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墨書 Inktalez
The next morning, Liu Shuhan woke up with a splitting headache. She struggled to sit up and recognized that she was in Cheng Qiuyi's bedroom. When Liu Shuhan moved in, Cheng Qiuyi had left her a room, but Liu Shuhan mostly stayed in Cheng Qiuyi's place, so that room had long been unused.
"Qiu Yi, what time is it?" Liu Shuhan asked groggily while rubbing her eyes. Her body was awake before her mind; she sat up with her eyes still closed.
After a long silence with no response, Liu Shuhan asked again. The room remained quiet, and only then did she open her eyes to look at the bed. Cheng Qiuyi had gotten out of bed at some point; the other side of the bed showed shallow indentations, and the blanket was already cold.
Liu Shuhan couldn't remember anything from last night after drinking too much, nor did she know how Cheng Qiuyi had brought her back. Feeling guilty, she quickly got out of bed and found Cheng Qiuyi sitting in the dining room reading a newspaper. Wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, she looked somewhat like an elegant yet disheveled scholar. On the table lay a stack of bread and a glass of milk, indicating that she had already finished breakfast.
Cheng Qiuyi had slight farsightedness, which usually didn't affect her daily life, but she wore reading glasses when studying or reading newspapers—commonly known as reading glasses for presbyopia. Liu Shuhan had teased her about this many times, saying, "A person in their twenties wearing reading glasses? Oh dear, looks like you’re getting old and can only rely on me now since you can't see! Haha!" Each time, Cheng Qiuyi would just smile without responding and then get back at her later. After several instances of this, Liu Shuhan finally learned her lesson and stopped mocking Cheng Qiuyi's presbyopia, even though she secretly enjoyed the punishments that followed.
After finishing a page of the newspaper, Cheng Qiuyi lifted her gaze from behind her glasses and glanced at Liu Shuhan before nodding toward the chair beside her. "Sit." Her expression was unreadable; Liu Shuhan couldn't tell if she was angry or not.
Liu Shuhan felt a jolt of anxiety and quickly jogged to the dining table to sit down. The aftereffects of her hangover were still lingering; rushing made her head throb again. She felt as if her nerves were twitching along with the pain and frowned as she rubbed her temples vigorously.
Cheng Qiuyi kept her eyes on the newspaper but was clearly thinking about Liu Shuhan. She put down the paper and brought out a bowl of hangover soup from the kitchen, placing it heavily in front of Liu Shuhan. "Drink this."
Liu Shuhan knew what it was; she usually didn't like sour things but dared not say much at that moment. Pinching her nose, she gulped it down. After finishing, she smacked her lips and realized that it wasn't as bad as she had imagined. She set down the bowl and sat quietly in her seat, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Seeing that she was almost late for work and Cheng Qiuyi's expression showed no signs of improvement, Liu Shuhan mustered up the courage to apologize softly: "Qiu Yi... I'm sorry..."
Cheng Qiuyi took a sip of milk before responding, "What did you do wrong?"
"I shouldn't have drunk so much; I promise this is the last time! There won't be a next time!"
"Is that all?"
Liu Shuhan was taken aback. Did she do something outrageous last night that she didn't remember? "Qiu Yi... could you remind me?" Liu Shuhan asked tentatively.
Cheng Qiuyi crossed her arms and asked, "Who was the man you were hugging last night?"
"What man?" Liu Shuhan genuinely had no recollection of such an event.
"The tall, skinny one with a bit of a hunchback and those shifty eyes," Cheng Qiuyi replied irritably.
Liu Shuhan thought for a long time but couldn't recall any of her coworkers fitting Cheng Qiuyi's description. Then she suddenly realized, "You can't be talking about Brother Wang, right? He does have a bit of a hunch, but his eyes are just small, not shifty or anything..."
As Liu Shuhan continued speaking, she noticed Cheng Qiuyi's expression darkening, so her voice gradually became quieter.
"Go on," Cheng Qiuyi raised an eyebrow. "Why aren't you saying anything?"
"Qiu Yi, are you... jealous?" Liu Shuhan asked tentatively.
Cheng Qiuyi remained silent, which made Liu Shuhan anxious. "Qiu Yi, let me explain! There’s really nothing between me and Brother Wang. I might have drunk too much yesterday, and he just helped me a little. We usually don’t have anything going on! If you don’t believe me, you can ask our coworkers! They can vouch for me! If you still don’t believe it, then... then I won’t talk to him anymore, okay?"
Cheng Qiuyi couldn't help but laugh. After she finished laughing, she sighed. "Shu Han, I believe you. Just try not to drink so much in the future; it's bad for your health." Last night, Liu Shuhan had thrown up several times until there was nothing left to come out, which made Cheng Qiuyi feel heartbroken.
"So that means you're not angry anymore?"
"Who said I'm not angry? If you dare to drink like that again next time..." Cheng Qiuyi wanted to say that Liu Shuhan shouldn't sleep in her bed anymore, but upon reflection, she realized that would punish herself too. So she changed her tone and said with a sly smile, "If you dare to drink like that again, every time you get drunk, I'll punish you until you can't get out of bed."
Liu Shuhan gulped and shook her head vigorously to indicate there wouldn't be a next time.
Satisfied, Cheng Qiuyi patted her on the head. "Go wash up quickly; we’re going out for breakfast soon. What time is it already?"
"Why go out to eat? I think there's still some bone soup I made the other day; I can just cook some porridge," Liu Shuhan said as she walked toward the kitchen.
Cheng Qiuyi anxiously stopped Liu Shuhan. "Eating porridge or noodles every day is so boring. Didn’t a new restaurant open across the street a couple of days ago? I heard their breakfast is pretty good; come with me to try it."
Liu Shuhan frowned and said, "You used to say that my cooking would never get boring for a lifetime. It's only been a few days! Cheng Qiuyi, you just like to bluff!"
Cheng Qiuyi chuckled as she pushed her into the room to find clothes, finally feeling relieved.
It was no joke; she had nearly torn apart half the kitchen just to make that bowl of hangover soup in the morning. If Liu Shuhan found out, she would be scared to death.
"Wait a minute, Qiu Yi, where did that soup come from this morning?" Liu Shuhan pondered, poking her head out to ask.
"I... I ordered takeout!"
Liu Shuhan understood and shrank back, "Ordering takeout so early in the morning? You really know how to do business. But that place has pretty good food; it's delicious."
After changing her clothes, she came out and said to Cheng Qiuyi, "Let's skip breakfast; I'm going to be late for work. I'll just grab a couple of buns on the way. We'll talk about it next time."
"I'll take you," Cheng Qiuyi said, grabbing her keys and wallet as they headed out together. "Let's go out for dinner tonight to celebrate your promotion and raise."
Speaking of this made Liu Shuhan feel a headache coming on again. "I don't know what Boss is thinking making me a manager. Do you think I'm cut out for this? I can't even remember how many letters are in the English alphabet; how am I supposed to understand those English documents?"
"If you can't understand them, just bring them back. Aren't I here? Who else gets promoted and isn't happy about it like you?" Cheng Qiuyi said, casually locking the door as she comforted her.
As Liu Shuhan and Cheng Qiuyi complained, they entered the elevator and only realized at the entrance that someone was already waiting there—Ye Jing.
Instinctively, Liu Shuhan stood in front of Cheng Qiuyi. "What are you doing?" Liu Shuhan genuinely disliked this woman. She was quite beautiful but could do such despicable things. Liu Shuhan thought that Cheng Qiuyi would wish for Ye Jing to disappear quickly.
Ye Jing was also surprised to see Liu Shuhan. She narrowed her eyes slightly, her tone carrying a hint of danger. "Are you two living together?"
"What does it have to do with you?" Liu Shuhan was about to say more when she was stopped by Cheng Qiuyi.
Cheng Qiuyi pulled Liu Shuhan behind her and asked Ye Jing, "Do you need something?" Ye Jing was not someone to be trifled with; she was also a petty person who would seek revenge. Cheng Qiuyi feared that if Ye Jing did something detrimental to Liu Shuhan, she would regret it for the rest of her life.
Ye Jing smiled at Liu Shuhan, "Little sister, you should leave. This is a conversation for older sisters."
Liu Shuhan held onto Cheng Qiuyi's hand, unwilling to leave, but Cheng Qiuyi gently patted her hand and said, "Go to work now; you're going to be late. Call me early in the afternoon, and I'll come pick you up."
"I don't want to..."
"Be obedient; I'm more worried about you being here."
"Alright." Before leaving, Liu Shuhan shot Ye Jing a fierce glare.
Ye Jing watched Liu Shuhan's retreating figure and chuckled, "Qiu Yi, your taste is truly peculiar. You can appreciate a talented and beautiful woman like Miss Yuan, yet you're interested in someone like this commoner."
"What do you want?" Cheng Qiuyi asked impatiently.
Ye Jing shook her head while pressing her forehead, "Qiu Yi, if you could show me even half the gentleness you just showed that girl, I would be satisfied."
"I'm not joking; I came specifically to talk to you."
"About what?"
"This place..." Ye Jing gestured to the bustling corridor, "Do you think this is a good place for a conversation?"
Cheng Qiuyi took Ye Jing to a nearby tea house. This tea house operated on a membership basis and had excellent confidentiality; inside were private rooms that made discussions convenient.
"Can we talk now?" After the server left with the tea, Cheng Qiuyi spoke up.
Ye Jing picked up the teacup and played with the tea leaves floating on the surface, saying calmly, "Qiu Yi, I really can't understand you more and more. On one hand, you are deeply in love with Liu Shuhan, and on the other hand, you are flirting with Yuan Ying. Are you naturally sentimental or just playing games?"
Cheng Qiuyi took a sip of tea and smiled, "I thought you understood."
Ye Jing nodded knowingly, "That's right. A woman like Yuan Ying is a top-notch delicacy; you have to take your time to savor her. As for Liu Shuhan, she's just a simple dish that can fill your stomach but shouldn't be served as the main course."
Pah. Cheng Qiuyi felt disdain for Ye Jing but didn't show it on her face. She simply said, "Is this why you, Mr. Ye, took the time to come find me?"
"No." Ye Jing took out an invitation and handed it to Cheng Qiuyi. "On the fifteenth of next month, it's my birthday. The families in C City will send representatives; you Cheng Family can't possibly refuse me this favor, can you?"
"An invitation card requires Mr. Ye to deliver it personally? Besides, with Cheng Tianhong around and Shen Wenqin and Cheng Boming as well, everyone knows my relationship with the Cheng Family. Wouldn't it be ridiculous for me to represent them?" The fifteenth of next month coincided with the Mid-Autumn Festival, a significant day. Cheng Qiuyi only wanted to take Liu Shuhan out for some fresh air and didn't want to be entangled in such trivial matters.
"Cheng Qiuyi, how long has it been since you returned to the Cheng Family? Cheng Tianhong has been keeping things under wraps; he is now running out of steam and might not even survive the winter. The Cheng Family has now invited Old Master Cheng back to take charge."
Cheng Qiuyi was shocked; she hadn't realized the Cheng Family had reached such a critical point. It seemed they needed to speed up their actions. After pondering for a moment, she cautiously asked, "When do you plan to take action against the Cheng Family? No, against those families?"
"That's what I want to ask you. Of course, the sooner the better on my end; I'm just afraid of your mercy towards the Cheng Family."
"We agreed that once we succeed, C City would belong to you and Miss Yuan would belong to me."
"Naturally."
"I've changed my mind," Cheng Qiuyi said. "Last time you embarrassed me in front of Master; I must settle that score. I not only want Miss Yuan but also 20% of SL's shares."
Twenty percent. Ye Jing pretended to be troubled. "I can't do that; I have no control over SL."
Cheng Qiuyi retorted sarcastically, "With your appetite, I don't believe you'd be satisfied with just a small C City. Ye Jing, others may not understand you, but as your junior sister, how could you think you could deceive me?"
Ye Jing gritted her teeth and slammed the table, saying, "Alright, it's settled!"
...
After sending Ye Jing off, Cheng Qiuyi sighed in relief. She glanced at the time and realized it was still early. She planned to call a few people to tidy up her kitchen, at least to restore it to its original state before Liu Shuhan returned.
Just then, A-Zhi called.
"Song Kaizhi, why are you looking for me when you should be taking care of your wife and kids?"
On the other end, the faint sound of a child crying could be heard. A-Zhi comforted the child and said to Cheng Qiuyi, "Miss, I can't really help with things at home... I'm truly sorry..."
"Cut the nonsense," Cheng Qiuyi started the car. "Your top priority right now is to take good care of my sister-in-law and my Goddaughter. If my goddaughter gets hungry and loses weight, just wait and see what I'll do to you. By the way, have you named the baby yet? If I remember correctly, she will be a month old at the beginning of next month, right? Where do you plan to hold the celebration?"
"Not yet; we wouldn't dare decide anything without her godmother present," A-Zhi joked. "I was thinking of having the Full Moon Celebration at home, but the child's grandparents all disagreed, so we have to listen to them. We'll wait for them to decide on a place."
"Alright, I will definitely prepare a big gift for the baby when the time comes." Cheng Qiuyi suddenly remembered something else. "By the way, can you help me find a few reliable people? There's been an issue in my kitchen that needs cleaning up."
A-Zhi became anxious. "An issue? What happened? Is it serious?"
"It's nothing much; just help me find a few maids to come over and clean up. That's it; I'm hanging up now." Cheng Qiuyi hung up the phone feeling guilty.
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