Cheng Yi could never fully let go of Ye Minglang.
But if she agreed too quickly, Ye Minglang would undoubtedly push his luck even further, and peace would become a distant dream. She'd planned to hold out for a few more days, but his persistence was relentless. In the end, she had no choice but to raise the white flag early.
Ye Minglang had given his brother a grand excuse, claiming he was there to "deeply develop the Chinese market." This allowed him to stay in Z City, conveniently lodging at Cheng Yi's place.
He made a big show about setting up an office, determined to boost their Chinese performance, though it was merely a respectable excuse to justify his extended freeloading. Ye Minglang knew that he needed to show results quickly; otherwise, his big brother would likely order him back in a few days, or worse, send him off to some remote African country for "market development."
Two weeks had passed, and there was still no sign of an office, which made him increasingly anxious. Throughout all his grandstanding, Cheng Yi remained indifferent, pretending not to hear his hints, no matter how blatant they were. Even if Ye Minglang wasn't the best at reading people, he knew better than to push too hard. After all, he was relying on Cheng Yi for both food and shelter—he couldn't afford to overstep.
Last night, after dinner, Ye Minglang volunteered to wash the dishes, then spent the evening trailing behind Cheng Yi, repeatedly recounting his frustrations from the past week until Cheng Yi could recite them backwards.
"Yi, when are you quitting that... what's it called, freelance translating? Come help me, pleeease!"
"Why is opening an office in China so hard? I've been running around all week and still haven't gotten a single license!"
"If I don't get things moving soon, my brother's gonna kill me!"
"Yi, come on, what's that Chinese phrase again... right! Leaving someone to die without helping!"
After his "verbal assault" came the "action phase," with pitiful puppy-dog eyes, a slight pout, and then cozying up beside her on the sofa, clinging to her hand while leaning his head on her shoulder. His barrage of pleading and pouting left Cheng Yi with goosebumps.
"Minglang baby, be good. Just go back to your brother. The outside world's too cruel."
"Yi...I've been good! Look—the dishes are sparkling, and the floors are spotless!"
Cheng Yi glanced at her underwear flapping in the breeze on the balcony and felt too awkward to let him go fetch it. Instead, she gently redirected:
"There's a lot of grease in the kitchen."
"On it!" he called, darting off.
Being shameless is also a tactic, one that Ye Minglang excelled at. He could cling, whine, beg, pester. He was just short of throwing a tantrum on the floor. Cheng Yi finally understood why his ever-pragmatic brother had so readily agreed to the charade of opening a company. The Big Boss was clearly just trying to get some peace and quiet by sending him away.
After so many days, Cheng Yi was starting to waver.
"Maybe... I'll handle the laundry too?"
Cheng Yi's eyes fixed on the fluttering underwear and immediately gave in.
"Tomorrow, hand over all the documents to me," she said. "But I have one condition."
Yes... finally, she agreed... Ye Minglang danced around with joy.
"Bingo..."
As Ye Minglang pranced around the living room, Cheng Yi quickly laid down her condition.
"The condition is, you have to move out tomorrow."
Ye Minglang, who had been gloating, froze in place, turning towards Cheng Yi in disbelief. He paced around the living room for a long time, weighing his options.
"...Alright," he said at last. "But I have a condition too."
Cheng Yi didn't dare to agree easily. Ye Minglang leaned over her shoulder, his voice tinged with concern.
"Yi... don't forget to take your medicine."
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Through a translation company, Cheng Yi got in touch with an experienced business registration agent. After submitting all documents, the company license would take a week to be issued. Meanwhile, the office location and renovations were also underway. After days of hard work, Cheng Yi ended up catching a cold. The medication made her feel groggy.
Ye Minglang, with a casual "I trust Yi to handle it," did nothing more than show up to sign documents when necessary, spending his days at home playing video games, fully embracing his role as a hands-off boss.
When the office license and renovations were finally completed, it was time for him to take credit as the office head.
Outside a café near their office, Ye Minglang, with a beaming face, video-called Big Boss in Hong Kong, gesturing enthusiastically while pitching his ambitious plans. It's true what they say, clothes make the man. Normally looking like a bit of a rogue, Ye Minglang, in a designer suit and with his hair slicked back, drew the attention of passersby with his dramatic gestures. He looked every bit the successful young professional, catching the eye of a few girls nearby.
Thankfully, after handing him his coffee, Cheng Yi wisely stepped aside.
In every major city's CBD, lunchtime means crowds and long waits. If she didn't grab lunch early, Minglang would be complaining about being hungry again. She looked up restaurants on her phone and found a trendy fusion Chinese spot around the corner. Looked promising. By 11:30, it wasn't crowded. She quickly picked up two bowls of light rice stew, one ginger tea to ward off the cold, and one herbal loquat tea for his throat. Bragging is a full-time job that requires proper care,even if Ye Minglang might not appreciate the taste of loquat.
From a distance, the video call seemed to be over. Ye Minglang, laptop in hand, spotted her and waved excitedly.
"Yi, hey—yeah!"
Clearly, he'd been praised. Cheng Yi smiled and started toward him.
But after only a few steps, she suddenly stopped. Her knees buckled. Her gaze lost focus. She stood frozen in place.
"Yi, what's wrong?"
What's happening? Ye Minglang was also stunned, he had never seen Cheng Yi like this and didn't know what to do. He quickly snapped out of it, set down his laptop, and rushed over, scattering papers everywhere in his haste.
"Yi—are you okay?"
Before Ye Minglang could reach her, a tall figure darted in from the side—quicker than him—and caught her just in time, pulling her steadily into his arms as she was about to collapse.
The takeout bag slipped from her hand and hit the ground with a dull thud.