I’m Keeping the Overbearing CEO After He Went Bankrupt [Rebirth] 42

Chapter 42: Qingbao’s Attempt

The snow was still falling, and a thin layer of ice had formed on the car.

Just like the light snow that year.

…

Many years ago, Huo Li had suddenly returned from the US. As soon as he got off the plane, he sat on a waiting chair in the airport and sent Chu Qing a message on WeChat.

Huo Li: I’m at the airport.

This was the only extra reply Huo Li had given in all these years, instead of his usual “Mmm” and “Keep it up.”

Chu Qing replied almost instantly.

Chu Qing: Which airport? Are you still there? Should I go over now?

Huo Li: Okay.

A moment later.

“Mr. Huo!”

At night, the crowd at the airport had thinned out, and it was empty all around, but the lights were still brightly lit.

Huo Li looked up and saw Chu Qing holding a box of food, standing to the side in a hoodie, panting slightly, his face flushed for some reason.

“Mr. Huo! Are you hungry after just getting off the plane? I bought you something to eat…”

This was their reunion after an unknown amount of time since the gala.

“Chu… Qing.”

“What’s wrong, Mr. Huo?” Chu Qing walked over and stood in front of him, looking down at his somewhat pale face.

Huo Li was leaning against the back of the chair, his whole body still exuding an icy aura, but Chu Qing could see that he seemed a little tired.

“Can I have a hug?” Huo Li asked.

It wasn’t a big deal, really. It was just that the dog he had raised since he was a child had passed away. It wasn’t a big problem, but he just suddenly felt tired.

Then he had seen the WeChat message, the young man’s sincere and unwavering reports, as if he were treating him as some kind of confidant or elder.

Huo Li knew that Chu Qing had lost his parents at a young age, so he might have some kind of elder complex towards his sponsor. And he himself couldn’t help but be gentler with him, perhaps because the young man’s eyes were too pure.

He had looked at those messages for a long time and suddenly wanted to see him.

Huo Li’s life had never been entered by outsiders, and he never had any extra interactions with anyone.

Everyone said he was ruthless, arrogant, and did as he pleased.

Chu Qing was the first.

He felt that he might be crazy.

But this young man was too clean, which made him feel an involuntary attachment.

“Y-Yes…” Chu Qing paused. Although he was a little confused, he still squatted down and took the initiative to hug him.

But the young man was still a little reserved and embarrassed, so he just loosely wrapped his arms around him, carefully raising his head so that his chin wouldn’t touch his shoulder.

It was a hug without any lust, as gentle as being lightly encircled by the tide.

Although Chu Qing still carried the chill of the snow from outside, hugging him was like hugging something warm.

And this was also the first time Chu Qing had touched this man’s soft edges.

Huo Li took a deep breath and tightened the hug, the two of them almost pressed together.

“Chu Qing…” he said in a low voice. “Why do you glow…?”

…

At this moment, in the car, Huo Li was still holding him.

“Qingbao, I’ve never told you,” he said in a low voice, “but I think you glow.”

Chu Qing was stunned.

If you like someone…

“I… I…” tears were still streaked across his face, and he gasped for breath, clutching Huo Li’s sleeve, not knowing what to say.

Huo Li continued, “I like you.”

His body stiffened.

Huo Li lowered his gaze. “I like you, and I’m also afraid of losing you. Let me stay by your side.”

The man who was so arrogant now put down all his airs.

“Then… you like me now, but you won’t like me in the future…” Chu Qing said, wiping his face and sobbing. “You’ll dislike me in the future. You’ll get tired of me.”

“Then you just wait and see. I’ll prove myself,” Huo Li said, pinching Chu Qing’s ear. “But you have to give me a chance to prove it, right?”

“…” Chu Qing opened his mouth, tears still streaming down his face.

He didn’t know how to respond and curled up in the passenger seat, crying uncontrollably.

Huo Li quietly accompanied him until he slowly stopped on his own.

He was already drowsy, and now after all this, he was even more tired. He leaned against the back seat and fell asleep.

“Silly Qingbao…”

Huo Li pulled his jacket up for him, buckled his seatbelt, and then started the engine to drive back.

The next day.

The morning sun seeped into the room through the floor-to-ceiling windows and landed on his blanket.

When he woke up in a daze, he found himself lying on a comfortable bed.

Ngh…

His memory was a bit fragmented. He sat up, vaguely remembering what had happened yesterday.

The car was swaying, and he had slept more and more comfortably in it. He didn’t want to wake up after he got home, so he was vaguely carried home and put on the bed by Huo Li.

He felt a little embarrassed.

He had cried so much last night, and now his eyes were still a little swollen. And he had been carried all the way back to his room by Huo Li…

This, this is like a child.

“Good morning. You’re waking up earlier and earlier these days,” Huo Li said, pushing open the door and smiling at him. “Why don’t you sleep a little longer?”

He stared blankly at Huo Li.

Ah, he’s still here.

He opened his mouth, about to say something, but then Huo Li came over and sat down by the bed. “Boss, does what you said yesterday still count?”

“…?”

What?

Huo Li smiled. “You promised me last night. If the identity of sponsor and canary puts pressure on you, how about I just be your bodyguard in the future?”

“…” Did I?

Huo Li said with a straight face, “Core socialist values. No improper ‘friends with benefits’ transactions. It’s purely a boss-and-employee relationship.”

He tried to explain, “Actually, I’m not really torn about being a sponsor or not…”

What really scared him wasn’t this, but…

But before he could explain, Huo Li’s eyes lit up. “You mean, you don’t want to be in a normal boss-and-employee relationship? You don’t mind something a little improper?”

“…”

“Seriously,” Huo Li said, rubbing his nose with a smile. “Qingbao, give me a chance to prove it.”

He paused.

“I… I’m going to wash up,” he said, rubbing his eyes and getting up to run to the bathroom.

Standing in front of the mirror, he felt that he might have been really wrong.

Mr. Huo is such a good person, and he’s so good to me. But I’ve been avoiding him, rejecting him. Is that wrong…?

Is it not fair to Huo Li?

But he was also afraid. He was still very afraid.

Huo Li will definitely leave. No, wait… he said he wouldn’t.

He felt a little confused, and especially at a loss.

It was as if whatever he did was wrong.

After he washed his face, brushed his teeth, and changed his clothes, breakfast was already ready.

Huo Li smiled. “Let’s eat and then digest. After we digest, shall we go for a run downstairs?”

“…Ah?”

He said blankly, “Oh, okay.”

“What’s wrong?” Huo Li noticed that he seemed to want to say something.

“Um… I’m sorry,” he said uneasily. “I’m sorry, Mr. Huo. I’ve caused you too much trouble.”

“It’s okay. I’ll teach you.”

“What?”

Huo Li’s lips curved into a smile. “I know you don’t understand. I’ll teach you next, just like I’ve taught you everything else.”

Ever since he had the concept and awareness of “love,” the cognition of love, Huo Li was his one and only, the only one in his life, the physical embodiment of all “love.”

Huo Li was also the one through whom he had begun to learn to connect with the world.

He didn’t understand anything, but Huo Li could teach him.

He stared blankly at Huo Li.

“Just trust me. Don’t think so much,” Huo Li said, pouring him a cup of coffee with a smile. “Like you promised me before. As long as we live well and do our part, it’s great, right?”

“Y-Yes.”

“Then eat obediently now. We’ll go for a run later.”

“Mmm, okay.”

The problem that had been troubling him for a long time had suddenly been resolved with a promise that was not a promise. He held his spoon, and for some reason, he suddenly let out a sigh of relief.

Then… let’s just leave it at that for now.

And so, the big canary accompanied the little sponsor in writing songs and exercising every day, and life was quite good.

He continued to focus on writing songs, spending most of his time in a small recording studio at home, making demos and preparing for his new album.

A few days later was the poster shoot for All-Around Teen Idol.

All-Around Idol was a teen talent show that selected ten people to debut from a large group of amateurs, internet celebrities, trainees, or little-known celebrities. The so-called “all-around” meant that it not only included the basics of a boy band like singing, dancing, and rapping, but also added elements like acting, character, and outdoor training, saying that they wanted to cultivate all-around idols, with all sorts of tricks.

Chu Qing was the vocal teacher, and Yu Weixi was the dance teacher.

It was said that this time, Yu Weixi’s ambiguous partner, Best Actor Feng Yan, would also join as a mentor for the performance group.

Each teacher would be assigned an assistant. His assistant was a young singer who had risen in recent years, named Luo Yucheng. He was a delicate and gentle young man, and even spoke in a soft voice.

“Hello, Teacher Chu.”

When he arrived at the studio, he saw that Luo Yucheng had already arrived and quickly handed him a cup of hot cocoa.

“It’s from the production team. I got it for you, Teacher Chu,” Luo Yucheng said with a gentle and friendly smile.

“Thank you…” he said, reaching out to take it.

Huo Li stood behind him, frowning slightly.

This person…

“Hey! What are you doing!” Yu Weixi, who was on the side, saw the two of them talking and came over, putting an arm around his shoulder and sneering at Luo Yucheng. “What do you want with Teacher Chu?”

Luo Yucheng was a little surprised to see him being so fierce.

“N-Nothing… I just wanted to greet my respected Teacher Chu,” he said with a smile. “I hope Teacher Chu will take care of me during the recording.”

Yu Weixi paused. “Puke.”

…

“…Pfft.”

A few of the staff members on the side couldn’t help but laugh when they heard it.

After Luo Yucheng was driven away by him, Yu Weixi patted his shoulder. “That’s a little btch. You’re still talking to him? What the fck are you talking about? Did you forget how he stepped on you to get to the top last season?”

In the first season of All-Around Idol, Luo Yucheng had been a guest star. As soon as he came, he had used him to get to the top and gain popularity.

“Ah…” he nodded. “I know.”

He didn’t remember much about the last season, and it was hard for him to notice when others stepped on him. But since Yu Weixi said so, then it must be so.

“Look at that delicate and weak appearance of his, as if he’s about to faint at any moment. Ugh, what century is this? Who is he still acting for?” Yu Weixi rolled his eyes.

But say what you will, his gentle and polite appearance was very popular on screen, and he had a lot of mom fans who said they wanted to protect him.

“Anyway, you stay away from him from now on.”

“Okay.”

Yu Weixi then went to shoot. It wasn’t his turn yet, so he sat obediently on the side, waiting.

“Qingbao,” Huo Li said, pressing his shoulder. “Yu Weixi is right. You… be on your guard against Luo Yucheng.”

He turned his head to meet his somewhat serious face and calm eyes, and was a little stunned.

“Okay…?” he said with a smile. “Mr. Huo doesn’t have to worry. I’m more, more clever now…! I won’t be used by him.”

Huo Li paused, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he said nothing.

“Qingbao is great,” he said, pinching his ear and taking the hot cocoa from his hand. “I’ll go get you a new cup. Don’t drink the one he gave you.”

“Oh…”

He watched his retreating back and blinked.

Is… is it really necessary…

Mr. Huo seems to have a lot of hostility towards Luo Yucheng?

Why?

He sat there blankly with nothing to do and began to let his imagination run wild.

Could it be that Mr. Huo… likes Luo Yucheng?

Mmm… impossible.

Could it be like in the TV dramas, where Luo Yucheng had used his beauty to trick Mr. Huo before? Or had there been some kind of emotional dispute?

As he thought, he amused himself.

It wasn’t his fault for thinking this way. Mainly, Yu Weixi had told him that Feng Yan liked Luo Yucheng, and that straight men were most fond of this type.

However, when Feng Yan had met him at a banquet before, and they had talked about Yu Weixi, he had gritted his teeth and said that Yu Weixi liked Luo Yucheng.

At that time, Chu Qing: ?

And so, from then on, he looked at Luo Yucheng with a “man-killer” filter.

While he was letting his thoughts run wild, Huo Li, on the other end, was on his way to the water dispenser, his expression not very good.

Luo Yucheng… he remembered.

In his previous life, Luo Yucheng had taken photos and videos of him and Huo Liao, and had used a recording pen to threaten him, and had finally released the video, forcing him to commit suicide.

His suicide was not entirely because of Luo Yucheng. At that time, he was already at his wit’s end.

But…

Click. Huo Li opened the water dispenser. He thought, I will certainly not let Luo Yucheng go easily, and I will not give him another chance to hurt Chu Qing.

Buzz…

Just as he was about to go back, his phone rang.

“Mr. Huo,” it was his assistant.

“We’ve tracked Mr. Huo Liao back to the country.”

Huo Li raised an eyebrow.

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

After he had returned to the country and met Huo Liao, he had taken over the Huo Corporation’s domestic business with lightning speed, except for the Huiying Entertainment Company, which Huo Liao held on to tightly. That was what Old Master Huo had passed down to him, and the shares and rights were all on his side.

But he knew that with Huo Li’s methods, Huiying would soon be his, so he had panicked completely and had gone everywhere looking for help to protect Huiying. In the end, he had contacted Z and had specially gone abroad to lick Z’s feet.

“Continue.”

“After Mr. Huo Liao got off the plane, he did indeed meet up with Mr. Brian’s men. The plan is going smoothly. Mr. Huo Liao seems to be very interested in the project. After that, his whereabouts disappeared… we’ve temporarily lost him and don’t know where he went.”

“Good.”

He didn’t care much.

Where else could he go? Either to a nightclub or to discuss things with Z.

He smiled and handed the water cup to a staff member to give to Chu Qing, while he himself went back to the car to contact Mr. Pan.

The plan can be pushed forward.

…

“Teacher Chu, Teacher Yu’s and Teacher Feng’s schedules are tight. We have to shoot for them first. Can I trouble you to wait in the break room first?”

Just as he was sitting there in a daze, a staff member came to remind him.

He paused and expressed his understanding.

The contestants on this show were all ordinary people. The traffic and buzz all depended on those big-shot teachers. It was only natural to take care of the teachers first.

“Good.”

He went back to the break room, but was stunned.

A man in a red suit was leaning against the sofa, his legs crossed, smoking.

His face immediately turned a little pale. “Huo… Liao?”

“Chu Qing,” he said, throwing the cigarette into the ashtray with a smile. “I’ve finally been able to see you. You’ve been well-protected by my brother these days.”

He was about to explode with anger. He had failed to drug him before, and before he could even get back at him, he had been forced to go abroad. Even when he was in the country, he couldn’t find any opportunity to meet him.

He didn’t know how Huo Li had done it, but he had actually managed to completely prevent him from having any opportunity to meet with outsiders.

“You… how did you get here? How did you get in?”

He subconsciously took a few steps back.

He had been afraid of him before, but now he was not afraid, just very disgusted with him.

Or rather, ever since Huo Li had come, he had become less and less afraid. At least he would not make him afraid.

“What do you think?” he sneered.

Huiying was one of the investors in this variety show. Wasn’t it easy for him to get in quietly?

He looked up. “I… if you dare to do anything, I’ll call for help.”

“My bodyguards are outside the door. You can’t escape,” he said with a grin, patting the empty seat next to him. “Come, come over. Let’s talk before I get angry.”

He looked at him coldly.

“Chu Qing, are you going to sit over here yourself, or do I have to ask you to sit?” he said coolly, his arms crossed. “You’d better not forget, I haven’t settled the score with you for what happened at the banquet.”

“…”

It was useless to struggle. He had no choice but to sit down himself.

“I have something to ask you,” he said. “My brother, the great CEO Huo Li, is he really bankrupt or is he faking it?”

He was a little stunned in his heart.

No… can you fake bankruptcy?

He was a little confused.

“It seems you don’t know,” he continued. “Next question. What is my brother’s relationship with Mr. P and Mr. Z?”

He thought for a moment. He thought that P was probably Mr. Pan’s code name.

“I don’t know,” he said.

He raised an eyebrow. “You know. Your expression can’t hide things.”

“I really don’t know.”

“Then what has he been doing these days? You should have been with him. Who did he go to see?”

“I don’t know,” he said, turning his head away coldly. “Don’t ask me. There’s no answer.”

“Chu Qing,” he said, grabbing his wrist and pressing down hard. “You don’t have to keep these things for him.”

He was also at his wit’s end now.

Huo Li had returned to the country with a vengeance and was also involved with the Panda Group. Even if he cooperated with Z, Z still treated him like a dog and didn’t let him know anything.

He couldn’t beat Huo Li, but the Huo family children had all learned to fight since they were young. He only felt his wrist being pressed down with a hidden force, so painful that his face turned pale.

“Huo… Liao,” he said lightly. “So, you’ll never be able to compare to Mr. Huo.”