Chapter 24

“You. It’s already three in the afternoon, and you solved lunch with a sandwich again. I really can’t be bothered to lecture you.”

“Then don’t lecture me.” Ye Xinuo immediately climbed down the pole she was given. “When you came in just now, did you see Han Qiuzi and Ni Mingxuan? What a coincidence.”

“Mm.” Yu Qing answered unnaturally.

Ye Xinuo gossiped, “I heard Tang Shikai is especially miserable. Han Qiuzi entered Yesheng and helped me deal Tang Jie a blow, causing Tang Shikai to be kicked out of the house by his own father. Now he’s borrowing money from friends everywhere. And now Ni Mingxuan is engaged to Han Qiuzi. Do you think he’ll be angered to death?”

“I’m not interested in other people’s affairs.”

“Sister Yu Qing, are you sick?” Ye Xinuo reached out and checked Yu Qing’s forehead. “You used to be even more gossipy than me. Why do you have no thirst for knowledge at all now? You’re like an old Daoist nun.”

Yu Qing absent-mindedly hummed in response, her gaze drifting to somewhere several meters behind Ye Xinuo.

When Yu Qing had entered just now, in the instant their gazes met, Han Qiuzi had seen the dark circles under her eyes. Was it because of the news of her engagement? Or was it merely because she was too tired from work?

“Miss Han?” Ni Mingxuan called.

“Mm?” Han Qiuzi came back to herself, her face full of apology. “Sorry, I’ve been a little tired recently.”

“It’s fine.” Ni Mingxuan revealed a gentlemanly smile. “I can tell Miss Han has no interest in me. But being born into a wealthy family, one can never escape the fate of a marriage alliance. I accepted my fate long ago. Don’t worry, I’ll properly fulfill the duties of a husband. We can just live together as partners. Many couples joined by marriage alliances respect each other like guests all their lives and raise children together. It’s actually not that terrible.”

Han Qiuzi forced out a smile. “Mr. bailiantales.com Ni is quite open-minded. I wonder if you’ve ever truly loved someone?”

If she had never met Yu Qing, perhaps she would have accepted her fate. But the most profound love had already been left in her heart. The rest of her life without Yu Qing would be dull and tasteless.

“Love…” Ni Mingxuan lowered his head. “Love is something far too extravagant.”

Han Qiuzi said gently, “Mr. Ni, I’ll find a way to persuade my family to cancel the engagement. I’m very sorry, but we probably can’t reach a consensus. Even if love is very extravagant, I still must have it.”

Ni Mingxuan chuckled softly. “That won’t do. I promised someone that I would definitely marry you and bring you home. So I can only sacrifice Miss Han a little.”

After saying that, he suddenly stood up, cupped Han Qiuzi’s face, and pressed his lips toward her.

Han Qiuzi instinctively blocked him with her hand, and the other party’s cold lips landed in her palm.

“Are you insane!” Han Qiuzi shoved Ni Mingxuan away.

“I said I must marry you.” A complicated smile appeared at the corner of Ni Mingxuan’s mouth.

“For Young Master Ni to do something like this in public, are you embarrassing the Ni family, or embarrassing the Han family?”

Yu Qing had already walked to Han Qiuzi’s side by this point. She picked up a tissue and wiped Han Qiuzi’s palm for her.

Ni Mingxuan smiled and said, “What I do with my fiancée—what does it have to do with you?”

“Young Master Ni said it himself: ​stolen content​fiancée.” Yu Qing’s face had no expression. “Even if she were your legal wife, shouldn’t you respect the other person’s wishes?”

Ni Mingxuan bent down and picked up the menu from the table. “Don’t worry. Very soon, I’ll make Qiuzi willingly marry me.” Then he paid the bill and left.

For some reason, Yu Qing always felt that when Ni Mingxuan looked at her, there was a very strong hostility in his eyes.

With her hand held by the person she loved, the sour, swelling emotion in Han Qiuzi’s heart almost overflowed from her throat.

Yet she still said something that ruined the mood. “You wiped the wrong hand. The one he kissed was the other one.”

“It was just a kiss. It’s not like you lost a piece of flesh. There’s nothing worth wiping.” Yu Qing let go of Han Qiuzi’s hand and threw the tissue into the wastebasket. “I just saw a passerby recording a video, so I wanted to help Young Master Ni become famous.”

If it had been before, Han Qiuzi might have been fooled. But ever since Ye Xinuo came to find her, scenes from the past had resurfaced one after another, and she had gained courage and confidence. Not to mention, just now, she had clearly felt Yu Qing’s hand trembling.

At that moment, Ye Xinuo slowly walked over. “Director Han.”

Han Qiuzi bloomed into a polite smile. “Chairwoman Ye.”

“Just call me Xinuo from now on. Being so official and polite makes us seem too distant.” After saying this, Ye Xinuo glanced at Yu Qing’s reaction.

“All right. Xinuo can call me by my name from now on too.” Han Qiuzi shifted her gaze to Yu Qing. “Then can I call Miss Yu Ah Qing?”

“Miss Han is a company director, and I’m the chairwoman’s assistant. Calling each other too intimately would invite speculation. Just call me by my name. Or you can call me by my English name, Amanda, but generally no one calls me that.”

“What a businesslike tone. It really makes one sad.” Han Qiuzi pouted.

“Qiuzi, do you have time now?” Ye Xinuo said. “Since you’re near the company, Sister Yu Qing can introduce you to the current situation of the board while we’re at it.”

Han Qiuzi naturally would not refuse and answered readily, “Sure.”

Yu Qing said nothing. She shook the keys in her hand and went out to get the car.

“You didn’t drive?”

After Yu Qing left, Ye Xinuo’s tone became familiar.

Han Qiuzi smiled. “I did. I’ll leave it here and come back another day to get it. Otherwise, how would I have an excuse to make Ah Qing send me home?”

Ye Xinuo shook her head in disdain and said, “Do you smell that?”

“What?”

“The sour stink of affectation.”

Ni Anqi’s car was parked in the parking lot outside the café. The person in the driver’s seat looked through the floor-to-ceiling glass at the figures of Yu Qing and Han Qiuzi.

“Sis, I’m sorry. Give me a little more time. I’ll definitely satisfy you.” Ni Mingxuan’s face was no longer as composed as it had been in the café. Instead, it had become extremely panicked.

“Don’t call me sis. I have never acknowledged you as my younger brother.” read the original at bailiantales.com Ni Anqi’s fingers gripped the steering wheel tightly. Her tone was icy, but a cluster of flame burned in her eyes.

“Sis, I swear, I’ll definitely marry Han Qiuzi and bring her home. I won’t let her get in the way.”

Ni Mingxuan’s tone was almost pleading.

He was an illegitimate son. It was only when his mother died unexpectedly when he was ten that his so-called biological father brought him home.

In that household, he cared about nothing else. The only thing he had been obsessed with all these years was gaining Ni Anqi’s recognition.

Ni Anqi said nothing. Seeing Yu Qing walk out of the café, she slammed down on the accelerator and sped away, leaving dust behind.

After Ye Xinuo returned to the company and was just about to push open her office door, Secretary Vivian came jogging over breathlessly, nearly crashing into her arms.

Like an elder, Ye Xinuo spoke earnestly, “We are a large enterprise. As the face of the office, you need to behave a little more elegantly. Don’t be so hurried and frantic.”

“All right. I’ll pay attention next time.” Vivian straightened up. “But the situation is urgent. President Luo’s wife came to the company and started fighting with a female employee from Xmate.”

Ye Xinuo dug at her ear with her pinky. She truly hoped she was having auditory hallucinations right now. In her memory, the time when President Luo’s wife made a scene over divorce should have been much later, and back then, there had not been a public fight in the company. This was really extremely troublesome.

She let out a breath and told Vivian to lead the way, then hurried to the scene.

If Ye Xinuo had pushed the door open just now, she would have seen Qin Moyan standing in her office, head lowered as she looked at the notebook on the desk, her eyes surging with emotion.