However, before he could feel comfortable for long, he noticed Shen Yuzhi’s cold eyes sweeping fiercely across his face.
Qin Huai opened his mouth to say something, but Shen Yuzhi glared at him, effectively silencing him. They sat awkwardly in the lounge, which was still filled with the lingering scent of Shen Yuzhi’s pheromones. Neither spoke. Qin Huai silently shifted his body, moving a bit further away from Shen Yuzhi.
At that moment, the previously silent floor suddenly echoed with footsteps, followed by a wave of chaotic noise. It seemed people were searching for Shen Yuzhi.
Shen Yuzhi glanced at Qin Huai, hardened his heart, walked out of the lounge, and disappeared into the floor along with the fading footsteps.
When Qin Huai finally stepped out to assess the situation, he discovered that the bodyguards, along with Ling Feng and Shen Yuzhi, were all gone. It seemed they had already departed.
Left without those familiar pheromones, Qin Huai slumped against the doorframe. His entire body felt flushed, and his face was burning bright red. After a long while, he finally regained his composure. He touched his still-warm cheeks in a daze, recalling Shen Yuzhi’s cold demeanor earlier. It was a stark contrast to how Shen Yuzhi had supported him at the Cheng residence a few days prior.
Qin Huai could not accurately deduce what Shen Yuzhi’s intentions were. Could it be that he still held some feelings for him?
Thinking of this, Qin Huai laughed at himself and shook his head lightly, feeling that his line of thinking was far too impractical.
He pulled out his phone and saw a barrage of messages from Song Zhe, all asking where he was. There were also over a dozen missed calls. His mind and heart felt chaotic. After a moment of hesitation, he dialed Song Zhe’s number.
“Young Master Qin! Where on earth did you go? There was such a commotion; why did you not tell me sooner? I had things to attend to and could not accompany you to the Shen Corporation, and now this happens! How can I ever rest easy again?”
Song Zhe’s voice on the other end was so loud it felt as if it would blow the roof off. Qin Huai immediately held the phone away from his ear. His previously furrowed brows relaxed, for he knew that Song Zhe truly cared about him. Having such a good friend was truly Qin Huai’s fortune.
“Xiao Zhe, do not worry. I was just blocked by reporters. They were the ones being interrogated; I was perfectly fine. I was just a bit tired afterward, so I went to the lounge, which is why I did not see your messages.”
Only after a long series of explanations did Song Zhe’s anger subside, his tone gradually becoming calmer.
“It is a relief that you are okay. I heard there were reporters at the Cheng Group today, and it really gave me a fright. When I rushed over, there was no one there, and no one in the company had any news of you. Oh, Xiao Huai-huai, let us not talk about this anymore. Come out quickly; let us go get something to eat!”
Listening to his friend’s concern, Qin Huai was so touched he almost teared up. He washed his face, grabbed his phone, and took the elevator down. As soon as the doors opened, he came face-to-face with a familiar visage.
It was Shen Yuzhi. Why had he not left yet?
Qin Huai frowned in confusion. Just as he intended to step forward, he spotted an enraged Song Zhe not far away.
Qin Huai immediately abandoned the thought of approaching Shen Yuzhi. He turned and walked toward Song Zhe, familiarly hooking his arm.
“Xiao Zhe, why are you waiting here? Why did you not sit in the VIP lounge? Are you tired? Let us hurry and get something to eat.”
To his surprise, Qin Huai’s actions caught Shen Yuzhi’s attention. As Shen Yuzhi turned his head, their gazes met. Their eye contact made Song Zhe, standing to the side, extremely dissatisfied and pouty.
“Did you come here for this man? Why am I seeing him again? I am truly fed up! Are you not even a little afraid? Qin Huai, he once locked you away for an entire week!”
Song Zhe was genuinely furious. He tried to step forward to confront Shen Yuzhi, but Qin Huai grabbed his arm firmly and dragged him out of the company.
“What are you doing? Let me go! I want to reason with him. What right does he have to do this? Just because he is Shen Yuzhi?”
Song Zhe struggled to break free from Qin Huai’s grip, but he was unable to escape.
“It is fine. It was my fault for wronging him previously. Please, stop this, Xiao Zhe.”
Qin Huai bit his lip and pulled Song Zhe into the car. Even when they were seated, Song Zhe remained furious, glaring at Qin Huai.
“He locked you up! That is such a major thing, and you can still forgive him? Whatever you did to wrong him, I think you are giving him too much credit!”
Hearing Song Zhe speak of Shen Yuzhi this way, Qin Huai lowered his head, unsure of how to respond.
After hesitating for a long time, Qin Huai decided to tell Song Zhe the full story. He had kept this buried in his heart for many years and had never told anyone.
Qin Huai told Song Zhe everything without reservation, including his argument with Lin Xingxue at the Cheng residence recently.
When explained in full, it only made Song Zhe more incensed. He shouted that he wanted to get off the car to give the Cheng family a piece of his mind, but Qin Huai held him back firmly, refusing to let him go.
“Alright, Xiao Zhe, do not be so angry. They will get their due eventually. Every bit of what they took from me, I will make them return in full. Not a single cent less.”
As Qin Huai said this, his gaze was exceptionally cold, a side of him Song Zhe had never seen before.
This immediately calmed Song Zhe down. He clung to Qin Huai’s arm and said with a smile, “That is right! We must make them pay! Why should they steal what belongs to others? Let them learn that stolen goods will never truly belong to them!”
The two sat in the back of the car, laughing and chatting as they headed to the restaurant Song Zhe had booked in advance.
Despite the fact that many of the Cheng family’s top executives still disagreed, they were forced by pressure to give Qin Huai a position, though it was neither high nor low.
“Are you going to start your position tomorrow? If you encounter any danger or problems at work, you must ask me. Do not bottle it up inside, you hear!”
During dinner, Song Zhe continued to emphasize this, fearing that his friend would suffer at the hands of the Shen Corporation.
Qin Huai was naturally not the type to suffer in silence. He smiled, his eyes curving into crescents, and nodded hurriedly.
“With my personality, who would dare mess with me? Rest assured, it will be fine. This time, I will take back everything they took, every last bit.”
Looking at Qin Huai’s eyes, Song Zhe smiled with satisfaction and piled more food onto Qin Huai’s plate.
“Since you start tomorrow, we must celebrate tonight! How about we go have a couple of drinks at our usual bar?”
At the mention of alcohol, Song Zhe grew exceptionally excited, looking at Qin Huai with anticipation. However, he was refused without hesitation.
“That will not do. If I drink tonight, I will not be able to go to the office tomorrow. I do not want to be remembered as the drunkard on my first day.”
Qin Huai’s words completely amused Song Zhe, who doubled over with laughter, clutching his stomach.
“Xiao Huai-huai, you are really something. You should really practice your drinking capacity; it is far too weak.”
Hearing this, Qin Huai shrugged offhandedly and quickly polished off the food on his plate.
Meanwhile, back at his villa, Shen Yuzhi was still busily formulating his plans.
Now that Qin Huai had successfully entered the Cheng family, while it did not disrupt Shen Yuzhi’s general strategy, it did require adjustments to his finer details. He had to coordinate his planning with Qin Huai.
Coupled with Ling Feng’s increasingly blatant covetousness toward Qin Huai, Shen Yuzhi had to be even more vigilant against Ling Feng, ensuring that he could not move against Qin Huai behind his back.
Shen Yuzhi pinched the bridge of his nose, leaning back on the sofa. Looking at the files on the table, he lightly held his fountain pen and drew two large crosses over Ling Feng’s file.
Shen Yuzhi understood that with Qin Huai entering the Cheng family’s company, countless eyes were watching him. While his own strength was more than enough to protect Qin Huai, he had to thoroughly investigate those hidden eyes to be truly at ease.
“Investigate the backgrounds of everyone in these files. Dig deep and be thorough. We must ensure we know everything about their pasts.”
After instructing his subordinates, Shen Yuzhi turned his phone back on. Looking at the familiar face on his screen, his lips curled into a smile.
The photo was a recent one of Qin Huai. As for who took it, Shen Yuzhi naturally knew.
He did not want to delete it. It was recent, and it was the one that satisfied him most. As he thought about it, his mind drifted away, recalling their first night in the villa. It was incredibly intimate and dizzying; it was the first time he had seen such an active side of Qin Huai.
The faint, refreshing scent of green tangerines seemed to still linger at the tip of his nose, intoxicating him.