Standing Next To You-Chapter 566: Not want to be stolen away

Fei Chuan arrived at his office, tore off his tie, and immediately made a call.

"Have you received the photo? Yes, that man. Investigate his background. He works for Phoenix Holdings... Yes. Prioritize it."

He ended the call and slumped into his chair, his head leaning back as he stared at the ceiling, trying to cool down and calm his anxious heart.

But... he couldn’t calm down.

He pulled out his phone and looked at the photo he had taken for investigation purposes.

In the image, Bei Sangyun and that unsightly man stood close, both focused on the screen of her phone. What could they have been talking about to stand so close?

Fei Chuan clearly remembered how different Bei Sangyun had acted around that man. She smiled at him—more than twice. She joked, and her eyes were soft when she looked at him. Even from afar, Fei Chuan could see that she treated him differently.

Not even William James received that kind of warmth from her. Bei Sangyun was usually like a feisty cat—claws out, always on guard against anyone who tried to get close.

But with that man... she wasn’t like that.

Fei Chuan’s thoughts were running wild. He couldn’t just wait around like this, so he called for another team to speed up the investigation. He clutched the gemstone on the necklace tightly, wishing he could get answers soon.

And just before the day ended, the report arrived.

Xu Tian. Humble background. Top of his class. Graduated with flying colors. Excelled in every field. A single guardian—his grandmother.

There wasn’t much to his background. It was clean. The only thing that stood out was that... he was an online friend of Lin Sanju.

Fei Chuan closed the file.

There was nothing particularly impressive—other than being Lin Sanju’s online friend. Nothing else stood out.

That man—Xu Tian—wasn’t even that handsome. He was definitely more good-looking. And although Xu Tian was talented, Fei Chuan believed he was more skilled.

When it came down to comparison, he should’ve been the better man, right?

Maybe Bei Sangyun was just being friendly because of Lin Sanju?

But then, her smile... the way she teased Xu Tian—that memory kept replaying in his mind. Why couldn’t he shake it off?

Fei Chuan was frustrated. He wanted to ask Bei Sangyun directly. But he had no right to.

He hadn’t even asked for her forgiveness, let alone cleared up their misunderstandings.

Right now, in Bei Sangyun’s world, he was probably at the very bottom of the list—the list of people she didn’t want to see.

"Ugh." Fei Chuan groaned in frustration, opening a bottle of wine and drinking in silence, drowning in self-pity.

.....

"I heard you’re chasing a man. You, Bei Sangyun, chasing someone? The rumors are getting wild." Fei Chuan smirked as he approached her. Though he laughed it off, inwardly, he was genuinely curious.

After all, he knew Bei Sangyun well. There was no way this prideful, arrogant woman would go after a man—especially one who wasn’t even well-known.

Bei Sangyun, sipping her wine, rolled her eyes. "Did you come all the way to this corner just to say that?"

"Why not? I’m a gentleman, showing a little kindness to a woman avoided by everyone. Aren’t I sweet?"

"As if. You just wanted to mock me."

Fei Chuan’s hand, which had been toying with his wine glass, paused. Mock her?

His brow twitched. "Oh, not even denying it? So it’s true? Who’s the unfortunate guy, and what crime did he commit to catch your attention?"

Bei Sangyun leaned back in her chair and took another sip. Fei Chuan expected her to deny it—people were always trying to stir up gossip and drag her name through the mud. But to his surprise, she answered honestly.

"A talented, devoted man I want on my side. Unfortunately, his eyes are too blinded to even see me."

The smile on Fei Chuan’s face froze. His grip on the wine glass tightened. "Oh."

So it was true. She was really chasing someone. And that someone... had rejected her?

It should’ve been the perfect opportunity to tease her to death—but instead, it irritated him.

Bei Sangyun seemed lost in thought. For once, she initiated a conversation with him.

"What else can I offer to make a man choose me? Money can’t sway him. Fame doesn’t matter to him either. Beauty... I’m more beautiful than her..." She muttered the last part, but Fei Chuan heard it clearly.

His expression darkened. He really disliked Bei Sangyun. She didn’t even have to do anything, and yet she got under his skin so easily. She always had.

He downed the rest of his wine before replying, "If a man keeps rejecting you, it just means you’re not his type. And honestly, you’re not that pretty, so it’s no mystery."

Bei Sangyun’s head snapped toward him, her eyes blazing. "I have a long line of suitors. Most men here want me. He is just different. That doesn’t mean I’m not pretty."

Fei Chuan finally got her riled up. Satisfaction flickered in his chest. He gave her a mocking look, scanning her from head to toe.

"Really? Where? Can’t see it. I must be blind," he said with a smug grin.

Bei Sangyun’s eyes flared. She grabbed his necktie, yanking him toward her.

The space between them disappeared instantly. Their noses nearly touched, and Fei Chuan caught the sweet scent of wine on her breath.

"Can you see now?"

Fei Chuan stared into her fiery gaze. Her long lashes framed her dark, hypnotic eyes, her lips glistened a deep red, her intoxicating fragrance-

Suddenly, Bei Sangyun pushed him away.

"What a liar. You’re not blind. You clearly see my beauty."

Fei Chuan blinked, dazed for a second, before chuckling. "What beauty? You just startled me. Who wouldn’t be shocked if you suddenly grabbed their necktie?"

"Liar. You were mesmerized." She stood up, setting her empty wine glass down. "Anyway, I don’t care if you see it or not. It doesn’t matter what you think of me. You’re not the man I’m looking for, anyway."

With that, she walked away—without a glance back. As always, she was an unbothered queen, impossible to read and even harder to crack.

Fei Chuan watched her retreating figure, feeling annoyed, frustrated... and a mess of emotions he couldn’t name.

He snatched another glass of wine from a passing staff member and downed it. The heat from their sudden closeness still lingered in his ears, which were tinged red.

"I wasn’t mesmerized. Just... surprised," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

....

Fei Chuan suddenly opened his eyes, staring blankly at the ceiling. Outside the window, the sky was dark, the city bathed in shimmering lights.

He rubbed the back of his neck—he had fallen asleep in his chair while drinking.

Clang.

As he moved, the necklace he’d been clutching slipped from his hand and fell to the floor. He picked it up, but when he held it again, he froze.

He had dreamed of him again. No—more precisely, of that life again.

Perhaps it was Xu Tian’s sudden appearance that triggered those lingering memories.

Now he finally understood why Xu Tian had felt both familiar and unfamiliar. In this life, it was their first meeting. But in his previous life, he had encountered that name—and that man—before. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm

The memories of that other life hadn’t come all at once. They arrived in flashes, fragments. Like a dream without a beginning or end. Just scattered scenes, like watching pieces of a story that was both known and strange.

But one thing was unmistakably clear:

Xu Tian had existed in that life too. And from what Fei Chuan could gather in those fragmented dreams—he was the man Bei Sangyun had chased back then.

Fei Chuan gripped the necklace tighter and stood up.

Just like now, the version of himself from that life had also investigated Xu Tian after his conversation with Bei Sangyun. The results were the same—Xu Tian had a clean record. The only difference was, in that life, Xu Tian was working for a different company, not Phoenix Holding.

As for what happened next... the dream ended.

Fei Chuan had no idea how it all played out. Did his self of that life meet Xu Tian personally out of curiosity? Or did he interfere, sabotaging any chance the two had of being together?

If he were to guess—if it had truly been him—he might’ve pulled strings to dig up dirt on Xu Tian, expose it to Bei Sangyun, and if none existed... perhaps he had schemed to keep them apart.

Fei Chuan ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

Even if he wanted to do that now, he knew he shouldn’t. He had already hurt her too much. He didn’t want to do anything that would bring her pain again or make her hate him more.

But...

His gaze shifted to the file on the table—Xu Tian’s file.

He clenched his jaw.

He didn’t want to see Bei Sangyun stolen away by another man.