The apartment Jiang Xu rented wasn't big, but it was enough for a bachelor like him. Not far downstairs was a computer repair shop. He was on pretty good terms with the owner, so he managed to get his computer back before the shop closed. Then, as usual, he stayed up all night to rush his drawings.

Working in their line of business for too long could easily lead to sudden death, with a degree of balding no less than a programmer's. Fortunately, Jiang Xu had thick hair and showed no signs of hair loss yet. He set an alarm and only finished work to sleep at three in the morning.

There was no direct bus from his place to the company, and with the morning rush hour traffic, he rode his bicycle to work every day to save time and money. But it was clear that, in his state of exhaustion, Jiang Xu had selectively forgotten the fact that his bicycle had been wrecked. Combined with oversleeping from staying up late, he was magnificently late again the next day.

Old Luo usually came in late and didn't care much about their clock-in times, but Gu Qingzhou was different. He was the first one at the company bright and early. So when Jiang Xu tried to sneak in furtively, he was caught red-handed.

"Xiao Jiang," Gu Qingzhou, still in a suit, stood at the entrance with his arms crossed. He called out to him, mimicking Old Luo's tone, and reminded him with a half-smile, "You're late."

For some reason, Jiang Xu felt like he was back in high school, getting his name written down by the student council every day. He unconsciously adopted the arrogant air of a school bully. Seeing no one was looking their way, he put one hand in his pocket, took a step closer to Gu Qingzhou, and said in a low voice, "Hey, we were classmates, after all. Cut me some slack."

He was tall and slender, even a bit taller than Gu Qingzhou. When he suddenly moved closer, the sense of pressure was intense.

Gu Qingzhou remained unmoved. "The company has its rules."

Hearing this, Jiang Xu straightened up, his tone unfriendly. "Do you have to target me like this?"

Gu Qingzhou raised an eyebrow slightly. His long, clean fingers flicked the attendance sheet as he corrected, "I'm not targeting you. It's just that you're the only one who's late. It's not like I'm the one who made you late, is it?"

'Isn't it exactly you who's to blame?' Jiang Xu thought. 'If you hadn't wrecked my little bike, would I have been stuck on a bus in the middle of rush hour traffic?'

Seeing him silent, Gu Qingzhou smiled, exuding a slow, methodical elegance. "Since that's the case, let's follow the rules. A pay deduction it is."

Jiang Xu scoffed. "Go ahead and deduct it."

Ten yuan. As if anyone couldn't afford that.

Those simple words were spoken with the air of someone throwing away millions. Jiang Xu walked past Gu Qingzhou into the office and sat down nonchalantly at his desk, showing none of the shame or embarrassment a latecomer should have.

Seeing this, Gu Qingzhou's lips curled into a cold smile. He also returned to his own office, closing the door behind him.

Hearing the soft click of the door, everyone in the office looked up in surprisingly perfect unison. The originally subdued atmosphere instantly became lively as they began to whisper and complain.

"Damn, Manager Gu is too strict. He even cares about trivial stuff like being late. I really miss Old Luo right now."

"I told you he wasn't someone to be trifled with. Well, we'd better keep our heads down from now on. Lucky I got up early today."

Jiang Xu sat at his desk, turning on his computer while opening a carton of milk. He bit on the straw and drank with a slurping sound. Li Si'ao glanced at him. "Got caught? Did Manager Gu say anything?"

Jiang Xu, still biting the straw, gave him a sidelong glance. "What could he say? That I was late."

Li Si'ao asked again, "Finished revising the drawings?"

Jiang Xu turned on his computer, looking a bit listless from staying up late. "Pulled an all-nighter and finished them. I'll report the budget today and try my best to get the contract signed."

As he spoke, he glanced at the scorching sun outside the floor-to-ceiling window. Running to the Building Materials Market in this weather would definitely bake a layer of skin right off. He slid his chair over, reached out to tap the partition next to Fang Qia, and said with a grin, "Hey beautiful big sister, since you're heading to the market today, can you give me a ride?"

Fang Qia pouted. "Can you not call me big sister? You're making me sound old. If you want to go, just come along. When have I ever not given you a ride?"

The manager's office had a glass window facing the outer office. Through the gaps in the horizontal blinds, one could faintly see Jiang Xu talking and laughing with a long-haired girl. Gu Qingzhou sat behind his desk with his legs crossed, watching for a moment before getting up to close the blinds.

The phone on his desk kept vibrating. There were over a dozen missed calls, all from the same person, but he ignored them, hanging up without even looking. In the end, probably finding it noisy, he simply added the number to his blacklist.

The broken water cooler had been replaced by a new one by a workman that morning. Gu Qingzhou brewed a cup of black coffee, steam curling up from the rim. It was so quiet that for a moment, only the sound of the air conditioner could be heard.

He used to love sweets, but he didn't know when it started; he had gradually grown accustomed to the strong, bitter taste.

Perhaps they had all changed...

Gu Qingzhou was a petty person. If something from many years ago had made him unhappy, he would still find a way to get even many years later. And Jiang Xu was currently the biggest source of his unhappiness.

Some things didn't seem like a big deal at the time, but after fermenting over the years, they become the great regret of a lifetime.

Just then, an employee who had taken on a new client's order came in to finalize the contract with Gu Qingzhou. After listing the clauses, he didn't ask for help but went out to print the papers himself. A casual glance was all it took for him to see Jiang Xu sitting at his desk, drinking milk through a straw while typing on his keyboard, negotiating with the client.

Gu Qingzhou walked over, handed the drafted contract to the leader of Team Two, and as he passed by Jiang Xu's desk, he tapped on it. "How's the progress on your order?"

Jiang Xu had been caught by him too many times recently. His intuition told him this was not a friendly visit. He glanced at him, then sat up straight and showed him the chat history on his computer screen. "The sample drawings have been approved. I've arranged to discuss the price quote with the client today."

Hearing this, Gu Qingzhou glanced at his wristwatch, his tone strictly business. "What time? Where are you meeting?"

Jiang Xu still hadn't figured out his intentions and could only answer truthfully, "At noon, near the Building Materials Market on Lijiang Road."

Discussing the contract wouldn't take long. Jiang Xu planned to buy a bicycle on the way, then kill time outside until quitting time and slip away directly. Compared to working on drawings in the office, he preferred to rush them at home; it was a small habit of his.

Who knew Gu Qingzhou would say, "Is that so? I happen to have some business to attend to over there. We can go together in my car at noon."

With just one sentence, he had perfectly sealed off any hope Jiang Xu had of slacking off.

Gu Qingzhou didn't give him a chance to refuse. After speaking, he turned and went back to his office. Jiang Xu stared dumbfounded at his back, silently mouthing a word: "Fuuuck..."

Fang Qia, who had witnessed the whole exchange, couldn't stop laughing. "Jiang Xu, just go with Manager Gu. He got a new car."

Jiang Xu turned to look at her. "So what if he got a new car? I'm getting a new car too."

Fang Qia asked, "What car are you getting?"

Jiang Xu said, "A bicycle."

Fang Qia almost burst out laughing but held it back. "Manager Gu got a new Porsche Cayenne today. It's not bad for you to get a ride in it."

Jiang Xu: "..."

Damn, what world heritage site did Gu Qingzhou go digging for diamonds in these past few years? He used to be dirt poor. Getting rich overnight doesn't happen this way, does it?

At noon, everyone went to the restaurants near the company building for lunch. Jiang Xu pinched his nose, resigned to his bad luck, and had no choice but to wait outside for Gu Qingzhou. Before long, the man came out.

Gu Qingzhou had been on the phone inside. When he saw him, his brow twitched in surprise. "How rare. You actually didn't leave."

Jiang Xu took the elevator downstairs with him. As always, he detected a hint of mockery in his words and said nonchalantly, "Hmm? Why would I leave?"

Gu Qingzhou said faintly, "After all, this isn't the first time you've stood me up, is it?"

In high school, it was always Jiang Xu running ahead and Gu Qingzhou chasing behind. The former was casual, the latter diligent and uncomplaining. By a rough estimate, Jiang Xu had probably stood Gu Qingzhou up more than thirty times.

The number was a bit overwhelming.

Hearing this, Jiang Xu broke into a smile, his innate roguish charm on full display. The faint bewitchment in his eyes gave one the feeling of knowingly walking into a trap but being unable to resist falling in. "That was so many years ago, and you still remember it so clearly."

Walking out of the company building, the two were instantly surrounded by noise. Gu Qingzhou strode forward without looking back, then took out his car keys and said casually, "If you were tricked into waiting for a full six hours and thirty-two minutes in a downpour, and then came down with a high fever, I think you'd have a deep impression, too."

Hearing this, Jiang Xu patted the back of his head. 'Was I really such a scumbag back then?' he thought. But after thinking carefully, it seemed something like that really did happen. It was just that he'd done too much messing around back then and couldn't quite remember the cause and effect, only that Gu Qingzhou had taken two days of sick leave from school at that time.

He pulled open the car door, sat in the passenger seat, rubbed the tip of his nose, and apologized sincerely, "I'm sorry."

Although, given the other person's personality, it was unlikely he would accept it.

Gu Qingzhou started the car. The smile on his lips concealed all his true emotions as he said lightly, "You said it yourself, it was so many years ago. It's all in the past."

Jiang Xu felt that he wasn't that magnanimous. In a moment of carelessness, he spoke his mind, "Really? I thought that every time you remembered it, you'd curse me as a scumbag in your heart."

The moment the words left his mouth, he felt he was judging a gentleman with his own petty standards. Just as he was about to say something to smooth it over, he heard Gu Qingzhou say in a breezy tone, "Aren't you a scumbag?"

Jiang Xu paused at his words and subconsciously looked at him, but the latter merely gave a casual curl of his lips and said without much sincerity, "Sorry, just kidding."

What else could Jiang Xu say? "It's fine."

He was a slacker in school, and a scumbag out of school. He admitted it himself.

The meeting with the client was set at a coffee shop. After arriving, however, Gu Qingzhou didn't leave but got out of the car with Jiang Xu. He checked the time and then said, "I'm meeting a friend, but we haven't decided on a place yet. This works. I'll wait for you here, and we can go back to the company together after you finish your business."

There's no such thing as a coincidence in the world. Jiang Xu felt that he was intentionally keeping an eye on him. He coughed twice and said tactfully, "This coffee shop is too shabby. There's a classier one nearby. Why don't you go there?"

Gu Qingzhou retorted, "Why don't you go?"

Jiang Xu wanted to go, but it was too expensive. Of course, the possibility that he wanted to send Gu Qingzhou away couldn't be ruled out. He smiled and said in a low, serious voice, "I think that place suits your status and temperament better."

Sitting in the corner of the coffee shop was a well-to-do middle-aged woman, who was Jiang Xu's client for this project. Hearing his words, Gu Qingzhou glanced over, then walked in the opposite direction and found a seat further away. Before leaving, he added, "Don't worry, I'm not so idle as to watch you every day."

'Aren't you watching me every day right now?' Jiang Xu thought. He opened his folder to confirm that no documents were missing, then sat down opposite the client with a standard, courteous smile. "Ms. Liu, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

In the service industry, image is important. Jiang Xu's handsome appearance was undoubtedly a bonus for him. However, this trick seemed to only work on young girls. Older ladies didn't really like his type. In other words, Jiang Xu didn't look very honest.

Ms. Liu was a meticulous type of client. She was somewhat dissatisfied with the rough quote Jiang Xu proposed and said suspiciously, "You guys aren't deliberately taking kickbacks, are you? I've heard that this industry is full of hidden pitfalls. If you're not careful, you'll get ripped off."

This wasn't the first time Jiang Xu had encountered such a situation. He skillfully took out the reference drawings to show her. "For the bathroom, according to the previously decided design style, it requires artistic paint. However, this area is very humid. If ordinary materials are used, they will get moldy and fade in less than half a year. So from a practical standpoint, I recommend using waterproof material, and the corresponding price will be slightly higher."

While he spoke, he would glance at Gu Qingzhou from time to time, but the man had his back to them, so his expression couldn't be seen. In front of him sat an untouched cup of coffee.

Jiang Xu was about to look away when the glass door was suddenly pushed open. A young man wearing sunglasses walked in. He was well-dressed, and he frivolously twirled his car keys on his index finger. After looking around, he walked straight towards Gu Qingzhou and sat down opposite him.

'Well now,' Jiang Xu thought, 'Gu Qingzhou really was meeting someone.'