"President Bo, here you are."
The boy's smile caught Bo Lin off guard. His lashes fluttered slightly as he reached out to take the glass.
"What are you two flirting and talking in riddles about?" Lu Zexi looked as though he had caught them out. "I knew you always looked down on coming here. So you came for Xiao Jian?"
For the first time since arriving at UP, Bo Lin spared Lu Zexi a glance.
That look immediately wounded Lu Zexi's fragile pride.
"Bo Lin! You're looking at me like I'm an idiot again! Just tell me whether I was right!"
Tsk, so Lu Zexi knows he acts like an idiot sometimes.
Bo Lin went still, a flicker of amusement passing through his eyes.
The boy's thoughts were more mocking than anything he said aloud: How could a big shot like Bo Lin, who's asexual, come to a bar to see me? Tsk, tsk.
This time, Bo Lin could no longer smile.
Who on earth had told Hua Jian he was asexual?
They had spent that whole night in the hotel tangled in the sheets. Did Hua Jian really remember nothing about him?
The anger on Lu Zexi's face suddenly froze. His friend was asexual?
What the hell was that?
Jiang Kai, who had caught none of the gossip, silently drank his wine, his gaze moving back and forth among the three of them.
Hua Jian said politely, "President Lu, if there's nothing else, I'll get back to work. A few other guests have booked my time."
Lu Zexi raised an eyebrow. "Who booked you? Pang Le or Cui Minghao? You're pretty capable, kid. You've got them completely bewitched."
Hua Jian smiled. "You're joking, President Lu. It's all part of the job."
The moment the kid smiled, the whole room seemed to brighten.
Lu Zexi suddenly felt an itch in his throat.
He didn't like men who were too tall, but with a face like Hua Jian's, he was willing to have some fun with him.
He took a deep drag on his cigarette, then slowly exhaled.
Lu Zexi was handsome, with striking features, and usually wore a smile. People who didn't know him might have thought he was sunny and easygoing.
But Hua Jian knew his methods were every bit as ruthless as those of the big shot sitting upright on the sofa.
Still, was Lu Zexi coming on to him right now?
The smile vanished from Lu Zexi's face. He narrowed his eyes and blew smoke rings toward Hua Jian, clearly thinking he looked very cool.
Hua Jian was speechless.
He was breaking out in a cold sweat.
Lu Zexi's voice grew a little husky. "You drove away my other bartender, and now I have to go to all the trouble of finding a replacement. How are you going to make it up to me?"
Bo Lin's brow twitched. He lifted his eyelids and looked at Lu Zexi.
"Are you talking about Andy, President Lu? I only happened to discover that he was secretly filming me during working hours.
Brother Shen said he resigned voluntarily. Maybe he was afraid of retaliation for secretly filming those rich young men and posting the videos on a short-video platform."
Hua Jian's answer was airtight. His gorgeous face looked utterly innocent, yet cunning showed through at every turn.
Lu Zexi was suddenly carried away. He couldn't help leaning toward Hua Jian, staring fixedly at his face as he said, "Then how about you keep me company... Ah, fuck! Who was that?"
Hua Jian reacted quickly, immediately stepping back and narrowly avoiding Lu Zexi as he toppled forward.
The cocktail equipment on the counter clattered, and a few pieces fell to the floor.
Fortunately, the carpet cushioned them, keeping them from shattering on the spot.
At some point, Bo Lin had come up behind Lu Zexi. Hua Jian raised an eyebrow at him, just in time to see him draw his foot back with a hint of impatience.
Lu Zexi snapped in embarrassment, "Bo Lin, what's wrong with you? Why did you kick me?"
"Come over and finish signing your paperwork."
Lu Zexi's head cleared for a moment. He stood up and glanced at his friend's angry back, the lust clouding his mind gradually fading.
He gave a light cough. "Go get back to work."
"Of course, President Lu."
Hua Jian briskly opened the door and left.
"Bo Lin, I've put up with you for long enough! I was flirting! You just made me embarrass myself beyond belief!"
"Shut up and come sign."
"Fuck, what's Xiao Jian going to think of me? I just learned how to blow smoke rings. I looked so cool, and then you kicked me. Jiang Kai, did I look pathetic just now?"
"Heh."
The heavy door muffled their voices. Hua Jian raised his eyebrows, turned, and walked away.
At noon the next day, Hua Jian headed straight to Baoning Street after class.
For some reason, it was crowded despite being a weekday. Hua Jian was startled when he arrived.
Then he saw the huge screen hanging outside Baoning Tower across the street. Apparently, a male celebrity was coming to Baoning Tower that evening.
"Feng Rong. So it's him."
The man on the screen had short pink hair and a warm smile that made him seem very pleasant.
He held a new-model phone and recited advertising copy. No one would have imagined that he would soon become embroiled in a sex scandal.
And disappear from the public eye completely.
An amused smile tugged at Hua Jian's lips. What a small world.
Yesterday, he had encountered Cheng Ruimu at the end of his rope. Today, he had come across Feng Rong, whose reputation was about to be tarnished.
At that thought, Hua Jian paused midstep. A new idea quickly formed in his mind.
There weren't many customers in the H Brand store. When Hua Jian arrived and asked for Ella, the staff member who greeted him asked him to wait a moment.
"Mr. Hua, I'm so sorry for the wait."
"Ella, sorry for the trouble. Has that watch sold yet?"
Ella beamed. She felt that Mr. Hua was truly her lucky charm.
"Mr. Hua, even if you hadn't come today, I would have contacted you."
"Oh? So someone really bought the watch?" Hua Jian raised an eyebrow.
Ella nodded and explained softly, "It was quite a coincidence. Your watch had been here for so long without a single customer asking about it. Then, just as we opened today, a customer came straight in and chose it."
Delight appeared in Hua Jian's eyes too. "That's wonderful. Thank you so much for your help. The customer knows there's an engraving on the back, right?"
"Of course. The customer didn't mind at all. He even said the watch strap's color combination was lovely and paid twenty percent above the original price."
Ella had worked here for years and seen every kind of customer, but today's customer had been different from all the others.
He had seemed to know that the store had a watch left on consignment by a customer, with an engraving on the back.
It hadn't seemed as though he had come for the watch, but for the person instead.
Her gaze swept over Hua Jian's face, and she suddenly felt startled.
Had Mr. Hua always looked like this?
Aside from the areas hidden behind his black-framed glasses, every part of his face was exquisitely refined.
"Ella?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Hua." Ella instantly blushed. "Please provide your bank account number. The store will transfer the proceeds from the watch sale to your account shortly."
The worry hanging over Hua Jian finally lifted. "Thank you."
Ella was dazzled by his smile. Her ears flushed as she led Hua Jian to the finance department.
H Brand handled things quickly. The watch, originally priced at one million, had sold for 1.2 million. The store then charged a five-percent commission, which came to sixty thousand.
All in all, Hua Jian was very satisfied when he saw the 1.14 million arrive in his account.
With money in hand, he could finally relax. Hua Jian immediately called Cheng Ruimu.
"Director Cheng, has the team you assembled for that script disbanded yet?"
"Yes, keep them on for now. Of course we're filming it. Come see me when you have time, and we'll sign a contract. Also, leave the lead role open for now. I have someone good in mind."
On the top floor of the Bo Group building.
Jiang Kai hung up the phone and gently pushed open the door to Bo Lin's office.
"Boss, H Brand called. The watch's owner did indeed visit the store today, and the proceeds have already been transferred to his account."
Bo Lin gave a quiet acknowledgment.
Jiang Kai's gaze lingered for a second on the watch box to Bo Lin's left before he carefully closed the door.
Before you continue