Nie Jia had indeed imbibed a bit much. Despite consciously avoiding Huo Qing's gaze earlier, once he opened up, he clung to him affectionately and didn't let go.
"I'll go get some porridge for you. Have a bit and then rest," Huo Qing noticed Nie Jia's flushed cheeks and carried him away from the balcony.
"I only want to sleep with you right now," Nie Jia tugged at Huo Qing's tie. "You have no idea how much I've missed this."
"You're drunk," Huo Qing said.
"Isn't it better to be unrestrained after drinking?" Nie Jia lay back on the bed, pulling Huo Qing closer by his tie.
With one hand bracing Nie Jia's ear, Huo Qing leaned in and kissed near his lips, chuckling softly. "Darling, that's hardly a compliment."
In the end, Nie Jia couldn't manage to undress Huo Qing in his tipsy state, only stealing a few kisses before Huo Qing tucked him into bed. Concerned about Nie Jia's extremely delicate stomach, fearing discomfort the next day, Huo Qing hurried downstairs to fetch easily digestible food for him.
The next morning, Nie Jia, nursing a hangover, lay on his side in bed, his furrowed brow indicating his discomfort, emitting long, frustrated sighs.
"Is it severe? Do you need some medication?" Huo Qing, who hadn't left the night before, lay half-reclined beside Nie Jia, lightly massaging his temples to ease the hangover.
"It's okay..." Nie Jia croaked from under the covers, devoid of the previous night's enthusiasm and infatuation in his voice.
Huo Qing's fingertip paused, a sense of urgency dropping in his heart.
"I'll be fine after a rest." Nie Jia's face darkened, a hint of displeasure in his voice. His emotions were easily affected by physical discomfort. Even a slight ache in his fingertips would immediately agitate him, brimming with destructive impulses.
Usually, when feeling down, he preferred curling up, but this time, he was reaching out to Huo Qing in bed, wrapping his arms around his waist, almost entirely entwined with him.
Huo Qing pulled back the covers, seeing the young man nestled so dependently beside him, the surging turmoil in his eyes instantly dissipated. He thought maybe those words last night were just drunken ramblings... Huo Qing sighed in relief and casually caressed the young man's fair neck.
"Yesterday, you were exhausted, and I forgot to tell you, the reclamation project in Lugang is back in Gu Xueying's hands," Huo Qing said softly.
Nie Jia acknowledged. He had entrusted Huo Qing to directly sell off the Jiang family's shares, giving all the funds to Gu Xueying. He hadn't troubled Nie Jia much during this time. Both Gu Xueying and Qin Yi Ran were clever individuals; with sufficient funds, they knew what to do. However, Yan Yu's sudden murder had sparked Nie Jia's desire for destruction. He no longer wanted to sit back and watch; he wanted to get involved now!
"If I withdraw my investment from the Pacific Cable Project contracted by the Jiangs now, it'll collapse, and you won't need to deal with him so indirectly," Huo Qing intermittently massaged Nie Jia's temples.
"I'm in the middle of a game; don't spoil my mood." Moreover, if Huo Qing dealt with Jiang Yang, while it might be as easy as squashing an ant, it would mean the original owner's wish wouldn't come true. Huo Qing's intervention would only fill Jiang Yang with hatred, and where's the regret in that?
After Nie Jia's headache eased, he got up from Huo Qing's side. Kneeling on the bed, his just-awakened appearance appeared remarkably gentle. Affection and love were evident in his eyes, delivering a punch to Huo Qing's heart.
"Of course, your happiness is what matters most," Huo Qing indulged, teasing Nie Jia's chin with a touch, like playing with a puppy.
In early August, due to An Na's insistence, Nie Jia moved back to the Jiang residence. Huo Qing also had to go to France for official business. Huo Yun smirked at the fact that her brother and Dr. Yan started a long-distance relationship right after getting together, finding it quite amusing.
"Su Su, are you in a relationship? With a girl from which family?" An Na noticed that her son, who never seemed interested in electronic gadgets, had been glued to his phone these past few days. Often, she caught him chatting on the computer in the evenings, a smile she hadn't seen before gracing his face, prompting her to ask.
Nie Jia was texting Huo Qing when he heard and chuckled, "With the Huo family."
"The Huo family? Miss Huo Yun?" An Na widened her eyes in surprise.
"Huo Yun is already married. Don't jump to conclusions. He's out of the country right now. When he returns in a few days, I'll introduce you," Nie Jia sighed, putting down his phone and walked over to An Na, massaging her shoulders. "Wasn't Qin Yi Ran supposed to accompany you shopping today? Are you tired after a day out?"
"What's tiring for me? I almost forgot to ask you, Yi Ran mentioned today that you bought out scattered shares of the Qin family for her. Even the project in Gu Xueying's hands was funded by you. Where did you get so much money?" At first, An Na thought Qin Yi Ran was joking, but now, Qin Yi Ran had indeed become the controlling shareholder of the Qin family, and Gu Xueying had secured the reclamation project in Lugang, capable of generating billions in profit...
The required funds for all this could probably match half of the Jiang family's shares! Her son was a neurosurgeon, how could he possibly have this much money?
"I swear, I haven't done anything illegal," Nie Jia chuckled helplessly. "I'll explain in detail once everything's settled."
An Na glanced at him for a while, realizing her interference was futile, and gave up the inquiry. She only reminded, "When your girlfriend returns, remember to tell me. Don't hide things. You're not a child anymore, sneaking around with your mom."
After saying that, seeing it was getting late, she admonished Nie Jia a bit more and went upstairs to rest.
Nie Jia checked the date – August 6th – perfect timing, as tomorrow marked Qin Yi Ran's official appointment as chairman. Until now, Jiang Yang had controlled Qin Corporation's board, holding 45% of the shares, making him its largest shareholder. Even though Jiang Yang no longer actively managed Qin Corp, the appointed chairman remained his choice. However, Nie Jia, by securing sufficient scattered shares for Qin Yi Ran in addition to her inherited shares, now held over 51%. This meant Qin Yi Ran would automatically assume the chairman's role.
Notably, Jiang He was positioned in Qin Corp's tower as the Executive President. Despite lacking prowess, his position was merely a favor from Jiang Yang, who didn't expect any significant achievements. Jiang He enjoyed hefty dividends without shouldering much responsibility, comfortably settled in this role.
The next day, Qin Corp's shareholders' meeting took place at the tower.
After six months, Qin Yi Ran returned as the master. Her emotions were a mix of resentment towards Jiang Yang, grief over her father's passing, and gratitude towards Yan Su, enabling her rightful presence here.
Qin Yi Ran stood at the entrance for a while, her eyes filled with complex emotions gradually fading as her assistant timely reminded her, "Chairman, the shareholders have arrived. If you delay any longer, it might be considered tardy."
"It doesn't matter. Some people are just despicable. Making them wait will only delight them," Qin Yi Ran sneered coldly, leisurely stepping inside.
She would never forget the shareholders' demeanor when her father passed away, especially during the collapse of the Guo Family. They had treated her and her uncle atrociously.
"Oh, isn't this Miss Qin? Long time no see. Did you spare some time to see if Jiang Yang is around, to stab him in the back? Too bad, Jiang Yang isn't here." Jiang He, tauntingly playing with the secretary at the meeting room's door, saw Qin Yi Ran approaching straight ahead, sporting a malicious smirk. He leaned on the secretary's desk, sarcastically saying, "Look at me, I forgot to consider Miss Qin still holds that tiny fraction of shares. I heard the new chairman is coming today, and Miss Qin is here for the shareholders' meeting. Let me open the door for Miss Qin."
Jiang He finished mocking her and lazily walked over to open the door. He was Jiang Yang's cousin and always carried himself with arrogance in the company, even before the shareholders, knowing no one dared to oppose him.
Qin Yi Ran remained motionless, coldly locking eyes with Jiang He, silently recalling the conniving ideas Jiang He had fed Jiang Yang during her marriage to him.
All major shareholders had arrived, waiting for Qin Yi Ran. As the door opened, everyone saw Qin Yi Ran, frosty as ever, and memories of how they mistreated this child in the past struck them.
"Chairman, you're here."
The shareholders' simultaneous greetings made Jiang He slowly wipe off the mocking smile from his face. Then, he stiffly turned to look at the indifferent Qin Yi Ran, blinking continuously, "You're the new chairman?"
"You've been fired. Leave," Qin Yi Ran's voice was cold, her lips curling slightly as she tossed her bag to her assistant, walking past the eager gazes of the shareholders into the meeting room to take her seat.
"Impossible! How...how could you be the new chairman?" Jiang He finally regained his senses.
Ignoring him completely, Qin Yi Ran instructed her assistant coldly, "Prepare Jiang He's dismissal letter immediately and throw out both his personal belongings and himself."
"Yes, Chairman. I'll handle it right away." The assistant placed documents on Qin Yi Ran's desk, rolled up his suit sleeves, revealing muscular wrists, and swiftly restrained Jiang He.
"You have no authority to fire me! Who do you think you are? Why do you have the right to dismiss me!" Jiang He raged at Qin Yi Ran, but the assistant furrowed his brows, swiftly knocking Jiang He unconscious and dragging him out of the meeting room.
Not a single shareholder uttered a word in Jiang He's defense. They echoed the sentiment that Jiang He had contributed nothing substantial during his tenure as the Executive President and should have been dismissed long ago.
Qin Yi Ran's assistant escorted Jiang He to his office, instructing the secretary to pack his personal belongings. Soon, the entire company was abuzz with this incident.