24: Chapter 24 The Midday Appointment

Monday, April 14, 2025, Sunny, 14 ~ 23°C

Monday morning, 8:50 AM.

The elevator during the morning rush hour was packed like a can of sardines.

Qiao Yichen shifted sideways to the interior, barely making room for two interns clutching their ID badges, hurrying along.

The iced Americano he held had condensation dripping down the cup wall, and the cool moisture slid down between his fingers, soaking a small dark patch onto his dress slacks.

The elevator doors slowly closed. Just as the metal light curtain was about to touch, a hand suddenly reached in.

It was an extremely fair hand, with delicate wrist bones and fingertips tinged with a faint pink. With just that light block, the elevator doors—which had been about to shut—'dinged' and slowly retreated.

When Liu Yanran squeezed in, she brought in a breath of the morning air, mixed with the scent of gardenia from her hair.

Today, she was wearing a light apricot-colored silk shirt. The fabric was as thin as a cloud, clinging gently to her body as the air blew.

The top button of her collar was fastened only to the second one, revealing her long neck and the distinct line of her collarbone, which gently rose and fell with her slightly rapid breaths.

Qiao Yichen's gaze paused. He subconsciously shuffled further next to her, causing the iced Americano in his hand to slosh, nearly spilling.

Liu Yanran raised a hand to smooth the stray hair near her cheek. As she looked up, she met Qiao Yichen’s gaze as he quickly looked away.

His voice was lowered, slightly teasing, "Why are you so late today?"

She didn't answer, but instead gave him a subtle, reproachful look.

The elevator continued to ascend, opening and closing doors, the crowd gradually thinning out. Only on the last few floors did the space become a bit wider.

Only then did Qiao Yichen hand over the other cup of coffee he was carrying, which she naturally accepted.

The twenty-third floor arrived.

Qiao Yichen quickly whispered in her ear, "Lunch together."

Liu Yanran didn't stop walking, but merely nodded slightly. The sound of her heels tapping the floor tiles was crisp and steady as she walked toward the office on the other end of the corridor.

...

At ten o'clock in the morning, the project team held a short meeting.

Liu Yanran briefly outlined the arrangements for the project's final week: data monitoring, report compilation, archiving, and handover.

The tasks were the same as before; everyone knew what needed to be done.

The meeting dispersed quickly. As Qiao Yichen was tidying his things, Liu Yanran was already at the door.

She glanced back at him without speaking, but the meaning in her eyes was clear: 'Remember about lunch.'

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...

Lunch was booked at the Cantonese restaurant on the street behind the office building, in a small private room with excellent soundproofing.

Liu Yanran arrived first. When Qiao Yichen pushed the door open, she was scalding her teacups. Hot water poured into the purple clay teapot, sending up white mist that blurred half of her profile.

"I ordered shrimp dumplings and roast goose," she said without looking up. "You add two more dishes."

Qiao Yichen sat down and pushed the menu back. "That's enough."

After the waiter left and closed the door, he pulled up a screenshot from his phone.

He turned the screen toward her.

Liu Yanran put down the teapot and took the phone. Her gaze lingered on those transfer records longer than Qiao Yichen had anticipated. Her index finger slid the screen, zooming in, and then zooming in again, as if trying to discern some minute trace.

"Are these all with Wang Xiao's side?" she asked.

"Yes. They started two weeks ago. We already closed two deals before that," Qiao Yichen poured himself a cup of tea. "But subsequent transfers are highly likely to be frequent, and the amounts are irregular. Frequent transactions in a personal account are easily flagged by risk control."

Liu Yanran returned the phone to him and took a sip of her tea.

The tea was scalding hot, and she drank very slowly. Only after swallowing that sip did she speak, "How do you want to handle it?"

"We need a proper name to run the accounts through," Qiao Yichen said. "A studio or a company works, but I haven't handled these procedures myself, nor do I know any reliable people. Do you know any lawyers or accountants familiar with this area?"

Liu Yanran looked up at him, tapping the rim of her cup lightly with her fingertip.

"Su Qing," she said decisively. "She works at Zhengde Law Firm. She specializes in handling these kinds of matters for people—from registration to subsequent tax filing, she manages the entire line clearly."

Qiao Yichen nodded. "Can you introduce me to her?"

"Yes, I'll send you her WeChat later." Liu Yanran paused. "When you talk to her, just say you're a friend of mine. She'll pay attention."

"Okay, I understand," Qiao Yichen replied.

As soon as the words fell, Liu Yanran picked up a piece of roast goose with her chopsticks, dipped it lightly in the plum sauce, and naturally placed it in his bowl.

...

At three in the afternoon, Qiao Yichen was making a phone call inside the stairwell fire escape.

A regular busy signal came through the receiver. After four rings, it connected.

"Lawyer Su Qing."

"Hello, Lawyer Su, I am Qiao Yichen, a friend of Liu Yanran's."

"Mr. Qiao." The voice on the other end was clear and crisp, carrying a professional warmth. "Yanran told me about your situation. When are you free to come to the firm? We need to look at the materials in person."

"Can tomorrow afternoon?"

"Yes. I am free anytime between two and four."

"Then two-thirty it is." Qiao Yichen stated his full name and phone number. "What materials do I need to bring?"

"Anything that can prove the authenticity of the business," Su Qing said at a steady pace. "Chat logs, transfer vouchers, a simple business description. Also, please bring your ID card and proof of residence."

"Okay."

After hanging up, Qiao Yichen stood in the fire escape for a while longer.

He finally lit the cigarette between his fingers, taking a deep drag. The nicotine slightly relaxed his tense nerves. He took out his phone and sent a WeChat message to Liu Yanran:

"It's set, tomorrow at two-thirty."

A reply came in a few minutes:

"Su Qing just told me." It was followed by a very faint smiling emoji.

Qiao Yichen looked at the emoji and suddenly felt like laughing.

He stubbed out the cigarette in the sand tray above the trash can and pushed the door back into the office area.

Qiao Yichen returned to his workstation, closed irrelevant pages on his screen, and opened a new folder.

He first exported all the chat logs with Wang Xiao, transfer screenshots, and that handwritten simple agreement, sorted them by date, and organized them into a clear PDF document. Then, he created a new document and described the business model of 'short-term GG channel resale,' the background of the partners, and the recent transaction overview in concise language.

After finishing these tasks, he checked the time—4:20 PM. There was still over an hour until quitting time.

He took out the copy of 'research on huanghuali furniture' he had borrowed from the city library. Several pale yellow sticky notes were tucked between the pages.

On one page, he had briefly recorded the grain direction and the structural characteristics of the mortise and tenon joints in pen.

Another sticky note was attached to the chapter introducing the 'Hundred Treasures Inlay' technique, with several keywords summarizing the characteristic craftsmanship of different eras written along the edge.

He flipped to the page marked by the sticky note and became absorbed in reading.

The sunlight outside was gradually slanting west, leaking through the gaps in the Venetian blinds.

Quitting time was approaching. The sound of keyboards in the office was sparse; some people were already sitting at their desks chatting with colleagues nearby, while others had packed up their things, ready to leave exactly on time.

Qiao Yichen closed the book, copied all the prepared electronic materials onto a USB drive, and double-checked the paper documents he needed to bring tomorrow: ID card, household registration book, and bank card.

Once confirmed, he put everything into his backpack.

When leaving the company, he glanced in the direction of Liu Yanran's office. The door was closed, and the light inside was still on.

He didn't disturb her and walked straight to the elevator.