Magic City.
Qin Yuhe, accompanied by local government officials, was inspecting the construction site of a resort.
This was a world-class resort project, with a total investment of up to hundreds of billions of RMB.
The local government officials had been in communication with Qin Yuhe for nearly five years before finalizing this project.
An investment of hundreds of billions would bring countless job opportunities, and once completed, it would generate a steady stream of tourism revenue.
For the local government officials, this was a tremendous political achievement.
An achievement that could elevate their official positions by a huge margin.
They surrounded Qin Yuhe like stars encircling the moon.
The Qin family spanned the four realms of politics, business, military, and culture. As the head of the Qin Group, Qin Yuhe was skilled at dealing with government officials.
He maintained a humble attitude, neither overbearing nor self-effacing, earnestly listening to the demands and requests of local government officials.
What could be fulfilled, he did his utmost to achieve.
What could not be fulfilled, he explained the difficulties and clarified the reasons.
He also arranged for dedicated staff to maintain good communication with government officials at all times.
Cicadas chirped in waves, the summer sun hung high.
At the construction site, cement was everywhere, dust flying in the air.
A gust of hot wind blew, carrying scorching soil baked by the blazing sun, striking people directly in the face.
After a full day of inspection, even young men in their prime felt worn down, exhausted, and slumped in posture.
Qin Yuhe kept his shoulders and back straight throughout. His face, as flawless as jade, remained calm and composed from start to finish, showing no trace of fatigue.
Although he had been pampered and raised in luxury since childhood, he was not someone who couldn't endure hardship.
He frequently traveled on business, flying all over the country, a man who woke up at six every morning and didn't sleep until one or two in the morning. How could such a person not endure hardship?
Whether mentally or physically, Qin Yuhe's daily workload far exceeded that of the average person.
After the inspection, Qin Yuhe accompanied the government officials to discuss the results of the day's inspection, responding clearly to various questions from the political heavyweights.
His assistant, dizzy from the heat, took a moment of respite and walked over to the car.
He opened the door, stuck his rear end out, plunged headfirst into the passenger seat, and sat there with his mouth open, panting heavily.
"Dear heavens above! Today's sun is more vicious than Nanny Rong's needles!"
"One trip outside, and my chronic cold legs are completely cured!"
"Does the sun on your side talk? Because over here, I heard it with my own ears say it wants me dead!"
The assistant turned to the driver: "Buddy, say something cold to cool me down."
The driver: "While you all were baking under the scorching sun, I was sitting in the Rolls-Royce with the AC on, drinking an iced soda."
The assistant's eyes turned green with envy: "Now that's what I call cold comfort."
The driver: "Want me to say something else to make you even cooler?"
The assistant: "Go ahead if you can, let's see how much cooler you can make me!"
The driver: "Mr. Qin has already reached the car, and you forgot to open the door for him."
The assistant had been so desperate to cool down that he'd forgotten about his boss.
Hearing this, he shoved the door open and scrambled out.
Qin Yuhe had already opened the rear door and sat himself inside.
A chill ran down the assistant's back. Well, that did cool him down, ice-cold, goosebumps all over.
Settling back into the passenger seat, the assistant kept his eyes down, nose aligned with his navel, cautiously observing the CEO in the back.
Qin Yuhe sat quietly, pulled out the built-in table from the seat, opened his laptop, and handled work matters.
Suddenly, Qin Yuhe's phone, lying nearby, rang.
The assistant, hoping to make up for his earlier blunder, quipped cleverly: "Mr. Qin, maybe it's a message from the missus."
Qin Yuhe's fingers, typing on the keyboard, paused abruptly.
He picked up the phone, glanced at it, and his stern expression softened.
Song Xinya: [Tonight I'm eating out with friends, four people~]
Qin Yuhe stared at that little squiggle, imagining her soft, coquettish tone, sweet with a hint of charm.
Through the rearview mirror, the assistant saw the man in the back seat's lips curl upward, and breathed a sigh of relief, he wouldn't die today after all.
Qin Yuhe's fingers typed on the screen: [Why did you suddenly send me this message?]
The reply came instantly, as if she'd been waiting by the phone for him to see it.
Song Xinya: [Reporting my whereabouts to you.]
Qin Yuhe's eyes sparkled like bright stars had landed in them, the smile on his face growing more pronounced.
[I never asked you to do that.]
Song Xinya: [You didn't ask, but can't I take the initiative to report to you?]
Qin Yuhe: [Of course you can]
Song Xinya smiled when she saw the three words "Of course you can".
Then she saw the next message he sent:
[But there's no need to do so]
Huh?
What does she mean by that?
Song Xinya: [That day, Zhao Yinian posted a Moments photo of me and Han Jingyi having dinner, then deleted it seconds later. Was it you behind the scenes making her delete it?]
Qin Yuhe: [Yes]
Hehe, she knew he was the one helping her behind the scenes.
Song Xinya: [Because you were upset seeing me have dinner with another man?]
Qin Yuhe: [It's because I was worried others might see that post and gossip about you behind your back.]
So it was because he was worried about people pointing fingers and talking trash about her.
A sweet, warm feeling spread through Song Xinya's heart.
Even amid her happiness, she faintly sensed a thread of dissatisfaction, wanting to hear him say something else.
[Then doesn't it bother you seeing me have dinner with another man?]
Qin Yuhe replied: [You having dinner with another man is nothing to me. Why would I be upset?]
Song Xinya raised an eyebrow. Oh, how generous of him.
She replied: [Since Mr. Qin is so understanding, I can't refuse his kindness. Tonight, I'll go have dinner alone with Han Jingyi again. You wouldn't mind, would you, Mr. Qin?]
Song Xinya stared at the screen, seeing "the other party is typing..." at the top.
Twenty minutes passed, and it was still typing.
Song Xinya smiled.
Qin Yuhe, big brother, is this question really that hard to answer?
Aren't you so generous?
Hmm?
Song Xinya put down her phone and let the other party keep typing.
The car arrived at Haidilao, and Chen Siyan, sitting in the driver's seat, said to the back: "Teacher Song, get out. We're here."
Song Xinya got out of the car and saw Tiantianquan standing at the entrance of Haidilao, waving at her with enthusiasm, her voice loud as ever.
"Darling, over here, my little bestie."
Song Xinya: "Keep your voice down, people will think you're calling me a little turtle."
Tiantianquan ran over and threw her arms around Song Xinya: "What little turtle could be as beautiful as you? Even if photo editing technology developed for another five hundred years, it couldn't produce perfection like your face."
Song Xinya: "Full sugar score for today, you've sweetened me to the max. I won't need to eat candy for a month."
Tiantianquan linked her arm through Song Xinya's and walked into the hotpot restaurant. At a corner, a passerby came barreling straight into them from the opposite direction.
Tiantianquan let out an "Ouch!" and stumbled backward.
Chen Siyan rushed forward and caught her around the waist: "Big brother's got you protected."
After Tiantianquan steadied herself, his hand still remained wrapped around her waist.
Tiantianquan shot him a glare: "Get your dog paws off me."
Chen Siyan: "If I let go, I'm worried you won't be able to stand on your own."
Tiantianquan chuckled, "Why don't you just stick your hand down my collar?"
Chen Siyan: "Sure, sure."
Tiantianquan slapped him across the face with a smack. "Get away from me!"
The three of them settled into the private room, and before long, Han Jingyi rushed over.
By then, Tiantianquan was seated to Song Xinya's right, with Chen Siyan right next to Tiantianquan.
Han Jingyi walked over and sat down on Song Xinya's left.
On the table were place settings, chopsticks, and stainless steel spoons.
A stainless steel spoon reflected Han Jingyi's face.
Song Xinya snapped a photo of the stainless steel spoon.
She posted it on Moments, visible only to Qin Yuhe.
Caption: Time to eat, another happy meal.
Immediately, Qin Yuhe's phone rang.
His first words were—
