Matchmaking

How could Shen Duo stand by while You Gui was bullied? What had been a minor oversight at the Wei Corporation became, in his hands, a question of integrity in their partnership. Lu Ying, who had plagiarized You Gui's copy out of jealousy to embarrass her, was not only fired by the Wei Corporation but also struggled to find a decent job under Shen Duo's pressure.

But given Shen Duo's habit of helping silently, You Gui only discovered this much later. By then, the relationship everyone kept interfering with had left her exhausted in both body and mind. Even knowing what he had done did nothing to shake her determination to draw a clear line between them.

Right now, You Gui merely felt she was not good enough for Shen Duo. She had yet to experience that later despair, so it would be a lie to say the news did not move her.

Shi Yuan pressed on. "Once he gets through this busy spell, he'll probably ask to meet you to discuss changing jobs."

"Meet me to discuss changing jobs? That's why he wanted to meet me?"

Remembering how easily Wei Zexuan had stirred up her resentment toward Shen Duo with just a few words, You Gui was overcome with shame. She had thought Shen Duo still had feelings for her, when all he admired was her professional ability. He had no ulterior motives.

"President Shen genuinely appreciates my work and helped me out, yet I thought that of him."

No one was without career ambitions, especially You Gui, who had always been treated as little more than a pretty face. Having her abilities recognized by someone she had once liked felt even better than knowing he still liked her.

Shi Yuan smiled. Appreciates your work? Shen Duo sees you as his wife, but you see him as your boss.

Still, this was good too. In the original novel, You Gui had stubbornly stayed at the Wei Corporation to avoid getting involved with Shen Duo, enduring plenty of torment from Wei Zexuan. Whatever happened now, Shi Yuan would first help Shen Duo coax her over to his company. With her right under Shen Duo's nose, they would see how much trouble Wei Zexuan could still cause!

After seeing off You Gui, whose mood had gradually brightened, Shi Yuan turned and hurried back toward the restaurant.

Thank goodness... He breathed a sigh of relief. Wei Zexuan was no longer at the entrance and had most likely gone inside to wait. The male lead's understated yet luxurious Maybach was not parked there either. That made things much easier.

Waiting was boring, so Shi Yuan leaned against a wall and let his thoughts wander.

The male lead had a successful career, so naturally he drove a fine car. That went without saying for Wei Zexuan, a rich young master born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Even the original Shi Yuan had owned two supercars, though unfortunately Shi's Father had sold them.

Of all the characters in the original novel, Wei Zelin seemed to be the only one who drove a car that was genuinely just a means of transportation. Shi Yuan had been lucky enough to ride in it twice last time, and had tactfully taken the back seat.

Wei Zelin's car looked several years old, and the model was an outdated one. The Wei Family could not possibly own such an antique, so Wei Zelin must have bought it secondhand with his own money.

He thought of the fraying upholstery, and of Wei Zelin's hand occasionally resting on the gearshift, fair and slender, with clearly defined knuckles...

Suddenly, a horn sounded from the street corner, and a jet-black Maybach slowly approached.

Shi Yuan instantly snapped out of his thoughts. He stole a glance at the black car, which was moving slowly through the crowded street, gritted his teeth, and ran toward it at a slight angle as though he had not seen it.

Only when he barely brushed against the Maybach did he turn around and stop, feigning terror. His momentum sent him sprawling straight onto the hood.

The rear window was half-open, but Shen Duo did not get out. His driver opened the door and stepped out instead. Looking utterly resigned, the middle-aged man said to Shi Yuan, "Young man, never mind our dashcam-there are cameras all over this area. If you're fine, get up and move along. If you actually delay our boss's business, selling you wouldn't cover the loss."

The driver had been with Shen Duo since he first started his business. Since Rose made its name, he had encountered seven or eight people stopping the car like this. Some wanted to pitch themselves for jobs; others wanted an easy life as Shen Duo's lover. He had gone from panicking that he had nearly hit someone to the calm certainty of a man who had seen it all.

This young fellow had rosy lips and pearly teeth, but on closer inspection, everything he wore came from bargain stalls. He was not even dressed as impressively as the driver. Clearly, he did not want to work hard and was trying to hook President Shen as his wealthy catch.

Shi Yuan straightened up and said awkwardly, "Sorry, sir. I was messaging a friend on WeChat and didn't notice the car."

"I'm really sorry for bothering you. I'll leave right away." As he spoke, he backed toward the rear of the car, edging closer to the window.

The driver rolled his eyes. He did not believe Shi Yuan's explanation, but he did not want to pursue it either. Delaying his boss's business would be bad.

"I'm really sorry for bothering you. I'll leave right away." As he spoke, he backed toward the rear of the car, edging closer to the window. The man inside raised it without hesitation.

Unconcerned, Shi Yuan fiddled with his phone, and a clear voice came from it.

"Shi Yuan? It's You Gui."

Shi Yuan smiled faintly and pressed his phone to reply. "Got it. I'm still out right now. I'll talk to you when I get back."

With a bang, the car door in front of him swung open. Shen Duo's hard features were taut, his eyes cold as stars, his brows sharp as sword sheaths, and his lips tightly pressed together. He stared coldly at Shi Yuan and asked, "How do you know her?"

"Who?" As though realization had just dawned on him, Shi Yuan lifted his phone and ventured, "You Gui?"

Shen Duo sneered. "Heh. Stop acting. Weren't you deliberately talking to her beside my car?"

Shi Yuan's heart skipped a beat. He only wanted to help You Gui however he could, not get himself dragged into it. Attracting the male lead's attention was hardly a good thing. More than anything, he feared Shen Duo would think he was scheming.

He had dared to lie to You Gui earlier because she was not aggressive, and everything he had told her worked in Shen Duo's favor. Even if Shen Duo found out later, he would never make trouble for him over it.

But now, facing the male lead in person at this point in the story, he finally understood just how perceptive the man was. After a single encounter, Shen Duo had nearly seen right through him.

The hand holding Shi Yuan's phone trembled slightly. He forced himself to calm down and rehearsed his words in his mind. Only after deciding they sounded safe did he say, "If you mean You Gui, I only just met her."

"Where is she?" Shen Duo sounded a little urgent. At the mention of You Gui, he instantly set aside his suspicions about Shi Yuan.

"She was here waiting for someone earlier, but I saw Wei Zexuan say something to her from a distance. She looked pretty upset and left."

"Wei Zexuan?" Shen Duo's expression turned icy. Apart from their former high school classmates, few people knew about him and You Gui. He had not expected Wei Zexuan to be so well-informed.

He knew how those reckless rich kids usually behaved. Who knew how much humiliation You Gui had suffered?

Shi Yuan awkwardly rubbed his hair and explained, "I've seen her at the Wei Corporation. She gets along well with my husband, so when I saw she was upset, I went over to comfort her." As he said "my husband," his toes squirmed inside his sneakers like restless little worms.

"Your husband?" Hearing Shi Yuan say he had a husband eased some of the wariness in Shen Duo's eyes.

Shi Yuan nodded. "My husband is Wei Zelin, Wei Zexuan's older half brother. They have the same father." He could not say too much. The more he said, the more mistakes he might make. Once Shen Duo and Wei Zelin joined forces later, his story would not stand up to scrutiny. But looking at the dispirited Shen Duo, he could not resist adding one more thing.

"President Shen, if you're close to You Gui, why not persuade her to leave the Wei Corporation? I-my husband said she's always being bullied, and now she's offended Wei Zexuan too. She might as well change jobs."

Shen Duo gave a bitter smile. "I'm afraid she won't listen to me."

"How will you know unless you try?" Shi Yuan was worrying himself sick over them.

Shen Duo gave him a thoughtful look. "I'll consider it when I get back. Thank you."

He got back into the car. At his instructions, the driver immediately turned around and drove away.

The person he wanted to see had already left. There was no need to go to the restaurant and deal with that rich brat.

As for this suspicious man...

Remembering something, Shen Duo picked up his work phone and dialed a number. After a few rings, a secretary answered and, a minute later, passed the call to his superior.

"President Shen?"

Shen Duo leaned back slightly against the comfortable seat.

"It's me, President Wei."

"No, I'm not calling about what we discussed last time. I just ran into a young fellow who said you were his husband?"

Wei Zelin fell silent on the other end.

Husband...

Shi Yuan?

When Shen Duo received no reply, he continued, "I don't mean anything by it. This concerns someone very important to me, so I wanted to confirm."

There was something subtle in Wei Zelin's tone as he admitted, "We are indeed married."

Having received the answer he wanted, Shen Duo quickly hung up. He needed to discuss with HR how to recruit You Gui as soon as possible.

Meanwhile: Wei Zexuan, who had been waiting in vain at the restaurant forever, ******

When Shi Yuan returned, the normally quiet estate was bustling. Countless well-trained servants hurried back and forth through the grounds.

The butler was directing several gardeners as they hung decorations on the large tree by the entrance. When Shi Yuan passed, he did not spare him so much as half a glance.

Hmph!

With his back to the butler, Shi Yuan rolled his eyes. Then, spotting a maid beside the flower bed, he cheerfully ran over.

"Sister Hong, what's the occasion today? Why is everyone out here working?"

He was kind by nature, utterly different from the original owner's violent disposition. Fortunately, the original owner had only visited a few times, so the servants did not know him well. After spending several months with Shi Yuan, those living in the same building all knew he was nothing like the rumors.

Whenever Shi Yuan came or went, he would take the initiative to greet them. Gradually, they stopped avoiding him like the plague and even grew quite fond of this polite young master.

Seeing Shi Yuan run toward her, Sister Hong beamed. "You're back, Yuan. Have you forgotten what day Tuesday is?"

Shi Yuan was baffled. Next Tuesday...

My birthday?

No. The birthday on his ID was exactly the same as his own: December 3. That was still a long way off. Besides, the Wei Family would never make such a fuss over his birthday.

Seeing his confusion, Sister Hong laughed even more warmly. "Young Master Zexuan's birthday is coming up, of course." Several nearby maids chimed in as well.

Every year, they received plenty of perks on the three family members' birthdays. Everyone liked extra income, so no wonder they were this happy. With a family like the Wei Family, even the smallest handout was no trifling sum.

Sister Hong and the others teased him because, on this day last year, Shi Yuan had ingratiated himself with Wei Zexuan at the birthday banquet, which had eventually led to him marrying Wei Zelin.

Since they had never seen Shi Yuan curse at Wei Zelin as the rumors claimed, they assumed the two were now a genuine couple. That was why they joked with him.

Shi Yuan could not voice his troubles. He forced himself to exchange a few pleasantries with Sister Hong and the others, then hurried upstairs.