Before Luan Qiaoqing returned the second time, Song Shu had already found an empty table in the cafeteria. She had set up the trays of food they had prepared and was idly resting her forehead in her hand, gazing out the floor-to-ceiling windows.
The office building where Vio Capital is located has a typical modern minimalist style. From the first to the twenty-second floor, the exterior is made of privacy-treated glass panels. From the inside out, one can see clearly, but from the outside in, even on lower floors like the cafeteria, all that can be seen is the glaring, colorful reflection on the glass, and the figures inside are blurred and indistinct.
Therefore, Song Shu could gaze out at the people and traffic passing by without worry, knowing no one would be able to notice her.
However, given her personality, even if someone did notice, she would only smile and nod politely before averting her gaze without feeling anything deeper.
— Except when it came to those with whom she had personal entanglements, whether love, hate, gratitude, or resentment. For such people, Song Shu never bothered to care. She had known this about herself since childhood and had never thought about changing.
In the past few years, she had been so busy collecting evidence for her mother Bai Song’s case, studying law, delving into finance, analyzing similar financial cases, and never letting any clue slip by. Time passed quickly in all the bustle, and every day seemed to leave no time to think about anything beyond clearing her mother’s name.
Now that things were finally starting to resolve, she felt an overwhelming sense of confusion and aimlessness.
With the year-end approaching, large corporations like Vio Capital had numerous year-end reports and large-scale asset management tasks. As a special assistant in charge of this, she often found herself swamped with work.
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“Tlu.”
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Nwyd Ckysikdt kxxlekyvlzu pwzjle wrsd nyvnbkdt Fsdt Fbw’p kdekqqlaldv tzydnl. “Ebyv’p oasdt okvb usw? Ps usw byhl lulp sd vbl cynj sq uswa blye? R nzlyazu vyrrle uswa zlqv pbswzela, obu eke usw vwad vs vbl aktbv?”
Fsdt Fbw’p zkrp nwazle kdvs y qykdv pxkzl. “Zswa qkdtlap zydele sd xu pbswzela yv vbl oasdt ydtzl. Llmv vkxl, kq usw vyr xu zlqv pbswzela okvb uswa aktbv byde, R’zz rascyczu zssj vs vbl zlqv.”
“…”
Nwyd Ckysikdt pvsse pvwddle qsa y xsxldv. Fbl zssjle esod yv vbl zlqv byde pbl bye fwpv wple vs vyr Fsdt Fbw’p pbswzela, vbld rywple qsa vos plnsdep, alyzkgkdt, “Gb, aktbv. Rq R’x pvydekdt sd uswa zlqv pkel, R pbswze dsaxyzzu wpl xu aktbv byde vs vyr usw.”
Song Shu: “.”
Song Shu silently sighed in her heart. It was no surprise that this “foolish little sister” would encounter someone who wore the skin of a T. rex while hiding a fox’s heart; it would be strange if she didn’t end up completely eaten up.
As Song Shu reflected on this, “foolish little sister” was blissfully unaware of her cousin’s inner thoughts. Instead, she was happily sitting across from Song Shu, having gained a new experience and skill.
“Jie, what were you looking at just now?”
Song Shu froze for a moment, then slightly raised her eyes. “Didn’t I say that we shouldn’t use that term in the company?”
“I didn’t say it loudly, no one heard, so don’t worry,” Luan Qiaoqing mumbled under her breath, then cleared her throat. “So, ‘Assistant Qin,’ what were you looking at just now?”
Song Shu didn’t bother to respond to Luan Qiaoqing’s deliberately playful tone. She lowered her eyes in indifference. “Nothing.”
“Nothing? What does that mean?”
“…” Song Shu gave her a glance, helpless. “I was zoning out. Is that okay?”
“…”
After a while, when no response came, Song Shu, who was used to Luan Qiaoqing’s nonstop chatter when she was around, looked up in surprise. She found Luan Qiaoqing staring at her, resting her chin on her hand, with a worried expression.
Song Shu put down her chopsticks. “If you have something to say, just say it. Bottling things up isn’t really your style.”
“Well, it’s nothing, really, it’s just that…” Luan Qiaoqing hesitated.
“Hmm?”
“I feel like… since that case was solved, you’ve been kind of absent-minded.”
Perhaps because she was surprised by Luan Qiaoqing’s perceptiveness, Song Shu paused for a moment. Then she smiled faintly. “It’s just that the string has been taut for too long, and now that it’s loosened, I’m a little unaccustomed to it.”
Luan Qiaoqing wrinkled her nose at Song Shu with a look of disdain. “Exactly, it’s that expression you have right now. Every time it appears, I feel like it’s the moment you’re the most absent-minded—like you can’t even be bothered to think about how to half-heartedly deal with things. If you were like this before, I wouldn’t have only just realized it.”
“…”
Luan Qiaoqing’s gaze turned slightly suspicious. “So, you were just brushing me off, and you didn’t actually feel that way, right?”
Song Shu snapped out of her daze and sighed silently. She lowered her gaze back to the food in front of her. “Don’t think too much,” she said, picking up her chopsticks. “You’d be better off using that rare bit of cleverness on yourself.”
Before she could finish, she added in her mind: “So you don’t end up getting ‘eaten’ without even realizing it.”
Luan Qiaoqing, of course, couldn’t hear Song Shu’s hidden words. Without a second thought, she reached over and pressed her hand on Song Shu’s. “Don’t try to avoid the topic. Jie… cough… Assistant Qin, you really should be worried about your state right now, you know?”
“Why should I be worried?”
“It’s just… a feeling,” Luan Qiaoqing said, furrowing her brow and struggling to explain. “I just feel like you’re made of air, like a gust of wind could blow you away at any moment.”
Song Shu lowered her eyes slightly and smiled. “Have you been watching too many sci-fi movies?”
Luan Qiaoqing looked at her with even more suspicion. “Then tell me, why haven’t you tried to restore your original identity?”
Song Shu didn’t lift her eyes. “It’s too much trouble, and there’s no need.”
“What’s so troublesome about it? How can there be no need?”
“The people originally connected to that identity are mostly gone. You and Qin Lou are both here and know about it. That’s enough. What else is there to do?”
“…”
Luan Qiaoqing was momentarily speechless.
After a few seconds, she reluctantly picked up her chopsticks and angrily poked at the rice in her bowl to vent her frustration. “But it feels like you’re just ready to leave at any moment.”
Song Shu froze.
It wasn’t until after Luan Qiaoqing spoke that she realized the sense of emptiness and instability she’d been feeling inside had been exposed.
It turned out that after the bond with Bai Song was severed, she felt like a drifting leaf without roots—without a center, without direction, and without a clear path ahead or a place to return to.
And at least in this city—the one where she’d left behind the painful memories she never wanted to recall—this place was ultimately not where she belonged.
Luan Qiaoqing, rarely sharp, noticed the brief hesitation in Song Shu’s expression and became alert. “Is that really what you think?”
“…No,” Song Shu snapped back to reality, refocusing. “At least, not right now.”
Luan Qiaoqing listened to her tone, which sounded sincere and not dismissive, and hesitated before asking, “Why? Is it because of me—” Luan Qiaoqing’s eyes lit up.
Song Shu quickly shattered her fantasy. “Because Qin Lou can’t leave right now.”
Luan Qiaoqing: “…”
Song Shu calmly continued eating while explaining, “This is a great opportunity. The turmoil among the board’s top executives brings the benefit of a changeover—Vio is in the middle of a restructuring period, with adjustments in both the senior and mid-level teams. This rare chance to clear out the old system is one that Qin’s company can’t afford to miss. Qin Lou can’t leave right now, so of course, I have to stay with him.”
Luan Qiaoqing twitched her mouth. “So, it’s all for him, huh?”
Song Shu blinked and smiled in a half-teasing, half-amused way. “What else?”
Luan Qiaoqing pointed at herself with a blank expression. “So, I’m not even considered a person in your eyes anymore?”
Song Shu smiled gently. “Qiaoqing, you’re over twenty now, don’t act like a child. Just like I’ll leave one day, new people will come, and they’ll be the ones who stay with you.”
“…!” Luan Qiaoqing’s emotions flared suddenly, and her eyes turned red. She reached out to grab Song Shu’s hand. “I don’t want anyone else! I want to always stay by your side—”
“You’re dreaming.”
A cold, indifferent voice mercilessly interrupted Luan Qiaoqing’s words.
The hand that Luan Qiaoqing had failed to grab was effortlessly clasped by the newcomer, his fingers curling around it as he sat down. He glanced coldly at Luan Qiaoqing as he spoke.
“It’s impossible for you to stay by her side. You’d better not even think about it.”
Luan Qiaoqing, furious, glared at the man whom she had summoned but who showed no mercy toward her.
It was only then that Song Shu realized the cafeteria had grown much quieter, evidently because the company’s top boss had arrived. The conversations and discussions that were happening had instinctively stopped, and she and Luan Qiaoqing, engrossed in their own chat, hadn’t noticed.
Song Shu recalled Qin Lou’s schedule and asked in a low voice, “How did you come over? Wasn’t the investment decision committee’s year-end report this morning? Didn’t it end already?”
“No,” Qin Lou replied with a casual glance at Luan Qiaoqing, who had lowered her head nervously after hearing Song Shu’s words. His eyes returned to Song Shu. “I heard you were at the cafeteria, and considering the recent rumors about the company, I came here to set the record straight.”
“…What rumors?”
Qin Lou thought for a moment. “For example, that you’re only outwardly successful, or that I’ve treated you poorly and you’ve lost favor?”
Song Shu: “…”
Song Shu turned and looked at Luan Qiaoqing, who was staring at Qin Lou in shock. When she caught Song Shu’s dangerous gaze, Luan Qiaoqing immediately shook her hands in protest. “It’s not me, really! I didn’t say anything except that someone was bullying you in the cafeteria. I didn’t tell him the details! Qin Lou, do you have telepathy or something?!”
“…Watch your tone.” Qin Lou frowned. “And this is my company. Once we establish the time, location, and people involved, is it really that difficult for me to find out what happened?”
Luan Qiaoqing: “…” Under the increasingly cold gaze of her cousin, Luan Qiaoqing slowly lowered her guilty head. “Sorry, I won’t eavesdrop again.”
Out of sight from both of them, Luan Qiaoqing ground her teeth in frustration: especially not with someone like Qin Lou, who has no conscience! If she said anything else, she’d be a fool!
Qin Lou had already come down, and Song Shu knew it wasn’t worth arguing with Luan Qiaoqing any longer. After staring at her helplessly for a few seconds, she turned back to Qin Lou.
“As the company’s general manager, especially during such a critical time, you need to set an example. Leaving a meeting early, how do you expect the rest of the employees to feel about it…”
“I’m hungry,” Qin Lou interrupted suddenly.
Song Shu’s words halted mid-sentence. The man in front of her lowered his eyes slightly, deliberately looking pitiful, his expression dimming. “We’ve been in meetings all morning, and it’s almost noon. I heard you were downstairs, so I came down.”
Song Shu couldn’t bring herself to say anything else. She paused for two seconds, then sighed and stood up. “I’ll go get you some food. Wait for me here.”
“Mm.”
“…”
As Song Shu walked toward the cafeteria counter, Qin Lou turned his gaze back to Luan Qiaoqing, who was looking at him with an expression of disdain.
The pitiful mood he had feigned disappeared in an instant, and he glanced at Luan Qiaoqing with an expressionless look. “What are you staring at?”
Luan Qiaoqing: “You used to be crazy, but you weren’t this dramatic. Since my sister came back, why does it feel like you’re always ready to compete for an Oscar?”
Qin Lou gave a light sneer. “I enjoy it.”
Luan Qiaoqing was momentarily stunned by his nonchalant response, and then she laughed in anger. “You’re even using childish tricks like pretending to be pitiful. Qin Lou, you’re over 26 now, aren’t you embarrassed? Isn’t this too ruthless and extreme, using any method at all?”
“What did you say?”
“…” Luan Qiaoqing froze for a moment, thinking Qin Lou was getting angry. But when she looked up, she saw him sitting across from her, casually playing with Song Shu’s water cup in his hand, with an uninterested expression.
Luan Qiaoqing relaxed and became more confident. “I said you’ll use any method.”
Qin Lou didn’t hesitate and calmly nodded. “You’re right.”
“…” Luan Qiaoqing was once again stunned.
Qin Lou set the water cup down, his eyes falling flatly on Luan Qiaoqing. “Before, I held back too much. I was always concerned about unnecessary details and let those details tie me down and prevent me from expressing myself—so I almost lost her.”
“—”
Luan Qiaoqing’s expression froze.
She knew exactly what kind of “loss” Qin Lou was talking about. That memory was something neither she nor Qin Lou wanted to recall, but it was a tragedy that they had to remind themselves never to let happen again.
“So now, I won’t hold back,” Qin Lou said, lazily resting his cheek on his hand as he glanced over at Song Shu’s figure near the cafeteria window. His lips curved upward as his eyes, shadowed by the light, became impossibly dark.
“No matter how ruthless I have to be, I’ll fight for her. I’ll show her all my desires. I don’t care about losing face or being laughed at—compared to not saying or doing anything and losing her, compared to the regret that can ‘kill’ you every moment afterward, what’s there to care about?”
Luan Qiaoqing didn’t speak for several seconds.
After a moment of silence, she quietly asked, “So what are your plans after this? My sister… might not want to stay in Q City.”
“I’m already looking for a professional manager. Once Vio’s transition period ends, I’ll go with her.”
Luan Qiaoqing frowned slightly. “Since you’re planning to leave anyway, why wait?”
“I don’t mind, but she won’t agree to leave right now,” Qin Lou thought for a moment. “It should be the aftereffects of being a top student. She expects herself to achieve an A+ in everything that can be evaluated, and she holds herself and the people she cares about to the same standard. You should know this better than I do, right?”
“…”
Luan Qiaoqing’s face darkened as painful memories of her school days were triggered.
Before Luan Qiaoqing could say anything else, Song Shu had already walked back with her food tray.
It seemed like Qin Lou had eyes in the back of his head, as he stood up as soon as he heard the footsteps behind him. He turned to Luan Qiaoqing and asked, “Which table were the people gossiping about her?”
Luan Qiaoqing was stunned. “Why are you asking that?”
“Stop talking nonsense. Didn’t you ask if I cared? Just tell me.”
Luan Qiaoqing hesitated for a moment, then glanced back and said, “The table near the entrance of the cafeteria.”
“Which people were talking?” Qin Lou asked.
“The one with the red nails, the one sitting diagonally to her left, and the one in the blue clothes… What are you planning to do?”
Before Luan Qiaoqing could finish her sentence, she saw Qin Lou pick up Song Shu’s tray and walk toward her. “Let’s sit somewhere else.”
“?” Song Shu froze for a moment, looking at Luan Qiaoqing in slight confusion.
Luan Qiaoqing immediately shrugged innocently. “It’s not my business—if you want to change, go ahead. I just don’t feel like having a lunch that tastes like dog food.”
“…”
Song Shu didn’t have time to think much, as she was already being led by the hand toward the table near the entrance of the cafeteria by Qin Lou.
After walking a few steps, Song Shu began to sense something. She tried to pull her wrist back from Qin Lou’s grip while lowering her voice. “Qin Lou, stop messing around.”
“Messing around?” Qin Lou chuckled, turning to her with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. “It’s just lunch, how is that messing around?”
“…”
Seeing that Qin Lou was determined, Song Shu sighed in resignation and let him drag her along.
When the employees who had been discussing Song Shu earlier saw Qin Lou walk in, they had a bad feeling. As soon as they noticed him pulling Song Shu over, there was an exchange of glances, and without finishing their lunch, they quickly stood up one by one.
“Hello, Mr. Qin.”
“Mm.” Qin Lou lazily responded with a smile, then casually added, “I hope you don’t mind sharing a table.”
The employees didn’t dare to refuse and forced a smile while nodding. “Of course, no problem.”
Qin Lou set down Song Shu’s tray and asked, “You can sit here, right?” He then took the tray she had prepared for him and added, “I’ll sit across from you.”
Song Shu glanced at him helplessly and, amid the awkward and cautious glances from the employees, sat down.
Qin Lou handed Song Shu a new set of chopsticks. Just as he sat down, a female employee from a few seats away stood up with a grim expression. She forced a smile and said, “Mr. Qin, I… I’m done eating, I’ll just—”
Qin Lou raised an eyebrow and lazily glanced at the female employee’s nails.
They were red.
His lips curled into a cold smile. “Don’t rush. Did I catch a virus or something? Why are you leaving right after I sit down?”
The female employee flinched, and after several seconds, she only came back to her senses when she was tugged by someone next to her. “N-no, no, that’s not it…”
“Then sit down. Finish your meal before leaving,” Qin Lou said, his smile fading in an instant, leaving only a cold expression.
The female employee hesitantly sat back down.
Seeing this, the other employees who had originally planned to leave early were now scared into silence. They swallowed the words they were about to say.
Qin Lou seemed to lose interest in them after his remark. His gaze returned to Song Shu across from him—the girl, dressed in light-colored business attire, was casually sipping her soup, looking as if nothing had happened.
Qin Lou’s emotions flickered in his eyes.
“Is it good?”
“…?”
Song Shu slowly looked up.
She was too familiar with Qin Lou. So even with a slight change in his tone, with a subtle rise in his usual intonation, she could tell he was up to something.
The smartest choice was to ignore him. However, sitting next to so many employees from the company, ignoring Qin Lou would certainly lead to a new rumor tomorrow, something like, “New assistant Qin Qing is so spoiled by the boss that she doesn’t even listen to Mr. Qin.”
Song Shu could only silently look at Qin Lou, giving him a warning with her eyes not to stir trouble.
Qin Lou deliberately acted as if he didn’t catch the hint and patiently repeated, “The soup, is it good?”
“…It’s fine.” Song Shu had no choice but to smile and respond.
Qin Lou nodded. “I’d like to try it too.”
Song Shu: “…”
She pretended not to catch his underlying meaning. “I’ll get you a bowl.”
Qin Lou, too, was very familiar with Song Shu. Before he even spoke, he already knew how she would respond. So, without waiting for her to stand up, he had already reached out to stop her by pressing his hand on her wrist.
Then he flashed a smile, one that was both crazy and devilish.
“I want to taste yours.”
Song Shu: “…”
She knew it.
Song Shu stayed silent for a few seconds and then pushed her bowl toward Qin Lou. “I’ve only had one sip, Mr. Qin, don’t mind. Saving food is a good habit. I’ll pass on your idea to the other employees.”
Qin Lou’s smile faded, and his gaze turned mournful.
“You know full well that I wanted you to feed me—”
“Mr. Qin.” Song Shu almost ground her teeth to maintain her smile. She interrupted Qin Lou’s words, her gaze cold as she silently indicated downward. “The soup, it’s getting cold.”
Qin Lou received the warning and sighed, giving up on what he had intended to say.
However, this was enough for the employees at the table to “understand.”
The others looked sympathetically at those who had previously mocked “Qin Qing.” The one who looked the most uncomfortable was the female employee with red nails — she had been the one who had mocked “Qin Qing” the most.
By the end of the lunch, Qin Lou had eaten comfortably, Song Shu was indifferent, and the employees who hadn’t been involved in the discussions had mixed feelings as they ate the company cafeteria’s newly developed “dog food-flavored” lunch. As for the others, their lunch experience could probably only be described as tasteless.
When it seemed that Qin Lou had finally finished eating and was about to leave, everyone thought this “punishment” was finally over. But just as Song Shu got up, Qin Lou suddenly stopped. In the silent pause that followed, Qin Lou flashed a small smile, his eyes locking onto the pale-faced female employee.
“I’ll ask you two simple questions. Don’t say too much, just answer me directly.”
The female employee’s lips trembled slightly. “Mr. Qin…”
“What’s your name, and which department are you from?”
“——!”
The female employee’s face instantly turned white.
Song Shu also heard the noise and turned to the side. “Qin Lou.”
For once, Qin Lou didn’t listen to Song Shu. He kept his cold gaze fixed on the female employee. “The answer?”
The female employee finally couldn’t hold it anymore, her eyes reddening as she clutched her clothes tightly. “I… I’m sorry, Mr. Qin, I’ll never speak carelessly again. I know I was wrong… Please forgive me just this once, I swear I’ll never, never dare to do it again—”
Qin Lou sneered, turning his face away.
“Didn’t I just say, don’t talk too much? I hate people who talk too much. Seems like not only do you love talking, but you also never listen to what others say?”
The female employee still tried to plead for Qin Lou’s forgiveness. “Mr. Qin, I really know I was wrong—”
Qin Lou’s patience finally wore thin. He glanced at the other employees at the table, whose faces had turned pale. “What’s her name, and which department is she from? If I don’t hear the answers to these two questions, then you all can start preparing to join her—”
His unfinished sentence suddenly trailed off.
The employees, who had been keeping their heads down, unexpectedly raised their eyes. One by one, their expressions froze in disbelief.
Song Shu furrowed her brow slightly and, with her hand on Qin Lou’s shoulder, stood on tiptoe to kiss the corner of his lips.
He stood still, seemingly stunned.
After a brief pause, Song Shu stepped back half a step and raised her eyes helplessly.
“Is this okay, Mr. Qin?”
“…”
Qin Lou finally snapped out of his daze from the kiss.
After a few seconds of silence, he lowered his head and smiled, his voice unable to hide the delight.
“If I say no, will there be a second one?”
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