[“I hope you can find a suitable person.”]

When the calm and steady voice came from the other end of the line, Ling Tangyun’s hand, which was holding a pen and checking the accounting books, paused.

“Person?”

Ling Tangyun asked back, furrowing his brow slightly, and then put down his pen.

He had a feeling that if he continued to listen to the phone half-heartedly while working on the books, he would be in big trouble if he gave the wrong answer.

He even switched the phone from his left hand to his right, pressing it closer to his right ear so he could hear more clearly, afraid of mishearing even a single word.

“What person?”

Ling Tangyun asked suspiciously. The other end of the line was silent for a moment, then replied in an even tone.

[“A person who can support and assist Mr. Ling Xinlu in his work.”]

[“Preferably someone who can work long-term.”] – The voice added. Ling Tangyun was silent for a moment.

The other end of the line also didn’t say anything more.

After about ten seconds of silence, Ling Tangyun opened his mouth: “Hey……”

“I feel like I’ve heard you request this before.”

[“Yes, that’s right.”]

“I remember Xinlu telling me back then that he would take care of it himself, not to bother.”

[“Yes, that’s correct.”]

The voice on the other end of the line remained calm.

Ling Tangyun sighed “Hmm……” while rubbing the space between his eyebrows.

He was a little tired from working all day. But he couldn’t give a careless reply. This wasn’t just anyone; it was his youngest brother, Ling Xinlu.

“Yuri, is there something wrong this time?”

Ling Tangyun lowered his voice, asking cautiously. The other end of the line was silent for a moment, then a calm voice replied.

[“Yes, as long as you can find a suitable person.”]

“Did Xinlu agree to this?”

[“Yes.”]

Only after hearing the confirmation from Yuri, a person who never lied and only remained silent in place of an answer, did Ling Tangyun relax his expression: “That’s good then.”

It had been a while since the last incident. Previously, Yuri had also asked Ling Tangyun to find someone.

When Yuri called and asked him to find a competent person to replace him in assisting Ling Xinlu, Ling Tangyun readily agreed.

Right then……

A loud noise, like something breaking, came from the other end of the line, followed by his youngest brother’s cold voice.

He heard his younger brother yelling at Yuri in a frightening tone, asking how he dared to make such a request without permission, and then it seemed like he snatched the phone from Yuri’s hand.

Immediately following the peaceful conversation with Yuri, Ling Tangyun heard his younger brother’s voice as if he were speaking to an enemy: “Hello.”

He stated firmly, in a truly cold voice that sent shivers down his spine, that he would find his own assistant, that no one should dare interfere, and then hung up. Ling Tangyun remembered the bitter feeling at that time.

It turned out that Yuri had made the decision without consulting Ling Xinlu beforehand, then called him to find a replacement for his assistant position.

Actually, Ling Tangyun was quite pleased that Yuri was finding a competent successor before leaving, but it seemed his stubborn younger brother didn’t see it that way.

Later, when they met, Ling Tangyun laughed and tried to reason with him, but his younger brother, who was much younger than him, glared at him, casually calling his older brother “someone else” and saying: “Why should someone else get to decide about my assistant?”

That’s just how his youngest brother was.

Since childhood, he’d been adorable and prone to acting spoiled, so everyone doted on him – Ling Tangyun, though slightly irritated by his younger brother, didn’t hate him – but if you looked a little closer, he was rather troublesome child.

Anyway, Ling Tangyun didn’t want to cause trouble with his brother, so after that, he never mentioned or interfered in the matter of his assistant again.

He heard that Yuri, having called him on his own accord, was also severely scolded by Ling Xinlu for it, so for a while after that, he didn’t mention anything about finding a new assistant.

Then, not long ago, during a weekend family meal, Ling Xinlu suddenly said indifferently: “Oh, by the way, I signed a lifetime contract with Mr. Yuri Gable.” Ling Tangyun was both surprised and thought that there probably wouldn’t be any changes to Ling Xinlu’s assistant situation in the near future.

But at the time, he was genuinely surprised. Or rather, he was astonished.

Ling Tangyun had known Yuri Gable for quite some time, and Yuri was an exceptionally capable person as an information broker. Although many agencies and companies had tried to recruit him with lucrative offers, he had never signed a lifetime contract with anyone.

He was always someone who loved the ‘freely seeking water sources’ lifestyle.

Yet he had signed a lifetime contract; it was surprising and also a bit regrettable. Although Yuri’s particular skills weren’t particularly useful for Ling Tangyun’s business, so he had never seriously considered recruiting him, he was still a talent he didn’t want to lose.

But oh well, Ling Tangyun believed that human relationships all had their own fate, so he quickly calmed down and congratulated Yuri, as an older brother, hoping he would support Xinlu well.

And yet now, after a long period of silence, he was calling him to ask him to ‘find an assistant for Ling Xinlu’.

“……”

Ling Tangyun recalled how angry his younger brother had been when he said: “I’ll find my own assistant,” but this time Xinlu had agreed to the search, so he didn’t need to worry about that anymore.

“But Yuri, you just signed a lifetime contract with him not long ago, why are you already looking for someone to assist him again?”

Ling Tangyun flipped through his contacts while asking, mentally pondering what kind of person would be perfect to support someone as demanding as Ling Xinlu. But despite asking, he understood the reason why Yuri – or Ling Xinlu – wanted to find another assistant.

This reason was also related to why Ling Tangyun, despite admiring Yuri’s abilities, hadn’t tried to recruit him. Aside from his excellent skills as an information broker, Yuri also possessed abilities that surpassed those of ordinary people in other areas.

However, it was only ‘above average’, not ‘exceptional like the best in those fields’.

Perfectly supporting Ling Xinlu’s work by his side wasn’t easy.

Currently, it was fine. Because Ling Xinlu was still relatively new, someone with above-average abilities like Yuri could still support him smoothly.

However, as time went on, and Ling Xinlu’s role in the business grew, the work of the assistant by his side would become more complex and demanding. This might become too much for Yuri to handle.

Therefore, Ling Tangyun wanted to praise Yuri’s foresight. Accurately assessing one’s own abilities, and the abilities required for the position, then comparing the two wasn’t an easy task.

So Yuri had compared his current abilities with the abilities required in the future and realized he couldn’t handle everything on his own, thus needing a more capable assistant.

Ling Tangyun had witnessed many people, out of misguided pride, take on tasks beyond their capabilities, ultimately achieving nothing. So, he really wanted to help this wise young man, who was also a longtime friend.

So Ling Tangyun happily took out his secret notebook, a contact list containing information on talented individuals he had met and kept an eye on.

“So, you said as long as they’re suitable for Xinlu? What are the specific requirements?”

Ling Tangyun’s notebook contained many promising and talented young people, possessing various useful high-level professional certifications, impressive educational backgrounds, or exceptional talent in a specific field and having achieved remarkable accomplishments.

It certainly wouldn’t be difficult to find a suitable person based on specific conditions.

[“Basically, they need the necessary skills to support Mr. Ling Xinlu’s work, but I think you understand this part better than I do……”]

Ling Tangyun nodded as he listened to Yuri.

‘Right, first of all, the person needed accounting skills and legal knowledge.’

‘It would be better if they specialized in economics and management, and communication skills were also essential.’

Ling Tangyun flipped through his contacts while mentally listing the conditions, which made it difficult to find someone who met all of them.

This precious contact list also contained some outstanding talents who fulfilled all those conditions.

“Alright, finding someone who meets those requirements is fine, but Xinlu probably has his own specific requests, right? He’s quite picky about people, so his requirements might be harder to meet than work abilities. What kind of person does he want?”

[“……, …… About that”]

Ling Tangyun, who had been happily flipping through his contacts, suddenly tilted his head, thinking ‘Huh?’. He wasn’t entirely sure, but it seemed like Yuri had hesitated.

Yuri had a habit of thinking carefully before speaking, so his speech was usually slow, but he rarely hesitated or faltered. Yet now he was showing hesitation; perhaps this request was quite difficult.

“What is it? Tell me. Does he want to find a Communist Party official as an assistant?”

[“No, not that. As long as they have the necessary skills, Mr. Ling Xinlu’s requirements aren’t that difficult to meet.”]

“That’s good then. Tell me, what is it?”

[“……, …… First of all, their appearance must be below average.”]

Yuri muttered slowly after a slight hesitation.

Ling Tangyun, who had been brimming with enthusiasm, ready to find a talent matching any requirement, thought he had misheard.

“Huh, wait a minute, Yuri. Sorry, my hearing’s been kinda off lately. I misheard, could you repeat that?”

[“Yes, their appearance must be below average.”]

[“The lower than average, the better.”] – Yuri added. His tone had returned to its usual calmness, as if he were used to making these strange requests.

Ling Tangyun began to doubt his own comprehension.

‘My hearing is fine, what on earth is going on?’

“Appearance? Well, appearance is important when choosing someone you’ll see often. Alright, anything else?”

Ling Tangyun muttered, trying to convince himself, but then sank into thought,

‘But why below average, not above average?’

[“The lower the better, the heavier the better……”]

The monotonous words from the other end of the line sounded increasingly bizarre.

Ling Tangyun listened in a daze, then interrupted Yuri: “Hold on.”

“We’re looking for an assistant for Xinlu, right? That is, someone to support him in his work?”

[“Yes, that’s correct.”]

“……Alright, go on. Any other requirements?”

[“As for lifestyle, the less cultured the better, and as for personality, the more unpleasant the better……”]

Ling Tangyun started to wonder if today was April Fool’s Day, or if Yuri was participating in some kind of penalty game.

Meanwhile, Yuri continued to speak in a monotonous and dry tone—as if he wanted to get everything out at once and then be done with it.

[“Preferably someone who is married and devoted to their family, and lastly……”]

‘Right, at least this request makes some sense.’

‘Though I still don’t understand how these requirements relate to work ability, and what’s the connection between “unpleasant personality” and “devoted to their family”?’

Ling Tangyun frowned, nodding in bewilderment, and pressed his ear to the phone.

He had put away his precious contact book a long time ago.

[“And ideally, they should have aquaphobia.”]

“…………..”

Ling Tangyun sighed, rubbing the already furrowed space between his eyebrows again.

He remained silent for a moment, and so did the other end of the line.

It seemed Yuri also realized what bizarre requests he had just made—how could he not?—.

“Yuri.”

[“Yes.”]

“Why those requirements?”

[“…… “]

“Does Xinlu really want to find an assistant with those requirements?”

[“Yes. They don’t need to meet all the requirements, but the more the better.”] – Hearing Yuri’s stiff reply, Ling Tangyun was silent for a long time, then groaned “Ugh……” and replied in a tired voice: “Alright, I’ll try looking.”

The bar was set incredibly high.

It seemed like it would be extremely difficult to find someone who met these conditions.

Of course, they didn’t need to meet all the requirements, so there was some flexibility, but every single requirement was incredibly strange.

Ling Tangyun, who had always thought his younger brother was arrogant and difficult to please, and had diligently searched his contacts for truly talented individuals, now felt utterly deflated.
They said no one was perfect, but he had always thought his younger brother, aside from his difficult personality, was perfect in terms of appearance, ability, and background. He hadn’t expected him to have such a strange taste.

But he still couldn’t accept it.

After a while of trying to soothe his furrowed brow and understand his younger brother, Ling Tangyun finally shouted before hanging up on Yuri:

“WHY ON EARTH DOES HE WANT TO FIND SOMEONE UGLY, SHORT, FAT, UNCULTURED, UNPLEASANT, AQUAPHOBIC, AND MARRIED AS AN ASSISTANT?!”

Faced with Ling Tangyun’s exasperated question: “WHERE AM I SUPPOSED TO FIND SOMEONE LIKE THAT?!”, Yuri could only remain silent, unable to utter a single word.

**************

“Is Big Bro angry?”

When Yuri hung up silently, Ling Xinlu, who was reviewing the previous year’s sales report next to him, asked indifferently. Yuri replied curtly: “No, why would I be……?”

“You seem a little tense.”

Ling Xinlu shrugged and chuckled.

Yuri didn’t say anything, just placed the next stack of documents Ling Xinlu needed to review beside him. Yuri completely understood Ling Tangyun’s reaction. If it were him, he would have thought it was a joke too.

But unfortunately, what Yuri had said wasn’t a joke but the truth—and since Yuri had said it, Ling Tangyun probably knew it was true—.

Those conditions were all set by Ling Xinlu.

If they only considered the ability to support Ling Xinlu’s work, finding someone wouldn’t be too difficult.

Finding someone of James’s caliber would be challenging, but with the Ling clan’s financial resources, hiring such a person as an assistant wouldn’t be a problem.

So, Ling Tangyun would definitely consider those abilities himself, but the problem lay in other aspects.

It was unclear how many people would meet those requirements, given the prerequisite of having the basic skills Ling Xinlu desired.

Actually, even coming up with these requirements was strange enough.

Despite simply relaying Ling Xinlu’s requests, Yuri still felt very awkward saying those things to Ling Tangyun.

“Since you said they don’t have to meet all the requirements, your brother will probably select a few suitable people to introduce. And then he told me to choose the one I like best.”

Yuri shook his head and spoke in a monotonous tone.

Ling Xinlu looked up from the report, looked at Yuri, and chuckled as if it were comical.

“Since they’re your assistant anyway, you should choose yourself.”

“But I’ll be there when you meet them.” – Ling Xinlu added. Yuri didn’t reply.

Perhaps he should have clarified with Ling Tangyun from the beginning.

That they were looking for someone to support Ling Xinlu’s work, but more accurately, they were looking for someone to support Yuri—the person who supported Ling Xinlu.

The work was fundamentally the same, so he didn’t make a clear distinction. Or rather, he felt awkward saying that he was looking for someone to support his own work.

When Yuri told Ling Xinlu that he needed a capable person to better support his work not long after signing the lifetime contract, Ling Xinlu wasn’t pleased.

He frankly stated that he didn’t like having many people around, and if they hired another assistant, it would mostly be the three of them together, and he didn’t like that.

However, Ling Xinlu also agreed with one of the reasons Yuri hesitated to sign a lifetime – or long-term – contract with him, which was the uneven distribution of workload. And he acknowledged that if things continued like this for a few more years, as Ling Xinlu’s position moved closer to a key role, the work might become too much for Yuri to handle.

As a result, Ling Xinlu came to the conclusion: “Then we need to find someone to support Mr. Gable.”

Ling Xinlu thought that supporting him or supporting Yuri – who supported him – wasn’t much different, so he reached that conclusion and didn’t reconsider the matter.

Except he did have some requirements.

Someone with poor looks, a bad personality, married and therefore unlikely to have an affair, and afraid of water.

“……”

Everything was fine, but the ‘aquaphobic’ requirement was too blatant.

Yuri narrowed his eyes at Ling Xinlu.

Ling Xinlu seemed to notice that gaze and looked up from the documents.

When their eyes met, he smiled brightly. But when Yuri didn’t smile back, the smile on his face gradually disappeared, and he tilted his head.

“What’s wrong?”

“Do you not trust me?”

“Huh?”

Ling Xinlu blinked and stared at Yuri, who had suddenly asked after a period of contemplation.

“Do you think I would easily be interested in someone else?”

Only when Yuri asked again seriously did Ling Xinlu finally understand.

He nodded: “Ah……”, then suddenly gave an embarrassed smile. Or rather, a troubled smile. He blinked at Yuri for a moment, then sighed.

“No. This isn’t your problem, it’s mine. So don’t think that way.”

“……Mr. Ling Xinlu’s problem?”

“I don’t want to see anyone, regardless of whether they’re male or female, old or young, near you. Even an old man or a toddler. I hate everyone you look at.”

Ling Xinlu lifted his chin defiantly as he spoke, as if he thought that everything was clear anyway. He stared intently at Yuri, as if asking whether he hated him for this.

Yuri stared back at him for a while. He gazed, dumbfounded, at a Ling Xinlu who didn’t avert his gaze, as if they were having a staring contest, then sighed, “Hmm……”

Ling Xinlu put down the documents, stood up, and walked over to Yuri. He leaned down and kissed him.

After gently sucking on Yuri’s lips, Ling Xinlu softly asked:

“So, do you hate me? For being like this?”

“……I don’t hate you.”

After thinking for a moment, Yuri shook his head. Ling Xinlu smiled.

A bright, truly happy smile. Then he leaned down again.

This time, the kiss was deeper and longer, and after a long while, Ling Xinlu finally and reluctantly moved his lips away from Yuri’s. Then he suddenly exclaimed “Ah……” as if he had just remembered something. Yuri rubbed his lips with his fingertips and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Ling Xinlu smiled with a slightly troubled expression, seemingly thinking something over, then gave a gentle smile to Yuri.

“I forgot to mention one important thing to Big Bro about finding an assistant.”

“Should I call him back?”

Yuri picked up his phone, then looked at Ling Xinlu, and asked what the condition was. Ling Xinlu smiled brightly, then said:

Only when Yuri asked again seriously did Ling Xinlu finally understand.

He nodded: “Ah……”, then suddenly gave an embarrassed smile. Or rather, a troubled smile. He blinked at Yuri for a moment, then sighed.

“No. This isn’t your problem, it’s mine. So don’t think that way.”

“……Mr. Ling Xinlu’s problem?”

“I don’t want to see anyone, regardless of whether they’re male or female, old or young, near you. Even an old man or a toddler. I hate everyone you look at.”

Ling Xinlu lifted his chin defiantly as he spoke, as if he thought that everything was clear anyway. He stared intently at Yuri, as if asking whether he hated him for this.

Yuri stared back at him for a while. He gazed, dumbfounded, at a Ling Xinlu who didn’t avert his gaze, as if they were having a staring contest, then sighed: “Hmm……”

Ling Xinlu put down the documents, stood up, and walked over to Yuri. He leaned down and kissed him.

After gently sucking on Yuri’s lips, Ling Xinlu softly asked:

“So, do you hate me? For being like this?”

“……I don’t hate you.”

After thinking for a moment, Yuri shook his head. Ling Xinlu smiled.

A bright, truly happy smile. Then he leaned down again.

This time, the kiss was deeper and longer, and after a long while, Ling Xinlu finally and reluctantly moved his lips away from Yuri’s. Then he suddenly exclaimed “Ah……” as if he had just remembered something. Yuri rubbed his lips with his fingertips and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Ling Xinlu smiled with a slightly troubled expression, seemingly thinking something over, then gave a gentle smile to Yuri.

“I forgot to mention one important thing to Big Bro about finding an assistant.”

“Should I call him back?”

Yuri picked up his phone, then looked at Ling Xinlu, and asked what the condition was. Ling Xinlu smiled brightly, then said:

“They have to be comfortable regularly witnessing kisses or more intimate acts between people of the same sex.”

“But absolutely not someone who is homosexual.” – Ling Xinlu added. Yuri looked at him for a moment, then silently put down the phone.

No matter what, Yuri didn’t have the courage to tell this to Ling Tangyun, who was not a fool.

“Just the previous conditions are difficult enough, I don’t want to trouble him further.”

Yuri muttered. Ling Xinlu finally burst out laughing at Yuri’s reaction. Then he leaned down a third time.

**************

He heard a faint humming sound.

Yuri looked up from the documents.

Ling Xinlu was sitting by the window, looking at his laptop and humming a tune. The bright sunlight streamed in, gently enveloping him.

Yuri stopped working, silently watching Ling Xinlu. He was so beautiful, lovely, and radiant.

After a while, Ling Xinlu seemed to sense Yuri’s gaze and looked up. Even when he was focused on work, oblivious to his surroundings, he could still perceive Yuri’s gaze and turn to look at him.

This time too, when their eyes met, Ling Xinlu smiled. Just from making eye contact, he smiled so brightly and happily.

“Are you looking at me? Look at me more. More, and more often.”

Ling Xinlu smiled beautifully and joked. But Yuri knew it wasn’t a joke.

He truly enjoyed Yuri’s gaze. Especially when Yuri occasionally stared at him intently – sometimes so intently that Ling Xinlu would look back and he wouldn’t even notice – he would be overjoyed.

Also, on the rare occasions when they were at their own home, and even rarer still, when Yuri called and asked where he was, when he would be back, Ling Xinlu would be so excited he practically jumped for joy.

He would even wander around outside instead of going straight inside, just to wait for Yuri’s call.

Whenever he learned of this, Yuri would—or rather, quite frequently—glare at Ling Xinlu with exasperated, lifeless eyes, but it seemed that this was precisely the “expression of affection” that Ling Xinlu desired.

So, lately, Yuri had been trying to proactively contact him and ask about small things.

“Ah…… I want to go out so badly.”

Ling Xinlu stretched after closing his laptop. Yuri looked at him with gentle eyes as he listened to his bored complaint.

“Where should we go?”

“Let’s see…… Oh, you were watching that ocean documentary the other day, right? Let’s go to the sea.”

“For now, let’s go somewhere close, but for our vacation, let’s go to the South Pacific.” – Ling Xinlu murmured. Yuri smiled.

In everyday matters like this, Ling Xinlu always responded according to what Yuri wanted to do.

Things that made Yuri happy, things Yuri liked, things Yuri wanted. As if they were also the things Ling Xinlu wanted.

“Alright. But first, let’s finish this mountain of work.”

Yuri looked away from Ling Xinlu and picked up the documents he had just put down. Immediately, Ling Xinlu snatched them away.

“Do it later. It’s not important.”

He flipped through the documents listlessly, then tossed them over his shoulder. After that, he turned back to face Yuri and smiled.

“You know, the most important thing Mr. Gable has to do is look at me.”

“Anytime, for as long as you like.” – Ling Xinlu said, looking directly into Yuri’s eyes.

Yuri blinked a few times, his work having been stolen, but then he chuckled as he looked at Ling Xinlu staring at him.

As if to say: ‘Well then, look your fill’, Yuri sat comfortably in his chair and gazed at Ling Xinlu. Ling Xinlu smiled brightly, looking very happy.

Just by Yuri looking at him like this, he would always smile like that. And as always, that smile was so beautiful that Yuri couldn’t take his eyes off him.

[End Vol 2]