“Brother Ye, I am not cold.”
“Put it on.”
Qin Wangye stared intently at the fishing float. His tone was as uncompromising as ever.
Qin Wangye was physically robust. Aside from that six-month period, he had basically never stopped working out. He had a hot temper and high endurance. Song Que weighed the situation and felt tempted, unable to refuse, so he finally put the jacket on.
Qin Wangye seemed to see a fish about to take the bait and smiled.
The jacket still held residual warmth and possessed Qin Wangye’s unique scent. Song Que felt momentarily dazed. It was only when Qin Wangye leaned over and reached out with one hand to help him lift the rod that he managed not to let the fish escape.
“That is right. Pull slowly to wear it out. Wait until you feel it stop struggling before you lift.”
Song Que was a good student. He blushed while following instructions.
He actually ended up catching a black carp of a decent size.
“Beautiful,” Qin Wangye praised.
It was fortunate that Shao Fuguang was not here; otherwise, he would surely have complained. He would think, Ah, you are teaching him to fish hand-in-hand and even doing the work of pulling the rod, yet you still call it beautiful. What a great love! Please, what about the days in my early years when I followed you fishing and you mocked me until I was torn to pieces?
Song Que rarely had such calm and tranquil times.
In the past, even if he had free time, he would find something to do. He was heavy-hearted and had experienced too many messy things. No matter which one he recalled and mulled over, it was always a massive drain on his energy.
At four in the afternoon, Qin Wangye began to pack up the rods.
Their total catch was not bad, with the largest fish weighing approximately eight pounds.
Song Que did not say how happy he was, but his delicate eyebrows unfurled, and his usually icy eyes were exceptionally clear. The advantage of looking young was fully on display.
Qin Wangye took this all in. “If you like it, we can arrange it again when there is an opportunity.”
Song Que smiled embarrassedly. “It takes up Brother Ye’s time.”
“It does not.”
When the two returned to the villa, Vice President Wang and the others had already woken up. Sure enough, getting drunk at their age was a hassle; their eyelids were swollen, and they were in a very lethargic state.
“Are you two back?” Vice President Wang was drinking goji berry tea when he glanced at the fish in the bucket. “Oh my! So many! That is impressive!”
Qin Wangye handed the bucket to the butler. “Stew it all in one pot.”
The butler hurriedly accepted the order and sent it to the kitchen.
“You two,” another executive sighed, “it is good to be young.”
“Most of them were caught by Mr. Qin,” Song Que replied.
In front of others, he was not accustomed to calling him “Brother Ye” constantly. Firstly, it was not the right occasion, and secondly, he had his own selfish reasons—the feeling of calling him that in private was fundamentally different.
Upon hearing this, Qin Wangye glanced at Song Que but said nothing.
The fish soup was stewed to a fresh, sweet, and delicious state, filling a large pot. As a result, the two heroes only got one bowl each, while the rest was completely divided among Vice President Wang and the others who were nursing hangovers. Judging by how much they enjoyed it, if they were not too lazy to move, they would have asked Qin Wangye to catch a few more from the pond.
Qin Wangye was amused by their attitude and signaled for Song Que to eat more beef.
The two did not intend to stay overnight and planned to leave after eating. Vice President Wang tried to persuade them to stay several times, but once Song Que said, “I must go to the construction site tomorrow morning,” he let them go.
In the car, Qin Wangye was tinkering with his phone. Given the seriousness of his expression, it seemed to be a very important matter, so Song Que did not speak to disturb him.
By the time Song Que returned home, it was already nine in the evening.
“Communicate with me in time if there are any problems at work, especially regarding the construction site,” Qin Wangye advised.
“Rest assured, Brother Ye.”
Qin Wangye did not get out of the car. He tilted his head slightly to look at Song Que, who was standing on the steps. “Are you not calling me Mr. Qin anymore?”
It was meant as a tease, but Song Que’s response was very sincere. “There is no one else around, so I can call you Brother Ye.”
Qin Wangye felt that Song Que’s natural talent for occasionally charming others was simply innate.
“Fine, I am going now.” Qin Wangye was quite satisfied with this trip. He had changed the form of address and went fishing together; there was still such a long time ahead.
Thinking of this, Qin Wangye said to the driver in the front seat, “Old Zhang, I will give you a red envelope tomorrow.”
Old Zhang was pleasantly surprised. “What for, Mr. Qin?”
Qin Wangye replied, “I am happy.”
Su Chen’s efficiency was high. By the time Song Que returned to the company, Zhao Guangyuan’s self-drafted procurement plan had been rejected, and the personnel department had issued a notice of termination.
“At first, he did not want to leave, claiming he was your right-hand man. Later, I said it was your personal decision, and only then did he leave.”
“I see,” Song Que responded, mocking himself internally. A right-hand man doing such things?
The necessary compensation was paid in full, and it was only out of consideration for his years of service that Song Que did not use the employment contract to sue Zhao Guangyuan for leaking company secrets.
He had been benevolent and righteous.
In truth, if Zhao Guangyuan had not been entangled with Song Hongfang, things would not have reached a point of no return.
Fortunately, Su Chen was truly clever, quick to learn, and had his heart in the right place. In just two days, he had basically adapted. As for the work previously done by Zhao Guangyuan, it was not particularly heavy.
Song Que turned the page on this matter, heading to the construction site to inspect and discuss projects, returning to his daily routine of spinning like a top.
He was busy until evening that day before Song Que finally got off work.
Unless there was a banquet, he usually drove himself. The underground parking garage of Zhuiyuan was built quite large, and the motion-sensor lights in the depths gave off a pale light. Song Que had just pressed the door handle when he suddenly caught a glimpse of something behind the car. His expression changed, and he immediately stepped back.
Almost instantly, Zhao Guangyuan rushed out. However, he did not attack. Instead, he dropped to his knees in front of Song Que with a thud.
He did it without hesitation, as if he did not know how to write the word “dignity.”
“Zhao Guangyuan?” Song Que asked with a cold face. “What do you want to do?”
Zhao Guangyuan was clearly sleep-deprived, his eyes dark and bruised. His expression was fearful as he pleaded, “CEO Song, I know I was wrong! I just wanted to share the burden and become a useful person by your side!”
“You were blinded by greed,” Song Que pointed out. “You know that I do not cooperate with Song Hongfang or any company closely linked to him. Zhao Guangyuan, I do not know what lucrative conditions they offered you, but I have not treated you poorly all these years.”
Zhao Guangyuan’s expression stiffened. The sentence “where there is blood, there is no overnight resentment between father and son” that he had prepared in his throat suddenly made him feel extremely miserable.
“CEO Song, for the sake of how I have served you faithfully all these years,” he pleaded.
Song Que interrupted him. “That is why I did not sue you. Otherwise, based on the stamped internal procurement documents, I could have left you in a very difficult position.”
The eager look in Zhao Guangyuan’s eyes dimmed bit by bit.
He knew something of Song Que’s temper and understood that there was no more room for discussion. He simply stopped pretending, stood up with his head lowered, and patted the dirt off his knees.
“Song Que, you are truly ruthless.”
Song Que ignored him. He could not understand why these people always betrayed him first and then called him ruthless.
“Do not come to Zhuiyuan again,” Song Que replied. “You may go.”
Zhao Guangyuan looked up and glared at Song Que, the anger in his eyes burning ever brighter.
He was a sight of ugliness when he lost his rationality. Suddenly, he let out a roar, raised his fist, and lunged toward Song Que’s face.
Song Que’s expression did not change; he had already expected this.
He dodged to the side, bowed slightly, and backhanded a punch directly into Zhao Guangyuan’s ribs. During the years Song Que had been beaten, he had learned not only how to avoid vital areas but also how to strike where it hurt the most.
Zhao Guangyuan let out a muffled groan and slumped to the ground clutching his ribs like a soft shrimp.
Song Que did not look at him again. He got into the car, stepped on the accelerator, and left immediately.