Ye Qingju nodded politely.
The receptionist let out an awkward laugh. “Ma’am, President Qi left instructions… If you came to the company, we’re not to let you see him. If you insist, well… you’re putting us in a tough spot.”
Her tone sounded apologetic, but if one looked closely, there wasn’t an ounce of genuine respect in her eyes.
Ye Qingju knew her “pathetic simp” image was deeply ingrained in everyone’s mind by now, so she didn’t bother explaining.
Instead, she strolled over to the waiting area in the lobby and sat down casually. “Could you call Zhang Wei down for me? I need to speak with him. Or Wan Sui will do too.”
Like either of them would give a damn, the receptionist thought, but she still nodded on the surface.
The seating area was already filled with people—mostly business partners or hopefuls looking to work with the Qi Group. When they heard the receptionist address her as “Mrs. Qi,” everyone instinctively turned to look.
After all, Ye Qingju’s name was well-known. But so what if she was Qi Weiran’s wife? In the end, she was just like the rest of them—stuck waiting in the lobby.
Thinking this, many straightened their backs and lifted their chins a little higher.
Ye Qingju quickly understood why no one was sitting near her.
There was a lingering, pungent scent in the air—one she found both familiar and mildly unpleasant. Her gaze landed on a man seated across from her: he looked young, but the weariness on his face made him appear much older.
Sensing her open stare, the man raised his head and gave her a sheepish smile. “Sorry, sis. Is the smell bothering you?”
Ye Qingju immediately felt a twinge of sympathy for him. She returned his smile with a gentle shake of her head. “It’s fine, bro. You’re perfectly welcome to sit here.”
The man still looked a little embarrassed. Most of the other seats were taken—and even if they weren’t, everyone nearby had that unmistakable look of disgust.
Even if he wanted to switch spots, he wouldn’t know where to go.
Ye Qingju asked in a friendly tone: “So, who are you here to see?”
The question visibly relaxed him.
He’d been lost in his own thoughts earlier and hadn’t realized who she was—just assumed she was a kind-hearted, beautiful young woman.
“I’m here to see Director Wei from the Qi Group’s Livestock Division.”
The Qi Group’s business empire spanned countless industries and subsidiaries—it wasn’t an exaggeration to say they had their hands in everything, even sectors that held global influence.
And as soon as she heard the word “livestock,” she thought, Just as I suspected.
This guy was definitely a pig farmer.
“The Qi Group has a livestock division?” she asked innocently, feigning ignorance.
The man rubbed his face with a tired smile. “I’ll be honest with you, sis—I run a pig farm. But lately, I don’t know what’s going on. The pigs have been dying one after another, and their meat isn’t safe to eat. If this keeps up, I’ll have to shut the whole place down.”
“My son just started kindergarten, and my wife’s got bad legs. We sold our old house back home just to move to the capital. I’ve got nowhere else to go.”
It had clearly been a while since he had someone to vent to. The words tumbled out, raw and unfiltered. Then he caught himself, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye.
“Sorry, sis. Didn’t mean to dump all that on you.”
Ye Qingju shook her head. “It’s okay.”
Dying off one by one...
She had studied the local pig farming industry before and found no records of swine flu in this world.
Now it seemed it wasn’t that the disease didn’t exist—it just hadn’t surfaced until now.
Just then, a tall, broad-shouldered man in sunglasses approached.
He scanned the room before locking eyes on Ye Qingju. “Ma’am. What brings you here?”
Wan Sui, you old fox, Ye Qingju thought. You didn’t want to offend your boss, so you sent one of his bodyguards to deal with me instead? And now that poor bodyguard has to do your assistant’s job, too.
Seeing someone approach her, the pig farmer quietly lowered his head.
Ye Qingju stood and walked over.
Zhang Wei immediately furrowed his brows. “Ma’am, you know Mr. Qi—”
“I’m here for you,” she interrupted, raising a hand.
Zhang Wei’s brows knit tighter. “Ma’am, I have a girlfriend. I’m getting married at the end of the month.”
Ye Qingju nodded solemnly. “Then you can pay your own wedding gift money first. I’m broke.”
Zhang Wei: “……”
Sure, he’d known she could switch personalities depending on the situation—but hadn’t it gotten even more blatant lately?
She didn’t plan to make things difficult. “Hand over my car keys.”
If she hadn’t asked, he probably would’ve kept using her motorcycle indefinitely—forcing her to rely on the Qi family’s chauffeured car. Super inconvenient.
Zhang Wei blinked, then fished the keys out of his pocket.
Luckily, he always kept them on him.
“Your bike’s in the underground garage.”
Ye Qingju nodded. As she turned to leave, she pointed at the pig farmer. “Pour him a glass of juice. Then get Director Wei from the Livestock Division down here.”
Company business or not, Zhang Wei didn’t budge.
Ye Qingju’s lips curled into a smirk. “If you don’t move, I’ll go upstairs and find Qi Weiran myself.”
Zhang Wei turned on his heel immediately and walked to the reception desk, returning with a glass of juice.
By the time he came back, Ye Qingju was already gone.
But orders were orders—he still had to follow through.
Leading the clearly overwhelmed man to the elevator, Zhang Wei let out a sigh.
I'm a bodyguard, he thought bitterly, not an assistant!
Some sharp-eyed folks in the lobby recognized him as Qi Weiran’s personal bodyguard and immediately began kicking themselves.
Everyone had seen the pig farmer chatting with Ye Qingju just moments earlier—and now he was being escorted upstairs by Qi Weiran’s man.
Even the receptionist broke out in a cold sweat. Good thing I passed on her message earlier.
Since when did Zhang Wei follow Ye Qingju’s orders so obediently?
On the top floor, Zhang Wei entered the office. Qi Weiran actually glanced up from his work, asking curtly:
“Where did you go?”
The tone—and that cold gaze—sent chills down Zhang Wei’s spine.
He looked like a man caught sneaking off mid-shift.
“Sir… the madam came by earlier.”
Qi Weiran paused for a moment, frowning. “I recall telling you not to let her in.”
Zhang Wei answered carefully: “Yes, sir. That’s why she said she was here to see me.”
Qi Weiran’s expression shifted. “You’re getting married.”
Zhang Wei: “...Sir, she just came to ask for her bike keys.”
“Also, she said I should pay my own wedding gift money… because she’s poor.”
Qi Weiran gave a short, cold laugh. “Poor? She’s so poor, all she has left is the inheritance she’s waiting on.”
Zhang Wei quickly spat to ward off bad luck. “Sir, don’t jinx yourself! You’re still young and healthy. And even if the madam rubs you the wrong way sometimes… the whole nation can see how deep her feelings are for you. You can’t reduce that to just money.”
Qi Weiran’s gaze shifted subtly.
Yes… Ye Qingju’s obsession with him had never been about money.
At least until a few days ago, he’d truly believed that.
“Tell Wan Sui to cancel all my dinner meetings tonight.”
Zhang Wei blinked. “You have other plans?”
The man loosened his tie with long, elegant fingers, then leaned back in his chair. The refined aura that always clung to him now gave way to a rare hint of laziness. A flicker of something unreadable flashed in his amber eyes.
“We’re going back to the main estate.”
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