One-way Passage

Ming Qin announced his decision over breakfast the next morning: the lab under Ming Siyan’s management will suspend operations and devote all of its resources to the development of Xia Wennan’s new product.

Taken aback, Ming Siyan exclaimed, “Dad, how could you do this?”

“This is the result of my discussion with Luchuan,” said Ming Qin.

“But if all goes well, our lab’s pheromone perfume will also be finished before the new year,” said Ming Siyan. “If you transfer people out now, the project will be delayed.”

“Let’s prioritise Wennan’s project first,” Ming Qin said to him.

Ming Siyan’s laboratory had already started working on their pheromone perfume project the previous year, but their results had never been ideal, and despite repeated optimisation and improvements, they hadn’t been able to introduce their product to the market. Ming Qin was clearly pessimistic about them, pinning all of his hopes on Xia Wennan.

Xia Wennan’s first instinct was to refuse, but as the words reached the tip of his tongue, he hesitated and cast a glance at Ming Luchuan, only to see that the man showed no reaction. As a result, he bowed his head and drank his milk quietly.

Ming Siyan was still pestering Ming Qin after breakfast, wanting Ming Qin to change his mind.

Ming Luchuan and Xia Wennan drove back to the company, but not before they ran into Yin Zejing, who was also headed there, when they departed. Xia Wennan called out to him in greeting, and Yin Zejing grinned and waved back.

It wasn’t until he locked himself inside his office that Xia Wennan’s frenzied thoughts began to calm down, allowing him to thoroughly ponder his plans for the beta perfume.

If it was going to be in the same line as Xishui Hall, it had to be a pheromone perfume—but how could betas have pheromones?

Xia Wennan had no clue. He realised that this wasn’t a task that could be easily completed within one or two days.

In the afternoon, Xia Wennan received an unexpected phone call from He Yufeng. It seemed like a long time had passed since Xia Wennan met He Yufeng that one time at Qin Palace.

After Xia Wennan answered the phone, He Yufeng got right to the point, telling Xia Wennan, “Teacher Lin has invited us to dinner tonight.”

The moment Xia Wennan heard the words ‘Teacher Lin’, he grew somewhat nervous, and asked, “Why so sudden?”

He Yufeng seemed to be surrounded by many people. “Sorry. Teacher Lin contacted me last night, but I had a lot going on and forgot to tell you,” he said, a little rushed. “If you really can’t make it today, I’ll speak with Teacher Lin to see if we can reschedule.”

After a brief moment of consideration, Xia Wennan said, “No need, tonight’s fine.”

“All right, see you tonight,” He Yufeng said before hanging up the phone.

Xia Wennan glanced at his phone, rose from his chair, and restlessly paced back and forth by the window. Teacher Lin was his graduate advisor, and despite the fact that he had no memories of that period of his life and had barely any idea what Teacher Lin even looked like, the duty to respect one’s teacher was etched in his bones, and he would be ashamed were he to shirk his teacher’s invitation.

Regardless, his trepidation was genuine. With the current blank state of his brain, he had no idea how he was going to face his teacher.

After walking several laps, Xia Wennan remembered something. He picked up his phone and dialled He Yufeng.

The phone rang a few times before it was answered. “Little Junior?” He Yufeng said in a mild tone.

“Where does Teacher Lin live?” enquired Xia Wennan.

“You don’t remember?”

“I told you, I had a car accident—there are many things I don’t remember clearly,” explained Xia Wennan.

He Yufeng seemed to have just remembered, saying, “Oh… Then why don’t I pick you up this afternoon and we head over together?”

“There’s no need!” Xia Wennan rejected him without even pausing to think.

Yet He Yufeng was already hurriedly saying, “We’ll talk about this later,” then hung up on Xia Wennan.

Knowing that He Yufeng was busy, Xia Wennan was too embarrassed to call him back. He sat in his office with a worried heart the entire time. Since he couldn’t start working, he simply got up and left, taking the elevator up to Ming Luchuan’s office.

Ming Luchuan was examining documents at his desk.

He didn’t even raise his head when Xia Wennan opened the door and walked in. Xia Wennan approached him in silent strides, but when he arrived at Ming Luchuan’s desk, the man’s head was still lowered, so Xia Wennan wasn’t entirely sure if he had noticed him.

Yet Ming Luchuan said, without lifting his head, “Come here.”

Xia Wennan froze. “Where?” he asked.

Ming Luchuan said, “Come to me.”

Xia Wennan circled the desk until he was right in front of Ming Luchuan, at which point Ming Luchuan reached out and drew him into a hug and had him seated on his lap.

Xia Wennan instinctively tried to climb off him, yet Ming Luchuan’s hands were firmly wrapped around his waist, and there was nothing he could do but nervously say, “Let go of me!”

Ming Luchuan raised his head. “Why?”

“It’ll be embarrassing if someone sees.”

Ming Luchuan was silent for a beat. “No one’s going to come in.”

“You can’t say for sure. Have you forgotten about your secretary, that dim-witted omega?”

Ming Luchuan let go of him, his face clouding over. “I told you I’d have her transferred.”

“But I’d feel sorry for her…” After saying so, Xia Wennan didn’t continue, instead turning around and perching on Ming Luchuan’s desk. He looked down at Ming Luchuan and said, “I’ve got plans tonight.”

“What plans?”

“My graduate advisor invited me to his place for dinner.”

“Your graduate advisor?” Ming Luchuan was staring at him. “Are you not an undergrad?”

Xia Wennan rubbed his nose somewhat embarrassedly. “Yeah. I even forgot my advisor.” After saying that, he became a little upset. “What am I going to do? If Teacher Lin sees me now, he’ll definitely be disappointed.”

“How could you disappoint him when you’re this brilliant?”

Xia Wennan nodded. “You’re right, but—” He trailed off, glancing at Ming Luchuan. “He Yufeng will be going too.”

Ming Luchuan’s complexion grew noticeably ugly.

“He’s my senior, after all. Apparently Teacher Lin invited the both of us to dinner.”

Ming Luchuan said nothing.

Xia Wennan decided to be honest. “Also, he said that he’s coming over to pick me up after work, because I don’t know where Teacher Lin lives.”

Ming Luchuan took a deep breath, then asked, “So?”

“So you can’t get angry if you see me getting into his car later, or if he sends me home tonight. Our relationship is strictly platonic. We’re all sensible adults who can think soundly here. We won’t misunderstand and lose our cool at the drop of a hat.”

“……”

After they got off work that afternoon, Xia Wennan and Ming Luchuan stood at the entrance of the company, waiting for He Yufeng’s car.

It wouldn’t have been noteworthy if Xia Wennan had been alone, but because Ming Luchuan was present, everyone who left the company did a double-take upon reaching the entrance, then greeted Ming Luchuan and said their goodbyes. Xia Wennan even spotted a member of the senior management who had walked to the door only to surreptitiously retreat when he saw Ming Luchuan, headed to who knows where.

“How about you go home first?” Xia Wennan said to Ming Luchuan.

Ming Luchuan glanced at him. “What are you afraid of?”

“I’m not afraid of anything!” Xia Wennan was a little ticked off when he heard that. “Haven’t I made myself clear enough?”

“Hello President Ming! Hello Manager Xia!” Two young women who had just walked out the door promptly greeted them when they saw the two of them.

Xia Wennan could only give them a nod first, smiling as he said, “Hello you two. Bye-bye.”

He then grabbed MIng Luchuan’s hand and tugged him to the side, hoping to put some distance between them and the door.

Midway, a sedan drove up the driveway and came to a halt next to them. The windows were rolled down, and He Yufeng beckoned to Xia Wennan with a grin. “Little Junior, your ride’s here.”