Seeing Shen Qi frantically shaking her head at him, He Yining couldn't help but curl his lips at the corners. Shen Qi was screaming inside. Laugh your ass off! Hurry up and explain! If this keeps up, I'll sleep with the big white goose!
He Yining cleared his throat and said, "Are there any other spare rooms?" The other person smiled brightly. "There are, but they're all storage rooms. And, as you know, up in the mountains, bugs, ants, snakes, and mice are unavoidable. The storage rooms are basically never cleaned, so spiders, rats, snakes, and such..." Shen Qi felt goosebumps rise on her arms, a chill running down her spine. At the thought of those little creatures, Shen Qi quickly spoke up. "Ah, I think this room is great! Perfect for two people!"
He Yining suppressed a smile and continued walking inside. Shen Qi sighed. What kind of fate was this? Tonight, it looked like she'd be sleeping on the couch... no, tonight she'd probably have to make do with a floor bed. Fine, floor bed it is. This was a business trip, not a vacation! Even though she hadn't been of much use so far, she was still here on business!
Shen Qi kept mentally psyching herself up, and by the time she saw the full layout of the room, she didn't mind the floor bed anymore. Because this room was actually pretty nice.
After that person left, Shen Qi immediately said, "The weather isn't cold now, so I'll just sleep on the floor. Tonight, I definitely won't disturb you! Really!" He Yining just gave her a meaningful look without saying a word. Shen Qi awkwardly stepped aside, blending into the background.
He Yining suddenly spoke up. "If you can find a way to convince Brother Mo to help me out, I'll reduce your debt by five hundred thousand." Shen Qi was stunned. Huh? What did he mean? She was supposed to handle this? If he couldn't do it, how could she? But five hundred thousand! With that extra money, she could find a better doctor for her brother, maybe help him recover faster. Shen Qi couldn't help but be tempted.
"Are you serious?" Shen Qi asked in disbelief. "Yeah." He Yining raised an eyebrow, looking at her with an air of charm. "Then... what do you want him to help you with?" Shen Qi asked nervously, her gut telling her this wasn't simple. Sure enough, He Yining's next sentence nearly sent her into despair.
"Brother Mo has an underground connection in the UAE. I want to use that connection to get in touch with someone there. I accidentally bought a piece of land in the UAE, and it turns out there's natural gas underneath it. To start extraction, I need to pull some strings. Brother Mo's network in the UAE is strong—if he steps in, it'll be foolproof." He Yining actually explained it to Shen Qi. Shen Qi was dumbfounded. "Is this a big deal?" "Worth hundreds of trillions of euros. What do you think?" He Yining chuckled softly. Shen Qi bit her lip, struggling for a moment, then said, "If I help you, I want the entire debt wiped clean!" "Greedy." He Yining suddenly reached out and tapped Shen Qi on the forehead. The cold touch left her frozen in place. He was her idol! Why was he being so down-to-earth?
"Five hundred thousand, no more." He Yining looked Shen Qi up and down. "If it weren't for the fact that I can't ask my father for help, I wouldn't be coming to Brother Mo. If it comes down to it, I can just go to my father. It's not like this is the only path." Shen Qi gritted her teeth. "Deal." Watching her grit her teeth, He Yining couldn't hide the amusement in his eyes. Sure enough, bringing her along on this trip had added a lot of fun.
"If you can get it done today, you can sleep in the bed tonight." He Yining dangled another carrot. Shen Qi glanced at the big bed inside. Ah, what a comfortable big bed! Everything on the bed was top-notch, every embroidered flower on the sheets handmade. She'd never slept on such a nice bed in her life. For the debt, for the bed, she'd give it her all!
At dinner, as soon as Brother Mo saw Shen Qi, he burst out laughing before even saying a word. Every time Shen Qi opened her mouth, Brother Mo couldn't help but laugh. Shen Qi was frustrated. Great, she'd never have any dignity in front of him now. The meal passed by without Shen Qi tasting a thing.
As dinner wound down, Shen Qi cautiously asked, "Brother Mo, can I have a word with you later?" Brother Mo quickly glanced at He Yining and nodded at Shen Qi. "Sure." With his approval, Shen Qi finally relaxed a little.
After dinner, Shen Qi rehearsed her pitch in her head as she followed Brother Mo to the tea room for tea. Despite Brother Mo looking like a burly Schwarzenegger type, his tea-making skills were excellent.
"So Yining sent you, huh?" Brother Mo pushed a teacup toward Shen Qi. "Thanks." Shen Qi took it with both hands. "Yeah... yes." Brother Mo looked at her with a smile. "Do you know why Yining came to me?" "He said he wants to use your network to get connections in the UAE. He bought a piece of land with natural gas underneath." Shen Qi answered honestly. "He tells you everything, huh." Brother Mo chuckled. "Do you know why I turned him down?" Shen Qi shook her head honestly. "Do you know who Yining's father is?" Brother Mo pressed on. Shen Qi found it strange. Why did everyone ask her that? He Yining had asked, and now Brother Mo was asking too. Of course, He Yining's father was from the He family!
"And do you know why the He Corporation wasn't handed to his father but directly from the grandfather to Yining?" Brother Mo asked again. Shen Qi shook her head blankly. How would she know about these wealthy family matters?
"Then you probably don't know about my relationship with Yining's father either?" Brother Mo said with a smile. Shen Qi nodded politely. "Well..." Brother Mo shook his head helplessly. "You don't know anything. How are you supposed to help him?" Shen Qi replied sheepishly, "Uh... I have a little deal with him. If I successfully convince you, he'll..." Shen Qi trailed off, but Brother Mo filled in the blanks with all sorts of secrets between a young couple.
"Old Man He never liked business; he was always into weapons and combat. So early on, he went abroad, joined the U.S. Delta Force under a false name. When he got bored of that, he went to Africa and started his own team. I was his second-in-command and bodyguard back then, going through life-and-death situations with him many times. Because Old Man He was so unreliable, the He family patriarch laid down the law: as long as he produced an heir, he could do whatever he wanted." Shen Qi's jaw dropped. So her so-called father-in-law was that unreliable! And how did her so-called husband end up as the He family's adopted son?