Chapter 3

「I envy her a little, but it’s only envy.」

–

Cheng Yan struggled to decide whether to get on or not. But even if he wants to reject the offer, who would rudely reject their boss? Especially if the driver was Huo Sheng.

Luckily, the two seats behind were empty, and after he sat down he felt better knowing that he was out of view from the rear mirror.

Once he got in, Liang Chen turned around. “Ah Yan, why were you late?”

“I had to finish something.” Cheng Yan murmured unclearly.

Liang Chen was about to ask him if it was due to the project, but Huo Sheng laughed. “The project hasn’t yet started and we still need to discuss the specifics. Use this time to take a good rest because you might be busy later.”

“Mm… mm.” Cheng Yan couldn’t help but bite his lips. He then relaxed his expression before lightly nodding.

During summer, the sun would still be up at this hour. The streets were pouring with tired commuters and students ready to go home.

The phone that was used as navigation continued to send out notifications, prompting Liang Chen to also look at her phone. She later said, “It seems like they have all arrived. They are asking when we’ll be there.”

Cheng Yan didn’t expect her to ask their boss with such a familiar tone, as assistants wouldn’t usually say that his subordinates have arrived and ask when he’ll arrive. Shortly after that, he saw from the side that Huo Sheng’s lips had curled up. He looked at his phone and said, “There’s some traffic. We might get there in twenty or thirty minutes.”

He continued, “Tell them to order the food and eat first so we can also eat right away once we get there. They don’t have to be polite.”

Liang Chen smilingly said okay and typed on her phone. Once it had been sent, she seemed to have recalled something and turned around. “Ah Yan, are you not in the group chat?”

“Hm? I don’t know.” Cheng Yan shortly replied and quickly took his phone out. He found a group invitation notification which he wasn’t aware of, so he added, “They invited me but I didn’t see it.”

“Alright, I was gonna say I’ll invite you if you didn’t get it.” Liang Chen turned around afterwards.

Notifications kept ringing from the front seats while the number on the red dot from Cheng Yan’s phone were also increasing.

The group was rowdy, as if there were a hundred people fighting even though there were only ten people. The most active were the ones that had arrived and felt comfortable with Huo Sheng in the group. When they saw Liang Chen’s message, a QR code for a menu was swiftly sent to the chat.

Liang Chen scanned the QR code. She looked at the menu as she asked for the two’s opinions. Huo Sheng would occasionally answer, recommending some dishes while Cheng Yan sat quietly as he listened to them speak.

Once they stopped at the red lights, Huo Sheng seemed to have realised something. He looked back slightly, “Cheng Yan, do you have anything that you want to eat?”

To which Cheng Yan replied honestly, “I’m okay with anything.”

“Then Liang Chen can think about it for you.” Huo Sheng joked.

Liang Chen took it for real as she tilted her head, thinking. After a while, she said, “I can’t think of what Ah Yan’s favourites are.”

Therefore, Cheng Yan repeated, “I’m really okay with anything.” Afterwards, he took a fleeting glance at Huo Sheng’s expression, viewing the road ahead.

With that said, Huo Sheng didn’t ask any further. As the topic ended, Huo Sheng was just in time for the red lights to switch to green. The congested road was finally moving. With a turn to the right, they arrived at their destination.

The three got out and rode the elevator from the car park. It tinged on the sixteenth floor shortly after.

Through the door, a Japanese-styled izakaya1 greeted their eyes. The ceiling was high enough to have bamboo as the main decoration, and the night city view was displayed, expressing a look of luxury. The style and colour changed once they entered their private room. The chess-shaped tables were switched to a short vintage table and the room had paper windows and a tatami. It looked as if they had entered a movie.

Dishes were spread on the table, enticing and fragrant. The colleagues that had arrived were sitting on both sides, welcoming them at once.

Although it was a long table, two innermost seats remained empty. Cheng Yan saw that and naturally chose the only outermost seat.

As for Huo Sheng, he doesn’t like to nitpick on matters like this2 with his colleagues so he naturally took one of the seats.

It was Monday but they hadn’t officially started their project, and since there wasn’t anything important needed to work on, Fatty and the other men sought their leader’s opinion for a few pots of sake.

Sake with ice can be enjoyable so even Cheng Yan, who doesn’t normally drink, drank two cups.

Everyone leisurely ate and talked.

Notably, Fatty Wang, who had some alcohol, was insistently chatty with Liang Chen sitting beside him. “When did Assistant Liang start working? You look so young.”

When Miao Yu heard him, she mockingly blurted in her thoughts: she was Cheng Yan’s childhood friend, but he was asking for her age as if he’s clueless. She then caught Liang Chen, unoffended by him, replying, “Me and Ah Yan are born in the same year. We were in the same class in middle and high school too.”

This caused Miao Yu to be curious. She promptly asked, “Was Cheng Yan popular in middle and high school?”

“Ah Yan?” Liang Chen glanced at her and then smiled at Cheng Yan. “He’s the type to be silent and focus on his studies. But if I have to say, hm… he’s sort of popular, especially during the first year of high school.”

“First year?” Miao Yu’s curiosity peaked.

However, before Liang Chen could answer, Fatty pfft-ed out a laugh, “Silently focusing on his studies, I can really tell.”

“Yeah,” Liang Chen seemed indignant, “all he does is study ever so quietly and he never went out with me whenever I invited him.”

“Then Assistant Liang, your grades were good and fun to be with, I’m sure you were popular instead? I think I’m definitely right on this one.” Fatty resolutely said.

When the topic came back to Liang Chen, Cheng Yan let out a breath. Contrarily to him, Miao Yu gloomily bit the straw in her cup and merely listened to the conversation.

Because Fatty was initiative, the conversation was flowing naturally so many people’s attention were on them as other’s conversations were dry.

Cheng Yan was glad that Liang Chen was sitting next to Huo Sheng as he was feeling guiltily sleepy from their conversation

The few pots of sake were soon empty and once it was replenished them by the server, someone took a pot and wanted to pour it for Huo Sheng.

Cheng Yan caught a glimpse of Huo Sheng covering the cup with his hand. Huo Sheng smiled and said something that made them take the pot away. Cheng Yan guessed that maybe he doesn’t like alcohol.

Two minutes haven’t passed before an unexpected phone call caused Huo Sheng to leave the room. When he came back, Cheng Yan heard him explain, “Everyone, I’m very sorry. I have something I need to take care of, so you guys can continue without me.”

Once said, Fatty, perhaps from too much to drink, enquired, “Brother Sheng, why are you going so early?”

They saw Huo Sheng with a subtly helpless smile. “There’s nothing I can do if my child at home is crying.” He patted Fatty’s shoulder, waved, and left.

Hearing that word, “child”, Cheng Yan was slightly stumped. While everyone continued their conversation, he took the chance to take the sake pot and secretly drank two cups of it. And then he lightly leaned on the chair, staring at his phone. His eyes drooped, feigning to be mildly sleepy. Except, in his heart—

Maybe he is a little envious, just a little envious, and it can only be envy.