Meeting

"Little You, how are you feeling?"

The hospital room door stood half open, and Shi Yuan cautiously poked his head around it.

You Gui looked to be in fairly good spirits. She was happy to see Shi Yuan. "Shi Yuan, what brings you here?"

Seeing that You Gui was alone in the room, Shi Yuan brought his hands out from behind his back, holding a bouquet. "I came to see you," he said with a bright smile.

You Gui accepted the bouquet, pleasantly surprised. "What beautiful flowers. Thank you!"

Only two days had passed, but Shi Yuan felt that You Gui had grown a little thinner. Fortunately, she still seemed to be in reasonably good spirits.

After some thought, Shi Yuan decided to ask. "Little You, what exactly happened that day? I called you several times, but none of my calls went through. Then... then I heard something had happened to you."

You Gui gave a bitter smile. "It was my own fault. You warned me so many times, and I thought I was being careful enough. I never expected..." She had never expected the world to harbor so much malice toward her. Hadn't she suffered enough already? Yet she kept trusting people, again and again. She had only herself to blame.

You Gui lowered her head slightly, catching sight of Shi Yuan's white sneakers out of the corner of her eye. Something had scraped one of them, leaving an inch-long scratch.

Above them, his straight legs were clad in faded jeans. He seemed to wear the same pair every time she saw him.

The partner of the Eldest Young Master of the Wei Family, the Eldest Young Master of the Shi Family-why did he look even more down-and-out than she did? Was he really as sincere as he appeared?

Could she trust him?

"How could this be your fault? There are just too many vicious people in this world!"

Like Wei Zexuan!

Shi Yuan bit his lip. The truth was, he didn't want to provoke Wei Zexuan. The Wei Family hadn't fallen yet, and Wei Zexuan was no easy opponent. Just thinking about the endless methods he had used against You Gui in the novel sent chills down Shi Yuan's spine.

Unless absolutely necessary, he didn't want to attract Wei Zexuan's attention. If he could hold out a little longer, he would be free once the Wei Family collapsed.

He was analyzing everyone's behavior solely through the novel's text. He didn't even realize that its tragic bottom protagonist had already begun to grow wary of him.

"Shi Yuan, you..." Why would you want to be friends with me?

You Gui didn't finish. Suddenly, she was afraid-afraid that Shi Yuan would hesitate, evade the question, or give the answer she least wanted to hear.

She feared that her friend's words and feelings wouldn't match, and that she would spot the discrepancy.

You Gui fell silent again.

Shi Yuan gave her a puzzled look. What was wrong? She had been fine a moment ago.

The bottom protagonist really was just as the novel described: prone to sudden unhappiness, like a melancholy rose that needed to be watered with two hundred percent of someone's love.

"Was there something you wanted to ask me?" Shi Yuan asked.

You Gui forced a faint smile. "Nothing. I just wanted to ask why I didn't see you that day."

The mention of it filled Shi Yuan with anger. "It was all Wei Zexuan's fault," he complained. "Who knows what got into him? Everyone else went, but he locked me up in the servants' building."

"Really?" You Gui asked distractedly.

"Yes! I used to love joining in the fun. Everyone at that banquet was someone important. He must have been afraid I'd cozy up to one of them, so he locked me away.

"He's so petty. He just can't stand seeing anyone else do well."

"You used to... cozy up to people?" You Gui was shocked by his candor.

As an employee of the Wei Corporation, and a member of the Publicity Department, where gossip traveled fastest, she naturally knew that Shi Yuan had married Wei Zelin. She also knew that Wei Zelin's standing in the Wei Family was lower than that of a dog Wei Zexuan kept.

And Shi Yuan was Wei Zexuan's dog.

She had often heard stories about how the Eldest Young Master of the Shi Family had made a fool of himself in front of Wei Zexuan, and how much disgrace he had brought on himself.

But she was a victim of gossip herself, and knew better than anyone how terrifying words could be. Without a single weapon being drawn, they could easily destroy someone.

Besides, throughout their time together, Shi Yuan had always gently encouraged her and patiently comforted and advised her. She had a genuinely good impression of him.

You Gui didn't have social anxiety, but she was wary of the outside world. Yet Shi Yuan had managed to become someone she accepted as a friend.

"Oh, I was young and stupid back then. Someone could swindle me, and I'd still help them count the money."

Shi Yuan put on an exaggerated sigh. His world-weary air finally made You Gui laugh.

"How old are you, anyway?" she asked with a smile. "You're already talking about when you were young? Does that mean you're old now?"

Shi Yuan smiled bitterly. "You've probably heard that I got my head split open the night before I married Wei Zelin. I won't go into the details. It's pretty embarrassing."

You Gui nodded in understanding. "I heard my coworkers mention it."

Shi Yuan continued, "Then you probably don't know that while I spent a month lying in the hospital without a penny to my name, Wei Zelin was the only person who visited me. He was also the one who took me home when I was discharged."

The original owner's life had reached a truly pitiful state. His unhappy family background was partly to blame, but half of it was his own doing.

"How could that be?"

You Gui asked in surprise, "What about your parents? Didn't they come to see you?"

"My mom died a long time ago. My stepmother runs things now. She and my dad had a daughter, and the three of them are one big happy family. There's no place for me in it.

"At least I used to have money, and a few fair-weather friends whose families weren't as well-off as mine. Once the Shi Family ran into financial trouble, I lost my money, and naturally, all my friends disappeared too.

"And when I checked the properties I used to own, I discovered they were all in my stepmother's name. Now, apart from Wei Zelin, I have absolutely nothing."

You Gui opened and closed her mouth. She wanted to offer some comfort, but remembering how she had just doubted him, she couldn't get the words out.

So Shi Yuan really hadn't been pretending to be down-and-out to get close to her. He truly had neither money nor influence anymore.

Shi Yuan waved a hand at You Gui with an easy expression, assuming she was simply worried about him.

"It's fine. My dad stopped caring about me after my mom died. I spent every day drinking and racing cars, drifting through life.

"I know lots of people call me Wei Zexuan's pathetic lapdog. If you asked me now, even I couldn't tell you what I was thinking back then.

"I was so stupid. I sucked up to the Wei Family like my life depended on it, just to matter a little more to my dad.

"I nearly died that time, but it also knocked some sense into me. Things are better this way. From now on, I have no ties holding me down.

"I won't get a share of the Shi Family's assets anyway, so I don't have to slave away as Wei Zexuan's lapdog anymore!"

You Gui lightly flicked Shi Yuan's forehead, caught between laughter and exasperation. "Who talks about themselves like that?"

Shi Yuan shrugged indifferently. "Why not? It's the truth." He wasn't insulting himself, anyway. The former "Shi Yuan" hadn't just been a lapdog; he had been stupid and vicious too.

Shi Yuan had come partly to visit You Gui, but more importantly, to persuade her to leave the Wei Corporation. He felt as though he was far too young to be worrying like an old father.

After chatting with You Gui a little longer, he was just about to bring up the subject when another sound came from the doorway.

The first thing he saw was Shen Duo's imposing height, followed closely by Wei Zelin, who was hardly any shorter.

The two tall men made the entire hospital room seem much more crowded the moment they entered.

Shi Yuan silently marveled at them. They were similar in height, but Shen Duo radiated an overpowering presence. With sharp brows, a piercing gaze, and dark hair swept entirely back, he had a wild, dangerous air. His black suit tempered that sharpness somewhat, adding the charm of a mature man.

Behind him, Wei Zelin's complexion was several shades fairer. His features were sharply defined, and gold-rimmed glasses rested on his high nose bridge. Behind the lenses, his narrow, elongated eyes had slightly lowered lids that covered a third of his dark pupils, their outer corners tilting subtly upward.

Those eyes were elegant and captivating. Unfortunately, they were always hidden behind his glasses. Shi Yuan couldn't resist stealing several glances.

He usually looked slim, yet standing beside Shen Duo, his shoulders were almost as broad. Clearly, no matter how thin a tall person was, he still had a large frame.

He wore a white shirt and suit trousers as usual, with a black suit jacket draped over his arm. Both men had suits, but Shen Duo's was expertly tailored, fitting perfectly at the shoulders and waist. Even without touching the fabric, Shi Yuan could tell how luxurious and comfortable it was.

Wei Zelin's, however, was merely an ordinary jacket. Some parts didn't even lie flat against his arm, sticking up as though the fabric was too stiff.

His suit trousers saw more wear than his jacket, and even had fraying along the seams!

Shi Yuan shifted his gaze away slightly. Even office workers with slightly better pay dress better than Wei Zelin.

"President Shen, you're here. You're so busy with work. You don't need to keep visiting me."

You Gui's tone was calm. Shi Yuan realized this might not be Shen Duo's first visit.

Shen Duo's cold, hard aura instantly softened. "I happened to have some business nearby," he explained to You Gui. "I didn't come specifically to see you."

Yeah, right!

Shi Yuan didn't believe a word of it. He stood up from his chair to greet him. "Hello, President Shen."

Shen Duo only had eyes for You Gui. He merely turned his head to glance at Shi Yuan before continuing to speak with her.

Shi Yuan then addressed Wei Zelin behind him a little nervously. "Brother Lin, you're here too?"

Wei Zelin chuckled softly. "I came to visit You Gui as a coworker. Why? Do you know her well too?"

Shi Yuan nodded guiltily. "We've met a few times. We get along pretty well."

They exchanged a glance and, in unspoken agreement, moved over to the window, leaving Shen Duo and You Gui alone with their tangled feelings.

Noticing how often Shen Duo glanced at the bouquet in You Gui's hands, Wei Zelin knew he hadn't given it to her.

But You Gui usually kept to herself and didn't seem to have many friends.

"Did you give her the flowers?" he asked Shi Yuan.

Shi Yuan nodded. "I didn't know what to buy, so I went to a florist and had them put together a bouquet."

"They're beautiful," Wei Zelin said, his meaning unclear.

Shi Yuan said, "They are."

"Brother Lin, are you going home after this?"

Home? Wei Zelin felt nothing but cold indifference inside, though he still wore a gentle smile. "President Shen and I have some things to discuss. We'll go straight to the office after leaving the hospital."

"All right."

Shi Yuan rubbed the toe of his left shoe against his right. He wondered when Shen Duo and Wei Zelin would leave. He still wanted to say a few more things to You Gui.

Wei Zelin lowered his gaze to him. The weather was beginning to warm up, and Shi Yuan had come out in a lightweight, pale green sweatshirt. As he moved, the collar shifted slightly from side to side, exposing his fair, slender neck.

The hand hanging at Wei Zelin's side stirred restlessly. He tapped his index finger against his trouser seam three times. After only those three seconds of hesitation, he raised his arm and casually draped it over Shi Yuan's shoulders.

"What is it, Brother Lin?" Shi Yuan looked up in surprise. His relationship with Wei Zelin had improved considerably, but despite living under the same roof, they had never done anything this intimate.

Wei Zelin rubbed Shi Yuan's collar between his thumb and index finger. Unfortunately, he didn't touch the delicate skin beneath it.

With his eyes half-lidded, he asked, "Aren't you cold, wearing so little?"