When He Begged, I Was Already Moving On

After finishing his coffee, Ye Zhiqiu set down his cup.

“Uncle,” he asked, “in your lifetime of teaching, do any of your former students work in the new energy sector?”

“There are a few, yes,” Lan Hua said. “Did your father ask you to inquire?”

“Not at all,” Ye Zhiqiu smiled. “It’s me. I want to try my hand at a new energy business.”

Lan Hua pondered for a moment before asking, “Does your father know?”

Ye Zhiqiu shook his head. “I don’t plan on telling anyone.”

Lan Hua had never run an industrial enterprise, but he knew it wasn’t easy—not only were the risks high, but the capital requirements were immense.
Countless words of caution and concern rose to his lips, but in the end, they condensed into three words: “Is the money sufficient?”

“It is,” Ye Zhiqiu said. “Right now, I just need a reliable partner.”

“I do have a few students working in related fields. One of them just returned from abroad recently…”
Lan Hua looked at Ye Zhiqiu as he spoke.
Young, beautiful, with long, slender fingers more delicate and fair than fine bone china—clearly raised in pampered comfort.

It was impossible to connect him with the word “industry.”

“However, they might not think much of you,” he said earnestly.

His students were talented, experienced, and ambitious.

They were bound to make their mark in the great commercial wave of the rise of new energy. How could they possibly take a child who had never done a day of hard work seriously?

“But,” Lan Hua couldn’t help leaning forward and reaching out to affectionately ruffle Ye Zhiqiu’s jet-black, soft hair, “your uncle can help introduce you and build a connection. Whether it works out after that will be up to you.”

Hearing this, Ye Zhiqiu’s eyes immediately lit up.

“Thank you, Uncle,” he said sweetly.

True to his word, Lan Hua had his student call Ye Zhiqiu the very next afternoon.

Lan Hua’s student was named Zhang Mian. A graduate of a prestigious foreign university, he had successfully joined a local new energy vehicle company.

He had recently resigned and returned to China, hoping to expand a new business blueprint.

Although currently on leave, he had already received an olive branch from “Rui Yi,” the largest domestic new energy vehicle company.

With such a strong background and strength, Zhang Mian naturally looked down on someone like Ye Zhiqiu—new to the field and practically having nothing in the industry.

The only reason he proactively arranged a meeting was out of respect for his mentor.

But after one meal together, the relaxed yet slightly perfunctory expression on his face changed, and a few traces of seriousness and focus unconsciously appeared between his brows.

* * * *

He might have truly gone mad.

Clearly, the young man across from him seemed utterly unreliable, yet he gave him a distinctly reliable feeling.
Clearly, he felt this whole thing was extremely improper, yet he couldn’t help wanting to give it a try.

* * * *

Time flew by. Ye Zhiqiu had officially been at VIA for a week.

During this time, Qi Xin had contacted him countless times, but whether by call or text, Ye Zhiqiu ruthlessly put them all aside.

This completely shattered Qi Xin’s fantasy that “Ye Zhiqiu would soften after learning about his illness.”

After his fever broke, when Jiang Nan visited again, Qi Xin no longer felt the intense joy he had the first time he saw him in the hospital.
He felt uneasy and suspicious, and didn’t even notice when Jiang Nan left.

Clutching at his last shred of hope, he dialed the phone number he could now recite from memory.
Thankfully, heaven hadn’t abandoned him.

This time, the call was finally answered. The moment he heard Ye Zhiqiu’s voice, Qi Xin almost wept with gratitude.

He gave Ye Zhiqiu no chance to regret it, immediately launching into a string of apologies.

“I’m sorry. I know I have absolutely no right to interfere in your life,” Qi Xin said sincerely.

“I was just sick and feeling too vulnerable, and I like you too much, so I lost my sense of propriety. I absolutely, absolutely won’t do it again.”

“Won’t?” Three flat words came from the other side.

“Won’t,” Qi Xin repeated.

This was true. He was genuinely afraid of Ye Zhiqiu.

“Do you have time tomorrow? Let’s have a meal together,” Qi Xin struck while the iron was hot. “I miss you. I want to see you.”

The phone went quiet again, a quiet that made Qi Xin panic.

“The day after tomorrow,” Ye Zhiqiu finally spoke. “I have work tomorrow.”

Ye Zhiqiu had finally loosened his stance. Qi Xin quietly let out a breath of relief.

“The day after tomorrow, I’ll pick you up.”

“Hmm,” Ye Zhiqiu responded, then hung up the phone directly.

Before he could even put the phone back on the desk, it rang again in his palm. This time, it was Jin Baobao.

“What’s up?” VIA had given Ye Zhiqiu his own office. He put the call on speakerphone, listening to Jin Baobao while lowering his head to sketch.

“You’re really not going to the crew’s celebration banquet tomorrow?” Jin Baobao asked. “Even if you didn’t join Q.L., it’s still good to have a chance to meet industry big shots.”

“I have to visit a fabric factory in the suburbs tomorrow to check materials,” Ye Zhiqiu said. “The timing really doesn’t work.”

“Well, alright then,” Jin Baobao said dejectedly. “In that case, I’ll give the spot to Tang Le. He’s asked me about it several times already. I kept thinking of you, so I never gave him a definite answer.”

Ye Zhiqiu’s hand holding the stylus paused.

“Okay,” he said.

“Annoying,” Jin Baobao hung up.

Ye Zhiqiu quietly finished the fashion sketch he was working on, then imported it and sent it via email to Sun Wei.

VIA was a small company. Sun Wei was both the company founder and the head designer.

Not long after the email was sent, a knock sounded. Sun Wei came over directly.

“Have dinner together tonight?” she asked with a smile.

She genuinely wanted to keep Ye Zhiqiu.

Although he had only been there for a short week, Ye Zhiqiu’s talent had already won her over.

Even though he could only come when he didn’t have classes, his output was not inferior in the slightest to that of a full-time designer, and almost every piece amazed her.

This was the first time in the several years of VIA’s decline that she saw a glimmer of hope for survival.

“No,” Ye Zhiqiu tied his scarf and reached for his coat. “I’m going to the factory tomorrow. I should go back and do some preparation and get to bed early.”

“You’re working hard, Xiao Ye,” Sun Wei said, then reminded him, “The factory people might not have the best attitude. Please be patient.”

Seeing Ye Zhiqiu look slightly puzzled, Sun Wei explained, “We secured this factory back when VIA was on the rise. Back then, we had lots of orders and large purchase volumes, so everything went smoothly.

Later, when we declined, orders dwindled, and the purchase volume naturally couldn’t keep up.

The factory became less willing to take our orders.

Especially recently, they’ve partnered up with Q.L. I hear they’re developing new fabrics, so they’re even more…”

Sun Wei smiled apologetically.

Ye Zhiqiu nodded, his mind clear.

“I understand, sis,” he smiled indifferently. “No big deal.”