At five o'clock, Xiao Chen and Su Qing left the company together, heading toward City No. [-] Middle School.
"Didn't go to the lab today? No overtime work?" Xiao Chen asked.
"It's almost done," Su Qing replied. "The next step is just the approval process."
"Oh, sounds troublesome. Don't you just need a prescription before production?"
Su Qing shook her head. "That works for regular cosmetics, but true cosmeceuticals must undergo a more rigorous review since they're classified as 'medicines.'"
"Oh, I see." Xiao Chen nodded, deciding not to pry further since he wasn't familiar with the topic.
"I heard from Sister Lan that something unexpected happened at the recruitment today?"
"Yeah, a small issue. Ren Kun and Liu Dakui came to stir up trouble, so I had to deal with them."
"That's good. How did those two end up together?"
Su Qing smiled. "Who knows? Maybe it's the old saying — the enemy of my enemy is my friend."
"You've only been here a few days, and you've already made quite a few enemies," she teased.
"Guess it's because I'm too handsome. People get jealous easily," Xiao Chen said with mock pride.
Su Qing rolled her eyes.
"But what surprises me," Xiao Chen continued, "is that the Flying Eagle Gang hasn't made a move yet. I figured Liu Dakui would have dragged them into this mess."
"I've heard a bit about that," Su Qing said. "Apparently, they're having some internal conflict."
"Internal strife?" Xiao Chen was taken aback, then laughed. "That explains it. Guess they're too busy fighting each other to bother me!"
"Why? You sound almost disappointed they haven't come after you."
"No, I just don't like being watched from the shadows. You know the saying — it's not the thief stealing you should fear, but the thief who keeps watching."
Su Qing chuckled, and the two chatted as they drove.
When they arrived at the school, they picked up Su Xiaomeng.
"Wow! Brother Chen, you look so handsome today!" she exclaimed the moment she got in the car.
Both Xiao Chen and Su Qing gave her strange looks.
"Sis, don't you think Brother Chen looks really good today?"
"Xiaomeng, are you feeling alright?" Su Qing touched her forehead.
Xiao Chen almost rolled his eyes. So complimenting me means she must have a fever now?
Su Qing noticed his look and quickly said, "No, Xiao Chen, I didn't mean that. You do look good — it's just that Xiaomeng is acting a little strange today."
Xiao Chen smirked. He knew exactly why Xiaomeng was buttering him up — she probably wanted his help with something, most likely another car race. But he couldn't tell Su Qing that, so he played along.
"Sis, I'm serious! I realized I've been too harsh on Brother Chen before. He's here to protect us — we should be grateful."
"Alright, what are you up to this time?" Su Qing asked suspiciously.
"Nothing! Why don't you ever trust your cute little sister?" Xiaomeng pouted.
Su Qing smiled and stroked her hair. "Alright, tell me — anything fun happen at school today?"
Deciding it was best to wait until they were home, Xiaomeng began chatting about school stories, making Su Qing laugh all the way.
Back at the villa, Su Qing went to cook dinner, and Xiao Chen joined her in the kitchen — mostly to avoid Xiaomeng's pestering.
That only made Xiaomeng grit her teeth. He's doing this on purpose! But she swallowed her frustration — she needed his help later.
Dinner was plentiful: three people, six dishes.
"Brother Chen, how about some wine? You've worked hard today," Xiaomeng said, pulling out a bottle.
Su Qing's eyes narrowed when she saw it — her precious Romanee-Conti!
"Romanee-Conti? A collector's edition?" Xiao Chen raised his eyebrows.
"This is Romanee-Conti?" Xiaomeng asked innocently. "Looks pricey — a few thousand maybe?"
Both Su Qing and Xiao Chen nearly choked. A few thousand? You can't even buy the cork for that!
"It's not more expensive than that 1982 Lafite, right?" she continued.
"Xiaomeng, this one bottle could buy several of those," Xiao Chen said awkwardly.
"So… how much is it?"
"Hundreds of thousands," Su Qing replied.
"What?!" Xiaomeng froze. She'd just wanted to be polite — now she'd opened a bottle worth a small fortune!
"Let's just drink beer," Xiao Chen suggested quickly.
But Su Qing smiled. "It's just a bottle of wine. What's the point of keeping it if we never drink it?"
Before either of them could stop her, she opened it and began to pour.
Soon, the ruby-red wine filled the decanter, filling the room with its rich aroma.
"Alright, drink slowly, let it breathe."
Xiaomeng took a sip and frowned. "This sip costs thousands of yuan! But honestly, it's not as good as Coke."
Xiao Chen and Su Qing both sighed. What a waste.
Still, the meal went on leisurely, the mood relaxed. Su Qing and her sister's flushed faces glowed charmingly in the soft light, making Xiao Chen a little dazed — though he quickly reminded himself that this was Su Qing's sister.
After dinner, Su Qing went upstairs to shower.
"Xiaomeng, don't stay up too late," she reminded her.
Once both sisters went upstairs, Xiao Chen finally relaxed and went to his room to call Li Hanhou about his mother's condition, then went for a shower.
…
A little later, Xiaomeng peeked out of her room. Seeing the coast clear, she tiptoed downstairs.
What if he says no? Should I really use a beauty trick? she thought nervously, then gritted her teeth and headed for Xiao Chen's room.
She pushed the door open quietly — it was empty. But then she noticed clothes scattered on the bed, and her eyes drifted toward the bathroom.
Just then, the door opened. Xiao Chen walked out, wearing only underwear, humming cheerfully:
"When you touch my sister's hips, soft as cotton white…"
He froze. So did Xiaomeng.
Their eyes met — hers wide in shock, his filled with panic.
"Ah—!" she started to scream.
"Don't scream!" Xiao Chen shouted, diving forward in alarm — if Su Qing heard, he'd never be able to explain himself!