A day passed quickly as the two of them worked on their designs.
At noon, they ate while discussing ideas for the house. Since Brother Mo said he trusted Shen Qi's taste, she eagerly volunteered a few sketches. Although most were rejected by He Yining, the floor-to-ceiling window design was ultimately kept.
Shen Qi excitedly said, "Imagine it: in winter, heavy snowflakes falling, swirling and drifting, covering the entire mountain. The gray peaks don armor, green trees wear crowns of white. Outside, it's biting cold; inside, it's warm as spring. We could lay a carpet here with underfloor heating, lie down to watch the snow, sip some black tea... Wow, it'd be so luxurious! And here, can we add a fireplace..."
Shen Qi gestured clumsily at the design, "Otherwise, it'd be too cold in winter."
He Yining's slender fingers lightly tapped the back of her hand. "Don't fidget. You can't put a fireplace here."
"What about here?" Shen Qi pointed to another spot. "Even if the house has underfloor heating, we still need a fireplace. There's so much firewood in the mountains; it'd be a waste not to have one."
He Yining suddenly reached out and grabbed Shen Qi's finger. "This spot you're pointing at—weren't you just insisting on a mural there? How can you have both a mural and a fireplace?"
He Yining's fingers were very elegant—long joints, palms with a slight callus. The warmth from his palm instantly traveled to Shen Qi's heart. Her heart trembled inexplicably.
Seeing that He Yining seemed unaware, Shen Qi instinctively tried to pull her finger away. But as she moved, he tightened his grip, refusing to let go.
"If you insist on a fireplace, then the mural can't stay. Or we could move the mural somewhere else." He Yining seemed not to notice Shen Qi's emotional shift and continued, "If we move it, what do you think about putting it here?"
Shen Qi's ears flushed faintly, and she mumbled, "Ah... sure."
He Yining still held her finger, as if he'd completely forgotten about it, and asked, "What kind of carpet do you think we should put here? What style do you like?"
"Ah..." Shen Qi was dazed.
He Yining looked up at her, his phoenix eyes sweeping over her slightly reddened ears. The corner of his mouth curved, and he repeated, "What carpet do you like? Or rather, which country's work do you prefer?"
"For me, it's simple. I like white, soft, comfortable ones that make you want to roll around on them." Shen Qi answered without thinking.
"Hmm, let's go with velvet then." He Yining made the decision immediately.
Shen Qi's slender fingers were held in his palm, and He Yining couldn't help rubbing them with his thumb. The delicate touch, unique to a girl, made his heart tremble slightly.
"I... I'll go pour you some tea." Feeling the thumb's caress, waves of electricity struck Shen Qi, sending a tingling numbness through her body. She couldn't take it anymore and forcefully pulled her finger back, deliberately finding an excuse to leave.
He Yining nodded, feeling the softness in his palm turn empty, and a sense of loss washed over him.
When Shen Qi returned with the teacup, the two acted as if nothing had happened and returned to normal.
The entire day was spent finalizing the blueprints. When the design was handed to Brother Mo, he happily patted He Yining on the shoulder. "Yining, you've really put a lot of effort into this!"
"It's nothing! As for the construction, don't worry. I'll send my own team to handle it. If you need anything specific, just tell them directly." He Yining smiled in reply. "Brother Mo, don't be polite with me."
Brother Mo turned to Shen Qi. "Xiao Qi, when the house is built, you have to come! This is the spot you picked!"
Shen Qi agreed readily, "Sure!"
He Yining gave Shen Qi a half-smiling glance and said to Brother Mo, "We'll head back then. Keep me updated on anything."
Brother Mo nodded, then suddenly remembered something. "Wait a moment!" He whispered something to his subordinate. The man glanced quickly at Shen Qi and left.
Ten minutes later, the man returned with a basket and handed it directly to Shen Qi.
"This is a farewell gift for you." Brother Mo said with a grin.
Shen Qi looked down and her face turned green. It was a whole basket of goose eggs! Brother Mo! You said you wouldn't tease me anymore! Where's the trust between people?
He Yining and the others, including Xiao Chun, couldn't help but laugh.
Shen Qi gritted her teeth and took the basket, thanking Brother Mo with a sour expression. "Thanks, Brother Mo!"
Brother Mo laughed heartily and ruffled Shen Qi's hair. "Alright, take care on the road. Come visit me often."
"Mm." Shen Qi nodded obediently, got into the car with the others, and waved goodbye to Brother Mo.
The RV slowly drove down the mountain along the path they'd come. Shen Qi stared blankly at the basket of goose eggs. How was she supposed to deal with so many?
He Yining raised an eyebrow at her. "There's a kitchen on the RV. Let's boil them all and eat them."
Shen Qi sighed dejectedly. "So many goose eggs—how long will it take to finish? And just eating boiled eggs, can you stomach that? Wait, did you say there's a kitchen on board?" Her eyes lit up. "Is there any food?"
"Of course." He Yining looked up at her. "What, want to show off your cooking? I remember someone saying my kitchen tools weren't convenient, which is why the food was so bad..."
Shen Qi immediately patted her chest. "Fine, I'll show you." With that, she picked up the basket of goose eggs and headed into the kitchen.
Just as Shen Qi entered the kitchen, Xiao Chun came over with a phone. "President, it's Miss Feng on the line."
Feng Kexin? What did she want? He Yining glanced at it and ignored the call. The ringing stopped, and a message came through. Calls could be refused, but messages couldn't be avoided.
"Yining, about the matter we didn't settle last time, can we find time to discuss it properly? Our families have worked together for years; don't let a moment of anger affect our relationship." Feng Kexin's message forced He Yining to take the phone.
He dialed back, and the other end picked up quickly. "Yining, are you not angry anymore?"
He Yining's tone was flat. "Miss Feng, I'll have my subordinates handle the communication with your company directly."
Feng Kexin suddenly lowered her voice. "Yining, you're still upset. I'm calling this time to apologize and to give you some news. I'm very interested in Wen Yibo's acquisition case, and I plan to get involved."