Chapter 144

Chapter 144

As the eastern sky began to lighten with the first hints of dawn, Qi Xin struggled to wake up from the long bench outside the gate.

Last night, he had stood at the entrance until midnight, waiting until almost no one was entering or leaving the residential area before he finally collapsed onto the lounge chair, utterly exhausted.

He hadn't expected to fall asleep there.

His body was not yet fully recovered, and the immense mental and physical strain of the day had taken its toll. Even on an outdoor bench, he had slept deeply.

If it weren't for the footsteps of people heading to work and the noisy traffic on the road, he would have slept much longer.

Qi Xin opened his eyes wearily, feeling dizzy and extremely uncomfortable.

Even the slightest movement made his entire body ache as if it were falling apart.

He struggled to sit up straight, reaching for his phone to check the time, only to find that it had completely run out of battery and shut down.

Last night, Qi Ruichang had called him countless times, and in a fit of anger, he had silenced his phone.

Looking at the dead phone, he knew without a doubt that Qi Ruichang must have called him numerous times in the early hours of the morning.

Frowning slightly, Qi Xin leaned on the back of the chair to stand up.

In fact, he and Qi Ruichang had always had a very good relationship.

Although he didn't agree with many of Qi Ruichang's old-fashioned ideas, in his eyes, they were trivial.

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't deliberately go against his father.

Not answering the phone was something he had never done before.

But this time, Qi Xin really didn't want to answer Qi Ruichang's calls.

It wasn't just because Qi Ruichang would definitely call him to come back; more importantly, he harbored a deep-seated resentment towards Qi Ruichang over the matter of Ye Zhiqiu, a resentment that he couldn't suppress.

He blamed Qi Ruichang for constantly belittling Ye Zhiqiu, influencing his feelings towards him.

He resented Qi Ruichang for making that extremely inappropriate call to Ye Zhiqiu, and even more so for treating Ye Zhiqiu and Jiang Nan so differently.

He also hated Qi Ruichang for promising to explain his situation with Jiang Nan to Ye Zhiqiu and then secretly arranging his marriage to Jiang Nan behind his back.

The impact of his relationship with Jiang Nan had been so severe that no one could forgive it.

If not for that, he wouldn't have been so desperate to ask Qi Ruichang to apologize and explain to Ye Zhiqiu on his behalf.

But now, before Ye Zhiqiu had forgiven him, Qi Ruichang had announced his engagement to Jiang Nan.

Such a betrayal made his previous apology and explanation seem hollow and insincere.

Undoubtedly, this had pushed his relationship with Ye Zhiqiu into a dead end.

Now, Qi Xin even began to doubt whether Qi Ruichang had really gone to apologize to Ye Zhiqiu.

Or perhaps, he had only said that to keep him in line?

Exhaling heavily, Qi Xin had to admit his true feelings deep down.

At this moment, he really hated Qi Ruichang with all his heart.

Staggering forward a few steps, Qi Xin sat back down at the entrance, his gaze anxiously scanning every person who entered or left.

Worried that Ye Zhiqiu might be in a car, he even took the risk of stopping every vehicle with tinted windows, insisting on seeing who was inside before letting them pass.

Throughout the morning, the property management and security office received countless complaints.

The guards at the gate had driven him away several times, thoroughly disgusted.

By around nine o'clock, the entrance had finally quieted down again, and Qi Xin was on the verge of collapse.

Though it was still morning, the scorching summer sun was unbearable.

Not to mention, Qi Xin's body was not yet fully recovered, and he had endured countless glares and insults from others since last night.

When the guard threatened to call the police for the last time, Qi Xin finally couldn't hold back and stopped him.

Given the significant impact of the incident with Jiang Nan, he had already faced too many strange looks at the hotel and Q.L.

At this moment, even asking a simple question seemed to drain all his strength.

"Excuse me," his voice was dry and raspy, "do you know if Ye Zhiqiu still lives here?"

Last night and this morning, he had seen almost everyone who entered or left the residential area.

But among them, there was no sign of Ye Zhiqiu.

Qi Xin began to reasonably suspect that Ye Zhiqiu might have moved out or bought a house elsewhere.

The young guard recognized Ye Zhiqiu.

Ye Zhiqiu was so beautiful and kind that no one would refuse to look at him or learn more about him.

The young guard was no exception.

However, recently, Ye Zhiqiu only occasionally spent weekends with his boyfriend, while most of the time, he seemed to live in a neighboring community.

But the young guard didn't tell Qi Xin this.

He had already found Qi Xin somewhat familiar.

Just yesterday, Qi Xin had been searching for Ye Zhiqiu under the scorching sun all day long, and by the time he arrived, he already looked quite disheveled.

His hair was messy, his face greasy with stubble, and the security guard didn't recognize him at all.

But now, as soon as he mentioned Ye Zhiqiu's name, the guard remembered him.

This person was the one who had plotted against Ye Zhiqiu with his stepmother online.

And just a few days ago, he was the one who had engaged in some scandalous activities in a hotel.

What was his name again? Oh, right, Qi Xin.

Since Ye Zhiqiu was a resident of the neighborhood, many people in the community had discussed his news.

The older residents knew his background and felt deeply sympathetic, and for several days, the topic of conversation never strayed far from him.

Naturally, the security guard hadn't missed out on the gossip either.

After recognizing Qi Xin, a trace of disdain flashed across the guard's eyes, impossible to hide.

Clearly, this man had schemed against Ye Zhiqiu, was embroiled in scandals, and was even about to get engaged to someone else...

He truly couldn't understand why this man had the nerve or any reason to come looking for Ye Zhiqiu.

"He does live here," the guard replied, though his tone was particularly dismissive. "If you're looking for him, please make sure to gather all the necessary information before coming back, and don't disturb the other residents."

"He lives here..." Hearing this, Qi Xin's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but murmur softly.

As long as he still lived here, everything would be fine.

In that case, he only needed to wait here morning and night, and he would eventually have a chance to meet him.

Qi Xin sniffed at his crumpled clothes, nearly fainting from the stench of his own sweat.

He steadied himself, deciding to go home first to rest, take a shower, change into clean clothes, and then come back to see Ye Zhiqiu properly.

At the same time, Xu Xinxin was just knocking on Qin Jianhe's office door.

That morning, Ye Zhiqiu had reorganized the materials that Zhao Zhi had initially sent him via email.

He had also compiled a preliminary list of colleagues who might be implicated in the Zhou Lang incident.

After breakfast, he handed over the documents to Qin Jianhe.

Xu Xinxin had been summoned to the office under the pretext of work-related matters, so there was nothing suspicious about her visit.

When she pushed open the door to the president's office, her legs felt weak.

Only when she saw Ye Zhiqiu sitting on the sofa with a smile did she quietly let out a sigh of relief.

"Please sit down," Qin Jianhe said, putting down the file in his hand and standing up to take a seat on the other side.

A moment later, the office door opened, and Zhou Tongxin personally brought in three cups of coffee.

Once the door closed again, Qin Jianhe turned to Xu Xinxin with a gentle expression.

"Ye Zhiqiu has already told me about your situation," he said, his voice calm and reassuring, neither making her feel tense nor uncomfortable from pity. "I called you here today to find out if you know of any other colleagues who have experienced similar issues besides yourself."

Xu Xinxin's eyes welled up, and her hands twisted at the hem of her skirt.

In a very soft voice, she whispered a few names.

They were all young women who had joined the company in recent years, sharing a common trait: they came from ordinary families with no power or influence, and working at Q.L. might be the highlight of their lives.

"Sun Chaoyang mentioned that he had taken some photos of Zhou Lang misusing others' ideas. When you get back, ask him to send them to this email address," Ye Zhiqiu handed Xu Xinxin a slip of paper with a private email address written on it. "If there are any other materials, he can send those too."

"But," Xu Xinxin hesitated, "those photos won't form a complete chain of evidence."

"That's okay," Qin Jianhe said. "Others might have evidence from other parts of the chain. I'll have professionals piece it together, so even the smallest piece of evidence could be crucial in the future."

"Oh." Xu Xinxin seemed almost incredulous that things could go so smoothly, and after a moment of stunned silence, her eyes welled up again. "I'll go back and have him send them over right away."

After Xu Xinxin left, Qin Jianhe called Meng Da in with a stern look on his face.

Ye Zhiqiu also stood up. "I'll head down now."

"Alright," Qin Jianhe responded, then raised his hand to grasp Ye Zhiqiu's hand briefly before letting go, whispering, "Go ahead."

Recently, not only Qin Jianhe, but Ye Zhiqiu also had a lot of work piling up.

Back in his office, he refocused his thoughts and concentrated on his tasks.

He worked until nearly noon, finally organizing the mountain of files and documents on his desk neatly.

Ye Zhiqiu dialed the internal line and called Zhang Lan and a few others in, assigning the tasks in his hand to each of them.

They all seemed unusually quiet, as if burdened by something.

Among them, Gao Yang was the least able to contain his impatience, glancing at Ye Zhiqiu several times, looking like he wanted to say something but held back.

"What's going on?" After assigning all the tasks, Ye Zhiqiu raised an eyebrow with a smile.

"You probably haven't heard," Gao Yang said, a mix of indignation and dejection in his voice, "Professor Meng had been preparing for a project for a long time, and it was supposed to start in the next couple of days, but for some reason, the leadership suddenly assigned it to Zhou Lang. You should know how furious Professor Meng's team is."

"You're not part of Professor Meng's team," Ye Zhiqiu smiled, "so why are you so emotional?"

"I..." Gao Yang choked, unable to find words for a moment.

"It's mainly because Zhou Lang is not only getting the credit but also acting smugly," Zhang Lan added with a cold laugh. "You should have seen him when he went to Professor Meng to ask for the materials, acting so arrogantly. Tsk."

"This matter, the boss indeed handled it unfairly." Wang Ru also said, her voice rather low, "If you had seen Zhou Lang's smug look, you would have been angry too."

"Smug?" Ye Zhiqiu repeated with a smile upon hearing this.

Being smug is good.

Once a person becomes smug, they often get lost in that high-spirited mood and can't pull themselves out of it.

Consequently, their vigilance towards the outside world also decreases.

"Alright," he said indifferently, only smiling, "What does it look like to gossip about the boss here?"

Seeing the three of them with increasingly long faces, Ye Zhiqiu tapped the table lightly with his finger.

"The boss must have his reasons for doing this; it's just that everyone doesn't know them yet," he asked with a smile, "Have you ever seen the boss make any other unfair decisions or mistakes over the years?"

The air was silent for a moment.

After a while, the three of them shook their heads almost in unison, "No."

"That's settled then," Ye Zhiqiu defended Qin Jianhe, then waved his hand, "Back to work."

The three of them filed out, but their expressions were much better than before.

Clearly, they had renewed confidence in the company.

Ye Zhiqiu found it a bit amusing.

Opening the drawing software, he quietly looked at the two plain rings on the screen that were beginning to take shape.

Then, he lowered his eyes, picked up his phone, and typed a message to Qin Jianhe.

"Ye Zhiqiu: I just salvaged your image, thank me."

"QIN: I won't ask Aunt Fang to come over today. What do you want to eat tonight? I'll cook it."

Ye Zhiqiu smiled, thought for a moment, and typed "hotpot."

Qin Jianhe's tomato broth was quite good, and with the recent heat, he hadn't tasted it in a long time, and he was starting to miss it.

"QIN: Alright, I'll make it for you tonight."

Ye Zhiqiu smiled, just as he was about to put down his phone, it vibrated again.

"QIN: Uncle Meng's birthday is next week. Qingyan just sent over the invitation, there's one for you. Do you want to go? If not, I can decline for you."

Ye Zhiqiu pondered for a moment.

The Meng family was a prominent household, and with the old man's birthday, those attending would likely be business elites.

Ye Zhiqiu actually didn't like such occasions, but Meng Qingyan was one of Qin Jianhe's best friends, so out of politeness, he should go.

The phone screen went dark and then lit up again, followed by a ring.

Ye Zhiqiu glanced down and smiled as he leaned back in his chair to answer.

On the other end, Qin Jianhe's voice came through, tinged with amusement, "Thinking so hard?"

"I'm going," Ye Zhiqiu said with a laugh.

From the other side, the sound of a mouse clicking could be heard, and Qin Jianhe seemed to pause, then sounded a bit puzzled and amused.

"Is it because we haven't made our relationship public, Qingyan invited the entire main cast and crew to get you to come?"

Ye Zhiqiu was slightly taken aback but quickly understood.

Meng Qingyan wasn't doing it for him; he was probably doing it for Baiyou.

At his father's birthday banquet, those attending would likely be from wealthy and powerful families, but Baiyou's mother was just a maid for the Jin family.

He probably wanted Baiyou to come but was worried he might feel uncomfortable, so he invited the rest of the crew as well.

Putting on a show.

His invitation, although sent to Qin Jianhe as well, was most likely not as Qin Jianhe's partner but as a colleague from the production team.

"It's not because of me."

Though moved by Meng Qingyan's consideration, Ye Zhiqiu didn't dwell on it, just smiled and changed the subject.

"If there's a suitable opportunity," he called his name, his voice slightly lower, "Qin Jianhe, I think I'm ready to go public."

There was a moment of silence on the other end, then Qin Jianhe's voice came through.

Because of the deliberate restraint, his voice sounded even deeper than usual.

It resonated in Ye Zhiqiu's ear, making him tingle from the tips of his ears to his heart.

"I want to see you," he said, "Ye Zhiqiu, come to the stairwell."

*

After a period of depression, Zhou Lang finally welcomed his spring again recently.

The major project that Meng Da had taken over was transferred to his hands due to a minor mistake by Meng Da's team on another project, for safety reasons, the boss ultimately handed it over to him.

Meng Da's team had already completed all the preliminary preparations, and he felt like he had gotten a free ride, which made him incredibly happy.

These past few days, he even walked with the same arrogant posture as before.

Due to the sudden nature of the event, Zhou Lang's team has been working overtime for the past two days, integrating and supplementing the materials transferred from Meng Da's team according to their own work habits. Even on the day of the business trip, they left directly from the company.

Hearing the rumbling sound of the suitcase rolling down the hallway, Ye Zhiqiu got up. Soon after, several staff members from Zhou Lang’s team appeared downstairs.

The bus turned around and drove onto the main road, quickly disappearing from Ye Zhiqiu’s sight.

Based on the information provided by Zhao Zhi, as well as the scattered pieces of evidence given by Xu Xinxin and Sun Chaoyang, Ye Zhiqiu and Qin Jianhe compiled a list of "potential victims."

Initially, they planned to report it directly to the police and let them handle it.

However, doing so would inevitably cause a significant stir, making it easy for others in Zhou Lang’s team to notice something was amiss.

Most of the victims had been under Zhou Lang’s long-term shadow, absolute control, and manipulation. For them, resistance was not an easy thing; otherwise, Zhou Lang’s evil deeds would not have taken years to come to light in the previous life.

If Zhou Lang were to get wind of this and pressure them, it would be detrimental to gathering evidence.

So starting from the second day, most of the people on the list began to enter and exit Qin Jianhe’s office very discreetly.

At first, most of them were extremely worried and suspicious, but because Qin Jianhe remained emotionally stable and provided them with the most solid assurances regarding their career and personal reputation, some of their doubts gradually dissipated.

To address the Zhou Lang incident, Qin Jianhe specifically set up a dedicated email channel, encouraging everyone to send evidence anonymously.

On the first night, the mailbox received quite a few emails from anonymous private accounts.

Most of them contained materials related to being plagiarized, having their ideas forcibly "appropriated," or even having their independent design drafts signed by Zhou Lang.

Some were complete chains of evidence, including recordings of Zhou Lang’s explicit and implicit hints. Others complemented Zhao Zhi’s information, forming several different chains of evidence.

However, when it came to matters of romantic relationships, there was always someone who remained silent.

Such issues can cause severe psychological trauma and also involve the other party's reputation. Therefore, the two did not rush, but waited patiently.

While they were afraid and hesitant, most people should have realized that this might be their only chance to escape Zhou Lang.

No one would turn down the light, and no one would refuse the lifeline extended to them.

During this period, Tang Yue was discharged from the hospital, and with the strong support of the Q.L law firm, the case of "Ye Zhixia's intentional murder" was about to go to trial.

Public opinion was in an uproar, while Qi Xin and Jiang Nan’s situation temporarily faded into the background.

For nearly a week, Qi Xin had been searching for Ye Zhiqiu.

After losing Tao Ruoqing and the bridge provided by the Ye family, Qi Xin and Ye Zhiqiu seemed to have no connection left.

His calls had long been blocked, and whenever he called other numbers, he would be hung up on immediately upon hearing his voice. He wandered back and forth in front of Ye Zhiqiu’s residence and company, being driven away time and again...

Even the Q.L side reported him to the police, preventing him from approaching the company gates, leaving him to watch from afar.

As the days passed, the engagement date agreed upon by Qi Ruichang and the Jiang family drew nearer, making Qi Xin increasingly anxious.

At the same time, Zhou Lang’s return date was also approaching.

The urgency of time put immense pressure on some people. After the initial two days, the number of emails in the mailbox started to increase again.

Evidence and materials related to the abuse began to emerge, gradually becoming more detailed and decisive.

However, whether in images or videos, all identifying physical features of the victims were blurred out.

"From my understanding," in the study, Ye Zhiqiu and Qin Jianhe leaned in close to check the emails, "they want to bring Zhou Lang to justice, but they fear the strange looks they might receive if the matter becomes public."

This matter involved the victims' reputation and privacy.

Therefore, throughout the process, they did not delegate the task to anyone else.

Everything was handled personally by Qin Jianhe and Ye Zhiqiu.

Most of these people came from ordinary families, with no power or influence.

Among them, some were newly married, some had families and children, and some perhaps had loving boyfriends...

Once exposed, they might lose everything they had.

Even though, in this matter, the fault was not theirs.

"When is Zhou Lang coming back tomorrow?" Ye Zhiqiu asked Qin Jianhe.

"Before noon," Qin Jianhe’s gaze fixed on the screen. "But tomorrow is Uncle Meng’s birthday, so we won’t be at the company when he returns."

Outside, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled, heavy rain pelted against the window glass, making the room seem particularly quiet.

"I suspect they were too agitated at the time and didn’t fully understand the conditions you proposed, or perhaps they need another assurance from you," Ye Zhiqiu mused for a moment. "Shall I send them an email to try?"

"Sure." Qin Jianhe pushed his laptop over, watching as Ye Zhiqiu clicked to reply and a blank editing page popped up, then placed his hand on the keyboard.

Before typing, Ye Zhiqiu turned to him seriously, "Are you sure you can fulfill the assurances you made to them?"

Qin Jianhe had made assurances to all the female employees who were victims in this matter.

He promised that during the entire case, he would not disclose their identities to the outside world and would not expose any of their private information.

"Yes," Qin Jianhe responded softly. "I’ve consulted with the legal team and the police. Throughout the process, the privacy of the victims will be strictly protected, including in the police announcements and court proceedings, where any mention of the victims’ identities will be avoided, and we will apply for a closed-door trial."

Amidst the sound of raindrops hitting the window, the tapping of the laptop keys could be heard.

Soon, Ye Zhiqiu finished writing the email and hit the send button.

At the same time, Qi Xin was waiting at the entrance of Ye Zhiqiu’s neighborhood again.

Lightning flashed and thunder roared, the rain outside was as large as soybeans.

The sudden storm caught Qi Xin unprepared, and without an umbrella, his thin body swayed in the wind and rain, almost collapsing.

Even though he had always looked down on Qi Xin and couldn't understand him, after so many days of watching Qi Xin wait for Ye Zhiqiu in the wind and rain, the young man in the security room couldn't help but feel a softness in his heart.

He hesitated for a moment, then finally sighed heavily and stood up.

Taking an umbrella from behind the door, the young man walked out with it open.

"Hey," the young man extended the umbrella to shield Qi Xin from the rain, "Ye Zhiqiu does live here, but recently, he's been staying at the neighboring complex. At this hour, he should already be resting at home. If you want to wait, why not try your luck at the entrance of the neighboring complex tomorrow morning?"

It was mid-summer, and the rain wasn't cold, but Qi Xin's lips were blue and black, looking quite frightening.

"How about," the young man said, "you go home and rest tonight?"

Qi Xin waved his hand and silently walked towards the neighboring complex.

The young man took a few steps to catch up, "How about you take this umbrella?"

Qi Xin hesitated for a moment but ultimately shook his head.

Ye Zhiqiu was actually quite soft-hearted; what if he got lucky and met him tonight? When he saw him standing in the heavy rain, looking so pitiful and disheveled, he might consider giving him a chance to explain.

The night was deep, and dark clouds hung low in the sky. The young man looked up at the dense raindrops and couldn't help but sigh again.

"This rain is really heavy." Ye Zhiqiu raised his hand to warm the hot milk that Qin Jianhe handed him, his eyes slowly curving into a smile.

A ding sounded, signaling a new email. Both of them leaned over to the computer.

The email had several secret copies, but only one reply.

This time, the sender no longer hid their identity, not just her, but none of them did.

The content of the email was simple, only a few lines.

"Hello, Mr. Qin, I am Wang Rong.

In fact, at this moment, I am with several sisters who have suffered similar harm.

Tomorrow, when Zhou Lang returns, we are deeply anxious and uncertain, but it is your email that has given us the courage to take this step.

My colleagues and I have decided to file a report at the police station shortly.

Someone has kept substantial evidence, which we will provide as well.

..."

"They are together," Ye Zhiqiu said.

"Wang Rong?" Qin Jianhe took out his phone and dialed Wang Rong's number directly.

The call connected quickly, and Qin Jianhe's deep voice sounded particularly reliable.

"Give me the address, I'll come over right away and accompany you to the police station," he said.

The other end responded with something, and Qin Jianhe replied, "Alright, I'll make sure everything is arranged on my end. Be careful on your way there, and I'll be there soon."

"What's going on?" Ye Zhiqiu asked, concern in his eyes, once Qin Jianhe hung up.

"They're at the café across from the police station near the company," Qin Jianhe said, smiling slightly. "They've made up their minds and don't want to wait any longer; they're going now."

Hearing this, Ye Zhiqiu also smiled, feeling a weight lift from his chest.

Qin Jianhe lowered his head and first called Uncle Li to drive over, then dialed the city police chief.

The chief was an old friend of Nie Fengjun and could be relied upon to some extent.

The call took a while to connect, and Qin Jianhe first greeted him as Uncle Wang, then briefly recounted the main events.

"Yes," Qin Jianhe said, "it involves the reputation and privacy of several female colleagues, so we must be extra cautious. Thank you, Uncle."

After hanging up, the two went downstairs. Qin Jianhe took a large umbrella and walked with Ye Zhiqiu towards the entrance of the complex.

They were also eager to get there, anxious to see what would happen.

The heavy rain splashed down, creating a curtain of water mist in front of them. The complex seemed quieter than ever, with not a soul in sight.

Qin Jianhe tilted the umbrella slightly, one arm holding Ye Zhiqiu tightly.

Neither of them spoke, but their moods, which had been extremely tense after days of sorting through evidence and documents, finally became light.

Especially Ye Zhiqiu.

There was almost no doubt that Zhou Lang would be brought to justice this time, and it was at least nine years earlier than in the previous life.

Nine years...

Ye Zhiqiu thought silently, how many people would avoid being harmed by Zhou Lang, and how many lives would be changed.

He took a deep breath and couldn't resist leaning over to kiss Qin Jianhe's cheek.

The night was cool, and Qin Jianhe's cheek was also cool, like the texture of jade when his lips touched it.

Ye Zhiqiu glanced sideways, suppressing his heart, which was pounding with excitement, his eyes slightly curved.

As they approached the gate, the car lights flashed in the distance, and Qin Jianhe paused his movement to lean down.

"Uncle Li is here," he said.

Then, the arm around Ye Zhiqiu's waist tightened, pulling him closer.

"Just a moment," he whispered, "we'll go to the car."

The rain poured down in torrents, sliding along the strands of Qi Xin's hair, blurring his vision and making him feel as if he were drowning, unable to breathe.

He stood in the rain, watching a luxury car pull up outside the gate, his mind sluggishly converting the vehicle into Renminbi.

One car was enough to pay off all his family’s debts, enough to change their fate.

He felt resentment and injustice, but an even greater despair soon followed.

In this world, there were always people who lived so well, capable of turning the tide with just one hand.

But why, despite using all his strength and luck, did he still end up in such a desperate situation?

Qi Xin stood in the dark corner, dazed, until the car flashed its lights, snapping him back to reality.

As he turned his head, a large black umbrella appeared behind the tightly closed gates of the residential complex.

Under the umbrella, two figures were closely embracing.

From a distance, he couldn’t see their faces, but their posture alone suggested they were deeply in love.

Qi Xin’s heart ached even more, and he subconsciously thought of Ye Zhiqiu.

If only the people under that umbrella were him and Ye Zhiqiu.

Lost in thought, the two figures drew closer and closer...

And Qi Xin’s eyes grew wider and wider.

Because the figure on the left, wearing a white shirt, seemed strangely familiar to him.

Shock, confusion, fear, terror... countless emotions swirled in his eyes.

Qi Xin raised his hand, wiping the rain from his face, trying to see more clearly.

The distance wasn’t far, and soon the large black umbrella reached the gate.

Under the dim yellow streetlight, Ye Zhiqiu’s eyebrows were slightly curved as he leaned his head to speak to the other person under the umbrella.

The tip of the umbrella tilted slightly toward Ye Zhiqiu, and Qi Xin couldn’t see the face of the other person, only noticing his extremely long legs and a black shirt casually tucked into his dress pants, outlining a lean waist.

One of his hands was tightly around Ye Zhiqiu’s waist.

The hand had distinct knuckles, and a silver ring adorned the little finger, exuding an inexplicably noble aura.

After thinking about him for so long, the person finally appeared before him, yet at this moment, Qi Xin was inexplicably rooted to the spot, as if he dared not move.

Because at this moment, the smile on Ye Zhiqiu’s face was so warm and gentle, so natural and sweet.

It was an expression and a smile he had never seen on his face before.

That smile was so bright, it seemed to pierce through the dark rainy night.

Seemingly noticing the intimate figures, the car parked diagonally at the gate suddenly opened its front door, and the driver stepped out with an umbrella.

Ye Zhiqiu waved familiarly at the driver, and upon seeing this, the driver smiled and returned to the driver’s seat.

The rear door of the car was opened, and the slightly tilted umbrella finally straightened. The man in black used the umbrella to completely block the car door, raising his hand to protect Ye Zhiqiu’s head as he helped him into the car.

At this moment, Qi Xin finally saw the man’s face clearly.

He was a legendary figure in Qi Xin’s life, someone he could never reach, a god-like presence in the eyes of small businesspeople like him.

But at this moment, under the dim yellow streetlight in the rain, that chiseled, handsome face didn’t seem as cold and arrogant as it had been in the conference hall.

His eyes held a gentle smile, and he willingly held the umbrella for Ye Zhiqiu, shielding him from the rain, while his own shoulder was stained with dark water marks...

He willingly bent down in front of him.

Qi Xin was stunned, his mouth slightly open, and the rain poured into his mouth, causing him to cough softly.

When he came to his senses, Qin Jianhe had already sat in the car.

He naturally raised his hand to pull down the partition between the front and rear compartments, then leaned over and pulled Ye Zhiqiu into his arms, kissing him passionately.

The car started, its headlights cutting through the rain, and it quickly disappeared into the dark night.

Only now did Qi Xin finally let out a hoarse shout: “Xiao Qiu!”

His lips trembled, and his face was wet with rain or tears, indistinguishable. As if unable to hold on any longer, he staggered a few steps and fell to his knees.