Return: My Hell and Heaven
Chapter 59: Design
The reserved hotel was located downtown, surrounded by towering buildings. No matter which floor you stood on, the view was just a steel jungle.
The view was slightly more open from the rooftop restaurant of the hotel.
Sitting at a prime spot by the window, Luan Qiaoqing rested her chin on her hand, lounging in the high-backed chair, lazily gazing at the night view outside.
The waiter, carrying a bottle of red wine to pour for Luan Qiaoqing and Chu Xiangbin, who was sitting opposite her. He glanced at Luan Qiaoqing with a subtle expression, as if wanting to say something but hesitated.
He gently cradled the neck of the bottle with a soft cloth, making a half-circle motion, and after pouring two glasses of wine, he bowed and stepped back.
As soon as he left, Luan Qiaoqing slightly curled her lips, “I bet he was just about to remind me to watch my posture.”
Chu Xiangbin glanced up at her, “He didn’t say anything, did he?”
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Nwyd Ckysikdt iwknjzu pyv wr pvayktbv, “Jwv vbl rlapsd yv vbl essa fwpv dso yzxspv eked’v zlv xl kdāfwpv clnywpl xu nzsvblp olald’v qsaxyz ldswtb? Ps R alyzzu dlle vs es xu byka fwpv vs nsxl swv qsa y xlyz?”
Ubw Dkydtckd pyke dsvbkdt, aykpkdt bkp aktbv byde yde xyjkdt y byzq-nkanzl kd vbl yka.
Nwyd Ckysikdt zssjle yv bkx pwprknkswpzu, “Ebyv?”
Ubw Dkydtckd pyke, “Nssj yv vbl svblap.”
āā¦ā
Nwyd Ckysikdt vwadle bla blye, iwknjzu pnyddkdt vbl svbla twlpvp kd vbl alpvywaydv, lprlnkyzzu qsnwpkdt sd vbl lzltydvzu ealpple osxld okvb rlaqlnvzu pvuzle byka.
G qlo plnsdep zyvla.
Nwyd Ckysikdt: “ā¦Pke vblu alyzzu yzz es vblka byka fwpv vs nsxl blal?”
Chu Xiangbin glanced at her with a smile, “You’re just short of coming down in a bathrobe and slippers, and you’re still blaming the waiter for wanting to stop you?”
“They’re just being overly strict,” Luan Qiaoqing frowned, picking up her wine glass. “I’m spending our own money, do I really need to dress up to fit their aesthetic? What am I paying for, then?”
After saying that, she took a sip of the wine, and her expression relaxed a bit, unconsciously nodding, “The wine is quite good.”
“Just to correct one thing,” Chu Xiangbin said calmly, “we’re not spending our own money.”
“?”
“It’s Qin Lou’s money.”
Luan Qiaoqing choked on her wine.
Chu Xiangbin continued, “He booked the hotel, he booked the restaurantāhe even arranged for us to be sitting here.”
“ā¦What are you trying to say?” Luan Qiaoqing, not slow at crucial moments, quickly sensed there was more to Chu Xiangbin’s words.
The fork in Chu Xiangbin’s hand paused for two seconds, and he looked up with a hint of helplessness, “Didn’t you say earlier that you have some unresolved issues with Qin Qing?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t you think Qin Lou is clearly trying to keep you as far away from him and Qin Qing as possible?”
“ā¦”
“Of course, it’s also possible that President Qin just wants to have some alone time with his assistant Qin and doesn’t want to see you.”
Chu Xiangbin glanced at Luan Qiaoqing meaningfully, ending the conversation.
Luan Qiaoqing was stunned for a few seconds, “Could he have known all along?”
“Known what?” Chu Xiangbin looked up at her.
Luan Qiaoqing opened her mouth but didn’t say anything, waving her hand, “Nothing.”
Chu Xiangbin didn’t press further. He raised his hand to signal the waiter standing nearby to take away his salad plate.
The main course, steak, was served.
By the time the waiter left again, Luan Qiaoqing’s expression had already turned rather sullen.
“Youā¦” Luan Qiaoqing gritted her teeth, looking at Chu Xiangbin, “You really have no curiosity at all, do you?”
Chu Xiangbin’s lips curled slightly but soon straightened. He looked up as if he hadn’t noticed anything, “Curiosity about what?”
“ā¦I just said that, and you’re not curious?”
“It’s not my business, so why would I be curious?”
“ā¦”
Luan Qiaoqing stared at Chu Xiangbin, expressionless, for a long time, until even Chu Xiangbin started to feel a bit uncomfortable.
He put down his wine glass, “If you have something to say, just say it.”
Luan Qiaoqing spoke up, “You’re considered one of the smarter people in the company, right?”
Chu Xiangbin didn’t even look up, “Please change ‘one of the smarter’ to ‘the smartest,’ and turn your question into a statement.”
Luan Qiaoqing resisted the urge to roll her eyes, “Then help me analyze something. If you think someone is hiding something, how would you go about probing it?”
Chu Xiangbin was silent for two seconds, temporarily putting down his steak knife, “Being smart doesn’t mean knowing everything, nor does it mean we can just figure everything out by instinctāyou’ve given me as much information as if you’re asking me to draw a world map in the Columbus era with just a piece of paper and a pen.”
Luan Qiaoqing: “ā¦”
Luan Qiaoqing gritted her teeth, “Then, what if I think someone is hiding their identity?”
Chu Xiangbin paused, “Is it an identity you know about?”
“Kind ofā¦ yes.”
“Then why do you still need to probe?”
“āHuh?”
“If you already know the hidden identity, why do you need to confirm it? Some problems donāt require 100% certainty to be resolved. Nothing in this world is 100% guaranteed and unchanging.”
“ā¦”
Luan Qiaoqing listened, bewildered.
After several seconds, she finally reacted, “Are you saying I don’t actually need to confirm her identity? I can just treat her as if she is that person?”
Chu Xiangbin didn’t answer directly. Instead, he asked, “What is the relationship between you and the identity sheās hiding?”
“ā¦!”
As soon as this was mentioned, Luan Qiaoqing became alert and looked at Chu Xiangbin warily, “Why are you asking that?”
Chu Xiangbin lifted his eyelids and glanced at her helplessly, “Isn’t it a bit late to be getting cautious now? If I really wanted to do something, your intelligence would have allowed me to sell you off eight hundred timesāand I bet youād still be completely in the dark.”
Luan Qiaoqing: “ā¦”
She finally remembered why she didn’t get along with this personāshe hated anyone with a level of intelligence that could crush the average person.
Like now, she was clearly furious at his words, but she still had to admit he was right.
ā¦Ugh.
Chu Xiangbin didn’t press further, lowering his head again to cut his steak. “Whether you and her hidden identity are enemies or friends, instead of wasting time verifying the truth you probably already suspect, why not take a step back and think.”
“Think about what?”
“If she is who you suspect, why would she hide her identity? Is it to harm you?”
“Of course not!” Luan Qiaoqing blurted out without thinking.
As soon as she spoke, she noticed Chu Xiangbinās complex expression across from her.
Chu Xiangbin just looked at her, “I better keep an eye on you; with intelligence like this, you’d be sold off many times over.”
Luan Qiaoqingās mind quickly turned, and she suddenly realized, then gritted her teeth slightly, “You were trying to get information out of me?”
“Do I need to?” Chu Xiangbin chuckled, “I already said I have no interest in your business affairs. Especially messy family disputesāthose are the last things I want to get involved in.”
“ā¦”
Luan Qiaoqing stared at Chu Xiangbin for a while before suppressing her unease and seriously considering his words.
With his reminder, she realized she had indeed been focusing on the wrong thing lately. Ever since she started suspecting Qin Qingās identity, she had been fixated on confirming whether Qin Qing was that person through any small clue, without thinking about why, if Qin Qing really was that person, she would go out of her way to hide her identity and return to Qin Louās company like this, or why she would only reappear after so many years. What was she planning, or preparing to doā¦?
The more Luan Qiaoqing thought about it, the more irritated she felt. She couldnāt help but grab the wine glass beside her and take a large gulp without any grace.
The waiter standing diagonally across frowned at the sight and instinctively glanced at the man seated opposite the woman, but the man merely seemed amused.
A few seconds later, the man seemed to sense something, his brow slightly furrowing, and he glanced over with a sharp look.
The waiter hurriedly lowered his head.
After pulling back his gaze, Chu Xiangbin saw Luan Qiaoqingās troubled expression sitting across from him.
He thought for a few seconds, swirling the wine in his glass, “If you really want to verify that personās identity, it’s not impossible.”
“ā¦Hmm?” Luan Qiaoqing quickly raised her head. “Is there a good way?”
“Not exactly a good way,” Chu Xiangbin said. “From the information you inadvertently revealed, itās not hard to see that the hidden identity of that person is very close to youāwhich is why, when I asked if she might harm you, you reacted the way you did.”
Luan Qiaoqing uneasily and guiltily took a sip of wine.
“And since she’s hiding that identity, her surface identity must be the opposite or at least neutral. In other words, her surface identity would either be adversarial to you or have no connection to you,” Chu Xiangbin continued.
Luan Qiaoqing grew increasingly uncomfortable, trying to mask it with an impatient expression. “Can we just get to the point?”
Chu Xiangbin said, “The verification method is simpleātest her by using something related to your own safety.”
Luan Qiaoqing was stunned.
Chu Xiangbin looked up, “Isn’t the goal to make her admit it? If someone who should have no connection to you, or even be an adversary, shows concern for your safety, then her true identity will be pretty clear, won’t it?”
“ā!”
Luan Qiaoqing suddenly understood, and she appreciatively grabbed Chu Xiangbin’s hand, giving it a firm pat.
“After spending time with you, I realize you’re not as nitpicky as I thought. Reaching a truce and not arguing with you has made you so much more likableāIāve decided, from today, youāre my brother! If anything comes up at the company, just let me know, Iāve got your back!”
“ā¦”
Chu Xiangbinās mouth twitched slightly.
After a few seconds, he slowly pulled back his hand and picked up a napkin to wipe it.
“Youāve got my back? Iām not at a point where I need to be playing with fire.”
“ā”
Luan Qiaoqing’s smile instantly froze.
Just before she could explode, Chu Xiangbin timely looked up, “With what you’ve already said, if I still donāt know who youāre investigating or suspecting, then I probably would need your protection. I have a plan that might be more suitable for your kind of relationship. Want to hear it?”
Luan Qiaoqing stifled her agitation and leaned closer, “I’m listening. Go ahead.”
“ā¦”
The dinner ended with quiet conversations and murmurs back and forth.
āā
Qin Lou and Song Shu returned to the hotel after 10 PM. The car they were riding in dropped them off at the hotel’s entrance, and the two got out one after the other, walking through the luxurious, classic European-style lobby and turning into the side elevator hall.
After Qin Lou swiped the card and pressed the floor button, Song Shu hesitated and asked, “Are our rooms on the same floor?”
“Mm,” Qin Lou lazily replied, “Isn’t it a wonderful coincidence?”
Song Shu glanced at him, slightly exasperated.
After a while, the elevator reached their destination, and Qin Lou and Song Shu stepped out. Without a word, Qin Lou took Song Shu’s hand and led him in a certain direction.
Song Shu hesitated, “Are we also ‘coincidentally’ staying in the same suite?”
“ā¦”
Hearing the slightly gritted pronunciation of “coincidentally,” Qin Lou couldn’t help but chuckle.
He looked back at Song Shu, “You don’t really think that after coming to stay at a hotel together, I would still let you stay in a separate room, do you? ā¦You weren’t this naive before, Little Clamshell.”
Song Shu glanced at him without expression, “That’s not naivety.”
“Then what is it?”
“Probably just having unnecessary expectations about how thick-skinned you are.”
Qin Lou laughed even more cheerfully, responding without hesitation, “Since it’s an unnecessary expectation, it can be discarded.”
As he finished speaking, he stopped in front of a suite door, swiped the card to unlock it, then turned back with a smile. “Oh, I forgot to mention, I specifically requested a smaller suiteāthereās only one bedroom inside, and only one bed.”
Before he finished, Song Shu had already been quickly pulled into the room, and the door was shut behind them. Judging by the joy in his voice, someone was practically gleeful, as if eager to bring his Little Clamshell straight to the dining table.
Song Shu struggled to free his hand from Qin Louās grip. “I remember we had certain agreementsā¦”
“Did we? I don’t recall.”
“ā¦”
“If it’s a forgotten agreement, let’s just pretend it never happened.”
“Then let’s make a new agreement,” Song Shu said flatly as he walked further inside. “Tonight, you can choose between the sofa or the floor.”
Qin Lou blinked, “Iād rather sleep inside the clamshell.”
“In your dreams. That would be faster.”
“ā¦”
When Qin Lou came out after showering, Song Shu was sitting on the sofa, his long hair still damp, frowning as he looked at a list.
Qin Lou walked over. “How reliable is it?”
“Iāve already sent it to Uncle Yu,” Song Shu replied, looking up as he sank back into the sofa. “They’ll conduct a ten-year account audit on the people listed. If there are any discrepancies, a targeted analysis should match it up.”
“When will we get results?”
“At least two weeks.”
Qin Lou nodded, “Sounds good.” He sat down on the sofa next to Song Shu.
Song Shu frowned and turned his head, “Two weeks is still ‘good’?”
“Of course. Two weeks is just enough for us to have a relaxing vacation. I donāt want you thinking about anyone else while Iām holding you down on the sofa or somewhere else.”
Song Shu gave him a blank stare.
Qin Lou paused for a moment and handed him a towel.
Song Shu raised an eyebrow, “ā¦What for?”
Qin Lou pointed to his head, “Dry my hair.”
“There’s a hairdryer.”
“I prefer the Little Clamshell brand hairdryer.”
“ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦”
Expressionless, Song Shu stood up, grabbed the towel, and unceremoniously threw it over Qin Louās head.
Sensing the silent anger in the “rough” gesture, Qin Lou chuckled. He reached over and picked up the list.
With a quick scan, his eyes flashed.
“Do you know everyone on here?”
“Mostly those within the Qin Corporationās board or the upper management,” Song Shu said softly, gently drying Qin Lou’s hair.
“Since they’re shareholders of Qin Corporation, I have leverage over them along with Qin Liang. That shouldnāt be too much of a problem.”
“ā¦”
Song Shuās hands paused, “If we target them, it will also damage Vio. It could evenā¦ are you sure?”
Qin Lou set down the list and tilted his head back, looking up at Song Shu from below as he dried his hair.
“Are you sure you want to ask me that, Little Clamshell?”
Song Shuās eyelashes fluttered slightly, “ā¦Iām sorry. If I had a choice, I wouldnāt want to drag you into this. Grandpa Qin’s decisions back then were understandable; my mother and I were, after all, outsiders. Itās only natural he wouldnāt risk ruining the Qin familyās century-old legacy for outsiders.”
“He was him, and I am me. Besidesā¦”
Qin Louās lips curled into a smile.
“Vio was restructured and rebuilt in my hands. If I can build one, I can build a second and a thirdā¦ Are you underestimating me?”
“ā¦”
Predicting where the conversation was heading, Song Shu found it hard to remain calm, so Qin Lou chose to change the topic.
“What about Deng Xiaokai? What do you plan to do about him?”
Song Shuās eyes grew cold. “Since his involvement has been confirmed, thereās no doubt that Xiaokai Technology was his profit from that incident back then.”
Qin Lou chuckled, “Your previous plan seems to be progressing wellāJerryās contacts spread the word, and many in the industry already suspect Vio is preparing to expand into major financial derivatives. Quite a few businesses have come forward to ask.”
Song Shu nodded, “That’s because of your reputation.”
Qin Lou didn’t deny it. After acknowledging, he asked, “Shall we continue with that plan?”
Song Shu hesitated, “If we really proceed with this, we need a scapegoatāthe product canāt come directly from Vio. Otherwise, if Xiaokai Technology collapses, weāll be implicated.”
“Of course. Plus, if it were a product from Vio, Xiaokai wouldn’t dare to touch it.”
“ā¦Are you really planning to use Qinrui as a scapegoat?” Song Shu hesitated, “Even though there shouldn’t be any kindness in business, I find it a bit difficultā”
“No need to struggle.”
Suddenly, Qin Lou sat up from the sofa, grabbed the list, and pointed coldly at the names that Song Shu was less familiar with.
“They’re all from Qinrui Investment.”
“ā!” Song Shuās breath hitched, and his pupils shrank.
It took her a long time to find her voice again, and she unconsciously tightened her grip on the towel in her hand.
“Are you saying that back thenā¦?”
“The core executives of Qinrui Investment were the real masterminds. Qin Corporation had always been a thorn in their sideāthey didn’t even need to take significant risks. Within the Qin Corporation, the board, along with then-General Manager Deng Xiaokai, colluded to cover for Qin Fujun, and they held onto the least-suspected ‘mole.’ If Qin Fujun wanted to find support against the Qin Corporation, Qinrui was indeed his only option. The rest, including the frame-up against Bai Song before it almost got exposed, was done while Grandpa wasnāt in the country. Essentially, they had control over half the market, making it easy to collude internally and externally.”
“ā¦”
Song Shu gripped the towel tightly, her face pale, and her fingers trembled with tension.
Qin Lou put down the list and placed his hand over Song Shu’s cold one. “So they aren’t innocent. All you need to do is go ahead and act. I trust the plan you’ve set up, and you should trust my ability to control that product. As soon as they step into this trap, there will be no way out.”
After a long time, Song Shu slowly calmed down. “But the biggest problem remainsāwho do we choose as the one to execute the deception? We canāt be certain.”
“You don’t trust Jerry Qiao?”
“I can trust him, but Qinrui might not trust him enoughāespecially knowing that Vio is planning to re-enter the financial derivatives market. If Jerry Qiao, who has stayed all these years, suddenly decides to leave now, Qinrui would definitely be suspicious, wouldnāt they?”
Qin Lou nodded. “True.”
“And there’s another issueāwe can try to set up a compelling reason for him to switch sides, but that’s assuming he’s willing to cooperate. What if he isn’t? Not everyone is willing to take such a risk, especially since he has no connection to what happened back then; there’s no reason for him to make such a sacrifice for us.”
“ā¦”
Qin Lou was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed.
Song Shu, who had been frowning with worry, looked back in confusion when she heard him laugh. “What’s so funny?”
“I’m just thinking that it’s a good thing I didn’t impulsively kick someone out of the company back then. Otherwise, we’d really be out of options nowā¦”
Song Shu was puzzled. “Who are you talking about?”
Qin Lou turned to look at her, smiling without saying a word.
As she connected this to their current conversation, Song Shuās eyes lit up. “Do you have a better candidate? Who is it? This person would need to have enough, but not excessive, power and value within Vio to access the product; they also need to be fully trusted by Qinrui’s higher-ups; and most importantly, we must be sure they are trustworthyā¦”
The more she spoke, the more hesitant she became.
“Are you sure there’s such a person?”
“Power and valueāyoung, talented, and capable. Someone whoās a deputy director at Vio. Is that enough?” Qin Lou paused. “As for Qinrui’s trustāwhat if he was originally placed in Vio by Qinrui at the time of the restructuring and reorganization?”
“ā!” Song Shu’s breath caught. “You’re sayingā¦”
Qin Lou smiled. “Donāt you find it odd that, as a low-ranking deputy director, he sometimes doesnāt show me the same respect as others in the company?”
Song Shu was still processing the information. “I thought it was just because he was exceptionally capable, and the company couldnāt afford to lose such a talentā¦”
“I think heās just looking for the right excuse, waiting for me to officially dismiss him so he can be released.”
“ā¦”
When Song Shu finally steadied herself, she bit her lip. “Since he has that kind of background, how can you trust him to carry out this plan?”
“Trust?”
Qin Lou gave a short, mocking laugh.
“Trust is the least trustworthy thing there is. If you want to keep someone loyal, it should never be done through trust.”
“Then what should it be?”
“By leveraging their desires.”
Sansukini: There’s a corporate spy. Who is it? Btw, we only have a few chapters left.
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