Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Yu Corporation’s employee benefits were among the best in China.

From salaries and vacation time to bonuses and employee care programs, everything was provided at the highest standard. Even the cafeteria offered an extensive variety of dishes.

The cafeteria was divided into four sections. The east and west sides featured Chinese cuisine, while the other two sections served international dishes.

The foreign chefs were specially hired by the company for its international employees—tall, blond, and blue-eyed. At a glance, Gu Yubai noticed many Chinese employees also queuing up to try the foreign chefs' specialties.

Gu Yubai had a taste for Chinese food. His gaze swept past various pizzas and breads before settling on a Chinese food stall specializing in roast duck.

He turned to Yu Li and asked, "How about we have roast duck today?"

"Sounds good to me."

Yu Li always drew attention wherever he went. He stopped, with Gu Yubai following, pulled out his phone, and began texting someone.

Hearing Gu Yubai finally decide on dinner, he put his phone away and smiled at him.

A few employees were already in line at the roast duck stall. Startled at the sight of Yu Li, they quickly moved aside to offer their spots.

Yu Li waved them off and pulled Gu Yubai to the back of the line.

"Aside from the roast duck, this place has a few decent side dishes. When I don’t have business dinners, Assistant Jin usually comes down to get food for me. Decide what you want."

Gu Yubai glanced up at the digital menu above the stall and spotted spring rolls, his eyes lighting up.

"Then I'll go all out."

When it was finally their turn, Gu Yubai placed the order while Yu Li swiped his employee card.

Just as they were about to find a seat nearby, Gu Yubai turned and noticed countless curious stares fixed on them. He froze momentarily.

His tone was odd. "President Yu, doesn't your back feel... hot?"

Yu Li had just pocketed his card and didn’t immediately catch on.

"Warm? No, the cafeteria has air conditioning—it’s quite comfortable."

Gu Yubai clarified, "I mean, your employees’ gazes are scorching. They’re... intense."

Yu Li instinctively glanced back and allowed himself a small smile.

"I’m used to it. But if you don’t want to be stared at, how about we take the food to my office?"

"Yes, absolutely." Gu Yubai eagerly agreed before catching himself and hastily adding, "Won’t the smell linger in your office, though?"

Yu Li didn’t sugarcoat it. "Of course it will. But compared to someone worrying about becoming a zoo exhibit, I think they’d care less about inconveniencing my office."

Gu Yubai waved a hand modestly.

"Do you have to say it like that? It’s embarrassing."

Yu Li: "...You're shameless."

They didn’t stay in the cafeteria long. Once the food was packed, they headed straight for the elevator.

Back at Yu Li’s office door, Gu Yubai stepped inside but noticed Yu Li pause mid-step.

Following his gaze, Gu Yubai saw Assistant Jin approaching with two sheets of paper, frowning slightly.

Yu Li turned to Gu Yubai. "I need to handle something urgent. Go ahead and eat—don’t wait for me."

Gu Yubai nodded and stepped inside first.

Yu Li watched his retreating figure before lowering his voice. "What did you find?"

Assistant Jin handed him the papers.

"There wasn't much time. I only managed to check the driver’s bank transactions—no obvious deposits. But I looked into his wife’s records and found she had heart surgery three months ago."

"President Yu, Gu Mingliang’s accident happened two months ago. There’s no clear link to the Su family’s young master. Su Shengli is only eighteen, been pampered his whole life—how would he know anything about underworld schemes like this? It’s unlikely he hired a hitman. Could you be overthinking this?"

Was Yu Li overthinking it? He didn't think so.

Yu Li had never told anyone, but he was remarkably perceptive and attentive to details.

In daily life, he often noticed subtle shifts in people’s behavior and expressions, uncovering hidden truths.

There was something off about Su Shengli’s attitude toward Gu Yubai.

Including the time he came to deliver the Recognition Banquet invitation, this was the second instance Yu Li had seen firsthand Su Shengli’s malice toward Gu Yubai.

Because Su Shengli was only eighteen, he couldn’t completely hide his feelings.

His visceral dislike for Gu Yubai was evident in his eyes and mannerisms.

This went beyond simple issues with Gu Yubai being the older brother of the real young master, Gu Yihong, whom Su Shengli disliked.

Setting aside the red herrings, the answer was clear.

Su Shengli knew Gu Yubai was the Su family’s legitimate heir, while the one who made a spectacle—Gu Yihong—was an imposter.

So when did he learn?

Yu Li deduced it was before the Su family’s recognition ceremony.

Notably, the driver’s wife’s surgery and Gu Mingliang’s accident also occurred before the ceremony.

Yu Li had grounds to believe Su Shengli was involved in both incidents.

If his speculation was correct, Su Shengli’s goal was to make sure Gu Yubai disappeared for good.

But he never anticipated that the Su family patriarch, who always used a chauffeur and never stopped anywhere, would spot Gu Yubai—who looked strikingly similar to the late Madame Su—at a street-side bubble tea stand.

Growing suspicious, the patriarch investigated and discovered the babies had been switched at birth.

Yu Li was as composed as always. He folded the printed bank transaction records and studied Assistant Jin thoughtfully.

Suddenly, he said, "You requested leave to visit family tomorrow and the day after? Consider it approved."

The topic came out of nowhere, and a flicker of surprise crossed Assistant Jin's face.

He quickly recovered and immediately asked,

"What about the charity gala hosted by the Su family the day after tomorrow..."

Yu Li's eyes glinted.

He replied, "I'll find someone else to accompany me."

-----

The very back of Yu Li's office had a door leading to a small lounge.

Inside, there was simply a treadmill, sofa, and dining table.

The setup was pretty basic—no wonder Assistant Jin had suggested Yu Li stay at his place temporarily after the previous fire.

Gu Yubai moved the table aside, unpacked the food he had brought back from the cafeteria, and arranged it neatly. Instead of sitting down to eat right away, he strolled around with his hands behind his back, gazing up at the moon through the floor-to-ceiling window.

Wow, the angle of the floor-to-ceiling window in Yu Li's office was perfect.

Earlier, as the sun set, the sky outside had been lit up with fiery clouds. Now that night had fallen, the full moon seemed to hang right outside the window—bright and enormous, as if within arm's reach.

He felt delighted.

Hearing the sound of Yu Li opening the door behind him, he instinctively turned around with a smile, his tone cheerful and his words coming faster than usual.

His voice was full of awe: "You never told me the view here was so amazing. You're on the top floor—you can take in the entire cityscape. No wonder you're always stuck in your office working overtime."

"I'm so envious. I wonder if the moon from the mountaintop where I'm going hiking with my classmates tomorrow will be as beautiful as the one here."

Yu Li quirked an eyebrow slightly, the corner of his mouth curling in an amused smile.

"You like it that much? Then visit more often. But the reason I work overtime all the time isn't because of the view—it's because the work never ends. It's not by choice."

He beckoned to Gu Yubai, who grinned and took a couple of steps forward before sitting down at the small dining table.

"Let's not talk about such a boring topic. Let's eat—I want to try the food from your company cafeteria and see how good the chef is."

This was boring?

Yu Li couldn't help laughing.

Casually, he asked, "You're going hiking with your classmates tomorrow—do you have plans for the day after?"

"Nope," Gu Yubai looked up and smiled. "Need me for something again?"

Yu Li nodded straight up. "I do. The day after tomorrow, I'm attending the Su family's charity gala, and I need an assistant. You're coming with me."

Gu Yubai's smile froze instantly.

Yu Li looked at him intently, his gaze firm, not taking no for an answer.

He spoke slowly.

"At the charity gala, you'll need to stay by my side almost the entire time—unless you're going to the restroom. If you don't like the Su family, we can avoid them completely."

Gu Yubai, who had seemed like a cornered animal, visibly exhaled at these words, his stiff posture relaxing slightly.

He lowered his eyes, feeling like the spring rolls in his mouth didn't taste as good.

After finishing two spring rolls, he finally looked up and asked, "Does it have to be me?"

His tone was whiny.

Yu Li nodded resolutely. "I can't think of anyone else."

"Alright then."

Gu Yubai didn't press for reasons. He simply agreed.

Seeing his deflated expression, Yu Li suddenly laughed.

"But as a reward for accompanying me to the charity gala, I can go hiking with you tomorrow."

"Are you crazy? Don't you have to work overtime?"

Gu Yubai's eyes widened in shock.

Yu Li: "...I can finish my work tonight. Tomorrow is my day off anyway."

Gu Yubai felt a little cheated.

Logically, Yu Li joining him for hiking should have been to his advantage, but somehow it sounded like he was the one begging Yu Li to come.

"I feel like I got the raw deal."

Yu Li, for once, looked up. "Just say yes or no."

He was shamelessly being difficult.

Gu Yubai gave a side-eye at the man across from him—someone older than him yet acting so childish lately.

He huffed lightly.

"Only a friend like me would put up with you like this."

----

After dinner, it was completely dark out.

Gu Yubai pulled out his phone and realized, to his surprise, that he had spent two whole hours at Yu Corp with Yu Li without noticing.

He gave a sympathetic look to the man tied down by work and let out a little yawn.

"Well, I'm full now, so I'll head out. Since you want to come hiking with me, I'll pick you up here tomorrow morning, and we can take the bus to the starting point together."

Yu Li checked his watch and shook his head slightly.

"No need. I'll go home to sleep tonight. You don’t have to come here tomorrow—just knock on my door in the morning."

"Understood, Boss Yu. Your personal wake-up call from Cute Little Gu will start right at 7 a.m. tomorrow. Please don’t sleep too deeply. Even if you're drowsy, sleep on the bus. Thank you for your cooperation."

Yu Li stood up.

He couldn’t help laughing.

"Thank you for your service, Little Gu. Come on, I’ll see you to the parking lot."

Yu Li watched from the parking lot as Gu Yubai drove away, shaking his head with a small smile.

As he turned to leave, his phone suddenly rang in his pocket.

Yu Li glanced down at the caller ID and immediately had a pretty good idea.

He answered the phone, his tone gentle.

"Grandpa Su, what made you call me?"

On the other end of the line, Old Master Su's tone was sharp, his voice carrying obvious internal resentment.

"What, can't I call you, the overseas business whiz, for no reason?"

"What did you promise me before? You said you'd take good care of my grandson Gu Yubai. How come the second I finished recovering and reconnected with the outside world, a bunch of ridiculous crap came my way?"

"Who the hell is this Gu Yihong pretending to be my grandson? That worthless Su Wanlin couldn’t even recognize his own son!"

Typical of someone fresh out of recovery.

Old Master Su spoke full of vigor.

Yu Li found it amusing.

"Let me explain how it happened..."