Chapter 70: Main Text End

Chapter 70 End of Main Story

The Nanbin City case was heard in three sessions and concluded within a week.

Song Shimu and Qin Xu spent ten days there, ensuring those who needed to be incarcerated were, and that due compensation was secured. Afterward, they began inspecting the three restructured companies.

Two months prior, Wuyi, Zhonghuai, and Aoxin had abruptly suspended operations, making headlines and causing significant repercussions both then and for the future.

To avoid further decline, sticking to their old ways was clearly no longer an option.

While busy preparing appeal materials two months ago, Song Shimu had also drafted a transformation plan. Now, over two months later, progress was finally showing promising results.

After confirming that everything was moving in a positive direction with no one stirring up trouble, Song Shimu and Qin Xu felt reassured and moved on to inspect other locations.

This inspection tour lasted over a month. Each day involved on-site company visits, reviewing documents, and attending meetings to discuss restructuring proposals. They were so swamped and overwhelmed during the day that they still had to handle projects from headquarters at night.

By the end of it, Song Shimu felt closer to death than life.

The two pounds he had gained from eating nutritious meals were immediately lost, and he shed an additional five pounds.

Finally, after completing all inspections, Song Shimu rushed home to the bathroom, took a shower, and collapsed onto the bed, utterly exhausted. Despite the heating, he was too tired to even pull up a blanket.

Qin Xu mustered a bit of energy to call the housekeeper to prepare a meal. Once the food was ready, he gently roused Song Shimu, carried him to the dining room, and helped feed him.

After eating, the two curled up under the blankets, holding each other, and slept for a full day. The next day, they got ready and went to court for Gu Wenrui’s trial, which was scheduled for that day.

During the trial, they didn’t need to do much. Song Shimu and Qin Xu sat quietly in the plaintiff’s seat.

Across from them, Gu Wenrui stared unabashedly at Song Shimu.

After a full day of rest, Song Shimu still hadn’t recovered his energy. His eyelids were drooping, and he didn’t notice the staring.

Qin Xu, however, had noticed from the beginning. Despite shooting numerous dirty looks, he couldn’t make Gu Wenrui look away. Infuriated, as soon as the trial ended, Qin Xu shielded Song Shimu behind him, not leaving even a corner of his clothing visible to Gu Wenrui.

As Gu Wenrui was handcuffed and led away, he shot Qin Xu a dirty look.

After leaving the court, the two had a meal. Song Shimu wanted to go straight home to rest, but the car headed in the opposite direction. Puzzled, Song Shimu asked, "Aren’t we going home?"

"Going to the company for a meeting," Qin Xu replied.

Slumping in his seat, Song Shimu whined like a child, "I thought we were on break? How is there still work…"

"Just need to sign something. It won’t take long."

"Fine," Song Shimu reluctantly agreed, mainly out of consideration for his boyfriend. Otherwise, he might have jumped out of the moving car on the spot.

At the company, they went straight to the conference room.

It was already full when they entered. Song Shimu looked around and saw that all the shareholders were present.

Suspicious, Song Shimu glanced at Qin Xu. A high-level meeting was no small matter, and being brought in without any prior explanation felt odd. What kind of trick was this?

Assistant Wen had been waiting for them at the door and followed them in. Qin Xu glanced at the contract in Assistant Wen’s hands and asked quietly, "Everything ready?"

Assistant Wen nodded. "Everything is ready."

"Good."

Frowning, Song Shimu scanned the expressions of the shareholders again. He had a strange feeling that he was the only one still kept in the dark.

"Shimu, take your seat," Qin Xu said.

"What are you plotting?" Song Shimu asked.

"You’ll find out soon."

Pursing his lips, Song Shimu sat in his usual seat. Qin Xu stood at the podium, opened a pre-prepared PowerPoint, gave a brief opening statement, and then got straight to the point.

"The main agenda today is to review Song Shimu’s work performance over the past few months and discuss the transfer of position and shares."

Song Shimu’s eyes widened instantly. What did he mean by discussing his performance? And transfer of position and shares? Who was transferring what?

He turned to look at Tan Manjin and Qin Song. Both appeared calm and unsurprised, as if they had known all along.

Scanning the shareholders again, he noticed most were either scrutinizing him or looking on with anticipation.

Song Shimu frowned in dissatisfaction.

"In his first month at the company, Song Shimu primarily focused on familiarizing himself with operations and reviewing projects. The projects he handled showed strong overall revenue. Here are the horizontal and vertical comparisons of each project…"

"In the second month, he began joining project teams, mostly assisting team leaders. The feedback from leaders highlighted his leadership skills, thorough and meticulous problem-solving, and ability to keenly identify and address issues promptly… Here are the current project revenues, which overall rank in the top tier within the company…"

"In the third month, he began leading teams to secure projects. The projects he pursued were challenging yet highly beneficial for the company’s development…"

"In the fourth month, he primarily worked with me to oversee the restructuring of subsidiaries, proposing many innovative reform plans. The results remain to be seen, but progress is already visible at Wuyi, Zhonghuai, and Aoxin in Nanbin City…"

…………

"These are Shimu’s work contributions and achievements over the past few months. Now, let’s review whether these meet the preset targets."

"?" Song Shimu looked puzzled. When were these targets set? From when he became secretary? Or even earlier?

"The most intuitive data is the revenue chart. It clearly shows that the revenue generated during Shimu’s tenure far exceeds the targets. And this was during his time as my secretary. There’s more below…"

…………

"Having seen this, I believe everyone has a clear understanding of Shimu’s capabilities. Today, I propose transferring the position of CEO of Qinfeng Group and all corresponding shares to Song Shimu, allowing him to lead the company toward a brighter future." Qin Xu paused for a moment before continuing:

"Everyone is free to share their opinions and discuss. In five minutes, we’ll vote on whether I should proceed with the transfer."

After speaking, Qin Xu walked over to Assistant Wen to review the contract.

He avoided looking at Song Shimu the entire time because he didn’t dare. Over the past month, every time he hinted at this, the response had been the same: disinterest and accusations of trying to exhaust his boyfriend.

Forcing him into this position now felt unjustified.

But this position had to be given to him—it was decided from the moment his background came to light.

The process had deviated, and so had the outcome.

For example, the original plan was to offer him a vice president position, with promotion based on performance, but Qin Xu had privately suppressed the title.

The initial share reward was only half of Qin Xu’s portion, but given his all-or-nothing attitude, he decided to give everything he could.

Now, he was giving this position and these shares willingly.

"I disagree!" Song Shimu was the first to stand up, looking at Qin Xu with dissatisfaction. "President Qin, this decision is far too rash."

The shareholders, eager for some drama, immediately stopped their murmuring and turned their attention to Song Shimu.

"He has no decision-making power," Qin Xu said.

"How do I not? You made this decision without even asking for my opinion, just forcing me into your position. Well, if I don’t want to work, don’t expect my input either."

"..."

"Secretary Song, the CEO position at Qinfeng is something many people are fighting to get," a shareholder across from Song Shimu reminded with a smile.

"Yes, Secretary Song, everyone wants to advance their careers," another shareholder kindly advised.

"What’s so bad about the CEO position? Why are you so resistant?" a shareholder asked, puzzled.

Song Shimu wasn’t swayed by the shareholders' words and said, "I know myself very well—I’ve got no ambition or drive. If no one is pushing me forward, I won’t move. So, I don’t think I’m suited to lead Qinfeng."

Song Shimu’s words made the shareholders take another look at him. Honestly… they couldn’t see it.

"President Qin has been leading the company for years. His abilities are plain for all to see. I don’t know how many years it would take for me to surpass his achievements. One thing I’m certain of is that his ambition, drive, and leadership experience are way beyond mine."

"So, please vote against the transfer later. Thank you." With that, Song Shimu sat down and shot Qin Xu a dirty look.

Trying to dump your work on me? No way!

Qin Xu, who had long been able to read his thoughts through his eyes, "..."

"Time’s up. Let’s vote now. Raise your hand if you agree to the transfer," Qin Xu said matter-of-factly.

Song Shimu’s sharp eyes swept across the room, and he noticed two or three people actually raising their hands. He made a mental note of their faces.

But the minority yields to the majority—the CEO position and shares remained with Qin Xu.

"It seems everyone disagrees with the transfer," Qin Xu said, scanning the room before his eyes finally landed on Song Shimu. "Then I’ll propose another motion for a vote in five minutes: I will transfer all my shares to Song Shimu, making him the highest authority at Qinfeng, while I continue working at Qinfeng as his proxy."

Song Shimu frowned. What’s the point of this?

"If anyone has questions, feel free to ask. But let me make it clear—I have the deciding vote. Regardless of whether everyone agrees or not, the outcome will be the same."

"..."

Great. The vote is just a formality. The real decision-making power has always been in Qin Xu’s hands.

Song Shimu twitched his lips in exasperation and glanced at Tan Manjin and Qin Song. Both still looked perfectly calm.

Noticing her younger son’s gaze, Tan Manjin raised a hand and pointed to her phone, signaling to check his messages.

Song Shimu turned back and opened his phone, seeing a message notification from Tan Manjin: "Dinner tonight?"

…The fact that the usually cautious Tan Manjin was asking him to dinner at a time like this was proof enough that they had known and accepted this outcome long ago.

Song Shimu pursed his lips, typed a "Sure" on the keyboard, and turned off his phone.

The final outcome of the meeting was that Song Shimu became the highest authority at Qinfeng, and Qin Xu became his proxy.

In a way, it was just as Qin Xu had said—all it took was a signature…

But Song Shimu dug his fingers into the soft flesh at Qin Xu’s waist hard. "You didn’t tell me anything! Shoving things I don’t want down my throat—do you think this kind of behavior is romantic?!"

A vein pulsed on Qin Xu’s forehead as he quickly grabbed Song Shimu’s hand and shoved it into his pocket. "The transfer of shares and position was decided long before you even came home. It was never going to change."

"Decided that early?" Song Shimu raised an eyebrow.

"Mm. I probably never told you, but when I first learned about your background, I never opposed you coming home, and I certainly never disliked you. So the transfer contract was drafted a long time ago. Everything I did later to give you a hard time was because of my memories."

"And this current contract, with me as your proxy, is a win-win solution that respects your wishes."

"…Fine." Song Shimu accepted the explanation and, remembering Tan Manjin’s message from the meeting, said, "Mom wants us to have dinner with them tonight."

"Mm, we’ll rest tonight and go on vacation tomorrow."

Mentioning vacation, Song Shimu suddenly felt as if the clouds had parted and he could see a glimmer of hope for survival. "I finally made it to vacation!!"

Qin Xu chuckled and ruffled Song Shimu’s hair.

That evening, after dinner with his parents and returning to the apartment, Song Shimu took off his coat and headed straight to the bathroom. His energy hadn’t fully recovered yet, and dealing with the shareholders that afternoon had worn him out even more. He couldn’t wait to sink into the warm, soft bed.

Qin Xu shook his head lightly at Song Shimu’s retreating figure, took off his own coat, and hung it on the standing coat rack in the entryway. While he was at it, he tidied up Song Shimu’s coat as well.

While looking for clothes in the walk-in closet, a black gift box on the bottom layer caught Qin Xu’s attention.

Knowing his own habits, such a box would never appear here.

If it wasn’t his, then it must be Shimu’s. Qin Xu naturally opened the lid to help Song Shimu organize, but was drawn to the clothes inside—

On top was a pair of wolf ears, quite furry. In the middle was a shirt with suspenders. Qin Xu put that aside and pulled out the black mesh fabric underneath…

A bathrobe?

Judging by the shape, it should be a bathrobe, but… it’s a bit too sheer, isn’t it?

"Forgot my clothes…" Song Shimu walked in from the doorway, wearing only a shirt. His tie was loosely undone, the top two buttons open, revealing his defined collarbone and a patch of fair chest. The shirt garters on his thighs were still on, the pure black color making his legs look even paler and straighter.

The moment Qin Xu saw Song Shimu, he instantly understood what the clothes in his hands were for.

Just knowing their purpose made Qin Xu’s mouth go dry. Realizing who had bought them set his whole body on fire.

Song Shimu froze when he saw what Qin Xu was holding. How did he find it now?

He had bought it earlier, hoping Qin Xu would find it on his own, but Qin Xu never touched this closet. Later, Song Shimu decided to wait for Qin Xu to make a mistake so he could punish him by making him wear this and play with him.

But now, before he could catch Qin Xu in the wrong, he was the one caught…

"Shimu, did you prepare this?" Qin Xu’s Adam’s apple bobbed as his gaze turned intense and direct in the blink of an eye.

"…" To be honest, he was quite tired now… but they were on vacation tomorrow, so it should be fine.

Besides, if they didn’t do it today, they’d have to wait a month and a half to play!

At that thought, Song Shimu stopped hesitating. He crossed his arms, looking at Qin Xu as if he were a big dog, and said in a commanding tone, "Yes, I prepared it for you. Go change."

Qin Xu walked up to Song Shimu, holding the items, his gaze burning. "It’s my first time seeing this. You’ll have to teach me how to wear it."

Song Shimu smirked and nodded lightly. "Fine, come with me."

…

Late at night, Song Shimu’s legs were trembling as he kicked and cursed, "You bastard! Did you take drugs or something? You…"

Before he could finish, Song Shimu let out a sharp gasp from the intense movements. He regretted it and couldn’t understand—how was this man still so energetic after being so busy for so long?!

Qin Xu grabbed his thrashing, pale ankle and kissed it gently. "What’s wrong?"

Translator's Note: "Shimu" is an honorific denoting the spouse of a mentor or educator. Though conventionally feminine, it serves here as a proper noun to maintain the stylistic integrity of the source material.

"No."

"You bastard! Liar!"

.........

The next day, Song Shimu remained dazed and disoriented throughout the morning. Qin Xu helped him with nearly everything, from washing up to getting dressed. As soon as they boarded the plane, he fell asleep.

By the time he woke up fully, it was already afternoon. Song Shimu stared at the unfamiliar surroundings and asked, "Where are we?"

"Rome," Qin Xu replied, pulling Song Shimu closer and nuzzling him before giving him a light kiss on the lips.

As Qin Xu moved in, Song Shimu was instantly reminded of the unrestrained behavior from the previous night and quickly pulled away, scolding, "No touching if you can't control yourself."

Qin Xu was torn between laughter and exasperation. He pulled Song Shimu tightly into his arms and said, "We're just sleeping today, nothing more."

Song Shimu eyed him suspiciously, slowly leaned in to check, and only relaxed when he confirmed everything was normal. He closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep.

When the man in his arms was breathing steadily, Qin Xu gazed at him affectionately and whispered softly, "Can I ask you to marry me tomorrow?"

"...Mhm..."

A faint murmur, barely audible, which Qin Xu nevertheless caught. He smiled, kissed Song Shimu’s smooth, fair forehead, and whispered,

"I love you."

(End of Story)