Chapter 99: “You Are a Rare Gem in This World (VI)”

The Secondary CP Extra
Chapter 99: “You Are a Rare Gem in This World (VI)”

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A heartless, carefree young girl’s sudden departure in middle school and the despair brought by the emotional collapse in college were the two most embarrassing defeats in Chu Xiangbin’s life in the first twenty or so years.

The only difference was that after middle school, he couldn’t help but keep thinking of that young girl’s radiant smile. However, after his sophomore year when he returned from Q University, Chu Xiangbin poured all his energy into his studies and career, leaving no gap for memories to slip back in.

Over time, the scars naturally healed. The image of that young girl gradually blurred and faded in his memory, until only a faint shadow remained in his heart. If he didn’t deliberately seek it out, there was no trace to be found.

Chu Xiangbin thought this was good.

Before long, he would completely forget that heartless, fickle young girl.

This optimistic thought lasted until the third year of his time at Vio Capital.

Not long after Chu Xiangbin joined Vio, his outstanding abilities were noticed by Lu Yunkai, the then Vice President of the Investment and Development Department. Lu Yunkai, a talent seeker, appreciated Chu Xiangbin greatly and didn’t mind his increasingly unconstrained temperament. He spared no effort in promoting him.

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“What objections could they have? I’ve heard that the deputy ministers in HR are now receiving the salary, bonuses, and year-end dividends of the department head level. I heard that the newcomer is a girl who graduated only two years ago. Clearly, they just want a figurehead with no real power—on the contrary, if they promoted one of the deputy ministers, the other two would be the ones truly unhappy.”

“True, seems like President Qin has everything figured out.”

“After all, he’s the one who restructured and revived the Qin family. His thinking and methods can’t be that simple. There must be something we can’t even guess at. But, well, it has nothing to do with us.”

“That’s true, but before, people were saying that Deputy Chu was someone with connections. Now look, the real big connections have just arrived,” the male employee said mockingly. “We’re different—no connections, just relying on ourselves to slowly climb up step by step…”

Before he could finish his sentence, a cold and sharp voice, one they were all too familiar with after two years of haunting presence, interrupted him.

“You’re crawling at a turtle’s pace not because you have no connections, but because you’ve wasted the time that could have been used for work or rest on these worthless, unproductive things.”

“—!”

Upon hearing that voice, which they had become all too familiar with over the past two years, all three employees—one male and two females—simultaneously changed their expressions.

They hurriedly turned their heads toward the source of the voice.

“Chu… Minister Chu!”

The glass door of the lounge, which was separated from the break room by a floor-to-ceiling glass window, was pulled open. At some point, Chu Xiangbin had been inside, and now he stepped out with a dark expression.

As he passed the three employees, he originally planned to leave without a word—after all, he had heard enough talk about “connections” over the years to become completely numb to it.

But suddenly, something made him pause. He turned his head and looked at the male employee whose face had gone pale.

After a few seconds of silent eye contact, the male employee shrank back and lowered his head. “S-sorry, Minister. We shouldn’t have… shouldn’t have been talking about you in the break room…”

Chu Xiangbin let out a cold chuckle. “You seem to have a lot of grievances against me?”

“No—no, I wouldn’t dare!”

“Really? Because that’s not what I heard.” Chu Xiangbin turned to leave. “No worries. Starting today, you’ll be temporarily assigned to the second project team I’m leading—let me see your work capabilities. If you can outperform me, I’ll immediately submit my resignation and personally ensure you take my position.”

“…!”

The male employee’s face turned deathly pale. Unfortunately, before he could explain or even struggle, Chu Xiangbin had already disappeared beyond the break room door.

After a few moments of silence, the two female employees let out a sigh of relief, their hearts still pounding. They exchanged glances.

“Minister Chu is still Minister Chu… absolutely terrifying.”

“This is already pretty mild, let me tell you. I worked under him on a project team once—just as a temporary replacement for a few days—and I nearly got skinned alive. Today was nothing serious—Chu ‘Tyrant’ has a very particular trait: he doesn’t bother with trivial gossip like this. Otherwise, when he switches to his ‘T-Rex mode,’ no normal human could possibly endure it.”

The male employee looked devastated. “Then if he’s making me join his team, doesn’t that mean I’m doomed?”

“Well, maybe next time you should check if anyone’s in the lounge before you start gossiping,” one of the female employees said, both sympathetic and exasperated.

“I did check—there was no one in the room! How was I supposed to know he was lying on the couch, hidden behind the sofa backrest?”

“…Sigh, just accept your fate. At least working under him does help you improve. Though it’s at the cost of your hair and your sanity.”

“…”

After leaving the lounge, Chu Xiangbin’s expression remained dark.

It wasn’t because he cared about what they said—this kind of petty gossip was meaningless to him. The only thing that irritated him was the disruption of his rest.

For the past few days, he had been handling three project teams simultaneously. The first and third teams had deadlines yesterday, and he had been running on little to no sleep for over a week. He had finally planned to catch a short nap in the lounge after finishing his morning work—only to be rudely awakened by three employees chatting away outside, getting more and more excited as they talked.

He had only come out because he couldn’t stand the disturbance any longer.

As he was considering the progress of the second team and debating whether to go back to his office and try to rest on the stiff wooden couch, his phone vibrated in his suit pocket.

He stopped walking and pulled out his phone to check the unread message.

It was from Lu Yunkai.

“A new HR minister just came in. Come to the 21st floor and say hello.”

“…”

Chu Xiangbin frowned, reluctant to go, but still replied with a simple “Okay.”

If it were just for Qin Lou’s sake, he wouldn’t have bothered. But Lu Yunkai was different—he valued talent to an extreme degree and had practically treated Chu Xiangbin like a son.

Messages like this weren’t just orders from a superior; they were more like friendly reminders. If he ignored Lu Yunkai’s goodwill, it would make him seem completely lacking in social graces.

Not that he had much of that to begin with.

“…”

The corner of his mouth twitched slightly in a cold, indifferent smile. With a slight change in direction, he headed toward the elevators.

When he arrived on the 21st floor, where the vice presidents’ offices were located, he walked straight toward Lu Yunkai’s office.

As he reached the door, he noticed it was slightly ajar. Just as he was about to enter, the vice president’s assistant stepped out from inside. Seeing Chu Xiangbin, the assistant nodded knowingly. “Minister Chu, the new HR minister is inside greeting Vice President Lu. You might as well go in and say hello.”

“Mm, alright.”

Chu Xiangbin replied casually. He knocked on the door, and when a voice from inside said “Come in,” he pushed open the half-closed door and entered.

Walking through the empty outer office, he made his way straight to the tea room that Lu Yunkai had specially set up inside his office.

Beside the tea table sat Lu Yunkai, and next to him was the back of a young woman.

A strange and indescribable sense of familiarity rose from deep within his heart.

A fleeting but inexplicable sense of alarm flickered through his mind.

Chu Xiangbin’s steps suddenly came to a halt.

Hearing the movement, Lu Yunkai, who was sitting sideways to the door, stood up proactively. “Xiao Chu, come over and meet our new HR Minister…”

The person sitting with their back to him at the tea table stood up and turned around.

That face—compared to the little girl who had always stood in the deepest corners of his memory—had not changed much. The only difference was that the once bright and radiant smile was gone.

She was still looking at him, but the emotions in her almond-shaped eyes were perfunctory and distant, as if she were looking at a stranger—

“Minister Chu, nice to meet you. I am the new HR Minister, Luan Qiaoqing.”

“…!”

Chu Xiangbin froze on the spot.

For a brief moment, he felt as if he had fallen into a massive pit that fate had dug for him.

And he would never be able to climb out of it for the rest of his life.

---

(Note: The following continues from the main timeline of the “Qiaochu CP” storyline, after the wrongful conviction was overturned and Chu Xiangbin returned to Vio. Since this part has been covered in the main text, the process is omitted.)

(Several years later.)

The day Chu Xiangbin returned to the company—after his so-called “defection” to Qinrui Investment Bank—Luan Qiaoqing was so furious she nearly exploded on the spot.

Yet, just as she stormed up to the 22nd-floor executive offices and stepped out of the elevator, she overheard Qin Lou personally confirming that Chu Xiangbin was resuming his position at the company.

Luan Qiaoqing felt like she was about to puff up like a blowfish and shoot straight into the sky.

After stirring up trouble with just a few words, Qin Lou casually turned and strolled away. Without thinking, Luan Qiaoqing immediately prepared to chase after him and demand whether he had lost his mind for “taking back” Chu Xiangbin.

But before she could take two steps, a strong grip caught her wrist.

Caught off guard, she stumbled slightly.

Regaining her balance, she clenched her teeth and turned her head toward Chu Xiangbin. “You dare to grab me at a time like this…? Are you looking for death?”

Chu Xiangbin, however, only smiled. “Minister Luan, such a fiery temper isn’t good for your health.”

“Do you think just because we’re at the company, I won’t hit you?” Luan Qiaoqing clenched her fists, fuming.

Chu Xiangbin lowered his head and chuckled. “I know you well, Minister Luan. You’re not the type to be bound by trivialities—does it really matter whether we’re at the company?”

“Then why haven’t you let go of my hand yet?”

Chu Xiangbin obediently released her wrist. As he watched her pull back her hand and rub it with a sour expression, he fell silent for two seconds before saying, “There’s no point in going after Qin Lou. My return to the company is already decided—no one can change it.”

Luan Qiaoqing gritted her teeth. “You’ve got some nerve. If I were you, I wouldn’t even have the face to come back to a company I once betrayed. How do you expect to show your face around here? Aren’t you afraid everyone will talk behind your back?”

“…”

Chu Xiangbin remained silent for a few seconds before suddenly narrowing his eyes slightly. “Is Minister Luan worried about me?”

“Worr—”

Luan Qiaoqing was so caught off guard that she nearly jumped up in frustration. “I’d only be worried if your downfall wasn’t miserable enough!”

“In that case, if my return to Vio is truly my most miserable fate, as you say, why are you trying to stop me?”

“…”

Luan Qiaoqing was momentarily speechless. Her expression twisted further, and the way she looked at Chu Xiangbin was as if she wanted to bite him.

Chu Xiangbin, in turn, found her expression amusing.

Luan Qiaoqing was even more infuriated. “You still have the nerve to laugh?!”

“Minister Luan, do you know you have a very serious problem?”

“Like hell that’s any of your business.” Luan Qiaoqing cursed, but after two seconds, her curiosity got the better of her. She turned her head slightly, a little guilty, and asked, “W-what problem?”

“…”

Chu Xiangbin didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he turned fully to face her. The seriousness buried in his gaze made Luan Qiaoqing instinctively freeze for a moment.

By the time she came back to her senses, Chu Xiangbin was already standing dangerously close.

Her expression shifted slightly, and she subconsciously tried to step back—but before she could react, Chu Xiangbin reached out and pressed his palm on top of her head.

Luan Qiaoqing’s face instantly turned green.

—This damn man was more than a head taller than her. With this posture, he was literally patting her like a dog.

She was about to explode on the spot, but Chu Xiangbin knew exactly how to push her buttons. Just as she was about to erupt, he smiled slightly.

“Back when we were on the way to the airport in E Country, didn’t Minister Luan mention an ‘M’?” He paused and chuckled. “I looked it up after I got back, and it turns out your explanation wasn’t quite accurate.”

“—”

Luan Qiaoqing went completely silent.

M was the counterpart to S—a term with certain… suggestive connotations.

The moment she had said it that day, she had regretted it. But at the time, seeing that Chu Xiangbin had absolutely no clue what it meant, she had bluffed her way through it.

It looks like the consequences of that moment have finally surfaced.

But standing in front of the company’s “greatest enemy” and “number one traitor,” Luan Qiaoqing refused to back down. She stiffened her neck and stubbornly retorted, “So what if it’s different? You really have way too much free time if you went out of your way to look up something so trivial.”

Chu Xiangbin ignored her attempt to divert the conversation through provocation. He lowered his gaze with a smile. “But after looking it up, I realized this letter actually describes you best, Minister Luan.”

“—?”

Luan Qiaoqing froze for a few seconds, on the verge of exploding again.

Chu Xiangbin cut her off just in time. “That’s exactly what I meant—this is your biggest problem, Minister Luan.”

Luan Qiaoqing gritted her teeth furiously. “If you want to keep talking without getting punched, you better start making sense.”

Chu Xiangbin chuckled. “Do you know why you’re so angry and fixated on my ‘defection’?”

“Who wouldn’t be mad at a traitor like you?!”

“Besides you, has anyone else stormed up to confront me like this?”

“…”

“Think carefully, Minister Luan. If the person who betrayed Vio wasn’t me but some other high-level executive, would you still be this furious?”

“…”

Luan Qiaoqing’s expression changed.

She wasn’t particularly sensitive to things like this, but she wasn’t so dense that she couldn’t understand the underlying implication of his words.

And the moment she substituted another executive into his hypothetical scenario, she instinctively shut down that line of thought before reaching the real answer.

—She considered this an act of self-preservation. She figured it was better not to overanalyze this.

But Chu Xiangbin wasn’t about to let her off the hook. “Minister Luan, you’ve been with the company for several years now. Besides your sister and brother-in-law, who do you think you’re closest to?”

Luan Qiaoqing averted her gaze on instinct, suppressing a guilty feeling as she forced out, “Definitely not you. I’ve never argued with anyone as much in my entire life—you actually think we’re close?”

The more she spoke, the more guilty she felt.

Chu Xiangbin, on the other hand, simply smiled.

Having achieved his goal, he leisurely took a step back.

“That’s exactly what I meant—this is your problem, Minister Luan.”

“…What?”

“M. You act all carefree and easygoing, and when you’re nice to people, you’re really warm and enthusiastic. But the price of that is your attention span—you never stay focused on anyone or anything for long. The moment something stops interesting you, you move on without even realizing it. And yet, you call that ‘friendship’?”

Luan Qiaoqing’s brows slowly furrowed. “What gives you the right to say that? You don’t even know me.”

“No, I might not know you better than Song Shu—but in the past few years, I know you better than anyone else.”

Chu Xiangbin lowered his head, laughing mockingly. “Do you see me arguing endlessly with anyone else? Or is it just you?”

“…What exactly are you trying to say?”

“I’m saying that because of your short attention span, the easiest way to make sure you never forget something is to provoke you.”

“The more stable your hatred toward me, the more unconsciously drawn you’ll be to tracking and reacting to me. In short—M.”

“…”

Luan Qiaoqing opened her mouth to refute him—but had nothing to say.

Because the more she followed his logic, the more terrifying it became.

Every word Chu Xiangbin said had struck a nerve, forcing her to acknowledge truths about herself that even she hadn’t noticed—or perhaps, truths she had deliberately avoided thinking about.

And the strongest evidence supporting his argument was that if she had to choose one person in the entire company, aside from Qin Lou and Song Shu, with whom she could speak freely or confide in without reservation…

It would be Chu Xiangbin. No second thought needed.

Chu Xiangbin leaned casually against the elevator doors, watching her expression shift through a kaleidoscope of emotions. He could already guess how complicated, irritated, and conflicted she felt right now.

Lowering his eyes, a hint of satisfaction flashed through them.

“Looks like you need some time to think things through, Minister Luan. I’ll leave you to it.”

He turned slightly and added, “Take as long as you want. I’ve always been a very patient man.”

After finishing his words, Chu Xiangbin pressed the elevator’s down button and walked toward the doors.

Luan Qiaoqing was still struggling to untangle the chaotic mess in her mind, but that didn’t stop her from instinctively reacting the way he had trained her to over the years. Before she even realized it, she blurted out a provocation—

“Give up. I won’t come looking for you. I don’t even want to see your face again. And I definitely won’t let you return to the company so easily!”

Chu Xiangbin smiled. “Minister Luan, go ahead and do everything in your power to stop me. I’d love to see you try.”

“—!”

The elevator doors slid open in front of him.

Just as he was about to step in, he suddenly paused and turned back to look at her.

“A little reminder, Minister Luan—you don’t need to go looking for Qin Lou or Song Shu. It wouldn’t help even if you did. There are too many entanglements between us, and I know things that outsiders shouldn’t know. So even if I don’t want to stay at Vio, Qin Lou and Song Shu might not let me leave.”

Before she could react, he walked straight into the elevator.

The doors began to close.

Through the narrowing gap, the man in his well-tailored suit—deceptively refined yet utterly shameless—lifted a hand and silently mouthed, Goodbye.

A few seconds later, the elevator room was empty.

Luan Qiaoqing, finally snapping back to reality:

“AHHHH—!!”

Sometime Around Noon
Vio Capital Employee Cafeteria

A few minutes ago, Luan Qiaoqing had successfully snatched her sister away from Qin Lou’s clutches—an act as dangerous as stealing food from a tiger’s mouth.

Now, the two sat across from each other in the cafeteria. Luan Qiaoqing sighed dramatically after picking up nearly every single grain of rice.

After half a minute of this, Song Shu finally lost her patience. “Did you ask me to have lunch with you or just to listen to you sigh?”

“…” Luan Qiaoqing looked up at her sister with a resentful gaze. Then, she simply put down her chopsticks, propped her chin on her hand, and gazed dejectedly out the window.

Song Shu asked, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing really, just that… someone told me something recently that completely overturned my perception of myself.”

Song Shu raised an eyebrow. “You had a perception of yourself?”

Luan Qiaoqing: “……”

Seeing her expression twist, Song Shu’s lips curled with amusement. “I’m joking. What did this person say that hit you so hard?”

“He—he actually said I lose interest in people and things after three minutes!” Luan Qiaoqing huffed, turning back indignantly. “And he called me M?! Said I only remember things when people are mean to me?? What nonsense! If anyone’s M, it’s him!”

Song Shu nodded thoughtfully. “Who said this?”

“See! Even you think he’s talking nonsense, right?!”

“No,” Song Shu replied calmly. “I just think whoever said it understands you very well. It doesn’t sound like an ordinary relationship… Was it Chu Xiangbin?”

“—!”

Luan Qiaoqing nearly jumped out of her chair.

She stared at her sister’s composed expression and innocent gaze, at a complete loss—

Should she ask how this counted as “understanding her deeply”?

Or should she ask how her sister had managed to guess it was Chu Xiangbin so easily?

After a long moment of silence, Song Shu kindly answered her unspoken question.

“The only person who could understand you this well—besides me—is Chu Xiangbin.”

Luan Qiaoqing forced a stiff smile. “Hah… hahaha… Sis, that’s not funny at all. How could it only be him?”

“Was it not him?”

Luan Qiaoqing: “……”

Her silence was all the confirmation Song Shu needed. She didn’t press further and instead lowered her head to continue eating.

“If this was the only reason you called me down, then honestly, I think you’d be better off finding some time to sit down and have a proper conversation with Chu Xiangbin.”

Luan Qiaoqing gave up resisting and slumped onto the table lifelessly. “Talk? Talk about what? He already knows more about me than I do.”

Song Shu chuckled lightly.

Luan Qiaoqing lazily lifted her head, staring at her with a look of betrayal. “You’re seriously laughing at me right now? You’re supposed to sympathize with me.”

“I am laughing at you,” Song Shu admitted, “but I’m laughing at how dense you are.”

“? What did I do?”

“If Chu Xiangbin has already laid things out this clearly for you, why haven’t you thought about it from the opposite angle?”

“…Huh? Opposite angle? What do you mean?”

Song Shu sighed, exasperated, and tapped her forehead.

“Use that wooden head of yours for once—since Chu Xiangbin has known this all along, why do you think he’s still choosing to act this way?”

“……!”

Luan Qiaoqing’s body suddenly stiffened.

A few seconds later, she shot up from the table. “Sis, are you saying—”

“I didn’t say anything. Think about it yourself.” Song Shu picked up her tray, ready to leave.

Luan Qiaoqing snapped back to her senses and quickly got up to chase after her. “I don’t want to think about it! Why should I waste my time on him? A traitor who betrayed you and my brother at the most critical moment—hmph, I can’t believe you guys are still willing to take him back. I don’t even understand what you’re thinking!”

“……”

Song Shu turned her head and stared at Luan Qiaoqing for a long moment.

Until Luan Qiaoqing started feeling guilty under her gaze. “W-why are you looking at me like that?”

“With your level of acting skills, you’re really not suited for this kind of probing. It’s a bit dumb.” Song Shu hit the nail on the head, showing no mercy. “But if you’re so curious about how we see things, you should just go and have a direct conversation with Chu Xiangbin. I’m not getting involved in your mess.”

This time, Song Shu didn’t give Luan Qiaoqing any chance to stop her. She dumped her food scraps and went straight back upstairs.

Luan Qiaoqing stood there alone, pacing back and forth, her expression constantly shifting between joy and frustration.

After a long time, she finally seemed to make up her mind. Lifting her chin, she strode out of the cafeteria with such determination that she might as well have been marching in formation.

—

Luan Qiaoqing had originally planned to wait for the perfect time—using the hints she had gathered from Song Shu at lunch to force Chu Xiangbin into revealing the truth.

Unfortunately, before he could officially return to work, rumors about him began circulating within the company.

“Hey, have you guys heard? Someone outside the company said that Chu Xiangbin didn’t come back just because Qinrui collapsed. Apparently, he was always on Qin Lou’s side from the start.”

“No way, I literally just heard my friend talking about this at lunch today.”

“Huh? Why didn’t I hear anything? Is this for real?”

“Of course it’s real. My friend’s friend used to work at Qinrui. Before they collapsed, there was already talk going around that the investment banking product Chu Xiangbin brought over was actually a trap designed to screw Qinrui over.”

“If that’s true, why would Qinrui even trust him?”

“That’s where it gets interesting—they say he was a double agent. Changting thought he was one of theirs, but in reality, he was working for our company.”

“But there had to be a reason Changting believed he was on their side, right? I still think this sounds unlikely.”

“What’s so strange about it? Power struggles and conflicts of interest between executives happen all the time. High-stakes games like this are routine for them. Someone always ends up making the wrong move and losing the bet.”

“But things got really ugly back then. I even heard that when Qin Lou, Song Shu, and Minister Luan ran into Qinrui’s people at a restaurant, Minister Luan almost beat Chu Xiangbin up.”

“Maybe it was all an act?”

“No way. Minister Luan doesn’t seem like someone who could keep up such an elaborate act.”

“But this explains everything—before, I was wondering why Qin Lou, with his personality, would ever allow a supposed traitor to return, no matter how capable Chu Xiangbin is. But if he was always on Vio’s side, then everything makes sense.”

“So… we misjudged him?”

“Damn, that means Minister Chu really had it rough. Everyone in the company was cursing him out before. Especially Minister Luan—at one point, I thought she was going to grab a knife and storm over to his place.”

“Yeah…”

Meanwhile, outside the room.

“Minister Luan?”

“—!”

Standing frozen at the entrance of the pantry on the HR department floor, Luan Qiaoqing’s face changed instantly. She quickly turned her head to look behind her.

A subordinate from her department stood there, holding a cup of water, looking at her in confusion. “Minister, what are you doing here…?”

“N-nothing. Go ahead, I just suddenly remembered something important I forgot…”

Luan Qiaoqing awkwardly turned her head away and quickly walked off.

A few meters away, she made sure the employee wasn’t paying attention to her anymore before finally exhaling in relief.

But as soon as she recalled the conversation she had just overheard, her entire mood soured again.

Back in her office, Luan Qiaoqing paced around restlessly, making several loops before hesitantly pulling out her phone and scrolling to Chu Xiangbin’s number in her contacts.

After hesitating for a long while, she gritted her teeth—

And pressed dial.

The call connected quickly.

The voice on the other end was the one Luan Qiaoqing had grown most familiar with over the past few years—the one that could always get under her skin and make her grit her teeth in frustration. And yet, now, just thinking about it left her with complicated feelings.

“Minister Luan, calling me at this hour—have you finally figured things out?”

Luan Qiaoqing clenched her teeth slightly, wanting to snap back at him. But then she thought about what she had just overheard, about all the harsh words she had thrown at Chu Xiangbin ever since she believed he had “betrayed” them for Qinrui. Suddenly, her confidence wavered, and she felt inexplicably guilty.

She stayed silent for a long time. The other end of the line remained patient, waiting.

Finally, Luan Qiaoqing bit her lip and compromised a little. “Are you free this weekend? Let’s meet and talk.”

There was a brief pause, then a low chuckle—

“Alright.”

“…”

Chu Xiangbin agreed so quickly that Luan Qiaoqing felt both oddly satisfied and inexplicably annoyed.

She hesitated before asking, “When are you available?”

“I’m currently unemployed and at home. You tell me.”

“What about the location?”

“Your call.”

“…” Luan Qiaoqing narrowed her eyes. “You said it. Don’t regret it later.”

Another quiet laugh. “I won’t. In fact, I’m looking forward to seeing how you’ll make me regret it.”

Luan Qiaoqing: “…”

Luan Qiaoqing: “Send me your address. I’ll pick you up at 6 PM on Saturday.”

She said it all in one breath and hung up immediately.

As the screen darkened, her own reflection showed her face full of simmering irritation.

“There’s no way this damn man actually likes me, right? He’s probably just sworn to annoy me to death at this point!”

Her phone remained innocently silent.

—

Complaints aside, at 5:50 PM on Saturday, Luan Qiaoqing still arrived at Chu Xiangbin’s apartment complex right on time, driving her beloved red sports car.

What surprised her was that Chu Xiangbin was already standing in front of the building, seemingly having waited for quite some time.

Luan Qiaoqing pulled up in front of him. The sports car’s doors lifted open like wings. Chu Xiangbin rested his hand on the door, bent slightly, and raised an eyebrow.”Should I take the passenger seat?”

Luan Qiaoqing glanced at him. “It’s a two-seater. If you’re not sitting in the passenger seat, where else do you plan to sit? On the roof? Under the car?”

—It was the exact same line she had thrown at him on their way to the airport in E Country.

Seeing him go silent, Luan Qiaoqing felt an immense sense of satisfaction.

Then, she belatedly remembered that she was here today to apologize to the man she had wrongly accused and verbally attacked.

Luan Qiaoqing: “…”

Crap. Had she gotten too used to snapping at him?

To her surprise, Chu Xiangbin didn’t get angry. Instead, after a two-second pause, he chuckled—genuinely, without any trace of frustration or pretense.

Then, without hesitation, he slid into the passenger seat. “Thanks for picking me up, Minister Luan.”

Luan Qiaoqing, who had just been mentally scolding herself, suddenly felt awkward. She averted her gaze. “Ahem… Uh, don’t… don’t mention it. Just buckle up so we can go.”

“Alright.”

The ride was quiet.

Chu Xiangbin simply gazed out the window or looked straight ahead without a word.

Luan Qiaoqing stole glances at him several times, but whether he didn’t notice or was just pretending not to, he remained silent.

If this had been in the past, being trapped in a confined space together like this, they would’ve started arguing long ago.

Now that their intentions were clear, was he finally done giving her a hard time?

With that thought, Luan Qiaoqing suddenly found his features—already attractive to begin with—much more pleasant to look at.

Especially since he wasn’t in formal business attire today. Instead, he wore a casual suit, his hair slightly tousled and falling over his forehead. With his relaxed demeanor, he gave off an effortlessly disheveled yet dangerously charming vibe.

If he unbuttoned his dress shirt like he had that night in E Country, when they had gone to the nightclub after their business trip…

The memory of almost kissing him in the hotel lobby flashed through her mind.

Luan Qiaoqing jolted in shock at her own thoughts.

Even the car swerved slightly.

Her heart pounded wildly—she wasn’t sure whether it was from the sudden movement or from her own guilty conscience.

After the car stabilized, silence filled the vehicle for a few seconds.

Then, from the passenger seat, she heard a low chuckle.

Luan Qiaoqing felt her face heat up inexplicably. “What… what are you laughing at?”

Chu Xiangbin lowered his elbow from the door, turned to her, and smiled. “I don’t mind you staring at me. When we get to our destination, you can look all you want. But since we’re still on the road, how about prioritizing safety first, Minister Luan?”

Luan Qiaoqing: “…”

Pleasant-looking? Easy on the eyes??

Bullshit!

She must have hallucinated!

The striking red sports car sped along the road. Half an hour later, they arrived at their destination.

It was winter, so the sky darkened early. Though it was only around 6:30 PM, night had already fallen.

Luan Qiaoqing parked in an open-air lot surrounded by small trucks, vans, and budget-friendly family sedans. Her flashy little sports car stood out like a sore thumb.

As soon as he stepped out of the car, Chu Xiangbin glanced around at the dimly lit surroundings. The bumpy cement road they had driven on to get here made him even more suspicious.

Looking at the area again…

He had a strong feeling that Luan Qiaoqing had just brought him to either a market or a street food district.

Resting a hand on the car roof, he looked across at her. “Minister Luan, are you planning to buy groceries and then personally cook dinner?”

Luan Qiaoqing rolled her eyes. “Keep dreaming.”

“Then where are we going?”

Luan Qiaoqing paused, then pursed her lips slightly. “Somewhere that doesn’t require formal attire or table manners, at least.”

She walked around the car and stopped a meter in front of him. “What? Afraid I’ll sell you off?”

Chu Xiangbin chuckled. “I’m more afraid you’ll sell yourself instead.”

Luan Qiaoqing: “……”

With a mouth like his, how the hell was she ever supposed to guess he liked her?!

Fuming, she turned and stormed off.

Chu Xiangbin laughed under his breath and followed.

After a ten-minute walk through the small market area, they arrived at their destination.

A barbecue restaurant.

The place was simple—borderline shabby.

Chu Xiangbin wasn’t surprised. If anything, he found it amusing. Even after all these years, Luan Qiaoqing’s habits hadn’t changed one bit.

She stopped at the entrance and glanced at him. “You said I could pick the place. You’re not regretting it now, are you?”

“Of course not.” Chu Xiangbin snapped out of his thoughts and smiled as he stepped forward. “I think this is perfect.”
Luan Qiaoqing eyed him. “Perfect for what?”

The corner of his lips curled. “Heart-to-heart talks.”

“?” Before Luan Qiaoqing could say anything, the person had already walked directly into the store.

Although Chu Xiangbin was wearing a casual suit today, which wasn’t very formal, the air of authority he had developed over the years in the workplace was evident. From the moment he stepped into the barbecue restaurant, customers couldn’t help but look at him with surprised and scrutinizing gazes.

This continued until he and Luan Qiaoqing found an empty table inside the restaurant.

The young waitress who came to deliver the disposable menu was also looking at Chu Xiangbin with a mix of nervousness and shyness.

Luan Qiaoqing noticed this and secretly curled her lips.

After the young waitress nervously and excitedly introduced the restaurant’s signature barbecue and reluctantly left, Luan Qiaoqing lazily propped her chin up and casually glanced at the man sitting across from her.

“Minister Chu, no matter where you go, you can’t hide your elite charm, can you?”

Chu Xiangbin glanced at the menu without looking up. “Are you blaming me for this?”

“…” Luan Qiaoqing’s heart skipped a beat, and she remembered the main purpose of this meeting. She immediately retracted her sharp demeanor.

Noticing that the person opposite her had become quiet, Chu Xiangbin was a little surprised. He raised his eyes to look at Luan Qiaoqing. “Weren’t you planning to talk to me today? What did you want to talk about?”

Luan Qiaoqing averted her gaze and answered vaguely, “Let’s order first. We can talk after we’re done.”

“…Okay.”

Chu Xiangbin agreed.

A few minutes later, he handed the completed menu to the waitress. After the waitress left, he withdrew his gaze and slowly looked at Luan Qiaoqing, who was trying to distract herself by drinking water to cover up her unease.

After a few seconds, Chu Xiangbin smiled.

“If Minister Luan wants to get drunk to speak up, it’s better to wait for the beer we ordered to arrive. Drinking plain water won’t have any effect.”

“…” Luan Qiaoqing set her cup down and looked up at him with dissatisfaction and a touch of resentment.

Chu Xiangbin chuckled. “We’ve ordered, so now we can talk. What do you want to ask? Just say it.”

Luan Qiaoqing stared at the water cup for a long while, and finally, she slowly spoke, “I heard… someone in the company said that your going to Qinrui was just a… feigned surrender.”
After saying this, Luan Qiaoqing cautiously looked up at Chu Xiangbin. His expression was no different than usual, and there was no sign of anything amiss.

Luan Qiaoqing gritted her teeth and decided to be straightforward. “I just want to know, was I wrong about you before?”

Chu Xiangbin raised an eyebrow slightly. “Minister Luan only wants to know this?”

Luan Qiaoqing replied, “This is the one thing I want to know the most right now.”

“Alright.” Chu Xiangbin nodded. “The process is a bit complicated, but as for me bringing the product to Qinrui, Qin Lou definitely knew about it from the start.”

“…” Luan Qiaoqing froze.

It took her a while before she furrowed her brows with a sense of regret and guilt. “Then why didn’t you tell me? Even just giving me a hint… If you had, I wouldn’t have been so angry with you back then…”

Chu Xiangbin smiled. “The main reason is that Minister Luan lacks talent in acting, and just like how Song Shu chose to hide things from you, your actions without knowing everything can be used to ‘confuse’ the enemy.”

“…”

Luan Qiaoqing was speechless.

After quite a while, once the waitress had delivered the first round of barbecue and left, Luan Qiaoqing finally managed to say the words she had been holding back.

“Sorry… sorry… sorry.”

Whether it was from holding it in or from the overwhelming self-blame, the moment the words left her mouth, Luan Qiaoqing, who usually appeared fierce and full of bluster, quickly turned beet red, looking like an ordinary shy girl.

Chu Xiangbin was stunned for a few seconds, then suddenly burst into laughter. “If you’re just apologizing, why are you blushing?”

“…You’re the one blushing,” Luan Qiaoqing muttered in dissatisfaction.

“If you’re not blushing, then lift your head and take a look at me.”

“…I won’t.” Her head burrowed even lower.

Chu Xiangbin was almost laughing too hard to stop at the sight of her.

He had planned to push her into admitting something, but seeing her face turn so red she might spontaneously combust, he couldn’t bear to tease her any further.

Just then, the skewers and beer arrived one after another. Chu Xiangbin decided to play along, treating this as a symbolic “drink to let bygones be bygones” moment—so she wouldn’t have to feel so awkward around him in the future.

But before the night was even over, Luan Qiaoqing had managed to get herself completely drunk. Worse, she did it voluntarily—almost as if she were sprinting into the pit he had spared her from earlier.

At that moment, Chu Xiangbin had just finished a phone call.

Since both of them had planned to drink, he had sent a message earlier, asking his assistant to come pick them up. His assistant responded immediately with a call to confirm the barbecue restaurant’s location.

By the time Chu Xiangbin returned to the table, he found that the girl sitting across from him had somehow slumped onto the table.

And beside her hand, several empty beer cans and a small empty bottle of baijiu had appeared.

Chu Xiangbin: “…?”

He hurried over. “Minister Luan?”

…No response.

Chu Xiangbin’s smile faded slightly, a hint of worry creeping in. “Luan Qiaoqing?”

Still no movement.

After a moment’s thought, he tried again, this time in a softer, almost coaxing tone: “Qiaoqiao-jie?”

“—!”

The girl shot up instantly, her drunken eyes dazed but her expression extremely serious. “Who called me?”

Chu Xiangbin couldn’t help but chuckle. “The car will be here soon. Let’s wait at the parking lot, and then I’ll take you home.”

“Home? No, I’m not going home.” Luan Qiaoqing scrunched up her face and grumbled, resting her head back on the table. “No one’s there to keep me company. It’s cold and lonely. I don’t wanna go home.”

Chu Xiangbin paused for a moment.

After a brief silence, he lowered his gaze. “No one to keep you company? Didn’t you push them away yourself?”

“…”

Too drunk to register his words, Luan Qiaoqing didn’t respond.

Seeing that she was about to slump back down onto the table, Chu Xiangbin quickly reached out to support her. After settling the bill, he helped her out of the barbecue restaurant.

Surprisingly, on the way to the parking lot, she was quiet and obedient—following him without a word. She was far better behaved than when she was sober.

Chu Xiangbin couldn’t help but be amused and a little amazed.

Some people get rowdy when they’re drunk.

But she was probably too wild when sober—so when drunk, she became oddly peaceful.

That said, a drunk person’s movements were inevitably unsteady. As they made their way through the market area toward the parking lot, Chu Xiangbin caught her trying to wander off in different directions multiple times. He had to repeatedly pull her back to his side.

By the latter half of the walk, he gave up trying to keep her in check with words. Instead, he pulled her into his arms, half-supporting, half-carrying her the rest of the way.

By the time they arrived at the parking lot, his assistant had clearly been waiting for a while.

“Minister Chu, this is…” The assistant stared at the girl in his boss’s arms, looking dumbfounded for several seconds before asking in disbelief, “Is this Minister Luan from HR?”

“Mm.” Chu Xiangbin responded casually, “We went out for a meal, had some drinks. Thanks for coming.”

“…It’s no trouble at all. This is my job.”

The assistant stood frozen for a few seconds before snapping back to his senses and quickly opening the rear door for them.

Chu Xiangbin helped Luan Qiaoqing into the car, then got in beside her.

The assistant, now wearing an expression of speechlessness, slid into the driver’s seat and started the car.

As he pulled out of the parking lot, he cautiously glanced at the rearview mirror. “Minister Chu, where should I take you two?”

Chu Xiangbin thought for a moment. “Do you know where Minister Luan lives?”

“I don’t…”

“Then just take us to my place.”

The assistant: “…”

After a long silence, he glanced at the rearview mirror again—where Luan Qiaoqing was now soundly asleep, her head resting against Minister Chu’s shoulder.

The assistant swallowed hard and forced himself to nod.

“…Understood.”

---

Sansukini: One more chapter left.

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