Emptiness, loneliness…
Yesterday’s wife was truly beautiful!
Ah… I really miss the feeling of having Yaoyao in my arms.
Even though it’s been less than half an hour since I left, I miss him terribly.
When will Yaoyao and I truly be together?
Qi Zhongjing was “crawling in the dark” in the guest room, his mind filled with wild thoughts.
In short, neither of them fell back asleep after waking up.
When the sky was completely bright, the two washed up separately and went to the main building for breakfast. Lin Qingwan had just woken up as well. She had arranged for the kitchen to prepare an exceptionally sumptuous meal last night.
“Xiao Jing, did you sleep well?” Lin Qingwan asked thoughtfully, fearing she had been a poor host.
“Very well. Auntie, the bed in your house is very comfortable; it let me rest perfectly.”
With a fragrant, soft wife to hold, I slept exceptionally well.
Qi Zhongjing thought silently, his eyes stealing glances in Meng Lingyao’s direction.
Meng Lingyao was busy drinking soy milk paired with crispy deep-fried dough sticks—delicious. Breakfast was quite good. He didn’t interrupt his mother’s small talk with Qi Zhongjing; he acted as if he didn’t hear it. After all, he had to go to work after eating.
…
Since that last dinner at the family home, Qi Zhongjing seemed to have “awakened.” He no longer limited his hugging to secret late-night sessions; he now dared to pull Meng Lingyao into an embrace as soon as they got into bed.
As the weather grew hotter, hugging together was naturally quite warm.
Meng Lingyao was annoyed—extremely annoyed. Consequently, he always faced Qi Zhongjing with a sour expression, which seemed to grow longer by the day.
To counter this, Qi Zhongjing went through a lot of trouble to keep the room temperature low.
This way, once people fell into a deep sleep, they would naturally gravitate toward a heat source. This resulted in him and Meng Lingyao sticking even closer together.
Meng Lingyao: Don’t get angry, don’t get angry, don’t get angry.
He simply treated himself as a giant body pillow, letting Qi Zhongjing hold him as he pleased.
At the same time, he realized that Qi Zhongjing wasn’t unresponsive to him. At the very least, the previous incident told him that Qi Zhongjing was a “normal man” and harbored voyeuristic designs on his body.
Should he be glad the other could get hard for him? Should he be glad he had the “potential” to be slept with?
Ugh—Argh! The little person inside Meng Lingyao’s head was going crazy, scratching its hair in frustration.
Was this a good thing for him? Or a bad thing? Regardless, it was hard to find peace with it.
However, to him, Qi Zhongjing’s reaction merely symbolized another way the man could trample upon him.
By not viewing himself as a person, but as an object, he actually found getting along with Qi Zhongjing quite pleasant.
At the very least, Qi Zhongjing’s cooking was genuinely good—an objective evaluation he was willing to make.
…
Days passed peacefully. Meng Lingyao watched plenty of jokes play out on Meng Qiang’s side. While the other was run off his feet and overwhelmed by the shift in public opinion, the Meng Corporation was rapidly recovering its strength.
It was an old-money family after all. As long as it wasn’t completely killed off with one blow, maintaining its current scale was no problem.
The cooperation with the Qi Group finally allowed the Meng Corporation to catch its breath. Although it had been badly shaken and its assets had significantly depreciated, it could still operate, which left Meng Lingyao quite satisfied.
The only thing troubling him was that finding a professional manager seemed truly difficult. Meng Lingyao had scouted many candidates, but they all felt like they were “missing something”—none gave him enough confidence to completely step away from the company’s affairs.
Did he really have to pick a random candidate from the previous list and just “make do”?
But Meng Lingyao didn’t want to make do; he wanted the best.
During this time, Qian Linhao—acting as Meng Lingyao’s secretary—was clearly aware of his boss’s worries. Naturally, he wanted to solve the problem for him. This proved to be a headache for him as well; he utilized his vast network, but the information he got back was mixed.
Regarding the current state of the Meng Corporation, there weren’t many people willing to “jump into this pit.” Those who knew the inside story had many reservations about taking over a mess. As for those who wanted to come, their own qualifications didn’t meet the company’s selection standards.
Consequently, they had been stuck in this stalemate for a long time.
However, he had recently received a resume. After the HR department reviewed it and found it excellent, they recommended it. Qian Linhao examined the details and agreed. He then used his connections to conduct a thorough background check.
Having obtained detailed information today, he felt confident and handed the candidate’s profile to Meng Lingyao.
After reading it, Meng Lingyao frowned, unable to believe it. “Why would a powerful character like this try out for a family business like the Meng Corporation?”
Qian Linhao, seemingly anticipating this question, had already prepared his response. He said, “Speaking of which, it was a series of accidents. The candidate seems to have been blacklisted by the industry for certain reasons. However, I’ve done an investigation, and this person is usable. As for the factors behind it, they won’t have a significant impact on the Meng Corporation; it just depends on whether you, President Meng, have the courage to take this person on.”
Though he spoke this way, Qian Linhao had already grasped some of Meng Lingyao’s personality.
Qian Linhao wouldn’t speak without reason, so the person was truly excellent—and truly trouble. This piqued Meng Lingyao’s interest. His expression grew serious, he took a listening posture, and he uncrossed his legs. “Tell me more.”
Qian Linhao sent the investigated information to Meng Lingyao. While Meng Lingyao looked through the materials, Qian Linhao narrated.
His curious expression turned into deep thought. He narrowed his eyes and flipped through the detailed introduction again. Seeing Qian Linhao’s expectant expression, his tone lightened. “Brother Qian, it seems you’ve already made your choice—you’ve picked out a future rival and partner.”
Qian Linhao shook his head, his attitude toward Meng Lingyao remaining respectful and appropriate. “Whether it works or not still depends on you, President Meng. I am merely a subordinate recommending the most suitable candidate to you.”
“Fine. Then set up a time to meet this gentleman,” Meng Lingyao said casually, spreading his hands. “I hope he is as genuine as the data suggests.”
“Alright, I’ll arrange it immediately,” Qian Linhao replied and went to make the preparations.
Qi Zhongjing more or less knew about the problems that were giving Meng Lingyao a headache. However, since this concerned the position of the decision-maker for the other’s company, it wasn’t convenient for him to interfere. Intervening too much would look like he had intentions to seize control of the company.
Therefore, he could only watch; he wouldn’t even offer a reference opinion.
Even if he dared to recommend someone, given Meng Lingyao’s temperament, the boy wouldn’t dare use them.
His “precious” was very wary of him.
…
Qian Linhao acted extremely quickly. Meng Lingyao gave the order on the first day, and the meeting was arranged for the second.
It was a business dinner. When Meng Lingyao arrived, the other party had already been waiting for a while. The man was in his thirties, with some marks of time on his face. He looked very stable and carried the inherent aura of someone who had navigated the ups and downs of the business world—the aura of a hunter.
Clearly, the man had the presence of someone who could expand territory. Upon seeing Meng Lingyao for the first time, he remained very calm, shaking hands and exchanging polite pleasantries.
His posture was neither lowly nor arrogant; he allowed Meng Lingyao to observe him with a peaceful demeanor.
To anyone with a network, it was known that Meng Lingyao was a “trust-fund baby” who sat around waiting to die—a man who had almost run his ancestors’ legacy into the ground and was now looking for a scapegoat to take over. He shouldn’t be very calm.
After a few simple pleasantries, Meng Lingyao acted very arrogantly, exactly like his previous “waiting-to-die” self. The other party’s expression remained as steady as Mount Tai, without a single extra muscle twitching.
This made Meng Lingyao even more interested.
“Mr. Zhou, I’m curious. Why did you submit a resume to our company? As far as I know, given your ability, the scale of your previous company, and your former position, this role is a step down for you.” Meng Lingyao propped up his head, using a cynical tone to self-deprecate while flattering the other.
“I don’t think the Meng Corporation can offer you much of a springboard. You also know I’m a trust-fund baby. Right now, the Meng Corporation is a paper tiger—one touch and it falls apart. Why would you want to jump into this fire pit?”
Zhou Fengyang, today’s interviewee, looked at this young boss and shook his head. “You said ‘before.’ Those things are in the past; a person cannot stay in the past forever.”
“I don’t believe President Meng is looking for someone who brags about their previous resume and stays stuck in past glories, unable to pull themselves out.”
“Furthermore, since President Meng knows the current situation of the company yet speaks so frankly, it shows you are not like the rumors suggest. Don’t you agree, President Meng?”
Regarding Meng Lingyao’s words, Zhou Fengyang spoke thus.
“What kind of person am I looking for? I wonder if Mr. Zhou has any insights.” Meng Lingyao seemed interested. He sat up straight and asked like a curious baby, his beautiful eyes blinking, his gaze flowing in a way that made his stunning features even more vivid.
Zhou Fengyang was momentarily dazed by Meng Lingyao’s outstanding features. He looked down in thought for a moment. “President Meng is too kind. It’s not really an insight, but I have heard a little about your company. I’ll just speak about my advantages; I’ve currently done some analysis on the status of your company.”
Before coming—and even longer before submitting that resume—Zhou Fengyang had already done some simple investigation and analysis. Upon receiving the interview invitation, he had refined his analysis and prepared some measures and clauses for the current company.
He was 80% certain of landing this high-paying offer.
After all, he wasn’t an employee of the Meng Corporation, so he naturally didn’t have a perfect understanding of its current state. However, looking at the problems from the outside as a bystander was enough to make this meeting achieve his expected results.
Meng Lingyao knew the man was a rare talent. He wasn’t being self-deprecating; for a character who had reached the position of Vice President in a large group, he was naturally no simple figure.
The fact that the man was now stepping down to work at his company as a “hired emperor” in name only was clearly a self-demotion.
The man’s abilities exceeded the position he was applying for.
This was a rare talent, but also a significant amount of trouble.
Meng Lingyao had read the proposal and had also discussed it briefly with senior management. They had to admit the man had indeed analyzed the current drawbacks and planning of the Meng Corporation with clear logic.
He had relied on the Qi Group’s funds to pull the Meng Corporation back from the brink of death, and he had several collaborations with the Qi Group to help the company recover.
Right now, the Qi Group and the Meng Corporation were letting the pressure of public opinion fall on the “Little Meng” family. It looked like his family was on the winning side, but in reality, that wasn’t the case.
Currently, the Meng Corporation was relying on the Qi Group. This state was too passive; for a prominent family, it was definitely not good news.
You can rely on the Qi Group now, but can you rely on them for a lifetime?
Eating meat from the Qi Group’s mouth forever was practically an insult to the Meng family.
Furthermore, Meng Lingyao knew he wouldn’t maintain that so-called “marriage” with Qi Zhongjing forever. Sooner or later, they would part ways and return to their original positions.