124: Chapter 124 Tenderness and Speculation

Chapter 122: Gentleness and Speculation

At six o'clock, amidst the unconscious waiting, Qiao Yichen lay on the sofa out of boredom and fell asleep.

After Liu Yanran finished replying to the last email, she stretched her arms upward, her neck arching slightly as her whole body relaxed.

Her gaze fell upon the figure sleeping soundly on the sofa, and she called out softly, "Yichen?"

There was no response.

She casually turned off the computer, picked up her bag from the desk, and walked over to the sofa. Qiao Yichen was lying on his side, his breathing steady and his brow relaxed; it was rare for him to sleep so deeply.

Instead of waking him immediately, she knelt by the sofa and gently brushed her fingertips across his face.

Her movements were very light and gentle, as if she were touching something fragile.

Feeling a tickling sensation on his face, Qiao Yichen didn't open his eyes, but his hand suddenly grabbed the mischievous hand.

He knew who it was the moment he touched it. He opened his eyes, which still held the haziness of just waking up, yet the corners of his mouth were already curled up. "Yanran, what are you trying to do?"

Liu Yanran smiled and tried to pull away, only to find her hand held tightly. She wasn't annoyed, merely saying softly, "It's time to get off work."

1

Qiao Yichen didn't let go; instead, he gave a gentle pull.

Caught off guard, Liu Yanran was pulled down onto the sofa by him and held tightly in his arms.

Liu Yanran was stunned for a moment, then began to squirm, trying to break free.

Qiao Yichen rested his chin on her shoulder, his voice muffled and tinged with a hint of playfulness. "Don't move."

Sure enough, she stopped moving.

"Let me hold you for a while," he closed his eyes and whispered, "just for a while."

Liu Yanran quieted down. He buried his face in her hair and took a deep breath, feeling as if he were enveloped by her familiar scent.

The two of them lay there quietly like that, neither saying a word.

Two or three minutes later, Liu Yanran spoke softly, her tone somewhat coaxing. "We're still at the office. Let's talk when we get home, okay?"

Qiao Yichen opened his eyes, looked at her profile close at hand, and finally let go.

Liu Yanran stood up and reached out to pull him up as well.

The two of them briefly straightened their clothes. Once they were sure nothing was amiss, Liu Yanran opened the office door.

They walked out one after the other.

Walking to the elevator, they waited side by side as it ascended.

Footsteps and voices suddenly came from behind as Li Yong, Meng Zhi, and Shen Bowen happened to walk over as well.

Qiao Yichen hadn't been in the office all day, so the three of them had been overseeing the execution.

Meng Zhi was a newcomer and had many questions. Although Shen Bowen was steady, he wasn't as flexible as an old fox like Li Yong. The three of them were deep in discussion about the problems they encountered during execution as they walked.

When Li Yong looked up and saw the two people standing by the elevator, his talkative mouth instantly shut.

Shen Bowen also fell silent and adjusted his glasses. Only Meng Zhi remained as quiet as ever, though her gaze inconspicuously swept over the two of them.

The three of them braced themselves and walked over to greet them anyway.

"Hello, Director Liu." Li Yong made a greeting gesture, forcing a smile. "Boss."

Liu Yanran turned her head and gave a faint nod, looking exactly like her usual cold and aloof self at the office.

Qiao Yichen, on the other hand, looked perfectly natural and asked with a smile, "How was today?"

Li Yong, of course, wasn't stupid enough to ask "Boss, why are you here?" He simply replied, "Everything was normal today. The data has been sent to the group."

Qiao Yichen nodded and didn't ask further.

The elevator doors opened.

There were already a few people inside, but there was enough room for the five of them.

The group entered the elevator in silence.

The floor numbers ticked down one by one.

When they reached the first floor, the doors opened, and Li Yong, Meng Zhi, and Shen Bowen filed out.

The elevator doors closed again and continued down to B2.

Once the three of them walked out of the lobby, Li Yong finally let out a long breath and whispered to Shen Bowen, "Holy crap, with Director Liu in the elevator just now, I didn't even dare to breathe loudly. I felt so uneasy."

Shen Bowen pushed up his glasses and, for once, agreed. "Presence is a strange thing; it's hard to explain."

Meng Zhi followed behind, what they said going in one ear and out the other.

She was thinking about something else entirely. Qiao Yichen and Liu Yanran were already a couple, but seeing them waiting for the elevator together at that time, and heading towards the B2 parking lot—a thought flashed through her mind.

They got off work at the same time and were heading to the underground garage together—they'd probably eat together later, and then... could it be they were already living together? This thought suddenly popped up.

As luck would have it, she had guessed correctly.

As they reached the main lobby of the office building, Shen Bowen was still talking about presence when he suddenly turned to look at Meng Zhi behind him. "Meng Zhi, what do you think is the relationship between Director Liu and the Team Leader?"

Hearing this, Li Yong immediately perked up and chimed in, "Ooh, Bowen, why the sudden question?"

Meng Zhi also nodded, looking innocent. "Yeah, how could you ask such a thing?"

Shen Bowen pushed up his glasses and said slowly, "A few times during lunch, I saw them together."

Li Yong's eyes lit up as he whispered gossipingly, "How come I never saw them?"

"It was when I went downstairs to the convenience store to buy things," Shen Bowen thought for a moment. "And look at just now; they seemed to be on quite good terms."

Li Yong gave a long, drawn-out "Oh" of realization.

Only then did Meng Zhi speak, her tone indifferent. "You're asking me, but I don't know either. I'm not close with Director Liu."

After saying that, she opened her umbrella and waved to the two of them. "I'm off. See you tomorrow."

Li Yong and Shen Bowen looked at each other, realizing there was indeed no answer to the question. They shrugged, opened their own umbrellas, and stepped into the curtain of rain.

In the parking lot.

Qiao Yichen got into the car, and Liu Yanran sat in the passenger seat. The car started and slowly drove out of the underground garage.

When they reached the restaurant near their residential complex, they got out of the car. Out here, they didn't intentionally avoid anything, looking no different from a real couple.

Sharing an umbrella, Liu Yanran was practically glued to Qiao Yichen, showing none of her cold and aloof office persona.

After entering the restaurant and taking their seats, Liu Yanran ordered a few dishes—Yam and Pork Ribs, Egg Custard, Stir-fried Seasonal Vegetables, and Braised Prawns. After ordering, she looked up at Qiao Yichen. "How did things go over there today?"

Qiao Yichen briefly recounted the day's events—how he went to the smoking area to get close to people, how he chatted with them, and how he re-confirmed the information about Vice President Wang Yiming and Director Zhang He.

"The two names we got earlier do indeed have conflicts with Li Fan." He took a sip of water. "We can consider making a move using these two people later on."

Liu Yanran nodded and didn't ask more.

The meal was quiet and satisfying.

After dinner, they returned home, and Liu Yanran let herself go the moment she stepped through the door.

She kicked off her high heels, tossed her bag in the entryway, quickly put on her slippers, and ran toward the living room.

Qiao Yichen followed helplessly, bending down to neaten the high heels she had kicked aside and picking up the bag she had thrown on the floor before catching up with her.

Liu Yanran was already sprawled out on the sofa.

Qiao Yichen walked over, sat down beside her waist, and gently patted her back. "What's wrong?"

Like a little girl, Liu Yanran curled her legs upward, her voice sounding a bit coquettish. "My legs are sore, and my waist is sore too."

Qiao Yichen gave a doting smile. "Then I'll give you a massage."

Liu Yanran buried her face in the sofa and started rambling, "I spent basically the whole day in the A3 Conference Room, sitting there all day—"

Then she started blathering about the various problems the Sweet Spring project team encountered today, who disagreed with whom, and which ideas were rejected.

Qiao Yichen didn't speak, just listened quietly.

His hands didn't stop either—starting from her feet, he slowly massaged up to her calves, then her thighs, and finally her waist. Although his technique wasn't professional and he didn't know if he was hitting the right spots, Liu Yanran clearly relaxed. Her talking slowed down, and her voice gradually grew soft.

As he massaged, his hands began to wander.

When he reached her back, he moved his hands toward her sides, his fingertips inadvertently brushing against the sensitive areas of her waist.

Liu Yanran's body stiffened slightly, and she immediately realized his intention. She scrambled up from the sofa, turned back to glare at him with a flushed face, and cried, "Rogue!"

With that, she ran barefoot toward the bedroom, not forgetting to turn back at the door and add, "I'm going to take a shower. You're not allowed to come in!"

Qiao Yichen leaned back on the sofa, watching her fleeing figure, and couldn't help but burst out laughing.