Shen Duoyi spent the whole morning talking with a client. He was thankful that he had brought a juicy pear with him. After washing it clean in the pantry and peeling off the skin, he slowly savored it while watching a bit of a tennis match.

To his surprise, when he returned, he found that the coffee on his desk had changed.

Before he could ponder who had visited, he received a call from the client he met in the morning. By the time the call ended, the lunch break was basically over. He gulped down the extra-milky coffee and dove headfirst into his afternoon work.

"Mr. Zhang?"

Glancing up, he saw Zhang Yiming passing by the office door. Shen Duoyi greeted him, not expecting the other party to push the door open and enter. Zhang Yiming sat down in the chair across the desk and casually picked up a document to read, asking, "Busy today?"

Shen Duoyi replied, "It's alright. I met with Mr. Xu from Shengzhao this morning."

"Oh, I see. He wants to open a personal account. We chatted briefly when we ran into each other before," Zhang Yiming swept a glance across the desk, "Have you finalized the proposal for him?"

"Not yet. Mr. Xu called at noon saying he also wants to open a corporate account and asked me to draft a plan first," Shen Duoyi turned his computer screen towards Zhang Yiming, "With a corporate account, the investment amount multiplies and the options change. I want to prepare two more alternatives."

Zhang Yiming tapped on the spreadsheet on the screen, "Just determine the ranges, no need to be too precise."

Shen Duoyi smiled sheepishly, "Old professional habit. I'll keep that in mind."

Zhang Yiming, who had been through the wringer and hated to leave any stone unturned, was slightly distracted. He inelegantly speculated for a moment before probing, "It wouldn't be hard for you to get promoted to Chief Actuary. Why did you quit?"

Why is everyone curious about this question? Shen Duoyi fiddled with his pen. He knew those who asked this way didn't want to hear the usual spiel, like more diverse development opportunities or higher pay. But he wasn't very good at dealing with superiors, and even after considering for a while, he couldn't come up with a suitable answer.

"I was just asking casually," Zhang Yiming flashed a smile, "Mr. Xu is a major client. If you have any questions, you can ask me directly, or consult with Mr. Qi on technical matters."

Shen Duoyi nodded, "Thank you, Mr. Zhang."

That said, in a clearly hierarchical environment, the biggest taboo was skipping levels in reporting, even when seeking advice. After Zhang Yiming left, he continued working on the previous plan, aiming to meet with Mr. Xu again within three days.

Maintaining a regular work and rest schedule was very difficult. Shen Duoyi could only manage half of it, which was getting up and working on time, but his rest time could be delayed indefinitely. After several busy days and nights without rest, getting up earlier than even the soy milk machine every day, his proposal had been revised over and over, and the data charts could be bound into a book.

Because he was so busy, he rarely left the office these past few days and had no chance to run into Qi Shi'an. He self-indulgently thought, with how hard he was working, whether it was Qi Shi'an or Ba Shi'an, whoever found out would feel gratified.

In fact, there was no gratifying atmosphere to speak of on the 30th floor. Annie felt that the boss was unhappy every day and his words were becoming more and more harsh. Rarely was the boss not around at this time, so she could relax a bit.

Qi Shi'an dove into the trading room of the futures department. Compared to the bright, clean, comfortable and spacious office, he preferred this important "No Entry Without Invitation" territory. Precious metals were all traded on the night market. He wasn't that busy at the moment, so he asked the secondary trader under him, "Which stock are you playing recently?"

The other party honestly replied, "Spring City Shares. Can you take a look for me?"

"Is there even a need to look?" Qi Shi'an acted indifferent and aloof, his demeanor especially irritating. "I glanced at it this morning. The index has already broken through and fallen."

Seeing the helpless and heartbroken expression on the other person's face after he spoke, he estimated that they had lost quite a sum. But he wasn't moved by compassion. Instead, he criticized very rationally, "You know how to drive a Mercedes-Benz. If you switch to a BMW, you wouldn't suddenly not know how to drive, right? Similarly, you understand futures trading. How can you make mistakes when switching to stocks?"

"Technique is the foundation. Gain experience to learn how to grasp probabilities and decisively cut losses based on trends," Qi Shi'an sighed, "There are only these three points. Whichever one you tend to forget, write it down and recite it a few times every day."

The supervisor jokingly interjected, "If you can't figure out the probabilities, go ask the consulting department's Team Leader Shen. That's his expertise."

Bringing up the very topic he wanted to avoid, Qi Shi'an had finally managed to forget, but now he was forced to think of it again. He thought Shen Duoyi had been deliberately avoiding him for several days, and he was still agonizing over whether what he said was serious enough to make them never see each other again till their dying days.

A message popped up on his phone. It was from Zhang Yiming: "Did you look at the information I gave you before?"

Qi Shi'an replied, "No time."

Documents that didn't need to be dealt with urgently were all in black folders, so he hadn't looked at it promptly. Later when he got busy, he forgot about it. Now that Zhang Yiming took the initiative to ask, he immediately got up and returned to the 30th floor, not intending to delay any further.

Opening the folder, the first page was the basic information of a certain consulting company. Flipping past this page, the content listed the names and photos of senior consultants. Under the youngest and best-looking ID photo was written the name Shen Duoyi.

Looking back at the company's registered owner, it was Shen Duoyi's former superior.

In the insurance industry, especially at the position of Shen Duoyi's superior, they were very familiar with people from the Insurance Regulatory Commission. Therefore, setting up a small company independently was not an issue. Moreover, the nature of a consulting company was different from an insurance company, so turning a blind eye was acceptable.

There was actually nothing wrong with hanging a license to earn some extra money.

But the current problem was that Shen Duoyi was already working at Ming'an. Would he disclose the information obtained at Ming'an to his former superior? Or share Ming'an's data?

Shen Duoyi had no idea what had happened. Withdrawing his hand that was shaking Mr. Xu's, he gestured "please" and said, "If there are no issues with the plan, we can sign the contract once the final proposal is ready. I will prepare the proposals for both the corporate account and your personal account."

After seeing Mr. Xu out the door, he finally fully relaxed after many busy days. He went to the restroom to wash his face and remembered the favor Meng Liang had asked of him.

Shen Duoyi called him and said, "Are you free tonight? Let's discuss your product."

Meng Liang replied, "I must be free. My treat. I'll send you the address."

"Alright, see you after work." Shen Duoyi held his phone and returned to the office, finally able to update the work summary for the next stage. Just as he picked up his pen, the internal phone rang again. Without checking the caller ID, he answered, "Hello, this is Shen Duoyi."

There was a brief pause on the other end before a self-introduction: "I'm Qi Shi'an."

The pen tip pressed against the notepad, forming a black dot. Shen Duoyi held the receiver, unable to discern the other party's mood from the brief sentence.

He inquired, "Mr. Qi, is there something you need?"

Qi Shi'an felt that the matter regarding the documents couldn't be explained in a few words, so he asked in return, "Do you have time to have dinner together tonight?"

Shen Duoyi answered truthfully, "Sorry, I have plans with a friend."

Qi Shi'an didn't know if the other person really had plans or was avoiding him, but he genuinely had something to ask. "Come to the 30th floor." He then hung up directly.

It was already near the end of the workday. When Shen Duoyi arrived on the 30th floor, Annie was already packing up. After greeting her, he silenced his phone and knocked on the heavy office door.

"Come in."

Upon receiving the response, he pushed the door open and walked straight to Qi Shi'an's desk, stopping in front of it. Seeing that the other party seemed unable to finish anytime soon, he pulled out a chair and sat down.

They hadn't seen each other for a few days, and it seemed like that night's events had become distant. Qi Shi'an looked at Shen Duoyi's nonchalant demeanor, then recalled the silhouette he had glimpsed at the restaurant that day. As soon as he spoke, he asked bluntly, "Are you avoiding me?"

Shen Duoyi denied, "No."

"Then why did you leave when you saw me at the restaurant?" Qi Shi'an pressed aggressively. "You don't even stay in the office, afraid I'll look for you?"

Shen Duoyi was slightly stunned and a bit confused. He replied, "I've been busy with Mr. Xu's matters these past few days and truly haven't had time for anything else."

This answer couldn't satisfy Qi Shi'an. He even jumped to a more difficult angle, asking, "So you completely disregard me?"

Remembering the document's contents, his mood became even more indescribable. The question that came out was tinged with a hint of helplessness, "Who am I in your eyes, anyway?"

Shen Duoyi was rendered speechless by the barrage of questions. Upon closer examination, not a single one was work-related. When he was in the elevator, he had thought Qi Shi'an was asking about his collaboration with Mr. Xu.

He had never expected praise or affirmation, but he certainly hadn't anticipated this outcome either.

He looked at the other person with a sense of loss and also asked, "And who am I in your eyes, anyway?"

Some things, if left unasked, would never happen. But as soon as half a sentence is uttered, all emotions burst forth like a flood. And who wouldn't bring up old grievances?

Shen Duoyi didn't wait for Qi Shi'an to answer and continued, "You simply think I'm angry and even avoiding you because of what you said that night. To be honest, I was indeed very upset. I may have served dishes in a nightclub and gotten so drunk for two thousand yuan that I couldn't stand straight, but that doesn't mean I should be compared to those mixed up in the nightlife scene. So I was very uncomfortable at the time."

Qi Shi'an retorted, "You talked behind my back, saying I sleep around. Do you think I felt comfortable?"

If they were even, why bring it up again? Shen Duoyi stared coldly at the other person and said with some hesitation, "Your reputation precedes you. Even the insurance company knows about it."

"You're even actively mentioning the insurance company?" Qi Shi'an's anger flared up, thinking Shen Duoyi was still being stubborn. Otherwise, how could he not know his own reputation? He threw the black folder over and mocked, "The insurance company's supervisor is much better than me, right? How much did Meng Ping give you for a piece of information?"

Shen Duoyi hadn't noticed the document, thinking Qi Shi'an was simply angry. He abruptly stood up to avoid the other party's rage from hitting him and replied, "What money? What did you call me up here to say?"

Qi Shi'an shouted, "See for yourself!"

Shen Duoyi picked up the document with a mix of confusion and anger. Upon opening it, he was stunned at first, then understood Qi Shi'an's meaning. The most perplexing thing was that this matter could be big or small, and his attitude and explanation were crucial. However, Qi Shi'an's earlier question indicated that his credibility was not high.

Shen Duoyi looked at the other person with stubbornness and disappointment, "From the past until now, in your eyes, I've always been someone who can be bought with money, right?"

"That depends on how you explain this matter." Qi Shi'an also stood up and even walked around the desk to stand in front of Shen Duoyi. He was equally stubborn, with an added measure of resentment. "And in your eyes, haven't I always been someone improper?"

Which was greater, prejudice or attraction? Even the stock market wasn't as difficult to fathom as them.

Humans are higher animals, but when dominated by emotions, their self-control is weaker than cats and dogs.

At that time, they had both felt sorry for their careless words that night, but now they had arrows to pierce each other's hearts.

Shen Duoyi raised his chin in the face of the oppressive feeling and retorted, "Didn't you say it yourself? You've slept with them all."

Qi Shi'an laughed in an extremely scoundrelly manner, "You believe whatever I say. So if I say I want you now, are you going to call the police?"

Scoundrel! Shameless!

It took Shen Duoyi a moment to understand. He sealed the curses in his throat, clenched his fist, and swung it at the other person, fiercely hitting the corner of Qi Shi'an's mouth!

Qi Shi'an's head turned slightly from the blow, and he swiftly grabbed Shen Duoyi's arm. Shen Duoyi said lightly, "I assaulted you. You can call the police."

The corner of his mouth was slightly cut. Qi Shi'an held the struggling paw in his hand and laughed even more unscrupulously, "I'll report it, saying Shen Duoyi bit and broke the corner of Qi Shi'an's mouth. Let's see how the police handle it."

Shen Duoyi's face flushed red. He was so angry that he trembled and couldn't speak. After a long while, he cursed in what he thought was a fierce manner, "Stop being so shameless! Aren't you afraid of being hit by a car when you go out?!"

Unexpectedly, Qi Shi'an's eyes changed, and his aura instantly disappeared without a trace. He said softly, "Have you forgotten? You wished me 'safe travels.'"