The vast office seemed to echo with those simple seven words, which turned into a blunt, almost naked invitation. Shen Duoyi felt a bit flustered, as he hadn't heard such words for many years, and the last time seemed to be from the very person in front of him.

Qi Shi'an clutched the cufflink he had been searching for into his palm, the jewel inlaid on it digging painfully into his flesh. He wanted to say something more to further catalyze Shen Duoyi's emotions, but his innate arrogance and sudden reserve stopped him, even choking his throat.

Shen Duoyi finally responded, "Let's see how it goes at the time."

For him, this was the best answer. He didn't clearly and ruthlessly reject the boss, but also showed no intention of agreeing. The person next to the boss should be a high-level executive. Actually, no matter who it was, it shouldn't be him, a newcomer.

He didn't want to break the rules.

Qi Shi'an fully understood, "I get your thinking, but you overlooked one point. Normally, no subordinate would dare speak to the boss this way."

Sit next to me at dinner tonight.

Let's see how it goes at the time.

Shen Duoyi was slightly stunned, unable to come up with an explanation for a moment. Qi Shi'an helped him, saying leisurely, "Your answer is based on your subconscious, and your subconscious is - I won't get angry."

"But why do you think I won't get angry?" Qi Shi'an asked calmly. "Because in your heart, I'm not just a boss, right?"

Shen Duoyi's thoughts surged, not knowing where to look. He gripped the report, glancing at the red comments on it, and cleverly said, "Yes, a teacher and a friend, if we don't mention the past."

He had already signed the agreement and contract, just wanting to work well and get promoted with a raise. Qi Shi'an's appearance was an accident, but if he couldn't avoid it, he would minimize the impact of the accident.

If he didn't return soon, other colleagues in the department would start gossiping. Qi Shi'an also didn't want to torture people gently like an executioner wielding a tender knife. Anyway, there would be plenty of time and opportunities in the future.

Since the executioner sheathed his knife, Shen Duoyi, the one awaiting slaughter, retreated from the 30th floor conference room as if greatly pardoned. Soon it was near the end of the workday. Thinking that they would meet again at dinner, he couldn't even recall his train of thought for writing the work summary.

It was the height of spring, but the welcome party venue was called "Summer Restaurant". The entire third and fourth floors were reserved. All employees of Ming'an would have their first company dinner of the year tonight.

The third floor had a Chinese-style decor, with numerous pots of green plants hanging on the four walls, and several birdcages of varying sizes hidden among the leaves. While waiting for the dishes to be served, the stock department chatted about stocks, the forex department chatted about forex, and departments unrelated to actual trading techniques chatted about everything.

Shen Duoyi sat quietly in his seat drinking water. After finishing, he searched for the small seal script on his phone, wanting to know what was written on the wall. Team Leader Qi beside him, at the same level, peeked over and said, "Why even look this up? The wind moves over the water, naturally forming patterns. It's from Zhuangzi, right?"

Shen Duoyi was actually searching for the complex signature. He could understand the sentence itself and knew it was from the Book of Changes, not Zhuangzi. He smiled at Team Leader Qi, then put away his phone and changed the subject, "Why aren't they serving the food yet? My stomach is growling."

The welcome party organized by Qi Shi'an was only announced as treating everyone to dinner, and he directly invited the entire company. Because of this, Shen Duoyi was surrounded by the greatest festivity, but no one would pay excessive attention to him. He felt very comfortable and content, able to be infected by others' happiness without needing to socialize politely.

The dishes were finally served. Qi Shi'an almost immediately picked up his chopsticks. If he didn't take the first bite, those below wouldn't start eating. As he ate, he listened to Zhang Yiming chatter in his ear, while glancing at Shen Duoyi in the distance.

Reality is always 108,000 miles away from the ideal. From the moment he sat down, he was surrounded by executives reporting work, and Zhang Yiming had to pour out his grievances beside him.

"Let's eat first. Aren't you tired of talking?" He couldn't stand it anymore. "Here, have a shrimp."

Zhang Yiming continued rambling while chewing the shrimp, "In the future, take turns entertaining people from the stock exchange. Next time should be you. Why is it always me?"

Qi Shi'an retorted, "Then will you trade for me?"

"Come on." Zhang Yiming ceased fire and drank half the alcohol in his glass. "Shi'an, what exactly is your relationship with Shen Duoyi?"

Qi Shi'an remained silent. He saw Shen Duoyi gnawing on a crab leg and laughing, a rare silly look that he really wanted to capture. Zhang Yiming put his arm around his shoulder and said softly, "If there's nothing between you, I won't give him any face."

Qi Shi'an finally took Zhang Yiming's words seriously and turned his face slightly, "What's the matter?"

"What else could it be? Work matters." Zhang Yiming finished the remaining half glass of alcohol. "He has a good relationship with his old boss at the insurance company. It's hard to say if he's completely cut off business ties. And his license is still registered with another consulting firm to make money on the side."

Qi Shi'an thought of the old keychain that hadn't been replaced, and also recalled Shen Duoyi sweating in pain to earn two thousand yuan. For a moment, he was at a loss for words, not knowing how to judge the other party's "bending over for five bushels of rice" once again.

After a few rounds of drinking, the seating was all messed up. Some went upstairs to enjoy the view after eating their fill, while others went to tease the thrush in front of the cages. Shen Duoyi gnawed on a crab leg until the end of time, his hands full of the smell of cooked crab.

The restroom was empty. He carefully washed his hands several times, only stopping when he confirmed only the fragrance of hand soap remained. After washing, he didn't return to his seat, but wandered up to the fourth floor. The murals on the fourth floor were painted with heavy ink and colors, and the floor was covered with an intricately patterned woven carpet, seemingly in a West Asian style.

The fourth floor also had no windows. It felt like being in an open-air hotel. The wind blew in, brushing against his face, feeling a bit comfortable and a bit cool. Shen Duoyi sat down on the sofa in the corner and happened to answer a phone call.

"Senior, are you interested in new insurance products suitable for the elderly?"

"Did you design them?" The knit sweater was see-through with a breeze. He hugged a throw pillow for warmth. "Tell me about it. If it's suitable, I'll buy it to support your work."

Meng Liang gave a concise introduction over the phone. As they were both professionals, hearing a couple of keywords was enough to understand the essence. Shen Duoyi silently calculated, leaning his head back on the backrest, "It's a bit similar to the Platinum Plan. Has it been officially launched?"

Meng Liangle said, "Actually, not yet."

"Then why are you rambling on and on? Can't you just directly ask for advice?" Shen Duoyi jokingly scolded him, his voice unconsciously rising. Just as he was feeling happy, his entire field of vision was suddenly blocked by a figure approaching him. Startled, he sprang up from his half-reclining position, his heart still pounding, and said, "Mr. Qi, how come you walk so silently?"

Qi Shi'an retorted, "The carpet is too thick, or maybe you were too engrossed in your phone call."

"I have a situation here. I'll call you back later." Shen Duoyi hung up the phone, still hugging a cushion. When he sat down again, Qi Shi'an squeezed next to him, occupying the spot he had just warmed up. But only after sitting down did he realize that Qi Shi'an was blocking the cold wind for him.

"A welcome party should at least include a 'welcome', right? Welcome to Ming'an."

"Thank you," Shen Duoyi turned to look at him. "If we had never met before, would you have invited me?"

Qi Shi'an replied, "Zhang Yiming asked me before interviewing you. I told him I had confidence in you, but I didn't do anything else."

Shen Duoyi said again, "Thank you."

The two sat side by side on the sofa. From the back, their physiques looked quite different. Shen Duoyi's shoulders and neck still resembled those of a teenager, while Qi Shi'an had broad shoulders.

After a moment of silence, the atmosphere became a bit awkward. Shen Duoyi felt that Qi Shi'an wanted to say something but hesitated, so he quietly waited. More and more colleagues came up to the fourth floor after finishing their meal, and more and more people came to enjoy the view. He felt a bit restless and stood up, saying, "This is my first time at this restaurant. I'll go up to the fifth floor and take a look around."

Shen Duoyi slowly climbed the stairs, taking the opportunity to call Meng Liang back. "My boss suddenly appeared just now, giving me a fright."

Meng Liang asked, "Which boss? The player one?"

Shen Duoyi hadn't responded yet, because when he reached the corner of the stairs, he heard an unusual commotion.

"You're still wearing the necklace I gave you? Do you like the recent design? I'll give it to you too."

"Don't move around. I can unfasten the clasp with one hand, but I can't fasten it with one hand."

"Take my car keys. Wait for me in the car after we're done here."

...

Zhang Yiming was cuddling a girl at the corner, and Shen Duoyi vaguely remembered that the girl was an employee from the HR department. Putting aside the company rule of "no dating within the company," didn't Zhang Yiming's girlfriend just get into a traffic accident?

"Senior, why aren't you saying anything?"

Shen Duoyi came back to his senses and quietly retreated, answering, "I saw Boss Zhang having an affair, but isn't Boss Qi supposed to be the promiscuous one?"

As soon as he finished speaking, his shoulders bumped into something.

Qi Shi'an's chest wasn't hurt by the collision, but his mind was shocked by Shen Duoyi's words, losing all reason. When Shen Duoyi turned around, he leaned against the stair railing with his arms crossed, interrogating, "Who did you say was promiscuous just now?"

Shen Duoyi was forced to hang up the phone again and stammered, "You were already frequenting nightclubs in your teens..."

"You're allowed to work there, but I'm not allowed to be a customer?" Qi Shi'an was brimming with grievance, his temper continuously stretching and swelling. Finally, he deliberately said through gritted teeth, "To tell you the truth, the good-looking people in nightclubs, I've done them all!"

As expected, Shen Duoyi's eyes widened as he looked at him, but Qi Shi'an couldn't read the emotions in them.

After a moment, Shen Duoyi said softly, "Remember to use protection."

On the windless staircase, Qi Shi'an's blood pressure instantly soared to 180.

Shen Duoyi took advantage of the other party's anger-induced daze and immediately went downstairs to leave this troublesome place. However, as he passed by, his arm was suddenly gripped tightly. Qi Shi'an turned his face to look at him, his eyes filled with an indistinguishable coldness of the deep sea or the scorching heat of a bonfire.

He only heard him threaten, "You know, the one I want to sleep with the most is you."