Chapter 45 is very sweet.
Tonight's snow seems endless...
The man sat calmly on the sofa, a slight smile playing on his lips. He wore a black shirt with two buttons undone, adding a touch of languor. The smooth drape of the satin fabric accentuated his broad shoulders and narrow waist, creating a perfect silhouette.
A few wispy bangs fell across his forehead, highlighting his sharply defined features and strikingly handsome appearance.
He is like a fine painting, every detail is intriguing, and he exudes a kind of magic that makes it impossible to look away once you've set your gaze on him.
The kettle boiled, and the switch clicked off. Startled by the sound, Qin Qiao snapped out of her reverie and immediately got up and walked towards the makeshift desk.
The hotel only provided packaged Longjing tea leaves. Qin Qiao tore open a packet, put the tea leaves into a teacup, and poured in slightly cooled boiled water. The emerald green tea leaves tumbled in the water, and the aroma of tea filled the air instantly.
Holding the handle, she carried the cup of tea back, bent down, and gently placed it beside Chen Jiashu.
"Thank you," he said calmly.
"Be careful, it's hot." Qin Qiao didn't sit down immediately, but instead walked to the cabinet in the corner between the room and the entrance, opened the mini insulated cabinet, and took out a bottle of mineral water.
The room was quiet, making the air conditioner engine seem quite loud. Chen Jiashu lowered his gaze, took a small sip of tea. It had a slightly bitter taste upon first sip, but as the tea slid down his throat, a sweet aftertaste emerged on his tongue. The tea from this hotel had brought an unexpected surprise.
When Qin Qiao returned, she caught a glimpse of Chen Jiashu's beaming face and her curiosity was piqued: "How did it go?"
Chen Jiashu looked over and nodded repeatedly. Under his gaze, Qin Qiao sat down on the single sofa, not in a hurry to speak, unscrewed the cap of the mineral water bottle, tilted her chin back, and took a big gulp.
He asked, "What are you drinking?"
Tightening the cap, Qin Qiao placed the mineral water on the coffee table: "Mineral water, drinking tea at night makes it hard to fall asleep."
Chen Jiashu raised an eyebrow: "So... you're the one who keeps me awake?"
She chuckled: "But I remember that even if Chairman Chen drinks coffee, he can still fall asleep immediately."
The thoughtless remark was thrown out too quickly, and Qin Qiao's smile faltered slightly. She glanced at Chen Jiashu's expression, which was calm and unmoved.
Perhaps they didn't hear it?
But that's impossible.
Chen Jiashu raised his arm and rested it on the sofa armrest, leaning forward: "Not only will drinking tea prevent insomnia, but drinking coffee will too."
His tone and expression were exceptionally solemn. Qin Qiao met his gaze intently, and even saw a hint of pride and admiration in his dark eyes, as if to say, "Only you understand me," and "I'm very satisfied that you still remember my little things."
"The tea is getting cold." Qin Qiao's face started to burn again. She looked away and adjusted the collar of her bathrobe.
I just need to finish drinking so I can go back.
That's right, his purpose in coming in was to ask her for a glass of water.
Chen Jiashu's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he straightened his back, regaining his upright posture. He reached out, found the teacup, traced his fingertips along the cup's side to the handle, grasped it, and picked up the cup of tea.
The tea tasted worse than before, and Chen Jiashu honestly remarked, "It's a bit cold."
Someone acted like a connoisseur, and Qin Qiao's eyes flickered slightly as she softly asked, "Would you like me to make another cup?"
Chen Jiashu didn't bother her and shook his head.
The tea leaves floated and sank several times before finally settling to the bottom. Chen Jiashu put down the cup, the bottom of which made a soft "thump" as it touched the glass coffee table.
He looked at her, his eyes filled with reluctance: "I feel like... I have no other reason to stay any longer."
Qin Qiao pursed her lips and said calmly, "It's getting late."
Chen Jiashu picked up his white cane and stood up, saying, "Then I'm leaving."
Qin Qiao escorted him to the door, and just as she was about to reach out to open it, Chen Jiashu suddenly turned around.
The yellowish light from the ceiling light in the entryway cast an ethereal glow around them. She looked up, and he stepped forward, blocking the light; her vision dimmed.
The imposing presence of his tall stature was overwhelming, and her heart pounded rapidly.
"Wh...what's wrong?" He even stammered.
Chen Jiashu's eyes curved into a smile: "Can you come with me tomorrow?"
I thought it was something serious.
Qin Qiao let out a breath: "Together."
*
The snow stopped overnight.
Sunlight bathed every corner; this area, the city's CBD, was filled with skyscrapers, their facades gleaming with gold.
Snowplows were working on the road, pushing aside the snow to reveal the black asphalt surface. A long line of vehicles followed behind, moving slowly.
The snow on both sides of the non-motorized vehicle lanes had not yet been cleared, making it difficult for people pushing electric bikes to walk; and on the sidewalks inside, pedestrians also had difficulty getting around.
The snow scene was beautiful, but it also caused a lot of trouble.
Born in the Jiangnan region where snow is rare, Qin Qiao loves snowy days, a sentiment that continues to this day. Every year on the first snowfall, she gets especially excited and takes videos and photos to commemorate it.
Back then, she would often send more than a dozen photos to Chen Jiashu every day to share this joy with him.
"The photo captures light well."
"nice."
"I'll build a snowman with you tonight."
Chen Jiashu responded every time.
They arrived at Guotai on time as agreed. Gu Xu was already waiting for them at the door.
This live broadcast program was first created by CCTV, and it first aired three years ago, planned by Gu Xu alone. It can be said that Gu Xu was the one who started serious live broadcasts.
Chen Jiashu and Qin Qiao spent the entire morning in Gu Xu's office. Gu Xu was busy with meetings, and his assistant received them. They ate lunch in the cafeteria.
The three-story building, about the size of a university cafeteria, displayed various cuisines from across China. Qin Qiao suddenly craved Sichuan-style noodles, so she dragged Chen Jiashu to the stall and chose a bowl of braised pork noodles and a bowl of pork chop noodles.
When Gu Xu arrived, they had almost finished eating. Qin Qiao reached out and took two bills, keeping one for herself and handing the other to Chen Jiashu.
"Is there any oil stain on my collar?" Chen Jiashu calmly wiped his mouth, crumpled the tissue into a ball, and placed it next to the tableware.
"No," Qin Qiao told him.
Eating noodles can easily cause soup to splash, so Chen Jiashu was very careful the whole time, which Qin Qiao noticed.
Gu Xu brought over the tray and sat down next to Chen Jiashu. He turned his head and asked with a smile, "How is it?"
"Your assistant explained it in great detail; I need to digest it a bit," Chen Jiashu replied with a smile.
"But I can only give you an hour. We'll start at 1:30 PM to go over the procedures."
Gu Xu not only failed to comfort Chen Jiashu, but also put new pressure on him.
Qin Qiao covered her lips and chuckled.
It was soon 7 p.m. Qin Qiao went outside to answer a phone call, and when she returned, the two had already moved from the lounge to the studio.
This studio is more like a large conference room. Chen Jiashu is sitting alone on the sofa in a relaxed manner, his long legs crossed. Behind him, the huge floor-to-ceiling windows offer a view of the brightly lit river.
Qin Qiao sat down on the sofa in the corner and took out her phone to reply to the message sent by Yang Shuhua.
Yang Shuhua: [I'll go to your supervisor tomorrow to explain. They've wronged you; how can they suspend you?]
I already explained to Yang Shuhua in that phone call that it was just a temporary suspension, but her mother insists that she has lost her job. She feels guilty for not helping her and is anxious that she must go to see her supervisor tomorrow.
Her slender, pale fingers tapped rapidly on the screen as she typed and sent the message: "[Mom, the station only suspended me because of the recent high level of public attention. I'll go back to work once this calms down.]"
Yang Shuhua didn't reply to the message. Qin Qiao scrolled through short videos for a while and saw the red dot light up in Gu Xu's live stream room that she was following, so she glanced at the live stream area.
The staff is still making adjustments, but Chen Jiashu and Gu Xu are already in the zone.
Qin Qiao turned her gaze back to the screen and clicked into the live stream. The video was already on, but it wasn't eight o'clock yet, and the interview hadn't officially started. The announcement released by the State Council's official website at eight o'clock in the morning, through precise push notifications on short video platforms, had already attracted all the netizens who were concerned about the event, who were already waiting in the live stream room.
The number of viewers exceeded 20,000.
It continues to rise.
Qin Qiao felt a little nervous at the thought of discussing Chen Jiashu's past experiences later. If netizens knew that Chen Jiashu had served time in prison for his crimes, the comments section would undoubtedly explode.
It's better to be honest than to be discovered by others. Gu Xu's strategy was correct, she had no doubt about it, but this interview itself was a high-risk operation.
To expose one's bloody wounds to others, to accept pointing fingers, to accept pity, to accept ridicule, to accept contempt...
It is worth mentioning the incident of Chen Jiashu jumping into the water to save a child fifteen years ago. It was an incredibly positive event, but because her contact with Chen Jiashu was photographed, it was turned into a publicity stunt by provincial TV reporters and the repair shop owner, with the sole purpose of promoting Chen Jiashu's shop.
In just two days, Chen Jiashu was completely exposed: his cheating in high school competitions, the truth behind his parents' car accident, and even his complete medical records were posted online by malicious netizens. Night blindness and blindness in his left eye became the subject of these people's malicious jokes.
But those people didn't care that his left eye had gone blind because of an infection that worsened after he bravely jumped into the water to save the child, which was the result of his recent surgery.
Before she knew it, the live stream started. She heard Gu Xu greeting the viewers, not from the live stream itself, but from the phone's receiver.
It remains his consistent style of getting straight to the point and avoiding empty talk.
No matter how obscure or profound the audience's questions were, Gu Xu could always extract the core issues, while Chen Jiashu would participate with a light and gentle tone.
It doesn't feel stiff or like reciting lines; it's simply an elite dialogue.
By 8:30, the number of viewers had exceeded 100,000, and the barrage of comments was flying by, all praising Chen Jiashu and Qiaoshu Group. The camera zoomed in on Chen Jiashu, who was calm and composed, with a smile always on his lips.
Gu Xu scrolled through the comments on his tablet, then looked up and said, "We all know that beliefs are often not formed on smooth paths, but sometimes precisely from profound lessons. I understand that you have a more profound understanding of this than most people. Could you share what kind of experience made 'compliance' so deeply ingrained in you?"
The camera pans to Chen Jiashu, still leaning against the sofa. He nods slightly, his long, slender hand lightly patting his knee, and says in a deep voice, "Yes, when I was very young, I made a serious mistake due to an extremely weak sense of law and a disregard for the rules. This mistake cost me the most precious time of my life and disappointed the person who trusted me the most..."
The photographer immediately took a close-up of Chen Jiashu's eyes, deep, dark, and filled with regret, as if looking at her through the lens. Qin Qiao felt a sharp pain in her eyes, turned her face away, and placed her phone face down on her lap.
Chen Jiashu spoke at length, his voice low and hoarse, recounting his story with every word filled with regret for the past. He concluded by saying, "This experience taught me that 'acting rationally' is always more important than 'acting on impulse.'"
The phone was flipped over, and the barrage of comments was so fast that many netizens were sending messages like "Support Chairman Chen" and "Great philanthropist." Although there were occasional negative comments, they were quickly drowned out.
Gu Xu nodded slightly: "Upgrading one's understanding often requires paying a price. It is precisely this loss that makes those who have made mistakes understand the immense weight behind the word 'compliance' better than anyone else..."
At 8:45, the live broadcast ended. The two brightest lights went out with a "snap".
The staff got busy with their own tasks: some shut down the rest of the equipment; some moved away the heavy cameras; and a few went up on stage to clean up the table and floor.
Chen Jiashu stood up and extended his right hand to Gu Xu: "Thank you, Teacher Gu."
Gu Xu reached out and shook hands with him: "You're too kind. Compared to the life-saving grace you gave me back then, this is nothing." He lowered his hand and paused: "Chen Jiashu, you're a good man."
Afterwards, the three of them went to a Chinese restaurant for a late-night snack. Afterwards, Gu Xu drove away first.
The two walked along the street lined with paulownia trees, with shops crammed together on both sides, all of which had their lights off.
When a breeze comes, the leaves can't support the weight of the snow, and the snowflakes fall down.
Chen Jiashu was holding an umbrella, and Qin Qiao walked beside him just like yesterday.
"The results are great; everyone on Weibo is praising you."
The white light from the screen illuminated Qin Qiao's face, making her look beautiful and charming. She swiped her thumb across the screen while reading the comments to Chen Jiashu.
"Qiaoqiao..." Chen Jiashu interrupted softly, "Are you feeling better?"
Feeling?
Qin Qiao paused, glancing sideways with a puzzled look. Chen Jiashu stopped as well, continuing, "Has the station suspended your work?"
He guessed it just as he expected.
He nodded silently, walked a little further, and they stood at the crossroads.
It was midnight, and the weather was snowy. There were no pedestrians on the street, only a few cars occasionally whizzing by.
The electronic screen on the building across the street was brightly lit, repeatedly playing an advertisement for a jewelry store, carving out a bright spot in the darkness.
At Qin Qiao's prompting, Chen Jiashu folded his umbrella, holding it in his hand with the tip touching the ground.
“Qiaoqiao…”
Chen Jiashu's tone suddenly became somewhat heavy, as if he had something important to say. Qin Qiao glanced at him while waiting at the red light. His face was glowing, and the lines of his profile were slightly tense. His deep eyes were also looking at her, but because his eyesight was poor, she remained calm and composed.
“I couldn’t be by your side during the most difficult days of your pregnancy, from the dangers you faced to the massive hemorrhage during childbirth. Saying ‘I’m sorry’ is too simplistic. I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”
Just as she had guessed, she was indeed talking about this matter. With her hand hanging at her side slightly bent inward, Qin Qiao pursed her lips and smiled slightly: "It's all in the past. Besides, even if you were here, it wouldn't change anything."
She accepted his confession during the live stream.
He stared intently at her profile: "But at least I can stay by your side."
Qin Qiao sighed softly, "You always worry too much."
But seeing the increasingly deep lines between his brows, a result of his self-reproach, she lowered her eyelids and noticed his very light-colored and short shadow on the ground.
Suddenly, Qin Qiao said with feeling: "I have discovered that... shadows are like people. The farther away you are, the longer they stretch out. When you get close, they shrink into a ball... But no matter how they change, they are just shadows, not real people."
The man pondered the meaning of those words, while Qin Qiao brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. She hadn't felt much cold while sheltered under the umbrella, but standing outside, she realized the biting chill; a chilling wind seeped into her neck.
"It's the same between us... I don't blame you for the past, but some things... are like shadows, no matter how long or short they are, they can never go back to the beginning."
When the green light came on, I didn't want to move anymore and just stood there.
Chen Jiashu turned halfway to face her directly: "A shadow is two-dimensional, illusory, and cannot be grasped. But I am standing here, three-dimensional, and have warmth."
Suddenly, something was stuffed into my lips.
Chen Jiashu was startled, but when the sweetness melted between his lips and teeth, he realized that it was a candy.
Qin Qiao's method was too much like poisoning. He couldn't help but shake his head with a smile, opened his teeth, and wrapped the round candy in his tongue. The rich sweetness filled his entire mouth.
"The candy your daughter gave me."
Interrupting his words, a barely perceptible smile flashed in Qin Qiao's eyes.
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