Chapter 105
Mu Bai had no idea how big of an earthquake his message had caused. After he sent the message, he kept waiting for Gu Yan to reply. However, Gu Yan didn't know whether he hadn't seen it or didn't care, and never sent a message.
Until Mu Bai walked into the office, Gu Yan still had no response, which made Mu Bai so angry that his originally better mood returned to its original state.
But when Mu Bai raised his head angrily, he found that his colleagues were gathered together, discussing something in low voices, and the atmosphere was particularly heated.
He moved closer out of curiosity, and then heard them gossiping about the big and small Pei bosses in the company.
"...Have you guys checked out the Moments? It seems like Big Boss Pei and Little Boss Pei are having a crush on each other lately." A colleague said excitedly, with a gossipy glint in his eyes.
"Is this true? Hasn't Mr. Pei always been single? And Mr. Pei too, they don't even talk much normally. How come something happened suddenly?" another colleague asked in confusion.
"It's true! This afternoon I saw Mr. Pei post a photo of a lunch box on his WeChat Moments, with the caption saying 'Loving lunch, tastes great.' Don't you think there's something going on?" the colleague continued, his tone full of excitement.
"Yes, yes, Mr. Pei also posted. He usually doesn't even post on WeChat Moments, but today he actually posted a video of a lunch box." Another colleague added, a gossipy glint in his eyes.
Mu Bai's heart was moved when he heard this. He thought of Ye Wangxing, whom he had just seen in the cafeteria, and felt that there seemed to be some connection between the two things.
"Have you met Mr. Pei and Mr. Pei?" a new colleague who had just joined the company asked curiously.
"Of course I've seen him!" an old employee immediately chimed in. "Boss Pei is the president of our company. Although he can be a tyrant at work, he's actually quite handsome! Whenever he shows up at a cocktail party, all the men and women in the room flock to him the entire evening."
"Yes, yes, Mr. Pei's golden eyes are very charming. He looks sunny and handsome, but he is super ruthless when he works." Another colleague echoed.
"What about Mr. Pei?" the new colleague continued to ask.
"Little President Pei..." The old employee thought for a moment. "Little President Pei looks a bit like Big President Pei. They both have black hair, but Little President Pei's hair is straighter and longer. However, he doesn't talk much. He just types code all day long. He feels like a robot."
"But today is different," a colleague whispered. "I saw Mr. Pei holding his lunch box today, and he actually had a smile on his model face. Oh my god, I almost wondered if I was seeing things."
"Yes, yes, I saw it too!" another colleague interjected excitedly, "I also saw what looked like a boy delivering food to Mr. Pei."
"It's a pity. I only got a glimpse of him and don't know who he is."
A colleague said regretfully.
When Mu Bai heard this, he couldn't help but feel shocked. He thought of Ye Wangxing whom he had just seen, and vaguely felt that the young man who delivered the food might be him.
But when did Ye Wangxing meet Mr. Pei? But since they are close in age, it is possible that they are friends.
Just as Mu Bai was thinking about it, the new colleague asked curiously again.
"Who is that young man? Do you know him?"
"I don't know him, but he looks quite young. He doesn't have a work badge, but he has company authority. He must be someone the boss and the others know." The old employee shook his head.
"But I have to say, even from a distance you can tell that the guy has a good figure." Another colleague who just spoke said with a sigh.
"The key is their cleverness and dexterity—I never thought that the plot of an idol drama could actually happen in real life. Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, I really want to see who those two are. Their fighting spirit is so terrifying."
The colleagues were chatting and laughing, while Mu Bai stood aside, feeling a little complicated.
He listened to other people's fairy-tale love stories and thought of the cold war between himself and Gu Yan. He felt that Gu Yan was simply too much. He was obviously his boyfriend!
Why, I am not even as good as others who are just in the ambiguous stage!
He's not as good-looking and considerate as Ye Wangxing. How can he be considered prestigious if he's brought out?! Why does Ye Wangxing get treated like this, with even a boxed lunch being posted on his social media, while Gu Yan can't even remember that he doesn't like cilantro!
Mu Bai thought about it, tears gathering in his eyes, about to fall.
"Mu Bai, why aren't you talking?" The new colleague, who didn't know Mu Bai's situation at the time, saw him standing there in silence, thinking something had happened, and asked quickly.
"Ah, I... I was thinking about something." Mu Bai came back to his senses and forced a smile.
The new colleague wanted to ask more questions, but was pulled back by a colleague next to him. Although the new colleague was still a little confused, he was not the kind of rookie who had just entered the workplace. He immediately shut up and understood that there was probably something wrong with Mu Bai.
But Mu Bai didn't notice the change in his new colleague. He saw that his new colleague seemed to care about him and couldn't help wanting to pour out his troubles. At this moment, the senior who was accompanying the new colleague suddenly stepped forward and said.
"Oh, by the way, there's one thing I forgot to mention. I seemed to hear President Pei talking to the person who brought him food."
Everyone's eyes were instantly focused on him, and the office suddenly became quiet.
Even Mu Bai, who was about to cry, held back his tears and immediately turned to look at his colleagues.
"Have you seen him? When? Where?" The other colleagues no longer paid attention to Mu Bai. Even the new colleague put Mu Bai's strange situation behind him. He looked at his predecessor with shining eyes and asked impatiently, his eyes full of curiosity.
The senior breathed a sigh of relief, then stroked his chin and recalled.
"Actually, it was around noon today. I overheard some conversations near President Pei's office. President Pei was talking alone, but I couldn't hear who it was, I just knew it was a man."
As the senior spoke, the others seemed to be thinking about something, but Mu Bai suddenly had an idea in his mind - could it be that Ye Wangxing was the one who delivered the meal to President Pei?
But then Mu Bai felt that this idea was a bit too ridiculous.
Who were Mr. and Mrs. Pei? City A's upstarts, with countless companies under their control, how could they be attracted to the same person?
Ye Wangxing is just an ordinary college student, and he doesn't even have the same aura as Gu Yan.
Mu Bai smiled and threw the idea out of his mind, but at this time another colleague could no longer bear it and asked anxiously.
"What did they say?"
"Mr. Pei's voice sounded very gentle, as if he was just chatting. In short, it was much gentler than to us. If you didn't know him, you would think he was a kid - but the questions he asked were very detailed." The senior frowned and continued.
"He asked the young man what he did the previous day, where he went, who he met, and even what he ate. Although his tone sounded relaxed, that kind of control... you know, it was as if he wanted to control his every move."
"Wow, President Pei is already strict enough at work, but I didn't expect he's also so...meticulous in private." A colleague exclaimed with a hint of surprise in his tone.
Another colleague couldn't help but whisper, "Are you sure this is meticulous and not perverted?"
All the colleagues present looked at him - in fact, they thought so too.
However, this colleague is the first one to complain directly like this.
"What did that person answer?" Mu Bai couldn't help but ask.
He still cares about that person a little.
"That person was very at ease. He didn't seem stumped at all and wasn't even angry." The senior recalled, counting on his fingers as he said the young man's words.
"He casually mentioned that he went to the library and a newly opened coffee shop yesterday. He also mentioned where he bought the ingredients for the lunch box he brought for Mr. Pei."
As the senior spoke, he could still recall the gentle tone in the young man's voice when he said this.
"That figure had a very cheerful and sunny vibe. Even when asked that question, he didn't seem anxious or anything. He simply answered whatever Mr. Pei asked."
"Finally, he even promised to go to the cafe with President Pei next time. It sounded like he accepted this 'interrogation' quite naturally, and President Pei really fell for it."
As the senior spoke, his expression gradually showed admiration.
No wonder he was such a talented person who could deliver the lunch box to Mr. Pei, and he could be so relaxed when facing such an interrogation.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, this young man is truly remarkable! Look at his skills and his endurance," another colleague sighed. "If it were me, I would have flipped the table long ago. I'm not a criminal, how can I be interrogated like this?"
Other colleagues also nodded, lamenting that they were not destined to have such a fate.
The new colleague, looking shocked, also said, "How could Mr. Pei be like this? He is completely no match for Mr. Pei in this regard."
Other colleagues: ——? !
"How do you know?" the colleague asked quickly, with a gossipy look in his eyes.
"I just went to Mr. Pei's office to get his signature, and unexpectedly ran into a young man with him."
"What? What did you see?" The office suddenly became lively again.
The new colleague saw that this attracted everyone's attention and suddenly became a little nervous. He quickly told everyone what he had seen.
"I saw that young man and Mr. Pei in the office. The young man was sitting next to Mr. Pei, playing games on his phone, while Mr. Pei was resting after his meal."
"You know what kind of person Mr. Pei is usually, right? He's cold and never says a word. But today, he actually let that young man lean on him, and his eyes were so gentle. It was like he was a completely different person. It was so shocking."
The new colleague spoke in an incredible tone, and the other colleagues were not much better than him.
"Oh my god, could it be that Mr. Pei has been possessed by someone's soul, or has he suddenly been invaded by love?" a colleague exclaimed, his tone full of disbelief.
"Maybe it's love-brainedness. Men and women in love are completely irrational." The senior also said with a twitching mouth.
All the colleagues turned around and looked at Mu Bai, then nodded in unison.
Mu Bai: ...Why are you looking at me?
Before Mu Bai could speak, his new colleague nodded quickly, "And that young man seemed very natural, as if they were already used to this kind of intimate interaction."
"Tsk tsk tsk, I have a feeling the company is going to be bustling with activity soon. Maybe we'll have another boss lady."
As the colleagues talked, they returned to their workstations and started their work this afternoon.
Mu Bai also followed the crowd back to his workstation, but in fact he suffered the greatest shock today.
His fingers tapped the keyboard unconsciously, but his mind had already drifted away.
In the office, colleagues were still enthusiastically discussing the affairs of Mr. and Mrs. Pei, with bursts of laughter and exclamations coming from time to time. However, these sounds were particularly harsh to Mu Bai.
The words he had just heard kept replaying in his mind - President Pei's meticulous care for him, President Pei's gentle behavior towards the young man, and even his colleagues were envious of the young man for receiving such special treatment.
On the other hand, Gu Yan had a cold war with him because of a coriander bun. Even when he needed care, he took the initiative to make peace without even a word of comfort!
Mu Bai's heart ached, and his eyes reddened unconsciously. He lowered his head, trying hard not to let the tears fall, but the grievance in his heart surged up like a tide, and he couldn't suppress it no matter what.
Mu Bai couldn't help it after all. He stood up hurriedly, grabbed his cell phone, and walked quickly to the bathroom.
He didn't notice the relief his colleagues behind him breathed after he left.
As soon as he entered the bathroom, Mu Bai closed the stall door, tears finally falling. He leaned against the wall, his fingers trembling as he opened his phone and flipped to Gu Yan's chat interface. The last message he had sent was from noon, and Gu Yan hadn't even replied.
"Gu Yan, why do you treat me like this?" Mu Bai murmured softly, the grievance and anger in his heart intertwined and finally burst out. He directly called Gu Yan.
After the phone rang a few times, Gu Yan picked up the phone with a hint of impatience in his tone: "Hello, Mu Bai? What's up? I'm going to a lecture soon, so I have to put my phone on silent."
"Attend a lecture? What else can you do besides attend a lecture?" Mu Bai's voice was tearful, but his tone was unusually sharp. "Do you think I'm unimportant? You don't even have time to reply to a message?"
Gu Yan was stunned for a moment, obviously not expecting Mu Bai to suddenly get angry: "Mu Bai, what's wrong with you? Didn't I say I was busy? Why are you so angry?"
"Busy? You're always busy!" Mu Bai's voice grew louder and louder, tears streaming down his face. "Do you know how miserable I am today? Everyone else is being taken care of so well, but what about you? You don't even have a single word of concern! Do you think I'm not worth your time?"
Gu Yan was choked by Mu Bai's words, and his tone became more and more impatient: "Mu Bai, can you please stop being unreasonable? How could I be so cold and violent towards you? I'm just busy. Can you please not be so sensitive?"
"I'm sensitive? Gu Yan, you don't understand my feelings at all!" Mu Bai's voice was almost a roar, "You are always like this, never considering my feelings! I've had enough!"
After saying that, Mu Bai hung up the phone directly, and with trembling fingers, he blocked Gu Yan's number. He leaned against the wall, tears streaming down his face. His heart felt like it was being pressed down by a huge rock, and he couldn't breathe at all.
Meanwhile, Gu Yan stared at the hung-up call, feeling a surge of annoyance. He hadn't noticed that his roommates had collectively paused when he answered the call, and when he checked Mu Bai's social media after the call was disconnected, they all took two steps back.
——It’s more orderly than the goose-stepping during the military training in the freshman year.
At first, Li Qing wanted to ask Ye Wangxing on the way what was going on with his fiancé and his childhood engagement, but after seeing Gu Yan's situation, he immediately stopped thinking about it.
Life is more important. It’s better to stay away from Gu Yan now, otherwise God knows when this young master will go crazy again - and then buy 9,999 roses and let the laborers help make the flower gate.
Even if the salary given by this young master is really generous, equivalent to their living expenses for three months, farmhands in the old society are not required to give advice on their employer's emotional issues while working!
Only a fool would fall for this kind of fatal question a second time after taking it once!
Li Qing thought about it and immediately protected everyone behind him.
The second brother couldn't help but twitched the corner of his mouth and said.
"No, what happened to Mu Bai? What happened to Gu Yan? Why are they arguing again? Didn't they just make up yesterday?"
Li Qing had no choice but to tell Gu Yan to buy coriander buns for Mu Bai, and Mu Bai repeated what made him angry.
The second brother's eyes instantly rolled up to the sky: "I knew it, it's all the same things every day, nothing new."
Li Qing stole a glance at the handsome young man who nodded in agreement, and sighed deeply in his heart.
"Actually, something quite novel happened in the dorm today—I'm just afraid you won't be able to accept it, Second Brother."
Gu Yan didn't know what his roommate was thinking. He frowned and muttered softly, "Here we go again, it's always like this."
However, his fingers involuntarily opened another WeChat account - that was the small account he used to peek at Mu Bai's circle of friends. He skillfully switched to the small account and clicked on Mu Bai's circle of friends.
The latest update was a photo of Mu Bai's hand, with slender white fingers and the background being the sunlight outside the window, the light was warm and soft. However, the accompanying text made Gu Yan's heart tighten:
"The sun is so warm today, but your cold feelings make me so cold."
At this time, seeing Gu Yan stunned for so long, the three roommates, who thought the alarm had been lifted, looked over and saw the picture.
“…”
While Li Qing and Lao Er were stunned, Ye Wangxing twitched the corner of his mouth.
"When he sees this post in two years, he'll definitely feel socially devastated..."
Gu Yan didn't know that Mu Baishe was not doomed at the moment. He forced himself to suppress his emotions, sat in his seat, and waited for the lecture to begin.
However, he was still a little uneasy. In order to dispel the uneasiness lingering in his heart, he decided to do something else to divert his attention during the break of the lecture.
He slid his finger across the screen of his phone. After hesitating for a long time, he finally made up his mind and sent a message to his mother: "Mom, I want to ask, what exactly happened to my uncle and cousin back then? What's the trauma they're feeling?"
This was news that Gu Yan had been curious about for a long time. After Ye Wangxing left, he had been digesting Ye Wangxing's affairs for a long time, as well as the fact that his uncle and cousin were being kept secret from their family. And his uncle and cousin no longer had parents. Wasn't it their family that was the only one who could have kept it a secret from them?
Gu Yan frowned, still unable to understand why his own mother would hide it from his uncle and others.
It wasn't until his mother sent him a piece of news that Gu Yan suddenly realized what was going on.
It turned out that my uncle, who was my cousin's biological father, had a very deep relationship with my aunt and was considered a loving couple by others. However, my aunt passed away due to illness, and my uncle soon followed.
At the time, my uncle and cousin were still minors, their minds still immature. Faced with this sudden change in their family, they felt immense fear and helplessness. Their once happy family collapsed in an instant, and they were plunged into despair, with no one to take care of them and a bleak future.
"...At this critical moment, family members and veterans of the company stepped forward and took on the responsibility of managing the group. They worked tirelessly day and night, striving to maintain the group's operations in a complex and volatile market environment, just to preserve the hope of a resurgence for the Pei Yi brothers."
"...After returning from studying abroad, Pei Yi chose to start from the bottom, rather than relying on his family's status to enter the group's senior management. He humbly sought advice from his colleagues, gaining a deep understanding of every aspect of the company's operations. Through continuous practice and exploration, he quickly demonstrated exceptional leadership and innovative thinking. While participating in several key projects for the company, he leveraged his precise market insights and decisive decision-making to successfully drive breakthroughs, generating significant economic benefits for the company and earning the unanimous recognition and respect of everyone within the company."
After reading the report, Gu Yan was so moved that he didn't even notice that his mother was typing a message in the upper left corner of his phone.
He just typed into the dialog box.
"——It's so hard for my uncles and the others. I thought they were just pretending, but it turns out it's because of this reason. I don't want my red envelopes for the New Year this year."
Just as she was about to tell her foolish son not to mess with his uncle, and that he didn't really inherit the group because the group's elders gave up their positions out of kindness, Gu's mother said:...
That's fine, after all, fools have their own luck.
Thinking of this, Gu's mother quickly changed her mind and sent a message.
"At that time, relatives and friends of the family came to their aid, which helped them find the mental support to survive. Otherwise, given the mental state of the two children at that time, they might have died at any time."
"Later, your uncle took your cousin to study abroad, and things gradually got better. But that experience had a huge impact on both of them, especially your cousin. He lost his parents when he was young, and his personality became a bit withdrawn."
Gu's mother spoke with sincerity and a hint of sadness - although she had only asked classmates to play together for a while, and then the two children got better on their own.
Now these two are more cunning than monkeys.
But my silly son doesn't need to know about this kind of thing.
Gu Yan felt even more heavy-hearted because his mother didn't know about him, and he spoke very seriously.
"Mom, I get it. It's really not easy for my uncle and cousin. I will be more accommodating to them in the future - I will take care of them in their old age and see them to the end of their lives."
Mother Gu: “…not really.”
However, Mother Gu quickly replied, "I'm glad you think so. Your uncle and cousin haven't had an easy time these past few years, so please be more understanding."
Gu Yan made a gesture of approval before putting down his phone. He had already forgotten about Mu Bai's previous situation. His mind was now filled with the rough but tenacious lives of his uncle and cousin.
My uncle and cousin have suffered so much, isn’t it just because they like the same person?
——He also helped to conceal it!
Thinking of this, as the lecture ended, Gu Yan took the arm of the handsome young man next to him and said seriously.
"You have to be good to my uncle and cousin - it's more important than anything else that the three of you live a good life."
Gu Yan looked at the handsome young man and spoke without any context.
The handsome young man who was pulled: "...Ah?"
The remaining two roommates: "——Huh?"
Before the people present could react, a slightly bandit-like voice sounded from the side.
"Student, may I ask—"
Everyone turned around and saw the senior who had just been giving a speech at the podium appeared beside them. He said with a smile.
"Who are you going to let my sponsor live with?"
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