I Threw Away the Hangover Medicine He Gave Me

Back in his room, Ye Zhiqiu locked the door.

He poured himself a glass of water, sat down at his desk, and began carefully reviewing the two emails Zhang Mian had forwarded him that day.

He opened the first one first.

Based on the forwarding information, the first email was from yesterday, sent by Wang Qitang himself.

After quite a long period of hesitation, just before the Spring Festival, Wang Qitang had finally made up his mind.

And once he decided, he acted with great urgency.

Although the wording in the email was very restrained, Ye Zhiqiu could immediately sense the intense emotion within.

He was eager, and he was worried this project might go to someone else.

Wang Qitang’s change in attitude was too significant, too obvious. Holding the mouse, Ye Zhiqiu thought for a moment, guessing that either he had received guidance from an expert, or he had somehow glimpsed an early opportunity within the industry.

New Power had a professional R&D center.

Although over the years its main business had focused on engines and related fields, with many partners adding new energy vehicle operations, logically speaking, New Power’s R&D work in this area should have started long ago.

In his past life, Ye Zhiqiu remembered that Wang Qitang’s spouse’s family was in the battery cathode business.

However, he hadn’t particularly paid attention to how far New Power ultimately developed in the new energy battery sector.

To be precise, it probably wasn’t especially outstanding, which was why it had never entered his field of vision.

So even if New Power had already started R&D, they were likely still following the same old path as existing market products.

He understood why Wang Qitang valued the Yunkai project so much. After all, Yunkai offered him a new direction, a completely fresh path.

He also understood why Wang Qitang had hesitated for so long before deciding.

Ultimately, it was because Yunkai’s infrastructure was almost laughable compared to formal large companies like New Power.

Even if New Power suspected them of trying to pull off a “something-for-nothing” scheme, it would be completely justified.

Because that was essentially what it was.

They lacked capital, lacked the corresponding research personnel and equipment, yet they wanted to split the profits equally with New Power.

That alone meant they were taking full advantage.

But there was no other way.

While they were taking advantage, they also possessed the plan that could save the most money and generate the most profit—the best possible path for the future development of the new energy battery industry.

That was why the sender of this email wasn’t some ordinary staff member from New Power’s R&D center, but Wang Qitang himself.

Wang Qitang’s management style followed his father’s tradition: placing equal importance on stability and innovation.

Because of this, Ye Zhiqiu had also prepared a backup plan earlier.

If New Power still couldn’t make a decision before the New Year, he would abandon cooperation with them and instead work with Mind Times, the largest domestic new energy battery manufacturer.

Mind Times controlled a full thirty percent of the global battery market. Their market share and industry status were currently unmatched.

As a result, they had much richer experience in related industries than ordinary companies, and their research directions were more diverse.

The reason he hadn’t approached Mind Times from the start was entirely because of his concern that, given their near-monopolistic position in the battery industry, if negotiations failed they might use various means to suppress their proposal.

After all, no matter how promising the future profits might look, if approaching them resulted in malicious suppression from Mind Times, most players in the market would likely back away.

That would leave them in an extremely passive position.

Therefore, his first choice was still New Power, which was urgently undergoing transformation, with Mind Times only as the backup option.

Now that New Power had even sent a contract, Ye Zhiqiu’s previously hanging heart finally settled completely.

Having understood the key point, he opened the second email.

The second email had arrived early that morning, sent by New Power’s legal department.

It seemed their legal team hadn’t managed to start their holiday early and had worked overnight to draft this contract.

Ye Zhiqiu smiled faintly, skipped the formal greetings, and directly opened the contract sample attached to the email.

He carefully reviewed the entire contract and found no commercial traps hidden within it.

This showed that the other party was indeed sincere about this cooperation.

Afterward, he called Zhang Mian to discuss the details in the contract that needed modification.

* * * *

After finishing his tasks, Ye Zhiqiu looked out the window.

Dusk had gently settled, and the courtyard had become lively.

Colorful little lights in the garden lit up in large clusters, weaving a brilliant web of light.

Beside the glowing net of lights, Uncle Wang was accompanying Ye Zhixia in setting off fireworks.

“Young master!” Uncle Wang watched nervously as Ye Zhixia lit the fuse. “Don’t burn your hand!”

“It’s New Year’s Eve. Don’t be so negative,” Ye Zhixia complained.

Smoke rose from the fuse. Ye Zhixia covered his ears and ran.

A firework shot into the sky and exploded in the night.

As if summoned, fireworks began rising from every direction, bursting one after another.

The whole world was suddenly illuminated.

At that moment, Ye Zhiqiu finally felt the atmosphere of the New Year.

He leaned against the window, slowly finishing the glass of water that had long since gone cold.

Then he sat down again and, as he always did, placed a blank sheet of paper in front of him and began reviewing the events of the past few days.

Words quickly filled the page.

Ye Zhiqiu paused for a moment, then finally wrote down three words.

Hangover Medicine.

Next to it, he added three more words.

Qin Jianhe.

Since his rebirth, nothing had surprised or delighted him—except Qin Jianhe.

Holding the pen, Ye Zhiqiu pondered for a moment, then turned to glance at his bedside table.

There, the box of hangover medicine, with only one pill missing, sat quietly.

Just like when he had held it the previous night, this box of medicine felt unexpectedly heavy in his heart.

If everything could be reset, if he didn’t have such a tragic past life…

Ye Zhiqiu thought he might actually like Qin Jianhe.

Appearance, family background—both were unquestionably top-tier.

Most importantly, Qin Jianhe was truly a gentleman, completely different from the fake gentleness and attentiveness Qi Xin liked to display.

In the past, with his personality, family status wouldn’t have mattered.

If he disliked someone, he rejected them without hesitation.

But if he liked someone, even across a chasm he would have dared to chase after them and seize the fruit he wanted.

Unfortunately, although he was just as bold this time, from the moment he was reborn he had stopped thinking about matters of the heart.

A little regretful.

So he knew better than anyone that he shouldn’t continue accepting this kind of unconditional kindness from others.

No matter what the other person’s motive might be.

This time, Ye Zhiqiu’s heart was cold.

He could no longer be moved by anyone—even if it was Qin Jianhe.

Ye Zhiqiu lowered his head and slowly tore the page covered in writing into tiny pieces, throwing them into the trash.

Then he stood up, picked up the hangover medicine, hesitated for a moment, and threw it into the trash as well.

It was just a box of hangover medicine.

If he needed it, he could buy it himself.

* * * *

A knock sounded on the door.

Aunt Zhao called him downstairs for dinner.

Ye Zhiqiu went to the bathroom, washed his face, changed into casual clothes, and opened the door.

On New Year’s Eve, the Ye family was rarely so complete.

Ye Hongxian and Ye Zheng were both there.

Aunt Zhao had prepared a table full of dishes.

Together with the festive music playing from the television, the dining room felt especially lively.

“Here.” Tao Ruoqing smiled, pulling out red envelopes and handing them to Ye Zhiqiu and Ye Zhixia. “New Year’s money from Mom and Dad.”

“Thanks.” Ye Zhiqiu accepted them and sat beside Ye Zheng with a smile.

“Another year older,” Ye Hongxian said instructively. “You two should be more sensible from now on. Especially Xiaoqiu…”

Ye Hongxian looked at Ye Zhiqiu.

“You won awards while still in school and now you’ve joined a big company. Dad is proud of you.”

Ignoring Ye Zhixia’s unconvinced expression, Ye Zhiqiu smiled and lowered his head.

His phone vibrated.

He glanced down and saw a message from Qi Xin.

[Qi Xin: Happy New Year, baby.]

He couldn’t help it.

Ye Zhiqiu laughed out loud.

In his previous life, “baby” had been the nickname Qi Xin specially reserved for Jiang Nan.

Now he was using it on him.

Ye Zhiqiu felt truly “flattered.”

[One Leaf Knows Autumn: Happy New Year.]

[Qi Xin: In a couple of days, my dad and I want to come to your place for New Year’s greetings. What day would be convenient for you?]

The corner of Ye Zhiqiu’s mouth lifted slightly.

The smile was exceptionally cold.

If it were truly just a New Year’s visit, and Qi Ruichang was coming as well, this question should have been directed to Tao Ruoqing.

But Qi Xin was asking him.

Clearly, this was meant to be a meeting between both families to further their relationship.

The next step might even be Tao Ruoqing planning their wedding.

[One Leaf Knows Autumn: Isn’t your dad and my mom old classmates? If old classmates want to exchange New Year’s greetings, why do they need to check my schedule?]

[Qi Xin: But now there’s our relationship too. My dad has seen your photo. He especially likes you.]

Like father, like son.

Qi Ruichang might look honest on the surface, but he was even more calculating than Qi Xin.

In his past life, he had done everything he could to use Jiang Nan’s family background to elevate Qiyun.

He had contributed no small effort to maintaining the ambiguous relationship between Qi Xin and Jiang Nan.

As for Ye Zhiqiu, once he lost his usefulness, Qi Ruichang had completely ignored him.

He had even smugly repeated the rumors about Qi Xin in front of him.

As if those rumors were proof of his son’s charm.

Ridiculous.

Snobbish.

Cold.

Utilitarian.

All these traits were perfectly embodied in Qi Ruichang.

“It’s New Year’s Eve. The whole family is together.” Seeing him constantly looking at his phone, Ye Hongxian became displeased again. “What are you staring at your phone for?”

“Nothing important.” Ye Zhiqiu looked up with a smile. “Mom’s old classmate wants to come pay New Year’s respects. He’s asking me what day is convenient.”

“What old classmates does your mom even have?” Ye Hongxian snorted.

He knew Tao Ruoqing hadn’t even graduated from high school.

“Even if she did, he should ask her. What’s he asking you for?”

He paused, then suddenly realized.

“It’s that Qi fellow, isn’t it?”

Ye Zhiqiu smiled, silently acknowledging it.

“No way.” Ye Hongxian immediately rejected the idea.

He didn’t care about Tao Ruoqing’s friends.

He hadn’t cared when she brought Qi Xin to Ye Zhiqiu’s celebration before.

But if this Qi fellow wanted to pursue Ye Zhiqiu, he absolutely would not agree.

No matter how dissatisfied he might be with him, Ye Zhiqiu was still his son.

Even if nothing else mattered, the family background at least had to be acceptable.

Someone like Qi Xin, with his tiny factory doing contract work for cheap goods…

Trying to marry into the Ye family?

Impossible.

“If your classmate wants to pay New Year’s respects, why doesn’t he contact you?” Ye Hongxian turned and snapped at Tao Ruoqing. “What’s he playing at? The kid might not understand, but you’re an adult. Don’t you get it?”

Tao Ruoqing: “…”

“Forget about people like that in the future.” Ye Hongxian’s decision was final.

“Ye Zhiqiu himself has no taste, liking that Qi guy. Why are you yelling at Mom?” Ye Zhixia finally couldn’t stay silent.

Clearly, Ye Hongxian had never liked Ye Zhiqiu before.

The only reason his attitude had changed was because Ye Zhiqiu got into Q.L.

“You really think he can get close to the Qin family’s eldest son?” Ye Zhixia blurted out thoughtlessly. “Ridiculous.”

“Xiao Xia.” Hearing this, Ye Zheng was the first to frown and speak. “Watch your mouth.”

“Brother, weren’t you born from Mom? Why are you taking Ye Zhiqiu’s side?” Ye Zhixia’s anger flared.

“Is there no respect anymore?” Ye Hongxian’s face darkened with rage.

“Ye Zhixia!” Ye Zheng stopped him again, frantically signaling him with his eyes.

But Ye Zhixia had been accumulating resentment for too long. Now that the floodgates had opened, how could they close so easily?

Ye Zhiqiu ate his dinner quietly, watching the table descend into chaos.

Ye Hongxian was furious and threw down his chopsticks on New Year’s Eve.

Only Ye Zhiqiu finished his meal properly. Watching the mess on the table, he elegantly wiped his mouth with a napkin and went upstairs.

* * * *

Back on the third floor, the arguing below was drowned out by the intermittent sounds of fireworks and firecrackers outside.

Ye Zhiqiu took out his tablet, sat in front of his computer, and started sketching.

A month after the Spring Festival, various domestic and international fashion weeks would begin one after another.

Normally, most designers would have already prepared their competition pieces long ago.

This month should have been for final adjustments.

Starting now was actually already late.

But it didn’t matter.

He had absolute confidence in himself.

He believed that once he submitted his work, Meng Da would definitely like it and fight for his qualification to exhibit.

His skills were enough to crush most of Q.L.’s current designers.

Making enemies didn’t matter.

As long as he could seize the opportunity, everything was worth it.

* * * *

Fireworks continued to rise outside the window.

Ye Zhiqiu’s thick lashes lowered slightly as he focused intently.

Perhaps because of the unwarranted disaster that had fallen on her, that night was exceptionally quiet.

Even Tao Ruoqing didn’t come to call him down to stay up together like she usually did.

Ye Zhiqiu sketched quietly until the fireworks outside suddenly exploded on a large scale, and the sound of firecrackers approached like rain from afar.

Only then did his hand pause slightly.

He stood up and opened the window.

As the cold air rushed in, the countdown to the new year from the TV downstairs drifted up.

At the same time, New Year’s greetings flooded in, one after another without stopping.

Ye Zhiqiu looked down and saw Gao Wenye’s name.

After the greetings, he mentioned returning to the film set on the third day of the new year and requested a meeting with Ye Zhiqiu.

“I really like you. I know you have feelings for me too, but you’re afraid of Ye Zhixia, which is why you’re keeping me at a distance. Let’s meet, just once. We can clear up any misunderstandings or concerns face to face.”

Gao Wenye’s words were earnest.

Ye Zhiqiu looked down and began to reply.

“Sorry. While you and Ye Zhixia are filming, I cannot meet you under any circumstances. If you insist, contact me after filming wraps.”

* * * *

Downstairs, the countdown finally ended.

The hosts’ excited, festive voices drifted up.

“Let’s welcome this brand new year together!”

The new year had arrived, Ye Zhiqiu thought.

* * * *

“The new year is here.” Qin Jianhe set down the chess piece and smiled at Nie Yunsong. “Grandpa, let me take you upstairs to rest.”

“I’m old. I don’t sleep much.” Nie Yunsong smiled. “Xiaoyu, come watch the fireworks with your grandpa for a while.”

“Mm.” Qin Jianhe stood, took a down jacket, and helped the old man put it on. Then he looked down and carefully pulled the zipper all the way up. After that, he picked up a knit cap and placed it on the old man’s head.

The knit cap was very soft.

The moment he put it on, he unconsciously thought of Ye Zhiqiu again.

Ye Zhiqiu was also very sensitive to the cold and liked wearing knit caps.

But his hats were much prettier than Nie Yunsong’s senior citizen style.

“What are you thinking about?” Nie Yunsong asked.

His daughter and grandson were both busy. The house was lonely. After retiring, he had moved into Ruiyi’s nursing home.

With nothing to do, he played chess and watered flowers with the other residents. Life was comfortable.

Only on holidays did Nie Fengjun bring him home for a family reunion.

“Nothing.” Qin Jianhe said. “Do you need gloves too?”

“No need.” Nie Yunsong waved his hand. “Just for a moment.”

“You’re going out now?” Nie Fengjun came out of the kitchen as they spoke, drying her hands and reaching for her coat. “I’ll come with you.”

“Stay and watch TV with Uncle Fu,” Qin Jianhe said. “I’ll just take Grandpa outside for a bit. We’ll be right back.”

“Got secrets to discuss?” Nie Fengjun asked with a smile.

“No.” Qin Jianhe bluntly cut off any further questions.

“Alright, alright.” Nie Fengjun laughed. “Go on, then.”

Nie Yunsong smiled and reached for his cane. Seeing this, Qin Jianhe took his arm.

“Don’t need that,” he said. “I’ve got you.”

Nie Yunsong withdrew his hand and patted the back of his grandson’s hand approvingly.

* * * *

The Nie family villa was halfway up the mountain. Standing in the yard, they could overlook the thousands of lights in the city below.

At that moment, fireworks were bursting everywhere.

The sky looked like colorful clouds blooming one after another.

Looking down from above, it was indescribably beautiful and incredibly lively.

“A year goes by so fast,” Nie Yunsong sighed. “But this one day still feels a bit like the New Year.”

“Mm.” Qin Jianhe said. “Not as lively as when I was a kid.”

“Times have changed.” The old man sighed, then couldn’t help but smile faintly.

“You know, I met your grandmother during the New Year,” Nie Yunsong said. “She had just returned from studying abroad. Her family was forcing her to go on blind dates. I thought, a girl as beautiful as her, why would she need to be forced? Who wouldn’t want to pursue her?”

Hearing this, Qin Jianhe laughed softly.

Colorful fireworks exploded in his dark, deep eyes—gorgeous, dazzling, startlingly beautiful.

He had heard this story many, many times.

But whenever Nie Yunsong told it, he still loved listening.

“Your eyes are like your grandmother’s,” Nie Yunsong sighed softly. “Your face too.”

There were many photos of his grandmother left behind.

He had seen them all.

She actually looked a bit masculine for a woman, but in a valiant, dashing way.

Exceptionally beautiful.

Interestingly enough, he looked neither like his mother nor like Qin Xusheng.

He was almost a carbon copy of his grandmother.

Comparatively, Nie Fengjun took after her father.

“Mm.” Qin Jianhe nodded.

“Because we met during the New Year,” Nie Yunsong continued with a smile, “every New Year we would watch the fireworks together. I promised her I would build a house halfway up the mountain, so every Spring Festival we could enjoy the snow and brew tea in the courtyard, or simply look down and see thousands of blossoms of fire.”

“You did it,” Qin Jianhe said. “It really is beautiful.”

Even after all these years, it still felt beautiful.

“Yes.” Nie Yunsong smiled.

“In my life, what I’m most proud of has never been founding and developing Ruiyi.”

He paused.

“What I’m most proud of is that I never broke a single promise I made to your grandmother.”

“Mm.” Qin Jianhe smiled too, his expression unusually soft. “Grandma was the happiest girl in the world.”

After a moment, he added,

“And you were the happiest guy.”

“That’s why,” Nie Yunsong sighed, “in this life, if you’re lucky enough to meet the right person, you should still find a partner.”

“Without your grandmother, no matter how successful I was in my career, my life would have been just a desert.”

“Did Ms. Nie Fengjun say something to you?” Qin Jianhe laughed. “Isn’t Ruiyi enough to keep her busy?”

“Don’t blame your mother.” Nie Yunsong patted his hand gently. “Your mother has always felt guilty about her failed marriage with your father, and the bad influence it had on you.”

The old man was silent for a moment before continuing.

“But your mother is very open-minded. If you don’t want to, she won’t force you to find a partner. For many people, living alone is perfectly fine.”

“But if you are truly lucky enough to meet someone you like, she doesn’t want you to miss out on happiness because of her unfortunate past.”

Hearing this, Qin Jianhe looked down and said nothing.

He had always had a good relationship with his mother and grandfather.

With them, he always felt there was nothing he couldn’t say.

The fireworks in the city were gradually decreasing, but new ones still constantly rose.

Qin Jianhe looked down.

Only after a long moment did he finally speak.

“I just don’t know what the real meaning of two people being together is.”

As a child, he had watched his optimistic, outstanding mother become haggard and depressed because of love.

Their lives had been full of arguments and suffocating tension.

Two people who had once loved each other couldn’t even maintain the last shred of dignity.

If asked whether he hated Qin Xusheng, Qin Jianhe felt that he did not.

Because Qin Xusheng wasn’t worth it.

He never denied, nor did he avoid the fact that Qin Xusheng was his biological father.

But he had no feelings for him whatsoever—neither love nor hate.

If he had to pinpoint something, it would probably be only indifference.

“That’s something you have to discover for yourself, child,” Nie Yunsong smiled.

“There are irresponsible people like your father in this world, but there are also lifelong lovers like your grandmother and me.”

“And there are men like your Uncle Fu, who can infinitely tolerate your mother and help heal her wounds.”

“The kind of life you want to live,” Nie Yunsong said gently,

“depends on you, child.”