Chapter 19
Ye Xiyao felt like he was being followed.
The rose was evidence, of course. But it wasn’t just the rose.
Around 3 a.m., Ye Xiyao woke up thirsty and went to get water. He vaguely heard footsteps outside the door—very light, two steps, then stopping right at his doorstep. His heart tightened as he carefully tiptoed over to the door and peered through the peephole. But there was nothing outside.
He wasn’t sure if he was just being paranoid, overly tense, or if he’d heard it while half-asleep. Or maybe…someone really had paused outside his door for a moment.
He couldn’t fall back asleep after that. Curled up in bed with his stuffed toy, he stayed wide awake until dawn.
Ye Xiyao had never encountered anything like this before and didn’t know what to do.
Should he call the police? But a rose and a note didn’t prove anything. He didn’t even know who was following him. Even if the police wanted to help, they’d have no clues to go on. They certainly wouldn’t assign someone to stand guard at his door.
Besides, if a real criminal came to his door, the police might end up protecting them instead.
Even though Ye Xiyao had the ability to protect himself, that didn’t mean he wasn’t scared.
Especially since the other person was in the shadows, while he was exposed in the light. It was putting a psychological burden on him.
When he left for work in the morning, Ye Xiyao kept feeling like someone was watching him—like a pair of eyes was following him the entire time. He couldn’t help but glance back as he walked, but there were only hurried pedestrians behind him, none of whom seemed particularly interested in him.
He unconsciously bit his lip and furrowed his brow, the tension lingering even after he entered the office.
In the past, when Ye Xiyao encountered trouble, he would have to figure out a solution himself. If he couldn’t solve it, he’d endure. If he couldn’t endure, he’d hide.
But this time, he planned to talk to someone about it.
When that thought popped into his head, the first person that came to mind was Xing Xu. Maybe it was because knowing Xing Xu gave Ye Xiyao the confidence to feel like he could rely on someone when things went wrong.
Xing Xu was a friend who made him feel secure. Just thinking that he could talk things over with him made Ye Xiyao feel less afraid.
Because he hadn’t slept all night, Ye Xiyao left early for work. The office floor was still quiet when he arrived.
He turned on the lights, clocked in, and walked straight to Xing Xu’s office. The door was open, but no one was inside, as expected—he had arrived too early.
Ye Xiyao opened his computer and began organizing follow-up work from yesterday’s livestream, while also reviewing the results of last night’s investigation meeting, which Qiao Linchuan had sent him. He waited for Xing Xu to arrive.
He wondered, what advice would Xing Xu give him when he found out someone was following him?
Or, maybe Xing Xu would just help him catch the stalker outright?
It seemed like Ye Xiyao was already convinced that Xing Xu would help him.
But before Xing Xu arrived, Qiao Linchuan called.
He seemed to have just entered the company’s main campus and was running. As soon as the call connected, he was panting and spoke urgently: “Xiao Ye! Are you at the office yet?”
Ye Xiyao, thinking it was something work-related, straightened up and responded, “Yes, I’m already at the office.”
Qiao Linchuan immediately instructed, “Hide! Quickly!”
Ye Xiyao: “?”
Confused, he asked, “Why?”
“Don’t ask! Just hide now, go to…” Qiao Linchuan thought for a moment about where on the floor would be safest and finally said, “Go to Mr. Xing’s office and lock the door. Don’t open it for anyone except people from our department.”
His words were vague, and his serious tone made Ye Xiyao nervous. “What’s going on, brother Qiao? Is the country at war or something?”
“…” Qiao Linchuan was amused by the earnestness of his question but hadn’t had time to laugh before he suddenly yelped in pain.
Then there was a burst of chaotic noise from Qiao Linchuan’s side, as if many people were surrounding him. In a rush, he reminded Ye Xiyao again before hanging up: “Don’t come out!”
Ye Xiyao had no choice but to hide in Xing Xu’s office, feeling on edge without any idea of what was happening.
The fact that someone had been stalking him was already weighing heavily on his mind. Now, with Qiao Linchuan apparently in some kind of trouble, Ye Xiyao was even more anxious and disoriented.
What on earth was going on?
It seemed like ever since his livestream ended yesterday, everything had started to unravel.
Around 9 a.m., someone approached the office. They tried to open the door but realized it was locked from the inside.
Ye Xiyao’s heart skipped a beat. His first instinct was that the enemy had arrived. But then he found it amusing—this was a time of peace, and they were in one of the safest cities in the country. A war was out of the question.
He remained silent, still sitting on the office sofa, staring intently at the door. He expected the person outside to knock or say something so he could confirm their identity.
But the next second, there was a deafening “BANG!”
The office door was kicked open.
It slammed against the wall with a thunderous crash and then bounced back, teetering unsteadily.
The whole door-opening process was simple, brutal, and efficient.
Then Xing Xu swaggered in, looking lazy and relaxed, as if he hadn’t been the one to break down the door.
At that moment, Ye Xiyao couldn’t help but ask himself:
If it were him, what would his first reaction be to finding his office door locked?
He would knock and ask if anyone was inside. If no one answered, he’d either leave or find someone with a key to open it.
But Xing Xu’s first reaction to a locked door: kick it open.
Got it. Got it.
As a new employee, Ye Xiyao just learned a new trick from his senior.
But…
Even if he learned it, he wouldn’t be able to use it!
Xing Xu had barely entered when he stopped, only now realizing someone was in the office.
Ye Xiyao met his gaze, smiled, and stood up. “You’re here!”
Xing Xu glanced at him but remained cool and distant in contrast to Ye Xiyao’s warmth.
However, Ye Xiyao didn’t notice Xing Xu’s strange behavior. He had come to see Xing Xu as his first and only close friend, so just seeing him made Ye Xiyao happy. He had already forgotten the embarrassment from yesterday, when he had dreamed of Xing Xu’s enticing scent while in his arms.
He ran toward Xing Xu.
“Xing Xu, I have something I want to—”
Although he ran quickly, his steps were small, and he was still several meters away from Xing Xu. Yet, Xing Xu suddenly took a subtle step back, as if he were afraid of getting too close.
Ye Xiyao noticed this movement, paused, and stood still, confused.
The words he had prepared fell apart, and he didn’t know what to say.
“You…” Ye Xiyao awkwardly tried to break the tension. “Why are you wearing so much today? Aren’t you hot?”
It was true that Xing Xu was dressed heavily. Even though it was early August, and Ye Xiyao, who was sensitive to cold, had switched to lighter clothes, Xing Xu was wearing a black jacket that tightly wrapped his muscular arms.
“Uh.” Xing Xu averted his gaze, his expression a bit unnatural.
In the next moment, Ye Xiyao noticed something red peeking from Xing Xu’s collar—splotchy marks, though it wasn’t clear what had caused them.
“Xing Xu, are you hurt?” Ye Xiyao took a step forward, standing on his toes to get a closer look.
Xing Xu’s reaction was even more dramatic this time. He raised his hand to cover the “injured” area and turned abruptly to walk into the break room, shutting the door with a loud bang. The whole sequence happened so quickly that Ye Xiyao didn’t have time to see Xing Xu’s ears turn bright red.
Ye Xiyao was left standing there, a bit lost and confused.
He tried to come up with a reasonable explanation for Xing Xu’s behavior—
Could it be that Ye Xiyao had hidden his presence so well that even Xing Xu couldn’t sense him anymore?
That seemed like the only logical explanation.
But there was still a lingering feeling of dissatisfaction.
Even when everyone else ignored him, Xing Xu still responded to him. Xing Xu was special—he was the closest one to him. Weren’t they friends?
Ye Xiyao wanted to try again, so he walked to the door of the break room and gently knocked.
“Xing… manager Xing?” Ye Xiyao called cautiously, not daring to address him by his full name anymore.
Even if he couldn’t see him or hear his voice, surely he could at least hear the knocking, right?
Sure enough, this time Xing Xu responded.
Through the closed door, he said, “If you have something to say, we’ll talk later. I’m very busy right now.”
Ye Xiyao licked his dry lips. “…Okay.”
In the end, he packed up his laptop and bag and walked out of Xing Xu’s office. He glanced back once, but Xing Xu didn’t come out. Disheartened, he looked away and found a corner not far from the office to sit quietly by himself.
Ye Xiyao had never felt time drag on so slowly before. Every minute and second felt like sitting on pins and needles.
Yesterday, he was the star of the livestream, admired by thousands as “Little Treasure.” But today, he was sitting alone in a corner, fading into the background, unnoticed and unimportant.
Yesterday, Xing Xu had carried him into the break room to rest. Today, Xing Xu had shut him out.
He thought he was used to this. He thought he was prepared.
But he still felt a little sad.
Not because no one was by his side.
But because someone had almost gotten close to him, and now, in the blink of an eye, had forgotten him again.
Before long, Ye Xiyao saw Xing Xu rush out of the office, walking quickly with a headset on, apparently discussing something important. He caught a snippet of the conversation—”Send a helicopter over”—before Xing Xu noticed Ye Xiyao quietly watching him from the corner and immediately stopped talking.
It was clear he didn’t want Ye Xiyao to overhear the conversation.
Ye Xiyao straightened up, no longer daring to treat Xing Xu like a friend at work. He respectfully greeted him, “Good morning, manager Xing.”
Xing Xu nodded and walked right past him.
After that, Xing Xu didn’t come back for a long time.
Ye Xiyao stared at the empty office, replaying Xing Xu’s cold expression in his mind. He was almost certain now that he had hidden his presence too well, making it so that even Xing Xu couldn’t see him anymore.
He didn’t know if thinking this way would make him feel any better, but it was all he could think of.
But soon, Ye Xiyao realized that things weren’t quite as simple as he thought.
The first people to rush into the eighth floor were Qiao Linchuan and Lu Kou.
They led the charge, their expressions grim. As soon as they saw Ye Xiyao, they were startled and shouted, “Why are you here? Quick, Kou’er, take him to the safe room! I’ll hold off the people behind! Xu Sinyang and Qin Zai can’t hold out downstairs for long—”
“Don’t worry, I’ve got this!” Lu Kou responded fiercely, grabbing Ye Xiyao and dragging him away in a hurry.
“Huh?” Ye Xiyao, completely bewildered, was pulled into the safe room by Lu Kou.
The safe room was the most secure and private place, usually used for testing dangerous or special products. Ye Xiyao hadn’t expected his first time entering it would be for this reason.
Lu Kou explained, “You absolutely cannot show yourself. There’s a group of people downstairs looking for you!”
Ye Xiyao asked, “Why are they looking for me?”
Lu Kou explained further: “Yesterday afternoon, during that investigation meeting, all the top executives from headquarters and everyone from the project companies who had any dealings with Wei Kang in the past two years were present. The meeting lasted four hours, and for one of those hours, everyone was watching the replay of your PK battle with Lin Xingyun.”
Ye Xiyao was stunned, still not understanding the connection. “They watched the replay, and then…?”
“And then over thirty senior executives and more than eighty other attendees,” Lu Kou took a deep breath and continued, “became your fans on the spot. Of course, I think a good portion of them aren’t really fans but have ulterior motives!”
Ye Xiyao was confused, “Huh?”
Lu Kou dropped another bombshell: “After they found out you weren’t an external streamer but a rookie from our department, they all went crazy wanting to meet you. They’ve been waiting downstairs since early morning, and Qiao Linchuan and I barely managed to escape!”
Ye Xiyao: “…”
He found it a bit funny but wasn’t nearly as alarmed as Lu Kou.
“Sister Kou, I could just go meet them,” Ye Xiyao said.
Over the past twenty years, he had taken photos and recorded videos, so he knew that once he was off-camera, people wouldn’t be able to connect him to the person in the videos and photos. They’d think the pictures were heavily edited, and the videos overly enhanced, but they wouldn’t take an interest in the real Ye Xiyao.
Rather than letting everyone remain curious about him, it would be better to meet them in person and shatter their illusions.
Ye Xiyao thought: people’s admiration for him would be fleeting. Even Xing Xu suddenly stopped paying attention to him; it would be even easier for others to lose interest.
“Absolutely not!” Lu Kou, thinking he didn’t understand the gravity of the situation, said, “You look like this, and I’m worried someone might throw a sack over your head if you just walk down the street. That bunch downstairs are like wolves and tigers. There’s no way I’m letting you go down there.”
Ye Xiyao thought he had misheard and laughed, saying, “I just look good on camera, but in person, I’m really quite ordinary.”
Lu Kou: “?”
Ye Xiyao: “?”
After a moment, Ye Xiyao realized something was off.
Today, Lu Kou was looking at him very differently than usual.
Upon closer inspection, Ye Xiyao could detect a hint of affection, concern, and care in her gaze. Of course, given Lu Kou’s generally kind nature, it wasn’t out of place for her to care for a junior.
But she kept avoiding eye contact with him, her gaze darting away several times, as if too embarrassed to look at him directly.
Ye Xiyao’s heart skipped a few beats. Tentatively, he asked, “Sister Kou, do you think I still look good like this?”
“Of course, you do!” Lu Kou’s voice shot up several notches. “Those people downstairs are totally smitten with you!”
Even hearing it from Lu Kou, Ye Xiyao wasn’t convinced.
Not until Qiao Linchuan returned, followed by Xu Sinyang and Qin Zai. Only then did he finally realize from their glances and tones that…
It seemed that anyone who had watched that livestream, anyone who had seen how he looked on camera, could now somehow break through the aura he had been hiding, allowing them to interact with him normally.
They no longer looked at him like he was invisible, and they no longer forgot about him mid-conversation.
They saw the real Ye Xiyao.
But was that a good thing?
Ye Xiyao wasn’t sure yet. He couldn’t tell whether having his low profile shattered was more of a blessing or a curse. But for now, it was clearly more of a headache.
The morning was fine; at least, staying on the eighth floor meant he didn’t have to go out. Ye Xiyao basked in the care of his senior colleagues, experiencing for the first time the lively attention directed solely at him.
But lunchtime was a different story—an ordeal.
Getting downstairs felt like guerrilla warfare. First, the physically strongest, Xu Sinyang, would lead the way, pushing aside the crowd of people craning their necks to catch a glimpse of Ye Xiyao. Then Qin Zai and Qiao Linchuan would escort Ye Xiyao out of the elevator. Finally, Lu Kou, holding a megaphone, would yell, “Everyone, get the hell away—”
The entire time, Ye Xiyao wore a dazed expression.
He wasn’t acting; he genuinely felt dazed.
Was everyone’s reaction to his face… really that intense?
Although he knew succubi had the innate talent of appearing as the most beautiful version of themselves in others’ imaginations, Ye Xiyao had always told himself that he wasn’t just a succubus—he had other bloodlines too. Maybe he wasn’t that appealing of a succubus after all.
But now, reality proved him wrong.
He wasn’t just appealing—he was excessively mesmerizing.
Lu Kou was right: if everyone could see his face clearly, he probably would get abducted just walking down the street.
This farce continued until the end of the workday, finally brought to a close by the big boss, Xue Qiao, who laid down the law, telling everyone to respect Ye Xiyao’s wishes. If he didn’t want to meet anyone, they shouldn’t bother him, or there would be a series of punitive measures.
Ye Xiyao felt deeply embarrassed.
He didn’t dare indulge in this sudden wave of enthusiasm and attention because he wasn’t sure how long their curiosity about him would last. Rather than being pursued, he felt more like he was being hunted.
At the same time, he realized that earlier this morning, Xing Xu hadn’t failed to see him.
He just didn’t want to acknowledge him.
Ye Xiyao’s mood sank into gloom, and he could no longer come up with any excuses to justify Xing Xu’s coldness.
He began to wonder why Xing Xu’s attitude towards him had changed so much.
Was it because Ye Xiyao had clung to him too much, making Xing Xu feel like he lacked boundaries?
Or maybe Xing Xu hadn’t really seen his face before, but after watching the livestream, he finally saw what Ye Xiyao looked like and, as it happened, didn’t like his face?
Whatever the reason, couldn’t Xing Xu at least not ignore him so suddenly?
Ye Xiyao had never had a friend before and had no experience, so he didn’t know how friends were supposed to interact. Maybe Xing Xu had very high standards for friends, and Ye Xiyao simply didn’t meet them.
But couldn’t he just tell him that directly?
Ye Xiyao believed he was a quick learner and could pick up anything.
Yet he never had the chance to ask Xing Xu for an answer.
Because after Xing Xu left that day, he never came back.
Even for the next two days, Xing Xu didn’t return to the office.
Ye Xiyao discreetly asked Qiao Linchuan, but even he didn’t know where Xing Xu had gone. He told Ye Xiyao, “Xing Xu has always been that way—wild and carefree. He does whatever he wants and goes wherever he pleases. Don’t be fooled by the fact that he’s our department manager right now; he could leave at any time. You shouldn’t think too much about him.”
Qiao Linchuan meant to comfort him, but his words only made Ye Xiyao feel even sadder.
Xing Xu could leave at any time?
So, in the end, he never saw him as a friend—just another employee at the company he happened to know, right?
“…Hey, hey!!” Qiao Linchuan suddenly called out, “Ye Xiaobao! Why are you crying?!”
Ye Xiyao blinked, wiped his eyes, and said, “I’m not crying.”
He really wasn’t.
Ye Xiyao was good at managing his emotions; he wouldn’t cry or throw a fit over something like this.
But he admitted that the moment he realized Xing Xu didn’t consider him a friend, he felt a bit wronged, which is why his eyes turned red.
But it was just feeling wronged, nothing more.
Ye Xiyao had experienced plenty of grievances in his life, so what did Xing Xu amount to?
–
Over the next few days, Ye Xiyao quickly built strong relationships with the people in his department.
Thanks to his senior colleagues, the headquarters staff who had been trying to get close to Ye Xiyao also gradually calmed down. They no longer showed up so aggressively but instead tried to get his contact information through indirect means.
At first, Qiao Linchuan refused to give it to them, but Ye Xiyao worried that rejecting them too often would only make them more persistent, so he just handed it over.
This strategy worked—most people’s curiosity was satisfied, and they no longer felt the need to stage fake “coincidental” meetings in the cafeteria.
Even so, Qiao Linchuan and the others remained concerned about Ye Xiyao’s safety and insisted on escorting him home after work every day.
Qin Zai was the designated driver, and sometimes Lu Kou would accompany them, while at other times, it was Qiao Linchuan.
In the past, Ye Xiyao would have been embarrassed to accept such help. He didn’t want to trouble others and didn’t feel he needed protection. But after the whole rose incident, he became a bit paranoid about being followed, so he accepted their kindness.
Under the care of his senior colleagues, Ye Xiyao had a peaceful and safe few days.
His spirits began to lift:
Even without Xing Xu, there were others who could help him.
He wasn’t the same person he used to be. He had other friends now.
On Friday after work, Qiao Linchuan made good on his promise and hosted a formal welcome party for Ye Xiyao.
He found a nice barbecue restaurant and took the entire department out for a meal. The lively atmosphere was something Ye Xiyao had never experienced before, and for a moment, it made him forget the bad feelings Xing Xu had left behind.
–
“If Xue Qiao finds out you went to Hanzhou and killed three demons in one go, I bet the next one on the chopping block will be me,” Luo Yiji said as he personally came to pick up Xing Xu. He glanced at Xing Xu’s hand, confirming that the backlash from the Demon Slayer Array hadn’t reached its worst stage, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Xing Xu got into the car, tiredly rubbing his forehead. “They weren’t really demons. Only one of them was close to manifesting a physical form, so I just dealt with it in passing.”
Luo Yiji felt a chill just hearing those words and couldn’t help but sigh, “You talk about it so casually, like you don’t care about your own life at all.”
“Stop talking nonsense,” Xing Xu irritably rolled down the car window.
Luo Yiji asked, “Where are you headed? It’s about dinner time. How about coming to my place to eat?”
“Not hungry.” After thinking for a moment, Xing Xu suddenly pulled out his phone and made a quick call to Qiao Linchuan. He asked a couple of simple questions, hung up, and then said, “Head to Changgu Street.”
Luo Yiji, having overheard part of the call, was surprised. “You’re going to attend your department’s team-building event?”
“Ye Xiyao is there,” Xing Xu answered succinctly.
But Luo Yiji was more concerned. “You just used the Demon Slayer Array, and your energy is unstable. It’s best not to get too close to Ye Xiyao right now.”
Xing Xu didn’t respond.
Luo Yiji glanced at him again. “What happened to your neck? Did you get hurt?”
It was rare for Xing Xu to get injured while battling demons. If he did, it meant the opponent was very strong, so Luo Yiji was particularly worried about the large bandage Xing Xu had stuck on his neck.
Xing Xu’s expression subtly shifted as if recalling something, and the corners of his mouth tugged slightly before he quickly suppressed it. “I put it on a few days ago and forgot to take it off.”
During his days in Hanzhou, while he was constantly tracking the demon species, he hadn’t slept at all, so it was natural that he forgot to remove the bandage. Now reminded, he tore it off and sniffed himself.
Luo Yiji caught the movement from the corner of his eye and misunderstood. “There’s no blood on you, relax.”
But Xing Xu frowned and said, “Find a hotel nearby first.”
Luo Yiji was confused. “Huh?”
He turned almost fully to look at Xing Xu. “You need to shower before attending a team-building event?”
Xing Xu: “Stop talking.”
Luo Yiji grinned. “I get it.”
Xing Xu: “You don’t get anything.”
Luo Yiji: “You’re planning to seduce a demon with your body.”
Xing Xu shot him a sideways glance. “I’m planning to kill you.”
–
By the time Xing Xu arrived at the barbecue restaurant, most of the meal was already over.
He glanced at the messy table and noticed everyone had a beer in hand.
Had they been drinking?
The moment everyone saw Xing Xu, the cheerful atmosphere suddenly fell silent.
“Good evening, manager Xing.”
Judging by the forced smiles on their faces, it was clear that Xing Xu was an unwelcome guest.
Xing Xu didn’t seem to understand how much of a buzzkill it was for a leader to show up at a casual department dinner. Nor did he care how anyone else felt.
He found Ye Xiyao’s seat and sat directly next to him.
“Are you drinking?” Xing Xu asked, noticing that Ye Xiyao was holding a half-finished glass of beer. He seemed surprised, as he thought Ye Xiyao didn’t drink.
Ye Xiyao, apparently a little tipsy, turned to look at him, blinking slowly. “Manager Xing?”
Xing Xu: “Yeah.”
Suddenly, Ye Xiyao stood up, drawing everyone’s attention.
With a few quick steps, he moved to Qiao Linchuan and said, “Brother Qiao, let’s switch seats.”
Qiao Linchuan: “!”
Xing Xu: “?”
Over the past few days, Xing Xu had been intensely focused on tracking demonic energy and battling demons, his mind constantly on high alert.
As a result, he had forgotten the way he’d treated Ye Xiyao before he left.
Now, seeing Ye Xiyao’s clear desire to keep his distance, the memory of that day came flooding back.
What had he done? He had shut Ye Xiyao out, leaving him outside the door.
Why had he done that? Because…
As an exorcist, he had shamefully found his heart racing and his ears burning just by being near a demon. That wasn’t normal at all.
Xing Xu locked himself away to calm down, but unexpectedly received a rescue communication from Hanzhou. Before he could come up with a good excuse for his sudden indifference, he left in a hurry.
He was gone for three days, without any opportunity to contact anyone in the meantime. Ye Xiyao didn’t know what scenarios he was concocting in his mind, but it seemed that he had already decided not to forgive Xing Xu.
Qiao Linchuan switched places with Ye Xiyao, holding his own bowl and chopsticks.
At that moment, Xing Xu suddenly stood up. He was much taller than Ye Xiyao, and as he stood there, he almost blocked out the light.
He walked a few steps around to Ye Xiyao’s side, leaning down to look at him. Everyone thought he was about to explode with anger, feeling anxious. Lu Kou, sitting next to Ye Xiyao, almost reached over to drag him away.
The next moment, they heard Xing Xu softly say, “I had something urgent that day.”
It sounded like an explanation.
However, it was clear that this person had never bowed his head to admit wrongdoing, so even his explanations came off as stiff.
Ye Xiyao, slightly drunk, could understand what Xing Xu was saying, but he didn’t lift his head. He simply rested his chin on his cup and muttered, “…Oh.”
Xing Xu pulled a stool from another table, placed it next to Ye Xiyao, and sat down, asking, “May I sit here?”
Ye Xiyao grumbled, “You already sat down before asking.”
Xing Xu replied, “So that means it’s okay.”
Meanwhile, Qiao Linchuan looked as if his jaw had dislocated, unable to close it, while Lu Kou’s eyes seemed ready to pop out. Qin Zai, appearing expressionless, secretly took out his phone to capture this rare gentle side of Xing Xu, planning to use the video as a get-out-of-jail-free card in case he ever offended Xing Xu in the future.
Only Xu Xingyang, who had gotten a bit tipsy, was joyfully singing about loving someone even after death while holding a clean chicken leg bone.
“What do you want to eat?” Xing Xu leaned close to Ye Xiyao and asked, “I can help you.”
Ye Xiyao lifted his cup and gulped down a mouthful of drink, still refusing to look at him, and said, “I don’t want you to grill it.”
Xing Xu suddenly felt a bit restless. Just not long ago, Ye Xiyao had been so enthusiastic about him, jumping up with joy as soon as he saw him. But due to one mistake, their relationship had regressed to zero.
No, it was even worse than zero.
Ye Xiyao was clearly angry with him now.
Xing Xu wasn’t good at dealing with such situations: how to please someone, how to maintain a relationship, how to show weakness and apologize.
Even though he viewed Ye Xiyao as a task to be completed, willing to set aside his pride, he had no idea how to approach the sulking Ye Xiyao.
“Ye Xiyao,” Xing Xu called his name, asking, “What did you want to tell me that day?”
Ye Xiyao wasn’t that drunk; his mind was still clear. When reminded by Xing Xu, he could quickly recall what had happened that day. But he didn’t want to talk to Xing Xu. “Hmph.”
Then he turned his head to look at Lu Kou.
Lu Kou, with food in her mouth, felt even more pressured under the gaze of both Ye Xiyao and Xing Xu. She suddenly found it hard to swallow.
At that moment, Lu Kou had never been so clever; she seemed to understand Xing Xu’s expression. To avoid incurring Xing Xu’s ire, she cleverly asked Ye Xiyao on his behalf, “Xiao Bao, what do you want to say to manager Xing? You can tell us.”
Ye Xiyao thought for a moment and realized that he had originally wanted to discuss what to do with his friends. Since Xing Xu didn’t want to be friends, he would talk to other friends instead.
“Uh-huh.” Ye Xiyao nodded earnestly.
He detailed the comment he saw in the live stream’s bullet chat that day, the roses at the door, and the occasional sounds he heard at midnight of someone moving outside.
As Lu Kou listened, she grew increasingly uneasy and asked, “Don’t you have surveillance cameras at your door?”
Ye Xiyao shook his head. “Our neighborhood is a bit old; the cameras must have stopped working long ago.”
“I’m not talking about the neighborhood’s cameras; I mean you should install a smart camera yourself.” Lu Kou said, “Don’t modern smart locks have this function now?”
Ye Xiyao felt a bit flustered and obediently took out his keys to show everyone. “I use a old-fashioned door lock.”
“Then how can that work?!”
The one speaking this time was Qiao Linchuan. “How easy is it to pry open that kind of lock! And there’s no camera or alarm system. How did your landlord install such a door lock for you?”
Ye Xiyao replied, “I rented this apartment a long time ago, and it was decorated like this at the time. The landlord later asked me if I wanted to upgrade some furniture, but I declined… because it would add an extra three hundred to the rent each month.”
“Then just change it to a smart lock yourself!”
“It’s a bit expensive.”
“You’re already part of our company, and you’re worried about not being able to afford a smart lock?” Qiao Linchuan waved his hand. “Here’s the deal: when I go to the headquarters meeting next week, I’ll help you snag a few new products from other projects to use, like surveillance cameras, fingerprint and facial recognition devices, alarm systems, anti-wolf spray—everything you could need! I guarantee I can get you a full set.”
Ye Xiyao wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol making him feel giddy, but as he listened to him list all those products, he smiled stupidly. “Really? Thank you, brother!”
Qiao Linchuan exclaimed, “Ah!!!” He quickly drank a glass of water and said, “That sounds so nice; you should call me that again!”
However, Xing Xu’s expression darkened as he said, “Don’t call out randomly.”
Ye Xiyao was just joking around, but when Xing Xu reminded him like that, he felt a bit defiant. “Brother Qiao is older than me; can’t I call him ‘brother’?”
Xing Xu frowned. “Just because he’s older, you call him ‘brother’?”
“Yes,” Ye Xiyao said, pointing at everyone at the table. “Brother Qin Zai, brother Xu Xingyang, brother Qiao Linchuan brother, sister Lu Kou.”
After waiting for a while, Xing Xu finally asked, “What about me?”
Ye Xiyao replied, “Manager Xing.”
Xing Xu: “?”
