Once Ling Qiao had drifted away, Qu Nanzhu breathed a sigh of relief, released Huo Sili's hand, and went back to sit on the sofa.
Now that things had quieted down, his mind began to wander. Qu Nanzhu was no exception.
He thought for a moment, then asked Huo Sili, who still looked a little dazed across from him, "Brother Huo, what time do you get off work?"
"Hm?" Huo Sili took a moment to register the question, then asked, "Is there something you need?"
Qu Nanzhu said, "I want to treat you to dinner. You treated me before, so I should return the favor, and thank you for your help that day."
Huo Sili didn't understand. "What?"
"Your assistant. You arranged that, didn't you?"
"Oh, that..." Huo Sili smiled. "But you helped him too, didn't you?"
Qu Nanzhu held up a finger and wagged it. "No, no, no. That's different. He paid me a divination fee, and I solved his problem. The karma between us has already been settled."
Huo Sili checked the time. "Won't that be too rushed? I can't leave until six today. Don't you have a livestream at eight?"
Qu Nanzhu blinked and took out his phone. "Then I won't stream tonight. I'll take a day off."
He had no idea how adorable he looked being so serious. Huo Sili thought he was far cuter in person than on a screen.
Qu Nanzhu didn't notice Huo Sili's gaze. He opened his Douyin account and posted a photo video with the following message:
[I'm too tired today, so I'm taking a day off.]
The fans who had eagerly opened the video: "?"
[You bastard, this actually made me laugh out of sheer anger. You never post videos, and when you finally do, it's to take time off?]
[Sure enough, men stop cherishing you once they've got you. It hasn't even been that long, and you're already brushing me off.]
[Baby, listen to me. Stopping your streams now will make your traffic plummet. We can't do this, okay?]
[To the person above, honestly, does God Qu's traffic even have room to plummet?]
[Hahahaha, I really... sob sob sob, I'm a fake fan. Why do I find this so funny?]
[Baby, what kept you busy today?]
Qu Nanzhu replied to the comment asking what had kept him busy.
Qu's Bamboo: [I went to resolve a few longstanding issues and spent all day running around. I'm having dinner with a friend tonight.]
More replies immediately popped up beneath his response, though their focus had clearly shifted.
[God Qu's friend? Haha, I'm not envious at all. Really!!]
[Right, no envy, only jealousy.]
[Lemons on the lemon tree, you and me beneath the lemon tree. Drowning in sourness/]
[Sob sob sob, baby, you have to protect yourself, baby.]
[Damn it, I want to have dinner with baby too, sob sob sob.]
Ten minutes after the video went up, it had already passed three hundred thousand views.
Qu Nanzhu's follower count had more or less stabilized at over a million, after the platform's cleanup.
Eighty percent of those were highly active accounts. Apparently, one fan had been made to unfollow him six times by the platform and had gotten so angry that they contacted customer service and gave them an earful. At last, they stopped being made to unfollow.
It was past six by the time Huo Sili finished putting his documents away and prepared to leave.
He sent Qu Nanzhu a message, and before long, Qu Nanzhu came out of the lounge next door.
He adjusted the canvas bag slung over his shoulder and said eagerly, "Let's go. Just so we're clear, I'm treating you at a restaurant. There won't be a fancy little garden."
Amused, Huo Sili feigned annoyance. "Then I'm not going."
Downstairs, Chen Xun drove the car out of the underground garage and up to the front of the building. The others had left work early, though a few people who had finished late were still coming and going from the Huo building.
Seeing their boss emerge from the elevator with a young man, they couldn't quite resist casting curious glances their way.
This time, Qu Nanzhu helped push the wheelchair. Chen Xun took a crutch out of the trunk and handed it over. Huo Sili accepted it, propped himself up, and climbed into the back seat.
Qu Nanzhu and Chen Xun put away the wheelchair behind him.
In the car, Qu Nanzhu touched the crutch resting across Huo Sili's legs and asked, "Can you use this to get around outside now?"
"Mm. I use it occasionally," Huo Sili explained. "Sitting all the time isn't good for my other leg either."
"Oh," Qu Nanzhu said, unable to help glancing at Huo Sili's left leg in its cast.
He suddenly said, "Actually, I have a way to help you recover faster."
Huo Sili raised an eyebrow. "With your techniques? Would that affect you in any way?"
"No, it wouldn't," Qu Nanzhu said. "I'd just channel spiritual qi into the injured area. Spiritual qi repairs damage a hundred times faster than the body does naturally."
Smiling, he extended two fingers held together. Spiritual qi gathered into a tiny point of light at his fingertips. "Want me to?"
Huo Sili was quite tempted, but after thinking about those things still lurking in the shadows, he declined. "I appreciate the offer, but if I recover too quickly, people with ulterior motives will find out and exploit it. I'm fine as I am."
As he spoke, he began sharing his own circumstances. "You know, since I hurt my leg in the accident, my mom felt bad for me and made my dad come help me at the company. Now I finally don't have to keep dealing with work at ten at night. It's pretty nice. I want to enjoy it a little longer."
Qu Nanzhu asked curiously, "Even a big boss like you is that busy?"
Huo Sili sighed softly. "Of course. The bigger the boss, the busier he is. So the employees can leave on time, I have to put in a little extra work myself."
"You really are a good boss," Qu Nanzhu said with heartfelt admiration.
Huo Sili hadn't lied to him about that. Except under special circumstances, their company didn't require employees to work overtime, and any overtime was strictly paid at triple the usual rate.
Anyone who took the trouble to ask around would discover that Huo Group's employee happiness index was definitely the highest in S City. Aside from the boss at the top being a little intimidating, there really was nothing to fault about Huo.
The two chatted back and forth in the car for half an hour before the understated luxury van slowly pulled up outside an elegantly decorated restaurant.
Huo Sili got out with his crutch and told Chen Xun he was free to do as he pleased for the next hour, but should be on standby after that.
Chen Xun drove away, and Huo Sili followed Qu Nanzhu into the restaurant, limping with each step.
Qu Nanzhu had chosen this restaurant on Dianping. It had a very high rating, with its decor receiving particularly glowing reviews.
Qu Nanzhu also thought the place was very nicely decorated. Rows of planted bamboo separated the private dining areas, offering the customers some privacy while creating a secluded atmosphere.
The restaurant host led them to their reserved seats.
It was a barbecue restaurant. They each ordered a few dishes, then handed the menu to the server to take away.
While they waited for the food, Qu Nanzhu kept pointing at things on the menu, asking Huo Sili whether he had tried this or that and whether it tasted good.
Huo Sili answered every question earnestly.
A message came through on his phone from his mother, asking why he still hadn't come home.
Huo Sili picked up his phone and typed a few words.
Huo: [Don't prepare dinner for me. I'm eating out with a friend tonight.]
Si Yunxiang: [Why didn't you say so earlier?]
Si Yunxiang: [Image]
Si Yunxiang: [What am I supposed to do now?]
Looking at the picture of a veritable imperial banquet his mother had sent, Huo Sili smiled helplessly and typed back.
Huo: [Even with me there, we couldn't finish that whole table of food. You can ask Uncle Si and the others to eat with you.]
Si Yunxiang: [All right. Are you coming home tonight, then?]
Huo: [Yes.]
Their dishes arrived before long. The server thoughtfully asked whether they needed help grilling the meat, but Huo Sili waved a hand to decline.
Once the server had left, Qu Nanzhu asked, "Do you know how? I don't."
"It's fine. I do," Huo Sili said.
After that, Huo Sili mostly did the grilling while Qu Nanzhu ate.
It had to be said that Huo Sili was indeed good at grilling meat. Qu Nanzhu had never tried anyone else's, but he thought what he was eating now was wonderfully fragrant and delicious.
Out of politeness, he also put a few pieces of meat on Huo Sili's plate, so Huo Sili wouldn't think all he did was eat.
They chatted some more about everyday things during the meal. About an hour later, Qu Nanzhu had eaten until his belly was round.
He went to settle the bill, and Huo Sili messaged Chen Xun. By the time they came out, the car was already waiting at the entrance.
Once again, Huo Sili drove him right to the foot of his rental building. They wished each other good night, and Qu Nanzhu went upstairs in high spirits.