Chapter 22

Chapter 22

The moment the man stepped in, You Nan recognized him. A smile touched his lips as he greeted the company executive, "Hello, Mr. Zhao."

It was Zhao Jin's first time meeting You Nan as well. You Nan's appearance surprised him; he had expected someone who caught Yao Xianqing's eye to be exceptionally beautiful. Instead, You Nan's smile was quite innocent, not quite fitting descriptors like "exquisitely pretty" or "radiant."

Zhao Jin responded, "Are you the accountant from the partner hotel?"

He was asking a question he already knew the answer to.

Unaware that Zhao Jin had made this trip specifically to see him, You Nan honestly explained that he had come with his supervisor, who had since gone to a meeting.

Zhao Jin sat down at his desk. Friendly and approachable, he chatted with You Nan about accounting matters.

Having worked in the field for some time, and with the original body's memories to draw from, You Nan was knowledgeable about many things. He could answer most of Zhao Jin's questions, except for those beyond his experience.

Privately, though, he felt that Zhao Jin was the complete opposite of "approachable."

The original text described Zhao Jin's gaze as sharp; his glasses were worn specifically to soften his look and create a more refined image.

After listening to You Nan, Zhao Jin nodded. The other had been in the accounting industry for a long time—stable, experienced. He seemed like someone worth recruiting.

"Quite impressive, Mr. You. Would you be willing to switch companies and join us?"

Zhao Jin suddenly proposed, "Your professional skills are solid. I also took a look at the stack of reports you just delivered—the sections you handled look good. I'm not sure what the compensation is like at your hotel, but our company should be able to offer you more and better benefits."

Zhao Jin detailed the benefits and compensation at their company.

Not all publicly listed companies are the same, let alone a hotel still striving to go public—that's even less comparable to an already listed company.

Although You Nan and Qi Yuwen's hotel was a five-star, high-end national chain with considerable business, it still hadn't quite made it to listing.

You Nan wasn't tempted by Zhao Jin's offer. He wasn't a native of this world; changing jobs wasn't really necessary.

Seeing that You Nan wasn't particularly moved, Zhao Jin—recalling the file he'd reviewed the night before—suddenly added, "Joining our company would be like starting over. Making friends or focusing on work would be entirely up to you. I think Mr. You should consider it a bit more."

Zhao Jin observed You Nan, and this time, the other seemed tempted.

You Nan was swayed by the idea of "starting over" that Zhao Jin mentioned.

The advantage here was that the hotel had Qi Yuwen, while this place did not.

Even if Qi Yuwen wanted to keep an eye on him here, he wouldn't be able to.

Zhao Jin had a crush on Yao Xianqing, and Qi Yuwen also liked Yao Xianqing. Zhao Jin was the territorial type—he wouldn't stay in the same company as Qi Yuwen.

Thinking this, You Nan's tone grew more sincere as he thanked Zhao Jin for his regard. "Thank you, Mr. Zhao. I'd like to think it over a bit more."

Zhao Jin smiled and nodded, saying that was fine.

"By the way, I have a friend who wants to meet you."

You Nan looked up, puzzled, just in time to see a familiar person enter from outside the office.

Who else could it be but Yao Xianqing?

You Nan's eyes widened in surprise—he hadn't expected Yao Xianqing to be at Zhao Jin's company.

As soon as Yao Xianqing entered, he walked straight toward You Nan with clear purpose. He raised a hand to greet the other, but You Nan instinctively stepped back, putting distance between them.

You Nan's movement was subtle, but in the man's eyes, it was painfully obvious.

Yao Xianqing's steps faltered, leaving him somewhat flustered facing You Nan.

"You Nan," he called out in a lowered voice.

All of Yao Xianqing's attention was focused on You Nan, whom he hadn't seen for days. He didn't notice the expression on the other man in the office.

Since Yao Xianqing had entered, Zhao Jin's gaze had been glued to him, following his every move. Seeing his particular attentiveness toward You Nan, the pen in Zhao Jin's hand nearly snapped from the unconscious force of his grip.

Zhao Jin's voice drew Yao Xianqing's attention back. The man stood up, wearing a polite smile. "Since you two have things to discuss, I'll take my leave and give you the room."

Yao Xianqing, grateful for the gesture today, nodded gently at him. "Thanks."

Zhao Jin pressed his lips together, the corners lifting slightly, and exited.

He left the private space to the two in the office.

After leaving his office, Zhao Jin went upstairs to a lounge.

A computer was on in the lounge, its screen displaying a feed of You Nan and Yao Xianqing.

Zhao Jin sat before the computer and turned the volume up to maximum.

It had been a while since You Nan and Yao Xianqing had seen each other. With Qi Yuwen between them, the initial happiness You Nan felt upon seeing Yao Xianqing soon faded, leaving only awkwardness.

Yao Xianqing asked teasingly, "You Nan, these past few days I've been messaging and calling you. Why did you block and delete me?"

He looked somewhat dejected. "Did I do something wrong? Did I cause you trouble?"

It certainly wasn't Yao Xianqing's fault. You Nan avoided the man's gaze, taking a step back. "N-no, it's not that."

He lowered his eyes. "It's… it's my problem."

You Nan's mind turned to Qi Yuwen these past few days. Qi Yuwen's temper had become increasingly unpredictable, and You Nan had been trying to avoid contact as much as possible.

But the more he avoided, the more the other pressed in. You Nan felt like he was suffocating at home.

Noticing You Nan's prolonged silence, Yao Xianqing's eyes fell on his face—and he saw that the other's eyes had slightly reddened, tears welling, about to fall.

You Nan hadn't meant to cry. The matter was over; it was his "personal matter," but he couldn't help feeling wronged.

If he traced it to the root, the grievances he'd suffered originated from the man before him.

But Yao Xianqing hadn't done anything wrong either. You Nan had a very good impression of the male lead and didn't want to take his frustration out on him.

You Nan blinked, and a tear fell. He panicked instantly.

The tear didn't just startle himself—it also made Yao Xianqing's heart ache.

His chest felt heavy, aching because You Nan was hurting, and he ached along with him.

Yao Xianqing felt guilty toward You Nan, and his protective feelings toward the other grew even stronger.

Unconsciously, the man's voice softened as he comforted You Nan, "Why are you crying? Did Qi Yuwen make you feel wronged? Tell me, and I'll set him straight for you, alright?"

If You Nan hadn't cried, it would have been fine, but once he started, he couldn't hold back—especially not when Yao Xianqing spoke to him so gently, caring about his feelings.

Yao Xianqing closed his eyes and took a quiet breath. His chest felt tight, and acting on impulse, he reached out and embraced You Nan, who no longer retreated.

This was the second time he had held him. The first time was when they were eating at a roadside food stall together, and he had too much to drink, so he helped him into and out of the car.

Yao Xianqing stroked You Nan's hair. He was taller than the person in his arms, so his chin could rest on top of You Nan's head.

"If Qi Yuwen treats you poorly, you should divorce him," Yao Xianqing said abruptly. "You Nan, I think you've realized that beneath his appearance, Qi Yuwen isn’t a good person. It makes me sad to see you cry because of him. Before, we weren’t close, and since you liked him, I didn’t feel it was my place to say anything. But now, if you don’t like him anymore and want a divorce, I’ll help you."

Yao Xianqing seemed to have forgotten that the person in his arms wasn’t his but someone else’s wife.

At this moment, his concern for You Nan peaked. "Don’t be afraid. As long as you say you want a divorce, I will help you."

You Nan nodded while still in his arms, but he didn’t completely trust Yao Xianqing either.

You Nan knew Yao Xianqing was truly a good person, one of the genuinely kind-hearted people in this story.

But someone's heart works like a scale.

He and Qi Yuwen stood on opposite sides. Qi Yuwen had a ten-year friendship with Yao Xianqing, while he had nothing.

What did he have? Just the tears from earlier?

Would Yao Xianqing help him just because he cried?

You Nan didn’t want to guess.

He stepped out of Yao Xianqing’s embrace, creating distance between them. You Nan’s phone buzzed. He wiped the tears from his face and checked it—it was his supervisor, calling him downstairs after finishing a small meeting.

He felt something dry brush against his face. He looked up and met Yao Xianqing’s lowered gaze.

Yao Xianqing was dabbing at his face with a tissue, wiping away the wet tear stains.

Yao Xianqing gently took You Nan’s wrist. "Let me take you to wash your face."

You Nan agreed.

The supervisor took You Nan, once he'd composed himself, back to the hotel to continue working.

When he returned home that evening, Qi Yuwen didn’t ask about his day. You Nan stole a glance at him and knew that Qi Yuwen was unaware that Zhao Jin was behind that company and didn’t know about Zhao Jin’s feelings for Yao Xianqing.

That made sense.

By the time Qi Yuwen met Yao Xianqing, Zhao Jin had already left abroad. There hadn’t been any news since, so it was normal for Qi Yuwen not to know about Zhao Jin.

You Nan kept his meeting with Yao Xianqing a secret, preventing Qi Yuwen, that mad dog, from flying into a rage again.

But by the next day, You Nan felt something was off at the company.

Everyone seemed to avoid him, yet they kept glancing at him from time to time, which left You Nan confused and anxious.

Especially his familiar colleagues from the same office, Brother Li and the young woman—the way they looked at him seemed strange too.