Chapter 83 Removing All Defenses
Qin Qiao knocked on Chen Jiashu's door.
"Qiaoqiao..." Chen Jiashu stepped aside to let her in.
He was only wearing sunglasses, with no bandage underneath, and the eyelid of that eye was drooping. His right eye was normal; she could even see his eyelashes fluttering slightly.
As soon as Qin Qiao entered the room, she took Chen Jiashu's right hand, closed the door behind her, and pulled him into the bedroom. Chen Jiashu followed her silently, trusting her completely.
The two sat sideways on the edge of the bed, and Qin Qiao guided his fingers, gently placing them on her forehead.
Chen Jiashu leaned forward slightly, and his other hand covered it, his two thumbs gently caressing it.
A full, smooth forehead, delicate willow-leaf eyebrows, almond-shaped eyes with slightly upturned corners, all the way down to the high, refined bridge of the nose and the delicate tip...
The man's breathing gradually became heavier with each touch, and his chest heaved more and more noticeably. Finally, his fingertips rested on her delicate chin, which he carefully pinched with his thumb and forefinger.
He remembered every inch of her skin, as white as ice and snow; he remembered her cheeks, which blushed easily; and he remembered her long, curled eyelashes, which cast a faint, fan-like shadow on her lower eyelids.
He remembered everything.
Qin Qiao gazed intently at his focused expression; in her mind, he remained handsome and dashing.
The delicate, smooth silk fabric clung to the man's fair skin, outlining the contours of his firm chest, where waves rippled like gentle tides.
Whenever he approached, especially when his clean and pleasant masculine scent lingered around her nose, it felt like a soft, gentle net enveloping her.
Her breathing became difficult.
When her gaze fell on his rapidly bobbing Adam's apple, her throat went dry, and she unconsciously swallowed.
"Qiao Qiao..." Chen Jiashu called her softly.
That voice was magnetic, tender, and gentle—extremely beautiful.
"Jiashu... are you done?" Qin Qiao braced herself against the bed, struggling to support her limp body.
“Alright,” he chuckled, “my Qiaoqiao is still as beautiful as ever.”
Chen Jiashu straightened up, creating some distance between them. A barely perceptible hint of loneliness flashed across his face, but Qin Qiao caught it in her eyes.
"Jia Shu..." This time, Qin Qiao took the initiative to lean closer, "Does your eye still hurt?"
Noticing that her gaze seemed to be fixed on the missing eye behind the lens, Chen Jiashu turned his head slightly: "It doesn't hurt."
Qin Qiao slowly raised her hand, but before she could touch his face, Chen Jiashu keenly noticed and turned away from her movement, sitting up straight again.
With a slight flicker in her eyes, Qin Qiao curled her fingers and lowered them to her side. She gently bit her lip and then asked tentatively, "It'll be dawn in two hours. Are you having trouble sleeping either? Let's lie down, turn off the lights, and chat, okay?"
Chen Jiashu couldn't refuse. It was he who couldn't resist inviting her in the first place. He nodded slightly, took off his shoes, groped for the corner of the blanket, lifted it, and lay down on the bed.
Qin Qiao got into bed, reached out and turned on the light switch, then said to Chen Jiashu, "I've already turned off the light, you can take off your sunglasses now."
"Okay." Chen Jiashu took off his sunglasses, placed them on the bedside table, turned his back to Qin Qiao, and pressed his cheek against his right arm.
"What's the problem?" Chen Jiashu asked.
Looking at his broad, slender back, Qin Qiao longed to move over and hug him, but she suppressed the urge and answered carefully, "To ensure 'zero stockouts,' inventory costs are too high. Salespeople prioritize the customer experience, but profits are under pressure."
She continued to explain the direct links to the final financial outcome. Chen Jiashu listened attentively; the room was completely silent. After Qin Qiao finished speaking, she thought he had fallen asleep.
Just as she was about to sit up and peek to see if he was asleep, Chen Jiashu's deep, hoarse voice rang out: "The sales department has its position, but your concerns are valid. Cash flow is the lifeblood, and experience cannot be built up with unlimited inventory."
He paused and said, “Tomorrow, do this: have the data analytics team create a model to calculate exactly how much stock each store needs, and let the data speak for them. Also, I had them upgrade their logistics system last year, and now it’s time to push them to get the rapid replenishment process running smoothly. When we can replenish the stock within two days, they will naturally have no reason to stock up on so much ‘security’ in their stores.”
It's been so many years since we've talked about business like this. In the past, when she encountered some problems, although Chen Jiashu didn't understand media stuff, his super brain could always analyze the crux of the problem for her in a logical and well-reasoned way, even from seemingly trivial issues.
"Husband..." Qin Qiao said softly.
Then, judging from his reaction, he was indeed taken aback, and then gave a very soft "hmm".
Qin Qiao grinned triumphantly, "Shall we talk about something else?" He didn't speak, acquiescing silently. She asked, "Did you eat well today?"
He chuckled and replied, "I've finished all the turtle soup that your aunt specially made."
"I was thinking this afternoon about how long it would take to fatten you up... I wrote a whole page of menus: turtle today, old duck soup tomorrow, old hen the day after..." Qin Qiao read out the week's menu on her fingers.
Chen Jiashu was both touched and amused. "President Qin, you're setting an example of slacking off at work. I want that!"
He pondered what to do with her.
Qin Qiao took a breath, boldly leaned over, and hugged him from behind, ignoring his increasingly stiff body.
Her fingers slid down his shoulder, along his cheek, to his lips. She raised her index finger and sealed his lips with hers, whispering, "As your subordinate, I may not be a good enough wife, but I am, right? How about I give you a chance to make amends?"
Chen Jiashu chuckled softly, his warm breath brushing against her knuckles. He grasped her defiant hand, his soft lips brushing against her knuckles before finally placing a light kiss on her fingertips, his tone full of helpless indulgence: "How do we fix it?"
His relaxed posture revealed that he was truly at ease. Qin Qiao didn't answer, but tightened her arms around him, pressing her body even closer to his back.
With gentle force, she guided Chen Jiashu to slowly turn around. But halfway through, his body began to resist.
It stopped moving.
Qin Qiao used the hand he was holding to gently pull his palm over and cover her eyes.
"Yoshiki...kiss me."
And she showed him through her actions that she was not afraid of him.
Chen Jiashu understood her intention, and a surge of heat instantly welled up in his eyes. He blinked quickly, rolled over, and captured her lips with his.
The large palm blocked out the light and amplified the other senses. At first, it was just the lips gently sucking and rubbing.
Then, his tongue patiently parted her teeth and probed inside. He didn't rush to take her, but first gently touched hers, like converging streams, before gradually deepening the touch and dancing together tenderly.
A soft whimper escaped from Qin Qiao's throat, reaching Chen Jiashu's ears. It sounded like a response, or perhaps an encouragement.
Like parched land receiving rain, their breaths mingled completely within their small space. Their bodies gradually grew hot, a surge of intense heat coursing through their abdomens.
He braced his elbows against her ear, pressing his body lower until it was almost completely pressed against her curvaceous figure. Using this leverage, he made the kiss even deeper and more thorough.
They kissed passionately, lost in their own world. Sweat soaked their skin first, it was unclear whose. Chen Jiashu finally pulled back slightly, turning over with Qin Qiao. He lay flat on his back, and she lay on top of him, their chests heaving violently, accompanied by disordered breathing.
Before he could recover, Chen Jiashu suddenly felt a lightness in his body, as if she had left, and a void suddenly appeared in his heart.
Just as he was about to get up, the next second, something even softer gently covered his soft left eyelid.
Those were... her lips.
“Joe…” He wanted to say “Don’t do this,” but the words stuck in his throat.
He closed his eyes tightly, his breathing tense as if it had been stretched to its limit.
That was...something he himself loathed and dreaded...
Across the street, a giant electronic screen on a high-rise building displays changing advertisements, and bright colored light shines through the large bay window, casting a hazy glow on the walls and floor.
In the dim light, Qin Qiao could barely make out the outline of his face, which was so close to hers: a high nose, strong brow bones, and eyes filled with complex emotions.
However, just pausing briefly to look at his face, the arms around her back suddenly tensed.
Qin Qiao immediately lowered her head, buried herself in his arms again, and continued to gently kiss his left eye. It wasn't soft there; even his eyelid was slightly cool.
At first, the touch frightened her and made her heart pound, but when she thought of those blood-red pupils from yesterday, she felt an overwhelming pang of heartache.
The man gradually relaxed and let down his guard amid her continued kisses.
Two tears welled up in her eyes and slid into her hair.
Suddenly feeling a dampness on her fingertips, Qin Qiao stared blankly at Chen Jiashu, vaguely seeing a faint glimmer in the darkness at the corner of his eyes.
Does it... hurt?
Was she too hasty and not gentle enough, and hurt him?
Before she could finish calling his name, a warm, large hand suddenly cupped the back of her head. The next second, the world spun around her, and after a brief moment of dizziness, the man was already on top of her.
He didn't give her any time to ask questions, and pulled up the blanket to envelop the two of them in complete darkness.
His hot breath brushed against her ear, and after a long while, he whispered affectionately, word by word: "We are husband and wife, bound by our bond, and our love is unwavering."
Qin Qiao looked up at him in the darkness, cupped his face in her hands, and wiped away the moisture from the corner of his eyes with her thumb.
A lump formed in his throat, and a soft whimper, like that of a small animal, escaped his lips.
The whimper startled Chen Jiashu, who hurriedly rolled to the side. Qin Qiao took the opportunity to snuggle into his arms and bury her face deeply in his chest.
"...I'm so scared..." The sob turned into a low cry: "I'm so scared that you won't want me...scared that you'll never touch me again..."
Chen Jiashu's heart ached and softened at her crying. He pulled his arms closer, holding her even tighter. Beneath his palms, the shoulder blades of her back jutted out, trembling slightly with each sob, like a wing soaked by rain, unable to take flight. He could only gently stroke them again and again with his fingertips, with utmost care.
*
The next morning, as soon as Qin Qiao left, Chen Jiashu sat down at his desk, his elbow resting on the open pages of a Braille book, and instructed Lao Song to buy him a new cell phone and, while he was at it, to retrieve his laptop and Braille reader from Tian Jiayue's place at the company.
No sooner had Old Song left than the door opened with a bang, and a booming voice burst in:
"Oh my? It really is Chairman Chen...!"
The fingers resting on the book pages curled almost imperceptibly. Although Chen Jiashu heard Director Ma's footsteps approaching and stopping beside him, he calmly continued to read the raised characters under his fingers.
"When did you get back, Chairman Chen..."
Director Ma tilted his head and scrutinized the man. He saw that the man was wearing sunglasses, his head was lowered, and he was focused on reading Braille, completely unaware of his arrival.
A wisp of sparse bangs slipped down his forehead. Director Ma casually brushed it back, squinted his eyes, and tentatively called out a few more times, "Chairman Chen... Chairman Chen?"
Seeing that there was still no response, he took out his phone from his pocket, switched to shooting mode, and continued to call out in a fake manner while recording a video: "Chairman Chen..." After a dozen seconds, the video was finished. He calmly put his phone back in his pocket, turned around and walked out of the ward as if nothing had happened, and closed the door behind him.
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