Chapter 32 – Someone I Hate
Inside the CEO’s office, the atmosphere had dropped to freezing point.
He Lichen could clearly sense the strange tension in the air, and he wasn’t sure whether he should report his work now.
With his back to him, Lu Heng sat in his chair, legs crossed, one hand propping up his head, eyes closed in thought. He took a long, slow breath.
After a moment, Lu Heng turned his chair around to face He Lichen and said, “Speak.”
“Several new employees joined today. How would you like them arranged, or should we leave it to HR?”
“They’re all in the technical department?” Lu Heng asked.
“Yes.”
Lu Heng twirled the pen in his hand and thought for a moment.
Normally, matters like this could be left to HR, but this time he wanted to personally confirm it.
The person who came this morning should be Lin Yan’s classmate. Were they that close?
Looking at his face, Lu Heng felt it was familiar. That person had even participated in competitions together with Lin Yan.
Which meant they might be from the same research group — possibly even roommates — spending three years together in graduate school, seeing each other every day.
The more he thought about it, the more off-track his thoughts became.
Lu Heng pulled himself back.
“Never mind. Isn’t the technical department having a group meeting today?”
“Yes. It’s mainly about the new colleagues — to see which department they’ll join,” He Lichen replied.
“Good. Notify them that I’ll attend.”
He Lichen paused, then took out his pen and crossed out the next item on the schedule.
His boss’s decisions changed constantly — the important thing was simply to follow him.
Rule No. 2 of a secretary’s professional code: Follow the boss’s arrangements and adapt on the fly.
…
The meeting room was packed.
The technical departments combined totaled nearly thirty people. The room wasn’t large — it was just enough to hold everyone.
Lin Yan adjusted the notebook on the table. He and a few colleagues had arrived early and secured their seats. They always chose the farthest corner — meetings like this were rarely meaningful for them.
The meetings they could attend were usually about project assignments or the arrival of new members.
Lin Yan guessed it was the latter — after all, he’d even been stopped in the office that morning.
If it was the former, it didn’t really matter either. They wouldn’t get many chances to speak anyway.
As long as they showed up and maintained their attendance record, that was enough.
Before the meeting officially began, more and more people filed in.
The once-quiet room quickly grew noisy.
Lin Yan had just sat down when Chen Xin leaned over and whispered in his ear, “The big boss is coming.”
“What? President Lu is attending too?”
He was genuinely surprised.
Lu never attended meetings like this. His sudden appearance felt like a surprise inspection.
No wonder there was an extra bottle of mineral water on the table —and a chair had been placed at the very front of the room.
That chair was the kind only someone of President Lu’s status could truly command.
The department supervisors were already seated. As soon as they took their places, the surrounding chatter immediately quieted, and the staff all sat neatly at attention.
The volume in the room dropped again — and this time, complete silence followed.
Lin Yan looked up and saw President Lu appear at the end of the corridor, Secretary He following behind him. The two entered the meeting room one after the other.
The seat at the very front symbolized the boss’s attention toward their department.
After sitting down, Lu Heng went straight to the point.
“Everyone, I’m attending today’s meeting to get an understanding of your recent work progress.”
His deep, magnetic voice traveled through the air, weaving past the others and reaching Lin Yan’s ears —
just like the voice that had spoken beside him last night.
Lin Yan happened to look up at that moment, and Lu Heng’s gaze swept in his direction as well. Flustered and unsure how to avoid it, Lin Yan had no choice but to meet his eyes.
And in that instant, he caught a faint trace of a smile.
After that, President Lu said many more things, but Lin Yan barely heard any of it. He was tangled in his own thoughts.
He was wondering what exactly his relationship with President Lu was.
At work, Lu Heng was his superior.
In daily life, he was merely a neighbor.
But just last night, Lin Yan had gone to Lu Heng’s home for dinner.
Did that make them friends?
Wait — suddenly, it hit him.
When he replayed it in his mind, something felt off. Yesterday, he had gone to President Lu’s place to cook.
Did that mean… he was some kind of on-call chef?
Damn — don’t tell him that was really the case.
At the company, he worked like a workhorse. Then he went home and was still a workhorse. At least at the company he got paid.
But cooking at President Lu’s place? Not only unpaid — he even paid for two dishes himself.
The thought made him instantly unsettled.
Lin Yan placed his hands on the table and clenched them tightly, lips pressed together, looking both dazed and faintly irritated.
“Next, we’ll introduce our new colleagues,” Lu Heng said, casting a sideways glance toward Lin Yan.
He saw Lin Yan’s hands clenched beside his notebook.
What was wrong? Was he upset? Or was someting bothering him?
Lu Heng considered it. Was it because he had just mentioned the new employees?
So what kind of relationship did Lin Yan have with that classmate of his — enough to make him this concerned?
Maintaining the atmosphere of the meeting, Lu Heng withdrew his gaze and gestured to Secretary He.
“Bring them in.”
The three people waiting outside pushed the door open and took seats near Lu Heng.
Taking the chance to sneak another glance, Lu Heng noticed that Lin Yan’s expression seemed more natural now and that he was looking back in his direction.
Lu Heng continued, “These three are new technical specialists recruited by the company. They are all top talents in this field and will be working with you going forward.”
He then turned to the three of them.
“Three PhDs, please introduce yourselves.”
The three exchanged glances.
In the end, Gu Han was the first to stand up.
“Then I’ll go first.”
Gu Han stood up, turned slightly to face everyone, placed a hand over his chest, lifted his chin, and revealed a bright, toothy smile.
“Hello, everyone. I’m a freshly graduated PhD this year. I’m very happy to join this company and work together with all of you.”
Lin Yan turned his head away and no longer looked in that direction.
Lu Heng noticed it and felt a bit uncomfortable inside. What was going on with him?
He glanced at the person giving his introduction and thought to himself — why was this man able to affect Lin Yan’s emotions like this?
“Come to think of it, I actually have a lot of connection with everyone here,” Gu Han continued.
“One of my classmates also works here.”
Then he raised his head and looked straight at Lin Yan.
“Lin Yan from Technical Department Four.”
With a click, the pen in Lu Heng’s hand fell onto the table.
But no one noticed the sound — only he himself heard it.
Everyone turned to look at Lin Yan.
Lin Yan had no choice but to smile and say, “Yes. We were both students under the same advisor.”
“That’s right,” Zhao Ming added from the side. “Both Xiao Lin and Xiao Gu are Professor Tian Yu’s students.”
They exchanged smiles. Then Zhao Ming turned to Lu Heng and said, “President Lu, could we assign Xiao Gu to our department? He’s already familiar with Lin Yan. If the two of them work together, they’ll adapt faster.”
Hearing this, Lu Heng didn’t think too much about it and said, “Lin Yan, what do you think?”
As soon as those words came out, the person who had just spoken was a little stunned.
This was a formal meeting — and they weren’t even trying to avoid making it obvious.
At first, Zhao Ming had simply thought Lin Yan was related to the boss in some way and was trying to curry favor.
But then he saw the two of them drinking coffee together downstairs and entering and leaving the same residential complex. That was when he felt their relationship was definitely not some normal “relatives” situation.
He had even planned to ask Hu Xiaoyue to probe Lin Yan, but he couldn’t even manage to get Lin Yan to meet her.
Not to mention — his niece was good-looking with an excellent figure, extremely popular at school, yet Lin Yan had shown zero interest.
So he guessed that Lin Yan was being kept by President Lu.
President Lu looked so proper and upright on the surface, but privately — tsk, tsk.
Being suddenly called out during a large meeting, Lin Yan felt a little uneasy for a second.
How could this kind of decision possibly be up to him?
What could he say besides agreeing?
“No objections. I’d be very happy if Gu Han could join our department.”
Happy?
Really?
Would you really be happy about his arrival?
Lu Heng felt as if a breath of frustration was stuck in his chest with nowhere to go.
He forced himself to maintain his composure, smiled faintly, and said, “Alright, then.”
For some reason, Lin Yan felt that President Lu seemed a little displeased — but what was wrong with his answer?
Wasn’t this exactly how all those “high-EQ response” guides taught you to speak?
Where was the problem?
Lin Yan didn’t understand.
The next two people also began their introductions, but Lu Heng didn’t really listen.
He simply kept nodding and smiling, unwilling to let anyone notice that something was off.
After the meeting, Lu Heng returned to his office, still feeling an uncomfortable tightness in his chest. He sat for a few minutes but couldn’t stay still. He glanced at the time — exactly nine o’clock.
I’ll go make a cup of coffee.
With that thought, he stood up and headed toward the pantry.
…
Meanwhile, after the meeting ended, Lin Yan returned to his workstation.
At some point, an extra desk and chair had been moved in beside his — without even needing to think, he knew exactly who would be sitting there.
Sure enough, the next second, that person walked over with a smile.
“We’re sitting together again.”
The office was tiny — barely enough room for one more workstation beside him.
This guy was really something.
Lin Yan didn’t respond. He sat down and said nothing.
The person next to him kept talking, asking this and that, which quickly became annoying.
Lin Yan was just about to get up and grab a cup of milk coffee to calm himself down.
The moment he stood up, the person beside him followed.
“Where are you going?”
“The pantry,” Lin Yan replied politely, then walked out without looking back.
“Hey, wait for me. I should get familiar with the place too,” Gu Han said as he followed.
The pantry was only a few steps from their office. Since leaders rarely came here, it had become their favorite spot to slack off.
Lin Yan could feel Gu Han right behind him. He sped up, practically taking three steps at once, afraid the guy would catch up.
But he still underestimated how shameless Gu Han was — Gu Han quickened his pace and reached the pantry ahead of him.
“Wow, it’s huge in here,” Gu Han said, looking around.
The bright, spacious room was lined with floor-to-ceiling windows covering nearly a third of the wall. Thick glass panes overlooked the street below.
Warm sunlight streamed in, making people feel so comfortable they didn’t even want to speak — just stand there for a while and watch life go by.
But Gu Han was different.
He casually walked over to the coffee machine, took a mug from the side, filled it with espresso, poured in half a cup of milk, and stirred it with a spoon.
“Here.”
He handed it straight to Lin Yan.
Lin Yan didn’t take it. “You drink it yourself.”
Gu Han ignored him. He tugged on Lin Yan’s sleeve, pulling him closer, then lifted the mug to Lin Yan’s lips.
With no other choice, Lin Yan struggled to pull away, but accidentally bumped the cup.
Seeing the coffee about to spill, Lin Yan quickly grabbed the mug. Just as the coffee was about to slosh over, he took a hurried sip, preventing it from spilling.
But he still couldn’t defeat gravity.
A small amount escaped, sliding down the corner of his mouth.
Gu Han burst into laughter.
Lin Yan shot him a glare.
A pack of tissues sat on the counter. Gu Han pulled out two and raised his hand to wipe Lin Yan’s mouth.
“You’re really cute.”
Lin Yan turned his head away, snatched the tissues, and wiped his mouth himself.
Someone walked into the room.
Lin Yan had his back turned and didn’t see who it was.
“President Lu.”
Gu Han straightened immediately and greeted him.
Lu Heng nodded.
He raised his eyes to Lin Yan and asked coldly, “Is it good?”
Great — another question thrown at him.
Lin Yan felt like today was simply not a good day for moving around. Wherever he went, “deadly questions” were waiting for him.
He thought for a moment. Giving a balanced answer would surely be safest.
For someone as strict and rule-oriented as President Lu, every matter in the company was decided by him.
For all he knew, even these coffee beans had been chosen by President Lu himself.
After thinking it through, Lin Yan replied, “Yes, it’s very good. The company’s coffee beans are all carefully selected, so there really isn’t anything that tastes bad.”
“Is that so?” Lu Heng replied, his tone still questioning.
Something felt off. Had he stepped on another landmine again?
At this moment, Lin Yan felt trapped — unable to advance or retreat.
Were all those “high emotional intelligence” replies he’d read online fake?
He would never read them again. He hadn’t learned anything useful, only how to step on every possible trap.
With President Lu staring at him, Lin Yan could only bite the bullet and say, “Yes.”
“Then make me an Americano.”
After saying that, Lu Heng walked over to the seating area in the corner and sat down. He exhaled deeply. Somehow, after coming out here, the heaviness in his chest felt even worse.
He crossed his legs and waited for Lin Yan to bring him his coffee.
Gu Han stepped in front of Lin Yan. Being a head taller, he leaned down and said warmly, “I’ll make it.”
No matter how one heard it, that sounded wrong.
Lu Heng finally couldn’t hold it in. The frustration burst out — though at the moment he was about to speak, he still changed his words.
“Let Lin Yan do it.”
The words that came out weren’t exactly what Lu Heng had intended.
The meaning had shifted. The tone was stronger than he’d meant.
But he didn’t care.
He didn’t want to give Gu Han that opportunity.
That sentence froze both of them, unsure of what President Lu meant.
Even Lu Heng found himself acting strangely, so he added, “Lin Yan knows what I like. No need to trouble Dr. Gu.”
“Alright.”
Gu Han didn’t insist. He leaned close to Lin Yan’s ear and said softly, “I’ll go back to the office and wait for you.”
That light, casual sentence reached Lu Heng’s ears clearly. Even the small wave Gu Han gave him afterward felt like a provocation.
What was wrong with him? Why was he reacting like this?
After all, in front of him, Lin Yan only knew him as Lu Heng — not as the little cat who stayed by his side day and night, sleeping together with him every evening.
What right did he even have to feel this stifled?
Yet he simply didn’t know how to ease that tightness in his chest.
After a brief moment, Lu Heng regained his composure.
That breath of frustration wasn’t released — it was forcibly swallowed back down.
Lin Yan carried over a cup of coffee and placed it in front of him.
“President Lu, here you are.”
Now calm again, Lu Heng withdrew the sharp edge from earlier and forced a small smile.
“Thank you.”
With the first sip, bitterness spread from his mouth to his heart, filling him completely.
He set the cup down and saw Lin Yan still standing nearby.
“Is this coffee good?”
Lin Yan took a quiet breath, afraid that any wrong answer might upset the CEO again, and carefully changed his wording.
“As long as it’s what you like, that’s enough.”
Lu Heng lowered his gaze and stood up.
He was tall and broad-shouldered, the fine suit outlining his waist and posture with elegance.
Just like Gu Han had done earlier, he leaned close and whispered near Lin Yan’s ear:
“As long as it’s what you like.”
Then he took the cup and walked away.
Lin Yan was left standing there alone.
Why had he repeated his words? Strange.
Lin Yan turned his head and glanced at the cabinet above the coffee machine.
A brand of coffee beans was on display there — the packaging was identical to the one at his home.
So President Lu had good taste too.
After all that, Lin Yan still hadn’t gotten to drink any coffee, and now he no longer had the mood for it.
He put the cup away and returned to the office.
But being back in the office was its own kind of torment.
Facing the pair of eyes beside him, Lin Yan said helplessly, “Are you okay?”
“Of course,” Gu Han replied, propping his head up with his hand and staring at Lin Yan.
“I’m just waiting for you to assign me some work.”
Lin Yan sighed, his shoulders slumping. “If you don’t have a computer, go find the director. Don’t look at me — my face isn’t a computer.”
“Last time we had dinner, I didn’t get a good look at you,” Gu Han continued to himself.
“You seem a little fairer.”
Lin Yan turned away without responding, his hands never stopping their work.
Across from them, Wang Hao couldn’t stand it anymore and sent a message in the group chat, tagging Lin Yan.
Wang Hao Is a Handsome Guy: [Brother Yan, what’s with this guy? @Lin Yan Yan Yan Yan~]
Lin Yan Yan Yan Yan~: [Ignore him. He’s just an idiot.]
Wang Hao Is a Handsome Guy: [Want me to take him out for you?]
Lin Yan Yan Yan Yan~: [Thanks, but no. Don’t want to cause a fatal incident.]
Wang Hao Is a Handsome Guy: [Got it. 👍]
…
After work, Lin Yan ran off at lightning speed. He grabbed his bike keys and disappeared in a flash.
But he miscalculated.
Just as he was riding away from the company, he saw someone waiting at the intersection ahead.
The person turned around, spotted Lin Yan, and raised a hand in greeting.
Fortunately, Lin Yan noticed him first.
He silently thanked his parents for giving him such sharp eyesight — never nearsighted during school, and always able to spot people he disliked in time to make a clean escape.
Without hesitation, Lin Yan turned his handlebars and sped off in the opposite direction.
Gu Han watched his retreating figure and sighed.
“Do you really not want to see me that much?”
This route was a few minutes longer than his usual one, but Lin Yan didn’t mind.
As long as he didn’t have to see that person again, taking a small detour was no big deal.
What he really missed was Meiqiu.
He hadn’t seen Meiqiu all day at home, and the thought made his heart feel strangely itchy.
When he got home, Lin Yan hugged Meiqiu just like always, showering him with kisses from left to right.
He had a whole belly full of things he wanted to say.
Today had really been exhausting.
“Meiqiu, when you were a stray, did you ever have any cats you hated?”
Meiqiu answered with a soft, “Meow.” Go on, who do you hate?
But thinking about everything that had happened today, Meiqiu suddenly smacked Lin Yan’s soft chest with one paw.
Wait — the one you hate isn’t me, is it?
“Ouch — are you trying to protect me?” Lin Yan looked at the little creature in his arms, warmth instantly filling his chest.
“It’s our big boss. Today he—”
Meiqiu: “Meow.” So it really is me.