Chapter 10#

Zhao Rong was amused by Liu Shun’s reaction.

He and Qiao Nanqi had kept their relationship hidden really well.

Actually, he hadn’t done anything. When the two signed the marriage agreement, a few people from the Qiao and Chen families knew.

Up to now, others at most knew that he held an idle position in Qiao Nanqi’s company—this was too normal. Who hadn’t mixed a relationship to stay in another or their own company?

Not a word of this matter had spread out. Aside from the reason that Qiao Nanqi had never worn a wedding ring from beginning to end, it was also because the Qiao family looked down on it and the Chen family was unwilling to acknowledge it. None of the subordinates around Qiao Nanqi who knew dared to speak.

And looking at Qiao Nanqi’s attitude, he obviously didn’t want to say either. Zhao Rong used to be afraid that Qiao Nanqi would be unhappy, so he kept it hidden along with him. Anyway, the things he accommodated Qiao Nanqi were not just one or two points.

At this moment, he could actually say it, but if he did, it would involve too many things before and after, spanning too much time, which was very troublesome.

So he didn’t say anything, just smiled and said again: “Don’t worry, very clear—clearer than ever.”

“Have you really decided? This is not a simple matter. I see that Boss Qiao hasn’t even gotten him after so long.”

Zhao Rong: “Is it the first day you know me?”

Liu Shun was stunned.

They knew that Zhao Rong had vigorously pursued a sweetheart for ten years.

When Zhao Rong was first recognized back to the Chen family, Chen Zehe avoided seeing him. In order to let the Chen family arrange the best sanatorium for Zhao Ming, he waited directly at Chen Zehe’s door for a week, rain or shine, and stubbornly waited for the person. They had also heard about this.

In terms of stubbornness and hesitation, Liu Shun had never seen anyone compare to Zhao Rong.

After confirming again and again, Liu Shun hesitated for a moment before saying: “About Lu Xingping, I actually know a little bit recently.”

Zhao Rong raised his chin slightly, signaling him to continue directly.

“He has an adopted sister, remember? Studying design, still in college, about to graduate, doesn’t want to do the Lu family’s business. Doesn’t Boss Qiao’s company have a department in this area? I don’t understand the details, I didn’t even go to college. You have an idle position at his head office, should be clearer than me—Lu Xiaoyue seems to have just hung in Boss Qiao’s company for an internship a few weeks ago.”

“Because Lu Xingping also came to ask our family before, but finally didn’t come. My parents asked in passing, only then knowing she went to Boss Qiao’s place.”

Zhao Rong rolled his eyes, “What does this have to do with Lu Xingping’s current situation?”

“Aren’t you harboring malicious intentions—”

“What malicious intentions? This is called a rough understanding of how to approach.”

“Okay okay okay, aren’t you going to understand roughly? I heard that Lu Xingping spoils his sister very much, picking her up and dropping her off every day for work, like sending a child. Third Young Master, aren’t you exactly in this company? Ask about when Lu Xiaoyue gets off work, create a chance encounter in the parking lot every day…”

Liu Shun slapped his thigh: “Isn’t this approaching?”

Zhao Rong really didn’t know about this.

There were many people in the company, everyone’s work hours were different, and the parking lot had fully two floors. His mind wasn’t on others when he was at work, so naturally he didn’t notice.

After hearing these words, he looked thoughtful and was silent for a moment.

Then, he raised his hand, slapped Liu Shun’s back shoulder hard, and said: “Liu’er, let’s go, play.”

He called a waiter over, gave a few instructions, and walked with Liu Shun one after another to another place where a group of people were making noise.

As soon as Zhao Rong walked in, a young man with exaggerated red hair shouted: “Yo, Third Young Master, finished whispering with Liu’er?”

“Yeah.” Zhao Rong sat down in an empty seat vacated by these people, smiling, his voice moistened with a touch of laziness.

He changed the subject directly: “He told me this place is nice. I came today, feel it’s just average.”

Liu Shun was unconvinced: “Where is it average, you say?”

“Then where is it outstanding, you say?” Zhao Rong said without thinking.

“Good environment. The dance floor is not crowded either. The one we went to last time was packed with people.”

“Then do you think you drank a lot?”

“Really didn’t drink too much.”

Zhao Rong didn’t answer again, and everyone had already burst into laughter.

Coming to a bar without drinking much, isn’t that just having no atmosphere?

Red Hair whistled: “Third Young Master has quite some research.”

Zhao Rong smiled.

In these years, in order to fit the character setting in the original book, so as to let Chen Zehe and those people let down their guard against him to ensure the stable life of him and Zhao Ming for these years, he didn’t say anything else, but really played in quite a few places.

But it wasn’t playing for nothing.

Playing a lot, he gradually had ideas about life after the plot ended—knowing what is fun is also useful. But he didn’t put these ideas on the plan before because his heart and eyes were full of Qiao Nanqi.

Now he really should start thinking.

There was nothing to talk about with these fair-weather friends regarding such business ideas.

Zhao Rong temporarily suppressed his thoughts.

“Playing a lot naturally knows what’s fun,” seeing several waiters walking in with trays one after another, he signaled them to make space for the waiters and said, “Let’s change the way of drinking.”

What the waiters brought up were opaque glasses one after another, covered with black lids on top, impossible to see what was inside clearly.

There were dozens of such glasses. When they were all put down, the whole table was almost covered.

“There are beer, red wine, white wine inside, and…” Zhao Rong leaned back against the chair, his eyebrows bending slightly, the corners of his eyes seeming to hook all the romance, extremely gentle, yet not soft.

“And mineral water.” He said, “One cup per person, take randomly from the table, open blind boxes to drink. Those who drink more admit bad luck. Play?”

Liu Shun got interested: “You really know how to play, me first me first!”

Saying so, he had already picked up a cup from the table casually, opened the lid and drank it.

Looking at that expression, it was either mineral water or beer.

Zhao Rong took out stomach medicine from his pocket without a trace, and also picked a cup from inside casually.

He didn’t even smell it, lifted the lid, and poured it into his mouth along with the stomach medicine in his hand.

The heavy and pungent smell of white wine filled his throat.

Very unlucky.

Zhao Rong was in a good mood.

He put down the empty cup casually, didn’t complain about his luck at all, picked up a new cup directly, and smiled: “Come, another cup.”

Qiao Nanqi sat in the living room until three in the morning.

Even if he was at home before, even if he had things to do at night, he would at most stay in the study.

In such an empty place like the living room, sitting on the sofa, not far away was the gate—Qiao Nanqi did such a thing for the first time.

His laptop was on the coffee table. Although it was open, the screen had automatically turned off.

Until now, Qiao Nanqi actually didn’t know what he was doing.

After dinner, Qiao Nanqi thought Zhao Rong just went home early. Unexpectedly, after the driver sent him home, there was no one in the living room or bedroom.

The sound of rain outside had been pattering for unknown how long, but the huge house was empty.

The cloudy day already had a depressing atmosphere. Qiao Nanqi suddenly felt a bit agitated.

When he walked into the guest bedroom and the study where Zhao Rong would never enter to look for someone, he realized that such agitation might be because of Zhao Rong.

Zhao Rong would never let him get home first.

He was used to Zhao Rong asking about his schedule in a roundabout way, used to Zhao Rong always walking up slowly with a smile every time he went home during the day, or always having a steady and obedient figure on the bed every time he entered the room at night.

Qiao Nanqi walked into the study and walked out again, holding the suit jacket he had just taken off in his hand.

He heard human presence in the kitchen. Walking in to look, he found it was Sister Li who came to cook for their family.

Just pushing open the sliding door, Sister Li spoke.

“Xiao Zhao is back? I just wanted to ask you, you told me to buy some pears last week, what kind of pear soup does Mr. Qiao like again, I kind of forgot—” Sister Li turned around while cooking, saw Qiao Nanqi who never came to the kitchen, and was stunned, “It’s Mr. Qiao.”

“Why are you here?”

He leaned against the kitchen door with one hand in his pocket, frowning slightly. Under his slightly gloomy face, the light mole at the end of his left eye added a layer of gloom to his scholarliness.

Sister Li didn’t dare to neglect at all, hurriedly turned off the fire, wiped her hands and walked to Qiao Nanqi, even looking behind Qiao Nanqi.

Seeing no one, she said: “It was Xiao Zhao, called last week to agree, let me come at this time today. Told me you are going out to eat tonight first, but Sir you probably won’t be in the mood to eat too much, will definitely still be hungry when coming back, let me, ah, come to the house to prepare first. He called too early, I, ah, forgot to write down the dishes he reported, didn’t remember clearly which kind of pear soup. Just wanted to call and ask just now, he didn’t answer. Sir you—”

“Rock sugar stewed snow pear,” he said, “My mother often made it for me personally when I was a child.”

Sister Li nodded hurriedly.

Zhao Rong was rather amiable in dealing with people and things, always carrying a gentle smile when speaking. Xiao Wu, Sister Li and these people all preferred to communicate with Zhao Rong.

Although Qiao Nanqi wasn’t someone with a bad temper, he was too tall. Looking down to talk to people, once the lower lash line appeared, it always carried a bit of oppression. Moreover, he didn’t like to chat with these people. Over time, they didn’t dare to disturb him either.

After he finished speaking, Sister Li immediately returned to the kitchen.

Qiao Nanqi glanced at the cooking counter. For the ingredients within sight, he could name the dishes he loved.

For a moment, the agitated mood suddenly became a bit subtle again.

He never came to the kitchen before. Sister Li was a cook carefully selected by Zhao Rong more than a year ago, often coming to their house to cook, but for him it was just a matter of a phone call. Over the past year or so, most of the time it was Zhao Rong who was responsible for handling and contacting.

If not for checking if Zhao Rong was inside just now, Qiao Nanqi didn’t know when he would walk in to take a look when Sister Li was cooking.

This glance didn’t see Zhao Rong, but seemed to have seen Zhao Rong.

When Sister Li served the prepared dishes to the dining room one after another, another hour had passed.

Qiao Nanqi sat alone at the dining table, holding chopsticks, speechless.

Sister Li held back for a while, asked tentatively: “Mr. Qiao, isn’t Xiao Zhao coming back to eat today?”

Qiao Nanqi didn’t answer her.

Because he didn’t know either.

—Facts proved that Zhao Rong indeed wasn’t coming back.

After eating, Qiao Nanqi reached out to the side, wanting to take a tissue, but the extended hand stopped abruptly in mid-air, taking nothing.

Tissues were what Zhao Rong would always get up to take when eating at home in the past.

Now naturally there were no tissues in front of him.

Qiao Nanqi withdrew his hand silently.

After Sister Li cleaned up and left, Qiao Nanqi dealt with the work that should be handled tomorrow in the study for the whole night.

Near twelve o’clock, he put down his work. When he unknowingly took his laptop and phone to sit in the living room, he found that Lu Xingping had sent him a message at more than eight o’clock, thanking him for arranging the internship for Lu Xiaoyue.

He had been holding a baffling sulk since getting home. Opening the chat box, he had nothing much to say, just replied with a simple sentence.

He put down the phone and glanced at the gate with no movement.

From the day the marriage agreement was signed, although Qiao Nanqi didn’t like Zhao Rong much, the two had confirmed a relationship.

Qiao Nanqi knew Zhao Rong liked him. He wasn’t averse to doing those things couples would do with Zhao Rong. And Zhao Rong, except for always mixing with that group of fair-weather friends, was agreeable in every aspect, not asking or listening to his affairs, obeying his words, never willful.

They had maintained this balance for a long time.

Qiao Nanqi never thought that such balance would be broken suddenly tonight, without warning.

Not knowing if he wanted to catch him red-handed, Qiao Nanqi waited in the living room, waiting until three in the morning.

Zhao Rong didn’t come back, but Xia Yuantu called suddenly at this time.

“Aren’t you living at home these few days?” Xia Yuantu was somewhere unknown, the background noise in the phone was very loud, “I came to play at a friend’s newly opened venue today, how did I see your little darling? Impressive, drank a large group under the table.”

Zhao Rong’s alcohol tolerance, after all, was drunk out with Qiao Nanqi, Lu Xingping, Xia Yuantu and that group of people in order to see Qiao Nanqi more back then. Those people were much more formidable at drinking parties than these rich young masters. Zhao Rong forcibly turned from one who couldn’t drink a few ounces of wine to the current tolerance.

Seeing Liu Shun also lying down, his own head was finally dizzy, and drunkenness surged up.

He called the waiter over, paid the bill for the whole venue, and got up to go to the bathroom to wash his face.

While washing his face, Zhao Rong looked up at himself in the mirror.

He flushed easily when drinking. At this moment, even his neck was red. There were cold water droplets on his cheeks, but he still felt a bit hot.

Don’t know if the light in the bathroom was much brighter than other places in the bar, stinging people’s eyes, or the drunkenness came up, he felt a bit dazzling in front of his eyes.

Taking out his phone to call a driver, only to find the phone had run out of power and shut down sometime ago.

Zhao Rong walked out of the restroom dizzily, wanting to find a waiter to help him call a car.

Perhaps someone was celebrating an anniversary here today and ordered a song. The dizzy rock music just now was gone, replaced by “Just Love” sung by the bar singer in front of the dance floor.

Lines of lyrics rolled into Zhao Rong’s ears, the tune melodious, calm but beautiful.

Zhao Rong hummed a few lines unconsciously, passing through the coming and going crowd. Just as he was about to walk back to where Liu Shun and Red Hair’s group were lying to clean up the mess, he was suddenly grabbed by a great force. In an instant, his whole person was pulled to fall to that side, his wrist grabbed painfully.

He crashed into the arms of a man taller than him.

This person had a solid chest and really great strength. He was the one who grabbed people fiercely just now, and he was also the one who steadied Zhao Rong forcefully now. He seemed to have smelled the alcohol all over Zhao Rong the moment Zhao Rong approached. After Zhao Rong stood firm, he took a step back.

Zhao Rong couldn’t see his expression clearly, but felt he should be frowning, and his voice was also particularly low: “Good alcohol tolerance.”

Zhao Rong didn’t need to ask at all, nor did he need to look closely. Even if his brain was knotted at this moment, he could recognize the man in front of him the moment he saw the figure.

The other party was very angry.

Very angry, very angry.

Drunk like this, Zhao Rong didn’t have the mind to think about why Qiao Nanqi was here.

He smiled, carrying the smell of alcohol all over his body, took a step forward following the force of Qiao Nanqi grabbing his wrist, and hung his whole person on Qiao Nanqi.

“Do you want to drink too?” He squinted, wanting to smell the agarwood scent on this person.

The music slowly flowed to the chorus part, like the gentle yet cruel flow of years.

The man still grabbed his wrist, turned around and wanted to pull him away.

Zhao Rong stood in place. Before Qiao Nanqi turned around, he hugged this person’s neck from the side and hung on the other party again.

“Qiao Nanqi.” He called this full name that he hadn’t called for a long time.

Qiao Nanqi seemed to be stunned for a moment, without movement.

In the past, Zhao Rong never dared to get so close when full of alcohol smell.

This rare time, he didn’t have enough reason to think about the cause, but also knew it should be the last time.

He stood on tiptoe slightly, under this dim bar light, leaned close to the corner of Qiao Nanqi’s mouth and kissed gently, his voice low like a whisper.

“Qiao Nanqi,” he had never said this sentence, “I like you.”

Like until today.