What Are Your Tastes? chapter 30
Defamation
It had only been a little over a week since Zhou Yanchuan arranged his cousin into Hongchuan, and he received complaints from the security captain, pointing out a series of misdeeds by Zhang Hao.
Zhou Yanchuan initially couldn’t believe it, thinking there must have been a misunderstanding. Although Zhang Hao seemed unreliable, he had indeed assured him of working diligently that day. How could so many troubles have arisen in just a few days?
It wasn’t until he watched the surveillance footage.
The dormitory conflicts and disputes with roommates, which were not documented and relied solely on hearsay, aside, the harassment of female front desk staff was clearly captured on camera. A familiar client of Zhou Yanchuan also complained of security’s rude behavior, and it turned out to be Zhang Hao.
Zhou Yanchuan was not without temper. He already harbored resentment towards his mother’s family, and now, after helping them, they were openly causing trouble. He couldn’t turn a blind eye, nor did he intend to offer any opportunity for corrective action. He promptly informed HR to settle with a month’s salary and immediate departure.
Earlier, he had added Zhang Hao on WeChat and briefly explained his decision. He had expected Zhang Hao to protest or create a scene, but in the two days following, Zhou Yanchuan received no response, and Zhang Hao did indeed leave the company.
He didn’t expect an apology; seeing Zhang Hao off peacefully was enough to relieve his mind.
During these days, Lu Yunchu rushed to complete urgent orders for Zhou Yanchuan’s friends and successfully delivered them a week later.
He stumbled upon a street stall selling plants and picked out a few pots of green moss and sunflowers to decorate the studio terrace’s plant shelf. He disliked overcrowding with various plants indoors; a combination of two different colors was sufficient.
Ning Ruowei came to the studio again during lunchtime, where Lu Yunchu was watering and pruning leaves. She brought an unfinished wood-carved brooch.
“Did you make this?” Lu Yunchu looked at the small item in surprise. The central floral pattern was basically formed, though clearly the work of an amateur, it had a rustic charm.
“Is it really bad?”
“I think it’s quite cute,” Lu Yunchu guessed who she wanted to give it to but asked teasingly, “Is it for me?”
“Do you think I’d give it to you?” Ning Ruowei immediately denied, “I want you to help me see what improvements can be made.”
Lu Yunchu used to enjoy making such trinkets. Back in his school days in China, he was an ordinary hobbyist, but his wood-carving skills were already quite refined. He had made brooches or pendants as gifts for close classmates and teachers.
However, Ning Ruowei didn’t have such a strong talent in this area, so Lu Yunchu could only teach her some basic techniques.
Later, they talked about other things. Ning Ruowei’s relationship with An Yuan had gradually improved recently. Last week, there was a leak at her home, so she stayed at An Yuan’s place for two days.
“Do you know who we ran into that morning?” she asked.
“Who?”
“Your neighbor.”
“Zhou Yanchuan?”
“Yeah, right in Changxi,” Ning Ruowei casually said, “I asked him how things were between you two, and he said it was fine.”
“Why did you ask him that?” Lu Yunchu unconsciously tugged at his collar.
“Just in case you had feelings for him, I could help you—” Ning Ruowei was just joking, but noticing her friend’s unnatural expression, she suddenly froze, “You don’t actually have feelings for him, do you?”
“I…” Lu Yunchu felt a warmth in his chest, “I don’t know.”
“Don’t know?” She looked him over, took a deep breath, and said tentatively, “That’s a bit dangerous.”
Lu Yunchu didn’t like to fuss over matters of the heart. Although he wasn’t entirely sure either, what could he do if he felt something?
“What’s wrong?” he casually asked back, “Didn’t you say it didn’t matter if I had feelings for him?”
“I was just kidding. How would I know if you really had feelings for him,” she paused slightly and said cautiously, “I think this kind of situation is a bit tricky. Like you said, he’s a straight guy.”
“Don’t you like straight girls too?”
“Men and women are different. Women focus more on emotional connections,” Ning Ruowei waved her hand, lowered her head, and said to Lu Yunchu sitting across from her, “Actually, most women have the potential to be bisexual. Straight female thinking may seem stable, but it’s influenced more by cultural customs and can be broken through. Especially now that An Yuan has completely given up on men and marriage; but men are different. Straight men are like steel pipes; not to mention their approach… he might not be able to handle it.”
Lu Yunchu remained silent. He didn’t disagree with what Ning Ruowei said, but when it came to real people and their relationships, he felt that theory and reality had both faded, along with his own feelings, which were elusive.
Could he possibly like Zhou Yanchuan? If he had entertained such thoughts a few months ago, he would have thought there was something wrong with his mind. Yet, after returning home from the duck noodle shop that day, he wondered why he couldn’t like Zhou Yanchuan.
If asked what outstanding qualities Zhou Yanchuan had, he could list quite a few, just like they were listed in the news. However, these were not necessarily decisive factors in determining his emotional direction.
Some people fall for another person’s outward brilliance, but Lu Yunchu was different. He never envied or longed for others and tended to believe that the change in his mentality was due to a special chemical reaction between them.
Because this assumption had once seemed absurd, everything changed when he started to rethink it.
“Alright,” he sighed. “Don’t worry too much, let it be.”
Seeing that he wasn’t very interested, Ning Ruowei regretted saying something so heavy. She was quick-witted and immediately took out her phone. “Let me show you a funny video.”
Lu Yunchu lazily leaned back in his chair, watching her fiddle with her phone. Within seconds, Ning Ruowei’s brow furrowed, lips pursed tightly, as if she had seen something terrifying.
“What’s wrong? How can finding a funny video be like seeing a ghost?”
“On Weibo—” she cautiously glanced at Lu Yunchu, “Hongchuan… Mr. Zhou seems to be in trouble.”
Under the influence of marketing, related discussions quickly heated up into a hot search. The source of the event was a headline-grabbing report: “Chairman Zhou of Hongchuan Abandons Poor Relatives, Leaving Them Homeless — Is this a moral decline or the extinction of humanity?” Accompanied by a picture of a disheveled, tear-streaked Zhang Hao.
According to reports, Zhang Hao claimed to be a relative from the maternal side of Zhou Yanchuan’s family, stating that Zhou’s mother and his own father had always shared a deep bond. Before her death, Zhou’s mother entrusted Zhou Yanchuan with taking care of the family.
However, over the years, Zhou Yanchuan had never provided any financial support, and Zhang Hao had never bothered him. He had always lived a modest life, but recently, life had become unbearably hard. In desperation, he sought refuge with Zhou Yanchuan, only to be rejected and humiliated, driven out of the house. Now, he had no job, no money, and couldn’t even return home.
This caught the Hongchuan company off guard. Before they could respond, either bots or anti-rich internet trolls had already started hurling insults.
[“I knew it, businessmen only pretend to do charity; they don’t care even if their own family starves.”] [“Because giving money to family members won’t get them any media coverage, right? They only do things they can advertise (laughs)”]…
There were scattered voices of doubt:
[“He’s able-bodied, can’t he find a job himself?”] [“Doesn’t Hongchuan’s boss need to be so stingy? There might be other reasons.”] [“Yeah, what if he’s being leeched off by his family?”]However, compared to the opposition, these voices were not mainstream at all, and were immediately met with criticism from the other side:
[“Being poor is a sin, right? Does being poor mean you’re a scoundrel?”] [“The young man has nowhere to go, isn’t that a fact?”]…
“Isn’t this just twisting the truth?!” Mo Ziyang was so angry he was about to spit blood, pacing back and forth in Zhou Yanchuan’s office. “We have surveillance videos; why not just handle it and show everyone this kid’s true face?”
Zhou Yanchuan remained silent with a cold expression. Mo Ziyang couldn’t hold back: “Can’t you say something?!”
Zhou Yanchuan stood up, his eyes filled with unpredictable emotions. “I need to pay them a visit.”
“Who are you going to see?” Mo Ziyang paused for two seconds. “Your aunt and cousin?”
“Yes.”
“Are you planning to fight them?”
“What are you thinking,” Zhou Yanchuan adjusted his collar and put on his coat. “I’m going to tell them something.”
“What?”
“My mother’s story.”