{She glanced at the man’s abs. 3}

Qian Xu couldn’t tell if he was insulting others or himself with this whole roundabout statement.

For the first time, she thought that the man in front of her was quite ruthless—ruthless enough to mock even himself. It seemed she had underestimated him before. Yet, human nature is what it is, and instead of meticulously discussing the equipment at Equinox Fitness, her eyes involuntarily drifted, tracing his fitness progress.

Realizing this, Qian Xu quickly suppressed her thoughts, shrugging it off. “Sorry, I’ve got other work to do.”

Even though she appreciated a good-looking man, she wasn’t about to abandon her hard-earned job just to say, “Why don’t you show me your abs?” to the boss’s son, being so bold in the workplace.

Still, for some reason, as she left, she stole another glance at Zhao Buhui’s abdomen.

The faint outline was just starting to show.

She quickly stood up and averted her gaze, “I’m heading out now.”

Qian Xu wasn’t lying; she was indeed preparing for her first project since taking office, with no time to waste listening to the Crown Prince of the Zhao family talk about how he built his muscle definition.

Zhao Buhui’s voice grew quieter as he walked down the dim hallway toward her, his tone more somber than before, “Yesterday, Shen Qi gave me a proposal for a collaboration.”

“If it’s beneficial for the company, keep it. If it’s not, don’t consider it,” Qian Xu’s face remained calm and expressionless, “Anything else?”

“Nothing.”

Qian Xu said no more and swiftly walked away without any hesitation.

Zhao Buhui couldn’t help but feel that the woman seemed more interested in how he worked out than anything else. As soon as she heard Shen Qi’s name, she immediately wanted to leave, but when he talked about his time working out at Equinox Fitness in the U.S., she listened attentively.

–

For several days in a row, Shen Qi’s mood hadn’t been great.

The atmosphere at home remained heavy.

Shen Qiyue usually didn’t think much about Qian Xu, but at this moment, she felt that having Qian Xu around would help handle the situation better. On one hand, she continued to dislike Qian Xu, but on the other, she missed having someone at home who could ease the tension.

But this also reinforced her belief that Qian Xu was a poisonous influence. Sure, she could temporarily change the situation for her and her brother, but at the same time, Qian Xu cunningly made them dependent on her.

Now, fully aware of Qian Xu’s intentions and methods, Shen Qiyue naturally placed all her hopes on her mother.

As long as her mother returned, any trace of Qian Xu’s presence could easily be erased.

People always focus on their current feelings, and if her mother was there, always by her side, how could she possibly long for that time spent in the American countryside?

Yet, after sharing the house’s code with her mother, there had been no news. Her mother hadn’t suddenly appeared, bustling around the kitchen as she had imagined, preparing delicious meals, nor had she given her a big hug along with the season’s hottest handbag.

She wondered if her mother was truly disappointed in them. She wanted to ask but didn’t want to pressure her mother.

Her father’s attitude, however, remained hard to grasp: “Did you give the house code to someone outside?”

When it came to the code, he was stricter than ever before.

Though he didn’t mention who had been told, Shen Qiyue knew that her father was fully aware. He had kept track of their movements and must have realized that they had gone to their mother to reveal the villa’s code.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought it up at the dinner table.

Her father was always like this—rational, decisive, never acting without thorough preparation. It was unrealistic to think they could deceive him.