The medium-sized office was in a momentary uproar because of this new leader who had been parachuted in. The unmarried female colleagues were even more agitated, chattering away: "Manager Gu is handsome, alright, but I wonder if he has a wife. Anyway, he looks like a big iceberg, probably not easy to deal with. Why did headquarters transfer someone like him down here?"

A handsome guy was easy on the eyes, but work was more important.

Fang Qia was distantly related to Old Luo and knew more than the others. Hearing this, she glanced at the tightly shut office door, took out a small mirror to touch up her makeup, and said in a low voice, "I heard from Old Luo that this Manager Gu is a big shot at the head office, a real ruthless character. Our performance here can't compete with the other divisions anyway. We'd be so unlucky if we got laid off. Even though he's handsome, we should probably be careful."

"That explains it. No wonder Old Luo was so attentive."

Li Si'ao was a team leader and usually feared these young women's gossip the most. He also had some unspoken feelings for Fang Qia. Hearing her praise Gu Qingzhou's looks, he scoffed, "Don't spread rumors just because you heard some gossip. If he were really a big shot, why would he be transferred to a dump like this? He probably messed up and got a demotion disguised as a promotion. Get back to work, can't you be quiet first thing in the morning?"

Fang Qia huffed and turned away, ignoring him. In her heart, though, she believed eighty percent of it. The Hai City branch was at the bottom among all the subsidiaries. The head office paid them no mind; insiders all said they were treated like children from a previous marriage. Being sent here was no different from being exiled three thousand li in ancient times.

Jiang Xu sat at his desk, pulling out a few tissues to wipe the blood from his elbow. He kept looking up at the office door, feeling like his life was a total joke. Li Si'ao knocked on his partition, "Hey, hey, hey, you were handling that Tianxing Garden project, right? The client wasn't satisfied with the last proposal and asked you to revise it. Have you finished? They've been rushing us."

Jiang Xu crumpled the tissue into a ball and threw it into the trash bin. "Nope, my computer broke yesterday."

Li Si'ao sucked in a sharp breath. "Hiss, you don't want this job anymore, do you?"

Jiang Xu leaned back in his chair without a word. There had been too many shocks this morning. After a moment, he said to him meaningfully, "I don't think I'll be working here for much longer either."

Didn't he know Gu Qingzhou? Petty and vengeful. A large part of the reason they had broken up back then was that Jiang Xu couldn't stand Gu Qingzhou's overly domineering personality. It would be a miracle if the man didn't take this opportunity to get his revenge.

Looking at the clear sky outside, Jiang Xu suddenly felt it was dark and cloudy, his heart like dead ashes.

Li Si'ao's brain couldn't quite keep up. "Huh?"

Jiang Xu only said: "The heavens want me dead..."

Just as Li Si'ao was about to say something, he saw Old Luo walk out of the office, followed by Gu Qingzhou. He shut his mouth and sat back down.

Old Luo had worked here for many years, after all, and couldn't help but feel reluctant to leave. He looked around and said, "Manager Gu and I have pretty much finished the handover. Everyone, finish up your work early today. My treat tonight, as a farewell dinner for me and a welcome dinner for Manager Gu. Everyone must come, not one less."

After speaking, he patted Gu Qingzhou's shoulder. "Don't look down on it, you must give me this honor."

Gu Qingzhou nodded slightly. "You're too kind. I will definitely be there."

He walked Old Luo to the elevator before returning. His gaze swept across the office area, finally settling on Jiang Xu, making the latter's skin crawl.

Seeing Jiang Xu subtly turn his body to avoid his gaze, Gu Qingzhou smiled inscrutably, his expression as mocking as ever, and turned to walk into his office.

For the rest of the time, several team leaders were called in for individual talks. Li Si'ao was among them. When he came out, he couldn't help but click his tongue, whispering to his team members, "Well, this new guy is not to be trifled with. If you guys slack off again and get caught, I'm not covering for you."

Then he said to Jiang Xu, "Especially you, secretly playing games on your phone at work. A hundred yuan fine for every time you're caught. This new guy isn't as easy to fool as Old Luo. He just asked me for the performance reports from the past few years. From the sound of it, it seems like he's planning layoffs."

Jiang Xu was revising a design at his computer. Hearing this, he lifted his eyelids, tossed his mouse aside, and instinctively felt it was aimed at him. He muttered to himself, "I have an eighty-year-old mother to support and infants crying for food. If I get laid off, I'll have to live on air."

"Pah, you're a single dog, where are your crying infants? And an eighty-year-old mother? Did your mom give birth to you when she was sixty?" Fang Qia tossed a pack of snacks into his arms. "Even if there are layoffs, it won't be you. Your performance is number one. If Old Luo hadn't left, you'd probably have been promoted to team leader this year."

Loving money had its perks. Jiang Xu had worked a lot of overtime for bonuses, a total workaholic. He just had a habit of slacking off and playing games at work, calling it "searching for inspiration."

Jiang Xu grinned. "Don't say that, sister. We have a new leader now, you know. The more you say, the sadder I get."

His health was poor when he was a child, and people said he wouldn't live long. Mother Jiang was superstitious and, following the old-fashioned way, gave him a "weak" name. At first listen, one might think it was a girl's name, and his facial features were also a bit too exquisite.

Jiang Xu was born with a pair of fox eyes. When he raised an eyebrow to look at someone, there was a roguish hint to it. Coupled with his rebellious youth, his temperament still held a hidden unruliness and didn't appear feminine. Fang Qia's face couldn't help but blush for a second as she whispered, "Just do your job well. Maybe Manager Gu will promote you to team leader too."

Li Si'ao waved the folder in his hand, flashing it past Fang Qia's pretty almond eyes, and shot her a look. "Still chatting? I think you two might as well leave together."

Fang Qia ignored him and turned to work on her 3D modeling.

Jiang Xu was usually very efficient at work, but today he felt somewhat listless. He negotiated with a difficult client on one hand while slowly revising the design on the other. By the afternoon, he had completed less than a third of it. After slumping in his chair for a long time, he finally sat up, but he was playing Anipop.

Li Si'ao, as the team leader, had been tracking his progress. Seeing this, he glanced at Jiang Xu. "Finished revising?"

Jiang Xu's eyes were fixed on the screen, his mouse clicking rapidly, a stark contrast to his lazy attitude when revising the design. "No inspiration. I'm just relaxing."

His phone was on the desk, messages popping up one after another. Jiang Xu glanced at it—it was his group of degenerate friends chatting. He smiled and put it back.

Li Si'ao felt his mood was strange today. "What are you smiling at?"

Jiang Xu coughed lightly and said in a low, half-joking voice, "A cousin of mine, she's looking for a job. She just got hired, and it turns out her new boss is an ex-boyfriend she dumped. And that guy is super petty and holds grudges. Isn't that just the worst luck? She's freaking out, asking the family what to do."

Li Si'ao said, "Hah, just quit. Otherwise, she's dead sooner or later."

Hearing this, Jiang Xu's eyelids twitched, and he subconsciously sat up straight. "Dead in what way?"

Although there were plenty of examples online of love turning to hate and resulting in murder, it couldn't be that serious, right? He usually liked reading all sorts of bizarre news, and for a moment, terrifying words like stabbing, dismemberment, and acid attacks flashed through his mind, scaring himself.

Li Si'ao said without turning his head, "Worn down by him making things difficult for her, of course."

Jiang Xu: "..."

You're a real genius.

His back was to the office door, so he didn't notice the situation behind him. Just as he was about to say something, Li Si'ao's expression suddenly changed. He quickly turned back to his desk and buried his head in some documents. Jiang Xu was completely oblivious and even kicked his chair. "Besides that, is there no other way?"

Li Si'ao didn't make a sound, just coughed forcefully, thinking, 'Just shut up, will you.'

Jiang Xu was lost in thought and didn't notice anything was wrong. Seeing that he wasn't talking, he spun around coolly in his swivel chair, preparing to continue his game of Anipop, only to find Gu Qingzhou standing behind him at some point.

Jiang Xu: "..."

Li Si'ao, damn you to hell...

The office water dispenser had broken yesterday. Gu Qingzhou was holding a coffee mug, probably on his way to the break room to get some water. He glanced at Jiang Xu, then tapped the back of the computer monitor with his knuckle. The game interface was still on the screen, not having been switched back in time, its vibrant colors particularly conspicuous. "What's going on?"

Jiang Xu, a veteran slacker, was used to slacking off. Having stumbled so badly this time, he was at a loss for words. He rubbed his nose and could only play dumb. Seeing this, everyone else held their breath and didn't dare to make a sound. The office was so quiet that only the clatter of keyboards could be heard.

After waiting for a moment and seeing he wasn't talking, Gu Qingzhou withdrew his gaze and walked toward his office, his voice cold. "Finance, take note. Deduct one hundred from his salary this month."

His perfect attendance for the day was already gone, and now he was docked another hundred. Hearing this, Jiang Xu's body stiffened, feeling as if his heart was bleeding. Li Si'ao knew him well and patted his shoulder. "I told you not to slack off. See, you got caught."

He then tried to comfort him, "It's fine. He's just making an example of you to warn the rest of us. You just happened to be the target. He definitely won't be this strict in the future."

"Go, get away from me," Jiang Xu shook off his hand. "You're willing to be the monkey, but I'm not willing to be the chicken."

He wanted to tell Li Si'ao, was this really just making an example? This was blatantly making things difficult for him.

Jiang Xu quit the game in a few clicks and quickly did the math in his head. Four hundred for the perfect attendance bonus, over five hundred for the wrecked bicycle, a cracked phone screen, plus the hundred that was just deducted. The preliminary estimate of his losses for the day already exceeded one thousand. It was nothing short of a disaster.

After this incident, he was in no mood to slack off anymore. He dutifully sat at his computer and revised the design until the end of the workday. Old Luo sent the dinner party's address to the work group chat. Those with cars drove, and those without hailed their own taxis. As long as they could get there, it was fine.

The night was still stuffy and hot. Leaving the air-conditioned office, even breathing felt a bit difficult. Jiang Xu confirmed the pickup time with the computer repair shop and then waited for the bus at the company's bus stop, a cigarette held between his fingertips, its ember glowing and fading.

Fang Qia had her own car. She came out with Li Si'ao and waved at Jiang Xu. "Get in, I'll give you a ride."

Jiang Xu had no intention of going at all. He always avoided such dinners if he could. He'd much rather use the time to go back and work on design drafts to earn some extra money. He looked up, his gaze sweeping over the two of them, and blew out a puff of cold white smoke. "No need, I'm going to check on my computer on the way. You guys go ahead."

Li Si'ao secretly gave him a thumbs up, thinking Jiang Xu was a true bro. Fang Qia brushed back her wind-tousled hair and didn't insist. "Alright, we'll head off then."

At night, it was as if all the people and cars had suddenly poured out onto the streets, causing a terrible traffic jam. Jiang Xu was looking at the route map when the sound of a car horn suddenly blared in his ear. He looked up instinctively and saw a pure black car stopped not far away. The window was rolled down, and a hand with well-defined knuckles reached out.

The person didn't show his face, only silently beckoning with a finger. A decorative silver ring on his pinky finger glinted with a soft light, making his skin look fair.

It was a somewhat flirtatious gesture, yet it gave people a cold feeling.

The streetlight refracted a brilliant halo on the windshield, and with the distance, Jiang Xu couldn't see the person's face very clearly. But he knew it was Gu Qingzhou. After a moment's hesitation, he walked over.

Gu Qingzhou sat in the driver's seat, one hand casually resting on the steering wheel, his suit cuff revealing half of his wrist bone. Half of his face was hidden in shadow, making it hard to see clearly. Only his voice was normal, like old friends reuniting after many years, carrying a hint of familiarity, as if the blank years of their separation didn't exist. He said inscrutably, "What, your old boss is retiring, and you're not planning to see him off?"

Retiring, not dying. What was there to see off?

Jiang Xu inadvertently revealed the indifference hidden in his bones. He leaned over, resting his hand on the car roof, and subtly sized up Gu Qingzhou's expression, unsure for a moment if the other man still held a grudge against him. But it was best not to offend him either way. He flicked his cigarette ash and said, "I'm going. Who said I'm not going? Aren't I waiting for the bus?"

A wisp of smoke was scattered by the night wind and drifted into the car window. The originally faint scent of mint air freshener was now tinged with an abrupt smell of tobacco. Gu Qingzhou frowned slightly, then relaxed after a moment, saying to Jiang Xu coolly, "Get in."

Jiang Xu looked at him, not moving.

Gu Qingzhou raised an eyebrow slightly, his eyes more black than white. "What, scared?"

For some reason, Jiang Xu's rebellious spirit always dissipated into a kind of unconfident guilt in front of him. Although he didn't know what Gu Qingzhou was up to, he still stubbed out the cigarette and opened the door to get into the passenger seat.