Chapter 212: Fire

It was still like this; whenever the topic involved Xie Qin, she almost didn't say a word.

Mom didn't like Xie Qin. Although Shen Li hadn't heard her say it herself, she could feel it.

About ten minutes later, she ate a few bites and left.

Before she left, Yu Lizhen, afraid she wasn't full, packed two meat patties for her to take along and eat on the way.

Shen Li couldn't refuse and carried them in her hand.

She took the elevator downstairs.

She saw Xie Qin's car parked not far away.

She walked over, opened the passenger door, and got in: "Have you eaten breakfast?"

Xie Qin: "Not yet, I'll eat when I get back to the studio."

Shen Li gave him the pancakes she was carrying: "This is for you, Mom made them."

Xie Qin turned his head to look, then continued to stare at the road ahead: "Why do I suddenly feel..."

After speaking, his voice paused slightly, as if weighing his words. After a moment, he slowly curled his lips: "A bit flattered?"

His words made Shen Li unable to help but smile: "I ate one, it's quite delicious."

"Open it, let me have a taste."

Shen Li fed the pancake to his mouth, and Xie Qin took a bite: "Hmm, the taste is good."

Over the next few days, besides her studies, Shen Li would find time to go on dates with Xie Qin. Around noon, the two could basically eat together.

For dinner, Shen Li would generally go back to accompany her mother, and after dinner, she would have to return to school to work on her studies.

When she returned very late, Xie Qin would always take her home.

Shen Li took good care of both sides, and life was very plain, without too many events.

The May Day holiday was approaching in three days.

Xie Qin bought plane tickets back to Di Du, intending to take Shen Li back. Actually, Shen Li didn't have a holiday to speak of, but since she had already said it, she couldn't go back on her word, so she could only try her best to clear her schedule and go back with him once.

It was mainly because Xie Qin wouldn't stop pestering her.

Shen Li had no choice but to agree.

She had already spoken to her advisor, and Luo Jiyuan waved his hand and agreed, clearing three days for her.

After Xie Qin found out, his heart finally settled down.

Dingfeng Studio.

After the meeting in the conference room, a few people chatted idly since they had nothing to do.

Xu Zhouyuan sat on a swivel chair and slid over to Xie Qin's side: "Planning to bring Shen Li home so soon? Her mom doesn't have any objections?"

Xie Qin leaned back in his chair with a lazy posture, his fingertips tapping rhythmically on the tabletop: "What objections could she have? It's not like I'm kidnapping her and not letting her come back."

"Anyway, I said what I said, and she didn't refuse. I'll just take it as her tacit consent."

Zhou Mingyu immediately congratulated him: "Congratulations, congratulations. Now it's just a matter of who holds the wedding banquet and gets married first, you or Xu Zhouyuan."

"Don't worry, I'm betting on you this time."

Xie Qin lifted his eyelids to look over: "Such a big gambling addiction?"

Zhou Mingyu said with a smile: "Just betting for fun. Life is too boring, if I don't find some fun, it's really dull."

The busiest person in this studio was Zhang Shanfeng, who had to do the work of several people. He was the one running out to participate in events, and he was also the one going on business trips for meetings to secure project investments.

When he wasn't in the studio, it was basically Xu Zhouyuan in charge.

Xie Qin had his own separate projects and didn't have the leisure time.

Zhou Mingyu was also just tagging along.

Qiao Lang, as the pillar of the core department, was also quite busy usually.

Thinking of him, Zhou Mingyu couldn't help but say: "Xie Qin! Seriously, you were too ruthless. Qiao Lang is so delicate, you almost beat him to a pulp."

Qiao Lang was still recuperating at home these past two days, and even while working from home, he was still being exploited by Xie Qin to rush his drawings, which was truly miserable.

Xu Zhouyuan also spoke up for Qiao Lang: "This matter, strictly speaking, was also because Sister Li asked him to keep it a secret."

At this moment, Xie Qin's aura became a bit colder. He didn't intend to pick up the conversation with them and just got up and left.

The few people in the conference room noticed Xie Qin's unusual behavior and looked at each other, not daring to speak much.

Qiao Lang was the one with the worst conditions among the brothers they hung out with.

Years ago, his parents started a factory and were tricked by several relatives into signing a guarantee agreement, mortgaging the factory.

Those relatives ran away overnight with the tens of millions in funds they had obtained.

Qiao Lang's parents went bankrupt overnight and owed a lot of external debt.

So during his school years, he was always working and studying to help pay off the debt.

During the start of Chengde University, Qiao Lang encountered his most difficult time; the workers united to demand their wages, which amounted to over five hundred thousand.

Back then, it was Xie Qin who lent him the money without a second word.

For so many years, Qiao Lang had been penniless and couldn't pay it back at all, and Xie Qin had never urged him.

Xie Qin had treated him well, but he had hidden such an important matter from him for so many years just because of a "secret" Shen Li asked him to keep.

If Qiao Lang could have explained it clearly to him back then, Xie Qin would definitely have grabbed Shen Li and asked for the answer to everything.

If he had known earlier about her hidden bitterness and her unspeakable secrets, Xie Qin wouldn't have let her suffer through such pain and torment alone during that time.

If he had known earlier that she was living in such a repressive and cold home, Xie Qin would have risked his life to let her escape and then let her stay by his side.

He had the ability to give her a better future.

If Qiao Lang had just opened his mouth to him, the current Xie Qin would have been married young.

He would even have two children in Di Du.

And none of what happened later would have occurred.

That beating was still light.

However, at this moment, Xu Zhouyuan heard his phone ring. Thinking it was some message, he tapped it open and saw it was breaking news from the 【Wuchuan Times】.

【A serious fire broke out today around noon in the Taoli Chunfeng high-end residential complex in our city. The fire spread quickly, and the cause of the fire is still under further investigation. Relevant departments are continuing to follow up on whether anyone is trapped or injured.】

"Holy crap!" As soon as he saw the news, Xu Zhouyuan was frantic and strode over to push open his office door: "Xie Qin! It's bad, the news just came out, the Taoli Chunfeng complex is on fire, and it's the building where Shen Li's mom lives!"

Xie Qin's expression turned grave instantly, and without any hesitation, he ran straight out of the office.

At the elevator lobby, he called Shen Li, but her phone was still in a state of not being answered.

He called once, and then again, but still no one answered.

It wasn't far from the studio's office building.

Xie Qin's stray hair was soaked with sweat, his breathing was rapid, and by the time he arrived, the area around the complex had already been cordoned off with yellow tape by firefighters. The area outside the cordon was filled with onlookers, and the sound of discussion was constant.

He couldn't care about anything else and lifted his leg, wanting to rush past the cordon.

"Sir, you can't go in!" A firefighter immediately stepped forward and reached out to stop him, "The fire inside hasn't been fully controlled yet."

Xie Qin's eyes darkened, and he asked: "Has anyone come down from the twelfth floor?"

Just then, a woman carrying a vegetable basket nearby said uncertainly: "Oh my, young man, are you the son of Teacher Yu from the twelfth floor? I usually go grocery shopping at this time at noon and always run into her in the elevator, but today I didn't see her at all. Could she... still be trapped at home and haven't come out?" ===== CHAPTER 213 =====