Chapter 167

Assistant Architect by Xi He Qing Ling
Chapter 167: Talk
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Gu Yuasked: “Do you hate Zhang Siyi?”
Red fromembarrassment, Lu Qiao shook his head.
Gu Yu:“Do you hate me?”
Faster thistime, Lu Qiao shook his head again.
Bowing hishead, Gu Yu asked: “Do you hate homosexuality?”
This time,Lu Qiao hesitated and was quiet for a long time. He lowered his head andeventually admitted: "I don't know."
Havingasked his questions, Gu Yu could guess why Lu Qiao was in his current state.
Lu Qiao wasborn in the countryside in a part of the country that was relatively isolated.Traditional values are deeply rooted and it is difficult to change and acceptnew ideas. Therefore, he is likely a homophobe.
If everyonewas simply joking then Lu Qiao may be able to brush it aside and not care.However, once the truth was out, he became afraid because the two people thathad greater ability and talent than he did were homosexual. He wasn't able toaccept the fact that he was less than someone not 'normal' as it went againsthis upbringing and thus, Lu Qiao slowly arrived at a breaking point.
Of course,there is no denying that there is an indisputable catalyst for Lu Qiao'sreaction.
Gu Yu: "Youenvy Zhang Siyi, right?"
Lu Qiaolowered his head even further. He paused for a few seconds before emitting alow: "Hmm."
Yes. LuQiao was originally very envious. The two most revered people at work havebecome the most hated homosexuals. As if falling in love with the same gender wasplagiarism, they became metaphors for all that wasn't authentic.
Upon hisdiscovery, Lu Qiao views on life were turned upside down. It's not so much thatnarrow-mindedness was detestable, but rather, it was pathetic and sad.
“Thereare a few things related to Zhang Siyi that I would like to tell you." Gu Yuslowly said. "Although Zhang Siyi's father is an official, as far as I know, hehad neither influence on Zhang Siyi's job nor his current life. Zhang Siyi iscompletely self-sufficient. When he was new, I gave him the same training asother new employees. The period was probably a little longer than others. Atthe end of last year, I let him work with you on the office building for theC-City project. At that time, I gave you the same competitive opportunity. Thefinal plan was chosen by Party A. The complete construction drawing was alsocompleted by Zhang Siyi alone. Since the office building wasn't built, ZhangSiyi's self-esteem was greatly affected. In fact, his progress for the firsthalf of the year was rather rocky. It wasn't until now, when he worked togetherwith Tao Fei on the hotel project that he has been successful. I can say withcertainty that Zhang Siyi's current achievements are solely based on his ownefforts. I did not give him any preferential treatment."
Lu Qiao remainedsilent for a long time. The truth behind Gu Yu words did little to ease hisextreme emotions and psychological imbalance. While using a tree to vent hisfrustrations, he was mistakenly overheard. Now, he was too ashamed and didn'tknow what to say.
Gu Yu added:"Everyone went through the same thing in the beginning as you have. You earnedyour position by your own ability and retained it through your diligent workethics and ease with which you accept any work without complaint. Although Irelied on you to work on many small projects and thus, haven't made any specialachievements on your own, you have to remember that our group is a team.Teamwork is like a precision instrument. A small unassuming screw is just asimportant as all the other parts…. So, don't be self-defeating and assume youaren't good enough for your job."
Lu Qiao’stears poured out again and sobbed uncontrollably. The inferiority andembarrassment that had lasted for several days gradually disappeared under theencouragement and recognition of Gu Yu.
Gu Yu:“Let me tell you. In fact, from the first day of your job, I knew thatyour family situation was difficult. As a result, I raised your wage buy 800yuan. That is to say your salary is actually higher than Zhang Siyi's."
Lu Qiaostayed still with his mouth slightly open. He can't believe it.
Gu Yu:“As far as, "no-one-cares-about-you", I think that is even moreimpossible. If no one cared, would I tell you so much? If you have concerns,find someone to talk to. Don't back yourself into a corner."
Lu Qiao wipedhis eyes and nodded with shame. If he had been told earlier, he wouldn't havedone such a stupid thing like a fool…… Now that Zhang Siyi has heard histhoughts, wouldn't he be very angry at him?
Gu Yu smiled and said: “Even so, I haveto thank you. While you knew the relationship between Zhang Siyi and I, youtold a tree hole only and didn't do anything to hurt us."
Lu Qiao:“…”
Gu Yu:“It is indeed wrong for me to be in a relationship with Zhang Siyi for Ihave violated the company rules. I shouldn't have feelings for one of mysubordinates. I am sorry that my behavior at the company has given you afeeling of injustice, but I will not apologize for being gay. Homosexualityisn't wrong. It is just a minority. If you feel that my private life hasnegatively affected work, then I will choose to resign and leave Borderless.Zhang Siyi didn't do anything wrong. I was the one that pursued and seducedhim. I hope you don't think any less of Zhang Siyi because of it"
When heheard Gu Yu say 'resign' Lu Qiao started to panic, but when he admitted toseducing Zhang Siyi, Lu Qiao was in shock. In a rush to respond, he said: "No,No…. There is no need to resign. I will keep the information to myself. I, I….need time to accept it."
Since he isan excellent boss, many people in the company like Gu Yu. If he can't accept thefacts and Gu Yu leaves the company, wouldn't he be seen as the offender thatdrove Gu Yu away?
Knowingthat he wasn't treated unfairly, Lu Qiao felt relieved by Gu Yu's forthrightexplanation.
Gu Yuglanced at him and gently said: “If there any more grievances or issuesyou want to convey, please tell me. If you have questions, now is the time. Iwill not be angry."
Hesitating,he wanted to ask Gu Yu why he liked Zhang Siyi but thought better of it. Theimage of his Boss that he had in his mind was restored a little. He was afraidthat if he didn't like the answer to his question, he couldn't bear it and theslightly restored image he had of his boss would be shattered irrevocably.
Lu Qiaoshook his head: “No thank you Boss.”
Gu Yu stoodup and said: “Then go back to the room and get some sleep.”
As Lu Qiaostood up to go inside, he was worried that his thoughts weren't expressedsufficiently enough. Eager to clarify himself, he said: "Boss, there is no needto resign. I will think it over and figure it out myself."
Gu Yusmiled: “Okay.”
Lu Qiaobowed his head: “I’m sorry.”
"You aren'tsorry for me, so don't apologize." From his pocket, Gu Yu removed a bottle cap.Today, Zhang Siyi bought him an orange flavored soda. On the caps, variousexpressions were printed on them in Kanji such as "I Like You", "Work Hard",and "Go For it". This bottle cap had the "I'm Sorry" printed on it.
Gu Yu handed the bottle cap to Lu Qiao: “When you are ready to apologize, give this to Zhang Siyi.”
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