Going downstairs, he saw that Qi Zhongjing had already laid out breakfast—a Chinese-style spread: small steamed buns, crystal shrimp dumplings, white porridge, and some side pickles. A very simple breakfast.
However, in just those ten or so minutes, there was no way Qi Zhongjing could have finished pleating even a single bun.
“Breakfast is ready.” Qi Zhongjing beckoned him over and ladled a bowl of porridge for Meng Lingyao. He was indeed stunned once again by Meng Lingyao’s appearance. Remembering the advice from the materials he’d read—that one should always shower their partner with sweet words—he added, “You look very beautiful today.”
Heh! Meng Lingyao rolled his eyes, almost wanting to show him the middle finger.
Who are you trying to disgust?
You can call a man handsome, but calling him “beautiful” was clearly meant to be nauseating.
Originally, he could have been somewhat polite to Qi Zhongjing—after all, he was a so-called “transaction partner”—but not even a day had passed, and Meng Lingyao already felt that Qi Zhongjing was becoming a bit of a masochist; the more authentic his reactions were, the happier the man seemed.
Truly a wretched man, heh!
Meng Lingyao didn’t reflect on his own exquisite and ethereal face; the word “beautiful” would always reflect his appearance more accurately than “handsome.”
The porridge was milky white, emitting an aroma of rice mixed with milk. The grains were boiled until soft and tender. The taste was smooth, sweet, and milky, which paired perfectly with the savory pickles.
Even if Meng Lingyao didn’t give Qi Zhongjing a single good look, the food was undeniably to his taste. He found it quite excellent and even offered a review: “This is much better than last night’s.”
Meng Lingyao held his bowl and took a slow, deliberate sip of porridge, saying this with a squinted smile.
Again, Qi Zhongjing couldn’t have pleated a bun in ten minutes. This porridge must have simmered for at least an hour or two, and it took time for it to reach a temperature that was just right for eating.
Therefore, Qi Zhongjing didn’t make this breakfast.
Since he didn’t make it, it tasted good.
Qi Zhongjing didn’t react much; in fact, he found the way Meng Lingyao secretly poked at him quite amusing—it was like a child’s temperament.
“Yes, yes. It’s delicious, so eat a bit more,” Qi Zhongjing echoed.
This completely failed to meet Meng Lingyao’s expectations, which made him feel disgruntled. He pursed his lips and stopped talking. After finishing breakfast, Qi Zhongjing drove him to work.
“Next time, don’t trouble yourself to come and block me with such fanfare, President Qi. I am a man who honors my deals; I will cooperate with the requirements of our transaction.” Upon arriving at the company, Meng Lingyao said with a fake smile, “Your concern is redundant. It makes me look like some sort of rogue.”
“Fine.” What else could Qi Zhongjing say? He silently accepted the rebuke. “Take this. Consider it a wedding gift. I was going to give it to you the day before yesterday, but I didn’t…” have time.
Well, he didn’t have time today either. Meng Lingyao casually grabbed the yellow envelope, pushed the car door open, and stepped out with his long legs. He was already halfway out of the car while Qi Zhongjing was still talking.
“I’m off, see you.” Qi Zhongjing was muttering a bunch of stuff, but Meng Lingyao didn’t hear it clearly. He acted as if his seat was on fire, leaving in a desperate rush, scurrying away incredibly fast.
“…” Meng Lingyao’s rapid retreat left Qi Zhongjing feeling a bit discouraged. He watched as Meng Lingyao sprinted away in a few steps until only his back remained, and then even that silhouette vanished.
This was… how many times had the other person been desperate to get away from him?
“The road is long. Let’s take it one step at a time.”
Amidst a faint sense of melancholy, Qi Zhongjing restarted the car and headed to the Qi Group.
…
As the elevator climbed, Meng Lingyao casually opened the yellow document bag Qi Zhongjing had handed him.
Heh! A wedding gift.
In their purely transactional relationship, where was the “wedding”?
The sneering, cold expression Meng Lingyao wore lasted until his eyes landed on the equity transfer agreement. His face went blank, and his lips thinned.
His knuckles turned white as he gripped the envelope, and the entire paper bag became wrinkled under his excessive force.
By the time he reached the top floor, Meng Lingyao looked incredibly gloomy, as if he were harboring countless negative emotions.
Qian Linhao had heard from the secretarial pool that the young CEO was in a bad mood today. Thinking back to how President Qi and Young Master Meng had left the Meng Corporation together the day before, he thought he might know the reason for the low spirits.
The secretaries were afraid to cross the young boss’s path, whispering among themselves and doing their best to dodge him.
As the chief secretary, Qian Linhao had no choice but to be the first to face the music.
In the eyes of outsiders, the young CEO was in a bad mood and on the verge of fury. In reality, Meng Lingyao was simply bewildered by that agreement. He couldn’t even grasp what Qi Zhongjing was thinking.
This wasn’t part of the deal.
He pulled out his phone, wanting to ask Qi Zhongjing, but then realized the travel time between the two companies meant the man was still driving. He dismissed the thought.
“Young Master Meng, the matter regarding the shareholders who previously withdrew their shares has been handled. Additionally, regarding the shares that the ‘Little Meng’ branch tried to short us on, we have only recovered a portion,” Qian Linhao reported, carrying the expectations of the entire secretarial team, as he gave Meng Lingyao his schedule for the day.
“As for that mysterious shareholder who moved ahead of us, we still haven’t gathered any information.” Speaking of this, Qian Linhao felt somewhat ashamed; after all, his work hadn’t been perfect.
This mysterious person had quietly bought up a large number of shares from shareholders for essentially pennies when the Meng Corporation was at its lowest point. This was clearly someone to be wary of.
Although the Meng family was currently the largest shareholder—with Meng Lingyao acting as the proxy—the second largest was that mysterious person.
The Meng family held over 70% of the shares (his family’s total, which he now managed), while the mystery person already held 16%.
As the second-largest shareholder, they could play a decisive role in certain decisions. It was crucial to know if they were a friend or a foe.
“No need to investigate anymore.” Meng Lingyao finally understood: Qi Zhongjing had been doing a lot of things behind his back.
Qian Linhao was stunned but reacted quickly. “Does this mean you know the person’s identity? Is there a threat to the company?”
If there was, they had to think of a way to remove this risk.
Meng Lingyao, with a wooden face, tapped the wrinkled document bag. “The remaining 16% of the shares are all in here.”
“That is wonderful news!” Qian Linhao instinctively became excited, but under Meng Lingyao’s “dead fish” stare, he reined in his emotions and returned to being the unflappable Secretary Qian.
“I mean, the shares now fully belong to the Meng family. No one can influence company decisions anymore. This was a goal your brother wanted to achieve but never did. You have truly surpassed your predecessor.” Secretary Qian, the compliment expert, was back online, showering Meng Lingyao with sincere praise.
The not-so-happy Meng Lingyao gave him a dead-eyed look.
“Do I look like I’m happy?”
Mistook the mood, Secretary Qian thought, giving a slight smile and letting it go.
“Stop wasting energy on this. What’s the word on Meng Qiang and Qin Qingsheng?” Meng Lingyao spoke their names bluntly, showing physiological disgust at the mention of them.
Currently, on his mental “revenge list,” his uncle’s and aunt’s families had surpassed Qi Zhongjing to claim the top spot for most hated.
As for the former #1, Qi Zhongjing—because of the current transaction—Meng Lingyao felt he should give him some credit. He’d moved him to the last page to see if he’d eventually be moved back to the top.
His mind was constantly calculating, drawing circles to curse his enemies.
“They’ve used some tactics, but because the Qi Group is standing in front of us, they seem to be trying to push Qi’s away. Most of their fire is concentrated there,” Qian Linhao chose his words carefully. “President Qi is absorbing the pressure for us.”
“Mm, understood.” Meng Lingyao’s gaze fell back onto the transfer agreement, his expression unreadable.
Qian Linhao wanted to say that they could use this chance to develop and stabilize under the Qi Group’s protection, but seeing Meng Lingyao’s distracted and strange look, he dropped the subject.
The grievances between President Qi and Young Master Meng were something even Secretary Qian couldn’t decipher. However, to put it bluntly, he was actually relieved that President Qi had “lost his mind” and fallen so hard for the young master.
Currently, the Meng Corporation was entirely dependent on the Qi Group’s support.
…
Meng Lingyao’s strange mood didn’t stop him from working. He had too much to do to let negative emotions show. Once he got busy, he was like a spinning top. During lunch, he had some nourishing soup sent over by his mother and had a video call with her. They “ate together” as she urged him to take care of himself and not work too hard before ending the call.
By the time he drove back to Qi Zhongjing’s place, it was around 7:00 PM—which counted as leaving early for him.
He changed into slippers at the entryway and stepped into the house. In the dining room, Qi Zhongjing had already received word and set the table. Again, it was four dishes and a soup—different from yesterday, but still a rich spread of home-cooked flavors.
“We need to talk.” Meng Lingyao brought back the document Qi Zhongjing had given him that morning.
Qi Zhongjing’s expression remained as usual—calm, even indifferent, as if he had just given away something trivial. “Eat first. We’ll talk after.”
He was worried that talking would ruin the appetite.
“Just a few words. I don’t think it will delay your meal, President Qi.” Meng Lingyao was unusually persistent.
Seeing his persistence, Qi Zhongjing could only nod and give a helpless smile, looking like he was at Meng Lingyao’s disposal. “Alright. What do you want to say?”
“Why?” Faced with Qi Zhongjing’s reaction, Meng Lingyao felt an inexplicable sense of frustration and irritability. The emotion came on so suddenly that even he didn’t know its source.
Why give this to me? Why help me for no reason?
It was too strange, truly too strange!
It was as if…
Meng Lingyao quickly cut off that absurd thought. He told himself again: This is just a transaction. It’s just a transaction.