The Popular/Charismatic Beta Always Thinks They Are Universally Disliked - Chapter 58

Chapter 58: If You Must Go, I’ll Go With You

The sheer curtains in front of the window were smoothly closed by the assistant. The late-summer, early-autumn sunlight was still dazzling and harsh. The middle-aged Alpha who strode into the conference room had a gentle temperament and a respectable appearance. He gestured “please” to Wen Zhiyi, who was standing opposite him, and then took his own seat across the table with a relaxed posture.

Wen Zhiyi sat facing the floor-to-ceiling window. The other senior lawyers sat opposite him, occasionally looking up at Little Wen while flipping through his resume.

This was his retention interview. Although his personal desire for retention was not strong, Wen Zhiyi’s personality dictated that he would still prepare diligently.

“Looks like we have our representative for the Shenzhen Annual Conference this year,” the female Omega lawyer on the left said, curling her red lips. She tossed back a lock of her curly hair that fell near her ear. Her short, black wavy hair was styled to look full and elegant. “The people who organized the annual conference in the past few years have been begging us to send some new handsome faces, saying that clients were tired of looking at the same old faces, and told us not to send any more ‘old cabbages.’ Well, here’s a handsome young man delivered right to our doorstep.”

This lawyer wore carefully matched earrings and necklaces, but these beautiful accessories did not detract from her sharp, aggressive demeanor. Her light blue business suit set also made her appear capable and professional.

Mr. Xie—the middle-aged Alpha who was the last to arrive and was sitting in the center—hummed lightly and chuckled. He casually flipped through Wen Zhiyi’s resume, then never let his gaze linger on the pale, thin paper again.

“Alright, we’re not hosting a beauty pageant,” Mr. Xie gently tapped the tabletop, guiding the topic slightly back towards serious matters. “Zhiyi, we’ve reviewed your resume, and it’s truly excellent. I see you’ve had several internships at other firms. Could you briefly tell us why you chose Zhongcheng?”

Why choose Zhongcheng?

Because you invited me for an interview, Wen Zhiyi thought to himself.

He paused for a moment, confirming that Mr. Xie had finished his question before preparing his answer. However, before he could speak, Mr. Gu, the senior lawyer sitting on the right, calmly and lightly smiled, cutting in: “These procedural questions seem to have little practical significance. Mr. Xie, why don’t you ask something else?”

Gu Yansheng’s deep, smiling eyes turned to Wen Zhiyi. The latter saw a hint of deep-seated impatience hidden in those eyes. Of course, that impatience instantly melted away like snow upon encountering Wen Zhiyi. He gazed at Wen Zhiyi with a tender, elegant, and sincere smile.

Wen Zhiyi’s facial contours, from his brow bone to his nose bridge, and down to his cupid’s bow and jawline, were graceful and restrained. But softness did not mean blurred lines. From any angle, this perfectly sculpted face was far from a pale, flat surface. At this moment, under the subtle interplay of light and shadow, his face showed an excellent sense of depth. His eyes, the tip of his nose, and the curve of his lips all seemed immersed in layers of flowing light with different nuances of meaning.

The slightly developed orbicularis oris muscle added a touch of plumpness to the lines of his cheeks, making this twenty-three-year-old Beta exhibit an age-appropriate sense of purity and fullness.

Otherwise, he would be too ethereal.

Gu Yansheng quietly assessed him in his mind.

He gazed at Wen Zhiyi with an almost greedy smile, casually letting social pleasantries be handled by instinct while intently carving Wen Zhiyi’s image into his heart.

Regarding the design of this interview, one partner had suggested a stress interview approach. This was truly beneath the dignity of an established Red Circle firm, so the other senior lawyers disagreed. Gu Yansheng was, of course, the first to object.

Gu Yansheng had already informed the other senior partners that regardless of the interview results, his team would reserve a position for Wen Zhiyi. Thus, this interview was merely a gesture of respect to Mr. Xie, as Wen Zhiyi was nominally still a member of Mr. Xie’s team.

“If you were to stay, what area would you hope to develop in? I see your previous internships involved bankruptcy and restructuring, capital markets, and financial compliance. Your experience is quite rich. You must have already decided on your future focus?”

The Omega lawyer who spoke first asked a relatively standard question.

She turned to look at Gu Yansheng, smiling as she added: “Or perhaps you already have a preferred team?”

Wen Zhiyi nodded slightly in acknowledgment, then gently expressed his intention clearly and methodically. As an intern lawyer, his personal preferences would slightly yield to career development. Zhongcheng’s commercial litigation business was well-known both domestically and internationally, so he would naturally lean toward that area.

“That’s a pity, then,” the Omega lawyer sighed, shaking her head gently. “It looks like you won’t be able to represent our team at the annual conference this year.”

The interview concluded very smoothly, and Wen Zhiyi had a rough idea of the outcome when he exited the conference room.

He went to the restroom to wash his face, and his tightly wound focus slightly relaxed. As he lifted his face from the clear water, a hand conveniently reached out beside him, offering a tissue. He turned to look, and Gu Yansheng gently gestured for him to wipe his face.

Like a cat meticulously cleaning its snout, Wen Zhiyi calmly took the tissue and wiped his face. A few drops of water, which he had missed, slid down his Adam’s apple and neck, dripping into his shirt collar, leaving a damp mark on the neatly ironed white shirt.

Wen Zhiyi was always sensitive to heat, so he naturally didn’t wear an undershirt beneath his button-down. The area moistened by the water revealed a faint glimpse of skin tone. The crisp, restrained white shirt and the excellent drape of the suit trousers had made him look perfectly presentable, but now the damp mark rendered the impeccable look no longer flawless.

“In my vision, every day should be like this,” Gu Yansheng offered a faint smile. His long, straight fingers gently adjusted Wen Zhiyi’s shirt cuff. He was exactly ten centimeters taller than Wen Zhiyi, so he needed to bend slightly to perform this action.

After the handsome Beta finished adjusting Little Wen’s cuff, he used a tissue to wipe away a bead of water that was about to drop from the latter’s chin.

“You were at the same elementary school, middle school, and high school as me. Naturally, you would be at the same university, and when you worked, you would certainly be by my side,” Gu Yansheng stared at Wen Zhiyi’s calm face, slowly whispering, “Then we would get married, work together during the day, go home together at night, and spend a lifetime like that. We promised, didn’t we?”

We promised to spend a lifetime like this.

As a stepping stone for his return to take over the Gu family, teaching at Capital University and practicing at Zhongcheng were merely to create an opportunity for their past promise of a lifetime to be fulfilled. This way, he could pretend they still had the chance to study at the same university and work in the same place.

He truly wanted to spend a lifetime with Wen Zhiyi.

But he had made huge mistakes, not just five years ago, but five years later as well. When he re-encountered Wen Zhiyi, how could he not honestly tell him immediately, I still love you and have only ever loved you? How could he presumptuously try to win Wen Zhiyi back?

He should have been the one person who best understood Wen Zhiyi’s relationship with the Wen family, yet he attempted to draw closer to Wen Zhiyi through Wen Changming and Zhao Mingzhu, as if shrinking the physical distance could replace the emotional estrangement.

Wen Zhiyi quietly listened to Gu Yansheng’s words. He didn’t interrupt or agree, simply remaining silent and noncommittal. He, too, was considering the weight of the “spend a lifetime” vow.

The boys who once promised each other a lifetime still viewed marriage as a sacred thing, as if wearing a small ring could guarantee being together forever. But now, having gone through a failed marriage, Wen Zhiyi knew that it wasn’t true.

Rings mean nothing, and neither does marriage.

Gu Yansheng didn’t attempt to get the same answer from Wen Zhiyi as in the past. Indeed, nothing major had happened during his time back in the country, which was much more stable than his five years in the US. But the declaration of a relationship’s death sometimes doesn’t require shocking, scandalous events. It happens on every calm day, telling you that it’s already dead.

After being shot in the thigh all those years ago, it took Gu Yansheng a long time to get back on his feet. Even during those desperate days, he had never wavered in his commitment to this relationship. But now, he found that he might truly have to accept the fact that Wen Zhiyi no longer loved him.

He took a small, silent deep breath. In the moment he lowered his gaze, he had already composed his facial expression. The pain and reluctance that surged like a tide were instantly swept clean. He looked back at Wen Zhiyi, smiling as he reminded him: “Zhiyi, you should avoid seeking out the Wei family’s young master for now. They aren’t very peaceful lately. You need to be careful.”

The actions of Wei Yuzhi’s group had not escaped the notice of the Gu family’s informants. Gu Yansheng was also aware of the events of ten years ago; it was just that the Gu family was neither involved nor concerned at the time.

Gu Yansheng gently added: “If Zhiyi absolutely must go, I will go with you.”