Standing Next To You-Chapter 510: Want to talk

Bei Sangyun shook her head. "I understand you want to be loyal, and I’m grateful for that. I won’t forget it. However, this is entirely my fault. I can’t let you suffer with me."

"Boss, I fell into debt because I made the wrong decisions and trusted a scammer. That was my fault, and I couldn’t support my business because of it. You were the only one who came to help me. Please, let us stay. We want to stay."

Butler Xin, who was standing to the side, added, "Master, please allow them to show their loyalty. Don’t you know they’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time?"

The others laughed at Butler Xin’s comment. "That’s right. We’re so grateful to you, and we’ve always wished for the chance to show our gratitude to you and this company. But we never had the opportunity—until now."

With dozens of people in the room, their voices were loud and filled with sincere gratitude. Their unwavering loyalty slowly chipped away at one of the massive walls Bei Sangyun had built around her heart.

She thought back to a time when she had stood alone in her bed, weak and frail, dying in pain. At that time, only Maid Ye Zhai and Butler Xin had stayed, bound by responsibility. Back then, no one had stayed because they wanted to.

Some of these people had remained in the company until her dying breath—but not out of gratitude or loyalty. They stayed because it was the "right thing to do."

When she had died, she watched them lay flowers on her grave. None of them shed a tear. It had felt like another business deal, another routine, like scanning an ID card to get into the office.

But now, these people stood before her with burning passion, overwhelming gratitude, and sincere loyalty. Words she never dared to dream of hearing in her previous life were now being spoken to her freely, without her even needing to ask for them.

Bei Sangyun’s heart softened. A faint smile graced her lips. "Alright. Please stay with me, then. Although we’re facing troubled times now, I believe we can rise again. Let’s endure this together for the meantime."

She turned to Butler Xin. "I think this is worthy of celebration. To thank everyone, dinner will be on me."

The dozen people in the room cheered. Though they were facing challenges now and might face even more in the future, the act of helping the one who had once helped them brought them genuine happiness.

And for Bei Sangyun, it was the same.

Knowing that there were people on her side—people who chose to stay without asking why things had turned out this way—made her feel that she was doing the right thing. That she was changing, unknowingly... and hopefully, for the better.

....

Although these dozens of people were now successful business owners with millions in their networks and rapidly growing enterprises, whenever they gathered in the same room as Bei Sangyun and Butler Xin, it was as if they had returned to their roots—back to a time when they were nothing but dreamers.

They celebrated and drank as though there were no plummeting stock prices or low ratings waiting for them.

After dinner, they expressed their heartfelt gratitude to Bei Sangyun and left, their spirits high despite the challenges ahead.

Bei Sangyun, too, had drunk quite a bit. Since her sense of taste hadn’t fully recovered and this was one of those days when she couldn’t taste anything, she drank the wine like water, savoring the comforting warmth it brought to her body.

As she walked toward the parking lot with Butler Xin trailing behind her, a man suddenly appeared from the corner, nearly colliding with her.

The man quickly steadied her by grabbing her arm. Bei Sangyun instinctively moved to pull away, but froze when she heard his voice.

"Bei Sangyun?"

Her head snapped up, and she met Fei Chuan’s ’surprised’ gaze.

"Fei Chuan," she murmured, her voice soft with recognition.

"It’s really you. Did you have dinner here?" Fei Chuan asked in a friendly tone. His assistant, Cheng Li, glanced at him briefly before lowering his gaze, concealing his expression.

Bei Sangyun opened her mouth to answer but paused when she realized Fei Chuan was still holding her arm. "Um... my arm."

Fei Chuan’s smile faltered slightly. He released her arm gently, forcing a laugh. "Sorry... I forgot. You almost fell, so I caught you. Did you drink?"

Bei Sangyun touched the arm he had just held, still feeling the lingering warmth of his palm. It was an intoxicating sensation. But the thought that such a fleeting moment of comfort could endanger his life made her push those feelings aside immediately.

"...Yeah," she replied absently.

Fei Chuan’s eyes flickered with emotion, though he quickly masked it. "Oh. Was there something to celebrate?"

Bei Sangyun snapped out of her thoughts at his question. The word "celebrate" brought back the earlier event that had deeply moved her.

"I treated my long-time clients to dinner. In times of trouble, I’ve realized that connections and relationships can run deeper than I imagined."

A small smile tugged at her lips as she continued, "I couldn’t help but share this with you. It was such an incredible experience... seeing them stay, not because they had to, but because they wanted to. It made me so happy."

However, the happiness in Bei Sangyun’s smile only stoked the fire already burning in Fei Chuan’s chest.

"Oh?" Fei Chuan’s eyes darkened, his gaze heavy with suppressed emotion.

Assistant Cheng immediately sensed the brewing storm. Stepping forward, he decided to risk his neck to prevent his boss from saying or doing something he might later regret. "Boss, shouldn’t we go inside first?" he suggested cautiously.

It was only then that Bei Sangyun noticed Fei Chuan had been on his way to dinner. "Oh, I’m sorry for blocking your path," she said, taking a step back. "I hope you enjoy your dinner."

Butler Xin also moved aside, making way for them.

Yet Fei Chuan didn’t budge. He remained rooted in place, his expression unreadable.

Assistant Cheng began to sweat. "...Boss..."

Fei Chuan’s lips curved into a smile, but the warmth that usually accompanied it was nowhere to be found. His eyes were cold and distant. "Actually, I’ve been meaning to talk to you," he said, his tone deliberate. "Alone."

Bei Sangyun immediately noticed the shift in his demeanor. The friendly air he usually carried was gone, replaced by something much heavier. Her mind raced.

Was it urgent?

Had the Henson family already made a move? Worse—had they involved the James family?

Instinctively, she glanced at Butler Xin, seeking answers. He, too, seemed to understand her thoughts and gave a subtle shake of his head, indicating he hadn’t heard any news about the Henson family.

Reassured but still wary, Bei Sangyun turned back to Fei Chuan. "Alright," she said cautiously. "But is it okay if we speak somewhere more private and secure? Just in case someone sees us."

Fei Chuan’s hand tightened into a subtle fist at her words, his nails biting into his palm. He maintained his smile, though it was strained.

"...Sure."