Xiao Ni naturally refused to introduce Mr Yi to Xie Jinghu.
Xie Jinghu’s expression darkened. Mr Yi’s gaze swept across Xie Jinghu’s face before he turned back to Xiao Ni. “No need to call your Boss Zou. I shall wait here for her. If I see her, it means today is my lucky day. If not, I can always return another time.”
Wen Ying observed Mr Yi at close range for a while but still could not discern his background. Yet she sensed his commanding presence. This Mr Yi appeared thoroughly gentlemanly, respectful and admiring of Zou Weijun’s dedication to her career, and deeply understanding of the difficulties faced by employees like Xiao Ni.
In truth, beneath Mr Yi’s considerate demeanour lay pure dominance.
He arrived at Junyue without notifying Zou Weijun in advance.
Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday he sent flowers. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the flowers arrived first, followed by the man himself.
Even Xiao Ni and the others had grown accustomed to the frequency of Mr Yi’s appearances. Over time, might Zou Weijun also become accustomed to it?
Mr Yi’s dominance, wrapped in gentlemanly manners, was remarkably well concealed.
Wen Ying formed a quick judgement. She pretended to urge Xiao Ni to continue their discussion, and sure enough, Mr Yi told Xiao Ni not to mind him.
“Then please make yourself comfortable. Call me if you need anything.”
Xiao Ni led Wen Ying back to the office.
Wen Ying was desperate to press her ear against the wall to listen to what was happening outside.
Xiao Ni could do nothing with her. She pushed the window open a crack and even fetched a chair for Wen Ying. “You are at least a public figure. Do not squat on the floor eavesdropping.”
Wen Ying sat on the chair and grabbed Xiao Ni’s wrist. “Do not be like that. Surely you want to listen too?”
Well, Xiao Ni did want to listen.
Xiao Ni had a premonition: Xie Jinghu would come off worse in an encounter with Mr Yi.
Once Xiao Ni had arranged her own chair by the window, Xie Jinghu in the lounge area indeed could not hold back. He took the initiative to probe Mr Yi. “Is Mr Yi a client of Junyue?”
“I am sorry, but who are you? I have visited Junyue so many times and do not recognise you. Are you a new recruit at Junyue?”
Mr Yi kicked the ball back. Xie Jinghu’s brows knitted tightly. “I am neither an employee nor a client of Junyue.”
What sort of eyesight did this man surnamed Yi have? How could he possibly look like a Junyue employee?
Xie Jinghu waited for Mr Yi to pursue the question. Instead, Mr Yi lost interest in him and picked up a book in the lounge area to read.
The book had been published after the founding of Junyue Culture.
Mr Yi flipped through a few pages casually, and his thoughts drifted to the circumstances in which he and Zou Weijun had met.
After founding Junyue, Zou Weijun had not poached writers she already knew. Handling established famous authors would have been far easier, yet she disliked the lack of challenge.
If her only goal had been to promote bestsellers, Zou Weijun would have had no need to start her own culture company.
Zou Weijun wanted to discover more writers.
For promising new authors, she signed guaranteed royalty contracts to ensure their writing potential would not be worn away by daily life. Besides young newcomers, Zou Weijun also signed several older writers who had long been overlooked. Some had once produced fine works but had not created anything noteworthy in years. Others wrote in highly niche genres, their books selling only a handful of copies after publication. Signing them meant accepting inevitable losses. Zou Weijun did not care.
She wanted only good works.
Works that might not sell extraordinarily well, yet were of outstanding quality.
Zou Weijun had spoken of these things not only to Wen Ying and Xiao Ni, but to other employees as well, including Editor Wan, who had joined Junyue only recently.
Zou Weijun did not force her staff to share her philosophy. After all, she had no need to support a family, whereas her employees did. They naturally aimed for bestsellers to earn higher performance bonuses.
By sharing her views with the staff, Zou Weijun simply let them know her preferences, so that when selecting projects they would lean in that direction rather than chasing only popular trends.
In front of outsiders, Zou Weijun never mentioned these things. Outsiders would either mock her as naive or accuse her of hypocrisy. Except once, when she dined with the head of a literature website in which she had invested. She became carried away in happy conversation and inadvertently revealed her true thoughts. The others at the table offered verbal praise, lauding her idealism and passion.
In reality, none of them believed her.
Not only did they disbelieve her, but seeing her wealthy, beautiful, and single, they harboured hidden intentions.
Mr Yi had been different. At first he merely ate in silence and paid little attention to Zou Weijun.
Zou Weijun possessed considerable poise, yet Mr Yi had encountered countless great beauties, some with even greater refinement than hers.
At their first meeting, Mr Yi felt no particular admiration.
That changed only when Zou Weijun accidentally revealed her genuine beliefs.
While others offered empty flattery and privately dismissed her words, Mr Yi said nothing yet truly believed her.
When he looked up, Zou Weijun’s eyes were sincere, her face filled with hopeful anticipation.
She had no need to package herself at a business dinner where she sought no investment.
So she was actually telling the truth?
Mr Yi was astonished.
In this day and age, someone still spoke the truth at a business dinner?
Young girls might do so from inexperience, but a mature, worldly woman like Zou Weijun speaking the truth at such a gathering was genuinely rare.
Because of this outlier in Zou Weijun, an otherwise tedious dinner gained a touch of interest. Thus Mr Yi remembered her.
Speaking the truth at a dinner was uncommon enough. Actually living by one’s beliefs was rarer still.
Mr Yi, who had been browsing idly, gradually found the book in his hands intriguing. He was about to settle in and read properly when Xie Jinghu beside him scanned him from head to toe several times like an X-ray and suddenly spoke. “Although Weijun and I are divorced, we have a son already at university. We have known each other for over twenty years. Do you think we can ever truly be apart?”
Mr Yi’s hand paused on the page, then continued turning without hesitation.
“So you are Boss Zou’s ex-husband.”
Mr Yi did not lift his head. “I do not know whether you two can truly separate. I only know that despite knowing Boss Zou for over twenty years, you now receive the same treatment as I do.”
Both were merely people waiting in the Junyue lounge. Who was superior to whom?
Mr Yi’s lips curved in a smile. A vein throbbed on Xie Jinghu’s forehead. “We still have a son!”
Mr Yi finally looked up. “And then?”
Zou Weijun had never concealed her divorce, nor the existence of her son.
Having a son or not made no difference to the fact that Zou Weijun was an attractive woman.
After pondering for a long while, Mr Yi suddenly understood. “You fear I might mistreat your son in future? Do not worry. I am the sort who loves the house and its crow. Of course, I would absolutely respect the child’s wishes. If he wishes to take my surname, I shall treat him as my own. If he does not, I shall still provide for him.”
Bang!
Wen Ying turned her head and collided with Xiao Ni’s.
Both had guessed Mr Yi possessed formidable combat strength, yet neither expected it to be this formidable.
Mr Yi was extraordinarily confident. He had not even won Zou Weijun yet was already planning how he would help care for her son.
Xie the scumbag would be furious enough to die, surely?
Xie Qian changing his name to Yi Qian. Even hearing it felt awkward to Wen Ying.
Regardless of whether Zou Weijun remarried in future, Xie Qian would never change his surname. The entire Xie family doted on him far too much.
Wen Ying knew Xie Qian. Xie Jinghu did not know him well enough. Seeing Mr Yi’s arrogance, imagining him stealing Zou Weijun and even changing Xie Qian’s surname, Xie Jinghu’s blood vessels nearly burst.
Unfortunately, Assistant Qi was absent today, and no one could restrain Xie Jinghu.
Xie Jinghu was considering how to strike back hard at Mr Yi when Zou Weijun unexpectedly returned.
All of Xie Jinghu’s anger dissipated.
“Weijun!”
Mr Yi set down the book and stood. “Boss Zou.”
Zou Weijun felt a headache looking at both men.
Of course, by comparison, Mr Yi was rather more pleasing to the eye.
Thus Zou Weijun merely nodded to Mr Yi. “I am sorry. I came back to the office to collect a document and must go out again.”
Mr Yi was highly understanding. “It does not matter. It was presumptuous of me to visit without an appointment. Seeing Boss Zou today already feels exceedingly fortunate. I am content and delighted.”
Zou Weijun retrieved the document from her office.
Wen Ying chose the perfect moment to emerge. “Auntie Zou!”
Zou Weijun’s expression softened. “Have you and Xiao Ni finished talking? I can drop you off on my way. As it happens, there is something I wish to discuss with you.”
“Yes, we are done. Then I shall leave with Auntie Zou.”
Xiao Ni did not know Mr Yi’s background. Zou Weijun probably did.
Wen Ying followed Zou Weijun out. Xie Jinghu was ignored completely from start to finish and could not resist following them downstairs.
Mr Yi noted Xie Jinghu’s hostile expression, abandoned the book, and followed as well.
Downstairs, a car waited for Zou Weijun. The driver was a man Xie Jinghu found very familiar.
“It is him.”
So Mr Yi was not the greatest threat after all. This man was.
Xie Jinghu gnashed his teeth and clenched his fists.
Mr Yi strolled up slowly, watching Zou Weijun take Wen Ying into the car and depart.
Zou Weijun sat in the front passenger seat.
Mr Yi turned with a smile. “It seems I am not the only one who wishes to help Boss Zou care for her son.”
