The Moment I Locked Eyes with Him

In winter, daylight was short.
By the time Ye Zhiqiu left VIA, the sky outside was already dark.
He started the car but did not head home.
Instead, he drove towards the central business district.
The car passed through streets of neon lights and revelry.
It finally stopped in front of a relatively low-key shop.
Ye Zhiqiu got out of the car.
He paid no mind to the surrounding extravagance and walked into the shop.

At the same time, in a private, reservation-only bar above the shop, Yu Renzhi was by the window on a phone call.
“Holy shit, you’re really not going tomorrow?” Yu Renzhi asked, incredulous.
“Your Q.L. is the main investor!”
“Most of the film’s costumes are from your company’s designers.”
“And now you’re telling me you’re not going?”
The person on the other end said nothing.
Only the occasional sound of keyboard typing came through.
“No way?” Yu Renzhi caught on.
“Last time was my fault, I shouldn’t have randomly brought outsiders to our private gathering.”
After saying this, he couldn’t help but defend himself.
“It’s just that Jiang Nan came begging me.”
“And besides, his family has always maintained cooperation with other brands under your Qin Group.”
“His father and your dad are old acquaintances.”
“I thought it would be fine.”
“Who knew he’d say those inappropriate things.”
Under the Qin Group, besides Q.L., there were several mid-range brands targeting the mass market.
However, Qin Jianhe had fully delegated authority to professional brand managers.
Unless under special circumstances, he generally would not appear or intervene, including in the selection of their partners.
But Yu Renzhi had still guessed wrong.
Qin Jianhe’s dislike for Jiang Nan was not solely because of what he said that day.
It was because he had tried to wash himself clean and appear virtuous by casually smearing and belittling someone else.
“I promise,” Yu Renzhi was still saying.
“I won’t bring him again in the future.”
“Alright? Xiao Yu…”
“Holy shit!”
Yu Renzhi’s voice suddenly changed.
Along with a thump, he had probably hit his head somewhere.
“Quick, quick, quick, guess who I see!”
Qin Jianhe stopped his typing and hung up the phone expressionlessly.

At the same time, messages started popping up one after another in the group chat.
[Yu Renzhi: Shit, I see the little beauty! Image.jpg]
[Yu Renzhi: The little beauty went into the drone specialty store downstairs.]
[Wang Qitang: His name is Ye Zhiqiu.]
[Yu Renzhi: So what if I call him little beauty? Xiao Yu, how’s the little beauty’s onboarding process going?]
[…]

The phone kept vibrating, even more annoying than Yu Renzhi’s voice.
Qin Jianhe tapped the screen, intending to mute the notifications.
But his eyes fell on the photo of Ye Zhiqiu that Yu Renzhi had just sent.
The photo was taken from a high angle.
Usually, this perspective would diminish the subject’s physical advantages.
But in this photo, the young man’s figure was still tall, straight, and elegant.
The beige cashmere coat and light camel-colored scarf gave him a very different feeling from that night at the club.
He carried an air of steady, quiet scholarly refinement.
He hadn’t intended to participate.
But for some reason, Qin Jianhe still replied to Yu Renzhi.
[Qin Jianhe: He went to VIA.]
[Yu Renzhi: …What? Say that again?]
[Wang Qitang: …]
[…]

At the same time, Ye Zhiqiu had finally selected a drone model.
He had never played with one before and wasn’t familiar with drones.
But fortunately, his goal was quite clear.
In the end, on the shop owner’s recommendation, he chose a micro-drone, only about half the size of a palm.
It was simple to operate, and its functions were sufficient for his needs.

The car radio was playing.
An old song flowed gently through the small space like water.
Ye Zhiqiu liked this environment and feeling.
It made him feel relaxed and safe, so he drove slowly.

When he got home, only Tao Ruoqing was still in the living room, knitting.
The light fell on her profile, making her look as gentle and virtuous as ever.
Hearing the noise, she raised her eyes with a smile.
“It got colder today.”
“I specifically had Auntie Zhao make chicken soup.”
“Go wash your hands and have a bowl of soup to warm up.”
“Hmm,” Ye Zhiqiu responded, taking off his scarf and then his coat.
“I noticed you seem a bit more sensitive to the cold lately,” Tao Ruoqing said.
“I went out this afternoon and bought some yarn.”
“I’m knitting a scarf for you and your brother.”
Ye Zhiqiu didn’t say anything, but the smile at his brow was utterly natural.
As usual, he tossed his coat carelessly onto a corner of the sofa and went to wash his hands.

When he came out of the bathroom, Auntie Zhao had already placed a bowl of fragrant chicken soup and two side dishes on the dining table.
These days since his rebirth, Ye Zhiqiu had been unprecedentedly busy.
Consequently, his appetite had been larger than usual.
A bowl of soup, two dishes, and half a bowl of rice were all cleaned up by him in no time.
With a full stomach, he gradually warmed up.

Seeing him put down his utensils, Tao Ruoqing patted the spot beside her.
“Come, keep your mom company for a chat,” she smiled.
“Xia Xia is joining the crew tomorrow.”
“Your brother is busy, and your dad…”
If it were before, by this point in the conversation, Ye Zhiqiu would, nine times out of ten, speak up for Tao Ruoqing.
Sometimes it would even spark conflict between him and his father, Ye Hongxian.
But today, Ye Zhiqiu just watched her quietly and intently, saying nothing.
Tao Ruoqing paused, her smile turning somewhat bitter.
“Mom gets a bit lonely at home alone sometimes.”
“Weren’t you always playing mahjong with Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Li before?” Ye Zhiqiu pulled the barely-started scarf from her hands.
“My company has plenty of scarves.”
“I’ll bring a few back later.”
“Why bother knitting them yourself?”
“Ah, they all play for high stakes.”
“How could Mom bear to spend like that now?” Tao Ruoqing laughed.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she said, “Your brother mentioned today that your car will be ready for pickup tomorrow.”
Tao Ruoqing was very skilled with words, building her points layer by layer.
“The Mom who can’t afford to play mahjong” and “the extravagant, wasteful son” naturally took shape in her narrative.
Yet she showed not a hint of resentment, instead appearing exceptionally gentle.
If it were the past, Ye Zhiqiu would already be moved and remorseful.
His trust in her and affection for her would deepen.
But today, he just puckered his nose playfully.
“That’s why I didn’t ask for the eight-hundred-thousand car.”
“I only picked the two-hundred-fifty-thousand one,” he said.
His face wore a slightly naive expression that seemed to say, “Quick, praise me for being sensible and good.”
Tao Ruoqing: “…”
Tao Ruoqing: “That’s exactly why Mom says you’re more sensible now.”
Ye Zhiqiu smiled contentedly, his eyes curving.
“Then I’ll head upstairs, Mom.”
“I have to go to the factory tomorrow.”
Recently, Qi Xin had been constantly complaining to her.
Tao Ruoqing actually wanted very much to probe Ye Zhiqiu’s true thoughts.
But after consideration, she held back.
Impatience in small matters can ruin big plans.
Now was not the time.
Listening to the sound of Ye Zhiqiu’s footsteps joyfully receding up the stairs, the smile on her face gradually faded.

Ye Zhixia was joining the crew early the next morning.
At the first light of dawn, the courtyard was already bustling.
Both Tao Ruoqing and Ye Hongxian were there.
Uncle Wang had gone to the distant wholesale vegetable market early to buy Ye Zhixia’s favorite fresh cherries.
Each one was large, plump, and crimson red.
Even watching from a distance by the window, one could imagine how sweet they were.
Ye Zhiqiu stood behind the curtains.
He did not go down to see Ye Zhixia off.
Only after everything below had gone completely quiet did he wash up and go downstairs.

The factory wasn’t actually far.
But at this hour in the morning, there was hardly a road that wasn’t congested.
By the time Ye Zhiqiu arrived, it was already past nine o’clock.
The person who received him was a middle-aged man.
As Sun Wei had said, upon learning he was from VIA, the other’s attitude immediately became perfunctory.
“What’s your surname?” Ye Zhiqiu asked casually, making conversation.
“Just call me Brother Zhang,” the middle-aged man said, not standing on ceremony.
“Brother Zhang,” Ye Zhiqiu replied with a smile.
The young man was good-looking and polite.
Even if initially impatient, Brother Zhang’s attitude softened slightly.
“New here?” he asked.
“Haven’t seen you before.”
“Hmm,” Ye Zhiqiu nodded.
“Still in school, just getting some experience.”
Brother Zhang glanced at him, lit a cigarette, and turned to lead him toward the warehouse.
Then he asked, “Do you smoke, kid?”
“Hmm,” Ye Zhiqiu nodded.
“I do.”
Brother Zhang took a cigarette from his own pack and tossed it, along with a lighter, over to him.
Ye Zhiqiu caught them, lowered his head familiarly to light it, and took a deep drag.
Pale gray smoke instantly spread in the winter sunlight.
In the later years of his previous life, Ye Zhiqiu had a heavy smoking habit.
Cigarettes had almost become the last pillar of his life, barely propping up his near-collapsed mental state.
Although he was still very young now and hadn’t seriously smoked more than a few cigarettes, he performed this set of actions with practiced ease.
“Not bad,” Brother Zhang clicked his tongue.
While they were talking, the factory gate suddenly swung open wide.
A black Bentley slowly drove in.
Ye Zhiqiu: “…”
His own car had been stopped by the security guard at the gate.
Thinking about it, it wasn’t strange.
The car he was driving now was an old one discarded by Ye Zheng after his student days.
Although it might have been worth three or four hundred thousand back then, the model was outdated by now.
Naturally, it couldn’t compare to a big Bentley.
“Oh, the person I was waiting for is here,” Brother Zhang’s expression suddenly turned serious.
His posture even straightened noticeably.
“You go to the warehouse by yourself in a moment.”
“There are people there.”
“Show them who you are, and they’ll take you to see that batch of fabric.”
Ye Zhiqiu: “…”
As they spoke, the black Bentley had already pulled up nearby.
Before the driver could get out, Brother Zhang immediately stubbed out his cigarette and hurried forward to open the rear door himself.
Accompanied by a deep, pleasant voice saying “thank you,” a pair of polished black leather shoes touched the ground.
A tall, strikingly handsome man bent slightly as he stepped out of the car.
“P-President Qin…” Brother Zhang’s attitude was the complete opposite of how he had treated Ye Zhiqiu.
He was all bows and deference, fawning intensely.
“I didn’t expect you to come personally today.”
It was Qin Jianhe.
In the fashion industry, no one did not know Qin Jianhe.
Ye Zhiqiu naturally knew as well.
But this was the first time in either of his lives that he had seen Qin Jianhe in person.
The man seemed extremely low-key.
In his previous life, even photos of him were rarely circulated.
Ye Zhiqiu had only seen his picture once, during a major scandal involving Jiang Nan.
He still remembered that news report very clearly.
Jiang Nan, hopelessly infatuated with Qin Jianhe, secretly drugged Qin Jianhe’s drink with a powerful aphrodisiac.
He had also arranged for a large number of reporters to wait outside the door to capture him and Qin Jianhe in an intimate situation.
According to the reports, the drug was very potent.
Anyone who ingested it would succumb.
But Jiang Nan still failed.
When the reporters outside broke in, Jiang Nan was indeed naked.
But Qin Jianhe’s clothes were still neatly in place.
His expression was cold, ruthless, and filled with fury.
His dark eyes burned like raging flames.
He had one hand tightly clamped around Jiang Nan’s neck.
Jiang Nan’s face was flushed crimson, his pupils already beginning to dilate unconsciously.
If it weren’t for the reporters he had arranged, he probably would have been strangled to death by Qin Jianhe on that large bed that very night.
But likewise, because of the timely arrival of the reporters, Jiang Nan’s reputation was utterly destroyed.
Because in the photos, Qin Jianhe’s other hand was completely pierced by broken glass from a bottle.
Blood dripped freely, soaking through the white bedsheet, a horrifying sight.
Based on the fragments of details that emerged during the later trial proceedings, Qin Jianhe had plunged that glass into his own hand to maintain his clarity of mind.
He was a hardcore, ruthless figure—a truly formidable individual.
These past events cycled through his mind in an instant.
By the time he regained his focus, Ye Zhiqiu realized his gaze had been fixed on Qin Jianhe the entire time.
And now, perhaps annoyed by his stare, the other’s cold, impassive gaze finally swept toward him.
In an instant, their eyes met.