After Getting Involved In A Love Triangle With My Mortal Enemy From A Past Life, All I Want To Do Is Lie Down And Relax - Chapter 32

In the afternoon, the assistant interviews were set to begin. Sang Luo and Qi Wang headed to the second floor, where the candidates listed in the resumes had already arrived.

“Good afternoon, everyone. I will call your names shortly, and you will come in one by one.” Qi Wang opened the office door and gestured for the first person to enter.

Sang Luo sat at the desk and accepted the applicant’s resume. He scanned it; the credentials were fine, as Huo Xun would not have let anyone through if there were glaring issues. Now, the focus was on the interview to assess their character.

The first applicant was a young man wearing black-rimmed glasses, his eyes full of self-importance. He spoke eloquently, boasting about his abilities and the tasks he excelled at.

Sang Luo interrupted him at an appropriate moment. “You excel at communicating with everyone? And you can handle conflicts well?”

“Exactly. When you are busy, I can handle all other social interactions. My interpersonal skills are excellent. If there are conflicts with other stars, I can also handle the negotiations.”

Qi Wang, standing by the door, was speechless. To put it bluntly, this guy just liked gossip and flattery.

When the first applicant tried to say more, Sang Luo directly pushed his resume back. The man froze, his face turning red with anger. “What do you mean?”

“You are not suitable.”

“How do you know I am not suitable?” The man stood up abruptly. “This is discrimination!”

“Where is the discrimination?” Sang Luo stopped suppressing his aura. A powerful, suffocating pressure instantly flooded the room. “Irritable, unable to keep your composure, and zero social awareness; is this what you call being good at socializing?”

Sang Luo’s brow held an icy chill. His ink-jade eyes seemed covered in frost, and the light within them was as sharp as a blade. “Your performance is a far cry from your words.”

The man instantly deflated under the merciless remark and hurried away without a word.

Qi Wang shook his head. “He is still too young and has not experienced enough setbacks.”

“He will experience them later. Setbacks will teach him how to conduct himself,” Sang Luo said indifferently. This matter did not cause even a ripple in his composure.

Qi Wang watched him blankly for a moment. Sang Luo was young, only in his early twenties, but he carried himself with a steady maturity, as if he had lived through many lives. He was like a treasure map, making people want to dig deeper to find his true self.

“Next person.”

Qi Wang snapped out of it and called out, “Next!”

There were five applicants in total: three men and two women. Except for the first one, the others were decent. However, one girl caught Sang Luo’s attention. She was beautiful but looked haggard. Like the others, she was in her twenties, but there was no light in her eyes. Despite that, she was gentle and spoke softly.

Sang Luo knew that this girl was like his past self, decaying on the inside. Perhaps one day, her exterior would reflect that decay too. Ultimately, Sang Luo chose her, not out of sympathy, but curiosity. He did not consider himself a sympathetic person; his softness and kindness had long been eroded by the senseless abuse of his childhood. He was curious to see how long it would take for this girl to fully wither.

His cold heart had slowed his own internal decay, which was why he remained alone. However, this girl’s state was precarious. When she showed surprise at being chosen, the momentary helplessness in her eyes made Sang Luo pause. He realized a sliver of softness still remained in his heart. But he had no reason to reach out, as they were currently just strangers.

“What is your name?” Sang Luo asked.

“Lan Dai. My name is Lan Dai.”

“Mm,” Sang Luo nodded. “Your probation period will be one month.”

“Regarding the salary,” Lan Dai seemed hesitant and stopped herself.

“What are your expectations?”

Lan Dai bit her lip. Looking at the exquisite, jade-like face before her, she took a gamble. “4,000?”

“Deal,” Sang Luo agreed immediately. Although the company paid the salary, he had the final say. Lan Dai’s body trembled. “Thank you. Thank you.”

“Come to work tomorrow. You may head home for now.” Sang Luo looked down at his phone; someone had messaged him.

“Can I start in three days?”

Sang Luo did not look up. “Fine.”

“Okay. I will definitely be here in three days.”

After she left, Qi Wang leaned in. “Do you think she will run away?”

“No.” Sang Luo stood up. “Tell Huo Xun I am heading out.”

Sang Luo went downstairs and took a taxi to the address provided. It was a high-end residential area. After searching for a bit, he finally found An Yushu.

“Sang, Sang Luo.” An Yushu’s eyes were red from crying. His right cheek was also very red, bearing a clear handprint. Sang Luo looked down at him, eventually sighing as An Yushu’s eyes filled with tears again.

“What happened?”

Hearing this, An Yushu could not hold back. He hugged Sang Luo and sobbed loudly, murmuring incoherently. Sang Luo frowned slightly and awkwardly raised his hand to pat An Yushu’s shoulder. Once An Yushu finished crying, he felt embarrassed, but he had been too overwhelmed to stop.

“Sorry,” An Yushu said, looking at Sang Luo’s cold expression.

“Let’s go.”

Sang Luo led An Yushu to a nearby restaurant and booked a private room. Once seated, Sang Luo poured two cups of tea. “Speak.”

An Yushu thanked him but could not stop sobbing quietly. Sang Luo remained patient, silently watching him.

“My dad wants me to go abroad and only come back when my stepmother’s child is older,” he continued. “Last night, the nanny went home. My stepmother said she was hungry and asked me to cook some noodles. After she ate, she had a sudden allergic reaction. My dad hit me.”

“Fortunately, she got to the hospital in time. The baby is fine.”

An Yushu had no idea his stepmother was allergic to pepper. He did not know how to cook; his stepmother had given him a tutorial and told him to follow every step exactly. Afterward, she hypocritically explained that she had not finished the video and only asked him to make it because the thumbnail looked appetizing. Then, An Yushu faced his father’s violence. Aside from his face, his body was covered in bruises. His father was an alcoholic and had been in a drunken rage.

“Do you not think it is a coincidence?” Sang Luo raised an eyebrow. “Your father’s drinking; did your stepmother really not know?”

An Yushu froze. That meant it was not just about the pepper; the whole thing was intentional. Tears fell again. “I am so stupid. I am so foolish.”

Because of his poor health as a child, he developed a shy personality. In middle school, he experienced school violence, which led him to prefer staying at home. His father resented his weakness, his stepmother watched him like a hawk, and the outside world mocked him as useless. An Yushu knew all this. But the tenderness of his mother during his early childhood made him optimistic; he was a contradictory person. He was not actually stupid and understood many things, but he rarely took them to heart. However, those wounds were real, deeply branded into his soul.

“Instead of relying on others, it is better to change yourself,” Sang Luo’s voice was soft but reassuring. “Your cowardice stems from your own indecision.”

A strong heart is the root of true power. An Yushu nodded through his tears. He had always been the weak one; being easy to bully was the label others had placed on him. His cowardly self had shown no signs of changing, and he had even self-destructively thought that if he just stayed home, others would not bully him.

Ring

Sang Luo checked the caller ID and answered. “Shi Fu?”

A voice finally came through after a long silence. “I am at a bar. Do you have time to come over?”

“I have time.”

“I will send you the location.”

As Sang Luo hung up, An Yushu grabbed his sleeve. “Are, are you leaving?” He looked like a pitiful puppy staring at its owner.

Sang Luo paused. “Come with me.”

An Yushu stood up quickly, his face full of joy. “Can I?” Before Sang Luo could grow impatient, he wiped away his tears. “I will find a car.”

They arrived at the bar in silence. An Yushu followed Sang Luo closely, afraid to stray for a second.

“You are here?” Shi Fu put down his glass. His face was flushed; he looked a bit drunk. He glanced at An Yushu for a few seconds and then went back to pouring his drink.

“I got dumped by a jerk,” Shi Fu’s first sentence was as shocking as ever. “That damn scumbag. When I find him, I am going to chop him up.”

Sang Luo sat down and ordered two fruit juices. “What happened?”

Shi Fu pulled back his collar with a blank expression. “Foreplay was nearly finished, then the bastard told me he still likes women.”

Shi Fu’s neck and chest were covered in hickeys. Sang Luo looked away, his ink-jade eyes clear under the dim lights. “How did you meet?”

“At this bar.” Shi Fu downed his drink. “I wanted to lose my virginity, but this happened.”

An Yushu’s face turned beet red. “You, do not say that.”

Shi Fu glanced at him, his sharp features intimidating. “Do not say what?” An Yushu saw Shi Fu’s handsome face and the defined abs visible under his tank top, and he became speechless.

Shi Fu ignored the awkwardness and continued. “The jerk ran away before the main event because he was scared I would hit him, so he actually tied me up. Just wait until I catch him!”

An Yushu thought: How can you say something so violent with such a calm face? But due to Shi Fu’s cold gaze, he did not dare speak out.

“Why do you want to find him?” An Yushu asked.

“Because I want to.”

Sang Luo’s train of thought took a sudden turn. He pointed at An Yushu and said to Shi Fu, “You could try it with him.”

“No,” Shi Fu said with extreme indifference. “We clash positions.”

He turned to Sang Luo. “We clash positions, too. That is why I am looking for a man.”

Sang Luo: “…”

An Yushu: “…”

Even the usually calm Sang Luo, who was rarely surprised by anything, did not know what to say at that moment.

[THE END]