Fallen Out of Love

...

In the group's executive office, Kou Kou stood to the side, gripping a file in her hands. She seemed a bit nervous—not because there was any particularly important meeting today, but purely because she noticed something off about the figure sitting behind the desk not far away.

Ye Shuang was looking at the document in his hands. This was actually not much different from his daily routine, with the only exception being...

That the document in his hands was held upside down.

Ye Shuang had been staring at that upside-down document for a full half hour.

"I get the feeling that Boss Ye is a bit scary today. Did something happen?" Kou Kou thought to herself. As a proper corporate drone, she didn't want to ask for trouble, so she just stood obediently in the corner, not even making a sound.

"..." At this moment, Ye Shuang seemed to notice something. He finally realized that the document in his hand was upside down. Then, he also noticed Kou Kou, who was standing quietly nearby, too afraid to move. He spoke up,

"What's wrong? Why are you just standing there spacing out?"

Kou Kou fell silent for a moment. You're the one spacing out, Boss Ye. I was just terrified that even blinking might upset you.

"I thought you might have further instructions, Boss Ye, so I stayed here," Kou Kou said instead.

Hearing this, Ye Shuang merely shook his head. "Go back out and focus on your work for now. I'll call you if I need anything."

"Understood, Boss Ye." Kou Kou felt a wave of relief, then turned around and left the office.

Ye Shuang looked at the door as it closed again. He pinched the bridge of his nose and placed the document on the desk. Off to the side, his screen still displayed the message sent by Tang Keke.

"Sigh..." Ye Shuang let out a soft sigh. The moment the paper window was pierced, the sharp problems immediately surfaced.

He reached out and picked up the group photo on his desk. His gaze fell upon Bai Yuyou. Ye Shuang stared at it for a long time before slowly placing it back in its original position.

...

"I'm hungry..." Only then did Ye Shuang feel a trace of hunger. He hadn't eaten lunch, but fortunately, the cafeteria still had windows serving food even past meal times. Since Ye Shuang didn't want to order takeout or go out to eat, he got up to head to the cafeteria to fill his stomach a bit.

"Hm?"

As he was about to take the elevator, he noticed a familiar figure.

"Oh? What plans does our Boss Ye have now?" Chen Hai teased immediately upon seeing Ye Shuang.

"What plans could I have? Just going to eat," Ye Shuang said grumpily.

"Let's go together, I haven't eaten either," Chen Hai said. "Getting into the auditing department is definitely a promotion, but the problem is that the workload is just too heavy. The various issues within the group, big and small, can't be resolved in a short amount of time."

"It's better to have an auditing department. That way, some guys won't mess around," Ye Shuang said.

"Makes sense."

The two chatted as they arrived at the cafeteria. Since it was past mealtime, there were only about a dozen people eating. Ye Shuang ordered a portion of stir-fried loofah with meat, then sat down to eat with Chen Hai.

"Cola?" Chen Hai was holding drinks in his hands.

"Anything is fine, though I'd prefer soup."

"They're out. I just checked. Let's just have some happy water; it can help ease a bad mood." After Chen Hai said this, he noticed the surprise on Ye Shuang's face.

"Screw you, did you really think you could hide what's on your mind from me?"

"..." Ye Shuang took the cola, took a sip, and smiled. "I wasn't trying to hide it anyway."

"What's wrong? Tell this granddaddy so I can have a laugh... I mean, so this granddaddy can enlighten you." Chen Hai sat down carelessly and spoke to Ye Shuang.

"It's nothing, really." Ye Shuang didn't know how to begin for a moment.

"You don't look like it's nothing."

Chen Hai observed Ye Shuang's face and then asked, "Because of Chen Qin?"

"Not exactly," Ye Shuang shook his head.

"Then it must be little Yuyou." As Chen Hai spoke, he noticed the fluctuation in Ye Shuang's expression. "Looks like I'm right... Did you make a move on that girl?"

"Of course not," Ye Shuang snapped.

"True, you're a pure love warrior. Even when you go to bars with us bros, you don't spare a second glance at those beauties." Chen Hai continued to ask, "Since you didn't make a move, why are you so down?"

"I cleared the air with Yuyou about a lot of things, including marrying Chen Qin this year," Ye Shuang said slowly.

"And by clearing the air, I also hurt her."

Once Ye Shuang said that, Chen Hai instantly understood.

"Oh, so that's how it is." Chen Hai then asked, "That little girl is probably heartbroken, right?"

"..."

"Actually, is there a need for you to be like this? Yuyou's situation is so special..." Seeing Ye Shuang fall silent, Chen Hai reached out and patted his shoulder.

"Look at those relatives in our families. They have some money, and their private lives are actually quite messy... Look at some of those rich second-generation kids, their beds are practically check-in spots for internet celebrities. You don't need to put so much psychological pressure on yourself."

Ye Shuang ate his food silently and merely replied, "It's not that..."

"If I had your charm, I'd take them all," Chen Hai grumbled.

"Aren't you afraid your wife would beat you to death?" Ye Shuang said.

"My old lady is my old lady..." Chen Hai recalled the matter with Zhou Min. Because of her influence, his life with his wife had been a total mess. He twitched his lips, "But that girl Chen Qin will accommodate you no matter what, so why make yourself so miserable?"

"Chen Qin accommodates me like that because she loves me..." Ye Shuang sighed. "I don't want to act recklessly just because of her accommodation, nor can I just casually do things that hurt others because of it."

"Does accommodation mean I can act without fear? I can't do that." Ye Shuang shook his head, popped open the can of cola, and started drinking.

"Hmm..." Chen Hai crossed his arms, not knowing how to counsel Ye Shuang. It was obvious that Ye Shuang was overthinking things right now, or rather, he was a bit too upright.

After all, his own old man had been much more of a playboy in his youth than Ye Shuang.

"Want to go drinking tonight?" Chen Hai asked.

"I..."

"Let's go."

"Alright." Ye Shuang finally agreed. Perhaps with the help of alcohol, his tense nerves could relax a bit.

Seeing Ye Shuang agree, Chen Hai took out his phone and started inviting Fugui out for drinks. After all, the Three Musketeers needed to be fully assembled for a good time drinking.

"Damn, Fugui isn't in the country." Chen Hai quickly saw Fugui's reply and cursed.

"Just the two of us having a few drinks is fine," Ye Shuang added.

"No need, Fugui says he's returning to the country immediately," Chen Hai said cheerfully.

Ye Shuang was stunned for a moment. "He just happens to be coming back?"

"No, I told him you got your heart broken and desperately need a broad chest for comfort."

Ye Shuang: "..."

He silently gave Chen Hai the international hand gesture.