Gilded Rust - YiZhan

Chapter 10 - Empty Spaces

"Right."

Mr. Xiao looked at his hands, and the uncomfortable atmosphere from earlier returned. Yibo pretended not to notice, and despite feeling a little bit rude for doing so, he opened a few cupboards to get a general idea of the organization.

"You must be hungry," said Mr. Xiao after a moment, startling Yibo.

This house was much too quiet.

"I could eat," he replied, although in truth, hunger gnawed at his stomach. "Would you like me to make dinner?"

The man shook his head and smiled genuinely.

"Let's order in to celebrate. Is sushi alright?"

Yibo's old habits kicked in.

"You don't have to order something so exp..."

Yibo paused before correcting himself.

"Something so special for me. I'm just an employee."

Mr. Xiao tilted his head.

"I want to buy something special and expensive because you're my employee, Wang Yibo."

Yibo didn't reply and stared at his faint reflection on the smooth granite surface. He didn't think working anywhere entitled him to special treatment.

"I take pride in treating my employees well. What is the point of being wealthy if not to use my wealth to make others happy?"

Yibo looked up, and his eyes met Mr. Xiao's. His warm gaze and sincere expression almost melted his defences, but he countered the attack at the last moment. Being nice didn't change the fact that the man could fire him at the drop of a hat if he wanted. He needed to keep a safe distance from him if he wanted to keep his job and fulfill his promise to Caihong.

His swift change of emotions must have shown on his face, for the joy in Mr. Xiao's eyes dimmed slightly.

"Please don't misunderstand me; I keep it professional. If anything I offer you makes you feel uncomfortable, you're always free to refuse, and I won't be insulted. Does that sound fair?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then, answer me: do you like sushi?"

Yibo didn't even have an opinion on the matter; he'd tried sushi once at culinary school, and it had been such a tiny piece he could barely remember.

"Yes," he replied anyway.

"Would you allow me to treat you to a nice meal to celebrate your first day?"

"Sure."

Mr. Xiao let out a long sigh and brought his hand to his chest with relief.

"Thank heaven! Xiaoxue placed the order earlier, so I would have been in trouble had you said no!" He said with a laugh, and just like that, he reverted to the joyful Mr. Xiao had met at the hotel.

Yibo smiled politely. He didn't understand Mr. Xiao at all. Not only did he not conform to his image of a rich man, but he genuinely seemed to care about Yibo's opinion. It would have been much simpler to tell him he'd ordered sushi for dinner and leave it at that. He hoped his behaviour wouldn't make his job more difficult.

Mr. Xiao glanced at his watch.

"The food should be here in half an hour or so. Why don't you use this time to settle upstairs?"

The man's words made Yibo realize that this constant interaction had tired him. Time alone would be amazing. Again, he followed Mr. Xiao outside the room and accompanied him to the second floor, where they paused.