"Ji Siyue, be a good girl."
"What if one day we break up?"
"How could we possibly break up?"
"This is just a 'what if'. What are you thinking about?"
"If we break up, and it's not my fault, I'll lock you up until you admit your mistake!"
"Hahaha, how could that happen..."
The past conversations were vivid in her mind. Ji Siyue involuntarily took a step back, but there were stairs behind her. She plopped down on the ground.
Seeing that person approaching, Ji Siyue gritted her teeth and scrambled up from the ground in a rather awkward manner. Then she dashed upwards like crazy.
Qin Chengyao took out his phone and called Zhang Qian. "Lock all the safety exits in the company's stairwells within a minute. Don't lock the one on my office floor."
"Yes, sir."
Ji Siyue kept running upwards. After running up two floors, she realized this wasn't a good solution. So she tried to open the door of a stairwell to take the elevator and leave quickly.
But she found that the door seemed to be locked.
She went up further!
It was still locked!
This was the case for several floors; all were locked!
Ji Siyue recalled Qin Chengyao's look just now, and even felt as if the sound of his "tapping" footsteps was gradually coming up from downstairs.
She was a bit scared and ran all the way to the top floor to pull open the stairwell door.
"Click!"
It opened! Fortunately, this one wasn't locked!
With a smile of relief on her face, Ji Siyue pushed open the door. As soon as she did, she saw Zhang Qian standing at the stairway entrance.
She was stunned.
Behind Zhang Qian stood Qing Ying, who shook her head subtly at Ji Siyue, as if hinting at something.
Ji Siyue couldn't help taking a step back, but then remembered that Qin Chengyao seemed to be coming up the stairwell, so she stopped.
Zhang Qian took a step forward and nodded slightly. "Ms. Ji, it's been more than two years. You've finally come back."
Hearing this, everyone in the secretary's office on the top floor was shocked.
So this person was really the one Mr. Qin had been looking for for a long time! She was Mr. Qin's ex - girlfriend!
"I can't escape, right?"
"You don't need to escape. Even if Mr. Qin really hates you, he won't kill you." Zhang Qian added.
Ji Siyue: "Are you trying to comfort me?"
"I'm telling the truth. Ms. Ji, why don't you wait in the president's office?"
"I don't want to!"
Ji Siyue was never one to accept her fate. Otherwise, she wouldn't have run away from Qin Chengyao again and again!
She had just run a few steps forward when some people surrounded her.
Qing Ying wanted to come forward to help but was directly grabbed by Zhang Qian with one hand and couldn't move.
The more Ji Siyue tried to break through the encirclement, the more people there were. She was so anxious that her eyes were about to turn red. "I'm here to discuss cooperation. Is this how you treat me?"
At this moment, the door of the stairwell behind was opened again.
"Since you're here to discuss cooperation, why are you running?"
Ji Siyue's body froze again.
Suddenly!
Ji Siyue was lifted into the air!
It was Qin Chengyao who had slung Ji Siyue over his shoulder.
Ji Siyue started to struggle. "Let me go!"
"If you don't want me to throw you off the 26th floor, be quiet." Qin Chengyao said coldly as he walked.
Ji Siyue stopped moving.
Qin Chengyao might really do such a thing.
When they got to the office, the door was locked with a "click", and then Ji Siyue was placed on the sofa.
As she landed, Ji Siyue subconsciously shrank back several times, as if the farther away from Qin Chengyao, the better.
Seeing Ji Siyue's actions, a look of uneasiness flashed across Qin Chengyao's eyes. Then he put his hands in his pockets and walked to the side.
"Didn't you come to discuss cooperation? How do you want to discuss it?"
"I need my documents."
"Just discuss it directly. Could it be that President Ji didn't make prior preparations and can't proceed without looking at the contract?"
This was questioning her ability!
Although Ji Siyue felt she was in the wrong, she didn't want to be looked down upon. So she said directly, "Of course I can! Come on, let's discuss the cooperation!"
For some reason, in the more than an hour that followed, Qin Chengyao didn't mention any personal matters between the two of them. Instead, he seriously discussed the cooperation with her.
His words were sharp, and his insights were unique. There were some things she hadn't even thought of.
His attitude wasn't strict. In fact, he was very polite. During the process, he even poured her a cup of tea.
It was two hours later when they finally finalized the cooperation.
During this period, Ji Siyue gradually relaxed.
She stretched, but at this moment, Qin Chengyao asked a question she never expected. "Why did you run?"
Suddenly, Ji Siyue was frozen in the stretching position, looking extremely embarrassed.
It was a long, long time later that she slowly recovered. Looking at Qin Chengyao, she said, "I'm scared."
Scared that you'll take revenge on me because I ran away first.
Scared that you'll say something serious to me because I've never heard you say hurtful words.
Scared that you'll confront me because I haven't figured out how to explain things to you.
Even more scared... even more scared that you're no longer the person you used to be.
Even more scared that this time when I come back, we'll be complete strangers. If I don't see you, at least I can have the thought that that person is still thinking about me and that's why he wants to find me.
But now it seems that Qin Chengyao isn't as affected as she thought.
Does he really not care about her and just wants an answer?
"Didn't you run away on your own? You left me and all of us behind and went abroad to live a carefree life. When you came back, you became a successful person. Are you also guilty? Are you also scared? Ji Siyue, you have no heart."
"You're talking nonsense!"
I do have a heart!
Otherwise, why does it feel like it's being pricked by needles right here in my chest?
"I'm talking nonsense? Fine, tell me. This is the third time. You've run away from me three times. What were the reasons for these three times?"
"Because I'm scared."
The atmosphere froze, and the conversation circled back to the original topic.
Whether it was out of fear or guilt, Ji Siyue didn't want to continue.
"Mr. Qin, will you let our personal matters affect the company's cooperation?"
"Of course not."
Just as Ji Siyue let out a sigh of relief, the man added, "But if the leader of a company has a questionable character, I may seriously consider the cooperation."
"You—"
"That's all for today. I'll inform you whether we'll sign the contract or not, President Ji. Please leave."
It was Qin Chengyao who had forcibly brought Ji Siyue here, but now he opened the door and let her go.