Yu He returned to the living room with a disgruntled air. Lola happened to be bringing a heated bento box from the kitchen and placed it on the coffee table.
"This is it?" Yu He looked at the self-heating instant meal with a sense of disbelief.
After all her effort in the kitchen, all she got was a self-heating bento box?!
Was this dog man going to keep her here and feed her instant meals from now on?
If she couldn't eat well, how could she have the strength to escape?
Lola, however, saw nothing wrong with it. She returned to her previous position, her expression unsmiling, and continued to "guard" like a wooden person.
Yu He was not resigned to this. She got up and went into the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and, thankfully, found fresh vegetables inside. They looked quite fresh, likely having been restocked today.
She took out two tomatoes and some noodles, then rummaged in the freezer for a piece of beef brisket, and made herself a tomato and beef brisket noodle soup.
The braised beef brisket smelled particularly fragrant, wafting into the living room. In the middle of the night, the aroma made Lola feel hungry, but she forced herself to endure it.
"Do you want to share?" Yu He served two bowls of tomato and beef brisket noodles and placed them on the coffee table.
Lola remained expressionless, standing at attention like a sculpture, until Yu He finished her own bowl. She was so serious that she didn't even glance in Yu He's direction.
The person hired this time was so stern; it seemed Qin Beiting was serious about imprisoning her here!
After eating her fill, Yu He pretended to yawn and went upstairs to sleep again. Seeing that Lola did not follow, she turned around and searched all the rooms on the second floor again.
Only one room was locked, and she couldn't get in. The other rooms were the same as on the first floor; she found nothing useful.
She turned her gaze to the one room that remained locked. It had to be either a study or Qin Beiting's bedroom.
If she couldn't get in from the front, then what about the windows...
Just as Yu He opened the window of the adjacent room and peered out to gauge the distance to the neighboring window, Lola's voice came from behind her.
"The second floor isn't high, but downstairs is the backyard, which connects to the mountain behind. There are dozens of wolves there, and they haven't been fed for some time."
The warning was clear, and the reality was harsh. The distance between the windows of the two rooms was over two meters, with no support or leverage points.
If she insisted on climbing across, the probability of falling was very high.
"Even if you manage to avoid the wolves, it would take an ordinary person, with provisions, three days and three nights of hiking to get out of this mountain," Lola added.
"..."
Yu He quietly closed the window and returned to the room where she had woken up.
It was better to conserve her energy and try to escape at dawn.
...
Qin Beiting returned past three in the morning, bringing with him the cold wind and snow. Lola opened the main door for him.
"Did she cry or make a fuss?" Qin Beiting took off his suit jacket and hung it on the coat rack by the door.
Lola: "No."
Qin Beiting found it somewhat surprising but also reasonable, given Yu He's serene and distant expression, which made it difficult for him to imagine her crying or making a scene.
"Where is she now?" he asked again.
"Sleeping in her room upstairs," Lola replied stiffly.
Qin Beiting nodded. "Go and rest."
"Yes." Lola finally relaxed from her "at attention" posture.
As Qin Beiting walked up the stairs, he inadvertently noticed a bowl of beef brisket noodles on the coffee table and paused.
"Did she make it?" he asked Lola, who was about to return to her room.
He remembered that Lola couldn't cook, which was why he had people prepare fresh ingredients and instant meals just in case.
Lola: "Yes."
A warmth suddenly welled up in Qin Beiting's heart. She still had the energy to cook noodles, which meant her mood wasn't too bad being confined here.
Was this bowl of noodles specifically left for him, to appease him?
He changed direction and walked to the coffee table. He was a little hungry, so he sat down and picked up the bowl. The noodles had gone cold, but he ate them with a warm feeling.
So this was what it felt like to have someone waiting with food when you came home from work...
Qin Beiting finished the noodles with satisfaction, wiped his mouth, and as he stood up, his peripheral vision caught Lola staring at him intently.
"Something wrong?" he asked.
Lola: "No."
It's just... that was my noodles Ծ‸Ծ.
...
Yu He lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Just as she was finally starting to feel drowsy and about to drift off, the door suddenly opened with a "click."
Qin Beiting entered wearing a bathrobe. Seeing that the room was lit, he thought she was still awake. Then he looked at the bed and saw she was already lying down. A smile tugged at his lips.
Before Yu He could even get up, the man threw back the covers and squeezed in, bringing a chill with him. With a long arm, he pulled her into his cold embrace.
"The noodles were delicious, but next time, remember to heat them up," the man's warm breath sprayed into Yu He's ear.
Her hand, which had been pushing him away, paused. When had she cooked noodles for him?
She suddenly remembered the bowl of noodles she had intended to use to bribe Lola. Had he eaten it?
Uh...
"Zuo Ye is coming tomorrow to sign the contract," Qin Beiting said in a low voice, holding her tightly and finding a comfortable position.
Yu He struggled for a moment, but finding herself unable to break free, she let him hold her and remained silent, waiting for him to continue. However, after a while, there was no response. She asked, "And then?"
There was no reply. She turned her head to look and saw that the man had fallen asleep holding her.
"..."
He had fallen asleep without even finishing his sentence. He must have been exhausted.
Yu He clutched his arm around her and tried to slowly move it away, only to find that he was still incredibly strong even in his sleep, making it impossible to break free.
Helpless, she let him hold her. The drowsiness that had momentarily left her returned as she smelled the faint, familiar scent of tobacco from him. Sleepiness slowly crept in.
Just as she was about to drift off, she suddenly heard the man murmur by her ear, "Baby..."
Yu He jolted, instantly becoming completely alert. She looked at the man again, certain he was in a deep sleep. A complex mix of emotions surged within her.
Ting Ge, do you still remember me?
——
The next day, XS Group.
At ten o'clock, Zuo Ye was punctually led to the top-floor conference room by his secretary. Qi Xifeng was already waiting inside.
Seeing only him and his secretary, Zuo Ye asked, "Isn't Seventh Master Qin coming?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the conference room door was pushed open, and Qin Beiting strode in with an imposing presence.
Zuo Ye looked at him, his eyes filled with coldness, but he maintained a faint smile on his face. He teased, "I thought Seventh Master Qin was too engrossed in beauty to come."
Qin Beiting cast him a cold glance and walked to the main seat at the head of the conference room and sat down.
Qi Xifeng handed the prepared contract to Zuo Ye. "Here is the contract, President Zuo. Please take a look."
Seeing that Qin Beiting was ignoring him, Zuo Ye felt like he was hitting cotton with a fist, a self-inflicted embarrassment. He took the contract.
Although Yu He had verbally mentioned Qin Beiting's requirements to him before, seeing the actual paper contract made him feel that it was even more demanding than what had been discussed.
It was almost as if he had to provide three years of free machine services to penetrate the Asian market, which was costly and labor-intensive.
"Seventh Master Qin, I've already handed the person over to you. Is this the only benefit you're offering?" He put down the contract and looked at Qin Beiting.
Qin Beiting: "Handed over?"