Chapter 24 The Domineering CEO [VIP]

Her heart trembled uncontrollably, and the man's arms tightened instinctively around her.

As soon as he finished speaking, the person in front of him turned around.

The misty vapor blurred his features, making it impossible for Yan Chen to see his expression.

All that could be heard was the other person's clear voice: "Your clothes are soaked. Change them and take a shower, or you'll catch a cold."

“And,” the man raised his handsome eyebrows, his tone teasing and displeased, “you also got my clothes wet.”

As if pulled from the abyss back to reality, Yan Chen suddenly saw the pair of eyes in front of him clearly. They were clear and bright, as clean as a mountain forest washed by rain.

"Ao Ran."

"Why do you keep calling me?" Qingran asked, looking somewhat helpless.

The man stopped speaking, exhausted himself, closed his eyes, and pressed his forehead against the man's. His whole body was filled with undisguised fatigue and dejection.

My body felt cold after being caught in the rain.

But his lover's soft, warm body brought him a few scattered moments of warmth, making Yan Chen feel like a dying man who was about to freeze to death, tightly embracing the last bit of life in his arms.

It's normal that people around you don't know about it for the first three months.

What's more, they met online.

Since he doesn't even have time to invite her to dinner, the other party might not know every detail of his private affairs...

Yan Chen repeatedly tried to find reasons to exonerate Qing Ran.

He seemed to have lost the ability to think and forgot to speak, even though he could get the answer simply by asking a question.

*

The rain kept falling, and the raindrops pattered against the window.

After taking a shower, Yan Chen came out of the bathroom, drying his hair. He saw Qing Ran playing on her phone on the sofa, so he went inside to change his clothes.

Both of them had just taken a shower. Qingran, whose clothes were still wet, only rinsed off quickly.

"Playing games?" Yan Chen asked him.

“No, I’m sending a message to Wang Lei,” Qingran replied between typing, glancing up at the man’s tall figure. “There’s watermelon in the fridge.”

Yan Chen didn't want to eat anything.

Seeing that there was half a cake left on the table, I asked Qingran and decided to put it in the refrigerator for preservation.

He asked between gestures, "What are you talking about?"

Qingran: "Tell him that tomorrow's mushroom picking is canceled, and ask him to tell his girlfriend as well."

The man paused for a moment, closed the refrigerator door, and turned around: "Why?"

Why was it suddenly canceled?

He always felt that Qingran might know something.

Qingran said frankly, "Because it's raining so hard today, the mountain road will probably be very difficult to travel tomorrow, so I don't want to go."

"It was almost as heavy as the rain the day you had your car accident."

She deliberately observed the man's expression while speaking.

However, the man stood at a distance with his head slightly lowered, his expression unreadable.

Qingran was a little confused about what the other person was thinking.

If nothing unexpected happens, Yan Chen has already met with Su Yu and Assistant Hong, and should have heard a lot of information from them that contradicts his statements.

Whether it's questioning or suspicion, Yan Chen should have made some response.

But just now in the bathroom, he only asked one question that wasn't even a test, and then casually moved on from the matter.

Why?

Qingran found it strange because Yan Chen wasn't usually one to gloss over problems.

[Host, how about we take the initiative and bring it up ourselves? Otherwise, if the male lead keeps not asking, the plot will just stay stuck here.]

The system is exhausted.

It was worried that the plot would fall apart later, but it got stuck with a bug before it even got to that point!

Don't worry, there are people who are even more anxious than us.

Qingran put down her phone and suggested, "We're free tomorrow, how about we go shopping? We've been living in the county for so long, but we haven't really explored it properly yet."

Yan Chen never refused him, and upon hearing this, he said, "Okay."

The next day.

The rain stopped but the sky didn't clear up; today is a cloudy day with no wind or rain.

After having breakfast, the two went out, strolled through the flower and bird market, watched elderly people practicing Tai Chi in the park, and then wandered aimlessly to the bustling commercial street.

There are more shops selling clothing, shoes, bags and accessories on both sides of the street.

Across the street is the best hotel in the county.

Looking at a clothing store not far away, Qingran said, "You don't have many changes of clothes, why don't you buy a couple more outfits?"

Yan Chen, however, was thinking that if his identity was true, then he must take responsibility as soon as possible and return to Beijing to stabilize the situation.

There's no need to let Qingran waste any more money.

"Hey handsome guys, come in and check out our clothes! We source directly from the provincial capital. And with your good looks, you're sure to charm everyone from eighty-year-old grandmas to eight-year-old kids!"

The shop assistants enthusiastically greeted customers.

Before Yan Chen could refuse—

"General Manager Yan."

The voice came from behind, and the man's feet seemed to freeze in place.

Qingran turned around to look at the person who had come first.

He was dressed in a suit and tie, wore frameless glasses, was tall and thin, had a handsome face, and had a scholarly air about him. When he looked at people, his smile didn't reach his eyes.

Is this the Assistant Hong I've heard so much about?

Qingran looked at Hongyue with great interest, while Hongyue observed Qingran discreetly.

Hong Yue's first reaction was amazement.

To be honest, he had never seen anyone more perfect and exquisite-looking than the person in front of him in all his life.

Graceful as a startled swan, elegant as a swimming dragon, radiant as autumn chrysanthemums, and flourishing as spring pines.

If Hong Yue had seen this person in some remote mountain area, he might have suspected that he had encountered some kind of spirit or monster.

Because the other person's appearance was so beautiful it was almost otherworldly.

Is he the reason for Yan Chen's unusual behavior?

"Mr. Yan, have you been staying at your place lately? May I ask your name?" Hong Yue initiated the conversation.

Qingran was about to speak.

"Qingran, would you like to come into the store first? I have something to say to him," the man said softly.

He turned around and met Hong Yue's gaze.

Qingran looked at the two of them and said, "I don't have anything I want to buy, but if you have something to do, I'll go home first."

After his figure disappeared at the intersection, Yan Chen scrutinized the person across the street: "What are you doing here?"

"Are we sure we want to talk here?" Hong Yue gestured to the side.

The saleswoman, who had failed to attract customers, was now watching the two men with wide eyes, arms crossed, almost as if she were about to grab a small stool and start eating sunflower seeds.

Yan Chenmo.

There happened to be a quiet coffee shop nearby, so the two went in and chose a secluded corner to sit down.

The waiter came over to take their order, and Hong Yue expertly recited his and Yan Chen's preferences, glancing out the floor-to-ceiling window in the direction where Qing Ran had disappeared.

"Is he the reason you're staying?"

Yan Chen: "This is my private matter."

“Of course,” Hong Yue smiled, pushing up his glasses, “and if he has helped you during this time, I might even prepare a thank-you gift in advance.”

"But you left without saying anything yesterday. Perhaps it would be convenient for you to reveal what happened today?"

Yan Chen looked at him.

The two men had contrasting expressions, one calm and the other smiling, yet the atmosphere was tense and ready to clash.

The waiter brought over the coffee and placed it in front of the two of them.

"Please enjoy your meal, gentlemen."

Yan Chen picked up his glass and took a sip, his expression indifferent, like an unchanging glacier.

"You haven't answered my question yet."

I saw you in the hotel room and came down to say hello.

Hong Yue replied, and also picked up his cup.

The coffee was of average quality; he took a small sip and put it down. Over the years, working with Yan Chen had spoiled his palate.

In contrast, the man opposite her remained expressionless, which was quite unlike what one would expect from a wealthy young master from a privileged family.

He sighed and said, "President Yan, even if we don't mention that we were classmates, I'm still doing this for you and I'm on your side."

“I am not your enemy, you don’t need to be so hostile towards me.”

He didn't understand why Yan Chen was hostile to him. Logically speaking, he hadn't done anything to arouse Yan Chen's suspicion since they met, right?

Then Yan Chen said something that almost made his jaw drop.

Yan Chen answered his first question, saying, "His surname is Zhou, his name is Qingran, and he is my boyfriend."

?

How could Yan Chen possibly have a ghost boyfriend in this remote little county town!

etc.

"Did you two recently become a couple?"

"Before the car accident."

"Impossible!" Hong Yue retorted, losing his composure, his tone resolute.

Then he noticed Yan Chen's eyes turn cold.

Hong Yue took a deep breath and finally understood why the other party was hostile to him. He forced himself to remain calm and asked, "Did he tell you about your relationship?"

Yan Chen tacitly agreed.

Hong Yue: "You just believed him when he said that?"

Yan Chen: "There are chat logs."

Chat logs can be forged, so what kind of evidence are they? Especially since Yan Chen's phone is lost, bringing up these so-called logs again only makes things more suspicious.

He strongly suspects that Yan Chen's choice to believe him at the time was partly due to lust.

"Your phone and ID were not found at the accident scene. Do you know what that means?"

Hong Yue said solemnly, "This means that if it wasn't a passerby who took these things, then there's only one possibility left."

That means it could only have been Zhou Qingran who took it.

Are you sure Zhou Qingran is telling you the truth?

Qingran said he found him by the roadside, so Yan Chen had previously speculated that he had left the car accident scene on his own.

Hong Yue now claims that his cell phone and identification were not found at the scene.

So, is it that you suspect a passing vehicle stopped and picked up these things, or that you suspect Qingran took the things and lied?

"Okay, let's not talk about that for now. Let's talk about the chat history. Anyone who is good at computer technology can find out the time."

Hong Yue picked up his phone.

"You have a QQ account login record on your company computer. Do you need me to contact someone to check it for you now?"

Yan Chen frowned: "Office computers are of utmost importance. How can we allow anyone to hack into them for investigation?"

Hong Yue was taken aback.

He put down his phone after a moment: "You're still so calm." He was so anxious he was confused.

But why is it that when it comes to Zhou Qingran, things are just so... so stupid!

How could they not see through such a clumsy scam?

"You need to think this through. It will be very troublesome for you to return to Beijing without an ID card." Even if you want to get a replacement, you have to go back to your registered residence in Beijing to do so.

*

When passing through Anle Residential Area, Qingran did not return to the house he and Yan Chen rented.

He walked straight to the North Gate Station, boarded a bus heading out of the city, got off at the foot of the mountain, and returned to his old tile-roofed house deep in Butterfly Mountain.

It takes quite a while to make a round trip.

In addition, Qingran deliberately slowed down, so it was three hours later when he returned to his apartment in the community with his things.

As I opened the door with my key and bent down to change my shoes, my gaze slowly fell upon a pair of long, straight legs.

"You're back?"

"Where did you go?"

Both sentences were uttered at the same time.

Qingran put on her slippers and looked up.

Yan Chen stared intently at him, his expression still showing lingering melancholy and frustration.

Yan Chen doesn't think he ran away, does he?

Qingran was a little incredulous. She handed over the locked iron box in her hand and said, "I thought you might need this, so I went back to the mountains."

Yan Chen's gaze then shifted to the locked iron box.

He had seen this box many times in an old wardrobe on the mountain, with the key hanging on the lock.

But respecting his partner's privacy, he never opened it without permission.

Inside the box...

The man reached out to take it, only to feel as if his outstretched right hand was filled with molten lead, so heavy that it would plunge him into an abyss.

Just as Yan Chen took the iron box and was about to open it.

Will Ah Chen abandon me?

The voice was soft, yet it struck my heart like a heavy hammer.

Feeling a suffocating tightness in his chest, the man said hoarsely, "...No."

A note from the author:

Thanks for watering! *kissing*

Reader "Jiji Explodes, Be a Hero in Fairy Tales" watered the page with +20 nutrient solution.

Reader "Puppy eats in a bowl" added 10 units of nutrient solution to the water.

Reader "Tree Without Thoughts" watered the tree with nutrient solution +1