Chapter 4
“You know who? You know Teacher Chi Yu?” Before Murong Cheng could even ask his childhood friend, Chi Yu, for his resume, Xu Yayun, upon hearing the name, eagerly told him to invite Chi Yu over immediately.
As expected of the CEO’s brother, he had connections. Xu Yayun and Pan Yueyi exchanged a look, further solidifying their belief in Murong Cheng’s special status.
Murong Cheng was surprised Chi Yu was so well-known outside the art world. Tasked with bringing Chi Yu in, he was granted leave before he could even attend the joint meeting with the Legal Department and catch another glimpse of their strikingly handsome general manager.
However, Manager Xu and Yueyi needn’t have bothered.
Stepping out of the company building into the scorching 38-degree summer heat, Murong Cheng felt a pang of regret. His friend was an artist. Artists kept different hours. Visiting during normal business hours was considered intrusive. For artists, daytime was sleeping time. How could he possibly reach Chi Yu during the day?
He received no reply to his message. Murong Cheng went to the supermarket, bought groceries, went home, ate lunch, ate watermelon, and was just about to start dinner when his phone finally buzzed.
[Yu: Meet me at the bar tonight.]
Murong Cheng grabbed his phone.
[Cheng: You’re still working part-time at FISH BAR? Just tell me, did you buy that place?]
Artists differed from ordinary people not only in their schedules but also in their hobbies. While Murong Cheng spent his free time playing video games and watching dramas, his friend’s hobby was working at a bar.
The bar where Chi Yu worked happened to share his nickname, “Yu” (Fish). Murong Cheng always suspected Chi Yu wasn’t really working there but rather overseeing his own establishment.
[Yu: Working, and finding inspiration.]
[Yu: Gotta go, I’m late. They dock my pay if I’m late.]
Could a famous artist really need that part-time money? Murong Cheng scoffed and got up from the sofa.
Unable to reach Chi Yu during the day, he had to work overtime at night, negotiating a deal for the company.
FISH BAR was also located downtown, not far from Murong Cheng’s apartment. With rush hour traffic still heavy, taking a taxi might be slower than cycling, so he opted for a shared bike.
Dusk had just settled, bringing a welcome coolness compared to the daytime heat.
Murong Cheng cycled along the bike path, the wind ruffling his slightly long hair, partially obscuring his delicate features. He wore a clean white T-shirt and light blue washed jeans. Although he had graduated, he still looked like a freshman, his face youthful and full of energy.
However, his attire seemed somewhat out of place in the dimly lit bar.
Even though it was a quiet bar, it was still a bar. The dim lighting and the slightly intoxicated patrons created a more relaxed, less formal atmosphere.
In such an environment, attractive individuals, both men and women, drew attention and became targets of admiring glances.
When Murong Cheng arrived at the bar, Chi Yu had just turned down his third admirer of the night, a tall man who, though not as handsome as Chi Yu, was still relatively attractive.
“You’re really popular with everyone, aren’t you? Standing here every night, you must get hit on constantly,” Murong Cheng muttered, glancing at the man’s retreating figure.
In all his twenty-plus years, Murong Cheng had never met anyone as handsome as Chi Yu. A true beauty, with an innate artistic aura, impossible to ignore. If Murong Cheng was delicate and cute, Chi Yu was captivatingly beautiful, his eyes deep and expressive.
If anyone could rival Chi Yu’s striking appearance, Murong Cheng thought it would be the General Manager of Legal Affairs he had seen at the orientation. However, compared to Chi Yu’s softer features, the legal manager’s face was more angular, handsome rather than beautiful.
Chi Yu rolled his eyes, dropped an ice ball into a glass, and poured in some cola.
Murong Cheng didn’t drink alcohol. Even a small amount would make him blush and get him drunk, and he didn’t want any trouble.
He accepted the cola gratefully and took a sip.
“Are you free tomorrow? Come to our company, for a trial run.”
Chi Yu’s beautiful face remained expressionless. “I don’t do trials.”
Murong Cheng blinked at him pleadingly. “Do it as a favor for me, please.”
“Did you cause this problem at your company?” Chi Yu raised an eyebrow lazily.
“No,” Murong Cheng shook his head.
Chi Yu’s voice was calm, his shoulder-length chestnut hair partially covering his face. “Then why are you so eager? You’re just a recent graduate. Would they ask you to handle this?”
“No one asked me to handle it.” Murong Cheng took another gulp of cola and licked his lips. Not only had no one asked him, he hadn’t even been invited to the department meeting that morning. “But I haven’t contributed anything to the company since I joined. Isn’t this a good opportunity?”
Chi Yu: “Using me as a favor?”
Murong Cheng blinked again, looking pathetic. “Please, please!”
Since childhood, Murong Cheng had become adept at leveraging Chi Yu’s popularity.
In elementary school, he traded Chi Yu’s phone number for snacks. In middle school, he delivered love letters to Chi Yu in exchange for completed homework. Although they attended different universities and didn’t see each other every day, Chi Yu still visited S University occasionally. Using the promise of an introduction to Chi Yu, Murong Cheng often enjoyed free meals and drinks.
Chi Yu expertly mixed a cocktail, placed it on a tray for another server, and returned to Murong Cheng.
“I can help—” he drawled, ignoring Murong Cheng’s eager look, “but don’t give me that generic excuse. Tell me the truth, did you get into some trouble and need to curry favor with the higher-ups?”
Murong Cheng pouted. “Fine, I’ll tell you the truth. The General Manager of Legal is really handsome. If you come for the meeting, I might get to see him again.”
It was the truth, but only half of it. He was too embarrassed to admit that he was being mistaken for the CEO’s brother and doing nothing at work all day.
“Oh, our innocent boy has finally awakened,” Chi Yu smirked, amusement flickering in his eyes. “Now I’m curious. What kind of man could make you want to approach him so eagerly?”
Murong Cheng sensed his agreement. “So you’ll do it? It’s settled then, come to our company tomorrow!”
Chi Yu nodded. “Fine.”
Murong Cheng: “Behave yourself, don’t get rejected by our general manager!”
Chi Yu twitched his lips. “I know.”
“Then I’m leaving.” Murong Cheng finished his cola. “I’ll send you the time and place. Set an alarm. I’m uncomfortable in this bar. I feel like people keep staring, probably at you.”
Chi Yu raised an eyebrow. “I know.”
“Doesn’t it bother you that they stare so blatantly?”
Chi Yu: “I come here to observe people’s expressions, to find inspiration for my art.”
Murong Cheng gave him a thumbs-up. “Cool. I’m off then. See you tomorrow!”
Chi Yu always kept his promises.
Murong Cheng had no doubts.
The next morning, after breakfast at the company cafeteria, he received a message from Chi Yu, saying he had arrived downstairs.
Chi Yu was well-known in the art world, so the company took the trial run very seriously. General Manager Xu Yayun attended the meeting personally. It wasn’t so much a trial run as a negotiation. Chi Yu had his own studio and an agent, but since this was a personal connection through Murong Cheng, he came alone.
Because the concept art involved the new product, and given the previous mishap, Xu Yayun wasn’t the only executive present.
Murong Yan postponed a meeting with the R&D department and made time to attend the meeting on the 8th floor. If Cheng Geng, the General Manager of Legal Affairs, hadn’t been called out of town the previous night, he would have been there as well.
As Murong Cheng escorted Chi Yu up in the elevator, the doors opened just as Murong Yan stepped out of the opposite elevator.
Similar to his attire at the orientation, he wore a dark suit, understated yet luxurious. Perhaps finding charcoal gray too dull, he had added a gray-blue striped scarf to his left breast pocket.
Although Murong Cheng had orchestrated this meeting partly to see the “General Manager of Legal Affairs” again, he couldn’t help but pause, momentarily stunned.
Chi Yu, sensing his reaction, glanced at him and then met the gaze of the imposing man before them. Murong Yan’s eyes flickered over Murong Cheng before he gave a slight nod and continued towards the meeting room.
Inside, the lowest-ranking attendees were Pan Yueyi and several other team leaders, half from Brand Marketing and half from Legal. Murong Cheng led Chi Yu to the door, then hesitated, about to leave when Xu Yayun beckoned him.
“Ah Cheng, come in.”
Murong Cheng started forward, but the “General Manager of Legal Affairs,” sitting beside Xu Yayun at the head of the table, spoke calmly, “Let him go back.”
Despite being a general manager herself, Xu Yayun seemed to defer to him. She smiled apologetically at Murong Cheng.
“Alright, Ah Cheng, you can go back now.”
Retreating and turning to leave, Murong Cheng felt like a servant dismissed by his masters. He stayed when told to stay, left when told to leave.
Although he wasn’t particularly keen on staying in a room full of executives, Chi Yu was his connection! Wasn’t this a bit much, dismissing him before the deal was even finalized? The General Manager of Legal was undeniably handsome, but not very friendly.
Back at his workstation, Murong Cheng fidgeted with his pen, unable to focus.
Why didn’t Cheng Geng treat him any differently? Did he not know his last name was Murong?
He tilted his head, amused by his own thoughts. He had really gotten into this “CEO’s brother” role.
This realization made him feel a bit better.
Even if Chi Yu was his connection, he was still just a low-level new employee. The concept art involved confidential information about the new product. It was normal for only leadership to attend such meetings.
Feeling more at ease, Murong Cheng put down his pen, turned on his computer, and began checking his emails.
Chi Yu hadn’t emerged from the meeting room.
The door remained closed. He saw Cheng Geng leave at one point, but Xu Yayun and Pan Yueyi were still inside, discussing something with Chi Yu.
During lunch break, Zou Xun waved her meal card at him, but Murong Cheng shook his head, gesturing towards the meeting room.
The meeting finally ended as colleagues returned from lunch downstairs, chatting briefly before settling in for their breaks.
Murong Cheng instinctively stood and approached the meeting room, but didn’t get too close.
Xu Yayun was shaking Chi Yu’s hand, a pleased expression on her face, suggesting a successful negotiation.
“Thank you, Teacher Chi.”
Teacher Chi.
Hearing this, Murong Cheng couldn’t help but smile.
“Would you like to join us for lunch? There’s a decent restaurant downstairs,” Xu Yayun offered.
“No, thank you,” Chi Yu declined. “I need to get back to work.”
Getting back to work was a lie. Having worked a night shift at the bar and then being dragged into a meeting, he was exhausted.
“Then let Ah Cheng see you out,” Xu Yayun said, turning towards the workstations and spotting Murong Cheng nearby.
“Alright,” Chi Yu agreed this time.
“How did it go?” Murong Cheng asked once the executives had left.
They descended in the elevator and walked out of the SKYLINE building.
“Signed the contract. Your CEO is indeed as the rumors say,” Chi Yu said, showing him the bag containing the signed and stamped contract.
“CEO?” Murong Cheng was taken aback.
“Yes, Murong Yan, right? The eldest son of the Murong family,” Chi Yu said, puzzled. “What, you didn’t know? You’ve been here for weeks and don’t know who the CEO is?”
“No…” Murong Cheng touched his nose. “Of course, I know who the CEO is! You met CEO Murong just now?”
Not only did he know, he also knew that people mistook him for Murong Yan’s brother.
“Yes,” Chi Yu nodded.
Murong Cheng responded with an “Oh.” Another missed opportunity to see the mysterious CEO. Murong Yan must have joined the meeting later without him noticing.
“Didn’t see your beloved General Manager of Legal,” Chi Yu added after a pause.
“Beloved?” Still within the Guangyu compound, Murong Cheng quickly looked around, relieved that no one had overheard. “I just said he was handsome and had a strong presence, nothing else!”
“Sure, sure, whatever you say.” Chi Yu rolled his eyes and hailed a ride on his phone. “I’m going back to sleep. You go back to work.”
“Wait, the General Manager of Legal was there this morning,” Murong Cheng realized something wasn’t right.
But Chi Yu just waved as he walked away.
“Maybe I didn’t look closely at everyone. There were so many people in the room, it was hard to tell. See ya!”
