After An Shiyu left, Ye Shuang continued to work. Perhaps because they had recently expanded into many new businesses, the workload on Ye Shuang's hands had increased quite a bit. It was hard to imagine how Chen Qin used to manage all these things by herself in the past.
A person's strength is ultimately limited. If she had continued working the way she used to, Chen Qin's body would probably have developed various problems, right? Even though they had annual physical exams, it was inevitable that some issues couldn't be detected through simple check-ups.
"Knock, knock." A knocking sound came from not far away. Ye Shuang looked up slightly, thinking it was An Shiyu coming back from slacking off, and casually said, "Come in."
The office door was pushed open, and Chen Qin slipped in through the gap, holding a small lunchbox in her hand.
"Ye, have you eaten?" Chen Qin asked with a grin. Even though she was wearing mature clothing, one could still feel her vibrant energy.
"I just ate a little. Don't you have a meeting later?" Ye Shuang was a bit surprised to see Chen Qin appear in his office and asked.
"There's still twenty minutes, so I came over. I should at least eat something, right?" Chen Qin said as she opened the lunchbox in her hand. It contained some simple dishes, though they were mostly cold by now.
"Oh right, there's also this." Saying that, Chen Qin took out a jar of something that looked like beef paste for rice. "This is a product from one of our clients. There was some left over from our last collaboration, and it seems pretty tasty."
"Eat something healthy," Ye Shuang said. After all, Chen Qin's lunchbox had a rich variety of food, so there was no need to specifically open a jar of meat paste to go with the rice.
"Just give it a try," Chen Qin said, pinching the bottle cap with her fingers and twisting hard. A few seconds later, she said to Ye Shuang,
"Ye, it's so tight. Help me open it."
"Heh." How could Ye Shuang not understand Chen Qin's little trick? She was just showing her soft side to him. He took the jar from Chen Qin with a smile and gave it a hard twist.
The next second, Ye Shuang felt that something was wrong.
Eh?
Seeing Chen Qin blinking beside him, Ye Shuang coughed lightly. "It seems a bit tight, but it's not a big problem. I'm going to get serious now."
Saying that, he gathered all his strength and twisted hard.
But no matter what, the jar's lid remained completely motionless, sealed tight.
"..."
This was a bit awkward.
"Ye, are your hands sweating, so it's a bit slippery?" Chen Qin said from the side, then gave a soft laugh.
"Yeah, probably," Ye Shuang said, then stood up. "I'll go wash my hands. You eat something else first."
"Oh?"
With that, Ye Shuang got up and went to the washroom, as if he were determined to fight the jar to the end. Meanwhile, Chen Qin sat on the sofa and waited for a few seconds, then picked up the jar, looked at it, and tried giving it a hard twist.
"Pop." With a crisp sound, the jar's lid was opened.
Chen Qin held the lid for a few seconds, then immediately realized something and screwed it tightly back on.
Right at that moment, Ye Shuang pushed the door open and came in. He shook his hands. "Alright, my hands shouldn't be slippery now."
He returned to Chen Qin's side, picked up the jar, took a deep breath, and twisted it. He found that it opened very easily this time—
"Piece of cake, right? My hands were just slippery earlier," Ye Shuang said, placing the jar on the table.
How could a grown man be troubled by a tiny jar?
"Awesome." Chen Qin clapped from the side, pecked Ye Shuang on the cheek, and smiled gently. "Ye, you're the best."
"Just so-so."
Seeing Chen Qin spread a bit of the meat paste on her rice, Ye Shuang remarked, "Did your food arrive a long time ago? Why does it feel cold?"
"I figured I wouldn't have time to eat today because of the meeting and paperwork, so I asked my assistant to get food from the cafeteria for me in advance. By the time I finished my work and remembered it, it was already cold... Although I could microwave it, I don't think it's necessary." Chen Qin ate the rice, her cheeks slightly bulging.
"Ye, have you been a bit tired lately? Should I give you some time off?"
"You should give yourself some time off; I just took a week off," Ye Shuang said. He hadn't come to the company for a week recently because of Bai Yuyou's situation. If he rested anymore, he might as well stop managing the company's affairs altogether.
Moreover, Chen Qin seemed to love paying attention to Ye Shuang's situation while neglecting her own.
"I'm fine, I'm actually used to it." Chen Qin didn't feel much about it. The word 'busy' was something she had long grown accustomed to. Ever since graduating from university, she had practically thrown herself headfirst into the conglomerate.
Whether it was future plans or various arrangements, Chen Qin had already figured everything out clearly.
She was naturally someone who liked to plan ahead. However, every time Chen Qin made any arrangements, she had fantasized about how she would arrange her life if she were with Ye Shuang.
But it was merely a fantasy.
Precisely because she understood Ye Shuang, she knew just how big a place Zhao Mengyao occupied in his heart.
Perhaps if Zhao Mengyao had cherished Ye Shuang a bit more back then, Chen Qin wouldn't have even had a chance, right?
Despite this, Chen Qin didn't feel overly fortunate to be with Ye Shuang now, because the price for this was too heavy. The passing of Uncle Ye and Ye's Mother had ultimately left an incurable scar in Ye Shuang's heart, which was something Chen Qin didn't want to see.
Precisely because she liked him, she didn't want to see him sad. Chen Qin was no exception.
"By the way, is Little Yuyou doing better? When I chatted with her on the app recently, there didn't seem to be any problems." Chen Qin brought up Bai Yuyou's situation at this time.
Bai Yuyou loved sending various kaomoji when chatting with others. As for the reason, it was just that Ye Shuang hoped Bai Yuyou could better express her emotions. To Chen Qin, Bai Yuyou didn't seem to have changed much when chatting.
"Mild to moderate. Perhaps because of Yuyou's special experiences, this condition is far more severe for her than for ordinary patients." Ye Shuang shook his head. "It's all my fault."
"Don't blame yourself, it's not Ye's fault," Chen Qin comforted him from the side.
"It's because of me..." Ye Shuang fell silent for a few seconds, then suddenly said to Chen Qin, "I hope Yuyou can live her life the way she likes and not get hurt anymore."
"Although I know this is very selfish, but..."
Before Ye Shuang could finish his sentence, he was hugged by Chen Qin. His face was completely buried in her chest. Even through the thick uniform, he could still feel the softness within. Chen Qin simply stroked Ye Shuang's hair, her tone even gentler.
She hugged him a bit tighter.
"It's okay, Ye. No one is blaming you."

e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.

young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."

rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!

world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...