Ye Mu slept for a long time. When he opened his eyes again, he was no longer in the cold hospital hallway but had been moved to the soft, comfortable bed at home.
He got out of bed and went to the living room, where lunch was still on the table.
As he walked closer, he noticed a note.
It was from Chen Mo.
“Stupid f*ggot, I only helped you because I felt sorry for you, don’t get any ideas.”
The tone was arrogant and sharp, as always.
Ye Mu pressed his lips together and lowered his gaze to the ground, feeling a deep sense of gratitude.
He pulled out his phone from his pocket and made a call.
The dial tone went on for a long time. Chen Mo seemed busy and didn’t answer.
Ye Mu didn’t insist and hung up after waiting for a bit.
Just as he was about to turn off the screen, he noticed an unread message from an unknown number.
Frowning slightly, Ye Mu opened the message.
“We’ve withdrawn the lawsuit. —Yan Chen”
The simple words made his fingers pause for a moment, but soon after, he quickly typed a reply.
—What do you mean?
He waited a long time, but there was no response.
Ye Mu’s brow furrowed deeply, and he immediately called the law firm, only to receive the same answer.
The lawsuit had been withdrawn, and the reasons were unclear.
He put on a coat and went to his former company.
When he arrived, it was close to five or six o’clock, and employees were already starting to leave.
Ye Mu took the elevator to the department where Yan Chen worked. He expected the office to be empty since it was the end of the workday, but surprisingly, everyone was still there.
They were all gathered at the door of the CEO’s office, chatting and laughing. Some girls were blushing shyly, and some guys were cheering.
Ye Mu pressed his lips together and walked over silently, standing at the back of the crowd.
“Oh my God, this is the first time I’ve seen him in person! I didn’t believe it when they said President Yan was married.”
“He’s so handsome, incredibly so.”
“What industry are you in?”
“Who proposed first?”
“President Yan always looks so stern, how do you get along with him?”
“Yeah, do you two ever argue?”
One question after another came, the curiosity of people seemed endless.
Gu Huai stood in the center of the crowd wearing a white shirt, a polite smile on his face, patiently answering their questions like a gentleman.
“I’m in the design industry.”
“I was the one who proposed.”
“Is he stern? Not really.”
“We’ve argued before, but he usually lets me win.”
As soon as he said that, everyone’s eyes lit up, and one male colleague dared to ask the bold question.
“So, who’s on top most of the time?”
The crowd buzzed with laughter, calling the guy perverted, but it was clear from their eager expressions that they were dying to know the answer.
“Most of the time, I’m on top.” Gu Huai smiled elegantly. If you didn’t know him, you’d never guess he was lying.
“Wow, who would have thought!”
“There’s actually someone who can dominate President Yan.”
“That’s terrifying! So President Yan has been…”
“Ahem, ahem.”
Two cold coughs suddenly interrupted.
The crowd froze in awkward silence, and soon after, everyone respectfully greeted the newcomer.
“President Yan.” “President Yan.” “President Yan.”
A handsome man in a black suit emerged from the office. His deep, almond-shaped eyes scanned the crowd, and immediately, no one dared to lift their heads.
Gu Huai smiled lightly, glancing at him, “They weren’t wrong; you really are stern.”
Yan Chen frowned, slightly exasperated, “You didn’t mention you were coming.”
Gu Huai shrugged, “I wanted to give you a delightful surprise.”
Yan Chen’s expression was indifferent, “It’s just a delight, just a surprise. Come on, it’s time to go home.”
But Gu Huai refused, smiling as he turned to the crowd, “Since I’m here today, let me treat everyone to a meal.”
“Really?”
“That’s great!”
“My stomach was just growling with hunger!”
Yan Chen didn’t like noisy places and rarely ate with his employees. Hearing this, he couldn’t help but glance at Gu Huai with some displeasure.
But it was clearly no use.
“Everyone, get ready. Let’s go out for a good meal later,” Gu Huai said with a smile, still stubbornly pushing ahead.
The employees were delighted, and they all started to grab their personal belongings and prepare to leave.
In the rush, someone bumped into Ye Mu.
It was an old acquaintance, someone he had worked with before—a loud person who immediately shouted, “Hey, Ye Mu? What are you doing here?”
Quite a few people present knew Ye Mu, and when they heard this, they quickly looked over.
“Yeah, it really is Ye Mu.”
“Aren’t you no longer with the company? Why are you here?”
For a moment, several people gathered around him.
Ye Mu stood there, unsure whether to stay or leave. After a long silence, he pressed his thin lips together and said, “I have some business with President Yan.”
Yan Chen was standing at the door, his gaze penetrating the crowd until it finally landed on Ye Mu’s pale and thin face.
He slightly moved his lips, about to say something, but was interrupted.
Gu Huai smiled politely at Ye Mu and said, “Whatever it is, you can talk about it later. You used to work at Yan Chen’s company, so since you’re here, join us for a meal today.”
It was a courteous invitation, flawless in every way.
The others also found it reasonable and enthusiastically agreed.
“Yeah, come with us!”
Ye Mu’s gaze was distant. “No, I have something else to do, so I’ll pass.”
He turned to leave but was stopped by a former colleague who forcibly draped an arm around his shoulder. “Don’t be so stiff; it’s been a while since we last met. It’s rare to have a gathering.”
“No, really, you all go ahead.” Ye Mu continued to refuse.
Another person came over, enthusiastically patting him on the shoulder. “Don’t kill the mood. Come on, let’s go.”
Ye Mu frowned slightly, barely noticeable. He thought of another excuse to decline but couldn’t resist the social pressure and was eventually ushered into the car with them.
The venue was a well-known local bar, filled with colorful lights, a professional house band, and an array of cocktails that made everyone eager and excited.
The group consisted mainly of the company’s younger employees, who, without any constraints, were having a wild time, each determined not to leave until they were drunk.
Ye Mu watched them lose control but didn’t join in. He took a glass of wine and sat in a secluded corner, drinking alone.
He was slender and handsome, with a fair and elegant face. In the vibrant nightlife of the bar, it wasn’t long before someone came over to strike up a conversation.
“Are you here alone?”
The newcomer was a young man in his twenties, tall and with a lazy vibe, exuding a kind of roguish charm.
Ye Mu took a sip of his drink without replying.
The man smiled handsomely and extended his hand, his voice low and magnetic. “Song Youyu. Let’s be friends?”
Ye Mu’s expression remained indifferent. He lowered his eyes, stayed silent for a while, and then quietly said, “Ye Mu.”
The man curved his thin lips and repeated the name after him, “Ye Mu—what a nice name.”
He said it softly, his voice carrying a teasing undertone. Combined with his handsome young face, it had a charm that was hard to resist.
But Ye Mu wasn’t particularly interested. He only responded indifferently, “Thanks.”
The man smiled faintly, lazily draping a single arm around Ye Mu’s shoulder, leaning in close and whispering suggestively, “Wanna go out sometime?”
Ye Mu turned his head away to distance himself. “No need.”
As he spoke, he removed the man’s hand from his shoulder.
The man was undeterred. His slender fingers gently brushed Ye Mu’s waist. “We could give it a try, right?”
Ye Mu remained indifferent. He tried to push the man’s hand away but ended up having his fingers intertwined and tightly held by the other.
The man’s handsome features showed a playful smile. “How about a game? If you can free yourself with one hand, I’ll let you go.”
Ye Mu didn’t react, his gaze fixed straight ahead. He continued drinking, allowing the man to hold his hand.
The man’s eyebrows arched slightly, a mischievous glint in his dark eyes. “Are you trying to test my patience?”
His voice was laced with a smile as his soft, warm lips moved closer to Ye Mu’s delicate skin.
Closer and closer.
But Ye Mu acted as if he didn’t see it, sipping his drink, seemingly unconcerned.
In the end, the man stopped, looking down at him with long, soft black eyelashes curved upwards. “Interesting.”
Ye Mu remained silent, his gaze fixed ahead, his expression unchanged.
The man followed his gaze and saw the group playing truth or dare.
They were playing a game where the bottle was spun, and the person to its right would ask the question.
“President Yan! President Yan! It’s your turn!”
A young man shouted excitedly.
Sitting next to Yan Chen was Gu Huai, smiling handsomely. “Truth or dare?”
Yan Chen’s face was cold, his phoenix eyes dark and brooding, clearly in a bad mood. “Dare.”
Gu Huai smiled silently, his lips curving up with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Listen carefully, the dare is to kiss me now.”
“Wow~~” The crowd erupted in cheers, clapping and urging him on.
Yan Chen’s face darkened, and he hesitated for a long time without moving.
Of course, the onlookers weren’t going to let him off easily. They clapped their hands, cheering together, “Kiss, President Yan, kiss!”
“One, two, three, come on, come on!”
“One, two, three, four, five, we’ve been waiting so long!”
“One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, we’re getting impatient!”
Yan Chen scanned the crowd silently, but this tactic wasn’t as effective as before.
The group continued to make a fuss, determined not to stop until their goal was met.
Gu Huai, unable to stand it any longer, smiled and suddenly hugged him, catching him off guard with a kiss.
The kiss between two men was magnetic, irresistible to the onlookers.
The crowd erupted again, the atmosphere filled with a pink, ambiguous vibe.
Ye Mu watched them from afar, his lips curving slightly, saying nothing.
The man beside him glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. “What, you like him?”
Ye Mu’s lips pressed into a thin line. “It’s all in the past.”
The man nodded. “It better be. He doesn’t seem to care about you at all.”
Ye Mu lowered his eyelids slightly, his Adam’s apple moving as he swallowed. “I know.”
After saying this, he left the bar.
As he exited, he sent a text to an unfamiliar number.
——No matter what, I wish you both happiness.
