Haotian and Wei Han were deep in discussion in the office when Haotian decided to call his assistant, Asst. Lin.
"Asst. Lin, come to my office for a moment," Haotian instructed.
Asst. Lin entered the office and bowed respectfully. "Mr. Wang, you called me?"
Haotian got straight to the point. "What happened with the investment for our project? Have the investors made any decision?"
Asst. Lin responded, "Not yet. But I came to know that CK Company is also pursuing that investor."
Wei Han interjected, alarmed, "What? How did they find out about our investor?"
Asst. Lin replied, "I don't know, but it seems like someone is leaking our company information."
Wei Han turned to Haotian with a serious expression. "Wang Haotian, this project is crucial. You must convince them to invest by any means necessary, or our company will suffer losses."
Haotian nodded, his face tense and determined. "How about you handle the investor, and I will find out who is leaking our information?"
Wei Han agreed. "Sounds good. Asst. Lin, organize a meeting with the project team in 5 minutes."
Asst. Lin acknowledged, "I got it, sir."
As Xingyue sat on her bed with her homework spread out in front of her, her phone buzzed. It was a call from Yumei. She answered, propping the phone between her ear and shoulder as she flipped through her notes.
Xingyue: "Hey, Yumei."
Yumei: "Hey! Are you working on the math homework?"
Xingyue sighed. "Yeah, but it's giving me a headache. Did you figure out the last problem?"
Yumei laughed softly. "I wish! I've been stuck on it for a while. Did you get any of it?"
Xingyue frowned, staring at the messy scribbles on her notebook. "I've got the first few steps, but after that, I'm lost. I don't know if I'm doing it right."
Yumei: "Same here. Let's work through it together?"
Xingyue nodded, even though Yumei couldn't see her. "Yeah, okay. What did you get for the first part?"
Yumei: "I got 16, but I think I messed up the equation. Let me check…"
They spent the next few minutes going over the homework, exchanging thoughts and correcting each other's mistakes.
Xingyue: "I think we might actually get this done, finally."
Yumei: "We better! I don't want to face Mr. Tang without the assignment done."
Xingyue chuckled. "Same. He'd definitely call us out in front of the class."
As they continued working through the homework, Yumei suddenly shifted the conversation.
Yumei: "Hey, by the way, who was that person in the afternoon?"
Xingyue blinked in confusion. "Which person?"
Yumei: "The one who came to pick you up after school."
Xingyue paused for a moment, remembering. "Oh, him! That's Han xuxu's friend, Wang Haotian. My uncle was busy, so he sent him to pick me up."
Yumei: "Really? I thought he looked kind of... cool."
Xingyue laughed softly. "Yeah, he's nice. Helped me out with my assignment too."
Yumei: "Wow, lucky you. It's not every day you get someone like that to pick you up from school."
Xingyue shook her head, smiling. "It was no big deal. He's just doing my uncle a favor."
Yumei: "Still, sounds like you've got interesting connections, Xingyue."
She laughed, brushing off the comment. "It's not that serious. Now, back to this equation before we both fail math!"
Meanwhile, in the middle of his meeting, Haotian discreetly glanced at his phone. Noticing the time, he quickly typed out a message.
Haotian: Hey kid, done with your homework?
A few moments later, his phone vibrated with a reply.
Xingyue: Yeah, ready to go to bed.
Haotian smiled slightly as he typed back.
Haotian: Okay, see you tomorrow.
Xingyue, now lying in bed, furrowed her brow at his text. She whispered to herself, "See you tomorrow?" Confused, she quickly typed back.
Xingyue: Ahh?
Almost immediately, her phone pinged with his response.
Haotian: Good night.
She stared at the screen for a moment, then put her phone aside, shaking her head with a smile. "He's so odd sometimes," she murmured to herself before settling down to sleep.
The meeting at the company ended with a palpable tension hanging in the air. Employees whispered among themselves, feeling the weight of the unresolved issues. Haotian, unfazed on the outside but visibly deep in thought, returned to his office with Wei Han following closely behind.
Wei Han broke the silence, leaning against the desk. "So, what are we supposed to do now?"
Haotian sank into his chair, rubbing his temples. "I haven't thought of anything yet."
Just as the room fell quiet again, the door opened with a soft knock, and Assistant Lin stepped in cautiously.
Asst. Lin: "Mr. Wang, someone is here to see you."
Wei Han looked at his friend, confused. "Who could be coming at this hour?"
Haotian sighed, not in the mood for surprises. "Tell them I'm busy."
Asst. Lin shifted uncomfortably. "I did, sir, but... they insisted."
Before Haotian could respond, the door swung open, revealing a figure standing tall and poised in the doorway.
Without turning, Haotian's expression remained neutral, though there was a flicker of displeasure in his eyes. He knew exactly who it was. He didn't need to see the face to recognize the person he least wanted to deal with at the moment.
It was Chen Jingyi, the daughter of his father's old friend.
Haotian's face stayed impassive, his tone cool. He had anticipated this meeting for some time but wasn't looking forward to it tonight. Wei Han glanced between them, sensing the sudden shift in atmosphere.
Wei Han glanced at Haotian with a sly smile, then nudged him playfully. "Miss Chen, long time no see. How have you been?"
Jingyi smiled politely, her gaze flickering briefly to Wei Han before settling back on Haotian. "I've been good, Senior Han. What about you?"
"Me? I'm doing fine as always," Wei Han chuckled. "What brings Miss Chen here?"
Jingyi brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, her voice light yet purposeful. "I just returned from abroad and thought I'd stop by to see Brother Tian." She paused, glancing at Haotian with a teasing tone. "But it seems like he's not too happy to see me?"
Haotian, who had remained seated, finally stood up, his posture firm. "It's not like that," he said, his voice steady. "But haven't I told you not to disturb me while I'm working?"
Jingyi crossed her arms, her expression softening but still holding a hint of challenge. "Wang Haotian, how exactly am I disturbing your work? I've just returned, and you're not even the slightest bit happy to see me."
Haotian sighed, glancing at the clock on the wall. "Alright, we'll talk later. It's late, and you must be tired after your trip."
Without waiting for her reply, he turned to Asst. Lin. "Arrange for someone to drop Miss Chen at her place."
Asst. Lin gave a respectful bow, then gestured toward the door. "This way, Miss Chen."
Jingyi's eyes flashed with mild annoyance, but she forced a smile and followed Asst. Lin out. "Good night, Senior Han."
Wei Han waved goodbye with a chuckle, while Haotian simply nodded. The door closed behind her, leaving a faint tension in the room.
As soon as Jingyi left the room, Wei Han glanced sideways at Haotian, his eyes narrowing with curiosity. "Brother, what's going on? This woman... isn't she the daughter of the Chen family?"
Haotian nodded, rubbing his temples. "Yes, that's her."
Wei Han let out a low whistle, leaning back in his chair. "Okay, now I see. She's the one your father wants to settle you with, right?" He raised an eyebrow, watching Haotian's reaction closely.
Haotian sighed, clearly unimpressed by the situation. "Yeah, that's the plan. But it's not happening."
Haotian sighed deeply, leaning back in his chair, his gaze distant. "I don't know, Wei Han. She's not the one for me. I've never felt that way about her. I don't have feelings for anyone right now, but my dad..." His voice trailed off for a moment before continuing, "He never understands my feelings. For him, this is just the best way to settle business. It's always about the company, about alliances. Never about what I want."
Wei Han nodded sympathetically. "Man, that's tough. So, what are you going to do?"
Haotian shrugged, his expression unreadable. "I'll figure it out. But I'm not letting him decide my life for me. Okay know lets's focus on work we got many this to handle with."
As they entered the apartment, Wei Han gestured toward the other room. "You can sleep here," he said, pushing open the door.
But just as he did, Haotian caught a glimpse of Xingyue sound asleep on the bed. He quickly pulled Wei Han back, closing the door with a soft click. " Li Wei Han, what are you doing? The kid is sleeping!"
Wei Han blinked, realization dawning. "Oh right, I forgot Xingyue was here."
"Then you can sleep on the couch," Haotian said, a mysterious smile playing on his lips as he gently pushed Wei Han toward the sofa. Without missing a beat, he dashed toward his own room.
"Hey, Haotian! Come on, you've gone too far! I'm also sleeping on the bed!" Wei Han called after him, exasperation tinged with amusement.
In the dimly lit room, both Haotian and Wei Han lay side by side on the bed. Wei Han stretched out lazily and, with a playful grin, threw one leg and arm over Haotian. "Hey, it's been so long since we slept together like this," he said, his voice nostalgic. "Remember our university days? We used to share beds like this all the time."
Haotian smirked, looking up at the ceiling. "No, it was you who always climbed into my bed, not the other way around."
With that, Haotian suddenly kicked Wei Han off the bed. Wei Han landed with a dramatic thud on the floor, groaning in pain. "Wang Haotian, you've changed! How could you do this to me? Ahhh, my waist!" Wei Han winced, clutching his back, while Haotian laughed, shaking his head at his friend's theatrics.
The next morning, Xingyue emerged from her room, still groggy from sleep. As she stepped into the living room, her eyes landed on a shirtless figure with a towel draped around his neck, pouring himself a glass of water. Without thinking, she called out, "Hey Wei Han, how long have you been working out lately? Your body's changed." She grabbed a glass herself, adding with a teasing tone, "I'm complimenting you, and you're not even saying anything! You used to show off in front of mom and dad all the time, but today you're so quiet. Let me see—"
Just as she reached out to pull his arm, Wei Han appeared from his room, tossing a t-shirt toward Haotian. "Here, wear this one."
Xingyue froze in embarrassment as she realized it wasn't Wei Han but Haotian standing in front of her. He smiled, reaching over to rub her hair playfully. "What's wrong?" he asked, his tone amused.
She gulped, flustered. "N-Nothing."
Wei Han looked between them in confusion. "What's going on here?" Then, shaking his head, he added, "Forget it. Alright Xingyue, have breakfast and get ready for school. We'll drop you off on our way."
She quickly nodded, settling down at the table. "Uncle today's breakfast looks different."
Wei Han grinned proudly. "Yes, yes, because your Wang shushu made it today."
"Oh, right, Yueyue, did you talk to mom? When are they coming back?"
Xingyue nodded. "Yeah, she called yesterday. She said it'll take a few more days for them to return. Why?"
Wei Han sighed, scratching his head. "I have to go out of town for a few days."
She shrugged, taking a bite of her breakfast. "That's fine. I can stay alone."
Wei Han shook his head. "No, you can't. Forget about it. I'll figure something out."
Haotian chimed in with a smirk, "Alright, enough talking. Eat your breakfast, or we're going to be late."
They dropped Xingyue off in front of her school, where her friends Yumei and Ling Xiao were waiting for her. As she stepped out of the car, Haotian noticed a boy chatting animatedly with her. His brows furrowed slightly, and he turned to Wei Han. "Hey, who's that boy?"
Wei Han shrugged casually. "I don't know, maybe one of her classmates."
Haotian, not satisfied with the answer, rolled down the window and called out, "Xiaoyue, okay, we're leaving now."
She waved back cheerfully, "Bye, Shushu!"
But as Haotian glanced back toward the boy, Ling Xiao, his expression darkened. He gave Ling Xiao a sharp death stare before rolling up the window and driving off.
In the car, Wei Han smirked, having noticed the whole exchange. "Relax, it's just a classmate."
Haotian scoffed, eyes still focused ahead. "Doesn't matter."