Chapter 82

Chapter 82

The last bite of pineapple entered his mouth, its sweet and sour flavors melting away. Ye Zhiqiu put down his chopsticks.

"Delicious," he said.

"Hmm." Qin Jianhe responded indifferently, lifting his eyes from the tablet in front of him.

Then he leaned forward slightly, wiping away a grain of rice that had somehow stuck to Ye Zhiqiu's mouth.

"Whenever you eat something you like, you act like a child," he said. A faint smile appeared in his somewhat cold, almond-shaped eyes, his voice low and pleasant.

"It’s because you made it," Ye Zhiqiu smiled, adding, "Today, when I had dinner with the kids, someone said I’ve gained weight."

"Not fat," Qin Jianhe said, "you were too skinny before; it was uncomfortable holding you."

"Tsk." Ye Zhiqiu remarked, "Didn’t see you hold me any less."

Hearing this, Qin Jianhe smiled faintly and returned his gaze to the documents on the screen.

"Did you leave work early again today without finishing your tasks?" Ye Zhiqiu looked at him, suddenly realizing something.

"The important matters are mostly handled," Qin Jianhe said, "only a few minor things left."

He lifted his eyes again, "Are you going out tomorrow?"

During lunch, he had suddenly felt an urge to see Ye Zhiqiu and was about to send a message to meet him in the stairwell when he realized Ye Zhiqiu had gone out.

"I have to go," Ye Zhiqiu said, "Professor Meng and the others brought back a huge number of orders. The orders from New York and London alone are scheduled until mid-next month. Besides, colleagues also have orders for Xiangyunsha fabric. I feel our current factory’s production capacity for Xiangyunsha is falling short, so I need to visit two new factories with Zhang Lan tomorrow."

"Leave it to the Production Department," Qin Jianhe said, sounding rather decisive.

"Hmm? Mr. Qin doesn’t want me to leave the company?" Ye Zhiqiu subconsciously narrowed his eyes upon hearing this.

Qin Jianhe rarely used his authority to make special arrangements; this was the first time.

"Really?" Ye Zhiqiu leaned forward, looking at him with a half-smile, "Could it be that Mr. Qin wants to keep me in the office for some office play?"

Qin Jianhe looked at him, his deep-set almond eyes darkening slightly.

Seeing this, Ye Zhiqiu quickly jumped up, laughing, "I’ll go wash the dishes."

Watching the figure dash into the kitchen like the wind, Qin Jianhe’s lowered eyes gradually filled with a deeper smile.

"Ye Zhiqiu?" He leaned back into the chair, relaxed and composed, "Going to bed early tonight?"

"No way," Ye Zhiqiu bluntly refused, "I’m busy."

"Busy with what?" Qin Jianhe shifted, stretching his long legs to block the path out of the kitchen.

Ye Zhiqiu, who had just finished washing the dishes: "..."

"Hey." He laughed and tried to dodge but was pulled into Qin Jianhe’s embrace by his wrist.

"Just a little intimacy," Qin Jianhe said, his voice very low, "We can postpone the office play. How about a dining table play instead?"

"I’m sorry, brother," Ye Zhiqiu pleaded.

"You didn’t do anything wrong," Qin Jianhe looked down at him, his eyes deep, "How could a teacher ever be wrong?"

"I really have something to do, Qin Jianhe," Ye Zhiqiu smiled, slipping his slightly cool hand under Qin Jianhe’s collar, intending to push him away, but was unexpectedly held by the wrist and pressed against his hot skin.

"Warm your hands first, then go back to work," Qin Jianhe said, leaning in to kiss Ye Zhiqiu.

"If you keep doing this, I won’t finish my work," Ye Zhiqiu gasped, "It will affect the Design Department’s productivity."

"It’s okay," Qin Jianhe said, one hand gripping Ye Zhiqiu’s waist tightly, pulling him closer, "Even if Q.L falls, it’s not a big deal."

His palm gradually warmed, losing its initial strength and curling softly. Ye Zhiqiu slowly closed his eyes.

After a while, Qin Jianhe pulled back slightly.

"Going to bed early tonight?" he asked again, his voice hoarse, his dark eyes deep, "Hmm? Ye Zhiqiu?"

"Damn it!" Ye Zhiqiu whispered, "Early, early, sleep, sleep."

A light laugh escaped Qin Jianhe’s lips as he leaned in again, gently biting Ye Zhiqiu’s lips.

It was both intense and teasing, sending tingles spreading from his lips. Ye Zhiqiu couldn’t help but let out a soft moan.

...

Waking up in the morning, Qin Jianhe slowly opened his eyes.

Ye Zhiqiu was still deeply asleep, his thick lashes casting shadows on his pale skin.

His hair was a bit messy, making his already small face look even smaller, and he seemed incredibly docile.

Twirling a strand of his slightly long black hair, Qin Jianhe gazed at him quietly for a while before lowering his head to place a gentle kiss on his smooth forehead.

Then, he got up quietly and opened the bedroom door.

The living room was in chaos, littered with clothes they had carelessly thrown off the night before, indicating the intensity of their encounter.

Bending down to pick up the mess, Qin Jianhe noticed something drop in the dim morning light, making a slight sound.

Looking down, he saw a brand-new set of car keys.

Not the ones from Ye Zhiqiu’s car.

Tomorrow is Ye Zhiqiu's birthday, and Qin Jianhe is well aware of it.

But he also understands that ever since Ye Zhiqiu began to doubt the cause of his mother's death, until this mystery is solved—or until he gives his deceased mother a proper explanation...

the celebration of "birthday" has become impossible.

So, from beginning to end, he never mentioned it.

With a slight lowering of his eyes, Qin Jianhe put the set of keys back into Ye Zhiqiu's pocket.

*

There was a meeting in the morning, so after breakfast, Qin Jianhe went to the company early.

Ye Zhiqiu stayed at home to sort out a few sketches, sending them to Liu Yisi and Meng Da before driving to the factory.

The production schedule for Xiangyunsha is too long, which seems like a crisis on the surface, but for Ye Zhiqiu, it's an opportunity.

After Zhou Lang threatened the factory last time, Ye Zhiqiu had already wanted to develop several factories that he could fully control.

That's why he specifically mentioned this to Qin Jianhe yesterday.

Before that, he had already discussed it with Meng Da, who had privately talked to the head of the production department. Although it hasn't been officially proposed yet, everyone within Q.L has tacitly accepted it.

Most importantly, after Zhou Hao shortened Qi Xin's payment period and took out a loan to import a machine from abroad to produce some rare high-end fabrics,

although it seemed a bit self-serving, Ye Zhiqiu had seen the results, and they were quite good.

So he wants to bring that fabric factory up as well.

Zhou Hao's factory has limited resources, and even if he only leaks a few orders, it would be enough to squeeze Qi Xin's supply.

Once there's a shortage, Qi Xin will inevitably need to develop new fabric factories.

Other fabric factories won't be as accommodating as Zhou Hao, and then Qi Xin might not get extended payment terms anymore.

The financial pressure would undoubtedly force him to squeeze out the last bit of pension money from Tao Ruoqing.

Together with Zhang Lan, they visited three factories non-stop throughout the day.

By four o'clock in the afternoon, Ye Zhiqiu dropped Zhang Lan off at her place and then turned the car around to pick up his vehicle from the 4S store.

With a temporary license plate, Ye Zhiqiu drove to the outskirts.

Zhang Mian was already waiting in the private room, just like last time, with a thick stack of documents and a pen ready.

"Why are you so late today?" he asked upon seeing Ye Zhiqiu enter.

"I had to drop a colleague off," Ye Zhiqiu said, taking his seat and tossing the car keys from his coat pocket to Zhang Mian. "Use this one from now on."

The company is poor, so Zhang Mian has never bought a car.

It was manageable before, but after the new energy battery of Xin Dongli came to market, Yunkai would inevitably enter the public eye.

And it might even cause a stir within the industry.

At that point, Zhang Mian's status and position would change significantly.

He can no longer drive that old car worth over two hundred thousand.

"Where did you get it?" Zhang Mian picked up the keys, puzzled.

"It's a gift from someone," Ye Zhiqiu said without looking up, starting to read through the documents.

"Money sure is great," Zhang Mian sighed. "Gifts are always luxury cars."

"Just a car worth over a million," Ye Zhiqiu smiled. "I'll get you an even better one later."

"Really?" Zhang Mian laughed, holding the keys tightly. "I'm counting on that promise."

Ye Zhiqiu didn't say anything, just smiled slightly.

After the rapid growth phase, Yunkai's business volume started to stabilize and increase steadily.

Just by looking at various invoices, Ye Zhiqiu knew that the current factory could no longer meet Yunkai's development needs.

Ye Ding's matter must be resolved soon.

"You mentioned earlier about a collaboration with Ru Yi," Zhang Mian said after taking a sip of water. "Is the timing not right yet?"

Hearing this, Ye Zhiqiu's pen paused momentarily.

Given Nie Fengjun's style, negotiating with Ru Yi alone would be impossible for Zhang Mian.

At that time, he couldn't hide behind Zhang Mian anymore.

Subconsciously, he thought of those dark, cold, yet noble phoenix eyes.

If all pretenses were removed, would their relationship still remain the same?

Last time in the stairwell at the company, when Qin Jianhe said, "I want us to sleep together every day," how did he respond?

Ye Zhiqiu recalled silently.

"If you mean tonight, tomorrow night, or even this year, next year, and the year after, I can do it," Ye Zhiqiu remembered saying, "I really like our current life and haven't thought about changing it."

Originally, he did want to maintain this relationship for a longer time.

But eventually, this initiative might no longer be in his hands.

Not just because of the exposure of his identity.

And the cruelty and coldness with which he will treat the Ye family in the future—Qin Jianhe will witness it all.

He must find himself quite terrifying, right?

Ye Zhiqiu thought.

"What's wrong?" Seeing him somewhat dazed, Zhang Mian couldn't help but ask.

"Nothing." Ye Zhiqiu shook his head, refocusing his mind on the documents.

5:30 PM.

The minute and second hands finally reached the end of the workday.

Almost simultaneously, a dozen pairs of eyes in the secretary's office turned toward the CEO's office.

Five seconds, ten seconds, a minute passed, and everyone's gaze shifted to Zhou Tongxin.

"Chief Zhou," a young secretary cast a sympathetic look, "you lost the bet again. It looks like the boss is working overtime today."

Zhou Tongxin: "..."

The boss had been leaving on time for two consecutive days, so why did he have to work overtime today?

Why?

Why?

Why couldn't he just win once?

Just as he was about to go crazy, the assistant let out another "Huh?": "Why is Brother Wei back at this hour?"

"Bastard," Zhou Tongxin said, "isn't he here to take our gambling money?"

However, soon, the wariness in Zhou Tongxin's eyes turned into surprise.

Because Wei Jie directly knocked on Qin Jianhe's office door.

"Damn," Zhou Tongxin lamented, "am I falling out of favor? Why does the boss meet with Old Wei more than me now?"

Inside the CEO's office, Wei Jie stood quietly in front of Qin Jianhe's desk.

Silence filled the air, broken only by the faint rustling of paper.

Qin Jianhe's dark lashes lowered slightly, his jawline drawing a cold and sharp line.

"Old Mr. Qian can only arrive the day after tomorrow," Wei Jie added information not on the document, "which is a bit unfortunate, as it means he'll miss Teacher Xiao Ye's birthday."

"It doesn't matter," Qin Jianhe said indifferently.

It would be great if the old man could arrive tomorrow, but a little delay wasn't an issue.

Although the impact was inevitable, at least Ye Zhiqiu could spend his birthday as an ordinary day.

Still, he only said "It doesn't matter" without elaborating further.

After finishing Qian Wenhua's file, Qin Jianhe set it aside and turned to a thick stack of reports below.

"This report," Wei Jie said, "we obtained through some unconventional means."

Though he said "some unconventional means," Qin Jianhe clearly understood that it involved unorthodox methods.

But he didn't even raise an eyebrow, merely giving a faint "Hmm."

"We first found that most of Tao Ruoqing's funds came from a virtual account abroad. Further investigation revealed that this account is linked to a staff member in Ye Ding's finance department," Wei Jie continued, "and coincidentally, this staff member has an unusual relationship with the Ye family's eldest son, Ye Zheng."

Qin Jianhe remained silent, flipping through the pages one by one.

A moment later, a cold smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

"Keep it safe," he closed the report and handed it back to Wei Jie, "it might be useful for Ye Zhiqiu in the future."

"Yes," Wei Jie responded, seeing that Qin Jianhe had nothing more to say, he silently left the room.

The office fell quiet again as Qin Jianhe brought the file back in front of him.

Looking at the half-portrait of the elderly man on the first page, his eyes darkened slightly.

No wonder the Ye family's driver from years ago was so hard to find.

Turns out, the person not only traveled to several countries but also changed their name.

The former Hu Qingsheng.

Now Qian Wenhua.