The door was closed.
Tan Mo was brought into the hotel room by Xie Qichen.
The presidential suite was spacious. Outside the wide floor-to-ceiling windows, the silver-blue night sky shimmered with scattered stars, and the neon-lit cityscape stretched like an endless sea.
Tan Mo hadn’t expected to be led into his most private domain so easily. Right now, the alcohol was stirring her mind into chaos.
She stood helplessly in front of him. A few seconds later, a slightly cold male voice reached her ears:
“Tan Mo.”
She lifted her head to meet his gaze.
His eyes fell casually on her:
“You weren’t afraid of me yesterday when you cursed me behind my back, were you?”
“So why are you so scared of me now?”
“…”
Tan Mo averted her eyes guiltily, “N-no, not at all.”
After a while, he asked her softly, “Can you stand steady?”
Feeling herself still held in his arms, her entire face turned red.
“Y-yes…”
A few seconds later, he released his supporting hand, stepping back and breaking the intimate distance between them.
He walked into the living room, took off his suit jacket, and casually draped it over the sofa. His long, well-defined fingers unfastened two buttons of his shirt, revealing his pale collarbones.
“Sit down first.”
He glanced at her.
She let out a breath of relief and softly responded. Xie Qichen turned and walked into the study. His phone vibrated inside his pants pocket. It was a message from General Zhang:
“Qichen, want to make a quick appearance at the cocktail party? You wouldn’t believe how many people are waiting to see you. Mr. Zhao from Lindu Tech and Mr. Chen from Ryan are also here. They said they want to discuss a big deal with you. Please do me a favor and come!”
The young man’s schedule was usually packed. Every second of his time was precious, and many people found it hard to even get a glimpse of him.
Xie Qichen took off his watch and placed it on the desk, casually replying:
“Busy. Not going.”
He put the phone away and returned to the living room. He saw the girl sitting on the sofa, resting her chin on her palm, her cheeks puffed up, looking tipsy.
Tan Mo felt drowsy. After a while, a glass of water appeared in her line of sight.
“Drink it.”
She looked up at Xie Qichen, hesitated briefly before taking it, and heard him ask, “How much did you drink?”
His slightly serious tone reminded her of how he used to catch her being disobedient, easing some of the unfamiliarity in her heart.
She mumbled softly, “Not much, just a little…”
Xie Qichen smirked, “Did you need to drink to build up courage to ask me for help?”
Is that how scary he seemed to her?
“No… I just happened to attend a cocktail party downstairs with Ji Shu tonight.”
She finished the water and handed the glass back to him. Xie Qichen picked it up, accidentally brushing his fingertips against hers. She felt as if a small electric current had passed through her.
She quickly pulled her hand back, fingers slightly curled.
Xie Qichen walked over to the nearby coffee machine. Tan Mo followed him with her eyes. To avoid awkward silence, she initiated conversation: “Why are you staying here in Licheng?”
“I’ve been busy lately, and this place is close to the company.”
Xie Qichen started brewing coffee and calmly asked her, “Didn’t you say you had something to ask me for help?”
“Y-yes…”
Tan Mo told him everything about the drone show. “I want to cooperate with Aochuang, but the school requires the contract to be signed before Friday. The time is too tight. If possible, could you give me special permission to bypass Aochuang’s current procedures and discuss the cooperation plan with us as soon as possible?”
She had no choice but to swallow her pride this time.
She also mentioned her failed cooperation with TOC: “Actually, when the school initially decided on the drone show, I had hoped to use Aochuang’s drones, but the school initially partnered with TOC.”
That was true because her family’s company specialized in domestic drone accessories. Of course, she hoped domestic brands could rise to prominence.
“Now, Aochuang is the leading domestic drone brand with strong capabilities. They can definitely design an amazing drone show, one that’s definitely not inferior to TOC’s.” Her eyes sparkled as she looked at him.
Xie Qichen hummed, raising his eyebrows to look at her:
“Is this flattery?”
“…”
Tan Mo recalled her thoughtless words just now and muttered unhappily, “If you like it, I can say more.”
Xie Qichen stopped teasing her and finally said, “I’ll have the company contact you tomorrow.”
“Really?!”
“Drone shows are a great way for Aochuang to gain domestic recognition. We happen to need such an event to promote our products.”
The stone in her heart finally fell. Her dimples appeared as she asked him, “So are you going to take over Aochuang?”
“Unless something unexpected happens.”
“When will you officially start?”
The man looked at her without speaking. She realized it was commercial confidential and was about to apologize when he said indifferently, “The transition is in progress.”
“Oh, right.”
So that meant he would be staying in the country and not leaving anytime soon?
“Let me see the proposal first.”
“Okay.”
Suddenly, Xie Qichen’s phone rang. He looked at the screen, and Tan Mo said, “It’s fine, you can take the call first.”
Xie Qichen answered the call and walked into the study.
Tan Mo covered her mouth and yawned. The slight intoxication made her even sleepier.
She rubbed her sleepy eyes and waited for Xie Qichen for a while. When he still hadn’t come out, she couldn’t hold on anymore and closed her eyes, leaning against the sofa.
On the other side, in the study, the person on the phone was reporting the current status of the company:
“Mrs. Zhen Mei has been arranging people in the company to spread rumors that you’ve stepped on your younger brother to rise up, and she’s also planning to rally members of the board to oppose you. Mr. Xie, what should we do?”
The man’s gaze fell on the window, a smirk curling his lips:
“Which side do you think the board members will stand on?”
When it comes to interests, everyone naturally knows which side to choose.
“Let her do whatever she wants.”
Xie Qichen casually said.
He naturally knew that his stepmother would stop at nothing, but all of it was just a desperate struggle before the final outcome.
He hung up the phone and walked back to the living room, finding the girl quietly sleeping on the sofa.
She could fall asleep in a man’s room like this.
Truly, she had no defenses against him at all.
He walked over, and the phone on the table lit up.
It was a call from Ji Shu.
A few seconds later, Ji Shu heard the call being answered and anxiously asked, “Mo Mo, what’s going on? Did you see Xie Qichen? The cocktail party is over. Should I pick you up, or are you two still talking?”
Just then, a calm male voice sounded:
“She’s asleep.”
Ji Shu’s eyes widened in shock, taking two seconds to react, “Mr. Xie?”
“Yes.”
He said indifferently, “She’s in my room tonight. I’ll take care of her.”
The three words “I’ll take care of her” meant that he would keep her here tonight.
If someone else had said this, Ji Shu would have rushed over immediately, but she knew Xie Qichen’s character. Therefore, she could only agree, “Then thank you for taking care of her.”
Xie Qichen acknowledged, hung up the phone, leaned forward to place the phone on the coffee table, and then turned his gaze to Tan Mo.
The girl’s face was peaceful, her long lashes covering her eyelids, her breathing shallow.
Tan Mo turned over, murmuring softly in her sleep:
“Ge Ge (big brother)…”
A flicker of emotion passed through Xie Qichen’s eyes as he looked at her, “Hmm.”
The amber-yellow light fell.
Outside the window, autumn wind blew in, carrying his low voice away into the wind.
–
The next day, the sun rose.
Sunlight filtered through the curtain gaps into the room.
Tan Mo turned over and opened her sleepy eyes, finding herself lying in bed.
She quickly sat up in shock, looking around, realizing she was in the bedroom of the hotel suite.
Dazed, the events of last night pieced together in her mind.
She had come drunk to find Xie Qichen, who brought her back to his room. They talked about the drone show. Later, she remembered waiting for him to look at the proposal, but she was too tired and fell asleep…
Tan Mo threw off the blanket and got out of bed, hurriedly walked out of the guest room.
The surroundings were silent enough to hear a pin drop. She walked into the living room but didn’t see Xie Qichen. Then she noticed a note on the coffee table.
[I’ve gone to the group. Breakfast is in the restaurant. Someone from Aochuang will contact you today.] — Xie Qichen
That person must have left early in the morning.
Tan Mo looked at the sofa. She remembered falling asleep there last night, but she woke up in the bedroom in the morning.
That could only mean one thing — Xie Qichen had carried her to the bedroom…
Tan Mo felt as if someone had poked a hole in her face, letting hot air rush in. She felt both shy and embarrassed, regretting coming to find him while drunk.
Tan Mo took her bag back to the room, quickly washed up and tidied herself, didn’t eat breakfast, and thought it was better to leave as soon as possible.
Before leaving, she carefully composed a message to Xie Qichen: [Sorry for disturbing you last night. Thank you for the breakfast. I’m going back to my apartment now.]
Not long after, she received his extremely brief reply:
[Okay.]
His tone was calm and distant.
It almost felt like she was being overly sensitive.
Suddenly, Tan Mo recalled what Ji Shu had said yesterday — that Xie Qichen used to dote on her.
Indeed, the first time she met Xie Qichen was because he had been entrusted to look after her when she was still in high school.
She also knew that, whether in the past or now, his feelings for her had always remained at that level — no more, no less.
Tan Mo slowly exhaled, locked her phone screen.
–
After returning to her apartment from the hotel, it wasn’t long before someone from Aochuang called to schedule a meeting.
The next morning, both parties met at a cafe. The Aochuang staff were very friendly and sincere. In fact, their quoted price was nearly half that of TOC.
Tan Mo was surprised and couldn’t help asking:
“Is this… the usual price?”
Had Xie Qichen said something behind the scenes?
The lady hesitated for a moment, then smiled, “Yes, this is our usual pricing. Do you feel it’s still unsatisfactory?”
“No, no.”
She was more than satisfied.
After the conversation, Tan Mo said she would report their proposal to the school for a final decision.
After leaving the cafe, she thought of something, hesitated for a moment, and hailed a taxi.
“Driver, to Furong Gangcheng.”
“Okay.”
Since autumn began, the temperature had been getting lower. She wanted to go back to the Tan family home to get some autumn clothes. She hadn’t brought much when she moved out this semester.
On the way, Tan Mo was organizing the content of her conversation with Aochuang when she suddenly thought — should she thank Xie Qichen?
Since sending him that message, they hadn’t been in touch. Now that he was back in the country, his schedule must be packed. Unless something unusual happened, they probably wouldn’t meet often in the future.
She thought about it and decided against it.
She’d wait until the cooperation was officially finalized before thanking him.
Twenty minutes later, the car stopped in front of a villa.
She got out and looked at the villa, taking a deep breath.
It seemed like it had been a long time since she last came home…
As she entered the hallway, the housemaid heard the sound and came forward happily, “Mo Mo is back.”
Tan Mo smiled lightly, “Auntie Zhang.”
“Come in quickly. I’ll get you slippers,” Auntie Zhang smiled brightly, “Madam went out for something and should be back soon.”
“It’s okay. I’m just here to get some autumn clothes.”
Tan Mo was about to go upstairs when Auntie Zhang said, “By the way, a few of Miss’s friends came. They’re upstairs waiting for Miss to go shopping.”
Tan Mo’s eyes flickered slightly, then returned to normal.
She walked upstairs. In the second-floor living room, several women were chatting:
“He’s so handsome. I heard he’s still single. I want my dad to help set something up.”
“Hahaha, what if he rejects you?”
“There might be a chance…”
As Tan Mo walked upstairs, the group saw her and immediately stopped talking. One woman wearing a Chanel-style outfit was momentarily stunned, her eyebrows lifting slightly:
“Oh, Wan Wan, your younger sister is back.”
At the far right of the sofa, Tan Zhiwan, dressed in an ornate cheongsam, turned her head to look at Tan Mo, her brows showing a hint of emotion: “Back already?”
Tan Mo’s expression slightly cooled, “Yes, just to get some autumn clothes.”
The woman in the Chanel-style outfit was Chen Ningning, Tan Zhiwan’s best friend. Seeing the situation, Chen Ningning smiled at Tan Mo: “Tan Mo, haven’t seen you in a long time. Sit down and have some fruit?”
“No, I have something to do.”
“Oh come on, why do you seem so formal, like a guest? Are you nervous around us?”
Tan Mo met her teasing gaze. Her dimples briefly appeared as she sat down on the nearby chaise lounge, “Okay.”
Tan Mo’s delicate features and fair skin, along with her naturally refined demeanor, made her seem like a true daughter of the Tan family.
Chen Ningning only meant to tease Tan Mo, but she didn’t expect her to be so at ease. Tan Mo picked up a strawberry from the table, smiled sweetly at Chen Ningning, and said, “Sister Ningning, you should eat too. I’m not interrupting your chat, am I?”
“…”
Chen Ningning twitched her lips into a smile, “Of course not. It’s been so long since we’ve seen you. I heard from your sister that you’ve been living outside lately. Are you getting used to it?”
“It’s fine.”
“You’re grown up now. No need to rely on the Tan family anymore. You can be independent.”
Chen Ningning’s words were full of sarcasm.
Tan Mo didn’t respond. Chen Ningning thought of something the girls had just been discussing: “By the way, Tan Mo, let me ask you something — did you know Xie Qichen before?”
Tan Mo’s eyes flickered slightly, momentarily stunned.
“I heard from your sister that Xie Qichen used to be quite nice to you,” Chen Ningning smiled. “I guess you two haven’t kept in touch for a long time. You probably don’t know this, but he came back to China a few days ago.”
Another woman nearby eagerly added, “Xie Qichen has been doing business overseas for years and has become a billionaire. Now that he’s back in Licheng, his status is incomparable.”
“Yeah, he’s completely different from before. Many girls want to date him but get rejected. Ordinary people can’t even dream of getting close to him.”
After Chen Ningning finished speaking, she looked at Tan Mo:
“Right, Tan Mo?”
Tan Mo turned her gaze to meet Chen Ningning’s mocking smile. Beside her, Tan Zhiwan also had a faint smile in her eyes.
Chen Ningning, thinking Tan Mo was too embarrassed to speak, exclaimed in surprise, “Tan Mo, Xie Qichen hasn’t contacted you since coming back to China, right? Have you seen him in a long time?”
As Tan Mo heard this, her phone suddenly vibrated.
The screen lit up. Tan Zhiwan’s gaze inadvertently fell on it and caught sight of a message from an unfamiliar number:
[Your lipstick was left on the bed.]
[Come get it.]
Short and to the point, exuding a mature and indifferent tone.
Yet between the lines, there was a hint of deep, lingering intimacy.
Tan Zhiwan’s smile froze, suddenly suspicious.
Who was this person??
Tan Mo saw that it was from Xie Qichen. She immediately turned off the screen and calmly met Tan Zhiwan’s gaze. The latter, feeling guilty, quickly looked away.
Then, Tan Mo shifted her gaze to Chen Ningning, her expression revealing a bitter smile as she sighed sorrowfully:
“I haven’t even met Xie Qichen yet.”
“…He hasn’t contacted me at all.”
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