“Xiao Qi, help me think of a way to make Xiao Xue work in my company.”

As soon as the call connected, he heard Jiang Yu’s somewhat anxious voice. Fu Tingyan did not expect Jiang Yu not to have settled his issue with Ye Xue. It had already been more than a month!

“Do you know why Ye Xue isn’t willing to work in your company?” Fu Tingyan leaned against the pristine white wall, a certain languidness to his posture. Knowing his brother was safe, Fu Tingyan felt a great weight lift off his shoulders. The past month had run him through the wringer.

He did not tell anyone about Fu Tingyu’s disappearance, not even Jiang Yu.

“I don’t know. Wouldn’t I have resolved the issue by now if I knew?” Jiang Yu hissed agitatedly. From where he stood, he could see the bustling streets of Jiangcheng through a large pane of glass.

“I thought you said you solved the problem. Shouldn’t you know why Xiao Xue isn’t willing to continue working in your company?”

“I’ll ask her again.”

Jiang Yu was about to hang up the phone when Fu Tingyan hurriedly said, “Don’t be so direct!”

“If I’m not direct, there’s no way she’ll tell me why she won’t stay,” Jiang Yu protested.

Fu Tingyan thought for a while and said, “Aren’t you going back to the head office? Maybe you could introduce it to her and see if she’d like to go.”

“She knows it’s the head office! I doubt she would agree to go with me. There’s no point in asking…”

Fu Tingyan was so exasperated that he wanted to crawl through the phone and knock some sense into Jiang Yu’s thick skull. Was he truly so dense?

“Isn’t Xinyue a subsidiary of the Jiang family? Wouldn’t you still have plenty of chances to meet her if she went there?”

Jiang Yu reached an epiphany. “That’s right! Ye Xue is just confused. I can’t believe I overlooked something so important. Thank you, Xiao Qi.”

Jiang Yu hung up the phone with renewed resolve.

Fu Tingyan glanced at his phone and shook his head, helpless. Indeed, love turned even the smartest of individuals into fools.

No, Ye Xue had not agreed to be Jiang Yu’s girlfriend.

If she agreed, would not that make her IQ even lower than his?

He put away his phone and was about to rejoin the conversation with his older brother when he heard someone calling him. “Young Master Fu, I’m glad I found you. I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

The person calling out to him sounded familiar. Fu Tingyan turned around and saw Xiao Xian hurrying toward him. What was Xiao Xian doing here? Shouldn’t he be tending to his courtyard as a steward should? Fu Tingyan could not mask his confusion as he addressed Xiao Xian, “Why are you looking for me?”

“Seventh Young Master, you received this via express delivery.” Xiao Xian had learnt that Fu Tingyan would be visiting Bright Garden, so he rushed over, even if announced.

Fu Tingyan’s gaze fell on the package in Xiao Xian’s hands. It was a small box. He did not know what was inside since he had not opened it.

He accepted it, struck by an intense curiosity. As he opened the package, he asked, “Do you know who sent it?”

“There was no signature, return address or phone number,” Xiao Xian replied dutifully.

Fu Tingyan frowned. Peeling away the outer layer revealed another box within. It was a dark shade of ebony highlighted with golden patterns. He rapped a knuckle against the wood and discovered how hard it was. A box like this was probably worth tens of thousands of yuan.

It made him even more curious about what was inside.

His slender fingers caressed the lid of the box. With a small application of force from his fingers, the box snapped open. Its contents stunned him.

Inside the box was a mini trophy with all the signatures of PEAK.

PEAK was a battle team he had always liked. If it weren’t for his stint of learning martial arts, he would have signed up with them long ago.

PEAK won the World Championship last year, creating a sensation when they attributed the team’s winning to their loyal fans.

At the end of last year’s competition, the team announced their participation in another upcoming tournament at the start of the new year. Fu Tingyan had wanted to go and support his favourite team but could not do so with Fu Tingyu’s disappearance. It was a wasted opportunity he still felt bitter over.

Who could have sent him this priceless trophy?

He was beside himself with joy but also confused about receiving this handsome gift.

He flipped the package upside down and then right side up, scouring it for clues. Like Xiao Xian had said, there was no return address or contact information anywhere.

Only someone who did not want the sendee to know the sender’s identity would do something like this.

Xiao Xian glanced at the contents of the exquisite box. As he had been by Fu Tingyan’s side all these years, he could appreciate its value.

“Congratulations, Seventh Young Master! You’ve always liked PEAK, so you must like this gift quite a bit.”

Fu Tingyan looked up at Xiao Xian and smiled. “I like it, but I don’t know who could be so thoughtful.”

His slender fingers traced the glinting gold decorating the ebony box thoughtfully. “It must be someone who holds affection for the Seventh Young Master! Only daughters of those prestigious families would possess the wealth and connections necessary to procure a gift of this magnitude. This one has many young girls inquiring over the Young Master’s information of late. Perhaps one of them is responsible for this magnificent gift,” Xiao Xian said.

“Don’t spout nonsense! No one will think you a fool if you speak less regarding matters outside your understanding,” Fu Tingyan admonished lightly, keeping the trophy inside its box before walking away.

Xiao Xian scratched his head in confusion. “Did I say something wrong? Besides those daughters from prestigious families, who else would care so much about the Seventh Young Master?”

–

Ever since Ye Xue quit her job, she had worked part-time from home, sending out resumes at every chance she got. Unfortunately, not one of them received a reply. It left her feeling dejected. Were her abilities so poor that no one would give her so much as an opportunity for an interview?

A knock on the door roused her from her dreary thoughts. She usually locked the door while working since she did not want people to disturb her.

Plenty of her relatives visited her, the worse being the gaggle of mischievous children that always tagged along. As soon as they stepped into her room, they would cause a stir, kicking up a fuss and leaving a mess in their wake. She hated cleaning up after them when she was already busy trying to get her work done on time.

Fewer relatives visited as the month drew to a close. She doubted any of her other relatives would visit save… her parents. She probably should answer the door.

She got up with a sigh, mentally preparing herself to come face to face with her parents. Yet, it was not them who stood waiting outside but Jiang Yu. Ever since he ate at her house for dinner, he visited her more often. Moreover, he seemed to have free reign whenever he visited, with no one stopping him.

Like now, he could go up to her room without waiting for her mother to call for her.

“Isn’t it still office hours now? What are you doing here?”

Her mind supplied the answer almost immediately. “You’re not here to persuade me to go work at Xinyue again, are you? I’ve already said I’m not going. It would be best if you returned. You’re a general manager; I’m sure there are plenty of things you need to oversee.”

Jiang Yu hurriedly denied, “No, I’m just here to see you. I’m not busy right now.”

Afraid that Ye Xue would shut the door on him, he barged into the room, uncaring whether he was welcomed.

Not busy?

Ye Xue spun around and shot Jiang Yu’s tall form a sceptical look. Was he underperforming?

Jiang Yu had entered Ye Xue’s room several times before. Her room reflected her personality, young and carefree at heart.

A bed occupied the space closest to the window where light green curtains draped. Next to the bed was Ye Xue’s desk. Her laptop sat there, open and inviting. On the other side, backed against the wall, was a bookshelf laden with tomes of various sizes.

He walked to the side of the bed and sat down. The mattress was a little harder than his bed, so it did not feel like he would sink into it.

The bed was a four-piece set, turquoise in colour and checkered in a Japanese style popular with young girls.

Ye Xue subconsciously closed the door, and when she turned around, she saw Jiang Yu sitting on her bed. She suddenly thought of the book that had just arrived this morning. She had bought a Young-Adult fiction but got a love letter instead. The said love letter was still sitting in her drawer…