TLSOTMTKOGAYWHTDI Chapter 94

Chapter 93: Qi Xiaoman, the Little Spy

Zhuo Huaimo pushed open the door to Xingyue Media’s CEO office, only to find Yu Fengran staring blankly into his coffee.

“Zhuo… President Zhuo?”

Yu Fengran’s hand trembled, spilling half his coffee. “Why are you here?”

“What,” Zhuo Huaimo took off his suit jacket and hung it up. “Can’t I come?”

Yu Fengran gave a dry laugh, “No… it’s just…” He stole a glance at the door. “President Qi isn’t with you?”

Zhuo Huaimo sneered, “Don’t forget, I’m the boss of this company.”

Yu Fengran’s heart skipped a beat—crap, these two are fighting again. Ever since Zhuo Huaimo handed over full control of the company to Qi Yanwang three years ago, the real boss had barely set foot in the CEO’s office.

“Something you need?” Zhuo Huaimo opened a file.

“There’s an investment proposal…” Yu Fengran carefully handed over the folder. “They want to inject 5 billion, with conditions so generous they’re suspicious. We suspect something’s up.”

Zhuo Huaimo glanced at the document, his fingers pausing when he saw the “QY International” logo. The clause stating “no involvement in any decision-making” was clearly Qi Yanwang’s way of speaking.

“Accept it,” he said, closing the file.

Yu Fengran’s eyes widened, “But the background check shows…”

“This is what Xingyue deserves.” Zhuo Huaimo interrupted him, “Just think of it as… compensation for adopting a stray child.”

Yu Fengran looked bewildered. “What child?”

Zhuo Huaimo didn’t explain. His phone suddenly started buzzing like crazy. A dozen messages popped up on the screen:

[Wife, I was wrong]

[Will kneeling on a durian be enough?]

[Please don’t leave me]

[I promise this is the last secret]

[I’ve even confessed to wetting the bed as a kid]

The last message included a photo—Qi Yanwang squatting pitifully at the front door, holding a cardboard sign that read “Seeking Adoption.”

Yu Fengran accidentally caught a glimpse and almost choked on his spit. “President Qi, he…”

“Ignore him,” Zhuo Huaimo flipped his phone face down on the desk. “Continue with the investment details.”

Yu Fengran bit the bullet and reported, “They also offered to sponsor the global distribution of ‘Dawn’…”

“Take it.”

“But we haven’t confirmed the leads yet…”

“If there’s an investment, you don’t have to worry about finding actors, right?”

Yu Fengran gasped, that’s the tone of someone who found a gold mine?

“Anything else?” Zhuo Huaimo looked up.

“N-no…” Yu Fengran wiped his sweat. “It’s just… President Qi’s side…”

Zhuo Huaimo picked up his constantly vibrating phone and sent a voice message: “Send one more message, and you’re sleeping in the doghouse tonight.”

The phone went silent instantly.

Yu Fengran stared in disbelief as Zhuo Huaimo got up and headed towards the conference room. “Notify all departments, meeting at ten.”

“Now?” Yu Fengran glanced at his watch. “But…”

“Any problems?”

“No!” Yu Fengran took off running. “I’ll notify everyone right away!”

All day, Xingyue was in chaos. Zhuo Huaimo efficiently cleared the backlog of documents and held three consecutive meetings. The employees were on edge, barely daring to breathe.

Until, in the evening, the front desk suddenly called: “President Zhuo, there’s a… um, a delivery guy here to see you.”

Zhuo Huaimo frowned. “I didn’t order…”

Before he could finish, the office door was pushed open. Qi Yanwang, wearing a Meituan delivery uniform and rabbit ear headband, was holding an insulated bag.

“Your delivery,” he said pitifully, handing over the bag. “Can you give me a five-star rating?”

Zhuo Huaimo nearly lost his composure. “You…”

“I was wrong,” Qi Yanwang lunged forward and hugged him. “Hit me, scold me, do anything, just don’t ignore me…”

Zhuo Huaimo kicked him. “Let go! What do you look like!”

“I won’t let go!” Qi Yanwang held on tighter. “Unless you forgive me.”

Outside the door, several eavesdropping employees quickly retracted their heads. Zhuo Huaimo massaged his forehead. “Get up first.”

“Then give me a kiss.”

“Qi Yanwang!”

“Then I’ll do it myself.” Qi Yanwang suddenly stood up, grabbed his face, and planted a loud “smack” on his lips.

Zhuo Huaimo’s ears turned red. “You…”

“Wife,” Qi Yanwang said seriously, “I promise this is the last time.” He pulled out a bank card. “This is all my private savings. The password is your birthday.”

Zhuo Huaimo raised an eyebrow. “The one in Switzerland?”

“No,” Qi Yanwang shook his head. “It’s the one in the Cayman Islands.” He added, “And the ones in Monaco and Dubai. I’ll transfer them to you tomorrow.”

Zhuo Huaimo pushed the card back. “I don’t want your money.”

“Then what do you want?” Qi Yanwang grabbed his hand anxiously. “Anything I have…”

“I want you to remember,” Zhuo Huaimo looked straight into his eyes, “We’re equal partners. I don’t need you to protect me single-handedly.”

Looking at the nervous Qi Yanwang in front of him, Zhuo Huaimo suddenly felt amused. This man, who could stand at the top of the pyramid and look down on everyone, was acting pitiful and shameless in front of him, even wearing a delivery uniform to coax him.

But as he smiled, a pang of sadness also rose in his heart. Was Qi Yanwang hiding things from him because… the gap between them was too big?

“Qi Yanwang,” Zhuo Huaimo said suddenly, “Does your family… disapprove of us being together?”

Qi Yanwang’s fingers tightened slightly. After a few seconds of silence, he said softly: “If I tell you the truth, can you promise me something?”

“What is it?”

“You can be angry, you can scold me, you can even hit me.” Qi Yanwang looked up, his eyes more serious than ever. “But you absolutely can’t break up with me.”

Zhuo Huaimo’s heart skipped a beat, but he still nodded. “Okay.”

Only then did Qi Yanwang slowly open his mouth: “Two years ago, I went back once.”

“You had just left back then. I knew that I only wanted you in my life! And I also knew that after I got you back, I would have to face my family sooner or later! So I went home to confess to my old man!”

He smiled bitterly, “As a result, the old man flipped the table on the spot.”

Zhuo Huaimo’s fingertips felt cold. “Because I’m a man?”

“That’s only part of the reason!” Qi Yanwang shook his head. “There’s also…” He paused, his voice even softer. “They arranged a marriage for me.”

Marriage alliance. The words stabbed into Zhuo Huaimo’s heart like knives.

“The other party is the daughter of the Finance Minister of L Country. The two families have been cooperating for decades.” Qi Yanwang tugged at the corners of his mouth. “The old man said that if I didn’t agree, he would freeze all my assets, and I wouldn’t even be able to keep Xingyue.”

Zhuo Huaimo stood up abruptly. “So you—”

“Of course I didn’t agree!” Qi Yanwang grabbed him. “I said it on the spot, either accept you, or act like you don’t have a son.”

“And then?”

“And then…” Qi Yanwang smiled mockingly. “I was kicked out of the house again. All my bank cards were cancelled. I had to borrow money from Yu Fengran for the plane ticket. He thought I had been robbed abroad!”

Zhuo Huaimo’s breath caught in his throat. “Then that time…”

“I lived at your house. Fortunately, I was thick-skinned enough to not move out before you left!” Qi Yanwang pretended to be relaxed. “Fortunately, Xingyue had already gone public by then, or I really would have had to beg for food.”

Zhuo Huaimo remembered that time. Qi Yanwang was inquiring about his whereabouts all over the world, dealing with his father, and also busy with Xingyue’s IPO… In comparison, he felt relaxed hiding abroad!

“I’m sorry!”

“Silly,” Qi Yanwang squeezed his hand. “What are you apologizing for? This isn’t your fault!”

Zhuo Huaimo was silent.

“Later, the old man saw that being tough didn’t work, so he tried to be nice.” Qi Yanwang continued, “First, he agreed not to interfere with my personal life, as long as I was willing to go back and inherit the family business.”

“Did you agree?”

“How could I!” Qi Yanwang scoffed. “I made it clear—either we both go back, or nobody goes back.”

Zhuo Huaimo’s heart warmed, but he couldn’t help but worry: “What about now…”

“Now…” Qi Yanwang suddenly smiled. “I feel like the old man is about to give in!” He suddenly said mysteriously, “I feel like Qi Xiaoman’s coming here this time was me deliberately letting her out to gather information. Otherwise, that old fox would have dragged her back in seconds!”

Zhuo Huaimo stared at Qi Yanwang for a few seconds, then reached out and pinched his face. “So, your sister is here to be a spy?”

“Ouch, ouch, ouch—” Qi Yanwang bared his teeth, but didn’t dare to dodge. “I’m just guessing! Otherwise, how could she have run out so easily?”

Zhuo Huaimo let go, lost in thought. “Then these past few days…”

“Don’t worry, you’ve already won her over without even trying!” Qi Yanwang rubbed his face and leaned in to whisper, “My wife is so cute, who wouldn’t love her?”

Zhuo Huaimo sneered, “Can you be serious?”

Qi Yanwang hugged his waist with a grin. “Oh, I’m very serious. My lifelong happiness is at stake, how could I not be serious?”

Zhuo Huaimo was amused by his antics, but quickly composed himself: “Then if… your dad still doesn’t agree in the end?”

The smile on Qi Yanwang’s face faded a little, but his eyes were unusually firm. “Then we elope.”

“Elope?”

“Yeah.” Qi Yanwang nodded. “Anyway, I have plenty of money. It’s no problem to support you for the rest of your life.”

Zhuo Huaimo’s heart warmed, but he still said deliberately, “Who needs you to support me? I can earn money myself.”

“Even better!” Qi Yanwang’s eyes lit up. “You support me, and I’ll be a kept man!”

Zhuo Huaimo was both amused and annoyed by his shamelessness. Just as he was about to speak, there was a knock on the office door.

Yu Fengran’s voice came from outside: “President Zhuo, Miss Qi is here. She said… she has something urgent to discuss with President Qi.”

Qi Yanwang and Zhuo Huaimo exchanged a look.

“See,” Qi Yanwang lowered his voice, “The little spy is here again!”

Zhuo Huaimo took a deep breath and straightened his collar. “Let her in.”

The door opened, and Qi Xiaoman cautiously stepped inside. “Brother, please, don’t let me go back! I’ll stay here and fight with you to the end!”

Qi Yanwang smiled slyly. “That depends on whether you have any value!”

Qi Xiaoman instantly had the feeling that she was about to be tricked. “W-what do you mean?”