Chapter 14 The Domineering CEO
Qingran let go and sat down on the stool next to her: "The officer on duty today is Officer Liu, who received us the other day."
"He said he had found a way to contact the Beijing Public Security Bureau, and after investigation, it was confirmed that Yan Chen's name was not on Beijing's missing persons list."
This means that Yan Chen's family did not file a report with the police because of his disappearance.
The man's brows furrowed, his expression turning cold and serious as he pondered the possible reasons behind it all.
Qingran covered his bony hand and said, "Perhaps it's because Achen comes from an extraordinary background. Achen's family is afraid that leaking the news will put you in danger."
His distinguished background is evidenced by the expensive watch on his wrist and the custom-made suit he no longer wears.
"Achen's family must be anxiously trying to find you too," Qingran said sincerely. Her bright black eyes shone like morning stars, filled with the image of the man.
He gently comforted her, "Don't worry."
Even if you're in a hurry, it will still take twenty days to get what you want.
"I understand," Yan Chen said in a low voice. These things can't be rushed.
He grasped the softness on the back of his hand, the cool touch of his palm like the smooth texture of mutton fat jade.
The man couldn't help but stroke it, then asked, "How are the mushrooms selling?"
Qingran: "I found a nest of valuable matsutake mushrooms and sold them for a total of 1100. Will Achen get 1000 if he submits his manuscript tomorrow?"
Yan Chen: "Mm."
Qingran: "You have 1,500, and I have 500. If we include the cash we didn't use up, we'll have almost 3,000 yuan on hand, which should be enough to pay for rent."
He asked Yan Chen, "Has Chen decided what kind of house to rent?"
Yan Chen: "Considering the commute, it's best to choose an area that's convenient for leaving the city. The neighborhood security can't be too bad, and the space should be a two-bedroom apartment..."
Qingran scratched the man's palm: "Two bedrooms?"
Yan Chen paused for a moment, then explained, "The two-bedroom apartment is larger, and there are also several guest rooms for unforeseen circumstances."
Qingran nodded: "That makes sense. Sometimes it's convenient for Wang Lei to stay overnight if he stays late."
Yan Chen: "...After thinking about it carefully, it would be good to turn the second bedroom into a study. Wang Lei lives in the county town, so he shouldn't need to stay overnight."
Upon seeing the mischievous smile in his lover's eyes, Yan Chen sighed helplessly, "Are you teasing me again?"
Qingran's eyes were brimming with autumn waves, and she gently rubbed her cheek against the man's hand, her posture resembling that of a bewitching serpent.
He drawled, "It's because Ah Chen always rejects me. I thought Ah Chen was eager to break up with me."
Even his tone of complaint was full of intimacy, showing that he was not angry, but rather complaining and dissatisfied.
Indeed, the two have kissed quite a few times since they started dating, but Yan Chen has always kept the kiss to a minimum, rarely even touching hands, let alone going any further.
Yan Chen couldn't deny the refusal, but Qing Ran said he couldn't wait to break up...
He knew perfectly well that Qingran knew what his answer was and was just using this as an excuse, but he still explained, "It's not that I want to break up with you."
Having a bold and passionate lover is a reward or a punishment for him, I wonder.
Qingran raised an eyebrow: "Then tonight."
Yan Chen: "...Not tonight, I have things to do tomorrow."
Qingran snorted as if she had expected it, and bit the man's finger bone: "An excuse." She got up and went into the house.
Tsk, every time his interest is aroused, he has to suppress it. He has no idea that playing with men would involve such humiliation.
...
The next day was the wedding banquet of the original owner's relative.
Because they had to go to the internet cafe to submit their manuscripts, Qingran and Yan Chen still got up very early and even bumped into Wang Lei, who was picking mushrooms and had arrived early.
Wang Lei bought breakfast as usual, this time it was fried dough sticks and soy milk.
Upon seeing the two, he asked, "By the way, Lao Zhou, I forgot to ask you yesterday, what were you two doing today?"
Qingran: "A nephew is getting married, and I'm going to the banquet."
Qingran was an abandoned child, and his only relatives were those of his adoptive father, Zhou Dagen.
Wang Lei had no goodwill towards those so-called relatives who had kicked his brother's family out. Upon hearing this, he said, "Then just give a small gift, don't be stupid and give a big one."
In other words, people still value family relationships now, but Wang Lei doesn't have that awareness. In ten years, he will only make Qingran treat those relatives as dead people, regardless of whether they get married or die.
"You two keep eating, I'm going to pick mushrooms!"
Hehe, Lao Zhou isn't here today, he's going to have a big show of it!
After having breakfast, the two went into town. They first went to the county library to verify any uncertain words, and then went to an internet cafe to submit their manuscript.
It took some time to wait for the other party's reply and to have the translation reviewed. During this time, Yan Chen took on two more orders on the website, then confirmed the other party's payment, and finally left the internet cafe around 10 a.m. after finishing all the work.
When Yan Chen accepted the order, Qing Ran saw it and, after leaving the internet cafe, said, "You already have enough for the rent, why are you working so hard?"
Yan Chen didn't hide anything from Qing Ran, replying, "I want to save some money so I can go to Beijing when the police can't find out anything."
“That’s fine,” Qingran said, her eyes flashing. “Since we’re in the county town, should we go to the police station to ask?”
Yan Chen said no need: "There won't be much progress in one night. Ask again in a few days."
At the same time, he didn't really have any hope for an answer in a few days.
Given Yan Chen's personality, rather than letting him wait aimlessly for an uncertain outcome, he prefers to take control of the pace of things.
When the time is right, he will return to Beijing to find the answer.
The two then took a bus directly to the wedding banquet venue.
Yu Xiuhong's family lives in a township outside the county seat, not in the town center, but right next to the highway leading from the township to the county seat.
The family, consisting of three generations including Zhou Jianming and his siblings, totaling five people, worked day and night and saved every penny to ensure that Zhou Jianming's wedding would be a success. Finally, before the new year, they replaced their dilapidated brick house with a beautiful self-built house.
When Qingran and Yanchen arrived, the wedding venue was already decorated.
The large open space in front of the building was filled with round tables for entertaining guests. Red "double happiness" characters and brightly colored balloons were hung everywhere. Restless children ran around between the round tables, and their sharp laughter echoed in the air, occasionally punctuated by a few scolding words from their parents.
It was so lively and vibrant.
Meanwhile, at the edge of the venue, the village chef who had booked the banquet was showing off his skills. Several newly built earthen stoves were burning with fire, and the iron woks above were sizzling. Fragrant white steam was rising from the tall steamers next to them.
Guests who arrived early played cards, chatted, and talked about everything under the sun amidst the aroma of food. They would occasionally glance at the intersection to see who else had arrived. If they knew someone, they would exchange a few words of gossip; if they didn't, they would just look and move on.
The same thing happened when it was Qingran and Yan Chen's turn.
A few middle-aged women were chatting while idly eating sunflower seeds:
"Whose family are these two young men? They're even more handsome than the celebrities in those magazines."
"Why do I think one of them looks a bit like Zhou Qingran?"
"Zhou Qingran? That stupid Zhou's adopted son?"
"Yes, yes, that's him I'm talking about."
"Now that you mention it, I remember something. I ran into Yu Xiuhong a few days ago, and she kept talking about how Zhou Qingran has been making a lot of money and has changed so much that she doesn't even recognize her anymore. Could it really be Zhou Qingran?"
The group exchanged glances and tacitly leaned closer, lowering their voices.
Someone asked, "Didn't the Zhou brothers say they kicked the people out and didn't care anymore? Why are they still sending out invitations?"
"It's true that we haven't taken care of them for decades, but that doesn't stop us from thinking of them when it's time to collect money."
"You don't know yet, do you? That Zhou idiot passed away a few months ago, and his brothers are now acting like they regret their actions and have taken the initiative to handle the funeral arrangements."
He was making faces and winking as he spoke.
Someone understood: "Then the gift money..."
The speaker confirmed her guess: "Of course, the brothers divided it equally in private."
The men all wore expressions of disdain. They had seen people who were unrefined, but they had never seen anyone so unrefined.
Everyone knows what happened to the Zhou brothers in their early years; those old geezers were truly shameless.
Some people felt sorry for Zhou Qingran: "It's a pity about Zhou Qingran."
"Who told him to be adopted? And Zhou the Fool is gone—"
"Hey, hey." Someone nudged the person who was speaking with their elbows, signaling her to shut up.
Before the former could finish speaking, she looked up unhappily and saw the main character they were discussing come over with her entourage and sit down at an empty round table next to her.
The group lowered their voices even further.
"He's really handsome up close, I wonder if he has a girlfriend."
Do you have any younger relatives of suitable age in your family?
"Even if I did, I wouldn't dare to give out information carelessly. If my relatives knew about Zhou Qingran's situation, they would tear me apart. I'm just curious."
"If you're curious, just ask."
"I won't ask, you can ask me if you want."
The group pushed and shoved each other until finally a bold aunt raised her voice: "Zhou Qingran, Zhou Qingran."
Qingran, who had overheard the conversation but was only interested in observing the man's embarrassed reaction, turned around upon hearing the sound.
Auntie in the flowery dress asked him gossipy, "Auntie has something to ask you. You're not getting any younger, are you dating anyone?"
Yan Chen, who was wiping the table with a tissue, paused.
Qingran rested her chin on the man's shoulder and said with a smile, "We talked."
The middle-aged woman at the table perked up her ears, and the woman in the floral dress's eyes lit up: "They've talked? Where is the other person from? How old is he? What does his family do? Tell me his name, maybe I'll recognize him!"
"You probably don't know her. My boyfriend is from Beijing, a few years older than me. I don't know what his family does, but they're quite wealthy."
The aunties' first reaction was disbelief.
What a load of bull! Where does Zhou Qingran know any rich people in Beijing? Even if he went abroad for two years, he was just working odd jobs. Does he really think rich people will just fall from the sky?
However, given Zhou Qingran's looks, it doesn't seem impossible for her to find a rich woman to marry.
"What about your friend? Where is your friend from? Does your friend have a boyfriend?"
“My friend, he has a girlfriend now, but he has poor taste. The girl he chose has similar qualities to me.”
"That's really not good," one of the aunties muttered.
After quickly finishing his sentence, seeing that Qingran was still smiling and not angry, and that his friend had his back to them the whole time, he awkwardly said, "Hey, have some melon seeds and candy on the table, don't be shy."
Qingran smiled and said, "Alright, I won't be polite."
Young people with partners are not within the scope of the aunties' attention; they quickly changed the subject of their conversations.
Qingran slowly turned around and took a coconut candy from the table.
After wiping the table, Yan Chen said, "I have a good eye."
Qingran fed him the peeled candy.
She didn't take the food away after hand-feeding him, but instead rubbed her fingertips against his lips, asking meaningfully, "You have good taste, how about other places too?"
Ultimately, he had no intention of refusing to eat the meat.
A note from the author:
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