Chapter 83

Chapter 83

On the way back from the suburbs in a taxi, Ye Zhiqiu received a message from Qin Jianhe.

Estimating that he would have to work late and wouldn't be able to return until very late, Qin Jianhe said he wouldn't come over tonight.

Since Qin Jianhe wasn't coming over, Ye Zhiqiu was no longer in such a hurry. He picked up his car near the 4S store and drove back leisurely.

Just as he was about to get home, Qi Xin called.

Apart from Qin Weian's attitude towards Ye Zhiqiu making him uncomfortable, their business discussion went quite smoothly.

Manqing's legal team had drafted an initial cooperation proposal and Qi Xin had just sent it to Ye Zhiqiu's email, wanting to hear his thoughts.

The car slowly entered the underground garage.

Shouldering his backpack, Ye Zhiqiu walked around to the trunk, opened it, and bent down to collect the few pieces of leather Zhang Wenyuan had given him, bundling them together to take upstairs.

The house was very quiet.

The window was half-open, and the night wind blew the white curtains into a dance.

Ye Zhiqiu changed his shoes at the entrance, placed the backpack on the sofa, then went to the studio to fetch his tablet and tools, heading for the balcony.

Sitting on the swing frame, he opened his email and clicked on the cooperation agreement Manqing had sent to Qi Xin.

The scope of this agreement wasn't extensive, but the depth of cooperation was significant, initially set for two years.

For Qi Xin, this duration was neither too long nor too short; it was precisely the optimal period for Qi Yun to develop and consolidate itself.

It seemed that during their meeting yesterday, he must have mentioned his expectations for the initial cooperation timeframe to Qin Weian.

The specific content of the cooperation mainly focused on new designs.

The agreement clearly stated that within the next two years, both parties' new designs and related fashion elements could be jointly branded or mutually referenced.

In essence, Qin Weian saw Ye Zhiqiu's talent in design and wanted to make a breakthrough in styles, hoping to turn the tide with this collaboration.

Qi Xin, on the other hand, since his company's Design Department hadn't officially been established yet, also needed to leverage the strength of Manqing's Design Department to enrich his product line and open stores sooner.

One sought excellence, the other breadth—a perfect match.

This rough cooperation agreement was drafted in just one day, showing how urgent Qin Weian's side was.

Not far behind Qi Xin.

Although Qi Xin said he wanted to hear Ye Zhiqiu's opinion, from the wording in the email, Ye Zhiqiu could tell that Qi Xin was very satisfied with the agreement.

After reading it, Ye Zhiqiu simply replied with one word: "Okay."

"Xiao Qiu," Qi Xin immediately called, "tomorrow..."

"Tomorrow I'm not available," Ye Zhiqiu put the call on speaker while laying out the cutting board and spreading the top layer of calf leather on it, smoothing the edges.

Then, he took the marking gauge and began drawing lines on the leather.

"I see," Qi Xin's tone carried a hint of disappointment, "yesterday you left so quickly, I didn't even get a chance to talk to you properly."

"Xiao Qiu," he said, "I miss you."

"Isn't work keeping you busy enough?" Ye Zhiqiu responded indifferently.

"Men," Qi Xin said, perhaps because of the connection with Manqing, his mood was genuinely good, and his tone quickly became light again, "always want both career and beauty."

Ye Zhiqiu smiled, the corner of his lips curling into a subtle expression of disdain.

"Is that so?" he said, his tone devoid of any emotion, "but I'm different. Right now, I love my career more."

Qi Xin: "..."

Many words to prove that "emotions are important" rushed to his mouth, but Qi Xin remembered he still needed Ye Zhiqiu's design drafts to save himself, so he swallowed them back.

"By the way," he changed the subject, trying to suppress the eagerness in his voice, "I heard you went to pick up your car today. How is it? Do you like it?"

"Mm, it's fine," Ye Zhiqiu said indifferently, "thank you."

"What for? The money I earn is for you, isn't it?" Qi Xin said, adding hopefully, "as long as you think of me a little bit when you drive, I'll be very satisfied."

If it weren't for the fact that in the previous life, even their house was under Qi Ruichang's name, Ye Zhiqiu might have believed him a little.

Hearing this now, he only felt disgust.

But he couldn't be the only one feeling disgusted, right?

"I don't think that will work," he laughed, his voice faint, as if discussing something ordinary, "I gave the car to a friend."

The world suddenly fell silent, and the air was filled only with the slight rustling of the wind through the curtains.

Ye Zhiqiu lowered his gaze, focusing intently on drawing the final graceful curve on the leather.

Putting down the marking gauge, he picked up the leather knife.

"But... But Xiao Qiu," Qi Xin's voice finally came through again, sounding strange and stuttered, "that was a birthday gift I gave you. How can you give it to someone else?"

"And," he quickly asked another crucial question, "who did you give such an expensive gift to?"

That was money he had painstakingly saved, sacrificing many nights of sleep, just to please Ye Zhiqiu, risking discovery by Tao Ruoqing and Qi Ruichang.

It was the most sincere gesture from him.

How could Ye Zhiqiu just give it away to someone else?

And he spoke of it so lightly.

No matter how one looked at it, such behavior was too much and disrespectful.

Never before had Qi Xin felt this miserable.

The feeling of having his sincerity trampled on was excruciating and disorienting.

His chest felt hollow, as if he had lost all support, and his heart plummeted into a pit of thorns.

Drenched in blood.

"Sorry," Ye Zhiqiu seemed completely unable to empathize with him. He asked instead, "I thought that if something is given to me, it becomes mine, and I can do with it as I please. Is that not the case?"

"Let's put it this way," without waiting for Qi Xin to respond, he continued calmly, "I'll return the car to you later."

"That's not what I meant," Qi Xin panicked, becoming flustered.

He was talking about the sentiment, but Ye Zhiqiu was talking about the object.

But at that moment, it was indeed difficult to separate the two.

"Then what do you mean?" Ye Zhiqiu's voice suddenly turned cold. "It's just an old car, worth a little over a million. Do you really think the Ye family can't afford it? I once gave up a racing car worth more than two million without a second thought. Are you suggesting that because you gave me a car, I should be eternally grateful?"

"I didn't mean that," Qi Xin grew even more anxious. "I just feel that you don't value my sentiment."

"Your sentiment?" Ye Zhiqiu asked, pressing on aggressively. "When I stayed up late drawing sketches for you, did I ever emphasize my sentiment? The profits from my sketches have brought you far more than the value of several cars like this. Did I ever ask you to report how you used them? So, using the money I earned for you to buy me something doesn't mean you can control me, does it?"

"Qi Xin," Ye Zhiqiu said slowly, "your affection for me is truly cheap."

Qi Xin: "..."

Initially, he felt justified and wronged, but after Ye Zhiqiu's outburst, Qi Xin's mind became chaotic.

Even he began to feel that he might be being unreasonable.

Qi Xin fell silent for a moment, revisiting Ye Zhiqiu's personality and traits in his mind.

Ye Zhiqiu was always extremely arrogant and capricious. For him, giving gifts to others might indeed be a normal operation.

Perhaps he had gotten carried away recently because Ye Zhiqiu had been nicer to him a few times.

Qi Xin felt regretful.

Regretting why he had to be so serious about this matter.

It made him seem petty.

"Xiao Qiu, I didn't..." But before he could finish, Ye Zhiqiu hung up the call.

Qi Xin was filled with regret, and the joy of his recent collaboration with Man Qing vanished instantly.

He closed his eyes, and Ye Zhiqiu's cold demeanor immediately came to mind, both arrogant and adorable.

It softened his heart even more.

Instinctively, Qi Xin sighed heavily.

His phone rang, and Qi Xin's heart skipped a beat.

Thinking it might be Ye Zhiqiu calling back, he glanced down and saw Jiang Nan's name instead.

Not Ye Zhiqiu.

Qi Xin's heart slowly cooled.

Looking at the name he had once been so obsessed with, he felt a sense of detachment.

The lingering feelings from Ye Zhiqiu remained, and Qi Xin no longer avoided them.

He knew that perhaps, he no longer liked Jiang Nan.

His former obsession had now shifted entirely to Ye Zhiqiu.

Even more intensely than before.

In fact, if Jiang Nan hadn't called, he wouldn't have remembered how long it had been since he last thought of him.

"Hello," Qi Xin answered the call.

"Qi Xin," Jiang Nan's drunken voice came through the receiver, "I've had too much to drink. Come pick me up."

Recalling the last time Jiang Nan vomited all over his car, Qi Xin frowned.

But he still stood up, "Where are you?"

"At... a bar," Jiang Nan said.

"The name of the bar?" Qi Xin was already growing impatient.

"The name of the bar?" Jiang Nan muttered, then yelled at someone, "Hey, come here."

"Hello, sir," a young, polite voice soon responded.

It was a bartender.

The other party gave the address to Qi Xin and then handed the phone back to Jiang Nan.

"I'll wait for you here," Jiang Nan said, hanging up the phone.

Qi Xin muttered a curse under his breath and went out to pick up Jiang Nan.

Following the address given by the waiter, he quickly arrived at the bar.

Perhaps because he had been waiting too long, at that moment, Jiang Nan was already asleep in a corner booth.

Qi Xin went over and shook his shoulder gently.

After a while, Jiang Nan slowly lifted his head, dazed.

The moment he saw Jiang Nan's face, Qi Xin couldn't help but be a bit surprised.

Jiang Nan looked much thinner than the last time they met. Now, after drinking too much, his face wasn't flushed but appeared unusually sallow.

He looked terribly haggard.

Qi Xin paused, his heart softening slightly.

"Jiang Nan," he said, lifting one of Jiang Nan's arms onto his shoulder, "I'll take you home."

"Who are you?" Jiang Nan slapped away his hand, mumbling incoherently, "I want... Brother Yu."

Seeing the situation, the waiter hurried over, "Sir, are you this gentleman's friend?"

Qi Xin took out his phone and showed the call Jiang Nan had made earlier, then dialed it again.

The phone rang in Jiang Nan's hand.

The waiter, reassured, was about to leave when Qi Xin called him back, "Who did he drink with? Why is he so drunk?"

"No one," the waiter smiled, "This gentleman has been alone all along."

"Not even someone named Brother Yu?" Qi Xin was puzzled.

The waiter shook his head with a smile.

But then he remembered something.

"This gentleman made a call, but it was always busy," he said, "He got upset because it didn't connect. I helped him then, and he kept muttering that name."

"So," Qi Xin paused, finally realizing, "So, he called me because he couldn't get through to the other person?"

The waiter didn't say anything, only giving a polite, subtle smile.

"Damn it." Qi Xin couldn't help cursing inwardly. The softness he had felt towards Jiang Nan was immediately replaced by disgust.

If he came here again, he'd be a dog.

But since he was already there, he suppressed his emotions, bent down again, and helped Jiang Nan out.

"Oh, Qi Xin." Jiang Nan belched, finally recognizing him.

Then he laughed, mumbling something incomprehensible.

On the stage of the bar, the band was reaching a climax, the drums pounding fiercely. Qi Xin didn't hear what he said.

"What?" Finally getting him outside, Qi Xin took a deep breath of fresh air and asked, "What did you say?"

"That bastard." For some reason, Jiang Nan suddenly lashed out, almost slapping Qi Xin, "How dare he... burp... call himself Brother Yu!"

Qi Xin frowned, realizing that Jiang Nan must really like this "Brother Yu."

In the past, knowing Jiang Nan had feelings for someone else would have filled him with rage and jealousy, causing immense pain.

But now, looking at Jiang Nan's disheveled and haggard appearance, he only felt annoyance.

And oddly, he thought of Ye Zhiqiu,

thought of Ye Zhiqiu's smiling eyes, rosy lips, and fair, smooth skin that glowed with health.

Jiang Nan's pitiful state made Ye Zhiqiu seem even more precious.

"I'll take you home," Qi Xin said, not wanting to talk further.

"Qi Xin?" Jiang Nan looked at him, and after a while, he smiled ambiguously, gesturing above his head, "Big... big grassland."

Damn!

Qi Xin resisted the urge to curse, helping Jiang Nan into the car and taking him home.

After handing Jiang Nan over to his family, Qi Xin finally breathed a sigh of relief, opening the car window to let out the stench of alcohol.

The moonlight was silvery, casting its glow on the ground. Qi Xin's longing for Ye Zhiqiu suddenly surged.

But seeing the time, it was already past midnight, and Ye Zhiqiu should be asleep, so he had to suppress his feelings.

Qi Xin usually disliked the smell of cigarettes.

But at that moment, he felt an itch in his heart, wanting to smoke to alleviate his longing.

At midnight, Ye Zhiqiu finally finished the leather goods assignment set by Zhang Wenyuan.

It was a very exquisite ladies' saddle bag.

Small and adorable.

Ye Zhiqiu had a natural talent for design.

Zhang Wenyuan, when teaching him, stayed far from academic rigidity, focusing more on practical skills.

Ye Zhiqiu quickly grasped the essence of it.

Designing new products posed no significant challenge to him.

Now, Zhang Wenyuan had introduced practical work into the curriculum, leaving a themed assignment after each class, requiring him to create something with his own hands.

It was still early days, so the leather materials provided were already treated; he didn’t need to color or polish them himself yet.

After tidying up, Ye Zhiqiu went into the bedroom.

Pulling back the curtains, he stood by the window, gazing at a distant one.

That window remained dark.

Ye Zhiqiu stood quietly for a moment, then drew the curtains closed and entered the bathroom.

After showering, he paused, his gaze once again falling on the curtained window.

This time, however, he did not approach it but instead lifted the blanket, turned off the light, and got into bed.

In a daze, he vaguely heard the front door open and close at some point.

Soon after, someone’s warm, soft lips touched his forehead fleetingly.

Ye Zhiqiu’s eyelids fluttered as he tried to open them, but a warm hand gently covered his eyes, and soon he fell back into deep sleep.

When he woke up in the morning, Ye Zhiqiu thought it had been a dream.

But he quickly rose, put on his robe, and opened the bedroom door.

The kitchen light was on, and the warm glow filled Ye Zhiqiu’s eyes, making him feel instantly warm and secure.

Suddenly, the phone rang. Ye Zhiqiu closed the bedroom door and returned to answer it.

Seeing Ye Hongxian’s number on the screen, he realized again that it was his birthday today.

“Hello, Dad,” Ye Zhiqiu answered, looking through his closet for clothes to wear.

“Today is your birthday. Come home for dinner tonight,” Ye Hongxian said.

“I told Mom earlier that I’m not celebrating this year,” Ye Zhiqiu replied.

“Whether you celebrate or not, you should come home and have dinner with the family, not go out with friends,” Ye Hongxian lectured.

“I’ve already made plans with Bao Bao and the others,” Ye Zhiqiu said.

“Have them come over too,” Ye Hongxian said, “and ask Aunt Zhao to prepare more dishes.”

A moment later, his tone softened, “Your brother and younger brother will be there. It’s rare for the whole family to gather, and you, the main character, shouldn’t miss it.”

“Alright,” Ye Zhiqiu conceded, not wanting to argue with Ye Hongxian.

After hanging up, he changed into his clothes and, upon opening the bedroom door, found breakfast laid out on the table.

Two steaming bowls of shredded pork noodle soup faced each other, and Qin Jianhe brought out two side dishes from the kitchen.

“Did you stay up all night?” Ye Zhiqiu asked, somewhat puzzled.

“Yeah,” Qin Jianhe smiled, “but I didn’t feel tired while working.”

Hearing this, Ye Zhiqiu instinctively frowned, “Qin Jianhe, you’re being ridiculous.”

“It’s fine,” Qin Jianhe smiled, handing him chopsticks, “you can take a nap during lunchtime.”

Ye Zhiqiu didn’t say anything more, lowering his head to pick up the noodles.

“From here,” Qin Jianhe laughed, taking the chopsticks and picking up the noodles from the cut end, “the portion isn’t large, so you can finish it in one go.”

“Hmm?” Ye Zhiqiu blinked in confusion, then realized, “Longevity noodles?”

Most people no longer cared about traditions, but true longevity noodles were meant to be unbroken, symbolizing "longevity" and "smoothness."

“Yeah,” Qin Jianhe smiled, “I learned from Aunt Fang yesterday.”

Aunt Fang was their newly hired housekeeper.

Ye Zhiqiu felt a subtle warmth in his heart.

“Qin Jianhe,” he whispered, “did you practice this with Aunt Fang all night?”

“Am I that clumsy?” Qin Jianhe laughed, “I only practiced for a few hours.”

Ye Zhiqiu didn’t respond, pursing his lips and lowering his head to eat the noodles.

Qin Jianhe didn’t touch his chopsticks, watching him quietly.

Handmade noodles were different from store-bought ones, with a unique chewiness.

Ye Zhiqiu bit into the noodles, eating them from start to finish without breaking them.

He looked up and saw the deep joy in Qin Jianhe’s eyes, making them shine brightly.

“Ye Zhiqiu, may you live a long and peaceful life,” Qin Jianhe said.

"Do you still believe in that?" Ye Zhiqiu felt a slight warmth in his heart, but after a moment, he could only manage to say this.

"Hmm." Qin Jianhe said, "I'm superstitious."

Ye Zhiqiu lowered his eyes and smiled after a brief moment.

"Have some more vegetables," Qin Jianhe said, not mentioning anything about the birthday.

"I need to go home tonight," Ye Zhiqiu said.

"Hmm?" Qin Jianhe raised an eyebrow.

"My dad asked me to come home for dinner," Ye Zhiqiu said, wrinkling his nose slightly in displeasure.

Qin Jianhe chuckled and gently ruffled his hair as a gesture of comfort.

After the meal, Ye Zhiqiu's phone started buzzing with a flood of birthday wishes.

He barely glanced at them and went to work with Qin Jianhe, one following the other.

At noon, Man Qing's official account and Qi Yun simultaneously released a collaboration announcement.

Capitalizing on Man Qing's remaining popularity, Qi Yun finally entered the public eye.

Almost simultaneously, Gao Wenye and Ye Zhixia had just signed a contract with the popular marriage reality show "Hand in Hand 99."

This show was highly popular and had already run three seasons.

Each season featured four pairs: a popular couple, a mid-tier couple, a faded celebrity couple, and a pair of civilians.

In previous seasons, all participating guests experienced a resurgence or skyrocketed in popularity.

Even the civilian couples gained significant attention.

For this season, Gao Wenye and Ye Zhixia were the mid-tier couple.

If they performed well, according to past trends, their careers would likely reach new heights after the show.

As they shook hands with the production staff, someone glanced at the electronic calendar nearby.

"Tomorrow is the weekend," the staff member smiled, asking, "Professor Gao, are you planning to make the announcement today or tomorrow?"

Before Gao Wenye could speak, Ye Zhixia smiled and said, "Today."

The staff member nodded, but Gao Wenye overruled Ye Zhixia's suggestion.

"Let's do it tomorrow," he said with a smile, "It's the weekend, so there will be more traffic."

The staff member smiled without saying anything.

In fact, the signing date was chosen by Ye Zhixia earlier.

After securing this program, he had planned to announce it on Ye Zhiqiu's birthday.

If he could ruin Ye Zhiqiu's special day, he would be thrilled.

Therefore, he was particularly sensitive to Gao Wenye's suggestion to wait until tomorrow.

But under everyone's watchful eyes, Ye Zhixia had to hold back.

He smiled faintly, "Yeye, you're right."

"Then it's settled for tomorrow," the staff member smiled, agreeing with them.

Gao Wenye held Ye Zhixia's hand, and the couple stood up to politely bid farewell to the production team.

Their smiles were gentle and affectionate, appearing perfectly harmonious.

However, once they reached the garage and got into the car, Ye Zhixia coldly pulled his hand away from Gao Wenye's grip.

"What's wrong?" he asked coldly, "Are you really considering Ye Zhiqiu's feelings?"

"You're overthinking it," Gao Wenye said, reaching out to hold Ye Zhixia's hand.

But Ye Zhixia frowned and dodged away.

The embarrassment and humiliation of being overruled in front of everyone, coupled with his jealousy towards Ye Zhiqiu, ignited a raging fire within him.

"Overthinking it?" Ye Zhixia sneered, "Does 'Hand in Hand 99' need the weekend's traffic? If today wasn't Ye Zhiqiu's birthday, would you have rejected my proposal and embarrassed me in front of everyone?"

"Gao Wenye," Ye Zhixia continued, "do you really think Ye Zhiqiu likes you? You're just a disgusting old man to him. I must be blind."

Hearing this, Gao Wenye's expression darkened.

"Ye Zhixia," he frowned, "watch your words."

"So, hearing that Ye Zhiqiu doesn't like you makes you upset?" Seeing Gao Wenye's discomfort, Ye Zhixia felt a twisted sense of pleasure, "If he knew your true self and that you can sleep with anyone, he'd find you even more repulsive."

"Ye Zhixia," Gao Wenye, still rational, knowing they were still in the TV station's underground garage, tried to calm him down, "calm down."

As he spoke, he started the car.

Ye Zhixia's rant, however, only made him angrier.

He began to lash out, bringing up old grievances.

From Gao Wenye's background to his infidelity, and his delusions about Ye Zhiqiu... piece by piece.

The car stopped at their residence, and Gao Wenye's face had turned completely dark.

Although he didn't say anything, as soon as Ye Zhixia got out of the car, he immediately turned it around and headed back to the company.

Ye Zhixia stood there in a daze for a moment.

Gao Wenye's lack of response, his cold and violent reaction, made him lose his mind completely.

After a brief silence, he turned and went to the underground garage.

On the way to the company, Gao Wenye grew increasingly regretful.

A relationship already marred by cracks could never be mended perfectly.

They had only been married for a short time, but Ye Zhixia had thrown tantrums countless times over the incident with Li Ling.

At first, he could still coax and indulge her.

But after so many times, honestly, he was getting extremely annoyed.

Compared to Ye Zhiqiu, Ye Zhixia's image in his heart became more and more repulsive each day.

He indulged her merely because of her status as the young master of the Ye family.

And also because their careers were now tied together through marriage.

Otherwise, he couldn't stand it for even a single day.

In the company, apart from the few artists who had already joined their projects, the other new recruits were in the rehearsal room training with their instructors.

Gao Wenye instructed his assistant with a cold face to bring him a cup of coffee into his office.

Sitting on the sofa in his office, he closed his eyes, unable to stop thinking about Ye Zhiqiu again.

It had been a long time since they last contacted each other.

Sending a message on his birthday wouldn't be too much, right?

Gao Wenye hesitated for a while before finally picking up his phone, just as he was about to write a message, the office door suddenly opened.

It was Cui Xuan, holding the coffee he had asked for.

"Brother Gao," Cui Xuan, wearing tight training clothes that accentuated his waist and hips, said, "Your coffee."

"How is it you?" Gao Wenye looked him over.

"On the day of the fitting, it was thanks to Teacher Xiao Ye reminding me that I realized how much effort you put into my role," Cui Xuan bent down and placed the coffee in front of Gao Wenye. "I came here specially to thank you."

The tight training clothes were already provocative enough, let alone when he bent down like this.

Gao Wenye subconsciously raised his hand.

Just as he realized something and tried to pull it back, Cui Xuan grabbed his hand.

As if losing his balance, Cui Xuan fell into Gao Wenye's arms.

His inner frustration needed an outlet, his wounded heart needed comfort, and the power and superiority brought by his position needed further reinforcement.

A fire ignited in Gao Wenye's heart, and he involuntarily leaned down to kiss Cui Xuan.

With a loud crash, the office door was pushed open.

The two, caught in the heat of the moment, were startled and looked towards the door.

Ye Zhixia stood there at the doorway, eyes wide with rage, face twisted in fury, looking almost deranged.