The assistant just followed orders and brought the person in. He stepped aside to let Li Shu enter the office, then nodded and left.
It was nearing the end of the workday, and the company was eerily quiet, especially in Li Heyuan’s office area.
The office to the president of the He Group was spacious and furnished in a minimalist business style, with black and white tones that exuded a sense of oppression.
Li Heyuan had already turned around. Compared to ten years ago, he was taller and had lost the immaturity of youth. Now, he was filled with the allure of a mature man.
Li Shu looked at Li Heyuan, and Li Heyuan was also observing him.
The conclusion was too incredible. In his heart, Li Heyuan yearned for that one-in-a-million chance to be true. At the same time, he dreaded uncovering the real answer. He had faced too many disappointments, and the string in his heart was already at a breaking point; any more pressure and it would snap.
For the sake of that faint hope, he had called Klaus. Since Sir’s departure and his move to B City, he had tried to sever ties with that place—not for any other reason but fear.
Those people, those events, those places had become untouchable taboos in his heart. Sir leaving was a huge blow to him, stripping away the only light in his life and severing the bridge to brightness. All the softness and beauty in his heart had vanished with that person’s exit.
Now, could it be that his light had returned?
Staring at the young man before him, the surroundings blurred, and the familiar figure began to merge with the person in front of him. Li Heyuan saw his Sir smiling at him, just as before.
He felt a sudden urge to step forward and speak, to ask all the questions he had bottled up. He just wanted an answer.
But he stopped himself. His foot moved forward only one step, and the words he wanted to say were suppressed in his throat. He couldn’t act impulsively.
Li Shu seemed oblivious to the struggle in the man’s eyes. His attitude towards Li Heyuan was the same as before—gentle and courteous, without any hint of disrespect. It was the kind of attitude one would have towards a stranger.
“President Li, is there something you need from me?” Seeing that Li Heyuan was planning to stare at him until the end of time, Li Shu had to interrupt their silent stare contest.
“There are some questions I’d like to discuss with you,” Li Heyuan walked over to his desk, picked up a document, and approached Li Shu. “Could you explain why this particular plan was chosen?”
Li Shu accepted the document. It was related to the project they had proposed. They had debated three plans and ultimately selected one that didn’t seem to be the best on the surface. The three plans were appended to the document, so it was natural for Li Heyuan to be curious. The final decision had come after much argument, but in the end, they had settled on this one.
Li Shu didn’t question why Li Heyuan, the esteemed president of He Group, was personally inquiring about this project. Instead, he meticulously explained the advantages and disadvantages of the three proposed plans.
This plan was Li Shu’s proposal;l and no one understood its strengths better than he did. When discussing business, Li Shu fully immersed himself in his work. At these times, he seemed nothing like a student who had just finished his second year of college. His insights and perspectives were on par with those who had been navigating the business world for years.
Li Heyuan was originally listening intently. Many aspects of Li Shu’s explanations were things he hadn’t considered. Gradually, however, he found himself unable to focus on the details.
He stared at Li Shu’s profile, and it was as if he was transported back to years ago. Back then, he had just started dabbling in business, and his ideas were too immature. At that time, it was just like now; he sat beside that person and listened to him explain with patience.
Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting patches of light and shadow. Li Shu was sitting right where a beam of sunlight fell, and in the golden light, the fine hairs on his face were clearly visible, and his long, long eyelashes like crow feathers were dropped down, casting a shadow.
Li Heyuan stared at this scene in a daze, unable to come back to his senses for a long time.
He could hear the intense beating of his heart within his chest, his blood rushing through his veins. Things long buried began to stir, struggling to resurface.
After speaking for a while, Li Shu felt thirsty. He paused and noticed the man staring at him in a daze. Those dark eyes seemed to be looking at him, yet also as if they were seeing someone else through him.
In Li Heyuan’s eyes, Li Shu saw a profound longing mixed with other emotions. Before Li Shu could fully understand it, Li Heyuan had already snapped out of his reverie.
“Sorry, I was distracted,” Li Heyua quickly regained his composure, his tone sincere.
“It’s okay,” Li Shu took a few sips of water from his cup and looked at Li Heyuan curiously, “Were you thinking about someone, President Li?”
“Yes, I was thinking of a very important person,” Li Heyuan answered, with a lingering look of yearning in his eyes.
Li Shu didn’t deliberately hide anything. If he was to speak about returning from the dead, saying it directly or letting Li Heyuan figure it out would have completely different effects. Moreover, 1314 had specifically told him that anything related to things beyond the small world was not allowed to be mentioned. The rules would automatically filter out any keywords.
“I miss him a lot,” Li Heyuan looked at Li Shu, with a gaze full of unspoken meaning, “Tell me, given how much I miss him, would he come back to see me?”
As long as he was willing to return, Li Heyuan could give up everything he now possessed. In this world, he only needed that person. Even if it meant losing everything and having nothing left, it wouldn’t matter.
He didn’t want to give up anything that person had left him, whether it was his name or anything else. Sir had left too little behind, and even less for him. He didn’t want to lose any of it.
“He will,” Li Shu said softly after a moment of silence.
“Since I’ve taken up so much of your time today, let me treat you to dinner,” It was unknown if Li Heyuan heard these words. He put the document back on the desk and glanced at his watch. “It’s just about time for us to get off work anyway.”
Li Shu noticed Li Heyuan’s watch at a glance. He lowered his eyes, hiding the complex emotions within. This was the watch he had given to Li Heyuan years ago. He hadn’t expected him to still be wearing it after all this time.
He clearly had the means to replace it with something better, right?
He learned a lot about Li Heyuan over the years from the internet and from Lu Yuanqing. He knew that although those years had been tough, everything that should belong to him was now firmly in his hands. Compared to the original plot, the hardships he suffered on this path were much less, but over the years, his happiness value had not changed at all, as if all his emotions were stuck on the day he died.
Time was supposed to be the best healer. No matter how deep the wounds, after a long period, they should fade and eventually disappear. The extreme pain of the past, when recalled years later, should no longer feel as heart-wrenching as it once did.
Li Heyuan’s abnormality lasted for only a moment, and he soon suppressed all the emotions that shouldn’t have surfaced.
After dinner, Li Heyuan drove Li Shu back to the hotel.
In the hotel lobby, Li Shu saw Professor Yuan, who seemed to have been waiting for him all this time.
When he saw Li Shu, Professor Yuan came over, “Why were you gone so long?”
When Professor Yuan and the others left the company, it was around four o’clock. It was now almost eight. Li Shu had been out for nearly four hours. Since he was responsible for bringing the student out, he naturally had to take full responsibility. He didn’t want anything to happen under his watch.
Li Shu reassured him, “I went out for dinner with President Li. There’s no need to worry, Professor. I’ll be fine.”
“You young people…” Professor Yuan sighed. “Since you’ve eaten, go back to your room and rest.”
Despite his concern, Professor Yuan was just a teacher and not Li Shu’s elder. There were things he couldn’t interfere with, but he couldn’t help worrying.
The previous incident had left him feeling guilty. He promised that person that he would take good care of this child, but just because of a moment of inattention, the child had gotten into such trouble. Fortunately, Li Shu had managed to think things through and extricate himself from that mess. But before his heart could fully relax, Li Heyuan appeared.
Compared to Ruan Muyan, the dangers brought by Li Heyuan were even greater.
Massaging his aching forehead, Professor Yuan sat down, supporting himself on the arm of the sofa. At least he hadn’t sensed any malice from President Li towards Li Shu. That was the only relief. Otherwise, he truly wouldn’t know how to protect this child. With his current status, he had no chance of standing against the head of He Group.
He had intended to bring this child along for some experience. After all, it was He Group, such a rare opportunity. If he had known it would attract Li Heyuan’s attention, he would rather have given up this chance.
There was no pill for regret in this world. Taking out some medicine he carried with him, he swallowed it with warm water. No matter what, he had to ensure this child’s safety.
The days that followed were the same as before, except that Li Heyuan would occasionally call Li Shu up to the rooftop to discuss project progress, and then they would have dinner together.
Initially, Professor Yuan was somewhat worried about this arrangement, but after a while, he realized that Li Heyuan really had no intention of doing anything to Li Shu, so he relaxed a bit.
Some news always spreads quickly, especially when the person involved attracts a lot of attention. If this matter has a bit of romantic connotation, the speed of spread will be greatly accelerated.
The matter between Li Heyuan and Li Shu was no exception. Of course, if Li Heyuan truly didn’t want these matters to spread, they wouldn’t have become common knowledge so quickly. Hence, it was evident that Li Heyuan permitted this.
Over the years, everyone had witnessed how Li Heyuan treated the men and women who sought his favor. Just as everyone was speculating whether Li Heyuan would spend his whole life with his work, the news that he had fallen for a young man was truly shocking.
When Gu Yi heard the rumors, he found it unbelievable. He knew clearly how deep Li Heyuan’s feelings for Li Shu were. Over the years, he had advised him to let go. After all, that person was gone, so why did he have to stay in such a hopeless situation. He was curious about what kind of person could make his friend move on from the past and open his heart again.
Out of curiosity, he planned to meet this person. But before he could contact Li Heyuan, he unexpectedly encountered the person who was rumored to have captivated Li Heyuan at a business gathering.
He was walking in, and the two were walking out, and they bumped into each other unexpectedly.
Gu Yi stood in place, staring at the person standing beside Li Heyuan incredulously. He stared at the person walking towards him, and there was only one thought in his heart:
‘How is this possible?!’
