Qiuyun stirred the soup with a ladle. “What are you going home for? Aren’t you all familiar with Singapore by now?”
Qiu Fuyang snapped, “Singapore’s smaller than a postage stamp. What’s there to get familiar with?”
She replied leisurely, “Since that’s the case, do you know which building our company will be based in? What good restaurants are nearby? Which restaurants do you usually take clients to? Do you know any of that?”
“...”
Qiu Fuyang was in no mood to worry about any of that right now!
“Xiaoyun, did the Eldest Young Master tell you when exactly our house is going to be demolished?”
“Soon, I think. The group’s people should be coming over in the next couple of days to discuss the demolition.”
Qiu Fuyang drew a deep breath. Unable to stand it any longer, he decided to buy a ticket home himself. He had just been about to hang up when that wretched daughter of his asked, “Dad, was someone buried in our courtyard?”
??
Qiu Fuyang’s heart began pounding wildly. He gripped his phone with trembling hands. “W-What nonsense are you talking about? Who was buried? N-No idea!”
Qiuyun pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed.
So it really was them.
She said vaguely, “I just remembered it today. When I was in fifth or sixth grade, I vaguely recall seeing you burying someone. Who was it?”
Fang Fang and her husband, who had also been listening to the call, exchanged a glance.
Could their daughter really have seen it?
“No one! We didn’t bury anyone!” The moment Qiu Fuyang hung up, he headed straight for the airport. He had to get back to China immediately!
But when he arrived at the airport, he discovered that his passport had mysteriously vanished!
At that moment, a smiling man patted him on the shoulder. “Sir, may I see your passport?”
Back in China.
Qiuyun stared at her disconnected phone and sighed. Damn it. It really had been the work of those two.
Should she report it to the police, or shouldn’t she?
That was the question.
—
Since she wanted to learn to drive as quickly as possible, Qiuyun had packed her schedule with lessons. Every day after work, she went to the driving school to practice.
The day of the arranged meeting.
She arrived two hours early and happened to run into Pei Cizhou, who had just arrived as well and was preparing to start a lesson with Coach Huang.
“Miss Qiu, what brings you here so early today?” Coach Huang asked in surprise.
Qiuyun replied, “I have something urgent to deal with tonight. Could I practice ahead of schedule?”
“Well...”
VIP students occasionally had to move their lessons forward or back because of unexpected circumstances. If the other student didn’t mind, they could practice together.
But this particular student...
Pei Cizhou was wearing a cream-and-lake-blue shearling jacket with wide-leg jeans. His hair had been styled just a little, giving him the fresh, youthful look of a college student with an abundance of collagen.
The better-looking he was, the more poisonous his tongue seemed to be.
Coach Huang really didn’t know how to bring it up.
Pei Cizhou got into the driver’s seat and skillfully shifted gears. “It’s fine. We can do it together.”
Coach Huang let out a sigh of relief and hurriedly opened the rear door. “All right, Miss Qiu, please get in.”
Qiuyun smiled. “Thank you.”
Once she was in the back seat, Coach Huang quickly buckled his own seat belt and reminded Miss Qiu to fasten hers as well.
Otherwise...
The car started up smoothly.
Even so, Coach Huang didn’t dare relax. He held tightly onto the grab handle.
Then the car proceeded steadily down the road.
??
Professor Huang wore a baffled expression. Had he run into a ghost today?
The driving school was huge, with dozens of simulated road conditions, including regular roads, narrow lanes, mountain roads, uphill and downhill slopes, and underground parking lots. Pei Cizhou drove the car to the mountainous section and brought it to a smooth stop.
Then he turned around with a beaming smile. “Miss Qiu, could you transfer a little money to the instructor as a service fee?”
“...”
She didn’t even have her phone with her.
Professor Huang looked astonished. Then his own phone chimed, announcing the transfer of ten thousand yuan!
Qiuyun said apologetically, “He and I are colleagues at the same company. We happened to run into each other the other day, and we have something to discuss today. Could you wait outside for us, Coach Huang? And please keep this confidential. Thank you.”
“Ahem.” Clutching the warm ten thousand yuan in his hand, Coach Huang promised, “No problem!”
After getting out of the car, Pei Cizhou followed her.
He opened the rear door and sat down beside Qiuyun, greeting her with a smile. “Miss Qiu, long time no see.”
It really had been quite a while. Qiuyun turned her head and studied him.
Maybe it was because he had reached adulthood, but he seemed to have grown into his looks. His jawline was more defined, and the lines of his features had become sharper and more angular.
She rubbed her chin.
Coming of age really was a watershed. He had entered his prime so quickly.
“What are you looking at?” Pei Cizhou tilted his head.
“Nothing.” Qiuyun calmly looked away. “I was just reminding President Pei that you now owe me twenty thousand yuan.”
“Oh.” His smile remained relaxed. “Let’s leave it outstanding for now. I like owing Miss Qiu money.”
“...”
How could he say that so brazenly?
Qiuyun glanced sideways at him. “Just so you know, in my book, debtors don’t get to act like kings.”
“Of course not.” He smiled. “I’m a law-abiding citizen. Pay back what you borrow, and you can borrow again when you need to.”
Qiuyun looked puzzled. “What’s with you today?”
He was all smiles and sunshine. It was frankly unsettling.
“Ahem. I got out for some fresh air. I’m happy.”
“...”
Qiuyun gave him a sympathetic look. “Poor thing. Were you cooped up so long that you’ve gone stir-crazy?”
Before Pei Cizhou could respond, she continued, “But next time, don’t signal for me to come along just so you can enjoy your little outing. I only have a month to learn how to drive.”
If she spent every day trading barbs with him, when was she supposed to learn?
“...”
The smile vanished from his face at once, and Pei Cizhou stared at her speechlessly.
Qiuyun was satisfied.
Yes.
He looked much more pleasing when he wasn’t smiling.
“All right, time is tight. Let’s talk about the company.”
Once they got down to business, Pei Cizhou stopped arguing with her. The two of them worked with remarkable efficiency and soon resolved the issue.
“Oh, right.” Qiuyun closed her laptop. “I recently came into a huge sum of money, along with several assets I can choose from. So I can guarantee that the company won’t have to worry about funding anymore. In return, I’d like President Pei to take a look at these assets and tell me which ones are high-quality and worth keeping.”
The day before, she had specifically asked Steward Lin for the relevant documents. She wanted to consult Pei Cizhou today and get the mayor’s son’s opinion.
Sometimes, when a predictable tailwind came along, even a pig standing at the right spot could be blown into the sky.
Pei Cizhou took the documents from her. His brows drew together at once. “What did the Jiang family make you do?”
What sort of earth-shattering favor had she done to receive so many top-performing, profitable shares in subsidiaries under the Jiang Group?
Qiuyun summarized it briefly. “I helped the old master with something at the annual banquet. He gave me these as a thank-you.”
Pei Cizhou frowned.
What had she done?
What kind of favor could warrant such an extravagant gift?
Did she really think all capitalists were as kindhearted as he was?
But seeing that Miss Qiu clearly didn’t want to talk about it, he concealed his doubts and didn’t ask further. He decided to investigate it later.
He began examining the businesses operated by each subsidiary in detail.
“Miss Qiu, haven’t you always wanted to make merchandise?” He pointed to one of the textile mills. “If you acquire this one, you’ll have a fabric supplier for your clothing.”
Qiuyun’s eyes lit up.
Right! How had she not thought of connecting it with Tanmeng?
Goodness, she had been so focused on choosing the most profitable and promising assets that she’d forgotten all about it!
She was simply too used to thinking that way.
