Chapter 72: Extra 2
The receiver was silent for a while. But his breathing could be heard.
After suffering for so many years, she was also quite tired. Yuli didn’t struggle much.
“Alright, I’ll start as soon as possible.”
The other party hummed in agreement. “If anything happens, call me anytime.” The words “anything” and “anytime” were heavily emphasized.
Yuli did not respond. What she wanted most now was food and lodging, but she couldn’t start work in a short time, so she was too embarrassed to tell him.
The phone was hung up.
Li Meijuan’s surgery had not yet ended when Xiyun came to find her.
“I’m here to sign the labor contract with you,” Xiyun said, her eyes sparkling, and she took out the labor contract.
Yuli looked at it. The salary item was blank.
Xiyun handed her a pen. “Fill it in as you like.”
Yuli took it and wrote a rather large 4-digit number.
Xiyun watched her write, took it back, and added a 0 at the end.
Yuli was surprised.
“This is Mr. Xie’s meaning,” Xiyun said, completing the contract and handing it to Yuli to sign and fingerprint.
Yuli held the pen and hesitated for a moment.
All these years, she had lived so miserably and had suffered so much, all because she was the female lead who needed him to save her.
But for so many years, he had been as if he were dead. Now that she had hit rock bottom and was about to see the dawn, he had finally appeared.
She could rightfully enjoy the money and status he had as the male lead, which he was born with.
It was just a labor contract, not a love contract.
Yuli signed her name heavily on the contract.
*
Li Meijuan’s surgery was very successful.
The next day, Yuli took some time to go with Xiyun to the residence provided by the company.
It was a large, north-south facing apartment with floor-to-ceiling windows. On the third floor, she could see the lush treetops from the window.
The windows were bright and the tables were clean. It was a three-bedroom apartment and looked as if no one had ever lived in it.
Xiyun said, “This is Mr. Xie’s house. No one has ever lived in it. You will be living here all by yourself. And this.”
Xiyun took out a thick envelope.
“Here’s half a month’s salary in advance. If you have any difficulties, you can also find me.”
Yuli accepted it very calmly.
But she still stayed in the hospital to accompany Li Meijuan.
In the original novel, the male lead, Xie Yao, was not a good person. He was arrogant, sharp-tongued, domineering, and irritable, not an easy person to get along with. It was better to see him later.
By the time Li Meijuan was discharged, Xie Yao had not shown his face.
Yuli, as she had said before, made spicy hot pot for her mother in Xie Yao’s house. She had to open the windows and air it out for a long time to get rid of the smell.
At eight o’clock in the evening, just as she had closed the windows, there was a knock on the door.
Yuli’s nerves tensed for a moment. She looked through the peephole and saw the face she had seen in the Mingyu Building that day.
Yuli rubbed her palms on her sides and opened the door.
The two of them looked at each other. Yuli had a polite smile on her face. “Mr. Xie.”
Xie Yao looked at her and held out the fruit basket behind him. “I’ve come to visit you and Ms. Li.”
Yuli opened the door and let him in.
Xie Yao walked in. A pair of clean slippers, very large, men’s, appeared by his feet.
He looked up at Yuli. “You knew I would come?”
He was standing at the door. The light in the entrance hall shone on the top of his hair, and his face was covered with an ambiguous depth, but his eyes were piercingly bright.
Yuli was stunned by his state. Afraid that he would turn red-eyed and press her against a wall in the next second, she took a half step back. “Xiyun said this is Mr. Xie’s house. It’s normal for you to come.”
Xie Yao’s breathing gradually calmed down. Li Meijuan came over to show her concern.
After entering the house, they exchanged a few simple pleasantries.
Only then did Yuli remember to ask, “Has Mr. Xie had dinner?”
Xie Yao: “I have.” He paused. “It’s better to eat less hot pot.”
Yuli was a little embarrassed.
Li Meijuan smiled and changed the subject, expressing her gratitude to Xie Yao.
Yuli nonchalantly walked to the window and opened it a little.
When Xie Yao was leaving, Yuli saw him to the door.
He was slow in changing his shoes, as if he didn’t really want to go.
Seeing him with his long legs bent, bending down to tie his shoelaces, his side profile was solemn, and his brow was clearly not furrowed, but he looked very unhappy. Yuli wished she could help him tie them and push him out.
He finally stood up straight and casually straightened his slightly wrinkled sleeves. “Come to the company tomorrow.”
“Alright, Mr. Xie.”
Yuli didn’t say anything, not polite words, not words of thanks, not a single word, as if she were very familiar with him, and yet as if she were hostile to him.
He stared at her. “Do you know me?” He was resentful that he had come late and was deliberately pretending not to know him.
Yuli put on a friendly smile. “I wanted to ask Mr. Xie that. Has Mr. Xie ever seen me?” He must have seen her when she didn’t know, and had taken a fancy to her, which was why he had recruited her.
Xie Yao chuckled, as if he were a little helpless. “More than just seen. Yuli.”
This one word, “Yuli,” made her heart tremble for a moment, as if what he was looking at and saying was her original self, not this female lead’s identity.
And this one word, “Yuli,” was as if he were extremely familiar with her, as if they had been together for many years, so familiar that after calling out this name, he would naturally hold her and casually kiss her in the next moment.
Yuli was startled by her own thoughts. She saw that Xie Yao had returned to normal.
“Chen Xiyun has already gotten off work. I also live in this neighborhood. If anything happens, call me,” he said.
Yuli agreed. He walked out the door. After a while, Yuli closed the door.
*
The next day, Yuli started work.
It was clear that her colleagues were very curious about her, but no one stared at her.
This was a fund investment company, which was related to her major. But she remembered that in the original novel, the male lead was in politics. Why was he in business now?
His temperament was also inconsistent with the original novel. In the original novel, he was rather irritable, his emotions were not stable, and he would even rebelliously go against his family. He should have looked very fierce and disrespectful to his subordinates.
But this one, he was deep and reserved, with a natural air of a superior. It would not be out of place to say that he was in politics. But in business, he was very calm, a man of few words, without the shrewdness of a businessman, without the anxiety of insatiable greed, only the composure of having everything under control.
Could it be that because she had deviated from the plot, she had also changed his experience?
Yuli did not know, but she also did not need to know.
At this point, she could not possibly go through the melodramatic misunderstanding, run away with a baby, and then reconcile.
At most, she would work for two or three years, save enough money, and then run away. She also had to protect herself and not be implicated when he fell from grace.
Yuli went to the restaurant for lunch and sat alone. Xiyun suddenly sat down opposite her.
This HR sister was unusually close to her. Yuli found it a little strange.
Logically, in her mind, she was either a person with connections, or Mr. Xie’s secret mistress. In short, not a proper employee.
It was only much later that Yuli learned that Xiyun had helped Xie Yao find her and had been rewarded with a house in the capital by Xie Yao.
Xiyun’s closeness to her was sincere. Yuli also didn’t think much of it. She had come to work seriously, and over time, she would naturally be treated as an ordinary person.
After work in the evening, Yuli had to rush back to cook for Li Meijuan. When she got home, she found that the food was already on the table.
Upon asking, she found out that it was a part-time worker that Xie Yao had called. Not only for dinner, but she would also come for all three meals in the future.
Before Yuli could say anything, Li Meijuan was the first to feel uncomfortable.
“That Mr. Xie, does he have a family?” This was the question she was most concerned about. She was afraid that Yuli would become a third party in someone else’s family.
Yuli said vaguely, “We are just an employee and a boss.”
Li Meijuan looked at her. She had many things she wanted to say to her, but in the end, she could only blame herself for having given birth to her in such a family.
She sighed, and after dinner, she sat and watched TV for a while. Suddenly, she said to Yuli, “I want to go back to my hometown. My sister can take me in.”
Yuli: “How can that be? Song Kang has only been detained and will be released soon. He will surely be looking for us everywhere.”
Before she could finish, Li Meijuan’s tears fell. “It’s because Mom is useless.”
Yuli sat beside her and held her.
After Li Meijuan had fallen asleep, Yuli thought a lot.
She and the male lead had a huge class difference. Even if he was not married now, she did not want to go through the original plot and suffer, and end up with him.
Now she needed his help, and she could be without any burden. But the original female lead’s personality and Li Meijuan’s were of the same vein. The original female lead was so pure and stubborn. Li Meijuan would surely not be able to accept it.
For the sake of her health, during this period, it was better not to let her see Xie Yao.
Yuli didn’t dare to call Xie Yao directly. She only sent him a text message, asking him not to send anyone to her home anymore. They could manage their own three meals a day.
Before Yuli went to bed, she saw that he had replied with a “good.”
Yuli was relieved. She got up early in the morning and made breakfast for Li Meijuan. Li Meijuan also seemed to have forgotten about yesterday and said that she was much better and could make simple meals for herself.
Yuli also went to work with peace of mind.
When she came home from work in the evening, she actually saw Xie Yao in the kitchen, wearing an apron, stir-frying.
Just this morning, he had been in a suit and leather shoes in a meeting with a group of foreigners.
The male lead’s personality in the original novel was not like this. Yuli felt it was a little magical.
After dinner, Yuli rushed to do the dishes. Xie Yao accompanied Li Meijuan to watch TV and discussed the plot of a palace intrigue drama with her.
In the kitchen, Yuli heard Xie Yao say, “Using the concubines to balance the court, this emperor is incompetent.”
Li Meijuan was pursing her lips and smiling.
When Xie Yao was leaving, he was slow again. After changing his shoes, he took a step closer to Yuli. Yuli subconsciously wanted to retreat, but his body froze.
Yuli looked up at him. His expression had none of the composure he had in the company, as if an ice layer had shattered, and the broken pieces were chaotic, with a sharp, cold air. But this sharpness was not directed at her.
Yuli could feel the fluctuation in his emotions, but they had only known each other for less than half a month. She really didn’t understand.
Xie Yao had long recognized that this time and place was a society with the rule of law. The cost of breaking the law and using privilege was extremely high. If he were to follow the original novel, it would be inevitable that something would happen. So he had chosen to go into business. But now he regretted it a little.
Xie Yao left, and Yuli was relieved.
Li Meijuan walked over with a smile.
“Did you two have a fight?”
“Huh?”
Li Meijuan: “Little Xie told me that he is not married and is pursuing you.”
Yuli was extremely surprised.
Li Meijuan became a little more serious. “If you like him, then manage it well. If you don’t like him, then reject him early.”
Yuli didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Was he pursuing her? Why didn’t he say anything?
Xie Yao came to their home to cook almost every day.
He would change up the dishes, and they were all to their taste. After a while, Yuli had even gained a few pounds.
Li Meijuan didn’t know his family background and only knew that he was a boss. But if he was really sincere, her own daughter was a university student from a prestigious university and was not unworthy of him.
Yuli gradually learned that Mingyan Capital was a private equity fund that Xie Yao had founded when he was eighteen. His first pot of gold had been earned from stock trading in his freshman year. After that, his capital had snowballed.
Now, the projects he signed involved at least ten-figure amounts.
If not for the fact that she knew his father was a certain official, Yuli would have almost thought she had mistaken the male lead.
There were three people in the president’s office assistant position she held. The other two were both master’s degree holders. The whole company was not large, but she was the only undergraduate.
In order to keep up with her colleagues, she worked seriously at work and had no complaints about being assigned some miscellaneous tasks. After work, she would read books on finance.
It was fine to be an amateur, but she couldn’t be unenterprising. She couldn’t rely on him for the rest of her life. After all, he would fall from grace one day.
*
In late autumn, the sky had just darkened.
Yuli returned home. The lights in the room were not on, and Li Meijuan was not there.
Xie Yao had signed her up for a private tour group, with a special person and a special car to take her to see the famous historical sites she had been longing for.
Yuli turned on the lights. Just as she had closed the door, a text message from Xie Yao came.
“Don’t cook. I’ll take you out to eat today.”
Yuli sat on the sofa and waited. Not long after, the door rang. She got up to open the door, but she could tell that the knocking was very violent, not like Xie Yao’s usual knocking.
She looked out from the peephole, and an ugly face came close at the same time. She was so scared she wanted to scream but lost her voice.
It was her gambler father.
The knocking was still continuing, and it made her at a loss.
She took out her phone, skillfully found the two words “Mr. Xie,” and dialed.
The other end answered quickly, but Yuli was stuck and didn’t know how to begin.
At this moment, she seemed to understand a little of the original female lead’s self-consciousness.
But it was good that she was not going to get married to him. She just needed him to do her a favor.
“What’s wrong?”
Yuli spoke. “There’s a bad person outside the door, knocking all the time. Can you help me?”
Yuli heard the sound from his side. He seemed to be walking quickly, a little out of breath. “Don’t open the door, don’t make a sound, go into the bedroom, lock the door, I will handle everything.”
His voice was calm and steady. Yuli pictured him in the meeting room, leading a project, and talking the clients into submission.
She subconsciously obeyed, went into the bedroom, and locked the door.
“Don’t be afraid,” the phone had not yet been hung up, and his voice came. “One more minute. Stand by the window and look at the night view.”
Yuli also did as she was told.
After standing for a while, she heard the door open outside.
Yuli wanted to pretend she was not there, and after Xie Yao had sent the person away as the master, she would move out overnight. It would be best if he didn’t know that she had such an unbearable father.
The sound of conversation came from outside. She was nervous and couldn’t hear clearly. She heard the sound of glass shattering, and she was shaken.
She glanced around the room, held the table lamp, and was about to rush out.
At the door, she heard Xie Yao say, “This is also for you. Let me go.”
Yuli opened the bedroom door, and the main door closed at the same time.
Xie Yao was standing alone in the entrance hall. The mirror on the shoe cabinet was shattered, and the fragments were all over the floor.
Xie Yao raised his hand. There were a few bloodstains on the back of his hand.
Yuli was so scared that her face turned pale. “Are you alright?”
“It’s just a scratch.”
Yuli’s eyes grew hot, and she was struggling inside. She still said to him, “The person just now was actually my dad.”
Even if he might look down on her because of this, she still hoped to use his power to solve this trouble.
Xie Yao looked at her. “I know.”
Yuli was stunned.
“Aunt Li told me,” Xie Yao said to her with a smile, took out his phone, and dialed a number.
The person on the other end answered in a second. He said, “Handle the surveillance in the building and control the person.”
After a while, his phone vibrated. He opened it and glanced at it, then came and held Yuli’s hand.
“Let’s go to my place first.”
He held her wrist and, without question, went around the fragments, led her out of here, went downstairs, and went to the fourth floor opposite, which was his home.
Xie Yao let go of her wrist, raised his hand to her shoulder, but then pulled it back.
“He will never appear in front of you again. There’s food in the fridge. If you’re tired, go to the bedroom and sleep.”
Xie Yao went out the door and went to her apartment opposite. The police soon came to the door.
Yuli didn’t know what method he would use, but she trusted him very much. According to the original novel, he could do these things effortlessly.
Perhaps he would be back soon.
But Yuli waited for a while and saw him go out with the police, get into a police car, and leave.
After waiting for another hour, he still had not returned. Yuli made a bowl of noodles, and after eating, she sat on the sofa and watched TV.
She was sleepy, but it was not good to go to his bedroom. She fell asleep on the sofa, listening to the news.
Xie Yao opened the door and came home to see Yuli curled up in a ball in the corner of the sofa.
Her brow was slightly furrowed, like a stray cat that had been wandering for a long time, curled up under the eaves.
Xie Yao approached silently, slowly sat down beside her, and turned to face her, looking at her without any scruples, tracing her body and cheeks inch by inch.
A little blood seeped from the back of his tightly clenched hand, but he was unaware.
In the end, he couldn’t hold back. He leaned towards her, pressed his face close to hers, and very slowly, touched his forehead to hers.
It was as light as a goose feather brushing past. Yuli was startled, opened her eyes, and let out a cry of alarm, at the same time pushing him with all her might.
Xie Yao retreated half an arm’s length but held her wrist.
“You had a nightmare,” he was still calm.
Yuli was not dreaming; she was scared by him. She didn’t expose him, felt the temperature of his palm, and wanted to pull her wrist free, but he didn’t move a single bit.
“Let me protect you in the future,” he said, staring at her. Although it was a question, his face was full of an irrefutable expression.
Yuli: “You have already protected me today. Thank you, Mr. Xie.”
“Today, I was late,” Xie Yao said, looking at her.
Yuli avoided his gaze but could not cover her ears.
She heard him say, “Yuli, marry me.”
Yuli’s heart skipped a beat. Playing dumb was not going to work. He had helped her a great deal and was going to take it a step further.
Although she couldn’t figure out how he had gone straight to proposing marriage, Yuli couldn’t refuse. She still didn’t dare to go back to the apartment opposite, and she also needed the job he had given her.
But she didn’t want to really become his legal wife. If he fell from grace in the future, she would surely be implicated.
Yuli was silent for a while and said, “I can get married, but can we not have a wedding and not get a license?”