Chapter 98

Chapter 98

By the time they left the forest park, it was already evening.

"The forest park was a bit boring..." aside from the ice cream.

Xie Yunshen thought to himself as he checked his phone's notes. "Next is..."

"Dinner," Yan Shiqi chimed in.

"Oh, that's right!"

"It's dinner time now."

"It's getting a bit cold. How about we go for hot pot?"

Xie Yunshen took his hand.

Autumn leaves fell, and two cute squirrels scurried through the grass.

Xie Yunshen specifically chose a hot pot restaurant with a good atmosphere.

"You really love hot pot," Mr. Yan noted, watching him expertly mix the dipping sauce.

"Maybe because I'm an orphan—I used to watch TV dramas and thought the atmosphere of a family eating hot pot together seemed really happy. Later, I often ate it with friends too. Over time, I grew to love it," Xie Yunshen said with a smile.

Yan Shiqi leaned back on the sofa, quietly watching him. His typically straight spine relaxed. He had the natural, strong bearing of someone in power, yet his shoulders and neck softened because of the person before him.

Xie Yunshen continued, "So, last time, when Mr. Yan lied to me about losing his sense of taste, I was really upset and worried. Just thinking about the future, not being able to sit with Mr. Yan while eating hot pot... it felt like losing something."

Mr. Yan had taken off his jacket, wearing a perfectly ironed white shirt. In the rising steam, his face grew a little hazy.

This distance feels a bit far, Xie Yunshen thought. He considered getting up to sit next to him, but eating hot pot involves a certain process and needs a bit of space. Never mind.

"Come here," Mr. Yan suddenly said.

"?" Xie Yunshen was momentarily confused.

Yan Shiqi stood up, walked over to his sofa, and sat down beside him.

Xie Yunshen felt a tender affection and secret delight, yet he feigned ignorance: "Mr. Yan, sitting so close to me will make it harder for me to serve you."

"I'm not used to having things between us," Yan Shiqi said frankly.

Xie Yunshen looked at him, his eyes smiling. Sometimes he wondered if Mr. Yan could read minds.

How else could he always know what he was thinking? He always made their interactions so comfortable.

"The meat is getting overcooked," Mr. Yan reminded him.

Xie Yunshen quickly snapped back to attention and fished out the meat.

Indeed, eating hot pot with Mr. Yan was the happiest thing. Xie Yunshen felt that happiness once more.

"Not very nice, is it, Xiao Shen? Eating hot pot without inviting me?" A clear, bright voice rang out from behind.

Xie Yunshen looked up with a sense of foreboding, his face instantly showing a speechless expression. What was this day?

The newcomer wore a camel-colored fall trench coat and black wool straight-leg pants. He was tall and well-built, with black hair, a side-parted fringe, and dashing features.

He placed a hand on Xie Yunshen's shoulder with a somewhat hurt, bitter smile. "Hey? What's with that look? You haven't forgotten me, have you?"

"Just my luck, running into you," Xie Yunshen said, shaking off the hand on his shoulder.

"You should say 'what a coincidence,' dummy."

"'Coincidence' is used for good things," Xie Yunshen retorted coldly.

The other man's gaze shifted from Xie Yunshen to Yan Shiqi, then back to Xie Yunshen's face. "Oh, you... you're still so... hopeless when it comes to emotional intelligence. At least introduce me to your new friend."

As he spoke, he extended a hand toward Yan Shiqi. "Hello..."

"Who do you think you are?" Xie Yunshen mercilessly slapped his hand away, then turned to Yan Shiqi and said softly, "Mr. Yan, let's go to another restaurant."

He started to get up.

Yan Shiqi placed a hand on his shoulder. "Why leave? If you don't like him, make him leave."

Xie Yunshen had no choice but to sit back down.

At the same time, he felt immense admiration—as expected of Mr. Yan, still so domineering.

"It's fine. We just had a bit of a misunderstanding back then and had a falling out. He's always been like this. Let me reintroduce myself. I'm this guy's old buddy from school and now a colleague. My surname is Pang, Pang Hairu..." Pang Hairu extended his hand again.

Yan Shiqi glanced briefly at the offered hand, his expression cold. "It's clear he dislikes you. Please leave with some dignity."

The man glanced at the interaction between the two, giving an incredulous smile. "No way... it's not the kind of relationship I'm thinking of, is it? I've only been abroad a few years, and Xie Yunshen has changed this much?"

"Get lost," Xie Yunshen said.

The man looked at Xie Yunshen with an expression of helpless apology, silent for a moment. "Alright, I must have misunderstood. You used to be the most afraid of being harassed by homosexuals."

At that moment, Yan Shiqi took out his phone and dialed a number, his tone cold. "Harbin Shopping Mall, Building C, third floor, the chain hot pot restaurant. Come immediately."

"Sorry, I own half the shares in this hot pot chain. Do you think you can make me leave?"

Pang Hairu sat down opposite them without any courtesy, smiling at Yan Shiqi. "Although you don't seem bad either, this is my turf. You can't exactly dominate everything here, can you?"

Yan Shiqi looked at the hot pot restaurant's logo on the wall. "Is that so? An international hot pot chain, half the shares. That's indeed not simple."

"Mr. Yan, don't talk to him anymore!" Xie Yunshen suddenly turned his face toward Yan Shiqi.

This tone, carrying an unusual intimacy, made the other two men freeze simultaneously.

It sounded both like a plea and a command, carrying helplessness and a faint trace of annoyance. It seemed so urgent, yet it was like throwing out the warmest, softest part of his heart and smearing it all over Mr. Yan's face.

With that one sentence, Mr. Yan was already placed in an utterly unbeatable position.

Yan Shiqi chuckled lightly. "Alright, I won't say anymore."

He was thoroughly enjoying this.

Pang Hairu was stunned for a moment, frowning in disbelief. He looked up at the ceiling, blinking repeatedly, as if his understanding had been overturned. It took him a while to say, "...My god, even Xie Yunshen would..."

"I'm telling you, get lost now. What does half the shares matter? I'm the customer here," Xie Yunshen said mercilessly.

"Fine, I'll go. But can I say one thing?" Pang Hairu conceded.

Xie Yunshen looked at the hot pot with an impatient expression. This guy made him overcook the meat again.

Pang Hairu took a business card from his pocket and placed it on the table. "I was in the wrong back then. Remember to call me."

"Screw you." Xie Yunshen didn't hesitate to huff, blowing the card onto the floor.

Pang Hairu stiffened for a second, then laughed. "You really... haven't changed a bit."

Suddenly, he looked up and met another gaze.

It fell on him like a knife, coming from the man beside Xie Yunshen.

This made Pang Hairu's smile freeze.

His gaze shifted, and he suddenly realized something, looking at Xie Yunshen. "You're not really with a man, are you..."

"What's it to you? We haven't been friends for ages," Xie Yunshen said coldly.

The steam from the hot pot billowed out, the atmosphere becoming instantly tense.

Pang Hairu put one hand in his trouser pocket with a self-mocking smile. "No wonder you disappeared for a few years. I was quite worried about you. So even Xie Yunshen, who was never tempted by money, would end up like this. To be honest, if you're choosing this path, at least aim higher. Like the crown prince of Country J, or that media mogul from before?"

Two men walked in from outside, their eyes scanning the restaurant before heading toward Yan Shiqi. "Mr. Yan."

Pang Hairu recognized one of them—the regional manager for Cloud Banner's malls in City D.

When he returned to the country, due to a collaboration, he had been introduced and had a meal with this manager. The man seemed outwardly approachable, but deep down, he carried an air of superiority.

Now, however, the man looked at Yan Shiqi with a respectful and cautious attitude.

"Chairman, I happened to be nearby. I didn't expect you to be dining here, so I rushed over. Is there anything you need?"

Yan Shiqi glanced at Pang Hairu. "Put him on the mall's blacklist. Also, from now on, Cloud Banner's malls are not allowed to cooperate with him, even if it means paying breach-of-contract penalties."

The regional manager nodded, his expression turning icy as he turned to Pang Hairu. "Mr. Pang, please leave. Cloud Banner's malls will no longer cooperate with your side. Regarding the next steps, I will personally visit your headquarters tomorrow to discuss the details."

Pang Hairu's face stiffened. From the manager's words, he could guess that this man was the chairman of the fast-growing Cloud Banner Group, and Seaview Mall was also his.

It was also his fault for having just returned and not looking into the situation in City D over the past two years, which led to him hitting a wall...

"If that's how it is, I'll leave on my own." Before leaving, as if unwilling to give up, he turned to look at Xie Yunshen and sighed. "Xiao Shen, if you're in trouble, you can always come to me. We can still be friends."

"Mr. Pang," Yan Shiqi suddenly spoke up.

"What is it, Chairman Yan?" Pang Hairu also looked at Yan Shiqi, his tone cold.

Mr. Yan rested his right arm on the edge of the table, looking at him calmly. "The 'Yun' in Cloud Banner is Xie Yunshen's 'Yun.' His only trouble will be the problem of having more money than he can spend."

Pang Hairu stood there in shock, unable to recover for a long time. Subconsciously, he glanced at the hot pot restaurant's logo—the large characters "Hai Yun" now felt somewhat ironic.

Cloud Banner...

Hai Yun...

Pang Hairu walked out of the hot pot restaurant.

Xie Yunshen, disgusted, put the overcooked meat into his mouth and chewed aggressively. "Damn it, and I said this restaurant's flavor was really good. Turns out it's Pang Hairu's place!"

The bill was already paid; he couldn't just not eat and give that guy the satisfaction.

Yan Shiqi watched him with amusement. "Eat slowly."

Suddenly, Xie Yunshen remembered something and stopped chewing, forcing the meat down his throat.

"Mr. Yan, was what you said just now true?"

"What?"

"Is the 'Yun' in Cloud Banner really me?" Xie Yunshen was completely slow on the uptake.

"Who else could it be but you?" Yan Shiqi looked at him matter-of-factly, picking up a piece of meat from his bowl.

This was all the meat Xie Yunshen had re-cooked for him. The pile of overcooked meat was heaped on his own plate.

Xie Yunshen stood there in disbelief, his heart racing wildly. Such a large group was actually named with his name at the start.

He really almost cried.

"Mr. Yan, do you love me too much?" Xie Yunshen started rubbing his head against Yan Shiqi's chest again, not forgetting to wipe the corner of his mouth with a tissue to avoid dirtying Mr. Yan's white shirt.

As expected, he felt Mr. Yan put down his chopsticks and rub his head with his palm. Xie Yunshen wrapped his arms around Yan Shiqi's waist, smiling contentedly.

Meanwhile, Pang Hairu looked up information on Cloud Banner Group and came across previous news.

"Yan Shiqi Offers Huge Reward to Find Younger Brother"

Pang Hairu clicked to see the details, unable to hide the surprise in his eyes.

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Author's Note: Don't worry, Pang is just a guy with feelings beyond friendship who is jealous of Xie—a twisted man who adds seasoning to the couple's relationship. That's right, the people who appear around Xie Yunshen are basically all seasoning for the couple. [Owl]