HR Chapter 18

Chapter 18 Dream Awakening

Lu Qinyuan carried Xiao Qi upstairs, only to see Qi Yue scratching at Min Jia’s door, sweet words flowing like water. Lu Qinyuan felt stimulated just listening, but Min Jia kept the door tightly shut, turning a deaf ear, as if Qi Yue was just farting.

After taking Xiao Qi back to the bedroom, Lu Qinyuan went to the study and started a video conference. He rarely showed his face, only videoing with the person in charge during meetings, while he could see everyone present clearly.

In the video, you could see the company’s senior executives. Sitting in the middle was a young man with an outstanding temperament, his eyes restrained and calm, not revealing a trace of emotion, looking ordinary but not to be ignored. This was the chief lawyer of Zhang Yue Group, and he also served as the vice president of Zhang Yue Group.

“Recently, some people underneath have been restless, their minds are much more active. Weimian, pay attention. If anyone wants to take this opportunity to slack off, don’t be polite, deal with them severely.” Everyone understood the meaning behind the words, and Ye Xing naturally understood as well. He smiled faintly: “Naturally.”

Lu Qinyuan named a few people, warning them: “We gather when fate brings us together, and we scatter when fate ends. Trust me, don’t doubt. Don’t trust me, don’t hesitate. Those who should leave, leave. I won’t stop you. While my temper is still good, leave each other some face. Don’t be ungrateful, and end up embarrassing yourselves. You are all people with reputations, you understand the principles as well as I do, and many of you are older than me. I respect you, but I’m not afraid of you. I consider you a dish, but whether I pick up my chopsticks is another matter.”

After a round of warnings, everyone’s mood was different. Ye Xing’s attitude remained unchanged, perfunctorily smiling: “President Lu is overthinking it. We are all law-abiding citizens.” Lu Qinyuan laughed.

After the video conference, Lu Qinyuan opened the gift from Cheng Yu. Inside was indeed a statue of Xiao Qi, in his first mermaid costume, sitting among seashells, slightly raising his fishtail, adorned with pearls with a faint blue halo. He rested his chin on one hand, playfully looking into the distance, his light gray eyes carved with meticulous detail.

Cheng Yu’s craftsmanship could be described as divine, even Xiao Qi’s cinnabar tattoo was depicted perfectly, showing the effort he had put in.

Whether in a dream or reality, Xiao Qi suddenly found himself on a hillside. On the high slope stood a lone Chinese parasol tree, its trunk decayed and rotten, its crown broken in half, hanging on the remains of the trunk, creaking in the mountain wind. A lone phoenix circled the decayed Chinese parasol tree, crying mournfully.

He saw himself dressed in black, his eyes covered with black silk, leaning against the Chinese parasol tree, waiting. A faint sound of the zither entered his ears, mournful and weeping, as if sobbing, piercing his heart.

Waiting for a long time in the dark world, time seemed to stand still, but the sound of the zither grew sadder and more distressing. Xiao Qi covered his ears but couldn’t stop the zither music from passing through his mind. The intense sadness was like a persistent vengeful spirit, making him feel like he was collapsing.

Xiao Qi sobbed and woke up from his dream, his face full of tears. The sadness in the dream lingered, making his tears roll down uncontrollably, no matter how he wiped them away. The tears were like beads with broken strings, like floodgates out of control. Xiao Qi just opened his eyes and the tears flowed out on their own, as if the tears weren’t his own.

In truth, he was a coward. He was afraid of death, so afraid that he was unwilling to end his own life. He was also afraid of seeing the people he cared about die before his eyes, while he could do nothing.

He knew that every step he took now was gradually moving away from his original intention.

One wrong step, and every step is wrong. Even if the original intention remains unchanged, some things can never return to what they once were.

Ever since he saw that doll, Xiao Qi had been dreaming lately, the same dream, the same scene, appearing repeatedly in his dreams. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t escape. After waking up, he wiped his face, which was covered in tears. He stared at the ceiling, the moonlight shining on his face, half bright and half dark. The chirping of insects came from outside, but even though it was only separated by a window, it felt very far away.

A large hand lay domineeringly across his waist, protectively encircling him in his arms. As soon as he moved, the arm around him tightened. Xiao Qi put his ear to Lu Qinyuan’s heart and silently counted: “One, two, three, four…” He fell asleep without realizing it.

Even so, he didn’t sleep peacefully, waking up at the slightest movement. Xiao Qi wanted to get up but was pushed back by Lu Qinyuan, who caught his lips and kissed them, his slightly hoarse voice lazy and deep with a nasal tone: “Sleep with me. It’s raining outside, don’t get up.”

Xiao Qi raised his head and looked outside. The sky was gloomy, and the sound of rain could be heard drizzling. It was indeed raining. So, he lay back down, resting his head on Lu Qinyuan’s arm, squinting his eyes to rest. Lu Qinyuan’s voice sounded softly in his ear: “You haven’t been sleeping well lately.”

“Mm,” Xiao Qi said with his eyes closed, adding: “I can still sleep for a while.”

“Ah!” His body suddenly spun around, and when he realized what was happening, he was lying on top of Lu Qinyuan. He looked up and met Lu Qinyuan’s smiling eyes. Lu Qinyuan pressed Xiao Qi’s head against his heart and said, “Rainy days are good for sleeping.” One hand gently patted his back, like that night, only missing the humming of a nursery rhyme.

Although unwilling, he didn’t refuse. He just stared wide-eyed at the sky with the rain falling outside. He didn’t know how long it had been when the hand patting his shoulder stopped, resting lightly on his body. Xiao Qi raised his head and looked at Lu Qinyuan, who was sleeping soundly with his head slightly tilted to the side, his exposed neck beautiful and white. Xiao Qi slowly reached out his hand, his five fingers forming claws, poised over Lu Qinyuan’s throat.

His fingers were long and slender, with distinct joints, and sharp fingertips. When bent, they were like five sharp silver hooks, and with a little force, they would pierce the delicate flesh beneath, directly breaking the throat. Xiao Qi didn’t use any force. He slowly retracted his hand, stared at Lu Qinyuan’s sleeping face for a while, then put his ear back to Lu Qinyuan’s heart and slowly closed his eyes.

Outside, the rain grew heavier, accompanied by thunder, resounding across the sky. This rain came quickly but lingered, falling for half a day.

Both of them were woken up by hunger. They quickly washed up and went downstairs, greeted by a fragrant aroma. It was quite lively, even Zhu Yan was there, having returned at some unknown time, wearing camouflage clothing, his buzz cut clinging to his scalp, covered in stubble, like a newly released prisoner.

Zhu Yan seemed to haven’t eaten for a long time, holding a huge bowl filled with scalding hot fish, shrimp, and vegetables, devouring it. Min Jia managed to grab a small half bowl, while everyone else’s bowls were empty, waiting for the next batch. Bai Ze’s eyes were dark, he wearily propped his head with one hand, his eyes fixed on the food in the pot. Qi Yue didn’t even put down his chopsticks, waiting for the food to cook so he could scoop it up.

Xiao Qi was overjoyed to see Zhu Yan. He skipped down the stairs, quickly running behind Zhu Yan and slapping him on the back, shouting: “Uncle!”

Zhu Yan choked, covering his mouth to avoid spitting out the food, trying hard to swallow it, burping as he turned around, wiping his mouth and saying: “You woke up? Come on, sit down quickly. Sha Tang’s seasoning is really good.”

Xiao Qi sat next to Zhu Yan, reached into his bowl and pinched a vegetable, putting it in his mouth: “When did you get back, Uncle?”

“I got back last night, you guys were already asleep.” Zhu Yan took a small unused plate for Xiao Qi, put a pair of chopsticks in his hand, and just as this batch was cooked, Zhu Yan quickly and neatly grabbed two slices of meat and put them on Xiao Qi’s plate, and also added some vegetables, generously saying: “Just eat, tell me what you want to eat, and I’ll get it for you.”

No one dared to sit in Lu Qinyuan’s seat. Without anyone needing to offer it, he sat down directly. There were already bowls and chopsticks placed in front of him. He didn’t move, just watching Xiao Qi sitting next to Zhu Yan, the two of them picking and eating, affectionately chatting and laughing.

As soon as the food was cooked, several pairs of chopsticks went down at the same time, instantly leaving only the soup base. Bai Ze finally managed to grab a slice of meat, but it was intercepted by Min Jia halfway. He tried to grab another bite, but it was snatched away by Qi Yue. Bai Ze couldn’t help but feel depressed. Sitting next to these shameless lovebirds, he wouldn’t be able to eat a single piece of meat at this meal. So, he took his bowl and moved his position, sitting next to Zhu Yan. He instantly felt the artificial cold air coming from Lu Qinyuan, and looking at the two people beside him, they didn’t realize anything.

Lu Qinyuan stared at Bai Ze: “I’ll give you a vacation, hand over your work to me.”

Bai Ze rubbed his eyes: “I went to bed a little late yesterday, I’ll catch up on sleep and recover.”

Lu Qinyuan said: “No, you may not be afraid, but I am.”

Sha Tang returned with the ingredients, and saw Xiao Qi sitting in his seat at a glance, immediately chasing him away: “Xiao Qi, go back to your own seat.”

Xiao Qi got up, holding the plate full of food. Even though there was only one person between them, he still reluctantly said goodbye to Zhu Yan: “Uncle, later…” The two were even whispering in each other’s ears, as if they didn’t hate death enough.

Zhu Yan smiled, agreeing: “Okay, okay.” It was so worrying.

Bai Ze glanced at Zhu Yan, who was eating heartily, and sighed helplessly. You may be upright and not afraid of criticism, but you still need to avoid suspicion. Flirting in front of Lu Qinyuan like this, it seems that the tasks are still too few.

The hot pot was a divided pot, one side was milky white broth, the other side was a soup base with a layer of red oil floating on top. The seasoning was Sha Tang’s own secret recipe, different from the ones outside, with a slight bitter taste that couldn’t be tasted without careful attention.

Xiao Qi couldn’t eat spicy food, and the bitter taste of the clear soup was slightly stronger, but it was still within his acceptable range, so he didn’t say anything. After eating the food on his plate, he refused the food that Lu Qinyuan offered, and began to fish for food in the pot himself, his movements quick, accurate, and stable.

Lu Qinyuan was almost half-full of jealousy. He put down his chopsticks halfway through the meal and focused on serving Xiao Qi.

Xiao Qi had a small appetite. With the previous experience of two bowls of porridge, he had learned his lesson. He felt half-full, and another cup of yogurt would make him bloated. He also put down his chopsticks, picked up the yogurt and drank half of it, propping his chin up with his head tilted, pondering Zhu Yan’s bald head.

Sha Tang waved his chopsticks in front of Xiao Qi, pushing Xiao Qi’s forehead back with the tip of the chopsticks: “Head, pull it back, you’re in the way of my eating.”

Xiao Qi touched his forehead, pulled his long hair, pulled it forward and then threw it back, not saying a word. He finished the rest of the yogurt in one gulp. Lu Qinyuan refilled it for him, glancing at Zhu Yan: “You’re pondering so seriously, can you make a flower bloom?”

Xiao Qi focused all his attention on Zhu Yan’s head, ignoring Lu Qinyuan. He suddenly stood up and said: “Uncle, let me touch your scalp.” Before he finished speaking, he had neatly run behind Zhu Yan and pressed his palm on Zhu Yan’s head, touching it. The layer of stubble was prickly and rough. Xiao Qi touched it a few times and went back, staring blankly at his own hair.