Ye replied, his tone less than pleasant.

Bai Qiongyu paused, then teased, "You didn't know? Seems your relationship isn't all that great, then."

Zheng Ye's expression darkened further at those words.

He fell silent for a few seconds, frowned, and hung up.

"Hello?" Hearing the busy tone, the person on the other end was stunned.

"Hello???" Bai Qiongyu could hardly believe it. Staring at his phone screen, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Seriously? Zheng Ye can't take even a little teasing?"

That remark from Bai Qiongyu left Zheng Ye in a bad mood for the entire day.

He thought his feelings were rather unreasonable. Ning Shile wasn't his possession, so why should he have to tell him beforehand? Zheng Ye himself didn't tell Ning Shile before doing anything, either.

But even knowing that, Zheng Ye still felt irritated.

Zheng Ye sat in his office thinking for a long time, then opened his computer and typed a line into the search bar:

[Should I be angry if my partner does something without telling me? We're already engaged.]

After typing it out, Zheng Ye pressed Enter.

The screen flickered, and the page refreshed.

The first result said he shouldn't be angry. Zheng Ye ignored it outright and stubbornly kept scrolling.

Then he spotted a highly upvoted reply below: [If you aren't angry in this situation, you're made of wood!]

Thoroughly pleased with that sentence, Zheng Ye clicked on it.

The person had written a lengthy, expansive reply: [Partners absolutely have the right to know about things beforehand. Otherwise, how is it any different from being friends? Keeping your partner informed is a form of respect, and it also puts their mind at ease. I think being angry is perfectly normal!]

Zheng Ye read the reply and felt it was absolutely right.

He stopped agonizing over it and placed a video call to Ning Shile.

Ning Shile had just finished showering at the hotel. He had booked a gaming room and was about to play a couple of rounds when Zheng Ye's video call came through.

He answered in confusion and looked at Zheng Ye on the screen. "Brother Ye? What's wrong?"

The instant Zheng Ye saw Ning Shile, most of his anger dissipated.

Ning Shile's wet hair clung to his forehead. His eyes were misty, with a trace of confusion in his gaze.

Only after a long silence did Zheng Ye ask, "Where are you?"

"I'm at the hotel." Ning Shile raised his phone, turned slightly, and pointed to his computer, flashing the screen a broad smile. "I was just about to play for a bit. What's wrong?"

The neckline of Ning Shile's pajamas was rather loose. When he raised his phone to film from above, everything below his collar was on display.

His skin was fair and smooth, and the loose neckline offered a view deep inside...

Zheng Ye went quiet, then coughed softly. His face warmed, and he averted his gaze slightly. "I heard you went to Bai Corporation?"

Ning Shile paused and sat up straight. "...You heard about it already?"

"Yes," Zheng Ye said. "Why didn't you tell me?"

His tone wasn't harsh. In fact, he had done his best to soften it.

But Ning Shile still sensed something amiss and asked, "Are you angry?"

After hesitating for a few seconds, Zheng Ye answered, "Yes."

On the other end of the call, Ning Shile pressed his lips together and said nothing more.

Silence fell between them.

Although Zheng Ye's expression betrayed nothing, his muscles had already tensed slightly.

Had he been too harsh? Was he asking too much? Looking at Ning Shile's lowered eyes, he felt flustered.

He hadn't made this call to demand an explanation. He was simply worried that Ning Shile would be mistreated. What if Bai Hai really did lay hands on him while he wasn't there?

Zheng Ye opened his mouth and was about to explain when Ning Shile ventured, "Then... should I tell you beforehand from now on?"

Zheng Ye's eyes widened slightly, and his dark pupils lit up for an instant.

Ning Shile's voice was soft, almost coaxing, as he soothed him. "Don't be angry this time, okay?"

Ning Shile blinked at him, and Zheng Ye felt something strike his heart.

"You're so busy, and you have so many important things to deal with." Seeing Zheng Ye's tightly pressed lips, Ning Shile thought he really was angry and tried to lighten the mood. "Besides, my affairs aren't that important."

"No." Zheng Ye's voice was low. He lifted his eyes, his calm, dark gaze meeting Ning Shile's through the screen, and answered with utmost seriousness and clarity, "Your affairs are important."

Ning Shile paused, seemingly not having expected Zheng Ye to say that.

Perhaps because Zheng Ye was meticulous about everything, he sounded unusually firm when he said those words, too. Ning Shile pressed his lips together, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Got it." Ning Shile took a deep breath and answered Zheng Ye, "I'm important."