Chapter 48:

Qizi’s silence probably made Qi Zheng think she was angry. He glanced behind the two and after a moment’s thought, he said, “How about this—I’m about to finish work. If Ms. Lin doesn’t mind, let’s have dinner together. Consider it my apology to you.”

Lin Qiao shook her head indifferently and replied coldly, “No need. Doctor Qi didn’t do anything wrong, so there’s no need to apologize to me. You don’t owe me anything either—you could’ve simply chosen not to make that call. We aren’t that close, so whatever you do is your own choice. You don’t need to feel guilty. I have things to do, so I’ll be on my way. Sorry for the disturbance.”

After speaking, Lin Qiao decisively turned to leave. Qi Zheng frowned as he watched her, seemingly sighing, then reached out and grabbed her wrist. When she turned around in confusion, he sincerely said, “Have dinner with me. Let me explain.”

Lin Qiao was taken aback. Although Qi Zheng had handed her only chance of rescue over to Zhao Chunjun, whether he genuinely hadn’t noticed something suspicious about that hospital or had simply been indifferent about the matter, as she had just said, they weren’t particularly close. She had asked him for help, and he had done so out of kindness. If he hadn’t helped, she couldn’t have blamed him, after all—she lived in modern times, not in the Liangshan Marshes.

Lin Qiao’s goal was merely to understand the situation. Now that she knew what had happened, she no longer needed to struggle with whether to ask him to testify regarding Fang Zheng’s case. However, she hadn’t expected him to want to “explain.”

Noticing Lin Qiao’s hesitation, Qi Zheng released her wrist and patted her shoulder, saying, “Wait for me a moment while I change clothes. We’ll leave right after.”

Lin Qiao wanted to stop him, but he walked quickly, leaving her words unspoken. She thought to herself, “Fine, I’ll just hear him out.”

After changing, Qi Zheng left with Lin Qiao. While descending the stairs, they encountered the same nurse as before. The nurse looked at Lin Qiao with strange curiosity, clearly surprised to see Qi Zheng accompanied by a woman. Lin Qiao uncomfortably averted her gaze, while Qi Zheng glanced at her and stepped in front of her protectively.

They entered the elevator together, neither speaking. The elevator was crowded, and Lin Qiao stood behind Qi Zheng, who shielded a small space for her. His thoughtfulness and consideration were impeccable.

Looking at his tall back from behind, Lin Qiao couldn’t understand why someone who had seemed so good in her mind would make such a choice. When she had encountered trouble at the psychiatric hospital and asked him for help, with his intelligence, he surely must have suspected something was wrong with that hospital. Why had he still handed her only chance of rescue over to Zhao Chunjun, knowing he was unreliable?

On the way to dinner, Lin Qiao hadn’t driven, so Qi Zheng drove her to a nearby Western restaurant. The restaurant wasn’t large, but it was tastefully decorated with attentive service. Lin Qiao, however, wasn’t in the mood for food and didn’t particularly care about the ambiance.

They chose a corner table and sat down, ordering their meals before falling into mutual silence, each waiting for the other to speak first.

Qi Zheng broke the silence first. He picked up his water glass, took a sip, and apologetically said, “Ms. Lin, the first thing I need to say is another apology. I admit I didn’t handle things well, and I hope you can forgive me.”

Lin Qiao shook her head, “I already told you I don’t mind. Did you invite me out just to say this, Doctor Qi?”

Qi Zheng replied, “That’s one reason.”

“And the second?” Lin Qiao asked, glancing at her watch as if she were in a hurry to leave.

Qi Zheng noted her expression and lowered his eyes, saying, “The second reason is that I originally intended to make the call for you, but I happened to run into Chunjun when I was leaving.”

Lin Qiao nodded slightly, “So?”

Qi Zheng sighed, “Don’t rush. It’s not what you think. I’ve known Chunjun for quite some time. He must have noticed something about your request for help. With a little guesswork, he approached me directly and said he would handle the matter himself.”

Lin Qiao frowned, “He saw it?”

Qi Zheng replied, “Whether he actually saw it or not, he figured it out. I was worried he might not keep his word, so I stayed there until I saw him make the call before leaving.” He paused slightly, lowering his voice, “For some special reasons, I often meet with him. The more time I’ve spent with him, the more I’ve come to understand him a little. I know he’s not a good person.” He pressed his hand against his temple and admitted, “But in the end, he did make the call, and you were rescued, which proves my judgment was correct.”

Lin Qiao didn’t know how to respond. Qi Zheng didn’t push her to speak, continuing, “Unless I could be sure you’d be safe, I wouldn’t have handed the matter over to him. If you still feel upset, tell me how I can earn your forgiveness, and I’ll do my best.”

Lin Qiao chuckled, “Doctor Qi, you’re really persistent. Why do you insist on getting my forgiveness? We aren’t that close, and whether you have my forgiveness or not won’t harm you. Besides, I wasn’t angry with you to begin with.”

Qi Zheng was momentarily stunned, then smiled and shook his head, “You’re right. I’m being too stubborn.” He exhaled, “Ms. Lin, you’re a good person.”

Unexpectedly receiving a compliment, Lin Qiao calmly accepted it.

After finishing their conversation, the steaks and red wine arrived. Lin Qiao and Qi Zheng clinked glasses and began eating politely. However, Lin Qiao was still thinking about how to ask him whether he would be willing to testify.

Her intentions were noble, but they never materialized. By the time dinner ended, Lin Qiao still hadn’t voiced her thoughts. Qi Zheng drove her back to the hospital, where they said their goodbyes before she drove to the Lin Group.

On her way there, she bought takeout, knowing Shen Qingzhou was busy with work and probably hadn’t eaten yet. Since she had nothing else to do, she decided to deliver it to him.

The Lin Group’s business had been thriving recently. Fang Mingjun was preoccupied with dealing with his son’s mess and had no time to cause trouble. Shen Qingzhou had been helping manage things, making it hard for them not to succeed.

Since Shen Qingzhou had invested in the Lin Group, many changes had been made to the headquarters’ interior, including Lin Weiming’s office. During Lin Weiming’s travels, Shen Qingzhou had completely renovated the office, using it himself without arranging a separate office, clearly indicating he didn’t plan to stay long.

When Lin Qiao arrived, Shen Qingzhou was working on documents. He opened the door for her and returned to his desk to flip through a thick stack of files. Lin Qiao glanced at him without interrupting, placing the food on the table and preparing to wait for him.

While waiting, Lin Qiao was drawn to a fish tank in the office. She stood by the tank, fascinated by the goldfish inside. As she wondered why Shen Qingzhou had placed a fish tank there, he warned, “You can look, but don’t touch. Those are feng shui fish.”

Feng shui has always been closely related to water, as stated in the I Ching, “Water nourishes all things.” Fish tanks contain water, so placing one in an office aligns with the element of water in feng shui. However, these seemingly simple feng shui fish are actually quite complex, with the “incoming water” and “outgoing water” positions being particularly important—simply placing a fish tank won’t necessarily have an effect.

Upon hearing Shen Qingzhou refer to them as feng shui fish, Lin Qiao immediately stepped back a meter, fearing she might attract his “wealth god” by accident.

Seeing Lin Qiao’s exaggerated reaction, and comparing it to her previous indifference toward feng shui, Shen Qingzhou couldn’t help but smile slightly.

Noticing his meaningful smile, Lin Qiao frowned, “What are you smiling at? What’s so funny?”

Shen Qingzhou put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and folded his hands indifferently, asking, “Why are you here?”

Lin Qiao looked at him, “Aren’t you busy anymore?”

Shen Qingzhou stood up and walked toward her. They sat together on the sofa in the reception area, where he naturally put his arm around her shoulders and softly said, “Even if I’m busy, I’ll make time for you when you come.”

“When did you become so considerate?” Lin Qiao said suspiciously, freeing herself from his arm and opening the food container, “You haven’t had lunch yet, right? Eat something before continuing with work.”

Shen Qingzhou looked at the dishes in the container and accepted the chopsticks she handed him, asking, “Did you come here just to bring me this?”

Lin Qiao nodded without speaking, busily setting out the dishes.

Shen Qingzhou helped her arrange the food and, noticing there was only one set of bowls and chopsticks, asked, “Have you already eaten?”

Lin Qiao replied, “Yes, with Qi Zheng.”

Shen Qingzhou frowned, his hand paused mid-air as he was about to pick up his chopsticks, and asked in a calm voice, “What happened?”

Lin Qiao knew he would be jealous. It was better for him to hear it from her rather than someone else.

“This is what happened,” she said, adopting a serious tone, “You mentioned that Qi Zheng might be useful, and I was curious why Zhao Chunjun, instead of him, called you back at that time, so I went to see him.”

Shen Qingzhou glanced at her sideways with his long eyes, as if looking at an idiot.

Lin Qiao lightly punched his chest, exasperated, “I did this all for your sake, so don’t look at me like that. Just eat.”

Shen Qingzhou said, “I’ve lost my appetite,” and put down his chopsticks.

Lin Qiao looked at him in confusion, “Our Master Shen, the cold and noble flower of the high mountains, surely isn’t so jealous of a man he’s only met a few times that he can’t eat, right?”

Shen Qingzhou detected her mockery but wasn’t angry. He casually unbuttoned the top three buttons of his shirt and the cuffs, rolling up his sleeves to reveal his strong, fair forearms. His dark eyes fixed on her without wavering.

Lin Qiao felt a sense of foreboding and scooted back on the sofa, asking, “What are you going to do?”

Shen Qingzhou was wearing a deep gray silk shirt today, its smooth fabric making his skin appear even more delicate. He didn’t speak immediately but instead leaned down to unbuckle his belt before looking at her and saying, “Eat.”

Lin Qiao snorted, “You’re unfastening your belt to eat? Besides, the food is on the table. Why are you getting so close to me…”

She couldn’t finish the sentence because Shen Qingzhou had already kissed her lips and lifted her not-so-long skirt.

When Lin Qiao obediently closed her mouth, Shen Qingzhou lightly hummed, “A woman ran off to have lunch with another man and came back carrying his scent. How could I not properly discipline her?”

His words were ambiguous, his actions even more brazen. Lin Qiao’s long, fair legs were pulled onto his knees, and she could clearly feel the sensitive area between his legs slowly changing as her legs struggled against it.

“Shen Qingzhou, stop fooling around. This is the company…”

Lin Qiao tried to resist uselessly, her arms pushing against his chest. As soon as she finished speaking, he pressed her back onto the sofa, her legs straddling his waist. Her private, sensitive area was pressed against his hardness, sending a strange tingling sensation throughout her body. She couldn’t help but let out a soft moan.

Shen Qingzhou seemed to chuckle, biting her ear before finally reaching her fair neck, leaving a deep kiss mark there. He whispered gently, “I know this is the company. The door is locked, and no one can come in. It’s okay.”

Lin Qiao still felt uneasy, hesitating as she pushed him away.

Shen Qingzhou simply gripped her chin, looking down at her threateningly, “I’ll make it quick so you won’t suffer too long. That’s my bottom line. Don’t push your luck.”

Lin Qiao frowned and groaned, “Don’t…”

“You always say no, but your legs always grip me so tightly,” Shen Qingzhou said, frowning as if troubled, “You can’t always believe what women say.”

“Shen Qingzhou!” Lin Qiao blushed and shouted to stop him from continuing.

Shen Qingzhou half-lowered his pants and whispered, “Here we go.”

…Here we go? What did that mean?

Lin Qiao was startled, and then she felt a sharp sensation below. Her hands immediately pounded on his back, “You beast! You didn’t even do foreplay!”

Shen Qingzhou’s body seemed to stiffen slightly, his face darkening impressively. After a while, he finally said, “Let me make it up to you now.”

“…” She gave up.

Lin Qiao half-heartedly allowed Shen Qingzhou to do as he pleased. But just as the two were getting deeply involved, Lin Qiao’s phone suddenly rang. She instinctively reached for the phone on the table, causing Shen Qingzhou to look slightly awkward.

“Let it ring,” Shen Qingzhou mumbled into her neck.

Lin Qiao silently thanked Shen Qingzhou for positioning her just right so she could reach the phone. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to answer the call.

It was a call from Wang Jiaqi’s father, Wang Jin, bringing bad news.

“Ah… be gentle. Uncle Wang rarely calls me… ah… he must have something important,” Lin Qiao said in a broken voice.

Seeing Lin Qiao tightly gripping the phone and insisting on answering it, Shen Qingzhou’s expression darkened, but he reluctantly slowed his pace, signaling his reluctant agreement.

Lin Qiao shot him a grateful look before answering the call and asking what was wrong.

On the other end of the line, Wang Jin anxiously said, “Qiaoqiao, where are you? Do you know that Fang Zheng has been arrested? We just heard about it, and Jiaqi suddenly turned pale and ran straight to the police station!”