After I Was Gone, Mr. Song Said He Loved Me

Upon arriving at the electric company, I called Ren Hechuan to let him know I was waiting at the front desk on the first floor. Shortly after, his secretary came to escort me to his office.

Even though I was aware Ren Hechuan wouldn’t do anything to me in his own company, I couldn’t help but feel anxious as I walked down the hallway.

“Could you please tell me what Mr. Ren wants to discuss with me?” I asked the female secretary with a smile.

“I’m not sure, you’ll find out once you’re there,” she replied with a cheerful grin.

At the office door, the secretary knocked and announced, “Mr. Ren, Mr. Bai has arrived.”

“Come in,” Ren Hechuan’s voice faintly echoed from inside.

The secretary opened the door and gestured for me to enter. I nodded politely, but as I was about to step inside, I froze.

Because I saw Song Yu.

He was sitting on the sofa, chatting and drinking tea with Ren Hechuan, both wearing smiles and seemingly enjoying their conversation.

Upon seeing me, Ren Hechuan quickly waved me over, “Come here, Mr. Bai.”

I maintained a smile on my face, but my mind was alert.

Why was Song Yu in Ren Hechuan’s office?

Could it be about the Huanya project? But he had clearly rejected it before.

With a swirl of questions in my mind, I slowly approached the sofa. One was the boss I had been involved with, the other my nominal lover, both looking at me simultaneously.

Without hesitation, I sat next to Ren Hechuan. Although it didn’t mean much, I wasn’t going to miss any chance to show Song Yu where I stood.

Song Yu looked at me, his lips curling into a smile that seemed to dismiss my intentions.

But I didn’t care. I was no longer the person who would meekly follow his every command.

Just then, the secretary knocked on the door again and entered with two blue folders in hand.

After placing them down, Ren Hechuan dismissed her.

I stared at the folders, which were labeled “Blue Ocean Ventures – First Five-Year Plan.”

They appeared to be contracts.

Ren Hechuan handed one of the folders to Song Yu, smiling, “President Song, please take a look at the preliminary cooperation contract for the Blue Ocean Ventures project. If there’s anything unsuitable, we can discuss and amend it.”

Song Yu casually flipped through a couple of pages and smiled, “Mr. Ren, you’ve put so much effort into the Blue Ocean project, how could there be anything unsuitable?”

“If I were to ask for more, that would be truly greedy.”

Song Yu’s words seemed to please Ren Hechuan immensely. The two exchanged glances, each calculating their own interests, and then laughed heartily, evidently satisfied with the outcome.

Watching from the side, my heart pounded with frustration.

So Ren Hechuan and Song Yu had been in contact all along. No wonder Song Yu showed no reaction when I presented Ren Hechuan’s business card.

Ren Hechuan, that sly old fox, didn’t even bother to inform me, enjoying the benefits delivered to him on a silver platter.

I foolishly thought I had secured a great advantage, proudly using his business card to negotiate with Song Yu, only to realize I was the clown in this whole affair.

Damn it, these wealthy people, not a single one is decent.

As I was inwardly cursing these two men, Ren Hechuan suddenly said, “President Song, there’s actually another matter I wanted to discuss with you today.”

Song Yu’s smile remained, but his tone turned a bit cold, “Go ahead.”

Ren Hechuan unexpectedly grabbed my hand and pulled me closer to him, “It’s about Mr. Bai.”

Song Yu’s deep black eyes glanced at Ren Hechuan, then at me, and he stated with a smile, “Bai Yu is my personal public relations.”

Ren Hechuan’s expression relaxed slightly as he continued, “Mr. Bai is an excellent public relations professional and a good friend of mine. I don’t want my good friend to work so hard for money. President Song, you understand what I mean, right?”

I stared at Ren Hechuan in astonishment. It was clear he was trying to ask Song Yu for me. Could it be that the old man really cared about me? And he must know that I work for Song Yu, otherwise he wouldn’t bring this up directly with him.

I remembered when we first met, he said that if I became his person, I wouldn’t need to go to work anymore; he’d provide for me. I didn’t take his words seriously at the time and just agreed perfunctorily. Now it seems he’s getting impatient and has come to Song Yu personally to ask for me.

Song Yu’s statement, “Mr. Bai is my personal public relations,” seemed to anticipate what Ren Hechuan was going to say, hence he preemptively tried to shut him down. But Ren Hechuan ignored Song Yu’s attempt to assert dominance and made his intentions clear.

The more I watched, the more it seemed like these two were fighting over me.

It’s just absurd.

Even though my mind was in turmoil, I maintained an innocent and harmless facade, quietly watching the drama unfold, waiting to see Song Yu get embarrassed.

After all, Ren Hechuan isn’t someone you can easily offend. No matter how formidable Song Yu is, he has to show some respect to this old man. Now that Ren Hechuan has openly asked for me, I’m curious to see how the usually arrogant President Song will handle this.

Song Yu slightly curled his lips, nodding in agreement, “Mr. Ren is right. Mr. Bai is indeed very talented and hardworking. If he has such thoughts, I will respect his decision.”

Then he shifted his gaze from Ren Hechuan to me, his eyes holding a warning smile.

I blinked quickly, my mind struggling to catch up.

Wasn’t this just between him and Ren Hechuan a moment ago? How did it suddenly become about me?

And what about respecting my choice? Every tone and expression he used was threatening; how could I not see it?

If it were simply to annoy Song Yu, I could say whatever would irritate him, even roll around in Ren Hechuan’s embrace.

But I’ve already promised Chi Jin to find that account book, which means I must stay by Song Yu’s side. So, even if I don’t want to, I have to remain at Huanya for now.

Yet, I’m not willing to just go along with his wishes. I need to make sure he loses face to feel satisfied.

Just as I was about to unleash a barrage of aggressive remarks, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out, ready to dismiss the call, only to see it was my dad. This was the first time he’d called me since I left home nearly two years ago. If I dared to hang up, knowing his temper, he wouldn’t call again and would probably give me a verbal thrashing.

Ren Hechuan noticed me staring at my phone, squinting slightly, as if suspecting I had some secret to hide. I showed the screen displaying ‘Dad from home’ to Ren Hechuan and Song Yu, saying, “Mr. Ren, President Song, it’s my dad calling. I’ll step outside to take this.”

Ren Hechuan smiled kindly, dismissing the need to leave, “No need to go outside, it’s just a call from family.”

Song Yu shrugged, indicating he didn’t mind either, and the two continued their conversation as if nothing had happened.

Resigned, I answered my dad’s call right there, “Hello?”

“I… I… I won’t say it,” my dad’s voice sounded like he was talking to someone beside him.

“You see, we agreed you’d call the kid,” my mom’s voice chimed in.

Ah, so he was talking to my mom.

“Hello? Dad?” I called into the phone again.

After some shuffling on the other end, my dad finally spoke hesitantly, “Well… it’s New Year, when are you coming home?”

As soon as my dad finished speaking, my sister’s voice joined in, “Brother, come home soon. Mom and Dad miss you. Dad saved the freshest turbot from the port for you.”

“You talk too much,” my dad chided my sister.

Her giggles, like wind chimes, echoed in my ears.

I paused, feeling a warm rush of emotion, my eyes growing a bit misty.

My dad was calling to ask me home for the New Year.

After wandering for nearly two years, my dad was finally willing to accept me.

Since he found out I was gay, he almost beat me to death. I ran away and hadn’t dared to return home, nearly severing ties with my family.

I felt deeply guilty towards him.

My dad was stubborn and traditional, believing that life, whether rich or poor, was about maintaining family lineage. And I, his only son, had broken the Bai Family line.

No wonder he’d been angry with me for so long.

For him to call and invite me home for the New Year now, I couldn’t quite describe my feelings-my eyes were warm, and I felt like both laughing and crying.

“Okay, Dad, I understand. I’ll head back this afternoon and should be home by evening,” I replied, my voice a bit choked.

On the other end, my dad repeated my words to my mom and sister, “Bai Yu will be home tonight. Start marinating the drunken shrimp¹ now, it’ll be perfect for dinner.”

Listening to this, my heart swelled with emotion. Two years of persistence had finally paid off. Though the journey wasn’t pleasant, compared to those in the community who married under pressure, I considered myself fortunate.

“Bai Yu, why don’t you invite your boss to spend the New Year with us?” my dad suddenly suggested.

His words froze my overflowing emotions. Surprised, I asked, “Why?”

My dad chuckled, “Your boss sent us a bunch of New Year gifts the other day, so I called to thank him.”

“It turns out he grew up in an orphanage and has nowhere to go for the New Year. I thought he could join us. Besides, he helped a lot with your grandfather’s burial ground, and I feel indebted.”

“He kept praising your hard work, saying you always land impressive projects…”

I didn’t pay much attention to what my dad said afterward. I only knew my breathing was becoming constricted, as if an invisible hand was squeezing my throat, and that hand belonged to Song Yu.

He was chatting with Ren Hechuan, his gaze occasionally flicking towards me, a small, confident smile playing on his lips.

I realized this was his warning-if I dared to defy him, my family would learn things I wished to keep hidden.

Song Yu was blatantly threatening me.

Footnote:

Drunken Shrimp(醉虾):A traditional Chinese dish, particularly popular in regions like Shanghai and Zhejiang. It typically involves live freshwater shrimp that are briefly immersed in a strong alcoholic marinade (often baijiu or rice wine), which “intoxicates” them before they are eaten, sometimes while still alive. The alcohol also cooks the shrimp slightly and infuses them with flavor.