Category: Male Lead 2 and Male Lead 3 Happy Ending!

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Chapter 59 – A Nostalgic Flavor

With a calm expression on his face, Duan Shu Tong replied to Cen Ning, “I slipped in the bathroom last night and bumped against the washstand.”

“Oh, oh.”

Cen Ning and Liu Zhi Fei helped bring breakfast to the dining table.

“Is it serious? Do you want to go to the hospital for a look?”

Duan Shu Tong looked at Xi Duan when he heard Cen Ning’s question. By coincidence, Xi Duan was also looking at him. The two men stared blankly at each other for a few seconds.

Duan Shu Tong looked away first, and then answered Cen Ning’s question, “It’s not serious. I’ll just rub some medicinal wine on it.”

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

He walked to the dining table and helped set the tableware. Xi Yu rushed over like a little monkey to accompany him.

Under everyone’s astonished eyes, the teenager diligently filled a bowl of congee and put it on the table with both hands. He said shyly, “Uncle, have breakfast.”

Xi Duan: ?

He thought, I didn’t see you for one night and your entire personality changed?

He remained calm and collected and said lightly, “You eat too.”

If that was all Xi Yu did then it still wouldn’t seem too outrageous, but during the meal, he would help Xi Duan add food to his plate, just like a filial nephew.

Duan Shu Tong and Cen Ning watched the scene with enjoyment. Their stares made Xi Yu so embarrassed that he secretly glared at them.

Cen Ning reacted the fastes. He quickly picked up a piece of pickled radish and gave it to Liu Zhi Fei. With a concerned expression, he said: “Here friend, eat some more.”

Liu Zhi Fei: Thank you… friend. But I don’t like eating radishes.

He accurately locked on to the pickled cucumbers and reciprocated the favor by stuffing it into Cen Ning’s bowl. Then he said earnestly, “Cen-ge, you’ve worked hard, you should also eat more.”

Cen Ning wanted to cry but had no tears. He hated pickled cucumbers.

With them also placing food into each other’s bowls, Xi Yu felt much more at ease. He was immersed in the important matter of repairing the relationship between him and his uncle, so he didn’t notice Duan Shu Tong who was eating “alone.”

Seeing the mountain of “filial piety” piled up on the plate, Xi Duan felt a bit helpless and like he didn’t know what to do. He stretched out his hand to stop Xi Yu’s continual filial piety. His gaze swept across his two subordinates who were putting on a show and then finally landed on the young man who was sitting across from him.

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Xi Yu tracked his uncle’s line of sight and a look of chagrin appeared on his face. It would be rude to give Duan-ge the cold shoulder like this, so he gave Duan Shu Tong a poached egg. His big eyes were full of sincerity, “Duan-ge, you eat some more too.”

Seeing Duan Shu Tong receive the egg with a smile, Xi Duan withdrew his gaze and slowly ate his breakfast.

After breakfast, Duan Shu Tong got some medicinal wine from Uncle Sun and was about to go upstairs to massage it into his bruise, when he took note of Xi Duan and the others. They had yet to leave the house, so he couldn’t help asking, “Not going to work today?”

Xi Duan’s eyes fell on the medicinal wine in his hand, “Taking a day off. Is it convenient for you to massage it yourself?”

Duan Shu Tong nodded, “I can do it by myself.” After saying that, he quickly looked away and went upstairs while supporting his waist.

Every time he looked at Xi Duan, it would remind him of how close they were yesterday night in the kitchen. He could still clearly recall the faint rosin smell on Xi Duan when the other man was in his arms. There was a touch of alcohol smell mixed into the scent. At that time, Duan Shu Tong was really reluctant to let go.

He regretted that he had agreed to live with Xi Duan without careful consideration.

Duan Shu Tong had to constantly remind himself that Xi Duan was the third male lead and that he already had someone that he liked. Even if he didn’t get together with Pei Ruo Wei in the future, he still would not get together with a man.

After applying the medicinal wine to his bruise, he hurried out to the Spring and Autumn Hall.

Zhou Ling had resigned, so now he did not have any assistants. The company planned to recruit some new technical personnel.

With the Spring and Autumn Hall’s current reputation, it was very easy to recruit new hires. However, the kind of researchers that Duan Shu Tong was looking for might not be the same as what Zhai Jun thought.

Duan Shu Tong went to Zhai Jun’s office. Gao Fang poured tea for the two of them, and then tactfully left them alone.

“What orders does Young Master Duan have for me?” Zhai Jun smiled and took a sip of tea.

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Chapter 58 – A Nostalgic Flavor

After successfully coaxing Xi Duan to sleep, Duan Shu Tong went back downstairs while massaging his sore waist. He got a glass of water for himself, and then went about tidying up the countertop and wiping the floor dry before slowly returning to his room.

Inside his room, he lifted up the hem of his shirt and twisted his body around to look at his waist. Sure enough, there was a bruise on his lower back, and it hurt even without touching it.

Just as he was about to take a shower, his cell phone on the bedside table rang. He glanced at the caller ID. It was an unfamiliar number from Yan City.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

He didn’t bother to answer it. He just continue to sort through his clothes for something to change into until the phone stopped ringing. But in the next second, the phone rang again.

Duan Shu Tong could only pick up the call.

“Can you remove me from your blacklist?” Li Xiao’s voice sounded over the phone. His voice was low and it sounded like he was speaking through gritted teeth.

Duan Shu Tong raised his eyebrows, “Take you off the blacklist and let you make harassing calls every day?”

Li Xiao: “…”

He sighed deeply. His tone suddenly became much weaker, and his voice seemed very tired, “As you wish. I just wanted to ask, has Ruo Wei moved out?”

“Yes.”

Li Xiao tugged at his hair, feeling irritable yet helpless at the same time.

“Is she living with you?”

“No.” Duan Shu Tong certainly didn’t want anyone gossiping about him. “She lives alone. Is there anything else? If there’s nothing else, then I’m hanging up.”

“Wait a moment!”

Li Xiao has never been so embarrassed before. After canceling the engagement with Lin Man Man, the Li family and Lin family entered into a cold war. In order to seek justice for his sister, Lin Huan kept targeting him.

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

He was not yet in power in the Li family. Li Xiao was only in charge of a subsidiary of the Li family, and it was meant to be a stepping-stone for future promotion. But now, because of Lin Huan’s existence, his company has encountered a lot of problems, and it has been battered incessantly during this period of time.

Going through tribulations makes a person mature.

The man who used to be invincible and looked like a god in front of Pei Ruo Wei gradually realized that the world did not revolve around him.

Duan Shu Tong waited for his next words.

The man’s harsh voice passed through the line and rang in his eardrums, “I hurt her many times before, and I failed to give her support when she needed it. And I almost… I deserve it if she doesn’t forgive me, but Duan Shu Tong, I don’t want to admit defeat.”

“Oh.”

“She likes me, and the child she is carrying is mine too.” Li Xiao paused, “I won’t ask you to take good care of her, I just ask that you don’t hurt her because of it.”

Duan Shu Tong was speechless, “I’m hanging up.”

“Duan Shu Tong!” Li Xiao hurriedly said, “Take good care of her!”

[T/N: Boy, didn’t you just say you wouldn’t say that… -_-]

Duan Shu Tong hung up the phone and sneered. Now that man knew to be anxious? What the heck was he doing before then?

The next morning, Duan Shu Tong’s biological clock woke him up on time. He sat up as usual, but there was a sudden pain in his waist, and he almost lay back down.

When he parted his clothes to take a look at his waist, it seemed like the bruise had gotten more purple. It seemed like he would have to Uncle Sun for some medicinal wine* later.

[*T/N: medicinal wine – from traditional Chinese medicine. You rub it over a bruise to help the blood disperse.]

When Duan Shu Tong went downstairs for breakfast, he kept his hand on his waist as support. He thought that it would be the same as usual, that he would only be dining together with Uncle Sun, but unexpectedly, he saw the Xi family’s uncle and nephew pair sitting on the sofa.

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The two of them occupied opposite ends of the sofa, sitting at a distance that was neither too far nor too close. When they heard movement on the stairs, they both raised their heads at the same time and fixed their gazes on Duan Shu Tong.

Duan Shu Tong: …

This was really stressful.

He smiled and said hello. He put down the hand that supported his waist, and tried to keep his walking posture as normal as possible.

Unexpectedly, Cen Ning, who was just coming out of the kitchen, saw through him and said, “Young Master Duan, what did you do last night? Did you injure your waist?”

Duan Shu Tong: …Yesterday night, I came downstairs for a drink of water, but I ran into your drunken boss and knocked against the edge of the counter while helping him, and thus injured my waist.

Could he answer like that?

Absolutely not!

After all, judging from Xi Duan’s appearance, it was clear that he didn’t remember what had happened last night, and speaking it out loud would only add to the embarrassment.

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Chapter 57 – Do You Like Pei Ruo Wei?

Duan Shu Tong laughed, “You said those words in anger, your uncle won’t take it to heart.”

Xi Yu was a little anxious when he heard these words. “It’s not that Uncle remembers my words and is holding a grudge, but the reason that he’s not getting married is because of me. I heard that before he would often have Assistant Cen send flowers to that Miss Pei, but he never took the initiative to talk to Miss Pei. I’m thinking, does he like Miss Pei a lot, but because of me, he plans to give up on her?”

Duan Shu Tong was not stupid. He figured out Xi Yu’s intentions almost immediately. “You want me to help your uncle pursue Miss Pei? Why me? I used to be love rivals with your uncle.”

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

“But I can see that you don’t like her anymore. As for my uncle,” Xi Yu sighed, “He’s been sullen and silent, and no one knows what he is thinking. You used to change girlfriends a lot. You must know something about pursuing people. So please help think of some ideas.”

Duan Shu Tong subconsciously refuted, “But… Miss Pei is pregnant. It’s not appropriate to talk about romance right now.”

Xi Yu: “…Whose [baby is it]?”

“Li Xiao.”

Xi Yu said decisively, “That’s no good then.”

At first, Xi Yu thought that as long as it was someone that his uncle liked, then it would be fine, but now it seemed like he has to plan more. His uncle already has to work so hard. He wanted to find someone who could take care of him, not someone who needed to be taken care of.

Duan Shu Tong: “…”

Although he felt a little sorry towards Xi Duan, the knot in his chest seemed to have loosened.

Anyway, he didn’t want to get involved in emotional matters. No matter how Xi Duan and Pei Ruo Wei’s relationship developed in the future, he wouldn’t interfere.

After leaving Xi Yu’s room, Duan Shu Tong straightened out his thoughts. According to what Xi Yu said, the reason that Xi Duan did not pursue Pei Ruo Wei actively and enthusiastically was for the sake of his nephew’s emotions. Instead, when he couldn’t suppress his emotions, he would have Cen Ning send a bouquet of flowers?

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There didn’t seem to be anything wrong with this speculation, but it still felt a bit off somehow.

According to Xi Duan’s temperament, if he chose to give up on his romantic pursuits, he would be firm and unswerving. He would not be in a state of “seeming neither close nor distant.”

Forget it. Don’t think about it.

Anyway, Xi Duan must have some feelings for Pei Ruo Wei, because in the book he died alone because of her.

Duan Shu Tong went downstairs to get some water and found that there was movement in the kitchen, but the lights were not turned on.

There was a tall shadow standing in front of the counter and the continuous sound of water flowing.

Duan Shu Tong recognized Xi Duan and reached out to turn on the lights.

He saw Xi Duan holding the kettle and pouring water into a cup. The cup was full, but Xi Duan didn’t seem to realize that, so he continued to add water.

The water flowed along the table to the floor and almost soaked the man’s slippers.

Fortunately it was not boiling water; otherwise he would have burned off a layer of skin!

Duan Shu Tong couldn’t be bothered to care about the water on the floor at the moment. He immediately stepped forward and grabbed the man’s wrist to stop him. He took the kettle from Xi Duan’s hand, put it away, and poured out some of the water from the overflowing cup. Xi Duan’s gaze was vacant.

Duan Shu Tong told him, “The cup is full now. Drink some.”

“Yes, drink water.” Xi Duan mechanically picked up the cup fo water and chugged it down in big gulps. It was quite different from his usual serious image of a veteran cadre.

Duan Shu Tong suddenly felt that Xi Duan was a bit cute, so he couldn’t help laughing.

“You’re laughing.” After drinking the water, Xi Duan turned to look at him, as if wondering why the young man was laughing.

Duan Shu Tong immediately wiped the expression from his face, “No, I wasn’t.”

The man’s slightly drunk eyes fixed on him for a few seconds, and then he nodded, “Stopped laughing.”

The drunk Xi Duan inexplicably poked at Duan Shu Tong’s meng* spot. Duan Shu Tong thought it was kind of fun. His heart thudded, and he couldn’t help but lean close to the man’s ear and asked with a soft laugh, “Do you like Pei Ruo Wei?”

[*T/N: 萌 meng – loanword from the Japanese “moe,” meaning DST finds XD cute like this]

“Who?”

Duan Shu Tong slowed each word, “Pei, Ruo, Wei.”

The man turned his head abruptly. The tip of his nose almost pressed against the young man’s cheek. His black eyes were deep and quiet, and he shook his head gently at the young man’s somewhat helpless gaze.

“Don’t like.”

Duan Shu Tong was stunned. A secret joy suddenly rose in his heart, but was suppressed by reason.

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

Xi Duan was drunk. Could his drunken words be taken seriously? Duan Shu Tong wasn’t sure.

“How about you go upstairs and rest.” The young man took a few steps back, putting some distance between him and Xi Duan.

Xi Duan’s eyes tracked his movements, and when he saw that the young man was getting farther away from him, his brows furrowed slightly. His grievance was looming, and even the little mole at the end of his eyebrows showed a bit of melancholy, but he was still docile and obedient, “Yes, rest.”

Immediately after closing his eyes, he fell straight forward.

Duan Shu Tong’s heart jumped. He hurriedly reached out to catch him. The man’s weight caused him to stagger and his lower back hit the edge of the counter, making him to groan in pain.

Xi Duan opened his eyes suddenly and straightened his body again, “Hurt?”

Rubbing his waist, Duan Shu Tong shook his head to indicate that it was all right, and gently grabbed the man’s wrist, “Let’s go, upstairs.”

Xi Duan nodded and blindly followed behind Duan Shu Tong.

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As selected by VIP Choice, this update is for you Ella Nicolson! ^-^

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Chapter 56 – Do You Like Pei Ruo Wei?

These days, instead of bringing Xi Yu around personally, Xi Duan handed him over to Cen Ning and had him follow Cen Ning around to learn.

As a special assistant, Cen Ning’s daily job was to assist Xi Duan in dealing with his work matters, help Xi Duan plan his itinerary, and to give Xi Duan timely reminders.

There was no need to mention the other miscellaneous things.

Ever since Xi Duan asked Cen Ning to take Xi Yu around, Cen Ning gave him the task of recording Xi Duan’s itinerary and giving Xi Duan timely reminders. For half a month, Xi Yu witnessed how busy Xi Duan was, and his previous resentment towards Xi Duan’s long absences from home eased a lot.

Moreover, when he attempted to read those documents, he was surprised to find that he could not make out heads or tails of the contents. When it came to company affairs, he felt like a complete dullard.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

The thought of Xi duan facing such a heavy workload every day and putting so much effort into it made Xi Yu feel guilty and full of self-blame.

Before, he really didn’t know it was so busy and difficult to manage a company.

When Xi Yu was learning under Cen Ning, sometimes the two of them would chat, and Cen Ning would lament to the youth: “When I first started working for President Xi, I thought that he was an android, but one day he developed a high fever, and I realized that President has always been human, and there would also be times when he is tired. I heard that President Xi started supporting himself when he was in his teens. It must have been even more difficult for him back then than it is now.”

On the battlefield, a seasoned general would be like a fish in water, but for a young and inexperienced foot soldier surrounded by enemies on all sides, it must require extreme mental and physical efforts to break through the siege and take the position of general.

When Xi Yu reflected on himself, he felt even more ashamed.

And then all of his emotions exploded out tonight.

A cocktail party was indispensable for business cooperation. Xi Duan was invited to attend. Xi Yu was underage and could not drink.

It stood to reason that people in the business world would be respectful to Xi Duan as he was currently the person in charge of the Xi family, but Xi Duan was also not an arrogant person. The Xi family was too far away to be of any help for projects in the Shan Quan County, so Xi Duan has to rely on the local bigwigs here. Thus, he ended up drinking a few more glasses of alcohol to be polite.

Xi Yu, who was waiting in the car, chatted with Liu Zhi Fei because he was bored.

“Fei-ge, does Uncle do this often?”

Liu Zhi Fei wasn’t sure what he meant, so he clarified, “What? Do you mean does President Xi drink with other people often?”

Xi Yu nodded. Although he and his uncle lived under the same roof, the number of times the two have actually met and communicated was very limited. He really didn’t know much about Xi Duan’s life.

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“I wouldn’t say often,” Liu Zhi Fei said, turning his head, “In recent years, the company has become more and more prosperous, so everyone would show some respect to our President Xi, and he drinks less now. But I heard that when President Xi just took over the company he did drink a lot during the first few years, and sometimes he would have to be sent straight to the hospital from drinking too much. I’ve only started working for President Xi in recent years, so this is all hearsay for me.”

Xi Yu’s throat felt tight, as if a stone was stuck in it. He was almost rendered speechless, “Why didn’t I know about him going to the hospital?”

“President was not yet twenty at the time, you were still young, so you didn’t remember very much,” Liu Zhi Fei paused, feeling a little uncomfortable, “I don’t know how President Xi was like before, but I have been working for President Xi for the past few years. Every time he gets drunk, he won’t go home, for fear that you will be worried if you see him, and he wouldn’t let anyone tell you when he’s in the hospital.”

Xi Yu: “…”

He never knew that the uncle, who he had complained about for so many years, had been caring for him in ways that he did not know about.

With mixed feelings, Xi Yu did not speak the entire ride home. It was only when Duan Shu Tong came to him that he let out all his feelings. In the end, he ended up crying miserably. Probably due to embarrassment, he used the excuse of having to use the toilet to run off to the bathroom to wash his face.

When he got his emotions under control and came back out, Duan Shu Tong was still sitting on the sofa in the room, but there was already a cup of warm milk on the coffee table.

“Uncle Sun had it sent over.”

Xi Yu was very sensitive right now, and Uncle Sun’s concern touched his unstable emotions, which made him want to cry all over again.

The teenager forcibly held back his tears, picked up the cup, raised his head, and drank it all. Then he sat down opposite Duan Shu Tong with reddened eyes.

“Thank you, Duan-ge.”

“Since you’ve figured things out, go talk openly with your uncle to clear up the previous misunderstanding, all right?”

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

Xi Yu nodded, looking at Duan Shutong expectantly, “Duan-ge, can I ask you to help me with one thing?”

“Say it.”

“Before, when I didn’t know anything, someone said some bad things to me, and I took it seriously.” The boy blushed in shame and looked down, at a loss, “I had a fight with my uncle, I said that he would drive me out of the house once he got married…”

That was the essential crux of the argument, but the words that he had used back then were much worse. However, he was too ashamed to say it.

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As chosen by Patreon Vote, today’s bonus update goes to MLHE!

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Chapter 55 – President Xi is Drunk

The effect of Spring Flower No. 2 was mainly to remove scars, both new and old scars.

This kind of medicine was extremely common in Duan Shu Tong’s old world, but there was no medicine with the same effectiveness in this world, at least none that were in circulation on the market.

Although scars could now be repaired using medical means, they could not be completely eliminated. The effects of Spring Flower No. 2 was no worse than that of after surgery results. What’s more, skin grafting operation required taking skin from one part of the body to make up another area of the body.

Most people would more or less have some sort of scar on their body. Such scars do not hinder their daily life, but might affect their appearance. Except for those who needed hospital treatment for special circumstances, others might prefer to use special scar removal creams.

When it was time to get off work, Duan Shu Tong took off his lab coat, and as soon as he left the laboratory, Zhou Ling chased after him.

Seeing the worried look on the girl’s face, he smiled gently and said, “Is there something wrong?”

Zhou Ling’s face looked much better now than it did before. Her facial features were originally delicate and pretty. Once her acne and freckles were gone, she got more and more suitors, so her confidence also went up quite a bit.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

In the depths of her heart, she very much respected and appreciated Duan Shu Tong, but now, she had to make a choice.

“Director Duan, I don’t think I can keep up with your ideas at my current level. Instead, I will become a burden to you and drag you down. After thinking about it for a long time, I decided to sit an entrance exam for a graduate program to further my studies. I will resign soon, so I wanted to tell you first.”

Duan Shu Tong was stunned for a moment, obviously not expecting a young girl to be more enterprising than most of the male colleagues in the R&D department, and he couldn’t help but smile: “Do whatever you want, I support you. Besides, you are not a burden. You are very smart and hardworking. You’re very suitable for this line of work. I wish you a bright future.”

“Thank you,” Zhou Ling’s eyes suddenly pricked and heated up. She turned her face away and asked in a very soft voice, “If… If I graduate and apply to be your assistant in the future, will you… I’m sorry!”

How could she ask such a thing? She really shouldn’t. By the time she graduated, Director Duan would already have better assistants by his side, so why would he even think about her?

Before Duan Shu Tong could react, Zhou Ling lowered her head and ran away.

Zhou Ling’s unfinished words were not hard to guess. Duan Shu Tong smiled and lowered his head to send a text to Zhou Ling: The Spring and Autumn Hall will always welcome you.

Seeing the message, Zhou Ling suddenly smiled brightly. Then she wiped the corners of her eyes.

Back at home, Duan Shu Tong ate together with Uncle Sun and them. After the meal, he asked casually, “Are Xi… Xi Yu and the others very busy lately?”

It was really hard for him to say “Uncle Xi” at this point in time. If he called him “Brother Xi” then the generations would get all messed up, and calling him “President Xi” seemed too estranged. He really didn’t know how to address Xi Duan in front of others, so he just used “Xi Yu” as the starter.

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Uncle Sun was old so he had more life experienced. He smiled so broadly that his face folded up into lots of wrinkles, “Busy indeed. Sir has been bringing the young master around to get familiar with company affairs. He comes back very late every day, so it’s hard for him to meet with Mr. Duan. Also, the age gap between you and sir is not that great. Although you two are from different generations, it’s okay to be more casual in private settings. He doesn’t have any real friends. For all these years, it’s just been you Mr. Duan.”

[T/N: The Chinese are really particular about which generation you’re from on the family tree, even relatives who are younger than you in age can be your uncle or aunt based on the family lines. So while Xi Duan is considered part of the “older” generation, his actual age is not that much older than Duan Shu Tong.]

As Uncle Sun spoke, he couldn’t help but sigh: “On the surface, it looks like sir doesn’t like talking much, but in actuality…”

Before he could finish speaking, the sound of a car sounded outside the door, so Duan Shu Tong and Uncle Sun walked out together.

The car was parked in the courtyard. Xi Duan, Xi Yu, and Cen Ning got out of the car. It just so happened that the sunset in the sky that day was gorgeous. At the boundary of day and night, light and shadow shrouded the man’s tall figure, interweaving into a stunning snapshot of the moment.

Duan Shu Tong stood on the steps, staring distractedly at the man walking up the steps. The faint scent of alcohol wafted in the wind, a bit abrupt, but inexplicably bewitching.

“Been drinking?” He asked.

Xi Duan was two steps away from him. His eyes were clear, and he didn’t seem to be drunk. His voice was low and hoarse, “Yes, drank [alcohol].”

“Go back upstairs to rest?”

“Yes, rest.”

Duan Shu Tong shifted his body to make way, “Then… come in first?”

“Yes, go in.”

“…”

Is this guy drunk or not drunk?

If he’s drunk, then how was he walking so steadily? If he’s not drunk, then why did his responses sound a bit off?

On the contrary, Cen Ning next to him almost slipped down the steps. Fortunately, Liu Zhi Fei helped him and dragged him inside.

Duan Shu Tong asked Xi Yu, “Is your uncle drunk?”

Xi Yu was sullen. He lowered his head and said, “I don’t know either.” He was not old enough to drink yet. He had been waiting in the car, so he did not know how much Xi Duan had drunk.

It was Uncle Sun who knew best, so he said helplessly: “When sir gets drunk he never goes crazy. It’s always like this. I’ll help him upstairs first.”

Duan Shu Tong hurriedly stretched out his hand, “Let me.”

Uncle Sun was old, and Xi Yu was too young. Of all the people present, he was best suited to taking care of Xi Duan right now.

“Then I will trouble Mr. Duan.” Uncle Sun said with a smile.

He had no idea what happened with Xi Yu, but the boy didn’t say a word and went directly to his room.

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

The drunk President Xi was very well behaved. He responded to whatever Duan Shu Tong said. He went upstairs when asked, and lied down when prompted. He was not a bothersome drunk at all.

Duan Shu Tong covered Xi Duan with a thin blanket. Then he left the room on light feet and came to Xi Yu’s door. He knocked.

The boy opened the door and stared at Duan Shu Tong with big eyes. His eyes were red, as if he was about to cry in the next second.

A sentence blurted out from the boy’s mouth: “Duan-ge, Uncle is too difficult!”

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Chapter 54 – President Xi is Drunk

“The goddess is so beautiful! awsl*!”

[*T/N: awsl – Chinese Internet slang, abbreviation for the pinyin of 啊我死了 which is “a wo si le” and means “(It’s so cute) I’m going to die!”]

“Goddess, goddess, you are so beautiful!”

“I’m actually the using the same skin care product as the goddess, am I dreaming?!”

“I’ve never heard of the Spring and Autumn Hall. How could the goddess endorse this brand? Are there no good resources [for the goddess]? What do the company employees do to earn their keep?!”

There were all sorts of opinions in the comment area. Most people were very accepting of this product endorsement. Only a small number of people were hatching conspiracy theories in the comments.

When Duan Shu Tong came out of the laboratory and heard this news, he gave Lin Man Man a call.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

“Thank you.” He didn’t say any flattering words. It was enough for him to keep in mind this favor that she did.

Lin Man Man laughed charmingly, “No need for thanks. In any case, this is mutually beneficial for everyone. Besides, the effect of Spring Flower No. 1 is really good, and the bottle is very beautiful.”

Duan Shu Tong returned the praises, “Miss Lin’s advertisement was also filmed very aesthetically.”

The two of them went back and forth, and after saying all kinds of praises, Lin Man Man suddenly changed the subject, “Seeing that you praise me for being so sincere, can you answer a question for me?”

Duan Shu Tong said politely, “Please ask.”

Lin Man Man lowered her voice; “In what aspect is Pei Ruo Wei better than me?”

No matter how indifferently she behaved or how straightforwardly she gave up, she was still not reconciled.

The twenty years worth of relationship as childhood sweethearts between her and Li Xiao couldn’t even withstand this kind of test? How could a woman who couldn’t compare to her in any way win the favor of Li Xiao?

Moreover, not only Li Xiao, even the dissolute wastrel Young Master Duan was perfectly happy to help and protect her.

She admitted that she was jealous.

Duan Shu Tong: “…”

How was he supposed to answer this? Everyone’s aesthetic standards were different, and falling in love was not just about the face, but also about whether the heart was compatible.

He thought for a while and said, “I think it is because Miss Lin is too outstanding. Perhaps Li Xiao thinks he can’t match up to you and is afraid of hurting his own pride.”

When it came to men, most would prefer a gentle and soft woman. Compared with a strong fiancée like Lin Man Man, Pei Ruo Wei’s gentle and demure temperament was more in line with Li Xiao’s liking.

Lin Man Man was amused by his words. She mockingly laughed at herself and said, “Is it my fault for being excellent?”

“Of course not, you have so many fans, it can be seen that the eyes of the masses are sharp.” Duan Shu Tong’s tone was quite sincere.

“Thank you for the compliment.” Lin Man Man’s depression dissipated a little, “Oh, by the way, I have seen your Spring and Autumn Hall’s products before, and the packaging was far less beautiful than this time. Newly hired designer?”

“Yeah,” Duan Shu Tong decided to tell the truth, “It’s Miss Pei Ruo Wei.”

Lin Man Man: “…”

After a few seconds of silence, she immediately changed the subject, “I hope Spring Flower No. 1 will have lots of sales. I still have something to do, so I’ll hang up first.”

With the help of Lin Man Man, the sales of Spring Flower No. 1 began to grow exponentially, and because of the unnaturally good effects of the product, there were many customers who especially returned to repurchase it.

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The Spring and Autumn Hall made a lot of money. Not only has the loan been repaid, but also there was no need to worry about the research and production costs for Spring Flower No. 2.

There were still people on the Internet who said that Duan Shu Tong had stolen other people’s research results, but who really cared? As long as the product worked well then there would be buyers.

As more and more people used Spring Flower No. 1, there were more and more comments about the product online.

Spring Flower No. 1 focused on the effect of lightening dark spots, so consumers’ psychological expectations were naturally only on lightening dark spots.

Asides from the amazing effect of lightening dark spots, many people have discovered other effects of Spring Flower No. 1, and they posted these observations online.

“Spring Flower is really way too good! I’ve already recommended it to several of my close female friends and co-workers. At first they didn’t like that the name was too cheesy and the price too expensive, but after they used it, they realized its good points! And I found it to be super moisturizing too! All my sisters out there, believe me!”

“Has no one discovered that Spring Flower is also conducive to sleep?”

“Ditto what the previous person said! I used to suffer from insomnia. Since I started using Spring Flower, my insomnia has improved a lot.”

“Is that real or fake? A skin care product can help you sleep? I’m afraid you two are trying to take me for a fool or maybe you’re paid reviewers. The Spring and Autumn Hall is really spending a lot of money on this. First they invited an A-list actress to endorse their product, and now they’re buying positive reviews?”

“I don’t know if it helps with sleep or not, but I think Spring Flower has a good wrinkle-removing effect. Don’t brew conspiracy theories, you’ll know if you try it yourself.”

Every time a hidden utility was discovered, it was like finding a treasure, and the product users were excited to share the secrets they have discovered.

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

One blogger couldn’t help but sighed: “I used to complain that 666 is too expensive, but thinking about it now, the Spring and Autumn Hall is a conscientious enterprise!”

This Weibo has received numerous likes.

It should be noted that Yalan’s One Flower series, a set of water cream cost nearly two thousand. It could only maintain basic moisture at most, and it could not achieve any obvious results on the skin.

In comparison, 666 was really not an expensive price at all.

Under such a wave, Duan Shu Tong completed the research and development of Spring Flower No. 2, and at the same time received the design draft sent by Pei Ruo Wei.

The shape of the bottle was like a leaf, and the dark green was full of texture. Compared with the dreamy romance of No. 1, No. 2 was more serious and solemn, but amidst a cluster of green, it highlighted a sense of vitality.

Duan Shu Tong was amazed once again, and gave Pei Ruo Wei several thumbs up.

The next step was to find someone to test the product.

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Chapter 53 – Entering the Xi Family

Pei Ruo Wei was indeed enticed, but she calmed herself down to think about it.

It was a little weird for Xi Duan to suddenly gave her such an offer.

Besides, the treatment and salary that Duan Shu Tong had discussed with her was also good. Although Shan Quan County was not as good as Yan City, for her, it was still a little more comfortable and cozy to be in a small county.

“Thank you for your kindness President Xi, but I have promised Young Master Duan to go to the Spring and Autumn Hall to work.”

Even if her heart was dripping blood at having to reject this offer, she still could not step into this giant pit.

Moreover, compared to entering a mature company with high-level talents everywhere, it was better to progress together with a company that was growing.

The most important thing was that the packaging design of Spring Flower No. 1 has garnered many praises, which gave her a deep sense of fulfillment, and she couldn’t help but feel a sense of belonging to the Spring and Autumn Hall, so she didn’t want to leave for the time being.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

Xi duan nodded and stopped talking. He had made the offer in order to sound her out. But after testing her, he was full of contradicting feelings.

He did not want Pei Ruo Wei to continue working at the Spring and Autumn Hall, but he also felt gratified that Duan Shu Tong had a person who could resist temptations to help him.

He has lived for over two decades, but never has he felt so tangled and confused.

Compared to the dull atmosphere in Xi Duan’s car, Duan Shu Tong and Xi Yu conversed quite happily. Xi Yu thought of himself as being more mature than his peers, so there wasn’t much to talk about with people of his age group. But when it came to talking with his elders, there was still a generation gap, so it was still hard to chat with them.

Then he met Duan Shu Tong, and it was like he transformed into a chatterbox. The more he interacted with Duan Shu Tong, the more that he found that the once prodigal son was actually a hidden treasure. No matter what he talked about, Duan Shu Tong could match him in conversation.

The most important thing was that Duan-ge could always consider a problem from his perspective. He was the most considerate person!

Xi Yu draped his arm across Duan Shu Tong’s shoulders. With the two sitting side by side, he laughed up his sleeve and said, “Duan-ge, I’m saying for real here, I’ve heard of your reputation before, and I thought that you were the same as everyone else.”

Duan Shu Tong’s eyebrows rose, “I wasn’t that bad before, was I?”

“It was my bad,” Xi Yu grinned, “I shouldn’t have listened to rumors.”

Duan Shu Tong nodded in satisfaction, “What the ears hear may not be true, and what the eyes see may not be true. You have to learn to think for yourself.”

Xi Yu expressed that he had received the advice. Then he approached Duan Shu Tong’s shoulder and asked in a low voice, “Then, do you think that Miss Pei will become my aunt?”

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For a hot minute, Duan Shu Tong didn’t know how to answer the youngster’s question. He knew that Xi Yu wasn’t asking casually, after all, the loss that he had experienced was still clearly visible within his gaze.

It seemed like the youngster did not want Xi Duan to get married.

“And if she does [become your aunt]?” Duan Shu Tong asked.

Xi Yu drooped his head instantly, and after a long silence, he pretended to be indifferent and said, “My uncle is so old, it’s normal to get married.”

Duan Shu Tong laughed, “He is not that old. He’s older than you by twelve years, but he’s still only twenty-seven.”

“Yeah,” the teenager looked out the window, “not that old.”

Observing the youth’s state of mind, Duan Shu Tong thought for a while and felt that he probably understood what the teen was thinking, so he said to comfort him: “You are his only biological relative, even if he gets married, he won’t leave you behind. You can’t tuck away the concerns in your heart. You can try communicating them with him.”

Xi Yu shook his head, “Duan-ge, you don’t understand.”

Duan Shu Tong patted him on the head, “I’ve eaten more rice than you*, how could I not understand?”

[*T/N: “I’ve eaten more rice than you” means “I’ve lived more years than you” or “I have more experience than you.”]

“But my uncle is already angry with me,” when Xi Yu looked at him, his eyes were flushed red, and he looked very sad, “It’s my fault. I was ignorant before and said some really bad things.”

He blamed himself, but at the same time he didn’t want Xi Duan to really give up on him, so he tested the man’s bottom line time and time again.

Duan Shu Tong patted him on the shoulder, “He is your uncle and won’t hold grudges against you.”

“You don’t know how terrible the things I said were,” Xi Yu leaned back, eyes drooping to hide the dampness within. His voice was a little choked up, “He definitely doesn’t like me anymore. After he gets married, I will move out.”

Seeing that he couldn’t get any proper answers out of the boy, Duan Shu Tong had no choice but to give up.

The misunderstandings between the uncle and nephew had to be solved as soon as possible otherwise something bad will happen.

When they returned to Shan Quan County, Pei Ruo Wei stayed in Duan Shu Tong’s house, and Duan Shu Tong went to Xi Duan’s residence.

At first, Duan Shu Tong thought that it would be awkward to live at Xi Duan’s place, but the servants of the Xi’s family were very thorough and did not let him notice the slightest impropriety. After Xi Duan arrived home, he immediately went back out to deal with work, and the two of them didn’t speak at all.

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

Duan Shu Tong knew that there was something off about the way he felt towards Xi Duan right now. In order to avoid having too much contact with the other man, he he began to invest in busy experiments and did his best to develop Spring Flower No. 2.

Pei Ruo Wei had promised him that she would work for the Spring and Autumn Hall. Due to her pregnancy, Duan Shu Tong allowed her to work from home. As long as she delivered her designs on time, then it would not delay production.

At the end of July, the development of Spring Flower No. 2 has entered the late stage. After negotiating with the company’s senior management, Duan Shu Tong decided to wait for the results of Spring Flower No. 1’s endorsement before implementing No. 2.

It didn’t take too long to shoot the advertisements. By early August, the Spring and Autumn Hall had already purchased advertising time, and was waiting to see if sales would increase after broadcasting the advertisements.

But before the ad was broadcast, the Spring and Autumn Hall’s sales began to explode, and the staff who had been monitoring the data almost had a heart attack.

After a lot of hustle and bustle, they finally discovered the reason.

It turned out that their brand ambassador Miss Lin Man Man had promoted Spring Flower No. 1 on Weibo, and then linked the post to the Spring and Autumn Hall’s official blog.

Who was Lin Man Man? She was a star at the top of the entertainment industry! She was so popular that if she ever announced a wedding some day, Weibo would definitely be paralyzed.

With tens of millions of fans, her appeal was most definitely not weak.

The director of the Advertising Department covered his chest and looked at the number of fans on the official blog. He felt like he had reached the pinnacle of his life.

With trembling hands, he moved the mouse cursor to click into Lin Man Man’s Weibo, and responded: Glorious like spring flowers, and bright like the autumn moon.

At the same time, a photo was attached.

It was a photo taken during the shooting of the commercial. The woman in the photo was indeed looking fresh and beautiful, glorious like spring flowers and bright like the autumn moon, bright and blooming.

The comment area went crazy in an instant.

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---

The author has something to say:

Lin Man Man: Don’t forget the Lin family. ╭(╯^╰)╮

Li Xiao: Please spare me. QAQ

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Chapter 52 – Entering* the Xi Family

[*T/N: The verb used here is 入住 ru zhu, which has a more specific meaning of “checking in” to a place such as a hotel, etc]

At seven o’ clock in the morning, the cars from the Xi family arrived on time in front of the Duan family’s house.

Because there were a lot of people going back on the return trip, there were a total of three cars.

Xi Duan sat in the forefront car. Xi Yu was still being difficult, so he chose to sit in the second car. When he saw Duan Shu Tong, he purposefully got off the car and tugged Duan Shu Tong towards the second car by the arm.

Duan Shu Tong: …

It just so happened that he needed to prevent excessive contact with Xi Duan, so Xi Yu’s willfulness at the moment was actually a big help to him.

But he also cannot eschew manners.

Despite Xi Yu’s unhappy expression, Duan Shu Tong approached Xi Duan’s car to greet him and said, “You still have to pick up Miss Pei in a little while, right? Then I will go sit with Xi Yu.”

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

He didn’t want to be the third wheel.

Xi Duan who was waiting for him to get in the car: “…”

After Duan Shu Tong left, Xi Duan’s complexion darkened quite a bit.

After getting in the car, Duan Shu Tong couldn’t help but ask Xi Yu: “How come there are three cars?”

Xi Yu felt like Duan Shu Tong was the one who understood him best, so he was especially chummy with him. Upon receiving the question, he explained carefully: “Uncle wants to take me to Shan Quan County. With both him and me out of the house, Sun-yeye* insisted on us bringing the chef and housekeeper with us. He said he’s concerned that we won’t be able to eat well and take care of the house well.”

[*T/N: 爷爷 yeye translates to “grandpa.” It can be used to address any elderly man, even if there is no biological relation. In this case, this old man’s surname is Sun and not biologically related to the Xi family, so he’s probably like the elderly butler in the family. He might or might not have been mentioned in the text before, but it escapes my memory at the moment.]

Duan Shu Tong couldn’t help holding his forehead in his hand. He and Xi Duan had agreed to live together. Originally, he had thought that all the people living in the house would be friends that he was familiar with, so it didn’t matter even if they lived together for a spell, but now Xi Duan was bringing his household with him and it felt a bit awkward to be living with him.

Just as Duan Shu Tong was lamenting over this, he heard Xi Yu say excitedly: “Sun-yeye said that Duan-ge is going to be living together with us! This is great!”

There was a sincere smile on the boy’s face. Duan Shu Tong was infected by it, and the discomfort in his heart gradually disappeared. He laughed and said: “Why is it great, huh?”

“You don’t know, but my uncle is way too rigid. Living together with him? I will be suffocated to death!” Xi Yu smiled slyly and held onto Duan Shu Tong’s arm intimately, “You are so much better than him!”

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Duan Shu Tong shook his head and didn’t speak. There was a mistake in the child’s perception of his uncle, but preaching to him wasn’t the correct method. It was better for him to experience things himself.

Xi Duan’s earnest care and hard work was not something that he could squander freely.

In the blink of an eye, they arrived in front of the hospital.

Pei Ruo Wei already knew that Xi Duan and Duan Shu Tong had rescued her, and she was extremely grateful. She walked up to Xi Duan’s car and was about to express her gratitude in person when she heard Cen Ning say: “Miss Pei, get in the car, ba.”

Pei Ruo Wei: ???

“Young Master Duan… isn’t in the car?” Aren’t Young Master Duan and President Xi good friends? Why aren’t they sitting in the same car? It gave her the feeling of being a vicious female side character that broke up a pair of close friends.

Cen Ning thought about the low pressure emanating from his boss, secretly sighed, and pointed to the second car, “Young Master Duan is sitting together with Young Master Xi Yu.”

Pei Ruo Wei could only nod her head and get in the car.

As soon as she got in the car, she felt uncomfortable all over, because the aura of the man next to her was a bit scary. He was not as approachable as Young Master Duan at all, and she couldn’t understand how the two of them got along.

In order to prevent herself from becoming cannon fodder, she maintained a silent attitude and kept herself as far away from Xi Duan as possible. She was almost pressed flushed against the car door.

The atmosphere inside the car was subtly scary for a time.

Cen Ning sat in the passenger seat, and was hugging himself in distress.

Pei Ruo Wei had encountered Assistant Cen before when he was delivering flowers to her, all in the name of President Xi, but this was the first time that she had laid eyes on Xi Duan, yet she didn’t dare to look directly at his face.

She has reason to believe that Cen Ning gave her flowers as a spoof. How could the Big Boss Xi possibly like her?!

That was simply too much of a fantasy story.

She was relatively sensitive to people’s emotions. If a person liked her, she could feel it. For example, comparing the previous Duan Shu Tong with the current Duan Shu Tong, she could clearly tell that the previous Young Master Duan was friends with her in hopes of becoming lovers in the future, but now, that feeling was completely gone.

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

As for Xi Duan, there was no need for extra contemplation. It was impossible for him to like her.

When the car was halfway to their destination, Xi Duan finally spoke. His voice was low and felt a bit cold ringing against her eardrums. “Do you need to take legal means?”

Pei Ruo Wei had seriously considered this issue. To be honest, she did not suffered substantial harm, and there was no clear evidence of wrongdoing. Even if the case was reported, it was difficult for Li Xiao to be punished. Besides, she considered herself to be an insignificant little person. She did not have enough energy and ability to fight against Li Xiao. Maybe Duan Shu Tong and Xi Duan would help her, but she didn’t want to trouble them anymore.

So she replied: “I just want to have nothing to do with him anymore.”

She wanted to cut off all association with him.

Xi Duan nodded coldly and changed the subject, “Miss Pei is very talented in design, and Xi Corporation has a suitable position. I wonder if Miss Pei is willing to give it a try.”

Huh? He wanted to hire her as soon as he opened his mouth to speak? She could feel her entire back break out in goose pimples.

Pei Ruo Wei was about to reply, when Xi Duan spoke again: “Li Xiao can make other companies blacklist you, but he can’t influence the Xi family. You don’t have to worry about it. Besides, the Xi Corporation’s treatment and salary is not bad.”

Not bad? What not bad? Don’t be too good to be true, okay?!

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Yan City 燕市 (where Duan Corporation general HQ office building is located)

Lin Nan Province 林南省
—Shan Quan County 山泉县 (located in Lin Nan Province)
——Spring and Autumn Hall 春秋堂 (was a medicine shop in the past, now a pharmaceutical company where DST works, located in Shan Quan County)

Hai City 海市 (where the annual innovative brand exhibition takes place)

 

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Main Cast of Original Book

Pei Ruo Wei 裴若薇 (FL)
—Sun Qi 孙琦 (her female best friend)
Li Xiao 厉骁 (ML1)
—Chairman Li 厉董 (his father)
—Xiao Wang 小汪 (chauffeur)
Duan Shu Tong 段书桐 (ML2, currently the MC)
Xi Duan 席端 (ML3, President Xi of Xi Corporation)
—Cen Ning 岑宁 (assistant to ML3)
—Liu Zhi Fei 刘志飞 (driver, nickname: “Xiao Liu 小刘”)
—Uncle Sun 孙叔 (c46, Xi family housekeeper)
—Xi Yu 席钰 (c46, nephew)
Lin Man Man 林曼曼 (ML1’s fiancée)
—Lin Huan 林焕 (Lin Man Man’s older brother, President Lin, siscon)

 

MC’s Family

Duan Shu Tong 段书桐 (MC, also ML2) 段副总监 (Deputy Director Duan)
Duan Sheng Ye 段盛业 (father, Chairman Duan 段董,)
Dong Han Yue 董含月 (mother)
Duan Si Fu 段思芙 (elder sister)

 

Others

Nanny Zhang 保姆张婶 (housekeeper of Duan mansion)
Feng Ran 冯冉 (c32, renowned skincare blogger on Weibo)
Xu Xiao Qin 许晓琴 (c33, Feng Ran’s older female cousin via female line)
Clear Sky Has Eyes 晴天有眼 (C41, a netizen that brought up DST’s DWI incident after Spring Flower No. 1 got popular)
Xu Ya Ze许亚泽 (c69, general manager of Yalan, son of the chairman of Yalan)
Lu Shi 陆时 (c71, Lin Man Man’s friend)
—Director Lu 陆董 (c76, his father, 金石珠宝的陆董 Director Lu of Jinshi Jewelry)
Jiang Sheng 蒋升 (c81, president of NT)
Zou Feng 邹峰 (c81, CEO of Cuckoo Company)
Mei Mei 美美 (c87, a woman that the original DST once dated, beautiful, petty, now dating Xu Ya Ze)
Wang Rong Qian 王荣谦 (c114, a nephrology specialist at the First People’s Hospital of Yan City)
Song Chi 宋池 (c122, Wang Rong Qian’s student)

 

Duan Company Employees

Li Lili 李莉莉 (Human Resources, from HQ)

 

The Spring and Autumn Hall Employees & Related People

He Run 何润 (head director of R&D Department, skilled)
Zhai Jun 翟俊 (general manager / CEO of the Spring and Autumn Hall)
Zhou Ling 周灵 (MC’s assistant in the R&D Department)
—He Zhen 何珍 (Zhou Ling’s mother)
—Aunt Wang 王阿姨 (next-door neighbor)
Gao Fang 高芳 (female secretary to the general manager)
Han Ling 韩令 (named in c93, flirtatious looking man that tried to hit on MC outside a bar in Hai City on a rainy day) (c105, Director Han of Renguang Hospital is his father)

 

Shan Quan County

Manager You 尤经理 (works for a bank)
—Xu Xiao Qin 许晓琴 (c29, Manager You’s wife)
Yuan Peng 袁鹏 (c30, layabout idler in The Spring and Autumn Hall)