126: Chapter 126 Giving Up

Chapter 124: Giving Up

The afternoon was no different from the morning.

Qiao Yichen continued to chat intermittently with Zhou Qian and Yu Peishan on WeChat.

Of these two girls, one worked in the HR Department of Sweet Spring Group, and the other was a receptionist; both had plenty of free time.

The topics they discussed were diverse, ranging from what they had for lunch to the latest shows they were binge-watching, and occasionally, they would gossip about their respective companies. Back and forth, they chatted quite happily.

He didn't neglect things on Wang Xiao's end either.

Messages about freelance work came in from time to time; he had to keep an eye on the group, chat with suitable clients, and take on the jobs he could handle.

He also had to periodically check the ad placement data with the three people in his group. When the data fluctuated significantly, the group messages would fill several screens as everyone chimed in to analyze the causes.

With several things rotating, the day passed; it seemed relaxed, but it was actually quite productive.

After returning home from work in the evening, Qiao Yichen went straight into the bedroom and flopped onto the bed, letting out a satisfied sigh.

"Home is still the most comfortable—" He stared at the ceiling, sinking his entire body into the quilt.

Liu Yanran glanced at him, ignored him, and went straight into the bathroom to remove her makeup.

Not long after she went in, Qiao Yichen's phone rang.

He answered; it was a delivery call: "Hello, your flowers have arrived. They're at the door."

Qiao Yichen rolled out of bed and walked to the door.

The delivery guy handed over a large bouquet of red roses, exquisitely packaged, with tiny water droplets still on the petals.

He took them, said thanks, and carried the flowers back to the bedroom.

He gently placed the flowers on the nightstand and adjusted the angle before nodding in satisfaction.

Today was May 21st.

Yesterday, May 20th, was a holiday with deep meaning, and there probably weren't many people like him who had completely forgotten about it.

It wasn't until he was browsing his groups in the afternoon and saw people talking about it—with screens full of photos of flowers and gifts—that Qiao Yichen belatedly realized. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly ordered a bouquet.

One must have a sense of ritual.

Just as he was thinking this, Liu Yanran's phone, which was placed next to the flowers, lit up.

Qiao Yichen picked it up casually—a WeChat friend request popped up on the screen.

The request note read: "Yanran, it's me, Shiyu, your boyfriend."

Qiao Yichen stared at those words for a few seconds, the corner of his mouth curling into an ambiguous arc.

This guy really... just won't give up.

After a moment's thought, he clicked 'Accept'.

As soon as it was accepted, messages flooded in like a deluge.

Zhou Shiyu: "Yanran, you finally accepted!"

Zhou Shiyu: "I know I was wrong. Can you give me one more chance, please?"

Zhou Shiyu: "Is there really no chance for us anymore?"

Zhou Shiyu: "Are you there? Please reply to me."

Zhou Shiyu: "Yanran?"

Qiao Yichen looked at the messages frantically popping up on the screen and felt a bit of a headache.

He held down the voice message button and sent a message over.

The other side replied almost instantly.

Zhou Shiyu's voice was clearly out of tune as he asked demandingly, "Who are you?!"

Qiao Yichen sent another voice message, his tone lazy and carrying a hint of a smile: "You don't recognize my voice? We just met last week."

Zhou Shiyu was silent for a few seconds, and when he spoke again, his voice was filled with disbelief: "Why is Yanran's phone in your hands? Where is she?"

Qiao Yichen glanced toward the bathroom; the door was closed, and the faint sound of water came from within.

He spoke slowly into the phone, "She's taking a shower."

Zhou Shiyu clearly exploded on the other end: "You're lying! I don't believe you!"

Qiao Yichen sighed. Why wouldn't this guy believe him? He picked up the phone and filmed a few seconds of video—Liu Yanran's room, her vanity, the clothes she had casually draped over the back of a chair, and her things on the nightstand.

Then he sent it to Zhou Shiyu.

"Believe me now?"

The other side went silent.

There was no sound at all from that end for so long that Qiao Yichen thought he had already backed off.

Just as he was about to put the phone down, he suddenly remembered something and added another message, his tone casual yet carrying a hint of marking his territory: "I'm deleting you now; I need to go hug my wife."

After sending it, without waiting for a reply, he immediately blocked and deleted him, a clean sweep.

The bathroom door opened.

Liu Yanran came out wrapped in a bath towel, her hair dripping wet, drying it with a towel as she walked toward the bed. Seeing him holding her phone, she asked casually, "Who were you just talking to?"

Qiao Yichen put the phone back on the nightstand and said nonchalantly, "Zhou Shiyu added you again. I used your phone to chat with him for a bit."

Liu Yanran's movements paused, her brow furrowing slightly: "He added me? What did you say?"

Qiao Yichen briefly recounted what had happened, finally adding, "He's blocked again now. Don't worry, he won't come back."

After hearing this, Liu Yanran didn't have much of an expression on her face; she just nodded: "I see."

Then her gaze fell upon the bouquet of red roses on the nightstand.

Her expression changed visibly—her brow smoothed out, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly, and her eyes were filled with surprise. She walked over, picked up the bouquet, and leaned in to sniff it; the petals still carried a faint fragrance.

She looked up at him, her eyes bright, her tone carrying an unmistakable cheerfulness: "Did you buy these?"

Qiao Yichen nodded and smiled a bit sheepishly, scratching his head: "I forgot about 520 yesterday, so I'm making up for it today."

I didn't know if you'd like them, just a small gesture."

Liu Yanran held the flowers, her face full of an irrepressible smile, her voice softening: "I like them."

Seeing her like this, Qiao Yichen felt happy as well, his tone filled with doting: "As long as you like them. I'll buy you more next time."

Liu Yanran put the flowers down and sat at the vanity to start her skincare routine. She glanced at him in the mirror and urged, "Go take a shower."

Qiao Yichen scrambled up and headed to the bathroom.

By the time he finished and came out, Liu Yanran was already in bed, wearing a thin nightgown, leaning against the headboard scrolling through her phone.

Qiao Yichen lifted the quilt and slipped in, naturally reaching out to pull her into his arms.

Liu Yanran didn't move, continuing to scroll through her phone.

Qiao Yichen's hands began to grow restless, rubbing against her through the thin nightgown.

Liu Yanran's body stiffened slightly, her face slowly turning red, and her breathing became a bit erratic.

Qiao Yichen leaned close to her ear, his voice low and suggestive: "Wife, how about wearing a pair of those stockings?"

The tips of Liu Yanran's ears turned red, and she turned her head away, muttering softly, "No..."

Qiao Yichen didn't give up, his hands continuing to roam over her body while his mouth didn't stop either, pressing against her ear with persistent pleading.

Unable to withstand his persistence, Liu Yanran finally nodded with a flushed face, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum:

Fine."

Qiao Yichen immediately got excited, springing up from the bed and rushing to the wardrobe in a few steps. He rummaged through it and finally picked out a pair of black and red sexy stockings—a classic style with lace trim that went all the way up to the waist.

Seeing his enthusiastic look, Liu Yanran helplessly buried her face in the pillow and sighed muffledly, "I really owe you..."

When Qiao Yichen returned, she took the stockings and slowly put them on.

The black stockings contrasted with her fair skin, and the red lace trim looked exceptionally beautiful under the dim light of the bedside lamp.

Looking at her seductive curves, Qiao Yichen's throat bobbed.

He leaned down, starting to kiss her from her thighs, working his way up. Each touch caused her body to tremble, her breathing becoming more and more ragged.

The kisses slid past her waist, reached her upper body, climbed her collarbone, and finally arrived at her red lips.

He sealed them directly.

Liu Yanran's whimpers were blocked by his lips, leaving only faint sounds escaping from between their teeth.

Before she could react, his entire body was already pressing down on her.

Intermittent moans echoed in the room, mixing with the sound of rain outside, dissipating into the night.

At two in the morning, Qiao Yichen held the burning body in his arms, drifting between sleep and wakefulness.

Deep in his consciousness, this month's three pieces of intelligence floated quietly.

He instinctively looked at the third piece of intelligence [Intelligence 3].

Liu Yanran's ex-boyfriend, Zhou Shiyu, will return to Hangzhou on the afternoon of May 17th (Saturday).

Zhou Shiyu works in Shanghai and has been broken up with Liu Yanran for about two months.

Originally, contact had dwindled due to the long distance and work reasons; Zhou Shiyu was tempted for a long time by Liu Yanran's best friend, Lin Wanwan (a female streamer on a certain platform), and ultimately chose to give up on Liu Yanran to be with Lin Wanwan.

Recently, Lin Wanwan initiated a breakup because she looked down on Zhou Shiyu for being unable to provide the life she wanted.

The handwriting began to change, as if being wiped away by an invisible eraser, line by line fading and dissipating, finally vanishing from his vision.

Immediately following, a new system prompt emerged:

[Intelligence 3 verification complete.]

[Target clearly knows that reconciliation is hopeless.]

The text remained for three seconds and then slowly faded away.