Chapter 24 24 "Baby."

Shi Rui entered his room, touched his burning ears behind the door, and replayed Qin Jixiu's words "Perform well tonight" in his mind.

Although serving tea and drinking wine was Qin Jixiu's job as his secretary, it felt like something else came out of his mouth. Shi Rui took a deep breath, telling himself to focus on business, but his heart refused to cooperate. Qin Jixiu's words had sent him reeling.

He opened all the windows in the room to get some fresh air in, and when the temperature on his face dropped, he went to the bathroom to wash his face.

The evening's social gathering was held at a private restaurant in South City. Qin Jixiu had dealt with this client several times before. The client was easy to talk to, but the male secretary he usually brought with him was a heavy drinker who loved to stir up trouble and urge people to drink. This was probably related to the drinking customs in his hometown. This was also the main reason why Qin Jixiu brought Shi Rui with him this time.

Qin Jixiu himself also likes to drink, but he doesn't like being forced to drink like this. It's okay to have a few more glasses when he is in a good mood, but he is not a donkey.

Amid the crisp sound of wine glasses clinking, Shi Rui tilted his head back and drank the white wine. The spicy liquid made his throat tight, but he filled another glass without changing his expression.

Qin Jixiu sat at the head of the table, watching Shi Rui, seemingly energized, blocking the flow of wine for him. This guy looked thin, but his alcohol tolerance was much greater than he'd expected. He quickly downed three glasses of baijiu without blushing, his eyes flickering, and he could even walk in a straight line.

It was almost ten o'clock when the social gathering ended. After the client was sent away, Qin Jixiu stood at the restaurant door, the night breeze blowing the hem of his windbreaker. He turned to look at Shi Rui, his tone expression expressionless: "Come on, have a couple more drinks with me."

Shi Rui's heart skipped a beat.

Was Qin Jixiu finally going to use this solo business trip as an opportunity to confront him? Countless thoughts flashed through his mind. How should he respond to the "unspoken rules of the workplace"? What if he refused to comply...

It seems that I am not that unwilling to obey...

He secretly glanced at Qin Jixiu's profile, and seeing that he looked calm, he whispered, "Okay."

When the car pulled up to a bar, Shi Rui was completely stunned. The neon sign flickered with an ambiguous light, and most of the people entering and exiting the bar were men in pairs. He had only been to a gay bar once, and that was when he tried to catch Shi Xi, who had secretly gone there to drink and drown his sorrows.

Qin Jixiu was the first to open the door, and Shi Rui followed him in. The music stirred his eardrums, and the men on the dance floor were huddled together in groups of three or four, twisting their bodies, and some were even kissing each other. Shi Rui quickly looked away, staring at the ground, even breathing more gently.

"Why aren't you looking? Not interested?" Qin Jixiu's voice echoed in his ears, with a subtle hint of malice. He found a seat at the bar and watched Shi Rui tense up. He found this reaction quite unusual. Judging by your impressive business card background, you don't seem like an honest person, yet now you're pretending to be innocent.

Shi Rui sat down next to him, scratching the edge of the bar with his fingers: "Nothing to see."

Qin Jixiu didn't ask any more questions. He raised his hand and ordered several drinks from the bartender. Wines of various colors were placed in a row.

When the glass of wine was pushed in front of him, Shi Rui hesitated for a moment, but finally picked it up. The alcohol slid down his throat, and a dizzy feeling slowly crept up to his head, but his mind was unusually clear. This was also the case when he drank before, with no other feeling except dizziness.

Qin Jixiu drank one cup after another, and his eyes gradually became blurred.

New and old grudges suddenly surged up like a tide: Ye Lansheng's final indifference and cheating, the decisiveness when he swindled his money and blocked his car, those sweet words he spoke so effortlessly, and the nine hundred days of companionship that became false from one day to the next... His fingers, which were holding the wine glass, turned white, and his knuckles ached from the force he used.

Shi Rui stared at his flushed cheeks. Qin Jixiu's eyelashes were very long, casting a small shadow under his eyes. Driven by the alcohol, Shi Rui reached out his hand and gently poked the tip of Qin Jixiu's nose with his fingertips. Qin Jixiu had a high nose bridge, so the tip of his nose was naturally hard, but it also seemed soft.

The next second, Qin Jixiu grabbed Shi Rui's wrist. His fingers were burning hot, and his eyes were astonishingly bright, as if quenched by fire, staring straight at Shi Rui.

Shi Rui felt guilty when he was looked at by him, like a thief caught in the act. He tried to withdraw his hand, but was held even tighter.

"Send me back." Qin Jixiu frowned, his voice was drunken, but his tone was unquestionable.

Shi Rui quickly agreed and carefully helped Qin Jixiu up from the bar stool. Qin Jixiu's body was very limp, and most of his weight was on him. His warm breath sprayed on his neck, making him itch.

Qin Jixiu had sprayed himself with a nice-smelling perfume. Shi Rui sniffed it hard, and his scalp tingled for a moment. How could this guy choose a perfume so... so...

Even through the shirt, Shi Rui could still feel the elasticity of Qin Jixiu's muscles. Grabbing Qin Jixiu's wrist, Shi Rui accidentally felt the bulging veins there, and couldn't help but rub them with his fingertips. Furthermore, the skin on his wrist felt so good that he stretched his fingers, wishing he could leave his fingerprints on the other person's wrist forever.

When he was almost at the door, Qin Jixiu suddenly raised his head and looked at Shi Rui's face, his eyes dazed as if he was dreaming.

"baby."

A loving call fell into Shi Rui's ears.

Shi Rui's body froze instantly, his blood seemingly frozen. He turned his head in disbelief, his voice a little tense, "Boss Qin, what did you call me just now?"

Qin Jixiu narrowed his eyes, and he suddenly remembered that he and Ye Lansheng had broken up a long time ago. The other party deceived his feelings, cheated on him, and broke up with him abruptly, trampling on his true heart.

In an instant, anger and hatred clouded his mind. He raised his hand and wanted to slap Shi Rui in the face, but he was very drunk and his aim was off, and his palm slapped Shi Rui's neck.

"Bastard!" Qin Jixiu almost gritted his teeth and spat out these three words.

Shi Rui was beaten unfairly, but he didn't care about the pain. While dragging Qin Jixiu to the car, he complained in his heart.

Had he done anything to offend Qin Jixiu recently? Was it because he was too close to the three female secretaries? But he stopped calling her "sister" and just addressed her by her title. Wasn't that even okay?

After finally sending Qin Jixiu back to his room, he just reached the bathroom door when he suddenly pressed against the wall, bent over and said, "I want to vomit."

Shi Rui quickly helped him squat beside the toilet and patted his back gently.

Qin Jixiu retched a few times but didn't spit out anything. He only heard someone ask in his ear: "Boss Qin, are you okay?"

The voice sounded familiar, as if I'd heard it somewhere before. Qin Jixiu slowly raised his head, and Shi Rui's face gradually became clearer in his blurry vision. Illusion and reality suddenly overlapped, and he suddenly remembered where he was and what situation he had reached with the person in front of him.

Qin Jixiu pushed Shi Rui away forcefully: "Get out!"

Shi Rui was caught off guard by the push and fell to the ground, a dull pain coming from his tailbone. He looked at Qin Jixiu's red eyes and wanted to ask him what was wrong, but he swallowed the words back.

He got up from the ground, whispered "Have a good rest", turned and walked out, closing the door gently.

The next morning, when Shi Rui saw Qin Jixiu in the hotel restaurant, he almost thought that what happened last night was just an illusion. Qin Jixiu was wearing an ironed shirt, his hair was combed meticulously, and his face did not show any signs of fatigue from a hangover. He was slowly eating breakfast with a fork in hand.

"After eating, clean up and go to Shanting headquarters in half an hour." Qin Jixiu didn't even raise his head, and his tone was flat as if he was saying that the weather was good today.

Shi Rui replied, "Okay." Had Qin Jixiu completely forgotten what happened last night? Or was he pretending it never happened? He stole a glance at Qin Jixiu's face, but seeing nothing, he retracted his gaze and focused on his breakfast.

The morning visit to Shanting went smoothly. After lunch with the Shanting representative, Qin Jixiu glanced at his watch and suddenly said to Shi Rui, "I have a friend in South City, so I won't be with you this afternoon. You can make your own arrangements."

"I won't accompany you in the afternoon," Qin Jixiu said to the people below him without hesitation. What he actually meant was "I want to go out and play by myself, you can go wherever you want."

Shi Rui took it seriously and subconsciously asked, "What kind of friend of Mr. Qin is he?"

Qin Jixiu looked over and laughed nonchalantly, "You've only been at the company for a few days, and you've already learned how to manage upwards? You even want to control who I meet with? How about I let you take the CEO position?"

Although Mr. Qin's smile looked beautiful and charming in Shi Rui's eyes, it was definitely inappropriate. Shi Rui quickly shook his head: "Mr. Qin, I'm not trying to control you, I'm just worried about your safety. South City is so big, if you have any problems, feel free to call me."

Qin Jixiu looked at him for a few seconds, said nothing, turned around and left with his coat.

When Qin Jixiu arrived at the horse ranch on the outskirts of the city, Song Zenghui was already waiting at the door. Dressed in riding gear, Song Zenghui greeted him with a smile, "Finally, you're here! Last time, you came to see me at the ranch in Jiangcheng, and I happened to be in South City with friends. We finally ran into each other this time."

Qin Jixiu joked with him: "Mr. Song still has many friends."

"Stop teasing me. How are you?" Song Zenghui walked in with him, asking about his recent situation. "I heard from Zhu Xun that you broke up with your online boyfriend?"

"Um."

"From your tone, you sound unhappy?"

"I don't want to mention such a disappointing thing today."

"Okay, then I'll let you have fun today."

Song Zenghui patted his shoulder and led him to the stables. "When choosing a man, look at his nose. The same goes for choosing a horse. Look at that black horse. Its big nostrils mean it has a big lung capacity. It's definitely a good horse."

Qin Jixiu looked in the direction he pointed. The black horse was swishing its tail, its eyes gleaming with a fierceness. But... Song Zenghui, a straight man, was telling him how to choose a man? Seriously?

But when you think about it carefully, you will realize that his taste in choosing men is too unique. He chooses the worst one in the crowd at first sight.

He took out his mobile phone, took a photo of the horse, and posted it on his Moments with the caption "What matters is not speed, but tenacity and loyalty."

This is chicken soup tailor-made for employees. For example, some people began to reflect on whether Mr. Qin had noticed their recent desire to change jobs.

He switched to another chat app. The same photo, but with the caption changed to: "A good horse without a good saddle, a weapon without a good hand."

The president sometimes wants to be abstract.

Song Zenghui handed the reins to Qin Jixiu.

Qin Jixiu took the reins and mounted. The black horse neighed and slowly began to stalk. The wind blew past his ears, carrying the scent of green grass, and his tense nerves gradually relaxed.

On the other hand, Shi Rui went shopping in the mall near the hotel and bought mints and cigarettes for Qin Jixiu. He had no familiar classmates or friends in South City, so he simply went back to the hotel room to watch a movie.

After watching an old movie, he took out his mobile phone and saw Qin Jixiu’s circle of friends.

It turns out he went horseback riding with his friends.

Why were there only photos of horses? Shi Rui felt a little regretful.

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The author has something to say: Shi Rui has been completely fascinated by President Qin

Five updates from Thursday this week to next Wednesday