Chapter 5: 5

Ever since that phone call with Luo Ting, Lin Hui had been thinking about resigning. Luo Ting advised him not to be too impulsive. If Lin Hui disregarded the issue of He Jianshan, this job really did suit him a lot. Plus, he still had a mortgage to worry about. He needed to consider whether resigning was actually feasible or not.

However, this date with Min Jia reminded Lin Hui that he was already thirty and He Jianshan was thirty-five. 

Even if He Jianshan wasn’t interested in marriage, that didn’t mean the people around him were going to let such an eligible bachelor off the hook. Over the past couple of years, the number of people who wanted to introduce him to girls had obviously increased. If He Jianshan could decline, he would decline. If he couldn’t, he would meet up with them once or twice. When Lin Hui told Luo Ting about it for the first time, Luo Ting had been completely shocked. He teased, “Who would’ve thought? Even an elite like He Jianshan can’t avoid being set up on blind dates.” Lin Hui laughed. “This elite guy even ate convenience store ramen with me. Although, he only took one bite.”

Within this secret love of his, Lin Hui was a lone warrior. Because of He Jianshan, he was both happy and suffering. He didn’t hope for a response nor did he think about the future. He was like a gambler, madly paying out with his feelings. He just wanted to love this man for another day.

 

 

When it was about time to get off work, He Jianshan asked Lin Hui to visit Hush with him.

Hush was a bar opened by He Jianshan’s friend, Xue Pei. He even invested in the bar in order to support his friend’s career. It was located on the well-known Xifeng Road. He Jianshan had picked the location. Xifeng Road was a very old street. Originally, there had been a lot of old buildings and historic districts lining the street. Later, the government demolished a part of it and remodeled another part of it. They managed to modernize the area while maintaining its original features at the same time, turning it into the artsy creative district that it was today. Hush was located at the end of Xifeng Road. After passing through a lush boulevard, a stylish two-story building would start coming into view. That was Hush. Whenever He Jianshan felt tired and needed to relax, he would come here to have a drink and chat. Lin Hui and He Jianshan had come here a couple of times. It was a private occasion, but He Jianshan felt that it would be better to bring Lin Hui along. Granted, he couldn’t exactly tell what about it was better. 

He Jianshan usually drove himself when it came to personal schedules. After Lin Hui got his driver’s license, he started doing the driving. Speaking of which, Lin Hui had He Jianshan to thank for his driver’s license. One time, He Jianshan’s driver, Zhao Jianhua, asked for leave. The other drivers at the company already had other arrangements. He Jianshan asked Lin Hui whether he had a driver’s license or not. Lin Hui admitted that he had already paid the fees, but he hadn’t had the chance to go learn.

 

He Jianshan gave him a rare smile. “When Mr. Zhao gets back, have him teach you.”

Just like that, Zhao Jianhua’s first task after reporting back was to teach Assistant Lin how to drive for an hour every day. They were even using the CEO’s million-dollar car for practice.

This starting point was way too high.

 

The place in which they practiced was an abandoned factory. There were nails and sheet metal all over the place. All sorts of materials were piled up in huge stacks. Lin Hui trembled as he drove for fear of scratching the car.

When Zhao Jianhua saw this, he said, “Assistant Lin, you need to relax your hands. Don’t hold the steering wheel so tightly. I’m right next to you. Nothing’s going to happen.”

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

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Zhao Jianhua was amused by him. “It’s all the same. If you learn how to drive now, it’ll save you a lot of trouble when you get to the driving school.”

On the day that Lin Hui got his driver’s license, the first thing he did was send Zhao Jianhua a red envelope. The second thing Lin Hui did was ask He Jianshan if he could drive him to the meeting at city hall.

Zhao Jianhua laughed. “Assistant Lin, you just got your driver’s license and you’re already gunning for my job?” Originally, Zhao Jianhua wouldn’t have dared to joke around in front of He Jianshan, but he and Lin Hui simply knew each other too well. Plus, the atmosphere in the car was so nice that he couldn’t help but relax. 

Lin Hui giggled when he heard this.

He Jianshan helplessly glanced at Lin Hui’s eager expression. Still, he nodded. “Mr. Zhao, sit in the passenger seat and keep watch.”

By now, Lin Hui was already very accustomed to driving He Jianshan’s car, so much so that his phone would automatically connect to the car’s Bluetooth. After tapping on the phone a couple times, music started to play in the car.

He Jianshan rarely spoke to him while he was driving. Sometimes, he’d look at his phone. Sometimes, he’d close his eyes. Occasionally, Lin Hui would quietly glance at him through the rearview mirror. However, today, He Jianshan didn’t do anything. He just silently stared at Lin Hui’s tall and stiff back. It wasn’t clear what he was thinking. 

Lin Hui could feel it.

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However, he didn’t ask. He just silently drove through the fog-like lights and the verdant green in the midst of gentle music.

 

By the time they arrived at Hush, it was 9:00 PM. They were right on time. As soon as they walked in, they headed straight for the only VIP room on the second floor. This room was reserved for He Jianshan all year round. Xue Pei had already prepared the alcohol and was waiting for them inside. When he saw that they finally arrived, he smiled and said, “Lin Hui, I haven’t seen you around for a while.”

Xue Pei was an enthusiastic and straightforward person. Because of He Jianshan, Lin Hui ended up becoming familiar with him. He had opened several bars in Beijing. Some of which were hot and noisy rave-type nightclubs. There were also bars like Hush. These were the quieter bars with live music and a cozy environment. In the past, Lin Hui and Luo Ting often spent time here. Later, Luo Ting’s wife was also added into the mix. The three of them would come here and talk about everything under the sun. Eventually, those two ended up having a kid, so the three of them started meeting up less and less. Lin Hui couldn’t really be bothered to come here by himself, so he didn’t really visit anymore. 

“That’s because your business is doing way too well. Every time I pass by here, it’s full of people. I can’t even get in.” Lin Hui smiled and exchanged a few words with Xue Pei. Then, he went downstairs and found a place to sit as he waited for the band to start playing.

Lin Hui actually really liked coming to Hush. He Jianshan was chatting with Xue Pei in the private room, but Lin Hui preferred to sit in a corner and watch others drink. Hush’s bartender, Ken, knew Lin Hui. When he saw Lin Hui sit down, he served up a newly released drink, Icy Summer Night. It was a dark blue drink mixed with ice cubes. Apparently, it was a must-try at Hush. The ladies loved it. Lin Hui didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He tasted it, but he couldn’t quite pinpoint the flavor. Either way, it was definitely icy.

At this moment, He Jianshan, who was in the private room on the second floor, also had a glass in his hands. He and Xue Pei casually clinked their glasses together. Then, he took a sip and set the glass down, looking out the window instead. One side of the room had a one-way glass window. He could see the entire bar from where he was sitting. Xue Pei followed his gaze and found that he was looking at Lin Hui.

Xue Pei couldn’t help but laugh. “Look at you. We’ve got an evil boss over here. You’re dragging Assistant Lin around even after work. Don’t you think you’re being annoying?” 

He Jianshan was stunned for a moment. It seemed that he hadn’t thought of this before.

“I bet he doesn’t even have the time to start a relationship.”

He Jianshan wanted to say that Wanzhu’s working hours were from nine to five. It wasn’t that bad. However, he suddenly remembered that Lin Hui worked directly under him. He was a lot busier than others, and he often worked overtime. So, He Jianshan irritably shut his mouth.

Xue Pei shook his head. “Jianshan, I’m not blaming you or anything, but you can’t work him to the bone just because he’s good at his job. You’ve got to give the guy a chance to rest.” 

He Jianshan coldly replied, “Wanzhu’s regulations are perfectly sound. Lin Hui has at least half a month of annual leave every year.”

“What’s the use? Although I haven’t worked an office job, I still know that, even if you’re on vacation, the phone calls will definitely keep coming.”

He Jianshan fell silent.

Xue Pei knew that he hit the mark and added more fuel to the fire. “You don’t need to drag Lin Hui along next time. He’s probably tired after a long day of work. So what if it’s a bar? He might look relaxed, but he hasn’t even touched his champagne.” 

He Jianshan could see a blue champagne glass sitting in Lin Hui’s hands from where he was sitting. Lin Hui’s eyes were fixed on the performers. He seemed to be enjoying the music, but his face was blank. The corners of his mouth were slightly downturned. The people around him were relaxed and cheerful. When Lin Hui was placed in the picture, he seemed a little out of place. In fact, ever since their chat in the reception room, He Jianshan kept getting the feeling that Lin Hui wasn’t in a particularly good mood. He started reflecting on whether he had been too strict, whether he had overlooked Lin Hui’s feelings. Maybe he should give Lin Hui a break or hand off some of his work to someone else.

“…Actually, he could refuse if he wanted to.”

“Who’d have the guts to refuse their own boss?”

He Jianshan felt that Xue Pei still didn’t quite understand Lin Hui. Lin Hui definitely had the guts to refuse him. In fact, he had refused He Jianshan many times. 

There was one year in which they visited Japan for an inspection. The host had warmly invited them to experience one of their local attractions, which was a bamboo forest hot spring. He Jianshan actually wasn’t that interested. Still, he figured that Lin Hui and the others might want to go, so he agreed. In the end, however, Lin Hui had been the only one to refuse.

“President He, I want to sleep.” Lin Hui looked very serious.

 

He Jianshan was actually a little surprised. He thought that Lin Hui would like this kind of activity. However, it didn’t really matter if Lin Hui went or not. In the end, He Jianshan and the others went to the hot springs while Lin Hui stayed at the hotel and slept. He slept pretty soundly too. The vice president brought him some midnight snacks, but, surprisingly, he wasn’t able to wake Lin Hui up at all.

Moreover, Lin Hui didn’t just refuse He Jianshan. Lin Hui was often very perfunctory with him as well. 

Since they worked so closely together, He Jianshan and Lin Hui often shared meals. He noticed that Lin Hui was always eating paofan, so he casually mentioned that paofan wasn’t good for his digestive system. When faced with his boss’ concern, Lin Hui naturally bobbed his head up and down, replying with “you’re right” and “I won’t do it again”. It sounded sincere, but Lin Hui hadn’t actually taken it to heart at all. He just continued on his own way. He Jianshan couldn’t understand how someone who was so serious and meticulous about work could be so casual in his day-to-day life.

He Jianshan didn’t explain any of this to Xue Pei. He just looked back towards Lin Hui. The first floor slowly started getting livelier. The music filled up every corner of Hush. Everyone in the bar was listening to the same song. Lin Hui was the only one whose mind wasn’t on the music, his heart heavy.

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