"Hmm? Something's off. Both of you are acting weird." Shen Qi expressed her suspicion.
"Oh, it's nothing really." Liu Yi slumped against the wall, deflated. "Remember that morning at breakfast when you argued with Cui Yuelan?"
Shen Qi nodded. "Of course I remember. Getting slapped in front of so many people in this lifetime—it'd be strange if I forgot."
"After that day, Wen Yibo suddenly came to me and asked why you hadn't called He Yining. I said, how would I know?" Liu Yi spread her hands. "Then he acted like he had a screw loose, suddenly looking down on me, saying it made sense that I wouldn't understand. I wasn't having it, so I asked him what he meant."
"Then he said that a tomboy like me doesn't understand love, so of course I wouldn't get what's going on between you and He Yining." Liu Yi's face flushed with anger. "How could I let him get away with that?"
"How did you fight back?" Shen Qi grew curious. She hadn't expected such a dramatic turn of events after that day!
"I gave him a shoulder throw, of course!" Liu Yi said matter-of-factly. "He called me a tomboy, so I let him feel the power of one!"
Shen Qi's mouth fell open. "..."
Now she understood why those two had been like fighting cocks the moment they met tonight!
So they'd already tussled before this!
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
Wen Yibo, who prided himself on flitting through flowers without a leaf sticking to him—this time, he'd gotten himself stuck, hadn't he?
"Ugh, if it weren't for our Fifth Team, I really wouldn't want to come." Liu Yi sighed. "From here on out, Xiao Qi, it's all on you!"
"Huh? Me?" Shen Qi pointed at her own nose. "I'm no good either! I'm still in the middle of divorcing him!"
"Xiao Qi!" Liu Yi grabbed Shen Qi's shoulders, her expression serious. "At least you can sit down and have a proper talk with He Yining. Do you think Wen Yibo and I can have a civil conversation? One wrong word and it's a shoulder throw, you know?"
Shen Qi was speechless.
She and He Yining certainly didn't resort to shoulder throws over every disagreement!
But that guy would just force a kiss on her out of nowhere!
How was she supposed to negotiate like that?
Liu Yi spoke earnestly, "Xiao Qi, it's time to make a sacrifice for our Fifth Team. The rest is up to you!"
With that, Liu Yi clasped her hands together, looking at Shen Qi with a pleading expression.
Seeing how troubled Liu Yi seemed, Shen Qi could only reluctantly nod. "Fine, I'll ask."
Hearing Shen Qi's answer, Liu Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Back in the room, the four men at the table hadn't been idle either, all discussing the Tengfei merger case.
Now Tengfei was no more, fully absorbed into Juli Electric as a building block.
Last year, Feng Manlun had swallowed an entire massive cake for just a tenth of its cost.
The轰动 effect of that event lingered even into this year.
After He Yining, Wen Yibo, and Fan Sheng Fan Li carefully studied Feng Manlun's strategies and methods, He Yining frowned and said, "From his approach, his style has changed compared to before. Our two wins in the Northwest Mining and Commerce Ministry cases were, frankly, partly luck."
Wen Yibo and the Fan brothers nodded in agreement.
"His methods are a lot like mine—swift and overwhelming, like Hitler's blitzkrieg, charging hard and fast. Now, a year later, Feng Manlun has had time to regroup, and Tengfei is fully integrated into Juli Electric. Trying to snatch another piece from him will be tough, but not impossible." He Yining continued, "We know each other well. If he chooses a forceful approach, I'll have to go with the slow-boil method, infiltrating bit by bit."
"Got any good ideas?" Wen Yibo dropped his flippant attitude, looking serious. "Yining, Juli Electric is a pillar industry in H Province. If you make a move on it rashly, the higher-ups might not approve."
He Yining smirked. "I can't openly do anything to Juli Electric, but that doesn't mean someone else can't."
"You've got another bad idea." Fan Sheng and Fan Li said in unison. "Every time you say that, we know you're scheming again."
He Yining didn't deny it. He nodded. "I can't get involved, but the Commerce Ministry can. Feng Manlun's always been sore about not landing those Commerce Ministry cases, hasn't he? My brother-in-law, Shen Wu, is currently on loan to the Commerce Ministry. If I can convince him to help, get the Ministry to have a chat with the Feng family, and then I pretend not to know and get 'notified' by the Ministry—if the Fengs are willing to give up a small stake in Juli Electric in exchange for one of my cases, do you think Feng Manlun would agree?"
Wen Yibo and the Fan brothers all made a contemptuous gesture.
"Too despicable!" Wen Yibo, Fan Sheng, and Fan Li shouted in unison. "Getting the advantage while playing the victim—how are you still alive and well? Where's the justice?"
He Yining chuckled. "Feng Manlun's biggest hang-up is me. He's always trying to outdo me. Northwest Mining is out of his reach now—it's ours. But those Commerce Ministry cases aren't set in stone yet; we only have priority rights. Do you think Feng Manlun will really give up?"
Fan Li said, "Maybe Feng Manlun is betting you'll make a move on Juli Electric, which is why he came to M City with us openly—to lure you in. Don't forget, you know Feng Manlun, but he knows you too."
Wen Yibo and Fan Sheng nodded in agreement.
"That's possible. But do I, He Yining, fear Feng Manlun?" He Yining smiled confidently. "Those Commerce Ministry cooperation cases can be big or small. The key is smoothing things over with the higher-ups. That's something Feng Manlun needs more than I do. My He family spans the globe, while the Feng family is rooted in H Province. The difference is clear. He's more desperate to clear his channels. Even if he predicts I'll strike at him, so what? I only want a slice of Juli Electric, not the whole thing."
"Good, as long as you know what you're doing." Wen Yibo nodded. "As long as you don't swallow Juli Electric whole, the higher-ups won't come after you."
"I know my limits." He Yining laughed lightly. "The Feng family wouldn't dare say no to me."
Just then, Shen Qi and Liu Yi returned, and the four of them ended the topic.
Shen Qi sat back down in her seat and began eating in silence.
Even though everyone knew their purpose,
it felt awkward to bring it up at the dinner table.
Especially with their current awkward positions.
Wen Yibo and the Fan brothers were quick on the uptake. After eating, they dragged a reluctant Liu Yi out of the room.
Liu Yi didn't want to leave at first, but after thinking it over, why should she meddle in a couple's business?
So she went along.
Now only He Yining and Shen Qi were left in the room.
Feeling the pressure from the man beside her, Shen Qi instinctively stood up to leave.
"Where are you going?" He Yining asked lazily.
"I... I... I'm going to pay the bill." Shen Qi made up an excuse.
"Wen Yibo already paid." He Yining called her bluff. "Would we let a woman treat us? Do we have any dignity left?"
"I... I..." Shen Qi didn't know what to say.
He Yining turned slightly to face her.
Shen Qi didn't know whether to stay or go.
He Yining smirked seductively. "Don't you have anything to ask me? Hmm?"
Shen Qi fidgeted with her dress. "I... I..."
He Yining slowly stood and walked toward her.
Shen Qi instinctively backed away, step by step, until she hit the wall with nowhere to go.
He Yining moved unhurriedly, like a hunting leopard, closing in on its prey, driving it into his kill zone.
Shen Qi pressed her back against the wall, looking at He Yining uneasily.
For some reason, she felt he was especially dangerous tonight.
He Yining's long fingers lifted her chin, a slight smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "Are you sure you don't want to ask? Maybe after tonight, you won't get another chance."
Shen Qi thought about her mission, her mind in turmoil.
After a long struggle, she bit her lower lip and mustered the courage to ask, "Fine, I have a question. What exactly is the test for the semifinals?"
He Yining's phoenix eyes narrowed, the smile in them rippling with charm.
"So, are you asking me for help now?" He Yining slowly leaned in, catching the scent of her hair.
It was a familiar fragrance!
Every time he smelled it, he could sleep through the night.
He hadn't slept well in so long.
Shen Qi watched helplessly as He Yining drew closer, frozen in place.
"Yes..." Shen Qi swallowed hard.
He was so close—was he going to force a kiss on her again?
Her ears reddened, and her cheeks flushed a delicate pink.
He Yining mischievously lowered his gaze to meet hers. "What are you thinking? Why are you blushing?"
"Huh? I... ah, no, I'm not..." Shen Qi panicked, avoiding his eyes.
"Really?" He Yining's eyes curved. "But your body is more honest than your mouth. Are you hoping I'll kiss you here?"
Ah, he said it!
He actually said it out loud!
"I... I am not!" Shen Qi felt her face burning.
How could he say something like that so casually?
How could such intimate words come from a couple about to divorce?