Chapter 54

Chapter 54

"How did you notice?" another person pressed.

"Dude, my desk is literally angled right at the exit of the CEO's office on that floor. I’ve seen Mr. Xi’s icy glare more times than I care to remember,"

"But you know what? Recently, when he’s on the phone, his mouth actually quirks up a tiny bit!"

Her companion gasped, "Holy crap, are you part hawk or something?"

"You know her," the teasing friend chimed in, "With a front-row seat like that, she probably adjusts her camera zoom daily to ogle the handsome guy at the office door!"

"Wha—no way! Besides, doesn’t the CEO have his trophy husband? His partner is so gorgeous—I’m ride-or-die for their CP!"

"And it’s true! Haven’t you noticed how much gentler the CEO sounds during meetings lately?"

"That’s fair."

"True though." Most agreed with her.

"So I think—there’s definitely more to it!" The female employee said mysteriously.

Instantly, she had everyone’s attention, all eager to hear her hot take.

"Bet you the CEO’s got a side piece."

"Huh?" Someone frowned, "Weren’t you their biggest stan like two seconds ago? Now you’re breaking them up?"

"Okay, but hear me out—think about it. When his trophy husband first got with Mr. Xi, was he out here grinning like this?"

"If there wasn’t someone new, what’s he so cheerful about?"

Everyone kinda bought it.

Even Fu Xie, now a completely different person inside, found her reasoning plausible.

"Why call him ‘trophy husband’? He was an idol, wasn’t he? Weren’t there rumors that Mr. Xi even acknowledged their relationship in front of his family? It’s not as bad as you make it sound," someone retorted.

"He *is* a trophy husband. He gave up his career for Mr. Xi and just stays home all day. He didn’t seem that socially awkward on shows—some of y’all met him when he first showed up, right? He’d clam up the second cameras were off."

Fu Xie: "…"

He really wanted to grab this woman by the collar and yell—what if he never gave a damn about being an idol or chasing a career in the first place? What if he just wanted to laze around?

Slacking off was the dream.

"Ugh, such a shame. He’s so good-looking! Even if his skills were mediocre, that face alone could carry an idol career."

"Besides, for men, it’s standard to keep a wife at home and play around outside. For someone like Mr. Xi, people would line up to be his side piece."

"Oh, the elevator’s here. Don’t forget there’s a quick meet-and-greet for a shareholder later…"

Their voices trailed off as they walked away.

Fu Xie emerged from the shadows, face unreadable.

Their words weren’t entirely wrong. His heart, calm just hours ago, was back in freefall.

He gave a sharp shake of his head.

No, if he were to dismiss Xiwēnlún based merely on some rumors, that would show a severe lack of judgment.

At the very least, concrete evidence must be obtained.

Thus, Fújīng decided to continue his interrupted mission of delivering the meal.

The Xi family’s building had many floors, and he was already prone to getting lost. Even with the map provided by a Xi family employee, he unsurprisingly found himself lost again.

Somewhere in the building, a group of employees were gathered in a restaurant on a certain floor, enjoying a buffet and having a few drinks to celebrate the return of a shareholder.

One of the employees noticed Secretary Liu glancing their way involuntarily.

"Secretary Liu, come on over!"

Secretary Liu quickly approached, "What are you eating?"

The others immediately came forward, showing good judgment: "Try this dessert; it’s absolutely amazing."

Secretary Liu accepted with pleasure: "Thank you, I won’t hesitate then."

Halfway through the dessert, a call came in, and he had to put down his food to attend to work matters.

Someone sighed, "Secretary Liu is so busy."

"Not just that, how many people want to see President Xi every day! I heard Secretary Liu spends hours just turning people away."

"Tsk tsk, it must be tough, but the pay is good, too."

Secretary Liu soon returned to the restaurant and continued eating.

Here's the edited translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

A few more people came over to flatter Xi's second-in-command, heaping praise on what he'd just done.

Secretary Liu gave a lukewarm response.

"Speaking of which, Secretary Liu receives a stack of business cards as thick as this every day. This fruit platter happens to have a chipped corner—since they're just from unimportant people anyway, why not use them to prop up the table leg?"

"Engineer Li, I hadn't noticed until you mentioned it. Something did feel off about this. With Shareholder Wang finally back today, it wouldn't be good if the fruit platter tipped over while he was serving himself."

Secretary Liu smiled. "Good point."

He casually pulled out a thick stack of business cards from his pocket and propped up the chipped corner.

Someone nearby glanced at them and remarked curiously, "Oh, these cards are even gold-embossed. Which company are they from?"

"Oh," Secretary Liu said dismissively, "a distant relative of mine. President Xi usually doesn't let us accept cards, but my mom insisted I show some family courtesy, so I had to jump through some hoops."

Immediately, someone gave him a thumbs-up. "Look at how selfless our Secretary Liu is! Totally dedicated to Xi Corp!"

Secretary Liu maintained a polite smile and said nothing.

"Mr. Wang is here!" someone called out, and the group left the table to approach Shareholder Wang.

At that moment, Fu Xie, drawn by the smell of food, wandered leisurely to the restaurant entrance.

It was exactly noon—right in the middle of the lunch break.

Would Xi Wenlun already be in the restaurant? With that thought in mind, Fu Xie slipped in quietly.

Though he felt like an intruder, being recognized by someone familiar would cause even more trouble!

Unfortunately, the place was packed—was this some kind of banquet?

At least this was Xi Wenlun's turf, so he could feel somewhat at ease.

The scene resembled a small gathering, with most people clustered around the center of the dining hall, clinking wine glasses.

Fu Xie slipped into a corner to hide, hoping he might coincidentally run into Xi Wenlun.

Then he could make a quick escape home!

He’d come to snoop around, but his social anxiety still made crowds unbearable.

The villa staff he’d lived with for nearly a year were manageable, but strangers still set him on edge.

But he could tough it out.

Fu Xie took a deep breath, his eyes darting around the room, trying to spot Xi Wenlun.

After observing for a while longer, there was still no sign of him.

Suddenly, someone darted past, brushing against the fruit platter nearest to Fu Xie, about to send it crashing down.

"Whoa there! Be careful!" Another person quickly steadied it, preventing a fruit-covered disaster.

The person blinked in realization. "Thanks, thanks!"

"What’s the hurry? This platter was already missing a piece—Secretary Liu rigged it up with something."

Fu Xie’s gaze shifted to the gaudy crystal fruit stand, where something was clearly wedged under one of its legs.

He edged closer for a better look and realized it was a pile of business cards.

If Secretary Liu had accepted these, they must at least be the Xi Group’s potential business partners, right?

The people chatting nearby were soon distracted by cheers from the crowd.

Now, only Fu Xie remained.

Glancing around, he snuck one out.

The paper felt premium, trimmed in gaudy gold foil.

Fu Xie flipped it over.

"Universe Technology Co., Ltd."

A sinking feeling instantly struck him. He pulled out his phone and searched for details.

"Universe Co., Ltd., Chairman Ji XX, married, with a son who is a renowned pianist in the country—"

"Ji Shaoting."

Fu Xie’s heart skipped a beat.

It really was him…

Why hadn’t they told him Ji Shaoting had come? Why hide it from him?

The once warm and comfortable air conditioning now felt like a sudden drop into an ice cellar, while the business card in his hand burned as if it were on fire.

Fu Jing threw the business card away as if it had scalded him.

He no longer cared about maintaining a low profile; with such superior looks, he immediately caught the attention of the crowd.

The man picked up the business card, adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose, and said, "You dropped something... Wait, is this Little Master Fu? What are you doing here?"

Fu Jing snapped out of his daze, only to realize that most of the restaurant's patrons were staring at him.

He broke into a cold sweat instantly, standing there awkwardly, at a loss for what to do.

Secretary Liu, ever perceptive, led him out of the restaurant to a quiet spot to continue their conversation.

Fu Jing looked as if he had just escaped from a haunted house, wiping away sweat that wasn't there.

"Thank you, Secretary Liu."

"You're welcome." Secretary Liu glanced at the item in his hand, "What's this?"

"Oh, this is something I wanted to give to Xi Wenlun."

"Perfect, Mr. Xi should be done with his meeting. Shall I take you there?"

Fu Jing thought for a moment and declined Secretary Liu's offer.

If he hadn't noticed that business card, he would have followed Secretary Liu right away.

But now, his mind was in turmoil, and he didn't know how to sort it out.

Here’s the refined translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

What should he do after meeting Xi Wenlun? Face him head-on?

Fu Xie felt a sudden wave of panic—he realized... he genuinely had no idea what to do next.

Secretary Liu noticed his dazed expression and called out to him again.

"No need, Secretary Liu. Could you deliver it for me?" Fu Xie avoided Secretary Liu's gaze and pushed the lunch into his hands.

Secretary Liu took it without further questions. "Of course. Have other business here? Should I arrange a car to take you back to the villa?"

Fu Xie gave a slight nod. "That'd be great."

Upon returning to the villa, the staff were surprised to see him back so early—and alone.

In the past, whenever Fu Xie visited Xi Corporation, Xi Wenlun would usually bring him back.

Fu Xie was clearly in a bad mood, so the household staff quietly made themselves scarce.

He threw himself onto his soft bed, sinking into the center and leaving an imprint in a spread-eagle shape.

Earlier, during his conversation with Secretary Liu, he had grazed against a thought buried deep in his heart—one he absolutely refused to acknowledge.

Meanwhile, Xi Wenlun was walking quickly back to his office.

Before this, he’d received a message from Secretary Liu saying Fu Xie had sent him something.

So he declined a lunch meeting with a business partner and hurried back immediately. When he opened the door, he saw a lunch box resting quietly on his desk.

Xi Wenlun opened it to find an insulated food container inside, wafting the comforting smell of a home-cooked meal.

Fu Xie had also left a cute little note.

"Don't forget to eat well~"

Next to the words was a round little heart doodled in the margins.

Xi Wenlun traced his finger over the heart, recalling Fu Xie's sweet, goofy grin—a wave of warmth spread through him.

By the time he finished the day's work, the sun was setting.

As usual, Xi Wenlun relaxed lazily in the backseat, waiting for his personal driver to take him back to the villa.

At times, his lips curled into a smile; at others, his brows furrowed tightly.

His assistant couldn't tell whether he was in a good or bad mood, so he kept himself small and quiet, holding his breath.

"Tell me..." Xi Wenlun finally spoke.

"Ah! Yes!" The assistant jumped at the sudden question, answering loudly.

But Xi Wenlun seemed lost in his own thoughts, completely oblivious to the other's overreaction.

"Tell me, do you think Xiao Xie will like the ceremony I've prepared for him?"