The Gentle, Sickly Beauty Is Won Over By The Loyal Big Shot - Chapter 36

“Then you must be careful,” a voice said over the phone. “I’ve prepared some clothes for you. Just stay here until the typhoon passes. I heard the weather forecast say the rainfall in the coming days will be massive, and the eye of the storm will likely pass through here. You can’t take any more risks.”

“Thank you,” Cheng Dan said, holding an umbrella as he reached the garage. “See you soon.”

The underground garage of the high-rise apartment complex Cheng Dan rented was already flooded. The water reached halfway up the tires, if the rain continued at this rate, every car in the garage would be totaled.

Cheng Dan quickly drove his Porsche out of the garage and headed toward his destination.

Cheng Dan was a frequent subject of gossip in the neighborhood. People wondered why someone who rented a modest three bedrooms apartment for 3,000 yuan a month drove a Cayenne. Cheng Dan always came and went with an expressionless face, seemingly indifferent to parking an expensive car in a dilapidated garage or rarely maintaining it. It was as if the luxury vehicle was merely a tool, requiring no emotional investment. His eccentric lifestyle made him appear simultaneously poor and wealthy.

The last time Yu Shen met with Cheng Dan, he asked about the rental situation. Cheng Dan candidly admitted that he had privately purchased several Jianchen properties, including at least two villas. One was even located in Litian Mingzhu, very close to Qi Ran. He feared Qi Ran’s health would decline further and no one would be there to care for him, so he planned to look after Qi Ran in the future.

As for why he didn’t live in his own properties, Cheng Dan wasn’t short on money. He had previously mentioned that he did some “shady things” to get close to Zhou Cheng and pocketed a lot of money, far more than Qi Ran had earned as a top salesperson over the years. However, because of his complicated relationship with Zhou Cheng, Cheng Dan didn’t dare live openly in Jianchen or Ruihao developments. He had even bought a Ruihao property to please Zhou Cheng, but he was afraid to live there, fearing he might be “crushed to death” in his dreams. Thus, he rented a place to balance the books and play the part of the struggling worker, making it easier to extract more favors from Zhou Cheng.

Braving the violent storm and following his GPS, Cheng Dan drove to the staff quarters of the Litian Port Overseas Trading Company. Half of Litian Port was leased to private entities, so these quarters belonged to a well-funded private enterprise. Only high-level executives lived here, and security was extremely tight. Fortunately, his contact had already come down to meet him, simplifying the security screening. Two minutes later, Cheng Dan was successfully brought inside.

“Secretary Wu,” Cheng Dan smiled at the man in the passenger seat. “We meet again.”

“Yes, again,” Secretary Wu adjusted his glasses. “Have the documents been given to Gu Han?”

“Gu Han is hard to see. Right now, my best friend is dating him. My friend is in poor health and doesn’t like going out, so I suspect most of Gu Han’s schedule has been moved to ‘dating at home,'” Cheng Dan said, waiting for the garage door to open. “Yu Shen can still be reached, so I handed them to him. He should deliver them to Gu Han immediately.”

“Mm, Yu Shen is reliable,” Secretary Wu nodded. “Xiao Cheng, you’ve done well. You’re very good at finding reliable allies.”

“You seem to know Yu Shen very well,” Cheng Dan asked. “Did you know him back when you were a cost engineer at Ruihao?”

“Of course. Back then, you and your friend were just naive college students. Yu Shen and Gu Han were already celebrities in the Litian Special Zone, very famous. Hardly anyone in real estate didn’t know them.”

Secretary Wu waited for Cheng Dan to lock the car, then led him from the private garage to the residential area, chatting as they walked. “When the joint project between Ruihao and Jianchen first went on sale, I met them at a real estate conference as Ruihao’s representative. We exchanged contact info. At the time, I very subtly mentioned issues regarding Ruihao’s steel batch numbers and payment problems, wanting to warn them. They just smiled politely and changed the subject. They probably didn’t take it to heart, or perhaps because the topic was sensitive, they thought I was fishing for information. Regardless, that conversation led nowhere.”

Cheng Dan interjected, “And then the joint project collapsed?”

Secretary Wu nodded. “Yes. I tried to warn them, but they didn’t care. Afterward, fearing I’d be implicated, I hid the original cost estimates and replaced them with the fake accounts Zhou Cheng ordered me to make. Once that was done, I resigned immediately and became the secretary to the president here at Litian Port.”

“Secretary Wu, this might be blunt, but I have to ask,” Cheng Dan looked him in the eye. “Why didn’t you step forward with those documents when Jianchen was in such a mess?”

“Xiao Cheng, you’re too impulsive. I’ve heard you and Qi Ran are very close, perhaps you’re used to sacrificing yourself for a friend? When disaster strikes, our first priority must be to protect ourselves.” Secretary Wu smiled with a mix of fatherly warmth and slight mockery at Cheng Dan’s naivety. “At that time, I had just resigned. The incident had caused a massive scandal. You know Ruihao employs ex-convicts. I was worried about my safety. Now, three years later, Ruihao is on the brink of collapse. Only now do I feel like helping Jianchen. We must minimize risk and maximize gain.”

Cheng Dan noted the look in Wu’s eyes. He didn’t like the unfriendly gaze, nor did he like the tone used when discussing Qi Ran. He nodded and said, “I see. However, everyone has their own way of living. Your view is valid, and you might think my loyalty to Qi Ran is a joke, but I will still do it. Because Qi Ran has often done the same for me. We’ve been classmates for ten years and then colleagues, we’ve never had a single fight. In this life, he is the only one who truly knows me. I’m willing to do anything for him. With others, I talk business and money, for Qi Ran, I will pave the road to heaven.”

“Xiao Cheng, I didn’t mean to offend. Your friendship is enviable. I just haven’t had a similar experience, so I don’t quite understand.”

Sensing Cheng Dan’s cold expression and sharp tone, Secretary Wu quickly added, “Don’t take it to heart. I wasn’t intentionally speaking ill of your friend.”

Cheng Dan changed the subject. “Secretary Wu, now that Gu Han and Qi Ran are together, Qi Ran will definitely find out about the cost sheets. I’ve talked to him before. He said that once he has leverage over Ruihao, he won’t act immediately. He’ll wait for the right moment to gather enough evidence to kill Ruihao with one blow, forcing them out of the industry forever. So, this storm might not come as quickly as you think.”

Secretary Wu raised an eyebrow. “Oh? You believe he can pull off such a difficult task?”

“I do,” Cheng Dan nodded. “Qi Ran is a very reliable man of action. All his plans get implemented. You just need to wait.”

“Fine, then I shall wait for the good news. Ah, times really have changed. Young people today are so ambitious and daring.” Secretary Wu took a pack of Hongtashan cigarettes from the table and offered one to Cheng Dan. Cheng Dan pulled out a lighter and lit it for him. Exhaling a cloud of smoke, Secretary Wu said, “Xiao Cheng, take out your files. Let me see what level of evidence against Ruihao you can trade for mine.”

3:00 PM, Litian Fengyue.

The sky was pitch black. The storm showed no signs of letting up, with thunder and lightning raging. The rain was so heavy that even the air from the central AC felt damp. At 1:00 PM, Gu Han had quietly slipped out of bed to turn on the dehumidifier so the air would be dryer and Qi Ran could sleep more soundly.

Since 4:00 AM, Qi Ran had slept well, dreamless in Gu Han’s arms. He didn’t wake up until after 3:00 PM. Upon opening his eyes, he found Gu Han was already awake, holding Qi Ran with one arm while scrolling through his phone on silent with the other.

Gu Han looked bored, his finger flicking quickly across the screen without a trace of a smile.

Since winning Qi Ran over, nothing and no one besides Qi Ran could truly make Gu Han happy. These mindless videos were just a way to kill time while waiting for him to wake up.

“Hubby,” Qi Ran stretched. “You’re up so early.”

“Ran-ran baby is awake?”

Gu Han immediately tossed the phone aside and turned, pulling Qi Ran up so he was lying on Gu Han’s stomach. Gu Han’s fair hands, with faint veins showing on the backs, cupped Qi Ran’s soft cheeks. He said softly, “Ranran is so cute when he just wakes up, warm and sweet-smelling. Baby, you’re like a soft little cake.”

Qi Ran leaned in for a simple kiss. Just as Gu Han opened his lips to deepen it into a wet kiss, Qi Ran pulled back and rested his head on Gu Han’s chest. Gu Han urgently rubbed Qi Ran’s waist, pleading, “Wife, kiss-kiss.”

“Haven’t brushed my teeth yet,” Qi Ran felt around for Gu Han’s hand and interlaced their fingers, whispering, “Hubby has a cleanliness obsession, don’t you find me gross?”

“How could I ever find my wife gross?” Gu Han sounded aggrieved, holding Qi Ran tightly to prevent him from leaving. He started acting spoiled. “I like eating the cookies my wife has bitten, I like my wife’s little dog, I like warming my wife’s feet. Now wife won’t let me kiss him, you must be the one who finds me gross.”

“I won’t find you gross, hubby. Here, I’ll let you kiss.” Qi Ran cupped Gu Han’s face and kissed him. This time, both opened their mouths, their tongues entwining until both were breathless and satisfied.

“I’m so happy I got to kiss sweet Ran-ran for so long,” Gu Han reached his hand under Qi Ran’s shirt to gently massage his lower back. “Wife, how is your body today? Do your stomach and back feel better?”

“Much better. Honestly, it’s only today that I feel like I’m finally recovering from the surgery,” Qi Ran leaned against Gu Han’s heart, whispering, “When I first left the hospital, my stomach felt so bloated, it was sticking out. I couldn’t even drink water. It was miserable.”

“Wife has suffered. I hope your stomach trouble goes away soon.” Gu Han turned slightly again, holding Qi Ran securely. He pushed up Qi Ran’s pajama top and began gently massaging the finally softened abdomen, planning out loud: “I’ll rub your tummy every day. After all three meals, when you wake up, before bed, and during naps.”

“Eh?”

Qi Ran tilted his head, looking incredibly cute, and teased in a soft voice, “Is Hubby really not just rewarding himself?”

“So my wife knows… I do want to reward myself. I really can’t control myself with Ranran. I… I kind of like the way you look when your stomach hurts. Every time, it makes my heart flutter.” Gu Han’s face flushed instantly. He lowered his gaze and stammered an apology. “Sorry, wife. I… I thought you didn’t know. Wuwu, wife, am I being pathetic?”

“No, Gu baby. You told me a long time ago, I remember,” Qi Ran rubbed Gu Han’s head, soothing him gently. “Alright hubby, don’t be unhappy. Didn’t I say you can like the ‘unwell’ me as much as you want? Hehe, so my baby has a little hobby, so what? I can play along with you.”

As they were chatting, there was a soft knock on the door. Yu Shen, being very polite, said from outside, “Sirs, would you like something to eat? I made a couple of extra sandwiches.”