Page 21 of He Is My Bride

Meanwhile, one floor higher, Hanjun was on his way to Wu Yiheng’s office when he saw Wang Guosheng enter. Hanjun stood close by the door and could just about hear them:

“Wang Guosheng.” Wu Yiheng’s voice was flat.

“Chairman Wu. As per my last email, I have herein the potential new investors. They have expressed certain expectations as to the direction of the company before they would be willing to get on board. However, we are not talking about small sums, and I would urge the chairman to look at the proposals I have made to address their concerns.”

“Hm. I will familiarize myself with these at a suitable time.”

“I advise the chairman not to wait too long with his decision. I know the investors are actively looking to your competitors as well. Don’t hesitate to contact me, I will gladly arrange a meeting.”

“Noted. Thank you, Wang Guosheng,” Wu Yiheng dismissed him. The entire conversation had been spoken in a cold, overly formal tone, almost as if two bad television actors had been thrown in a scene together .

Hanjun softly stepped back just before Wang Guosheng opened the door. They exchanged a curt nod.

“Come in,” Wu Yiheng called to Hanjun.

Hanjun stepped into the office, closing the door behind him. He saw Wu Yiheng put away a dark folder into his bottom-most desk drawer. Hanjun bowed before Wu Yiheng from the waist, as was customary of the old-fashioned Wus when a senior received a junior in an official setting.

“You wished to see me, uncle?”

They proceeded to talk business over tea.

“After you’ve had time to settle,” Wu Yiheng said, “you will assume your new position.” Wu Yiheng said and sipped his tea. “I have arranged with the chief business officer that you will be taking on some of his duties, starting today, and assume the position by the end of next year.”

“What does the chief think of this?”

“He has settled on a generous severance package and will be happy to retire early. Wang Guosheng can no longer use him to his advantage.”

Hanjun nodded.

They drank their tea in silence until Wu Yiheng spoke again:

“Your cousin is well-liked in the company, but he’s too trusting when it comes to people. You are more careful. The company will rely on you to stay strong, moving forward…” Wu Yiheng placed his empty cup on the desk. “When our enemies move in to exploit our weaknesses.”

Hanjun nodded. He knew what Wu Yiheng meant: ‘when I have to retire,’ but he wasn’t ready to say it.

“And you must secure the future. You, or Hanrong. I’m not old yet, but I am aging.

I don’t feel like I have enough time to make sure you are ready for the day when you should lead the company.

If you were born any less inclined, I would fear leaving the company in your hands within the next ten years. ”

Hanjun was still listening to the meaning of Wu Yiheng’s words rather than the words themselves, and responded calmly:

“I have come to very much wish for children, uncle, and I’m ready to marry.”

Wu Yiheng seemed to bristle like a dragon. “Remember what I said about ‘being born inclined?’”

“Li Ying is the most intelligent person I have met. Wus would benefit from her joining our line.”

“Is she Mensa?”

“No. Has the score for it, but said she was not interested in joining clubs.”

“You speak as if out of practicality, but Hanjun, I fear this is where your judge of character is failing: you like her, so you can’t think about this logically.”

Hanjun stared at his uncle in frozen silence.

“The truth is that Li Ying is incorrigibly middle-class. The facts that she’s somewhat smarter than average and in medical school are no saving graces, considering her questionable background. She’s not good enough for a Wu. No matter how nicely you dress her up.”

Hanjun felt himself constricted. His hand squeezed his ceramic teacup on the table.

“She’s no better than those girls who pay to be trained to be ‘celebrity wives’ and buy themselves a new face and an entry into society, all to find a wealthy man for an easy life. Hanjun, she’s after your money.”

“That’s not true.”

“No? Even if she didn’t care about social climbing like the rest of her class, she still brings nothing to the table: no investment, no family relations, by heavens, she doesn’t even have a real family!”

Hanjun felt his anger almost boil over at his uncle’s harsh words, but he forced his voice to stay calm. “Then I wish to marry for love.”

“Your father married for love and you know what happened! ”

The cup shattered in Hanjun’s grip. He was gritting his teeth, breathing in shallow huffs, fighting against the tightness in his throat, the stone upon his heart.

“See, you are still too emotional,” Wu Yiheng said. “Get yourself together.”

“May I be dismissed, uncle?” Hanjun could hardly speak.

“Hanjun.” Wu Yiheng’s voice took on a gentler tone, but his empathy was too little, too late. “Not only do I want the best for the family and the company, but for you as well. I don’t want to see you end up like your father because of a doomed marriage.”

Hanjun sat like a statue, a trickle of blood running down his palm. Wu Yiheng sighed, took out his handkerchief, and handed it to his nephew.

“Go take care of that.”

Hanjun took the cloth and pressed it against his cut. He stood up and strode out of the office. Wu Yiheng was left behind, staring at the shattered pieces that remained.

—

Li Ying was making tours of the office with the two interns.

Li Ying admired the floor-to-ceiling views of the financial district from every window and appreciated the spacious layout.

The workers had access to a gym, and there was a spa on the property.

It looked like a cushy place to work. Yiyi was doing his best as a tour guide.

“The history of the company goes back to the, uh…” Yiyi looked at Xinyu.

“18th century,” Xinyu said.

“Yes, the 18th century! Wu Pharma used to make traditional Chinese medicine, but now it’s only a small part of what we do. There was probably more about the company history, but I don’t remember. Anyway, there’s free snacks and a coffee maker, if you want.”

“You know just what to say to make a girl’s day.” Li Ying smiled and winked, causing Yiyi to blush. “Thank you for showing me around. Could you take me to Hanjun’s office? I need to see him before I go.”

“Sure!” Yiyi led the way. “By the way, you can call me when you’re ready to leave, and I’ll take you anywhere you want.” Yiyi wrote down his personal number to give to Li Ying.

“Aw, a cute boy gave me his number!” Li Ying said. “Thanks, A-Yi!”

Yiyi’s cheeks kept growing redder. Xinyu was hardly holding back his laughter while watching his friend get mercilessly teased.

The interns took Li Ying outside a large office with a placard stating ‘Wu Hanjun—senior business manager’ by the door. Li Ying rang the buzzer.

“See you, A-Yi, A-Yu!” Li Ying said while waiting to be called in.

“See you, Miss Li!” The boys left to get lunch together. While they were getting into the elevator, Yiyi asked Xinyu in a hushed voice:

“Miss Li is pretty hot, right?”

Xinyu blushed. “She’s pretty.”

“Come on, she’s super sexy! Wu Hanjun is so lucky.”

“She’s nice, too.”

“Yeah! I hope Wu Hanjun marries her.”

“But then you can’t marry her.” Xinyu grinned.

“As if I could…” Then Yiyi’s eyes widened, and he looked at Xinyu. “Could I really marry an older woman?”

“I was joking.”

“What? Are you saying I’m not good enough for her? I’ve been told I’m super handsome!”

“It doesn’t count if it’s said by your mother.” Xinyu deflected Yiyi’s playful punch.

Meanwhile, Li Ying entered Hanjun’s office.

“Hello, Hanjun! How’s your day—What happened to your hand?” Li Ying saw Hanjun pressing his palm with a handkerchief, standing by his desk .

“I cut it,” Hanjun said.

“It’s not like you to be so clumsy. Show me.” Li Ying took a look around, marched out, and shortly returned with some first aid supplies. “Alright, let’s see.”

Hanjun held his hand out for Li Ying, who dabbed the wound with disinfectant. Hanjun didn’t budge, but Li Ying noticed him grimacing. Li Ying inspected the wound and found it was still bleeding.

“It’s not bad, hand wounds just tend to bleed,” Li Ying said. “This should only need some bandaging to get better in a few days.” Li Ying bandaged Hanjun’s hand with some swabs and gauze. “Junjun is being a very good patient.”

Hanjun was quiet.

“There, all better!” Li Ying took Hanjun’s hand gently to his lips and pressed a kiss on his knuckles. Unlike Wang Guosheng’s suffocating, aggressive cologne, Hanjun’s signature cypress fragrance was comforting, like stepping into the woods, calming, refreshing with the lingering notes of bergamot.

“Thank you,” Hanjun said.

“Oh, don’t thank me yet, I actually came here to give you trouble.” Li Ying licked Hanjun’s hand, and the man swiftly pulled it back.

Hanjun eyed around nervously; the office had all glass walls.

“That’s soundproofed glass, right?”

“Li Ying,” Hanjun warned.

“Good.” Li Ying pressed a button on the desk that made the glass walls turn opaque, blocking the view from the rest of the office.

There were still the huge windows facing outside: with another glass tower on the opposite side of the street, one could just about make out the people over in their offices.

“Mister Wu must be so stressed. I can help him relax.” Li Ying took Hanjun’s blue tie and ran it through his hand .

“Not in the office,” Hanjun said, but Li Ying didn’t think his resistance very convincing.

He smiled up at Hanjun and grabbed the tie, pulling him closer.

Hanjun stared at Li Ying’s eyes, his lips, and swallowed hard. Li Ying snickered puckishly and kissed him. Hanjun let him, lips gently ajar to welcome it, and Li Ying licked at his mouth.