127: Chapter 127 Investment Progress

Chapter 125: Investment Progress

May 22, 2025, Thursday, light rain, 23~31°C.

At 8:55 AM, Qiao Yichen and Liu Yanran stepped into the B2 elevator just in time.

Qiao Yichen glanced at his phone, thinking five minutes should be enough to get upstairs.

Behind him, Liu Yanran leaned her head against the elevator wall with her eyes half-closed, looking indescribably exhausted.

Their alarm usually goes off at 7:00 AM sharp every day, but they had stayed up late the night before and overslept, not getting out of bed until 8:00 AM, the time they usually left the house.

Then followed a frantic rush to wash up and get ready before driving to the office, without even having time for breakfast.

The elevator went up and reached F1.

The doors opened, and two familiar faces entered: Meng Zhi and Shen Bowen.

Meng Zhi arriving just in time was normal, and Qiao Yichen was used to it. However, Shen Bowen usually arrived early, so it was rare to see him cutting it close today.

As Qiao Yichen was thinking this, Meng Zhi and Shen Bowen spotted him and Liu Yanran.

Shen Bowen opened his mouth to greet them but was pulled back by Meng Zhi. She quietly pointed at Liu Yanran, who looked unwell leaning against the wall, and gave Shen Bowen a look. Understanding the situation, they lowered their voices and said to Qiao Yichen, "Good morning, Team Leader."

Qiao Yichen wasn't feeling great either, but he forced a smile and replied, "Morning."

The elevator continued upward.

Qiao Yichen took out his phone and opened a delivery app. He ordered two Americanos from his usual coffee shop, along with two servings of millet porridge, boiled eggs, and some side dishes, selecting the express delivery option.

The elevator stopped on the twenty-third floor—the floor where Chuangxing Advertising Agency was located.

Meng Zhi and Shen Bowen exited first. Qiao Yichen gently nudged Liu Yanran, who was resting against the wall; she realized they had arrived and followed him out.

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On the way to the Director's office, Qiao Yichen leaned in and whispered, "I ordered coffee and breakfast for you; it should be here in about half an hour."

Liu Yanran nodded and headed toward her office.

Qiao Yichen returned to his workstation, mustered his last bit of energy to finish some urgent emails, and then leaned back in his chair, his mind starting to wander.

Li Yong was particularly observant today; seeing Qiao Yichen's listless state, he didn't come over to chat as usual. Shen Bowen and Meng Zhi huddled with Li Yong, and the three began whispering.

Shen Bowen asked softly, "Aren't we going to the meeting room?"

Li Yong pouted toward Qiao Yichen, "Can't you see the Boss is out of it? Just look after yourselves today."

.

The three exchanged looks and silently moved back to their respective desks.

Qiao Yichen dozed off for about twenty minutes.

His phone rang, and he opened his eyes to answer; the coffee and breakfast had been delivered to the front desk. He got up to fetch the items and headed straight for Liu Yanran's office.

After two light knocks, a soft "Come in" came from inside.

Stepping inside, Qiao Yichen locked the door behind him. He placed the food on Liu Yanran's desk, quickly unwrapped it, and sat in the chair opposite her.

"Eat quickly," he said.

Liu Yanran nodded gently.

The two didn't say much, leisurely sipping their porridge.

Qiao Yichen peeled a boiled egg and handed it over. Watching her take a bite, he finally asked, "Didn't go to the meeting?"

Liu Yanran took a sip of porridge and said flatly, "I said I wasn't feeling well, so I'm not going this morning."

Qiao Yichen nodded, stood up, walked around to her side, and crouched down. He gently placed his hand on her flat belly and asked in a low voice, "Does it hurt here?"

Liu Yanran looked down at him and rolled her eyes. "Saying that was just an excuse to brush people off."

She glanced down, paused, and then added, "That usually happens at the end of the month."

Understanding, Qiao Yichen stood up, moved behind her chair, placed his hands on her shoulders, and began to massage them gently.

As he massaged her, he suddenly leaned down and whispered into her ear, his voice so low only the two of them could hear, "Do you want to go again tonight?"

Liu Yanran's ears instantly turned red. She turned her head and whispered back, "We're going to Guiyu Shanfang for dinner tonight, did you forget?"

Qiao Yichen cupped her head with both hands, his face pressed against her ear, his breath warm. "What does that have to do with what I said?"

Pestered by him, Liu Yanran said helplessly, "Too late isn't good; we almost missed the clock today."

Having achieved his goal, Qiao Yichen's lips curled into a smirk. "Tomorrow night then."

Without waiting for her response, he leaned down and gave her a loud kiss on the cheek, let go, picked up his Americano, and headed for the door.

Watching his retreating figure as he slipped away after getting his way, Liu Yanran wanted to say something but ultimately couldn't be bothered.

She adjusted her chair, leaned back, and planned to rest for the morning.

After finishing breakfast, it was nearly 10:00 AM by the time Qiao Yichen returned to his workstation.

He took another couple of sips of his Americano, feeling a bit more refreshed. He stared at the computer screen for a while before skillfully opening the stock trading software he had secretly downloaded onto the office computer.

It had been exactly one week.

Huayuan Technology, which he had bought earlier, should have released its progress announcement by now.

He clicked through a few pages to the announcement section and found the one posted on May 21: "Huayuan Technology's Progress Announcement Regarding Major Asset Restructuring." The company's stock had been suspended from trading since May 15 and remained so.

During the suspension period, the company and relevant intermediaries had been actively advancing the due diligence, auditing, and appraisal work involved in this major asset restructuring.

To date, the on-site due diligence of the target assets has been basically completed. Both parties have reached an agreement on the core terms of the transaction plan and are in final negotiations regarding the details of the agreement.

Based on the current progress, the company expects to disclose the restructuring proposal before the suspension period ends and simultaneously apply to the Shanghai Stock Exchange for the resumption of trading. The specific time for resumption will be subject to the announcement released by the company at that time.

The company will strictly follow regulatory requirements and fulfill its information disclosure obligations in a timely manner. This restructuring is still subject to uncertainty; investors are advised to be mindful of investment risks.

This announcement is hereby made.

Board of Directors, Huayuan Technology Co., Ltd., May 21, 2025. Qiao Yichen read it twice from beginning to end.

The announcement was released yesterday evening, and the content was much as he expected—orderly, progressing, and without surprises.

He exhaled slowly, and his nerves, which had been tense for a week, relaxed slightly.

He then sent a screenshot of the announcement to the "Money-Making Squad" group.

Since Qiao Yichen created this group, the three women had been chatting every day about makeup, clothes, bags, travel,

photography, and occasionally sending meaningless emojis to each other.

No one had proactively mentioned the stock during this past week.

As soon as the screenshot was sent, Lin Wei replied instantly.

"What does this mean?"

Followed by a string of confused emojis.

Su Qing appeared a few seconds later, her tone calm as always. "Don't you understand the literal meaning?"

Stung by her remark, Lin Wei immediately shot back, "If you're so smart, you explain it then!"

Su Qing replied, "Boss Qiao will explain."

Lin Wei was speechless and sent several "hitting someone with a hammer" emojis, filling half the screen.

Qiao Yichen looked at the screen, unable to stop his lips from curling up. He typed a line at the right moment: "It means the acquisition is proceeding in an orderly fashion, and everything is going smoothly."

Lin Wei's reply was almost instantaneous—this time it wasn't text, but an emoji: a cartoon character with money in its eyes, next to the words "Getting rich! Getting rich!"

Immediately after, she sent another message, her tone filled with irrepressible excitement: "Does that mean we're going to strike it rich?"

Qiao Yichen looked at that line, thought for a moment, and didn't give a direct answer: "We'll know in another week."

Su Qing added, "Halfway to success."

The group was quiet for a few seconds before Lin Wei suddenly chimed in again: "Why isn't Yanran here? Where is she?"

Su Qing replied, "Probably in a meeting."

Qiao Yichen glanced at his phone but didn't explain, only sending a "mm-hmm" emoji.

The rest of the morning was spent idling away.

At noon, Qiao Yichen didn't go downstairs for lunch and ordered takeout instead. Carrying the bags, he knocked on Liu Yanran's office door, and the two of them huddled in there to eat together.

As the dishes were laid out, he took a bite and casually mentioned the morning's news: "Huayuan Technology's announcement is out. I posted it in the group to put their minds at ease."

Liu Yanran nodded and took a sip of soup. "What did they say?"

"Lin Wei asked if we were going to strike it rich." Qiao Yichen smiled. "I didn't give a definitive answer, just said to wait another week."

Liu Yanran smiled as well. "With her personality, it's quite impressive she held back for a week without asking."

1

Qiao Yichen gave an "mm-hmm" and popped a piece of meat into his mouth.

Releasing the news of the announcement was ultimately to put their minds at ease. After all, they had invested real money and trusted him completely; he was well aware of that.

Over the past week, the group had a tacit understanding not to discuss the stock, posting photos and jokes about food and fun every day as if nothing was happening. But he knew it was impossible for them not to be thinking about it.

They just didn't say it out loud.

After eating, Qiao Yichen lay on the sofa in her office for a bit. Liu Yanran didn't kick him out, instead leaning back in her chair to nap for twenty minutes.

When they went back to work in the afternoon, there was still nothing major going on.

He chatted with Zhou Qian and Yu Peishan while keeping an eye on messages about side gigs in the group, occasionally checking data with members of his team.

With several things to rotate through, time passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, it was 5:00 PM.