章 15: Break up
Xiaoyun and Leyan are now both in their junior years, and their relationship has started to heat up.
Despite everything going fine, Xiaoyun had a problem that only he noticed.
It was the constant time skip that he was facing. It was constantly appearing to the point that he couldn't recall what he did yesterday.
"What date is it today?" Xiaoyun asked the butler standing behind him.
"It's the tenth, sir," butler replied.
"Wasn't it the eighth yesterday?"
"No?" The butler replied as he looked at Xiaoyun with a puzzled expression.
"Really? Then what did I do yesterday?"
"Sir, you went to math class early in the morning and then came back home after you finished your econ class."
After hearing the butler's explanation, he could now vaguely recall what happened yesterday as it began flooding into his head.
"Why do I feel like I missed yesterday's class?"
Xiaoyun pulled out his notebook, which clearly stated yesterday's note despite barely having any memory of it.
"Sir, why don't I call a doctor?"
The butler looked at Xiaoyun with a worried face as Xiaoyun pressed onto his temple.
"No need. Grandpa will definitely be worried again... I'm going to school now."
---
Xiaoyun's time was beginning to skip faster and faster.
Sometimes, an entire week can be skipped every time he wakes up.
Yet everyone else seems to be doing business as usual, with him being there and acting completely normal.
Besides that, Xiaoyun was facing a new problem: the old man suddenly fell ill just as he was about to finish his junior year.
After consulting with the old man, Xiaoyun decided to graduate early by donating a large sum of money to the school as a 'charity.'
Despite having no experience, Xiaoyun was now working day and night, trying to stop the stockholders of the company from losing faith, as the old man had taught him while he was in the hospital.
Suddenly, as Xiaoyun worked in the middle of the night at the office, his phone rang.
"Leyan, what's wrong?"
"Sorry to wake you up in the middle of the night..."
Leyan's silence made Xiaoyun get a little worried.
"Is everything all right?" Xiaoyun asked.
"I am fine... I just heard you graduated early?" Leyan asked as her voice seemed a little upset.
"Yeah. I did graduate early."
"Why?" Leyan sounded even more upset as she asked Xiaoyun.
"Grandpa fell ill, and he asked me to take care of the company until his grandson gets out of prison and can take his place," Xiaoyun replied.
"What? How did Grandpa fall ill? Nobody told me about this. Which hospital is he staying in?"
Leyan's tone instantly shifted, and her voice was now full of worries.
"No need for that. Grandpa said he didn't want to see anyone. Besides, grandma is there to take care of him."
"Okay."
The two fell into silence until Xiaoyun decided to speak up.
"I'm likely to be very busy for at least a few more months. Sorry about that."
"It's okay, I will wait for you. Well, good night, honey."
"Good night, babe."
Xiaoyun closed his phone and went back to work.
---
Months went by as Xiaoyun continued working in his grandpa's business.
The hard work that he put in was finally paying off as the company began growing again rather than rapidly declining at the start.
However, Grandpa's condition has only gotten worse as days went by.
Xiaoyun and Leyan also have been talking less and less as Xiaoyun was busy with work until Leyan called one day.
"Hello?"
"It's me, Leyan. I'm graduating next week!" Leyan excitedly announced.
"Oh, congratulations."
"Are you going to be there?" Leyan asked curiously.
"Um... I'm going out of town next week. I am so sorry, babe." Xiaoyun apologized.
"How about this week?"
"Um, let me check the schedule... yeah, I am free this weekend," Xiaoyun replied.
"See you at the old place at four o'clock then."
"See ya."
Xiaoyun was walking inside the hospital when the phone call ended.
"Who is it?" The old man's voice came out as Xiaoyun knocked on the door.
"It's me, Songming."
Grandma opened the door for Xiaoyun to walk in.
"How's your health, grandpa?" Xiaoyun asked.
"Just as you can expect *Cough cough* Xiaoyun, I've seen your plan. It's pretty clever and groundbreaking."
The old man tried to hold in his coughs but was unable to.
"Thank——"
Before Xiaoyun could finish, he was interrupted by the old man.
"But this plan is too naive. It's not going to work——"
"What? I did all the calculations, and even if all the other companies formed a boycott against us, it wouldn't last long, and we would outlast them...
By the time they go bankrupt, we will be able to buy them up and become the biggest company in the market." Xiaoyun argued back.
"Yes, yes, but this is all under the pretense that they play fair."
The old man handed Xiaoyun's plan back to him.
"Fair? What do you mean by that?" Xiaoyun curiously asked.
"Like, what if they get upset by you and decide to risk it all? What if they play dirty and stage a car to run you over accidentally? *Cough cough* do you think this plan will work then?"
Xiaoyun stood in silence as he didn't know how to respond to the old man's question.
"Just maintain the status quo. There is no need to risk it this much. It's not worth risking your life for this company...
I can't even give you any ownership of this company. *Cough Cough* since Songyi is my son's only legal successor."
Xiaoyun hesitated for a second, then spoke up again.
"But I can't maintain the status quo... The stockholders have threatened me that if I don't take a drastic plan, they are all going to withdraw from the company.
I want to maintain your legacy, Grandpa. I wanted to repay you." Xiaoyun folds and tells the old man the truth he is facing.
"Stockholder? When the hell did they start making demands?! How dare they have the audacity to try to make a demand!
If it weren't for me, they wouldn't even be there. *cough cough* Help me up, Songming. I am going teach them a lesson!"
The coughing was getting worse as the old man got angrier and angrier.
"Grandpa, you can't do this. The doctor says you have to stay in the hospital at all times. Grandma, please, talk some sense to him."
Xiaoyun looked over to Grandma as he knew he couldn't convince the old man to stop.
"Honey, do you care about the company more or me?"
Grandma pushes the old man back to the bed and threatens him.
"I... care about you more. Fine, I will stay here. Not like this place is making me feel any better."
The old man finally calmed down as he laid back down on the bed.
"Grandpa, I am going to go with this plan." Xiaoyun declared as he made up his mind.
"Well, I can't tell you what to do now. You are the CEO now..."
As Xiaoyun turned around and walked toward the exit, the old man suddenly spoke up again.
"Wait, you sure you want to continue with the plan? What about Leyan?"
Xiaoyun turned back around and looked confused by what the old man meant.
"What about her?"
"Those men can be ruthless and target anyone you know... Are you willing to lose her? Or are you going to continue with that stupid plan of yours?"
"I am not going to lose her..."
Xiaoyun left the room without looking back as he didn't know how to answer the old man's question.
---
Sunday finally arrived.
Xiaoyun was sitting in a coffee shop waiting for Leyan.
"You're here so early."
Leyan was wearing a black low-cut mini dress and red high heels. Her hair and face also had a lot of work put into it.
"You look so good today," Xiaoyun commented.
"Then I wasn't good-looking before?" Leyan joked as she sat down across from Xiaoyun.
"It was pretty good before. But today, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen."
"Your words are really sweet today, honey. But I prefer you being more naive and honest."
Leyan boops Xiaoyun before he can react as she takes a sip of Xiaoyun's coffee.
"Hey, I am being honest, okay? You really do look beautiful." Xiaoyun shrugged as he took his coffee back.
"Yeah, yeah. Anyways let's go to the movies today, I've already booked tickets."
Leyan grabbed Xiaoyun's hand and left the coffee shop.
After a few hours...
The two walked out of the cinema, holding hands as Leyan leaned her head onto Xiaoyun's shoulder.
"Man, the main character is such a dickhead for leaving her like that. If it weren't for her friend slapping him and waking him up, he would have never chased her back..."
Leyan commented on the movies as they walked in a random direction.
"Yeah... yeah..." Xiaoyun looked preoccupied in his mind as he responded with the same answer.
"Let's have dinner over there."
Leyan pointed to a French restaurant across the street.
"Sure."
As the two walked inside and sat down, the waiter brought up the menu for them.
After ordering their food, Leyan began talking about what happened at the university as Xiaoyun listened silently.
"What's the matter? Is there something in your mind?" Leyan asked curiously as she noticed Xiaoyun was staring into space.
"Uh, nothing." Xiaoyun quickly snapped back to reality.
"Really?"
Leyan got up and walked closer to Xiaoyun as if she was trying to sniff out his lies.
"You know, you are really a bad liar," Leyan whispered into Xiaoyun's ear.
"I was just thinking about some company stuff," Xiaoyun finally confessed to her.
"It's okay if you don't want to say it. I am always here for you."
Leyan backed down and returned to her seat.
"I really mean it..." Xiaoyun murmured as the food was finally here.
---
As they walked out of the restaurant, the moon was bright, and the sky was clearer than a diamond.
As the two walked out holding hands, Leyan stopped at a bench after walking for a bit.
"Hey, honey."
"What?"
"How many years have we been dating?" Leyan asked.
"Well, almost two or three years,"
Xiaoyun tried to recall his memory, which only felt like two years for him despite everyone thinking it was three years.
"I actually have something to tell you... Promise me you won't get mad, okay?"
Leyan's tone suddenly changed as she asked the question.
"Okay, sure. What is it?"
"I've spoken to your grandpa."
Xiaoyun's brain froze for a second before processing what Leyan had just said.
"Wait, what? Why didn't you tell me——"
Before Xiaoyun could ask why, Leyan interrupted him.
"I know you have a difficult choice to make. I just want to tell you that I will always love you no matter which one you pick."
Leyan suddenly got up from the bench and stared into Xiaoyun's eye.
"I don't know what I should do... I——"
Leyan suddenly opened her arms and hugged Xiaoyun.
"Don't worry, I'll wait for you..."
Xiaoyun could feel his neck getting a little wet, as if a raindrop had fallen onto it. But the sky was clear.
"I'm sorry. I——"
Before Xiaoyun could finish speaking, Leyan suddenly kissed Xiaoyun on the lips.
"Don't say sorry, okay?" Leyan asked as they separated.
"I won't."
As the two stared at each other in silence, Leyan spoke up again.
"That was my first kiss. You better be happy with it."
Leyan sat back down next to Xiaoyun, and she said it softly.
"I... thank you."
Xiaoyun ran out of words to say as he struggled to process the emotion he was feeling in his heart.
"Well, I hope we will see each other in the future... I'll be waiting."
Leyan got up from the bench and turned away from him. As she walked away, Xiaoyun suddenly felt the urge to scream.
"I will come back to marry you! I will never forget you!"
Leyan didn't look back but ran away even faster as tears flew out of her eyes.
---
Almost a year has passed since the incident.
Leyan and Xiaoyun haven't seen each other since.
The company stock dropped as the plan was executed. But then, after a week, it suddenly soared drastically, as Xiaoyun predicted.
Other companies started boycotting Xiaoyun's company, but it didn't take long for a few of them to betray the boycott, leading the entire boycott to collapse.
Grandpa passed away a few weeks after the plan was executed, as he never got to see Xiaoyun's plan work in action.
Xiaoyun was using work as an escape from reality as he started to feel more and more lonely in the world.
Until one day, a phone call came from the receptionist downstairs.
"Boss, someone wants to see you."
"Who is it?"
"Well, he said the company belongs to his grandparents, and he owns at least 20% of the stock."
"Just let the security kick him out... wait, what's his name?"
Xiaoyun suddenly realized something as he remembered back to the old man's last few words.
"He said his name was Songyi."
"Bring him up,"
Xiaoyun remembered that the old man had a grandson who was in prison after driving over him while drunk.
Three minutes later...
"The day had finally come. It's finally over." Xiaoyun murmured to himself as he waited.
"Boss, Songyi is here."
The receptionist and a man walked inside the office.
"You are Songyi?" Xiaoyun asked as he carefully examined him.
"Yeah, I am Songyi. You are the person that put me in prison and the adopted kid, Songming?" Songyi asked loudly.
"Yes, I am Songming. Also, I didn't put you in prison. You crashed into me while driving drunk... You're lucky I didn't pursue any charges."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever, just get out of my face. Let me sit down in that seat." Songyi impatiently started walking towards Xiaoyun.
Xiaoyun got up from the seat without arguing as he walked toward the exit.
"Good luck being the CEO."
Xiaoyun waved goodbye as he closed the door behind him.
After Xiaoyun walked out of the door, he clapped his hands, making everyone in the office look to look toward him.
"Hello, everyone. I have an announcement to make... I'll no longer be the CEO, effective immediately...
The new CEO is Songyi, the biological child of the old man that some of you might remember. Please treat him with respect and work just as hard for him as for me."
Xiaoyun didn't look back at everyone's shocked faces as he walked into the elevator and then left the building completely.
クリエイターの想い 
IPI
IPI Man, romance is so hard to write. Nah, just kidding, this didn't take long.
---
Edit 2/7/24: finish editing the chapter. Comment if you find any issues. Sorry this one took a bit, busy with college.
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