Chapter 4: A… a cheap husband.

This business card was of excellent texture, with clear printing and an extremely refreshing and simple design.

Group executives usually held multiple titles concurrently, such as an honorary member of a certain association or an honorary professor at a certain university. However, Qi Yingzhu only marked his name and main position.

The number left on it was also very short. At a glance, it wasn’t a personal contact method; it was probably connected to the secretary’s office landline.

Chu Fuxuan scrutinized that string of numbers, silently recalling the words he had just spoken.

—Deliberately bringing an industry leader into my home, that would be too tacky.

—A straight man pretending to be bent, what kind of good thing is that either? Add an extra degree of guilt.

—Their boss has a good image, and the company should be able to survive for a good while. If everyone screws up the project, we can still rely on the boss to go sell his looks.

Chu Fuxuan had a good memory, not missing a single sentence of their previous conversation. The more he thought about it, the more it made him want to vomit blood.

He delayed looking up, feeling that the paper before his eyes was covered with the words “Lord Leader,” while the paragraphs revealed the commentary “Hitting a dog with a meat bun (Gone forever).”

Yet, just two minutes ago, he had spoken with absolute certainty, telling the other party that he was recently busy looking for…

Chu Fuxuan jammed for a long moment, his whole body resisting yet forced to look straight at the correct answer:

A… a cheap husband.

He hadn’t been this dizzy-headed in his twenty-plus years of life. Even after the business card was placed on the table, Chu Fuxuan remained in a state of sluggish shock.

He was like a music box with its switch dismantled—silent on the surface, but jingling and clattering wildly on the inside.

He could finally understand why Qi Yingzhu had such a complex expression at first. The man came holding the identity of an industry elite, only to be connected to Jiayuan.com (a matchmaking site) and treated as a guest. The fact that he didn’t leave the table on the spot was already considered a display of sufficient cultivation.

No, wait, he didn’t just not leave the table; they were talking about completely different things, yet they had actually chatted smoothly for over half an hour?

The pear juice he drank turned entirely into a stomach full of bitter water. Chu Fuxuan didn’t stay dizzy for too long before figuring out exactly which step had gone wrong.

He had thought Dou Can was playing humble with him when he said it was a “low-end version,” but the actual lineup was luxurious…

It turned out his buddy had accidentally matched him with the real, genuine article.

“The font is a bit small, my eyes seem to be uncomfortable,” Chu Fuxuan said evasively.

After pretending to be blind, he laid the groundwork for his aftermath: “I’ll go to the restroom to splash some water on them. If it’s serious, I’ll go to the hospital and register to see a doctor.”

Qi Yingzhu finally picked up his flat white coffee and instructed in a light tone: “Okay. Remember to come back.”

Chu Fuxuan seemed to be an optimist, still holding onto a fluke even now, and asked pitifully: “Do I absolutely have to?”

“Don’t waste food.” Regrettably, Qi Yingzhu’s memory was also quite good, and he was cold-hearted and unfeeling, with no intention of letting him off the hook easily.

The exact original words were returned in full. Unfortunately, Chu Fuxuan’s ears were echoing with his own previous phrase “partner up and live together”; he was in no mood to care about Qi Yingzhu’s boomerang.

He prepared to drift out like a wandering ghost. However, his legs were a bit weak, and as he tried to stand up, he alertly realized he probably couldn’t run away anytime soon.

Forcing himself to hold on and refusing to show weakness, yet unable to look straight at Qi Yingzhu’s face, he simply changed his posture and pretended to look at the scenery everywhere.

Coincidentally, a forest watercolor painting hung on the wall. Chu Fuxuan salvaged his dignity in time: “Forget it, the faucet is too far away. Looking at some green is pretty good too.”

He leaned in place and recovered for a while, feeling he had digested some of the shock. Then, supporting himself on the back of the chair, he paced over to the wall.

At the very least, he had used the opportunity to pull some distance away from Qi Yingzhu. This outstanding graduate of the Physics Department suddenly developed an immense interest in fine arts, blindly huddling by the hanging painting to appreciate it repeatedly.

It wasn’t until the chef walked in carrying the food that he could no longer dawdle. Very reluctantly, Chu Fuxuan turned his face back and silently glanced at the interviewer.

The other party was resting his head on his right hand while stacking sugar cubes with his left, seemingly not noticing someone peeking.

Thereupon, Chu Fuxuan tiptoed over and sat down diagonally across from him. During this, he even secretly glared at that bad seed a few times.

His entire body was slightly taut. Looking purely at his complexion, he seemed quite placid and well-behaved, but if he had a tail, he probably wouldn’t be able to hide curling it up in a stress response.

An undercurrent surged between the two sides, but the chef remained completely ignorant of it, only wondering why Chu Fuxuan was sitting so far away.

He placed the platter right in the center, asking Qi Yingzhu if it was okay to plate it this way.

Separated by the entire long table, Chu Fuxuan observed secretly from the shadows, listening to Qi Yingzhu fluently instruct the person to move the items over to his side.

Chu Fuxuan’s heart turned even more to dead ashes. Just now, he had actually suspected the other party’s English proficiency and thought he couldn’t understand what was being said, and Qi Yingzhu hadn’t refuted it the entire time?!

The tossed salad, pan-fried steak, and tiramisu were all moved to the near side. They were romantically garnished with a few light-colored flower petals, which, falling into Chu Fuxuan’s eyes, only highlighted how exceptionally desolate his situation was.

However, since the scene had escalated to this point, he still had to try his best to preserve his dignity. Holding his knife and fork, Chu Fuxuan felt it wasn’t quite right to hog it all to himself, but hesitated for a long time, unable to take a bite.

“President Qi, are you allergic to carrots?” Being a bit of a picky eater, he chose something he didn’t like to eat to show goodwill.

Seeing through his thoughts, Qi Yingzhu advised: “Carrots are good for your eyesight. How about you eat them instead? The medicinal effect should be more useful than staring blankly at watercolors.”

Keenly grasping the conversation starter, Chu Fuxuan smoothly presented the salad over: “The sun in San Francisco is so strong, the wind and dust are heavy, and the stimulation is too great. Your eyes must be tired too.”

Perhaps too lazy to bicker with him over minor details, Qi Yingzhu didn’t argue with him for the moment. Seizing this gap, Chu Fuxuan urgently changed the subject.

“Why are you on a business trip to the Bay Area? Are there seminar activities recently?” he asked seriously.

“Suppliers are undergoing bidding evaluations. I just transferred posts and am not too familiar with the people here, so it’s better if I come over myself,” Qi Yingzhu answered.

Chu Fuxuan suddenly saw the light: “No wonder. I thought my interviewer would be one of the Executive Presidents.”

Hongni’s scale was very large, and the gaming module’s architecture was complete. There were two main heads at the top, and titles like President could be spun out into variations like Senior, Executive, and Managing.

Back then, Chu Fuxuan had searched for the list of the management team, but looking at it made him dizzy, so he quickly closed it. Anyway, the Executive title was relatively lower, making it more likely for them to be responsible for the recruitment checkpoint.

Who knew Hongni would make it so grand for him?

Even if outsiders hadn’t figured out the internal system, they understood that although this business line had two main heads, Qi Yingzhu was definitely the most crucial figure. His position in the parent group was higher than the other one, and his actual power was even more self-evident.

Thinking of this, Chu Fuxuan really wanted to ask, Why did your esteemed company go through all this trouble to put on such a huge show, having a max-level Boss entertain a newcomer?

“It’s more on the way for me than the others. The Lead Planner vacancy has dragged on for too long. Everyone prioritizes efficiency and doesn’t care much about the rest.” Qi Yingzhu guessed Chu Fuxuan’s confusion.

He added: “In any case, I’m the one signing the appointment letter, so I should take a closer look.”

Chu Fuxuan said: “The Producer has talked to me. This is your core project. I understand the importance you attach to it.”

Qi Yingzhu said: “You’ve interacted with us for so many rounds. Reaching this stage, there’s actually nothing more to ask. HR asked me to just chat casually for a while, treating it as eating and drinking on the company’s dime.”

Too suffocating. Passing five barriers and slaying six generals during this period, only to fall short at the final kick…

Chu Fuxuan responded: “Then do you have anything you plan to ask me?”

Originally, Qi Yingzhu wanted to indicate that there was nothing left to inquire about. But seeing Chu Fuxuan looking over expectantly, the words reached his lips and were barely swallowed back down. He then deliberated for a moment and let out a patient, intriguing laugh.

He said: “Quite a lot. First off, what does that sneak shot you sent look like?”

Chu Fuxuan: “.”

If looks could voice a protest, he would definitely be shouting “annoying ghost” right now.

Not daring to think about what kind of image he had in the other person’s eyes, Chu Fuxuan gripped his phone tightly and explained: “Actually, the photography level is passable, there’s absolutely no malicious intent.”

Qi Yingzhu nodded with great demeanor, looking as if he wasn’t petty at all, and absentmindedly followed up on his words.

“I understand. It’s just that the nose bridge isn’t straighter than the real person, the eyes aren’t bigger than the real person, and the visual effect isn’t as high-definition as the real person.”

Chu Fuxuan: “…”

He mournfully tapped open his photo album, quickly found the photo, and respectfully walked over to hand it to Qi Yingzhu for his perusal.

While feeling anxious and uneasy, he noticed the other person still hadn’t touched his tableware. Chu Fuxuan had a flash of inspiration and, with considerable self-awareness, put on a considerate act.

“Why isn’t the Boss eating? Should I test it for poison for you?” He understood a little bit about workplace survival tactics.

Unfortunately, Qi Yingzhu also had insights into the ways of the world.

“Let’s not. What if it gives you an upset stomach and delays you from going on your date later?”

Chu Fuxuan said: “I plan to enter an agreement marriage. I have no plans to talk about feelings.”

Qi Yingzhu assumed he was being so resolute because he had some baggage: “You’re still young, it’s normal to have thoughts in that area.”

This was a very objective statement. However, Chu Fuxuan acted as if he had heard some strange remark, feeling it was utterly absurd as he hummed a laugh.

“No, I don’t understand why, when everything is perfectly fine, you have to stick to another person. Dating is just wasting each other’s time, and exchanging saliva while you’re at it. When you want to do things alone, you still have to consider your partner’s thoughts. This is a lot like soft kidnapping.”

Hearing his denial, Qi Yingzhu could strongly resonate with it. However, he was three years older than Chu Fuxuan, his social circle was more mature, and he had quite a few friends with families.

“Because some people are willing to have the kidnapper tear up the ticket (kill the hostage) just to exchange saliva,” Qi Yingzhu said coldly.

Chu Fuxuan: “.”

He opened his mind, trying to insert himself into the situation to understand it a bit.

However, his imagination was very limited. As soon as the image of himself kissing a man covered entirely in mosaics appeared in his mind, he instantly felt helpless and fell silent, unable to agree.

At the same time, Qi Yingzhu was examining the picture. He had indeed been inadvertently captured in the frame.

Wide-angle shots cause fisheye distortion, and terrible lighting leads to an accumulation of noise. Even if a stranger stood next to him holding the photo, they would find it hard to be certain it was the same person for a moment, not to mention that Chu Fuxuan had been misled by the outside world.

Qi Yingzhu was curious: “What does the person Dou Can introduced to you look like?”

Chu Fuxuan answered gloomily that he hadn’t received a photo. If his friend hadn’t dropped the ball, how could he possibly have caused such a huge disaster?

The current situation was truly unexpected. Having reached this stage in the recruitment process, data on professional level and psychological quality no longer needed to be tested. It was basically just a matter of re-evaluating the candidate’s personality and background.

To put it bluntly, it was to inspect the employee’s stability. A company expends a lot of effort to cultivate talent, let alone an executive of Chu Fuxuan’s level; if he suddenly left, it would severely damage the team’s foundation.

What if shortly after he joins, something like a divorce happens and he wants to fly far away? Qi Yingzhu deliberated.

Combining all the farcical drama from the person across from him, he couldn’t help but press: “Is he reliable? What does that person do for a living?”

“A headhunter in the circle. I won’t know the specifics until I see him tonight,” Chu Fuxuan didn’t hide it. “Why?”

Being lightly asked in return, Qi Yingzhu froze slightly, but not because he couldn’t catch the conversation.

Unknowingly, the two had sat together again. When he spoke, he turned his head courteously and suddenly noticed the tips of Chu Fuxuan’s hair. He seemed to clearly understand why he had felt uncomfortable after being approached earlier.

Chu Fuxuan had probably taken a shower before going out. The fragrance of the shower gel hadn’t dissipated, and his hair fell exceptionally smoothly on his shoulders.

As long as one got slightly closer, just breathing normally, one could smell a faint, clear, and sweet scent.

Is it the scent of daffodils? Why would a guy use this kind of fragrance? Do homosexuals like flashy things?

Qi Yingzhu flashed an off-topic doubt and almost subconsciously held his breath. This momentary distraction lasted barely two seconds before he abruptly pulled his thoughts back.

He stopped thinking about random nonsense. His tone was restrained and steady, betraying no subjective emotion.

“The company doesn’t care about your personal issues. But if you cause trouble, everyone will be inconvenienced. You’re so easily fooled like this; what if it affects the planning?”

Chu Fuxuan really wanted to write a letter of guarantee: “I’m not that easy to deceive. It’s just an agreement marriage. It’s impossible for me to let the other party interfere with me.”

Qi Yingzhu asked sharply: “What if you don’t find a suitable candidate, will you not return to the country? Do we need to wait for the result of your date?”

If I don’t answer this well, I’ll probably be directly eliminated, Chu Fuxuan couldn’t help but speculate.

“I just want to find someone to make do with, checking if they can breathe is enough. I have no plans to pick a Prince Charming.” He shrugged slightly.

After speaking, he teased: “If I’m destined to bring misfortune to my husband and there are truly no survivors left, then I just won’t leave, and I’ll continue to maintain a safe time difference with my parents.”

Speaking up to here, Chu Fuxuan believed he was trying his best to win Qi Yingzhu’s approval.

The person across from him was a shrewd, intelligent man who definitely harbored suspicions. If he just spouted guarantees from a mouth full of hot air, he wouldn’t be able to fool him at all and would lose his original credibility.

Rather than going in circles and playing word games, it was better to speak a bit more candidly.

Chu Fuxuan’s words were completely from the bottom of his heart. There was only one sentence he forced himself to say, which was that at worst, he would stay locally.

He desperately wanted to return to his home country. This longing didn’t need any other reason. His current achievements were only possible because his parents had devoted all their efforts to help him.

The elders couldn’t be considered extremely wealthy, using their savings to support his overseas studies. Chu Fuxuan knew clearly in his heart that back then, he had been unconditionally held up and supported by his family.

Now that his parents were gradually aging, and the two sides had always been separated by thousands of miles, if anything untoward happened to them, he wouldn’t be able to rush over. Having left his hometown, how could he not be concerned?

Chu Fuxuan also wanted to seize the job opportunity before him. He opened his mouth to Qi Yingzhu: “Sorry for the misunderstanding at the very beginning. I sincerely hope to cooperate with you guys. Just like I said before, until this position at Hongni is finalized, I will not consider a second path.”

Qi Yingzhu didn’t give clear feedback on the spot. Chu Fuxuan knew that not only was he being invited by other companies, but they also had many candidates on hand and definitely needed to make horizontal comparisons.

Moreover, he had caused such a massive disaster…

Chu Fuxuan felt extremely mournful and wished he could immediately flee the scene of the crime.

At the same time, constrained by etiquette, he feigned docility and asked which hotel Qi Yingzhu was staying at, offering to coincidentally give him a ride.

Qi Yingzhu had no need to be flattered: “It’s fine, I’m driving myself.”

No need to continue sucking up. Chu Fuxuan happily and comfortably breathed a sigh of relief, trailing behind him out of the private room.

The bill had been taken care of long ago, so there was no need for the two to pay at the moment. The greeter pushed open the main door for them, and a gust of sea breeze and heat hit their faces.

Qi Yingzhu asked Chu Fuxuan which way he was heading. Having experienced strong winds and big waves this noon, Chu Fuxuan stared at the garage directional sign at this moment, feeling disoriented as if a lifetime had passed. Where was my car again?

Oh, I couldn’t find an empty spot on short notice, so I picked an expensive-looking SUV to block in front of… Sure enough, successful people just have too much free time, who knows which gentle township they’re lingering in; I didn’t receive a complaint call!

Chu Fuxuan rolled his eyes. Unintentionally sharing his opportunistic experience, he casually fobbed him off: “I found a nouveau riche to block. I forgot where I squeezed it in. I’ll just wander around the vicinity for a bit.”

He was terrified that if they happened to be going the same way, more unexpected complications would arise, so he vaguely spun this lie.

After hearing this, Qi Yingzhu expressed no opinion, merely letting out a short, inward scoff.

Thinking about it, it made sense. When he arrived, the area was already completely jammed. Chu Fuxuan came even later and one hundred percent wouldn’t have a place to park. Who knows who he went and terrorized.

They didn’t entangle with each other any further and parted ways right there. Chu Fuxuan slowed his pace to pull a distance away, and even took a half-circle detour in another direction.

However, as if the two had some ill-fated connection, their cars seemed to be parked in the exact same location. The more Chu Fuxuan walked, the more he broke down.

Finally, he saw Qi Yingzhu stop in front of an Aston Martin. The winged logo and the model seemed somewhat familiar?

With no room to avoid it, Qi Yingzhu lowered his head, plucked off the sticky note, and entered the number into his dial pad.

In the quiet underground garage, a ringtone suddenly played. Symphony No. 40 featured clarinets blowing and violins playing, with flutes occasionally chiming in to cause trouble.

Right before the French horns could start playing, Chu Fuxuan desperately clamped a hand over his pocket.

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(Author’s Note: Fuxuan: The first time I deeply felt my phone ringtone was so loud)