Chapter 55 The Light Is Broken

As soon as Shen Mengqing broke free from Yu Xin's grasp, Chen Mo sent her a message asking if she had entered the meeting, as he needed to provide him with meeting minutes on Monday.

She abandoned the idea of ​​leaving, fearing that finding another empty room would waste time and cause her to miss some important information, so she decided to stay there.

Yu Xin moved a few steps to the side at the opportune moment, making a large space for Shen Mengqing.

Shen Mengqing closed the door and reached out to turn on the light, but the button didn't work no matter how many times she pressed it.

"The light is broken," Yu Xin said softly.

Shen Mengqing was speechless. After confirming that she hadn't turned on her microphone, she said, "President Yu, your villa is so magnificent, why don't you even bother to fix the broken lights?"

Yu Xin said, "No one usually comes to this room, I just discovered it."

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly raised his hand and shone the light from the screen onto Shen Mengqing's face. The light flashed by so quickly that Shen Mengqing subconsciously squinted.

"What are you doing...?"

Before Shen Mengqing could finish speaking, Yu Xin bent down and moved closer to her face. In the darkness, his face was clean and his features were smooth. His slightly upturned eyes were fixed on her, his gaze slowly moving down from her eyes to her lips.

Shen Mengqing leaned against the wall, their phones still occasionally emitting faint reports. She was still trying to hear what her colleague was saying, but someone's approach in the darkness somewhat disrupted her hearing; the sound of her heartbeat was far louder than the volume of the phone.

The reporting suddenly stopped, and it seemed someone in the meeting was calling out to Yu Xin, asking him if he had any comments.

Seeing that Yu Xin ignored him, Shen Mengqing whispered a reminder: "They're calling you."

Yu Xin did not answer. After staring at Shen Mengqing for a few seconds, he calmly raised his hand to the side of her face and gently wiped the corner of her lips with his thumb.

There's something near your mouth.

After he finished speaking, he picked up his phone, lowered his head, and began to offer his suggestions.

Shen Mengqing wanted to retort, but since his microphone was on, she didn't dare to speak. She could only stomp on his foot in frustration, feeling like she was punching cotton and it wasn't enough to vent her anger.

After Yu Xin finished expressing his opinion, thinking that she was about to speak, he deliberately moved his phone in front of her face and pointed to the microphone icon with his other hand, silencing her.

Shen Mengqing quickly turned off his microphone, put her hands on her hips, and said, "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"How could that be?" Yu Xin put his hands in his pockets. "If you don't believe me, then forget it."

He even felt wronged.

Shen Mengqing glanced at him, then returned her attention to the online meeting.

Twenty minutes later, the meeting ended, and Shen Mengqing put her phone back in her pocket. She opened the door; it was dark outside, the night was cool, and in the silence, her hungry stomach suddenly growled a few times in protest.

The person standing behind her chuckled and said, "Hungry?"

As Shen Mengqing walked towards the restaurant, he said, "Isn't it all because we're being exploited by you capitalists?"

Whether it was because the surroundings were too dark or because Shen Mengqing was wearing dark, fitted clothes, Yu Xin looked at her slender back from behind and felt that she had lost weight again, as if she had lost a few ounces of flesh around her waist.

He said, "Yes, it was me who squeezed you dry. You should eat more tonight."

Shen Mengqing gave a light hum, and fearing that Aunt Chen and Hao Qisi would wait too long, she quickened her pace, while Yu Xin lagged behind, still maintaining a leisurely demeanor and walking at a leisurely pace.

When the two arrived at the restaurant, Aunt Chen and Hao Qisi were chatting amicably. Seeing that everyone had arrived, she quickly brought out the insulated dishes.

"If you had come any later, these dishes would have gone bad," Aunt Chen grumbled. "Meng Qing, you and your brother should eat more tonight, don't be shy."

Shen Mengqing picked up a piece of squirrel-shaped mandarin fish and stuffed it into her mouth, saying with her mouth bulging, "Aunt Chen, don't worry, your cooking is so delicious, we definitely won't waste a single bit."

Aunt Chen loved watching the younger generation enjoy their meals. Having seen Yu Xin's slow and deliberate manner for so long, seeing Hao Qisi eating so heartily made her feel much better and gave her a great sense of satisfaction from cooking.

After finishing their meal, it was nearly nine o'clock. Aunt Chen didn't want to keep the guests any longer, worried that it wouldn't be safe for them to go home too late. Yu Xin took the car keys and readily agreed to take the siblings home.

After saying goodbye to Aunt Chen, Shen Mengqing got into the car and checked the route and time. She said to Yu Xin, "Why don't we take a taxi back ourselves? I saw that Hao Qisi's school is a bit far away. You'll have to come back after dropping us off, which is too much of a hassle."

“No need.” Yu Xin started the engine and said, “I’m going back to Fujian Road tonight. It’ll only take about an hour to get to his school.”

Shen Mengqing couldn't persuade him otherwise, since he was the one in charge of the car's four legs, so he had no choice but to let him do as he pleased.

In the cold winter, with a biting wind blowing outside, sitting in a warm car felt exceptionally comfortable. She even had a sudden feeling of wanting to keep the car as long as possible, like a cozy home away from home.

Hao Qisi remained silent in the back seat, and Shen Mengqing thought he had fallen asleep. Unexpectedly, he suddenly spoke up and said, "Sis, are you going home for New Year's Day next week? My mom's restaurant is reopening in a few days."

"So fast," Shen Mengqing exclaimed in surprise.

Hao Qisi said, "Yes, we took on part of the renovation work for the previous business. Her restaurant design was simple, so it didn't take long to renovate. Once we got a business license, we could open for business."

"Okay, I'll try the dish next week."

Shen Mengqing smiled and agreed.

Hao Qisi's school is surrounded by many universities, making it like a small university town. As you approach the surrounding roads, there are many more shops and pedestrians, mostly young men and women with active nightlife.

Shen Mengqing watched him enter the school. Once he was out of sight, Yu Xin stepped on the brakes and slowly turned around.

He rested one arm on the window and asked in a casual tone, "Going back to Chu City next week?"

"Yes, that's perfect. I'd like to ask you for leave; I'd like to go back two days early."

This was the first time Shen Mengqing had asked for leave with such confidence. In the past, when they were in the sales department, Liang Jun would always give them a hard time.

Yu Xin nodded, having no objection.

Taking leave is an employee's legal right. He always believed that a balance between work and rest could better boost people's work efficiency, and he never asked too many questions about the reasons why others took leave.

"Hao Qisi borrowed money from me before so that his mother could open a restaurant?" Yu Xin said.

Shen Mengqing hummed in agreement.

Yu Xin: "Then you shouldn't have paid me back. There are many places where you need money in the early stages of opening a shop. It's always good to have more money on hand."

"Then I should pay you back even more. It's one thing for family members to lend to each other, but how can my relative, who runs a shop, have to borrow money from you?"

Shen Mengqing said calculatingly.

Yu Xin pouted and said, "I'd like to."

Shen Mengqing was very good at calculating, and Yu Xin knew she was very stubborn, so she said, "Then I'm considered an original shareholder, right? Aren't you going to invite me to dinner?"

"Chairman Yu probably won't be used to the food at our little restaurant," Shen Mengqing retorted.

Yu Xin raised an eyebrow, her gaze towards Shen Mengqing seemingly implying that Shen Mengqing was a heartless traitor.

He said, "What? It's not even open yet, and you're already turning away customers for the owner?"

That's true, after all, the shop is run by Auntie San. Shen Mengqing snorted: "Eat it or don't, it's up to you."

When Shen Mengqing was sulking, the corners of her eyes drooped slightly, and her cheeks puffed out with anger, making her look like a fresh and plump peach. Every frown and pout was full of life.

Yu Xin glanced at her, glancing at the rearview mirror to check the road conditions while smiling. After a few seconds, he finally couldn't help but chuckle softly.

Shen Mengqing had no idea what he was thinking. She only felt that he was mocking her for being stubborn despite being in the wrong. She angrily turned to the side and simply closed her eyes for a nap. She was thinking that she really needed to buy a car in the new year, otherwise it would be too inconvenient to travel, and someone could easily take advantage of her. She went through the car brands she had previously considered in her mind and gradually drifted off to sleep.

Yu Xin's license plate was still recorded in her community's access control system. She drove in with ease, and when the car stopped, Shen Mengqing slowly opened her eyes.

She stretched slightly, then opened the door and prepared to get out of the car.

Before closing the door, Yu Xin said, "See you next week."

Shen Mengqing met his deep gaze and waved.

-

The last day of the year was a Friday, and Shen Mengqing took three days off, returning to Chu City on Wednesday night.

She specifically asked the ride-hailing driver to drop her off at the entrance of her residential compound, and then took her suitcase to her aunt's restaurant for a bowl of wontons.

The restaurant wasn't very big, and the signboard read "Hao Weidao" (郝味). As soon as Shen Mengqing saw the name, she guessed that it was given by Hao Qisi.

A transparent curtain was placed over the doorway to block the wind. Shen Mengqing lifted the curtain and went inside. Her third aunt was busy in the kitchen. Hao Meng happened to be helping out in the shop at that moment. As soon as Hao Meng saw Shen Mengqing, his eyes lit up. He took the suitcase from her and pulled out a stool for her to sit down.

Even without Shen Mengqing ordering, Hao Meng knew what she wanted to eat. When a bowl of wontons was served, Hao Meng held up a sign with a QR code for payment and said impartially, "Eight yuan, scan the code to pay."

Auntie San noticed the commotion and hurriedly called out from the kitchen window, "Sister, don't let Aqing pay!"

Shen Mengqing quickly entered the payment password and said to the inside, "Third Aunt, let me share in your prosperous business."

Third Aunt pretended to be angry and glared at Shen Mengqing, but she couldn't do anything about it, so she turned around and continued to busy herself.

An uncle at the next table also ordered wontons and was wolfing them down with loud slurping. Shen Mengqing had been traveling all day and had only eaten some unpalatable fast food to fill her stomach. Inspired by the uncle, she also started eating heartily without caring about her image.

After eating several wontons, she drank a sip of the sweet and savory soup, feeling very refreshed.

At that moment, the phone screen suddenly lit up, displaying a new message.

Shen Mengqing clicked on it, and a chat window with Yu Xin popped up.

Dog-headed Boss:

"Are you home?"

What should we eat for dinner?

He took a picture of the dining table, which looked like it was on Honolulu Road again, but the food was much simpler than the meal she had with Hao Qisi.

He sent another message:

"With you all gone, Aunt Chen is too lazy to cook for me and just had the chef make a few random dishes."

Shen Mengqing smiled, patted the wontons on her table, and sent them to Yu Xin.

She typed with a smile:

"I'm eating the most delicious thing in the world."

Yu Xin replied to her:

"I want to eat it too."

Shen Mengqing tilted his head:

"Then Mr. Yu, you'll have to figure it out yourself."

When the new message notification appeared again, Shen Mengqing thought it was from Yu Xin, but it turned out to be from Li Qinghe asking her to arrange a time for the day after tomorrow so he could book a restaurant.

Shen Mengqing considered that she might have lunch with relatives at noon, so the evening would be a better time, and besides, it was her turn to treat them to dinner.

She had just replied to Li Qinghe when Yu Xin sent her a screenshot.

He bought the plane ticket to Chucheng the day after tomorrow.

Shen Mengqing paused, wondering why these two had their schedules overlapped.

-----------------------

A note from the author:

Aqing was busy on New Year's Eve

See you, see you, see you, see you... [shy]