Mei, I Absolutely Won't Let Go (Continued)

"Hm? Brother Xu Qi? This early?"

While exercising outside in the morning, he happened to run into Fu Hua. Seeing her surprised expression, Xu Qi could not help scratching his head. "Am I usually that late?"

"Oh, it's not that. It's just that last night I..."

At that point, Fu Hua was the one who blushed first.

"Last night, I saw Mei enter your room."

Xu Qi took out his phone. He had not had time to check it after getting up that morning, so he opened the group chat and scrolled upward. He happened to see what everyone had been talking about the night before.

Grandmaster: Oh no, I saw Miss Mei walk into Xu Qi's room wearing pajamas.

I Am Alahato has been removed from the group chat.

Kosma: "Fuck!"

Pink Elf Lady?: Ah!!?? That... that fast? Mm... Xu Qi is really something...

Coder: According to generally accepted theory, wasn't it also Mei who went in on her own initiative?

Rin Is Still Too Cute: Maybe Xu Qi forced her.

Professor: Miss Mei, you wouldn't want your boyfriend to go do anything dangerous again, would you...

V2V Isn't Just Good-Looking: What are you panicking for? Once my V2V upgrade succeeds, Xu Qi will be invincible.

Galactic Songstress: What strange thing have you made this time?

V2V Isn't Just Good-Looking: Hmph! Do I even need to say? Of course it's a floating cannon! Last time, that Xia Ya's Sazabi actually suppressed me so badly. I can't swallow that humiliation!

Canned Food: Elaborate on "can't swallow."

May There Be No Illness in This World: ?

The World's Ender!: ?

Aponia: ?

Pink Elf Lady?: ?

Professor: Neko, I suggest you don't come back tomorrow.

V2V Isn't Just Good-Looking: You're finished.

Let us mourn for Neko... It seemed Pardofelis's self-destructive nature could not be changed. Of course, that was not the point.

Xu Qi narrowed his eyes and looked at Fu Hua.

Fu Hua guiltily scratched her head, took one step... then two... and swiftly fled!

"Ah... These people really need to act normal for once..."

After finishing his morning exercise, he happened to see Yae dressed in office attire and preparing to leave.

"Morning, Sister Yae."

"Hm? Xu Qi?" Yae Sakura stopped on her way to the underground garage and looked puzzled. "Why are you up so early?"

"That's enough... Nothing really happened last night..."

"Oh~~" Yae wore an expression that said I understand. "You didn't get enough?"

"No, you haven't understood anything."

"Pfft!" Yae could not hold back her laughter. Xu Qi naturally knew she was only teasing him, and he could not help smiling as well.

"All right, I won't tease you anymore. I'm heading to work."

"Wait! Sister Yae."

"Hm?"

"I'm heading out too. Would it be convenient for you to take me to the company?"

Yae frowned. She walked up to Xu Qi and said solemnly, "Xu Qi, I think you should get more rest. As for work, you should wait until—"

"No, Sister Yae, you misunderstood."

"Hm?"

"I... am going to resign."

······

On the road, inside the cherry-blossom-colored Porsche, Yae could not help glancing at Xu Qi in the passenger seat before speaking.

"Xu Qi, have you... thought this through?"

"Yes, Sister Yae. I have."

"Then that's good."

After a period of silence, Xu Qi smiled when she did not ask anything else. "You're not going to ask why?"

"You must have your own considerations. I trust you completely on that. There's only one thing—just do what you want to do. Everyone at the Golden Courtyard is like that."

"Mm."

"Would you like to come work at my company? I'm quite familiar with our Human Resources department."

"No need. I've already decided where I'm going."

Yae froze, then immediately understood—Bronya.

"You're planning to..."

"Mm. Yesterday, I went out and wandered around until I reached E.T. Studio. That woman Bronya was so anxious she practically wanted to sign the contract with me on the spot."

Yae smiled knowingly.

Indeed... If Yae were in that position, she would probably have been just as eager.

With even a little insight, Xu Qi could see how terrifying this young man's potential was.

But when she recalled Elysia's somewhat absent-minded appearance that morning... she could not help curling her lips. This boy's popularity with women was just a little too strange.

"Have you spoken with Elysia recently?"

"Hm? Of course I have."

"Oh... All right. Handle the boundaries properly yourself."

"Don't speak in riddles, Sister Yae!"

"But to be honest, even if you didn't resign, I was actually planning to have a serious talk with you about this."

"What's wrong?"

"You could say that you made the greatest contribution to the 956 braking incident, but..." Yae's expression grew serious. "At the time, in the command hall, Xu Qi, you really offended a lot of people."

"..."

"Chief Engineer Xia can't look after you every moment. He's the group's chief engineer, while you're merely an employee of a subsidiary company, and you're not even at the subsidiary's headquarters.

"But that day in the command hall, both your tone and your decisions were extremely forceful. That isn't to say it was bad. On the contrary, that situation required exactly that kind of decisiveness. You did very well.

"However... that's a state-owned enterprise, Xu Qi. When it comes to organizations like that, you should understand them even better than I do."

Yae's words made Xu Qi's heart sink.

"You offended too many leaders that day, and too many of them remembered your name. If you stayed at the company, you'd have a very unpleasant time. It definitely wouldn't be the smooth rise to success you imagined."

Xu Qi's face paled, and a faint sheen of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

It was true... He had thought of things too simply.

When it came to the workplace, Yae Sakura's instincts were far sharper than his. If Sister Yae had not pointed this out, he probably would not have realized it until much later.

"Thank you, Sister Yae."

"It's nothing. Since you're resigning anyway, just listen to what I said and leave it at that. But Xu Qi..." Yae spoke as if she meant something more.

"An enterprise like E.T. Studio is completely different from a state-owned enterprise. In a place like that, you can't survive by bowing and scraping and reading everyone's mood."

Xu Qi humbly asked, "Then what should I..."

"In a place like that... you have to learn to be ruthless."

49, After This Kiss, Comes Farewell

When Xu Qi stepped through the gates of Jiuting Base again, his state of mind was completely different. He could not quite put it into words; he simply felt... somewhat more at ease.

Along the way, everyone who saw Xu Qi exclaimed in surprise, "Engineer Xu," giving him the feeling of having become a leader.

But in reality, that was indeed the case.

At least in the eyes of most employees, it was a foregone conclusion that Xu Qi would enter management, and perhaps even the company's leadership team in the future.

But what they would never have imagined was...

Xu Qi had come today to submit his resignation.

He entered the technical office, intending to take home the little mementos on his desk. To his surprise, however... there was not a single person in the office.

That was fine too. This way, he would not have to see Li Fucong's face.

Perhaps some people had forgotten, but Xu Qi absolutely had not.

Li Fucong had actually dared to say that his name sounded like a girl's, and even said something like—"So he's actually a man."

Some things could be said, while others could not.

Li Fucong did not even understand such a simple principle, so it was no wonder Xu Qi targeted him at every turn.

Halfway through packing, someone opened the office door.

Xu Qi looked up and found himself facing a woman who was both unexpected and made him feel rather pleased—Xin An.

"Xu Qi?"

"Good morning, Xin An."

There was much less hostility in his tone. About a month ago, when this woman had come to ask him for the 914 documents, Xu Qi had snapped at her.

But looking back now... it seemed that had all been unnecessary.

Xin An's expression was also somewhat complicated upon seeing Xu Qi again.

A month ago, she could be said to have betrayed Xu Qi, completely siding with Li Fucong. She had even spitefully tried to badmouth Xu Qi to Xia Ya.

Yet over the course of this month... everything that had happened had been far too unbelievable.

Even her feelings toward Xu Qi had become impossible to decipher.

Xin An herself did not know what she was thinking. She only felt that she might never be able to bring herself to hate the man before her.

At the very beginning, she had clearly been rather unwilling to be directed by some kid.

"You're... coming to work today?"

"No."

Xin An frowned. She had already noticed Xu Qi packing up his desk.

"Where is everyone from the office? Why is no one here?"

"Li Fucong is being transferred to the Meilong headquarters tomorrow. It counts as a promotion. Everyone from the technical department is seeing him off. I figure he wants to treat everyone to a meal at noon."

Life really was not a novel... A clown like this was beginning his career advancement because he had a good father, while Xu Qi... had already decided to make his escape.

"You're not going with them?"

Xin An suddenly fell silent, and Xu Qi realized what an awkward question he had asked.

"Um, I... I didn't mean anything by it. I just meant... since you're colleagues, aren't you going to see him off? You probably won't see him again."

Xin An shook her head.