Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Qi Yuwen and You Nan didn’t sleep in the same room. When You Nan was woken up by the alarm the next day, his husband in name only had already left the house.

You Nan sat up and took a moment to collect his thoughts. After three or four minutes, he finally remembered that he still had to go to work. He hurriedly rushed into the bathroom to wash up and change clothes, then grabbed his bag and was about to rush out.

Fortunately, 007 was meowing loudly at him, reminding this seemingly unreliable partner (You Nan) of his duties.

If You Nan, who hadn’t yet adapted to his role as a caretaker, ran off, there would be no one to clean the litter box or refill the food and water.

You Nan hastily tended to the kitten, making sure he hadn’t forgotten anything, before finally leaving the house.

Qi Yuwen had a busy job, leaving for work earlier and coming home later than the original body every day.

The two worked at the same hotel but in different departments—one upstairs, one downstairs. They usually had to rely on luck to run into each other.

Not having to frequently encounter the protagonist attack made You Nan breathe a sigh of relief.

In the original storyline, after Qi Yuwen got married, he spent even more time at the company than before.

He wanted to avoid the original body, not wanting others to notice their marriage through frequent contact.

This was evident from their flash marriage and simple wedding ceremony.

At home, they could act like a "married couple."

Qi Yuwen would give him the respect due to a spouse, but outside, they could only be strangers.

You Nan, who had just started working in the cannon fodder department, was also happy about this.

You Nan took the subway for half an hour to get to the company, just barely making it on time. He swiped his work card in front of the time clock.

"Welcome, You Nan."

Before the time clock’s voice announcement finished, the person who had just clocked in at the last minute was already running into the office, slumping into his chair and catching his breath.

"What happened?" A colleague who was friendly with You Nan placed a bottle of yogurt in front of him and asked with concern, "Did you oversleep this morning?"

You Nan smiled, his eyes curving. "Thanks for the yogurt," he said.

He made up an excuse: "I stayed up late scrolling on my phone last night and didn’t wake up in time this morning. I almost overslept."

As they were talking in the office, a man who happened to be passing by paused at the door.

Qi Yuwen looked through the office window at his wife, who was smiling and chatting with others, and overheard the casually made excuse.

Qi Yuwen didn’t pay it much mind.

Seeing that You Nan was acting normally, just as he had before, Qi Yuwen turned and left. No one noticed when he had arrived or when he left.

You Nan didn’t know that Qi Yuwen had specifically come to check on him.

Even if he had known, he wouldn’t have reacted much.

By now, it was time to start work. The colleague who had been chatting with him shared half of his breakfast with him, and You Nan ate it. After the usual pre-work downtime, everyone began their tasks for the day.

You Nan had never done accounting work before.

He was a bit flustered at first, but fortunately, the original body’s skills were transferred to him. After half a day of adjustment, You Nan understood the job duties and made some progress on the tasks that had piled up.

At noon, everyone in the office went together to the staff cafeteria.

You Nan chatted with others while observing the work environment.

This hotel was the company’s headquarters in South China.

A well-known five-star hotel, its facilities and interior design were high-end.

The accounting department where You Nan worked had quite a few people—eight in total.

The original body had strong work skills and was specifically responsible for handling external accounts.

There were three men and five women in the office. The work atmosphere was relaxed, with no office politics. The supervisor didn’t share the same office and rarely came by to inspect.

This was You Nan’s first time working with colleagues and working alongside them for extended periods. He found everything around him quite new and interesting.

Previously, in the cannon fodder department, his colleagues were "one-time" in each world.

After one scene, they would hardly ever meet again, let alone work together day in and day out.

The entire second floor of the hotel was dedicated to dining.

The staff cafeteria was on the left side of the second floor, separated from the guests’ dining area on the right by a wall.

Both cafeterias operated on a buffet system—people could take as much as they wanted without restrictions.

You Nan’s eyes lit up. There were so many dishes, and he wanted to try everything.

You Nan picked up a plate, got in line with his colleagues, and served himself a generous amount of food.

More and more people arrived in the cafeteria, including employees from other departments.

Just as You Nan picked up his chopsticks and looked up, he was surprised to see Qi Yuwen walking over. You Nan was stunned. Beside him was a pretty young woman.

Noticing You Nan looking in Qi Yuwen’s direction, Brother Li, who was nearby, also glanced over and couldn’t help but lean in to share some gossip.

"The manager’s daughter is here again. I don’t know what the manager is thinking, letting his daughter chase after Qi Yuwen like that. Qi Yuwen has high standards—there’s no way he’d become the manager’s son-in-law who lives with them."

You Nan listened, almost overwhelmed by the jealousy in his tone.

You Nan took a bite of his burger and asked quietly, "Do you like the manager’s daughter?"

Brother Li choked on his drink.

His love at first sight for the manager’s daughter was still a secret in the office. Although he had never told anyone, he hadn’t hidden it well either. Now that someone had noticed and pointed it out so directly, wasn’t he losing face?

Brother Li shot a look at You Nan. "She’s so pretty—who wouldn’t like her?"

He couldn’t help but lower his voice and whisper to You Nan, "Was I that obvious?"

You Nan thought, Isn’t it obvious? Anyone could tell.

He nodded.

Brother Li sighed. "It’s just that she doesn’t like me."

The manager’s daughter was fashionably and charmingly dressed, with good looks and she smelled nice wherever she went. Many people in the hotel liked her.

But she took a liking to Qi Yuwen, who was tall, handsome, and made people feel at ease in his presence.

However, as long as one asks around a bit, they would know about Qi Yuwen's family background. He has never hidden it.

Abandoned by his parents, he lived in someone else's house for many years, later dropped out of high school, and started making it on his own. It was a terrible hand of cards, yet Qi Yuwen managed to turn things around against the odds.

It is precisely such a bleak background that shows how hard it's been for him to get to where he is today and how outstanding his abilities are.

"I think the manager is quite satisfied with Qi Yuwen now. It’s just a bit disgusting to think about."

Another head chimed in, the person whispering behind their hand, "I remember two years ago when Qi Yuwen got promoted, the manager really disliked him, giving him trouble both openly and behind his back. Qi Yuwen’s hometown is so far away, yet his family somehow managed to track him down and make a scene at the hotel. It almost got him fired back then."

"That was our manager’s doing."

The manager and Qi Yuwen hold the same rank, though they manage different departments. Back when Qi Yuwen had just been promoted, the manager spent a long time looking down on him, nitpicking everything. They butted heads constantly.

The manager used all sorts of underhanded tricks against him; even malicious competition was the mildest of it.

Later, the manager’s daughter came on a business trip and stayed at the hotel, where she unexpectedly met Qi Yuwen and fell in love with him at first sight. After that, she kept asking the manager about Qi Yuwen.

Once the manager understood his daughter’s feelings, he backed off, though reluctantly.

But he still looks down on Qi Yuwen and remains unconvinced.

Qi Yuwen subtly outdoes him at the hotel, and even though his daughter likes him, the manager still treats Qi Yuwen with disdain.

Yet he looks the other way at his daughter’s pursuit, clearly waiting for Qi Yuwen to fall for his daughter, apologize and admit he was wrong, and say he’s willing to marry into the family. This way, the manager would achieve "victory" in their "competition."

"Her father is totally shameless!" A girl from the accounting department disapproved of the manager’s actions, finding it utterly disgusting. She muttered, "If you ask me, if you truly like someone, you shouldn’t let your family bully them! What kind of affection is that!"

You Nan listened to their long conversation, his eating slowed down.

After entering the task world, he only had a basic outline of the world’s development in his mind, and many small details had to be experienced firsthand.

The fact that the hotel manager’s daughter likes Qi Yuwen was mentioned in the story, but only in one or two sentences, even less than his own part.

As he listened to the group at the table whispering, he gradually figured out the details of this relationship.

You Nan kept eating without looking up at Qi Yuwen, acting like he wasn’t there.

It was as if they had never gotten married yesterday, as if they were just ordinary strangers.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the moment Qi Yuwen stepped into the dining hall, he spotted You Nan.

His new wife, her eyes curved (from smiling), was chatting with colleagues beside her. Since they slept in separate beds last night, she hadn’t sent him a single message on her phone.

Her coldness after marriage was a stark contrast to her attentiveness before they confirmed their relationship and got married.

Qi Yuwen pursed his lips.

He noticed that You Nan had changed somewhat compared to before, and the change had started yesterday.

But they had just gotten married yesterday.

Qi Yuwen rubbed the ring with his thumb on his ring finger, his sideways glance sweeping over the oblivious You Nan before withdrawing.

"Yuwen, what are you looking at?" The woman who liked him blushed, sensing keenly Qi Yuwen's momentary distraction. Her eyes looked around but found no woman more beautiful than her.

Just as she was thinking, Qi Yuwen lifted his tray, and his left hand, now wearing a ring, passed in front of her. The woman spotted it instantly, her face freezing.

The happiness she’d felt moments earlier stuck in her throat, unable to rise or fall, replaced by shock and sadness.

She wanted to ask but couldn’t bring herself to say it aloud.

Qi Yuwen, married?

The woman was in shock.

She truly liked Qi Yuwen.

She was aware of the conflict between her father and Qi Yuwen.

She had thought that once she married Qi Yuwen, her father and the person she loved would become family, and their relationship would improve.

After a moment’s thought, she ultimately didn’t ask. She wanted to pretend she knew nothing.

To act oblivious and continue pursuing him.

But Qi Yuwen didn’t give her that chance.

He married You Nan not only because he listened to Yao Xianqing but also to avoid all the romantic entanglements on his path to advancement.

After getting his own meal, Qi Yuwen named the dishes he had seen in front of You Nan and asked for them to be packed.

"That’s all. I’m taking these for my wife. Please pack them for me."

The cafeteria worker, seeing them standing together, said sure but couldn’t help glancing at them.

He, of course, knew about the manager’s daughter’s thing for Qi Yuwen.

Hearing Qi Yuwen’s words and the term "wife," the cafeteria worker speculated whether the manager and Qi Yuwen were really going to become family.

The manager’s daughter went pale, staring at Qi Yuwen disbelieving.

Qi Yuwen was really married?

When did he get married? How did she not know?

Qi Yuwen ignored her expression. He had no interest or patience for strangers.

The man took out his meal card and handed it over.

Their company provided one meal at noon. If they didn’t want to cook dinner at home, they could take a meal from the company, but it would cost extra.

The cafeteria worker took the card, swiped it, and raised an eyebrow despite himself to ask, "You…"

Before he could finish, Qi Yuwen understood his meaning.

The usually gentle Qi Yuwen seemed to think of his wife, his eyelids lowering but the corners of his lips lifting slightly.

He added a few words of explanation, "I just got married yesterday. We didn’t have a big wedding, but I’ll come by later to pass out wedding candy with everyone."

"What?"

The cafeteria worker was stunned, and so was everyone around them who heard.

They all understood what Qi Yuwen meant. Initially, when they heard Qi Yuwen say he was getting food for his wife, they thought he and the manager’s daughter were together.

Who would have thought Qi Yuwen’s partner wasn’t the manager’s daughter? He had actually had a quick, secret marriage and kept it hidden!

The manager’s daughter, struck repeatedly by the news of her crush’s marriage, turned red with jealousy.

She clenched her teeth, instantly understanding what the man meant by saying those words.

Seriously? He’d even gotten married secretly just to avoid her.

The woman wanted to laugh, but she couldn’t bring herself to laugh. She took a deep breath, pushing down the ache and hurt in her heart. To save face, she couldn’t just walk away; she was afraid that people would talk about her and her father behind their backs.

She forced a fake smile, pretending to offer congratulations and acting as though she already knew about it.

"Then I’ll have to ask for more wedding candies," she said, her smile straining at the edges. "I’ll take some for my parents too."

Of course, that was fine. Qi Yuwen turned to her and sincerely thanked her, "Thank you for your blessings."

The manager’s daughter couldn’t bear to hear him. Before he even finished speaking, she turned around and hurried away.

She was afraid that if she stayed any longer, she wouldn’t be able to hold back her tears.

The man she had liked for so long had never cared for her, and he had married someone else without even letting her know. She was so resentful.

Qi Yuwen noticed her leaving but didn’t care. When he lifted his eyes and subtly glanced toward You Nan’s seat, it was already empty.

You Nan had quietly slipped off at some point, distancing himself without a word.