Chapter 243: I’LL ALWAYS TELL YOU THE TRUTH

Upstairs, in the quiet of his own room, Guiying had asked for dinner to be brought to him instead of the dining hall downstairs.

After a day spent smiling at strangers, negotiating terms, and performing charm he didn’t fully feel, he wanted nothing more than silence and his own space. Socializing drained him in a way physical exhaustion never quite matched.

On the bedside table, two folders sat open side by side, one from Yuèxin, one from TongShu. Skepticism still clung to him whenever he looked at the Yuèxin proposal, the trial data was solid enough on paper, though something in him wanted a second opinion before committing his name to it.

Cleaner and more straightforward by contrast, TongShu’s offers read as brands he recognized and trusted without needing convincing.

He would wait for Liuxian before deciding anything on Yuèxin. Two heads worked better than one, especially when a wrong call could cost more than money.

Simple was the mood tonight, so dinner came light, rice and beef paired with nothing heavier than a glass of water. Waiting for Liuxian had seemed reasonable an hour ago.

Now, with his stomach growling loud enough to embarrass him, waiting no longer felt like an option.

He gave up and started eating without him.

Midway through his meal, his phone buzzed against the table.

404: You got any work for me? I’ll take it even if it’s cheap.

Brows lifting, Guiying set his chopsticks down. In all their dealings, 404 had never once undersold himself, had never once hinted at needing anything from Guiying beyond payment for services rendered.

Something in that message didn’t sit right, though he couldn’t place exactly what.

Guiying: How about you work for me directly? Paid position, housing included, protection too. We can work out your salary properly, as my assistant.

Almost instantly, the reply came.

404: Housing? Protection? What’s the catch. Sounds too good to be true.

Guiying: No catch. I need someone I trust handling logistics and some of my schedule, and you already know how I operate better than most people I could hire off the street.

404: I’m not very good with people. I’m blunt with my words. I might scare them away.

Guiying: You won’t be dealing with people who scare easily. Mostly it’s me, occasionally my husband’s team. I’d rather have someone honest than someone polished.

A longer pause followed that one.

404: Why now? You’ve never offered before.

His thumb hovered over the screen, Guiying considered his answer carefully. The honest answer involved things he wasn’t ready to explain over text, Shen Zihao’s growing reach, Ren Hao still missing, the sense that anyone connected to this mess needed better protection than they currently had.

Guiying: Because things are getting dangerous, and I’d rather have you somewhere safe than scraping by on odd jobs that could get you noticed by the wrong people.

404: Dangerous how?

Guiying: We’ll talk details in person. For now, just tell me if you’re interested.

Several minutes passed with no reply, long enough that Guiying returned to his half-finished dinner, chopsticks moving slower now, his attention split between the food in front of him and the phone in his left hand.

404: Fine. I’m interested. But I want the terms in writing before I agree to anything permanent.

Guiying: Smart. I’d expect nothing less from you.

404: When do we talk numbers?

Downstairs, faintly, the front door opened, followed by familiar footsteps on the staircase and well Liuxian calling his name like a siren.

Guiying: Tomorrow, actually. My husband just got home. Give me until tomorrow to sort the offer properly, and I’ll send it over.

404: Noted. Don’t lowball me.

Despite himself, Guiying huffed out a laugh, locking his phone and setting it face down on the table as the bedroom door opened.

Loosening his tie as he crossed the room, Liuxian shut the door behind him. "You started without me."

"You told me not to wait when I’m this hungry." Guiying gestured at the half-empty bowl in front of him, unbothered. "I lasted an hour. That’s practically a miracle."

"An hour is generous, coming from you." Liuxian shrugged out of his jacket, draping it over the back of a chair before settling onto the edge of the bed beside him. "How was the rest of your day?"

"Productive, mostly." Guiying nudged the two folders toward him. "TongShu sent over their finalized offers. But i want your opinion on Yuèxin before I commit to anything, though."

Liuxian picked up the folder, flipping through the pages with the same methodical attention he gave everything. "Pheromone perfume for recessives..huh."

"I asked for their trial data and production authorization before agreeing to anything." Guiying set his chopsticks down properly this time. "I don’t want my name attached to something that could backfire."

"You should reconsider this one entirely." Liuxian set the folder down, his tone firm rather than harsh. "Pheromones aren’t something a perfume can create. They’re inherent, tied to our biology, not a scent you can bottle and sell."

"They claim it enhances what’s already there." Guiying frowned slightly, replaying Xu Ruolan’s pitch in his head. "Not create something from nothing."

"Even that claim doesn’t hold up." Liuxian shook his head. "If someone’s pheromones don’t present during heat, rut, or pregnancy, a bottle of perfume isn’t going to fix that. Everyone in this world knows that much. A beta wearing this won’t suddenly read as someone whose scent is naturally strong. People will know the difference the moment it matters."

"That’s a fair point." Guiying’s frown deepened, some of his earlier hesitation solidifying into something closer to certainty. "I liked what they said about the message behind it. Helping people feel secure in their own scent instead of masking it. But if the science doesn’t actually hold up, the message doesn’t matter much."

"The message is good marketing." Liuxian’s voice stayed even, no unkindness in it, just plain assessment. "That doesn’t mean the product does what they claim. I’d rather you walk away from this one than have your name attached to something that’s bound to fall apart."

"I’ll decline them tomorrow, then." Guiying exhaled, some tension easing out of his shoulders now that the decision had been made for him, or at least confirmed by someone whose judgment he trusted. "Thank you for being honest instead of just telling me what I wanted to hear."

"I’ll always tell you the truth." Liuxian reached over, tucking a strand of hair behind Guiying’s ear. "Especially when it’s this easy to prove."

He studied Guiying for a moment, something curious crossing his expression. "You seem distracted tonight. Everything alright?"

"Just tired." Guiying reached for his glass of water, keeping his tone light. "Long day. TongShu, then two brand meetings back to back. My legs still haven’t forgiven me for the walk training."

"Let me see." Liuxian shifted down the bed without waiting for permission, lifting one of Guiying’s feet into his lap.

"You don’t have to do that." Guiying tried to pull back, though not very hard.

"I want to." Liuxian pressed both thumbs into the arch of his foot, working slowly toward his heel. "You were on your feet all day. This is the least I can do."