Luan Qiaoqing didn't sleep well that night.
In the first half of the night, my eyelids felt greased and so slippery that I couldn't close them. In the second half of the night, I finally fell asleep. My dreams were all about the scenes in high school when Song Shu looked at me expressionlessly while I was doing my homework.
The green shade of the trees, the sound of the hot summer cicadas and the wind, the birds flying past the window, the vague voice of the pretty-faced girl at the desk:
"Qiaoqiao, you got this question wrong again."
"Qiaoqiao, how many points did you get in this monthly exam?"
"Qiaoqiao, you can't even calculate one sixth times 0.006 under the lg symbol?"
"Qiaoqiao..."
The dream was a nightmare. She remembered herself trembling under the tyranny of the devil Song Shu. As soon as the devil opened his mouth, she was so scared that she wanted to crawl into the crack of the desk.
However, at five in the morning, my eyes suddenly opened, and all the dreams disappeared, and all the sounds and images disappeared without a trace...
The nightmare became a damp pillow, something that was out of reach and elusive.
In the dim light, Luan Qiaoqing clenched the edge of the quilt.
Saturday, 7:15 AM.
VIO Capital is a good company that does not exploit its employees. It has always implemented the 955 system for working hours. On Saturdays, there are not many people in the office building except for those employees who work overtime for performance reasons.
When Luan Qiaoqing went up to the Human Resources Department on the 8th floor with dark circles under his eyes and a numb and haggard look on his face, the few employees there were startled.
—Unlike the other department heads and deputy heads of VIO, Luan Qiaoqing basically left the work in the department alone. She was not very capable and was mostly just a figurehead in the department. Everyone knew that Qin Lou was her backer, so no one objected to this.
So this is the first time I see her appear in the company on a non-working day.
Especially the expression of that half-human, half-ghost figure, which made several employees in the Human Resources Department guess that something bad was about to happen.
"Minister, why are you here?" The nearest employee greeted him and asked cautiously while standing at the door of the minister's office.
Luan Qiaoqing was looking through something in her desk. She didn't even raise her head when she heard this and said, "I'm going to the archives to check some information."
"OK."
After Luan Qiaoqing finished speaking, she remembered something and looked up and asked, "Is there anyone on duty in the archives room?"
The man hesitated and scratched the back of his head. "I didn't go to the 7th floor today, so I'm not sure. Should I call and ask now?"
"Okay, thank you for your help."
"… "
Hearing the second half of the sentence, the employee standing at the door shuddered inwardly.
When he turned around to call the archives room on the 7th floor to inquire about the duty situation, he gestured cautiously to the person next to him, "The minister is not in a good mood today, please stay away from him."
The few employees who came to work overtime nodded vigorously.
Definitely not.
If that's right, then why would Director Luan suddenly come to the company on the weekend?
This cautiousness was also successfully conveyed to the staff on duty in the archives room on the 7th floor.
According to the rules set by vio from Qin Lou, all important materials must have a paper backup that can be verified for authenticity - even if the Minister of Personnel comes to retrieve the files, a review certificate is required as a backup certificate.
The staff on duty carefully gathered the certificates that Luan Qiaoqing had stamped, and while using the key to open the door to the archives room, he asked with a smile, "Minister Luan, are you here to check something? I'm familiar with this area, can I help you find it?"
Luan Qiaoqing thought about it and nodded, "I want to take a look at the resume of Qin Qing, the new employee in the Legal and Compliance Department."
The person on duty was stunned for a moment, then nodded, "Okay, no problem."
Two minutes later, Luan Qiaoqing walked out of the archive room and quickly left the company.
The staff on duty who locked the door turned around and shook his head with lingering fear when he thought of what Luan Qiaoqing was concerned about.
"As expected of Minister Luan, he is so tough. He is ready to kill his love rival directly..."
An hour later.
Luan Qiaoqing stood outside the door of "Qin Qing's" apartment. After practicing several times in her mind what she would say when she saw Qin Qing, Luan Qiaoqing took a deep breath, held it, and knocked on the door. The shadow behind the door was very high, and Luan Qiaoqing subconsciously chose the option in her mind that "the person who came to open the door was not Qin Qing."
"Excuse me, Qin Qing lives here—"
The voice stopped abruptly.
Because a terrifying scene appeared in front of Luan Qiaoqing—
"Qin Qing" looks particularly youthful after removing her slightly sharp professional makeup with her long hair loose. Behind her stands a man who is 20 centimeters taller than her, with his chest bare and wearing a bathrobe.
What’s even more shocking is that this man has Qin Lou’s face.
Luan Qiaoqing: “…”
Blind her dog eyes.
A minute later, the three of them were sitting on the sofa in Song Shuxin's home.
Song Shu sat on one side, Luan Qiaoqing sat opposite her with a numb expression, and a certain madman... didn't care about his V-shaped bathrobe and the pectoral muscles faintly visible inside, and stuck to Song Shu as if he wanted to hug her like a koala.
Song Shu tried to push her away secretly several times but to no avail. He just sat there with a stiff smile in Luan Qiaoqing's numb and empty gaze.
The atmosphere was awkward for a few seconds. Qin Lou couldn't stand it anymore, so he lazily raised his eyelids and glanced across.
"What are you doing here?"
This question was within the range of the answers she had memorized before joining the company. Luan Qiaoqing's brain had already stiffened, and she answered reflexively: "The company has a routine arrangement for employee home visits. As the head of the HR department, it is my responsibility."
However, Qin Lou was out of range. He raised his eyebrows and exposed her mercilessly: "I personally drafted the rules and regulations of VIO. How come I didn't know that the company has a routine arrangement of employee home visits?"
Luan Qiaoqing: “…”
I really didn't expect that the company's top boss would be there when I was lying. I miscalculated.
Luan Qiaoqing could only force herself to regain her sanity and explained: "The new regulations of the Human Resources Department have just started to be implemented, and we haven't had time to report them to the General Manager's Office on the 22nd floor."
"Oh? Then how many trials have been carried out?"
"… not much."
"In that case, the pre-trial data preparation, personnel arrangements, and case reports on the home visit process should all be there, right? Send them to the 22nd floor next week, and I'll see how it works."
"… "
Luan Qiaoqing wanted to cry but had no tears.
Song Shu kept smiling and poked Qin Lou lightly in secret—
This person has had this bad habit since childhood.
His favorite thing to do is to bully others including Luan Qiaoqing in front of Song Shu, and then wait for Song Shu to stop because he can't stand it anymore, so that he can take advantage of them.
Song Shu knew his bad nature inside out, and it was actually her fault that she indulged him in this bad habit.
Seeing that Qin Lou was about to make another offer, Song Shushi gave him a warning look, and at the same time said with a gentle smile: "Boss Qin, this is not suitable for you, why don't you go to the bathroom and change your clothes first?"
Qin Lou thought about it, lowered his eyes and moved closer, "Okay, then kiss me."
Song Shu: “.”
Qin Lou: "No kiss, no go."
Song Shu: “…”
Song Shu kissed Qin Lou on the corner of his mouth very perfunctorily and quickly, then dodged back with incredible agility.
A hint of regret flashed across Qin Lou's eyes, but he still stood up obediently, picked up the bag of clothes that An Xingyun had brought earlier, and went to the bathroom.
Song Shu breathed a sigh of relief, but when he turned around, he saw Luan Qiaoqing standing opposite him with a long face and a heavy expression that said, "Do you two think I'm dead?"
Song Shu was stunned.
—Based on Qiaoqiao’s personality, seeing herself, a “fake”, being so affectionate with Qin Lou, how could she not get angry and just sit there
Something doesn't seem right.
When Song Shu was thinking about how to open her mouth to find out the existence of this "not quite right" point, she heard a low, lazy and casual male voice coming from the direction of the bathroom behind her -
"Baby, I can't tie my tie anymore."
The word "baby" made Song Shu's shoulders sag, "… "
"baby?"
The low and hoarse voice came out lazily.
Luan Qiaoqing on the opposite side finally changed her expression, turning it into an angry look of "I won't stop until you two disgust me to death today, right?"
Song Shu could only get up and walk into the bathroom with heavy steps.
As soon as the door closed, she looked up at Qin Lou with a headache and lowered her voice to the lowest possible level, "You will make Qiaoqiao suspicious."
Qin Lou pulled the tie hanging around his neck with both hands and raised his eyebrows when he heard this. "It wasn't me who made her suspicious. She was the first one to arrive at the hotel parking lot last night. When I rushed over, her reaction to you looked very strange."
Song Shu froze, "You mean..."
"Why don't you recall whether you said anything you shouldn't have said to her last night."
Song Shu suddenly had a headache, "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
“I forgot.”
"… "
Qin Lou leaned forward, holding the two ends of the tie in his hands and motioned to Song Shu, "You can tie it for me while you recall. It won't delay us."
Song Shu: “.”
After pausing for a few seconds, Song Shu reluctantly raised his hand, helped him raise the collar of his shirt, and then slowly tied his tie.
Seeing Song Shu's movements were slow but not awkward, Qin Lou's expression gradually became dangerous.
When Song Shu was tightening his tie at the last step, Qin Lou finally couldn't stand it anymore. He raised his hand and pinched Song Shu's wrist, suddenly pulled him in front of him, lowered his head with a fierce look, and asked, "Have you tied a tie for Yu Qisheng before, so you are so skilled?"
"… "
Song Shu ignored him, and continued to move his hands. He tightened his grip with one last push, almost strangling Qin Lou.
"Ahem..."
Sensing that Song Shu was in a bad mood, Qin Lou coughed and softened his aggressive look.
Song Shu then raised his hand to help Qin Lou straighten his collar, and then patted his bow tie which had loosened a little, "Ties are not only worn on men's clothes."
"oh."
Song Shu held his tie and pulled him to lean forward slightly. There was no emotion between his delicate features. "If Qiaoqiao really guessed something, her affairs would be enough to give me a headache today. So, Mr. Qin, please be obedient today and don't make trouble?"
Qin Lou paused for two seconds, then nodded frustratedly under Song Shu's expressionless gaze.
After the two came out of the bathroom and sat back on the sofa, Qin Lou had indeed become much more well-behaved.
Song Shu had also calmed down, and the smile on his face had returned to its usual flawless state.
"So Minister Luan came here today to visit employees at their homes?"
“…Yes.” Luan Qiaoqing responded guiltily.
Song Shu smiled regretfully: "That's really unfortunate. Today is the weekend and I was planning to go visit my parents."
Luan Qiaoqing was stunned and blurted out: "You have parents?"
After she finished saying this, she felt it was awkward, but she didn't know how to change her words. In addition, this answer really made Luan Qiaoqing too eager to know, so after a few seconds of embarrassment, Luan Qiaoqing pursed her lips and did not take back her words.
Song Shu had to smooth things over himself, "Minister Luan, you must be joking. I didn't jump out of a crack in a stone. My parents returned to China with me this year and are now staying in Q City temporarily. I was originally planning to visit them this morning, so the home visit..."
Luan Qiaoqing was confused for a few seconds, then she gritted her teeth and said, "I'll go with you."
Song Shu raised his eyebrows slightly, "I'm afraid this is not appropriate?"
Luan Qiaoqing was so shameless that she said, "No, it's not appropriate? It's a family visit anyway, so I'd rather go visit my uncle and aunt on the day I choose."
"… "
Seeing that Luan Qiaoqing was determined to verify her identity, Song Shu smiled but her eyes were filled with emotion. She was the most drunk in the parking lot downstairs of the hotel last night. She could only vaguely remember what happened, so she couldn't remember what she said to Luan Qiaoqing that made her doubt her identity today...
Drinking will cause trouble.
Song Shu felt emotional.
"Ms. Qin, is it inconvenient?" Luan Qiaoqing asked in a somewhat forceful manner.
Song Shu came back to his senses and smiled, "How could that be? I think my parents would be very happy that I can bring my friends from the company back to visit them so soon."
Luan Qiaoqing forced a smile, "That's good."
Song Shu stood up and said, "If Minister Luan has nothing else to do, shall we set off now?"
"Yeah." Luan Qiaoqing stood up.
Before Song Shu walked away, he turned slightly to look at Qin Lou, "Mr. Qin..."
"I'll be your driver." Qin Lou calmly picked up the suit jacket draped over the back of the sofa.
Song Shu: “?”
Qin Lou seemed to sense Song Shu's hesitation. He looked back and raised his lips, "Didn't we agree last night to visit your parents together today?"
Song Shu: “…”
If she said "no" at this moment, it would be equivalent to dismantling the stage she had just set up in front of Luan Qiaoqing.
Song Shu was silent for a few seconds, then smiled, "Of course. I just want to ask, is it convenient for Mr. Qin to go together now?"
Qin Lou calmly smoothed the cuffs of his straight suit and said, "In order to visit my uncle and aunt, I have changed into formal clothes and am ready to leave at any time."
“…Okay, let’s go.”
On the way home, sitting in Qin Lou's car, Song Shu called his parents in front of Luan Qiaoqing in the back seat and Qin Lou in the driver's seat.
"Mom, I'll probably be home before noon."
"… "
"Well, I'm already in the car."
"… "
"No, Qisheng can't come, but two colleagues from my company said they would come to visit you together."
"… "
"Well, okay, don't worry, Mom."
"… "
After hanging up the phone, Song Shu glanced at Luan Qiaoqing, who looked uncomfortable in the rearview mirror, with a faint smile.
"I've already told my parents, you guys should stay home for lunch today."
"… "
For their own different purposes, Qin Lou and Luan Qiaoqing both maintained a tacit attitude.
There was no conversation along the way as the car drove to Qin Qing's parents' new home.
There was a special parking space outside the villa. After Song Shu guided Qin Lou to park the car, he got out of the car with the awkward Luan Qiaoqing. Carrying the things that Qin Lou had asked someone to prepare before leaving, they walked along the well-manicured lawn towards the townhouse not far away.
Qin Qing's parents' home is on the west side of the townhouse. In the yard in front of the villa on the east side, an old man who looked to be in his sixties or seventies was bending over to tidy up the flowers and plants in the yard. He looked up when he heard footsteps.
After squinting for two seconds, he smiled at Qin Qing who was walking in front of him, "Xiao Qin, are you back home to see your parents again?"
"Yes, Grandpa Zhang, have you eaten?"
"I haven't yet. I came out for a walk first. Xiao Qin, you know that my old wife likes to nag me the most. If I don't come out, she will definitely nag me-"
"Did you say bad things about me to Xiao Qin again?"
The window on the first floor of the villa on the east side was opened, and an energetic old lady was leaning on the window frame and staring at the old man in the garden.
The old man immediately pretended to be hard of hearing, lowered his head and went to tend to the flowers and plants, muttering to himself.
Song Shu couldn't help but smile, "Grandma Sun, how could that be possible? Grandpa praised your cooking for being delicious."
"Xiao Qin, please stop speaking for him. How could I not know what kind of person he is?" The old lady said this, still smiling.
The two sides chatted for a few more sentences before ending the conversation.
Song Shu turned around and saw a hint of smile in Qin Lou's eyes, while beside him, Luan Qiaoqing had an ugly expression, almost pale.
Song Shu felt a little reluctant in his heart, but he gritted his teeth and pretended not to see it.
—Her meaning to Qiaoqiao and Qin Lou is different after all. Before the dust settles, she should not and cannot drag Qiaoqiao into this dangerous situation with an unknown outcome.
It is always better to feel pain for a short time than to feel the long-term pain of disappointment and despair.
Thinking of this, the corners of Song Shu's lips slowly curled up.
She smiled gently and brightly, "Minister Luan, please come in."
"… "
Luan Qiaoqing walked in dejectedly.
Qin Lou took two steps behind, followed Song Shu, and took the opportunity to grab him.
"Yes."
"...What?" Song Shuwei raised his eyes and looked at him.
Qin Lou raised his chin and pointed to the east villa. "Your parents just moved in. If the two families didn't try to be close and friendly, it would be hard for them to be so familiar with each other, right?"
Song Shu was stunned by these words.
After a moment she sighed softly, "Come in, Holmes."
"… You want to use this trick on me, too, right?"
Song Shu pretended not to hear.
Qin Lou followed her and laughed hoarsely, "But these are useless to me. Once I confirm it's you, I will only recognize you - all other people and things cannot interfere with my judgment."
Qin Lou paused, wagging his tail to compete with her, "Luan Qiaoqing has been sticking to you for so many years, but she still can't compare to me."
Song Shu paused, "Boss Qin, are you going to stop being a human being by saying this now?"
Qin Lou sneered, "It doesn't matter whether you are a human or not, as long as you are mine."
"…Are you still jealous of Qiaoqiao?"
"Humph." Qin Lou sneered, "I still remember the time when she tried to snatch you from me. If she still can't recognize you, she's just stupid. She was fooled by such a small trick. You've loved her for nothing all those years... Since she can't guess it, then we won't tell her, and we won't tell her in the future."
Song Shu: “.”
Before Song Shu entered the room, he sighed softly, "Be a decent person, Qin Lou."
Qin Lou turned a deaf ear to it.
Qin Qing's parents are both under 50 this year. They returned from abroad to settle down. Their dress style and conversation style are a bit Western, and they don't have the dignity of elders.
After Qin Lou and Luan Qiaoqing greeted the two elders, Song Shu introduced them, "This is the general manager of our company, Qin Lou; this is the director of the human resources department, Luan Qiaoqing."
Qin Yuzheng was a little surprised, "So young?"
Mei Jinghan nudged her husband lightly and said, "Heroes are born young. I think both Mr. Qin and Miss Luan are very talented. It wouldn't be too much for them to be even more outstanding."
Qin Yuzheng frowned and looked at her disapprovingly, "Judging people by appearance, isn't that a bit superficial?"
"Is there?"
"have."
"Then you should be thankful."
“…How do you say that?”
"If I wasn't judging people by appearance, I would definitely look down on you."
"… "
Neither Qin Lou nor Luan Qiaoqing had expected that the couple would be so lively and unstable, nor had they expected that the atmosphere in the Qin family would be so harmonious and happy. They were both a little dazed for a moment.
Song Shu was obviously used to it, and she interjected a few words into the banter between her parents, coming in and out naturally and making the two of them laugh.
Then Song Shu seemed to remember the two guests beside him, "Dad, Mom, I'll go to the kitchen to prepare the meal. Can you chat with them for a while?"
"Nannan, can mom help you?"
"Need not."
Luan Qiaoqing, who had been somewhat absent-minded, came to her senses and stood up awkwardly, "Then I..."
Before she finished speaking, Qin Lou had already walked out of the sofa area before her, "I'll help you."
Song Shu blinked, "Mr. Qin is a guest, isn't this a bad idea?"
"We are one family now, aren't we? Why are you being so polite to me?"
Qin Lou's tone was relaxed and a little joking, but his eyes were staring darkly at Song Shu's face.
Song Shu had no choice but to agree, "Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Qin."
"It's not hard, it's what I should do."
"… "
When the two entered the kitchen, Mei Jinghan turned her head to look at Luan Qiaoqing in surprise, "Your President Qin is so young, so capable, and yet he doesn't act like an official - he's really approachable."
Luan Qiaoqing's mouth twitched, thinking that you haven't seen his bad temper at the company, and you haven't guessed that this beast clearly has someone in his heart and has bad intentions towards your daughter...
After cursing and resenting Qin Lou in her heart, Luan Qiaoqing forced a smile on her face, "Yes, our President Qin is very approachable."
"That's good. That's good."
"… "
As soon as the glass sliding door of the kitchen is closed and the range hood is turned on, the high-power exhaust sound covers up all the noise inside and outside, isolating the living room and kitchen on the first floor of the villa like two different worlds.
In addition, the glass door is frosted and engraved with various intricate and colorful patterns, so basically you can't see anything inside or outside - once you enter the kitchen, Qin Lou becomes much bolder.
"You have lived with your uncle and aunt for many years?"
"Yeah." Song Shu was washing the fruits and vegetables in the sink, his brows calm, "I have been with them since I went abroad."
Qin Lou paused for a moment, "How did you two know each other?"
Song Shu was silent for a moment, "Do you really want to listen?"
"Um."
"… They do have a daughter named Qin Qing. They were originally returning to China to visit relatives, but because of me, they were involved in the car accident. Both their daughter and I were seriously injured and were sent to the same hospital. So later on, someone in that hospital was indeed issued a death notice, but that person was not me."
Song Shu finished speaking in one breath, feeling somewhat relieved. After a few seconds, she spoke again: "Uncle Yu communicated with them about the details of the hospital. I was very depressed during that time, and my memory of the whole process is a little fuzzy. But later I always felt that I owed them a daughter, and sometimes I felt guilty when I was with them over the years... But they were very good to me, and I also wanted to make it up to them as much as possible."
After Song Shu finished speaking, he found that it was quiet around him for a long time.
She looked back with some surprise, but just as she turned her head, Qin Lou hugged her from behind.
He held her in his arms, his arms so tight, so tight that it was a little scary. He lowered his head to her ear and his breathing trembled, trying hard but unable to suppress it.
Song Shu lowered his eyes.
She had heard everything the person behind her said without him saying a word.
"I've been living pretty well these past few years, really pretty well... So you don't need to blame yourself, Qin Lou, that incident has nothing to do with you."
"What if it has something to do with the Qin family?"
"The Qin family is the Qin family, and you are you." Song Shu smiled faintly, "Does it mean that people are born with original sin just because of a surname?"
"… "
"What's more," Song Shu sighed softly, "Aren't you a victim?"
Qin Lou said nothing and hugged her even tighter.
Song Shu tried his best to make his tone sound more relaxed, "Look, I have parents, friends, and a fiancé now, isn't that good?"
“…!”
Qin Lou’s figure froze.
After a few seconds, he gritted his teeth and spoke in a gloomy voice, "You did it on purpose."
Song Shu blinked, "I don't understand what you are saying."
Qin Lou snorted in frustration—
As soon as he was reminded of Yu Qisheng, the self-blame and sadness in his heart really quickly turned into pots and pots of thick vinegar with big bubbles.
After a few seconds of silence, he asked unwillingly, "So they really think you and Yu Qisheng are an engaged couple?"
Song Shu thought for a moment, "Yu Qisheng seems to have told them this."
Qin Lou: “…”
Song Shu smiled and said, "Okay, I'll find a chance to explain it to them later."
Only then did Qin Lou calm down his resentment.
Song Shuqing struggled a bit, "Let go, I want to cut the vegetables into pieces."
"No."
"you… "
Amid the sound of the range hood, the kitchen door suddenly opened without any warning. Mei Jinghan poked her head out with a smile on her face, "Nannan, you really don't need your mother to help you..."
Twistful ending.
The range hood's exhaust sound roared.
The expressions of the three people were a little messy due to the wind.
The author has something to say: Song Shu: What sin have I committed*2.jpg
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