Chapter 30 – Exchange
That night Qi Yun and Xing Zhongwan were both leaning on the terrace of Xishan Villa. They chatted for a long time, about their childhood to adulthood. They didn’t even realize that they could have so many topics in common. The early sun was slightly exposed on the horizon, and neither of the two took the initiative to leave first.
That was until a convoy drove up along the winding mountain road, destroying the tranquility of the Xishan Villa.
Shen Congxin got out of the car and handed the bag to Qi Yun with a complicated expression. After all, this kid has never been able to hide his thoughts. Qi Yun ignored Shen Congxin and spoke to Xing Zhongwan who was behind him, “Can you help me tie my tie, Wanwan?”
In the dressing room, Qi Yun took off his casual clothes. He only lifted his head after turning his head to the side, “Is it ugly?”
Xing Zhongwan shook his head and helped him put on his shirt. Before he buttoned him up, he touched the long scar on his chest and stopped. He didn’t know how many times he had seen this scar. The pity from when they first met was a contrast to the heartache he currently felt. Both were two different emotions. Qi Yun’s chest was more or less filled with scars, and they proved that he was always wandering between life and death.
Xing Zhongwan grabbed a tie on one side and tied it carefully on Qi Yun. Qi Yun’s eyes were always looking at him. He was reluctant to blink. He recalled the first time he saw Xing Zhongwan. His Wanwan has always been beautiful, rich, and unfettered. It made others unable to take their eyes off him.
After putting on the cufflinks for Qi Yun and helping him into a suit. Xing Zhongwan raised his head and looked at him seriously, “Qi Yun, I won’t help you take care of that kid[/mfn]Shen Congxin[/mfn]. If something happens to you, the Shen family will not care about him.”
Qi Yun didn’t know whether to be happy or resigned. After all, the other person knew him too well despite no words being exchanged. Even his little thoughts could not be hidden from Wanwan.
“I already said that I won’t lie to you.”
Qi Yun raised his eyebrows and embraced him. Xing Zhongwan hugged him back and couldn’t help but hold him tightly.
Soon, there was a knock on the door from the outside, “Sir, it’s time to go.”
Xing Zhongwan let go of him as Qi Yun smiled, “Go now, I’ll see you off.”
Xing Zhongwan picked up his down jacket. He turned his head and took two steps forward before stopping. Suddenly turning around quickly, he reached out to hug Qi Yun’s neck. Qi Yun stroked his hair lightly, “Trust me, I won’t let myself get involved in an accident.”
Xing Zhongwan slowly drew his arms back as those long and narrow eyes looked deeply into Qi Yun’s brightly lit star-like eyes.
“I believe you.” The short three words made Qi Yun suddenly feel some sourness at the tip of his nose. Xing Zhongwan’s trust he had lost with his own hands had come back at such a delicate moment just before they parted.
He watched Xing Zhongwan go out of the villa gate. As he saw his silhouette get smaller and smaller, he couldn’t help shouting in his direction, “Wanwan, do you remember what I said to you in Jiangnan?”
Xing Zhongwan turned around. The wind was too strong, so he could only hear what he said vaguely, “What did you say?”
Qi Yun let go of his clenched hands and shook his head with a smile.
Xing Zhongwan glanced at the man in the suit and smiled slightly. He seemed to have heard this sentence before. Before he had time to think deeply, he had already gotten into the car and when he turned around, Qi Yun was no longer there.
Xing Zhongwan lowered his head and covered his chest. He was uneasy. This same uneasy feeling came back to him again, the same feeling he had after waking up from the nightmare the other day.
The smell of rust permeated from his chest, spreading to the insides of his nose with every breath, making it very uncomfortable.
Shen Congxin brought a document to Qi Yun. Qi Yun took it and looked at it promptly before signing his name and stamping it with his private seal. Shen Congxin was quiet. His face was as dark as the bottom of a pot. He thought about it all night but still didn’t understand why Qi Yun was doing this.
Qi Yun looked at Shen Congxin who was listless as if he had been frozen. It was really worrying that the kid wanted to ask but didn’t dare to ask more. He was even more afraid that Shen Congxin would help count the money if he was sold. Qi Yun put on his coat and glanced at him, “Wanwan said he doesn’t take care of kids, so I won’t sabotage the Shen family.”
Shen Congxin looked at him inexplicably. He didn’t understand what he said.
His secretary came in and said that it was almost time. Before leaving, Qi Yun said to Shen Congxin, “Clean up this place. Your cousin-in-law likes it very much.”
After the door was closed, Shen Congxin was still surprised. What was wrong with it? But he was not smart enough to figure it out so he’ll just clean up first.
After getting into the car, the secretary said, “The chief clerk asked you to go see him.”
Qi Yun nodded, “Have you found out who took those photos?”
The secretary replied, “It is most likely as you expected. Someone probably sent these photos to the general manager first.”
Qi Yun closed his eyes, “About what I told you to do.”
“Don’t worry, I did everything according to your instructions. I didn’t let Xiao Shen get involved. The vice president knows.”
Qi Yun snorted as he abruptly remembered the serious expression on Wanwan’s face when he tied his tie
“Chen Cong, what are your plans for the future?”
The secretary froze for a moment, “To follow you.”
He replied resolutely. Qi Yun put his hand into the pocket of his coat, and found a lollipop inside. It was needless to ask who put it there.
In the past, after drinking Chinese medicine every night, he liked to eat something sweet after.
He peeled off the candy wrapper and put the sweet, oily candy into his mouth. With that, the bitterness in his heart was not too unbearable for a while.
“You and Chen Ying really look alike. You deserve to be brothers.” His secretary couldn’t bear to look directly at the indifferent-faced man biting a lollipop. Sure enough, as long as it was given by the young madam, even poison would taste sweet.
This candy must have been bought by Shen Congxin along with the other groceries last time, but it was placed in his pocket by Wanwan. Qi Yun could imagine what he looked like when he sneaked the treat in.
“When will the business group from country X return?” His secretary looked at the computer in his hand and replied, “Their private jet leaves at 8 pm.”
Qi Yun snorted, “Find a way to delay it until the plane takes off.”
The plan would be carried out at 8 o’clock, “Sir, is this… okay?”
Qi Yun took the lollipop out of his mouth and looked at it. The pink strawberry was already bitten into pieces in his mouth.
“I can’t let him know, otherwise he won’t leave.”
Xing Zhongwan brought porridge to Xue Qing when he went to the hospital.
Xue Qing accepted it as she tried to read Xing Zhongwan’s body language. “It’s not easy for Laoniang to keep drinking this porridge forever.”
Xing Zhongwan patted the cast on her leg, “Speak human words.”
Xue Qing snorted and drank a mouthful of the warm porridge. “People say that on the day you disappeared, your boyfriend was not idle. Many of your rivals, like the one from country Z were laid to waste while the Shen family was safe and sound. This happened when they were still finalizing the negotiation regarding that development project with the country X’s business group. If Qi Yun didn’t stop his attack, it was estimated that the fight would carry on and havoc would be wrecked. But don’t you find it strange that the Shen family is now sitting on the sidelines? It’s as if he had prepared for this in advance. The Shen family was calm in the midst of howls of ghosts and wolves and there was not even a peep from them. This move is not in line with the usually ruthless Qi Yun at all. What does your boyfriend plan to do? It’s not good for him to go on like this. It’s as though he plans to stop at the next moment.”
Xing Zhongwan frowned just as the TV was broadcasting the names of the members of the Supervisory Committee that were being investigated. Xue Qing held her bowl and pointed at the TV, “See? It’s not over. You’ve spent an entire day and night with him, yet he didn’t reveal anything to you? His suicidal behavior, Laoniang really can’t understand this.”
Xing Zhongwan got up, took the bowl in Xue Qing’s hand as she choked. Xue Qing opened her mouth, “And what wrong with you? Taking food away from the patient like this. Did you promise to love each other?”
Xing Zhongwan rubbed his stomach, which was finally more comfortable now, “I didn’t eat anything in the morning and it was uncomfortable to smoke.”
Xue Qing could see that he was very uneasy.
“If you are really worried, don’t go back for now. You can see that they haven’t done anything for the past few days when you came back. Besides, he’s already too busy to take care of himself now. Maybe…”
“It can’t be possible at all,” Xing Zhongwan frowned.
Xue Qing was stunned and smiled, “You are too rational about everything, including your feelings. You will be very tired, Lao Xing. If you endure too much, you will open up your past wounds again.”
Xing Zhongwan took out a cigarette and held it between his lips. Looking down at the busy traffic from the 23rd floor, there was a sudden flash of lightning in the sky. Xue Qing slowly lay back on the bed, “There is going to be some changes around here.”
In the office of the General Affairs Office, the director of the General Affairs Office pointed at the document and looked at the signature in disbelief. With a complicated expression, he asked, “Qi Yun, what do you mean by this?”
Qi Yun sat proudly at the desk and handed him another document with photos and videos in it.
“I think you have already received these photos. I have more detailed ones here.” Zong Wuqi took the file bag and looked at each photo carefully as his face turned pale, “Are you out of your mind? Why don’t you justify yourself? Are the rumours surrounding you and that person from country X real? Are you misguided?”
Qi Yun said indifferently, “General Manager, I’m not interested in your position. At this point, I’ve also revealed it to you about it now. Now, only you can stabilize the current situation by taking action. The rotten foundation cannot be removed, but you can clear away some redundant branches that you have wanted to prune for a long time now. In order to remove what you don’t want, take this opportunity to stabilize your position in everyone’s hearts no matter how bad the situation is. No one else is best suited for this seat but you.”
The look on the general manager’s face looked a little better, “I watched you grow up, third young master. I can’t understand your thoughts until now. How long have you been planning this? You! You… you do it!”
The tabletop was slapped. It vibrated as the pen on the table rolled to the ground with a loud thud.
Qi Yun took another candy left in his coat pocket, “If you need some time to clean up the mess, I’ll buy you some time.” The general manager stared at him. Qi Yun’s eyes were firm.
“Is it worth it? To take up this gamble with the entire Qi family by yourself. Once you do it, you will never recover.”
Although words of dissuasion were coming out of his mouth, Qi Yun knew that the other would cut off any thorns on his side as long as it was a good deal.
He would exchange the power in his hand for freedom. After all, he himself was from the Qi family that has been in business for a hundred years. In the Shen family, no ambitious person would refuse this kind of temptation. The general manager accepted Qi Yun’s materials and couldn’t help but ask him before leaving,
“Is that man really worth it? “
Qi Yun turned around. The candy in his pocket had already melted and it was sticky in the palm of his hand.
“Life must be worth something to live in vain.”
After coming out of the General Affairs Office, Qi Yun met his rival who had been slighted recently. Even though he was still in public at the entrance of the General Affairs Office, that person had dared grab his collar and say, “Qi Yun, you demon! If you have the ability, come at me. How dare you threaten my family! I won’t let go of this. You think that no one knows what you have done, but I’ll make sure to see to your death after I’ve trampled you under my feet!”
His bodyguard stepped forward to separate them. Qi Yun calmly smoothed out his ruffled shirt, “If you have time, you might as well stop and think about who is really behind it and who your real enemy is.”
Qi Yun didn’t say any more. After ignoring the maniac behind him, he got into the car and rubbed his tie. There was a trace of unhappiness on his calm face, the tie he was wearing was crooked.
He took out the sticky candy that had been melting in his palm, peeled off the candy wrapper and put it in his mouth.
A flash of lightning flashed across the sky, and in the blink of an eye, drops of torrential downpour hit the glass of his car and everything outside was blurred for a moment.
Biting the little candy in his mouth, he listened to the sound of the rainstorm hitting the car, the traffic and the various voices from outside. Qi Yun just looked forward quietly until the sweetness in his mouth slowly dissipated.
It’s time to end this…
T/N: 3rd chapter before happily ever after (?)
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