Mistaken Canary Chapter 69
Chapter 69
Since he had resigned from his job at the school, there was no real reason to keep the apartment he’d originally rented for commuting convenience.
Ying Tongchen contacted his landlord, Auntie Lin, to end the lease.
When Auntie Lin heard he was moving out, she was heartbroken for quite a while before finally agreeing to terminate the contract.
“When are you moving out? There’s no rush—there aren’t many people looking to rent at the end of the year anyway. I’ll give you some extra time, take your time moving out,” Auntie Lin said.
“I don’t have much stuff. The moving company will handle everything quickly,” Ying Tongchen replied with a smile. “Thank you for taking care of me all this time. I’ll come visit when I can.”
“That would be lovely.”
The moving crew quickly loaded up the truck, and Ying Tongchen bid Auntie Lin farewell.
While on the way, Zhuo Shu called. “All moved out? Need any help?”
“No need, I’m almost home.”
With Chinese New Year around the corner, Zhuo Shu’s company had all kinds of things to deal with. Ying Tongchen hadn’t let him come help, figuring there were professionals to do the heavy lifting, and as for unpacking—well, there was someone to help with that too.
“Are you really not considering moving into my apartment?” Zhuo Shu kept trying. “The villa works too, you know.”
Ying Tongchen chuckled. “It’s not like I don’t have a place to stay.”
Zhuo Shu sighed dramatically. “I don’t know why, but lately my place just feels too big. So cold and empty in the winter...”
Ying Tongchen just laughed.
“Alright I have to let you go, I’ve arrived,” he said, ending the call. Someone was already waiting by the roadside.
He walked up with a friendly smile. “Thanks for coming, Teacher.”
“There’s no need for thanks; I’ve got nothing better to do anyway.” The old man glanced at the phone still in Ying Tongchen’s hand and the smile that hadn’t quite faded from his face, then burst out laughing. “That boy’s probably heartbroken right now.”
“Oh, don’t tease us,” Ying Tongchen said with a smile, walking into the community with the old man, the moving crew trailing behind them.
Ying Tongchen had used his first bit of savings to buy this place for the old man to live in. Once the revenue from the studio became stable, he bought another unit in the same community. But since it was more convenient to live near work, he’d stayed in that apartment all this time, usually popping over to the old man’s place for meals—and rarely ever staying in his own home.
It wasn’t until recently that he suddenly asked the old man to help find someone to come clean the place.
Once his moving boxes arrived, the two of them began unpacking at a leisurely pace.
The old man was in especially high spirits—he even wiped down each book multiple times.
Watching him, Ying Tongchen found it both funny and heartwarming.
After all this time, both he and teacher had finally moved on from the past. Just like this once-empty home, now basking in sunlight at last.
…
By evening, Ying Tongchen had originally promised to have dinner with Zhuo Shu. But something came up, and he had to rush off to another evening engagement.
Zhuo Shu: “...”
Over the phone, Ying Tongchen tried to soothe him. “Tomorrow. I promise we’ll eat together tomorrow. My senior sister sounded off—it should be something urgent.”
“Alright, fine. I’ll call you later tonight,” Zhuo Shu said.
“Okay.”
…
There were still quite a few people working overtime at the studio. When they saw Ying Tongchen pass by, they could only give a quick greeting before burying their heads back in work.
He pushed open the conference room door. Lu Zongcai and Gao Da were inside, speaking quietly.
“Senior sister, Senior brother, I’m here,” Ying Tongchen said as he sat down across from them. "I wasn’t expecting a call this late—what’s going on?"
Lu Zongcai glanced at Gao Da, then gently placed a hand on her stomach. A soft smile spread across her face. “Well, we wanted to talk to you about the company.”
…
After leaving the building, Ying Tongchen checked his phone. It was already close to ten.
He got into his car. There were no new messages from Zhuo Shu. For some reason, he had an urge to open his Moments and scroll down for a while. Sure enough, he saw a post from Mi Shu from about half an hour ago:
[Mi Shu]: Employee; let the employed be; employed until the night breaks, I don’t agree.
…
Half an hour later, Zhuo Shu got up to grab a cup of coffee. As he passed Mi Shu’s office, he saw her stifling one yawn after another.
“Go home,” he told her.
“Alright, I’m really going now,” Mi Shu said, handing him the reviewed and finalized documents. “See you tomorrow.”
Zhuo Shu returned to his office and glanced at the desk calendar—there were only about ten days left until Chinese New Year. He stood in front of the window walls, sipping coffee to clear his head.
He heard hurried footsteps outside and assumed it was Mi Shu coming back for something. Without turning around, he asked, “Forget something?”
There was no reply.
He turned and saw Ying Tongchen walking in directly. The cup in Zhuo Shu’s hand trembled ever so slightly.
“It’s so late—what are you doing here?” Zhuo Shu asked, puzzled, though he couldn’t hide the delight in his voice. “Evening meeting’s already over?”
“Mhm.” Ying Tongchen sat down on the opposite side of the desk, let out a long sigh, and suddenly sprawled his upper body over half the surface, limp and silent.
Zhuo Shu came over, set his cup aside, leaned against the desk, and gently ran his fingers through Ying Tongchen’s soft hair. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. You keep working—I’ll explain later,” Ying Tongchen mumbled.
“Alright.”
Zhuo Shu returned to his seat, now filled with motivation. He threw himself into work with intense focus, using all his willpower to ignore the person across from him.
Because... it was nearly impossible not to notice his presence.
Ying Tongchen had regained his strength and sat there silently, watching Zhuo Shu’s every move with a startling intensity. His gaze was focused and serious, devoid of any desire. Rather than looking like a lover coming to pick up his partner from work, he seemed more like… a supervisor.
Yes—a supervisor.
Zhuo Shu couldn’t shake the strange feeling that Ying Tongchen’s was closely monitoring his work performance.
When the final tasks were wrapped up, he logged off his computer and immediately asked, “Now can you tell me what happened?”
Instead of answering, Ying Tongchen asked, “Was your major in business management?”
“Yeah. What’s up?” Zhuo Shu slipped on his coat.
Ying Tongchen got up and walked with him out of the office. “Mine was English.”
“Why are you suddenly bringing that up?” Zhuo Shu turned off the office lights, letting darkness settle behind them. He held Ying Tongchen’s hand and led him toward the private elevator.
As the elevator doors slowly closed, Ying Tongchen stared at the reflection of their silhouettes on the polished metal and pressed his lips together.
“Senior sister and senior brother…want to emigrate.”
“Hm?” Zhuo Shu turned to him, waiting patiently for the rest.
Ying Tongchen recalled the earlier conversation. “Gao Da’s parents moved overseas a few years ago and started a business. They didn’t pressure him to join them, and they helped him set up the translation agency instead. Senior sister doesn’t want his parent’s hard work to go to waste, and she also has the ambition to do something bigger—so she’s decided to join and grow their overseas family business… They plan to transfer their studio shares, and I’m their first choice.”
“That’s great news,” Zhuo Shu smiled. “So what worries you? The money? Buying out both their shares would require quite a bit.”
“I can mortgage my house. And with my savings, financially, it’s manageable.” Ying Tongchen hesitated. “I’m worried about—”
Zhuo Shu understood immediately. “You’re worried about running the company?”
“Mhm.” Ying Tongchen nodded. “Back then, the three of us had clear roles—Gao Da handled business and marketing, senior sister oversaw everything, and I focused on the technical and professional side. Now, taking over full management all of a sudden… I’m not sure I’m ready. If it were starting from scratch, I wouldn’t be afraid. But now the company is in a stable phase, the team’s growing—if I mess it up, all of our hard work could go to waste…”
As the elevator doors opened and they walked into the parking garage, Ying Tongchen approached his car and reached for his car door—only for Zhuo Shu to gently press his hand down, stopping him.
“I have a way to ease your anxiety,” Zhuo Shu said calmly.
“Really?”
“Mhm.” Without another word, Zhuo Shu pulled him into his own car and drove straight to his apartment near the office.
It was Ying Tongchen’s first time here, but he didn’t bother to look around the place and demanded, “Hurry up and tell me how.”
“Sleep first,” Zhuo Shu replied.
“……”
…
In bed, Ying Tongchen had already turned over for the thirteenth time, restless and weighed down with worry.
Zhuo Shu lay beside him reading, and only when Ying Tongchen, agitated to the point of reaching for a cigarette, did he glance over with a chuckle, pluck it from his fingers, and toss it unerringly into the trash can.
Ying Tongchen was furious, glaring daggers at him.
Zhuo Shu chuckled. “Are you starting to feel overwhelmed with anxiety?”
Ying Tongchen gave a cold snort. “Laugh one more time and you’ll find out I’m overwhelmed with murderous intent.”
Zhuo Shu quickly stifled his grin. “This is nothing. Back then, I used to be up all night, every night.”
“Seriously?” Ying Tongchen blinked, thinking back to how poised and unshakable Zhuo Shu had looked at the office earlier. “How did you deal with anxiety?”
“I haven’t,” Zhuo Shu said calmly. “I’ve only learned to ease it. The moment you take this position, you have to carry a sense of crisis with you at all times. Feeling anxious—it becomes part of life.”
He added gently, “Hold on to this feeling. This isn’t even the real beginning. There’s still so much more ahead of you. You have to learn to manage your state of mind, or else even the smallest problem will bring you down, no matter how big your title gets.”
He paused, then added softly, “And one more thing…”
“What is it?” Ying Tongchen asked immediately.
“Remember this moment,” Zhuo Shu said, tapping a finger lightly against his chest. “Every night when you’re feeling overwhelmed, I’ll be here—just like now.”
Ying Tongchen froze, as though something had just struck his heart.
“I’m the same,” Zhuo Shu said softly. “I’ve got no less anxiety than you. But I’ve found that when you’re by my side, it gets a lot easier. Just thinking about you being there makes all that pressure start to melt away.” He turned to look at him. “So... stay with me like this from now on, okay?”
Ying Tongchen remained silent.
Zhuo Shu repeated, “Okay?”
Ying Tongchen lowered his head until his forehead rested on Zhuo Shu’s shoulder.
The two of them sat quietly for a while. Zhuo Shu didn’t dare move, only casting a glance at the top of Ying Tongchen’s head. Then, suddenly, Ying Tongchen wrapped an arm around his neck, his breath hot against Zhuo Shu’s collarbone. A moment later, his ear was gently captured—soft, tentative.
Ying Tongchen said nothing, yet it was as if Zhuo Shu had heard a silent promise echo through his heart.
…
The next morning, Ying Tongchen went with Zhuo Shu to K.W.
On the way, he received a voice message from Lu Zongcai, checking in to see how he’d thought things through.
He glanced at Zhuo Shu beside him. The latter, sensing the look, reached out to hold his hand—only to have it smacked away.
“Eyes on the road.”
Zhuo Shu: ...I feel so wronged!
Only then did Ying Tongchen return the call. "Alright, I agree."
"Good, you really still have that drive from back then—never disappointing," Lu Zongcai remarked with a smile.
Ying Tongchen just smiled quietly. Only he knew that with age, he no longer acted recklessly as before; he now weighed every step carefully.
But what did it matter?
He was no longer fighting alone.
Since he was going to take full control of the company, he needed to learn how to manage and coordinate the departments.
With Lu Zongcai and Gao Da busy preparing their emigration, Ying Tongchen’s next best option was to choose Zhuo Shu nearby as his mentor.
Zhuo Shu was naturally very willing—and, in fact, it was his idea to begin with!
…
The two appeared together at the company building, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.
Except for the secretarial staff, most employees still thought of Ying Tongchen as the very handsome translator—his photos were still circulating in the workgroup chat.
Passing by the secretarial office, Zhuo Shu instructed, “Mi Shu, bring a chair and desk over to my office.”
“Got it.” Mi Shu quickly arranged for it.
Some coworkers whispered to her, “What’s Chairman Zhuo planning?”
Mi Shu glanced toward the office and immediately had a not-so-appropriate guess.
F*ck, they aren’t using the office for role-play are they?
…
That afternoon, a regular client came to visit. Seeing the new workstation and the unfamiliar man seated there, she smiled and asked, “Chairman Zhuo, is this your apprentice?”
Zhuo Shu glanced at Ying Tongchen and smiled, replying, “No, he’s my lifelong business partner.”