Chapter 68: The Hypocritical Senior 10 Part 2

They waited half an hour before Young Master Song’s people arrived with the contract and a lawyer in tow.

Li Xia took the document and scanned it from top to bottom, confirming there were no loopholes before signing.

“Pleasure doing business,” Young Master Song said, his attitude doing a complete one-eighty.

“Hope so.” Li Xia nodded.

Su Shan had dug up this intel long ago, but he’d held onto it as his ace in the hole.

Now they wanted a stake in the company.

With shares came leverage.

If Yu Sui wanted to climb higher, Li Xia could help make it happen.

His compromise on the identity swap had come after Su Shan played that trump card.

But Su Shan’s real motive wasn’t to do Yu Sui any favors.

“You think I can’t just decide his fate on a whim?”

Li Xia feared Su Shan might actually follow through.

With the contract signed and binding, Li Xia had no intention of lingering.

He stood first and left, while Young Master Song pored over the dirt.

Yu Sui waited for the elevator, barely registering what his cousin was saying.

Ding—

The doors slid open. His cousin stepped inside, and Yu Sui froze.

He hadn’t expected to run into Li Xia again.

Li Xia was equally surprised, his eyes lighting up—until he spotted the woman beside Yu Sui. His hand clenched tight.

“What a coincidence,” Yu Sui said with easy grace.

“Who’s this?” His cousin blinked at their familiarity, then sized up Li Xia. “A friend of yours? He’s pretty handsome.”

“From the same company,” Yu Sui explained.

“Oh.” She nodded. “By the way, I really want some plums—you know how I’ve been craving them.”

“Yeah, I had someone pick some up early. Should be at the house by now.” Yu Sui stepped into the elevator and nodded.

“What about the wine?” she pressed.

“How could I forget your favorite flavor?” Yu Sui replied.

“Aw, you’re too sweet.” The woman dabbed at fake tears.

“Cut the act,” Yu Sui called her out.

“You know me too well.”

Li Xia’s chest tightened more with every exchange he overheard.

They were so familiar, their banter so intimate—like family.

Had White Moonlight returned to the country?

Were they rekindling old flames?

Li Xia bit his lip, his face darkening.

Ding—

The elevator reached the first floor, and the three of them stepped out.

Yu Sui was about to head off with her when his phone rang.

“I’ll take this call,” he said, heading toward the bathroom.

His cousin glanced at her phone and saw a message from the family. She frowned slightly.

“What a pain—going crying to the elders? Giving him any face?” she muttered under her breath, annoyed. “Thinks he can marry me? No way.”

Li Xia had been about to leave but paused at her words. Marriage? To whom?

He turned to stare at the woman.

Her gaze was too intense to ignore. She looked up. “Something wrong, colleague of Xiao Sui’s?”

“Um… you’re Brother Sui’s…?” Li Xia ventured.

“Cousin. What’s up?” She looked puzzled.

“His cousin?” Li Xia’s eyes brightened.

Her expression turned odd as she studied the young man. “You… know Xiao Sui pretty well?”

She’d seen it all abroad, especially when it came to relationships, and now her tone turned gossipy.

“Not really, just coworkers,” Li Xia said, his voice dry.

She caught the disappointment in his words and narrowed her eyes. “Want to add me on WeChat? I’m Lin Fangcai.”

Li Xia pulled out his phone. “I’m heading out.”

Lin Fangcai waved. “See ya.”

By the time Yu Sui returned, Li Xia was gone. Relief washed over him.

Lin Fangcai walked beside him and casually remarked, “Your agency’s talents are easy on the eyes. What was that guy’s name? Can you pass my WeChat along?”

Yu Sui halted. “No.”

“Why not?” Lin Fangcai eyed him curiously.

“Just no.” Yu Sui wasn’t about to explain—not when his own actions in the mix weren’t exactly honorable.

Lin Fangcai nodded as if it were a passing whim, then shifted to something else.

Hearing that her boyfriend—no, ex-boyfriend—was throwing a tantrum at her parents’ place, crying, causing scenes, and threatening suicide, Yu Sui couldn’t help twitching.

“Isn’t this guy supposed to be some tough guy?”

“I like the contrast.”

“Then why’d you dump him?” Yu Sui shot back.

“The gap was too much.”

She quickened her pace.

Yu Sui shook his head and followed.

Li Xia found Su Shan and reported that everything was settled.

In the back seat, he opened Lin Fangcai’s Moments feed.

No sign of Yu Sui. He closed it.

His assistant had name-dropped her on purpose, probably to warn him off.

But he wasn’t backing down.

Yu Sui took his cousin home, and sure enough, the plums had arrived.

He washed a plate in the kitchen.

She lounged on the sofa, glancing around. “Your place is so barren.”

“Yeah.” Yu Sui brought out the plums.

“You’re not getting any younger. No plans for a relationship?” she asked.

“Too busy with work.” Yu Sui sat beside her.

“Your life’s so dull.” Lin Fangcai shook her head.

“I’m fine with it.”

They didn’t chat much. Bored, she scrolled through videos.

She froze and glanced at Yu Sui. “Isn’t that you and the guy from earlier?”

Yu Sui looked over.

It was a clip of the two of them.

“You two dating?” Lin Fangcai grinned gossipily. “Keeping good news like that from me?”

“Just promo for the new drama—a company collab,” Yu Sui clarified.

“New drama?” Intrigued, she searched it up.

Reading the synopsis, she tsk-tsked. “Dipping into spicier roles and not telling your big sis? Rude.”

Yu Sui’s eyelid twitched. “It’s not that bad—all stand-ins.”

“Ignoring him in the elevator like that—wasn’t great, was it?” Lin Fangcai eyed her cousin.

She sensed something off between them.

Yu Sui kept a straight face.

That night, she crashed in the guest room.

Still wired from jet lag, she ended up bingeing clips of the two.

Reviewing the recent drama, Lin Fangcai scrutinized the edits.

That heartbroken look didn’t seem fake, and today’s awkward vibe between them only confirmed something had gone down.

But it was their business. She wouldn’t meddle.

The next day, she visited Yu Sui’s parents—without him tagging along.

Yu Sui asked his assistant for the latest talent schedule.

Monday, he skipped the company.

With Li Xia out of the house, Yu Sui planned to snoop around.

The guy wasn’t ordinary; he might be hiding secrets.

Li Xia’s computer was busted, and the drawers and cabinets held nothing suspicious.

Yu Sui didn’t leave. He decided to teach Li Xia a lesson.

He hid in the closet, waiting for him to get home from work.

Today, they had swapped roles.

Li Xia wore the uniform and slacked off somewhere. He was starting to think this setup wasn’t half bad.

No Yu Sui in sight.

Su Shan felt scammed but couldn’t opt out of the shoot.

After a long day, exhaustion hit him.

Su Shan took a cab home after clocking out.

Li Xia texted that he’d play the role again tomorrow—then nothing.

Su Shan felt inexplicably frustrated.

He got home, showered, grabbed a bite, then tinkered on his laptop in the living room.

His relaxed nerves tensed at the security feed.

Su Shan sat up straight, eyes flashing toward the master bedroom.

In the closet?

A smirk curved his lips. He had a fun game in mind.

Yawning, he shut down the laptop, grabbed his phone, and headed to the bedroom.

“What to wear tomorrow?” he mused aloud, approaching the closet.

Through the crack, Yu Sui saw the light dim.

He held his breath, fists clenched, ready to strike.

But then Li Xia’s phone rang.

“Hello?” Su Shan answered, retreating to the bed.

“Yeah, sure.” After a few words, he hung up—without grabbing any clothes.

Lights out, he slid into bed and drifted off with eyes closed.

Su Shan had been slammed all day; he suspected Li Xia was doing it on purpose.

Creak—

Past two in the morning, Yu Sui eased out of the closet and approached the bed.

Moonlight through the window cast faint shadows, enough to navigate.

Standing over the bed, he stared down at the figure.

Then Yu Sui reached out and clamped his hand around the throat.

[Host?!] The System gasped in shock.

“Don’t worry.” Yu Sui said it, but he didn’t hold back.

Su Shan felt suffocated and jolted awake from his dream.

He struggled to open his eyes wide, catching only a shadowy figure, but he knew exactly who it was.

Cursing inwardly, Su Shan began to fight back.

His strength was immense; Yu Sui felt like his wrist was about to dislocate and finally let go.

“Cough cough cough…” Su Shan tried to say something.

But Yu Sui had already bolted out the door.

Su Shan: ……

[You…] The System was surprised too.

“Not sticking around to get beaten?” Yu Sui said as he rode the elevator away.

Once home, he applied medicine to his hand.

Meanwhile, Li Xia had found the bar through a social media post that Lin Fangcai had shared.

The woman sat at the bar, ignoring all the men who tried to strike up a conversation with her.

She sipped casually from a glass of the bar’s signature cocktail.

Someone approached her side. “I’ll have a Blue Ocean.”

Hearing the voice, Lin Fangcai glanced over and raised an eyebrow at the sight of Li Xia. “What a coincidence.”

“Eh? Yeah, what a coincidence.” Li Xia feigned surprise.

She studied his expression but couldn’t tell if it was genuine. Unconcerned, Lin Fangcai asked, “What brings you here?”

“Busy day at work. Just needed to unwind a bit.” Li Xia replied.

Lin Fangcai nodded.

Li Xia hadn’t come simply to drink. He racked his brain for the right words, hoping to glean some information about Yu Sui from her.

“Um… that senior of yours, he…”

“What’s up with him?” Lin Fangcai looked puzzled.

“You… you’re pretty close with him, right?” As soon as the words left his mouth, Li Xia regretted how foolish they sounded.

“Yeah, we get along well.” She nodded. “I saw that collaboration video of yours.”

At those words, Li Xia grew uneasy. “I…”

“Xiao Sui’s got a strong will of his own,” Lin Fangcai said. “He might seem mild-mannered, but he’s incredibly stubborn. No one can talk him out of something once he’s set his mind to it.”

Li Xia’s eyes dimmed. “Is that right?”

“What happened between you two?”

“Nothing.” Of course Li Xia wasn’t going to tell her.

Lin Fangcai watched him down glass after glass, drowning his sorrows. She wondered if she should message Yu Sui about it.

Her finger hovered over the chat window, but in the end, she sent nothing.

She wasn’t the type to meddle in other people’s relationships. No third party could truly understand what they were going through.

“Don’t drink too much. Don’t you have work tomorrow? I’m heading out.”

As Lin Fangcai walked away, Li Xia called out his thanks.

He thought to himself that these two siblings really were alike—seeming so mild on the surface, yet utterly rational underneath.