Schemes

Next Tuesday was Wei Zexuan's birthday banquet? Shi Yuan thought back to the novel's plot. Wei Zexuan's interference had deepened You Gui's misunderstanding of Shen Duo.

As You Gui's direct supervisor, the birthday boy could easily have left her out of the celebration. You Gui knew where she stood: Wei Zexuan hated her, and she had no desire to walk into his line of fire.

Yet Wei Zexuan had apparently lost his mind and invited their entire department. Although he had not singled You Gui out, his meaning was perfectly clear: everyone had to attend!

Since this was an angst novel, disaster was bound to follow the protagonist. At the banquet, a well-fed, potbellied executive took a liking to You Gui. Without wasting a word, he drugged her and tossed her onto a bed.

By the time Shen Duo arrived, You Gui had come within a hair's breadth of being assaulted. Quite a few people had seen her naked and flushed. Staying at the Wei Corporation was no longer an option.

Shi Yuan had exchanged WeChat contacts with You Gui that day. Beneath her chilly exterior, she had a warm heart. She seemed difficult to approach, but deep down, she still longed for friends.

Shi Yuan occasionally sent her a few caring words or shared some funny jokes. With these exchanges, the two had grown much closer.

As Wei Zexuan's birthday banquet drew nearer, Shi Yuan grew more restless by the day. He kept wondering how he could sabotage things without Wei Zexuan finding out and taking revenge.

He could not spend the entire banquet following You Gui around. Not only would Wei Zexuan notice something was off, but Wei Zelin would also become suspicious. After all, Shi Yuan and You Gui had never had much contact before.

Wei Zexuan was arrogant to the core. If the two of them banded together right under his nose, neither would come out unscathed.

Shi Yuan had thought up all sorts of countermeasures, but he had never imagined he would not even be able to get out. Those bastards had actually blocked the little path leading to the greenhouse!

Gripping the iron gate that had appeared out of nowhere, Shi Yuan gazed pleadingly at the person on the other side.

"Sister Hong, can't you really open it?"

Looking guilty, Sister Hong said, "Yuan, if I open it for you, Young Master Zexuan will fire me on the spot when he finds out. You know what his temper's like."

Shi Yuan was at a loss for words. With Sister Hong putting it that way, he could hardly make things difficult for her. He was curious about a wealthy family's banquet, but he had no interest in profiting from it or making powerful connections. Did Wei Zexuan really need to guard against him like this?

Shi Yuan guessed that the Wei Family probably did not want Wei Zelin showing his face at an occasion like this. He had merely been caught in the crossfire.

Just as he was thinking of Wei Zelin, the man's tall, straight figure drew closer...

Shi Yuan took a deep breath and said to Sister Hong without expression, "Didn't you say you couldn't open it? Then how did he get out?"

Sister Hong looked troubled. She stole a couple of glances at Wei Zelin, her lips moving, but ultimately said nothing.

Wei Zelin happened to reach them just then. Hearing the question, he answered, "I'm working as a waiter out there."

It had been a long time since Shi Yuan had had a proper conversation with Wei Zelin. As the man approached, he had already noticed his white shirt, black waistcoat, and black dress pants.

It was obvious that this was another of Wei Zexuan's methods of humiliation. While he sat in the place of honor, surrounded by admirers and trading toasts with friends and relatives, he treated Wei Zelin as their servant.

He really had only himself to thank for the miserable end Wei Zelin eventually brought him to.

Shi Yuan did not know how to respond. Wei Zelin was immensely capable; this was merely the future powerhouse's trial by fire. He certainly did not need pity from someone who could not even be sure of keeping himself fed and clothed in the future.

Seeing Shi Yuan fall silent, Wei Zelin assumed he was still bothered by his cold attitude that day.

Nothing changed in his expression as he asked evenly, "You want to attend Wei Zexuan's birthday banquet?"

"No, no." Shi Yuan hurriedly denied it. He could not afford to associate himself with Wei Zexuan in front of Wei Zelin.

"I just heard Sister Hong say they'd invited a chef from Furuijia to make the desserts. I was craving something sweet and wanted to try them."

"Mm," Wei Zelin acknowledged.

The atmosphere was painfully awkward. Sister Hong had already slipped away.

"Since I can't get out, I'll go back and read." Shi Yuan delivered the words stiffly, then ran upstairs without looking back.

Only Wei Zelin remained where he was, his thoughts unreadable.

After climbing all the way to the top floor in one go, Shi Yuan's aching head slowly settled along with his ragged panting.

"What do I do? I can't even get out now. How am I supposed to help You Gui?"

Shi Yuan fumbled for his phone and called her directly.

"Sorry, the number you have dialed is switched-"

As Shi Yuan had expected, her phone was off. The moment You Gui arrived, Wei Zexuan had deliberately arranged for someone to throw it into the pool.

Shen Duo's phone number was kept carefully private, and Shi Yuan had no way to get it.

Now he could only hope You Gui had taken his warnings over the past few days to heart and would not casually drink anything someone handed her.

Suppressing his emotions, he scrolled back and forth through his contacts, stopping at Wei Zelin's name.

"Maybe I could ask Wei Zelin to keep an eye on her?"

Wei Zelin moved back and forth between the kitchen and the banquet. It was still early; the guests who had arrived were Wei Zexuan's disreputable friends looking to curry favor, along with Wei Corporation employees who had been ordered to arrive early.

His phone was in his dress pants pocket. It made no sound, but he still felt it vibrate.

Turning aside, he took it out and glanced at the name on the screen. His hand paused just as he was about to slip it back into his pocket.

Wei Zelin handed what he was carrying to someone else, then went to a corner and opened Shi Yuan's message.

"Brother Lin, sorry for the trouble, but I need a favor. I have a friend named You Gui-you've probably met her. Somehow she's offended Wei Zexuan lately, and I'm afraid she'll be bullied at the banquet. Could you keep an eye on her for me? You don't have to stand up for her or anything. The president of Rose seems to think highly of her abilities. If you tell him, he definitely won't just sit by and do nothing!"

Reading the message, which was riddled with holes, Wei Zelin suddenly smiled without a sound.

In the few months they had spent under the same roof, this Shi Yuan had clearly been a cautious person. He had let little things slip, but he had never thrown caution to the wind like this.

He knew asking for help would expose him, yet he had done it anyway. Was it because of-You Gui?

At the thought of You Gui's exquisite face, Wei Zelin's smile faded again.

Shen Duo had not wanted to attend Wei Zexuan's birthday banquet. But after hearing that Wei Corporation employees would also be there, he had decided to try his luck and make an appearance. If You Gui was not there, he would leave.

To his surprise, he really did find the woman he loved at the reception. Unfortunately, she seemed to be in some trouble.

A potbellied tycoon from Donggang sat pressed close to You Gui, holding a glass of wine up to her lips.

You Gui wore an icy expression as she sat hemmed in by Wei Zexuan's disreputable friends. They shoved her around and egged the man on, leaving her no chance to get away.

Fury surged through Shen Duo. He strode over to stand up for the woman he loved.

Wei Zexuan, who had been notified the moment Shen Duo entered, witnessed it all. This only confirmed what his earlier investigation had uncovered. There really was something going on between You Gui and Shen Duo!

A short distance away, Wei Zelin quietly watched everything unfold. He found the love triangle between those three laughable.

A man as shrewd as Shen Duo was actually being led around by the nose by a woman. Was You Gui really that charming?

He took another couple of careful looks.

Yes, her features were certainly outstanding. Being groped by the old lecher had left her looking furious, her cheeks faintly flushed and her bitten lips vividly red, lending her an added allure.

He casually opened his phone and found the photo of Shi Yuan sleeping. With a finger of his left hand, he lightly tapped those small lips twice. They were paler than You Gui's, the upper lip thin and the lower one full.

Two people with completely different personalities...

Was it You Gui's looks that made Shi Yuan so concerned about her?

Not necessarily.

He was intensely curious about what secrets You Gui might have besides her romantic history with Rose's president.

Even more intriguing was Shi Yuan. Just what did this man, whose personality had changed beyond recognition, know?

As more people turned their attention toward them, the conflict between the three escalated. A sharp crash of breaking glass rang out.

Wei Zelin saw the wineglass fall from the tycoon's hand. It shattered against the floor, spilling red wine everywhere.

At that moment, Wei Zexuan and the tycoon briefly met each other's eyes. Wei Zelin caught on. Once Wei Zexuan set his mind on something, he would not give up easily-and today, they were on the Wei Family's turf...

With Shen Duo's help, You Gui escaped the crowd. She now sat in the dining area, her emotions tangled.

Although she did not want to stay another moment, leaving before the chairman appeared would mean the end of her career. It would not just be Wei Zexuan making things difficult; her coworkers would also spread word that she had no sense of propriety. She could already imagine the scene.

She valued her dignity above everything else. She could not bring herself to do that.

Fortunately, Shen Duo had already sent the Donggang tycoon away, and Wei Zexuan had gone off somewhere to socialize. Weary as she was, she finally relaxed a little.

As she was thinking this, several female coworkers she was on reasonably friendly terms with approached.

"You Gui, why are you sitting here alone? There's loads of fun stuff over there, even a screening room and a karaoke room. Want to come sing with us?"

"Yeah! Young President Wei said we could enjoy ourselves however we liked!"

They had never seen a mansion like this before. Now that they had the chance to visit one, every last one of them was excited.

Sister Liu, the oldest of them, had even brought her child along. She handed You Gui a glass of juice and said, "You Gui, come with us. These big shots are all way out of our league. It's awkward hanging around them. We'd be better off finding somewhere to have fun with our own department."

After speaking, she gave You Gui a meaningful wink.

They were all Wei Corporation employees, unlike the big shots who timed their arrivals to the minute. Even if Wei Zexuan had not specified when they should arrive, none of them wanted to offend Young President Wei.

They had gathered outside the company at eight, and company vehicles had taken them straight to the Wei Family's old residence. As a result, they had all seen the earlier fiasco perfectly clearly.

Somewhat embarrassed, You Gui lifted the juice to her lips, then suddenly remembered Shi Yuan's warnings. After what had happened that morning, she still felt wary, so she set the juice back on the table.

Sister Liu meant well, too. Being sized up like merchandise by these people was certainly worse than going off with her coworkers.

Although they were not particularly close in daily life, they had spent years working in the same department. She would feel more at ease with them than she did here.

Besides, Shen Duo would be back soon, and she still did not know how to face him.

Watching You Gui get coaxed away with a few words, Wei Zelin made no move to stop her. Shen Duo's name was even sitting in his contacts, yet he had no intention of contacting him.

Instead, he walked over to where You Gui had been sitting and picked up the glass of juice. Looking at the orange-yellow liquid that had sloshed onto the rim, he narrowed his eyes and smiled.

In the end, the message Shi Yuan had risked arousing suspicion to send had been wasted.