HWMTOTBM Chapter 3

That night, Xu Yu and Yun Jie¹“云姐” (Yún Jiě) also translated as Sister Yun, I’ll just stick to Yun Jie from now on. were organizing documents at the company. Whenever he looked up, he could see the bright “Happy Birthday, Xu Yu!” on the Anding Building.

It was something intangible, but it helped to relieve his fatigue and lift his spirits.

As the night fell, Lincheng’s nightlife began, and the city became more vibrant.

“It is been an hour and a half; how come it is still up there?” Yun Jie stretched and laughed. “Your fan must be really rich.”

Xu Yu shrugged and continued looking at his computer.

The characters on the Anding Building were charged by the minute, which was expensive, and not everyone could use it.

When the message first appeared, yun Jie had called to inquire. She was unfamiliar with the area, so she inquired for a while and spoke with several people.

In the end, all she knew was that the message was intended for Xu Yu, but she had no idea who wrote it or how long it would be up.

Xu Yu also asked Xu Weichi, who said he had no idea but was happy for him over the phone, saying, “You are quite popular now, huh?”

Xu Yu was unable to explain and could only say, “Not really.”

He wasn’t that popular. He had less than 3 million Weibo followers, and his posts rarely received more than a thousand comments.

There were some loyal fans and familiar IDs in the comments, but those who truly liked him were few and far between.

Thinking about it, Xu Yu looked up again at the distant birthday message. The characters had now turned red, illuminating the night and outshining the stars.

Yun Jie walked back from the printer and handed Xu Yu a document: “Take a look at this and sign if everything is fine.”

Xu Yu acknowledged and accepted the document.

Sister Yun pulled out a chair and sat down to rest after finishing her work.

“The birthday message became a trending topic soon after it appeared,” Yun Jie propped her head on her hand, looking at Xu Yu’s profile. “The keyword was ‘Happy Birthday, Xu Yu.'”

Xu Yu smiled and used his finger as a bookmark in the document.

“I saw it too; it stayed on the trending list for a few minutes before disappearing,” Xu Yu said, taking his finger away from the document. “Some fans also sent me private messages, asking if it was for me and if it was my birthday yet.”

Xu Yu asked Yun Jie, “Does this count as deception?”

yun Jie chuckled, “How is this deception? It can be explained, and you didn’t use your birthday for anything else.”

Xu Yu nodded and suddenly said, “Once this is over, I want to set up a studio.”

Yun Jieclapped her hands, “I had the same idea!”

Xu Yu met Yun Jie’s gaze, and they exchanged a knowing smile.

The “Happy Birthday, Xu Yu” display at the Anding Building lasted two hours. After it disappeared, “Happy Birthday, Xu Yu” briefly trended again.

On Weibo, someone confirmed the identity of the recipient and shared Xu Yu’s Weibo, guiding fans to him.

Some speculated that the message came from Xu Yu’s sponsor, his company, or Zhou Jie.

Xu Yu gained some new Weibo followers, but not a lot.

Because of his low popularity, there were few discussions. Additionally, an old scandal from a show three years ago resurfaced but didn’t make much of an impact. People briefly discussed it before moving on.

Terminating the contract was neither difficult nor time-consuming, as expected.

Having made up his mind and prepared thoroughly, Xu Yu, Sister Yun, and their lawyer worked hard for some time before terminating the contract with the company.

On the day of the termination, the sky was clear and the weather was perfect.

At noon, Xu Yu walked out of the company’s main entrance, finally saying goodbye to the place that had held him captive for three years.

“Thank you, Lawyer Zheng,” Xu Yu politely shook hands with Lawyer Zheng and his assistant at the curb. “Thank you for your hard work.”

Sister Yun also thanked the lawyer with a handshake.

Lawyer Zheng nodded courteously, “It’s our job; there’s no need to thank us.”

Lawyer Zheng’s car was already parked along the roadside. Xu Yu and Yun Jie bid him farewell and watched him drive away.

It was still spring, and the sun was not too harsh. Sister Yun put her phone away and turned to see Xu Yu, hands in his pockets, watching the lawyers leave.

Even after three years of working together, Xu Yu’s beauty continued to amaze her. During the hectic days of contract termination, Xu Yu frequently frowned, giving off a melancholic prince vibe.

Now, this little prince appeared less depressed. The gentle sunlight shone on his hair, his white long coat reflected it, and some shadows fell on his soft jawline and fair neck. 

At this moment, he was a noble little prince.

“Let’s grab something to eat first. What do you want?” Xu Yu turned to ask Yun Jie.

Yun Jie snapped out of her daze and looked at Xu Yu, “Hotpot?”

Xu Yu nodded, “Sure.”

In the car, Yun Jie started browsing the recent work invitations.

But she knew Xu Yu well enough to know that the majority of these would not interest him.

As she browsed, she suddenly remembered something, “Oh, JSS contacted you for an ad shoot a few days ago. I wonder what’s going on with that now.”

Xu Yu raised his head and asked, “JSS?”

“Yes, but I wasn’t notified; Shaohui told me,” Yun Jie laughed. “She probably did not realize you were in the middle of a contract termination and congratulated me.”

Xu Yu lowered his head. “The company wouldn’t tell me.”

“That’s right,” Yun Jie sighed lightly. “Big brand collaborations always contact the company first; unfortunately, this happened just as you were terminating your contract.” Yun Jie leaned back. “The timing was unfortunate.”

JSS is an international luxury brand that has grown in popularity in recent years. It has its headquarters in Lincheng. They offer products such as bags, perfumes, cosmetics, and clothing. While not everyone may have heard of them, most young people are familiar with the brand.

The hotpot restaurant was not far away, and within moments they had ordered a variety of dishes from the menu, having not eaten well in the previous days. Xu Yu and Yun Jie rarely talked about anything other than work, so this meal was relatively quiet. Yun Jie would occasionally bring up Weibo news, to which Xu Yu would respond briefly before returning to his meal.

Just as they were finishing, Yun Jie’s phone suddenly rang. She wiped her hands and answered the phone.

“Hello,” Yun Jie said politely.

The caller said something that caused Yun Jie to sit up straight.

“Hello, yes, I am. Please go ahead,” Yun Jie replied.

As she spoke, Yun Jie quickly turned off the hotpot burner and activated the speakerphone. 

“…We’re calling about the clothing advertisement for the next quarter. We’ve previously been in touch with your company and wanted to know if you’re interested.”

Xu Yu mouthed to Yun Jie, “Who is it?”

Yun Jie dipped her finger into her drink and wrote “JSS” on the table.

“Yes, we were about to contact you,” Yun Jie responded.

The caller chuckled, their tone becoming more pleasant. “Great. If you’re interested, we’d like to arrange a meeting with Mr. Xu Yu.”

“Sure, when would it be convenient?” Yun Jie inquired.

“Would it be possible to meet today? If not, we can schedule it for next week?”

“Today is fine,” Yun Jie replied hastily, even surprising herself with the quick response. She looked at Xu Yu and cleared her throat. “We might be occupied next week.”

Xu Yu chuckled.

“Okay, I’ll send you an email with the address,” the caller said.

“Thank you,” Yun Jie replied.

After hanging up, Yun Jie looked at Xu Yu with wide eyes, waving her phone. “JSS!”

Xu Yu nodded with a smile. “Yes.”

“Wow,” Yun Jie sat for a few seconds before quickly putting down her chopsticks and standing up. “We have an interview this afternoon, so we need to prepare.”

Xu Yu looked up. “Prepare what?”

Yun Jie looked Xu Yu over from head to toe. “Actually, we do not need much preparation; you look great today, just that your hair is a little longer.” She reached out and touched Xu Yu’s soft hair. “I’ll spray something on it later; your natural curls look great with a bit of styling.”

Xu Yu nodded and blew his bangs away from his eyes.

“If we get this ad, our path after contract termination will be smooth,” Yun Jie said, giving Xu Yu a fist bump.

Yun Jie sometimes believed in superstitions, but this time Xu Yu chose to believe her. The phone call lifted their spirits and improved the atmosphere.

Within ten minutes, the email arrived. Yun Jie verified the email address with someone and confirmed it was from JSS.

The meeting was at three in the afternoon, so they had some time. Yun Jie reviewed the route and went downstairs to get some styling spray to fix Xu Yu’s hair.

“Done,” Yun Jie said, setting down the bottle and examining Xu Yu’s hair and face. “Who is this handsome guy? Wow, he’s so good-looking.”

Xu Yu laughed. “It is really unnecessary.”

Without further delay, they left early and arrived fifteen minutes ahead of schedule.

The receptionist had already been notified, and before they could ask, she politely directed them upstairs.

They thanked her and took the elevator up.

On the 18th floor, they walked down a corridor and around a corner to find the meeting room. Yun Jie checked the room number and nodded to Xu Yu. “This is it.”

Before entering, Yun Jie brushed Xu Yu’s hair one last time.

“All set,” Yun Jie said.

Xu Yu nodded and smiled at Yun Jie.

Yun Jie frowned slightly and shook her head. “You’re too handsome.”

Xu Yu smiled helplessly.

Without lingering at the door, Xu Yu stepped forward and knocked. A moment later, a deep voice from inside said, “Come in.”

Xu Yu took a step forward and pushed the door open.

He smiled as he made eye contact with the people inside.

Xu Yu: “…?”

He stepped back and closed the door again.

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  “云姐” (Yún Jiě) also translated as Sister Yun, I’ll just stick to Yun Jie from now on.