Xiao Xue was the manager of the sales department, and this time, Xiao Zhan was appointed to work under him.
Since Wang Yibo had promised Xiao Zhan he wouldn't forget, he naturally meant what he said. Very soon, he briefly discussed Xiao Zhan's responsibilities as a "salesperson" with Xiao Xue. At first, Xiao Xue was all smiles—after all, he was a superficial fan of good looks. Who doesn't love having a handsome guy in the team? It even boosts everyone's motivation to work.
But the more he listened, the more something felt... off.
Salespeople were mainly responsible for following up with old clients, acquiring new ones, and promoting Yunsen Credit's financial products. So why did Xiao Zhan also have to reconcile accounts? Why did he have to go out chasing debts too?
Debt collecting could get very... ahem... violent. Xiao Xue remembered how last time Xiao Zhan had been so scared he turned pale. He seriously doubted whether Xiao Zhan was cut out for it.
Under Xiao Xue's puzzled gaze, Wang Yibo simply spread his hands.
"What's the problem? It's not just him—I'm planning to join you a few times too, just to get a better understanding of the process. I've only heard your reports before, but it's always better to see things for myself."
Xiao Xue naturally wouldn't question Wang Yibo's words, but he probed a little.
"President Wang, are you trying to mess with Xiao Zhan?"
Wang Yibo didn't retract his outstretched hand. Instead, he gave Xiao Xue a charming, ambiguous smile.
Just as the two finished discussing, Wang Yibo's office door was knocked on. Mo Ran stood at the entrance, wearing a pale blue shirt, smiling brightly.
"Ready to go eat?"
This wasn't the first time Xiao Xue had seen Mo Ran, who bore quite a resemblance to Xiao Zhan. Though they looked alike, it wasn't to the point where you could easily confuse the two—except at certain angles.
Xiao Xue had heard Mo Ran introduce himself. During their first meeting, Wang Yibo was on a conference call, and Xiao Xue had chatted with Mo Ran while they waited. The young man was the boss's old classmate and close friend, with several years of "revolutionary" friendship from their time in the U.S.
Xiao Xue had observed them carefully. It was obvious that Wang Yibo and Mo Ran were close, and they could joke around casually.
Wang Yibo glanced at the time. "Let's go."
Xiao Xue stared meaningfully at the two tall, handsome figures walking ahead. After they disappeared around the corner, he returned to the main office with a mysterious expression.
Earlier, thanks to Xiao Xue's exaggerated storytelling, many coworkers (mostly female) were already swooning over Wang Yibo and Mo Ran's close relationship. Now, they surrounded Xiao Xue, eyes gleaming. "Did they go for lunch together?" "What was Mo Ran wearing today?" "President Wang is something else, always letting him come find him!"
Xiao Xue gave a deep, meaningful "Mhm." "Yeah, they went to eat! I even saw Mo Ran holding a bag of desserts."
"Aww, already sharing desserts? That's so sweet!"
"Two grown men eating desserts together? That's too much—it's almost romantic!"
"Xiao Xue, well done! I'll buy you bubble tea this afternoon!"
Xiao Xue basked in the attention of his female coworkers. He'd thought about embellishing the story further but decided against it in the end.
Haste makes waste. No matter what kind of relationship Wang Yibo and Mo Ran actually had, time would reveal it. If he exaggerated too much and got caught, he might lose his free bubble tea and the ladies' affection.
After all, gossiping about the boss's love life was secondary—winning over his colleagues was the real goal.
Meanwhile, Wang Yibo and Mo Ran found a small café to have sandwiches. Mo Ran handed the bag of desserts to Wang Yibo.
"For you."
Wang Yibo shook his head. "You know I don't like sweet stuff. I'm not eating that."
Mo Ran blinked. "It's fresh-baked bread, made just now. I brought it for you."
Wang Yibo shook his head again. "Still not eating it."
Mo Ran made a pitiful face, as if he'd been rejected.
"Hey, do you have to be so firm? I brought it for your own good! I saw today's horoscope in the newspaper at the office. It clearly said that Leos are in a Mercury retrograde this week. Even though things may seem to be going well, they'll still feel overwhelmed or face difficult tasks. The advice was to eat fresh baked desserts! Come on, I know you hate sweet things—back in the U.S., getting you to eat even a bite of a donut was like pulling teeth. But this is for good luck!"
Wang Yibo did feel a little overwhelmed lately, but he looked utterly speechless.
"Oh my god, you're not a teenage girl. You still believe in horoscopes?"
Mo Ran shrugged.
"So, what if I do? It doesn't hurt to believe a little. All you have to do is eat something sweet. I'm a Libra—my horoscope says I need to drink beer in a park to change my luck."
Beer in a park.
Wang Yibo was reminded of a scene he'd stumbled upon not long ago. It had been a beautiful sight: fiery sunset, a quiet riverside, a vintage bench, white doves flying around—and Xiao Zhan sitting on the bench, cheeks flushed from drinking.
He'd accidentally seen Xiao Zhan drinking in the park—he'd clearly been drunk. Wang Yibo had hesitated, wondering if he should say hello, but before he could figure out what to say, Jiang Cheng appeared.
Jiang Cheng looked just like he had a few years ago.
In that moment, Wang Yibo was very glad he hadn't taken a step forward.
So that was it—it wasn't something serious. Just trying to change his luck?
Wang Yibo let out a cold laugh in his heart and said to Mo Ran,
"By the way, there's something you should know. You and Xiao Zhan work at the same bank, right? He's also in corporate finance. Not sure if your side's received the news yet, but he resigned a couple of days ago. Yunshen Credit happens to have a sales opening. Xiao Zhan will be joining us in a few weeks."
Mo Ran looked surprised, and Wang Yibo added calmly,
"His parents were tricked into signing as guarantors and owe Yunshen XXX million. According to Xiao Zhan, his funds are tight and he can't repay it. You know what kind of business Yunshen is—I can't actually take his whole family's life for it, so I'm letting him come work it off. His salary and bonuses will be deducted from the debt. I'm not running a charity."
Mo Ran was initially shocked, but as Wang Yibo spoke, his expression turned complicated.
Not quite bitter. Not quite sour. But something lingered.
"Is that what you meant by those things you told me back in the U.S.?"
He looked a bit disheartened. "Yibo, what he owes you is money—not favors, and certainly not love."
Wang Yibo fell silent for a moment, then gave a faint smile.
"All I want is the money repaid. Didn't Nie Huaisang say he and Jiang Cheng already bought a home in the city centre? If he really is tight on cash, he could sell that place. Maybe then, if I'm in a good mood, I'd consider letting the debt go. But he won't."
Wang Yibo's voice was low. "Mo Ran, XXX million isn't pocket change—especially when it's high-interest debt. I didn't break his legs or take his life. That's already merciful. What's giving up a house compared to that? But he refuses to sell."
Mo Ran couldn't help calling out, "Yibo, wake up. That's the home he's going to share with Jiang Cheng. How could he possibly sell it?"
"Why not?"
Wang Yibo looked at Mo Ran, eyes sharp and stubborn.
As a child, he had hated his father—for being the hidden, shameful son kept in the shadows.
Every time his father visited, young Yibo had to study while enduring his cold jabs, then reluctantly help chop garlic and onions in the kitchen. After dinner, he'd grudgingly play soccer or board games with him. He acted unwilling the whole time—but whenever his father was due to visit, he couldn't help but glance toward the door all morning, a hope he carefully concealed.
And when was the last time, he saw his father? Was it at the airport? Calling out "You brat, take care of yourself in the U.S.," his eyes filled with concern for his underachieving son?
He used to ache for his mother too. While other kids had two parents, he only had her.
She was frail, and even reading with him left her exhausted. Wang Yibo vowed from a young age to work hard, get into a good university, pick a high-paying major, and earn enough to buy her a big house. He never got the chance—and because of him, her life savings of over a decade almost vanished.
When was the last time he saw her? Also, at the airport? Holding back his father from speaking too harshly, telling him gently, "Cheer up, child. Life will get better," eyes full of worry for her son heading abroad?
The afternoon café light was soft, the sunlight lazy.
"Why not?" Wang Yibo lowered his head and said to Mo Ran,
"You think Xiao Zhan hasn't done it before?"
***
On the weekend, Xiao Zhan and Jiang Cheng went back to the Jiang family home for a meal.
The Jiangs were an influential family, and naturally, they had all the typical "affluent family" drama. For example, Father Jiang and Mother Jiang had essentially married for business reasons and shared little emotional connection—before and after the wedding, they each lived their own lives.
Originally, Jiang Cheng had an older brother named Jiang Li. Xiao Zhan had never met him, but he was said to be a rare prodigy. Unfortunately, he passed away from illness at a young age. Since then, Father and Mother Jiang had cared even less about the household and treated Jiang Cheng rather perfunctorily. Family warmth was scarce, and not a single gathering went by without them comparing Jiang Cheng to Jiang Li at least a few hundred times.
Even with such neglect, their routine family dinners still went on like clockwork—maybe appearances were still necessary for a family of their standing.
Four people sat at the dining table. Halfway through the meal, Father Jiang predictably asked Jiang Cheng about his work.
Lately, Jiang Cheng had been working overtime frequently and was quite unhappy with his boss. He wasn't the type to hide his feelings—though he responded with a few brief remarks, Father Jiang still sensed something was off.
So began the usual lecture.
"You've been spoiled with a young master's temper at home. In the workplace, of course right and wrong matter, but you also need to understand hierarchy. A superior is a superior, and a subordinate is a subordinate. It doesn't matter how he got his position—whether he's truly capable or just riding on connections—it proves he has value, that he's above you. Most of the time, you need to follow orders. Don't be so unruly."
Jiang Cheng's expression darkened. Xiao Zhan could tell he didn't like hearing that, even if he didn't exactly disagree with Father Jiang's point.
Jiang Cheng gave a small nod. "I know."
Father Jiang continued. "You've never been good at taking criticism. Say too much and I'm annoying, but say too little and you go off with that bad temper of yours. You won't accomplish anything like that. If you don't make a name for yourself at your current job, you could always join the family business—but do you really think you can lead it well? Your brother was much better than you in this respect. If Li were still here, I bet he'd be telling you the same thing."
Jiang Cheng's expression grew even darker. He was clearly annoyed.
"I said I got it. How many times do you need me to say it?"
That response was borderline disrespectful.
Xiao Zhan knew Jiang Cheng was the type to speak without thinking when he got emotional. His words didn't always pass through his brain first, so he quickly stepped in with a smile.
"Uncle Jiang, you're right. We've only been working for a few years—we're inexperienced. I'll keep your advice in mind, and I'll remind him at home too."
Father Jiang had looked like he was about to explode, but after hearing Xiao Zhan's words, he only let out a cold snort and dropped it.
Mother Jiang glanced around and chuckled.
"As long as Zhan Zhan's the one reminding him, it's fine. A-Cheng may not listen to us, but he listens to Zhan Zhan—he's liked him since he was a kid."
It wasn't a secret that Jiang Cheng had been chasing after Xiao Zhan since they were young, and people still talked about it often.
Mother Jiang added, "A-Cheng was still a kid back then—he came to me and told me straight out he liked Zhan Zhan and wanted to pursue him. His father and I didn't take it seriously, especially since you were both boys. But he was dead serious—on his 18th birthday, he came out during the party! Zhan Zhan, you were there, right? Remember how chaotic it was? His father and I were so furious we couldn't even blow up on the spot."
Father Jiang also recalled that night.
"After the party, I almost beat this kid to a pulp. But he came out so firmly and wouldn't budge. His mother and I had no choice. With Li gone, he's our only child—what could we do?"
Mother Jiang laughed. "Thank goodness it was Zhan Zhan. The Xiao family's been friends with ours for years, and we've watched you grow up. Otherwise, we'd have been even more furious."
As the couple reminisced about Jiang Cheng's coming out, they sounded half-annoyed, half-amused. Whether there was any bitterness or not, they both ended up laughing.
Jiang Cheng had acted on impulse back then—he wanted no one but Xiao Zhan, male or female. Now, years later, he still got embarrassed every time it came up. He turned red and bowed his head.
Xiao Zhan, one of the people involved—and the one who had firmly rejected him back then—grew more and more awkward as he listened.
After dinner, the four of them soon ran out of things to say, and Jiang Cheng and Xiao Zhan left the Jiang home early.
They had driven there, and Jiang Cheng took the wheel on the way back. It was a busy weekend evening, with lots of traffic. Once they hit the main road, they started getting stuck in jams. Jiang Cheng slowly inched the car forward, while Xiao Zhan scrolled through his phone in silence.
After passing a traffic light, Jiang Cheng suddenly asked:
"Xiao Zhan, my parents always bring up the coming-out thing—do you feel awkward about it too?"
Xiao Zhan looked up at him. "What do you think? Of course I do. I wasn't exactly cooperative back then either."
Jiang Cheng kept his eyes on the road and bit his lip.
"I was impulsive at the time, and there were better ways I could've handled it. But I still don't regret what I did."
Xiao Zhan locked his phone screen and looked at him seriously.
"But they beat you up pretty badly. I remember you ended up in the hospital."
Jiang Cheng shrugged, pretending not to care. "Did I? I forgot."
Xiao Zhan couldn't help but laugh. He looked at Jiang Cheng for a moment and reached out to pat his head.
"Forgot after getting beaten—did they knock the sense out of you?"
Jiang Cheng laughed too. He took one hand off the wheel and held Xiao Zhan's hand, keeping it there all the way home.