Two-Person Three-Legged Race

Over the next few days, Ye Qingpu was run ragged by work and his cold.

At long last, it was time for the company retreat. The venue had already been chosen, but they were suddenly informed that another company had also selected the resort they had booked in advance for their own retreat.

Ye Qingpu had not cared much. The resort was huge, and his company's employees would not need that much space anyway, so when the person in charge of the resort said the place might be rented out to both parties at once, he had readily agreed.

What he had never expected was that the so-called other company would be CR Group. Not only that, Jian Corporation, which Jian Wen managed on behalf of others, was there as well.

Ye Qingpu took a deep breath, feeling that enemies really did cross paths in narrow places.

"Mr. Ye, what a coincidence."

The moment Jian Wen appeared, many people turned to look. After all, there were not many omegas as outstanding as him in Harbor City, and opportunities to see one in person were naturally rare.

"Yes."

Ye Qingpu looked at the clear sky and the mist-shrouded mountains surrounding them.

Ah... what perfect weather for dying.

"Mr. Ye, you don't look very well. Is it because you don't really want to see me?"

A trace of disappointment appeared on Jian Wen's face.

"You're joking, Young Master Jian. I just have a bit of a cold."

Ye Qingpu answered in a congested voice, smiling politely. After exchanging a few perfunctory words, he found a patch of shade and lay down by himself.

If he could sit, he would never stand. If he could lie down, he would never sit. He was happy to let his company's employees entertain themselves.

Leisure did not come easily. He took a sip of the cold medicine steeping in his thermos, then adjusted his sunglasses and lay down on the reclining chair for a nap.

Life was dull and tedious. Humans were fond of cosplaying corpses.

Suddenly, a shadow falling over his face disrupted Ye Qingpu's thoughts. He lowered his sunglasses and glanced over, then pushed them back into place, bent his legs, and turned onto his side.

Out of sight, out of mind.

"Brother... pay attention to me."

Pei Jiaqian crouched beside Ye Qingpu's reclining chair, his gaze falling on the fair, strong, slender legs exposed beneath his shorts.

"Is President Pei here to discuss that plot of land for the on-site inspection?"

Ye Qingpu sat up, adopting the polite manner of a businessman.

"I just wanted to talk to you, Brother..."

Pei Jiaqian instinctively reached out to grab his hand, but Ye Qingpu evaded him without leaving a trace.

"Have some self-respect, President Pei."

Ye Qingpu stood and stretched, then turned his head aside and covered his mouth as he coughed a few times.

"Are you angry, Brother...?"

Faced with his pleading gaze, Ye Qingpu merely gave a disdainful smile.

"What do I have to be angry about? President Pei, you should concern yourself more with your own affairs. Spending less time on me would be more cost-effective."

Pei Jiaqian sighed.

"I'll take care of it, Brother. Can you give me some time?"

"It has nothing to do with me."

Ye Qingpu dismissed him with contempt and turned to leave with lazy steps.

Even if Ye Qingpu was desperate, he had no interest in an enigma who was already engaged.

"You need me, Brother."

Pei Jiaqian carefully took Ye Qingpu's hand.

At those words, Ye Qingpu's eyes darkened. He spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"President Pei, don't think too highly of yourself. We've only slept together a few times. That's common in high society. If I needed every person I'd slept with, wouldn't that be ridiculous?"

Seeing the mockery in Ye Qingpu's eyes, Pei Jiaqian's heart trembled.

Ye Qingpu shook off his hand. The moment he reached the courtyard, he heard from his assistant that employees from several companies were discussing playing games.

It was entirely voluntary, so Ye Qingpu readily agreed. It was a company retreat, after all. The employees could play however they wanted; he only needed to pay for it.

"Um... Boss, would you like to join us?"

A junior employee asked shyly. Behind him, countless expectant eyes had gathered.

Ye Qingpu smiled helplessly and indicated that he was willing but unable.

"Boss, we're just playing some little games~~ They won't take much physical effort~"

The junior employee pleaded, and so did the many pairs of eyes behind him.

"Hey... you people..." Ye Qingpu suddenly could not bear to refuse. He nodded helplessly.

That was true. A good boss should mingle with the employees.

"Boss, sit here!"

Ye Qingpu was led to a chair. Someone had even set up an umbrella beside it, and an iced Americano—the kind he drank most often—sat on the folding table next to the chair.

He was a little touched. He suddenly felt like giving everyone a raise when they got back.

Only a small branch of the company had come on this retreat, around twenty people. Excluding those who had arranged their own activities, there were not many people participating in the mini-games.

Ye Qingpu leaned back in his chair, seated in the middle of the crowd. He picked up the iced Americano and took a sip.

He did not drink it so often because he liked it that much. He had only found it rather... hard to describe after trying it once, so each time he decided to try it a few more times. Over time, it became a habit.

"Boss, we discussed it with the employees from the other companies. The first mini-game will be a two-person three-legged race. We'll draw numbers, and people with the same number will be a team. There should be more than ten teams participating. Six teams will compete at a time, and the final winning team will receive a mystery prize."

The assistant explained.

"Mm."

Ye Qingpu nodded. The last time he had played a two-person three-legged race was over a decade ago. It was not too strenuous, so it should not affect the baby.

He pushed up his sunglasses and automatically ignored the gaze from the front side.

"Boss, you draw first."

The assistant held out the box before Ye Qingpu.

Ye Qingpu casually pulled out a slip of paper and unfolded it. The number on it was 8.

"Alright, Boss. Please wait a moment and see who draws 8 next."

After saying that, the assistant had the representatives from the other companies draw in turn.

Many employees silently prayed that they would not be paired with a leader. Of course, some prayed to be paired with one, such as Pei Jiaqian.

When he unfolded his slip and found that his number was not 8, the thought of cheating occurred to him for the first time in his life.

After one round of drawing, the teams were quickly decided.

When Ye Qingpu learned that neither Pei Jiaqian nor Jian Wen was on his team, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

As he looked around to see who else had drawn 8, a young man in casual clothes approached Ye Qingpu with a slightly reddened face.

"Hello, Mr. Ye. I'm a new intern at your company. My name is Jiang Wenke."

Looking at the handsome young man standing awkwardly before him, Ye Qingpu rose to his feet, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "My name is Ye Qingpu."

Jiang Wenke was clearly startled.

"Didn't you introduce yourself? Then I should introduce my name too."

Ye Qingpu smiled. Only after standing did he realize that this young man was quite tall. He had monolids and a high nose bridge, with neat, upright features. He looked a little introverted.

"You're... very easygoing," Jiang Wenke said with an embarrassed smile.

Ye Qingpu only smiled. After turning his head to cough twice, he walked to the starting line and loosened up.

Seeing that neither Pei Jiaqian nor Jian Wen was competing against him, Ye Qingpu thought that this batch of employees was quite clever.

"Teams, please get ready!"

The referee waved a small colorful flag.

"Mr. Ye, lift your foot."

Holding a loop of rope, Jiang Wenke crouched beside Ye Qingpu's feet.

Ye Qingpu instinctively braced himself against Jiang Wenke's shoulder and quietly said, "Thanks."

Jiang Wenke used the rope loop to bind their legs together, his hands a little awkward.

"Come on, we're ready."

Ye Qingpu looked at the finish line more than twenty meters away, and his eyes lit up.

"Even if it's just a little game, I'm very competitive."

Jiang Wenke froze slightly at that, as if he had made some major decision. In a low voice, he said, "Excuse my presumption, Mr. Ye."

Ye Qingpu had not yet understood what he meant when the flag swung down. In the next second, his body suddenly felt light. The arm around his waist tightened sharply, and before he could even recover from the dull ache at his side, he had been half-dragged, half-carried to the finish line.

When he turned around, he saw that the other teams only burst into action after confirming that he had firmly crossed the finish line.

Sure enough... they had gone easy on him.

"I'm very sorry. Since you said you were competitive, I couldn't hold you back."

Jiang Wenke quickly untied the rope loop.

Ye Qingpu looked at him with amusement, absentmindedly rubbing the side of his waist where he had been gripped until it burned.

What kind of savage kid was this? He seemed a little slow.

A certain enigma seated in the corner had already gone dark-faced.

The assistant cautiously handed him a bottle of water.

"President Pei, you and Young Master Jian will be up soon."

Pei Jiaqian said nothing. He merely walked to the starting line and waited for the late-arriving Jian Wen.

He crouched down and silently tied the rope loop, but his gaze kept drifting toward Ye Qingpu.