Chapter 15, Chapter 15: "Holy crap," this is so exciting...

Luo Hongjun was stunned on the spot.

From his angle, the slender young man was almost completely nestled in Song Mingli's arms. He probably hadn't had time to change out of his uniform, as he was still wearing his casual black clothes, with the bottom of his shirt tucked into his pants, making his waist so tight it was barely a hand's breadth away.

From the beautifully shaped shoulder blades to the smooth waistline and slightly parted legs, the two upper bodies were pressed tightly together. Ying Shixue seemed to be trembling almost imperceptibly as if she were trapped in a nightmare. She relied on Song Mingli's shoulders and neck as if seeking protection, and her soft cheek pressed intimately against his neck.

—It was a gesture that no man could refuse, a gesture that could be described as a sincere display of weakness.

"Brother..." His voice still had a slight nasal tone, typical of someone who had just woken up, "I have a fever, and I dreamt that you didn't want me anymore,"

"I woke up and you weren't in the room, I was so worried..."

Luo Hongjun stared blankly at the scene before him. If there were a fourth person in the conference room besides the three of them, they would have seen the colorful and varied expressions on his face.

Wait, what's going on? Isn't this Song Mingli's secretary? How come he's sitting on his boss's lap?

This young master has always been aloof and unapproachable; countless men have tried to woo him, only to be ruthlessly rejected. If such a beauty were to be pushed to the ground...

Luo Hongjun was distracted, wondering whether he should stage a scene of a hero rescuing a beauty and their love blossoming. Then he saw the usually arrogant and aloof man suddenly tighten his relaxed fingers, and he abruptly stood up while holding Ying Shixue. The veins on his exposed back of his hand and forearm were bulging, and the force was so great that it seemed to crush her into his bones, yet it also revealed the care and tenderness of a dragon protecting a fragile treasure.

“President Luo,” Song Mingli said without turning his head, “we’ll discuss the contract next time.”

Luo Hongjun watched helplessly as Song Mingli, carrying Ying Shixue, brazenly disappeared from the conference room.

"......"

"...?"

"I bought a watch last year #%&#....." Damn gay man, his contract!!

-

The door to the makeshift meeting room was flung open with a bang. Before Ying Shixue could even see what was inside, she was pinned against the door, body and all.

"Xiaoxue," Song Mingli pushed him unconsciously, almost agitated, his pupils slightly dilated with inexplicable excitement, his words carrying a hunger and longing that he himself was unaware of.

He looked down as if seeking something but then stopped, seemingly unsatisfied. He couldn't resist wanting to get closer and touch it, but the next second it was like a bucket of cold water being poured over his head, and he froze on the spot.

Ying Shixue looked up at him, her eyes clear and calm, almost detached, without a trace of lust.

As reason slowly returned, Song Mingli realized that he was still holding Song Mingli's hand.

Under the belated, forced command of the brain, the fingers slowly loosened, and the two stood facing each other in front of the door.

Ying Shixue: "You want to sign a contract with him?"

Song Mingli looked down at him without saying a word.

Ying Shixue took a deep breath and said, "I suspect he is involved in smuggling spirits."

"In Nanhe Lane, on Liuyao Mountain, there is a 300-square-meter house in the forest, which is filled with grain, corn flour, distillation equipment, pipes, and water buckets."

Song Mingli remained silent for a long time, his throat dry: "When did you realize something was wrong?"

"His cigarettes."

Ying Shixue lowered her eyelashes slowly: "No matter how well a person disguises themselves with their clothes and appearance, their most instinctive reactions cannot be faked. His suit was not expensive and his car was within a certain price range. At the party that day, when someone offered him Xiangyunhai cigarettes, his first reaction was to frown and refuse."

"For a senior executive of a mid-sized company, Xiang Yunhai's level is not low at all, and it can even be said to be slightly above his expected income level. In the end, although he still accepted it, his index finger was slightly raised and his ring finger was pressed against it - that was the posture left by Xi Rong, an old smoker who was used to smoking cigarettes with thick and short cigarettes, in order to make it easier to flick the ash."

Xi Rong, also known as the Queen of Tobacco, is priced two to three times higher than Xiang Yunhai.

Song Mingli was truly astonished this time. Even he had only realized the difference behind the other party after nearly three months of tracking and investigation. With just a wrong posture and a bunch of tools, Ying Shixue had come to such a whimsical yet accurate and almost frightening conclusion in less than two days.

But who taught him these things? Would Saint-François teach these things in class, or was he born with extraordinary intuition and wisdom to observe people's hearts?

Today's society emphasizes rationality and efficiency, viewing alcohol as a form of intoxication and madness. A few hundred dollars worth of raw materials, after simple fermentation and distillation, are labeled and quietly flow into the black market, evading detection and selling for seven to eight times the price. Many heavy drinkers are willing to pay for this.

It was already 5 p.m. when Ying Shixue finished his investigation, and the contract between Guangyun and SK was to be signed that very evening. Under no circumstances could they alert the enemy. Therefore, they rushed to the scene and even staged this fake show in front of Luo Hongjun.

Song Mingli said in a deep voice: "Luo Hongjun is indeed problematic, but if he were just an individual selling for profit, he wouldn't be willing to take such a big risk to contact SK, and he wouldn't be able to supply such a large quantity."

Ying Shixue hummed in agreement, "That's what I was talking about too," then abruptly stopped, looking at him suspiciously, "How do you know Luo Hongjun is a private vendor?"

Song Mingli's heart tightened. He opened his mouth to explain something when suddenly there was a loud knocking on the door. Tang Ronghan's anxious voice came from outside: "Boss, boss, are you in there?"

Song Mingli's brow twitched, but before he could say anything, Tang Ronghan blurted out without any restraint: "You said you'd cut the power fifteen minutes after you went in, are you still cutting it now?"

Turn off the power? You should turn your head slightly towards the door. In these factories, the industrial and residential circuits are usually separated. Once the switch is turned off, you can't do anything when the power is cut off.

Wait, can't do anything? In a flash, Ying Shixue suddenly thought of something, and a chill suddenly surged from the bottom of her heart.

He stared directly at Song Mingli, scrutinizing him inch by inch as if he had never known him before, until his voice trembled slightly when he spoke again:

"From the very beginning, you planned that you never intended to sign that contract, didn't you?"

It's over.

Song Mingli closed his eyes. Tang Ronghan, that idiot.

"Xiaoxue..." he said almost in vain, reaching out to pull him.

The next second, Ying Shixue slapped him hard away. When she looked at him again, his eyes were almost red. Then she suddenly smiled, turned around without any hesitation, and was about to push open the door and leave.

If I let him leave through that door this time, I will really lose him.

Song Mingli's heart pounded. Before he could even think about what this sudden idea was, his intuition, faster than reason, had already grabbed the other person's arm: "Wait a minute!"

Caught off guard, Ying Shixue was pulled back by him. She staggered a couple of steps before finally regaining her balance. Reflexively, she bent her elbow and struck him hard.

Despite being struck in the abdomen, Song Mingli didn't even flinch. The two jostled and bumped into each other several times, making a clattering noise. Hearing the commotion, Tang Ronghan outside grew even more anxious and pounded on the door, shouting, "President Song, President Song, what's wrong inside?"

Ying Shixue ignored him and was about to open the door handle when Song Mingli pulled him back, grabbed his wrists and raised them above his head, causing his back to slam heavily against the wall. Before he could struggle, his hips and waist were also pressed down, and then a strong, muscular thigh easily separated his legs and knees, pinning him firmly against the wall.

"Listen to me," Song Mingli said, his phone vibrating incessantly in his pocket, but he didn't even glance at it. His words were rapid and urgent: "Guangyun was discovered by Shan Yan last year and secretly contacted me to help with the investigation. I brought you here to help him relax and buy a gift for my father. I never intended to hide anything from you..."

"President Song, they asked about Guangyun..."

Tang Ronghan finally opened the door with a determined effort, disregarding all etiquette, and rushed in, her words abruptly cut off as her mouth formed an "o" shape.

In the brightly lit temporary meeting room, Song Mingli was still pressing Ying Shixue against the wall when they both turned to look at each other.

Their eyes met, and Tang Ronghan's mouth gaped open dramatically, from an "O" shape to a full "O," her eyes practically bulging out of their sockets: "Old, old, old boss!"

Song Mingli pulled Ying Shixue into his arms, blocking her completely: "Get out!!"

The door slammed shut again, and poor Secretary Tang was kicked out once more. Song Mingli turned around again, while Ying Shixue, after the commotion, had regained her initial composure. Her hair was jet black, her face was indifferent, and her skin was so white and translucent that you could almost see her bones underneath.

Perhaps because she had just struggled fiercely, faint red marks appeared from her neck to behind her ears.

Song Mingli slowly exhaled and said in a deep voice, "Three months ago, Shan Yan came to me. They were investigating an underground liquor smuggling chain and found that one of the major chains involved might be related to Zhengying Enterprise. It was around that time that Guangyun started to secretly contact SK's planning department."

"His return to Fancheng this time was also for this matter. The authorities have already issued instructions and approved this arrest. I am just a businessman who was deceived while operating legally. After the case is closed, my legitimate rights will naturally be guaranteed."

Ying Shixue listened quietly: "If the contract is really signed, when do you plan to take action?"

“Such a large batch is not something a manager like him could handle. We suspect that there is a larger, more secretive chain of interests and a manipulator behind him. If the operation succeeds in luring the snake out of its hole, before the first batch of goods arrives at the SK warehouse in two weeks, this person behind the scenes will definitely communicate or contact him.”

Song Mingli looked at him: "This matter has absolutely nothing to do with us from beginning to end, and there will be no doubt about your safety..."

“So,” Ying Shixue raised her head slightly, “you didn’t intend to hide it from me, but if I hadn’t happened to see it today, you wouldn’t have told me these things.”

Song Mingli's heart skipped a beat: "No," Ying Shixue interrupted him: "Just like three years ago when you left Fancheng for Haizhou without any warning, you didn't need to tell me either."

Song Mingli's expression changed, but Ying Shixue had already pushed open the door and silently left.

-

Outside the door, Tang, who was trembling with fear and felt he had ruined his boss's plans, was startled when Ying Shixue came out. He stood still, opened his mouth to say "Secretary Ying," but before he could say it, Ying had already left, leaving him with only her back view.

Tang Ronghan let out a sigh of relief, whether from relief or regret. Even now, his mind was still replaying the scene from when he was pushed out. All he could think of was:

"Holy crap..." That's explosive!

In broad daylight, under the clear sky, in the makeshift conference room, the boss was already so impatient that he didn't even bother to discuss the contract before wanting to... "Tsk tsk tsk, tsk tsk tsk," Tang Ronghan shook her head and sighed, when suddenly a cool voice came from behind her ear: "What are you tsk about?"

!? ! Tang Ronghan had barely let out a sigh of relief when she gasped again, a sudden, violent coughing fit caught in her throat.

After a long pause, she finally managed to stammer, her face flushed, "No, it's nothing."

Song Mingli glanced at him sideways and strode forward: "Notify everyone to hold a meeting in the original conference room!"

-

Meeting room

Luo Hongjun sat at a table to the side, still wearing a smile on his face, but secretly he couldn't help but grind his teeth.

On the other side, Song Mingli leaned back slightly against the leather chair, his posture relaxed and unhurried.

Behind him, the SK team sat in a row. On the far right, Tang Ronghan was typing on her computer, while closer to him on his left, Ying Shixue, dressed in a well-tailored black suit, had a calm and unapproachable face like a sculpture of ice jade. There was no indication that just an hour ago, he had nestled bonelessly in the arms of the most powerful person.

Luo Hongjun sneered inwardly. Now he finally understood. No wonder he had been humiliated in public for making Ying Shixue drink a cup of wine that day. It turned out they had hooked up. This young master was rumored to be averse to lust, but judging from how he acted when they signed the contract, he was probably already completely bewitched!

His expression remained perfectly balanced between anticipation and nervousness as he flipped the contract to the signature page and handed it over from the table: "Mr. Song, do you see, this time, is there no problem with our contract?"

Song Mingli looked down at the contract in front of him.

Time stretched on, and Luo Hongjun's hands under the table gradually became sweaty. Finally, Song Mingli picked up the pen and signed his name on the contract.

call...

Luo Hongjun completely relaxed.

It's done.

-

After that day, they returned to Fancheng. In recent years, Song Qi has become increasingly laissez-faire, and Song Mingli has to personally oversee many matters, big and small, in the group. In just two days, his desk was already piled high with documents to be processed.

Upon arrival, they immediately began working, with people coming and going in the general affairs office, everyone in a hurry.

Ying Shixue sat at her workstation when her phone screen suddenly lit up:

Shan Qi: Ah Xue!!! When my mom calls you later, just answer whatever she says. If she asks where I've been these past few days, just say I've been with you the whole time.

Time was of the essence. Ying Shixue had barely finished reading the message when Shan Qi's mother called. Before he could react, he stood up from his chair, walked to the rest area, and answered the phone.

A gentle female voice came from the other end: "Hello, is this Xiaoxue?"

Ying Shixue: "It's me, Auntie. What's wrong?"

Qian Yanlan is Shan Qi's mother. Ying Shixue first met her during the summer vacation of the second year of junior high school. A few of them and Shan Qi were doing group homework in the house when Qian Yanlan came to bring them fruit and showed great friendliness and enthusiasm.

After Qian Yanlan left, everyone remarked that Shan Qi had a good mother. The next second, Shan Qi complained about the "Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms" his mother had used on him last week because he did poorly on his final exams; the handprint still hadn't faded. After all, the title of "Iron Lady" of the Fancheng Police Department wasn't for nothing...

However, Qian Yanlan was still very happy to maintain a gentle and kind image as a good parent in front of her son's classmates. In addition, perhaps because Ying Shixue had always been the top student on the honor roll since he was a child, Qian Yanlan had a special soft spot for him. Many times, Shan Qi complained about who her real son was...

At this moment, the Iron Lady's tone was as gentle as water: "Xiaoxue, I hope my sudden call to you didn't bother you?"

"No auntie, I'm on my break right now."

"That's good, that's good," Qian Yanlan said. "It's all because of that unreliable brat, Shan Qi. He's about to graduate and he's always running around and never home. He's also having some kind of improper relationship with someone. When we ask him, he won't admit it and says he's been with you these past few days."

Ying Shixue: "...Yes, I've been with Shan Qi these past few days."

Qian Yanlan breathed a sigh of relief: "So that guy who was photographed fighting in an internet cafe in Lengcheng a couple of days ago and even made the tabloids, is that you too?"

Ying Shixue's eyelids twitched violently: "Yeah, I ran into a few people with really bad manners. Shan Qi has a bad temper and couldn't help but get into a fight with them."

Qian Yanlan was still somewhat suspicious. Recalling the photos she had seen that day, the bar was noisy and it did seem to be Shan Yan and a boy. Then she thought about how Xiao Xue always knew her limits, so she believed most of what she heard. She didn't say anything more and continued to chat about how her studies were going and how young people should take care of their health before hanging up the phone.

The moment the call ended, Shan Qi called: "How did it go? What did my mom ask you? Did you manage to brush her off?"

Ying Shixue: "What exactly did you do?"

On the other end of the phone, Shan Qi fell silent, stammering for a long time before finally managing to say, "Isn't that online game 'Super God' super popular these past six months? There's a quest in it that requires you to get married, so I found someone to marry, and we did quests together for about half a year. A few days ago, we met up at an internet cafe in Lingcheng..."

Ying Shixue frowned slightly: "That's it?"

"Yeah!" Shan Qi barked as if his tail had been pinned down, then suddenly hissed as a heavy thud came from the other end of the phone. Ying Shixue took the phone from her ear; it was still busy. Her doubts deepened.

"Shan Qi? Where are you now?"

After a minute or two of silence, a few crackling sounds came through the phone, followed by Shan Qi's somewhat gritted-teeth voice: "I'm fine. Thanks a lot this time, brother. I'll treat you to dinner next time to thank you properly. What the hell are you doing... No, it's not me, it's not you. I'm hanging up now."

—Beep, the phone rang with the sound of being hung up. Ying Shixue looked at the screen that popped up on her phone and frowned deeply.

What is this guy doing?