Song Que had no idea how Qin Wangye was tormenting Shao Fuguang, as he had buried himself in work until sunset.
Song Que sat up at his desk, gently rubbed his tired eyes, and looked out the window. His phone buzzed, and upon seeing the message, his expression lightened as he typed a reply. He told his driver to go home and drove himself to the food street, which was about twenty minutes away.
Li Shishan’s seafood barbecue stall was located there. Because of its prime location, the space had been nearly impossible to secure. If not for Song Que’s help, Li Shishan never would have been able to open a shop there. Back in high school, Li Shishan had treated Song Que to meals for an entire semester.
Li Shishan’s mother had been very fond of Song Que, thinking him bright and handsome, yet exceptionally unlucky. To her, it was merely adding one more bowl and pair of chopsticks to the table. His father, though a man of few words, had no objections; he simply worked harder driving his freight truck, bringing home meat every few days. It was these meals that had kept Song Que from starvation, so once he found success, he naturally repaid the Li family’s kindness a hundredfold. When Song Que first announced he had rented this storefront for them, the Li family had been nervous and uneasy. They were honest, simple folk who felt Song Que shouldn’t have to repay such a favor so grandly. Regardless, Song Que regarded Li Shishan as a true brother.
Li Shishan had returned to his hometown a while ago, so the stall had been closed. Today, having cleaned it up and reopened, he had messaged Song Que immediately, and Song Que had arrived as promised.
“Jiaojiao cooked yam porridge for you!” Li Shishan greeted Song Que with a bear hug. He was sturdy with rugged, yet honest features. Wearing a white apron, he led Song Que into the shop. Jiaojiao was Li Shishan’s wife; they had been married for six months, and their bond was exceptionally strong.
Song Que sat down, looked toward the kitchen, and called out, “Sister Jiao.”
Jiaojiao replied, “Oh! Little Que is here? I also steamed some buns for you. Give me a moment.”
Jiaojiao had messy hair and an incredibly pure appearance. Back at their wedding, everyone had teased Li Shishan, saying, “Old Li, who on earth did you pray to to get a wife like her? You are so lucky.”
A pot of porridge, a plate of white flour buns, and two stir-fried dishes. Jiaojiao was a talented cook. As the sky darkened outside and people walked by, enjoying the warm breeze, the shop was quiet. The three of them took the time to chat. Song Que, who spent his days sitting high up in corporate towers, now squeezed into this space, wearing a faint smile; he felt bathed in a layer of warm, earthly comfort.
Jiaojiao went back to the kitchen, leaving Li Shishan to study his friend’s expression closely. Song Que tore off a piece of a bun and asked, “What are you looking at?”
“I just feel like you are unusually happy today,” Li Shishan retorted, lifting his chin. “Tell me, what good news did you run into?”
Song Que did not answer immediately. Li Shishan’s eyes widened slightly. “Is it real?”
It was not that Li Shishan was making a fuss; Song Que was usually emotionally detached. Perhaps due to his past hardships, he would not even frown at the biggest storms. An ordinary person with his money and career would be thrilled, but Song Que never was. Li Shishan often worried that beneath Song Que’s beautiful, refined exterior, his soul was barely holding on. It was something no one else could grasp or control.
“Yes,” Song Que finally answered. “I saw someone I have wanted to see for a very long time.”
Li Shishan froze for a second, then recalled the financial news he had heard in passing. He had always known what was on Song Que’s mind. Could it be that Qin Wangye is back? Li Shishan lowered his voice.
“Is Qin Wangye back?”
Song Que looked at him and nodded.
Li Shishan became cautious. “Have you two met?”
“Yes.”
“And it went well?”
Song Que replied, “Not bad, I suppose.”
Although it had not started correctly, the current trajectory was smooth enough. Song Que ate half a bun and felt satisfied. Just as Li Shishan frowned, ready to urge him to eat more, he saw Song Que continue to stuff his face. Not for any other reason, but because, quite inappropriately, Song Que had thought of those three bowls of white rice.
When customers arrived, Li Shishan had to attend to them. Song Que sat quietly in the corner, opened WeChat, and checked Qin Wangye’s profile picture for the nth time. He was strikingly handsome, and people could not help but look twice, often letting out excited whispers. Song Que was used to it.
Suddenly, the black profile picture jumped to the top of his list.
Qin Wangye had sent a message.
Song Que’s heart skipped a beat, and for a moment, he thought he was seeing things. His fingertips felt numb as he clicked on it. At first, the text looked like garbled symbols, but as his heartbeat stabilized and his reason returned, he saw what Qin Wangye had actually sent:
【What did you have for dinner?】
A simple, straightforward sentence. It was very much in Qin Wangye’s style.
Because of our business partnership, he is being friendly with me. That makes perfect sense, Song Que thought.
In reality, Qin Wangye was sitting on a sofa in a bright hall, having deliberated over that sentence for a long time before simply hitting send.
Shao Fuguang was slumped opposite him, waving a hand weakly. “No more, I really cannot play anymore.”
Getting crushed by Qin Wangye in bowling was not reasonable.
Qin Wangye looked up at him. “Eat more food.”
Shao Fuguang choked up. “You finally remembered I have not eaten all day.”
Qin Wangye: “…” Just noticed.
The next second, his phone screen lit up, and Qin Wangye immediately checked it. It was a photo of a table with a blue diamond-patterned tablecloth, looking very much like a restaurant. The porridge bowl was nearly empty, and in the corner, there was a plate of stir-fried beef.
Song Que wrote: 【I already ate at a friend’s place. How about you, President Qin? Have you eaten?】
Qin Wangye raised an eyebrow. Shao Fuguang watched as triumph spilled from the corners of his eyes.
【Not yet. Shao Fuguang is high-maintenance; I am just now going to eat with him.】
【President Song, I have given it some thought. The Beihai Road investment must be handled with caution. Aside from the plan, we will need to follow up on it together.】
Song Que understood this: 【I know. President Qin, feel free to contact me at any time if there are issues.】
Qin Wangye felt satisfied: 【Got it.】
“Let us go,” Qin Wangye stood up. “I am treating you to dinner.”
Shao Fuguang hovered over him. “Are you hiding something from me? Yushuo was not wrong. You have become much more unrestrained since coming back this time.”
Qin Wangye glanced at him. “You will know later.”
Back at the stall, Li Shishan had finished his work and came back to find Song Que. Just as he spoke, Song Que’s phone lit up.
An unknown number appeared. Song Que glanced at it, frowned, and hung up. To his surprise, after a few quiet seconds, the person called again. After this repeated several times, Song Que had no choice but to block the number in front of Li Shishan.
Li Shishan saw his dark expression. “Who was that?”
“Song Hongfang.”
Those three words immediately triggered Li Shishan, who gnashed his teeth. “That shameless bastard still has the nerve to contact you?”
Song Que pulled at the corner of his mouth. “As you said, he has no shame.”
Many people were eyeing the Beihai Road project, and now that it had settled firmly into Song Que’s hands, Song Hongfang must have caught wind of it and was rushing to get a slice of the pie.
“You are my son; how can a son hold a grudge against his father?” Song Hongfang had once said.
Song Que did not even think he was worth a single word.