Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Xi Wenlun had been sitting in his office for hours.

Lately, after taking over assets from Xi Jinggen and the Zhuo family, the stack of documents requiring his approval had piled up mountain-high.

Yet employees kept flooding him with more paperwork without end.

His office door hadn't stayed shut all morning—someone was always coming in.

This had been the norm since he'd sent Zhuo Huilian to prison.

Xi Wenlun even had to carve out time to oversee the ceremony preparations.

He'd planned it perfectly: this agreement would mark the end of their financial ties while symbolizing a new beginning, making it perfect for their engagement anniversary.

As for the wedding date—

Xi Wenlun cleared his throat.

They'd discuss that after he successfully proposed.

"President Xi! This document needs your review!" His assistant had just finished sorting a paper mountain and handed it over.

This promptly burst his romantic daydream.

Only when his lunch arrived could he finally pause.

Despite his workload, Xi Wenlun insisted on having the table set just right, as he did when dining with Fu Xie at home.

He ate with refined small bites, his striking features making it a pleasure to watch.

The assistant shoveled food while using the CEO's good looks as seasoning for his meal.

"Assistant Li, any word from the master I asked you to contact? Will he come out of retirement?"

Work questions ruined the mood. The assistant choked on his meat as the CEO's handsome face suddenly looked irritating.

"I contacted his wife. He's willing, but it's about his fee..."

"Money isn't an issue." Relieved, Xi Wenlun wolfed down the rest of his meal and dabbed his lips.

His meal was interrupted again as Secretary Liu burst in—the door flew open yet again.

"President Xi, someone's trying to snatch our booked venue!"

The assistant, mouth full of rice, almost choked on his food.

Who'd dare steal from the Xi family patriarch?

Secretary Liu's expression darkened. "A princess from a neighboring microstate."

Some small nations near China were still feudal monarchies, where a princess was a political heavyweight.

This was too sensitive—one wrong move could shake both the Xi empire and China itself.

Secretary Liu couldn't handle this alone and had come running back to Xi Wenlun.

Here’s the refined translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

"What do you think—should we give up, or...?"

Xi Wenlun didn’t bat an eye. "Impossible."

Fu Xie had never talked about his dream home, but their year together hadn’t been wasted.

Xi Wenlun had been keeping tabs on his preferences the whole time.

Fu Xie hardly ever went out, but he loved virtually exploring islands while gaming—even the in-game house he bought was a beachfront property.

At the time, Xi Wenlun had grinned and asked if he really liked the seaside.

Fu Xie answered casually, hugging his arms with eyes sparkling at the character bouncing around on the large screen.

"Yeah, I’ve never been to the seaside before."

In his mind, holing up in a mountain village or an island both sounded great.

Ideally a small town with good delivery options, near a provincial capital for quick trips to the city.

Of course, Fu Xie wouldn’t share these thoughts with Xi Wenlun.

So Xi Wenlun figured the ceremony should be held somewhere Fu Xie would love.

An island seemed like the perfect romantic pick.

This couldn’t be some run-of-the-mill island—Xi Wenlun had personally combed through countless coastlines before settling on a private island treasured by a certain duke.

The duke was famously territorial, and even Xi Wenlun had to go through great lengths to secure his approval.

And now someone had the nerve to swoop in and steal it?

"But the princess is quite insistent on the island. She seems to have good connections with a certain high-ranking figure. If that’s the case, we might be at a disadvantage," Secretary Liu pushed up his glasses, frowning.

Xi Wenlun steepled his fingers. "Is she currently in Huaguo? I’ll talk to her myself."

...

Fu Xie didn’t remember when he’d fallen asleep. Bleary-eyed, he saw the dent in the mattress where someone had slept.

The other side of the blanket still held residual warmth—a common sight when he woke up.

Empty.

Shouldn’t he have gotten used to it by now? Fu Xie shook his head, shaking off the weird melancholy.

He turned and got out of bed to get on with his day.

After eating the nutritionist-prepared breakfast and completing his daily exercise, he fired up the game like always.

Fu Xie planned to trade a rare item he’d dug up in-game to a guildmate.

Only after the other player had been hopping around excitedly in-game for a long time did he notice the flood of messages in the bottom-right corner and his now-patiently-waiting guildmate.

Fu Xie hurriedly sent over the trade item.

After accepting it, the other person asked if he wanted to team up for the XX dungeon. This dungeon was one Fu Xie knew well—he’d run it countless times for materials, and it was so easy he could practically do it in his sleep.

Here’s the refined translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

He was making shockingly frequent mistakes today, so mad that his random pub teammates rage-quit after a team wipe.

After throwing out a "Newbies should stick to noob lobbies, don’t come to veteran teams looking for carries," the squad instantly dwindled to just Fu Xie and his acquaintance.

"You’re seriously off your game today—are you sick? If you’re not feeling well, you should log off and rest."

Fu Xie stared blankly at these words on the screen.

After bidding farewell to his acquaintance, he closed the game.

Fu Xie had always been emotionally dense, but even so, he knew something was wrong now.

And at this moment, the moment he closed his eyes, his mind kept circling back to what would happen when their contract ended.

No knockoff could ever replace the genuine article.

Even if Xi Wenlun wanted him to stay, he would absolutely refuse—since when does anyone get to have it both ways?

It seemed... he couldn’t leave as calmly as he had initially decided.

Slumped in his gaming chair, Fu Xie thought despairingly.

But he was naturally resilient, and after stewing for a bit, he started to feel better.

Sure, his heart was wounded, but at least he came out with cash!

Besides, Xi Wenlun was loaded—there was no way he’d take back gifts given to a side piece.

That’d be so tacky.

Fu Xie did some quick calculations. Ever since coming here, all his spending had been charged to Xi Wenlun’s platinum card.

In reality, he had assets in his name too—the resort property gifted to him was still generating steady profits.

He’d glanced at the numbers once, and the figures nearly made him choke on his drink.

So this place... was actually a cash cow tourist trap?

Because his visit had been such a whirlwind, he hadn’t even registered the crowds.

And this was just income from a short period.

With this kind of money, he wouldn’t have to worry about coasting through life.

It was really great.

Fu Xie felt like he should be overjoyed.

Even without clinging to Xi Wenlun’s coattails, staying far from the protagonist’s messy drama, his dream of being a pampered NEET was already within reach.

So why did mustering a smile feel so difficult?

Could it be...

A sudden rustling came from the corner. Fu Xie had sharp ears—he immediately caught the sound.

It seemed to be two housemaids chatting. "You catch the latest gossip?"

"I saw it, but I think the media’s just making things up. Our two masters get along so well, it shouldn’t be true."

Fu Xie searched online as soon as the maids began talking.

"Shocker! X Country’s Princess Caught in Private Meeting with Xi Group’s CEO—Will Xi Welcome a Future Madam?"

"Financial X News: X Country and Xi Group Set to Collaborate—Projected Stock Prices for Affected Companies."

There were numerous reports, accompanied by several photos.

In the photos, the two walked side by side, looking like a perfect match.

"Who knows? We know how messy rich people’s lives can be."

"Sigh, I really thought they were true love. They were so cute together."

The maids' chattering suddenly became piercingly annoying.

Fu Xie suddenly felt a sharp pain on his lower lip—he realized he had been clenching his teeth so tightly that he had bitten through it at some point, leaving behind tiny beads of blood.

No, Xi Wenlun wouldn’t do this.

If they were really going to part ways, he would definitely come and explain it to him clearly.

Fu Xie checked the date.

Shortly after signing the agreement, he had already calculated the time, marking the day their contract would expire, counting down the days impatiently.

Only one week remained.

Fu Xie shot to his feet.

His snacks and stuffed animals went flying, making the gossiping maids jump.

"Come here," Fu Xie beckoned.

Before he knew it, he was already in a car, with the Xi family's assigned driver racing toward their destination.

The driver noticed Fu Xie seemed in a bad mood and tried making small talk.

This was something he often did when driving Xi Wenlun, but it was his first time attempting it with Fu Xie, the homebody young master.

"Young Master Fu, you’ve been going out a lot lately—found something fun to do outside? Young people should get out more..."

Fu Xie froze.

The driver wasn’t wrong—his recent trips to Xi Group were all because of Xi Wenlun.

He’d rushed out without thinking, unable to wait until the contract's end date.

All the news now was just rumors. If he was to be kicked to the curb, he needed to hear it directly from Xi Wenlun’s mouth.

After blabbering on, the driver glanced at the rearview mirror and saw Fu Xie’s expression getting darker by the second.

Wait, why wasn’t this working?

He had completely forgotten that cheering up Xi Wenlun was usually the assistant’s job—he was just there to back him up.

The car was still about a hundred meters away from its destination.

"Driver, pull over here."

The backseat passenger spoke abruptly.

"Right away." The driver pulled over and let Fu Xie out.

The autumn air had turned sharper lately, and the wind carried a desolate feeling.

Fu Xie had barely taken a few steps when he collided with the very person he had glimpsed from the car—Ji Shaoting.

It was their first meeting since the Xi family’s birthday banquet.

Ji Shaoting had obviously seen the news too. He stepped forward, attempting to take Fu Xie’s hand with false warmth.

Fu Xie, already socially anxious, shrank further from this hostile stranger.

He snatched his hands behind his back, leaving Ji Shaoting coming up empty.

Ji Shaoting appeared unfazed, adopting a concerned tone. "Mr. Fu Xie, how are you holding up?"

"......" Fu Xie averted his gaze, silent.

Ji Shaoting continued unprompted, "I thought after what happened last time, Wen Lun would go public with your relationship. But he’s married to his work—maybe he’s considering how a same-sex relationship might spook investors."

"Ah, sorry, getting into corporate talk. You don’t mind, do you?" Ji Shaoting winked playfully.

Fu Xie shot him an outright eye-roll.

Social anxiety wasn't great for making friends, but it sure excelled at ruining them!

Ji Shaoting’s smile froze.

Fu Xie ignored him and turned to leave.

"Make the most of Wen Lun's attention while it lasts!" Ji Shaoting, a pampered heir unaccustomed to being brushed off, was already fuming.

"You'll have no one to blame but yourself!"

Fu Xie's step faltered, but he didn't stop.

Ji Shaoting’s phone rang. He checked the caller ID and put it on speaker.

"Secretary, I’ll need a ride tonight—"

Fu Xie, still close enough to hear, couldn’t help but glance back.

Ji Shaoting’s smirk widened.

"Of course, Master Ji. I’ll pick you up later."

Fu Xie had heard that voice many times—there was no mistaking it.

It was unmistakably the voice of Secretary Liu, Xi Wenlun’s trusted lieutenant!