My Boss Always Flirts With Me - Chapter 38
Chapter 38: Barriers
Wei Lin was waiting eagerly in the room, but his father told him to settle down.
Wei Lin: “Dad, you don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for this day!”
His father, who had been annoyed with him lately, said, “Waiting for what? What does it have to do with you? You should be more like He Chi. He’s already married and his company is about to go public. What about you? You’re a good-for-nothing!”
Annoyed by the nagging, Wei Lin found an excuse to go out for a smoke and wait for He Chi and Fang Ci to come upstairs.
After a while, he looked out the window and saw He Chi’s car pull into a parking spot in the distance. He quickly took a couple of drags and stared intently at the stairs.
He Chi came up first, carrying a few gift boxes.
Wei Lin stopped him and craned his neck, asking, “Where is he? Where’s your wife?”
He Chi said he was on the phone downstairs.
Wei Lin pulled him aside to wait. He Chi was a little speechless at his behavior but didn’t refuse. They had to meet up anyway, so the two of them leaned against the wall.
Suddenly, footsteps were heard on the stairs again. Wei Lin excitedly said, “They’re here, they’re here.”
He Chi suddenly asked him, “Are you done smoking?”
Wei Lin didn’t react. “What?”
He Chi: “The smoke is too strong. Put it out. We should go inside.”
Wei Lin looked at the cigarette butt. Why didn’t he say it was too strong before? He then had an epiphany…
He patted He Chi and laughed, “Alright, CEO He, you’re so protective of your wife!”
He Chi pushed his hand away just as Fang Ci appeared. Wei Lin’s laughter got stuck in his throat.
“Ha!” He squinted, looked at the person, and walked over, saying loudly, “I knew it! I wasn’t wrong! You guys kept it a secret from me!”
When Fang Ci saw Wei Lin, he also felt a special connection. He was the first person close to He Chi to know about their relationship, which felt like fate.
Fang Ci didn’t want to make him lose face, so he said, “Brother Lin.” Wei Lin held on to him, looking like he was about to talk endlessly, but He Chi interrupted him: “Alright, let’s go inside. Uncle Wei is waiting.”
Wei Lin said, “Right, my dad has been talking about you two for a long time.”
He Chi: “He’s been talking about you, hasn’t he? Why else would you be standing outside?”
Wei Lin: “…”
Hearing this, Fang Ci’s eyes curved into a smile. He thought their dynamic was quite interesting. Wei Lin really seemed like a younger brother, and He Chi was like the big brother who took care of everything.
The three of them went inside. Fang Ci followed behind He Chi, feeling a little nervous.
Wei’s father had a powerful presence, a true company president. He was sitting in a chair drinking tea. When he saw them, he put down his teacup and said, “Achi, you’re here. Oh, what should I call this person?”
He Chi said, “Fang Ci.”
Wei’s father smiled and greeted him, “Hello.”
Fang Ci said, “Hello, Uncle Wei.”
He presented the gifts they brought to Wei’s father, saying, “I often hear He Chi talk about you, saying how amazing you were for starting from nothing. He also said that thanks to your help over the years, he was able to develop Zhuyun. This is our first meeting, so I didn’t know what to get you, but this is a small token of my appreciation. I hope you don’t mind.”
It was the first time Wei Lin had seen Fang Ci officially interact with someone at the dinner table. He still had the skills of a product manager. His words were so smooth that they made his dad smile in satisfaction after just a couple of sentences.
“Thank you,” Wei’s father said.
He then added, “I arranged this dinner at the last minute. I hope I didn’t interrupt your Friday night date.”
Fang Ci: Ah, this…
“Not at all. We should be the ones inviting you.”
No elder dislikes a polite and well-behaved junior, and Wei’s father was no exception. His tone became even more amiable: “You’re too polite, my boy. Achi and I, and his family, have known each other for a long time. Just think of me as your uncle. Tonight is just a family dinner.”
Fang Ci nodded.
He Chi looked at him and lightly patted his back. “Sit down.”
The four of them sat around a half-large round table. The private room was elegant and quiet. Fang Ci was next to He Chi on his left and Wei’s father on his right. During the serving of the dishes, Wei’s father chatted with him and asked him where he worked.
Wei Lin chuckled and glanced at He Chi, saying, “Zhuyun.”
Wei’s father: “Oh?”
Wei Lin had been kept in the dark by He Chi for so long that he couldn’t help but complain, “A rabbit doesn’t eat the grass around its burrow.”
Wei’s father glared at him. Wei Lin shut up and lowered his head to eat.
Wei’s father didn’t mind that they worked at the same company. He asked which department he was in and what products he was developing. Fang Ci told him about his work.
Wei’s father was surprised. “You’re not that old, and you’re already a department manager?”
Fang Ci quickly said, “That’s all thanks to CEO He’s promotion. I…”
He Chi listened and interrupted him. “Because he’s very talented. At least in the department, he’s the best candidate.”
Fang Ci was stunned, then happy. He had just been praised by his boss.
Wei’s father smiled. “That’s good. Achi’s company has a great future. It’s more promising for you two to work together than to partner with Wei Lin.”
Wei’s father was literally praising one person while stepping on another. Wei Lin was shocked and looked hurt. “What?! I didn’t even say anything, and I’m still getting hit? Dad, come on, give me some face! Are you even my real dad?”
Fang Ci barely managed to hold back his laughter. He was also starting to wonder if Uncle Wei was He Chi’s real dad.
The four of them chatted and gradually became more familiar, and the atmosphere became much more relaxed.
Wei’s father said, “I used to think Achi would never get married, but I didn’t expect him to get married before Wei Lin. It makes sense, though. In college, Achi was very decisive. He even helped me with Wei Lin’s major change. Otherwise, he would have gone abroad to study foreign trade.”
It was the second time Fang Ci heard about Wei Lin’s major. He knew He Chi went to A University, but he didn’t remember A University having a foreign trade major. So he asked, “Did Brother Lin transfer schools?”
Wei Lin said, “Yes, I transferred from B University to A University because the scores were similar.”
Fang Ci nodded. I knew it.
Wei Lin asked, “Which school did you go to?”
Fang Ci said, “B University.”
Wei Lin slapped his thigh. “Oh! So we were meant to be at the same school but missed each other!”
He Chi raised an eyebrow. Wei Lin just smiled cheekily and deliberately ignored him.
“But you must have had good grades to get into B University. Where did you go to high school?”
Fang Ci said his high school’s name. Wei Lin exclaimed, “Holy crap! You went to Yuncheng High School.”
Fang Ci nodded. He Chi was stunned. Wei Lin felt like he had found an unexpected treasure. He said to He Chi, “All three of us went to the same high school! I knew Little Ci looked familiar. I must have seen him when I went back to school.”
“Wait, I think it was on the honor roll?”
Fang Ci was also surprised and asked He Chi, “You went to Yuncheng High School?”
He Chi said, “Yes.”
In high school, Wei Lin and He Chi weren’t that close. They only became good friends in college because of their families. He Chi was a campus heartthrob and a top student. He was very good at studying, so he naturally made it onto the honor roll. However, this list was replaced every two years. Fang Ci and they were five graduating classes apart, so it was normal that they didn’t know each other.
Wei Lin sighed, “What a coincidence.” In their line of work, going to the same university was common, but the same high school was not.
Fang Ci and Wei Lin talked about the changes at the school. He learned that Wei Lin often went back to visit teachers and had even attended a college entrance exam pep rally.
“He Chi only goes back to see the teachers. He never gave a speech. Otherwise, you two might have met earlier.”
Fang Ci thought, Yeah, I would have met He Chi just starting college.
Thinking about this made him feel a little regretful. He asked Wei Lin what He Chi was like in high school. Wei Lin started talking enthusiastically.
He Chi was chatting with Wei’s father, but he was also listening to them. When he heard Wei Lin start talking about how many people wrote love letters to him in high school, he interrupted him and said to Fang Ci:
“Eat up. The food will get cold soon.”
Fang Ci said, “Oh,” but his eyes were still on Wei Lin, gesturing for him to continue.
He Chi was helpless. He said, “Eat first. If you want to hear it, I’ll tell you when we get back.”
The other three at the table turned to look at him. Fang Ci said, “Really?”
Wei Lin: “I don’t believe it.”
Wei’s father laughed and took a sip of tea.
Wei Lin put a mouthful of rice in his mouth, but all he tasted was dog food. Why can’t I even finish a gossip session? I’m not even saying bad things about him. He realized that he couldn’t talk about this in front of He Chi again. It wasn’t satisfying.
Fang Ci was still very well-behaved. He quickly changed the subject and asked about their high school teachers. The teachers were still the same group, so there was a lot to talk about. Wei Lin found his joy again.
After another ten minutes of rambling, Fang Ci got up to go to the bathroom. Wei’s father also went out to handle some work. So everyone stopped talking.
The large room was left with just He Chi and Wei Lin.
Wei Lin felt bored. He jingled his pockets and took out a cigarette. He Chi’s gaze immediately fell on the cigarette box. He paused, inwardly scoffed, and put it back.
“Alright, alright, I get it.”
He leaned back in his chair and was silent for a moment.
He then thought that since Fang Ci wasn’t there, it was a good time to have a brotherly chat. “You’re a great actor at the company. I really couldn’t tell what your relationship with Fang Ci was.”
He Chi followed his lead. “The company is a company. There are rules and regulations.”
Wei Lin said, “That’s where we’re different. If I had a wife, even aliens would probably know.”
He Chi naturally understood that this was Wei Lin’s personality. He then added a reminder: “Just don’t tell anyone at the company.”
Wei Lin: “…I don’t even go to the company.”
That’s true. It was a miracle for him to come twice a year. He Chi didn’t say anything else.
After his reflection, Wei Lin was curious again. “CEO He, is being married a good feeling?”
He Chi just assumed he was making small talk and just said, “Yes.”
In Wei Lin’s eyes, this was a definite positive answer. He thought, That’s a pretty high evaluation.
“Before you got married, I couldn’t even imagine you’d have someone you love. This is good now. Just don’t bully our Fang Ci.”
When He Chi heard this, he first said, “I won’t bully him.”
Then he added, “What did you just say… love?”
Wei Lin was stunned for a few seconds. “I mean, I’m surprised that you love Fang Ci.”
He Chi seemed to frown for a moment. He said, “Really? Not quite.”
Wei Lin had been casual, but this sentence completely confused him. “Huh? What do you mean?”
He Chi pondered for a moment. “In essence, marriage has nothing to do with love.”
“It’s about being a good fit.”
Wei Lin “hissed” in a daze. What an unbelievable thing he just said!
“I don’t understand that. Are you saying you two don’t even love each other now? Are you kidding?”
He Chi recalled their way of getting along. “We take care of each other now. At most… you can call it a duty.”
Wei Lin sat up straight and interrupted him. “…Wait, just wait.”
He Chi looked up.
Wei Lin was a little unsure and asked tentatively, “But I see you’re very good to Fang Ci.”
He Chi looked a little confused. “Shouldn’t I be?”
He’s question left Wei Lin dumbfounded.
“As a spouse, you should take care of your other half, right?”
“Yes, but…” He Chi’s self-logic was too strong. Wei Lin couldn’t find a way to argue with him for a moment.
“You can get married and stay together without love?”
But He Chi didn’t seem to think there was anything wrong with that… Wei Lin was completely baffled.
“Does Fang Ci think so, too?”
He Chi said, “We talked about it when we got married.”
Wei Lin’s words died in his throat. “…Alright.” What could he say? He Chi didn’t need love in the first place. It was good that he found someone who could accept him, right?
“You two are really… incredible.” He didn’t understand and was deeply shocked.
This shock continued until Fang Ci and Wei’s father came back.
Wei Lin’s mind was blank. For some reason, he felt a little sorry for Fang Ci. He was not as cheerful as he had been before. Watching the interaction between the two of them, he felt a sense of powerlessness.
Love only flows to those who are not lacking in love.
He Chi was not that kind of person. He was solitary, powerful, and rational. He was used to keeping his emotions locked away and had built layers of barriers in his heart to protect himself.
In all these years, no one had succeeded in breaching them.
At that moment, Wei Lin was glad that Fang Ci didn’t love He Chi.
Fang Ci noticed him looking and gave him a polite smile.
Wei Lin smiled back and handed him a plate of shrimp. “I heard from He Chi that you like to eat these.”
Fang Ci: “Thank you.”
Wei’s father chatted with Fang Ci for a while. He Chi saw that they were having a lively conversation. He put on his gloves and peeled the shrimp for Fang Ci. When Fang Ci looked down, he saw that the plate was piled high with shrimp tails.
He was stunned for a moment and said to He Chi, “Thank you.”
He Chi: “You’re welcome.”
However, Fang Ci didn’t touch the plate of shrimp until they left.
Before they left, Wei’s father gave them a red envelope and some gifts. “You two live well. When you have time, come over to my house.”
Fang Ci agreed.
The two of them stood at the door and watched Uncle Wei and Wei Lin’s car drive away first. Then He Chi drove his car out.
The cold wind blew against Fang Ci’s face. His phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and saw a text message:
[Sorry, I couldn’t reach you earlier. Do you still need the flowers you ordered? We can change the delivery address.]
Fang Ci’s fingers paused on the screen for a few seconds. He replied:
[No, I don’t. Please cancel the order.]