Zhao Mengyao Calling

"Is it really that exciting?"

As they continued browsing the classroom-themed stalls, Ye Shuang noticed that ever since Chen Qin got her hands on that little bear plushie, her eyes had been curved into crescents, her face glowing with an unstoppable sweetness.

"I'm happy," Chen Qin said, lifting the bear plushie. "Look, isn't it adorable?"

"Hmm…" Ye Shuang rubbed his chin, not particularly convinced that a cheap 9.9-yuan bear from Pinduoduo could be considered cute. "Maybe."

"Yeah, yeah."

Chen Qin knew the bear might not be worth much.

But Ye Shuang had gotten it for her—and to Chen Qin, that made it priceless.

"It's a gift from A-Shuang," Chen Qin murmured, almost like a sigh.

Having a crush is a kind of courtesy—quietly building a castle in your heart.

For Chen Qin, her unspoken feelings for Ye Shuang had always been a battlefield within her own mind, while Ye Shuang, oblivious, remained as calm as still water.

She turned to look at his profile, wondering silently—if she had mustered the courage to take that step earlier, would A-Shuang have never been hurt by that woman? Would his parents still be here?

But if the world really had a pill for regret, Ye Shuang would surely be the one who wanted it most.

So, the best thing now was to cherish the present and not let anything slip away again.

"What's wrong?" Ye Shuang asked, noticing her dazed expression.

"Nothing."

Hugging the plushie, Chen Qin knew—this was her reward for finally finding the courage to take that step.

Ding—

Just then, Ye Shuang’s phone rang.

"Huh?"

He pulled it out and saw an unfamiliar number.

Normally, he wouldn’t answer calls from unknown out-of-town numbers—most were just scams. But since this was a local number, and considering the old flip phone he needed to repair, he wondered if it might be the repair shop calling. He answered.

"Hello?"

"......"

"Hello?" There was no response on the other end. Frowning, Ye Shuang checked the volume. "Excuse me… who is this?"

Finally, a voice came through. "Ye Shuang, I… I’m not feeling well. I’m drunk."

That voice—he knew it all too well. His expression darkened. "What does that have to do with me?"

"P-Please don’t hang up…"

"I was wrong… Ye Shuang… Can you come get me?" Zhao Mengyao’s weak voice pleaded.

Ye Shuang was silent for a few seconds before replying, "Send me the address. I’ll come."

"Really?!"

"Yeah."

"Okay…"

After hanging up, Ye Shuang immediately blocked the new number in his anti-spam list.

"Who was it?" Chen Qin asked.

"Zhao Mengyao."

Chen Qin let out an "oh" and didn’t press further.

"Not going to ask more?" Ye Shuang chuckled.

"You just said you were going to pick her up…" Chen Qin lowered her head, her mood visibly dimming. But she had no right to object, so she just hugged the bear plushie a little tighter, feeling lonely.

"I was lying to her." Ye Shuang reached out and flicked her forehead. "Already blocked."

Chen Qin’s eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Of course. Her original number was already blacklisted—no idea why she called from a new one."

"The Zhao family’s company seems to be in trouble. I heard a lot of shareholders are dumping their stocks," Chen Qin said with a grin.

Ye Shuang wasn’t surprised.

Many of the company’s core employees had stayed out of loyalty to him—he had personally recruited them, and their skills were in high demand elsewhere. Once he was forced out, those who actually got things done had jumped ship to bigger firms.

With the real workers gone, the freeloaders left behind couldn’t keep the company running. Even if they desperately tried hiring now, no competent person would touch that mess.

Zhao Mengyao had never understood this. She thought Ye Shuang’s success was solely due to the company’s resources and even believed Tang Hao could do better.

But she wasn’t completely foolish—she’d made Tang Hao shadow Ye Shuang for a while, and Tang Hao had probably assured her he could handle it.

Now that the company was collapsing, Zhao Mengyao was likely under immense pressure from her family—especially her father.

"Her father doesn’t even have the face to come begging, yet she still has the nerve," Chen Qin said, wrinkling her nose cutely.

"Let’s not dwell on it." Ye Shuang had fully moved on and didn’t want to waste energy on that woman.

Before they knew it, it was almost 4 PM. They had even caught a student theater performance in the meantime.

"What’s the plan for later?" Chen Qin asked as they left the classroom.

"Taking Yuyou to a piano store. We’re buying one for her," Ye Shuang said. The girl wanted to practice, and if it was just a hobby, he was happy to support her exploring different interests.

Poor Yiwan, though.

Not that the cat would complain.

"My family actually has a spare Steinway," Chen Qin offered.

"No need. Yuyou isn’t short on money." Ye Shuang shook his head, thinking about how Bai Yuyou had handed him the million-yuan red envelope from her uncle.

That money should be spent on her—it was the Zhou family’s way of making up for all the years they’d missed.

"Hmm…" Then he remembered the car situation. His sports car only seated two, which wasn’t always practical.

"What’s on your mind?" Chen Qin waved a hand in front of his face before pinching his cheek. "Hey?"

"Huh?"

"You were spacing out."

"Thinking about buying a car." He explained the issue, though buying a whole new one seemed a bit extravagant.

Chen Qin grinned. "Then buy one! I’ve got a little fund set aside for you."

"Just a passing thought. Forget it."

"If it’s just for commuting, our company has plenty of spare cars." Chen Qin suddenly brightened. "Chen Hai’s Maserati’s been sitting around forever—why not use that?"

Ye Shuang knew. He’d borrowed it once to pick her up.

"Better to just buy one. I’ve been eyeing some electric cars—decent ones go for around 80,000."

"You’ve got five or six million on hand now. No need to settle for that tier," Chen Qin teased. "You used to be a boss, remember?"

"That’s Yuyou’s money." Ye Shuang smiled. "Right now, I’m just a school doctor."

His tone was light, completely unbothered.

"Fine, I’ll support you either way." Seeing he truly didn’t mind, Chen Qin linked arms with him, laughing.