Qiao Xi sat on the sofa and thought of the scene at the cafeteria.
"It's best if you don't show up in the cafeteria in the future."
"Shocked by what I heard today?"
She admitted that she hadn't finished digesting it yet.
"Your expression tells me you haven't digested what you heard at noon."
"Shen Yeyan, I'm just a nobody."
"Do you know what you are to outsiders?"
Qiao Xi asked back, "What?"
"My woman."
Qiao Xi stood up in shock, his expression tense. Shen Yeyan was still smiling. "Are you scared?"
"Because of you, I have already become involved in the internal strife of your Shen family."
"You'll see more in the future."
"I'd rather be blind and deaf."
"You're already at the station."
Shen Ye Ling could tell that he liked Qiao Xi, which meant that she wouldn't be able to break away from him.
He finished his hamburger in a few bites and wiped his mouth gracefully. He tapped the table with his long hand and said, "Stay by my side from now on. I guarantee that you'll be fine."
"I'm sorry, I'm not a pet. I'm a human, a person with their own thoughts."
"It doesn't matter if you like to misunderstand me, pack up and come with me."
It was dark and gloomy outside, and it was time for lunch break. Qiao Xi went to change out of her dirty clothes sleepily, and very soon, she put on a light coloured shirt and came out.
Beneath it was a skirt that fell to her knees. She had put on some makeup during the change of clothes.
Shen Ye An stood by the window watching her tie up her scattered hair. One side of her shirt collar was still pressed under it. He walked closer, and when Qiao Xi didn't notice, he suddenly lifted up his collar.
Surprised, her body stiffened. The man's hand quickly straightened his collar as he gently tugged at his shoulder.
Qiao Xi looked at his face that was just inches away from her. She wanted to retreat, but her body was nailed to the ground. An indescribable feeling slowly arose in her heart. A tender look appeared in her eyes.
His sight would occasionally fall on his straight and broad back. After getting on the car, she leaned against the seat and pondered for a bit. With a bit more fatigue, she started to sleep with her eyes closed.
Shen Ye An could see her sleepiness and told Li Ran to drive slower.
As the car drove on, she closed her eyes and did not fall asleep. She heard the sound of Shen Yeyan flipping through documents, occasionally mixed with the sound of writing. She stayed in that position for a long time before she opened her eyes and realized that the car was on the highway.
"Are we going somewhere else today?"
"Okay, go back to sleep. I'll wake you up when we get there."
Her tiredness dissipated when she found out that she had gone out of the city. She leaned back in her seat and looked at the roof of the car absentmindedly. Shen Ye An closed the document and passed her a drink.
"You're not sleeping?"
"En, will you be back tonight?"
"Depends."
Qiao Xi thought about the two kittens at home and had not yet entrusted them to Uncle Liu to take care of. "It's best if you can come back."
"As much as I can."
Shen Yeyan sipped his drink. After he got on the highway, the weather outside became even more gloomy. It looked like a heavy rain was approaching.
Qiao Xi also looked out of the window and intentionally rolled down the window. Outside, a strong wind blew in. "It's windy. I think it's going to rain."
Li Ran looked at the navigation system and said, "We're almost there."
Qiao Xi was relieved. Driving in a storm wasn't safe. Soon enough, Li Ran's car got off the highway, drove for a while to the suburbs, and then drove into a factory.
When he got out of the car, the sky was already dark. The wind was blowing fiercely, causing sand and rocks to fly everywhere.
When Qiao Xi got off the car, he deliberately covered his skirt in front of Shen Yeyan to prevent him from touching the opposite sex. When Shen Yeyan saw how she was covering her skirt, he suddenly stepped forward to block her.
Qiao Xi raised his head and saw the car sign on the factory wall. A gust of wind blew over, causing his eyes to sink into the sand. He rubbed his eyes in discomfort and fell a few steps behind him.
Shen Yeyan turned his head and saw that he had purposely taken a few steps back and stopped by her side. When the upper echelons beside her saw him, they hurriedly welcomed him into the house.
Qiao Xi's one eye was completely red. His entire body was in a sorry state from the wind. He only calmed down after entering the room.
They had only been inside for a few minutes when it suddenly started raining heavily outside, accompanied by the sound of thunder and lightning. It was very scary.
It had been a few years since Qiao Xi had seen such a heavy rain. Lightning seemed to be about to penetrate the glass outside, causing her to subconsciously shrink her neck.
After the rest of the people left, only the manager remained. Shen Yeyan was chatting with him not far away. Li Ran walked over and whispered a few words into her ear, nodding her head.
She waited in the lounge downstairs. Shen Yeyan was visiting the car factory today, so he went upstairs to have a meeting.
Qiao Xi remembered that his phone call this morning was related to the factory. Coupled with the reminder from Shen Ye Ling at the dinner table, he guessed that the sales of Shen's new energy car were not ideal.
She was sitting alone downstairs watching the storm outside the window. It came with an aggressive air and even flipped over the big tree outside the door. Inside, she was mesmerized by what she saw.
In just over an hour, the house was flooded with water. Qiao Xi was completely engrossed in the scene and had no idea when Shen Yeyan had walked to his side. His face looked heavy and tired as he twisted his tie, his eyes as deep as the weather outside the window.
"Is it over?"
"Yes."
He sat down on the sofa opposite and pinched his nose a few times. His chest rose and fell slightly, as if his anger had not completely dissipated.
Li Jun then took a step forward and bent down to whisper in his ear. He coldly laughed, "Shen Ye Ling's hand is actually longer than I imagined. It was sliced off."
"But Mister Shen …"
"Just treat it as a gift from me."
Qiao Xi sat across from him and heard the conversation, guessing which executive was Shen Ye Ling's man. He was afraid that they would leave in a hurry.
Li Ran had already started to do as he was told.
The heavy rain outside the window continued, and lightning fell from time to time like a thriller. Qiao Xi held onto her chin, unable to calm down. "I'm afraid that I won't be able to return today.
Shen Yeyan turned his head to look outside and coincidentally saw a bolt of lightning strike down on a tree outside the window, breaking it in half. The branch crashed onto the glass beside Shen Yeyan and Qiao Xi screamed out of fear.
Her soft hands hung in the crook of his arm. She was still trembling slightly. Shen Yeyan gripped her hands tightly and said, "It's alright. I'm here."