Part 2
Time passed quickly. After work in the afternoon, Qin Yao appeared ostentatiously at the door of Bai He’s office. He crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame, his eyes vigilantly sizing up Zhang Yao, who was nonchalantly packing his things.
Zhang Yao acted as if no one was there, calmly packing his things and turning around. “Let’s go. I booked a table at Qianligang.”
He turned his head as he spoke. “Mu Lin and Shen Hao, ride in my car and we’ll go together.”
Mu Lin, who had just put on her shoulder bag, froze for a few seconds. Her gaze swept over Bai He and Qin Yao, and for a rare moment, she agreed with Zhang Yao. She reached out and pulled Shen Hao. “Okay, okay! We’ll ride in your car!”
Shen Hao was dragged away while still in a daze.
Zhang Yao walked behind them. He greeted Qin Yao and then left openly and confidently.
Qin Yao also maintained a calm expression. Once everyone was gone and only he and Bai He remained, he stepped forward and hugged Bai He from behind as he was packing his things. “Xiao Bao.”
This cat was acting spoiled again. Bai He was helpless. He lifted his head, turned his face, and kissed Qin Yao on the cheek. “Better?”
Qin Yao instantly perked up, hugging Bai He tighter and burying his head in Bai He’s shoulder to nuzzle, a bit like a cat rubbing its head against you. Bai He’s heart softened. “Don’t be jealous of Zhang Yao. Qin Yao, I like you very much. Don’t you know that?”
“I know.” Qin Yao had known for a long time. Earlier, because he lied to Bai He, causing a misunderstanding, he always thought Bai He wouldn’t forgive him. But later, Bai He gave him a chance very quickly. No matter how stupid Qin Yao was, he understood that Bai He might have fallen for him even earlier than he did himself.
“Alright, I’m packed.” Bai He rubbed his cheek against Qin Yao’s. “Go get the car. We have to hurry over. Zhang Yao probably has something important to say.”
“Okay~” Qin Yao’s voice was doting.
Qianligang was located by the sea on the outer ring of the city. It was a local tourist hotspot. It took half an hour to drive there. When Qin Yao and Bai He arrived, the other three had already found a table and were waiting for them.
“So you really are an unrecognized illegitimate child?” Mu Lin covered her mouth in surprise. “Wow, you’re so pitiful…”
“Sister Mu, don’t rub salt in the wound right in front of him.” Shen Hao patted Mu Lin on the shoulder, sighing. “I didn’t believe the rumors before. It turns out you’ve had it so hard. The feeling of not being recognized must be very painful.”
“Even with all that, you just took a risky path to get your family’s attention? If it were me, I would have gone crazy long ago, boohoo,” Mu Lin’s face was full of disbelief. “How can those people in the Guan family be like that!!?”
Bai He: “……”
He seemed to have missed something…
“I was wrong before. I was too radical and impetuous, and I had bad thoughts. I apologize to you all.” Zhang Yao lowered his eyelids, looking like he was sincerely admitting his mistakes. Only Bai He and Qin Yao beside him knew how complex the ingredients of this performance were.
“Zhang Yao is actually very shrewd,” Qin Yao said suddenly. He buried his head and looked at Bai He. “Xiao Bao, believe it or not, if Zhang Yao achieves results, Zhou Sheng will be the one played like a fiddle in the future.”
Bai He looked up. “Didn’t you say Zhou Sheng is very ruthless?”
Qin Yao shrugged. “But he’s simple-minded.”
Bai He: “……”
Ending the conversation, they walked up. The three people chatting happily looked up. Mu Lin couldn’t hold back. “Bai He, you have no idea. Zhang Yao is so miserable.”
Bai He glanced at Zhang Yao. The latter had a faint look of sorrow on his face. He really could act.
He asked, “How did your talk go?”
“More or less,” Zhang Yao smiled. “Bai He actually already knew about my situation. I asked him not to tell you. Sorry, after all, this matter isn’t exactly presentable. I…”
“We understand,” Mu Lin said considerately. “No wonder Bai He seemed more accepting of you than us. It’s normal not to want to talk about these things. No one wants to bring up sad memories.”
Mu Lin’s personality was just like that—daring to love and hate, open and generous. “Since the misunderstanding is resolved, let’s not talk about these sad things. Let’s eat! Be happy!”
What a huge turnaround, worthy of admiration. Everyone stopped the topic, chatting about daily life while eating. As the meal was coming to an end, a noisy commotion suddenly arose in the quiet dining hall. Looking toward the crowded elevator entrance, a few people were ushered in by a crowd and then headed toward a private room in another direction.
Zhang Yao put down his cutlery. His seat was on the side, and he observed those people sideways. Only when they were about to disappear did he speak. “You know one of them. It’s Guan Shao, Guan Jiayu’s big brother.”
Qin Yao leaned back against the booth sofa, tilting his head to glance over there. “His big brother is much more capable than him. Qingtian choosing to merge with CORONET is actually Guan Shao cleaning up Guan Jiayu’s mess.”
“So you booked the table here today because you knew he would come here to eat?” Qin Yao withdrew his gaze and looked at Zhang Yao.
Mu Lin and Shen Hao looked at each other. Bai He raised his eyes. “Ignore their conversation. Just treat it as gossip.”
Hearing this, gossip-lover Mu Lin’s eyes instantly widened. “I have principles when eating melons (gossiping)! I absolutely won’t spread it around!” As she spoke, she made a zipping motion over her mouth and patted Shen Hao next to her.
Zhang Yao laughed at this. “Actually, it’s not really gossip.”
He looked down at the soup in front of him, stirring it slowly with a spoon. “As far as I know, Guan Shao isn’t actually willing to merge with CORONET, which is on the verge of collapse. He’s just helpless against the old man’s instructions. The Guan family can more or less see that the old man favors Guan Jiayu. This is actually the old man protecting Guan Jiayu in a roundabout way. However, in terms of ability, neither Guan Shao nor the other brothers are inferior to Guan Jiayu. Again, jealousy is a terrifying thing. Guan Shao has other ideas.”
Qin Yao raised an eyebrow. “I understand what you’re saying. So what does it have to do with this meal today?”
Zhang Yao looked up. “President Qin, don’t you think the most presentable game companies on the market right now, besides your FREE, the only other one is Qingtian?”
“That’s right.” Qin Yao raised an eyebrow. “But looking at the current situation, Qingtian isn’t enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with us.”
“You’re really confident.” Zhang Yao laughed.
“Thanks, I always have been.” Qin Yao laughed too.
At this moment, Bai He suddenly spoke to Zhang Yao. “Stop keeping us in suspense. Can you get straight to the point? If you praise him anymore, he’s going to float away.”
Hearing this, Qin Yao looked at Bai He somewhat resentfully, his fingers subconsciously pinching Bai He’s hand.
“Okay.” Zhang Yao cleared his throat with a fist to his lips. “The old man privately wants Guan Jiayu to manage Qingtian, but he didn’t say it explicitly. After all, Guan Shao built Qingtian single-handedly.”
Bai He raised his eyes. “Not saying it explicitly doesn’t mean he doesn’t plan to in the future, right?”
“Right.” Zhang Yao continued to fiddle with the spoon. “It’s exactly at this time that Bai Lu got pregnant. Which means as long as Guan Jiayu gets married, and Bai Lu successfully gives birth to that child, the priority inheritance rights will be in Guan Jiayu’s hands. The old man who favors Guan Jiayu will have a reason to make Guan Shao transfer the position at Qingtian.”
“Wanting to use this wedding to hype up the product’s popularity is true. At the same time, fighting for the position of family head and the company through this wedding banquet is the biggest goal.” Zhang Yao lifted his eyelids as he spoke. “Guan Shao appearing here today is actually to discuss work, with the boss of another capable game company in the industry.”
Qin Yao frowned. “He wants to collaborate?”
“Yes. As long as he finds a better partner, he can perfectly avoid Guan Jiayu’s secret grab this time.” Zhang Yao said, “Unsurprisingly, the person connecting on the livestream a few days ago was definitely Guan Shao’s subordinate. He wants to collaborate with FREE. After all, going to the official account is easy for Guan Jiayu to discover. He happens to know you, and finding you on Bai He’s livestream, how could he bear to give up this opportunity? But you refused.”
Qin Yao tapped the table rhythmically with his finger. He was thinking. Bai He watched him for a while, then withdrew his gaze to face Zhang Yao. “You mean Guan Shao wants to collaborate with Qin Yao, but what if he has ulterior motives?”
“I really can’t be sure about that. After all, getting this much information wasn’t easy for me. As for what exactly he’s thinking, I can’t exactly crawl into his brain to look.” Zhang Yao shrugged.
“………” Bai He fell silent. He turned his head to look at Qin Yao. “Qin Yao, what do you plan to do?”
Qin Yao lifted his eyelids. He laughed lazily and stood up. “Since we’re here, why don’t we go meet him and find out?”
Saying that, he nodded to Zhang Yao. “Thanks for your hard work. You can pick any suite you want inside FREE. If you have any trouble, just come to me, Xiao Bao.”
“Hm?” Bai He responded. He saw Qin Yao extend his hand to him, bowing gentlemanly. “Go with me?”
Bai He looked at that hand and slowly placed his own on it. “Let’s go.”
Qin Yao pulled him up, wrapping one arm around Bai He’s waist. “Take your time eating. We’ll be back shortly.”
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