1213
The matter of Yue Hai was temporarily set aside. After eating and drinking their fill, they all returned to the company.
During this time, Li Chonglou visited Hai Yan. He had invited her to eat with them, as Yu Ke had left Shangjing. The only acquaintances she had left in the company were the colleagues she met later.
Li Chonglou was also afraid she would be bored.
However, Hai Yan had refused. The reason was simple: with other men present, she would feel uncomfortable as a woman.
This was a clear example of traditional feminine virtues. Li Chonglou was surprised by Hai Yan's reaction. He even called Hei Dao, thinking Hei Dao had emphasized such things behind the scenes. To his surprise, Hei Dao was also taken aback for a moment.
"I brought some back for you. Don't worry, I haven't eaten any of them."
In Hai Yan's dormitory, she appeared somewhat flattered when Li Chonglou entered with several bags.
"Brother Li, there's no need to be so polite. Please sit. I'll go make some tea first."
Li Chonglou smiled, put down the items, and said, "No need. I'll just sit for a bit and then leave. I have other matters to attend to."
Hai Yan was momentarily stunned. Li Chonglou gestured for her to sit, and Hai Yan thought he had something important to say, adopting a serious demeanor.
"Don't be nervous. I just wanted to ask, now that Yu Ke is gone, are you accustomed to working here?"
Hai Yan quickly waved her hands. "Yes, I'm very accustomed. This job is so much better than my previous ones!"
"Speaking of which, I haven't properly thanked you, Brother Li!"
As Hai Yan spoke, she stood up and bowed deeply. Li Chonglou did not refuse, but instead nodded and said with a faint smile, "It's nothing. Zhou Tong has also told me about your work capabilities. You are an excellent talent, and I should be grateful for your loyalty to the company."
Hai Yan felt a bit embarrassed. Although other colleagues had approached her to leave together when the company was facing difficulties, she had refused. However, she hadn't informed Zhou Tong about this news promptly at the time.
At that moment, she was considering camaraderie with her colleagues. Moreover, the people who had left had voluntarily asked her not to spread the word. But afterwards, she did inform Zhou Tong.
If she had reported it promptly then, Zhou Tong would have had time to react, and it wouldn't have led to a situation where a portion of the staff left directly, making him suspect that the other party had already infiltrated the company.
This was partly why Zhou Tong couldn't sleep then, due to his worries.
However, it was all in the past. Hai Yan had already apologized to Zhou Tong, and Li Chonglou, even if he knew, didn't dwell on it.
"By the way, shall I arrange for the newly hired person to work with you?"
Li Chonglou suddenly thought of Yi Defa. After his return, this person seemed to be deliberately avoiding him. Whenever Li Chonglou approached, Yi Defa would claim to be unwell and need rest, and would not be seen.
As a result, Li Chonglou hadn't even met him until now.
Li Chonglou guessed that Yi Defa knew he was aware of their hiring, otherwise, such an open person wouldn't be afraid to meet him.
However, Hai Yan was unaware of Yi Defa's situation, so she looked bewildered when Li Chonglou brought it up.
Seeing her reaction, Li Chonglou briefly explained Yi Defa's situation, emphasizing their sexual orientation.
Hai Yan covered her mouth slightly. "No way, someone from Brother Li's circle? Not a lady, but if it's a guy?"
Li Chonglou shook his head. "I didn't know at first either. It was Yi Defa's peculiar behavior after joining the company that made me certain. I also found it strange, why would such a person be like this..."
He didn't finish his sentence. Although China had become more tolerant of such people, in his heart, not just him, but anyone who had a deeper connection with traditional martial arts would instinctively have a slight aversion.
Of course, this aversion wasn't discrimination, but a personal disagreement.
Therefore, Li Chonglou didn't finish his sentence. While he could understand, he couldn't say anything negative. Everyone in this world had the right to make their own choices.
Whether others approve or not, sometimes it doesn't matter.
What surprised him, however, was that Hai Yan was even more direct than him in this regard.
"Brother Li, if it's possible, please transfer her here! I want to get to know her."
Li Chonglou's first reaction was shock, and he quickly asked, "Uh, you don't happen to be..."
At this point, he was inwardly exclaiming that it was bad. If that were the case, he wouldn't know how to tell Hei Dao!
Seeing his nervous expression, Hai Yan immediately realized he had misunderstood and hurried to explain, "Brother Li, don't misunderstand. I mean I want to get to know her, to see if I can persuade her to come back."
As Hai Yan spoke, she sighed and recounted a past experience. "Brother Li, I had a friend like that before. At that time, my thought was that everyone had the right to pursue what they wanted, and we should respect it."
"But later, I found out that not only her, but also most people in her circle had been deceived!"
"This wasn't like encountering a scumbag in a normal relationship, but there were special organizations that targeted these people! But that's not the main point..."
Hai Yan's expression became more serious as she spoke. After what happened then, she had spent a considerable amount of time specifically researching people in this group.
A lot of information and existing evidence indicated that within this group, many people were actually misled. The truly innate ones were very few!
Some were due to following trends, some due to psychological issues, such as bad experiences with men in childhood, or dark experiences, which led them to reject all men and thus believe they were homosexual.
"I don't know the situation of the young lady you mentioned, Brother Li. If she wasn't born this way, I'd like to persuade her to change."
Hai Yan suddenly lowered her head, her voice becoming a bit somber.
"My childhood friend later committed suicide because of this matter."
Li Chonglou's brows were already furrowed. He truly didn't know there were so many complexities regarding this group, especially since it was happening for the first time around him and involving his employee.
"Alright, I promise you. Even if she doesn't agree to work here, I'll find a way for her to become friends with you. However, if she is genuinely..."
Hai Yan quickly looked up. "Don't worry, Brother Li, I understand. If she genuinely doesn't like men, I will respect her too!"
Only then did Li Chonglou nod in relief and stand up.
"Alright, I'll go find her now."
It was still early. Li Chonglou believed she wouldn't be asleep so soon. After bidding farewell to Hai Yan, he went to Yi Defa's dormitory again and knocked on the door.
Within a few seconds of knocking, Yi Defa's voice came from inside.
"Who?"
"It's me."
There was a moment of silence from inside. However, before she could come up with an excuse, Li Chonglou continued.