Jiang Shao remained above Qi Mu with one knee bent and one hand braced against the bed. Seeing Qi Mu awake, the corner of his mouth lifted into a meaningful smile as he said matter-of-factly, “President Qi is drunk. I’m taking care of you so you can rest.”
Qi Mu coughed lightly. “…No need. You can go.”
But Jiang Shao still did not get up. His fingers remained at Qi Mu’s waistband, giving it a light tug as he asked with apparent concern, “Are you sure you don’t need my help?”
Of course I don’t need your help, bastard!
Qi Mu cursed Jiang Shao a hundred times in his head, yet outwardly he still wore a perfectly polite smile. “I can manage on my own.”
Jiang Shao stared steadily at Qi Mu.
On the surface, Qi Mu looked mild and composed, but the anger buried deep in his eyes could not be concealed. He looked like a cat bristling in embarrassed fury, and Jiang Shao finally felt satisfied.
So Qi Mu really doesn’t let just anyone do this.
A few seconds later—
Jiang Shao casually got to his feet and smiled. “Since President Qi can manage on his own, I won’t disturb your rest.”
With that, he turned and left without hesitation.
The front door closed.
The apartment fell silent.
Only then did Qi Mu truly breathe a sigh of relief. He pushed himself upright and touched his burning face. Although what had just happened had not actually lasted very long, it had felt longer than an entire year.
Even though everything Jiang Shao had done could technically be explained—
Still…
Qi Mu had an inexplicable instinct that Jiang Shao had been deliberately toying with him.
Long Aotian really was a thoroughly awful bastard. Qi Mu only hoped Yu Yue Ning was all right and, more importantly, that he never ran into Long Aotian again.
Otherwise, next time—
Qi Mu had no idea how he was supposed to save him.
…
The next day, Qi Mu arrived at the company on time as usual.
Because of what had happened the previous night—
The sight of Jiang Shao irritated him.
But Qi Mu had no legitimate reason to lose his temper. To keep himself from constantly recalling the embarrassment of last night, he buried himself in work instead.
Fortunately, he had meetings scheduled for the entire day.
That left him neither the time nor the inclination to dwell on something so trivial.
Yu Yue Ning arrived at Qi Mu’s company that afternoon.
After returning home from the party the night before, he had thought the whole thing over again and again, and the more he thought about it, the more wrong it seemed. He seriously suspected that his position had been threatened. Once that thought took hold, Yu Yue Ning could no longer sit still. He had to find out exactly who Jiang Shao was and what kind of relationship he had with Qi Mu.
That man had appeared out of nowhere for no apparent reason.
And somehow, Qi Mu had abandoned Yu Yue Ning and left his birthday party early because of him!
Were they even brothers anymore?
If Qi Mu had ditched his friend for romance, Yu Yue Ning could have accepted that. He would not have been angry in the slightest—he would only have been delighted that Qi Mu had finally figured out romance.
But ditching one friend for another friend was absolutely unacceptable!
Elio’s Notes: The joke twists the common expression 见色忘义, “forget loyalty for romance,” into 见友忘友—essentially, “forget one friend for another friend.” Yu Yue Ning would happily lose to a romantic partner, but absolutely refuses to be demoted for another male friend.
The first thing Yu Yue Ning did after waking up was rush straight to Qi Mu’s company. As for why he did not arrive until the afternoon, that was naturally because he had partied until dawn and slept until afternoon.
As Qi Mu’s childhood friend—
Although Yu Yue Ning rarely came to Qi Corporation, some people there knew him, and the front desk naturally did not dare stop him.
Without notifying anyone, Yu Yue Ning entered the company unobstructed and headed straight for Qi Mu’s floor. Ignoring everyone around him, he began pounding furiously on Qi Mu’s office door.
Bang, bang, bang.
But no one answered even after quite a while.
The people in the President’s Office across the hall heard the commotion. Zhan Xiao Hui came out to see what was happening, and when she saw Yu Yue Ning, she smiled. “Young Master Yu, are you here to see President Qi? He’s in meetings today.”
Yu Yue Ning thought, Seriously? What terrible timing. This was exactly why he rarely came here. He hated making appointments, and whenever he simply showed up, half the time he could not catch that ridiculously busy Qi Mu anyway.
But today, Yu Yue Ning refused to leave without seeing him. He asked, “Is he meeting outside or here at the company?”
Zhan Xiao Hui replied, “Here at the company, but the meetings probably won’t end until tonight.”
Yu Yue Ning took out his phone and checked the time. There was not that long until the end of the workday anyway, so he said, “Then I’ll wait here.”
Zhan Xiao Hui said, “Sure. Young Master Yu, why don’t you come sit in our office first? I’ll make you some tea.”
Yu Yue Ning waved both hands. “I don’t drink tea.”
Then he grinned and added, “I’ll treat all of you to milk tea instead.”
He took out his phone and tapped away, ordering dozens of cups of milk tea and desserts from the most popular trendy shops online—enough for everyone on the entire floor.
Zhan Xiao Hui smiled sincerely. “Then thank you, Young Master Yu.”
She led Yu Yue Ning back into the office and announced the good news. Immediately, another chorus of “Thank you, Young Master Yu!” rose around them.
Not everyone knew Yu Yue Ning, but with milk tea and desserts in hand, everyone became extremely welcoming toward him. Even those who had not known him before now remembered President Qi’s generous friend.
Yu Yue Ning was the sort of person who could chat with anyone. He was funny, likable, and easy to talk to, so the office quickly filled with cheerful conversation.
Yu Yue Ning drank his milk tea while chatting.
The wait was not particularly difficult after all.
And so, Jiang Shao merely stepped outside for a little air—
Only to hear bursts of laughter coming from the ordinarily quiet office as he returned.
The moment he pushed the door open—
He saw Yu Yue Ning sprawled crookedly across the sofa with one leg crossed over the other, a huge pile of snacks spread across the table before him. Surrounded by everyone, he was talking animatedly as though… this were Young Master Yu’s private room rather than an office.
Jiang Shao could not stop himself. With a sharp bang, he closed the door rather harder than necessary.
Yu Yue Ning had been happily talking when the loud noise startled him so badly that he nearly choked on his milk tea. He turned his head and immediately met Jiang Shao’s gloomy face.
Of all the people to run into.
I haven’t even found Qi Mu yet, and I run into you first!
Yu Yue Ning also set his milk tea down with a sharp smack and stood up aggressively.
The sudden change left everyone in the office looking at one another.
Why had the friendly, approachable Young Master Yu suddenly changed faces? He looked as though he were about to start a fight…
And what was wrong with Jiang Shao? He normally might be the handsome, perpetually cold-faced type, but he was still within the range of normal human beings. Why did he look today as though he wanted to kill someone?
Wait—did these two have some kind of grudge?
Everyone’s eyes widened with gossip-fueled excitement. They held their breath and waited to see what would happen next.
Jiang Shao’s incomparably cold gaze settled on Yu Yue Ning.
For Qi Mu’s sake, Jiang Shao had already decided he could not be bothered with Yu Yue Ning. Yet only one night had passed, and this guy had actually come straight to the company.
What did he come looking for Qi Mu for?
Jiang Shao did not know.
All he knew was that his urge to beat someone up had never been stronger. But if he beat Yu Yue Ning in front of all these witnesses, then even with Lu Jin Wen’s connection backing him up, Qi Mu would probably still fire him…
Violence churned inside Jiang Shao, yet his expression remained calm. After considering it for a moment, he said evenly to Yu Yue Ning, “Want to go outside and talk?”
Yu Yue Ning wore an equally cold expression. To keep from losing in terms of presence, he even straightened his posture as much as possible. Damn it. This guy was tall and handsome, and the moment he put on that cold face, he looked as cool as some movie villain.
Yu Yue Ning might still be putting on a brave front, but he suddenly felt far less certain about whether he could actually gain the upper hand in the coming confrontation.
If he made a fool of himself in front of everyone, what would happen to Young Master Yu’s dignity?
Besides, he wanted to talk to Jiang Shao about Qi Mu, which involved Qi Mu’s private affairs. It was hardly appropriate to discuss that in front of a crowd.
Since Jiang Shao had suggested talking outside…
Yu Yue Ning’s expression shifted slightly before he followed along. “Fine.”
The two turned and left together.
Everyone in the office had expected a good show, only for both participants to disappear in the blink of an eye. Apparently, they did not want anyone watching the spectacle. Disappointed, everyone could only disperse.
Only Zhan Xiao Hui looked somewhat worried.
They aren’t going to fight, are they?
One was President Qi’s best friend, while the other was President Qi’s capable right-hand man. Should she tell President Qi about this?
But she did not actually know what grievance existed between them. What if it turned out to be nothing serious and she was merely overreacting? Reporting every little thing to President Qi like a tattletale did not seem very good either.
Forget it, forget it.
Better not stick her nose into other people’s business.
She still had work to finish today.
…
A bitterly cold wind swept across the rooftop.
Jiang Shao had chosen the place, and Yu Yue Ning refused to back down, so he followed him up.
Besides, there were not many places in the company where they could talk without being disturbed. People constantly came and went through the restrooms, and in the middle of winter, the rooftop was practically the only place where no one would come.
Yu Yue Ning had always valued style over warmth and was not wearing much. Today, he had only a leather jacket rather than a down coat, and the freezing wind nearly numbed his entire body. But when he looked at Jiang Shao across from him, the man was not wearing much more and yet remained perfectly calm and unaffected. Yu Yue Ning could only endure the cold and stand there with his neck stubbornly straight.
This guy really isn’t simple.
Facing an opponent like this gave Yu Yue Ning the bizarre feeling that he had reached the legendary showdown atop the Forbidden City. Today, he and Jiang Shao would settle not only who was superior, but who lived and who died!
Elio’s Notes: “The showdown atop the Forbidden City” (决战紫禁之巅) evokes a famous wuxia image associated with Gu Long’s Lu Xiaofeng stories: a climactic duel between peerless swordsmen atop the imperial palace. Yu Yue Ning is hilariously treating a freezing rooftop argument as though it were an epic martial-arts showdown.
The atmosphere instantly felt right.
A stubborn refusal to lose sustained Yu Yue Ning.
He was no longer even afraid of the cold.
He decided to strike first.
Pointing directly at Jiang Shao, he demanded, “What exactly is your relationship with Qi Mu?”
Jiang Shao narrowed his eyes slightly.
His expression appeared calm, but what he was thinking was—
So far, not one person who dared point a finger at me while talking has walked away completely unscathed.
Jiang Shao had a hundred ways to deal with an arrogant playboy with no self-awareness like this. The simplest and most direct would be to snap that finger and teach him some basic manners. Granted, Jiang Shao himself was hardly a particularly polite person, but he disliked people even ruder than himself.
Besides, Qi Mu had attended Yu Yue Ning’s party last night, hadn’t he?
One look at Yu Yue Ning was enough to tell that he was no good. If Qi Mu surrounded himself with these kinds of disreputable friends, how could he possibly avoid being led astray?
At that thought, the violence inside Jiang Shao intensified.
All the frustration and irritation he could not vent when facing Qi Mu transformed into anger and shifted onto Yu Yue Ning instead. It had been a long time since Jiang Shao had felt such a strong impulse to kill someone.
But he did not attack immediately.
His hand clenched inside his pocket as he spat out the words one by one, coldly. “And what exactly is your relationship with Qi Mu?”
He was waiting for an answer.
If the answer was even slightly unsatisfactory, Jiang Shao would have all the justification he needed to release every bit of violence inside him.
Yu Yue Ning remained completely unaware of the danger. Hearing the question, he took it as Jiang Shao challenging him. My position as Qi Mu’s number-one best friend will absolutely not be shaken by anyone.
He raised his chin proudly and declared with absolute certainty, “I’m Qi Mu’s best friend!”
The violence filling Jiang Shao was caught completely off guard.
He frowned and repeated blankly, “Friend?”
Seeing Jiang Shao’s disbelieving expression, Yu Yue Ning took it as mockery, which only made him angrier. What? You don’t think I’m Qi Mu’s best friend?
If I’m not, then are you?
Yu Yue Ning glared furiously at Jiang Shao and launched into a rapid-fire tirade. “If you don’t believe me, go ask around City C! Everyone knows I’m Qi Mu’s best friend! Who the hell are you? Do you even know yesterday was my birthday party? It took me forever to get Qi Mu to come out. Do you have any idea how hard it is to drag that workaholic away from work? Huh? Do you? Of course you don’t! And then you show up halfway through, call for him once, and he dumps me and leaves! You think that means you’re important to him? Wrong! Qi Mu just thinks work is more important, so stop looking so smug in front of me. You’re only Qi Mu’s assistant. I’m Qi Mu’s best friend!”
A strange and complicated expression appeared on Jiang Shao’s face. This was the first time he had listened to someone spew such a long string of nonsense—complete with insults like “Who the hell are you?”—without interrupting them.
Apparently, things were not quite what he had imagined.
Seeing Jiang Shao standing there in a daze, Yu Yue Ning assumed he had successfully intimidated him. All the grievances and resentment he had accumulated since last night came pouring out in an endless stream, every word a tearful accusation.
Beating his chest and stamping his feet, Yu Yue Ning complained, “Do you have any idea how long I secretly prepared that surprise for Qi Mu last night? That dense idiot only knows work, work, work all day long. There’s never anyone around him. No matter how many blind dates Uncle Qi introduces him to, he never likes a single one. I was starting to wonder whether he even liked women, so I prepared men too! And what happened? He still didn’t look at any of them! If he keeps living this ascetically, I’m going to start worrying he’ll renounce worldly life and become a monk. Even if he doesn’t, he’s heading straight toward dying alone! Is he seriously planning to marry his work? I’m his best brother—how could I not worry about him? I’ve worried myself sick over Qi Mu’s lifelong happiness. I even used my own birthday party as an opportunity to set something up for him. I handpicked every single one of those people, and then you barged in and ruined everything! Do you know how rare an opportunity like that is? It’ll be even harder to trick Qi Mu into coming out next time!”
From that enormous pile of nonsense, Jiang Shao keenly extracted the key information: Qi Mu was single, abstinent, and apparently uninterested in women.
The violence filling him transformed into a complicated joy that was difficult to put into words.
The murderous urge he had felt only moments earlier silently disappeared, replaced by bewilderment in the face of this unexpected revelation.
After remaining silent for a long while, Jiang Shao finally asked, “How long did you spend preparing it?”
Yu Yue Ning nearly keeled over from rage. After everything he had just said, had Jiang Shao only heard the first part? That was somehow even more insulting than getting beaten up!
He shouted, “Were you even listening to me?!”
Jiang Shao fell silent.
He genuinely had not done it on purpose.
Still, after Yu Yue Ning’s outburst, Jiang Shao quickly arrived at three new conclusions—
First, Yu Yue Ning and Qi Mu were not in that kind of relationship.
Second, Yu Yue Ning was Qi Mu’s best friend.
Third, Yu Yue Ning was a clueless idiot.
This man was not only completely harmless—
He could even be useful.
Jiang Shao took a small step backward, deliberately letting the cold hostility around him fade to show that he meant no harm. His tone softened as well. “Sorry. I really didn’t know I had ruined your plan. But… is it possible that the reason you keep failing is because you’re going about it the wrong way?”
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