Quan Quan seemed to have a telepathic connection. Just when Qiao Guangyu was about to surrender, feeling almost defeated, Quan Quan arrived like a godsend descending to save the situation.

"Huo Zong, there's a call for you," Quan Quan said, seemingly oblivious to Qiao Guangyu's embarrassment, maintaining his poker face. "They couldn't reach you, so they contacted me."

Huo Zhou glanced at Qiao Guangyu, then took the call without any expression. As soon as he said, "Hello," his face changed, and without hesitation, he rushed out.

Qiao Guangyu almost wanted to follow, but Quan Quan stopped him with a gesture.

Glancing at Huo Zhou's figure disappearing at the end of the path, Quan Quan turned back to Qiao Guangyu and said, "Don't go over there. It's from Wu Yu."

"White Moonlight?" Qiao Guangyu mouthed the words, then couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you give him President Huo's business card?" Qiao Guangyu remembered the details from the French restaurant before leaving. He admired how composed Quan Quan was back then.

Quan Quan raised an eyebrow. "The card I gave him that day was actually mine."

Qiao Guangyu eyed him suspiciously and whispered, "Didn't you two contact each other privately earlier?"

"Not very early. Just a few minutes on the phone these past two days," Quan Quan curved his lips slightly, the arc so subtle that it was hard to notice unless one looked closely. "For now, it seems like Wu Yu mainly wants to reconcile with the boss."

"Really?" Qiao Guangyu's eyes lit up, "That's great, victory is in sight!"

"Don't get too excited," Quan Quan poured cold water on his enthusiasm, gesturing towards the tombstone behind him. "President Huo didn't go to Changfeng Island this week..." Instead, he accompanied you to pay respects at the cemetery.

Qiao Guangyu: "...... QAQ."

Quan Quan patted his head, giving him a reality check, then offered some comfort, "But you don't need to be too pessimistic. Since Wu Yu has taken the initiative, let him interact more with the boss in the future, recapture the feeling of their past relationship. You just need to be more low-key, gradually fade out of Huo Zhou's life, and everything should be fine."

Qiao Guangyu breathed a long sigh of relief. He was truly scared by Huo Zhou. If he didn't adhere to the professionalism of being a substitute and remain a dedicated and trustworthy "employee," Qiao Guangyu really wanted to pack up and disappear, never to get entangled in other people's love affairs again.

Quan Quan took a few steps forward, glanced at Huo Zhou at the foot of the mountain, analyzed from his movements that the phone call was about to end, then turned back to Qiao Guangyu and said, "Get ready to go down. The boss is almost done with the call. Don't keep him waiting."

"Ah, okay." Qiao Guangyu quickly followed him.

Still a bit puzzled, Qiao Guangyu took the opportunity to quietly ask behind Quan Quan, "Wait, last time I heard the White Moonlight say his number hasn't changed, so did Huo Zong change his phone? Otherwise, why would he contact you instead of going directly to Huo Zong?"

Quan Quan nodded, walking ahead without turning back. "Exactly as you thought."

"My brain's memory doesn't seem to be enough... What did you just say?" Qiao Guangyu murmured to himself, then repeated, "One changes his phone after his lover leaves but still finds a substitute for nostalgia, while the other, after breaking up and leaving, hasn't changed his phone number till now... Hey, these two..."

Qiao Guangyu couldn't find words to describe them.

In his opinion, it was pure nonsense, wasting time and energy.

"Like my mom always says," Qiao Guangyu whispered, "if they were busy with the necessities of life every day, they wouldn't have so much energy to fuss over love. When their bellies aren't full, how can they have the energy to talk about love and ponder over whether their true love is A or B? It's self-inflicted trouble, isn't it?"

Quan Quan stumbled for a moment, almost tripping.

"You..." Quan Quan couldn't help but turn around and glare at him, "Remember not to say such things in front of President Huo."

"I know, I'm just complaining to you," Qiao Guangyu shrugged. He wasn't stupid. He knew that no matter who Huo Zhou liked, he couldn't control it. He didn't want to interfere with the other party, even if Huo Zhou really liked him. It wasn't like the sky would fall. When the time comes, he could just explain things clearly to him. Could Huo Zhou really confine him?

As the two descended the mountain, Huo Zhou also finished his call with Wu Yu. The surprise and nervousness on his face when he first received the call were gone, replaced by his usual composed elite CEO demeanor. Seeing Qiao Guangyu following behind Quan Quan, he didn't show any particular expression.

Qiao Guangyu felt relieved. He was afraid Huo Zhou would bring up old matters, asking where the five million had gone. At that time, he would definitely have to mention one person—Quan Quan.

He didn't want Huo Zhou to find out about the connection between him and Quan Quan, whether it was for his own sake or for Quan Quan's.

In any case, it's best if Huo Zhou doesn't remember. In the future, let's try to avoid discussing topics like money and investments as much as possible.

Once they got into the car, Huo Zhou didn't exchange even a few words with Qiao Guangyu. Instead, he closed his eyes to rest, his whole body emanating an aura of "don't come near me." Seeing him with his eyes closed, seemingly asleep, Qiao Guangyu cautiously switched his phone to silent mode and went online to play his gacha game (NT: video game that implements a toy vending machine mechanic.)

This kind of game, where there's no need for strategy or spending money, and all you have to do is judge by appearances, suited him best.

Just as Qiao Guangyu finished a daily task, Huo Zhou spoke up, startling Qiao Guangyu so much he almost dropped his phone.

"Find someone to replace you as the driver. We're going straight to Changfeng Island," Huo Zhou said to Quan Quan.

"Okay, Huo Zong," Quan Quan replied, then made a call to summon someone, instructing Qian, the assistant, to wait for them along their route, bringing along the prepared documents for their planned work on Changfeng Island.

Quan Quan's efficiency was unquestionable, and Qian was also a capable assistant. When he arrived, he not only brought a box of documents but also two other assistants. With this, they split into two cars. Perhaps because of Wu Yu's phone call earlier, Qiao Guangyu wasn't in the car with Huo Zhou on their way to Changfeng Island.

Of course, Quan Quan didn't ride in the same car with Qiao Guangyu either. Huo Zhou probably had some business to discuss with him, so when Qiao Guangyu got off the car, Quan Quan left the driver's seat to take his place. When Qiao Guangyu changed cars, he deliberately glanced at Quan Quan, but Quan Quan was engrossed in flipping through documents, occasionally discussing something with Huo Zhou.

Qiao Guangyu felt a bit disappointed, but this meant that the second car only had him and the driver assistant, making it easier for him to play games without worry.

After a busy afternoon, Qiao Guangyu finally finished all his daily tasks and participated in two events. As he rubbed his sleepy eyes, the car finally arrived at the destination.

Changfeng Island wasn't entirely an island. Its full name should be "Changfeng Island Development Zone," including a string of islands of various sizes and several small fishing villages nearby.

With urban development accelerating and the pressure of living in the city increasing, the government intended to relocate the city government to the Changfeng area. Smart businessmen, smelling opportunity, rushed into the Changfeng area like a swarm of bees, only to finally divide the most valuable land around the new city government after fierce competition.

Smart individuals focused on the second-tier areas, concentrating on developing resorts and high-end residential areas—competition wasn't as fierce, and the investment wasn't as high, although the returns weren't as high as the commercial districts, they were still considerable.

Huo Zhou was certainly a smart person. From the beginning, he had no intention of spending a lot of money to grab those commercial areas. Instead, while others were fervently competing, he slowly acquired the surrounding small fishing villages and now held a large piece of land.

The Wu family entered alongside him. Originally, the person in charge of the Changfeng Island project was the eldest of the Wu family, Wu Jun. Recently, it had changed to Wu Yu, who had just joined the company. It's unclear whether it was to accumulate experience for Wu Yu or because Huo Zhou was here.

Qiao Guangyu wasn't interested in these matters. When Quan Quan talked to him about Huo Zhou's recent projects, he listened with drowsiness, only perking up a bit when Wu Yu was mentioned at the end. "Hmm... So the White Moonlight is actively pursuing President Huo now?"

Quan Quan remembered Huo Zhou's eagerness to meet when they first arrived at Changfeng Island and nodded. "Sort of."

Yawning, Qiao Guangyu mentioned, "They're going for a candlelight dinner, shall we go for a feast too?" Thinking about being by the seaside, Qiao Guangyu's eyes lit up with anticipation. "How about seafood?"

"Sure," Quan Quan was unusually decisive this time. "I'll treat you to a seafood feast."

"Wow, you said it!" Qiao Guangyu immediately perked up, suddenly feeling refreshed and no longer tired. "I want to eat lobsters, crabs, squid, scallops, oysters, clams..."

Gulp, his mouth was watering.

Quan Quan was extremely disdainful of his appearance of starving for centuries. "It's not like I'm not feeding you. Is it necessary?"

"It is necessary!" Qiao Guangyu nodded vigorously. "I didn't have much seafood when I was a kid. We could only have some during festivals. Now that I have money, not allowing me to eat is simply too much. This time, I must eat my fill!"

Quan Quan felt a bit helpless. "Alright, alright, eat as much as you want. Even if you bankrupt me, it's okay."

After saying this, Qiao Guangyu felt a bit embarrassed. "This doesn't seem right... Let me leave the money to you, just in case I don't receive the final payment, I'll still have you to rely on for meals." He then told Quan Quan about Huo Zhou asking him about the five million.

—The three-year contract Qiao Guangyu signed with Huo Zhou didn't involve a one-time payment. Instead, it was a staggered payment of one million for the first year, two million for the second year, and the remaining two million after the end of the third year without any incidents.

The reason why both he and Quan Quan were so concerned about these last few months was simply because of the money.

But what else could they do? If they didn't discuss money, were they supposed to discuss feelings with Huo Zhou?

 

Translator : DarNan