"Ran," Qi Younian said.
Yuran paused in her movement, lifting her eyelids to look at the Qi Younian sitting opposite her. Her heart was indescribably complex, touched yet somewhat at a loss. She set down the chopsticks in her hand and looked at him, "Qi Younian, you don’t owe me anything, why the need to..."
"I do owe you," Qi Younian interrupted her, smiling, "You don’t have to think in that direction. Consider the complicated situation of my family. Let me put it this way, if I establish my own industry, the ties with the Qi Family will be impossible to sever cleanly.
Therefore, it’s quite fitting to put the industry solely under your name. However, I must say this time, don’t get used by others again, you’re really too gullible."
Yuran stared at the earnest Qi Younian for a while before nodding, not insisting further, "Alright, I take four, you take six."
Qi Younian shook his head, "You take seven, I take three."
Yuran shook her head in refusal, "If that’s the case, I don’t agree."
Qi Younian explained patiently, "These three aren’t even going to be in my name. So, Yuran, you don’t need to give me so much. Besides, if I run into trouble and ask for your help, would you refuse me?"
Yuran instantly understood his implication and asked with concern, "What exactly has happened at your home?"
Qi Younian smiled with a touch of irony, "What else could happen? Forget it, let’s not talk about these upsetting matters. It’s not the worst situation yet, I can still handle it. Since you have no objections, shall we go register it tomorrow?"
Yuran fell silent for a moment before giving in with a nod, "Okay!"
The wall clock showed it was exactly eleven o’clock.
Bo Yan sat restlessly, glancing at the watch on his wrist from time to time to ensure the wall clock wasn’t broken, no problems there.
At half-past eleven, he couldn’t sit still any longer. He grabbed his car keys, threw on a coat, and stepped outside. Standing in the elevator, he saw his reflection in the mirror and realized he hadn’t brought his mask.
Silently he pulled his collar up to cover most of his face.
His car wasn’t parked in the underground garage but in a designated open-air lot near the community entrance. Before he reached his car, just stepping out of the building’s main door, he saw a familiar car slowly coming to a stop across the street.
Almost instantaneously, he remembered when he had last seen this car.
That day, he and Xie Cheng had watched as Yuran got out of this car, but today, he saw only one person in it.
The hand holding the car keys stiffened momentarily, and the hand touching the car door dropped.
He stared at the car across the street that had come to a slow stop, the passenger’s door opened, and Yuran got out, saying goodbye to the driver.
Through the gap in the car door, he saw the man from last time. Xie Cheng seemed to have mentioned him once, called something... what was it... Qi something...
Bo Yan’s eyes gathered a heavy mist, just standing beside his car, almost blending into the night.
Yuran saw Qi Younian off, then turned to enter the community, completely unaware of the person standing twenty or thirty meters away, like a solitary, ghostly shadow.
Bo Yan stood there for a while, his lips curling into a mocking smile. His tall figure leaned against the car, lost in thought.
Yuran opened the door, the lights were on at home. She changed her shoes in the entryway and was about to call out when she caught sight of the meal on the table, suddenly speechless.
She walked over and saw a layer of grease had congealed on the surface of the soup. She couldn’t quite identify the feeling in the pit of her stomach. Approaching the bedroom door, she tentatively called out, "Qi Ge."