What, Do You Think I'm Cheap?

People of action were always proactive, and people like Ye Qingpu and Jiang Jifu were especially efficient.

The two arrived in Harbor City near nightfall.

Ye Qingpu had prepared souvenirs for every employee at the company.

The assistant briefly reported on work. When Ye Qingpu heard that the omega from the Jian Household had visited several days in a row, his hand sorting through documents paused.

Jian Wen?

Just as he was wondering why Jian Wen would visit him for no reason, speak of the devil—there he was.

Looking at the strikingly attractive omega before him, Ye Qingpu kept his doubts to himself.

The two met at a café.

"Mr. Ye, it wasn't easy getting a chance to see you."

Jian Wen had an elegant temperament. Reclining in his chair, he possessed the air wealth could cultivate.

"Sorry, I had some personal matters to deal with. What good news did Young Master Jian come to see me about?"

Ye Qingpu took a sip of coffee.

Jian Wen remained silent, only staring unblinkingly at Ye Qingpu.

Ye Qingpu raised a brow and smiled back.

"You're very beautiful," Jian Wen suddenly said.

Quite a few people in their circle had privately discussed how beautiful Ye Qingpu was, but Jian Wen was the first to say it so bluntly. Compared to the shyness of their first meeting, he was much more composed this time.

"As a beta, you're more attractive than ordinary omegas."

Jian Wen spoke unhurriedly.

"If you have something to say, just say it."

Ye Qingpu set down his coffee, crossed his legs, and leaned back.

"No wonder Brother Qian likes you."

Whether it was an illusion or not, Ye Qingpu felt a different emotion spill from those beautiful light-colored eyes.

The moment he heard Pei Jiaqian's name, Ye Qingpu understood that it was just as he had expected.

People never came calling without a reason. Jian Wen's only connection to him was Pei Jiaqian.

"You mean Young Master Pei?"

Ye Qingpu looked at him with amusement.

"Don't play dumb, Mr. Ye. You still have an enigma's pheromones lingering on you." Jian Wen gave him a sidelong glance. "You probably don't know this, but Brother Qian and I knew each other abroad."

Ye Qingpu's hand holding the coffee paused. He maintained his smile and quietly waited for him to continue.

"To be precise, we lived together for a while. When I came back to the country this time, I never expected my arranged marriage partner to be him."

As Jian Wen spoke, a faint, ambiguous smile appeared on his lips.

"So? Why don't you get to the point?" Ye Qingpu lifted his wrist and checked his watch.

Jian Wen's expression changed, and his tone turned much colder.

"I know about your relationship with Brother Qian. But now that he and I are engaged, I hope you'll stay away from him."

Ye Qingpu was helpless. He even found it rather absurdly funny. No longer willing to waste time, he picked up his briefcase, gave a slight apologetic nod, and rose to leave.

"As long as we haven't broken off the engagement, you'll be nothing but a disgraceful lover!"

Jian Wen's angry voice came from behind him. Ye Qingpu halted mid-step, then let out a soft laugh.

"You think too highly of me, Young Master Jian. Even if Young Master Pei and I had some entanglement, we've already gone our separate ways."

After saying that, Ye Qingpu could not be bothered to see how the person behind him reacted. He drove straight home.

Perhaps he had played too wildly these past few days. The exhaustion from the trip only caught up with him afterward.

After sleeping for a while, he obeyed the immutable law that one always caught a cold after traveling. Early in the morning, he dragged himself up, mixed two packets of cold medicine, took his temperature, and sure enough, found that he had a fever.

Ye Qingpu was helpless. Ye Qingpu found it funny. After drinking two packets of medicine, Ye Qingpu went to the company.

He was going to let this body know who its master was.

In truth, he had overestimated himself. The moment he sat down in his office, he had his assistant buy some relatively mild but potent cold medicine.

He used up half a box of tissues wiping his nose. Taking off his glasses, he reclined in his chair and sighed.

His hand unconsciously rested on his lower abdomen, and Ye Qingpu was not sure how he truly felt.

"Boss..." The assistant suddenly opened the office door, looking troubled.

"Speak."

Ye Qingpu sat up and put his glasses back on.

"The chairman of CR Group has arrived with the heir."

The smile on the assistant's face was somewhat stiff. After speaking, he shifted slightly aside.

Ye Qingpu felt his brow twitch and raised a hand to rub the tip of his slightly reddened nose.

"Nice to meet you for the first time, President Ye."

The middle-aged man at the door had a powerful presence. When he saw Ye Qingpu, he wore a smile devoid of warmth.

"...Chairman Pei, I didn't know you were coming. Please forgive me for not welcoming you properly."

Ye Qingpu glanced at the person behind the middle-aged man, then rose and stepped forward to shake hands. As they spoke, he led them into the tea room and signaled for his assistant to make tea.

"You're too polite, President Ye. I came without warning. I hope I haven't caused you any inconvenience?"

Pei Jianchang took his seat, his face carrying the polished smoothness unique to businessmen.

"You must be joking, Chairman Pei." Ye Qingpu nodded and quietly waited for him to continue.

"This is my son. I'm sure President Ye remembers him."

Pei Jianchang nodded, his gaze gradually becoming probing.

"Of course. We met during the site inspection. Once again, I must thank Young Master Pei for coming to my aid so promptly."

Ye Qingpu smiled and extended his hand.

Pei Jiaqian gave a slight nod and reached out to shake it.

The instant their fingertips touched, Ye Qingpu casually withdrew his hand at once. Feeling the warmth vanish from his fingertips in an instant, Pei Jiaqian's gaze briefly fell.

"I brought my son here mainly to discuss the project from that site inspection with Chairman Ye. President Ye needs our plot of land, while CR Group needs President Ye's technology..."

Ye Qingpu listened attentively, completely unable to spare attention for the scorching gaze beside him.

The land in Pei Jianchang's hands would be a good choice for building a new biological research facility. After all, the area was rich in resources. Pei Jianchang knew the value of that land himself, but CR Group had never entered the field of biological research. Therefore, he wanted to cooperate with Ye Qingpu—one party providing the land and the other the expertise, achieving a win-win partnership.

After listening to the other party's general plan, Ye Qingpu expressed his approval but said he would need to make thorough preparations before giving an answer.

Pei Jianchang readily accepted. He took an invitation from his assistant on the spot.

"My son has a happy occasion coming up. I hope President Ye will honor us with your presence."

Ye Qingpu accepted the invitation and shook the hand Pei Jianchang extended, every movement polite and measured.

"Of course. Take care, Chairman Pei."

Ignoring the gaze that had remained fixed on him, Ye Qingpu saw the old chairman of CR Group out. Throughout the entire time, he did not even spare Pei Jiaqian a glance, and naturally did not notice the pain on the other man's face.

Looking at the quiet office, Ye Qingpu let out a breath and collapsed onto the sofa with his utterly limp body.

He picked up the red invitation and looked at it. As expected, it bore two familiar names.

He casually tossed the invitation into the trash and clicked his tongue.

Pei Jianchang's true purpose in coming was not the business proposal at all. He had merely come to test Ye Qingpu's attitude.

What did they all take him for? Ye Qingpu smiled helplessly, picked up the invitation again, and casually tossed it onto the desk.