That night, Qin Jianhe was completely different from the fierce intensity of the previous night. He was exceptionally gentle with Ye Zhiqiu.
Like soaking in a hot spring, every part of him was carefully attended to. Ye Zhiqiu felt so good he bit the corner of the blanket, letting out a lingering nasal hum and soft moans.
Just as he was thinking that Qin Jianhe had finally found his conscience, the man mischievously and deliberately pulled the damp corner of the blanket out of his mouth.
Ye Zhiqiu: “…”
Before he could even open his mouth to curse, Qin Jianhe’s warm fingertip pressed against his lips.
After a moment of rubbing, it pushed straight in, forcefully entering between his soft, warm lips and teeth.
Ye Zhiqiu: “&*%￥#…”
Because his lips couldn’t close, the sounds he wanted to hide were completely exposed.
Ye Zhiqiu closed his eyes, listening to his own rapid, hot breath, and the cat-like sounds he was making. He felt his face burn.
He couldn’t see himself.
But in the dim light, Qin Jianhe could see it all clearly.
Ye Zhiqiu’s half-closed lashes trembled incessantly. His snow-white skin flushed a faint red, and his moist lips were stained with wetness…
His breathing was rapid, irregular.
Instinctively, he leaned down and kissed him hard.
* * * *
Ye Zhiqiu didn’t know when he had fallen asleep, but without a doubt, every night he spent with Qin Jianhe, he slept very well.
He didn’t even have a single dream.
When he woke again, the sky outside was just beginning to show a hint of grey light.
He closed his eyes and instinctively reached out beside him. The bedding was still warm, but that half of the bed was already empty.
Ye Zhiqiu paused for a moment, then slowly opened his eyes.
By the bedside, Qin Jianhe was tidying his clothes.
A casual white sweatshirt, black jeans—very simple lines, but they made his tall figure look straight and sharp.
At that moment, his thick lashes were half-lowered as he watched his slender fingers adjust the bit of shirt cuff peeking out from the sweatshirt sleeve.
Seeming to notice that he was awake, Qin Jianhe looked up.
“What time is it?” Ye Zhiqiu’s voice was hoarse.
“Almost six.” Qin Jianhe braced one hand on the pillow beside him and leaned down to look at him.
“Do you have any plans today?” Seeing him dressed casually, Ye Zhiqiu thought he had some leisurely activity planned.
His brain moved slowly, remembering that he had mentioned his mother’s boyfriend’s ex-wife and daughter lived here.
But Qin Jianhe said quietly, “No.”
After a moment, he added softly, “Something urgent came up at the company. I’m heading back today.”
Ye Zhiqiu blinked, then finally reacted, a beat slow. “So soon?”
“Mm.” As if finding his reaction a bit cute, or perhaps amusing, a faint smile flashed in Qin Jianhe’s eyes. He glanced at his watch.
“If you’re in a hurry, you should go.” Ye Zhiqiu smiled too, his face half-buried in the pillow, lazy.
Meeting his smiling eyes, Qin Jianhe couldn’t help himself in the end. He leaned down and bit his lip.
Every time he looked at Ye Zhiqiu, it seemed his heart felt a bit more lingering affection and reluctance.
So when he stood up, he didn’t look at Ye Zhiqiu again. He grabbed his coat, draped it over his arm, turned, and left the room.
The room fell quiet.
When another person left, it seemed even the temperature dropped a bit. Ye Zhiqiu buried himself back under the covers and closed his eyes.
Although it was still very early, he inexplicably lost his desire to sleep.
After tossing and turning under the blanket for a while, he reached out and grabbed the pajamas that had been casually tossed on the edge of the bed last night and put them on.
Then he pulled the covers back up, leaned against the headboard, and started looking at the messages in the group chat.
Last night…
No, according to the time in China, it should have been eight in the morning when Li Shaojun said he was going to book that apartment for him. He wondered how that had gone.
There were a lot of messages in the group chat, so many that Ye Zhiqiu was a bit surprised.
He paused for a moment, then tapped “First Unread” in the upper right corner and started reading from the beginning.
After he had sent the last message last night, Li Shaojun had replied a few more times.
He basically said that the lease would be signed inside the apartment, and he would take another, more visual video to show him.
He also said that if Ye Zhiqiu needed anything else, he had to let them know. He and Jin Baobao would take care of it directly, so it would be ready for him when he got back.
At that time, Ye Zhiqiu had been drawing, so he hadn’t seen these messages in time.
Later, when it got a bit later, Jin Baobao and Tang Le had probably woken up, and the two of them had sent a few messages about the apartment.
Up to that point, everything in the group chat was still quite normal.
After a gap of about half an hour, Tang Le suddenly sent a voice message in the group.
His voice was tearful as he asked where Li Shaojun and Jin Baobao were, saying he wanted to see them.
At that time, Li Shaojun and Jin Baobao had just arranged a time with the rental agent and were on their way to sign the lease.
Hearing that Tang Le’s voice sounded wrong, they immediately changed course and went to him.
When they arrived, Tang Le was standing by the school gate.
His hair was messy, his clothes were dirty, as if he had spilled some drink on himself. The upper half of his clothes were soaked, and he was shivering in the cold.
At first glance, he looked really miserable.
But when they asked him what was wrong, he wouldn’t say a thing. He was like a gourd with its mouth cut off.
It was freezing cold, and they didn’t know how long he had been out there. They had no choice but to take Tang Le to the commercial street near the school first to buy him new clothes.
Li Shaojun even had to call the agent and apologize profusely to get them to wait an extra half hour.
After they got TangLe sorted out, the two of them took him along to the rental apartment.
Most of the residential areas in the central business district were high-end, and the residents were mostly wealthy or influential. The greenery and amenities were the best.
And when they went inside the apartment, Tang Le’s eyes even lit up.
It was spacious, bright, and the balcony had a connected sky garden of over ten square meters.
The garden was filled with plants, and in one corner, there was a swing chair. At first glance, it actually looked a bit like the one in the Ye family’s yard.
The leisure round table and lounge chairs were placed to face the sun. Just looking at it felt very comfortable.
The apartment had two bedrooms and two living areas. Although it was only a little over ninety square meters, it felt very spacious inside.
The off-white color-toned renovation looked both simple and warm and comfortable.
Although Tang Le didn’t know much about these things, just looking at the wooden floor that almost reflected people’s shadows, he could tell it was very expensive.
Li Shaojun was holding up his phone to take a video for Ye Zhiqiu, explaining as he filmed.
“This is the second bedroom,” he said. “You can use it as a separate studio.”
“This apartment is in the center of the complex,” he added. “The soundproofing is very good. Your work and rest won’t be affected.”
“Also, the landlord is abroad, so you can rent it long-term. If they ever decide to sell, you could buy it. It’s plenty for one person.”
The camera shifted to him. Tang Le smiled and raised a hand. “Hi, Xiaoqiu.”
“This apartment,” Tang Le finally spoke up as Li Shaojun was about to head to the terrace, “it must be really expensive, right?”
“Not really,” Li Shaojun said. “The landlord recently moved abroad and wants to find someone clean to keep an eye on the place. The rent is lower than the average for this area.”
Tang Le was silent.
Tang Le’s family wasn’t well-off, and he had a younger brother.
Their home was very small. He and his brother had always been crammed into a room less than ten square meters, sleeping on metal bunk beds.
For so many years, his greatest motivation had been to earn more money.
He wanted to have a place of his own, to live comfortably.
To be honest, before seeing the large homes of the Ye family and Jin Baobao and Li Shaojun’s families, he had even felt that the school dormitory was ten thousand times better than his own cluttered house.
Now, seeing this apartment…
Tang Le couldn’t describe it.
Put simply, this apartment hit him right in the heart.
He had never had a concrete image of the home he yearned for.
But the moment he stepped into this apartment, the vision of his future solidified in his mind.
But even this stroke of luck belonged to Ye Zhiqiu.
Tang Le lowered his eyes, jealousy and disgust rising in his heart once more.
“Xiaoqiu is so lucky,” he said.
Li Shaojun didn’t reply, but the corner of his mouth curled into a smile.
That smile seemed to say that this was only natural.
Li Shaojun filmed the video, while Jin Baobao signed the lease and paid the deposit.
Once everything was settled, the three of them went downstairs and said goodbye to the enthusiastic agent.
Outside, the sun was shining brightly. Children ran around in the central garden, their laughter echoing all around. The elderly residents sunbathed, played chess, and chatted.
“Send you back to school?” Li Shaojun asked Tang Le.
Tang Le didn’t answer, just lowered his head and pressed his lips together.
He was still holding a bag containing his dirty clothes.
Li Shaojun wasn’t particularly warm toward Tang Le, especially after the incident where Tang Le had secretly contacted Yu Renzhi behind Ye Zhiqiu’s back, trying to use Yu Renzhi’s connections to get into Q.L.
But Jin Baobao was soft-hearted.
Although he had been angry about it back then, seeing Tang Le looking so pitiful now, he couldn’t help but stop.
“Lele,” he asked, “did someone bully you?”
Hearing this, Tang Le seemed momentarily stunned, but then he shook his head.
“No,” he said.
Seeing this, Li Shaojun also looked over calmly.
“If something really happened, just say so,” he said. “Even though Master Ye isn’t here, Brother Bao and I can help you if we can.”
Tang Le seemed to hesitate, but after a moment, as if he could no longer hold it in, his eyes reddened.
“What if,” he looked up at them, “what if I wanted to live off-campus with Xiaoqiu? Do you think that would be okay?”
Hearing this, Jin Baobao and Li Shaojun exchanged a glance, both momentarily confused.
“What’s wrong?” Jin Baobao didn’t answer his question first.
“Was the stuff on you today because of your roommate?”
Otherwise, Tang Le would have no reason to suddenly want to move out.
Tang Le lowered his head and nodded.
“It’s my fault. I accidentally spilled water on a senior’s half-finished graduation project. It’s completely ruined.”
“Hitting me and pouring water on me, that’s all deserved,” Tang Le said, his voice already starting to choke.
Hearing this, Jin Baobao and Li Shaojun exchanged another glance.
Everyone understood how important a graduation project was.
Putting themselves in his shoes, it would indeed be very hard not to break down.
With this kind of conflict, Tang Le would probably have a difficult time in the dormitory from now on.
“Have you talked to the teacher about it?” Li Shaojun asked. “You can apply to change dorms.”
“That senior is very popular. I’m afraid even if I change…” Tang Le looked dejected, even more pitiful.
“How about,” Jin Baobao said, “we go buy an expensive gift and apologize to the senior first?”
“You said yourself that the senior is popular. He probably isn’t an unreasonable person. He might have just been momentarily失控 because of the shock,” Li Shaojun also said.
“Here’s the plan. We’ll prepare a gift and apologize. Once he calms down and understands that you didn’t mean to ruin his work, and that your apology is sincere, I think he won’t make things difficult for you when you apply to change dorms.”
“If that doesn’t work,” Li Shaojun continued, seeing that Tang Le wasn’t responding, “my cousin gave me a watch a while ago. I don’t really like it. I’ve kept it in its box. I’ll bring it over later, and you can give it to the senior as an apology gift. That should be enough.”
Tang Le knew about that watch. Li Shaojun had mentioned it in the group chat before, complaining that his cousin never paid him any attention and had given him a watch with the same color scheme as his old one.
He had made it sound like no big deal, but later, Tang Le had saved the picture and looked it up. The base model cost over a hundred thousand, and the higher-end version might be close to three hundred thousand.
He could just offer up such an expensive gift.
For a moment, Tang Le was stunned, and a wave of gratitude surged through him.
But then, he quickly understood.
Li Shaojun was offering this gift not for him, but for Ye Zhiqiu.
His attitude was clear: he did not approve of Tang Le sharing an apartment with Ye Zhiqiu.
Tang Le lowered his head, his emotions even more complex.
“That’s too expensive,” he said. “I can’t accept it.”
“Then…” Jin Baobao was also at a loss, not knowing what to do.
Ye Zhiqiu was quite particular. He didn’t like others invading his personal space.
Over the years, only he and Li Shaojun had been close to him.
But Ye Zhiqiu also took good care of Tang Le. If Tang Le made this request now, wouldn’t it put him in a difficult position?
Just as Jin Baobao was carefully considering how to phrase his response, Tang Le looked up.
“Shaojun, Baobao,” he said, “I’m really touched by how much you’re helping me. Let me figure out the rest myself.”
Since Tang Le said that, Li Shaojun and Jin Baobao couldn’t say anything more.
However, not long after they parted ways, Tang Le sent a message in the group chat, tagging Ye Zhiqiu.
He described what had happened at school, and Jin Baobao and Li Shaojun added a few details.
The last message in the chat was from Tang Le.
[Lele: Xiaoqiu, I was wondering if it would be convenient to share an apartment with you for a while? I’ll move out once things are settled on my end. @One Leaf Knows Autumn]
Tang Le knew how good Ye Zhiqiu was to him.
Usually, even without him asking, Ye Zhiqiu helped him a lot, both materially and academically.
So now, with him making such a humble request, Tang Le didn’t believe Ye Zhiqiu could refuse.
That apartment was really nice.
If, initially, Tang Le had only gone along with this scheme to carry out Tao Ruoqing’s mission, now, he was genuinely tempted.
On summer nights, sitting in the sky garden, feeling the breeze and looking at the stars. On winter mornings, lounging on the swing or the deck chair, sunbathing and reading, or just sitting at the small table with a hot drink…
It must be wonderful.
There was a time difference between China and the US. Tang Le knew Ye Zhiqiu wouldn’t be able to reply immediately, so after sending the message, he went to class.
It wasn’t until eight in the evening that the group chat finally became active again, and Ye Zhiqiu replied.
[One Leaf Knows Autumn: I just contacted that senior. Fortunately, he still has enough time to start over, so this isn’t completely irreversible yet.]
[One Leaf Knows Autumn: The senior was quite reasonable. As long as I help him review his graduation project and offer some useful advice when I get back, this matter can be resolved.]
[One Leaf Knows Autumn: However, since it was an accident, you shouldn’t feel too much psychological burden. When I return, I’ll bring a gift for the senior. I believe he will slowly let go of this as well.]
[One Leaf Knows Autumn: As for the dorm supervisor, I contacted Professor Li, and he has already communicated with them. When you go to handle the paperwork later, you can just change dorms directly.]
Ye Zhiqiu quickly resolved the matter, sending out all the information in one go, leaving Tang Le no room to argue.
After reading the messages in the group, Ye Zhiqiu knew perfectly well that Tang Le’s actions were likely at Tao Ruoqing’s behest.
Because once he moved out, Tao Ruoqing would no longer be able to control him as comprehensively as before.
She couldn’t instill those twisted ideas to him, nor could she constantly know what people or events were appearing in his life…
For Tao Ruoqing, who had controlled him for nearly twenty years, this was definitely something she wouldn’t be used to, nor could she accept.
After all, without being able to timely correct the ship’s course, the possibility of going off course would inevitably increase significantly.
So, she wanted Tang Le to stay by his side, to be her eyes and ears.
Moreover, Tang Le appeared gentle and harmless, the type of person who most easily got others to listen quietly.
Using him to convey certain ideas in her place was the least likely to arouse suspicion.
For Tao Ruoqing, he was the perfect choice.
In the past, Ye Zhiqiu would have certainly fallen for it.
He probably would have taken Tang Le in without a second thought.
But now…
Ye Zhiqiu first contacted a familiar senior and got the contact information for Tang Le’s roommate.
Then he immediately made a call.
Given his recent prominence during Fashion Week, if Ye Zhiqiu dared to claim second place, no one would likely dare to claim first.
Especially since he was also the former winner of the international fashion competition.
Most importantly, V.F.’s official Weibo account in China had just previewed his interview today, heaping praise on this rising star in the fashion world.
With all these accolades, although the senior was still angry at Tang Le, his attitude softened when he heard it was Ye Zhiqiu.
Ye Zhiqiu spoke with the senior sincerely for a few moments, and after confirming that Tang Le had indeed ruined his project with water, he was also quite shocked.
He had underestimated Tang Le.
Not only did he act seamlessly, but he was also ruthless in harming others for his own gain.
To put on a convincing act so that Ye Zhiqiu would take him in, he had ruined someone’s graduation project.
After hanging up, Ye Zhiqiu paused for a moment, then contacted his and Tang Le’s teacher, Professor Li Qinghe.
Li Qinghe had always liked Ye Zhiqiu and held him in high regard.
Seeing him care so much about his classmate, even trying to solve problems from abroad, he was very pleased.
He immediately agreed to help Tang Le communicate with the dorm supervisor to get it expedited.
With just a few phone calls, Ye Zhiqiu made Tang Le’s scheme completely useless.
Tang Le lowered his head, looking at Ye Zhiqiu’s replies on the screen, silent for a long time.
He wanted to type something, but after hesitating for a long time, he didn’t know what to say.
It seemed like everyone in the world liked Ye Zhiqiu and helped Ye Zhiqiu.
And he was just a ridiculous clown.
He had put on such a complete and earnest performance, only to be defeated by a few words from Ye Zhiqiu.
Not only that, but he also received a lecture from Ye Zhiqiu.
What’s more, there were all the various kinds of praise from Li Shaojun and Jin Baobao following right after.
Lately, not only Li Shaojun and Jin Baobao, but he himself had been forced to suppress his crazy jealousy and praise Ye Zhiqiu to the skies. Now, just seeing it made him feel sick by reflex.
[Li Shao: As expected of my Master Ye. Once he takes action, nothing is impossible.]
[Prosperity: Great! Xiaoqiu, is there any field you’re not good at? Applause.jpg]
[Prosperity: Lele, it’s solved! Happy, right? @Lele.]
[…]
Tang Le lowered his head, staring at the messages constantly popping up on the screen, his lips pressed together as he sat in the library. He didn’t even realize how sinister and terrifying his own expression was.
Then, he reached out and turned off his phone.
But just as the screen went dark, another message from Ye Zhiqiu came in.
[One Leaf Knows Autumn: Sorry, Lele. It’s not that I don’t want to live with you, but…]
As if he had something difficult to say, he followed it with a string of ellipses.
A moment later, another message came in.
[One Leaf Knows Autumn: You know how it is with couples in love. They like having a more private space. Sorry, sorry! If you really want to move out, you can find a place near the school. I’ll pay the rent. Shy.jpg.]
Although everything Ye Zhiqiu said was quite normal, and his reason was valid, seeing the words “I’ll pay the rent” still made Tang Le so uncomfortable his stomach seemed to cramp.
This was why he could never appreciate Ye Zhiqiu’s kindness.
Because he always felt like he was being pitied.
As Ye Zhiqiu’s message came in, the group chat started blowing up.
[Li Shao: You’re not thinking of living with Qi Xin, are you? I oppose it.]
[Prosperity: Baby, let’s reconsider?]
[Li Shao: You’re only nineteen, my master. Don’t rush. Wait until you’re twenty-nine to decide who to choose. That’s not too late.]
[Prosperity: Thirty-nine is fine too. I’m telling you, there’s this trend now called the silver generation culture. Don’t get married when you’re young, just enjoy life. When you’re too old to move, then think about finding a partner. Trust me, baby. You can’t go wrong.]
[…]
Although every word from these two lively guys was more ridiculous than the last, Tang Le seemed not to see them at all.
His face dark, he slowly lowered his hand from his stomach and finally began to type a reply.
[Lele: Thank you, Xiaoqiu. You’ve really helped me a lot. Since the school issue is resolved, of course it’s more convenient for me to stay in the dorm.]
[Lele: Love you. Flying kiss.jpg.]
Looking at his message, Ye Zhiqiu let out a derisive snort.
Then, he checked the time.
After all that, it was now close to seven-thirty.
Qin Jianhe should be about to board his plane soon.
Ye Zhiqiu calculated the time. When he landed, it would be exactly the time to go to work, neither too early nor too late.
Speak of the devil. His phone buzzed again. It was a message from Qin Jianhe.
The first one was a list of Chinese restaurants near various exhibition halls in New York, ranging from Northeastern to Hangzhou cuisine, from sweet to spicy. It was as comprehensive as could be.
He didn’t know if he had known them already or had asked his Uncle Fu on the spot.
The second list was of Chinese restaurants near the exhibition halls in London.
Ye Zhiqiu was momentarily stunned, then typed a reply.
[One Leaf Knows Autumn: Didn’t you say Uncle Fu wasn’t familiar with London?]
Qin Jianhe replied quickly.
[QIN: Uncle Fu isn’t familiar, but I am.]
The morning sun was bright, shining on a corner of the bed and on Ye Zhiqiu’s fair cheek.
His eyes curved, and even his slightly lowered lashes seemed to carry a smile.
[One Leaf Knows Autumn: Thank you. I’ll make sure to go.]
[One Leaf Knows Autumn: Are you about to board?]
[QIN: Soon.]
[QIN: May the rest of your shows go smoothly. I’ll see you when you’re back.]
Ye Zhiqiu smiled as he looked at this message, only putting his phone down after the screen dimmed.
Then he got up to wash and get ready to go out and watch the shows.
At the same time, the airport broadcast was reminding passengers to board for the second time.
Qin Jianhe put his phone in his pocket and was about to go through the gate.
His phone buzzed again in his pocket. Thinking it was still Ye Zhiqiu, he took it out and saw it was Meng Qingyan.
[Meng Qingyan: Brother, would sister-in-law be interested in some part-time work in film production?]
[Qin Jianhe: Why?]
[Meng Qingyan: Our production’s stylist is sick in the hospital. Filming starts in about a month, and we still don’t have a new stylist.]
Qin Jianhe thought for a moment, remembering the negotiation he had with Ye Zhiqiu before he joined Q.L.
One of his conditions was that he hoped to be able to do some styling work for film productions in the future, provided it didn’t interfere with his main job.
[Qin Jianhe: He likes it.]
[Meng Qingyan: Then I’ll recommend him to the director.]
* * * *
Today was the production’s last script reading. Because the two male leads, Bai You and Meng Qingyan, weren’t quite hitting the emotional marks, Zhou Lian was worried.
He stood up, preparing to go outside to stretch his legs.
But before he had taken two steps, Meng Qingyan called out to him from behind.
“Director Zhou,” he asked, “have you been watching the fashion shows these past couple of days?”
Zhou Lian stopped, also worried about the stylist problem now that Li Xun was sick. He smiled. “Yes.”
“What do you think of Ye Zhiqiu?” Meng Qingyan asked directly.
Zhou Lian was stunned. “You mean, invite him to be our costume stylist?”
Before this, Zhou Lian had been looking at candidates within the industry. He hadn’t considered professional designers.
Now, with Meng Qingyan opening up that train of thought, he immediately felt it was feasible.
Not just feasible, it was perfect!
This Ye Zhiqiu, single-handedly, had already been on the trending searches several times.
Most importantly, he was good-looking.
Good looks create buzz in the entertainment industry.
“Okay,” Zhou Lian said. “But I still need to ask Teacher Zhao for his opinion.”
Because Meng Qingyan was involved in this film, both Meng Jewelry and Q.L. had increased their investment.
But the core production team was assembled by Zhao Yunzhuang, and he was firmly in the lead investor position.
Before this, Zhou Lian had also looked at several stylists with good reputations in the industry, but Zhao Yunzhuang had rejected them all.
This film was a contemporary urban drama. The styling shouldn’t be that difficult.
But to truly achieve a high-end, textured look was indeed not easy.
Zhou Lian had been worried sick lately. As he spoke, he walked away and dialed Zhao Yunzhuang’s number.
“What? Ye Zhiqiu?” Zhao Yunzhuang laughed on the other end. “Funny you should say that. Someone did recommend him to me.”
“Really?” Zhou Lian’s eyes lit up. Just from his tone, he felt there might be a chance this time. “Who has such sharp eyes and is even faster than me?”
“My son,” Zhao Yunzhuang said. “Zhao Keqi.”
“Oh, I see,” Zhou Lian buttered him up. “Like father, like son.”
“Don’t you praise him,” Zhao Yunzhuang said. “He first recommended Ye Zhiqiu to be an actor, but the guy didn’t even give him the time of day. Then he recommended him to be a stylist. I’m guessing he’s probably interested in the guy and is going out of his way to please him. But this time, it’s just a coincidence.”
Zhou Lian laughed heartily.
After a moment, he asked, “What do you think of him?”
“After watching the New York shows these past two days and then looking back at his work from his previous company,” Zhao Yunzhuang said slowly, “I think I need to see him at a show and meet him in person before deciding.”
Zhou Lian was getting a headache. He could only try to persuade him.
“Look, even though Teacher Li is in the hospital, he’s still agreed to oversee things for us. Do we really need to be so strict about the stylist?”
“No,” Zhao Yunzhuang said, unwavering. “In a modern drama, what matters? Besides sexual tension, it’s the styling. The setting of this drama is already limiting. If the costumes aren’t on point, are you planning to let it be a sacrificial lamb?”
“Yes, yes, yes.” Zhou Lian had to agree.
* * * *
The show that day was scheduled for the evening, so Ye Zhiqiu spent the day happily watching several big shows before returning to the hotel in the afternoon.
When he came back, he ran into Sun Chaoyang, who was waiting for the elevator downstairs, carrying about fifteen cups of coffee.
When Sun Chaoyang saw Ye Zhiqiu, he turned away awkwardly, but eventually turned back.
“Teacher Xiao Ye,” he greeted him.
“Mm, Sun Chaoyang.” Ye Zhiqiu smiled.
He was wearing a backpack and very casual clothes, looking even younger.
His smile at that moment also didn’t seem distant.
Seeing this, Sun Chaoyang’s heart skipped a beat. He looked around, then spoke again.
“Teacher Xiao Ye,” Sun Chaoyang said, truly sincere this time, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s nothing,” Ye Zhiqiu said, smiling. “Everyone wants to move up. I understand.”
Hearing this, Sun Chaoyang’s face turned even redder.
The elevator arrived. The two of them got in silently. As the doors closed, Sun Chaoyang couldn’t hold back any longer.
“Teacher Xiao Ye, I know I was wrong, but…” He pressed his lips together, unconsciously gripping the bag of coffee tighter.
“But I really want to come back.”
He didn’t stop, afraid that if he let this breath go, he would lose the courage to continue.
“Please, give me another chance.”
Hearing this, Ye Zhiqiu’s smile faded. He just looked at him quietly for a moment.
After a long time, he finally spoke, very softly.
“Sorry.”
Sun Chaoyang’s face fell, but as if he had expected it, he laughed bitterly.
“The other day, during the meeting, they specially sent me out,” Sun Chaoyang said.
“So, I don’t have any evidence that Teacher Zhou instructed Designer Zhao.”
“But today, before President Qin left, Teacher Zhou voluntarily went to apologize to him. Zhao Zhi also flew back today. President Qin sent him back.”
Sun Chaoyang didn’t know the specific details of the handling, so he didn’t say anything more.
But thinking about it, it was clear. Since Zhou Lang proactively pushed Zhao Zhi out, the blame was definitely pinned firmly on Zhao Zhi.
“President Qin sent Zhao Zhi back?” Ye Zhiqiu asked.
Normally, without concrete evidence, even a serious matter would be handled after the exhibition was over, at least after the New York leg.
But Qin Jianhe had directly sent Zhao Zhi back.
Zhao Zhi’s situation probably wasn’t good.
But who knew?
Ye Zhiqiu thought about the atmosphere in Zhou Lang’s team and Sun Chaoyang’s request to rejoin their group…
He couldn’t help but smile.
Maybe there were other unknown agreements between them.
Who could say for sure.
The elevator stopped. Ye Zhiqiu nodded slightly at Sun Chaoyang, acknowledging his sentiment.
“Thank you,” he said.
* * * *
That evening’s show went very smoothly. When it ended, Ye Zhiqiu did two more media interviews.
As he walked out of the venue, his phone buzzed in his pocket.
It was Qin Jianhe.
It seemed like the last time he had finished an interview and seen a message from Qin Jianhe had been at this same time.
Thinking of that day, the corner of Ye Zhiqiu’s mouth lifted unconsciously.
He opened his phone and looked at the message.
[QIN: I ate at the Hunan restaurant near the company today. Image.jpg]
The photo showed a whole plate of steamed fish head with chopped chili, untouched, looking spicy and fragrant. Even through the screen, Ye Zhiqiu couldn’t help swallowing.
Damn! He couldn’t help cursing.
Knowing how much he craved it, was he doing this on purpose?
His phone buzzed again.
Another message from Qin Jianhe.
[QIN: Ye Zhiqiu, weren’t you going to treat me to that place? You haven’t yet, have you?]
Ye Zhiqiu: “…”
He was pretty sure he had treated Qin Jianhe before.
Just not at that specific restaurant.
Wait, even Qi Xin knew to make him steamed fish head with chopped chili to please him. Why was this guy not only sending him food pictures late at night but also shamelessly asking him to treat him?
Ye Zhiqiu made a mental note.
Deduct ten points from Qin Jianhe.
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