Regaining Favor
While Zhiwei and the other ladies of the council listened to a briefing on the new project in Beijing, Li Fuqiang was also busy in Shanghai. His main purpose in coming was to meet with partners and discuss further plans for the new year with upstream and downstream companies.
That evening, when they returned to the hotel after a business dinner, Lao Wu, Da You, and the others had just escorted Li Fuqiang into the lobby when a young man stood up from a nearby coffee table and called out in a surprised voice, "Brother Qiang."
Upon closer inspection, they saw that he was a stylishly dressed young man. However, it was only early spring, and the weather was still quite cold. Although he had a coat next to him, he was dressed very thinly.
Beneath the beige cardigan, a light green shirt exuded the feel of spring, with the top two or three buttons undone, subtly revealing her chest muscles. She wore white trousers. She clearly had taken extra care of herself, appearing exceptionally youthful and radiant in the opulent lobby.
This was none other than the naive young man who had been neglected by his boss after taking advantage of his position in New York. Qian Dayou recalled how Li Fuqiang had tried to get back to his boss's side through him last year, only to be rejected. Qian Dayou glanced at his boss's expression, noticing a playful look. Not daring to act on his own, he could only stand silently in front of his boss.
"Brother Qiang, I really know I was wrong, and I'll never do it again. Please forgive me for the sake of how I've followed you since I was a child." As he spoke, he walked closer and tried to tug at Li Fuqiang's sleeve.
Qian Dayou said, "Xiaobai, don't---", but his feet didn't move.
Li Fuqiang's voice rang out: "Xiao Bai, you're quite clever. How did you find your way here? Who tipped you off?"
Xiao Bai obediently took Li Fuqiang's wrist and said meekly, "Who tipped me off? I just knew that Brother Qiang always stayed here when he came to Shanghai for a meeting in March every year, so I was just trying my luck. Thank goodness, I got to see him today."
He followed Li Fuqiang inside as he spoke. Qian Dayou sighed inwardly; this young woman was truly charming. Even after more than two years, she had managed to hook up with the boss again. Was being good-looking really such an asset?
After everyone escorted Li Fuqiang back to his suite, they all tactfully left. Xiaobai followed Li Fuqiang inside and closed the door behind him.
Li Fuqiang ignored Xiaobai, took off his coat and left it at the door, loosened his tie and went to sit on the sofa to rest. After a day of meetings, he was exhausted.
Xiao Bai obediently followed, knelt at his feet, and reached out to massage his calves. His pressure was just right, and the massage felt very comfortable.
"How come I didn't know you had this skill before?"
“In the past two years, I have been reflecting on myself. Brother Qiang used to treat me so well, but I was immature and made him angry. So I learned massage in my spare time, thinking that I could do my best for Brother Qiang in the future.”
“I wanted to come back to serve Brother Qiang last year, but since he wouldn’t allow it, I stayed put. When I saw the news of Brother Qiang’s marriage, I was happy for him, but I didn’t dare to show my face in front of his wife.”
"You're quite clever."
"Xiao Bai knows perfectly well that only a woman of Madam's impeccable background, youth, and beauty is worthy of a position like Madam Li. Xiao Bai asks for nothing more than to be by Brother Qiang's side. When Brother Qiang wants Xiao Bai, Xiao Bai will be there at any time; when Brother Qiang doesn't need Xiao Bai, he can send Xiao Bai away at any time, and Xiao Bai will never dare to say a word."
Li Fuqiang was pleased to see how compliant he was and pulled him to sit beside him. "You've really matured a lot in the last two years." Back then, Xiao Bai followed Li Fuqiang and, taking advantage of Li Fuqiang's doting on him, competed with his female companions for his affections, even causing a scene at the company, which became the talk of the town.
Li Fuqiang was furious and, taking advantage of his study abroad trip to the United States, completely ignored him. Unexpectedly, he met Zhiwei and behaved himself for two years. After all, she was a woman who had seen it all; no matter how delicious the food at home was, it could never compare to the variety of food outside.
Having been in Shanghai for a few days and feeling quite tired, this fresh and delicious treat delivered to his doorstep brought back memories of his wild days.
Xiao Bai was secretly pleased to see that he had coaxed Li Fuqiang, but he didn't show it on his face. "I think Brother Qiang is very tired. Otherwise, I'll give Brother Qiang a good relaxation treatment."
He turned around behind the sofa and began massaging Li Fuqiang's neck and shoulders. It was clear he had put in considerable effort, as Li Fuqiang did feel much more relaxed after the massage.
As he massaged, his hand slipped inside Li Fuqiang's shirt, rubbing it back and forth, while Li Fuqiang's head rested against his abdomen. Through the thin shirt, Li Fuqiang could feel the eight-pack abs, which were even stronger than usual.
Li Fuqiang was enraged by him and lazily asked, "You know the rules."
Xiao Bai hurriedly pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Li Fuqiang, saying, "Brother Qiang, don't worry, this is my medical report that I just did yesterday. How could I dare to come to see you if I wasn't clean?"
Li Fuqiang glanced at the report and pulled Xiaobai into the bedroom. Despite Xiaobai's gentle speech, his movements were quite fierce, and Li Fuqiang felt a rare sense of exhilaration, something he hadn't experienced in the past two years.
The next morning, seeing that Li Fuqiang hadn't come downstairs for breakfast by eight o'clock, Qian Dayou had no choice but to bite the bullet and knock on Li Fuqiang's door. "Mr. Li, we have a meeting with Boss Sun at nine o'clock."
A moment later, Xiao Bai, wearing only a bath towel wrapped around his waist, lazily opened the door. "It's Brother Da You, come in."
Qian Dayou didn't dare go in. He only glanced at Xiaobai before quickly turning his gaze away and said hastily, "I wouldn't dare. Xiaobai, could you please call the boss for me?"
Xiao Bai didn't force him. She went inside and said something. A little while later, she came out and said to Da You, "I ordered breakfast for Brother Qiang to be delivered to his room in 20 minutes. Brother Qiang said we'll leave at 8:30."
Da You thanked him repeatedly and returned to his room. Li Fuqiang got up to wash up while chatting with Xiao Bai, "I can't take you today. Where are you going to play later?"
Xiao Bai said, "I'm not going anywhere. I'll just wait here for Brother Qiang to come back. Since you're not here, I can catch up on some sleep."
For several days in a row, Xiao Bai stayed at Li Fuqiang's place. Qian Dayou was secretly astonished. How could this be? Was it really true that absence makes the heart grow fonder? Consort Bai had made a strong comeback this time and had also tamed her petty temper. It seemed that she was destined to be favored by the emperor.
On the last day before returning to Beijing, Li Fuqiang asked Xiaobai what his plans were.
Xiao Bai said, "Of course I want to go back to Beijing with Brother Qiang and spend more time with him, but I'm afraid it won't be convenient. I'll stay in Shanghai if necessary. I'll go and visit Brother Qiang whenever he goes on a business trip."
Seeing that he was well-behaved and sensible, completely different from before, Li Fuqiang thought to himself that he really needed to be disciplined.
Where do you live in Shanghai?
"I just rented a place with a friend, so Brother Qiang doesn't need to worry about me."
Li Fuqiang was always generous to those who worked for him, and eventually Dayou allocated him an apartment in Shanghai. The apartment wasn't large, only about 60 or 70 square meters, but it was a new hotel apartment with a nice environment and convenient access.
Da You thought to himself, "I only spent a week with the boss and got a house in return. He would be happy to do that too. It's just a pity that I don't have that kind of money."
After returning to Beijing, Youlin vaguely heard them mention it, so she secretly asked Dayou about it. Dayou only said one sentence: "In short, just be careful in serving Consort Bai."
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