Chapter 15: Unspoken Rules

Chapter 15: Unspoken Rules

Lu Yan had never felt so uneasy or resolute in his life.

Before Chen Pei opened his mouth to expose him, Lu Yan mustered the courage to pull out his chair and stood up, saying, "I'm Lu Yan. May I ask what the chairman wants to see me for?"

It was Eva's first time meeting Lu Yan. She hadn't expected him to be a tall and slender hunk. Unlike the other employees in the office who wore identical shirts and ties, he donned a loose white T-shirt and had messy hair, looking as if he had just woken up.

However, his face was undeniably handsome with a touch of decadence and a hint of illness. His unique aura made him stand out in a crowd.

Eva gave a polite smile and shook her head, indicating that she didn't know. "Sorry, I'm not too sure. You'll find out when you go in."

After speaking, she turned around and led the way, walking steadily in her 8cm black heels, producing a rhythmic tapping sound.

Lu Yan followed her upstairs and eventually arrived at Jiang Boyun's private office. Eva paused at the right moment and said, "Mr. Lu, I won't be able to come in. This is as far as I can take you."

Without giving Lu Yan a chance to back out, she pressed the doorbell and left.

The office next to the cubicle was originally where Eva worked, but perhaps due to Jiang Boyun's prior instructions, she left immediately. The spacious corridor was empty, and the silence was so profound that one could hear their own heartbeat.

Not long after the doorbell rang, Lu Yan saw the black office door click open, revealing a narrow gap. After some deliberation, he finally grasped the doorknob.

Jiang Boyun wasn't as crazy as Yu Zechuan; he should be able to come out alive, right?

With this thought, Lu Yan felt somewhat reassured. After all, one psycho was more than enough; any more would be unbearable. He entered the office and closed the door behind him, leaving it slightly ajar. In front of the bright floor-to-ceiling window stood a massive desk, behind which Jiang Boyun sat, still maintaining his usual pretentious demeanor.

Lu Yan stood in front of the desk, his tone as normal as if they hadn't had a conflict a few days prior: "Chairman, you called for me?"

Jiang Boyun hadn't seen Lu Yan in a while. In his memory, the man always seemed timid and cautious, except when dealing with money, when his desire would burst forth. The Lu Yan standing before him now had his eyes half-lowered, exuding an air of composure and indifference to everything.

Jiang Boyun's gaze darkened as he began to study Lu Yan intently for the first time. He had always been drawn to what he couldn't have, and this "thing" in front of him was increasingly captivating. With effort, Jiang Boyun suppressed the itch in his heart and spoke gravely: "Lu Yan, there have been rumors about you and Xue Jin circulating around the company lately. Care to explain?"

Lu Yan immediately sensed that Jiang Boyun was looking for trouble. He and Xue Jin were both men; there was no way their relationship could be misconstrued as a "romantic scandal." At best, people might suspect he was a distant relative of Xue Jin's, trying to climb the corporate ladder. Even so, how did this scandal concern Jiang Boyun?

Lu Yan replied with a subtle jab: "Chairman, with your busy schedule, I didn't expect you to concern yourself with such trivial matters. However, I've been resting at home recently and am not aware of any incidents. Perhaps you should ask President Xue?"

Seeing Lu Yan's attempt to feign ignorance, Jiang Boyun pulled out his chair, stood up, and walked to Lu Yan's side. His deep voice echoed from behind, causing a jolt in Lu Yan's heart: "Lu Yan, the man wearing a mask who was shopping with you at the mall that day..."

Lu Yan's heart sank. Oh no, has Jiang Boyun discovered something?

Jiang Boyun paused before he said, "It's Xue Jin, right?"

Lu Yan was taken aback. "Huh?"

What was going on here?

Seeing Lu Yan's changing expression, Jiang Boyun became more convinced of his suspicion. He sneered and said, "Your seductive skills have improved. You've even managed to get him."

Lu Yan tried to explain, "You've misunderstood. This has nothing to do with him..."

But Jiang Boyun didn't believe him, thinking that Lu Yan was just making excuses. "Lu Yan, I'm the one who promoted Xue Jin. It would only take me minutes to bring him down. If you want to cling to someone's coattails, shouldn't you find someone more reliable?"

Jiang Boyun never would have guessed that the man who went shopping with Lu Yan that day was Yu Zechuan. After all, these two were both his "rivals in love" and "enemies." Upon hearing the rumors at work, he instinctively compared Xue Jin's figure to the black-clad man he had seen that day, realizing they were roughly the same height.

As for why the other party had worn a hat and a mask to conceal their face, it was obviously to avoid being recognized by him.

Jiang Boyun felt that he was 99% certain of the truth.

Lu Yan thought 99% of his brain was flooded with nonsense. "Chairman, if you called me here just to say this, then I've already explained everything. I have work to attend to, so I'll be leaving first."

Lu Yan turned to leave, but before he could, his wrist was unexpectedly yanked by Jiang Boyun, pushing him onto the sofa. Alarm bells rang in his head: Oh no, does this guy want to force himself on me?

With an odd tone, Lu Yan asked, "President Jiang, what are you doing?"

He was the 1 in their relationship, and Jiang Boyun had better not push his luck. When 1s lost control, they really lost control.

Jiang Boyun's gaze darkened as he grasped Lu Yan's wrist. "Lu Yan, what do you think I'm doing? You've been causing a scene and scolding me all this time, and I've endured it all. You'd better know your limits. My patience has its boundaries."

Lu Yan subtly freed himself from Jiang Boyun's grip. "President Jiang, I wasn't causing a scene. I just suddenly realized that being a kept man is immoral."

Jiang Boyun sneered. "You only realize it's immoral now? When I was with Yu Zechuan, you clung to me like a leech. Why didn't you say it was immoral then?"

Damn it, Jiang Boyun's mouth deserved to be shut.

Eyeing him up and down, Lu Yan kindly pointed out, "But President Jiang, aren't you the one clinging to me now?"

Anger flared in Jiang Boyun. "You!"

Lu Yan's words truly infuriated Jiang Boyun, causing a sharp pain in his liver. Pressing Lu Yan firmly onto the sofa, he abandoned his pretense of propriety, speaking irritably, "Lu Yan, isn't the reason you broke up with me because of status? Once the collaboration with the Dingyou Group is settled, I won't have to abide by those old farts in the board's whims, and we can be together openly!"

Lu Yan thought to himself that Jiang Boyun was spouting nonsense again; even the news media knew he was about to be engaged to Dingyou Group's heiress, Lin An-ni. Anyone who believed him now would be a fool. "Chairman Jiang, we've already broken up. Those are things of the past. Please don't disturb my life anymore."

If not for the fact that he hadn't received his salary from last month, and that his pay had just increased by 20%, Lu Yan would have already kicked him away.

But Jiang Boyun had no intention of letting Lu Yan off. He gazed at the collarbone peeking out from Lu Yan's shirt, his fingertips sliding down to his waist in a suggestive manner. "After all this time, haven't you thought about it?"

Lu Yan's mind went blank. "Thought about what?"

Jiang Boyun loosened his tie, wondering why he hadn't noticed how handsome Lu Yan was before. He was much more attractive than any of the previous lovers Jiang Boyun had had, stirring an itch within him that had yet to be scratched. "I've taken care of everything. If you want to do it in the office, we can today. What do you say?"

Lu Yan's eyes widened slowly, feeling like his entire worldview was crumbling. Damn, so Jiang Boyun is actually a 0?! Then what about Yu Zechuan? Could he be a 1? But that doesn't seem right either!

How did these two 0s end up together? !

Although Lu Yan had the memories of his original body, perhaps for the sake of harmony, the system had automatically filtered out any "unhealthy" content, leading him to believe that Jiang Boyun was a 1.

Struggling to keep his expression from cracking, Lu Yan shook his head with difficulty. "Chairman Jiang, I already have a boyfriend. I think it's best if we maintain some distance."

Lu Yan had no qualms about flirting with others, but he disliked when others flirted with him – he had his double standards.

Jiang Boyun didn't take Xue Jin seriously, breathing heavily as he said, "Lu Yan, you seem quite fond of Xue Jin. Unfortunately, the Yinchuan Group is under my control now. I can make him live or die with a single word. You'd better not defy me."

He began to lift the edge of Lu Yan's shirt, but before he could touch him, a sharp pain struck his cheek:

"Bang!"

Lu Yan showed no mercy, sending Jiang Boyun crashing to the ground with one punch. He stood up from the sofa, brushing off the dust on his clothes nonchalantly. "Chairman Jiang, pardon me, but I've never liked being forced into anything. I might have been a bit too rough just now, so please don't hold it against me."

Though it wasn't his intention to offend Jiang Boyun, preserving his integrity was more important.

Jiang Boyun appeared refined and gentle, naturally unskilled in physical altercations. Dazed from Lu Yan's blow, he took a while to pull himself up from the floor, covering his stinging cheek in disbelief. "Lu Yan! You dared to hit me?!!"

Lu Yan thought to himself, 'Not only did I hit you, but I'll kick you too.' Lifting his foot, he aimed right for Jiang Boyun's abdomen, bending him over like a shrimp. While it wasn't a disabling blow, it certainly wouldn't be comfortable.

Lu Yan even offered an explanation, "Chairman Jiang, hitting is a sign of affection, scolding is a form of love. Please don't misunderstand, this is my way of showing intimacy~"

Xue Jin had just finalized a project contract and was about to present it to Jiang Boyun for approval. However, as he approached the office, he overheard whispers coming from the finance department, causing him to pause.

There were no secrets in crowded places, especially since Eva, the secretary, had just openly visited Lu Yan. Anyone with eyes would have seen it. Two employees, taking advantage of their water break, couldn't resist gossiping in hushed tones:

"Well, what could Chairman Jiang possibly need from Lu Yan? With his high rank, he should be assigning tasks to Manager Chen, right? Could it be that Lu Yan is getting promoted?"

"Who knows for sure? Not only did Chairman Jiang rely on President Xue to take leave on his behalf during his last illness, could it be that Lu Yan is related to someone important? Does he have such strong backing?"

"He's been with the company for so long. If he really had influential relatives, he wouldn't still be in this position, struggling. I heard Chairman Jiang is gay... Could it be that..."

"Cough!"

Just as the employees were speculating, a stern cough suddenly echoed above them. They instinctively looked up and found themselves staring at Xue Jin's seemingly amiable but potentially menacing face. Startled, they stepped back and stammered, "P-President Xue..."

Xue Jin adjusted his glasses and asked, devoid of any detectable emotion, "Does the company pay you to gossip during work hours?"

The two employees felt ashamed and could barely speak. "S-Sorry, President Xue."

Seemingly recalling something, Xue Jin asked, "What did you say just now? That Chairman Jiang took Lu Yan away?"

The employee nodded eagerly like a chick pecking at rice. "Just now, Eva came personally and specifically asked for Lu Yan."

Xue Jin pondered for a moment, then frowned. "Get back to work. Keep your mouths shut during office hours. Don't let me catch you doing this again."

With his words spoken, he glanced at his wristwatch and stepped directly into the elevator. He was well aware of the relationship between Lu Yan and Jiang Boyun; the two were most likely engaged in an affair in the office. Lately, Yu Zechuan seemed to have been swayed by Lu Yan's deceit, repeatedly showing leniency towards him.

Determined to expose Lu Yan's true colors to Yu Zechuan, Xue Jin had even prepared his phone to record the scene. However, as he approached Jiang Boyun's office, he heard a commotion inside, as if a fight was taking place.

Xue Jin's expression changed. Seeing that the door wasn't locked, he rushed in.

"Chairman Jiang!"

The sight before him stunned Xue Jin. The coffee table beside the sofa was tilted, the fruit platter meant for guests scattered on the floor. Jiang Boyun lay on the ground, clutching his abdomen in agony, resembling a victim of a home invasion.

Lu Yan stood nearby with his hands in his pockets, gazing at the ceiling, seemingly detached from the situation.

Recovering from his shock, Xue Jin, disregarding everything else, hurried to help Jiang Boyun up. "Chairman Jiang, are you alright?!"

Cold sweat dripped down Jiang Boyun's face from the pain. Struggling to point at Lu Yan, he gasped out, "Call... call the police... call the police..."

Lu Yan was a madman, striking with deadly intent just moments ago. Jiang Boyun believed that had Xue Jin arrived any later, he might not have survived the day.

Xue Jin was taken aback once more. "Call the police?!"

Could it be that Lu Yan was the one who injured Jiang Boyun? Weren't they quite inseparable as a gay couple? How did things turn so sour between them?

Jiang Boyun was furious. "Can't you see what he did to me? ! Call the police right now!"

Xue Jin had long wished to get rid of Lu Yan, but Yu Zechuan's intervention had always prevented him from doing so. Upon hearing this, he frowned, a faint glint appearing in his eyes. He thought that this could be an opportunity to oust Lu Yan from the company and immediately scolded, "Lu Yan, where did you get the nerve to assault the chairman?! If you don't want this job, just quit now! There are plenty of others who can replace you. Pack your things and leave by tomorrow!"

Xue Jin was always wary of potential leaks due to Lu Yan's presence in the company and wanted to eliminate the risk as soon as possible.

However, Lu Yan, who was previously indifferent, suddenly paled at Xue Jin's words. He looked at him with shock, as if he had been dealt a heavy blow. "Xue Jin, what are you saying?!"

Xue Jin was taken aback and didn't quite understand. "???"

What did he just say?

Lu Yan still held a grudge against Xue Jin for attempting to assassinate him last time. Now that he had a chance to retaliate, he wouldn't let it slip. Covering his mouth in disappointment, he took a step back while looking at Xue Jin with disdain. "You were the one who said you didn't like anyone else touching me. Just now, Jiang Boyun tried to take advantage of me, so I had no choice but to hit him. How can you blame me for this?!"

Xue Jin's eyes widened slowly. "??!!"

Damn, what nonsense is Lu Yan spouting?!!