The CEO is domineering, the devil Boss is addicted to pampering

Chapter 1296 Yunrui's sincerity: Tangerine peel soaked in water

Qi Ruixiang's Adam's apple rolled. Soaking dried tangerine peel in water was indeed something Qi Zhifang would do. His eyes grew darker as he looked at the woman before him.

"Soaking tangerine peel in water is my mother's habit. Maybe because she has influenced you for so long, that person also brought the same habit to you." He sat down opposite her, his fingertips tapping unconsciously on the armrest of the sofa.

"I had a serious illness a while ago." Yan Wanqing's fingertips gently traced the rim of the cup. "When I felt I was about to die, I dreamed of your mother. Afterwards, I thought it was outrageous..."

Qi Ruixiang's heart skipped a beat.

He avoided her gaze, stood up and walked towards the wine cabinet, "What do you want to eat tonight? I know a Chinese restaurant that makes authentic squirrel mandarin fish."

During dinner, the restaurant's private room was filled with the faint aroma of sweet-scented osmanthus wine. Yan Wanqing drank two glasses of red wine, her cheeks flushed slightly, and her eyes became moist, like a harmless fawn.

Qi Ruixiang watched her scoop up the fish roe with a silver spoon and put it carefully into her mouth. He suddenly felt a little dazed - this scene was too familiar, as if he had traveled back to twenty years ago, when he and Qi Zhifang sat opposite each other at the dining table in their home, and she was sitting like this. He didn't know if Yan Wanqing's previous words had taken effect, but at this moment, her movements and demeanor were exactly the same as his mother's.

"Qi Ruixiang," Yan Wanqing put down her wine glass and drew circles on the tablecloth with her fingertips, "I want to tell you something, please don't laugh at me."

"You say." He poured her a bowl of soup and pushed it in front of her.

"Besides dreaming about your mother, I also had other outrageous dreams." Her voice trembled slightly with alcohol. "I dreamed that a woman took me and another little boy's hands and walked to a house. She gave us both to a man, but later she regretted it and wanted to secretly take the children back. I didn't expect it would end in the tragedy of sibling separation..."

Qi Ruixiang's grip on the soup spoon suddenly tightened.

Gu Yunqian mentioned this dream on the phone. At that time, he just thought it was absurd, but now looking at Yan Wanqing's red eyes, he suddenly felt that this was not a dream at all, but clearly her deepest hope.

"Don't take dreams seriously." He tried to sound more relaxed, but couldn't hide the bitterness in his voice, "Separation from my siblings..."

"How could I not take it seriously?" Yan Wanqing said excitedly while shaking her head to deny Qi Ruixiang.

Tears also fell, hitting the bone china bowl, splashing tiny water. "The dream felt too real. One of them wanted to take their son with him so that their daughter could stay in the golden nest and have no worries about food and clothing. The other was worried about why the woman took away their son instead of their daughter."

Qi Ruixiang handed her a tissue, and his fingertips accidentally touched the back of her hand. The scorching temperature made his heart tremble.

Although Yan Wanqing didn't say it explicitly, Qi Ruixiang knew it clearly in his heart. His Adam's apple kept rolling and his fingers couldn't help but tremble.

"I want to know if that boy has ever suffered. Will he hate it one day? They are both the same, but one is a rich young lady with luxurious clothes and food, while the other..."

"Don't think about it." He poured her another glass of warm water. "It's not worth it."

"No matter which version of the story is, we are now the people who should depend on each other the most in this world."

Her voice was not loud, but it was like a stone thrown into Qi Ruixiang's heart, creating ripples.

He looked at her red eyes and the unquestionable seriousness in them, and suddenly understood why Gu Yunqian wanted him to "take care of her as a family member" - not because of the faint blood relationship, but because they were both people who had been hurt by family affection, and were the ones who were sacrificed in the feud between Yan Taifeng and the Qi family.

"You're right." Qi Ruixiang raised his glass, and the rim of his glass gently touched hers, making a crisp sound. "Let's take care of each other from now on."

The mellow aroma of red wine spread across her tongue, carrying the sweetness of osmanthus, as if crowning this belated promise. Seeing the relief in his eyes, Yan Wanqing suddenly smiled. Tears still hung in the corners of her eyes, but they were brighter than ever.

She knew that from this moment on, the gap between her and Qi Ruixiang that was forcibly drawn by Yan Taifeng was finally filled.

Watching Yan Wanqing walk into the apartment building, Qi Ruixiang took out his mobile phone and sent a message to Gu Yunqian: "She's settled, don't worry." After thinking for a moment, he added, "Thank you, brother."

When the notification of successful sending popped up, he leaned against the lamppost, looking at the lights in the apartment windows, and suddenly felt that a certain empty place in his heart was quietly filled.

Gu Yunqian's fingertips paused on the phone screen for two seconds. Looking at the message sent by Qi Ruixiang, a barely noticeable curve appeared at the corner of his lips.

"What are you looking at?" Su Xingya came over with some cut fruit and placed the fruit plate on the desk in front of him.

She was wearing a beige home dress, with her long hair loosely tied behind her head, revealing her slender neck.

"Qi Ruixiang sent a message saying Wanqing has settled down." Gu Yunqian handed her the phone, grasped her wrist with his fingertips, and pulled her to sit on his lap. "It's going better than expected."

Su Xingya looked at the words on the screen and tapped the last line with her fingertips: "What are you guys plotting?"

She turned around and put her arms around Gu Yunqian's neck. "Then can you rest assured? Don't be busy with work tonight. Come watch a movie with me, okay?"

Gu Yunqian bent down and placed a kiss on her forehead, his nose nuzzling the scent of her hair—the same white tea fragrance he had given her, light and soothing. "Okay, I'll do as you say."

He closed his laptop, picked her up and walked towards the living room, "What movie do you want to watch?"

"Just watch that love movie that I didn't finish last time..."

At this time in London, Qi Ruixiang was standing in front of Gu Yunxi's apartment door, his fingertips hanging on the doorbell without letting it fall.

He could smell his own scent—the lily of the valley perfume that Yan Wanqing used, mixed with the aroma of the restaurant's osmanthus wine, forming a strange scent that made him feel a little uncomfortable.

He adjusted his tie and loosened his shirt collar, trying to dispel the smell. But the lily of the valley scent seemed to have seeped into his pores, and no matter how he adjusted his posture, it lingered faintly at the tip of his nose.

After much hesitation, he pressed the doorbell.

The door opened quickly. Gu Yunxi was wearing a light blue silk nightgown, with her long hair draped over her shoulders and a lazy look on her face as if she had just woken up.

"I brought you some tangerine peel and red bean paste, which will help you sleep." Qi Ruixiang weighed the package bag in his hand and walked around the person in front of him and entered the room!

Gu Yunxi's eyes fell on him, and the tip of her nose twitched slightly. "Have you been drinking?" She tilted her head, her eyes filled with curiosity. Usually, the scent of lily of the valley was more obvious than the smell of alcohol.

She even imagined how close the two of them were when she couldn't see them!

Qi Ruixiang's ears suddenly felt hot.

"We had a drink and chatted about work. After all, she came here to discuss business with the UK branch." He explained, picked up the glass of water on the table and took a sip, trying to hide his discomfort. "I'm going to take a shower first."