MHWFYYTMDF Chapter8

Song Li was in a terrible mood, and a heavy aura of low pressure surrounded him the entire day.

Seeing him looking so listless, the teachers in the office tried to liven up the atmosphere to distract him, but eventually, seeing that he really wasn’t in the mood, they stopped forcing it.

With her sharp eyes, Xu Shanshan concluded that he must have gotten into a fight with his boyfriend and was sitting here throwing a tantrum.

Ai, these romantic couples who take their blessings for granted. I’m so jealous.

When school ended in the afternoon, Tian Fu organized a gathering, saying that since today was payday, it was a good day for a few of them to go out and get together.

Xu Shanshan was the first to jump up in agreement. It was rare for a henpecked husband like Teacher Tian to willingly open up his private stash to serve everyone, so they absolutely had to fleece him for a good meal.

Seeing how enthusiastic they all were, Song Li originally didn’t feel up to it, but then he thought about how early he would be leaving work today and there didn’t seem to be anything for him to do if he went back anyway.

Besides, even if he did go back, he would still be facing that massive apartment all by himself. It was cold and deserted; just thinking about it felt pathetic.

The drinking spot was chosen by Xu Shanshan. Being a young girl, she was naturally sensitive to these places of hedonistic pleasure. She casually picked an izakaya she had been to before, and the group booked a private room. The moment the door closed, they immediately started letting loose.

Even public-school teachers should be allowed to properly liberate their restless souls every now and then, right?

Among the teachers, Xu Shanshan and another female teacher, Li Yunqiang, were decent drinkers. As for Tian Fu, he only had a beer belly that looked impressive; after drinking less than two glasses, his face was already red and his neck had flushed.

Song Li wasn’t a heavy drinker and kept himself under control when he did drink. While others downed half a glass, he took a single sip, taking his time. Eating more and drinking less made it hard for him to get drunk.

Since it was peak dinner hours, business at the izakaya was booming. The outside was bustling with excitement, and their private room wasn’t quiet either. Li Yunqiang had gotten a bit tipsy and kept dragging the others into her endless complaints about the trivial, mundane drama in her own household.

Most of them were married people, so this kind of topic easily struck a chord, and once they started talking about it, they simply couldn’t stop.

Song Li didn’t chime in; he just sat on the side listening silently, occasionally picking up a bite of a side dish with his chopsticks.

As they ate, Xu Shanshan leaned in close to him, clinking her glass against his, “Teacher Song, do you know? You and those vulgar folks are simply not from the same world. The moment I turned around just now and saw you sitting here, a phrase popped into my head. Do you know what it was?”

One could tell from her tone that she had drunk too much. Matching her vibe, Song Li smiled and asked, “What phrase?”

Xu Shanshan wagged her finger, her small face flushed a beautiful, deep red, “A banished immortal, really. When you sit there and smile like that, completely untouched by the dust of the mortal world, it makes people want to place you on a pedestal, afraid that even the slightest bit of worldly filth might stain you.”

Song Li hadn’t expected her to come up with such a phrase, and shook his head with a smile, “Teacher Xu, you’ve had too much to drink.”

Xu Shanshan shook her head and slumped over the table, her mind completely muddled from the alcohol, yet she still forced herself to keep one eye open as she looked at him, “Really, Teacher Song… you, you’re different from them, different from everyone else. You, you’re incredibly clean, so good-looking…”

She was already incoherent. Song Li shook his head, took the wine glass out of her hand, and patted her head, “A young girl shouldn’t drink so much when out.”

The private room was a chaotic mess to the point where if one didn’t speak loudly enough, they probably couldn’t be heard. Song Li was solely focused on calming Xu Shanshan down, completely failing to notice his phone, which was vibrating non-stop on the table.

By the time the ringtone reached its end and automatically disconnected for the third time, the caller finally lost his patience. After putting down the phone, he stared at the screen for a moment before lifting a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose.

Li Xiu caught his reflection in the rearview mirror and asked cautiously, “Has Mr. Song still not answered?”

He Muyan lowered his eyes, remaining silent.

Li Xiu stopped pressing further and asked instead, “Then where are we heading now?”

“Home.”

And so, they went back home, only to find the place pitch-black and dark.

Li Xiu could feel the heavy aura of low pressure continuously radiating from beside him.

He subtly shifted his position over a bit.

He Muyan walked to the sofa and sat down before reaching out to tug at his tie with movements that were irritable and disorganized.

“Where would he go?”

Standing off to the side, Li Xiu answered, “You could call and ask.”

He Muyan lifted his eyes to glare at him, “He isn’t answering his phone.”

Li Xiu broke into a sweat and shut his mouth; he had forgotten about that part.

After another period of silence, He Muyan gripped his phone, his expression looking highly fatigued.

Ultimately unable to bear seeing his boss like this, Li Xiu thought it over and attempted to speak up, “Boss, Mr. Song wouldn’t stay away from home for no good reason. When was the last time you saw each other, and did you say anything?”

He Muyan looked at him, “The last time we met was this morning. We said a couple of words.”

Only a couple of words. Li Xiu smiled silently to himself; it was indeed exactly his boss’s style.

“Then… did Mr. Song look unusual at the time?”

He Muyan leaned back on the sofa while resting his forehead against one hand. After pondering for a moment, he said, “He seemed to be… angry?”

If he’s angry, he’s angry, why do you need to use a question format?

Li Xiu was puzzled, “Mr. Song appears to have a very gentle and humble personality. He doesn’t look like someone who throws a tantrum for no reason.”

“Gentle and humble?” Thinking of the way the person slammed the door this morning, He Muyan smiled slightly, “Don’t be deceived by his appearance. He actually has quite a temper.”

Oh, really? Well, that must be a little private flirtation between you two. Li Xiu didn’t dare to ask; he truly didn’t dare to ask.

He Muyan was even more puzzled than him, knitting his brows, “Why is he angry?”

That was a great question. Li Xiu also really wanted to know how their boss had managed to infuriate Song Li, who looked like such an innocent little white rabbit.

“Is it because I asked him to make breakfast?” On the other side, He Muyan had already begun self-reflecting, “But he was clearly the one who said himself that he wanted someone to accompany him for breakfast.”

“Or is it because I came home too late last night? But I have work, it’s impossible for me to have that much time to come back and accompany him.”

Muttering up to this point, He Muyan’s expression clearly turned impatient. He lifted his head to look at Li Xiu, his tone solemn, “Is he asking for too much?”

Li Xiu sucked in a sharp breath; a stiff professional smile plastered across his face.

How could he subtly wake his boss up to the fact that “hoping one’s husband comes home a bit early every day to spend more time with the family is the most basic, ordinary demand of any newlywed spouse in the world” without losing his decent job?

He thought about it for a bit and decided it was better not to take this risk lightly. Looking around, he smartly diverted the topic first.

“Boss, let me go get you something to drink.”

He Muyan ignored him, so Li Xiu took it upon himself to head into the kitchen.

As He Muyan’s personal assistant, secretary, and driver, his familiarity with every corner of He Muyan’s house was perhaps even greater than that of He Muyan himself.

For example, terrified that his boss would neglect his own health by only drinking alcohol or eating unhealthy instant foods without taking in other nutrients, he would occasionally stuff some simple yet nutritious items like milk, bread, and eggs into the refrigerator.

Of course, he didn’t expect He Muyan to actually cook these ingredients either; it was just so that he could come over and make something whenever he happened to have time.

Li Xiu remembered that a few days ago, when he came over to drop his boss off at home, he had just bought some eggs, ham, and other items to put in the fridge.

Only now, none of those things were left. Instead, the fridge was completely filled to the brim with plates covered by metal insulation lids.

He walked out in surprise, “Boss, has a Conch Fairy visited your house?”

It was no wonder he was so astonished; He Muyan had a very strong sense of personal space. Aside from the cleaning lady who came at scheduled times, he never allowed any unfamiliar face into his home.

It was even less possible for him to let someone prepare a whole refrigerator full of dishes, let alone have them covered so exquisitely.

He Muyan scolded him, “What nonsense are you talking about?”

Not knowing where he got the courage, Li Xiu pointed toward the kitchen to defend himself, “It’s all full of dishes inside. At a glance, it’s obvious they were prepared with a lot of effort and care. Did you hire a housekeeper or something in the past couple of days?”

“How could that be…” Before He Muyan could finish his sentence, it was as if something clicked. He stood up and walked toward the kitchen.

Li Xiu hadn’t lied to him. The refrigerator was packed full, looking completely like a different appliance compared to the one he normally used just to store alcohol. It truly looked as though a virtuous Conch Fairy had paid a visit.

He Muyan’s knitted brows slowly smoothed out, and he spoke in a deep voice, “I know why he’s angry.”

Li Xiu let out an “en.” Looking at the refrigerator and then at He Muyan’s face, he suddenly understood as well.

“Boss, you mean to say these dishes were all made by Mr. Song…”

He Muyan nodded. After giving those dishes one more glance, he turned around and walked out of the kitchen.

Li Xiu closed the refrigerator door, marveled internally at how capable Mr. Song was, and followed him out.

He Muyan sat back down on the sofa. This time, his face was no longer gloomy, though his brows were still slightly furrowed as if he were contemplating something.

Naturally, Li Xiu didn’t dare to try and read his boss’s thoughts, but he couldn’t control his mouth and sighed, “Mr. Song must have waited all by himself for a very long-time last night. It must have been hard on him to carefully prepare such a sumptuous dinner.”

Hearing this, He Muyan’s expression seemed to soften somewhat. He tapped his fingers against the back of the sofa, “I was working. I didn’t know he had made all this.”

After a brief pause, he continued, “Since he went to the effort of making all this, he could’ve just called…”

He suddenly stopped halfway through his sentence.

Li Xiu glanced at his expression and guessed the gist of it, “Boss, don’t tell me you and Mr. Song haven’t even exchanged phone numbers yet.”

He Muyan pursed his lips and remained silent.

“Then, have you added each other on WeChat?”

He Muyan’s lips pressed together even tighter, his expression turning sour.

Well, Li Xiu broke into a cold sweat; the root of the problem had finally been found.

“Li Xiu.” He Muyan suddenly called out to him.

“Please give your orders, Boss.” Li Xiu immediately braced himself with absolute focus.

“What time is it now?”

Li Xiu lifted his wrist, “A quarter past eleven.”

He Muyan pondered, and only after a brief moment did he speak in a soft voice, “Last night… he must have been in this exact kind of mood too, right?”

Li Xiu remained completely silent. As a qualified personal secretary, he should have dutifully said some pleasant words at a time like this to ease his boss’s mind, but at this very moment, he didn’t want to do that at all.

Having followed He Muyan for so many years, this was the first time he had ever seen such an expression on his face.

How should he put it? The current He Muyan looked very much like a human being; a normal person with joy and sorrows, making one feel that he was actually capable of showing raw emotion.

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