After Reuniting, My Beautiful Ex-Lover Fishes for Me Every Day - Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Rejected

The man addressed as “Mr. Min” lowered his gaze, checking Min Hua from head to toe. When he saw the child covered in mud and paint, with abrasions on his thin, fair arms, the atmospheric pressure around him plummeted several degrees.

“Uncle,” Min Hua said softly, not crying even upon seeing his guardian. “I’m a bit dirty, don’t hug me.”

“Does it hurt?” The man joined the child’s two small hands together, lowered his head, and blew a gentle breath over them. “Tell me what happened.”

“Oh, well,” before Min Hua could speak, the woman beside them grew anxious. “Mr. Min, President Min… I think there must be a misunderstanding here.”

Hearing this, the man finally spared a glance for her, then looked at the little curly-haired boy sobbing in his mother’s arms.

“Exactly, it’s just kids playing around, an accident… Oh, please don’t take it to heart. I’ll make my child apologize right now, immediately!”

The woman hurriedly pushed her child forward. The curly-haired boy dithered for a moment before bursting into loud “waah-waah” sobs of terror.

“It wasn’t an accident,” Min Hua frowned slightly. “He knocked over my easel and pushed me to the ground.”

“Hey—” The woman opened her mouth to argue, but was interrupted by a slight glance from President Min.

“It’s okay, don’t be afraid.” The man reached out and rubbed Min Hua’s cheek. His gaze was as peaceful as water when looking at the child, but when he turned back to the woman, though he maintained basic politeness, his eyes had turned cold.

“You know who I am, so you must be an employee of Zhuohua,” his gaze fell upon the professional suit the woman hadn’t had time to change out of after sneaking away from her shift, reading the name on the ID badge pinned to her chest. “Wu Na, Director at the Creative Center.”

Wu Na nodded, breaking into a cold sweat.

The man: “I believe that until you manage your own son properly, you needn’t return to the company for the time being.”

“P-President Min… what a child says can’t be…”

Wu Na panicked, but her peripheral vision caught the circle of tall, silent bodyguards nearby. She timidly fell silent.

The farce came to an end. Wei Changli, who had been at the center of the storm, now became a spectator. The moment he heard the man mention “Zhuohua,” his eyes flickered slightly.

The man signaled the bodyguards to pack up the art supplies. Just as he was about to lead Min Hua away, the child tugged at his sleeve. He leaned down, listening to something Min Hua whispered, then looked up toward Wei Changli.

Wei Changli happened to look back, and their gazes collided briefly in the air.

The man’s brow smoothed out.

He led Min Hua over and thanked him with a smile: “Hello, I am Min Zhuozhou. Thank you for helping the child today.”

Wei Changli: “It was a small thing, only right.”

“Let me buy you a meal,” Min Zhuozhou asked politely. “May I ask if you are free?”

It was a simple favor; under normal circumstances, Wei Changli wouldn’t accept an invitation from a stranger. However, since his goal was to recommend himself to Zhuohua’s high-level executives, after waiting all day, this felt like “planting a willow for shade and accidentally growing a forest.”

“I need to take him to change his clothes first, though,” Min Zhuozhou looked at his paint-stained cub. “My company is nearby. Would you mind waiting for us for a bit?”

“No trouble at all,” Wei Changli replied with a smile.

Min Hua walked a few steps toward him and said, “Thank you, big brother.”

“You’re welcome,” Wei Changli knelt in front of Min Hua, half-naturally and half-intentionally, reaching out his hand. “Then let me hold your hand?”

Min Hua seemed a bit shy. His thick, dark lashes fluttered like small fans. While whispering “it’s a bit dirty,” he obediently handed over his hand.

The child’s hand was soft and warm. Wei Changli couldn’t help but squeeze the back of it.

Min Hua let him fuss over him, holding back with warm fingers.

Leaving the small park, the group headed toward Zhuohua Headquarters. The bodyguards dispersed voluntarily at the building’s entrance. Wei Changli followed the elder and younger Min into the exclusive executive elevator.

Inside the elevator, Min Zhuozhou exchanged pleasantries while pressing the buttons: “I haven’t asked how to address you yet?”

“My surname is Wei, Wei Changli.”

The words had barely left his mouth when the air suddenly fell into a heavy silence.

Min Zhuozhou’s finger on the elevator button stiffened for a moment. For a time, the only sounds in the elevator were the interlaced breathing and the floor numbers ticking upward on the electronic screen.

Min Hua, who had been obediently held by Wei Changli, suddenly looked up. A look of incomprehension appeared on his small face as he silently released Wei Changli’s fingers.

Wei Changli sensed something was wrong immediately. Before he could think further, he heard Min Zhuozhou ask as if nothing had happened: “Mr. Wei… the Wei meaning ‘ghost’?”

“…Yes.”

Min Zhuozhou’s elegant brows furrowed silently.

“I apologize, this may be offensive,” he turned around, scrutinizing Wei Changli with a strange and subtle gaze. “May I ask what your relationship is to Wei Changjun?”

Wei Changli was silent for a moment but decided to tell the truth: “He is my brother.”

He paused, then added: “Is there something wrong?”

Min Zhuozhou swallowed silently. Just as he was about to speak, the elevator “dinged,” and the closed doors slid open automatically.

Wei Changli looked toward the sound. The elevator doors perfectly framed a tall man standing outside. He wore a more formal business suit, his features cold, carrying the steady, reliable aura of an elite.

“I just received word,” the man didn’t notice Wei Changli’s gaze—or rather, he ignored his presence entirely. He pulled the two Mins out of the elevator first, looking them over carefully. “Did you fall anywhere?”

Min Zhuozhou: “The kid is fine, just his clothes are dirty. I saw some abrasions on his hands; I’ll apply some iodine later.”

“And you?”

“What could happen to me? Don’t worry.” Although Min Zhuozhou answered with a smile, he was clearly distracted.

The man sensed something and glanced into the elevator, finally noticing Wei Changli’s existence.

He asked with some confusion: “This is?”

“Someone was bullying Min Hua just now; this gentleman helped us out.”

“Oh, hello,” hearing this, the man’s posture relaxed slightly. His gaze wasn’t warm, but it was deeply respectful and polite. “I am Pei Che. May I ask your name?”

Inside the elevator, Wei Changli hesitated. It was too late to invent an identity now. He confessed: “Hello, I’m Wei Changli.”

Unsurprisingly, the air stagnated once again.

In the next moment, Pei Che’s expression turned cold. He turned his head slightly toward Min Zhuozhou, and the two exchanged a look across the space.

After a silent, secretive communication, Min Zhuozhou led Min Hua to the lounge to change.

Pei Che then led Wei Changli into the CEO’s office. They sat on opposite sides of the desk, separated by an insurmountable chasm.

“Mr. Wei,” Pei Che got straight to the point. “May I ask what your purpose is for being here?”

Purpose.

A very blunt choice of words.

Wei Changli didn’t respond immediately. He was thinking. He felt that the coincidence he ran into today might not just be Min Hua; perhaps his coming here to recommend himself was an awkward coincidence in itself—

Zhuohua had a conflict with the Wei family.

He had walked right into the line of fire.

But since he was already here, Wei Changli felt that returning empty-handed was worse than not trying. After careful consideration, he asked Pei Che:

“Half a month ago, ‘Starlight Global Entertainment’ was exposed for internal infighting and suppressing artists. Subsequently, Global’s stock price plummeted, and the owner, Shen Shuqiang, was taken away for an economic investigation… Has President Pei heard about this?”

“I know about it,” Pei Che sat in the executive chair, his finger tapping the desk very lightly. He said candidly, “However, this was not Zhuohua’s doing.”

Wei Changli was stunned, a flash of shock crossing his features.

“Half a month ago, I did receive something,” Pei Che opened a drawer beside him, took out a small USB drive in a vacuum bag, and placed it gently on the desk. “It was a recording. It documented evidence of President Shen colluding with gang figures and secretly trading illicit drugs… however, the information was quite vague, clearly processed.”

Wei Changli’s eyes were glued to that familiar USB drive. He said slowly: “I thought this recording would be quite advantageous for you.”

“Global’s loss of power is objectively beneficial to Zhuohua,” Pei Che leaned forward slightly, pushing the bag toward Wei Changli. “But I believe such things should be handed to the police, not to me.”

Wei Changli’s gaze darkened. He didn’t reach out to take it.

His mind raced, silently organizing his thoughts. Previously, with the recording as a trump card, if Zhuohua wouldn’t take it, other competitors of Global might. But the situation now was different from half a month ago. Whether by accident or design, Shen Shuqiang had fallen now. Starlight Global had lost the ability to compete with other companies. Even if he brought this recording out now, it had lost its weight.

Zhuohua didn’t use it.

Then who was taking down Shen Shuqiang?

For a split second, a figure flashed through Wei Changli’s mind.

Perhaps because he had helped Min Hua today, Pei Che had an extra bit of patience for Wei Changli. He asked: “Besides this matter, does Mr. Wei have any other business?”

Wei Changli pulled himself out of his thoughts. Facing the final stand, he was unwilling to give up this chance. He took a barely audible deep breath and spoke:

“I didn’t come here today to use any schemes to get benefits. I hope you can give me a job opportunity. I sent resumes and self-recommendations to your company several times before, but they all went unanswered. Helping the little boy today was a coincidence… perhaps fate. I thought I might ask you for a chance. Whether it’s front-desk or behind-the-scenes work, I am willing to try.”

This speech was entirely inconsistent with Pei Che’s traditional impression of the elite Wei family of Ningcheng. The man’s expression finally became serious. He looked steadily at the young man before him, his gaze deep and cold, as if trying to find more information in the youth’s behavior—or rather, more traces of a conspiracy.

“I’m sorry,” after a while, Pei Che spoke. “I cannot agree to this. Please see yourself out.”

Wei Changli’s breath hitched for two seconds. After a long silence, he finally said what was on his mind: “Is it because of my family background?”

Pei Che’s gaze swept across the desk. He asked softly in return: “Doesn’t Mr. Wei know the answer to that better than I do?”