Chapter Sixty-Five: Master Gongsun and Lady Shangguan

At the break of dawn, Yang Jiekai hastily cut himself a slice of yesterday’s leftover cake and hurried out the door. When he arrived at the company, most of the others had yet to come in. Yang Jiekai took the elevator straight to the third floor.

The third floor belonged to the Sales Department. Given its significance within the company and the sheer number of staff, the entire floor was dedicated to sales. Carrying the piece of cake and still feeling awkward about yesterday’s events, Yang Jiekai replayed what had happened in his mind. Yesterday, his own personal woes had caused him to say some hurtful things to Wu Caiyue. Only this morning did he realize his words had been excessive. He decided to bring her a piece of cake as a gesture of apology.

The Sales Department’s door was ajar. Inside, only a few cleaning ladies from logistics were busy with their brooms; the other employees had yet to arrive. Yang Jiekai wandered around, spotted Wu Caiyue’s nameplate and employee number in a corner, set the cake on her desk, and prepared to leave.

Though he regretted his actions from the day before, Yang Jiekai was a proud man. To apologize to Wu Caiyue face-to-face would be too awkward for him. So, he had come early specifically to avoid her. Whether Wu Caiyue would realize who had left the cake didn’t matter; what mattered was that making this small gesture allowed Yang Jiekai to feel a little better.

“Stop right there! What are you doing?”

Just as Yang Jiekai reached the door, a stern voice rang out from behind and he spun around at once!

When he’d arrived, aside from the two cleaning ladies, the office had seemed completely deserted. But now, seeing who had spoken, Yang Jiekai let out a breath and even shook his head with a wry chuckle at himself.

Clearly, living in a peaceful world had dulled the instincts he’d honed on the battlefield. He hadn’t even noticed there was someone else in the office.

The voice belonged to Zhang Hua, the head of the Sales Department. Zhang Hua had been in his inner office and had only come out to fetch something. Seeing Yang Jiekai’s unfamiliar silhouette, he’d barked the challenge.

As always, Zhang Hua wore a perfectly pressed suit, his back ramrod straight. Yet after yesterday’s beating, his face and the corner of his eye were bruised, making him look like a slimmed-down panda in a suit—utterly comical.

“Well, if it isn’t Director Zhang. What’s with the smoky eye makeup for work today?” Yang Jiekai had never cared for the man and couldn’t resist a sly jab.

Zhang Hua ignored the sarcasm, instead meeting Yang Jiekai’s eyes. “Thanks for yesterday.”

“For what?” Yang Jiekai was genuinely puzzled.

Without another word, Zhang Hua picked up his file and returned to his office.

Yang Jiekai stood there, feeling a bit sheepish. He’d just insulted the man, and yet Zhang Hua hadn’t taken it to heart—he’d even thanked him.

Yang Jiekai, of course, understood what Zhang Hua meant. If not for his intervention with Old Stick and the others yesterday, who knows how much worse Zhang Hua’s beating would have been.

With a sigh, Yang Jiekai left the Sales Department. As he walked out, he muttered, “Why is that guy here so early…”

He hadn’t meant for anyone to hear, but one of the cleaning ladies replied offhand, “Director Zhang always comes in an hour earlier than everyone else.”

“What for?” Yang Jiekai turned, curious.

“Oh, for work, of course. That Zhang kid’s had a tough time of it. When he first joined, he was just a poor boy, always gnawing on hard bread, with no connections or backing. He’d be out early and home late, selling the company’s products. Worked his way up step by step. Not easy at all…” The cleaning lady sighed as she spoke, mopping the corridor.

Yang Jiekai smiled to himself. Could he have misjudged Zhang Hua all this time?

Changing into his uniform in the locker room, Yang Jiekai began another day of light, uneventful patrols. Near noon, he sat in a corner of the company cafeteria with Qin Feng and the others, each poking at a boxed lunch out of boredom.

Usually, Gongsun ate as if vying with someone for the last bite, but today he was acting strangely. He ate slowly and absentmindedly, pausing often to stare into space. Halfway through his meal, he simply pushed the box away. “I’m done. No appetite.”

Gongsun was known for his thrift; he’d even split a cigarette for two smokes, let alone waste food. Normally, he’d clean his plate so thoroughly there’d be no need to wash it. Today’s behavior was completely out of character.

“What’s wrong with you, Gongsun? Did you win the lottery? Feeling extravagant today!” Qin Feng teased, putting extra emphasis on “extravagant.” In all the time he’d known Gongsun, this was the first he’d seen him leave food.

Yang Jiekai, too, found it odd. Ever since they’d started their shift, Gongsun had seemed preoccupied, weighed down by some secret.

“Gongsun, what’s happened? Tell us, we’re your brothers.” Yang Jiekai asked with genuine concern.

Gongsun sighed, as if steeling himself, then slapped the table with determination. “I’ve made up my mind!”

“Made up your mind about what?” Qin Feng asked, puzzled.

“I thought about it all night, and I’ve decided!”

“Just spit it out, man! What have you decided?” Qin Feng was getting impatient with Gongsun’s roundabout way of speaking.

“I’m going to confess to Goddess Shangguan tomorrow!” Gongsun’s eyes were resolute, as if preparing to walk through fire and blades.

Qin Feng snorted dismissively. “All that fuss for this? If you want to confess, go for it. I thought it was something important.”

“But I’m going to confess to Miss Shangguan!” Gongsun was flustered by Qin Feng’s indifference.

Qin Feng licked his lips. “So what? I’ve confessed so many times since I was a kid. My record is three in a single day.”

“But this is my first love! I’ve never confessed to anyone before!” Gongsun was disgruntled that Qin Feng treated such a monumental event so lightly.

When Qin Feng ignored him, Gongsun turned to Old Stick, who sat eating silently. “Old Stick, will you support me?”

Old Stick glanced at him but said nothing, simply returned to his meal.

Gongsun was truly anxious. He turned to Yang Jiekai with a pitiful look. “Brother Yang, what about you…”

To Yang Jiekai, confessions were hardly a big deal. He hadn’t confessed as often as Qin Feng, but seeing Gongsun’s hopeful eyes, he couldn’t bear to dismiss him. “Yes, I support you. You can do it. Good luck!”

“You’re the best, Brother Yang!” Gongsun beamed at finally having an ally. “Brother Yang, how should I confess to Miss Shangguan tomorrow? Just tell her I like her?”

“Mm,” Yang Jiekai replied vaguely.

“That simple?” Gongsun was incredulous; to him, this was a grave and difficult affair.

“So do you think Miss Shangguan will turn me down?” he asked, still uneasy.

Yang Jiekai began to regret not ignoring him like the others. Wasn’t it just a confession? How could this guy go on and on about it?

“Well, it depends,” Qin Feng interjected. “If she likes you, you’ll succeed. If she doesn’t, you won’t.”

“Do you think Miss Shangguan likes me?” Gongsun turned his questions to Qin Feng.

“How would I know? I’m not her!” Qin Feng replied, exasperated.

“Come on, do you think she does or not?” Gongsun was relentless.

Qin Feng looked him up and down, then shook his head. “Honestly, I doubt it.”

“Why not!” Gongsun nearly leapt from his seat, eyes wide, as if about to devour Qin Feng.

“You’re so plain—what girl would like you?” Qin Feng shot him a glance.

Gongsun paused, then looked himself over, crestfallen. “But I have a beautiful soul…”

“A beautiful soul counts for nothing,” Qin Feng scoffed and returned to his meal.

Gongsun looked as though he might burst into tears, head bowed in dejection.

Old Stick, silent until now, finally spoke up with a sigh. “Alright, help him out. If this doesn’t get resolved, he’ll drive us crazy.”

Qin Feng conceded. “Fine, I’ll help you this once.”

Having agreed, he put down his chopsticks and launched into a masterclass on wooing women and the art of confession. His advice was lively and engaging; Gongsun listened so intently he barely blinked, one step away from taking notes.

“That’s about it. But in the end, you’ll have to improvise…” After more than ten minutes, Qin Feng wrapped up his lecture.

“Will that really work?” Gongsun was still insecure; to him, Qin Feng’s methods seemed fantastical, like something off TV.

“No guarantees, but it’s better than just walking up and asking if she likes you,” Qin Feng said, then turned to Yang Jiekai. “Brother, you’re head of Security. You’ll have to organize things tomorrow.”

Still dazed from Qin Feng’s elaborate schemes, Yang Jiekai agreed without hesitation. Partly to help Gongsun, partly because it sounded like fun.

Qin Feng’s plan was to go big. Gongsun’s appearance was too plain, so the spectacle would have to make up for it. The idea was straight out of a movie: gather the security team early, decorate the scene, hide everyone around, and when Miss Shangguan appeared, surprise her with a confession she’d never expect.

Once the plan was set, Qin Feng whipped out his phone and called a florist. “Hello, I need a bouquet of roses and a banner. Yes, for a confession. Right. The man’s name is Gongsun Tiedan, the woman’s name is Shangguan Shufen. Make the names big. We’ll pick it up tomorrow morning…”

After hanging up, Qin Feng noticed that Yang Jiekai had been petrified on the spot.

Mr. Gongsun. Miss Shangguan.

Gongsun Tiedan. Shangguan Shufen. Thunderstruck was the only word for it. After all these years, Yang Jiekai had only now learned Gongsun’s full name. What were his parents thinking? That surname was thoroughly ruined. And the Shangguan family wasn’t much better—Shangguan Shufen? What on earth were they thinking!