Shine on Me

At that time, Lin Yusen and I were on our way back to my dorm after dinner when he received a phone call.

I had already mentioned to Lin Yusen on our way back to Suzhou that Rongrong was together with Sheng Xingjie. He hadn’t reacted much at the time, so I wasn’t sure why he brought it up now.

“Yeah. Why are you suddenly asking about this?”

Lin Yusen fell silent for a moment before pulling the car over to the side of the road. My heart skipped a beat—I had a bad feeling. “What’s wrong?”

Lin Yusen asked, “Xiguang, how much do you know about this classmate of yours?”

“Not much. Like I told you before, I spent most of my college years living at my uncle’s place.”

“Her father was once the second-in-command at a major state-owned enterprise in Nanjing. About seven or eight years ago, he was reported for economic misconduct and dismissed from his position. After that, he worked at a few private companies.”

I was stunned. “How do you know that?”

“After your classmate’s wedding banquet, I asked around. Someone naturally told me—I was ambitious back then, after all.” He looked slightly embarrassed. “I did a basic background check on the people around Sheng Xingjie, especially since she practically bumped into me.”

“So?” I said, confused. “What are you trying to say? That Rongrong’s family background might affect her relationship with Sheng Xingjie? Would Uncle Sheng and Aunt Qian object?”

That was a possibility.

But Lin Yusen shook his head. “I have no goodwill toward your classmate, but I have to tell you this. Just now, Xingxiu mentioned in his call that Sheng Xingjie has been going on blind dates since the Spring Festival. Recently, it seems he’s set his sights on someone and is actively pursuing them—and it’s not your classmate.”

“What?” I was so shocked I could barely speak. “You—you mean he’s two-timing?”

“He probably hasn’t succeeded yet. A few days ago, he invited someone to his family’s old house for dinner, introduced as a friend, but…” He left the rest unsaid.

It took me a while to process this. “How dare he? That’s so shameless and outrageous.”

“Indeed, it’s audacious—beyond what I expected. When I was at Shengyuan, he was relatively well-behaved and methodical in his work.” Lin Yusen mused. “Maybe he suppressed his true nature for too long, and now that he feels secure in his position, he’s acting recklessly.”

“Is his position really that secure?”

Lin Yusen scoffed. “A secure position is never given by others.”

His fingers lightly tapped the steering wheel. “What do you plan to do about this?”

“Of course, I’ll tell Rongrong immediately. No delays.” I answered without hesitation. “I’ll call her as soon as I get back.”

Lin Yusen nodded in approval. “That’s the right thing to do.”

“But Xiguang, I have to remind you—based on my observations, this classmate of yours doesn’t harbor any goodwill toward you. If she doesn’t want others to tell her the truth, how will you handle it?”

I was taken aback. “How could that be? She might be annoying, but she’s always been proud.”

Lin Yusen raised an eyebrow. “So sure? You don’t really know her.”

This time, I thought carefully before answering. “Yes, I’m sure. She wouldn’t tolerate something like this. And no matter what kind of person she is, if I know, I have to tell her. Otherwise, I’d feel like an accomplice to Sheng Xingjie.”

A smile flickered in Lin Yusen’s eyes as he reached out and ruffled my hair. “Sorry, I was being overly suspicious.”

“Not at all. You told me about this the moment you found out—without any delay.”

“So, will you call her now?”

“Let’s go back first,” I said after some consideration.Back at the dorm, I realized a problem—I didn’t have Rongrong’s phone number.

They had all changed their numbers when they went to Shanghai, and I had everyone else’s new contacts except hers. Hmm… Should I ask Xiaofeng for it in the middle of the night?

Would Xiaofeng wonder what I was up to?

Actually, on the way back, I had considered whether to relay the message through a third party. Rongrong and I didn’t get along well, and if I told her directly, she’d probably feel humiliated—maybe even think I was mocking her.

But no matter which classmate I asked, if it involved the Sheng family, Rongrong would immediately guess the source was me, making it pointless. Besides, the fewer people who knew, the less gossip would spread. Even though Sheng Xingjie was the shameless one, in today’s society, the girl always ended up suffering more in the court of public opinion.

I started brainstorming how to naturally ask Xiaofeng for Rongrong’s contact, but I couldn’t come up with a plausible excuse.

Or maybe another way to reach her?

Ah…

Suddenly, my eyes lit up. How stupid of me—why hadn’t I thought of email?

And email could be anonymous! If I registered a new account, Rongrong wouldn’t know it was me. That way, neither of us would feel awkward afterward.

Thank goodness I didn’t have her number.

I smacked my forehead in relief, turned on my computer, and quickly registered a new email. Then, I sent a simple message to Rongrong’s inbox:

“Sheng Xingjie has been chasing after another girl recently. Don’t let him fool you.”

Thank goodness the dorm had internet now!

All that was left was to wait for a response. The next day at work, I checked three times, worried she might not use that email anymore.

Fortunately, on the third morning, when I secretly logged in again, I saw the email marked as “Read.”

It was faster than I expected. I stared at the words “Read” several times before finally relaxing.

With the matter resolved, I hummed softly to myself and focused on my work. My accounting speed had improved drastically—I was no longer the amateur I used to be. I breezed through most of the documents in no time, but my hand paused when I came across a large payment order for auxiliary materials.

Frowning at the amount, I thought, That’s odd. When I was sent to the factory for inventory last year, I remember there was plenty of this material in stock. Why such a big purchase now?

I immediately asked Xiao Su from the factory office for the material’s inbound and outbound records from the past two years. Sure enough, my memory was correct—there was still plenty in stock. So I called the procurement department, and their explanation was that purchases had followed this rhythm for years due to a long-term contract with the supplier.

That made no sense—it completely defied production logic. I really wanted to see the original contract, but the payment order didn’t include a copy. I’d have to pull some strings.

I texted Lin Yusen: “Are you and President Dai back from the meeting?”

They had been summoned to a meeting at the industrial park that morning.

“Not yet. Bring two lunches for me and Xiao Dai.”

The park called a meeting and didn’t even provide lunch? Wuxi was much more hospitable…

So at noon, I grabbed three meals from the cafeteria and headed to Lin Yusen’s office to wait for them.

The main office was empty—everyone had left for lunch. I walked into Lin Yusen’s office and immediately adjusted the blinds for privacy.Actually, after we officially got together, I rarely went to his office anymore—had to be mindful of appearances, after all. But now it was lunch break, so no one would see. I ended up waiting over half an hour, until the food was nearly cold, before Lin Yushen and Xiao Dai finally pushed the door open.

Xiao Dai exclaimed the exact same words I had: "The industrial park called a meeting but didn’t even provide food? Talk about cutting costs."

Amused, I stood up. "I brought some for you. Come eat."

But Lin Yushen walked over, directly handed a lunch box to Xiao Dai, and said, "President Dai, take this back to your office."

Xiao Dai slowly accepted the box, his eyes filled with heartbreak. "Cold food is one thing, but not even the warmth of human connection while eating?"

Mr. Lin said coolly, "We have a shareholders' meeting to attend."

Xiao Dai: "..."

He gave a thumbs-up and bolted.

Me: "..."

Shareholders' meeting wins.

As I ate, I quickly summarized my findings. After listening for a bit, Lin Yushen got up and went to his computer. A few clicks later, he pulled up the contract for me to review.

Holding my lunch box, I sat in the general manager’s chair, eating while scanning the document. One look was enough to kill my appetite. "This is absurd. When this contract was signed, signs of the global financial crisis were already emerging, and raw material prices were clearly trending downward. How could they lock in prices and supply quantities for six whole years?"

Only then did Lin Yushen explain: "This company belongs to your aunt’s younger brother."

Me: "..."

Got it. Nepotism.

I carried my lunch box back to my seat, mulling over how to handle this.

Shengyuan and my father weren’t fools. Even if they wanted to help relatives, they wouldn’t go this far—there must have been some other benefit exchanged. They got their advantages, but now we’re left dealing with the fallout.

But there’s no way to ignore black-and-white terms. The only option is to look for loopholes in the contract or quality issues with the products to create room for negotiation. We’d also need to check current prices from other suppliers.

"Did you know about this earlier?" I asked Lin Yushen.

"I inquired before. There was no need to address it then, and there’s no rush now," he replied succinctly.

I nodded in understanding. Back then, he was just a deputy general manager assigned here—no reason to step on toes. Now, having just received gifted shares, it wouldn’t be appropriate to immediately terminate old contracts either.

When work resumed in the afternoon, I obediently entered the payment slip. But before hitting confirm, I checked the final payment deadline and saw there was still over a week left. I promptly canceled the entry and tossed the slip aside.

I’d process the payment three days before the deadline—one day for the section chief’s approval, another for the finance department to process it...

Being in finance means being meticulous!

After work, I headed to the parking lot first, planning to wait for Lin Yushen in the car. On the way, I got a call from Aunt Huang, who informed me that all the furniture was finally set up, including all the pots, pans, and bedding I’d requested. She asked when I’d come to Shanghai to see it.

No time like the present. Over dinner, I shared the good news with Lin Yushen and invited him to a small housewarming gathering at my new place on Saturday.

Lin Yushen’s expression was indescribable. "Is this what you call a surprise?"

"Isn’t it? It’s so close to you."Lin Yusen succinctly summarized the situation: "This can only be called running away from home but not going far."

Then he fell silent, eating his meal while seemingly deep in thought.

I couldn't help but ask, "What are you thinking about?"

"Oh, I was just thinking," he said thoughtfully, "my Shanghai apartment has been under renovation for quite a while. I wonder if it's about to start leaking."