Coveted for a Long Time 49

Chapter 49

It was just an unintentional action; she had no fetish for prying into others’ privacy. Subconsciously, she was about to close the drawer, but at that moment, she caught a glimpse of the black text on the document and stopped her hand instantly.

The document was open, and Qiao Xi happened to see the name of a company on it. That company used to be a fledgling internet company under the Qiao family’s name, called Azure Fox. Its predecessor was iCreate Information Technology Co., Ltd., acquired from another group.

Before Qiao Jianliang and Mother Qiao divorced, Mother Qiao often mentioned Azure Fox at home, saying it took a lot of effort to re-establish it. The internet was booming, and if developed well, it could become a pillar among all the family’s companies in the future. However, a few years later, just as Azure Fox started making money for the Qiao family, Qiao Jianliang had to sell it due to failed investments.

Making money on the internet was easy, but losing money was even easier. It required throwing in huge sums of capital—a bottomless pit. Qiao Xi had always thought it was due to the couple’s poor management and Qiao Jianliang’s reckless investments that led to the subsequent events. But when she took out the document as if possessed and flipped through a couple of pages, her face turned solemn instantly.

There wasn’t much important content in the document, mostly information about the companies the Qiao family had sold off, which she already knew. Reading further back, her heart almost sank to the bottom.

Zhuang Qiyang was truly thoughtful, putting in extra effort during the investigation. Not only did he find out which company Azure Fox was sold to, but he also tracked how the equity of that company changed during that period and its movements. For example, two months before acquiring Azure Fox, the equity of this Jiang City Zhihe Computer System Co., Ltd. had changed. The company’s top management underwent a major reshuffle, with a man named Qi Bingrui taking office as the new chairman. Afterward, it was also Qi Bingrui who pushed through all dissent and decided to acquire Azure Fox immediately.

Further on, it showed Qi Bingrui had close business dealings with the Fu family.

Her chest pounded fiercely, even her fingertips trembling uncontrollably. Qiao Xi’s face turned pale. What she saw now was far more profound and complex than what she knew before. Grandpa Fu, Zhou Qun, Liang Jincheng… most of the companies the Qiao family sold off could be linked to these three.

Her mind was a tangled mess, interwoven and knotted.

Qiao Xi couldn’t figure out the twists and turns for the moment, nor could she see any inside story. She intuitively felt the investment failure back then was definitely not that simple, just unsure who exactly it was related to, or if everyone was involved.

And why would Fu Bei investigate these?

A dense net enveloped her, impossible to break free from. The truth was within reach, yet untouchable.

Trying her best to calm down temporarily, she hurriedly put the document back, closed the drawer, and moved away from the desk, standing by the bookshelf pretending to look for a book casually.

Fu Bei was outside pouring water. Just now Qiao Xi clamored for hot water, and since there was none left, she had to boil some before bringing it over. Coming in, she saw Qiao Xi standing in front of the bookshelf picking and choosing, unable to decide which book to take for a long time.

“Looking for something?” Fu Bei asked, putting the water glass on the table.

Qiao Xi lowered her eyes, not turning to look. Pausing for a moment, she replied unnaturally, “Just looking around. You have quite a lot of books.”

“Mostly moved from home.”

“Read them all?” Qiao Xi asked, talking to relieve the uneasiness in her heart.

“Haven’t finished. Haven’t read those in front of you.” Fu Bei said. Subconsciously, she looked down at the drawer. Seeing it tightly closed and the desk and chair as usual, she withdrew her gaze.

Qiao Xi keenly caught this action, her face remaining relatively calm. She had drunk alcohol tonight, her cheeks a bit red. Whether from the alcohol or her chaotic mind, she felt hot. As she spoke, she took off her jacket. She wasn’t wearing much in such cold weather—a short jacket over a tight sweater and a pencil skirt. Once the jacket was off, her curvaceous and sexy figure was revealed.

From Fu Bei’s angle, only the side profile was visible, accentuating her curves even more.

“Not cold?” Fu Bei asked, raising an eyebrow. The south didn’t have floor heating like the north, especially in Jiang City’s damp cold weather. Taking off a jacket would make one chilly in no time.

Qiao Xi gave up pretending to look for a book, turning her head to glance at her. “A bit hot, not cold.”

“Will be cold later.”

Tonight, the two seemed to have swapped roles; Fu Bei was the talkative one. Perhaps because Qiao Xi rarely took the initiative like this, even proposing to come here, which was unusual. Fu Bei brought the water over; it had cooled down and wasn’t hot.

Still thinking about the document, Qiao Xi felt a bit uncomfortable but held back from showing it. Taking the glass, she drank. She didn’t know why Fu Bei investigated this, nor could she figure out the inside story and reasons. But she could keep things to herself. After weighing for a moment, she decided to pretend she knew nothing. Finishing the water, she did what she had to do.

Fu Bei draped the clothes over her. She was relatively silent, staying in the study for a few minutes before going out first.

Maybe because she had something on her mind, she didn’t have much energy to deal with Fu Bei. Going out, she sat in the living room and turned on the TV.

Fu Bei assumed she was weak from drinking too much. “Not feeling well?”

“No, just a bit sleepy.” Qiao Xi equivocated, not telling the truth.

Fu Bei looked at her. It was still early, not even eleven yet. But thinking she had drunk alcohol, drowsiness was certain. Afraid of being seen through, Qiao Xi turned sideways, curling her legs on the sofa, pulling the person over. Composing her emotions, she said, “Sit for a while; my lower back is a bit uncomfortable. Massage it for me.”

The other party leaned over to help massage, using moderate force.

Qiao Xi leaned back against the sofa enjoying it, not looking at this person, her eyes glancing towards the French window while thinking. Her thoughts were messy, unable to find a way out. Various thoughts burst like fireworks, disturbing her peace of mind. Fortunately, the alcohol took effect. As drunkenness rose, her mind gradually calmed down, feeling better, before paying attention to Fu Bei again.

Neither paid attention to what drama was playing on TV. Sitting together, Qiao Xi leaned over dizzily, thoughts drifting, involuntarily resting against Fu Bei’s neck.

Unknown how much time passed, the other party leaned in to find her lips.

She immediately tried to dodge, but her chin was clamped. Fu Bei insisted on kissing her, sealing her lips easily.

Qiao Xi twisted her waist but ultimately didn’t push the person away, choosing to accept the kiss. Fu Bei kissed very gently, protecting the back of her head, her other hand gradually moving down from her waist.

Reaction was slow after drinking, but her consciousness was still clear. Perhaps wanting to leave those disturbing thoughts behind temporarily, Qiao Xi let the other party have her way. She was carried into the bathroom, then back to the living room.

The bathroom in Fu Bei’s apartment was much larger than hers, with a big bathtub. Running the water, it overflowed constantly, splashing on the floor with a rippling sound. Steam shrouded above, gathering without dispersing. Qiao Xi never met Fu Bei’s eyes, holding the edge of the bathtub with both hands, looking up at the ceiling.

In the living room, lying on Fu Bei, her hand moved down a bit. Finally unable to hold back, she asked, “Does Liang Jincheng have many business dealings with your family?”

The living room lights were off. Fu Bei couldn’t see the expression on her face. Catching her breath, fumbling upwards, she touched her tender, sensitive throat with her fingertips. “Why ask this?”

Qiao Xi paused, then covered it up, saying calmly, “Isn’t my family related to the Zhou family by marriage? Yet we have almost no business interactions. Wondering if your two families are the same?”

Speaking too fast without careful consideration; one sentence about Liang Jincheng, the next about the Liang family. Fu Bei keenly caught this change. Pursing her thin lips, her long legs curled to hook her. After about half a minute, she replied, “No. They are them; rarely together.”

The old lady disliked Liang Jincheng so much when she was alive, and the Fu and Liang families didn’t get along well; how could they do business together harmoniously? Moreover, Father Fu and Grandpa Fu were shrewd, knowing Liang Jincheng had always been wildly ambitious and insatiable, so they wouldn’t do it. Sometimes marriage between two families was a win-win, sometimes not. If Father Fu hadn’t insisted on marrying Liang Yuzhi, the old lady would never have agreed to this marriage years ago. And facts proved her worries weren’t unfounded; Liang Jincheng alone was headache enough for the Liang family.

This was a bit different from expected. Qiao Xi didn’t speak for a long time, pondering the truth of these words.

Fu Bei was somewhat dissatisfied, feeling it wasn’t just as simple as drinking too much. But the timing was wrong, so she could only hook her tighter, asking in a suppressed, low voice, “What are you thinking about again?”

Qiao Xi defended herself, lowering her head to brush against the corner of her lips as a cover. “Nothing.”

The French window wasn’t fully closed; only one layer of curtain was drawn. Wind blew in from time to time, suddenly lifting a corner of the curtain, preventing it from closing.

Tired, lying straight on the sofa, Qiao Xi lay prone just like that, closing her eyes with the help of alcohol and not moving again. Hugging her, Fu Bei inexplicably felt a sense of gain and loss. Clearly, the person was in her arms, yet felt very far away. Turning her head to kiss Qiao Xi’s temple and lingering slowly on her earlobe, Qiao Xi gave no response, only her waist tensing up.

Approaching 1:00 AM, returning to the room, the bed was more comfortable than the sofa. As soon as her head hit the pillow, Qiao Xi closed her eyes to sleep.

“Why so quiet tonight?” Fu Bei asked softly. “Really drank too much?”

Qiao Xi actually wasn’t sleepy at all. Hearing this, she remained motionless. After a good while, she drawled, “A bit dizzy, want to sleep.”

After speaking, she really turned her back, looking like she didn’t want to engage.

Fu Bei behind her made no more sound, only raising her hand to embrace her from behind.

Until falling asleep, Qiao Xi was thinking about these things, falling asleep in a daze at some unknown time. However, after calming down for a night, she gradually settled. It was just a document; what exactly happened remained to be investigated. She didn’t ask Fu Bei a word, unwilling to be kept in the dark, planning to investigate herself.

With a plan in mind, she was no longer unpredictable like last night, hiding all emotions, showing nothing on her face, as if last night was just drunkenness and nothing actually happened.

Waking up, it was already past ten in the morning. The person beside her was long gone; Fu Bei was cooking outside. She had no class today and was free all along.

Qiao Xi didn’t plan to leave either. Since she was here, she stayed for lunch. After eating, she sat on the carpet leaning against the sofa to watch TV, really making herself at home.

The decoration here was vastly different from hers; all appliances were the best. She always enjoyed pleasure, using whatever was good. Not wearing her own clothes, she picked a shirt of Fu Bei’s from the wardrobe to wear, truly not afraid of the cold.

Qiao Xi didn’t like formal wear, feeling too restricted, so she usually didn’t buy a single piece of formal clothing, useless anyway. But now wearing Fu Bei’s, she wore it quite happily—probably other people’s things smell the best.

Fu Bei was taller than her; the shirt looked loose on her. Only the bottom few buttons were fastened; the top three were undone. Leaning down slightly, the scenery inside was fully revealed. Unknown if truly lazy or what, she just bared her long legs like that, a thin blanket messy underneath her, another covering her legs, jade-white feet exposed outside the blanket.

Seeing this scene, Fu Bei frowned, then lowered her eyelids, her gaze heavy.

Qiao Xi didn’t leave until two or three in the afternoon, seeming to have no intention of leaving. Fu Bei didn’t miss the opportunity, picking her up and placing her on her lap. Before Qiao Xi could refuse, she held the back of her head and leaned in to kiss.

“Staying tonight?” she asked, kissing Qiao Xi’s lower lip, her long, slender, white fingers brushing away the hair on Qiao Xi’s chest, unbuttoning a shirt button with one hand.

Qiao Xi didn’t answer immediately. Responding for a while, feeling all buttons unfastened, she said softly, “Next time…”

Fu Bei clasped her slender waist, about to continue, when the phone rang—Liang Yuzhi calling.

Neither cared. Qiao Xi hugged Fu Bei’s shoulders. Just as she lowered her head to brush against the corner of the other’s lips, the doorbell rang too.