CH 98

Chapter 98 – Retaliation

Wei Chen took over the marketing department again and naturally took on the mess left by Lin Xin and his team. From the moment he started working, he became busy non-stop, and the employees in the marketing department spun into action like spinning tops.

Perhaps because Wei Chen was there, the colleagues in the marketing department were full of motivation.

Although Wei Chen was busy, he still had a part of his attention on Chen Li and was worried about him. So during the lunch break, he called Zhuge Yu and learned from him that Chen Li was painting in his studio. Only then did Wei Chen continue with his work.

However, Wei Chen couldn’t completely not worry about Chen Li. At noon, he made call after call to Zhuge Yu, but Zhuge Yu was not impatient. Nevertheless, Wei Chen felt that he should get a phone for Chen Li.

After Zhuge Yu reported Chen Li’s situation to Wei Chen once again, they hung up the phone. Zhuge Yu looked at Chen Li, who was looking back at him, and shook his head. “I feel like Wei Chen wants to tie you to his belt and keep you with him all the time. How long has it been? He called me so many times.”

Chen Li remained silent and turned back to face the canvas. Just now, Zhuge Yu had put the call on speakerphone, so he heard Wei Chen’s voice. The uneasiness that had arisen from not seeing Wei Chen for a long time slowly subsided after hearing his voice.

Zhuge Yu sensed the change in Chen Li’s mood and finally understood why Wei Chen kept calling him. Chen Li’s current state was not yet at a level where he could completely separate himself from Wei Chen.

He appeared capable of being alone with himself, and he could also be in a world full of people by himself. However, his heart was still tense and anxious, with his nerves constantly strained.

Only when he heard Wei Chen’s voice did Chen Li relax his tense emotions and find peace of mind.

Zhuge Yu even speculated that if Wei Chen didn’t call Chen Li for a long time, would Chen Li’s tense emotions be broken?

Zhuge Yu didn’t dare to take the risk, so whenever Wei Chen called, he would answer the phone immediately and put it on speakerphone so that Chen Li could hear Wei Chen’s voice. Even though they weren’t discussing anything important, it was like a tonic and a tranquilizer for Chen Li.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door of the studio. Zhuge Yu collected his thoughts and said, “Come in.”

The door was pushed open, and Lu Xiuran, a student from the class that Chen Li was currently auditing, entered.

“Professor Zhuge,” Lu Xiuran stood in front of Zhuge Yu and said, but his gaze intentionally or unintentionally glanced at Chen Li.

“Xiuran, do you need something?” Zhuge Yu might not know all the students in that class, but he definitely knew Lu Xiuran. After all, Lu Xiuran was born into a scholarly family, with a mother who was a renowned musician internationally and a father who was an artist with some reputation internationally. Zhuge Yu also had some relationship with them.

“Professor Zhuge, I need your help with something,” Lu Xiuran said somewhat awkwardly. Although his parents had some acquaintance with Zhuge Yu, it wasn’t a particularly deep connection. Before attending Q University, he had only met Zhuge Yu a few times. Now he felt a bit embarrassed to ask for help so suddenly.

“Hmm?” Zhuge Yu was a bit puzzled as he looked at Lu Xiuran.

Lu Xiuran said, “My father will be going abroad for an exhibition during this period, and the Dream Cup is about to be held. I hope Professor Zhuge can guide me.”

“Alright,” Zhuge Yu responded without much thought. After all, he would be at the school during this period, and guiding Lu Xiuran wouldn’t conflict with his schedule.

Upon hearing Zhuge Yu’s agreement, Lu Xiuran immediately wore a pleasantly surprised expression and thanked Zhuge Yu, even bowing deeply at a 90-degree angle.

“Professor Zhuge, can I paint here now?” Lu Xiuran cast hopeful eyes towards Zhuge Yu.

“You can go to the next room to paint,” Zhuge Yu directly rejected Lu Xiuran. After all, Chen Li didn’t like to interact with others. Auditing the class was unavoidable, but after class, Zhuge Yu didn’t want Chen Li to suppress their discomfort and interact with others.

Chen Li was his student, so naturally, Zhuge Yu had to consider the student’s well-being.

“Alright,” Lu Xiuran agreed immediately after a moment of surprise.

Next to Zhuge Yu’s room was an empty studio that had been unused for a long time. Fortunately, it was cleaned regularly, so it could be used right away.

Lu Xiuran took his belongings and went to the adjacent studio. He prepared his paints, picked up his brush, and executed his actions smoothly. He didn’t seem disappointed by Zhuge Yu’s rejection and didn’t show any other emotions.

Zhuge Yu walked over to Chen Li. Today, Chen Li’s efficiency in painting was much lower than usual. Previously, Chen Li would wholeheartedly immerse himself in painting, but today, Chen Li seemed absent-minded. He would often stare out of the window lost in thought for more than half an hour before picking up the brush and making a few strokes.

Zhuge Yu had a general idea of the reason behind Chen Li’s behavior. Without Wei Chen around, Chen Li, who was used to Wei Chen’s presence, was having difficulty adjusting. However, Zhuge Yu believed that Chen Li’s ability to stay alone here was already a significant improvement.

“Chen Li,” Zhuge Yu softly called Chen Li’s name. Chen Li was stunned for a moment before turning to look at Zhuge Yu with a blank expression.

“Have you figured out what you want to paint?” Zhuge Yu asked.

Chen Li shook his head directly. He knew what Zhuge Yu was asking—whether he had come up with an idea for his entry in the Dream Cup. In reality, Chen Li had no clue about the theme of “Desire.”

“It’s okay, take your time,” Zhuge Yu said, intending to reach out and ruffle Chen Li’s hair. However, as soon as his hand lifted, Zhuge Yu immediately sensed that Chen Li tensed up completely.

Knowing that Chen Li couldn’t handle physical touch yet, Zhuge Yu quickly withdrew his hand. Although Chen Li could tolerate being in the same space with him, he couldn’t accept his touch.

“You think it through. I won’t disturb you,” Zhuge Yu said, taking a few steps back. He thought to himself that he still had a lot of effort to put in as a teacher. He didn’t expect to reach the level of Wei Chen, but at the very least, he wanted Chen Li to have no resistance towards him.

Chen Li looked at Zhuge Yu, seemingly with a hint of apology in his eyes. Some emotions were instinctive reactions that Chen Li couldn’t control. The fact that he could be relatively at ease in the same space with Zhuge Yu already indicated his acceptance of him. However, there was still a small gap. Chen Li’s instinctive resistance and actions couldn’t be controlled, even by Chen Li himself.

Zhuge Yu was aware of this.

Nothing changes overnight. It takes time. As long as he treated Chen Li sincerely, Zhuge Yu believed that one day Chen Li would hold him in his heart without any resistance.

*

When Wei Chen finished dealing with his tasks, it was almost time to finish work. He tidied up the files on his desk, prepared to leave work, and go to Q University to pick up Chen Li.

Although it had been less than a day since they were separated, during this time, Wei Chen felt like his heart was hanging on Chen Li. Apart from work, his mind was filled with thoughts of Chen Li. He wished he could fly to Chen Li’s side immediately.

In order to make time pass more quickly, Wei Chen immersed himself even more in his work, attempting to numb himself with it. Despite his efforts, Wei Chen still felt that time was passing slowly.

As soon as it was time to finish work, Wei Chen stood up, picked up his briefcase, and prepared to leave. His colleagues in the marketing department outside the office were still a bit dazed until Wei Chen said he was leaving, and only then did they react.

Yes, Director Wei had returned to work, so they didn’t have to work overtime.

With these thoughts in mind, everyone stopped their work and prepared to leave. It was only then that they realized their work efficiency seemed much higher than yesterday.

Director Wei was truly amazing. Without saying a word or doing anything, his presence seemed to energize them, making them work much faster.

While the people in the marketing department were still amazed, Wei Chen had already left. He walked with an eager pace, and from his back, it seemed like he was in a hurry.

Wei Chen was tall and had long legs. Even without running, his brisk walking speed was quite fast. In just a few minutes, he arrived at the underground parking lot from the office. He found his car, got in, started it up, and smoothly drove off without any delay.

However, although Wei Chen was eager, he encountered the evening rush hour in the capital. Once he entered the main road, he became a small part of the long line of cars, slowly inching forward.

This was the first time Wei Chen despised the rush hour in the capital. Every moment of being stuck in traffic was torment for him. Although he didn’t show any expression on his face, his heart longed to clear the road ahead, to have a smooth path and quickly reach Q University to pick up Chen Li and bring him back home.

Just when Wei Chen was feeling most anxious, his phone rang. It was a call from Zhuge Feng, urgent and unsettling. Wei Chen was already anxious, and hearing the ringtone made him even more restless, stirring up indescribable emotions within him.

“General Manager Zhuge,” Wei Chen answered the phone.

“Wei Chen, be careful during this period,” Zhuge Feng’s tone was urgent and concerned. He continued, “The Discipline Inspection Commission has found evidence of He Keqiang’s embezzlement. However, there was a negligence in the process of transferring him to the court, which allowed He Keqiang to escape. I’m worried that he might retaliate against you. Be cautious during this time. I’ve hired a few bodyguards for you, and they will come to you later.”

“Thank you,” Wei Chen didn’t refuse Zhuge Feng’s goodwill and understood that the indescribable emotions he felt earlier were a sense of worry and unease.

He Keqiang had escaped.

After hanging up the phone, Wei Chen’s gaze turned serious, and his heart burned with urgency. His emotions became even more restless.