Why do you always apologize?

Yu Nian had no classes on Thursday afternoon, so he had arranged with Sea Star to come in for an interview then.

Yu Nian didn't know whether he would run into Qin Yuheng, though he thought it was unlikely.

After all, the head of an entire business group surely wasn't that free.

Still, he put the handkerchief in a separate bag, thinking that if they did happen to meet, he could return it sooner.

Yu Nian took a taxi to the office building and found Little Huang actually waiting at the entrance.

Surprised, Yu Nian asked, "Are you waiting here just for me?"

Little Huang led him into the elevator. "Yep. President Ding said nothing could go wrong this time."

Little Huang gave Yu Nian a slightly suspicious look. "Did you really just meet President Ding by chance?"

Yu Nian smiled faintly and gave a vague answer. "A friend introduced us, more or less."

That should be fine to say, right?

Little Huang wore an expression that said, "I knew it," then adopted a reverent look and pressed both palms together. "Boss, please look out for me!"

Yu Nian couldn't help laughing. "We're all working for a living. What makes any of us better than the rest?"

Little Huang looked pained. "You don't understand. Even corporate workhorses have a pecking order."

Besides, any friend of Yu Nian's who knew President Ding couldn't possibly be an ordinary person.

They chatted as they went and soon reached Sea Star's office floor.

This time, no one dared neglect him. They only gave Yu Nian a few minutes to rest and prepare before quickly taking him to the interview room.

Whether the outcome had already been decided or not, Yu Nian intended to take it seriously. He stood outside the door, silently giving himself a pep talk, then went in.

As soon as he entered, Yu Nian bowed to the people in front of him. "Good afternoon, everyone."

He kept a smile on his face, but when he looked up, he saw not only the familiar President Ding, but Qin Yuheng as well.

The latter sat upright behind the long table and gave him a slight nod.

Yu Nian felt a little numb.

Was this interview really that high-level?

He quickly composed his expression, his eyes curving into a smile, and sat down at President Ding's prompting.

The interview was thorough. No one gave him special treatment, and all the questions concerned the job.

Yu Nian had prepared well. Though his performance wasn't perfect, he did fairly well overall.

He just kept feeling as though someone was watching him.

Between answering questions, Yu Nian casually glanced at Qin Yuheng, only to find him looking down at the documents in front of him rather than at Yu Nian.

That puzzled him a little. Had he imagined it?

The interview went smoothly, and as he left, Yu Nian deliberately waited by the door.

President Ding spotted him on the way out and asked, "Yu Nian, why haven't you headed back yet? Is something the matter?"

Yu Nian smiled shyly. "I'm waiting for someone."

Understanding dawned on President Ding, and his smile held more meaning than it had last time.

Yu Nian was a little confused.

But President Ding said nothing more, simply waving before leaving.

With Qin Yuheng's attitude so obvious, President Ding had naturally already had someone look into Yu Nian's background in private.

He hadn't expected the young man's family to be in such dire straits, yet Qin Yuheng still took such good care of him.

After so many years navigating society, President Ding naturally worked out their relationship at once.

President Ding had heard rumors about Qin Yuheng: that he wasn't interested in romance, that no one had ever been seen at his side, and that he brought at most an assistant to evening banquets.

Thinking about it now, perhaps Qin Yuheng wasn't free of worldly desires after all. He had simply always kept them well hidden.

Some people in high society had a taste for this sort of thing. He hadn't expected even Qin Yuheng to be no exception.

Still, Yu Nian really was good-looking and knew how to conduct himself. No wonder Qin Yuheng paid him so much attention.

Had President Ding not been so perceptive this time, he probably wouldn't have considered that possibility either.

Unaware of President Ding's convoluted thoughts, Yu Nian saw Qin Yuheng come out with Assistant Yin following behind.

Qin Yuheng saw him too, but didn't seem surprised. He simply walked toward him.

Seeing his usual expression, Yu Nian figured he was no longer angry about the way Yu Nian had accidentally offended him last time.

Yu Nian greeted him. "Brother Yu, what a coincidence. You came here today too."

Qin Yuheng explained, "There were some matters concerning our partnership to discuss."

For some reason, Yu Nian felt a small sense of relief. He had thought as much: Qin Yuheng just happened to be here and had probably stayed to sit in on the interview after learning that Yu Nian was coming today too.

But he clearly hadn't noticed that Qin Yuheng wasn't the sort of person who volunteered explanations.

Yu Nian asked, "Will you still be busy later?"

Qin Yuheng said, "We've finished discussing everything."

Yu Nian nodded and took a neatly folded handkerchief from his pocket, offering it to him.

"Sorry, I forgot to return this last time."

Afraid Qin Yuheng might mind, he added, "I've washed it thoroughly."

Qin Yuheng looked at the handkerchief, paused, then took it and put it in his pocket. "Thank you."

The elevator arrived. Assistant Yin stepped forward to swipe the access card, and the three of them entered one after another.

Yu Nian first pressed the button for the ground floor, then felt that wasn't quite right. After hesitating for a moment, he said to Qin Yuheng, "I said I'd treat you to a meal last time, but I haven't had a chance. Are you free today, Brother Yu?"

He said he hadn't had a chance, but in truth, they hadn't even exchanged contact details, so he had no way to reach him.

Yu Nian had kept deliberately overlooking that issue, and Qin Yuheng had never mentioned it either.

That wasn't strange, though. There was no need for him and Qin Yuheng to chat on a daily basis, and the contacts saved on Qin Yuheng's phone were probably all business associates. He likely had neither the time nor the inclination to add a college student.

Yu Nian had already expected the endlessly busy Qin Yuheng to turn him down and was ready to say goodbye.

Yet Qin Yuheng said, "Sure."

The elevator doors opened on the ground floor, and Yu Nian, who had been about to step out, stopped in place.

Yu Nian didn't have a car, so he rode in Qin Yuheng's again.

Yu Nian asked Qin Yuheng what kind of food he liked, and he replied, "You can decide."

What? How was he supposed to decide what Qin Yuheng liked?

Yu Nian felt Qin Yuheng was being far too polite. Perhaps he thought it would be troublesome to make requests when Yu Nian was treating him. His temperament really was completely different from Qin Yu's.

He had no idea how the same family had raised two people with such vastly different personalities.

Yu Nian thought that was probably why he always forgot Qin Yuheng was Qin Yu's older brother whenever they were together.

In the end, Yu Nian picked one of several restaurants with plenty of good reviews.

It was almost mealtime now, and the place was fairly crowded.

Though it wasn't an upscale restaurant, Yu Nian considered Qin Yuheng's status and thought he might be used to dining somewhere quiet.

He went in first to ask the front desk whether they had any private rooms, only to be told they didn't. At most, they had small booths.

Yu Nian imagined such a sharply dressed business elite sitting on a booth's cushioned seat amid all the noise, and it seemed a little out of place.

After waiting outside for him for some time, Qin Yuheng came in and asked, "What's wrong?"

Yu Nian turned and told him what the front desk had said. "Why don't we try somewhere else?"

Qin Yuheng asked, "What do you think of this place?"

Yu Nian answered honestly, "I've never eaten here, but people online say the food is pretty good. There just aren't any good seats left..."

He glanced apologetically at Qin Yuheng. "Sorry for wasting your time."

He really hadn't planned things properly today. After all, he had thought Qin Yuheng might not come, and even if he did, he might not have time to eat with him.

Besides, he had mainly come for the interview. Treating him to a meal as an afterthought did seem a little lacking in sincerity.

But he hadn't expected everything to work out and Qin Yuheng to come along, only for him to have failed to account for how crowded it would be.

Qin Yuheng looked down at him, a little puzzled. "Why do you always apologize?"