112: Chapter 112 Ripples on a Rainy Day

May 16, 2025, Friday, Light Rain, 22-27°C.

The alarm went off right on time at seven o'clock. Qiao Yichen climbed out of bed and walked over to the window to take a look—outside, a fine drizzle was falling, the threads of rain drifting diagonally and gathering into streaks of water on the glass.

He picked up his phone, took a few photos of the view outside, and opened WeChat. First, he sent them to Zhou Qian with a message: "Morning, it's raining today."

Then he switched to Yu Peishan's chat box. Same photos, same message: "Morning, it's raining. Remember to bring an umbrella when you head out."

After sending them, he set his phone aside and turned to the bathroom to wash up.

By the time he finished brushing his teeth and came out, his phone screen was lit up. Yu Peishan had replied the fastest: "I just woke up and saw this, so thoughtful~ You too, be careful on the road."

Qiao Yichen replied with a smiley face and didn't chat further.

Zhou Qian's message arrived as well, a simple: "Mm, you take care too."

Her tone was still indifferent, but at least she replied.

Liu Yanran poked half her head out from under the covers, squinting as she watched him stand by the window looking at his phone. Her voice was still thick with sleep: "Who are you chatting with so early in the morning?"

Qiao Yichen walked back to the bedside, leaned down, and kissed her on the forehead. "Zhou Qian and Yu Peishan, just saying good morning."

Liu Yanran gave an "Mm," rolled over, and buried her face in the pillow, mumbling indistinctly, "...You men really are..."

Qiao Yichen chuckled, didn't respond, and began to change his clothes.

At the office, Qiao Yichen returned to his desk in the Planning Department and opened his computer to handle daily emails. Once finished, he called Li Yong, Meng Zhi, and Shen Bowen into the small meeting room.

As soon as Li Yong sat down, he couldn't help but chuckle, pointing out the window. "Boss, don't you think this is a bit uncanny? Every time we go out to film something, it rains."

Qiao Yichen smiled but didn't take the bait, moving straight to assigning tasks. "This time is fine, not a big deal. Li Yong, afternoon, you and Shen Bowen head over to do some pick-up shots for the promotional materials."

He turned to Shen Bowen. "Have you thought of the script for the promotional short film yet?"

Shen Bowen pushed up his glasses, opened his laptop, and handed it over. "I've written a few directions; take a look."

The group gathered around and went through the script line by line.

Before they knew it, it was noon.

The rain was still falling. Qiao Yichen and Liu Yanran left the office building under an umbrella.

Liu Yanran didn't have much of an appetite today, so for the first time ever, they ducked into a light-food salad shop and sat down with a bowl of 'grass' each.

Qiao Yichen picked up a piece of lettuce, chewed it, and had an indescribable expression on his face. He pulled out his phone, took a photo of the salad in front of him, and sent it to both Zhou Qian and Yu Peishan with the caption: "Eating this for lunch, I feel like I'm raising a rabbit."

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Yu Peishan replied instantly: "Hahahaha, you're eating grass too? I just got back from the cafeteria; I'm doing a bit better than you, I have meat."

Immediately after, she sent another photo of her lunch—a Teriyaki Chicken Chop set from the cafeteria. Rice, chicken chop, vegetables, and a side soup; it looked quite hearty.

Zhou Qian's message came a few minutes later, just one sentence: "Eating quite healthy."

While Qiao Yichen was looking down replying to messages, he caught Liu Yanran staring at him out of the corner of his eye. She didn't say anything, but she bit into a cherry tomato so hard that the juice splattered.

Qiao Yichen was stunned for a moment, then he laughed. He handed his phone directly to her and said with a smile, "How about you chat for me? You're both women, maybe your thoughts are easier to guess?"

Liu Yanran glanced at the screen and waved it away, her tone helpless. "Forget it, forget it. I'm busy to death; I don't have time to worry about your business."

Qiao Yichen took back his phone. "Alright then."

He opened a food delivery app and ordered a cup of milk tea for both Zhou Qian and Yu Peishan. He added a note: "Milk tea goes well with a rainy day to relieve fatigue," and filled in their company's front desk as the address.

Liu Yanran kept her head down eating the grass on her plate, but her gaze still drifted toward his phone.

She didn't speak, but the force with which she stabbed her fork into the lettuce was just a tiny bit stronger.

While they were eating, Liu Yanran's phone suddenly rang.

She looked at the screen, her brow furrowing slightly. Putting down her fork, she said to Qiao Yichen, "I'm going to take a call."

Qiao Yichen nodded. "Go ahead."

Liu Yanran stood up and walked to the eaves of the shop entrance. Holding her umbrella and with her back to him, she stayed on the phone for four or five minutes before returning.

Qiao Yichen watched her sit down and asked casually, "What's wrong? Who was it?"

Liu Yanran gave a rare roll of her eyes, her tone tinged with disdain. "An annoying person."

After speaking, she picked up her fork again and continued eating her grass, clearly not wanting to talk more about it.

Qiao Yichen didn't press further, but his mind started working.

Tomorrow was May 17th—the date mentioned in Intel No. 3.

Zhou Shiyu was returning to Hangzhou.

Liu Yanran's emotions were usually very stable, but today she suddenly showed a bit of a temper. It seemed his guess was likely correct; it had to be that ex-boyfriend for sure.

He didn't expose it and continued eating his own 'grass'.

The two finished eating in silence, paid the bill, and left the shop.

It was still raining. Qiao Yichen opened his umbrella and pulled Liu Yanran close.

The two walked side-by-side toward the office, their footsteps splashing small ripples on the wet sidewalk.

After walking a short distance, Liu Yanran suddenly turned to look at him and raised an eyebrow. "Are we eating this again next time?"

Qiao Yichen looked at her and started courting death: "Are you dragging me here because you want to lose weight?"

Liu Yanran's movements paused, and then her hand reached out, precisely pinching the flesh at his waist.

Qiao Yichen immediately raised both hands in surrender. "I was wrong, I was wrong. It's just 56; after skipping a few meals, you'll be back to 54."

Liu Yanran increased her grip by another thirty percent and lowered her voice. "You're really finished."

Qiao Yichen grimaced and begged for mercy. Only after she let go did he lean in and whisper in her ear:

"That stuff we talked about last time arrived at the house today. Want to try it tonight?"

Liu Yanran froze for a moment, her face turning beet red instantly. Without a word, she reached out and pushed him out from under the umbrella.

Half of Qiao Yichen's body was getting drenched in the rain, but he didn't dodge; he just looked at her with a beaming smile.

After pushing him twice, seeing that half his shoulder was wet, she couldn't bear it anymore and reached out to pull him back.

"Don't talk about that outside," she mumbled softly, the tips of her ears still red.

Qiao Yichen took the opportunity to hug her and whispered in her ear, "I know, I know. We'll talk at home, talk at home."

In a flash, it was 1:30 PM.

Li Yong and Shen Bowen had gone out on field duty. Meng Zhi and Qiao Yichen were huddled in the small meeting room, occupying opposite ends, each busy with their own work on their laptops.

The meeting room was very quiet, with only the occasional sound of typing.

While Qiao Yichen was flipping through some materials, his phone vibrated.

Yu Peishan's WeChat: "Did you send the milk tea?"

Qiao Yichen glanced at it and typed back: "Yeah, why?"

Yu Peishan replied instantly: "How did you know I like this flavor?"

Qiao Yichen: "I saw it on your moments; didn't you post a photo of the same one before?"

Yu Peishan sent a 'Wow' emoji, followed by a string of text: "You actually scrolled through my moments! Alright then, thank you~ It was a real surprise!"

Qiao Yichen replied with a smiley face.

Yu Peishan asked again: "What are you doing now?"

Qiao Yichen glanced at Meng Zhi, who was typing away at the screen opposite him, and typed back: "Nothing much this afternoon, just slacking off in the meeting room."

Yu Peishan sent a snickering emoji and then asked: "Is your work always this relaxed?"

The two of them started chatting back and forth like that. Compared to yesterday, Yu Peishan was clearly much more proactive and had more to say.

While they were chatting, Zhou Qian's message also popped up.

A photo of a cup of milk tea with the caption: "You ordered this?"

Qiao Yichen sent a nodding emoji.

Zhou Qian replied: "Thank you."

Qiao Yichen looked at the screen, feeling that the milk tea was only a mediocre gesture, so he added: "I also ordered a Longjing Mousse for you; it'll be delivered in a bit. You can eat it if you get hungry this afternoon."

After sending it, he stared at the chat box.

"Typing..." appeared, then disappeared. Disappeared, then appeared again.

Over and over, as if she were wrestling with something.

Qiao Yichen smiled knowingly—no matter what she was wrestling with, as long as it worked.