13
"Applying for a permanent branch in China?" Xu Qi looked at the application form that Qiangwei had just handed him for a while, then slowly looked up. "Why?"
Rose stood to the side with her head bowed: "I still have a younger sister to take care of, I beg you, young master, to grant my request."
"Hmph, it's been a year, and only now do you think about taking care of your sister?"
“I returned to New York to take care of the second young master, but now…” Rose gritted her teeth and looked up at him directly.
Xu Qi could no longer contain his anger. He clenched the paper in his hand and threw it at Qiangwei: "Get out! Don't let me see you again!"
A flicker of pain crossed Rose's beautiful cat-like eyes. She bent down to pick up the stack of papers, nodded to Xu Qi, and replied, "Yes, young master." Then she turned and left.
He had followed this man all along, and now it was finally his turn to leave him with a resolute departure. He had thought he would follow him for life. But in the end, he couldn't bear the despair of never receiving a single word of attention from him. His decision to leave now did elicit some reaction from the man. In truth, they were both just pathetic creatures. Pathetic creatures who couldn't have the ones they loved.
Watching Qiangwei's beautiful profile disappear quickly by the door, Xu Qi finally exploded. He swept everything on the table to the ground, and with a series of cracking sounds, overturned the heavy tabletop.
Xu Qi stood alone, his face ashen, his breathing heavy, his whole body trembling with rage. Good, very good! Had he finally become a lone wolf, abandoned by everyone?
The loud noise attracted Wei Lan, who rushed over. Upon seeing the mess on the ground and Xu Qi's extremely ugly face, he immediately realized that now was not the time for him to appear. He wisely left, not wanting to foolishly provoke his master.
Xu Qi glanced coldly at the doorway, struggling to suppress the urge to pull Qiangwei back. He gritted his teeth, the veins on his forehead throbbing violently.
He always thought that even if everyone else left him, Rose wouldn't. He thought she would always be by his side. But now, she's just gone! How could she be so decisive! It's so hateful!
"Brother! You're back!" Si Yan, carrying her schoolbag, saw Qiangwei standing at the door and immediately rushed over.
Rose caught her and patted her head, laughing, "Still so clumsy, I won't be responsible if you fall."
The little girl sweetly pleaded, "Brother~ You've been gone so long, I missed you~"
"Okay, okay, it was my fault." Rose blinked. "Now that brother's back, we're not going back. Are you happy?"
Si Yan clung tightly to him, her big, round eyes wide: "Really? You're not going back?"
"Of course. When has your brother ever lied to you?" Rose squinted, picked her up and walked back to the car, placed her small body in the passenger seat, and fastened her seatbelt.
"Yay! Brother is the best!" Si Yan cheered, twisting her body excitedly.
After looking at the documents for a while, Xu Qi subconsciously looked up: "Qiang..." He quickly swallowed the next syllable.
Wei Lan, head bowed, felt a chill run down his spine and dared not raise his head to respond. This was the sixth time in the past month that Xu Qi had called him by the wrong name. He and Qiangwei were both Xu Qi's confidants, but Qiangwei usually did these tasks. Now that he was taking over, not only was he unaccustomed to it, but Xu Qi himself showed no signs of adapting at all.
The worst part is that every time Xu Qi calls the wrong name, his mood becomes extremely bad, and Wei Lan, who is facing the cannon barrel, is the first to bear the brunt, and must be prepared to sacrifice himself at any time.
"You can leave now," Xu Qi said in a low voice.
Wei Lan felt as if he had been granted a pardon and immediately made a hasty retreat, secretly relieved that he had escaped another disaster today.
Xu Qi raised his hand to his forehead, wishing he could slap himself. Why did that kid's name just slip out of his mouth so naturally? Had he really become so attached to that kid? Had something gone wrong with him?
However, he just couldn't get used to it. Actually, because his younger brother was in China, he often went back, so even though Qiangwei didn't return to New York frequently, she still effectively handled some of his affairs. Now that his brother was in New York, he had no reason to go back to China anymore.
Tomorrow is his younger brother's wedding day with Su Xibai. These past few days, he's been wondering why, despite loving his brother so much, his brother has come to avoid him like the plague.
Deep down, a faint voice kept reminding him: You were wrong from the very beginning. Were all those things he did to his brother really just for his brother's sake? Didn't he have any selfish motives? Did he not want his brother to be taken away by another man, so he used the guise of protection to satisfy his own needs? But now, his brother, whom he had always cherished, was leaving him—he truly couldn't accept it. He foolishly tried to keep his brother, even resorting to unscrupulous means; of course, his brother would hate him.
He brought it on himself. But he still couldn't bear it. Tomorrow he would watch his brother exchange vows, embrace, and kiss with another man in church. It was too cruel. He didn't have the courage to face it. Even if it meant being a coward, he truly couldn't.
However, the next day, as he wandered the streets trying to escape reality, his father's words forced him to confront it: "You must take responsibility for the stupid things you've done."
He locked himself in his room for a long time, but finally went out, put on a mask, and tried to behave like an older brother.
He saw Rose at the church. Her indifferent expression and aloof words made it impossible for him to remain calm. Later, his younger brother forcibly pulled Rose away, clearly intending to exclude him completely.
All the people he cared about most had left him. A bone-chilling cold froze his heart, making it hard to breathe—Xu Qi wondered how he could still stand there instead of fleeing in panic.
For a month after the wedding, Xu Qi was in a daze. Until one day, Shawn couldn't stand it anymore and dragged him back to the same bar as before.
He had only been sitting down for a few minutes when he saw an acquaintance he didn't want to see—not exactly an acquaintance, just someone he'd met a few times.
“Mr. Adam, excuse me! May I ask where your assistant is?” Antonio rushed over and asked immediately.
Xu Qi's anger flared up instantly, and he coldly replied, "As a guest, Mr. Antonio, don't you think your question is a bit abrupt?"
Antonio knew it was inappropriate to ask this, but he really had no other choice: "I'm sorry, Mr. Adam. It's just that Calvin hasn't come for a long time, and he doesn't answer his phone. I'd really like to know if he's alright?"
Xu Qi slowly lowered his eyes: "He's fine, thank you for your concern." That kid is currently in China, living a carefree life.
Seeing that he wasn't going to continue, Antonio immediately became anxious: "Mr. Adam, I really want to know, where is Calvin...?"
Xu Qi quickly interrupted him: "He's very busy right now and doesn't have time to come out."
Antonio was taken aback. Did this host seem to dislike him? He was puzzled and turned to look at Shawn sitting next to Xu Qi. His gaze shifted back and forth between the two of them several times before he finally made up his mind: "Although this is very impolite, I can't worry about that now. To be honest, I'm pursuing Calvin. I think since you're here, you wouldn't mind your assistant being with a man, would you?"
Xu Qi immediately stood up, staring intently at Antonio, and said, word by word, "I'm sorry, this is Calvin's private matter. I have no right to interfere. Goodbye, Mr. Antonio."
He couldn't stay any longer. If he did, he might lose control and beat the Italian to death. He quickly walked out.
Shawn, who had sensed something amiss from the very beginning, stood up, winked at Antonio, and whispered, "Don't be discouraged, I'll get you the information you want. See you tomorrow night at 7!" After saying this, he quickly followed Xu Qi.
Antonio's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this, and he nodded, "Thank you."
Shawn certainly had his own agenda in doing this, because if Rose were to be entangled with this seemingly difficult blond heartthrob, it would be entirely beneficial for him, who loved Xu Qi.
Lance, who witnessed all of this, sighed. These two guys are probably going to cause a huge uproar.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, Rose sat behind the bar at "Baise," feeling somewhat drowsy. Suddenly, a tall figure appeared in front of her. Looking closer, she couldn't help but rub her forehead. What a headache-inducing guy.
"Who told you I was here?"
Antonio, his face flushed with weariness, couldn't hide his smugness: "Of course, it's your boss."
Rose could no longer suppress her smile. She said coldly, "Is that so? That's quite something." That person could so easily tell even this to a man who was practically a stranger. Even if he didn't like her, there was no need to go to such lengths, was there?
Anger began to surge within him, his eyes gradually darkening, and Rose almost couldn't control the urge to vent. But he ultimately restrained himself. After all, there was no going back now.
Thinking of this, a sharp pain began to pierce my heart. Just how much pain did that person want to inflict before they were satisfied?
He didn't notice the fleeting glint of cunning in the blond man's eyes.
Last night at 8 p.m., after learning the basic situation from Shawn, Antonio immediately boarded a plane to N City. After a 16-hour flight, he rushed here as soon as he landed. He's a little tired now, but his excitement is still palpable.
Finally, I caught this beautiful rose.
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