"Yeah, I'll take care of whether you're happy or not, so you can have fun without worry."
Wen Cheng snored excitedly. This was the first time Wen Cheng had gone out to play so formally since Yao Xingwei left. She even went on a road trip with her boyfriend. Wen Cheng was overjoyed and so happy that she forgot to tell Wen Qi about Rou Rou. However, her father was not in the group chat, so no matter how much they made a fuss, they probably didn't know.
What Wen Cheng didn't know was that the situation in the office had already escalated beyond his budget.
The story the girl told about Mr. Wen wiping Chengcheng's nosebleed has evolved into various, well, indescribable versions.
Only the colleagues in the information department were furious. Shipping them was one thing, but how could they talk about them like that? They were just good brothers, how could there be such an impure relationship?!
The real information department became a bluestone slab going against the tide, vowing to defend Wen Cheng's face and his ass to the death!
[Chengcheng and President Wen are like brothers! Ladies, don't get too carried away with this shipping!]
[From the Ministry of Information?]
[What, can't the Information Department speak up anymore? The Information Department exists in this group for a reason! Chengcheng is the darling of our Information Department, and we won't allow you to spread rumors like this!]
[Someone, get out of the IT department!]
Hey, sister upstairs, the IT department, well, they're still our colleagues! What we need to do isn't to be adversarial, but to seek common ground while reserving differences! If you have any opinions, raise them, and let's resolve them through peaceful communication.
The small group, which had already gotten on the fast track, suddenly changed its tone because of this bizarre chat box. They were all top students from prestigious universities, and it was very easy for them to present evidence and reason based on examples. They all pulled out ironclad evidence and bombarded the information department with their heated argument.
[What peace?! We're just saying, straight men like Chengcheng, who are just as straightforward as us, would never like men!]
[(jpg.) This is Chengcheng's ex-fiancé. Note the word "fiancé" at the end!]
The photo shows Qin Zhou wearing a white lab coat, taken at a research conference. He is wearing frameless glasses, exuding an elite air, and his expressionless face is quite pleasing to the eye.
A brief silence fell over everyone in the information department.
[Well, Mr. Wen is Chengcheng's brother, so we can't bring this into reality!]
[He's not even related by blood; they're not even on the same household registration. He's just a brother in name only. We ship people, but there are boundaries.]
Okay, that seems to be true.
【Well, we can't just assume they're really together based on a random chance encounter. I know Chengcheng; even living under the same roof, people would feel some pressure from President Wen's aura. I believe Chengcheng is with Yan Luan, but this is President Wen.】
A man who has been in office for five years and has no history of gossip!
[Damn, Mr. Wen just sent a message in the assistants' group saying he won't be back this afternoon. Is Chengcheng in the office right now?]
The IT department frantically messaged Wen Cheng, only to receive the final reply: "Going shopping with Mom this afternoon."
Is Wen Cheng, that lazybones, the kind of person who would be willing to spend an afternoon shopping with her mother?
The once bustling information department fell into an eerie silence.
Holy crap! Could it really be true?
The information department fell silent, but everyone was addicted to posting evidence. The information was more or less exaggerated, but it was all based on firsthand experience. When Wen Yunyi had lunch with Qin Zhou in the office at noon, he looked at the radical photos and chat in the group with complicated emotions.
"What's wrong?"
Qin Zhou carefully picked out the scallions from Wen Yunyi's soup bowl while glancing at Wen Yunyi's phone.
"What kind of technology is this?" Qin Zhou looked over with great interest.
The chat interface is filled with soft, free-flowing characters that wander around freely, even picking out popular answers and comments. When they find something interesting, they'll detach the chat box and put it into their sack, which soon becomes bulging.
Wen Yunyi didn't answer that question, but instead asked with difficulty, "When do you think my dad and your dad's private meeting will end?"
When they came out, the weather in Wenshi might have changed drastically.
Chapter 118 Wen gives birth to a rebellious son!
Even if the company was in an uproar, it wouldn't affect Wen Cheng's good mood. There was nothing she could do; those colleagues who went on gossip sprees to the point of being inhumane kicked her out.
He was now sitting in his usual spot. The grassland outside, once lush and green when he first arrived, was now a dazzling golden hue. Recently, the boss had brought in a new batch of fine Mongolian horses and added a post-dinner horse race activity. The horses galloped across the grassland, or stopped to drink and graze. Watching these scenes from the window, his mind drifted away.
After confessing to her family last night, Wen Cheng finally felt relieved. Although her parents still had some reservations, isn't it all about how you manage a relationship to make everyone feel at ease?
Wen Cheng comforted herself, telling herself that these things couldn't be rushed and that it would take time to gain her family's complete acceptance.
Wen Cheng, lost in thought, went back to eating and enjoying the scenery. The new attractions here were certainly good.
However, as usual, the price was still exorbitantly expensive. This didn't bother him much now. But when he came here, he chose to eat rice over horseback riding without hesitation. Eating was more enjoyable, and the CEO worth hundreds of millions across from him was diligently grilling meat for him.
Although his skill level wasn't particularly high, and his clumsy manner clearly showed that the young master had never done this kind of thing before, Wen Cheng was still very happy watching. It felt wonderful to experience something for the person you like for the first time; so wonderful that Wen Cheng secretly touched her bag, and thinking about the things she had secretly taken from the convenience store under the pretense of buying water, her ears involuntarily burned.
Wen Qi saw all of this, knowing full well what was going on, but pretending not to know anything, and placed the perfectly cooked beef into Wen Cheng's bowl.
"Eat quickly,"
Wen Cheng obediently stuffed the meat into her mouth. "Hmm, I should eat more now so I'll have more energy later, right?" Thinking about what was going to happen later, Wen Cheng ate even more enthusiastically. Wen Qi also thought this behavior was very encouraging. She should eat more, otherwise she would run out of energy halfway through, and then he would be at a loss.
The two of them, both harboring ulterior motives, stumbled upon the same idea by sheer coincidence.
What followed was a scene where one dared to eat and the other dared to grill, as if they were having a fierce competition.
Everything was harmonious, except for the faint smile that often lingered on Wen Qi's face.
"Huh?" Wen Cheng, with a big bite of meat in her mouth, looked at Wen Qi's smile out of the corner of her eye and became more and more confused. What could make him so happy? Was it eating? But even if it was eating, Wen Qi hadn't touched a single bite.
Wen Cheng's chubby face twitched incessantly, her expression one of utter confusion.
Wen Qi took a wet wipe and carefully wiped the chili from his mouth. From initially feeling uncomfortable to now accepting it as a matter of course, Wen Cheng had made a lot of progress. He was also a good younger brother who knew how to repay kindness.
After wiping her mouth, Wen Cheng took over the initiative to grill the meat.
"Wen Qi, what do you think my behavior is?"
Wen Qi elegantly ate a piece of the roasted meat with orange peel. "Are you going to ask the name of the dish next?"
Wen Cheng thought for a moment and was greatly shocked. "I didn't expect you to be a fan of the drama by Daming Lake too?!" Wen Cheng suddenly felt that she had taken a big step closer to Wen Qi.
"No, I just wanted to end this conversation because your meat is going to burn." Wen Qi pointed to the meat lying in the middle of the baking pan, which was starting to smoke.
I'll go.
Wen Cheng manipulated the tongs quickly, flipping the meat over, and all the beautiful words she had painstakingly squeezed out were ruined by the beef that was about to burn.
Indeed, romance is not something that exists between brothers.
Over here, Wen Yongwang had just finished a meeting and closed another deal with Mr. Qin. However, he was quite surprised that Mr. Qin's share of the profits was significantly larger than expected. Even though they were old friends, Mr. Qin shouldn't have been so decisive in negotiating such a large deal. Besides, given Mr. Qin's usual behavior, he loved to haggle over every little bit of profit. It wasn't that he cared about the money; it was just that this old dog enjoyed the process of negotiating, much like how his wife always bargained with other women her age when she went to the market.
According to my wife, going to the market without bargaining is like losing your soul!
"What have you been doing lately? You seem to have lost your soul." Wen Yongwang asked seriously.
Mr. Qin gave Wen Yongwang a disapproving look. "What nonsense are you talking about? I'm perfectly fine. I even went hiking in the desert with some friends last time. My physical condition is definitely better than yours, who stares at the computer all day!"
Wen Yongwang then withdrew his gaze with satisfaction. This time it resembled him.
"Then why were you so agreeable just now?"
"Hey, why are you upset if you're just being straightforward? Isn't this just giving you some betrothal gifts in advance?" Mr. Qin said without any pretense.
Wen Yongwang's expression turned visibly unpleasant. Wasn't he told not to talk about it so quickly?
Treason!
"When did you find out?" Wen Yongwang pulled the man back into his office, his face increasingly embarrassed.
"What? My son is dating your son, and I'm supposed to be the only one kept in the dark? I haven't even told you about this yet! Do you think I'm the kind of unenlightened parent? You didn't even tell me your child was dating!" He only found out that his son was finally dating after he overheard Qin Zhou's phone call that night!
He's still Lao Wen's child.
Wen Yongwang coughed awkwardly, "Well, there's something else going on, you know that."
Mr. Qin glared at him unhappily: "What other things? It's just that you were engaged to Chengcheng, right? They don't even care about the child, so why are you thinking about all this? Qin Zhou already told me that Wencheng and he have absolutely nothing going on. If you, the boss of such a big software company, are going to stick to these old-fashioned ideas, then I'm going to kick you out of our chat group!"
Mr. Qin, a talented scholar from a family of scholars, exudes the quintessential ancient scholarly air when he wears his glasses. However, neither calligraphy nor sandalwood incense can tame his increasingly wild heart. In recent years, the elders in his family have gradually lost control of him; he wants to try everything—skydiving, bungee jumping, mountain climbing.
As a model husband, Wen Yongwang has tried his best to avoid going to bars and other drinking parties over the years, adhering to the principle of going home early to be with his wife. On the rare occasions he went out for drinks or travel, Mr. Qin would say, "If you don't go, I won't interfere with your business."
That's absolutely shameful!
"You threaten me with things like this. Did I say I didn't agree? I'm just worried about what your family might think." Wen Yongwang felt that Mr. Qin was being unreasonable.
Mr. Qin raised his hand, revealing a helpless expression: "Do I look like I care?"
Wen Yongwang felt as if he had punched a cotton ball, and finally sighed helplessly.
"Don't be angry, little brother. Xiao Yi is a good boy, and our whole family will love and cherish him. I guarantee he'll be treated much better than my Qin Zhou after he marries into our family! You've already accepted the betrothal gifts, so don't think about the child so much. Let's go for a drink tonight!" Mr. Qin's words drifted off-topic.
Wen Yongwang walked a long way with a sour face.
Just as they reached the elevator, the elevator doors opened first, and there came an old acquaintance from their group, Lao Hu, a shareholder of Wenshi holding five percent of the company.
Old Hu is very similar to Mr. Qin; both are open-minded and easygoing. However, in terms of ease and freedom, Mr. Qin cannot compare to Old Hu.
The Hu family made their fortune in coal mining in the previous generation. They were known for their wealth and were famous in their town. When Hu was in college, he met Wen Yongwang. Knowing that Wen Yongwang wanted to start a business, Hu invested several million yuan without hesitation. Several million yuan was a lot of money at that time. So, after Wen Yongwang's company was on track, Wen Yongwang gave Hu five percent of the shares instead of the one percent that was originally agreed upon. After that, except for the first year, the dividends in each subsequent year were far higher than the total income of Hu's family's coal mine.
After that, Lao Hu took this as an excuse and simply lay down, spending several months each year traveling all over the world taking photos. Now he is a famous photographer. At the same time, his ideas keep up with the times, and every time he comes back, he will come to chat with Wen Yongwang about the new developments of the times.
"Old Wen, hey, Old Qin's here too! It's been so long since we ate together, hasn't it? Come on, let's go, it's on me!" Old Hu wasn't tall, but he was very energetic; few people his age could still exude such enthusiasm.
The typical southerner has a small mustache, which, according to Lao Hu, is for the sake of art.
Mr. Qin readily agreed, and although Wen Yongwang had a sour face, he ultimately did not object.
The three brothers entered the elevator together.
"Old Wen, that's impressive! I was worried that Xiao Qi going out alone would have some impact on you guys. Now that you've come full circle and brought him back, I knew Wen Cheng had potential!" Old Hu couldn't resist teasing.
Wen Yongwang's brow twitched suddenly, and he tried his best to remain calm as he asked, "What is it? Explain clearly."
Old Hu was taken aback. "You don't know?"
Mr. Qin also leaned out, "I don't know either."
Old Hu's body stiffened. "How come you two, who are always with people from the city, are even more behind in terms of information than a wild man like me who just came back from the rainforest? Look, isn't the company's group chat going crazy? The two kids are dating."
Old Hu opened his phone, and in the black chat interface, Rou Rou was lying on a beige sofa chatting with everyone, her brown skin forming a stark contrast with the sofa.
"Oh my, I love this AI in your company no matter how I look at it, but you won't tell me who created it, otherwise I would definitely invite that pretty girl to dinner." Old Hu looked at Rou Rou with the eyes of someone admiring a work of art.
"I think the reason Lao Wen doesn't want to tell you is most likely because she doesn't want you to treat her to dinner," Mr. Qin added.
Wen Yongwang snatched the phone, his mind now focused on its contents. If he remembered correctly, he had been telling his son this morning not to make too much of a fuss, but was his eldest son really that low-key?
"I'm not going to eat yet," Wen Yongwang said, refusing to leave the elevator and even trying to kick them out, but was forcibly pulled out by Lao Hu and Mr. Qin.