Noon, on a highway in Beijing.

The sun was scorching as the cars sped by.

Cheng Yan propped his head on his palm. He had a weary expression as he looked at the flashing scenery outside.

He was holding his phone with his other hand, his fingers clenching and unclenching every so often.

Qin Hao was sleeping soundly next to him, his arms wrapped around a pillow.

The thrumming sound of the engine was suddenly interrupted by the piercing wails of a siren, causing Qin Hao to jerk awake.

He rubbed his eyes and squinted at his side of the window.

“Brother Cheng,” he groaned. “Are we not there yet?”

Once his vision cleared, he realized that they weren’t taking the way back home. “Brother Cheng! Where are we going?”

They had both been busy working through the previous night until late into the morning. All Qin Hao wanted now was to throw himself in bed and have a good, long rest.

“The airport,” Cheng Yananswered curtly.

“What are we going to the airport for?”

“We’re flying to City A.”

Qin Hao blinked twice, his brows knotting in confusion. “What in the world are we going to do in City A? We’ve finished our business there, haven’t we? There’s no reason for us to fly back so soon.”

There were always company matters to take care of here in Beijing. Already, they had had to do twice the amount of work they had originally anticipated. It would only be a waste of time to go to City Aon a whim like this.

More importantly, QIn Hao wanted more time to kick back and relax in Beijing.

Unfortunately, he was powerless to go against his boss.

“The latest batch of goods we ordered is arriving soon, right?” Cheng Yanasked.

Qin Hao’s face scrunched up again. “Didn’t you already assign that matter to Wang Dong? Do we really need to keep an extra eye on those items?”

Cheng Yan paused, and the temperature inside the car dropped slightly. He glanced sideways at Qin Hao. “I’d be happy to discuss this with you in great detail if you want.”

Qin Hao immediately sat up straight and frantically shook his head. “No, no, not at all. As I was saying, Brother Cheng, it would indeed be much better for you to personally supervise the goods. They are important, after all. I was just—oh, what about the plane tickets? Never mind, I’ll book them right now.”

“Young Master Qin,” the chauffeur called out from the driver’s seat. “Don’t worry, I’ve already booked the tickets. You will be on the next outgoing flight.”

A few hours later, they finally landed at City A.

Unsurprisingly, Qin Hao slept through the flight. He emerged in a better state than he had been in Beijing, but he was still exhausted.

A car had been arranged for their arrival, and no sooner had they settled inside than Qin Hao’s stomach began to growl.

“Brother Cheng, shall we go grab a meal first?” He was starving after sleeping for the better part of the afternoon.

“Sure,” Cheng Yansaid offhandedly.

He opened his phone and clicked on his chat box with Yao Tang. He read the message she had sent earlier, and a faint hint of pleasure glimmered in his eyes. His lips were curling at the corners without his notice.

“Old Liu, let’s head to No. 1 High Schooland wait at the entrance.”

The driver nodded and started the car. Before long, they were cruising out of the airport towards Yao Tang’s school.

Qin Hao heaved a long sigh. He couldn’t even muster a smile anymore, not even to save his life.

Hadn’t they just agreed that they would get something to eat?

Why were they changing directions all of a sudden?

What were they supposed to do now?

Cheng Yan could feel his friend’s accusatory gaze, so he obligedQin Hao with a brief explanation: “Let’s pick upYao Tangand eat together.”

The other man appeared to be mollified by this. Everything finally made sense.

But then something else occurred to him. “Wait, is Yao Tangready to go, or is she coming out later? She isn’t busy, is she?”

“She’s currently participating in a competition.”

“I see,” Qin Hao nodded. “And what time did this competition start?”

“Around two o’clock, I believe.”

“Brother Cheng, it’s only ten minutes past two! These competitions usually last two hours, at least!”

By now, Qin Hao was close to crying. He slumped back in his seat like a petulant child.

Cheng Yan didn’t care, though. He only raised an eyebrow and said in a firm and commanding voice, “Then we will wait.”

Qin Hao pursed his lips to keep from bursting into tears. He could only hope that Yao Tangwould finish with her competition soon.

He was so hungry that it felt as if his stomach had caved in. Well, if he would have to hold out on eating, he might as well make reservations in advance to get rid of other hurdles that lay between him and his meal.

With renewed vigor, Qin Hao took out his phone and browsed through his restaurant options.