The Young Man's Life Chapter 9

The next morning, Alex Ye met Daniel Liang downstairs of the company.

He and Liam Wen had just walked to the entrance of the hall, but before they went in, Daniel Liang called him from behind, holding a breakfast bag in his hand, and caught up with him in two or three steps.

"Good morning." Daniel Liang greeted him and looked at the young man next to Alex Ye. He was talking and laughing just now, but when he saw him, he instantly stopped smiling, pursed his lips, and returned to his usual indifferent expression.

"You guys came together?" Daniel Liang looked away and handed over the breakfast bag without waiting for Alex Ye to answer, "You haven't had breakfast yet, right? Here, some freshly heated rice balls."

Knowing that he often got up late and forgot to eat breakfast, Daniel Liang would occasionally bring him an extra portion.

Alex Ye thanked him but didn't take it. "You eat it. I've already eaten." He raised the corner of his lips towards him and said, "Didn't expect that?"

Since living together with Liam Wen, he started to get up on time and eat on time every day, and his life gradually became regular. He no longer rushed to the company at the last minute like before.

They walked into the entrance hall together, Alex Ye walked in the middle, Liam Wen and Daniel Liang on his left and right.

"Already eaten?" Daniel Liang really didn't expect this. He looked at Alex Ye and always felt that he was a little different these days. He seemed to have become a lot more energetic than before.

After looking at it, he took the bag and asked Liam Wen, "What about you? Did you eat it too?"

Ethan also nodded and said thank you in a slightly cold tone, politely yet coldly and distant, without a single unnecessary word.

Daniel Liang couldn't help but raise his eyebrows: "You didn't eat them all, did you?"

The phone in his pocket vibrated a few times. Alex Ye took it out and looked down at the messages in the work group. He said cheerfully, "Yeah, I ate it all."

Daniel Liang glanced at the two of them and was about to ask them if they were going to eat together when the elevator door opened. Ethan was also pressing the button in front and standing aside waiting for them to go in first. There was no expression on his face the whole time.

Alex Ye put away his phone and walked inside while saying, "The assistant to the president just sent a notice in the group, asking the editors-in-chief of each department to go to the conference room for a regular meeting."

Daniel Liang followed him into the elevator, stood to his left, turned his head and looked at him and asked: "Now?"

Alex Ye nodded, glanced at the breakfast in his bag, and reminded him with a smile, "You still have ten minutes to finish breakfast."

Daniel Liang: ...

"However, I guess the president will definitely be late, so you can eat slowly in the conference room." Alex Ye pressed the floor number where the conference room was located, then turned to Liam Wen and said, "You can go back to the magazine department first."

Ethan also nodded softly.

With a ding sound, the elevator arrived. Alex Ye walked out first, and Daniel Liang followed closely behind, eating a rice ball. The two chatted as they walked.

"I asked." Daniel Liang followed him and said, "Your sister-in-law said that it was her teacher who first brought up this matter. Her teacher saw you at an exhibition and admired you very much."

Alex Ye pretended to be confused even though he knew the truth: "Hmm? What's the matter? What did my sister-in-law say?"

"Stop pretending." Daniel Liang exposed him: "What else can it be? Of course I want to introduce you to someone..."

The voices were lost as the elevator door closed. Hearing the last few words, Ethan frowned slightly.

So, as soon as he entered the magazine office, his colleague noticed his slightly gloomy face and asked as he passed by him, "Liam Wen? Are you okay?"

Liam Wen said lightly, "It's okay," and walked towards his workstation with an expressionless face.

After a meeting in the morning, Alex Ye went to the photo studio and stayed there until the afternoon. Therefore, he did not meet Liam Wen for the whole day.

The next time we met at the company was near the end of the workday.

It was not yet time to get off work, but in the editorial office of the magazine department, everyone was already chatting in a relaxed manner. Alex Ye was well-known for his good temper in the company, and the atmosphere in the magazine department was always harmonious.

"Is Editor-in-Chief Ye not back yet?"

"no."

"I heard that Editor-in-Chief Ye is going to a party tonight, so he might not be coming back to the company today."

"What party?"

There was a clear sound of footsteps outside the door. When the people who were chatting just now saw the figure appearing at the door, they immediately shut their mouths, retracted their necks and continued to stare at the computer.

Unlike the gentle and amiable editor-in-chief, their deputy editor-in-chief is efficient and very strict. Just a glance from them is enough to make people dare not breathe.

Emma Sha walked in on high heels, holding a document in her hand. She glanced at the people in the office who were busy writing articles. "Who is free? Send this document to the editor-in-chief's office."

After the words fell, Liam Wen, who had been silent all the time, stood up and said in a faint voice, "I'll go."

His workstation is at the back, and he has been glancing at his colleague in front of him several times since the chat started.

The colleague closest to him glanced at him secretly, and when they left one after another, whispers began to be heard in the office again.

"What's wrong with Liam Wen today? You seem to be in a bad mood."

"He has always been quiet, hasn't he?"

"I feel like something is different today, like something happened."

"But to be honest, Liam Wen is really handsome, but it's a pity that handsome guys are all very cold."

"Except Editor-in-Chief Ye."

"That's right, our editor-in-chief Ye is gentle and handsome~"

Ethan also went to the editor-in-chief's office. The door was open, but no one was there. Just as they said, Alex Ye had not returned yet.

He placed the documents on his desk, glanced at the half-cooled coffee he had drunk next to the computer, picked up the cup and walked towards the tea room.

After washing the cups, Alex Ye just came in from outside. He was stunned when he saw him, "Are you not off work yet?"

Liam Wen put the cup back to its place, "I'm here to deliver the information."

"Oh, OK, I'll check it out later." Alex Ye said as he walked to the coat rack and changed into clothes suitable for attending the party. Knowing that Liam Wen hadn't left yet, he continued, "Go home after work. You don't have to wait for me at night. Go to bed early."

Ethan also hummed, looking at Alex Ye with his back to him, buttoning his clothes with both hands, and walked to the door and stopped, saying, "You too, come back early."

After a moment of silence, he said, "Drink less."

Alex Ye didn't even raise his head to respond: "I know, I know."

Speaking of drinking, Alex Ye has attended many drinking parties and dinners over the years, but his alcohol tolerance is still very poor. Fortunately, he only went to high-end cocktail parties where few people would force him to drink, and everyone was more out to talk about business.

Daniel Liang took a leave in the afternoon and left the company early. Alex Ye took a taxi to the hotel alone.

He arrived not too early, and before he reached the door of the private room, he heard lively conversation coming from inside.

In the private room, Fang Zhilan, the birthday protagonist of the night, was surrounded in the front, holding a wine glass with a smile on her face. Even though her features were marked by the years, her eyes were still full of charm and she had an extraordinary temperament.

Standing next to Fang Zhilan was a beautiful figure, a young woman with a gentle appearance. She seemed very familiar with her. It was a stranger face, the first time Alex Ye saw her.

He quickly thought of something and was standing at the door, yet he hadn't recovered when Fang Zhilan looked at him, and while inviting the guest to sit anywhere, she walked towards him with the people beside her.

"Xiao Xu, you're here." Fang Zhilan smiled faintly, "Yu Qing has gone to pick up his parents, so they may not be here for a while."

Alex Ye nodded in understanding, slightly curved his lips, and handed over the carefully prepared gift, "Happy birthday, sister-in-law."

Fang Zhilan smiled and said thank you, "It's enough for you to come. Why bring a gift?" Then she introduced him, "Oh, this is Yinyin, the daughter of Teacher Chen. She also graduated from Shenzhen University and now works in my law firm."

Alex Ye looked at the girl next to her and nodded slightly: "Hello, my name is Alex Ye."

The girl named Yin Yin smiled and said hello. From the beginning till now, her eyes fell on him from time to time.

"Okay, stop standing." Fang Zhilan turned to the private room, gently placed her hand on Yinyin's back, smiled at Alex Ye and said, "You have all seen the people who came today, go sit for a while."

After saying that, he walked in front and arranged two adjacent seats for them.

Because it was a small gathering, those who came were relatives and friends who were close to Fang Zhilan. As a fashion editor, Alex Ye knew a lot of people, but he had few close friends. Most of them were casual acquaintances. Except for Daniel Liang and his wife, the others at the party tonight had only met him a few times.

Perhaps because he had worked all day, Alex Ye didn't feel like talking. He just listened to the other guests chatting at the table and sipped his wine by himself.

He could see that someone at the table wanted to talk to him, but probably didn't know how to start the conversation because he was silent. There were always people like this at every cocktail party.

Alex Ye pretended not to see it, gently shaking the wine glass and continued to sip. He withdrew his dazed gaze from not far away, suddenly met the gaze of the person beside him, paused, and returned a polite smile.

It seemed that this smile gave the other person the courage to talk to him, "Editor-in-Chief Ye must be very busy, right?"

Alex Ye took a sip of wine, "Well, I'm busy most of the time."

Unlike others, he was more patient with girls. Because of this, he always received many love letters when he was in school.

"I bought LIGHT magazine before, but I never thought I would meet the editor-in-chief one day." When she said this, Yinyin's eyes lit up slightly, but her face was a little shy. "I heard that Editor-in-Chief Ye likes reading books?"

Alex Ye was silent for a moment, then nodded, "Ah... yes."

After he answered, he looked up at Daniel Liang at the other table. He could guess who had said this without even thinking. Daniel Liang had obviously seen them chatting, and he looked at him before quickly turning his head away guiltily.

Yinyin smiled and continued, "What a coincidence, me too." Then she asked, "What kind of books does Editor-in-Chief Ye like to read?"

"Well...poetry and prose and the like." Alex Ye said as he drank. After just one glass, his face and neck began to turn red. "I read some in my spare time at work, and occasionally I go to bookstores."

When talking about the bookstore, he held the wine glass, staring at the amber liquid in the glass. He thought of Liam Wen for no reason. He didn't know what Liam Wen was doing now, and whether he listened to him and went back after work...

"Editor-in-Chief Ye also visits bookstores?" Yin Yin's voice brought him back to his wandering thoughts, "I thought that you guys working at a publishing house wouldn't go to bookstores to read books."

Alex Ye hummed softly: "Yes."

Yinyin glanced at his soft profile, pursed her lips slightly, and after a while, she picked up the wine glass and opened her mouth carefully: "Does Editor-in-Chief Ye like drama? There is a new drama on Saturday that seems very interesting."

The other party didn't say it explicitly, but there was a hint in his words.

"Drama? Not bad, but I rarely watch it." Seeing her holding up a glass of wine towards him, Alex Ye touched the rim of the glass with his hand and took a sip. "It's a pity that I don't have time on the weekend, otherwise I would definitely go and watch it."

This was a polite refusal, both of which was a polite refusal to accept the invitation to see a play and a polite refusal to develop a further relationship. Some things don't need to be said too clearly, as long as both parties know what they are saying.

"It's a pity indeed..."

The other party seemed to want to say something. At this time, seeing this, the other people at the table also raised their wine glasses and talked to Alex Ye. Alex Ye was not in a position to refuse, so he drank several glasses in succession. He didn't know how many glasses he had before he found an excuse to slip away to the bathroom.

The last time he drank so much was when Liam Wen came to his house as a guest. Tonight he drank a little more than that night. Alex Ye washed his face with cold water, put his hands on the sink, and looked at himself in the mirror.

His face and neck were almost completely red, his cheeks flushed, and the heat had subsided a little after being splashed with cold water. Water droplets hung on his ear hair and dripped down the ends of his hair to the collar of his shirt.

He looked completely drunk.

When Daniel Liang came out of the private room, Alex Ye had already come out of the bathroom and was leaning on the hotel terrace enjoying the evening breeze. He was wearing a white shirt and looked like a lonely crane from a distance.

Knowing that Alex Ye had a low alcohol tolerance, Daniel Liang was worried that he had passed out in the bathroom after having been in the bathroom for a long time, so she told Fang Zhilan and went out to check.

He walked over: "Are you okay?"

Hearing the voice from behind, Alex Ye slowly turned his head, saw Daniel Liang, and asked: "Why did you come out?"

"I was afraid you couldn't find your way back, so I came to see you." Seeing that his eyes were still clear, Daniel Liang felt relieved. "It seems that he is not completely drunk."

He walked to Alex Ye's side, looked at the gorgeous night view of Shenshui City with him, and asked suddenly: "What do you think?"

Although Alex Ye was drunk, his mind was still clear. He knew what Daniel Liang meant by asking this question, so he pretended not to understand and asked, "What do you mean?"

Daniel Liang did not expose him this time, but only said: "Yinyin works in your sister-in-law's law firm. I have not met her many times. When I first joined the law firm, your sister-in-law praised her in front of me, saying that she was down-to-earth and serious. Although she came from a scholarly family, she still worked very hard and was a very good child."

"It's really good." The neon lights not far away were reflected in Alex Ye's pupils. His eyes were light and looked particularly calm. "It's also suitable for a better person."

Daniel Liang glanced at him and said, "I knew you would say that."

Alex Ye couldn't help but laugh: "Then why are you asking me?"

Daniel Liang sighed very lightly, and without beating around the bush, he looked at the stars that flickered in the night sky. "I roughly know what you are worried about. The work of a fashion editor is very busy. You are worried that you will not be able to take care of others, and you are also worried that others will only see the surface of you."

He paused, and a sigh passed through his lips. "For so many years, you have been alone. Sometimes when I look at you, I always feel that you are very far away from me, as if you have trapped yourself on an island surrounded by the sea."

Alex Ye lowered his eyelashes and said nothing.

Daniel Liang continued, "I didn't plan to tell you that at first, but then I thought about it. After all, I am older than you, and I don't know how long I can accompany you in the future. I have Lanlan and you..."

At this point, he was silent for a moment, "I don't want there to be a day when you are alone."

The evening breeze blew gently, and every word blew into Alex Ye's ears.

He was silent for a while, pursed his lips slightly, and nudged the other person with his elbow, as if to dilute the solemn atmosphere in front of him, and raised the end of his eyebrows jokingly, "Do all older people become so nagging?"

Daniel Liang pushed the frame of his glasses down on his nose, cleared his throat, and pretended to be serious, "Ahem, I'm serious."

Alex Ye slowly retracted the curve of his lips. Perhaps because he had drunk some wine, his head felt a little heavy and his eyelids felt a little heavy.

After a moment's silence, he said, "I understand. Thank you, Lao Liang."

The two of them leaned against the terrace and enjoyed the breeze for a while.

It seemed like some people in the private room were going to the bathroom in a group, and there was a lot of noise in the distance as they passed through the corridor next to the terrace.

Daniel Liang raised his hand and looked at his watch. "Okay, it's getting late. I'll take you home first." Then he asked him, "Can you still go?"

"It's not over yet, no need, I can take a taxi back by myself." Alex Ye turned around and shook the coat hanging on his arm. He put it on with great effort and urged him: "Go back to the private room quickly, my sister-in-law has a birthday today, don't let her get tired."

Daniel Liang was still standing there, waiting for him to get dressed. "I don't think it will be over for a while, so I can still send you off in time. But if something really happens to you, I won't be able to explain to your magazine department."

Alex Ye wanted to say that it was really not necessary, but at this moment, the cell phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated. He put on his coat, reached for the phone, saw the name on the caller ID, and paused.

"What's wrong?" Seeing him pause, Daniel Liang followed his gaze and saw the words "Liam Wen". She was a little surprised, "Huh? Liam Wen? Why did he call you so late at night?"